Prior to meeting PB, I disliked both feta and avocado!

Luckily I smartened up and learned to love them both- and you will almost always find one of the two ingredients in my daily salad! To be clear, I do not always 100% buy Athenos brand feta, but I alternate between Athenos and another brand, based on what my market has. Unfortunately (fortunately?), it seems as though they often run out of Athenos!

I can understand why.

*Pictured here with Heather of Hangry Pants and some fabulous Athenos accessories!

If you want to add some spunk to your next salad, consider adding one of the following ingredients:

• Feta, obviously
• Avocado
• Crushed smoked almonds: They have the smoky flavor of bacon… without the animal. My favorite brand is Blue Diamond, which they sell at almost all markets.
• Fresh basil or mint
• A simple and fabulous salad dressing of lemon juice, kosher salt, feta and olive oil

Thank you all for supporting me in the Athenos Change for the Feta program. I really enjoyed sharing my creations with you, and I hope you were inspired to eat more salads this month!

Here are some of my favorite salads from the month:

• Deconstructed Healthy Spanakopita (!!!!)
• Simple Summer Salad
• Greek (Italian) Salad
• Pesto Pasta Salad (!!!!!)
• Bean Salad
• Summer Roasted Corn & Tomato Feta Salad

Please share your favorite combos in the comments below!

Scargosun

Honestly, the simplest Greek salad is just a HUGE fave of mine. I have been doing really simple meals lately and it just takes me back to the two weeks my husband and I spent in Greece. It seems MUCH too long ago.

*******************

Sadly, the last Athenos Feta Friday Giveaway has arrived. I will be giving away the last  fun ATHENOS Feta package to one lucky winner!

The prize package includes:

• ATHENOS Feta coupon
• ATHENOS Feta “Shape Up Your Salad” recipe booklet
• ATHENOS Feta water bottle
• Life Time Fitness 1-month membership
• Fit & Fresh salad container
• An adorable Built NY lunch bag

How to enter? Leave a comment in this post sharing your favorite dishes that use FETA. Me first! Out of all of the things I have made on this site with feta, my favorite are my Healthy Turkey Burgers and my Shrimp & Bean Barley Salad.

You can find my previous ATHENOS feta salad posts here. You have until this evening, July 30, at midnight EST to enter. I will *subjectively* be picking the winner- so make your entry good! I will post the winner at the top of this post and in the comments section this weekend.

Good luck and HAPPY FETA FRIDAY!

The last Feta Friday Giveaways can be found here and here.

(Source)

Arnold Sandwich Thins are awesome. What else is there to say about them? I have been buying them since they first came out and my friend Lauren called to ask if I had heard about this new “weird-looking” sandwich bread. PhillyBoy and I love them because most of the time we want a sandwich for the goods on the inside, not for the bread. If I am going to eat a traditional French baguette or fancy roll, I want to eat it alone and enjoy every little taste. With a sandwich however, I want the bread to just be part of the supporting team. Diet bread doesn’t cut it for me. It tastes like cardboard and disintegrates in my mouth. Ew. We like this bread because it is really low in calories but still tastes and feels like a nice piece of bread.

In my recent interview with Claire Robinson I learned the secrets to making healthy yet flavorful sandwiches and more using Arnold Sandwich thins. I also got some great advice on entertaining, which I will share with you now and with the audience at my presentation at the Healthy Living Summit- be sure to come and learn all of the healthy entertaining tips I have gained over the years!

10 Healthy Lifestyle & Entertaining Tips from Claire Robinson…

1. Since food is 1/2 visual, 1/2 taste, be sure to make your food look delicious! With sandwiches, it is important to have a lot of textures and flavors for the visual aspect as well as to satisfy you. Claire suggests having a melty/creamy component, a crunchy one, and a meaty one. I agree!

2. Some of her favorite sandwich supplies (and home pantry supplies in general) are the vegetables of the season, egg whites, hummus as a spread, leftover veggies, and obviously Arnold Sandwich thins. Favorite breakfast? An egg white frittata full of veggies in a sandwich thin, taken on the road. This is also her favorite post workout meal.

3, Keep ingredients in your home that you can use to quickly throw together meals. Some favorites include good olive oil, balsamic vinegar, greek yogurt, sandwich thins, agave nectar, fresh herbs (or herb infused olive oil), and the vegetables of the season.

4. To keep herbs fresh, treat them like flowers. When they come home trim the bottom and put them in a glass with water. If you buy them in the refrigerated section of the market, keep them cold. If you buy them at room temperature, keep them room temperature. To add fun fresh taste to many dishes, add fresh mint! (Note: You all know how much I love mint so I loved hearing that she does too!!!!)

5. Don’t be afraid of whole grain WHITE bread. It still has the grains in it, but tastes like traditional white bread. And it is good.

6. Make a great playlist to use when entertaining. Start the music off slow and build it up over the night. Before your guests even arrive, play some music, pour yourself a glass of wine, and get into the mood. It will set the right feel for the whole night. I love love LOVE this tip!

7. When entertaining, create flow. Put snacks and drinks in the areas you want people to mingle. Be sure to have 2-3 bites per person per item. Have a variety of items.

8. A great quick entertaining snack is BRUSCHETTA on Sandwich Thins. Who would have thought?!

(Source)

9. You don’t just have to use sandwich bread for sandwiches. Claire has created some really unique items using the sandwich thins, and now I am eager to try some creative uses too! Next on my list to try that we brainstormed together? French toast roll ups using the honey wheat sandwich thins! I can’t wait!

10. Lots of fun recipes are available on the Arnold website. Check them out!

Things you didn’t know…

• Claire got to try Sandwich Thins before they were even available on the market! Lucky duck!

• Her favorite sandwich these days is her healthified turkey reuben!

• Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain has great biscuits (and it’s one of Claire’s favorite spots for Southern style food)! Jenna, maybe you need their recipe to help perfect yours?!

• The last time Claire was in Philadelphia she had a meeting with Morimoto and ate at a Stephen Starr restaurant. Guess which one?!

• Claire is going to create an awesome healthy Buffalo burger based on a really fun one (read: not healthy) she loves and is going to give me the recipe to test it out. I will be SURE to share the results! I was sent some samples of the Arnold Sandwich thins by Arnold and can’t wait to try out her latest creation.

When sharing a favorite dessert recipe using the thins, Claire said to “panini it”. I love that she used panini as a verb and I plan to as well.

Claire, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today, and the next time I make a sandwich I will be sure to panini it!!!!

Erica

July 23, 2010 at 2:57 pm (Edit)

I so want to win this- love this cheese! I like a simple pasta salad- roasted veggies (eggplant, tomatoes and zuch are my favorite), pasta, feta, olive oil and lemon juice. Fabulous. If you want a little crunch- roasted chickpeas or pine nuts are a great add on

*********

For each of the next few Fridays I will be giving away a fun ATHENOS Feta package to one lucky winner!

The prize package includes:

• ATHENOS Feta coupon
• ATHENOS Feta “Shape Up Your Salad” recipe booklet
• ATHENOS Feta water bottle
• Life Time Fitness 1-month membership
• Fit & Fresh salad container
• An adorable Built NY lunch bag

How to enter? Leave a comment in this post giving me your best pasta salad ideas using ATHENOS feta!

You can find my previous ATHENOS feta salad posts here. You have until this evening, July 23, at midnight to enter. I will *subjectively* be picking the winner- so make your entry good! I will post the winner at the top of this post and in the comments section tomorrow.

Good luck and HAPPY FETA FRIDAY!

The last Feta Friday Giveaway can be found here.

Anne P: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8UL6hX0ifk
Victoria: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDOkutueSSU
Jay: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0Feoffp7Z8
Katy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dsIvhmmrFY
Jenn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ-6jMtR7HA

To the finalists: Congratulations and best of luck!

To everyone who entered: All of the entries were so fun to watch! Thank you all for entering!!!! I hope to bring more exciting giveaways in the future!

****

Note: You do NOT need a fancy video camera to enter! Just use your point & shoot, Mac, iPhone 4, or Flip cam! Any of those should work just fine!!!!

*****

Excuse me while I wake up from my slumber to share this amazing Tempur-Pedic Better Night’s Sleep Contest with you!

In case you missed it, I have partnered with Tempur-Pedic to give one lucky winner a Tempur-Cloud-Supreme mattress!!! I have really been enjoying mine, and in fact I was a little late for work today because I overslept! That rarely happens to me, and I love it. The mattress is just the way I like it… a bit hard, but it slowly gives in to the weight of your body. It is almost like the mattress is hugging you. At least that is how I think of it!

Some official details about the TEMPUR-Cloud mattress:

The new TEMPUR-Cloud Collection offers a pillowy-soft sleep surface with the underlying support Tempur-Pedic is known for – the perfect solution to bunching sagging, wear and tear and other issues associated with traditional pillow-top mattresses.

Your TEMPUR-Cloud Supreme features an extra thick (two inches) layer of the new TEMPUR-ES, the softest TEMPUR material formulation, which delivers an innovative balance of pillowy comfort, pressure relief and more responsive support.  The TEMPUR Support Layer conforms to you and supports your body in perfect spinal alignment.  You get the soft feel you want plus the added benefits of body-contouring support, no motion disturbances and relief from pressure points.  The allergen and dust-mite resistant cover features an ultra-soft, stretchable top, coordinated MicroSuede sides and it’s removable for easy washing.

Watch the video to hear more of my thoughts on this new addition to our home!

By saying PB and I hit snooze a lot, I mean PB snoozes and I get mad at him for making noise. HA!

Basic contest rules:

Create a video that shows a compelling connection between sleep and overall well being [or what you would achieve by getting a better nights’ sleep].  Video must be less than 60 seconds in length, and must contain the following contest tags in YouTube:

• Tempur-Pedic
• TEMPUR-Cloud
• Sleep
• Mattress
• Health

Upload the video to YouTube and share a link to your video within the comments section of this post between 12:00:01 p.m. ET on July 15, 2010 and 11:59:59 a.m. ET on July 26, 2010 (“Contest Entry Period”).

For the rest of the contest rules and regulations, please click here. Please do your best to follow all the rules so that your entry will be considered!

Keep in mind- the video has to be less than 60 seconds. That can’t be that hard right?! All entries will be judged on 1) Alignment with theme (25%); 2) Creativity (25%); 3) Use of contest tags (25%) and 4) Entertainment value (25%).

So spread the word, have fun, and get to work sleep video-making!

—

I have partnered with Tempur-Pedic to help promote the Tempur-Cloud-Supreme mattress.  I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program, which includes writing about my own experiences regarding sleep and its relation to overall well being, and hosting a giveaway where the prize has been provided by Tempur-Pedic.  As always, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.

Favorite posts:
Caprese Barley Salad
Healthy Chicken Salad Sandwich
Mushroom Lentil Burgers
Baked Falafel
Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Battle Local Foods
11.2009 Philadelphia Half Marathon Race Recap

(naturespridebread.com)

Living in the city (Philadelphia) has lots of advantages.. we can walk almost everywhere, we have an incredible number of restaurants at our doorstep, the shopping is great, the people are interesting.. the list can go and and on.

What is missing? A beach. Or a pool. Or at the very least a balcony… with a grill.

As the weather gets warmer I miss Rhode Island just a bit more than usual. With the beach only 30 minutes away and lots of grillmaster family members with grills within a 5 mile radius (Hi Dad!), Rhode Island is perfect for summer.

Philadelphia solution? Bring summer to us! I received my package of buns (that just sounds hilarious to me, anyone else?) and immediately gchatted my husband… Turkey or veggie burgers with a nice salad for dinner instead of the planned meal? He answered with a big YES!

I love this guy!!!!

(Photo courtesy of LifeFusion)

I also love the new Nature’s Pride Premium Harvest Whole Wheat buns!!!! We brought summer to us with a breeze coming in through the windows and a summer meal on our plates.

Here are my thoughts on this new product:

Likes:
-Taste. Sometimes whole wheat breads can be a bit sweet. These are hearty and full-flavored without the usual whole wheat sweetness.
-Appearance. Some buns are easily destroyed with any small movement (anyone else have a childhood of smushed buns?). These held up not only in a cross country shipment but with my handling… which says a lot.
-Size. PB loves big sandwiches. These are just the right size for him.

Dislikes:
-Size. At 180 calories per bun, they are a bit high in calories for me. Also, my burger did not fill out the bun enough and there was a lot of bun leftover. Not sure if this is an issue of the burger or the bun, but next time I will just eat 1/2 bun.
-Shopping Location. Our market doesn’t carry this brand! Whole Foods, are you listening? We need Nature’s Pride breads in your stores please!

From Nature’s Pride:

The Nature’s Pride Premium Harvest Hamburger Buns and Deli Rolls are the latest addition to our 100% natural, 100% delicious breads. [They] are the only all natural buns and rolls available across the country, and they are the perfect addition to your cook-outs this Summer–and beyond!

Yes, please!

As you all know I am a big fan of Nature’s Pride and not only attended the Foodbuzz Festival last fall as one of their Bread Ambassadors but also attended the Citymeals-On-Wheels Silver Spoons event on behalf of Nature’s Pride in NYC! With this new addition to their line of breads, I am an even bigger supporter.

Way to go Nature’s Pride!

…In other news… forget Rhode Island! We are going to JORDAN in exactly one week!!!!! And we are bringing some friends and family! I can’t wait!

Solixir is an all natural sparkling botanical botanical beverage. I received a few cans for free to review a few months ago, but it takes me a bit of time to really form an opinion about a new product I have never tried before. Here are my thoughts:

Love:
-With a cube of ice on a hot afternoon, it is quite refreshing.
-The blackberry chamomile is my favorite, as it  has flavor to it without being sweet. Actually the other flavors have that same advantage, but I enjoy the blackberry chamomile the most.
-My favorite flavor only has 50 calories for the whole can.
-The can, at 12 oz, is perfect to share when you’re not too thirsty or to drink alone when you are thirsty.
-It is a very pleasant change from the plain seltzer I usually drink.

Hate:
- It is quite expensive, making it a treat rather than something I could drink every day. However, I respect that it is a small company and therefore naturally the cost/can is quite high.
-They don’t taste good at all when at room temperature or warm. Must be cold, and even better with ice.
-They are not sold at my local Whole Foods!…. yet.

For the record, I only accept about 12 products to review a year. I always make sure that they are products I would want to try anyway, and I strive to always give you my honest thoughts.

How do you learn about new products or foods? I usually learn through magazines, other food blogs, events [races, festivals, etc], and friends. I credit the blog world for my passion for brussels sprouts, banana in my oats [thanks, Kath] , feta cheese, Larabars, and much more.

Leslie

The new menu brings festive flavors from around the world to the city, and highlights include shrimp pizza ($7), Octopus Ceviche ($4), & Chicken Banh-mi ($2.5 each). My favorite was the shrimp pizza, with just the right amount of garlic (sorry, Kath) and lots of bright vegetables.

Shrimp Pizza

Chicken Banh-mi

Octopus Ceviche

While the appetizer specials were great, the special cocktails really made the place different. Eric & Leslie enjoyed The Candy Man cocktails ($4) which have Sky Raspberry Vodka, Simple Syrup, Club Soda and are garnished with fancy rock candy that turns the drinks different colors. Also delicious is the sangria, priced reasonably at $4/glass. It tasted so light and refreshing I wish I had gotten a glass of my own! There are a few other fun drink specials all priced from $2-$4. In. The. City. It is so so reasonable.

The Candy Man

I had a glass of the Snap Dragon Cabernet ($3) which was so good that tasting a sip turned into the whole glass. I may have been a little tipsy on wine and a good time!

Me with Snap Dragon Cabernet

This summer The Terrace at 13 will again participate in Center City Sips along with many other Philadelphia establishments. I can’t wait for a summer of Wednesday fun! Head on over for a shrimp pizza and candy man cocktail! See you there!

The Terrace at 13 is located at 1201 Market Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 - (215) 625-6795

Jessica

April 27, 2010 at 9:26 am

following bertolli on twitter /madtownsprite

Please email me your information so you may receive your prize!

**************

Carnevale.

As much as Americans know how to party, Italians just do it better. In 2004, while studying abroad in Florence, I celebrated Carnevale two times! The first time was in Venice where Dadriana and I drank warm red wine with strangers in costumes and danced in the piazza. The next day D, Loco and I walked around with beautiful men and women in traditional costumes and got our faces painted and celebrated the day! It was so fun and beautiful and different for us.

A week later we headed to Viareggio for their grand Carnevale celebration. When we got off the train we thought we had gotten off at the wrong stop. After walking for 20 minutes, however, we suddenly came upon the huge celebration. From the top of a department store we watched the parade and the sea of people laughing, eating, and celebrating. It was such a jovial atmosphere and really reminded us of childhood carnivals. We then joined the festivities, ate way too much candy and croccante, and laughed the whole way home.

Recently I went to NYC to celebrate the launch of Bertolli’s Into the Heart of Italy series. The latest episode reminds me of my fun time in Viareggio 6 years ago. In episode 4, celebrity chef Rocco Dispirito and actors Marisa Tomei and Dan Cortese celebrate the Italian festival of Carnevale, ride a shrimp boat, and cook a Garlic Shrimp, Penne and Cherry Tomato dinner. You don’t need to ride on a shrimp boat to catch your dinner or have sun-ripened cherry tomatoes from Italy to enjoy the authentic tastes of Italy. With Bertolli Frozen Meals you’re just minutes away from an Italian experience in the comfort of your own home. While they are frozen meals, they work in a pinch and are good to have on hand for those nights when you get home late.

Here is the episode: Episode 4

To celebrate episode 4 and Carnevale, Bertolli is sponsoring a giveaway to help you have an Italian celebration inspired by this episode! What does the gift set include?

·         Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker

·         Bialetti Espresso Machine

·         Two Crate & Barrel Espresso Cups and Saucers

·         iTunes Gift Card with Suggested Contemporary Italian Playlist

·         Two VIP coupons for a Bertolli Frozen Meal for two that will transport you to Italy in just 10 minutes

You can enjoy your Bertolli Frozen Meals for dinner then finish the celebration in true Italian style with homemade gelato (hazelnut, please), Italian espresso and the sounds of contemporary Italian music.

A traditional Carnevale recipe, from bell’alimento: Crostoli
And one way to use your ice cream maker, if you win : Nutella Gelato

How to enter?

• Leave a comment about your favorite scene in the video and answer the episode’s clue.

Additional entries?

• Share the latest webisode on your own blog, linking to this post and www.IntoTheHeartOfItaly.com
• Share the latest webisode on Twitter (include @Bertolli & @RhodeyGirlTests so we know you have entered!)
• Follow @Bertolli on Twitter

All entries for the giveaway must be located in the US. A winner will be randomly selected tonight (April 27) at 10 PM and announced in this post.

Note: Not only are you a winner but I am too! I am receiving the same gift set! Thanks Bertolli.

Also on the premises is a small wine shoppe with reasonably priced and carefully selected wines. I brought a bottle of Root 1 wine as the restaurant is BYO, and it was incredible- and very reasonably priced!

On Tuesday night 17 bloggers and blog readers met at Garces Trading Company for a fantastic dinner, good wine, and lots of laughs. By the end of the evening, we were all friends.

The menu features a wonderful assortment of imported and in house made charcuterie and artisanal cheeses with interesting pairings. My dining companions absolutely loved the roasted garlic dulce de leche, which is quite the unusual combination! The wait staff was very knowledgeable and attentive and answered all questions with lots of details- I love when a staff knows their menu inside and out!

I chose to start with the baby artichokes appetizer, which Leslie and I shared. Tinto, another Jose Garces restaurant, is one of my favorite places in Philadelphia, and my favorite dish there includes baby artichokes and preserved lemon. When I saw a similar but different dish on the menu at Garces Trading Company, I knew I had to try it! The artichokes were fresh and light, and paired with the preserved lemon, honey and nuts, it made a perfect spring appetizer. The sauce was so refreshing and delicious I had to dip some bread in it. It was incredible.

I also had the Insalata Semplice, which literally means simple salad. This salad was simple, and that’s what I love about Jose Garces. He knows that sometimes a well prepared simple dish can be the best, and at the same time he is not afraid to take risks (see: roasted garlic dulce de leche above).

For dinner Dasha and I shared the funghi pizza. I love anything with truffles ,and this pizza did not disappoint me. In fact, the flavor of truffles was surprisingly and happily strong! The pizza was thin and crispy- just the way I like it! I have now tried three different delicious pizzas at 3 different Philadelphia restaurants- I can’t decide which is my favorite between Osteria, Stella, and now Garces Trading Company. Perhaps I need to try them all again? I find it to be no coincidence that my 3 favorite pizzas were created by my three favorite restaurant groups.

When time for dessert came I really didn’t want the night to end. The whole group was so nice, friendly, and fun. It is amazing that most of us had not met before the dinner yet we all got along so well and instantly became friends! To prolong the evening we ordered a dessert to share- the Spring Verrine ($6), which was buttermilk panna cotta and grapefruit curd with pistachio-hazelnut crunch. The flavors were so interesting and delicious, and the panna cotta was so creamy, rather than the standard Jello-like consistency. There was a flavor there that I couldn’t quite place- like passion fruit meets grapefruit meets another exotic fruit I have never tried. I had two amazing bites and was in heaven. I also ordered a cappuccino but it got cold by the time I got to it. It sure was pretty though!

The cafe is so beautiful and rustic with long wooden tables and soft lighting. It was packed on a Tuesday night, and I bet it will be packed every night for years to come. My first experience at Garces Trading Company was amazing and I can’t wait to go back! Thank you so much for accommodating such a large group! We really appreciate it!

Planning the dinner with Leslie was so fun.

We put together a little basket of goodies for one person to win. We put everyone’s name tags in a wine glass (Thanks for the wine glass idea Kelly) and Emily won!

Hopefully she can bring some of the goodies on her honeymoon- she is getting married in a few days!

From start to finish the evening was full of chatter. Among the chatty group?

Leslie of andherlittledogtoo.com (my co-planner!)
Emily of  http://goodcleaneating.blogspot.com/
Chrissey of phillygirlruns.blogspot.com
Stephanie of  stephtbs.wordpress.com
Jill of  bootcampphilly.com
Lauren of  http://hellopa.blogspot.com/
Kelly of  http://myverbalvomit.wordpress.com
Lisa of  lisaathome.wordpress.com
Kelly of runningphoodie.wordpress.com
Lisa of  http://www.dsdawgs.org/
Jess of  www.upsanddownes.wordpress.com

Dasha
Melissa
Kelly
Meredith
April
Lisa
Jenn

Garces Trading Company
1111 Locust St.
215-574-1099
www.garcestradingcompany.com

*Note: Most of these photos were taken by Leslie- thank you!

Boston Meet Up