Posts tagged ‘Foodie’

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July 21, 2011

Skinny Summer Cocktails

Oh, hey there! Today’s post comes from a fellow foodie and fitness fanatic over at LoveEatRun, Jenny! After being featured on the gorgeous gal’s blog last week, I asked her to do the same for Sprinkled with Love and let me tell you…it’s pretty darn fabulous. After you’re done here, you must check out LoveEatRun for fitness advice and a look at the nutritious, healthy lifestyle she leads! 

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Hi to all you Sprinkled With Love fans out there!!  I’m Jenny from LoveEatRun and I’m so excited to be guest posting for Lauren today!  How awesome is she and how awesome is her blog?!  I love her fresh approach to fitness, recipes and fashion all rolled into one!

If you all aren’t familiar with what LoveEatRun is all about, I blog pretty much about anything and everything with a focus on living a healthy lifestyle full of food, fitness and fun.  I’m currently training for my first full marathon, which I will be running this October, so much of my fitness right now is dedicated to cracking down and getting those miles in, while working in strength training, cross-training and lots of yoga! 

And now, getting my guest post… My top 5 skinny summer cocktails! I recently came across a recipe for a Freckled Kiwi summer cocktail on VitalJuice.com and it immediately caught my attention. I love a refreshing drink on a hot summer day and this seemed right up my alley, not to mention it is a recipe that isn’t loaded with artificial flavoring, juices, etc. It’s pretty light and “skinny”. And we all know that Skinny Cocktails are all the rage right now.

So in light of this discovery, I thought I would share some of my favorite summer skinny cocktails with you. 

 1. Vodka & Soda with a Lemon & Lime: I love this drink on it’s own but also find that teaming it up with a variety of Crystal Light flavor packets also suites me well. I’ll mix the vodka and soda and pour in just enough powder to give the drink of hint of flavor but not overwhelm it.  

Some of my favorite flavors are: 

2. Arnold Palmer: To make this I use Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka and mix it with lemonade, made from mixing water and a Crystal Light Lemonade packet. A nice twist to an old favorite.

3. Skinnygirl Margarita: I used to drink this straight over ice but since discovering Cara from Chic Meets Healthy’s blended version I don’t think I will be looking back! I love frozen drinks but the calorie counts can be outrageous because of the drink mixes used.

 By using frozen berries and ice, you can significantly cut back on the number of calories while still enjoying a perfectly tasty frozen cocktail. I recommend trying it with blueberries or strawberries but the possibilities of flavors are endless – just throw the skinnygirl, ice and whatever fruit you chose into the blender!

4. Spritzers: White wine with club soda. Simple and refreshing, garnished with berries.

5. Peach Bellini: Another easy breezy summer drink. Mix 2 parts champagne with 1 part peach juice and garnish with a peach wedge. To make this a little lighter in calories, simply use an Ocean Spray white cran peach packet mixed with water in place of the peach juice.

So there you have it, simple, low-cal summer cocktails at your fingertips!

Is it happy hour yet?!

Posted in Food for Thought, Random | 11 Comments »

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July 15, 2011

“There’s nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with chocolate.” Linda Grayson

Hey all! TGIF! Boy, has this week whizzed by! Here are some of my foodie highlights. 1) I had the privilege of attending a Chile 101 Boot Camp and family-style lunch at Rosa Mexicano (Union Square) on Tuesday, hosted by Culinary Advisor, Susana Trilling and Culinary Director, David Suarez. At the event I learned all about chili peppers from how to prepare them to the different types. Although I never considered myself to have a palate for spicy schtuff, I really enjoyed having the opportunity to taste-test and discovered I’m quite fond of the variety of flavors (smoky, fruity, hot, etc.)!

The restaurant’s atmosphere and food was fabulous…I can’t wait to go back! FYI the Guacamole en Molcajete is TO DIE FOR. 

2) After getting out of my internship, I met up with Laura and her friend, Steph, at Ayza Wine & Chocolate Bar for dinner. I was still pretty full from my incredible lunch but ordered the Wild Smoked Salmon Salad (with mixed field greens, tomato, cucumber, capers and extra virgin olive oil dill dressing), which was delightful. Light but just the perfect portion, leaving room for…

…Tuesday’s Ladies Night Out! AKA complimentary chocolate shots and Belgian chocolate covered strawberries!

Doesn’t get much better than that, huh?

Perfection. By the way, it was a sticky 98 degrees that day. Traveling on the subway and walking around was not the most pleasant experience but completely worth it, of course. 

3) I spent the night at Laura’s, giving me the opportunity to “sleep in” — which in my case is 7 AM. I ran 4 miles on the treadmill in her building’s gym before showering and grabbing some breakfast in a little place near my office. What did my favorite meal of the day include? An assortment of fruit (grapes, blackberries, blueberries, watermelon and honeydew), two hard boiled eggs, a plain Chobani yogurt and grande iced coffee from Starbucks. Great way to start off my day!

4) Lunch included a protein-packed salad (spinach, cherry tomatoes, asparagus, tofu, navy beans, chickpeas, edamame, pumpkin seeds and carrots with balsamic vinegar/olive oil) from Zeytinz Fine Food Market Place. I caught a few rays and people watched in Bryant Park while chowing down on my lunch break!

So there’s a look at my week through what I ate. I realized the other day that most of my pictures on my camera and phone are of food. Pathetic? I think not! Hopefully I’ll be able to cook something new and fun this weekend! (I’ve really been wanting to create my own gazpacho.) Although I love trying different fare in NYC, I miss the comfort of home cooked meals, not to mention having the time to prepare my own recipes.
Any quick, summery recipe suggestions? 

Sprinkled with Love,
Lauren

Posted in Random, Reviews | 1 Comment »

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May 24, 2011

Favorite Things, Round 2

After a seven hour shift on my feet, followed by a decent workout, I am pooped and turning in early. Don’t ya just love being in bed by 10 PM on a Monday evening? I know I do. Macbook + online shopping + Adele’s 21 CD (which has been blasting on repeat the last two weeks) = ideal. Woop, woop…am I one wild and crazy 21-year-old or what? Anyway, I have some new, favorite food obsessions I would like to share with you, all in which are pictured below. Not the most fun or intriguing of posts, but a necessary one to hopefully perk up some of your taste buds!

Bartlett pear slices with almond butter…a favorite snack of mine, which I picked up on thanks to a friend of mine (Amy). Take your morning toast up a notch by adding on this delightful combination (with a drizzle of honey or agave nectar). Can I hear an AMEN?

AVOCADOS ARE FINALLY REALLY IN SEASON! In other words, I’ve been avocado-happy, topping everything and anything with this glorious fruit…or is it a vegetable? Regardless, I love ‘em, especially on my scrambled eggs in the morning. The past few I picked up from my local Stop & Shop have been flawless and divine.

You can’t go wrong with a humongous salad. Top it with avocado, tofu cubes, an assortment of fresh, colorful veggies, sesame seeds and a large dollop of hummus? Even better. Clean meal for a clean eatin’ gal. I’ll take it any day.

Here’s one of my favorite evening snacks when I’m plopped in front of the television, feeling the need to graze and craving something both salty and sweet: savory popcorn, popped on the stove. Making it yourself on the stovetop is a healthier alternative to sodium-filled, overly buttery microwavable bags, plus a lot tastier and versatile (you can mix in your favorite spices for a whole new take on this classic snack). Did I mention low-cal? Um, yes please? I’ve been making mine in extra virgin olive oil and seasoning with cinnamon with a quick drizzle of agave nectar for a sweet, dessert-like snack. Surprisingly very filling, might I add!

Although I would have loved to have had the opportunity to live in NYC this summer, being home has suited me well. Having home-cooked meals prepared for me has added to the overall appeal, I’m not going to lie. Cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner for yourself day in and day out as an off-campus student can be taxing after a while! My father made the baked salmon pictured above for dinner last night with a side of corn on the cob and fiddleheads (below). Just a little bit of olive oil, sliced green peppers, parsley, onion and lemon made for pure perfection. I likey.

I had never tried fiddleheads before last night but can officially call myself a fan. My dad simply sautéed them in a little bit of olive oil, garlic and shallots. Yum, yum, yum! Welp, there ya have it. My recent favorite foodie trends I can’t get enough of the past few weeks.
What have you been loving lately?

Sprinkled with Love,
Lauren

Posted in Dinner, Food for Thought, Random, Reviews, Snack | 1 Comment »

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May 15, 2011

Mocha Coffee Protein Balls

Good morning! Today’s post is a winner, let me tell you. Tasty, energizing, quick and easy! One of my favorite health/foodie blogs (The Fitnessista) makes protein balls for post-workouts out of nut butter and protein powder, among other fun mix-ins. What a wonderfully innovative idea, right? I decided to throw in a little twist of my own, taking Gina’s recipe up a notch with a jolt of coffee grounds. Mmmm! I had a ton of the ingredients already for my recipe flop the other day so I was good to go! FYI: The rainy weather made for bad photo lighting, so bare with me. Trust me, though, these little buggers are divine.

Ingredients
(Adapted from Chocolate Chip Protein Ballz)
2 tablespoons chocolate soy protein powder
2 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
2 tablespoons shredded coconut
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1 1/2 teaspoons coffee grounds
Handful of peanuts (or other nuts/dried fruit mix-ins you enjoy)
Agave nectar and cinnamon to taste 

In a small food processor, add protein powder, nut butter and coconut. Pulse until ingredients are blended together.

Next, add in the coffee grounds, coconut oil, a dash of cinnamon and a squirt (ew, hate that word) of agave nectar (substitute: maple syrup or honey). Pulse again. The dough should start clumping together. Finally, throw in any mix-ins you like…I threw in a handful of peanuts to make it extra nutty. Dried fruit would have been lovely, but we’re all out. Pulse one more time and form the mixture into small balls!

There ya go, folks! Jump start your morning or recover from a tough workout with one of these babies. Can’t wait to munch on these once I start commuting early in the AM. Perfect for on-the-go! Keep a lookout for more protein ball recipes to come.
What is your favorite post-workout snack? Any ingredient suggestions for future protein ball recipes?

Sprinkled with Love,
Lauren

Posted in Breakfast, Snack | 4 Comments »

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April 13, 2011

Overnight Choco-Coconut Oats

Wow. It has been a WEEK since I last blogged. I am SO sorry, devoted readers. Shame on me. In my defense, things have been crazy but I won’t bore you with the details. For quite some time now I have come across recipes from my favorite blogs (here, here, here and here) that incorporate chia seeds. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on them and finally did this past weekend from my local health food store when I was home (they don’t have them in cow country, sorry to disappoint my fellow huskies).

What makes chia seeds so great, you ask? They are a fit foodie’s must-have in a nutshell. Chia seeds help with weight loss, make you feel full (and stay full), reduce food cravings/blood pressure, are a great source of Omega-3…need I say more? Dr. Oz even says it is one of the top 5 supplements to have in your cabinet. Ok, ok…you get it. Now onto my wonderful breakfast of overnight oats. Who likes dessert at 7 a.m.? ME, ME, ME! PICK ME!

Ingredients
(Courtesy of Oh She Glows)
1/3 cup rolled oats
1 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2 tablespoon chia seeds
1 1/2 tablespoon protein powder (substitute: carob powder or peanut flour)
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
Unsweetened shredded coconut, to top

The instructions are easy: mix all the ingredients together in a container of your choice and place  in the fridge overnight. It is a tasty, healthy meal to wake up to and made my morning, that’s for sure. With a similar texture to tapioca pudding, the Choco-Coco Oats were rich and chocolaty, plus kept me full all morning long! I cannot wait to make more and play around with different ingredients/mix-ins. For example, adding in some coconut butter would have made this even more out of this world. Throwing frozen fruit in the food processor and layering it in between? Yes. Maybe trying a peanut butter version with crunchy peanut butter and peanut flour instead of the protein powder? Double yes. I’ll experiment and let you know where I get. As for now, I want to make it known that this is the perfect on-the-go, breakfast for those who “don’t have time.” Quick, easy, nutritious and delicious. Score! All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the chia seeds and am looking forward to incorporating them more into my diet. Thanks for understanding my chaotic life and still coming back to me. Love you for that! Have you ever tried chia seeds? What did you think?

Sprinkled with Love,
Lauren

Posted in Breakfast, Food for Thought | 10 Comments »

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February 25, 2011

Foodie Fact Friday

Rainy Fridays are the worst! Ugh, I wish I was going away for Spring Break…this weather is getting monotonous. Here are 5 stories and fun facts I found interesting this week. Stay dry today, my fellow New Englanders!

How McDonald’s Screwed Up Oatmeal (Huffington Post)
Gross. I hate McDonalds and would never let them ruin my love for oatmeal.

5 Grocery Shopping Myths Busted (Eatingwell.com)
Interesting stuff! Especially loved #3 and #5.

Chocolate’s Startling Health Benefits (Huffington Post)
Win, win for chocolate lovers!

New Uses for Everyday Ingredients (Cookinglight.com)
I will definitely be trying out the unexpected peanut butter and cinnamon applications.

Effort to Grow Broccoli on East Coast Gets $5 Million Investment (Huffington Post)
YAY! I’m sick of spending an arm and a leg for one of my fav veggies.


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