Local Eats III.

Slowly starting to get back into the swing of things now that the holidays are ALMOST over. Weekday holidays are the bane of my existence -- they really mess everything up! The week before Christmas, I got the chance to check out Cafe Fundamental over in the Porter Crossing neighborhood for a friend's baby shower brunch. OMGosh, I had no clue what a little gem this place was. The menu was amazing for breakfast/brunch -- I'm definitely going to have to check it out for lunch or dinner sometime and see what else they have. Just a heads up, the house cured bacon at the bottom of the menu is intense. It's the thickest slab of pork you'll ever see and it comes out pretty crispy, so don't make the mistake of getting it 'extra crispy' as one of us learned the hard way.


House Omelette + Mushrooms -- Mixed Greens + Pommes Frites

The largest order of Coke I've ever had -- came out in a full liter, definitely recommend sharing this one with those around you. Wasn't able to finish it! Also, it wasn't on the menu, but we asked for several pitchers of mimosas and they were happy to accommodate.

Fundamental Burger + Manchego Cheese. Seriously one of the best burgers
I've ever had. It was steaming hot from first bite to last. Steaming!
Pain au Chocolat - pretty tasty.
Duck Confit Hash - wasn't my style, but several people got it and said
it was super tasty. 

Anyone found any new restaurants locally for me to try?

EYC: Holiday Edition.

So keeping with the festivities of this week -- I'm bringing you a special holiday version of our normal Eat-Your-Colors Friday. I've been at my parents house all week and their garden is off the chain right now with greens, greens and more greens! It's definitely been nice to have a ton of fresh stuff at my disposal during the usually dreary months of winter. Makes me smile!



What are some of your favorite red and green veggies/fruits?

Holiday Juice.

So in the spirit of it being Christmas week, I decided to do a little Holiday Juice edition featuring red and green juices!

@aniiit
@ceeshah
@itschincha
@klewstigh
@miss_sunflow3r
@rawkarmahealth
@stutter

It's amazing how vibrant the colors of juice can be! Come up with any festive juice lately?

Greek Yogurt.

So I'm just now starting to slowly understand the importance of adding Greek yogurt to my diet. I wish now that I'd been up to speed on this 'fad' and realized that it wasn't going to come and go, but instead get stronger and more versatile. I see some many trends come and go and every time you turn on the news, you're seeing contradicting things. One minute coffee is good, the next it's bad. The same goes for chocolate, soy products, eggs, peanut butter, granola, fish and so many other foods. So I did a little digging to find out the scoop on Greek yogurt and find out what's good about it.

What is it? Greek yogurt is made by straining the liquid whey out of regular yogurt, giving it a thicker, creamier texture. It was hard to find things that were specifically related to the benefits of Greek yogurt, but I did find a ton of things that were good with yogurt in general and while I'm not a HUGE fan of all things dairy, it does make me wonder if I should be adding this into my diet. 

Benefits: Yogurt has been known to help with digestion issues because of it's live cultures and acts like a probiotic naturally versus having to supplement it. Many of these issues include: IBS, diarrhea  colon cancer, constipation and people that are lactose intolerant. It's also believed that the calcium in yogurt can help lower blood pressure levels. Some studies show that women that get frequent yeast infections can benefit from the cultures that are found in yogurt. The average 8 oz cup of yogurt is said to have as much protein in it as a 3-oz piece of chicken! And for those of us that don't eat meat, that's a ton of protein! I've also read that yogurt helps you to feel fuller and makes a great snack and/or dessert. 

Cautions: I've been reading a lot of labels lately and have found that there are a lot of 'bad' ingredients on the market when it comes to yogurt -- including aspartame and other similar things. It's important to READ before you buy. The last thing you want to do is give your body something that you think is helping it and in turn, damage it further. It's been suggested that you don't buy yogurts that already have fruit in them since they are high in sugar and the fruit has lost most of it's valuable nutrients. Instead, add your own fresh stuff or perhaps sweeten it with a little honey/honey alternative. 

New Finds: So I've recently come across these two little goodies at Sam's Club. I know, I know. I sound like a broken record, but I really have started to love that place. The first is these Greek on the Go! strawberry granola bites by Rickland Orchards. It's a 22 oz bag of amazingness for under $10 bucks -- there are 15 servings per container, 11 pieces per serving. When I skimmed the ingredients, there wasn't anything any in there that I was 100% against, but I would've liked the 'natural flavors' and other 'ose' ingredients to have been left out. I was pleased with the 5 grams of protein though, so I thought I'd give them a shot. I'm happy to say that they're pretty awesome and I'm glad I scooped them up.

















The second yummy find is something that I heard about via CrowdTap and another iPhone app called iPoll. The latter recently had me do a inventory check and then encouraged me to buy some with the promise of giving me a high $$ survey/taste test opportunity. So of course I bought them. Well, it also told me that I couldn't eat them until the before mentioned survey came thru because I had to rate the taste, etc while I was actually eating one. It came in a package of 3 and after trying the first one, I couldn't wait to eat the others until some silly survey came out. Well, lucky for me, I came across a 12 pack at Sam's Club and snatched them up for under $10 bucks. What's this yummy item you ask? Greek Frozen Yogurt by Healthy Choice. They're these little 100 calorie cups that come in Strawberry and Vanilla Bean. They have no high fructose corn syrup and no artificial flavors -- but they do have 'natural flavors' which isn't the best ingredient in my book. Each one has 4 grams of protein, which again, for such a small container, is alot. 


















What are some of your great finds lately? Have you seen these on the market?



Christmas!

I am so fortunate this year to have such a great family, and with it, not just one Christmas but two! We celebrated over the weekend with the beau's side -- ham dinner, Christmas Eve church service, presents, the whole works. We traveled down to my folks for the rest of the week and had an amazing feast and a second round of presents. 




I really and truly can't complain. With all the hustle and bustle of the season and all the festivities though, sometimes it can be easy to forget what Christmas is all about. Some say Santa, some say presents and family -- but for me, Christmas is the birthday of my Lord and Savior! 

"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.'" Luke 2:9-14

Now if that doesn't give us reason to celebrate, I don't know what else does! I wish you all a Merry Christmas. Enjoy your friends and family and hold them closer then every before.

New Books.

So I bought myself an early Christmas present a few weeks ago -- my goal this year is to not only focus more on mine and my family's health and well being, but to be more of a source for others to learn and from there, start their own health journeys. I plan on reading skimming over these and referencing them regularly -- I'll make sure to share with you all the fun little tid-bits as I come across them.


















I stumbled across these two gems at Sam's Club -- if you don't have a membership to a wholesale buying club, I truly feel you're missing out. We personally have one to Sam's Club and Costco and we'd probably have one to BJ's as well if they were close by :) Not everything you buy in bulk is a great deal though -- sometimes it's best to split your purchases with a friend/family member so that it doesn't go to waste. But if you're a diligent shopper and know you're prices, you'll find some great deals. One of my biggest money savers every year is books. The one on the left retails for $24.99 and is 2 books in one, totaling 655 pages of goodness. And the one on the right retails at $19.99 with 389 pages. This one is available for pre-order on Amazon for a couple bucks more than I got it for, will be available Thursday for sale.  

Anyone found any good books lately that I should have?

Review: Nature Box.

It's time for another subscription box review! It stinks because I've been keeping this gem under wraps for several months now since I've been so bogged down, but it's definitely been one of my favorites. It's a little late now, but I would've definitely suggested this as a great Christmas gift idea -- but everyone loves getting gifts year round, so it's not a lost cause! The greatest gift though is for every box sold, a meal gets donated thru the organization Feeding America. Who doesn't love that?


Details: NatureBox is a monthly subscription for people who like snacks of the healthy variety. It's 5 different varieties each month -- about 15-20 servings total -- for just $19.95 + free shipping. There are also several 'gift' options that come in 3-6-12 month packages and save you quite a bit of money. Looking over the last 5-6 months worth of boxes, the snacks range from granolas to trail mixes to dried fruits to nuts. I love that they come in 5 different resealable packages so you can take them on the go with you. This would be a great idea for backpackers and campers! One more little antidote about this box is that you can pause your subscription at anytime in case you're going on a long trip or just need a little break.

Good Stuff: There's no high fructose corn syrup -- no partially hydrogenated oils -- no trans fat -- no artificial sweeteners -- no artificial flavors and no artificial colors. They're certified Kosher and Gluten Free and they're Vegan.

Goodies: So my 5 snacks were centered around the theme, Boost Your Immunity - and the combinations were great! Antioxidant Boost was a trail mix that had dark chocolate, dark skinned berries and raw nuts. One of my favorites. I didn't even share! And yes, I ate all the dark chocolate pieces out first! Cherry Berry Granola was a crunchy granola mix with dried cranberries, cherries and whole grain oats. The card in the box used this one for a recipe called 'Chicken Gone Nuts' that sounded really good! Sticks 'n Stones was a mixture of almonds, sesame sticks and cashews. Sun-Dried California Apricots was the fourth one and it was just that. And lastly, and the most highly ranked by myself and the kiddo was the Blueberry Almond Bites. She didn't do much sharing with these little guys!


Check 'Em Out: Don't just take my word for it, check them out for yourself. I've seen so many promo codes circulating around for $5 off your first box (25% off): Berry - Healthy - Refer25 - take your pick! You can also read the latest health stuff on their blog, "like" them on Facebook, give them some Instagram love and follow them on Twitter/Pinterest.










**Disclaimer: This box and all the items within were kindly sent to me to review by GFreely. All products that are mentioned and reviewed on my blog are my own personal and honest opinions, or those of someone I've shared my goodies with. I am not being compensated additionally for my thoughts or posted reviews -- whether good, bad or indifferent. 


Colorful Friday.

I had much faith that today wasn't the end of the world and since we're all still here, the blog must go on! And with that, eating a daily/weekly rainbow of foods as well. The holidays are almost over and with it comes the first of the year and all those pesky New Year's Resolutions that most of us don't intend in keeping more than the first few weeks of January! So instead of waiting until then to start good healthy eating habits and working out, start now! TODAY! Seriously. I am speaking to myself probably more than I am all of you, but it was worth a shot. Maybe my 'self' will listen this time. Feast your eyes on this double edition of EYC Friday!



What doesn't look yummy about all that?


Juice Prep.

Christmas is literally right around the corner! Where has time gone? I wish Santa could bring me a little elf that lived with me year round and made me juice everyday. Oh how much healthier I would be! Maybe in a year or so, I can train the kiddo :) In the meantime, I've been trying to drink as much 'fresh' juice as I can, but it's not the easiest thing to get my hands on. Enjoy this week's juice prep edition of "Instagram Inspiration".

@aniiit
@corbinallred
@electricbluebk
@greenjuiceaday
@jar_of_health -- she's a great motivator for juicing daily!
@lindsayashton
@tamarind2
@vic_the_photographer

What have you guys been juicing this week?


Review: Angie's Popcorn.

I found Angie's Popcorn while searching for healthy snacking alternatives. I instantly fell in love with the brand before I even got my hands on any of their product. They're not just all about popcorn, but about community and giving back!                                                                                      Background: Angie's was started by, you guessed it, a woman named Angie and her husband back in 2001. They wanted to do something for their kids college fund so they started selling popcorn on a small scale. Word spread, people loved it and BAM it became a big deal in Minnesota. In 2004, they went big and the rest is history.

Deliciousness: I got the pleasure of getting to try each one of their current flavors and honestly, it's hard to pick a favorite when they're all so good. Sweet & Spicy was definitely at the top of my list though -- it was the perfect combination for my snack cravings. They also have Sweet & Salty, White Cheddar, Salted Caramel and then their BOOMCHICKAPOP which comes in lightly sweet and sea salt. The later two were probably my next favorites since I didn't feel bad for indulging. They both only have 35/37 calories per cup serving. They also have two holiday flavors of their Holidrizzle Kettle Corn which I've seen around: Dark Chocolatier Sea Salt and White Chocolatier Peppermint. 

Sweet  & Spicy -- never had a chance -- this bag was gone almost
immediately upon opening it. Best taste combination for sure!
Good Stuff: So I'm sure many of you are wanting to know the important stuff. Yes, it's gluten free. Yes, there's no high fructose corn syrup. Yes, it's NON GMO project verified. It also is vegan, cholesterol free, made from whole grains, no trans fat and kosher.

What Next: So I've been seeing this stuff pop up everywhere lately -- you can buy it at grocery stores, Super Target, Costco, Whole Foods and SuperValu-owned stores. They have a store locator on their website. I also was able to grab a 6 pack of the Sweet & Salty little bags at Target the other day to put in the hubby's lunches! And you can buy them online thru their website in individual bags or variety packs and save some money. Win-Win!

Final Thoughts: This will definitely been a main staple in our house. I love that I don't have to go to a specialty store to find it, I literally come across it every day while I'm out and about. And it's a great go to snack that doesn't make me feel guilty to eat it.

Anyone else try this popcorn yet?








**Disclaimer: This box and all the items within were kindly sent to me to review by Angie's Popcorn. All products that are mentioned and reviewed on my blog are my own personal and honest opinions, or those of someone I've shared my goodies with. I am not being compensated additionally for my thoughts or posted reviews -- whether good, bad or indifferent.