High Altitude Roasting

Hola Bloggies:

I know I keep on mentioning this but it’s still sweltering up here in the Rocky Mountains. In fact it’s almost 10PM and it’s only now starting to get bearable. All I know is, I have heaps of respect for those of you that live in the South.

My guess is that although I was born in the tropics I forgot to live in crazy heat somewhere along the way!

Monday it was over 100 degrees by the time I left work (over 40C). I couldn’t bear the thought of cooking so I went to the grocery store to buy a deli sub for dinner. That’s when one of my co-workers called wanting to know if we were still on for our standing Monday night doggy hike. Truth be told I was stunned to no end. I couldn’t imagine Daisy out in that heat. To compromise we decided to head out to one of the local lakes (a particularly gorgeous one at the base of the Rocky Mountains) for a picnic dinner and hike.

Lovely, no?

 

The lake is spring fed so it’s particularly frigid. Particularly where it gets deeper. This despite the intense Rocky Mountain sun.

Don’t believe me? Ask my soaking wet puppy!

Dinner featured some G2 Gatorade (I’m a big fan of Gatorade in hot weather since I tend to become easily dehydrated).

More deli sandwiches made by my local Safeway.

Some wonderful British Columbia grown cherries.

I also added one of the new Kashi granola bars (courtesy of a coupon I received for a free box).

The bars had pretty decent nutritionals.

At first glance I was impressed.

And as far as the taste I have to say my mouth was pretty happy. My chocolate raspberry bar was not too sweet and certainly not salty. I also enjoyed the fact that it tasted like it had a layer of raspberry jam between the chocolate and the granola bar itself. Overall I was pleased.

The Fiancé however felt something was missing. He deemed it “healthy tasting.” Which is his way of saying that his taste-buds weren’t fooled by the chocolate layer.

Our friend clearly voiced her opinion when she blurted out “Chocolate!?!? THIS is chocolate!?!?” Apparently she wasn’t fooled either.

The problem I had with the bars was when I noticed that buried at the end of the ingredient list was peanut flour. I was sad. Never before have I needed to worry about peanuts with Kashi. And here they went and made a bar with peanut flour. Given that I’m allergic to peanuts I won’t be buying these bars again.

Miraculously I didn’t get sick from the bars – which leads me to believe that the peanut flour content is negligible at best. Likely why it’s right at the end of the ingredient list. Still, I won’t be risking my health in the future.

I honestly don’t understand why Kashi would stipulate on the package that the bars contained dates and raspberries and somehow neglect to mention peanuts. Fail Kashi. FAIL.

After dinner we splashed around the lake where I snapped some more pictures of the surroundings.

As the evening cooled we made our way to another lake where we went on our regular hike. It was hot. Brutally hot. And the sun was blistering.

Still, we lasted about an hour and a half before heading home. Not bad.

I had grand hopes of going for a three mile run after my hike. Ha! I ended up with heat stroke and passed out from my crazy migraine. Clearly, I should have taken my outdoor activities a little lighter, given the weather. Noted.

Question: What do you do to cool off in the midst of the summer?

Lazy Sunday + A Brutally Honest Review - POM

Hola Bloggies:

How was your weekend loves? We spent our Saturday largely doing wedding stuff and other random chores, which of course meant that we felt fully entitled to relax on Sunday. Woohoo for lazy Sundays!

It was crazy hot here in the Rocky Mountains combine that with the intense sun and it was blistering up in the casa. To seek some relief we decided to back some cherries and blueberries, water, a massive sub for sharing (bought at our local Safeway on the way out of town) and head out to a local lake. This was the first time we attempted to do anything like this since getting Daisy. Little did we know how difficult it would be for us to find a lake that would allow us to bring our puppy to the shore.

We tried multiple parks and no luck. So eventually we ended up heading down a forest service road and finding a remote lake in the mountains. A pristine mountain lake with no rules? Bonus!

The weather up at the lake turned out to be much cooler than down in the city, mostly by virtue of a subtle but continuous breeze.

I purchased the cherries at the local farmer’s market on Saturday. While it would be cheaper to purchase them at a grocery store (where they would likely come from Washington State) I chose to buy produce grown in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley.

The sandwich was something we had to purchase since I never keep the necessary ingredients at home. I know most people consider bread a stable but I seldom keep any around; mostly because if it’s there I’ll eat it all a lot.

It wasn’t the healthiest option but it did the job. I picked off the salami and had two small pieces. Plenty to keep me full. I don’t know about you but I just don’t get very hungry in the crazy hot weather.

Once we finished our meal we walked around the lake and went for a dip in the water. It was so refreshing and perfect for a lazy Sunday!

A little bit later in the evening we headed out to see Inception. It was kind of trippy and a bit of the Matrix meets James Bond. Overall it was really good and made you question reality. That’s basically my measure of a good movie – does it leave you thinking afterwards? This one sure did!

 

A POM Review and GIVEAWAY

 

Some time ago I received coupons for free bottles of POM from their very gracious manufacturers. I kind of heart me some POM so I was thrilled at the opportunity to officially review the product for the blog.

 

I still remember the first time I heard about pomegranate juice, it was while I was talking to some Persian friends in High School. I was told Iranians swore by the health benefits of pomegranates. I couldn’t even begin to fathom what would be so great about those small little seeds. And how in the world did they manage to get juice out of those things anyways!?!?

Back then I wasn’t really interested in healthy living so it wasn’t until some years had passed that I learned the Persians had a good thing going! POM juice is made up of 100% pomegranate juice; which means it’s absolutely jammed pack with antioxidants. Current research seems to indicate that antioxidants help to prevent oxidization in our bodies and as such may help protect us from diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes (amongst others).

Many people turn to red wine for its antioxidant content. Indeed, there’s this whole school of thought that attributes the health of the French, despite their diets high in indulgences, to their red wine consumption; this is known as the French Paradox. Well it turns out that POM contains a higher antioxidant count then even red wine!

For my review I took two of the coupons I was sent and used them to purchase two flavours I had never tried.

First up was POM Kiwi. I wasn’t sure how the kiwi would stand up against the pomegranates. Overall I would say that the kiwi gave the POM a slightly increased tanginess which was distinctly different from the usual POM taste. The flavour of the kiwi was distinctly prominent.

The next flavour I tried was the POM with mango. Also a first for me. This flavour seemed to lessen the usual tartness of the POM juice but overall it seemed to get lost in the juice. I would recommend this flavour to those that find POM juice a little too tart in its original flavour.

Now I’m not going to pretend that POM juice is cheap – that it is not. But like organic produce or free-range products, I consider POM an investment in my health. Whenever possible I keep a bottled on hand. And I figure since it’s so jammed pack with antioxidants, a little can go a long way. While I know a lot of people drink their POM juice in shot glass portions I tend to make mocktails out of POM Wonderful.

Start out with your POM flavour of choice and a bit of club soda. Don’t forget a lovely glass.

Pour a bit of POM juice into the bottom of your glass. I was generous with my pour.

Top the rest off with club soda and enjoy your delicious drink. If you’re feeling particularly fancy pants, feel free to add a slice of lime to your glass or maybe some raspberries. And if you’re having a party, don’t forget to add a splash of vodka.

Overall Review? I absolutely LOVE POM juice! It’s one of my go-to healthy food splurges and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to my readers. If you don’t do it for the taste then at least do it for your health.

And here’s the GIVEAWAY part – I have two coupons for free POM juice to give away to one lucky reader. To enter all you have to do is comment on this entry. Contest closes on Friday, July 30th 2010 at 8AM PST. Best of luck bloggies!

Question: Have you ever tried POM juice? Did you like it?

A Brutally Honest Review – Newman’s Own Organics Premium Dog Treats

Hola Bloggies:

How has your week been going? Mine has been full of legal work. Not the kind I get paid to do during the week but the kind I do for free for my Fiancé after work!

I know I mentioned it briefly but some two months ago we were stopped at a T-intersection when a car turned left and directly into our lane, causing a dead head-on collision. It was shocking to say the least. But when the insurance company said we were presumed to be at fault because we had the stop sign (did I mention we were at a complete stop?) it became downright frustrating. The weeks since then have been filled with more than their share of wrangling with the insurance corporation. I’m sure you can imagine that we were seriously upset and ready to appeal.

And so this week I have been working on putting together all the documents for the appeal. That’s meant very long hours writing, and gathering materials, interviewing witnesses, as well as, drafting and swearing affidavits. Gracias a Dios it’s all done now. But if you could spare a prayer for our cause I would be most grateful!

Needless to say the huge amounts of legal work this week have meant that cooking, working out, and blogging have taken a back seat. But I’m back!!!! And with a review to boot!

 

A Brutally Honest Review: Newman’s Own Organics Premium Dog Treats

Recently, while in an organic grocery store I found a product I didn’t even know existed: Newman’s Own Organics Premium Dog Treats! We have a really hard time finding any Newman’s Own Organic stuff in Canada so I never expected to find products for people much less dogs.

I was curious. The front of the bag claimed the treats were  made with a variety of wholesome ingredients.

Mmmmm . . . a new treat for Daisy? Perhaps!

The ingredient list was definitely enviable! I’m pretty sure most people don’t eat ingredients anywhere as wholesome as those in these dog treats. Since Daisy had been a perfect angel that day I purchased the product and walked out of the store. (Please note I used my own money for this product and no one asked me to write this review)

Now I have to confess I was still sceptical. Daisy isn’t really a treat kind of dog. She won’t even go near most doggy cookies. Sometimes she’ll like them once or twice but that will be all! It’s decidedly difficult to find a treat she loves (other than baby carrots that is).

Once home I followed the package directions and “broke their hearts!” Ha! Cute!

Then came the true test of the product – would it be Daisy approved?

Well . . . let me show you what happened. But first keep in mind that when she really loves something she throws it down on the ground, dances around it, rolls all over it, and generally proceeds to have a ball.

Cue the official puppy review.

After that spectacular love fest she devoured the dog treat. Success!!!!!

Daisy’s Review? A ringing endorsement! Two paws up!!! As for me? If Daisy is happy then I’m happy. Needless to say we both recommend this product.

 

Question: Do you make an effort to make sure your fur baby eats clean? I won’t feed my puppy ingredients I wouldn’t eat myself.

Fruit and Veggie Power

Hola Bloggies:

How is your weekend going? I had Thursday and Friday off so it really feels more like a Sunday. Kind of like I should be getting ready to go back to work. Thankfully I still have one full day. Gotta love those extra long weekends!

For the last couple of weeks it’s been all about the World Cup here in the casa, so early this morning I settled down to watch Argentina vs.. Germany. After the elimination of Brazil and Ghana I was really hoping for an Argentinean win. But it wasn’t to be.

I’ve no idea who showed up to that game but it wasn’t the team everyone thought capable of winning the World Cup. Pobre Argentina. Pobre Maradona. Pobre Latinos. Since I was feeling kind of sad I thought it a great time to head to Zumba. Nothing boosts my mood like Zumba – but more on that on tomorrow’s post.

Before heading out I decided to try a new product sent to me by the nice people at Prairie Naturals – Berry Force.

Berry Force comes in a small plastic container. Similar to what you might find for a protein powder. Essentially, this product is meant to work as a supplement giving you all the vitamins, antioxidants (they are key in eliminating free radicals in your system), and nutrients found in organic apples, apple pectin, fruit and berry concentrate, organic blueberry, organic cranberry, goji berry, mangosteen, organic strawberry, pomegranate, organic raspberry, blackberry, blueberry complex, elderberry complex, and acai berries.

When I opened the bottle I was somewhat disappointed to see that it was only just about half full. Now while I confess I don’t know much about the economics of packaging this just seemed wasteful and misleading. I expect that if I buy a jar of something it will be mostly full. If it’s not mostly full than perhaps it would be better placed in another container. In the case of Berry Force they could even try using a pouch of some kind.

As per the instructions I mixed one heaping tablespoon of powder into my mixer bottle. I was surprised by how easily everything came together. No clumps. No mess. In fact it ended up looking just like juice.

I’ll have to do more research on the nutritional values of the product before I give you my full review but for now I’m impressed. It tasted subtly sweet and was perfect for a quick pre-Zumba drink. I could totally see this working well as an addition to a banana, ice, protein powder, and almond milk shake. I will have to try that soon and let you know what I think.

After finishing my drink I headed to Zumba. It was, per usual, a brilliant workout that left me dripping in sweat and feeling heaps better than when I worked out.

Near the end of Zumba I hiccupped. Now I know this is going to sound strange but I tend to hiccup when I’m really hungry! As my parents, it’s been that way since I was very little. Clearly my body was lacking in fuel. Luckily, the local farmer’s market was taking place just a few blocks from the dance studio so I made a bee-line towards food!

My local farmer’s market is just in its infancy. In fact, this is only the second year it’s been running. Last year it was quite modest featuring very little produce and instead concentrating on crafts. Not my cup of tea. This year, however, it has just blossomed! There were lots of people selling produce, fresh baked goods, sausages, and even local ethical farmers taking orders for organic grass fed beef and similar meats. I’m considering buying a 30lb sample pack from the good people at Kootenay Natural Meats. Sure, it’s not the cheapest meat but I love the fact that I’m supporting a local farmer in their no hormone, no antibiotic, grass-fed, ethically grown beef operation.

While at the market I inhaled (no really – I was starved) a delicious farmer’s sausage on a kaiser bun made by the nice people at Biltong Canada. I followed my main meal up with a (very) small Huckleberry muffin; it was incredibly fresh and simply lovely.

Since I got there near the end of the market, most of the produce was gone but I still managed to buy two bags of Fiesta Salad Mix, kale, a muffin for the Fiancé, and a funky curly thing that is supposed to be a type of garlic but tastes like a green onion. Or maybe the other way around. Either way it’s nice and crispy and I can’t wait to use some!

Do you see the bag? I bought it today to help support the market (proceeds go to cover the costs of the street rental and advertising for future market days). Truth be told I didn’t need another reusable bag but it wasn’t so much about the bag itself, instead I was voting with my dollar$! As a bonus the bag ended up being of fantastic quality. It’s made by local crafts people and it’s quite sturdy. Much better than pretty well every other reusable bag I own. Score.

On the whole I was pretty pleased with my market haul. Having said that, since they were low on fruit I may have to hit another local farmer’s market tomorrow.

Do you support local producers? What about if their product costs more than that at the grocery store?

A Brutally Honest Review: Dempster’s Oven Fresh Bread

Hola Bloggies:

I’ve missed all of you!!!!! Seriously, it’s been a crazy busy week and I’ve had so much to tell you peeps but no time to do it in. But no worries – I’m back!

This week you can look forward to some clean eats and workout recaps, my epic Ironman CDA re-cap (life altering – seriously), some product reviews, a giveaway, and the start of my half marathon training. That’s right – this Toronto Girl out West is going to run herself a Half-Mary in Long Beach this October, 17th!!!

Am I excited!?!? UH HUH! I’m looking forward to pushing myself and seeing just how I handle that bad boy. Who knows, maybe it will be the beginning of a long distance running love affair. Toronto Girl Runs Far. Has a ring to it, doesn’t it!? Ha! Loves.

 

A Brutally Honest Review

A seriously long time ago Some time ago the friendly people at Dempster’s were good enough to send me a package loaded full of bread. I took one look at the very generous package sent by the company and knew I just had to share! So I took half of what was sent to me (2 multigrain baguettes and 2 white baguettes) and passed them on to a co-worker to review. But more on that later.

Dempster's is a totally familiar brand to most Canadians. It’s basically the Wonder Bread equivalent for Canadians. Recently, they decided to launch a line of partially baked breads (OvenFresh). I know I’ve bought similar products in the past but they always had to be refrigerated. Not so with the OvenFresh variety – they come vacuum packed and are sold in the bread aisle. No refrigeration needed. I consider that a definite bonus as it makes it easier to transport the bread.

Cooking the product is pretty easy. You pop it in the oven for eight minutes and it’s done. Easy peasy.

Now as a healthy living blogger you know I checked the nutritional stats. Half a multigrain baguette has 160 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 340 grams of sodium, 29 grams of carbohydrates, and 7 grams of protein. The ingredient list for the multigrain baguettes includes enriched wheat flour, whole wheat flour, sunflower seeds, millet, and sodium steardyl-2-lactylate.

By contrast, half a white baguette has 180 calories, 2 grams of fat, 390 grams of sodium, 34 grams of carbohydrates, and 6 grams of protein. The ingredient list for the white baguette includes enriched wheat flour (no whole wheat flour this time), malted barley flour, natural and artificial flavours, and modified wheat starch.

To test the white baguette I made one of the recipes that came with my media package. Specifically, the Garlic Bread with Asiago Cheese.

Garlic Bread with Asiago Cheese

1 Clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp soft butter

1 tbsp chopped chives

1 tbsp chopped oil packed sun-dried tomatoes

1 Dempster’s OvenFresh White or Multigrain Baguette

1/4 cup crumbled asiago cheese

 

 

If you’re paying attention you’ll notice that I substituted the butter with Earth Balance and managed to forget the chives. Ooops! I added some dried herbs at the end instead.

While the oven preheated to 400F I combined the garlic, Earth Balance, herbs, and sundried tomatoes in a bowl.

I then cut vertical slits in the baguette almost to the bottom. After placing the baguette on the baking sheet I spooned the “butter” mixture over the top of the bread making sure to get the mixture in between each of the cuts.

Afterwards I topped the baguette with Asiago cheese. Yum! I then popped the bread in the oven for eight minutes until the cheese looked all melty and happy happy happy!

I cooked up this recipe while the fiancé's parents and nephew were visiting and they declared it an absolute hit. The “butter” and cheese made the bread soft and delicious. And the Asiago lent it a sophisticated flavour. It would have been even better had I used fresh herbs. Next time.

To test the multigrain bread I made sandwiches. They were good and went over really well with everyone that ate them. I liked how the bread was warm after being in the oven. It made if feel “fresh.” Unfortunately, it also seemed to cool down fairly quickly. This was likely due to a combination of the fillings and the fact that you weren’t actually baking the bread.

As for my co-worker, she packed her baguettes and took them to feed her nieces and nephews during a family ski trip. The bread was a hit with that group as well! Mostly because it allowed them to have oven fresh bread without having to worry about baking it or buying a new baguette everyday.

Now for the bottom line . . .

Would I recommend this product? I have mixed feelings.

Hear me out. I love how the bread is long lasting without needing refrigeration. I love how you can bake it up for that oven fresh taste. I love how it is much more convenient than baking your own or heading to the store. I love how it’s definitely a step-up in flavour and texture from your average grocery store product. And the garlic bread recipe was delicious but I don’t think you can really go wrong adding cheese, “butter”, and garlic to bread. It’s basically a guaranteed win – so I can’t let that be the deciding factor.

Truth be told it was the ingredient list that caused me the greatest concern. Sure the nutritional stats were good but that means nothing if I can’t pronounce some of the stuff they put in the bread. I would still be willing to overlook that if only both products hadn’t chosen to use enriched wheat flour. The problem lies in the fact that enriched flour is basically flour stripped of it’s nutritional goodness and reduced to an extremely simple carbohydrate form. They then add some of the good stuff they took out back in, thereby making it “enriched.” You may as well be eating plain white flour which is okay if that’s what you’re looking for but if you’re trying to eat complex carbohydrates it’s not the greatest of choices.

I guess what I’m saying is you have to take the product for what it is. A quick and easy way to have oven fresh bread at home. Your kids will love it and if you make the garlic bread recipe you’ll love it too. Just please, don’t think it’s uber healthy. A nutritional powerhouse it is not.

I frankly won’t be buying this product again. But at least if you consider buying it, you now have my brutally honest review.