What I'm Eating: February 2013

It's back!

This month I've got even more delicious foods to share with you, so buckle up and I hope you're hungry!

First up...

Avocado Toast - ok, so I'm definitely not the first one to do this. No, sir.  I've seen it on billions of other blogs, most of which with pictures far better than the one above.  Well, let me just tell you, there is definitely a reason for the popularity.  Though simple, mashed avocado on toast is sooo good.  So good.  It makes a great snack, lunch, dinner, breakfast.  You name it!  I like having it on a sandwich thin (pictured above) or a piece of P28 bread, if I want to up the protein a bit.  It's also really good if you add a bit of orange muscat vinegar before mashing.  Trust me, I've been eating this stuff non stop.

If you'd like to go drool, here are some of the blogs that I was talking about that have already shared their love for avocado toast:

• Cookie and Kate: An Ode to Avocado Toast
• A Cup of Jo: The Best Avocado Toast You'll Ever Have
• Marth Stewart (does that count as a blog?): Tomato Avocado Toasts

Adora Calcium Chocolates - If you're being picky, these don't exactly count as a food, but I've been eating them a ton.  What can I say?  I "adora" them (please excuse the awful joke).  Anyway, these chocolate really were a great find.  I always struggle with getting enough calcium daily, probably because I'm not much of a milk drinker at all.  I've tried other calcium supplements, but I find the sugary gummies gross and there's really nothing fun about a pill.  But chocolate?  I'm in!  I have the dark chocolate adoras, and while they're not the best piece of chocolate I've ever had, but they sure beat choking down a pill, and as a bonus, they make a great after dinner treat.  Satisfying my calcium requirement and my sweet tooth is a mighty hard task, but these adora chocolates do it, and do it well!

Wheat Berries - We like grains at my house.  Lots and lots of grains.  Two full drawers in the kitchen are devoted to quinoa, barley, farro, and more recently, wheatberries.  After my mom purchased nearly 200 pounds (slight exaggeration) of wheat berries from iherb, we've been eating them a ton.  They're much chewier than rice or quinoa, with a slightly nutty taste.  The most common way we eat them is in salads, but they're probably great for a variety of other things, including eating them by the handful, if you ask me.

If you've never heard of wheat berries (I don't really blame you), then head over to some of these links for awesome recipes to get you started.  Really, you need to try them.

• Brown Sugar Apple, Wheat Berry Yogurt Parfaits - Wheatberries for breakfast?  No, I haven't tried it, but the pictures are absolutely mouthwatering and I can totally see wheatberries working beautifully in a sweet recipe.  Sort of like a chewy granola, maybe.  And brown sugar + apples  is always a plus.
• Lemony Wheat Berries with Roasted Brussel Sprouts -  Yum.  Yum yum yum yum yum.  This recipe right here is a keeper.  Its lemony, it's  Brussels sprout-y,  it's just plain good.  I tried it, I loved it, end of story.
• Wheat Berries with Charred Onions and Kale - Kale!  Charred Onions! Wheat Berries!  This dish sounds like heaven to me.  I haven't gotten around to trying it yet, but I definitely will soon.  It sounds way too good to pass up, that's for sure.

Kashi Crunch! - Have I mentioned how I don't like nuts in my granola?  Well, this cereal has a very similar texture to granola, but it's completely nut free (unless you get the almond type).  Like the name suggests, Kashi Crunch! is super crunchy, which I love.  It's also much more filling than most other cereals, thanks to the 9g protein and 8g fiber in each serving.  Oh yeah, and it also happens to be pretty delicious!  Most of my Kashi Crunch! is put to use in yogurt and fruit parfaits, but I've also made peanut butter granola bars with it (literally just a random mix of peanut butter, applesauce, and the cereal baked until it holds together) and a sort of pie crust thing (recipe for that is coming soon).  And, as with many of my favorite food products, I think Kashi Crunch! is great for snacking, too, right out of the bag!

Mandarin Orange Spice Tea - There is no doubt that I love tea.  I drink it everyday, sometimes more than once.  Herbal flavors are my favorite, and the Mandarin Orange Spice flavor from Celestial Seasonings is especially tasty.  It does have an orange-y flavor, not as much as orange juice or anything, but what I love most is the spice.  It's a mix of all these warming spices as far as I can tell and it makes me feel so cozy when I'm curled up with a steaming mug.  I've found that the mandarin orange flavor is pretty good to add to foods as well.  It provides a bright punch of flavor.  I add the leaves to oatmeal, soup, and muffins.  You could also make a bread like this one, with the Mandarin Orange flavor and I'm sure it would be great.

Revisited Recipe of the Day: 

Peanut Butter Rice Crispies

March 1st is National Peanut Butter Lover's Day.  The recipe above is super quick and a great way to celebrate.  You can also just type peanut butter into the search again in the upper left.  That'll give you a whole bunch of recipes to choose from!

P28 Bread Review

It's time to Mix it Up.

(see what I did there?)

Classic french toast made with P28 bread and topped with maple syrup

Today, instead of my usual recipe, I'm going to be reviewing some products that was very kindly sent to me so I could try them out.  Those products are P28 Bread and Bagels.  You can read more about the products by clicking on the link, but for now I'll just tell you that they're very high protein breads to help you reach all your fitness goals in a tasty way.

To review them, I've decided to split up this post into 3 parts.  The good, the bad, and the other things worth mentioning.  There will also be random pictures all the over the place with captions that will (hopefully) help you figure out what the heck is pictured.

A protein pizza.  Half a P28 bagel toasted and topped with cottage cheese and salsa, with a side of lettuce.

Alright, let's get started.  First...

The Good:

• The Protein Content - This may seem obvious, but it's totally a plus.  I often struggle with getting enough protein into my diet and these bread/bagels have been really helpful.  Two pieces of bread or one bagel contains 28 grams protein (hence the name, P28).  You can just grab one slice of bread, spread it will cottage cheese, and BAM 20 grams protein.  It's pretty cool.
• The Taste - I didn't mind the taste at all, and If you like whole wheat bread I don't think you will either.  Sure, it's not the best bread or bagel I've even tasted in my whole entire life but when you consider the nutrition you're getting, I think it tastes pretty darn amazing.
• The Texture - I've never had any other brands of high protein baked goods, but for some reason I have this feeling that texture could be an issue.  It's not with P28.  The texture of both the bread and bagel is very nice and spongy, much like the "normal" product.  One thing that may be worth mentioning is that it you freeze the bread (which I did) and then reheat it in the microwave it get's really spongy, and sort of floppy.  If you lightly toast it, it firms up fine though.
• The Versitility - Much like regular bread, P28 can be used for a variety of things, not just sandwiches.  It doesn't taste funny or anything if you have it with eggs, as french toast, or as a mini pizza with cottage cheese and salsa (my favorite).

I made the Pumpkin Cranberry Bread Pudding recipe on this blog with P28 bread.  It worked great! 

And now...

The Bad:

• The Size -  Each slice of bread is big (the bagels are just normal so this isn't a problem with them).  I guess this could be considered a good thing, but when trying the bread I ran into a couple problems because of the size.  When I eat sandwiches, I prefer to have them with very thin bread, unless they're really substancial.  When you make a sandwich with P28  bread slices, there'a a lot of bread.  Some people don't mind this, but personally, I do.
• The Taste -  Yes, taste is also in the "good" catagory.  This is because I liked the taste, but some others didn't.  If your not used to healthy foods, you may be one of the people who does not.  It does have a bit of that "healthy" taste that can be undesirable for some.  Another possible problem is that the bread has a bit of a fermented taste.  My guess is this comes from the protein source in it, but I'm not sure.  Again, though, I didn't find this as a problem and am only quoting another taste tester.

One slice of bread.  Half eaten plain, and the other half toasted (see how black it is?) and topped with applesauce. Celery stalk on the side (sorry for bad picture).

The Other Things Worth Mentioning:

• Freezing - As mentioned earlier, these products freeze very well.  Which is good because the folks at P28 were really generous and sent me way more bread than I could ever finish before it went stale or got moldy.  To reheat a frozen slice of bread or bagel, just pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds - 1 minute.  After that, it's as good as fresh, and very fluffy.  Perfect to dip into soup!
• Toasting - It may just be my toaster acting up, but for some reason whenever I put a slice of bread or half bagel in my toaster it seems to brown really fast.  As in, I set it for level 2 of heat and it came out completely black (you can see this in some of the pictures).  I'm not sure why this happened, but it didn't make the bread taste burnt so it's not much of a problem for me.  If you want your toast to look pretty, though, you should be aware.
• Usage - Because I didn't like to use the products I revieved to make sandwiches, I found a whole bunch of other ways to use them.  Most of these are featured in pictures throughout this whole post, but I though I'd list a couple here too.  First, my favorite way to have P28, a mini pizza.  Spread half a bagel, or one slice of bread with cottage cheese (or another type), and salsa.  Greens on top are optional.  You can also make french toast with the bread, dip some of the just reheated (and therefore super spongy) bread/bagel into a bowl of soup, or spread peanut butter on top.  Another idea is simply throwing a bagel with cream cheese into a plasic bag and turning it into a super easy lunch on the go.  I did this when I went apple picking and it made a great meal along with a juicy apple!

Another protein pizza.  This one is made with a bread slice and also topped with cottage cheese and salsa.

Overall, I think all the P28 products are really great.  At least, for my lifestyle.  If you're someone who eats healthy and mostly vegetarian, and wants to add some protein to your everday diet, then I definitely reccommend P28.  However, if you're someone who's just getting started eating healthy, or maybe someone who doesn't need to worry about their protein intake, than maybe P28 isn't the right match for you.  It's a bit different than the usual, and some people don't like that.

But... you never know.  I could be wrong!  Go by your instinct and the facts/opinions I've given you in this post, and YOU decided whether or not it's a product you'd like to try.

Oh, and one more thing.  I hope everyone who celebrated had a wonderful Christmas!

*I was sent bread and bagels to review by the P28 company, but all opinions are not affected and are entirely my own.

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

 5 Minute Bread Pudding (could probably be made with P28)