Melt Organic Buttery Spread Review

Posted on August 23, 2012 by admin

I can’t believe it’s not butter, seriously! I have been replacing butter for the new Melt® Organic Buttery Spread (or other butter substitutes that I have tried) the past few months and I’m so impressed! It is a great tasting, organic butter replacement that supports healthy weight when replacing other fats in your daily diet. I have used on everything from veggies to baked goods and it acts just like butter in every way (unlike other imitation butters). I’m not saying that butter should be banned, I simply gave it up because I am lactose intolerant. But now having used this, I would use it regardless! The main ingredients are virgin coconut oil and flaxseed, which are full of healthy, unprocessed saturated fats. Here are a few dishes that I used Melt in:

Patriotic Cheesecake Squares

Herb and Panco Crusted Baked Tomatoes

Salt and Vinegar Kale Mashed Potatoes

Roasted Vegetable Strudel

Share this article

I scream, you scream, we all scream for STARFRUIT!

Posted on August 9, 2012 by admin

I am not big into sweets but when I am, I want ice cream. Which is unfortunate given I am lactose-intolerant. Irregardless, when the sugar pangs strike, sometimes (against my better judgement) I give in to temptation. Followed quickly by a debilitating stomach ache and a slew of self deprecating comments about my inability to control myself. I finally relented that this would just be a cyclical (monthly) part of my life, until I was introduced to “the one”. Upon starting my new job I was assigned a mentor (someone I could cry to when needed, I presume) who asked to take me out for ice cream to get to know each other. Visions of calling in sick on the FIRST day were dancing in my head as I searched in the depths of my mind to find a way out of this. My mentor, blissfully unaware of my internal torture, casually suggested Starfruit. “It’s like healthy, dairy-free ice-cream,” she explained. EUREKAAAAA! “Yes, I think that sounds lovely!” — said no one but that’s what I was thinking.

And that is when my torrid love affair began with this tummy-friendly delicacy. It is the perfect combination of sweet and tangy and when paired with any one (or more) of their wide variety of toppings (including healthy fruit options), you can pretty much guarantee nirvana. Well, at least that was my experience. This is truly a crowning moment for those of us whose bodies refuse to properly digest dairy. But even if you are one of the lucky folk who can eat anything, I suggest you give it a swirl (get it?)!

Frozen kefir can also be purchased at your local grocery store and to make this tale even sweeter, it’s only 90 calories per serving. And just to make sure my facts are correct, it is actually 99% lactose-free (which is as good as dairy-free in my book).

More on Starfruit and Lifeway Kefir

Lifeway’s Starfruit Cafe is a new, healthy, probiotic breakfast & dessert alternative. It serves custom kefir parfaits, smoothies and frozen soft-serve kefir with delicious toppings like fresh fruits, berries, granola and much more. All Starfruit treats are made with 99% lactose free Lifeway Kefir, which contains seven to ten billion CFU’s (colony forming unit) of twelve live and active, probiotic cultures per cup instead of the two or three typically found in yogurt. Probiotic cultures encourage the growth of good bacteria in your digestive system. They also care about the environment! All of their cups, plasticware and paper goods are all biodegradable and compostable.

Share this article

A Chobani Feast

Posted on July 13, 2012 by admin

I was invited to a fabulous Chicago Foodie blogger event hosted by Chonani at Boka Restaurant in Chicago this week. I have used Chobani products before in the past (here and here) as well as snacks at work but I never took notice to the company behind the brand until I met with some of their ambassadors at the Boka/Chobani event.

My fellow Chicago foodie bloggers and I were all able to taste some of the chef’s Chobani-inspired creations. From beet salad, to braised lamb, every course incorporated the yogurt in a different way. It was such an honor to be cast in a group of such phenomenal local foodie bloggers, and it was a wonderful opportunity for us to all meet each other in person, as we all know each other in such a different way through the wall of a computer screen. It is so odd as a blogger to do a meet-up event, because where it would otherwise be awkward coming up to someone asking if they are –insert twitter name–, here it was the norm.

The first course was a “Hay Roasted Baby Beets and Blueberry Salad with CHOBANI Greek Yogurt, Fir Tree Honey and Pepper Wheat Cracker”

The second course was “Soft Shell Crab and Grilled Prawns with Chobani Greek Yogurt Grits, Morel Mushrooms and Beet Braised Kohlrabi”

The third course was a “Rack of Lamb, Rooibos, Bulgur Wheat, Roasted Baby Vegetables, Purples Fingerling Potatoes, Fava Beans, Roasted Eggplant and CHOBANI Greek Yogurt Sauce”

And finally for dessert we had “CHOBANI Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta, Plums and Honey”

It is so hard to pick a favorite but if I absolutely had to, I think it would be the the soft shell crab and grilled pawns. I thought the chef’s use of Chobani in grits was so creative and unexpected and the varying flavors and textures made every bite of this dish mouth-watering.

A big thanks to Boka for their superb service, amazing food and their patience with all of our photo-taking! I can’t wait to go back for dinner sometime. The outdoor patio looked so cute! I met some amazing people and hope we can all get together again soon! Bloggers do it better!! Here is the whole crew:

Hats off to Chobani (and their lovely ambassadors Emily, Jackie, and Amy) for bringing us all together and organizing this fabulous dinner. I learned so much about the company and it inspired me to think out-of-the-box when it comes to putting a meal together. One other thing that you may not know, Chobani is sponsoring Team USA on their journey to the Olympic Games in London. They are naturally powering our athletes with the protein they need to bring home the GOLD! Tweet #chobanipowered to show your support!