Noshtopia

Cookies & Suze Orman: "Got Milk" your budget

So, did the dairy folks have a crystal ball and foresee the financial crisis? Coincidentally, on Monday when Wall Street was plummeting, a new Got Milk campaign featuring Suze Orman started running focusing on the "great value" of milk. An 8 ounce glass costs around 25 cents, so we can save money drinking milk, no?

It's interesting how the Got Milk people are now focusing on the financial value of milk versus the nutritional value. If we're talking cheap though, plain old water is still the better value as we all need way more water than milk. In fact, we'd all still be good, physically and financially, if we cut out milk entirely or use it rarely.

But not to go down without a fight, here's a comparison of 25 cents worth of milk compared to other drinks like tea, sports drinks, and soda for the same cost. If you want to flavor your plain water, you can always buy a lemon, orange, or cucumber and still skinnify your budget.

Pizza review: Amy's Non-Dairy, Gluten-Free, Vegan Friendly, Rice Crust Pizza

Say hello to Amy's non-dairy, lactose-free, gluten-free, non-GMO, vegan-friendly, kosher, corn-free rice crust pizza. Whew! That was mouthful.

There are not many, okay practically none, frozen pizzas that are both vegan friendly and gluten-free, so when I saw this Amy's pie, I had to try it. There is also a spinach version of this pizza. The plain cheese version was created more for the kiddos who don't like Spinach. Good point.

Even though I have the milk allergy, I will still have (regular) pizza from time to time because I love pizza. But, it would be nice to have the pizza taste more often and have the added bonus of being gluten-free, since I'm also trying to cut down on my gluten consumption. Luckily, Amy's offers alternatives.

  Conclusions on this Amy's pizza:

• The picture pizza has way more cheese than the real version as you can see. I think they skimped a bit too much on the cheeze and tomato sauce. Bring on more! Dipping it in ketchup helped some.
• I followed the cooking instructions, and in my stove still managed to slightly burn part of the edges.  For the broil part, I had to go 90 seconds versus the 45-60 on the box.
• The pizza is not bad. For the overall experience, I wasn't thrilled but I wasn't disappointed. I would never compare this Amy's pizza to a parlor type pizza because there simply is no competition. If you just want pizza like taste, then Amy's does the job, and they do a pretty good job considering that this pizza meets like seven "free of" criteria. Try and get Pizza Hut to do that.
• The "mozzarella" soy cheeze had a nutty taste to it, and wasn't gooey stringy like real mozzarella but it had close enough taste. The crust was slightly cardboardy but not to the point of bothering.
• The most interesting ingredient I found in the pizza was organic agave nectar. Guess they used the agave to sweeten up the tomato sauce.

Here's all the nutritional information on the pizza.

Overall, I'd say it's worth trying Amy's single serve non-dairy rice crust cheeze pizza. I would buy it again, and next time put toppings like black olives, roma or sun-dried tomatoes, portobello mushrooms, onions, or arugula.  If you've tried this pizza already, I'd love to know what you thought.

Review: Healthy Living Kinetix Bars and Krunch Snacks

When I read that Howard Schultz CEO of Starbucks dropped 12 pounds using a program called Kinetix, of which he is also an investor, I was curious and asked them if I could try some of the food products. Kinetix is a holistic weight management program that involves Kinetix brand foods, recipes for home cooked meals, exercise plans, couching, and community/events. Starbucks employees also get access to the Kinetix program for healthy living and weight loss.

The nice folks at Kinetix sent me samples of the Krunch: Barbecue and Parmesan Herb Crisps, and their Nutrition Bars: Cocoa-a-Go-Go and Turtle Power. Overall, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The goods are alright, not the best I've ever had but good to the point where I'd buy a box of each.

The Krunch Crisps

Between the Barbecue and Parmesan Herb, my favorite was the Barbecue. I could eat them plain. Both crisps are very light and crunchy. The Parmesan Herb crisps were a tad on the too salty side for my taste at 330mg versus 190mg in the BBQ, but the PH crisps would make for a great compliment to a turkey or vegetarian filled pita.

Each bag is one serving for 160 calories, and has 4.5g Fat, 17g of Carbs, 0g sugars, and 14g of Protein from soy. That's a good amount of protein for a crunchy snack. No preservatives are used and the crisps are gluten-free and that makes me happy.

The Nutrition Bars

Both the Cocoa-a-Go-Go (Triple Chocolate + Crisps) and Turtle Power (Chocolate, Almond, Caramel) bars were tasty. Neither was a favorite over the other. In the picture is the Turtle Power. I liked that the Caramel was on the minimal side.

One bar is 180 calories, 4g of fat, 18g of carbs, 11g of sugars, and 18g of Protein from a Soy-Whey combo.The bars are also preservative free, and what I found interesting is that they use Organic Agave Nectar, a plus because agave has a low glycemic index, but then they also use corn syrup which I tend to avoid because it has a high GI and it's too sweet for my buds.

A nice surprise, the grit texture that most higher protein bars have was minimal in these Kinetix bars, and I enjoyed that.

So, if you're looking at the Kinetix program, I can tell you that at least these bars and crunchy snacks were tasty so I'm assuming that the other snack foods are good too. There are also Shake Mixes and Cereals, so if you have tried those, please share your thoughts.

Organic treat: Surf Sweets Vegetarian Jelly Beans

I never knew that organic vegetarian jelly beans existed until now. Say hello to Surf Sweets Jelly Beans made with 100% of Vitamin C per serving and 140 calories for 31 jelly beans. Nice! And indeed folks, these jelly beans are seriously dee-lish. I had to control myself.

One serving does have 29g of sugars which is quite a bit but they're organic, vegetarian and contain no artificial flavors or colors so that means we have good balance, no? What I find interesting is that the coloring of the jelly beans come from black carrot juice concentrate, tumeric, and annatto. As you can see they are not that different looking than Jelly Bellys.

Besides the jelly beans, Surf Sweets from Santa Cruz Nutritionals, also makes Gummy Bears, Gummy Worms, Gummy Swirls, and Fruity Bears. Next up, I think I'll try the Gummy Worms in Rocky Road and make my own Stone Cold cup.

2 Months Later: Have you been drinking the Starbucks Vivanno?

When the new Starbucks Vivanno drinks came out in July, the nice folks at Starbucks sent me a coupon to try out the drink as it is targeted for healthy living. Since I spend practically half my life in a Starbucks blogging away, (instead of calling it the third place, they should call it the second office), I happily agreed to try out the Banana Chocolate Blend.

I wanted to like it

My experience was not so pleasant, and it was a bummer because I really wanted to like this drink. It was kind of like seeing a really cute pair of Manolos only to try them on and find that your feet pinch.

I love the "idea" of the Vivanno, the 21g of protein in the Banana Chocolate, and the marketing of it, but when it came to the actual experience, I drank barely 1/4 of it mainly because it made me feel bloaty. Weird I know. After feeling like a balloon inflated in my tummy, I was not inclined to try the Orange Mango Banana.

What got me was how Starbucks could go wrong with the Banana Chocolate Vivanno considering it only has 5 ingredients, one being ice: a whole banana, bittersweet cocoa, 2% milk, their 'proprietary' whey protein & fiber powder, and ice. Really the only place you can go wrong then is the 'proprietary' whey protein. I looked everywhere online for the ingredients list to the whey protein but could not find it. I guess 'proprietary' means super secret.

How Starbucks could make Vivanno better

To make the Vivanno better, I think Starbucks needs to revisit the protein mix they're using, come out with some other flavors, and I would really love to see a rice milk version. I'm waiting for the day when Starbucks starts offering rice milk or almond milk for vegans, lactose intolerant, and milk allergy folks. I'd also be happy with a plain soy milk versus the vanilla flavor.

Two months later, the Vivanno is still on the menu but I hardly see anyone drinking it. Have you been drinking the Vivanno at all?

UPDATE:

Okay, so yesterday afternoon because some of you liked the Orange Mango Banana version, I went and got one, with the added Matcha which turned the drink a lovely shade of lime green. I have to say that the OMB version tasted better than the Chocolate Banana.However, instead of a saw dust like taste this one had a waxy taste to me, and I got bloated again so I only drank 1/4 of it, if that.

Interesting enough, I let the OMB drink sit on my kitchen counter for like 8 hours mainly because I forgot about it, and scarily the drink was still thick. The straw was still sticking up in the middle. I got a bit ehscared.

So, my theory on the protein powder is that there is some kind of bulking agent in it, and/or it contains maltodextrin, crystalline fructose, or some artificial sweeteners and fillers. I theorize this because those items tend to cause bloatedness in me. I could be completely off track, so if any of you can find the actual ingredient list of the Vivanno protein powder, please share!

Meeting a Friend for Flan

Normally, I eat dairy-free and egg-free because I have a Type II allergy to cow and goat milk and eggs, but life is short and there are some dishes I just love, so it's worth it to me to have a moment of bloated discomfort.

Flan is one of those dairy based dishes that I just adore, so when friend Diane invited me over for Sunday tea and a Spanish Flan, I was at her house lickety split. She made her flan with lemon zest in it which I had never had before and it was quite delicious. Adding the strawberries made for a nice summery touch.

This Spanish inspired Flan was much lighter than the Filipino Flan my mom makes, and the big difference was the number of egg yolks used. Diane's Flan used mainly egg whites. Mom's is all egg yolk, no white. Ironically, although Mom's is way more fattening, I get less of the allergy reaction because the allergen is actually in the whites not the yolks. I found that utterly fascinating data from the doctor.

Meeting a friend for homemade Flan with tea on a sunny breezy Sunday Summer afternoon was absolutely divine. I love these moments of simplicity.

Nosh links: Dairy-free Chocolate ice cream, Pecan Pesto, Greek Soup, and Sweet Chili Shrimp

• I'm always on the look out for dairy-free ice creams, and this homemade dairy-free Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream looks like a divine cold treat. [Love and Olive Oil]

• Pesto Pronto: Here's a cool twist on a Pesto Fettuccine dish. The Pesto is made with pecans instead of pine nuts. Me likely already. The dish by itself is good for vegetarians, and throw some grilled chicken on top for the omnivores. [Blue Kitchen]

• Can you pronounce “Giouvarlakia?" Yeah, me too. Well, this bowl of goodness may be hard to pronounce but this famous Greek soup made with meatballs and finished off with lemony egg mixture known as “avgolemono” sure looks mighty hearty and tasty. The photos are gorgeous, and the recipe looks real easy too. I think I'll try this for Sunday brunch. [Souvlaki For the Soul]

• Here's a hearty yet light lunch fare, Sweet Chili Shrimp with Sesame Soy Rice. Sweet Chili Sauce is my next favorite condiment after ketchup. I put it on everything, and on shrimp, the sauce is excellent for the sweet palette. [Dishing Up Delights]

Photo by: Juanmonino

Snack bar review: Enjoy Life Very Berry Nut and Gluten Free

 

I've been trying to cut down on my gluten consumption, so when I saw these gluten-free snack bars from Enjoy Life Foods, I thought, "Woo-hoo! Something wheat like yet not. I gotta try."

So, I did, and for something that is free of: wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish, or shellfish, and is minus casein, potato,sesame, and sulfites, it was not bad. The bars weren't great like I could eat them all day, but if you're allergic to almost everything or you want something vegan friendly and gluten-free, then it's alright. The bars are also Pareve-friendly.

So what are the bars made out of since they sound like they don't have anything in them? The primary bulk ingredients are brown rice flakes and flour, and Fig and Date Paste. One bar has 120 calories, 2.5g Fat, 23g Carb, and 1g Protein. The bar is about 4inches long, so small, but filling enough for a good snack.

The bars are marketed as soft & chewy which they are to some degree, but they are a bit tougher than soft & chewy as we typically associate with cookies. There is some cardboard after taste but it's not as bad as I've had in the past. The berry flavor is raspberry and it tasted fresh. The snack bars come in three other flavors: Caramel Apple, Cocoa Loco, and Sunbutter Crunch.

Next time, I think I'll try the Cocoa Loco, looks tasty. Anyone tried these Enjoy Life Snack Bars? Please share what you think!

Have you ever eaten a green plum?

At Whole Foods the other day, I saw these green plums, aka prune Reine-Claude, which I never knew existed. I shot them next to the peaches so you have a reference. Being the curious one that I am, I bought some to try, and they were delicious. It's better to eat them chilled.

The green plum  I had was juicy but not as watery as a purple plum, and it was meatier in substance. Not sure if those are universal characteristics, but if you do, please share.

I bet using the green plums in a jam or ice cream would be really tasty.

What is the difference between a Raw diet and Vegan?

This is a very good question as many people assume that eating Raw and eating Vegan are the same thing and they are not yet they can be tied together.

A Vegan diet consists of plants (vegetables & fruits), grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, and no animal products; meats, seafood, dairy, eggs, honey, and some sugars depending on how it's processed. Vegans will cook their foods, and eat this way primarily because of moral issues around animals.

A Raw diet consists of nothing cooked, nor processed and primarily organic but not necessarily vegetarian or vegan because raw eaters will eat raw fish as in sashimi, raw meat like carpaccio, and raw cheese, raw yogurt, and raw milks like from cows and goats. The premise is that eating foods in their natural state with no cooking will give you the highest health benefits. Cooking foods above 116 degrees F starts to destroy enzymes in the food. Rawists will use dehydrators as there is some low heat but not enough to destroy enzymes.

Raw Vegans are folks who primarily eat uncooked vegan foods for both health and moral reasons.

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