Food Frenzy Friday 7

Welcome back to Food Frenzy Friday!

I'll be perfectly honest --- with my week getting off to a late start, it was a very lazy week in the kitchen, so no fun recipes this week. But I did have a few good grocery store finds to share.

Photo Credit: Chobani

Calling Greek Yogurt lovers: Introducing Chobani Flip. Yogurt with a side you can dip or mix. I went for the Raspberry Choco Mix (vanilla chocolate chip yogurt with a side of raspberries). I loved the flavor, but the texture of the chocolate chips felt funny --- like they were crunchier than I had expected them to be. There are several other options you can try --- I think the Key Lime Crumble is next on my list. A great alternative when you have a bit of a sweet tooth but don't want to throw your workout out the window.

Photo Credit: Healthy Choice

As I was roaming the grocery store, I wandered into the frozen food section. I try to keep my lunches at home simple, so I like to keep some Weight Watchers Smart Ones in the freezer as backup. Directly next to the Smart Ones in the freezer was Healthy Choice. I can't remember the last time I'd tried Healthy Choice (primarily because I remember looking at the nutritional information close to 10 years ago when I was doing the old LA Weight Loss Program and seeing a higher count of sodium in Healthy Choice. But I saw their new "Top Chef" line and was inclined to give them a try. I found it interesting that they now list the Weight Watchers PointsPlus values on the back of their boxes. Smart of them! Anyway, I grabbed the Grilled Chicken Marinara with Parmesan and saw how these Top Chef meals are noted to be "steamers". I didn't know what to expect but there was actually a mini steaming basket with the food in it on top of the bowl which had the sauce in the bottom of it. Genius idea! The one thing I always hated about frozen meals is how soggy it tastes after it's microwaved. This was not the case with Healthy Choice Top Chef! It was actually super yummy. There is even a coupon on their website if you want to give these a try. You can find your $1.00 off any (3) Top Chef Cafe Steamers coupon here. I definitely plan to try several others in their Top Chef line --- Chicken Fresca with Chardonnay and Crustless Chicken Pot Pie are on the top of my list to try next!

Photo Credit: Naked Juice

Well, I also tried something that is not a new product but something I finally gave in and tried. Naked Juice's famous "Green Machine". I'm a very visual person. If I don't like the way something looks (or smells), I won't try it. But as I keep trying to push myself to try new things, I decided to at least read the information on the bottle before I jumped to judge. This says it best, directly from their website:  

“Looks weird.” Sip. “Tastes amazing.” Sip. “Like apples. And kiwi.” Sip. “Hey, 10 green turbo nutrients?” Sip. “Still looks weird.” But there’s nothing weird about this flavorful blend of apple and kiwi, so delicious that you won’t even notice the 10 green turbo boosts.

I loved it! You can't taste the veggies in this juice, I promise! It's loaded with nutrients (though I did noticed there isn't any fiber in this juice). Please note though that their most common size bottles are 15.2oz and one serving is only 8oz, so the 140 calories they note per serving is for about half the bottle. I love that there are no added sugars in this juice. I'd be interested in buying one of the large bottles (32oz) to keep in my fridge to drink a glass of this after my workouts. I also want to try the two juices they have with coconut water --- Peach Guava with Coconut Water and Pineapple Mango with Coconut Water. Sounds yummy to be!

Photo Credit: FruitWater

Finally, I've been trying to give up my Caffeine Free Diet Coke/Pepsi. I like having a can in the afternoon since it tricks my body into thinking I'm having a regular soda with caffeine to keep my energy up. Silly? Absolutely! Well, right at the end of one of the aisles in the grocery store, there was a display for FruitWater --- a new "naturally flavored sparkling water beverage" by Glaceau (makers of VitaminWater). I decided it was worth a try for zero calories to replace my soda fixation. Love this product! There are only 5 flavors so far, and of the 5, I tried the Orange Mango, Black Raspberry, and Watermelon Punch. The Orange Mango is by far my favorite. Might be a good mixer at a picnic as the weather gets warmer. 

I hope you all have a wonderful Mother's Day Weekend! I'll be back next week (hopefully) with a new recipe! :)

~Aly