Eeeeeewwwww!

Just in time for Freaky Food Friday! A batch of disgu--eeewww--sting concoctions from yours truly. Well, not that I actually think they're that gross--but I think my husband would beg to differ! :)

But, as we food bloggers know, the food that looks the strangest can often times taste the best--and be good for you too! Number One:

The Smeeeeewwwwthie!

Spinach, blueberries, stevia, cocoa powder, cinnamon and a few chunks of banana. Looks disgusting, tastes delicious! The chocolate flavor was pretty faint, but just added a nice hint of flavor while masking the gritty taste of the spinach. I love getting 2 full servings of veggies before lunch time!

Second: Neeeeewwwwdles!

Not that I have anything AT ALL against normal noodles, but finding a worthy pasta swap is kind of a fun little experimentation for me. I tired kelp noodles not too long ago, and couldn't resist these yam noodles when I spotted them in our Asian grocery.

These shiritaki noodles are almost identical to the famous Tofu Shiritaki, minus the tofu. I used to love the Tofu Shiritaki, but obviously the soy factor is a problem for me, so I was super excited to see the soy-free original version.

These noodles so require a bit of extra attention. After rinsing and draining extremely well ( warning! DO NOT smell them right as you open the bag--bad news bears fer real), I steamed them in the microwave for about 3-4 minutes and patted them dry with a clean dishtowel. I think cooking them for a little bit removes any of the briny taste and leaves them actually smelling like yams (instead of sewage).

Served with homemade turkey meatballs and spicy marinara. Yum Yum. :)

I did like these better than the kelp noodles. The shiritaki are much more like regular pasta, albeit finer and a little more chewy. But I do think they provide a great lighter base for more sturdy meal components such as protein, sauce, veggies and cheese.

There are basically no nutrition facts for these noodles--There are 2.5 servings per package, but each serving clocks 0 calories, fat, protein--nothing! While I am sure there is a minimal amount of calories and nutrients, the only ingredients are purified water, yam flour and hydrated lime. Now that's kind of freaky!

I know I have been kind of a bad blogger lately, and I really do miss everyone! My sister just announced a wedding date--in 8 weeks--so we are scrambling around trying to get that business under control. Plus work is very energy-consuming at the moment. Yeesh.

But also to be totally honest, sometimes I really enjoy not focusing so much on food in the day to day affairs. When I was locked into my ED, food was all I thought about, and now it's kind of refreshing to remove that fixation from some of my activities. Not that I am going anywhere though! This blog has served as an invaluable tool for me throughout the worst of my disorder and my continuing recovery. I know you all understand :)

Have a glorious weekend. And tell me--what freaky food do you love that looks disgusting, but tastes amazing? Love you lots! xoxo

Best Freaky Friday ever!

Well hey there, hi there, ho there bloggie friends! Gosh, how I have missed you guys! It's 2:00 and I am finally sitting down for probably the first time today. I just thought to myself, Hey! What's that thing I do when I have spare time? Oh yeah! BLOG!! Which explains my lack of decent posting lately--no free time, lots of life getting in the way, but NO apologies :) After all, what's life without a little excitement, huh?

But what better day of the week to come back than Friday, and especially when we can finally make it a FREAKY FOOD Friday! My long lost buddy Janetha B. and I met up for a little blab n gab over lunch yesterday.

So fun! And guess what? She brought me the most amazing thing from her trip to Jamaica!

Betcha never saw this before! What could be more fun (and more freaky) than banana ketchup? Two of my loves united!!

The minute I saw this, I knew EXACTLY how I wanted to try it out. I thought it would be the perfect accompaniment to some baked yams--how delish. (The yams are paler than sweet potatoes, so it doesn't feel quite right to call them cheetas--perhaps leopards instead??)

Wow! This banana ketchup thing really needs to catch on in the U.S.! The ketchup was sweet, sticky and thick with a strong banana flavor and a bit of tang. I swear, with a little dip of this amazing condiment, my yam tasted just like a caramelly banana chip. Very tropical. I almost felt like I was in Jamaica for a sec...and then I remembered it was 30 degrees out side.

Just for fun, I'll show you guys what else I had with my phenomenal potato "chips"

Broiled broccoli, baby steak and massive amounts of caramelized onions--to go with my caramel banana chips, obviously :)

I will be catching up this weekend for sure, and I'm excited to see what everyone's been up to!

I'm off to some family adventures myself. The parentals are in SLC for sissy's birthday this weekend, so I'm sure there will be lots of yummy food, plus some more of this fantastic cake :)

Since I haven't heard from you guys in a long time, tell me: What's the freakiest food you've ever tried from an exotic locale? Maybe a trip to Mexico or Europe--or maybe just a trip to your grandma's house for dinner--do tell! Miss you and love you! xoxo

Giveaway winner!

Thanks to all of you who entered in my I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Giveaway! I t was fun to hear about the ways you guys like to use this products and other healthy fat sources. The lucky winner of some classy kitchen stuff from ICBINB and Crate and Barrel is Katey, who won by tweeting about the giveaway. Congrats Katey! Send me your address and info asap! xoxo

The Return of...

...Sammie Saturday!!!! Of course, it's sammie saturday for me every week, but it seems like it has been quite a while since I've posted anything on the subject. I've got two AMAZING sammies for you though, both of them completely delicious and absolutely crave-fulfilling!

First up, a gorgeous salmon sammie, decked out with spinach, avocodao (what up, fats??), honey mustard and luaghing cow between toasted 9-grain bread.

Secondly, a sammie with something I have been craving for a looooong time--REAL cheese! Oh gosh, what is life without real cheese? This sammie was put together with delightfully sharp aged white cheddar, a slice of turkey bacon, nuked egg whites and a toasted whole wheat english muffin. Ah, so good!

Both of these babies were full of healthy fats, a nod to my ongoing goal--it gets easier all the time. Especially when I have a delicious means to an end like this!

Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway--just a couple more days (ends on Monday)! And it's so easy, all you have to do is leave a comment letting me know your favorite way to use a healthy fat source, including I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spread, or follow ICBINB on Twitter. Way cute kitchen stuff to be had! :)

P.S. check out this amazing sammie over on Haleigh's blog. It's totally my inspiration for lunch tomorrow! I love the weekends when I have tons of time to cook up glorious meals like that. Yum yum. What's the best thing YOU ate this weekend? Miss you guys! xoxo

Want to WIN??

Want to win some cool kitchen stuff??

Don't forget to enter my giveaway! Enter by clicking here. If you win, you'll receive an elegant serving platter, handy spatula and smooth spreader, as well as some FREE I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spread! Also remember to keep getting those healthy fats in--with zero grams of trans fats and lots of omega 3's per serving, ICBINB is a great way to help meet that goal! I love hearing all your healthy fat ideas, so keep 'em coming! xoxo

I Can't Believe It's...A Giveaway!

Edited to add: Wow, I was so tired when I posted this last night, I forgot to even put up a title. Duh. Anyway, read on, because I do believe the rest of the post is at least semi-coherent.

Greetings fabby bloggie friends! Hope everyone's weekend was wonderfully relaxing. I know mine was a lot busier than I originally anticipated, but filled with tons of friends and family and lots of fun :) Holy cow, can you believe it's March already?? My time is flying by so quickly, and sadly, my birthday month has come to an end. Boo :( It's also the end of the Fatty February challenge, but that doesn't mean I'm losing my focus on fats.

While I haven't been as gung ho about adding healthy fats to my meals as my partner in crime (she is fearless!! I am not!), I have been pretty consistent about getting at least ONE additional serving of fat into my diet per day. It has gone a long way to reduce the fear I feel about incorporating this nutrient, and I have begun to add little fat sources here and there to help up the ante. For example, a bit of extra nut butter on an apple or yog mess, a tablespoon of flax in my cereal or yogurt, diced avocado or guacamole in my salad.

I have also been keeping up with my fish oil and CLA supplements, and I just bought some coconut oil after reading about its health benefits in the latest issue of Oxygen. I also have seen some delicious inspiration from Averie via Adrien and Lauren, using this fat source, so I am excited to give it a try.

However, looks like I'm not the only one taking a closer look at my fat intake and healthy fats in general. The folks at I Can't Believe it's Not Butter recently hooked my up with some product information regarding the positive benefits of their spread. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter is a butter substitute spreads that has committed to using no hydrogenated oils, and has zero grams of trans fat per serving.

ICBINB is made with a blend of heart-healthy vegetable oils, including canola and olive oil; and contains tons of omega 3 and omega six fatty acids which are fantastic for your body.

You all know that I have been a huge freak for I Can't Believe it's Not Butter Spray

--it's one of my biggest vices, so I am excited to try some of the "real" stuff as I move forward in my focus on fats throughout the month of March.

Luckily ICBINB wants all of you to get on board with increasing your healthy fats, so in order to help spread the word (ha ha, get it? ) about the health benefits of ICBINB, they are sponsoring a....what's that? Oh, a GIVEAWAY!!

The giveaway includes a coupon for ICBINB!, two recipes and a platter, spreader and spatula from Crate and Barrel.

There are FIVE different ways to enter, so listen up!

• First, just leave a comment about your favorite way to use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter products, or another healthy oil source
• Link back to this post to let others know about the giveaway and to help keep the focus on fats in March (just make sure to let me know you've done so with another comment!).
• Or you can tweet or follow @ICBINotButter on Twitter (again, be sure to let me know)
• For THREE bonus entries, you can create a recipe using ICBINB and email it to me when you feature it on your blog

To help give you some inspiration, here are some tantalizing looking recipes from ICBINB.

Chicken and Sage Risotto

Berry Delite Bread Pudding

Banana Oatmeal Bread

Caramelized Apple and Onion Salad

Giveaway ends a week from today (Monday) at 8:00 p.m. Good luck!

P.S. Another great way to get those um..."healthy" fats in?

Girl Scout Cookies. Whoo hoo! Last year, I never let myself have any, but this year hubs surprised me with a few boxes. thanks babe ;) xoxo