Cococrazy (New cookie find)

Another new product from our friends at ThinSlim. I live on their muffins, brownies and bagels, so why not try their cookies, right? I had previously tried the vanilla and chocolate glazed cookies which were only ok, but Tiny Tummy LOVES coconut, so when I heard they were coming out with a coconut cookie, I had to at least try it, and actually it's not half bad!

Are these cookies as good as traditional cookies? No, BUT Tiny Tummy is generally partial to chocolate chip cookies, so I might be a little biased here. For a coconut cookie, it's good, don't get me wrong. And at 40 calories a piece, you really can't beat it. The fact that they use that crazy amount of packaging for a tiny cookie seems silly, but hey, who am I to judge? If it's a cookie you crave, these are a great option. And, if you're a choco-chip lover like me, add some dark chocolate chips. I won't tell ;) Pin It

Get Ready to Salsa

In response to last week's condiment post, in anticipation of the upcoming holiday of Cinco De Mayo, and because I ran out of my usual salsa and had to buy salsa in a pinch, I thought it was only fitting that I share a new salsa-find with you. Granted, it's not new to the market, just new to me-- no added sugar, no questionable ingredients, just plain, clean, (spicy!), salsa.

Desert Pepper's Salsa Diablo is Spicy with a capital S-- perfect for Tiny Tummy! And with such a clean ingredient list, it made a perfect salad dressing in my taco salad and a delicious guac mixed with some avocado. It's also pretty hard to overdo it with this guy because it's spicy! All around, a definite winner in my book. Pin It

Quin-what-do-I-do-with-this Salad

I've been diligently trying to prepare for the final exam in my cooking class, but the truth is, the only real way to prepare is to cook, and since I really don't eat a lot of the food we prepare on a regular basis (I'd be 5000 pounds), "studying" is not so easy! For the final, we'll be given 3 mystery ingredients and asked to prepare a cohesive dish using all of them. We know we'll get a grain, a protein, and a vegetable, but we don't know much more than that. I know one of the options for a grain is quinoa, and to be perfectly honest, I'm not all that familiar with it since I don't particularly like it. Unlike brown rice and spelt which have a nutty, grainy flavor, quinoa, on its own, is fairly tasteless, which means it needs all the help in the world to brighten it up. My luck, I'll receive quinoa on the final, so just in case, I bought some quinoa and decided to take a stab at making it a little more interesting, hence, this quinoa salad. I started simple, so if you're a quinoa newbie like myself, this should be right up your alley.

To make this simple quinoa salad, you will need:
1 cup quinoa, cooked according to package directions
1 small onion, chopped
4 mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup corn (shoot for the cans with no added salt or sugar if you're buying canned corn!)

To prepare, start by getting your quinoa cooking according to the directions on the package (mine was 1 part quinoa to 1.5 parts water). While that's simmering, sauté your onions, mushrooms, and garlic until the onions are translucent and then mushrooms are cooked. Set them aside until the quinoa is cooked, and once it is ready, add the quinoa, corn, and onion/mushroom/garlic mixture together and mix until everything is combined. This dish gives a little brightness to the generally bland quinoa and the corn is a nice touch of sweetness. It was good warm, but I could see it served cold as well. It would definitely make a healthy alternative to traditional cole slaw or potato salad at those upcoming summer BBQ's! Pin It

How Organic is This Whole Organic Thing?

I can't tell you how frequently I am asked what the word 'organic' means, and 'should I go organic?' Simple fact, straight out the bat, I don't go out of my way to eat organic, but I'm certainly not against it-- it just tends to be more expensive.

The basic gist is this:

Products labeled 100% certified organic means that the product was raised in a way that is believed to be good for the earth-- no pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics, hormones, etc. But hold on a second... not all products are labeled 100% organic. Some are just labeled 'organic' which actually means they only have to contain about 95% organic ingredients... so you could be paying extra money just to get a smaller dose of the pesticides you are trying to avoid... not exactly ideal.

If you are set on going organic, there are definitely some foods to choose over others. For example, buying an organic kiwi would probably be silly because you're not going to eat that outer skin anyway. Prevention magazine has a pretty excellent, comprehensive list of foods that you should and shouldn't bother buying organic. For the most part, if it has an inedible skin, don't bother with the organic version. Save your money to buy other types of produce! Pin It

Tiny Tummy takes on The Spoon

I always find it important to share when I take on a new project, and now that the website is officially up and underway, I thought it was time I shared the fact that I am now writing for a new student run online magazine, NYU Spoon. The website is geared toward college students, so while some of the content is health-centric, some of it is more of a dorm life survival strategy, but I have a few fun pieces published on there, so it's worth checking out.

A few of my pieces so far include:

Fast Food for the Fit Foodie
Sriracha: 1 Food, 4 ways
2 Ingredient Pancakes (look familiar?!)
DIY Microwave Popcorn 
Skinny Turnip Fries
Veg Out On Veggie Burgers

And there are more to come-- don't you worry! Pin It

Don't Condimention it

I recently received a question about how I decide which condiments to buy (in terms of the traditional fridge staples like mustard, ketchup, salsa, etc.) There are so many different salsas and mustards and sauces galore, it seems like going through every one to find the best one would be daunting. When it comes to the condiments I buy, I could go through each jar in my fridge, but instead I'll share my #1 rule of condiment buying: No Sugar Allowed.

The way it works is, if you flip the label around, and one of the INGREDIENTS is sugar, put it back on the shelf. Now, that's not to say that you can't buy salsa because most salsas have at least .5-1g of sugar per serving, but that sugar has to come from the tomatoes, not ADDED sugar, hence why you're reading the ingredients. Same goes for mustard, and same goes for a pretty guilty culprit: ketchup, and its spawn BBQ sauce. It makes it more difficult, I agree, but something without sugar is bound to be cleaner than something with added sugar. Disclaimer though, that's not the only thing you should be looking at, but it's a good place to start! Pin It

Tiny Tummy's Taco Chicken Salad (Try saying that 5 times fast!)

I did a bag thing today, folks. I went to Fairway hungry. I can't help but get lost in that store. The produce section is amazing and each aisle is always overflowing with unique products. And as a bigger danger, I had a coupon that only worked after I spent $50. Challenge accepted. I went to work grabbing corn, kale, beets, avocado, turnips, etc etc... I couldn't help myself. Everything just looked so fresh. Anyway, it ended up inspiring my dinner for tonight: A Taco Chicken Salad.

To make this Tantalizing Taco Salad, you will need:
1/4 onion, chopped
2 mushrooms, chopped
2T corn
2 T fresh salsa
1/4 fresh jalapeno, thinly sliced
a mix of greens (I used a mix of kale, romaine, and spinach)
optional: some black beans or sliced avocado (I had intended to throw some avo in there but it wasn't ripe enough :()

For the chicken:
3oz chicken breast, cut into small pieces
a pinch of each of the following: onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, cumin, chili powder, black pepper

To prepare, start by sauteeing your onions and mushrooms until they are cooked through. Then, add them along with the corn, salsa, and fresh jalapeno to a bowl with your greens and set aside. To prepare your chicken, combine the spices in a small bowl and add the chicken, tossing to coat. Cook either in a pan on the stove top or bake them (however you normally cook chicken breast-- I cooked mine in a pan which only took about 5 minutes). Finally, add your chicken to the salad and give everything a good mix. Pin It

A Passionate Tango with Mango and Passionfruit

I can sense your excitement already... another tea post! I really hope you all are as tea-crazy as I am. I thought I would share this one, in particular, because as the weather is warming up, it is time to start thinking about what teas I will be preparing iced for the summer. Just so we're on the same page here, this is one of those teas.

For my birthday that just passed, Mommy Tiny Tummy brought me a plethora of different teas, and this was one of them. It was perfectly fruity, and the individual bags make if perfect to toss in your purse and bring along to restaurants that most likely won't have caffeine free tea (or won't have many exciting ones!) I'm still loving my London teas, but for the days I'm lazy with the tea ball, this is bliss in a bag! Pin It

New Finds, Find Me!

First and foremost, my sincerest of apologies for missing yesterday's post. I came home from a long day to no phone, internet, or tv services thanks to Time Warner's impecable service... such sarcasm there. Anyway, today's post is dedicated to two new Flab Free Food Finds that I can't wait to try... if I could only find them.

The two products shown above are on my radar. I am so beyond excited to try them, but I can't find them anywhere. The Chickpea Burgers from Morningstar Farms sound super delicious and at only 110 calories and a whopping 7 grams of fiber, I can't see how they could be bad. And I love pretty much every flavor from Laughing Cow, so naturally the new wedge sounds exciting. I will keep you posted if I find/try either of them, but if anyone out there already has, let me know what you think! Pin It

Beat the Brunch Bonanza

Brunch in NYC is a big deal, especially now that the weather is getting warmer. Brunch is all about the eggs benedict, pancakes, waffles, and lots of other not so waist-friendly options... and that's before we approach the booze. While it's easiest to say ditch brunch altogether, I know that it's a social event for some, so here are my top three tips to beat the brunch-belly.

1. Skip the booze: Sorry, day-drinking is a big zero when it comes to your health and is bound to leave you sluggish for the rest of the day-- even if the food coma doesn't. Besides, sipping a cold glass of water or unsweetened iced tea is a much better way to wake up and smell the Spring air.

2. For brunch, opt for lunch: I understand that the idea of brunch is breakfast all day, but the breakfast options are often not the healthiest. Chances are, you can find a salad that is not terrible in the calorie/fat department-- just get your dressing on the side, as usual.

3. Walk it off after: If you're brunching outdoors, why not suggest a walk afterwards? I always enjoy walking after a large meal-- it helps you digest and a little extra activity never hurt anyone, right? If you're going for an indulgent meal, there's no reason you can't add a little extra exercise in after that. Pin It

Sweet n Saucey

I'll be the first to admit that I get a craving for something sweet pretty often. Instead of immediately going for cookies or chocolate or any sort of baked good, I've been trying to go for something naturally sweet, such as fruit. Mommy Tiny Tummy has been an applesauce making machine lately (and sending it my way!), so I've be having apple sauce as my sweet fix. I thought I'd share our recipe, since homemade applesauce is far more delicious (and natural) than store bought- at least in my opinion. Anyway, there really isn't much of a recipe, as much as a method, so here goes!

To make this sweet and saucey applesauce, you will need:

1 large bag of apples (don't be afraid of the blemished ones- just cut the blemishes off!)
water as needed
optional: a few strawberries and a pinch of cinnamon

To prepare, start by peeling all of the apples and removing the cores. Then, add them to a pot on a medium heat on the stovetop, add water to prevent them from burning, and cook until the apples have softened. Then, if you are adding the strawberries (which I highly suggest), add them in (leaves removed), and allow those to soften as well. Finally, transfer to a food processor or your Vitamix, add the cinnamon if you want, and puree until desired consistency is achieved. As far as what kind of apples you should use, it completely depends on what kind of applesauce you're looking to achieve. Do you want something super sweet? A little tangy? Use this chart below to determine which apples will work best for what you want.

Pin It

Sorry Sunspire, you don't touch Reese's

A couple of weeks ago I was seriously craving a Reese's cup, but we all know Tiny Tummy tries to avoid these sorts of things. I came across these dark chocolate almond butter cups in Fairway, and decided to give them a try... at least it's dark chocolate, so slightly better. 

Unfortunately, these things tasted nothing like a Reese's cup. They were kind of gross, actually. The stats weren't all that impressive either, so a lose-lose in my book. AND they were pretty darn expensive. Bottom line: not a fan. Sorry, Sunspire. Pin It

Not Your Ho-Hum Hummus

Daddy Tiny Tummy has been telling me for ages that I should be making my own hummus, but it wasn't until cooking class tonight that I actually got around to trying it. I knew it was super easy, but I had no idea it was this easy... there's basically no reason anyone should ever waste the money on store-bought hummus when you can make it in about 3 minutes tops.

To make this Hip and Happenin' Hummus, you will need:
2 cups chickpeas
1/3 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 cloves of garlic
optional: some water to thin it if you prefer a less textured hummus

To prepare, simply toss everything in a food processor (or if you have a Vitamix, use that) and blend away until it's thick and creamy. Take that Sabra! Pin It

The Raw Truth

When it comes to ordering a healthy dish when eating out, it can be a bit of a tossup, and while you can ask for your food one way with the best of intentions, it can come totally wrong. So then how do you avoid an buttery mess when you ask for your fish prepared high and dry? Or how can you insure that the chef doesn't put oil on the grill before grilling your chicken? Simple answer: you can't. So how do you avoid something like this? Another simple answer: order raw.

I'm not talking about only dining at restaurants that adhere to the new raw-vegan diet trend... what I mean is, if the chef hasn't cooked your food, there's no guessing game as to what went into the cooking process. In other words, there is no mystery in the cooking process because there is none. This is one of the main reasons I love sashimi, but eating sashimi every night could get expensive, so if you're the type of person that eats out a lot, a salad is as safe as it gets. Go for a vinegar or some fresh-squeezed lemon juice for dressing, and you're good to go. With salads, there is no guessing game as to how it was cooked, because it isn't! You could also go for cheese plates (in moderation), fresh fruit for dessert, you get the idea. Pin It

Meatless Monday: A Light yet Spicy Night

Meatless Monday has gone from trending hashtag on Twitter to common diet trend in people's kitchens worldwide. While Tiny Tummy loves her some chicken and meat, a vegetarian dinner isn't a bad idea every now and then either. For a light dinner tonight, I made a giant bowl of veggies slathered in hot sauce and spices, so I thought I'd share.

To make this Lean and Spicy Veggie Bowl, you will need:
2 cups cauliflower, broken into florets
4 large brussels sprouts, quartered
1 small carrot, chopped
a pinch of cayenne pepper
Frank's hot sauce or Sriracha

To prepare, simply put all of your ingredients to a pot and cover them with water. Boil the vegetables by bringing the pot to a medium-high heat for about seven minutes, or until they've softened to your liking. Drain the veggies and add the cayenne and as much hot sauce as you can handle. Then, give it all a good mix and dig on in! Pin It