My Favorite Healthy Snacks

I’ve mentioned it before – I really love snacks. Lots of little meals > 3 big meals. Here are the snacks I most often eat.

1. Greek yogurt. It’s packed with protein, is rich and creamy, and full of flavor. My favorite brands, by far, are Fage and Chobani.. My absolute favorite is Fage’s Cherry 0%. I don’t typically like cherry-flavored foods, but this is the jam.

I also really like their Blueberry 0%.

Of all of the Chobani flavors, Pineapple 2% is the one I buy the most. Just like their Passion fruit flavor, it’s very tropical.

Surprisingly, I love their Lemon 0%. It’s really refreshing!

2. Luna bars. Let’s be honest, these things are “healthier” candy bars. They’re made with 70% organic ingredients and contain many essential vitamins and nutrients. Iced Oatmeal Raisin is ridiculously good.

I’ve noticed that people either love the Iced Oatmeal Raisin or the S’mores flavor, but not both. Weird, right? My other top flavors are Peanut Honey Pretzel, Chocolate Dipped Coconut, and Blueberry Bliss.

3. Nuts! I prefer almonds and walnuts, but put me in front of a can of cashews or peanuts and I won’t deny them. First and foremost, I like plain ol’ nuts in their natural state. I buy them in bulk from either Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s.

4. Fruit. I love almost all fruit in its natural state. Bananas, blueberries, and strawberries are my favorite. I’ll also never say no to pineapple. Have I ever told you I briefly lived in Hawaii with my mom when I was 3? Yep. Check this out. Someone was eating a lot of pineapple in 1987.

5. Back to the food. In high school, chips were my weakness. Nowadays, I reach for popchips. They’re not baked or fried, but instead air-popped. They have the best flavors and are so crunchy. I have little to no self control around a bag of Barbecue or Salt & Pepper popchips.

Their newest flavor, Sweet Potato, is quite different because it’s sweet, but is absolutely delicious.

Have you guys seen the new tortilla popchips? I’m dying to try them!

6. String cheese. I hadn’t had string cheese in years until very recently when I visited my grandparents. I forgot how convenient of a snack this is. And it’s cheese. Come on. We all love it. These bad boys are only 50 calories a pop (stick?) and, well, they’re fun to play with.

Embrace your inner 10-year-old and buy a bag of these.

7. Cottage cheese + jam. Sorry if you just threw up after reading that. It’s a great combo, I swear! Cottage cheese packs a punch of protein, and if you buy a lower sodium or low-fat kind, is a great post-workout snack. Top it with some jam for extra flavor. Just try it! +

8. Carrots + hummus. Sabra’s Roasted Garlic hummus is the best! +

9. Avocado + toast. It’s one of the most simple, yet delicious, snacks I eat. Just top a piece of toast with a couple avocado slices, drizzle with honey, top with salt & pepper, eat munch away.

10. COOKIES! Of course! Can’t stop, won’t stop. These aren’t healthy, but I could never leave them off my list of favorite snacks. ;)

What’s your favorite snack?

Are you team Fage or Chobani?

Favorite Luna bar flavor?

Giveaway!! *New* LUNA Fiber Bars

I am so excited you guys. LUNA has come out with a new line of fiber bars! Each bar is a delicious, nutritious, and convenient high fiber snack that is sure to satiate you.

Nutritional benefits:

• 7g of fiber
• 110-120 calories each
• contains the Core 4 vitamins and minerals -- calcium, iron, folic acid and vitamin D
• 70% organic

The new bars come in 3 flavors: Peanut Butter Strawberry, Chocolate Raspberry, and Vanilla Blueberry. LUNA Fiber will be available in stores nationwide in May, or you can purchase them online here.

Don’t even tell me you’re not drooling.

I’m equally excited to be able to share these bars with YOU! I have three boxes to give away to three winners (one box/person).

For a chance to win:

• leave me a comment telling me which flavor you’re most excited to try (mandatory)
• follow me on twitter - @christinaorso (optional)
• tweet about this giveaway and tag me (optional)
• become a fan of my facebook page (optional)

*Leave a separate comment for each entry!*

Giveaway ends Monday, April 30th, at noon EST.

GOOD LUCK!

Impromptu 4 Course Dinner at Crave

Usually when I’m at the gym, I’m daydreaming about what I’ll be having for dinner that night. Sometimes this makes me work harder and sometimes it’s the only thing getting through my workout. Let’s be real.

During my sprint intervals, I received a tweet from Alysa that the chef at the restaurant where she works was now on twitter. Alysa works at Crave Kitchen & Cocktails and their chef, Landen Ganstrom, is a member of my gym. I had met Landen before when we worked out at Eco. As a fellow fitness junkie, he has implemented many healthy menu options onto Crave’s menu: gluten free, vegetarian, paleo, and even vegan.

When I received this tweet, my plans of nuking another spicy black bean burger with some veggies flew out the window. To Crave I would go.

I immediately texted Sarah, who had just finished a Pure Barre class. Sarah is a vegetarian of 8 years, so she was also quick to jump on a healthy meal.

Once at the restaurant, Alysa and our server, Carmela, informed us that Landen would be surprising us with different dishes. Carmela asked if we had any allergies and what our nutritional needs were and then reported back to Landen. For the record, both Sarah and I have no allergies and eat no meat or poultry. To say we were excited to see what we’d receive was an understatement.

Course 1: As soon as this came out, I knew we were in good hands. When I’m presented with beets, my trust is immediately handed over. Friends, this is a beet and carrot salad in a peanut sauce with candied peanuts. Have you ever seen beets in shoestring form? I haven’t, and I loved it.

Course 2: Wild Alaskan salmon with fennel pollen, black caraway seed,and poppy seed over sliced apples and jumbo lump crab sprinkled in some heirloom tomatoes. It was finished with imported Italian mustard. The lump crab meat was hidden underneath the sliced apple and was quite a happy ending.

Course 3: What we initially thought was pasta was actually local zucchini, summer squash and red bell peppers sautéed in oven roasted garlic paste topped with tomato basil chow chow. The peppers were unbelievably sweet, as if they had been plucked from the garden that day. The flower on top was also edible, but it was too cute to consume. I contemplated putting it in my hair and doing a hula dance but I resisted.

Course 4: Dessert. This was our most emotional course. Yup, even more emotional than beets. What you see here are pears and blueberries in a caramel sauce with walnuts and Humboldt Fog cheese. Sarah said this is her favorite cheese and it may just be mine too. The combination of flavors in this dessert was incredible. Get to your store and buy this cheese as fast as you can.

After dinner, Landen came out to chat and see if we enjoyed our dishes. We couldn’t thank him enough for such a delicious, yet healthy meal. If there’s one thing I can get you guys to understand, it’s that healthy food IS tasty. Especially when you have someone like Chef Ganstrom serving you. Carmela, our server, was a delight. She was friendly, attentive, and did an excellent job at explaining our dishes. I highly encourage you to check out Crave – it’s located in the shopping center with Target (The Shoppes at Seaside Farms.) Tell them I sent you!

For more information, check out these links:

• Crave’s website
• Crave on Twitter
• Crave on Facebook
• Chef Ganstrom on Twitter

Are you drooling yet? I am all over again. :)

New Bars from Gnu Foods, Workout Motivation

In June of 2010, I reviewed Gnu Foods Flavor & Fiber Bars. They recently offered to send me a package of their three new flavors. I was overjoyed when I found out what they were: Blueberry Cobbler, Carrot Cake, and Blondie. Those are three of my favorite dessert flavors! I was checking my mailbox daily.

Before I tell you about the new flavors, let’s talk about Gnu Foods Flavor & Fiber Bars. The bars contain 6 whole grains – grains that have not milled or processed, which strips them of the grain kernel that contains nutrients, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.  Each bar contains 12 grams of fiber and is 140 calories or less. All of the bars (aside of the Blondie flavor) are vegan. In addition to the new flavors above, the bars come in the following flavors: Banana Walnut, Chocolate Brownie, Cinnamon Raisin, Espresso Chip, Lemon Ginger, Orange Cranberry, and Peanut Butter. My two favorites are the Banana Walnut and Cinnamon Raisin. Each bar tastes exactly like what they’re named after, so rest assured, you’ll get what you want.

The first bar I tried was the Blueberry Cobbler.

As soon as I opened the wrapper, I could smell the blueberry juice. The bar also contains plums and raisins which give it a great texture and overall flavor.

The next day I tried the Carrot Cake. Yep, it sure did taste like Carrot Cake. The cinnamon and nutmeg flavors were strong, but not overwhelming.

Finally, I tried the Blondie. This one had the least amount of flavor, but was still really good. I have no complaints about a nutrition bar that tastes like a dessert!

Overall, I loved these bars just as I expected. The blueberry was my favorite and I’m excited for them to hit the shelves. In the past, I’ve enjoyed them on their own, or crumbled into oatmeal or Greek yogurt.

Gnu bars can be purchased online or in a store near you. For my Charleston friends, you can pick yours up at Whole Foods. They’re on one of the higher shelves that I can barely reach. :)

For more information, check out their

• website
• facebook page
• twitter

Have you tried these bars before? What did you think?

On a completely different note, the weather here in Charleston is incredible. I’m talking sunny and in the low 80s. Absolutely perfect. This is a slap in the face gentle reminder that Summer is right around the corner. In fact, on Sunday, I went to the pool with my friends Brandy and Lynn. The three of us got sunburns. That’s right, I said" “pool” and “sunburns” in MARCH.

With that said, enjoy some workout motivation as you prepare for bikini season!!

See you tomorrow!

Southwestern Stuffed Acorn Squash

What’s your morning computer ritual? Mine is:

1. Open gmail
2. Open work email
3. Open facebook
4. Post the day’s post on my blog’s fb page
5. Start work

I’m sure my boss is really pleased by the order of these tasks. While on facebook today I noticed this post from the local Great Harvest.

Had I not just inhaled a bowl of cinnamon oatmeal, I would have driven straight to to GH for breakfast. I exhibited self control and waited for my lunch break to go pick up a loaf. It is 100% heavenly. I am going to have to freeze 1/2 of it so I don’t eat the entire loaf in 2 days.

After work, Mariah and I went for a run around the Old Village, a pretty, old neighborhood in Mount Pleasant. It’s getting darker much earlier, but I did manage to snap a pretty photo of the water before the sun set.

When I got home, I whipped up an extremely easy vegetarian recipe.

Southwestern Stuffed Acorn Squash, makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 acorn squash
• 1 15 oz. can low-sodium black beans, drained
• 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 1 15 oz. can yellow corn
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• juice of one lime

Preparation:

1. Cut squash in half horizontally and scoop out and seeds and strings. Place squash in baking dish cut-side down. Add a little water and bake at 350* for 45 minutes or until tender.
2. While squash is baking, add black beans, tomatoes, corn, and seasonings to a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stirring occasionally, cook for about 10-12 minutes or until heated through. Squeeze lime juice over mixture and stir again.
3. Once the squash is done, remove from pan and stuff with the Southwest mixture. Serve immediately.

Oh, I love colorful meals. Colorful = lots of vitamins…usually. Unless we are talking about a bag of peanut m&ms. That just = happiness.

XO!

These Are My Confessions

Don’t get too excited; I’m only posting some of my weird habits.

1. Other than my team meeting last week and when I was on vacation in Destin and NYC, I have been eating the same breakfast since January.
  +
The first couple months, I ate this with bananas,
then briefly switched to bluebs..
Since the beginning of April, I’ve been eating this cereal with strawbs.
The few times that I deviated from my breakfast of choice, I felt extremely thrown off. Obsessive, much?

2. I am the only person I know that can chew gum and drink beer at the same time.
And speaking of gum, has anyone ever chewed gum while in the shower? It’s pretty weird.

3. I just told Mariah that despite it’s God-awful list of ingredients, I’m having an obnoxiously strong craving for pistachio pudding:

Do not be alarmed if you see it on my blog this week. I have the most intense cravings for such random foods, that I am fearful of the day I’m actually pregnant. It is going to be really bad.

4. I bring “bar snacks” in my purse when I go out sometimes. I’d rather be prepared when hunger strikes!! I’ve found more than a few of these wrappers in my purse on Saturday mornings:

5. I like grocery shopping 2097529867298672676726 times more than clothes shopping. But no, I can’t count that high. My heart belongs here: here: and as of July 29th, here:

I’m really flipping excited for the Mt. Pleasant location to open and if I didn’t have to work, I’d probably camp out for its grand opening.

6. I think Food & Wine magazine is stupid. Really stupid. The recipes call for ingredients I’ve never heard of or ones that are only sold in ethnic markets in NYC. Come on!

7. Last Thursday, Matt and I went to the bar at Husk for some drinkies. I think my hands are too big for cocktails.
Or these glasses are stupid. Or I should paint my nails.

8. Saturday night, Margaret and I went to a friend’s house for a Mexican fiesta. As we were shooting tequila and watching a Tupac video, I told her “My life cannot get any better.”
She said “Ummm…I could think of lots of ways it could.” And then Snoop Dogg and his double braids came on on stage.

9. I’m excited for Chick-fil-A to start serving multi-grain oatmeal on July 25th. I might have to switch up my breakfast routine!
I promise not to put ketchup on it.

10. I just found this rotten tomato in my cabinet at work.

Capital D-sgusting.