Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Heavyweight Humpday!



Here's the LOW DOWN... The LATEST in *TINSEL* TOWN:



- Jessica Biel & Justin Timberlake... Over?

- John Travolta Still Trying To Smooth Things Over

- Will Ferrell is Going To Be A Daddy... AGAIN!

- Aw... Poor Miley has strep throat... sure it's not SWINE FLU?

- Khole Kardashian's Marriage IS Real And She Is Oh So Happy!

- And in MORE Kardashian News... Kim is Back Together with Reggie - PHEW! ha ha.

- Dennis Hopper is in The Hospital

- And to Keep The Hospital Trend Going: Tori Spelling... Hospitalized - TWICE in ONE WEEK!

- BYE BYE Kathy Ireland

Thursday, September 24, 2009

WHERE IN THE WORLD....


.... HAS ALL THE CANNED PUMPKIN GONE!!!!




That's right, pumpkin is definitely MIA at the moment and after 3 weeks of not seeing it on my grocery stores (all over my city - mind you) I decided to take initiative (because to me this is an emergency) and write Nestle (who makes Libby's 100% Pumpkin) to get to the bottom of this... and here is what the company said to me:



Dear Ms. ******,

Thank you for contacting Libby's® 100% Pure Pumpkin.

I am sorry that you are having a difficult time finding Libby's Pumpkin. Due to unfavorable weather conditions last fall, some of the pumpkin did not meet our high quality standards. Therefore, our harvest was smaller than typical and you may have some difficulty finding Libby's Pumpkin.

We are in the process of harvesting our pumpkins and you will be able to find it in all sizes within the next few weeks.

We appreciate your interest and hope you will visit our website often for the latest information on our products and promotions.

Sincerely,

Tara Williams
Consumer Response Representative




So there you have it... Let's just HOPE we can rely on Tara Williams... and the rest of them... when she says that they will return within a few weeks! Not only do I eat pumpkin EVERY SINGLE DAY at breakfast... but Thanksgiving and all the other holidays are just around the corner... and HELLO: Pumpkin is the center of attention for all of these holidays!



Anyone else notice the case of the missing canned pumpkin?!?!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Restaurant Review: Brasserie Ten Ten


Restaurant:
Brasserie Ten Ten
Cuisine: French Bistro
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Pricey?: ** 1/2 out of *****


Review: I am completely obsessed with food and when it comes to going out to dinner, the restaurant has to have a certain amount of selections that I like in order for me to actually attend.


Since I am French, I figured this restaurant would have SOMETHING that I would like to eat... and after browsing the menu (on-line first BEFORE making reservations) I decided the place was a "go-go".


My mother and I have lots of dietary restrictions which is also a factor when I choose restaurants. There must be an abundance of fish on the menu for when we go out to dinner we never touch anything except that protein. We won't touch the red meats because they are more than likely grain-fed and that just doesn't fly... my brother and father on the other hand... bring on any steak house that serves a 16 to 20 ounce Porter House steak and a cold brusky and they're there!


The reason for my parents being in Boulder and my brother coming down (or maybe... up?) from Denver was because my grandfather (whom we all haven't seen in about 4 to 5 years) was in Boulder giving a speech about Nuclear Physics (that's his shtick... more power to ya!). My parents drove 8 hours... for dinner... and then left the next morning to drive 8 hours back home - Aye Carumba!


We arrived a bit early for our reservation but were allowed to STAND by the bar... there was a lot of traffic in this "standing zone" so it wasn't the most pleasant of situations but... my father, brother and grandfather got their drinks, so they didn't mind. I could already tell though... the conversation was going to be stilted... but that's a completely different story!


We were seated at around 7:15pm... even though our reservation was for 7... but right away our server asked us what we wanted to drink.


After perusing the menu for a bit we all made our final decisions on our meals... My mother always has the same thing I eat... so I ordered for the both of us... We both has the Nicoise Salad (sans potatoes & dressing on the side) as well as the Grilled Trout. We had ours simply grilled with no tabouli but extra spinach. The others at my table ordered Steamed Mussles, Chicken and Steak.


It may have felt like hours before our meals arrived... but really it was the average amount of time... the only reason why I say this is because it was extremely loud in the restaurant and with two who are hard of hearing (grandfather and father)... it was a bit painful waiting for the meals (and watching everyone leaning over one another to speak).


The meal my mother and I ordered was 100% perfect. Typically when I modify menu items there is always something off but not at Brasserie Ten Ten. Our waitress seemed very used to people modifying things and I could tell when our meals arrived.


Everything was cooked to perfection. The tuna on the nicoise salad was seared beautifully (nice and raw) while the trout was grilled until crispy (skin that is) and just melted in my mouth.


I got rave reviews from the rest of my table which definitely says something too considering we are all French. So over all, the FOOD experience was a good one!


The reason for my emphasis on food... well the conversation didn't turn out to be the best as I predicted... in fact my father and grandfather got into quite an argument... pushing my mother to tears - Oh how I love family dining experiences! ha ha!


My Rating: 8 out of 10 (strictly food... Points off for on the small side portions - for me at least - and the whole place was extremely loud)

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Protect Yourself!

So all this HOOP-LA is really quite ridiculous when it comes to the SWINE FLU (H1N1)... BUT I received an e-mail today from the Vitamin D Council... and they said that vitamin D will protect us all!


So get to your local/nearest healthy food/supplement store and jump on the Vitamin D bandwagon!


Make sure you find one that has at least 1000 IUs and try to make sure you get Vitamin D 3 because it's better absorbed!


Oh and... WASH YOUR HANDS & COVER YOUR MOUTH WHEN YOU COUGH & SNEEZE - Those are super easy and free tactics to help avoid the flu too!


Other Sources of Vitamin D (Besides Supplements & The Sun)
- Fatty Fish (Mackerel, Salmon, Eel, Tuna, Sardines, Sable Fish, etc)
- Fortified Foods
- Egg Yolks
- Mushrooms
- Liver
- Cod Liver Oil

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Sparrow...



Ok, So I am thinking Nicole Richie is still on some of the drugs she was on back in the day... when she was "BFF" with Paris Hilton and clubbing on a nightly basis... BECAUSE...


Who in their right might would name their new baby son: Sparrow James Midnight Madden...



I'm sort of wondering where the name JAMES came from because honestly the rest of the name sounds like Nicole took a bit too many drugs prior to delivery...


In any case, congrats Nicole... and Sparrow, in advance, I am sorry about you being made fun of during your high school career - at least you can always go by James!




What's the weirdest name you have ever heard?

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Food Review

Since yesterday was labor day... I thought I review a food that I just recently tried for the first time (that a lot of people chow down on labor day) after a long time of always walking by it in the store telling myself... "you should really try those"....


Want to know what I tried?


Well even if you could care less I am going to tell you anyways... Applegate Farms Grass-Fed Hot Dogs!!



So think of the last hot dog you ate... did you like it... or did you just think... "holy moly I am eating a lot of unhealthy calories for something so small"... well now you NO LONGER have to think that way because these hot dogs I found are SPOT ON (in taste) to the real thing but are actually HEALTHY FOR YOU!


Grass-Fed & Grass-Finished Red Meat (including hot dogs) is by far superior to grain-fed & grain-finished red meats... check out why at EatWild.com... that website explains it so much better than I ever can!


Really though... I am sure you want to know just how these suckers taste: well let's just say I was dying (of happiness) when I was eating them because man, were they good! They taste just like the originals and with a mix of mustard and ketchup (yes, my Heinz Sugar Free Ketchup does the trick, no doubt)... my taste buds start doing the tango!



Since I don't eat bread, I wrapped these puppies (ha ha, pun intended) in lettuce boats which worked out incredibly well...


In fact I liked these hot dogs so much, I bought 2 more packages at the store today: they were on sale for $3.99 per package... each package holding 8 dogs...


Each dog has 110 calories... so if you ate 5 dogs, you would be eating just 550 calories... well I'm no sure if you think that is a lot or not but for me that's definitely something I will be doing in the near future! ha ha.


As for the ingredients... each dog is packed with: Organic Grass-Fed Beef, Water, Contains Less Than 2% Of The Following: Sea Salt, Organic Spices, Organic Garlic Powder, Organic Paprika, Celery Powder, Organic Onion, Lactic Acid Starter Culture (Not From Milk). --> Looks like a WINNER in my mind: no sugar or any other "kookie" ingredients that might RUIN my hot dog loving experience!


Even though hot dog season is coming to a close... I will most definitely be buying these suckers through the winter because they could always be used in stews, scrambled eggs, salads... just use your imagination!


Honestly though, if you were apprehensive about trying these dogs out like I was... push that curiosity aside and buy a package the next time you seem em'- well work your money, hands down!


**PS: These hot dogs are ALREADY cooked so they are extremely easy & quick for when you or your family is on the go but need a protein packed snack/meal!**

(Even this cow thinks his dogs are good!)