***Have you entered my earring giveaway yet?…***

So if you read yesterday’s post, you’ll know that I was recently given samples of POMx™ Iced Coffee to taste and review.  While I really enjoyed the flavor of the iced coffees, I don’t think I’ll be rushing to replace my morning cup of black coffee with the POMx™ Iced Coffee anytime soon.  Sorry! They’re just a tad too sweet for me to have so early on in the day as my first consumption of caffeine.  Plus, I’m already sweet enough (*sarcasm*)!  So what did I do with the rest of my samples, you ask?  Did I throw them away?  Did I give them to someone else to finish (that would be a bit gross)?  Did I just drink them for the heck of it?  No.  No.  And no!  Since Healthy Chow isn’t one for wasting things, I decided to make good use of my free samples versus just letting them sit and and take up precious space in my fridge.

So, you wanna know what I made…?

Well, if I wasn’t going to be drinking these little ‘wonderfuls’ as part of my breakfast, I figured the next best thing was to cook with them!  Because I love the rich and decadent taste of each of the flavors, I imagined they would be the perfect component in my breakfast foods.  Now, I’m not right a lot of the times, but when I am, I hit the nail exactly on the head (she pats herself on the back)!

Are you ready to find out yet…?

Blueberry Cheesecake Oatmeal POM-erized
Serves 1

• 1/2 cup of dry oats (you can use quick oats or old-fashioned style)
• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 TSP of chia seeds (I used Greens Plus brand)
• 2 TBSP of nonfat cottage cheese
• 1 TBSP of POMx™ Vanilla flavored Iced Coffee
• 1/2 TBSP of chopped raw almonds
• small handful of blueberries, fresh or frozen

1) In a small pot, bring water to a rolling boil.  Once boiling, add the oats and chia seeds.  Stir to make sure the chia seeds are well-blended with the oats.  Reduce the heat to medium/medium-low and let cook for another 3 minutes.

2) Add your cottage cheese and iced coffee.  Stir.

3) Remove oatmeal from heat and pour into a bowl.  Top with blueberries and chopped almonds.

4) Eat with a spoon, but you won’t be able to stop thinking that this is a piece of blueberry cheesecake!

Yum-to-the-O!  This was incredible! The cottage cheese made the oatmeal fluffy (and cheesy) while the chia seeds added to the thickness.  The vanilla iced coffee sweetened this whole little number and the chewiness from the almonds made me think I was eating a graham cracker crust.  And of course, the blueberries accentuated the entire recipe.  If this breakfast was a whole cake, there wouldn’t be a slice left!

POM-errific Chocolate Banana French Toast
Serves 1

• 2 or 3 slices of bread (I used Trader Joe’s Sprouted Flourless Whole Wheat Berry Bread – 2 slices and 1 end)
• 1/4 cup of POMx™ Chocolate flavored Iced Coffee
• 1/3 cup of liquid egg whites
• few shakes of pumpkin pie spice
• few shakes of cinnamon
• few shakes of nutmeg
• pinch of brown sugar
• 1/2 of banana, sliced
• sprinkling of organic dried coconut (I used Woodstock Farms brand)
• sprinkling of cocoa powder

1) Mix the iced coffee, egg whites, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar in a shallow bowl.

2) Dip each slice of bread in the iced coffee/egg white mixture.  Let each piece absorb the mixture for about 1 minute.

3) Spray your frying pan or griddler (or in my kitchen, the C.G.) with cooking spray.  Turn your heat to medium.

4) Place your dipped slices of bread on the frying pan/griddler.  Heat each side for about 2-3 minutes or until the edges start turning that nice golden brown color.

5) Flip each piece of bread and cook for another couple of minutes.

6) Serve with sliced bananas, cocoa powder and dried coconut sprinkles.  Devour!

This french toast recipe was so tasty! There was just enough chocolate flavoring from the iced coffee to give this dish a unique flavor without it being overly sweet.  Coupled with the smashed banana slices (the banana was previously frozen) and the dried coconut, this french toast didn’t even need maple syrup.  I wish I had made more than the the 2.5 pieces I inhaled!

Oatmeal POM-tein Pancakes
Serves 1

• 1/3 cup of dry oats (you can use quick oats or old-fashioned style)
• 1/4 cup of POMx™ Vanilla flavored Iced Coffee
• 1/4 cup of liquid egg whites
• 1/2 TSP of baking soda
• few shakes of cinnamon
• few shakes of nutmeg
• 1/2 banana, sliced
• maple syrup or agave nectar

1) In a small bowl, mix together the oats, iced coffee, egg whites, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.

2) Pour the mixture into your blender.  Add your sliced banana.  Blend until you get the consistency of a thin batter.

3) Spray your frying pan or griddler (or C.G) with cooking spray.  Turn your heat to medium/medium-high.

4) Pour your batter onto your pan or griddler.  Let cook for 2-3 minutes.  Once the pancake can be moved without sticking, flip.  Cook the other side for another 2 minutes.

5) Serve with maple syrup or agave nectar.  Enjoy!

Ohemgee!  These protein-packed pancakes tasted more like banana bread than flapjacks.  They were so delicious and aromatic; I couldn’t believe this breakfast was actually healthy! The vanilla iced coffee and banana kept these pancakes moist and more than flavorful.  I’m glad no one was watching me eat these because I seriously was licking the plate clean.

POM-tastic Banana Coffee Soft Serve
Serves 1

• 1 frozen banana
• 2 TBSP of POMx Café au Lait flavored Iced Coffee

1) Place the  frozen banana and the iced coffee in your blender.  Blend until you get the consistency of soft serve.  You might need to stop the blender intermittently to scrape down the sides and then blend again.

2) Pour into a dish and savor your frosty treat!

Not only did I love this but Patrick seemed to be quite fond of it as well.  He kept asking me what was in his soft serve and couldn’t believe that it was just a frozen banana and a couple of splashes of iced coffee.  The coffee flavoring gave this frozen treat a more gourmet taste than the usual banana flavor.  While we ate this for dessert, it could definitely be a fun breakfast.  After all, it is just fruit and coffee!

When I first tried these iced coffee samples, my first reaction was that they were good.  They were a bit sweet for my liking, but they were definitely tasty.  However, after I began cooking with the iced coffees, I really fell in love.  I guess that goes to show that when life (or Blue) gives you slightly over sweet iced coffee, you need to make perfectly sweet breakfast!

Do you prefer cranberry sauce from the can (the kind where you can still see the indentations from the can) or do you prefer the homemade stuff?  Or are you like me and don’t like either?

***Don’t forget!  You still have until Friday, November 27th at 6pm ET to enter my jewelry giveaway.  After all, we could all use some sparkle in our lives…***

Namasté,
Nicole

I love yoga.  If you’ve been reading my blog for some time now, you’ll know that I find it to be the cat (cow pose)’s meow or the (downward facing) dog’s bark.  I’ve learned so much from the extraordinary teachers at my studio, as well as from my own daily practice.  It’s truly amazing how much insight one can gain from stretching, breathing and sweating in a hot yoga room for 90 minutes, 6-7 days a week, 26 – 28 times a month.  See I told you, I’m in love with yoga!

While I’ve learned so much about my body and mind and have been eternally inspired by the words of wisdom that are constantly spoken in class, I’ve also been influenced by some of my teachers’ nutritional and dietary habits.  For example, I’ve tasted a faux cheesecake made from yogurt, dates and nuts.  I’ve discovered the deliciousness of pure coconut water.  I’ve learned about the benefits one can receive from doing a cleanse.  I receive a monthly newsletter from the studio’s shiatsu masseuse, who is also a nutritional counselor.  And finally, I watched my yoga teacher open a bottle of kombucha while teaching class and saw it explode as if it were a bottle shaken-up champagne (a bottle of stinky shaken-up champagne!)

We were both startled and humored by the beverage explosion in class.  At first, I thought my teacher had opened a bottle of seltzer water.  The way the beverage fizzed out of control made me think it was some sort of carbonated beverage.  However, once the smell of the kombucha hit my nose, I knew it was like no drink I have ever seen or drank before in my life.

Image Credits – arizonafoothillsmagazine.com

Just what the fark was it?  It came in a glass bottle, it had junk floating in the bottom, it definitely had to be opened with care and it smelled like rotten juice.  When class was over, I quickly ran to my teacher to find out just what in fact her explosion in a bottle was.  She told me it was kombucha, or what some might call fermented tea.  Then she told me that it was a raw drink and contained living cultures.  After that interesting answer, I asked her if she liked the taste of her kombucha and she paused.  She said, “well, I like it.  But, it’s not for everyone.  I like what it does for me, more so than the taste.  But it does taste good…now…”  I left that conversation a bit confused, but more so intrigued by this little wonder drink.

Image Credits – guerillahealthwatch.wordpress.com

This is how kombucha can be made at home…(not my home)

When I was at the grocery store a few days following the mishap in class, I found the same kind of kombucha.  It was in the natural food aisle/department and my first impression was that it was mighty expensive.  For a 16 oz. bottle of this stuff, the price was just a shade under $4.  But when I looked at the bottle and saw all the benefits that this little elixir could provide, $4 sounded like a bargain!

According to the bottle -

Kombucha supports:
Digestion, metabolism, immune system, appetite control, weight control, liver function, body alkalinity, anti-aging, cell integrity, healthy skin & hair

During the culturing process (which is 30 days), essential nutrients like active enzymes, viable probiotics, amino acids, antioxidants and polyphenols all form and combine to create an elixir that immediately works with the body to restore balance and vitality.

After reading the fun facts on the bottle, I was convinced that I had to try and buy a bottle of GT’s Organic Raw Kombucha.  There was an original flavor, as well as a citrus flavor.  I opted for the citrus thinking it might make the drink a bit more palatable.  Plus, I liked the fact that the bottle had a bright yellow logo (Healthy Chow is a sucker for the little things).

When I arrived home, I immediately put my new bevvie in the fridge.  I didn’t drink it just yet because well, I was sort of scared.  The smell from the explosion in yoga class was the only thing I could think about.  But after a few days had passed, I finally bit the bullet.  Yesterday, I ‘kombucha-ed’.  And let me tell you something, it had me ka-powed!

Even though my kombucha was sitting idle in my fridge for a few days before I attempted to drink it, I opened it slowly and with precaution.  It’s a good thing that I did because as soon as I turned the cap, bubbles started forming and the kombucha started foaming out.  I quickly had to tighten the cap in order to shutdown anymore from spilling out.  When I finally got the cap off, the smell that came out was so pungent, I thought I had opened a bottle of sweaty gym socks.  WOW!  And, I haven’t even taken a sip yet.

Check out all those bubbles – it’s alive!

Sniff, sniff…

My first sip was a small one, but the taste was nothing but huge.  Holy crap on a cracker!  The citrus flavored GT’s Organic Raw Kombucha tasted like a cross between a ginger ale, beer and some booze that my grandmother used to rub on wounds and bruises, but one that had been sitting in the hot heat for days decaying.  In addition, there were some brown floaties at the bottom of the bottle that seemed to be alive.  According to their website, those floaties are strands of kombucha culture and are perfectly fine to drink.  OK, I guess I’ll just have to take their word for it!

First sip…

My face after the first sip…

Yeah, now you know what I mean about the floaties…

After a few more sips, I started liking the taste.  It was fizzy, bold and refreshing.  Then, I had to look to see if there was any alcohol in the drink because I was starting to feel a tad woozy (that may have been a figment of my imagination).  According to Wiki, ‘Kombucha contains ethyl alcohol in amounts that vary from 0.5% to 1.5%’.  It wasn’t a beverage that I wanted to chug down; it was something that I wanted to sip.  Like a cup of tea or hot water, I can see it accompanying me throughout the day and as something I would use to give me that much needed late afternoon boost.

Pictures of Healthy Chow feeling ‘tipsy’ from her kombucha

I also noticed that after about 10 minutes of drinking some of my kombucha, I no longer was hungry.  Before I opened the bottle, I was feeling a little empty in my stomach and as if I needed a snack.  This drink totally curbed my appetite! I know it claims ‘appetite control’ on the bottle, but I wasn’t sure if that was going to happen.  Oddly enough, I was no longer seeking carbs or becoming my alter ego, Snacky McSnackerton (you probably thought I was going to say ‘Healthy Chow’).  Also, and this might be TMI, but my lower stomach started churning and burning, if you catch my drift.  I guess that must be the probiotics kicking in?  Now I wonder what this little bottle of fabu is going to do for my hair and skin?  I guess I’ll have to wait to find out.

“She likes it, she really, really, likes it!”

All in all, I give GT’s Organic Raw Kombucha a thumbs up, way up (and I said a ‘thumb’, not the middle finger).  I’ve read online and heard from some others that they just can’t seem to stomach this stuff because of the distinct taste and smell.  But I think if you try not to focus on that and remember all the good that this drink can provide for you, you just might want to ‘kombucha’ like me.  I liken my experience with kombucha to the first time I tried vinyasa/power yoga.  When I walked in, the room was steamy, it smelled like sweat, there were people sweating on me, holding all those poses for so many counts made me want to toss my cookies, there were people moaning as if they were in pain, my muscles ached for days afterward in places I never knew had muscles and it’s expensive.  However, once you get over all of the superficial things, you can see the beauty.  Kombucha may not taste like a cold glass of freshly made lemonade, but then again lemonade can’t do any of the things kombucha can.  And hot yoga might not be as easy as pie, but then again, pie won’t detoxify your body and cleanse your mind.

Thumbs way up!

So, are you ready to kombucha?

‘Don’t cha wish your beverage was hot like kombucha?  Don’t cha wish your beverage was a freak like kombucha?  Don’t cha?…’

What’s the weirdest food/drink you’ve ever tried?  Would you eat/drink something just because it was good for you and not for the taste?

Namasté,
Nicole