A Little Late—But Still Great!

Hey everyone! I am so bogged by the annual end-of-the-semester college cramming, unfortunately blogging has to take a bit of a back seat for now. But have no fear! I am not leaving or abandoning the blog until summer vacation—I just can’t promise everyday posts, more like a couple a week. I can’t wait till summer to bombard you with all my great sunshine filled recipes =) I know y’all will understand. So hang in there and be glad your not a college student—if you are I know you feel me. Have a super rest of your week!

I recently sampled a new pizza from the freezer section—I am told they are hard to find, but if you can get your hands on one, I highly suggest you do, especially if you had a dollar off coupon like me. This is definitely in the top ten of my Good for You Goods.(not to be confused with Good for You Goodies, which BTW has a few more contestants to be featured)

The pizza is made by a company called A.C. LaRocco, which I heard about through Hungry Girl awhile back. I immediately went to the website and typed my zip code in the “Store Locator” and was delighted that the grocery store right down the block from me stocked em’, I was just hoping they had the kind I had my heart set on(Ultra Thin Sprouted Grain Old World Veggie). Yes they did—which meant it was meant to be—which meant I bought one!!! =) The crust is made of 100% sprouted whole grain and it is extra thin which I have always been a fan of vs deep dish pizzas.

• AC LaRocco pizzas are assembled in a frozen physical state using “freshly frozen vegetables” to savor the nutritional factors of freshness and flavor.
• AC LaRocco was compared to 42 other frozen pizzas and declared the lowest in Sodium of all other popular brands.
• "How Does AC LaRocco Preserve The Highest Nutritional Level Possible  Without The Use Of Food Additives or Food Chemicals?"
  By:
        (a)         Using Fresh Frozen Vegetables.
        (b)         Assembling & Packaging each Pizza Frozen (non thawed state).
        (c)         Formulating Each Pizza To Start Baking Direct From the
                     Freezer.
        (d)         Developing Crust to Finish Baking Precisely as the Cheese
                     Melts
• Inulin is the dietary fiber found naturally in fruits and vegetables. Not only does inulin aid in the metabolism of carbohydrates and calories, new studies indicate that it may also play an integral role in digestive health by increasing dietary fiber and prebiotic "good" bacteria in the intestinal tract. The two AC Larocco thin crust pizzas have inulin in the crust, which gives it higher fiber even though the crust is thin.

All this in this glorious slice of heaven. I would rate a 8 out of 10 for taste, texture, and overall satisfying eating experience. I’ve tasted quite a bit of pizza in my life and this one is a keeper! Although the folks at A.C. LaRocco’s could have added a bit more veggies, which is why I added the sliced mushrooms you see. =) If you’re in the market for a new weeknight pizza to quick pop in the oven, this one won’t have you feeling one bit guilty!

Good for You Goods: Kim’s Light Bagels

Yes, you read the post title right. Today is not a “Good for You Goodie”, but instead a “Good for You Good”. The difference you ask? On my blog a goodie is a savory or snack type food(cookie, chip, etc.) and a good is a good for you food product(pasta,breads,etc.). Today’s feature could be considered either really depending on what you eat on it, but overall by itself, it’s simply a good.

The Good for You Good: Bagels

The Company: Kim's Light Bagels

The Chew Review: I think something that is created by someone who, in this case is Kim Bensen, and that is fueled by a certain goal obtained (in her case was learning to beat the bondage of food and in the process lose 212! pounds), and then bringing out a great product to the world is a mixture for a superb company! So I was honored to get the chance to try her creation, Kim’s Light Bagels, because unfortunately no where near me sells them.(Which I am going to highly suggest they start!)

From the website:

“A year ago friends encouraged me to take to market one of my favorite products – a 110 calorie, high fiber, low fat bagel -- in six yummy flavors. Today we ship Kim’s Light Bagels to all 50 states and are in major grocery store shelves across New England, New York and New Jersey. Our goal? To get out of the shipping business and be in the supermarkets of EVERYONE who wants a tasty, portion controlled, New York style, kettle boiled bagel!”

Bagels can be a carb loaded food that can send your blood sugar for a rollercoaster ride, and in turn leaving you hungry an hour later. However, these bagels are very different. Clocking in at 110 calories(they are a full sized bagel also, not mini!), 4g of fiber, 5g of protein, calcium, thiamin, niacin, iron, riboflavin, and folate all stuffed into these versatile and scrumptious bagels! Plus it doesn’t hurt that they come in 6 flavors(Original, Wheat, Blueberry, Cinnamon, Onion, & Everything), so there’s guaranteed to be one you’ll like! Here’s my lovely stash all thanks to Kim!—>

Now I am not going to do a full-out post on every single bagel, because for one I do not like onion bagels(but my mom said it was fantastic), and two, the flavors are pretty close to a regular bagel which I am sure you have all had. But here’s some snapshots of my favorites!

Top left is the cinnamon bagel looking great all on it’s own! Of course I some microwaved apples and a dollop of vanilla yogurt to sandwich between the two which turned out to be more of a dessert-tasting creation! The cinnamon flavor was outrageously good in this bagel. And I can’t get over the great texture, chewiness, and wholesome overall taste in this line of bagels. Is it just me, or is healthy food no longer dull tasting?!

Top right is the blueberry bagel paired with some peanut butter for the ultimate blend of taste sensations. I could actually taste blueberry in every bite. Not some artificial blueberries either, but real and fresh tasting blueberries people!

Bottom is the wheat paired with some turkey and salsa. I toasted this one, but I found out I like it either cold or toasted! It’s not really your standard wheat taste though, it has somewhat of a hint of sweetness between bites that really makes it a bagel I ate 1 day, okay 4 days in a row! 8-)

The everything bagel and the onion were both tested by my lovely mom and dad who said, “They were both very good,” and when asked if there’s any left the reply was simply, “Nope, they’re all gone.” So you know they were good!

I had been playing with the idea of trying to make my own bagels, maybe some hearty whole wheat ones or something, but now that I discovered these gems, I don’t think I will have to do any work, other than click my mouse on over to buy these. Thanks to Kim and her delicious and nutritious bagels, I can enjoy great and healthy bagels without the time needed to make em’.

Question of the day: What is your favorite topping or way to eat a bagel?

And one last thing…if you are up to the challenge of making your own bagels, here’s a few link to get ya started—>

• Emeril's Homemade Bagels
• One at AllRecipes to try
• Great video for step-by-step instructions
• A blogger shares her bagel making adventure
• Bagel Recipe from Martha Stewart

It's Totally Tofu =)

Hey everyone! Sorry I have been gone the past couple of days! I had to move back to college after a lovely week back home. I really enjoyed my time with the fam just hanging out, playing games, and basically savoring our time together which seemed too short. =( But thankfully college keeps me busy busy busy so that the time will go by faster till I get to go home to a comfy bed and cuddly pets once again! Anyhoo..then I got back to college, turned on my laptop, and it would not take a charge! My laptop is about 2 years old, so I started freaking out that the battery was shot! After settling down and some talk with a technically inclined family friend, the problem was my adapter cord was at the end of its' life =( With a giant paper due Tuesday that was on my laptop along with other important parts of my life (why is technology so great, yet so stressful?!), my mom decided to play Superwoman once again (she is truely the best mom ever!), her and my aunt drove 3 hours with a new adapter from Best Buy and delivered it to me at 11 pm. Talk about major life saver--I know I thanked you a gazillion times, but thanks again mom!
Now onto some housekeeping(blogkeeping?)details for what's up for the coming week. Tomorrow is Monday and that means it's the official kick off of my blog feature "Good for you Goodies" and "Good for you Goods" reviews. I have tons of beyond awesome companies that so generously donated products that I scoped out to feature. I have been receiving packages upon packages, and tasting many new foods which is always a pleasure! Thanks again to all the companies and your willingness to participate =) The feature is basically goodies that are great tasting as well as nourishing for your body, and also some things besides snacks in the good for you goods. Each day I will reveal a product from a company, provide a picture, and a run down of what I thought. It's pretty much a chew review. So if you're in the market for some new products, you may just want to tune in. I am soooo excited to do this. So I will leave you with a new recipe I tried this past week. Perfect lunch or light meal. Have a great night!

Tofu-licious Bowl

Ingredients:

1 package tofu shirataki noodles

Desired amount of your favorite pasta sauce

Tofu, cubed (I used Italian-Herb marinated)

Assorted steamed veggies, chooped (I used zucchini, various peppers, & mushrooms)

Pineapple**

Seasonings of your choice

Directions:

Prep noodles.(read packaging for instructions)

Meanwhile steam the vegetables, and while they're steaming, chop the tofu into cubes. Pour the sauce on the noodles and top with veggies, pineapple, and tofu. Sprinkle cheese if desired.

**The pineapple may seem like an odd addition; but trust me it totally adds a tropical twist to this dish!