Wednesday, January 30, 2013

There is something about dumplings that make them fabulous. The soft, but crunchy outer tips of the dough combined with the tender, delicious inside (whether it is meat or vegetables) make them a tasty bite. What makes them more appealing is the health factor.

Whenever I order Chinese, I request steamed vegetable dumplings. Since I love vegetables, and they are figure friendly, I could finish them off in one sitting. I sometimes find myself eating just the insides, which make me feel better about Chinese food!

Well anyway, I bought a giant box of chicken dumplings from Shop Rite yesterday. I ate five before, and I simply enjoyed every bite. I am not full, no shock there. However, I don’t regret my decision, and now I may dig around to see what else I may find. Possibly some sort of vegetable? And if all else fails, I’ll just hit the gym!

Monday, January 28, 2013

Here’s a fun fact for the day; live strong.com reports potato chips were invented in 1895 which ultimately began the snack craze. Fast forward to 2012 where snacks are a big part of our life.. I mean, how could we get through the day without having at least 2 snacks?

It is important to watch which snacks we eat, despite what we may crave. Our bodies may be telling us they want some Doritos or gummy bears, but in the long run, vegetables are a better alternative. I know I know, they aren’t too exciting to eat, but there are ways to spice it up.

It is a long day already what with classes, and homework, but if you pack something light to eat, you will feel much more energized.

Kidshealth.org states that fatty snacks will keep you going for a little while, but you will find yourself crashing before you can power through the rest of class. A great alternative is cereal, whole grain breads, fruits and vegetables.

I’ve noticed students enjoy the pretzels and hummus, and I too find they are a great snack. Hummus is such a versatile dip, if you aren’t in the mood for pretzels, chips, or any vegetables are a great supplement.

Another route you could take, is have one healthy snack in between breakfast in lunch, around that time period, and chips or a cookie or two in between lunch and dinner.

Friday, January 25, 2013

We can’t escape food. Since it’s vital for us to eat, food will always be around. Not only do we consume it, but we cook with it, it keeps us on our feet, and helps us cure any colds we may have. But do we really know about food? I bet there are more food facts out there then we can imagine. As I was searching the web this morning, I noticed an abundance of facts were fascinating to me. I compiled some together, and put them on here for you guys to check out.

1) The Popsicle was invented by an 11 year who kept it secret for 18 years.

2) Microwave cooking was discovered accidentally, when a chocolate bar melted in someone’s pocket

3) Carrots used to be purple before the 17th century

4) The color of the twist tie on bread represents which day of the week it was baked

5) More than $2 billion of candy is sold for Halloween, more than any other holiday

6) Hostess makes 500 million Twinkies a year.

7) The creamy middle of a Twinkie is not cream at all but mostly Crisco, which is vegetable shortening.

8) Today, Americans consume approximately 70 million “tator tots” a year. The film Napoleon Dynamite (2004) popularized them even more.

9) Lettuce is a member of the sunflower family

10)The banana plant can grow as high as 20 feet tall. That’s as big as a two-story house!

11) Noodles got their start in China, not Italy as many people might think.

12) Pumpkins are 90% water.

13) Each man, woman and child in America eats an average of 46 slices (23 pounds) of pizza a year.

14) An ear of corn always has an even number of rows.

15) It takes over 300 gallons of water to grow one pound of rice.

16) Consumers in the USA spend over $100 billion on fast food every year.

17) Forks, mostly being two-tined, used to known as "split spoons."

18) Three quarters of fish caught are eaten - the rest is used to make things such as glue, soap, margarine and fertilizer.

19) Meat production causes 1/5 of global greenhouse gasses.

20) Actually a fruit, it took a ruling by the Supreme Court in 1893 to make the tomato a vegetable.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

I may have a problem.. Food shoppers anonymous anyone?

Recently I have been food shopping a lot. And by that I mean overstocking the fridge, freezer, pantry, etc. The good news is we have food to eat for all meals. The bad news.. I can’t keep track of what I buy!

I just came home from Fairway with groceries for tonight’s dinner. The menu is a fun one. Chicken sausage burgers with sautéed peppers and onions on top. Broccoli Rabe and mozzarella ravioli (Fairways finest), with vodka sauce on the side. And last but not least.. Spinach and artichoke dip.

I am quite excited for this one, since I bought low sodium chicken broth, and I have milk in the house. The dip will be relatively healthy so I don’t have to regret going up for seconds.. Or thirds.

Speaking of this made me realize I have to go unpack. I can’t have everything thawed out.

Monday, January 21, 2013

We all pig out once in a while, it’s the human thing to do. And the other day, I did just that.

I visited one of my good friends from school and got to spend the day with her. We didn’t do much, but one thing that always is on the agenda is eat… a lot. We both love food. We enjoy eating it, talking about it, and eating some more.

So first we heated up some jalapeno poppers and wings. I rarely eat wings.. I can’t even remember the last time I had them. So when I took a bite into that drumstick, time stood still a little. Nah I’m kidding.. It wasn’t that dramatic.

The chicken was moist and flavorful, the breading wasn’t too much and it was really good. The poppers are always a tasty treat. The creaminess of the cream cheese holds down the spice level of the pepper. Because without it.. It would be very very hot.

Anyway, moving onto the more embarrassing part of the night-Dominos. In school back in the day, we would go crazy when it came to their pizza. We would load it up, they would deliver it over, and we would devour it within a couple minutes.

With the Friends DVDs piled up, and the Dominos website in front of us, we went to work. First, we started off with the obvious.. The pizza. We couldn’t decide whether we should get the hearty marinara or the white sauce (presumably alfredo), but we went with the safe choice, marinara.

The toppings went as followed: Pepperoni, salami, jalapeno peppers, pineapple, mushrooms, spinach, extra cheese, and of course, tomatoes. So when Dominos called and listed every single item that we topped off our pizza making us feel like huge fat asses, he finished by saying they were out of salami.. Bummer!

Along with the pizza we ordered cheesy bread and boneless chicken. I swearrr… I rarely eat like this. I do eat an exorbitant amount, but never of this magnitude. So anyway, $40 later we were well on our way to one of the greatest meals of all time.. That may or may not be an exaggeration.

It is a good thing we did not order extra sauce, or the entire pizza would have been a soggy mess. The pineapple was definitely the star of the meal as it added the little bit of sweetness the pizza needed. Once I finished my three slices, I moved onto the cheesy, garlicky, flavorful cheesy bread. The chicken was dry but tender, it was fine. But the golden globe for the night definitely goes to the pizza.

Friday, January 18, 2013

I am NEVER full.. and when I am, it merely lasts a couple hours. Today was no different than any other day. I ate half a wrap for lunch, and I seemed to be set. Grilled chicken is not my favorite, rather dry and unappealing, but definitely a lot healthier. That combined with fresh mozzarella is a great combination, however today it was not.

The cheese was on the cold side, lacked flavor and texture. When I say texture, fresh mozzarella should practically melt in your mouth. I did not want to chomp on big pieces. Also, I prefer shredded lettuce, mainly for the texture. By itself, it is blech, boring and tasteless. But.. It adds the crunch factor every good wrap needs.

The wrap also contained tomato and honey mustard. Again, the honey mustard seemed to lack taste. Usually I look for one that is sweet, and does not have an overpowering mustard flavor.

Anyway, after finishing, I went about my day. I had a sudden craving for edamame, and shot over to the grocery store. Might I add that it was $1.50 off.

After finishing the ENTIRE bag, I was still not satisfied. I reheated spinach and artichoke dip I made the other night and happily ate it.

Bursts of gorgonzola hit my palate, meshed with the leafy green spinach and acidic artichokes, and of course, can‘t forget the garlic flavor.. The creaminess of the dish brings it all together, and with the saltiness of pretzels, I finally had my fix. Was I full? Nope. Happy with my choice.. Obviously.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

New year, new post

I may be the only 22 year old who thoroughly enjoys potato salad as a midnight snack. However, since I already discussed this item in my last post, I digress.

Because I have not written on my blog in over three months, there is a lot to discuss. I obviously am not going to dish on every food item I have eaten, because that will take up your day.. possibly week. However I will discuss my favorites.

Sushi, an all time favorite. Last week I was invited to dinner with my friend and her mom. Since this is one of my favorite cuisines, I couldn’t wait to eat.

Normally, when I eat sushi, my dad and I will split five or six rolls and call it a night. After her mom only ordered two, I felt I should do the same. Although I was skeptical it wasn’t enough, I decided to go with it anyway. She asked if I would split edamame with her, which of course I agreed.

Something I found interesting is she ordered spicy mayo for dipping. I never thought of ordering it for vegetables, but rather the rolls themselves. But once I took a bite, I never stopped questioning.

There was a certain zing that the mayo exudes, a flavor you wouldn’t expect with edamame. The creaminess of the sauce bodes well with the heat and the orange color is more inviting than regular white, plain mayo.

I couldn’t stop at the edamame. My two rolls consisted of spicy yellowtail, and shrimp tempura topped with spicy tuna. As you can see, I like my food spicy. Not too spicy though, as I can control how hot I want it with the mayo I put on. The crunch from the tempura, with the smoothness of the spicy tuna mixed with a kick of heat, balanced with the rice, made for a delicious meal. I couldn’t ask for a better dinner.

Plus, at the end, six slices of watermelon were served, and guess who ate them all.

Another interesting food I tried the other day was something out of the norm. It comprised of corned beef, swiss cheese, Russian dressing, and sauerkraut, and no I am not talking about the sandwich.

My mom brought over some Reuben bites she found in the freezer section of Shop Rite. She thought we might enjoy them and put them up as soon as she got home.


An hour later, after the oven heated up, and merely forgetting about the tasty bites, they were ready to be consumed.

I thought they were very Rachael Ray esq, combining flavors together turning them into another meal. Not as healthy as the sandwich, but a pick me up to get you through the day.

Bursts of Russian dressing and the sharpness of the swiss filled my mouth and an over powering of rye seeds filled my palate. I am a fan of rye bread, but I felt the rye seeds of this were a bit of an overload, and could do without them. With that being said, Reuben bites weren’t half bad.

And finally, the meatball. As I was food shopping yesterday, I decided I was going to make meatballs for dinner. I haven’t made them in a while and wanted to them a go.

I purchased ground chicken, keeping it on the healthier side. Along with that I added parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs (which I made from grinding up butter garlic croutons), Montréal grill seasoning (for chicken), grated clove of garlic, grated shallot and a pinch of Emerills Bayou blast.

I formed them into seven meatballs, and put them in the oven at 375. They baked for around fifteen twenty minutes and were cooked perfectly.

Usually I am very critical of my cooking, but last night was an exception. The meatballs were not dry at all, but rather moist. They weren’t so flavorful however, and next time I will add more seasonings. But for me, texture is half the battle, and so I came out a winner.