Category Archives: Food and Drinks

Navigating the Un-Healthy

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Every now and again we find ourselves in situations where eating healthy is not easy and sometimes just plain difficult!  Thinking back to before my weight loss there was never a moment where I thought about what I was eating. I would eat any and everything I wanted to without a moment of pause for what I was actually putting into my body. If it tasted good and I wanted it I would just eat it.

When I went into weight loss mode and in my early days of maintenance I would obsess about food. My biggest concerns always came down to calories and making sure I was within my set range.  I did eat healthy with a main focus on fruits, veggies, and various proteins. However I would also eat a lot more processed foods because it was easy for me to identity their calories and that way I was making sure everything I was eating was fitting into my calorie budget for the day.  If I found myself in a situation where there was not a healthy food option or I was not able to see the calories on something I would panic. How was I going to be able to eat if I did not know how many calories something had?!?!

This may sound silly to some, but when food and how you are nourishing your body is all you think about for a while it is hard to not be able to control the situation. Well at least for me. After being in weight maintenance for long enough now I have learned how to work through these situations and the things to look out for in order to make sure I am doing the best I can for my body.

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This past week I found myself in a few situations where eating healthy was not as easy as I would have wanted. I was in Arkansas for work and typically I never have a problem eating healthy here as I have a rental car and can go to my favorite Arkansas spots like Panera or grab some things at the grocery store. This week however I was out for our big shareholders meeting and therefore most of the meals there were provided for us.

I am not going to lie and say I have come so far that being in a room with a bunch of un-healthy food does not still make me panic because it totally still does!  However now I take a step back, breathe, and have learned to just do the best I can and know I will be back to my normal routine in a couple of days.  I thought it might be good to share a couple of my tips for navigating through these type of food situations and what works for me.

Breakfast is by far the easiest one to normally figure out. Most hotels offer oatmeal, fresh fruit, yogurt, or eggs as a healthy option. If you stick to eating these foods you will probably end up feeling full, satisfied, and will not have consumed too many calories. The high calorie foods are going to be the bagels, muffins, fruit juices, sausages, bacon, and waffles.  For myself I started each morning off with a big bowl of fruit and either yogurt or an egg white omelet with veggies to get some protein in.

It was lunch and dinner where healthier options were really more limited. Most of the events had a lot of processed or fried foods and main dishes based with bread or pasta. Now of course I did have to end up eating some of these things, but I tried to limit how much I consumed of them and tried to help off set calories where I could. My first go to is always to fill up as much as I can on veggies, lean protein, and fruit. This way you are getting fuller first on the healthier foods and will then hopefully eat less of the higher calories items later. Dairy and condiments can have a lot of hidden calories in them so if I could I choose to get my sandwich or burger without the cheese, avoided mayo and creamy salad dressings, and passed on anything fried.  In order to help me escape the dessert table I would just eat a mint or a piece of dark chocolate after dinner. That way I was ending my meal with a little something, but was not indulging every night. Of course I did end up having a cookie one night because sometimes you just need to have a cookie. I know some of these things seem minimal, but over time it is these little things that really do add up. Small changes will eventually lead to big changes if you keep at them for long enough.

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Food Is Bringing Sexy Back

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I love food. Everything about it. The experience of walking into a restaurant, breathing in the ambiance, sitting down to look over the menu, and imagining how each dish will taste.  I love the presentation of the food upon it’s arrival, the plate it is served on, and the utensil used to enjoy it. Then of course there is the obvious, how good the food tastes. Nothing beats the first bite of a dish. No matter how many bites come after, it will not taste the same. Therefore I try to savor that first bite every time and stay present in the moment. With that said I wanted to share some of the delicious meals I have had the pleasure of enjoying over the last couple of months. These meals span from Los Angeles up to the Bay area and instead of describing each meal in length, I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

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 One of my favorite neighborhood mexican restaurants. Everything is organic, local, and delightful.

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Homemade Moscow Mules from my best friend, served in authentic copper mugs

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Los Angeles knows how to serve a good chicken salad sandwich. Made with Truffle oil. Need I say more

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Grilled fish tacos, perfect paired with summer sun and a cold beer

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Quinoa, beets, and curry eggplant. Perfect combination

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Brunch with avocado toast and a poached egg

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A light and refreshing simple salad

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Strawberry Rhubarb scones. A treat upon arriving and sitting down at what will now be my new favorite brunch spot in the city

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Arepas, probably my favorite food on the planet. One filled with eggs, one with potatoes, and one with pork, black beans, and plantains. Perfectly split with a friend

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Two words, Shishito Peppers

Quick and Easy Pizza Recipe, Yes Please!

Posted in Food and Drinks, Recipes by

The last thing anyone wants to do after a long day of working is to run to the grocery store, pick up ingredients, and come home to make dinner. This is where I have become the Queen of making something out of what you have already at home. One of my go to easy meals is homemade pizza. I would love to say I am ambitious enough after work to make my own pizza crust, but let’s be real. I use the pre-made crusts you can find at pretty much any grocery store. My favorite kind is from Whole Foods in their 365 Everyday Value Brand. It is easy to keep the crust in the freezer and just grab out one morning when you know you are going to want to have a quick and easy dinner.

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Now what goes on the pizza is where my creativity gets to come out. Instead of buying specific pizza toppings I like to use what I can find around the house. I have tried almost every type of vegetable, meat, and even various fruits, potatoes, and eggs. I have to say I have made some delicious concoctions. This last week I made two pizza’s, one savory and one sweet.

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For the savory pizza I used marina sauce, 1 red bell pepper, mushrooms, and beyond meatless chicken which is just a soy protein meat alternative. In order to make this pizza pop I added some garlic salt, a little cumin, a pinch of sea salt, and basil. Now you might notice there is one key ingredient missing from my pizza that most people find is a pretty integral part, cheese. I typically tend to pass on adding cheese to homemade pizza. Although I love cheese and I eat it quite often, I find pizza tastes just as good without it and saves a ton of calories. In order to save time I buy a lot of my vegetables pre-cut from trader joes, this makes throwing something together even faster and easier.

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For the sweet pizza I skipped the sauce and sprayed the pizza with some olive oil to start. Next I sliced up a red pear, added sliced mushrooms, beyond meatless chicken, and arugula. I drizzled some balsalmic vinegar over the top, added a splash of salt, and some rosemary.  For both Pizza’s I put in the oven for about 10 minutes and everything was cooked perfectly. If you are cooking thicker vegetables like squash, cauliflower, or broccoli I recommend cooking them a little first before adding them on the pizza. I will roast those types of veggies for about 10 minutes before putting onto the pizza and then cooking for an additional 10 minutes. Of the two pizza’s this sweeter one ended up being my favorite!

The Whole Foods pizza crust clocks in at 160 calories a serving with 8 servings in a total pizza. I typically will cut my slices into smaller slices so it feels like I am eating more. I find I am typically satisfied with about 3 small slices (about 2 actual servings according to the food label) as long as I am eating it with a giant salad. Partnering pizza with a bunch of veggies is a great way to balance the indulgence with something nutritious.  Also by getting full on greens first you end up eating less pizza, but you still feel like you have not had to deprive yourself. If you mainly use vegetables and fruit for your pizza and avoid cheese you are looking at around 200 calories a slice, not too shabby!

 

A Sonoma Morning with Dogs, Hiking, and Wine

Posted in Food and Drinks, San Francisco by

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Saturday Dustin, Cooper, and myself got ourselves up bright and early, packed the car, and headed out for an adventure in Sonoma County. The plan which, was a surprise to all in the car but me, was to go up to the beautiful Kunde Family Estate Winery and join in a dog hike through the vineyards. The hike started at 9:00 am at which meant we had to leave the city by 7:30 am in order to get there on time.  I  have to say getting up when it is still slightly dark out on a Saturday morning is not my usual cup of tea, but once we made it to the Estate I was glad we had made the trek.

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 Once we parked our car and walked up to the meeting point it was fun to see how many people would be joining in on the morning festivities. There were about 50 people in total along with all various types of dog breeds.  As Dustin and I scoped out the group it was interesting to see how many of our fellow hikers dogs resembled them. This of course made me wonder if Cooper looks like myself or Dustin? There were labs, golden retrievers, a very macho french bulldog, a wise looking bloodhound, and my favorite an adventurous bichon frise named Biscuit  just to name a few.

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 The hike was conducted by Jeff Kunde himself a 4th generation owner of the vineyard and his two yellow labs.   The slightly strenuous hike covered 1,850 acres across the breathtaking and may I even say magical estate. As we started the hike I was overwhelmed by the beauty all around. The morning air was cold and brisk, however this did not stop the dogs from flying, jumping, and running all around us.

 

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 We made our first pit stop alongside a large lake where the dogs jumped into immediately. I have never seen so many grinning labs paddling as fast as they could. At this point in the walk we were in the valley where the white grapes are grown and harvested. Glasses were handed out and at 10:00 am I was able to start my day with a tasting of their Sauvignon Blanc. Thank goodness I had eaten a banana before we started, I was not anticipating drinking while on the hike. However those are what I consider the good kind of surprises. The Sauvignon Blanc was light, crisp, and refreshing and I might even say a great spring morning wine.

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 As we continued to the next valley the sun started to peak out and the cool morning air was quickly rushed away. We had made it into the red grape valley and there we were able to taste the Reserve Zinfandel. Zinfandel’s are my absolute favorite wine varietal in red’s. They are typically robust and full bodied. This Zinfandel was delicious, although not as rich as I would prefer. However at 11:00am I was still very happy.

 

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The last stop in the Valley was in a beautiful little area nestled in between a meadow of trees. It also happened to be at the part of the property where Jeff Kunde himself grew up. His family home was standing 500 feet away from where we were all stood and enjoyed the last wine tasting of the morning. Here we indulged in the Dunfillan Cuvee which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. This wine was a little dry for my liking, but was Dustin’s favorite of the morning.

 

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We made our way back to the tasting room where we were served with a delicious picnic style lunch. There were salad greens with ranch dressing on the side, potato salad, various wraps, and of course cookies. In my typical fashion I loaded my plate with a ton of the green salad and skipped the dressing since 1 tablespoon of ranch can sometimes be upwards of 75 calories! This means 2 tablespoons of dressing would be the equivalent of 1 glass of wine.  I don’t know about you, but I would rather have a glass of wine. I then grabbed a smaller portion of the potato salad and one half of the veggie wrap as it seemed to be filled with the most delicious stuff. I skipped the cookies, but did manage to steal a small bite of Dustin’s.

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As for the puppies they also had a nice lunch treat waiting for them. Along with the Paw Bar filled with various kinds of dog treats they also had a water tasting for the dogs. Chicken Water, Bacon Water, Mojito Water, and Beef Water. Cooper tried all 4, but ended up just going for the plain water. Boring choice, but I guess the dog knows what he likes.  Overall the hike was fantastic and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to take a day trip out of the city and enjoy time drinking with their pooch. Their next eco-dog hike will be June 7th, so if you want to go I say make a reservation soon as they book up fast!

 

To Eat or Not to Eat, That is the Question

Posted in Food and Drinks, San Francisco by

To eat or not to eat, that is the question. I have stated before one of the challenges faced with getting your morning coffee at a donut shop is temptation is always looking you right in the eye. I am always good at avoiding the sugary delights on my own, but sometimes it will happen.  One of my fellow patrons bestows me with a gift. Now what can one say to a free treat. It has to be one of the best ways to start your day. Someone gives you a gift for no reason except to put a smile on your face and to just give you something truly enjoyable. I am all of a sudden filled with pure gratitude at how thoughtful people can be, but I am now I am faced with a morning struggle I was not anticipating.

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This morning the Sticky Bun was the gift given to me. Now I have never really been a sticky bun fan, however dynamo donuts version looks to be a in a whole different ball park.  Dynamo makes their sticky bun from leftover donut dough and then it is baked in a sticky sauce. My eyes start to tell me I want it, however my mind knows eating it would completely derail the hour long spin class I just did. After how torturous getting through spin was this morning there is no way I can negate all of those calories I just burned for one pleasurable moment. Yes it will taste delicious for a minute, but then after the sugar spike wears off the sick feeling and tiredness will start to creep in.  However to pass up something so good would also be a sin.

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Here is the compromise I made with myself. I cut off a small sliver of the bun so I can try the sweet, sticky, doughy, goodness. I then decided to surprise a close friend at work with the rest of the sticky bun. Now I am careful as I would not want to put someone else in this same morning dilemma. Therefore I had to pick a friend who loves sweets and would feel truly excited about the early morning indulgence.  Now I have been able to pass on the feeling I just received of enjoyment from being surprised with an early morning gift to kick off  their day.  Hope everyone can pass on a surprise to someone else this Wednesday morning!

Cheers to National Beer Day- In Pursuit of a Yeti

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When writing I usually try to diversify the topic or theme I am blogging about in order to keep interest and variety in my posts. However knowing today is National Beer Day I felt compelled to write another post related to and in celebration of beer. First you might be asking yourself why April 7th for National Beer Day? Well it all stems from a little over 80 years ago when in 1933 the  Cullen-Harrison Act went into effect, thus making alcohol legal to drink again after 13 long and dry years. Aka as we know it the end of prohibition.

The second question you might be thinking is how did National Beer Day come about? From what I found in my research 2 friends Justin Smith and Mike Connolly in 2009 started a National Beer Day Facebook page campaign to make April 7th the “un-official National Beer Day. Through their own grass roots marketing it did not take long for the idea to resonate with beer lovers across the United States and hence a holiday was born.

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In celebration of today I wanted to highlight my all time favorite brewery The Great Divide.  Great Divide is a micro-brewery located  in Denver Colorado not too far from Denver’s ballpark area. Walking into the tap room  there is always a bustle of beer enthusiasts sipping on various hand crafted selections sharing in stories and laughter.  The tap Room features 16 taps of seasonal and year-round beers which cover everything from IPA’s, Imperial Stouts, Barley Wine’s, Rye’s, Red’s, Saison’s, you name it. I have tried almost every beer on tap and I have to say hands down all of the beer is some of the best of the best. This is also very evident if you go to their website and look at the many awards their beers have earned. Great Divide is able to craft beers rich in flavor and truly unique in taste. My favorite out of all of the beers though is the Yeti Imperial Stout, shocking I know.

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Now when I say this beer is good, this is how good it is.  When going home for the holidays  I spent hours driving from one local liquor store to the next on a man hunt to find this beer. With no luck there I combed through bars and restaurants until I found it on tap. Luckily this operation ended successfully at my neighborhood Old Chicago Restaurant. Upon coming home  to the bay area I set up alerts with local beer stores in hopes of getting notified of yeti finally making it’s way to  Northern California.  After almost a year it happened, my alert went off and I learned yeti was finally being distributed in a local beer shop.   I proceeded immediately over  to Ales Unlimited and bought out almost their full shipment. I had also seen in my alert they had one of my other favorite beers from Great Divide the Collete, which is a farmhouse Saison. Of course Ales Unlimited informed me  upon arrival some other beer enthusiast had been there earlier in the week and bought their entire Collete shipment. So yes, their beer is that good.

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With that said I want to lift a pint and say cheers to all of my fellow beer enthusiasts out there! I hope everyone can find a beer that is so rewarding it will make you go to absurd measures in order to just get one taste of it. I myself had a small pint of Triple Voodoo Breweries Inception this evening. Nothing beats a cold beer on a Monday night.

A Weekend In Beer Around San Francisco

Posted in Food and Drinks, San Francisco by

One of the things I love about being from Colorado is how I have developed a deep appreciation for good beer. Colorado is a mecca for smaller artisan micro breweries and no matter what brewery you walk into it is almost always guaranteed you are going to get poured something cold, refreshing, and delicious. I equate the brew culture in Colorado to that of the wine country in Northern California. Obviously outstanding wine is not hard to come by in the city, but when it comes to really good beer it has been more of a struggle. Then a few years ago it happened, the city started to have a beer movement. All of a sudden breweries, craft beer stores, and beer bars started popping up everywhere. You can only imagine my delight when I realized good beer could be found outside of the Rockies. Anytime a new place opens I make it a point to go and check it out. Last weekend I ended up doing what felt like my own brewery bar crawl and I thought I would re-cap for everyone some of the key players that I went to and what I liked about each place I had a pour in.

Triple Voodoo Brewery and Tap Room

Triple Voodoo Brewery and Tap Room just opened in the Dog Patch district during San Francisco Beer Week in late February. Of course with my love of beer and with the brewery being only a hop, skip, and jump away from my apartment it obviously took less then a week from opening before I  went to check it out.  Walking into the brewery the first thing you notice is the space is large and industrial, but is also able to create an inviting atmosphere.

 

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They offer about 7 different beers on tap and have a good range of lighter Belgian beers, IPA’s, a Red Ale, and even a darker stout.  I can never make up my mind on what I want to try when I go to a brewery so I decided to go with the taster of four 4 oz beers, which I highly recommend for your first time here. Across the board all of their beers were truly fantastic! I tend to like lighter wheat style beers or heavy stout’s. My two favorites here were the Inception which is a Belgian style ale and the King’s Leopold which is a dark Belgian stout. When I was there last Friday I was lucky enough to taste part of a special batch of the King Leopold Stout infused with coffee. I can’t even describe how smooth, rich, and delicious this beer was! I am not an IPA fan, but the 8 Tentacles IPA should be on your list if IPA’s are what strike your fancy.

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The staff is friendly here and really accommodating, which has been consist with all 3 of the time’s I have been to the brewery. Overall this place is just plain awesome. I would say the only downside to Triple Voodoo is they do not offer food and there is no outdoor space to enjoy a beer in the sun. So if you are looking for more then just a drink you won’t be in luck at this place, however they are fine with you bringing in your own meals and snacks.

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Lagunitas Brewing Company

Lagunitas Brewery is located just north of San Francisco in the city of Petaluma. I ventured up there last Saturday for the first time to celebrate a friend’s birthday. I had always wanted to check out the brewery and although 45 minutes is not that far, sometimes it takes an event to finally make it happen.  We happened to go on one of those rare bay area sunny days which I think helped in making this brewery experience even better.

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We sat outside in the crowded atrium at one of the communal picnic table’s and from the moment we took a seat you could feel the relaxed and inviting vibe of the crowd. Lagunitas had a huge menu of beers. Some I have tried many times over at local bars, however they also had a great selection of beers you could only get at the brewery or seasonal brews. In my typical fashion I ordered the taster of four 4 oz beers so I could get a range of all of the different selections they had to offer. My absolute favorite beer of the day was the Hairy Eyeball. Lagunitas describes this beer as rich, thick, dangerous, and chocolaty. If those adjectives along with the name don’t sell you on the beer I don’t know what will.

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After my taster flight we went on to take the brewery tour. As for brewery tours I would say there was nothing special about this tour. If you have never gone on a brewery tour and actually walked through how beer is made then I would say it is worth your while. If brewery tours is something you have done at multiple breweries before then I would say skip it and just enjoy the music, beer, and food instead. Speaking of food I ended up ordering the special of the day which was a hummus and veggie wrap with a side salad. Surprisingly this meal was really healthy and tasted terrific. Finding a healthy food option at a brewery is not usually a simple feat, so this made me very excited.

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The trip culminated with a stroll into the gift shop where I purchased another beer t-shirt to add to my collection. I figure a girl can never have too many beer t-shirts right? I would definitely recommend taking the drive up north and checking this place out, however make sure you go on a sunny day so you can really utilize the outside area.

 

Southern Pacific Brewery

The last stop on my brewery bar crawl last weekend was the Southern Pacific Brewery which opened about 2 years ago in the mission district. I have been to this brewery on multiple occasions over the last couple of years, usually with a very large group of people for an after work happy hour or on a weekend day for some beer in the sun. Last weekend was the first time I ventured into this bar for a late night drink.  The place was absolutely packed with groups of people all jammed into the shared tables, something I had not experienced in the off hours I typically have been here at. We proceeded to the top bar area and were able to find a table to all sit at.

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Photo taken from pintrest

Southern Pacific like Triple Voodoo has an open, modern, and industrial aesthetic. They have a large outdoor seating area, which in the city is hard to find. Along with providing their own in house beers they carry a wide range of guest beers on tap and wine for those of you who are not into beer and wan’t another option. They have a full food menu, which is nice if you are looking for a meal or snacks. In general I have not been super impressed with either their beer or food here. The beer is not awful, however it is nothing special either. As for the food it is your typical unhealthy bar grub. Although they do offer salads and have flat bread pizza’s which do come with a lot of vegetables on top. I would say this place is good for off peak hour group get together’s, but I would avoid on a Friday or Saturday night unless you want to be in a loud crowded warehouse.

Favorite Low Calorie Breakfast Cereals

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I decided in light of my last post it might be nice to share with you guys some of my favorite low calorie cereal’s. I do want to note that during my cereal exploration I did spend more time investigating calories and not as much time focusing on the cereal’s in terms of nutrition. For that reason I decided to include a link to all items in Foodeducate to help you understand nutrition on each cereal as well. For those of you not familiar with Foodeducate it is a website that looks at manufacturer’s nutrition labels and ingredient lists and will assign a grade of A through D to various foods. Foods which are minimally processed and nutrient dense will receive higher grades. This means “real” foods are going to receive higher scores over processed foods. So an apple will get an A where Club Crackers will receive a D+. I highly recommend playing around on the website and checking it out for yourself!

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My favorite guilty pleasure cereal is Whole Foods 365 Every Day Value Peanut Butter Balls. Let me warn you this cereal is sweet, peanut butter goodness. I treated this cereal more as a dessert then a way to kick start my morning. It tastes delicious with just almond milk or I have even mixed it in with cottage cheese, fruit, or even grabbed it by the handful and mixed with some nuts and dark chocolate chips to make a trail mix. Whole Foods also recently launched this cereal in a version with Coco balls. I still like the original better, but the coco one is great for mixing it up.

 

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Both cereal’s come in at 1 cup for 110 calories. Foodeducate gives the Peanut Butter Balls a C+, but interestingly enough the new Peanut Butter and Coco Balls a B- even though they are pretty much the same. Both cereals are part of Whole Foods Private Label Brand 365 Everyday Value and can only be purchased there.

 

 

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Another recent addition at Whole Foods is the 365 Every Day Value Crunchy Cinnamon Squares cereal. If you grew up being a fan of Cinnamon Toast Crunch then this is the cereal for you. Again this for me is great for an after dinner treat or nice when I need a handful of something to indulge my sweet tooth.  1 cup comes in at just 90 calories and Foodeducate gives the Crunchy Cinnamon Squares a B+ rating which is not too shabby. Crunchy Cinnamon Squares again is part of Whole Foods Private Label Brand 365 Everyday Value and can only be purchased there.

 

 Kashi

I found the Kashi Indigo Morning Cereal on my last business trip to Arkansas at one of their local grocery stores. After a long day of flying all I wanted was to go to my hotel room and have a big bowl of cereal before bed. I really like this cereal better dry then with milk. Once the cereal is in milk it loses a little bit of the sweetness it has, which for me makes it a little less delicious. However if you do not have a sweet tooth like me and want this for breakfast then with milk is the way to go. I also am not a fan of the dried fruit in it, so I will usually pick that out and add in my own blueberries. One serving of this is 3/4 cup at 100 calories and Foodeducate gives Indigo Morning Blueberry a B-. This cereal is a little harder to find, but I have found it in Molly Stones Grocery store and some other random smaller grocery stores.

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Arrowhead Mills has two of my favorite cereals that are not on the sweet/sugary side. The first is Arrowhead Mills Gluten Free Sprouted Corn Flakes and the second is Arrowhead Mills Sprouted Wheat Berry and Quinoa Flakes. Both of these would be the cereals I would go to in the morning if I needed a quick breakfast. I also like to mix both kinds in with some of the other sweeter cereals in order to make the bowl a little less sweet and more hearty.

The Wheat Berry and Quinoa cereal has a slightly lower calorie count coming in at  1 cup at 100 calories, while the Sprouted Corn Flakes is 110 calories for 1 cup. Foodeductae gives both the Sprouted Wheat Berry and Quiona Flakes and the Sprouted Corn Flakes a B for nutrition. I mainly buy these at Whole Foods, but have also found them in Safeway and other mass grocery stores.