Limited Drinks and No Fast Food--How Will We Ever Survive?

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think going completely cold turkey and taking the 100 Days of Real Food challenge would have been easier than taking the 100 Days of Real Food mini challenges.  Part of my issue is that I'm constantly thinking to myself, 'Wait, what was the new challenge this week? And wait, what was last week's challenge?' 

Then of course there are the times I miss blogging about a week--like last week for example. I started the post, but life got in the way.

Thanks a lot, life.

As the week progressed, and I continued to not post about the fourth week's challenge, the realization sunk in that if I had just given everything up, then I would at least know that basically everything is off limits.

Of course then I considered that if I had made such a move I might not be writing this post from the comfort of my home. Instead I might be writing it from my jail cell, reflecting on how jumping blindy into a food challenge led to the worst food rage known to man.

Even so, I am recognizing that I am now making better choices in my eating. I question what I really want, I question what I really need, and I drink water constantly and eat more fruits and vegetables than ever before.

Homemade Kale and Basil Pesto

The most difficult challenge thus far was certainly last last week:

Week Four: "Real" beverages: Beverages will be limited to coffee, tea, water, and milk (only naturally sweetened with a little honey or 100% pure maple syrup). One cup of juice will be allowed throughout the week, and wine (preferably red) will be allowed in moderation (an average of one drink per day). 

This shouldn't have been so challenging. I haven't had a need to drink soda since the 9th grade, I rarely drink juice and if I do it is usually Bai 5 drinks which are 100% natural using only natural sweeteners and colors and coffeefruit extract (the fruit that surrounds the coffee bean). Basically it is the most amazingly good-for-you drink out there that has tons of flavor and a teeny tiny 10-calorie count per bottle. While I do drink wine, if I have more than two or three glasses in a week, then that was one crazy week!

Milkshakes are definitely an occasional weakness, but specialty coffees hold the key to my heart. Lattes, macchiatos, cappuccinos, basically anything with frothed milk and espresso makes me weak in the knees.

The only problem is that most of these drinks contain a lot of sugar. Luckily a cappuccino and your bare bones latte are still just espresso and milk, but of course during the past two week's my mouth desperately has been craving the sweet flavor of caramel throughout my drink.

I've been strong.

This pictures was not taken during the last two weeks, I promise. Ps: It's a Salted Pretzel Latte--yum?!

Most of the time.

I'm still keeping up with the other challenges. I haven't been able to loyally serve two fruits or veggies with every meal, but I start out my day with some fruit, occasionally adding a little peanut butter in the mix. At lunch I've tried to have a veggie and fruit, but most days I'm lucky to have brought anything with me for lunch. 

While I'm at it, I'll cover what Week Five looked like:

Week Five: No fast foods or deep-fried foods: No fast foods or any foods that have been deep-fried in oil.

Because our eating habits have been slowly changing, we actually haven't had too much of a struggle avoiding fast foods. Of course, this might depend on what you classify as fast food versus what I classify as fast food. McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, etc...those are my "fast foods". Things like Wawa (which if you don't live on the east coast you don't have and my heart cries for you), Panera, and Qdoba I don't really lump into the 'fast food' category. It's like I saw on a sign at Pei Wei a few weeks ago: Food fast, not fast food. Naturally, you still have to be cautious. There are healthy and not-so-healthy choices at such places. And yes, what they are cooking with is probably not 100% natural. And yes, some might have items that are deep-fried (meaning now I've got to avoid them!) but they aren't of the same exact caliber of your typical fast food burger joint.

McDonald's used to be a dear friend of mine, but after a few months without it, I went and ordered a small fry (this was probably three weeks ago, before the fast food challenge) and I wasn't impressed. Maybe it was a bad batch, the wrong time of day, they had been sitting for a while, or perhaps my tastes have changed and the thrill of McDonalds is wearing off.*

*Note: I still ate that entire fry. I had to be sure.

I'm really learning, most of all, that when I'm hungry the worst-for-me-things are usually the most convenient (cookies, cakes, chips, chocolates--looks like today's letter is 'C'). But in the end they always leave me wanting more.

The same, I think, can be said for dinner. I've noticed when I overstuff myself* on fatty foods, foods that don't have a lot of 'real' foods to them, I feel bloated but longing for something better, almost regretting having chosen something of a lower quality.

*Note: This was the first challenge, and everyday I work on reminding myself of the importance of not overstuffing myself.

Though I haven’t been overly strict, yes I had one caramel latte two weeks ago; I wouldn’t say I’m miserably failing these challenges. If anything, they are alerting my mind to better standards for eating and living healthy.

Recipe #9: Mocha Brownies

Recipe: Mocha Brownies
Source: The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Time: 1 hr plus time for brownies to cool and icing to set
Ease: 2
Taste: 5
Leftover Value: 6
Down the Drain or Keep in the Strainer: Down the Drain.

These brownies are obnoxious.  I'm just going to call them like they are.  They are monsters.

I knew these brownies were over the top.  I made them several years ago and heeded PW's warning that the icing was a lot---so I halved it.  The brownies were good, the icing was good, but together it seemed like overkill.  Also, the brownies were extremely crumbly--perhaps this is why the last step is to refrigerate them.

Since this time I couldn't make any changes, I decided I needed to make the icing as directed.

Only, as you can probably tell from the picture, I forgot the last part about refrigerating them.

Either way, with icing that has hardened or icing that is still creamy smooth, this will be the last time I make these brownies.  At least in this way.

There are far too many brownie recipes out there that I love for me to make brownies that I'm just okay with.

IF you are into icing, and IF you like a thick brownie, then this is for you.

Should I choose to make these again, I would change two things.

1. Instead of baking them in an 8-inch square baking dish, I would use a 9 x 13 dish.

Aside from the brownies themselves being ridiculously thick, one of the major issues I had with their size was not being sure that they were done.  I know brownies are the sort of thing that can be a little underdone, but because of their thickness, I didn't want to be serving chocolate mush as dessert.

2. I would alternate between halving the icing and simply making the brownies without it at all.

The icing was delicious (and if you have any family members who wrinkle their nose to coffee flavoring, milk could be substituted for the coffee), but because of the richness of the brownies, I feel like the icing was out of place.

Of Coffee Machines and Other Things...

A few weeks ago, Hubby and I went to our bi-monthly Bible study at our friends' house.  After a yummy meal of pasta and an incredible chicken with vegetable/tomato gravy* we were asked the question that makes my heart skip a beat and my pulse slowly increase: "Who wants coffee?"

Note:  If you don't know, it's the true Italian way to call tomato sauce 'gravy'.  I pride myself on the whopping 25 percent of Italian that flows in my blood.  I will occasionally try to let that Italian truth show through in my language.  However, I have a hard time doing it.  It feels so forced.  My excuse?  I wasn't brought up using words like gravy for red sauce.  Thanks a lot, mom and dad.

There are two usual methods that coffee is served in house these days.  First, there is the classic 12-cup coffee pot.  Nothing special, but a classic nonetheless.  Then, there is the new age technology of the Keurig, Tassimo, or other similar machine trying to pass off as one of these.  I admit, I retired my 12-cup coffee pot as soon as the Keurig machine craze hit.  It just made more sense.  I was the only one who regularly drank coffee in our house of two.  Making a pot of coffee was just a waste of time and...well, coffee.  (And going through the whole process to make just two cups seemed ridiculous).

It made sense to get a Keurig.  In fact, it was the right thing to do.

After a few years, I bought an espresso machine to feed my latte addiction and to make myself feel better for never brewing anything other than disposable K-cups.

Aside from these options, the only other method I knew of to brew coffee was a French press.  I hadn't yet been convinced that I needed one in my life.

Then I met this beast:

I've tried to find this exact product online and can't seem to match it.

I'm starting to think it's illegal.  Which makes me love it even more.

I'm assuming it is a sort of drip brewer, yet it still doesn't match picture perfect to what I've found.

The flame underneath was an added bonus to my excitement.

Though I asked continuous questions, I clearly was absorbing more entertainment factor from this experience than knowledge.  Therefore, my description of what is going on will be in layman's terms at best.

Tyler (pictured above...and below) is a bit of a coffee expert.  His father began roasting beans a few years ago and selling his coffees here: http://numucoffee.com/  What is especially awesome is that every 'batch' will have its own unique flavor since he roasts them completely on his own.

This little piece of hardware comes from China.  From what I understand, he started by heating water up in the bottom 'flask' (for lack of a better word).  When the water was heated to the proper temperature, it began to fill up into the upper glass chamber.  On its own.  Crazy, right?

Once the water had completely moved, he added the scoops of coffee.  We had the Harrar roast (made of beans from Ethiopia) that his dad had recently sent him.  Recently sent = fresh coffee.  Yes, hallelujah, amen.

He used the little wooden rod (off to the left) to stir the coffee grounds in.  The coffee water then began to drip drop back into the flask.

The flask then was able to be unattached to use to pour the coffee.

I sat with my jaw at my chest, in awe and silent excitement the entire time.

Of course, I also managed to sneak in these pictures that Tyler was completely oblivious to.

The fun wasn't over yet.  First, Tyler asked us if we knew why the surface of our coffee had an oily appearance.  Hubby and I both assumed it was a bad thing, but we learned that when coffee has that oily surface it means that it is fresh.

Nice to know.

Before we could ruin our coffee with the pleasures of this world named sugar and cream, Tyler made us try our coffee without anything in it.  I had expected it to be overpoweringly strong, but it wasn't.  It was smooth and mild without sacrificing any of its delicious flavors.  This is one of the few coffees I have met so far that I could probably enjoy completely black.

He also made coffee for us in his French press.  I left his house interested in the Chinese coffee contraption, and adding a French press to my Christmas list.

Yes, I've already started it...

Caffe Bene, New York, NY

I promise, I have been cooking.

If you read my other blog you know I have not fallen off the face of the earth.  I have just simply started a new job.  But I must say, I've had so many food related thoughts for posts come into my mind that I've been a little sad to not be able to share them with you.

And it just doesn't feel right cooking a meal without taking a million pictures.

Since I haven't been taking a million pictures of the things I have cooked over the last two months (Poor planning on my part!  Sorry, not perfect just yet....), I'll be starting simple by sharing with you my favorite coffee place in NYC.

Hubby and I were in NYC a few months ago.  He had a meeting to attend for work and I demanded to come along.  So while he sat in a meeting, I shopped in Times Square.

It was a little warm out, so naturally, my thirst grew.  The one piece of advice I'd like to give here is this: when your thirst grows in NYC, do not give in and run into a Starbucks!  You can do better!

Don't get me wrong, I love Starbucks, really I do!  But there is one located five minutes from my house.  So, why buy Starbucks, that I can get at home, when I'm in a city that offers a well rounded variety of possibilities in the coffee department alone?

This little place caught my eye:

and I decided I was going in.

*Confession time.  I did feel a slight pang of guilt that I would be enjoying a delicious coffee whilst hubby was sitting in his boring meeting.  However, I made up for it later.  Wait and see.

Since it was warm out, I went for a Mocha Frappe.  I felt even more guilty because this is hubby's drink of choice, not mine.  I'm typically an iced latte type of person.

But I was so glad I chose it.  It was smooth and creamy with the perfect amount of espresso throughout.  The best part?  I didn't crunch on a single speck of ice like I typically do when drinking a mocha frappe of other coffee establishments.

And, I'm not too proud to admit, it was halfway gone before I had even walked a block away.

I was in such a state of euphoria as I drank my frappe that the time flew by and before I knew it I was waiting for hubby to come out of the Nasdaq building.  Quickly, I confessed my sin of drinking without him and finished my statement by demanding that we go back after dinner.

Hubby got the Mocha Frappe and was, of course, quite impressed.  I ordered a cappuccino and was then talked into one of Caffe Bene's specialties by the girl who rang us up.

Are you ready for this?

Waffle.  Ricotta.  Fig jam (with bacon in it).  Almond slivers.  

Don't think, why?  Just think, wow.  Because it was wow.  So, so, wow!

Never would I have ordered such a thing on my own.  But I was so glad I did.

The one and only downside that I must tell you of Caffe Bene is that there is only one in NYC and only two in all of America.

That makes me a little sad inside.  

But, on the upside, it gives me reason to visit NYC more often.  And, I think I can handle that...