Spicing Things Up

Hello Food Lovers!!

Today's blog post is something I think most of you will enjoy. 

We love all food, right? Take a second and think about what you love most about food.

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Great! Okay, I could just sit here and talk about what I love most about food to answer the question, but instead I decided to survey 18 people, a decent handful, and see what kind of responses I would get! 

"In a few sentences, tell me what do you love most about food?"

The 2nd most popular response: 50% of everyone I asked mentioned how they love food because it brings people and family together. 

"I love food because it brings joy, relief, and people together." L.B.

"The simple act of sitting and enjoying it together makes all the measuring, chopping, stirring, (and even cleaning up afterwards), well worth it." J.K.

"Families spend quality time cooking traditional dishes. Some of my best memories with my mom and grandma center around cooking food for our family." A.T.


The response that came in 3rd at 45% was the variety of food. Healthy options and feel-good food as well as cultures and choices of food. 

"I love that it provides energy for my body. It helps my body function properly by maintaining cell structure and tissue maintenance. It makes me feel better in times of stress or when emotions are out of control." T.T.

"I love how I can enjoy "healthy" food as much as I love junk food!" J.B.


4th place was 28% of the people mentioned texture, scent, or any other physical sense as their favorite part of food. 

"The texture of the food is a big deal for me, like coconuts for example. Shaved coconut, absolutely not! But coconut oil...you've got a winner." J.A. 

"I love the taste and scent, especially the scent of cooking it." M.O-T.

The Top Response

About 80% of everyone I asked said their favorite part was FLAVOR.

"What I love most about food is how diverse different combinations of ingredients can create such a delicious dish. It teleports my mind to another world with so many exotic flavors to choose from." P.P.

"I love to taste and appreciate the complexity of flavor. It's like writing a song. You can have a really nice melody on a guitar, but if you have it accompanied by a Bass, Drums, and Vocals then it becomes something really grand." G.D.

Flavor is HUGE!

The best part about cooking and learning how to cook is finding what combinations of spices and food go best together. This can turn anything plain or bland and make it incredible. 

We all use salt, black pepper, and garlic almost every time we cook, but in this blog post I want to emphasize some different spices you may have heard of.

This will show you how you can add something additional every time you cook! And really bring out flavors and combinations to make your dishes stand out. 

Spicing Things Up!

Hot! Hot! Hot!

"I love spicy food, the spicier the better!" M.T.

Adding some heat to your dishes isn't always a bad thing! Some people love spicy, and others won't even try a mild dish. 

If you are cooking and are looking to add some hot spice to your dish, here's some suggestions:

- Red Pepper Flakes - 

Less is more, can be quite hot! Add a little at a time and taste for preference. 

- Cayenne Pepper -

Dried and ground red chili peppers. Adds a sweet heat to foods. 

Where to use them:

Pasta

Stir Fry

Soups, Chilis

Sauces

Roasted Veggies or Nuts

Red Pepper Flakes-
Added to the top of my pasta dish
Recipe: Click Here

Sweet Like Candy to My Soul

These next few are perfect when making anything usually sweet and sometimes savory!

- Cinnamon -

Usually ground. Many health benefits, great when baking!

- Nutmeg - 

Compliments cinnamon well. These two work great together. 

Where to use them:

Sweet Potato toppings

Oatmeal, Pancakes

Plain Rice

Hot Apple Cider (Cinnamon Sticks)

When using Pumpkins or Apples

Butternut or Acorn Squash

Cinnamon & Nutmeg
The main flavors in the crust and layers of my Apple Pie Bread
Recipe: Click Here

Another Red Spice

- Paprika -

From the Chili pepper family. Used a lot in Hungarian, Indian, and Southern cuisine.

Where to use it:

Hummus

Stews

Pasta Sauce

Potato Salad

Chilis, Soups

Roasted Nuts or Seeds

Meat - Barbecued 

As garnish

Paprika
I mixed some paprika in my homemade hummus
Also garnished some on top

 As Told By...

- Ginger -

Used a lot in Asian dishes or desserts! Compliments sesame really well.

 Can be used in a lot of things, good health benefits.

Where to use it:

Ginger cookies/Ginger snaps/Molasses cookies

Asian noodles, ginger chicken, stir fry, etc.

Ginger Tea

Gingerbread

Ginger Sauce

Asian-style coleslaw

Seasoning on seafood or meat

Ginger
Seasoned my homemade Lo-Mein noodles
Also used a ginger sauce

For All You Chipotle Lovers

- Cumin -

Adds an Earthy flavor. Used a lot in Mexican and Spanish dishes. 

Common in Middle East and also Indian.

Where to use it:

Guacamole, Salsa

Chilis, Soups, Stews

Meat or Seafood seasoning

Hummus

Pasta, Pasta Sauces

Seasoned Rice

Stir-fry

Cumin
Used to season my Veggie Stuffed Peppers

"Love Grows (Where my Rosemary Goes)"

- Rosemary -

Strong Piney flavor. Usually stands out in dishes. Popular with Mediterranean or Italian dishes.

Where to use it:

Beans

Eggs

Potatoes (especially roasted)

Crusts for seafood, meat

Chicken

Stir fry

Good for meat marinade

Pasta, Sauces

Rosemary
Used when cooking my chicken-veggie stir fry

Got Herbs?

These next two choices are great for flavor and come in dried seasoning. 

Or you can buy them fresh!

- Basil -

Very popular in Italian and Asian cuisine. 

In my opinion, you can add basil to almost anything. 

Where to use it:
Pestos, Sauces
With Tomatoes, Mozzarella, Balsamic (Caprese)
Pasta
Pizzas
Salads
Sandwiches
Veggies, Meat or Seafood seasoning

Dried Basil Flakes
Used to garnish and season my homemade Pizza

Fresh Basil
Used in my Tomato-Basil Bruschetta

- Cilantro -
Used a lot in Mexican, Latin America, and Caribbean dishes.

Where to use it:
Soups
Salsas
Seafood (Shrimp, Salmon)
Noodle Bowls
With Avocado, compliments Lime
Pestos
Meats

Cilantro
Used in my homemade Mexican Chicken Lime Soup!
Extra for garnish

Cilantro
Also used in my Shrimp Taco Salad!
It seasoned my Shrimp and was also used in the cilantro-lime dressing
Recipe: Click Here

Well that's all I have for you today!
I know there are plenty more spices and herbs out there.
When cooking, try to add something new or extra to your dish! 
EXPERIMENT!!!  
A little never hurts and you can always add more if you love the way it tastes!

Also don't be afraid to add more spice beyond what a recipe tells you. 
Sometimes the added extra makes your dish stand out!

PS: Thank you to those who answered my survey! Each response was great and very helpful!


Leave a comment or suggestion, what are some of your favorite cooking flavors?
Do you use spices, which are your most commonly used?

Enjoy the rest of your week, thanks for stopping by! XO

Welcoming September

Happy Friday all :)

In just a few short days the world will be welcoming September. It could be the start of a new school year, the start of a new season, working more often as businesses get busy. Sports change, trees change, foods change, (pumpkin spice everything). It's a beautiful time for change!

Lately I have been realizing that people are becoming busier this week. Students are moving into school and for a lot of working adults it can be hard managing work responsibilities and finding time to make effective food choices. By "effective" I mean cost effective and being healthy. 

Food Essentials on a Budget

I have come up with some healthy ways to budget food essentials to get the most out of what you buy!
Here they are:

Snacks

Chips, Popcorn, Crackers, etc.

This is for all the crunch n' munch snacks. How many of us buy a bag of chips or crackers and eat directly from the bag? 

The biggest problem with snacks like these is that they don't last very long. If you end up buying a large bag of chips that will cost you about $3.00 a bag. If that one bag only lasts you about two days, but you want chips to last you the whole week, that is about $9.00 a week on chips alone. $36.00 a month on chips. 

How to get the most out of snacks:

The first thing that needs to be done while you are shopping is to check serving sizes. 

In my recipe, Let's Taco 'Bout Shrimp & Salads, I compared regular Tostitos Chips vs. RW Garcia tortilla chips. (Both can be found at Market Basket in the chip aisle).  

Tostitos: 1 Serving = 7 Chips

140 calories, 7g of fat, and 115mg of sodium

RW Garcia: 1 Serving = 15 Chips

140 calories, 6g of fat, 50mg of sodium

(The key is to find chips, popcorn, etc. that gives you a good initial serving size. You want to make healthier choices, but you don't want to deprive yourself). 

Once you do that, bring your bag home and separate your servings into individual snack bags. 

For the RW chips I will count out 1 serving, (15 full chips), and place them into a snack bag. If a chip is broken or halved I will add pieces together to estimate a full chip being added to my plastic bag. I repeat this until all my chips have been divided into snack bags. 

My chips ready for the week!

Doing this has provided me with NINE snack bags, ready to-go. 

This preparation saves me time. If I eat 1 snack bag a day this will last me the whole week and I'll have two extra bags leftover.
(For packing snacks for families or multiple people, this is still a great way to distribute the snacks and get the most out of what you buy a week).  

Favorite Snacks:

Boom Chicka Pop $3.00
1 Large Bag = 4 snack bags containing 2 Cups each
and 1 snack bag containing 1 Cup
2 Cups snack bag:
74 Calories
2.5g Fat
67mg Sodium

Snapea Crisps $1.50
1 Bag = 3 snack bags each with 1 serving
1 Serving = 22 Pieces:120 Calories
6g Fat
85mg Sodium
Good Fiber & Potassium

Pita Bread

Pita bread is GREAT. 

Joseph's is one of my favorite brands. Not only does he offer traditional white pita bread, but also a variety of healthier versions such as the Flax, Oat Bran, & Whole Wheat pitas. 
This brand has gluten free options too and also small individual sandwich-size pitas. 

1/2 of a White Pita:
90 Calories
1g Fat
150 mg Sodium
2g Fiber

How to get the most out of Pita Bread

You can create all different kinds of sandwiches and wraps with the pita!

Personal favorite combos:
- Hummus and Taboule
- Peanut butter & banana wrap (Also try almond butter or sun butter)
- Hummus, Tuna, & mashed Avocado w/black pepper
- Chopped Lettuce, diced Tomato, diced Cucumber, & Chickpeas w/balsamic vinegar 
- Leftover Veggies mixed with Black Beans & Hummus (Veggie Wrap)

Get creative!

You can also use Joseph's Pitas to make individual pizzas! 
Preheat oven to 450 and then bake for 12 minutes, very quick and easy.

1 White Pita from Joseph's
Pizza Sauce, Sprinkled Olive Oil, Daiya cheese
Tomatoes, Black Pepper, Basil

I make mine a few different ways:

- Bread, sprinkle some Olive Oil, add sauce, choice of cheese, (or cheese alternative), and add any healthy toppings! Mine usually include diced tomatoes, broccoli, peppers, eggplant, mushrooms, garlic, or onions.

- Bread, sprinkle some Olive Oil, add smashed avocado, choice of cheese, (or cheese alternative), and add any healthy toppings! The avocado tastes amazing especially when the cheese melts on top. Sometimes I will add a little sauce and then smashed avocado for extra flavors.

- The third option is to add the sauce, avocado, and toppings but not any cheese. Crazy right? But if you are trying to lose or manage weight, the cheese can add a lot of extra fat to your pizza. Go crazy with toppings and you won't even miss the cheese!

Other Tips

- Kale is usually $1.60 for a bunch. This can be used during the week with salads, sandwiches, and also Kale Chips!

- Lettuce in a bag is typically cost effective! The brand Foxy sells bags of Romaine Hearts for about $2.50 in the produce section. You can use Romaine for the essentials and also use it for lettuce wraps to replace bread! 

- Avocados can be used for many things! Typically I use 1 avocado and find ways to use it throughout a few days once ripe. I add it to wraps, salads, or smash them on toast!

(Other ideas: Avocado mashed potatoes, avocado w/rice, guacamole, etc.) 

- Stay away from Easy Macs, Cup of Noodles, or any other quick meals like those without reading the labels first. 

Cup of Noodles contains 810mg Sodium for HALF the cup. That means if you eat the whole cup in one sitting that has 1,620mg of Sodium!

Notice how 1 Serving Size is only half the cup.
This makes the numbers seem smaller, but double them
and that will equal the whole cup!

Well that is everything for this week!

What snacks or easy meals do you enjoy eating? Leave a comment or suggestion!

Good luck to anyone starting school, enjoy your weekend, and thank you for stopping by! xo :)

But First...Coffee

Good Morning/Early Afternoon food lovers! Are you awake yet?

If you're like me who needs coffee to become a fully functional person, you'll understand the struggle and constant dedication to the ever-so powerful: Caffeine. 

Today I want to talk about Breakfast! The most important meal of the day!

Now now, I know what you're thinking. But before you decide to hit the close button on me for assuming this will be another one of those, "Eat oatmeal! Make breakfast! Whole grains! Protein! Energy!" Fear not, for I am not here to give that lecture emphasizing the importance of making a full meal, at least not today. (Because personally I barely have enough time to feed my dogs kibble for breakfast, let alone cook for myself). 

Which leads us to this week's blog post:

Breakfast On The Go! 

Ah, yes. Pop in the drive through, take that first sip of coffee, and you're off to your morning routine!

This is something that a lot of us do, however there are ways to make this quick fix perfect for health benefits and starting off our day...but there are also ways to make it a total nightmare. 

So here we go. 

Dunkin' Donuts vs. Starbucks

Olivia personally runs on Dunkins, so let's take a look there first.

Sugar is the main culprit when I think about coffee.

Short lesson of the day~ 

1 normal teaspoon of sugar is 4 grams. This is the same as 1 packet of sugar.

16 oz. bottle of coke contains 44 grams of sugar, about 11 teaspoons/packets of sugar.

DUNKIN DONUTS:

Medium French Vanilla swirl iced coffee with only cream:

- 260 calories

- 36 grams of sugar

This coffee currently contains 9 teaspoons worth of sugar.

9 teaspoons = 9 sugar packets, since each packet contains about 4 grams.

The sugar in this coffee alone is 139 calories.

AND This is without any sweeteners added! So this coffee doesn't even contain "cream and sugar," or equal, splenda, etc. 

If this coffee were to contain cream and sugar, this would exceed more sugar than a bottle of coke. 

STARBUCKS:

Grande Caramel Frappuccino with only whole milk, no whipped cream:

- 280 calories

- 59 grams of sugar

59 grams of sugar = About 15 teaspoons/packets worth of sugar.

Sources: Dunkin Donuts Nutrition and Starbucks Nutrition

Looking at Alternatives

Dairy~

The bold choices offered are dairy free and are healthier alternatives to cream or milk in coffee! 

This will limit calories and sugar!

Dunkin Donuts:

- Almond Milk

- Skim Milk

- Whole Milk

- Cream

Starbucks:

- Coconut Milk

- Soy Milk

- Non-fat Milk

- 2% Milk

- Whole Milk

Almond Milk: Good for your heart, blood pressure, skin, immunity system, and contains anti-cancer properties when compared to cow's milk!

Coconut Milk: Good for your heart, immunity, weight loss, rich in antioxidants which help reverse and prevent the cause of diseases and cancers, and contains a lot of vitamins and minerals!

Soy Milk: Contains equal or more protein than regular milk without the cholesterol and saturated fat! Vitamins, minerals, and fiber! 

Drink Tips

- Try asking for your coffee without additional sugar and add it in yourself! This allows you to control additional sugar.

- Stay away from artificial sweeteners (splenda, equal, sweet n' low, etc.)

- "Swirl" coffee contains a syrup with sugar. Sometimes this is sweet enough along w/your dairy choice and additional sugar isn't necessary!

- Say no to whipped cream if possible!

- Coffee dehydrates us, so drink water after your coffee :)

Strawberry Lite Coolatta (mine is kiddie size)
A small size would contain:
100 Calories
20 grams of sugar in lite
vs.
57 grams found in the regular small

- Most Dunkin Donut Coolattas come in "lite" versions as shown above. 

These contain no dairy and are low calorie alternatives!

Food Tips

- Multigrain and Whole Wheat bagels are great bagel options! 

- Dunkin Donuts offers a peanut butter spread which is healthier than cream cheese!

Also: Reduced fat plain and veggie cream cheeses are available.

I am not sure if this is something Starbucks offers also :)

- The nutrition catalog links are here and here!

Transformation to happiness

Well that's all folks! I think I've rambled enough for one post!

I advise all of you to give the catalogs a look and make better choices if possible. 

Start off your day with food but keep in mind what you put in your body!

My challenge is for all of you to try something new! Choose a different dairy choice, use less sugar in your coffee, any little change could make a difference and who knows - I might even be the cause of your new love for almond milk  ;) 

Thank you for stopping by! xo

New Beginnings

"You're off to great places, today is your day. Your mountain is waiting, get on your way!" 

Welcome food lovers! Today is the day! 

My very first post and premiere of my blog, Fabulous Foodie :)

That quote above is Dr. Seuss for all of you that grew up reading his books. I decided for my first post I wanted to connect this to new beginnings, a new start, a blank page that will soon be filled. I thought it would not only be appropriate but pretty relatable to bring the doctor of rhyme himself into my first post, and here's why:

Think of everyday as a new beginning! When you wake up there is always a blank page to be filled, and you have 24 hours to do so. I am going to give you all the best advice I have for starting your new beginning off right, giving you full energy and lots of health benefits!

Start your day off with water

Hmmm....that sounds nice and all, but coffee is how I become alive. It's actually how I function as a human being so why do I need plain flavorless water?

Don't worry, I'm not depriving you of the holy caffeine (because I need that too, honestly).

Short lesson of the day ~

Think of it like this. Your body loses water during the sleeping process. When you wake up you may not feel thirsty but a lot of grogginess and fatigue can be a result of starting off your day dehydrated. Drinking coffee immediately in the morning dehydrates us even more. From there, if you're not consistently drinking water throughout the day this can be why some of us feel tired after the caffeine does it's job and leaves our system. Our body can be dehydrated without us even realizing we are. 

Why hydrate? (Benefits of water)

- Energy boosts!!! Relieves fatigue

- Clear skin

- Staying alert, focused, and refreshed

- Keeps our digestive system and organs running smoothly

- Speeds up metabolism, promotes weight loss

- Flushes out toxins

- Boosts immune system

So here's my challenge to all of you!

Wake up and drink 1 or 2 cups of water in the morning BEFORE your coffee.

After your coffee, continue to drink water throughout the day! There is a reason why science recommends we drink about 8 cups a day. 

And see how you feel! Pay attention to energy and how you function for about a week or so. We are all human and need water in our systems, there are no negative side effects for giving our body more of what it needs :)  

Ways to make it...well, not boring

Lemon is always great to add to your water! Sometimes I'll add fruit and infuse my water for natural flavors. Summer is a great way to add all different types of fruit and combinations for flavor and hydrating with color. 

Water infused w/ strawberries, black, blue, and red berries
Use frozen fruit when infusing water! These will act like ice cubes.
Also, a bag of frozen fruit can be used for smoothies and many other things!
1 bag of frozen berries is less money than buying containers of fruit produce, & the frozen fruit will last longer.
Drop some lemon juice or add lemon slices for more flavor.
Get creative!

This is $.99 at Market Basket!
I love the flavor and freshness of this brand.
A few drops of lemon in your water, plus this is great for any cooking needs.
Convenient for many things & this will save you from buying and cutting your own lemons!

Have you tried infused water before? Leave a comment or suggestion of what others should try. I am curious to try new flavors as well! 

If you accept my water challenge, let me know how it goes! Remember, 8 cups a day :)

Thanks for stopping by! xo

"Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top the rest!"