A Hot Date with Ben & Jerry's

Yesterday I was flipping through the coupon booklets that come in the mail and noticed a Ben & Jerry's coupon for $1 off. Score! To make the deal even sweeter, Stop & Shop had it on sale s for $5! This was a deal I couldn't pass up!

I'm less likely to eat too much ice cream when its in the house. Backwards, I know. Whenever I go out to grab ice cream from a local place, I always want to waffle cone- which comes with a ton of ice cream. If I have it at home, I can usually keep myself to 1-2 scoops worth. This helps me keep the calories and the cost at bay (regular $2.99 for a pint vs. $4.50 for a waffle cone w/ 3 scoops).

I like Ben & Jerry's; as far as ice cream from the grocery store goes, I think they're the best. I like frozen yogurt and gelato, too-- but I'm most likely to reach for ice cream. I grabbed a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and a Red Velvet Cake.

I was looking at the packaging during my taste-testing last night and was prompted to go to their site. They have a lot going on on there. I clicked through for a while and found myself in the "Issues We Care About." I was impressed. Here is what they have:

• Support GMO Labeling
• Climate Justice
• Marriage Equality
• Peace Building
• Get The Dough out of Politics
• Fairtrade
• rBGH

Each section has a short description of how they've dedicated themselves to each initiative. Definitely worth a look. In the end, ice cream is still ice cream and eating copious amounts of it would likely have a negative impact on your health. However, in my opinion, Ben & Jerry's is a brand I can reach for and feel good about. The ice cream tastes good, its juuust expensive enough that I need to make it last (and won't likely binge), and they have have a pretty sound business model.

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
What other brands have you encountered that are socially conscious? 

Is Seaweed a Superfood?

Maybe!

I ate seaweed regularly in Korea. It was often served, in various forms, as a side dish at restaurants. There was one restaurant, affectionately referred to as "Soup Tent" that would usually serve it with our food- and if they had run out, we would elect someone to go to the nearest mart and buy some. It was that important to the meal.

My sweet Job Lot find.

I've seen it sold in a few Asian specialty stores, but it is usually way too expensive for me to even think of buying any. It's hard to justify spending $12 on a product that you spent years paying $7 for- even if it's imported. Today, I stumbled into some at Job Lot- $2 for 5 packs- not bad!

I've seen a handful of articles calling seaweed a "superfood" or explaining why "you should eat seaweed right now!" While I might not believe that it belongs in the superfood category, I definitely see the benefits of adding it into your diet in some capacity. Here's what I know::

→Seaweed contains Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Calcium. However, given the common serving sizes, it would be difficult to derive sufficient amount of those nutrients.

→Seaweed does contain a rare mineral that is missing from many other foods: iodine.

→Iodine is crucial in maintaining a healthy thyroid (a gland in the neck with the difficult job of maintaining healthy hormone levels in the body).

→Even mild iodine deficiency can be problematic. The issue manifests subtly; causing issues like fatigue, depression, susceptibility to disease, and inability to lose weight.

→Seaweed is a great source of antioxidants.

→Not all seaweed is created equal. There are many varieties that are treated in several different ways. For example, there is a variety of red seaweed that in 10 grams, offers 34 times the amount of potassium than that of a similarly portioned serving of banana. Potassium is important, but too much can have a dangerous effect on your kidneys. Just be careful and know what type you're eating and adjust accordingly.

And, in my opinion, the most interesting fact:
→The chemical composition of seaweed is fairly close to that of human blood plasma! That makes seaweed a great at regulating and purifying our blood.

What are some creative ways you've used seaweed?


[Based on previously knowledge and information from the following sources: Greatist.com, FoodMatter.tv]

Travel Tuesday :: I ❤︎ Markets

One of the best parts of arriving in a new place is exploring the local markets. Because I get really excited about all the new and interesting produce options, checking out the markets is usually one of my top priorities on my first day exploring.

Yeosu had some awesome markets that had a combination of produce, meats, and small restaurants/food stalls. Open air markets are usually a good indicator that there is a strong local farm scene. For example, my "fruit ajjuma" (the old lady I bought my fruit from), only grew some of her produce and the rese, based on the season was outsourced to farms outside the city or in other areas in Korea (I noticed nothing imported). However, my "vegetable ajjuma" grew all her carrots, peppers, cucumbers, and different lettuces in her small city garden.                                                                                      So far, I think my favorite market has to be the one in Hoi An, Vietnam. The Central Market is down by the riverfront and has, what I can only describe as "epic amounts of interesting stuff." Some of the produce I had never seen before, which of course prompted me to buy! There are so many different types of fruits and vegetables out there that we aren't exposed to in North America; and if we are, it likely isn't nearly as fresh. If you've ever seen an heirloom tomato, you're familiar with the concept of ugly produce. That is how it was intended to be.

I particularly like the Central Market in Hoi An because at this point in my life, I was really missing things like avocados and limes-- rare and/or expensive in Korea. They had so many of both- and my favorite fruit that I can never see to find- dragon fruit. While I was there, I made sure to snag some goodies: a dragon fruit, a few lychee, and a green orange. I usually pick out one really diverse table, so I can ask a lot of questions, potentially buy a few things, and maybe get a good deal.  Also, keeping an eye out for hawkers who are handing out samples is something I do, too.

I realize this might not be the most coherent post, but I've had a long day staring at, and editing a really huge Excel file. Brain = fried!

Do you have any favorite foreign fruits or veggies?

Coffee Breaks

Essential to daily function, in my opinion, are frequent and well-timed "coffee breaks."

Not everyone drinks coffee, just like not everyone smokes cigarettes- but smokers take quick breaks all the time, so why shouldn't everyone else?!

On days where I'm seemingly chained to my desk, it is super important to squeeze in time to get away from the computer. I try to take small breaks throughout the day just to keep my brain from overloading. Mornings are usually for coffee and a snack, then lunch, and afternoons are for snack and social media. (See a theme here? I ❤️ food)

Some days, you need to add a little into that break routine to reward yourself. Today, I ditched the milk and overloaded my coffee with whipped cream. Living life on the edge over here! It's nothing overly special, but whatever-- its a nice change from the routine :) Small rewards like that are so vital.

What are your favorite "mental-health" indulgences?
Any interesting coffee flavor combos to share?

Mean, green, lean and damn good!

You know me. You know I like to get the good stuff in so I will have less room for and less inclination towards crappy foods. This is my warm-weather go-to smoothie: sweet, tropical flavor and it blends really nicely.

Ingredients:

This is for an approximately 16oz serving.

• pineapple = frozen, I use about 1/3 cup
• mango = frozen, about 1/3 cup
• spinach = fistful
• avocado = 1/4 to 1/3 of an avocado
• cilantro = a few sprigs, to taste

Add a little water or chilled green tea to thin it out a little. If you're taking it on the run, you'll want it to be a little on the thinner side- the thicker the consistency, the more difficult it will be to drink on the go!

I like this recipe because it has a pretty solid nutrient content. While it may not contain huge amounts of any one nutrient, the list is impressive:: vitamin a, beta carotene, b2, b3, b5, b6, folic acid, biotin, vitamin c, vitamin e, calcium, chromium, flouride, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorous, potassium, riboflavin, zinc

A few blending tips:

• When you're making smoothies, you want to make sure that the more fibrous and/or the lighter ingredients should be the closest to the blade. I use a NutriBullet, so when I'm filling the cup thingy, I add the heaviest items first and end with the lightest. This way, when I screw on the blade attachment and flip it upside down the ingredients that need the most slicing and dicing are pushed down onto the blade by the heavier stuff. For a regular stand blender, add the light stuff first- remember, you want the lighter stuff near the blade.
• Always add a liquid. I usually opt for tea or water, but I use one borrowed smoothie recipe that calls for apple juice. For my palate, anything other than tea or water makes the concoction too sweet.
• Press start and walk away. Something about the noise the blender makes, usually compels me to stop it too quickly and the smoothie ends up chunkier than I prefer. Turning it on and then doing something else for a minute or so allows it to work for a sufficient amount of time, and makes it nice and smooth.
• If you're going to add yogurt, do it after its the consistency you want. 

What are your favorite smoothie recipes?

Offer up any creative cilantro recipes!

The Brownie Dessert

This is it! This is what my mom calls The Brownie Dessert. It ends up being a little time intensive, with not a lot of that time actually being hand-on. This treat is hard to mess up and unique enough that if you show up to a party with it, people will be impressed.

The one pictured is from my sister's birthday. It looked pretty basic, but the surprise treat in the middle definitely added a little something extra.

You'll need:
→1 box brownie mix. Yes, whatever brand/style you like.

→Whatever the box says you need (usually eggs, oil, and water)

→Ice cream of choice. Something plain-ish works best (vanilla, coffee, cookie dough, cookies'n'cream).

→Brownie pan

→Bundt pan

Do this:
→Prepare the batter to the box specification. (see note below)

→Bake in the brownie pan, but cut the time short by about 3-5 minutes. The goal is to have the raw materials cooked sufficiently and the brownies solid, but pliable.

→While still hot, scoop the brownies out of the brownie pan and press against the sides of the bundt pan and put it in the freezer until cold to the touch.

→Scoop the ice cream into the ice cream into the brownie shell. It will be easier if you let the ice cream sit out for a few minutes beforehand.  IF you wanted to mix something into the ice cream like nuts or sprinkles, now would be the time. For my the version in the picture, mom put some raspberry jelly in the middle of the vanilla ice cream-- great combo! Firmly press the ice cream into the mold- make as dense as possible.

→Back into the freezer for a little bit, and then enjoy!

(NOTE: Since the summer, I haven't used oil in any of my baking. Greek yogurt is a great substitute and you lose no flavor, and I find that the items are a lot more moist.)