***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

Remember this guy?

Image Credits – www.bbc.co.uk

Well, I certainly do.  He might be a cartoon to most of you, but I think I married Sport Billy close to 3.5 years ago.  In Patrick’s world, sports might hold the number two spot in his heart (number one goes to me, obvi).  Patrick grew up playing and excelling in sports, his father, grandfather, siblings and other relatives were sports legends and now when we’re together as a family, one of the televisions is usually on ESPN’s SportsCenter.  Needless to say, I married into the world of sports.  But that’s fine by me.  I knew what I was getting into and now, I’ve just come to live with it.  If you can’t beat ‘em, might as well join ‘em, right?

A few weeks ago, Patrick surprised me with tickets to the Boston Celtics’ first pre-season home game.  I say he ’surprised’ me because I wasn’t expecting to go, not because this game was something I was dying to see.  But as a former Celtics season ticket holder, this is one of my husband’s favorite times of the year (I’d say his number one favorite is college basketball season) and he wanted me, his loyal wife, to partake in the excitement.  I would have been just as happy sitting on my cozy couch in my sweaties watching the C’s, but I knew how much this meant to Patrick.  Heck, it was a Friday night and I didn’t have too much going on.  So, I decided to go.  What did I have to lose?

When we arrived at the TD Garden, there was a definite energy in the air.  Even though this was just a pre-season opener and not an official game, the fans were out in full force sporting their team jerseys and spirit for the game.  The place was packed! I think I might have been the only person in the stands not wearing green.  You would have thought there was a St. Patrick’s Day parade going on; there was a sea of green going on for miles.  Oh well, at least I stood out!

KG!

Being the nosy person that I am, I have a tendency to like to people watch.  To be honest with you, the game played for at least 15 minutes before I even realized (or asked) who the Celtics were playing.  Patrick had to keep nudging me to watch and I did, but from time to time my eyes would be drawn back into the crowds.  I also tend to be quite the daydreamer.  I can watch a two hour game and can be so completely consumed by my own thoughts that I won’t even know who won.  But then the newly acquired forward, Rasheed Wallace, hit a three-pointer and the crowd went wild! The base from the music and the roar of the fans sent my heart racing.  I couldn’t believe how excited the crowd (Patrick included) was getting; you would have thought the Celtics were playing in a playoff game.  To see the smiles on the fans faces, both young and old, definitely pumped me up.  And as the crowd cheered louder, it seemed as if the Celtics played harder.  The voices from the stands electrified the arena and the sound of the ball swooshing down the basket simply added to that electricity.

Can you spot the Big Three?

There’s Rasheed!

Way to be, Rondo!

By half time, the Celtics were up 12 points. While it was a cool and rainy October night in Boston, the Garden was hot - figuratively and literally! I was really starting to work up a sweat and couldn’t wait to get something at the concession stand.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only one with that idea in mind.  I just wanted something cold and refreshing, but not the alcoholic kind.  Perhaps an ice cream or frozen yogurt? I figured since I wasn’t looking for a beer, the stand I going to be ordering from would not have a wait.  Uh, not so much. It felt as if half the Garden was standing in line with me.  It was loud, hot and stagnant.  The ice cream orders from the people waiting ahead of me became more and more complicated as I grew more and more frustrated.  Half time was now over and the game was starting, but I was still waiting in line.  I was just about to give up when Patrick assured me we were in no rush and to just get what I wanted.  I had the notion in mind that I wanted a scoop of ice cream on a waffle cone but when I finally got to the front of the line, the fruit cup was calling my name.  And, it was worth the wait!

Naturally sweet and refreshing!

With my fruit cup in hand and the entertainment of the crazy fans vying for the attention of the JumboTron, I was refreshed within five minutes.  Just watching all the nutty antics of the crowd as they competed for some face time on the camera had me in stitches! Other than the action from the actual game, this was easily the most entertaining part of the night.  If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought these people were getting paid to perform.

The kids are the cutest!

Smile ladies, you’re on camera!

Oooooooh, bay-beh!

The night was a huge success!  Not only did the Celtics beat the Knicks by 14 points, but Patrick and I had a great night out.  While attending a Celtics game isn’t usually at the top of my list of things to do, I’ll have to admit that I had a blast.  I think because I know I’m not the biggest sports fan, I’m not going to have fun at a sporting event.  However, just seeing how excited my husband was throughout the game as his beloved Celtics made the hometown fans proud in their pre-season opener, was enough to make me want to ‘love’ the game.  But watching the crowd squeal in delight as every point was made and every shot was blocked made me understand just what it’s like to be a true fan.  To be able to fully put your heart and soul behind a team and support them through thick and thin is such dedication and shows an undeniable commitment.  Hopefully, if I keep attending events like this, I too, will begin developing my deep love for the game.  Now that’s something to root for, isn’t it?

Go C’s!

Look at all those banners!

The year I was born!

Who is your favorite team?  Do you have a favorite sport?

Namasté,
Nicole

I grew up on the eastern side of Massachusetts.  To get to Boston by car from my house, it would take you about 15 minutes.  All of my family lived within 30 minutes from my childhood home.  I attended college in Boston; it was about a ten minute drive from my house.  My first job after I graduated was in Waltham, another 15 minute drive from Boston.  And now I live in Boston.  Needless to say, Healthy Chow likes Massachusetts and the Boston area.  And why wouldn’t I?  Boston is a great place to be.  Suffice it to say, I never strayed too far from home.

However, when I met Patrick, I ‘discovered’ there was another side to Massachusetts.  Patrick is from Springfield, which is in western Massachusetts.  Perhaps I grew up in a box or I was just too ignorant to realize there was more to Massachusetts than what was within Route 128, but I had never been to western Massachusetts until I met my husband.  It’s a whole other world out there!  Where had I been?  What else was I missing out on?  Now whenever I go to Springfield or any other part of western Massachusetts, it’s like a pure adventure for me.  Instead of it being the other side of the state to me, I think of western Massachusetts as being the side of the state that needs to be explored.

Last Saturday when the sun was shining and the temperature was still warm enough where a coat was not needed, we decided on taking a day trip to visit Patrick’s parents.  Springfield is less than an hour and a half away from Boston and since we didn’t have much on our plate (notice the food reference) that afternoon, we figured it was the perfect time to make the trip out west.

For the car trip, I figured the most important thing other than gas was snacks (but I guess that’s gas for our bodies).  Since we were meeting Patrick’s parents for a late lunch/early dinner and I didn’t want to spoil my appetite, I only brought a few emergency essentials.

But of course as soon as we started driving by all the various rest stops along the highway and I kept seeing the signs for all the fast food restaurants, I started getting a hunger pang and immediately wanted something to eat.  Plus, since I hadn’t had my morning coffee, I knew that that was going to be on my agenda.  As we began pulling off the highway and onto the rest area to ‘rest’, I saw the most unusual thing.  It was a farmers market! Of course I jumped at the chance to go shopping (and take pics) and thus, jumped out of the car to check it out.  While the farmers market was a small one, they sold things such as locally preserved jams, raw honey, bee pollen, locally grown vegetables and fruits, flowers, fresh herbs and my personal favorite, honey crisp apples.

I really enjoyed both my coffee and fruit and yogurt parfait from Mickey D’s.  While it’s always tempting to be lured in by a hot and cheesy Egg McMuffin, I managed to stick to my guns and ordered a lighter, but still enjoyable meal.  It definitely hit the spot.  Plus, my refueling gave me the much needed energy to gaze at the beautiful scenery along the highway.  While it’s still a bit early for official leaf peeping, the trees and leaves were breathtaking and definitely ready for fall (or ‘to fall’).

I guess my picture taking and scene gazing really kept me busy because we made it to Springfield in no time.  And as we arrived at the door, we were greeted by a friendly face.  Lexi is my in-laws’ French Bulldog.  She’s only about a year and a half old (in human years) and is quite the energetic dog.  Don’t you just love that little face?

Because my mother-in-law is an avid reader and loves to clip out articles of interest from various newspapers and magazines for her children and children-in-law, Healthy Chow was armed with a healthy stack of good reading.  You know I love my recycled magazines and all those recipes you save me, El!  If you get a stack of reading material from this woman, you know she likes you.  By the looks of my stack, Ellen must really love me.  Thank you!  You’re the best, Ellie!  And no trip back to my in-laws’ would be the same if I didn’t get to check out some family photos.  I definitely found some good ones

Look at Patrick the studly soccer jock!

Awww, young love at the beach

While the sun was still shining, Ellen and I decided to take a short drive over to this newly developed shopping area in the neighboring town.  We visited a family member who works at Ann Taylor and chatted it up with her for a bit.   And then continued walking the shops and enjoying our day out in the sun.  It was such a fun afternoon and a lovely shopping area.  I’m glad I had the chance to visit.  Before we knew it, it was close to 5 pm and the ‘boys’ were at home waiting for us to have dinner.  Patrick went to watch his father referee a football game and what a perfect day it was for it.  There was not a cloud in the sky, nor a hint of a cool breeze.  It’s days like this where you cherish both the weather and the company you’re fortunate enough to keep.

My stomach was growling by the time we made it home to Patrick’s parents’ house.  So we quickly decided on one of our favorite places to go when we’re in the area.  We went to Ginger Blossom, a Chinese-American food restaurant a few minutes up the road.  It’s a cute little place that serves your standard Chinese-American cuisine, as well as sushi.  While Patrick and his dad ordered the sample appetizer platter (it was huge!) along with beef teriyaki and chicken fried rice for their entrée.  My mother-in-law and I shared some ‘lighter’ fare and opted for steamed shrimp with mixed vegetables and a lite ginger sauce on the side with brown rice.  Everything was sooooo good! I sampled a few items from the sampler platter and each bite was divine.  It’s always fun when the table shares their entrées and we can eat ‘family style’.  And my family certainly loves to share.  I’m truly blessed with having such wonderful people in my life!

Because it was still light out and we needed wanted to burn off some of the food we had just savored, we decided to go for a ride to Randall’s Farm and Greenhouse in Ludlow.  This place was so amazing!  I had no idea this place even existed.  It’s essentially a large farm stand/marketplace with a bakery, a deli, a greenhouse selling plants and flowers, a huge produce section, a grocery aisle with various gourmet and gluten-free items, a large selection of beer and wine and my personal favorite, the creamery.  The creamery was Randall’s spot to get ice cream and frozen yogurt.  They had picnic tables set-up outside but because it was now dark and the temperature was no longer ‘Indian summer-esque’, we decided to take our dessert inside.  We found an open table in the greenhouse and had some of the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted.  I didn’t order my own ice cream, instead I helped myself to shared everyone else’s dessert.  That way, I was able to get the best of everyone’s world (sorry, at this point my camera battery decided to go nighty-night.  So, you’ll have to envision some gorgeous ice cream and a gorgeous girl eating it (that would be me!) ).

What a great day it truly was!  Again, I had the opportunity to visit the ‘other side’ of the state and experience some of the things I would have missed if I had not made the choice to venture out.  I was able to spend time with my in-laws, have a lovely time shopping with my mother-in-law, enjoy some yummy food (and dessert) and visit both a farmers market and farm.  It was one of those glorious days that just sort of piece together by chance.  Who says you have to travel far in order to have a mini adventure?  If you can stay at home and have a ’stay-cation’, then you can certainly visit another part of your state or hometown and make it an ‘explor-stay-tion’.

This was a little sign I saw being sold at Randall’s Farm.  I thought it was such an appropriate notion with which to end our wonderful day…

Do you like seasonal flavored foods like the pumpkin and spiced apple flavored ice cream at Randall’s?  If so, what is your favorite?

***I just wanted to wish my mother a happy birthday!  Happy birthday, Mom!  I love you and I hope you have an amazing day!  I love you!***

Namasté,
Nicole

I hate to admit this but when something becomes popular, I tend to shy away from it.  For example, when someone says, ‘Oh, (insert movie name) is SO funny!  You have to see it.  It’s an instant classic.  Everyone’s been raving about it’, I add that said movie to my list of movies I no longer want to see.  And when I see people clamoring to the same ‘hip’ new restaurant that ‘you just gotta try’, you guessed it, I have no interest in going.  I really don’t know why I do this?  I don’t consider myself avant-garde and I certainly don’t consider myself to be a loner.  And I’m definitely not like this with every aspect of my life.  I guess maybe it’s my way of being a tiny rebel?  Who knows?  But it drives Patrick nuts (along with a laundry of my other idiosyncrasies)!  Especially when he wants to see the latest and greatest movie or eat dinner at the restaurant that’s currently the talk of the town (I know, I can be a P-I-T-A (and not the whole wheat kind).

Image Credits – Getty Images

So when I DVR’d caught a glimpse of an episode of  The Hills a couple of years ago, I saw that Lauren Conrad was at this trendy frozen yogurt place in L.A. called Pinkberry.  First off, I loved the name of this shop.  It just sounded so darn cute!   And the fact that you could get fruit toppings such as fresh raspberries, mango, kiwi and lychees and bing cherries (if in season) and dry toppings such as mochi, carob chips and fruity pebbles for your tangy and ‘healthier’ frozen yogurt, I was immediately intrigued.  Pinkberry was something that the Boston area had not seen yet and it was too bad, because we were in desperate need of a new dessert trend.  But because Pinkberry or any of its imitators had not travelled its way across the U.S., this was a craze of which I wanted to be a part.

Image Credits – hotandnerdy.wordpress.com

Fast forward to this past June, the locally owned, BerryLine, opened a location right in my neck of the woods (aka Fenway).  It was the perfect location, being situated in one of the area’s largest apartment buildings (filled with young professionals and graduate students) and about a two minute walk from Fenway Park.

BerryLine is locally owned by long time friends, Pok Yang and Matthew Wallace, who first met in 1999 while attending graduate school in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The idea for BerryLine arose in late 2006 and was seriously considered in early 2007 when potential locations were scouted. The initial site in Harvard Square was settled upon in May 2007, though renovations were not completed until September 2007. Numerous renovation and business development plans were made possible by the generous contributions of time and expertise made by BerryLine friends.

While I was thrilled that the tart frozen yogurt mania was finally hitting Boston, I was afraid that my ‘anti-popular’ disorder was going to kick in yet again.  I was beginning to see food bloggers in the area post about it and thus, rave about how delicious BerryLine’s frozen goodness was and how it was a definite ‘must try’.  I hate to say it, but it turned me off.  I didn’t want to jump in ‘late in the game’ (Healthy Chow likes to find the goodie goods, ya know?).  But one day when it felt like a million degrees in Boston and Patrick and I were on one of our tours around town, we were needless to say, a hot mess and in desperate need of something refreshing.  And so, we were steps away from this:

We really had no other choice but to walk inside.  It was as if the Tart Frozen Yogurt Gods were calling our names.  “Hey, Healthy Chow…you know you can’t fight it, you know you don’t want to fight it…do what is right…” When we walked in, we were greeted by a group of very eager and enthusiastic employees whose attitudes matched the bright and cheerful decorum of the shop.  I couldn’t stop raving about how absolutely darling BerryLine was and how I hoped the taste of their frozen yogurt was as pleasing as their aesthetics.

After a few minutes of deliberation, we finally decided on a medium sized original with fresh raspberries and chocolate cookie crunch (the special of the day) for toppings.  Not that one could go wrong at BerryLine with any choice or combination of toppings, but I’m pretty confident that we picked the absolute best!

Just take a close look at all those plump and juicy raspberries!  The tartness of the berries were the perfect complement to the tanginess of the frozen yogurt.  Then, when you add in the crunchy chocolate cookie crumbs, it’s simply pure bliss.  BerryLine’s frozen yogurt is refreshing and definitely satisfies the craving for something fresh, fruity and light tasting (ha, you would think I was describing Healthy Chow!).  If you’re looking for something decadent, sugary sweet and rich, this tart frozen yogurt would not be the way to go.  However, because we were thirsty and in need of something to bring us back from the heat cloud that is Boston in mid-August, BerryLine was the irrefutable choice.

While I hate having to admit that I ‘followed the herd’, in this instance, I am glad that I was at the back of the pack.  BerryLine is worth making a visit, if you haven’t already done so.  This local business does a fine job with having an inviting atmosphere and fairly comparable prices.  And, with all the different choices in toppings and the various flavors of frozen yogurt, you could probably have a different combination every day until the next trend hits Boston.

What’s your favorite topping for ice cream and/or frozen yogurt?  What was the last trend you resisted but when you finally gave in, you were pleasantly surprised?

Namasté,
Nicole

Two days after I graduated from college, I started my first real full-time job.  While I was grateful to be employed (and had a hot co-worker whose name rhymes with ‘Hatrick’), I wasn’t making the money I needed in order to support myself.  Thus, I got a part-time job working at J. Crew.  This is where my 60+ hour work week began (and probably where my bunion got it’s start – eew, sorry, I know).  But I needed the money and working in the mall kept me from shopping at the mall (OK, that’s not entirely true).  I often times would run from one job to the other and by the time I got home (which would usually be at 11pm), I was starving.  But because I was too tired to make something of substance to eat, I would usually grab the first thing I could find in my fridge.  Unfortunately, that was usually ice cream.

I know, I know!  How could I? But when I finally got home, my feet were numb from being shoved into high heels, my back ached as if I were pulling weeds all day and my mind just wanted to be turned off.  All I wanted to do at that point was plop myself on the couch and indulge in a sweet treat.  It was my way of comforting and rewarding myself.  And didn’t I deserve it?  Well, I certainly thought I did.

However, that was years and years ago and I’ve wised up some (I said some, not a lot ).  I know that ‘rewarding’ myself with indulgent foods is really not the healthiest route to go.  But sometimes, it is just nice to be able to relax in front of the tv with a delicious, frosty dessert.

A couple of days ago, when I wanted to sit and veg on the couch, I started digging in my fridge and was disappointed that there wasn’t any frozen yogurt or icy cold treat to tickle my fancy (can someone tell me why I look when I know there isn’t any in there?).  But instead of hightailing it over to the 7-Eleven that is literally 100 steps from my home, I decided to take a deep breath and ask myself what else I could make to tame my sweet tooth.  I’m not sure if I answered my own question, but I began yanking things out of my fridge and pantry.  After a few minutes, I came up with this:

Group photo

I decided I would make my own parfait.  I’ve seen so many of my fellow food bloggies make them (Kristen and K)  and rave about them that I realized it was time to get on the bus.  And boy, was I able to catch this ride!  Here are the ingredients I used to make The Have It Your Way Parfait:

• 1/2 cup of Trader Joe’s European Style Plain Nonfat Yogurt
• 1/3 cup of Smart Bran cereal
• 2 TSP of ground flax seeds
• handful of blueberries (absent from photo)
• 1 apple (any kind will do, as long as it’s not candied )

Chop, chop, chop!

1) Wash your apple and chop it up into bite-sized pieces

2) Get yourself a big glass (the fancier, the better – I only had this one ) and start layering the fun (aka the ingredients)

3) I would start with some apple first, then yogurt, then Smart Bran, then some more yogurt, some bloobs, and work your way up until you are out of ingredients and space in your glass.  But you could do it any way you want because after all, you can Have It Your Way!

It's building...

Rhymes with 'Hatrick' thinks the parfait is smiling at him...

4) To top it all off, I sprinkled some ground flax seeds

Can you hear the angels singing?

5) Get yourself a really long spoon and dig in!

Yummy!

Wholesome goodness!

Holy crap on a cracker!  This sucker was truly, truly, truly outrageous!  All the different flavors like the cold, creamy yogurt along with the sweet, crisp apple, the tartness of the blueberries, the crunch of the Smart Bran and then the nutty goodness of the ground flax seeds made my taste buds sing for joy!  It was delectable and quite filling.  I grabbed my bottle of honey to drizzle over the top for some added sweetness but my parfait didn’t need it.  The only thing I did need was a bigger glass, so I could fit in more parfait into my heart-tay par-tay.  This little concoction did its job in soothing my senses.  From the first bite to the last, I felt instantly relaxed.  Now if I would have known about this when I was working at my part-time job, I might have spent more of my money on yogurt than I did on cashmere.

What was your favorite part-time job?  Your worst?

Namasté,
Nicole

Who says you can’t have dessert in the middle of the day?  Not me!

This afternoon was the first event of many for the Healthy Living Summit.  We had an ice cream social at JP Licks on Newbury Street where both attendees and non-attendees of the Summit were invited to come meet and greet the Summit’s organizers.  Of course I jumped at the chance to go!  Not only was I so excited to meet all the bloggers I had been following for months and months, but the fact that I could enjoy a frozen treat at JP Licks midday was an added bonus.

Do you know what it feels like to literally count down the minutes to something?  I felt like a little girl again on Christmas morning, standing over my mother and father at the crack of dawn waiting for them to get out of bed so I could finally open my presents.  Well, today wasn’t Christmas but meeting everyone was certainly a gift.  Just how often in life do you get to meet your mentors, the people you’ve admired from afar, or the people who you just want to flippin’ meet because they just seem so darn cool?!  And this is only the tip of the iceberg (not lettuce though, we food bloggers like something a little mo’ green and leafy!).  I haven’t even met everyone yet!

While the sunshine was lacking this afternoon at JP Licks, the smiles and laughter were a plenty.  We had a small group but it was a mighty one!  Kath, Tina, Jenna, Heather and Mark all greeted us at the entrance of JP Licks.  Unfortunately, Caitlin and Meghann, who were on the same flight from Orlando, were delayed a little bit and weren’t able to make the ice cream party.

This is me taking candid photos...

I think like me, Jenna was ready for her ice cream!

Hi Mark! Thanks for being our photographer...

Yes, the wall is supposed to look like a cow - mooooo!

I <3 JP Licks!

But not to worry, we took pictures for ‘the Floridians’ and had enough ice cream, soft serve and frozen yogurt to make up for their absence . Well, I certainly did!  I ordered a small oatmeal cookie hard frozen yogurt with chocolate jimmies (or sprinkles, for all you non-Northeasterners) in a cup and I wanted it to it seemed like it lasted forever.  Delicious!  This is my got-to at JP Licks; it never fails me.  My frozen yogurt had chunks of oatmeal cookie and it was just sweet enough for me.  I tend to go for vanilla based ice creams/frozen yogurts versus chocolate ones.  But then I like to add things like chocolate jimmies on top, so I’m not sure what my rationale is?  All I can say is, I wasn’t craving potato chips or french fries afterward .

There were even more chocolate jimmies (sprinkles) on the sidewalk...

And if the sweet treats weren’t enough excitement, we even had a special guest of honor at JP Licks – Sammie’s son, Declan.  He was so cute and definitely a blogger in training.  Maybe Declan will be an organizer at Healthy Living Summit 2029?  You just never know…

Crouching tiger...

Hi Kath!

And what would a blogger event (or any event really) be without a group picture?  Mark was our gracious photographer and did a wonderful job taking pictures with everyone’s cameras (I think there were close to 12 cameras in the group).  Naturally, the zoom function on my camera wasn’t on the correct setting so my group photo wasn’t that – a group photo.  Heather was kind enough to let me borrow snag her group photo – which turned out awesome!  Thanks Heather and Mark!  And don’t you worry, the zoom function has been set properly on my camera, so there will be many successful group pics taken this weekend.  Woot!

Healthy Living Summit 2009 JP Licks Class Photo

And there you have it, the end of the first event of Healthy Living Summit 2009.  To all of you who could make it, it was my pleasure meeting you all.  And to those that could not, we had you there in spirit!  I’m sure I’ll have a serving of yogurt or two and a drink or two (or more) for you this weekend.

What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream/frozen yogurt?  Or, do you always like to try new flavors?

Namasté,
Nicole

PS: I’m sorry for the late posting today!  Healthy Chow’s files were getting transferred over to another server.  Thank you for your patience.  BTW, if you left a comment for me last night, it may not have posted due to the transfer.  I’m so sorry, but as our beloved Michael Jackson said, “Oh baby, give me one more chance…!“