14 December 2011
Well, hello there!
I’m back from vacation and feeling… behind in all areas of life. Going through my photo library, I found a bunch of pics from recipes I meant to write about. Instead of putting them all in their own individual posts, I’m just going to declare food/recipe bankruptcy and get them all out of the way in this one.
So here’s what I’ve been eating lately!
Kettle Cuisine soups sent to me by the company. They saw how much I love soup, and decided to send me some I can eat right out of the freezer. I like that all of their soups are gluten-free, and when you look at the ingredients, they all contain ingredients you’d use to make that soup yourself. Check out the ingredients from the white chicken chili:
Not bad, right? I’d definitely recommend these frozen soups over canned.
For some reason, I’ve been on a curry kick lately. And I’ve also been wanting to make the most out of my newish slow cooker. Curries just seem to be a natural fit! I found this Slow-Cooker Curried Chicken with Ginger and Yogurt recipe from (where else?) Real Simple.
See, here’s what I mean by “a curry kick.” Two curries in the past few weeks is a LOT for me, especially since I don’t LOVE curry usually (except Thai green curry! I could eat that every day). This recipe is Martha Stewart’s Chicken Curry. I liked it, but I had to do some tweaking to make it less bland. The cashews and cilantro really helped, though. I can definitely say it wasn’t “too meaty.”
I’ve been loving my almond meal pancakes lately. So filling and carby without actually having many carbs! Here’s my recipe for Apple Spice Almond Meal pancakes. I think for this version, instead of adding the apples to the batter, I microwaved them with cinnamon and used them as a topping.
I told you all I was going to the Dominican for a wedding. We stayed in an all-inclusive resort that was quite beautiful. However, the food was…seriously lacking. They just try to do way too much instead of sticking to what they know best. We did end up loving the Japanese steakhouse — delicious and tender meat (steak, shrimp, chicken) and the best fried rice I’ve ever eaten. And I don’t even like fried rice! I hear most of these resorts have a place like this, so if you go, hit up the Japanese restaurant! The French restaurant wasn’t bad either. My favorite dish our table ordered was (can you guess?)…
A curry! I think this was a Thai-style curry with shrimp and coconut rice. Mmm. I’ll leave you with a picture of the view from our room.
And NOW you know why I had to declare food/recipe bankruptcy. I’m struggling to get my head back to reality and dreaming I was back there in the sunshine.
Happy Tuesday!
17 October 2011
This past weekend, my mama took me on a trip to New York City. You can see us in the middle picture below! My mom appreciates good food just as much as I do, so you can imagine we were in foodie heaven pretty much the whole time. It’s always hard for me to choose my food in New York, since you have limited meals/stomach space and seemingly limitless restaurant options. We did our best. The whole trip was amazing, but here are some of the edible highlights.
1. Crab Soup Dumplings from Joe’s Shanghai (middle right)
Ever since I heard about soup dumplings a couple years ago, I knew they were my food dream. Dumplings? Love. Soup? Obviously love. Combine them into one delectable bite, and you have my heart. The broth inside these babies was probably one of the best tastes I’ve ever tasted. I’ll never forget these. The company — one of my best friends from college, Taylor, and my mama — didn’t hurt, either. Taylor came all the way from Philly to hang out with us for the day. Love you, T!
3. Soy Egg from Momofuko Noodle Bar (bottom left)
I didn’t know what to expect ordering a soy egg, but whatever this was, it was outstanding. Tiny chives, crispy onion, textured yolk, smoky egg white — all the best an egg has to offer and more. We also had impressive hangar steak and cured striped bass.
4. Shackburger and Shake from Shake Shack (not pictured)
I don’t know how I convinced my mom to go to Shake Shack. Burgers and shakes aren’t her idea of a nice meal. But once she tasted the rich chocolate shake, creamy pumpkin pie custard, and juicy burger, I think she understood the hype. I’m not a burger connoisseur myself, but this was the best “fast food” burger I’ve ever had, hands down.
5. Orange-Buttermilk French Toast with Maple Baked Bananas from Nice Matin (middle left)
I’m totally not a french toast person at all. I always prefer pancakes (waffles are meh to me too). But this version sounded pretty good, especially the bananas. My mom and I split this and a spicy lamb sausage scramble for brunch, and both were great. This French toast was more like dessert, and the bananas were just amazing.
6. Pork Bun from Momofuko Noodle Bar (bottom right)
This needs its own number! For whatever reason, I ended up eating a lot of pork belly on this trip. I don’t think I’ve ever had it in such abundance, and I have to say, I have no complaints. Momofuko is famous for their steamed pork buns, and these didn’t disappoint in the least. The meat seriously melted in my mouth.
7. Whitefish Salad from Barney Greengrass (bottom middle, on the bagel)
Our hosts were excited to take us to Upper West Side staple Barney Greengrass, and it definitely satisfied my smoked fish craving. I ordered a Nova salmon scramble, and we shared potato latkes and whitefish salad. Jewish soul food at its finest.
8. Lamb Tagine Casablanca from Cafe Mogadar (not pictured)
The lamb was falling off the bone, the sauce was sweet but not too sweet, and the company was perfect (Taylor and my mama again).
9. Banana Pudding from Magnolia (not pictured)
I’m going to be honest: I’m not crazy about the cupcakes from Magnolia (or cupcakes in general, really). So when we were craving dessert and in walking distance from this famous bakery, I decided to go with something a little different. I was very happy with my choice! This was my second favorite banana pudding ever (after my boyfriend’s, who really does make a MEAN banana pudding).
10. Anything eaten with my lovely BFFs and mama
Two of my best friends in the whole world, Else and Kaitlyn, live in New York. Just getting to see them was a treat. And spending time with my mom was wonderful, too. I think my favorite thing in the world is eating good food with people I love. <3
Okay, New Yorkers, how did I do? What did I miss that I should be sure to hit next time? Have you tried any of these dishes? Let’s talk food!
29 June 2011
Contributor Post
Today, you get to meet another Nutritionista contributor! Please welcome Earl L. Earl is a health-conscious cook who loves running, good food, and exploring the world of molecular gastronomy. He post restaurant reviews, healthy recipes, molecular gastronomy experiments, and anything else related to food on his website, Toastable (check it out, he knows his stuff). In today’s post for YN, Earl’s talking salads from a “fast casual” place I actually have quite the soft spot for — Potbelly. I’m kind of in love with Potbelly’s chicken salad, and in general I think their food is above average for a sandwich shop.
Earl is analyzing Potbelly salads in this post, and he really gets down to the nitty-gritty in terms of the macronutrient breakdown in two of his favorites — the Uptown and Farmhouse salads. I love Earl’s scientific lens on food, and I think you will, too. Read on!
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23 June 2011
Now that’s what I call a fish taco.
(Spicy tuna taco roll from Ronin in Royal Oak, one of the better sushi places I’ve been to in a while.)
20 June 2011
If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you know how I feel about chains (hint: not the warmest). In case you’re new here, this is how I feel about chains:
Here’s my philosophy: if you’re going to eat out and indulge, do it right. Pick a hole-in-the-wall Thai or Mexican place, a really upscale new American restaurant, or your local bar and grill. Don’t waste your calories or money on crappy chain restaurant food. It’s unhealthy and it just doesn’t taste all that great. Plus, it’s really not THAT cheap.
But there are some chains that just take the cake (or should I say take the jalapeno poppers?) in terms of most hazardous to your health and least tasty food. Here they are, in no particular order:
- Applebee’s. Ugh, gag. I hate Applebee’s with the fire of a thousand suns. The food is nasty (seriously, have you really considered the food? It’s gross!), and everything NOT on the “WeightWatchers” menu is a nutrition nightmare. I commend them for having a lighter menu, but if you’ve ever ordered off of it and gone home completely satisfied… well, I’m impressed. Uh, also, apparently they were posting incorrect nutrition info. Not cool, Applebee’s. Not cool.
- Macaroni Grill. It’s no surprise that I’m not a fan of a place that touts 2000-3000 calorie pasta dishes as its bread and butter (quick review of Nutritionista philosophy: bread = boo for the most part, butter = yay!). I can’t say the food at MacGrill isn’t tasty. From what I remember the last time I went there (the year 2000?), it was. But still, totally not worth it.
- The Cheesecake Factory. I think this place is dangerous because their menu reads like a novel. I mentioned it in my former anti-chain rant as a place I occasionally indulge, but I wish I never had to step foot in that place. They do have healthier options, I’ll give them that. And everything I’ve had tastes mighty good. But with so many options, both regular menu and cheesecake, it just seems like an accident waiting to happen.
- Panera. I know this one is going to get people mad — I know quite a few Panera devotees. But the chain literally only has one thing I can recommend: the Chopped Chicken Cobb. Everything else is either full of bad carby stuff or just not tasty. Also, from what I hear, nothing is prepared fresh. It’s all frozen. Not to say that’s not standard practice among chains, but it’s still disappointing.
- Red Lobster. I admit that I tried Red Lobster for the first time a couple weeks ago with coworkers. I was expecting to be blow away by the biscuits everyone raves about. Consider me totally unblown. They weren’t worth it. The shrimp and scallop dish I had was pretty pathetic too. Served lukewarm and super salty. Ew.
Okay, now for the good news! Here are 3 chains I get totally get behind (if you MUST go to a chain):
- Chipotle. This is probably a “duh” one, but Chipotle salads are just outstanding. My Chipotle philosophy? Skip the tortillas and rice and fill up on their delicious meats and guacamole. Their meat isn’t perfect ethically speaking, but I really do believe in their “food with integrity” philosophy. I also enjoy their clever marketing ploys. I totally thought the lorem ipsum bag was a huge blunder at first!
- Jimmy John’s. This is another chain I’m constantly recommending to clients because I think their unwich is genius. Basically, you can get any sandwich wrapped in lettuce. All the deliciousness, no filler. I love it. And it’s cheap!
- J. Alexander’s. For a higher end chain, this is probably my pick. They always have nice fish dishes on the menu, and their grilled artichokes are probably one of my favorite (chain) restaurant dishes of all time. ALL TIME.
Okay, so I know I’ve probably alienated at least half of you with my chain disses and picks. So you tell me: which chains are your favorite, health and taste-wise?
