Favorite Food Spotlight - GoPicnic

I've been on a journey the last few months to exercise every day and to be more mindful and healthy about what, when and how I eat. At the same time, I think I've pretty well established that I'm a food enthusiast, so I guess I'm learning that moderation is a virtue worthwhile embracing.

That's all background to explain the dilemma I faced in the Lambert St. Louis Airport yesterday during a layover and how my new focus on moderation led me to a wonderful new product: GoPicnic Ready-to-Eat Meals.

 At that moment in the airport, I was not entirely hungry, but I also knew it would be a while before I could eat so I looked around at my options - the usual variety of fast-food restaurants and a few other "airport" restaurants. They're all geared toward convenience and taste and offer few (if any) options that are truly healthy, so I thought a package of nuts could tide me over. So I looked for one of those newsstands that also sell packaged snacks and tchotchkes and found a "Paradies Shop," all happy with my packet of almonds and a diet coke. (Moderation is still an effort for me - so go with me on this)

Then I glanced around at the souvenirs and I stumbled on a display of "GoPicnic" options and was floored when I found one of my favorite new healthy snacks - hummus with whole-grain crackers. I saw the variety of the contents and then saw that it was selling for $5.99 (about what a fast-food meal would cost). To me, it was a no-brainer. I put the almonds back, then paidfor my GoPicnic and diet coke and went back to my gate.  As expected, about 30 minutes later on the flight I got hungry, so I opened my GoPicnic. 

Wow! There are many nice things about what they have in the package, like the Hummus being sealed in a package that opens with a little tear at the top, so you can squeeze the hummus onto the crackers. That's very important considering how little space you have in a plane seat.

Each of the other packages were easy to open and enjoy by pouring into your mouth - an advantage again because of the space constraints in a plane seat, but also because there's little need to directly touch the food so you don't need to worry about washing your hands before or after your meal. The dry-roasted edamame were crunchy and flavorful, the fruit & nut mix had a nice sweet-savory balance to it, and the dark chocolate square was 72% cacao - high enough to be healthy, low enough to taste good.

The clincher for me was the nutritional profile of this great new product - the whole thing has 400 calories, 18g of fat, 350mg of sodium, 39g of carbs, 25g of protein and 12g of fiber.  Low enough on the "bad" stuff - calories, fat, sodium and carbs; high enough on the "good" stuff - protein and fiber (with iron and calcium to boot!). Whether those numbers fit within your target criteria, one thing's for sure - it's a far healthier option than any fast food meal. I found it both tasty and filling, so I will not look for GoPicnic whenever I fly and hope some of the airlines start carrying it.

The whole package is light, portable and low-maintenance because it's slightly larger than a paper-back book (about 1.5 inches thick, 5 inches wide and 7 inches long) and requires no heating nor refrigeration.

 

Another nice surprise is the sudoku puzzle on the inside, and their fun nudge inside the flap to "Go ahead - eat the chocolate first!" I'd already eaten the chocolate by time I saw that little suggestion, so I was probably destined to become a fan of this new product. They also appealed to reach out to them via email at feedback@gopicnic.com, so I plan to send them a link to this post.  I am traveling back in a few days, so I will be looking for GoPicnic again and hope to try one of the other options.

 

I encourage you to look for GoPicnic and try it - I think you'll like it.

 

 

 

Favorite food spotlight - Sodium-Free Chicken Bouillon

I am one of those individuals whose family health history dictates limiting my sodium intake, so I am always on the lookout for salt substitutes.  Table salt (sodium chloride) has a fairly simple chemical composition - one molecule of sodium (Na) and one molecule of chlorine (Cl), and its effect on the body is also fairly simple.  

Sodium promotes fluid retention, so people who work outside in the summer might take salt tablets to prevent dehydration if they perspire heavily.  Sodium also raises your blood pressure, so it's probably something everyone should minimize.

There are salt substitutes that work well, and almost all of them are made with potassium chloride (KCl).  That seems to work well since the potassium molecule is chemically similar to the sodium molecule. Some people claim that they can taste the difference, and maybe they can, but for me the taste is similar enough that I like potassium-based salt substitutes.

That said, I'm highlighting Herb Ox brand chicken bouillon because of the way it's packaged. It comes in a little box and has little individual packets with enough bouillon for a cup of broth.  It's seasoned with potassium-based salt substitute so it truly is sodium free.

What's really handy is that the bouillon is powdered (so it's not a hard cube), so you can sprinkle it onto your food or into a pot while you're cooking. I like to sprinkle it onto omelettes and it gives it a really flavorful boost. The little packets are about as big as Equal or Splenda packets and they're that easy to rip open and sprinkle. It's available at Harris-Teeter with the canned and dried soups.

Another brand that is similarly packaged and also sodium-free is Wyler's (also sold as MBT brand), which Publix supermarkets carried when we shopped there in Tampa.  Both brands also come in a beef version - also sodium-free!

Favorite food spotlight - Greek yogurt

The time has come for me to spotlight another one of my favorite foods, and this time I'll sing the praises of Greek yogurt.  The brand shown to the left happens to be a brand they sell at Costco, so we always buy it in a big, 36 ounce tub because that's how it's sold.  Once upon a time, we'd wonder how long it took us to use it up and then we slowly discovered how versatile and healthy it is, so we no longer worry about it going bad before we finish it.

Let's rewind the clocks a few years when Greek yogurt burst onto the scene (that's poetic license for "Harris Teeter started stocking it in Raleigh, NC"). Anyway, these little containers of "Greek yogurt" started to show up in the store, and they were much more expensive than all the other yogurts, so I rolled my eyes and assumed it was another ploy to squeeze more money out of us poor, hapless consumers. It also reminded me of the many times I'd go to my Aunt Olga and Uncle Nick's house to find her making home-made yogurt (he's Greek, so this simply one of the things my Aunt did), but that childhood memory did not help me overcome my consumer skepticism, nor did I ever appreciate what she was doing, but I digress.  Nonetheless, I ignored Greek yogurt for quite some time.

Then one day last year, we were at Joey and Olivier's house and they served up a nice Indian chickpea dish they made with homemade curry and coriander pods.  Then they plunked the industrial-size bucket (yes, from Costco) of Greek yogurt on the table.  So I started asking questions and discovered that they were using Greek yogurt in place of sour cream for quite some time.  I decided to try it and immediately discovered that Greek yogurt is a wonderful substitute for sour cream.  The taste is very similar, and since it's thicker than what we know as "regular yogurt," it really holds up when cooked into a dish or even just added on top as when I first ate it.

So why bother?  We'll it's actually a matter of nutrition.  Take a look at the nutritional information in the pictures below. On the left is the Greek yogurt and on the right is "reduced fat" sour cream.

Notice that the serving size of the Greek yogurt used to calculate the nutritional value is one cup (yes, c-u-p. One cup.) and by contrast the sour cream is two table spoons (two itty-bitty tablespoons).  In order to compare, you can multiply the values for the sour cream by 10 to get equivalency.  So here's how the math breaks down for one cup of each:

                          Greek yogurt     "Reduced fat" sour cream

Protein grams             23                                20

Fat grams                     0                                 20

Calories                    130                              350

Carb grams                   9                                30

Cholesterol mg             0                              100

The math is clear and the taste is similar, so for me it all adds up to a better way to enjoy fajitas, stroganoff, pörkölt (Hungarian beef stew) or gulyás (goulash). I also add it to red pasta sauce to make it a rosé sauce (I promise a post on this later).  And Greek yogurt is very filling because it has so much protein, so sometimes I will serve myself a cup and mix in a little Splenda or honey, or grape jelly and it makes for a great lunch or heavy snack.

Enjoy it with impunity!  Tell me what you think.

Favorite Product Spotlight: Egg Patties

I'm sharing a wonderful product that I was introduced to by Lauren's sister, Becca. It's a brand called Good Food Made Simple and this is their Egg Patties product.
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They are frozen patties of mostly egg whites mixed with a small amount of milk for texturing. They're basic and flavorful and super-easy if you need a quick breakfast on the run or any other time you need a good protein-filled snack.
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Here in North Carolina, you can find them at Harris-Teeter in the frozen breakfasts area (by the Eggo waffles and Jimmy Dean Sausage Biscuits). At $3.69/box it seemed a little pricey to me at first, but I figured the 6 patties in each box equal about 1 dozen eggs, but this way there's no cracking, not yolk separating, no heating and no pan to wash. I'm liking this deal!
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I usually microwave them up at about 35 seconds, flip it over, and then another 35 seconds. Then I eat it with two pieces of whole wheat toast, which is truly my kind of quick meal - fast, easy and delicious!
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I've included a shot of the nutrition information panel here to help you decide if this product is for you. Good Food Made Simple also has an oatmeal product line, which I have not yet tried. My main obstacle there is just how fast easy and convenient instant oatmeal already is. I may end up eating my words and coming around, but I just can't go there yet with oatmeal.
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Let me know what you think, and especially if you've found some similar products out there.

Favorite Food Spotlight - La Lechera

I thought it might be fun to share some of my favorite finds when I run across something really delicious or innovative. Today I'd like to spotlight a product I stumbled upon at my favorite Hispanic grocery store - it's Nestle's brand of sweetened condensed milk called "La Lechera" in a squeeze bottle (yes - a squeeze bottle).


It's the same as any other brand, but what's innovative is the packaging. Gone are the days when you only need a small amount of sweetened condensed milk and you have to open a whole can and then not know what to do with the leftover because the can is not resealable. This squeeze bottle makes it dangerously easy to enjoy sweetened condensed milk in small increments - try it some time in place of jelly in a PB&J and you'll understand the potential danger here.


At this point in time, I am not sure if La Lechera the squeezable is available in mainstream grocery stores, but I know for sure it's available at Compare Foods on Roxboro Rd. in Durham, NC and at International Grocery on New Hope Church Rd. in Raleigh, NC. Go ahead and be adventurous and check out your local bodega - you might be pleasantly surprised at what good service you get. If you do take the plunge, ask for "leche condensada" and see what they show you.

Be aware that "La Lechera" means "Milk Maid" in Spanish, so if you ask for la lechera without giving context, you might be misunderstood. Unless you intend the double entendre, in which case you might be in for another kind of surprise...