Cookies by George 350

I love a good local business and I love a good cookie or two (or three, but who is counting?).  Put those two together and you get George 350.  

I had a get together at my house this past weekend and needed a treat to serve.  I am not much of a baker.  Perhaps I will get my bake on more in the future, but for now I will let the pro's do the baking.  Anyway, I sent in my order to George 350 and these were perfect to serve.  Portion control is easy with the smaller sizes.  The taste is out of this world.  The variety of flavors can reach all different taste buds.  And the owner is super cool!

A bag of cookies comes with about 10 cookies inside.  They are $7 a bag and worth every penny.  The flavors I had at the party were: 

Tasty treats!

• I heart chocolate & toffee (my favorite!)
• Coconut, sunflower seeds, & oats.. oh my 
• snickerdoodle dee-lish
• Peanut butter
• I heart Santa (sugar cookies with a Christmas candy corn in the center- so cute!)

The owner, Tony, is also open to suggestions and special requests.  With the holidays coming up, these can make tasty treats to pass out to co-workers, friends, and family members.  Make a basket of goodies and include a bag!

To learn more about George 350, be sure to "like" the facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/george-350/582727051786198

Eat well,
Bri

Bear Naked Morning Power Pack

Mix into plain yogurt or plain Greek yogurt!

Lately, it takes all that I have to get to work on time.  And I am still late!  But, this week I am determined to make it on time and here is my trick: a grab and go breakfast.  

I love long mornings and that is part of my problem.  I love to slowly wake up, cook up a healthy and wholesome breakfast, take time to get ready, and perhaps catch a little news or some tunes.  However, most of us do not have the luxury to do this daily.  We need something quick, easy, and that will get us out the door in no time.

I found Bear Naked Morning Power Packs this weekend at Target and gave them a try Sunday and Monday morning with a little plain Greek yogurt.  Yum!  So easy, delicious, and kept me satisfied for hours! 

These are 200 calories a pop so are to be a main part of the meal.  They also have 10g of fat, but most of the fat comes from nuts and oil so not too shabby.  These packs have 5g of protein so pairing with yogurt or Greek yogurt will pump up the protein a bit more (keeping you fuller longer).  The ingredients are all ones I can pronounce.  They have more ingredients than what I typically like, but when I am in a rush convenience wins!

Let's see if I can get to work on time this week.  Got another quick and easy breakfast idea?  Feel free to share!

Eat well,
Bri

Fast & Frozen

Love me some evol.

I rarely can say that I love a good frozen meal.  However, these days I need something quick and easy for when I am in the office or whenever I have to rush from one thing to the next.  Let's face it- we live in a fast paced world.

So what to do when you need a frozen meal?  Check out evol.  It's tasty and all the ingredients are easy to pronounce.  I found this brand at Target, but I am sure other stores have it as well.  Or having no luck?  No worries. Just remember a few things:


1. Frozen meals are usually high in sodium and are going to have many more ingredients than cooking yourself so don't get stuck in the rut of using these multiple times per day.  I would recommend no more than 3 meals per week, but if your schedule is packed to the nines then frozen meals are still better than Big Macs.
2. Pick a frozen meal where you recognize the majority of the ingredients.  Bonus points if you recognize them all!



Niiiiiiice ingredients!

3. Fill up with protein.  Pick one with at least 10g of protein, preferably even more.  The meal in the picture had 20g of protein, which is perfect. 

A lot females need more iron.  This particular meal I had (Fire Grilled Steak) provides 25% of your daily intake of iron. It is also relatively high in fat, but low in saturated fat.  That's the fat I look for.  If an item is high in saturated fat or trans fat, I try to stay away for the most part.

Got a frozen meal you love?

Eat well,
Bri

Pop to the Corn

Popcorn makes a great snack!

My mom has told me in the past that she craved popcorn whenever she was pregnant with me.  I believe it.  I love the heck out of some popcorn. 

Not all popcorn is created equal though.  Humans have a way of putting everything under the sun in different food products and not always for the better.  Ever read the calorie count for a bag of buttery popcorn at the movie theater?  You'd have to watch the movie on a treadmill to burn off maybe half of those calories.  The ingredients list in the artificial buttery spread alone is longer than the Declaration of Independence too.   

But, have no fear.  There are plenty of ways to enjoy a snack of popcorn without all the artery-clogging ingredients.  The hardest thing about eating popcorn, though, is pacing yourself.  Savor it!  And if savoring it is hard for you, have a piece of string cheese or small handful of nuts before enjoying the popcorn.  The protein will help fill you up quicker.

There are MANY options for popcorn lovers.  If you love the sound of popping corn, try an air popper.  The popcorn machines are fun to use and you get to determine what ingredients you use to season or flavor it.  If you are on the go and need something already made, try pre-made bagged popcorn.  I like the Fit brand (sea salt flavored), but there are plenty others too.  The ingredients in this one are: popcorn, non-GMO canola oil, & sea salt.  And what about boxed microwaveable popcorn?  Well, some aren't that great for you and there is a simpler way to make microwaveable popcorn (cheaper too!).  Read this recipe for a way to make popcorn in the microwave with a brown paper bag...  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Microwave-Popcorn/ 

Different flavors or seasonings I think sound tasty:

• Dark chocolate shavings
• Parmesan cheese (with or without a drizzle of olive oil)
• Drizzle of olive oil & sprinkle of favorite spice
• Black pepper & lemon zest (or squeeze of lemon)
• 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder & 1/8 teaspoon of chipotle powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon cloves, & 1 tablespoon each of 3 of your favorite nuts or seeds (think pumpkin seeds, slivered almonds, chopped pecans, etc.)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons each of coconut butter & coconut sugar plus 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

How do you eat your popcorn?  Feel free to share!

Eat well,
Bri

Bar None... or One?

So many to choose from!

Energy bars, protein bars, granola bars, nutrition bars, supplement bars...  Wow, do you think the nutrition industry has enough "types" of bars??  I think yes, but I can almost guarantee that as I write this another one is being developed. So, what's in a bar and is it worth your precious dollars??

The Scoop:  With our on-the-go lifestyle, a nutrition bar can often be a good snack to hold you over while you are waiting in line at the DPS (because you know it is going to take you longer than your lunch break), power you through your morning workout, or even have handy when you are taking that adventurous hike up a mountain this summer.

Bri's Take: If you haven't heard me talk about nutrition yet, then let me begin with my TOP nutrition habit everyone could use more of: Eat mainly foods with the least amount of ingredients.  This is the most important part of a food label!  Why go with the least amount of ingredients? Because, it has been "touched" less... or is less processed.  Have you ever thought about why an apple doesn't have a food label attached to it?  It doesn't need one.  It only has one ingredient- the apple!  

So, even with nutrition bars the ingredients list is where I would start.  I really dig the ones with less than 5 ingredients or a little longer of a list of ingredients, but with all I can pronounce and understand!

My 3 top favorites (in no particular order) are:

1. Larabar Cherry Pie
2. KIND Cranberry Almond & Antioxidants
3. Open Nature Cranberry (Tom Thumb's brand)

The only downfall with purchasing these healthier bars is that many times they come with a pricier tag.  At Tom Thumb where I shop mostly, the Larabars run $1.33 per bar, the KIND bars are about $1.25 per bar, and the Open Nature bars are $.99 per bar. I also shop at Central Market and every so often the KIND or Larabars are one sale for $.99 too. I often go with the least expensive since I buy several at a time.  They are easy to pack and eat on the go when going from work to teaching a Pure Barre class!

Only 3 ingredients! (Larabar)

Lots of ingredients! (Kashi)

If you are really on a budget and need to go cheaper, look into Kashi bars (box of 6 for about $3 total).  They have a longer list of ingredients, but most of them you can pronounce with the exception of a few. To give you an example though of differences in ingredients, look at the pictures to the right.  This shows you Kashi vs. Larabar.  Crazy, right?!

It goes without saying, but TASTE is a big factor in choosing bars too.  While Larabar Cherry Pie is one of my favorites, I have had the Larabar Blueberry Muffin and can't stand it.  Even within brands you have taste differences and a new list of ingredients so take a look, try a few, & then decide what your favorite is.  If you already have a favorite, reply with the name of it in the comment section so we can all try it too. 

Eat well,
Bri