love. without the handles.

 

 

I love chips. They're the perfect crunch to accompany a sandwich. Or just something to snack on. Well...yeah, they taste good and all that, but not so good for the bod. BUT, there is a solution my friends, PopChips! and I'm obsessed. I heard Kim Kardashian talking about them, and because of her, and her alone, I made up my mind that I HAD to try them. and I'm SO glad I did. They're fan-tas-tic!

 

They're healthier, delicious, and all-natural. They're not fried (unhealthy), not baked (undelicious), they're POPPED! (thus PopChips). AND not only is Kim K talking about them, but also Bob Harper, a trainer on The Biggest Loser!

 

I just bought the Original flavor to try them, and the perks? or nutritional facts? In 22 of them, only 120 Calories, and 4 grams of fat. Compared to Doritos? In 22 chips, 140 Calories and 7 grams of fat! SO you can eat twice as much..or not, and they're better for you! If you get bored with Original potata taste, they've also got Barbecue, Sour Cream & Onion, Cheddar, Sea Salt & Vinegar, Salt & Pepper, and Parmesan Garlic.

 

So the million dollar question..where to buy them? I found them in the Organic section at Jewel. But you can also get them at Whole Foods, Safeway (where those are, I have no clue), Jamba Juice (mmmm and get a smoothie while you're at it!), and Target (though I haven't seen them there). or online of course, http://store.popchips.com/

 

Pop on friends, Pop on!

 

Lifestyle Changes that YOU can do!

 

One of my favorite new-ish tv shows is called Work Out, which airs on Bravo, and is about fitness mogul Jackie Warner and her LA gym called Sky Sport and Spa. Watching this show is extremely motivational for me, and she has come up with a list of small lifestyle changes that anyone (yes YOU!) can do! Whether you do one, or all of them, you can be on your way to a healthier new you! Here's a few of my faves! 

 

1) Be a smart consumer and read labels carefully

     Fat free products are loaded with sugar. Fat does not make you fat--SUGAR does! When grocery shopping, meals should   have no more than 400 calories, and snacks 150 calories--buy nothing with over 9 grams of sugar.

 

2) No overcomplicated routines/No overcomplicated diets

     They have the highest failure rate because they don't teach you how to live in the real world. Get back to the basic, common sense principles.

 

3) Never skip meals

     The moment you allow your blood sugar to drop (when you feel hunger pangs) you become a fat storing machine. You must eat small meals and snacks every few hours.

 

4) Clean House--Remove ALL junk from your kitchen

     Stop buying addictive junk foods, then hating yourself for not being able to resist. Out of sight, out of mind!

 

5) Eat the Good, the Bad, THEN the Ugly

     Classify the food on your plate in the following: Good=veggies/fruit/lean meats, Bad=starches/bread, Ugly=dessert/alcohol. Be sure to fill up on the good first!

 

6) Water helps you lose weight

     Three liters per day can burn 50-75 calories and double your energy, as well as clear your skin.

 

7) Don't be afraid to life weights

     Cardio is the slowest way to lose weight. It's all about resistance training. This will burn more calories faster, and also add much needed muscle to speed up metabolism. Concetrate working out on the bigger muscle groups like the chest, back, gluteus, hamstrings, and quadriceps.

 

 

    

Even though the Superbowl is over..Football continues!!

 

 

My weekends tend to revolve around football, so a deep sadness fell upon me last weekend with the Superbowl. Don't get me wrong, I was exhilirated that the Saints won..next to the Bears, I'm a Saints girl, so that was quite exciting for me, BUT obviously, the Superbowl marks the end of the football season. I reeeeeally am not looking forward to waiting until next fall for it to start back up. What to do on Sundays now? Or Mondays? Or Thursdays for that matter?!

 

Well....to take care of the "lack-of-football blues" TruTV has come to the rescue! They have a new show called NFL Full Contact. While it's not the same as watching a game, it does provide a behind-the-scenes look at the NFL that the game day cameras never show. Every episode lets you eavesdrop into the tense and chaotic world of making a pro football game run smoothly and features crucial events of the 2009-2010 season.

 

The show airs Monday nights on TruTV. Some upcoming episodes cover the grand opening of the brand new Cowboys Stadium, the Pro Bowl, The Super Bowl, and the draft.

 

 

Healthy Breakfasts!

 

Since yesterday I was talking about healthy foods, particularly dinner, and trying to find tasty choices, I decided to continue that today, but with breakfast. I've found that finding a good one on-the-go is a very difficult task. Sure at McDonald's, you can get a filling breakfast for just a couple bucks, but reeeeeeally? Maybe in hangover land ONLY will I give in (it's necessary from time to time.

 

 I'm a Starbucks addict, have been for years, but living a healthy lifestyle, means saying goodbye to frappacinos (with that delicious whipped cream, seemingly exclusive to Starbucks), and many other drinks on their menu that just scream "I'm filled with empty calories!" BUT their new skinny lattes are fantastic..the perfect size (tall) and a nice treat that won't add much to your 1,200 calorie-a-day diet (only 90 calories each). I had the Skinny Cinnamon Dolce this morning and mmmmm was it good! I also LOVE their Perfect Oatmeal..I get mine with brown sugar and dried fruit, and I can't get enough of it!

 

So there ya go, a nice breakfast for just a little over $5. A Skinny Latte with Oatmeal. Scrumptious!!

 

 

My new obsession

 

 

I'm on a mission. And that is to find healthy foods that actually taste good. It's not the easiest thing to do, you know. I used to think of "good" food as pizza, lasagna, chocolate, wings, fries, etc. Now when I think of good food, I think fruit (particularly berries), vegetables, fish, chicken (NOT in the form of wings slathered in delicious sauce that just makes your taste buds wanting more), granola bars, string cheese, 100 calorie pack everything, etc. DON'T get me wrong, those "good" food selections are still good..though of course only when eaten ever so frequently, I do find it important to self-indulge every now and again, a reward if I may.

 

Well with the snow today, I wasn't going to drive ALL the way home, which is a good 30 minute commute to work on a good day, so I decided to stay with my boyfriend down the road maybe 5 mins. The only problem was that 1) He's not home (to make dinner for me) and 2) There's NO food in the house (for me to create some sort of concoction for myself).

 

SO I decided that Panera was probably going to be my healthiest choice for dinner. Their "you-pick-two" deal is amazing, and I decided to try the new Mediterranean Salmon Salad with a cup of Garden Vegetable soup (with an apple for my side). Let me just tell you that I think I may have to have it like..everyday. Ok, not really, BUT for a healthy option on the go..I definitely recommend it! The salmon tasted right-out-of-the-water fresh, the dressing was great, and the olives and feta just made it undeniably scrumptous. The portions are perfect, and I actually kept my apple as a snack for later on this evening (did I mention that there's NO food in this house..I had to come prepared!..snack-wise anyway!) TRY IT!! and you will fall in love as I did.

 

Bon Apetit!

Best/Worst Superbowl Commercials

 

The 5 Most-Liked Super Bowl Commercials (according to USA Today)
1. Mars’ Snickers — Guy plays football like Betty White
2. Doritos — Dog puts shock collar on owner
3. Bud Light — Man builds house out of beer cans
4. Budweiser — Fences don’t come in between friends
5. Coca-Cola — African sleepwalker finally gets Coke

 

The 5 Least-Liked Super Bowl Commercials
63. GoDaddy.com — Danica Patrick gets a massage
62. Hyundai’s Sonata — Paint as a work of art
61. Select 55 — World’s lightest beer
60. GoDaddy.com — Danica Patrick too hot for TV?
59. Dockers — Men running through field without pants

 

 

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this is a test, if this were an actual blog post, you'd be entertained.