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lots of liquids

Posted on February 13, 2010 by Jen

It was an early Saturday morning for me!  We were up late watching the Olympic Opening Ceremonies(!!) and up bright and early to head up skiing this morning!

I started the day at 5:30am with a slice of whole grain seeded toast with maple almond butter (my absolute favorite) and a pineapple chobani.

I also packed lots of fluids for our ride to Loon.  I drank a little too much wine last night and needed some replenishment – big time!  I started with a cranberry pomegranate emergen-c, then packed a coconut water and some oriental moon tea.  YUM!

After 2 hours in the car, we finally arrived at the mountain!!

We immediately got out on the slopes and had a full day of skiing.  Mid way through I snacked on a Tropical Fruit Tart Larabar we stopped for a refreshment. 🙂  I love this Larabar flavor and I love Blue Moon.

I am really glad that I had this larabar in my pocket.  Otherwise, I would have been eating something unhealthy for a snack in the lodge!  More to come on snacks in my weekly tip post on Monday.

Then, we were back out on the slopes for a bit.  Here we are having fun!

We stopped home for a quick lunch.  Homemade turkey chili (by mom!) and beer bread (also made by mom!).

I just had a really really small bowl to hold me over, since it was such a late lunch!

Then, we were off to the bar for apres ski.  So much fun, and a packed bar!  I refrained from drinking…I needed to save up for wine at dinner (and be able to stay awake!)

We came back to the house for apps and dinner!  Lots of cheese, crackers, chips and salsa!

My favorite combo was the herbed goat cheese on pita chips.

Dinner was delicious!  Dad made shrimp and pesto risotto topped with parmesan cheese, and I threw together a garden salad with carrots, tomatoes and black olives.  Both were served along with some hot and crusty ciabatta.

Very yummy!  Perfect comfort food after a full day of skiing.

Risotto is not the healthiest meal choice, but everything in moderation, right?  You can’t see and smell fresh homemade risotto without eating some!  I love to eat healthy.  I love healthy food and how it makes me feel.  But, that does not mean that I won’t indulge every so often.  When I do indulge, I’ll try to give tips on how to make it healthier!  Like this:

I filled half of my plate with salad, then added a scoop of risotto and a slice of ciabatta with a teaspoon of butter.

Served with some great wine.

On to more unhealthy food – ice cream sundaes!

Sorry for the really bad photo – not sure what happened there!  A scoop of Mocha Almond Ice Cream with hot fudge sauce.  Hit the spot.

Time to get back to the Olympics!

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Filed under: Eating Laps, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

sahale snacks

Posted on February 13, 2010 by Jen

Sahale Snacks sent me some samples of their Nut Blends to try out.  When they arrived in the mail, I was psyched!  So many different things to try.

The idea behind the company is great!  The founder was hiking and wanted a more delicious snack that was still packed with the nutrition he needed for the climb.

From the website:

It all started with a climb up Mount Rainier in Washington State in August 2003. We had some beautiful views but nothing delicious to eat. The trail mix and stale nuts we brought on our trip helped to replenish lost energy, but did nothing to satisfy our desire for something great tasting, nutritious and as adventurous as our travels. That experience inspired us to create Sahale Snacks.

Our first line of snacks, the nut blends, are unique combinations of premium nuts, dried fruits, and exotic spices, each reflecting a beautiful location, culture and/or culinary tradition somewhere in the world. They are all natural, delicious, conveniently packaged, and full of nutrition. Recently we added a line of lightly glazed nuts with great fruits like raspberry, strawberry, and pomegranate.

We use whole ingredients in their natural form — such as cashews, almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, macadamia nuts, and peanuts — and combine them with naturally dried and preservative-free (unsulphured) fruits, then add fabulous ingredients like organic orange blossom honey, lemongrass, balsamic vinegar, Moroccan harissa, or pure ground Madagascar vanilla beans.

Take us on your next adventure.

For now, you can purchase the nuts online, or at Starbucks.  They are part of Starbucks new snack line!  I saw them the last time I was there.  You can also search here for other locations.

I have been trying these nut blends on salads, on stirfries and just as plain snacks.  They are delicious anyway you eat them.  I found that all of the blends are sweet, but not too sweet.  Just the perfect amount.

Almond PB & J – Almond PB&J with Peanuts + Berries

Review: A great snack that really tastes like jelly covered almonds!  The addition of peanuts to the mix was the PB, so when I got a bite with an almond and a peanut, it was like a PB&J sandwich. 🙂

Nutrition Facts: My small bag of almonds was only 1 ounce, so therefore contained 1 serving.  A great snack to throw in your bag when you are on-the-go!

 

Honey Almond – Almonds with Cranberries, Honey + Sea Salt

Review: Ok, these are my favorite!  They were just a simple, glazed almond with a touch of salt flavor.  The cranberries floated separately in the bag, but made a great mix when eaten together.  The glaze was not overpowering.  It just provided a touch of sweetness. I ate these right out of the bag as well!

Nutrition Facts: The bag I received was one serving.

 

Pomegranate Cashews – Cashews with Pomegranate + Vanilla

Review:  To me, these had a similar flavor to the Honey Almonds, but with a slight hint of vanilla (and obviously the fact that they are Cashews and not Almonds!:)).  I normally prefer almonds to cashews, but these were great!  They were sprinkled with lots of pomegrante that gave the nuts a bit more flavor and deliciousness.  I would absolutely buy these again!  Once again, they had the perfect about of sweetness and none of the flavors in the blend were overpowering, which is true in so many flavored nuts out there.

Nutrition Facts: I received a larger bag of these, so I am looking forward to enjoying them on salads and as snacks.

 

Ksar Nut Blend – Pistachios with Sesame Seeds, Pepitas, Fig + Moroccan Harissa

Review: Loved these!  Pistachios are paired perfectly with sesame seeds and a peppery spice.  I loved that these had just a hint of sweetness, but also had a kick at the end.  So far I have enjoyed these on salads, but haven’t eaten them alone – I think they would be a little too spicy for me.  I enjoy sweeter nuts as a snack.  They would be great on top of a spicy stirfry.  A great blend and a must try because it is so different!

Nutrition Facts:

 

 

Valdosta Nut Blend – Pecans with Sweet Cranberries, Black Pepper + Orange Zest

Review:  These are some delicious pecans!  And, are a great addition to a sweeter salad, which is just how I used them.  Once again, they just have a hint of sweetness.  I didn’t really taste the pepper at all, which was probably because I ate them in a salad.  The cranberries were a nice addition as well.

Nutrition Facts:

Each and everyone of these glazed nuts and nut blends were delicious!  I would happliy purchase any of them, and can’t wait to find their other nut blends that are out there.  I definitely recommend giving them a try for snacks and on salads!

Sahale Snacks uses healthier and natural ingredients in their blends, which makes me feel better about eating these nuts over other blends out there that use oils and artificial sweeteners.  I loved that you could see the whole cranberries and chunks of pomegranates and figs in the blends.  You know that you are getting the real fruit, and not just a concentrate!

Thank you Sahale Snacks!!

Filed under: Eating Laps, Product Reviews | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »