Our grocery shop this week was high in veggies and fruit! Meat was no where to be found much to Eric’s chagrin. The new rules are if he wants meat he has to cook it. And since he is lazy in the kitchen, he has simply stopped buying it. lol.
Another new fruit for my EFE:
The Prickly Pear (aka cactus fruit) on left.
I also picked up my first coconut. Any idea how to open these?
Not shown in these pictures are two bunches of organic kale and 1 large pkg of organic spinach. Eric picked them up for me on his way home last night when he found out my new machines arrrived. :)
I have two new food reviews today!
Up first: Salba Smart Organic Blue Corn Chips
This was my first time trying these out after I heard rave reviews about them from a couple readers.
The nutritional stats are excellent!
Some highlights, per serving: 4 grams protein, 7 grams fibre, low in sodium (135 mg), and 0.6 g of Omega 3 Fatty acids. Not too shabby for a ‘chip’.
My taste review:
- These were crunchy, crispy, and thick- loved the texture!
- A bit salty for my liking, however they paired nice with my low sodium homemade hummus
- Delicious blue corn taste
Overall, I LOVED these chips. Eric and I were so hungry after our grocery shop we ripped open the bag and ate a bunch on the drive home. We couldn’t stop eating these!
Up next: Dar-Vida Sesame Whole Wheat Crackers
Good nutritional profile: 3 grams protein, 2 grams fibre, 150 mg sodium per 4 large crackers.
The only thing I didn’t like about this product was that it was high on packaging. There are 6 packages of 8 crackers. Since I work from home, I don’t really need this kind of grab and go snack, but I could see how it would be really useful for those of you who are looking for a grab and go snack for school or work.
My taste review:
- Firm and crunchy
- Light and natural tasting
- Excellent paired with a dip like hummus, salsa, or bean dip (I tried all 3!)
I am officially addicted to these crackers!!! Mary’s step aside, there is a new cracker in town.
They made an excellent afternoon snack yesterday:
Well, I best get back to work.
On today’s agenda:
- Working on Shopping cart tool (starting FAQ’s, shipping info, etc)
- Testing new recipe (and blog it)
- Test new food processor (gulp!)
- Glo bar order
- Go see proof of Eric’s Anniversary gift
Sketchie’s to-dos:
- Sleep
- Eat
- Catch and eat bugs
- Sleep
- Frap
Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.
– Thich Nhat Hanh
Do you ever encounter a smiling stranger on the streets that just makes your day? Or do you ever smile at people and see them brighten up?
Yesterday, I was climbing Murder Hill and I was struggling. I felt like I was running but staying in the same spot because the incline is so steep. Anyways, I was probably grimacing to myself when this stranger passed on his bike (going downhill) and simply gave a sincere and sympathetic smile to me. It kind of made me laugh and totally brightened the rest of the climb. Sometimes a simple smile can change someone’s outlook.
I often see an older gentleman in the sky ways downtown where I work, and he smiles and says hello to me but… only on some days. My theory is that he says Hi on the days he likes what I am wearing ;) But every time he says hi, it makes me smile! So I have started saying Hi to him if I see him first (no matter what he is wearing)
hummus+salsa+crackers=GOODNESS
Oh how I will grocery shopping. Your purchases are just beautiful… and I love how they’re all meat-free :) As for the smiles, boy do I know what you mean. I wrote a post about it a few days back, the unexpected small acts of kindness by strangers are more than enough to brighten a day (and a tough run). And being happy optimistic in general just makes you healthier. Please check it out if you’d like — http://www.danielleabroad.com/2009/08/two-to-tango-uno-to-yoga.html
I saw this post and loved it!
Thanks for the review; Dar-Vida is a new one to me!
Everyone where I live waves and says hello no matter where you are…running, supermarket, a restaurant. It’s still weird to me, but I love it, and it always makes me smile!
Angela, I would love your opinion on my post from this morning. It’s me getting out some frustration, but I am curious to know what you or any of your readers think:
http://liveloveeatandplay.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/hypocrisy-in-the-health-and-fitness-industy/
By the way, if you can get your hands on Garden of Eatin’ Red Hot Blues, they are amazing! SPICY blue corn chips!
I am blown away at unfriendliness. i get so disappointed when i smile or say hi and am completely ignored. a smile and hello goes a long way. on both ends. and usually, people are so surprised and pleased when you say hello that you can tell they will smile at the next person they encounter. spread the smile!
Those crackers look great!
Forgot to add a smile story. A couple of years ago I was getting off the subway and this guy and his girlfriend were ahead of me. He was carrying a rose in his hand and I assumed it was either for/from her. All of a sudden they approached this elderly woman and he smiled and handed the rose to her and they both walked off. The smile/look on her face made me want to melt into a puddle on the platform – I mean, how nice is that??
I love this story!!!
i just found your blog and i really like it, i recently made my own and was would love it if you could check mine out and let me know what you thinkk! you are a really inspiring woman :)
jenna
Angela
As always you give me inspiration when I’m feeling crappy. I have had the worst last evening and this morning. Your little note about running up murder hill and having a stranger smile at you convinced me I better get out of the house and go for a run myself. Of course the run made me feel better, and I had some smiles from other runners on the path I was on too.
Thank you!
I see so many bloggers who cook completely separate meals for their meat eating husbands. I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who makes my hubby find his own!
Hey Angela, you should try durian as your exotic fruit! Once you get over the smell, it tastes amazing and tastes great in a GM!
I like it when people smile and say hello too, though I’m usually too shy to initiate hellos and smiles. It feels good when people acknowledge you!
I love random smiles. On Lopez Island in the San Juan Islands in the U.S. everyone waves to you. It doesn’t matter if you’re a tourist or local, they wave as they drive by in their cars or on bikes. It’s such a nice gesture and makes me feel so welcome.
Hi Angela! Check out this site: http://www.howtoopenacoconut.com/ Yes someone actually bought the domain name! Make sure you set aside 30 minutes to do it :)
Smiles are contagious – I very much believe in smiling at strangers and saying “hello” to passersby. Sometimes I am in such a good mood, it feels great to pass it on to others! I really like doing random acts of kindness as well, the story here from Lizzie is very heartwarming.
Ahh ha ha ha! I love that one of Sketchie’s to-dos is Frap! We are Corgi people and Corgis are the kings and queens of the frap! And Corgi people celebrate the frap, with t shirts, bumper stickers and many online videos! Long live the Frap!
LOL T SHIRTS??? No way. I’ve learned about the frap ever since my first puppy! It’s SO cute! Sketchie fraps all the time. His hair all stands on end too and histail poofs out.
Your smile story reminded me of one of my own: I was out doing a ten mile run (my first time running that far!) and I was almost done. I was trudging up this long hill and I was thinking about how hot is was getting and how much I wanted to stop. A woman passed me on a bike (she was going downhill) and she smiled at me and said “Good job!”. That small gesture made it so much easier to finish my run and conquer that hill!
I think it’s so funny you won’t make Eric meat anymore… haha go Angela!
I still occasionally cook meat for my husband although I prefer not to. It’s not so much that he would care if I didn’t, but that his Greek mom and grandma would think I’m a terrible, horrible wife if I stopped! Any advice??
Maybe don’t tell his mom/gandma?? hahaha
yes I think my in laws think the same thing – terrible GF. I’ll cook meat maybe 2x a week for him. If he really wants it, he’ll just bbq it himself. Do you have a bbq – just send him out himself, men love grilling, and it means less dishes.
hey Ange,
i find it really interesting that you don’t cook meat for eric anymore ( are u vegetarian? vegan? i wasn’t 100% sure). i’m really intrigued about his reaction!!! I personally am a health conscious eater and im the kinda gal who loves her fruits and vegies and sweets but is not really keen on meat. However, the people i live don’t really respect this and get annoyed if i don’t use meat, or if i don’t eat the meat dishes. It becomes really frustrating. And im just going to go on a bit of a tangent here too, i but it really gets me that women don’t support eachother in their bid to become healthy. I always buy healthy food when i eat out like sushi or wraps and my friends will react like ” why are you eating to healthy stuff? get some chips?”, as if its a bad thing. Same if i get froyo instead of ice cream of skinny instead of full cream milk in my coffee.
I feel as if just because im a naturally quite thin im not allowed to eat heathily.
Do you feel judged when you ask for dressing on the side or skinny milk or the low fat option?
Thanks :)
Hi Lucy,
I follow a 99% vegan diet. I say 99% because I can’t always be sure what is in my food (e.g., when eating out). I have found some people to be supportive with my healthy eating while others have not been, it just depends. I posted recently abotu a bad restaurant experience that I had where the SERVER was telling me I ate wrong. It is a pretty interesting read.
Eric has slowly adjusted to not having meat. I used to be a vegetarian way back in university and we have slowly been reducing our intake of meat over the years. I am showing him how many awesome things I can cook completely animal product free and he has been quite impressed so far. He still has mea when he goes out to eat or whatnot though. A special treat for him.
You can find the post here: http://ohsheglows.com/2009/08/12/birthday-flop/
Usually when I see somebody in the street walking alone and smiling, it makes me think “Why aren’t I smiling?” And then I do get a little smile on my face, but not too big because that might freak people out :-D.