Staying Cool in the Summer Heat:: Cocos Frios

Hurricane Don might be about to hit, but it's still extremely hot and humid here in Houston. I don't even want to talk about my first attempt at running outside (the 2nd time was better), or the ever-so-attractive beads of sweat that appear on my forehead. I'm taking my vitamin D supplement, because the most sunlight I get is in 1 minute increments. You'll find me next to the AC.

Nothing is better on hot summer days than cool foods. I'm a huge fan of smoothies, homemade Popsicle, fruit, fruit, and more fruit. I'm reminding myself to stay hydrated constantly, and carry my water bottle with me religiously

On the way home from yoga Sarah pointed out a fruit stand advertising "Cocos Frios." Being the curious white girls we are, we used our limited Spanish skills to purchase two whole coconuts, which were machete'd open and stuck with straws. Fresh coconut water after a workout? nothing better
Not wanting to be wasteful, we decided a good after-dinner project would be to harvest the coconut meat. I've slaughtered a young coconut before, but never a "mature one" which is more dry and suitable for shredded coconut. Note: Coconuts are extremely tough to split in half. I recommend a sharp knife. Be careful.

get it girl

success

perfect in oatmeal or raw brownies!

8 days of orientation are about to wrap up and I start my first clinical rotation on Monday-eek!
Happy Friday!

Have you entered to win some Wasa Crackers yet? Why ever not???

Wassup Wasa?!

You're strollin down the cracker aisle (don't tell me I'm the only one to do this) and you pick up box after box of crackers loaded with ingredients you can't even name, and you don 't know whether to choose the multigrain or the reduced-fat. What's a person to do??

I've come to know Wasa as a brand I can trust for healthy, delicious, hearty crackers, and was thrilled when they asked me to try their new line of Flatbreads. This thin & crispy line of whole grain thin crackers that help make eating well easy and fun. Available in Original, Sesame and Rosemary, these Flatbreads are delicious snack! Although I wish they were 100% whole grain (like some of their other products), and had more fiber but they are made with just a few ingredients, and oven baked for an unique taste and texture. A very thin cracker, they're like a blank canvas for toppings!
I wrangled Sarah into a taste test and we tried the three crackers with a white bean spread. I don't have a real recipe but it goes something like this:

• In a food processor combine 1 can great northern beans, 1 head roasted garlic, generous dash of rosemary, black pepper, sprinkle of salt, and 1 tsp of olive oil. Process. Serve.

My favorite cracker flavor was the rosemary, but if you were eating with a sweet dip I'd recommend sesame or original.

If you need some "Snackspiration" head over to the Wasa’s Facebook page and check out the Create-A-Snack app for a chance to win a trip to Canyon Ranch Resort & Spa in Tucson, Arizona.

You can get in the fun too! Wasa generously offered a gift package to a randomly selected reader who shared their Snackspiration creation in the comment section!!

Rules:

• Tell me what you would put on your Wasa Flatbread: would it be savory? Sweet? Snack? Meal?
• Leave the idea in the comment section below to be entered
• Random Drawing for the winner will take place on 08/01/11
  

Best of luck! You really can't lose! (plus I have another giveaway coming soon. shhh)

So get a' snackin!

Disclaimer: Wasa did not pay me to run this promotion, however they did provide product samples.

Southern Blackberry Smash

I highly recommend roadtrippin with your best friend.

just to clear things up-we're not actually sister wives....

The lovely Carlene welcomed us into her beautiful Virginia home and provided us great food, conversation, and a comfortable place to rest our heads.
Just the start of Southern hospitality, she set us on our way to Atlanta, Georgia with a big bag of Blackberries, handpicked from the bushes outside. I could have eaten them all right then and there, but I showed restraint and saved a few for a drink.

See I'm joining a group of dietitians and RDs-to-be in a Recipe Redux-as we make healthy and delicious recipes that fit a certain theme. July's theme was Summery Drinks and I thought something with blackberries would be the perfect Southern introduction to my new life!

Southern Blackberry Smash

** I am not yet a southerner, but I can call it this, because I am now down south, right?**
Makes 2 but adjust accordingly

• 1 Handful Fresh Blackberries
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 1 Lime
• 16 oz Lime Sparkling Water
• Optional: 2 oz vodka. (preferably Tito's handmade in Austin TX!)
  

1. Gather Ingredients. I was lucky enough to have fresh blackberries handed to me, and found some local thyme during my pilgrimage to the original Whole Foods in Austin, TX
   

2. Add blackberries and a bit of thyme to each glass. Squeeze half the juice of 1 lime into each glass. Gently smash the blackberries to release their lovely flavor.

3. Add Lime sparkling water and ice and enjoy!! Adding a clean tasting vodka would have been delightful to this drink, and would get you a little "smashed"-just don't try to buy liquor on Sundays down South. it won't happen.

Don't mind the plastic hotel cups. I was on a roadtrip after all!

That should cool you down during this hot southern summer!

Need more inspiration? Check out these other amazing summer drinks!

• Gretchen, kumquat Ginger Ale
• Dr. Barb, Nutrition Budgeteer Triple Cherry Chiller
• Carlene Helble, Carlene’s Figments Mint Berry Seltzer
• Kara Lydon, Peace, Love, and Food Blueberry Basil Lemonade Fizz
• Deanna Segrave-Daly, Teaspoon of Spice Cantaloupe Basil Aqua Fresca Fizz
• Jessica Fishman Levinson, Nutritioulicious Blueberry Basil Cooler
• Marie Spano, Performance Nutrition Post-Workout Power Smoothie
• Elizabeth Jarrard, Don’t White Sugar-Coat It Southern Blackberry Smash
• Emily Greenfield, The Nutriscientist Apple, pear and strawberry smoothie with Chia
• Kristen Bourque- Swanky Dietitian Fresh Fruit and Club Soda Cooler
• Regan Jones – The Professional Palate Berry-Lime Bubbly
• Kat Lynch – Eating the Week Sparkling melon fizz – nice & naughty
• Lisa @ Healthful Sense Berry Refreshing Chia Seed Smoothie
• EA Stewart-The Spicy RD Gingery Peach Float
• Alysa Bajenaru – Inspired RD Blackberry Banana Swirl
• Ann Dunaway Teh, Eat to Nourish, Energize & Flourish Pregnancy Mocktails
• Yuri – Chef Pandita Green Tea Ginger Limeade with Chia Seeds
• Karman Meyer-Nutrition Adventures Orange-Mint Iced Green Tea
• Cherie Schetselaar-Grain Crazy Mango Strawberry Smoothie
• Emma Stirling – The Scoop on Nutrition Recipe Redux Tangelo-ade
• Carrie Miller, Nutrition Know How, 12 Smoothie Recipes to Beat the Heat
• Rebecca Scritchfield – #MeFirst Banana Split Smoothie
• Alexandra Caspero- Delicious Knowledge Strawberry Splash Mojito
• Liz Weiss & Janice Newell Bissex — Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen Pint-Size Pina Colada
• Danielle Omar — Food Confidence RD Almond Iced-Coffee Latte

Happy Hydration!

Hello Houston (and a NYC Tip)

In case you were worried, I made it to Houston Safe and Sound, with 0 speeding tickets, 1 flat tire (thanks nail), and no broken friendships (even after 34 hours sitting in a car together).

There will be a roadtrip (and DRINK RECIPE) post on Thursday, but for now I wanted to share a couple important announcements:

1. I have a lot of new craft beers to try. it's very very exciting. oh and restaurants and new foods to dig into too.
2. My room is starting to look more like me. ie. ordered chaos and a whole lotta fun
3. Everything really is bigger in Texas. Look at the size of this apple!
4. I NEED A GYM RECOMMENDATION. Please. I don't know if you've been to Houston in the summer but running outside is not an option. (and really who makes a gym without a shower. really???)

5. I'm mad jeal of any NYC Peeps who get to participate in FREE YOGA thanks to LUNA!
LUNA and YogaLocal are collaborating with small NYC yoga studios to introduce more people to the benefits of yoga. They are sponsoring free classes at twenty-four NYC area studios starting July 17, so why NOT Try a new style. Try a new studio. Try yoga for the first time???
Space is limited - so be sure to register today! www.LUNAFreeYogaSeries.com has all the deets!


Internship starts tomorrow. I'm trying not to get nervous. I just have to make new friends and learn, a lot, no big deal, right?

a big ol Texan hug to ya!

Bye Bye Boston

The day has come. Time to say goodbye to a city and people I love.
For this morning I'm starting my roadtrip to my new (maybe temporary?) life in Houston Texas. I'll start my dietetic internship (the last step before becoming a RD) at University of Houston next Wednesday. I can't wait to make new friends, explore a new city and take the final steps (maybe. masters?) before starting my career (full-fledged )!

Time to say goodbye to the many places i have wandered throughout Beantown, hug the people who have let me into their lives, and promise I'll be back soon. Despite the miserable winters, horrible MBTA system, and sometimes not welcoming characters, I've fallen in love with this little city-with-no-grid-systems-and-horrible-road-signs. This dirty water has a special place in my heart and i'm sure i'll be back soon.
Next: Roadtrip with my best friend since age 5, T. Miller, and a visit to Carlene's house in Virginia, Jared's in Atlanta, Bourbon street in New Orleans, and the hipster mecca of Austin, Tx.

Next time you hear from me, my hair will be a little bigger, my voice will have a little more drawl, and my skin will be more skin-kissed.

I'm cowgirl enough aren't I?

Off to the great unknown! Til next time!

Any recommendations food-wise for NOLA or Austin or Houston?? I'll eat them up!

The Big O

Summer weekends sneak away far too quickly.

Actually time just sneaks away far too quickly.

It seems like only yesterday that I was moving to Boston, preparing to start my undergraduate life, taking in a new city, meeting new people. Including my roommate of 4 years, Olivia.

sometimes we look nice

We've grown up a little bit in the four years, but stayed as close as ever. We've traded in frat parties for themed cocktail parties, but are always down for a game of flip cup. It was a roadtrip full of laughter and memories. Her family is like my east-coast family-I even lived on Long Island with them for a month one summer, and crashed their nantucket vacation last year. She's made the trek to wyoming, and we've promised that if we're not married by the time we're 50 we're becoming roommates again and perpetual cat ladies together. you know your friendship is strong if you have over 300 photos together on Facebook, and those are just the tagged ones. you can find us laughing to pieces together, and responding to questions of "are you two sisters?"

in honor of her 22nd birthday, TODAY, I present to you her drink-created by Pam Swanson:

exact measurements aren't necessary. that's how we roll

• Ruby Red Tangerine Juice (100% fruit juice would be nice)
• Lime Juice
• Lemon Juice
• Slices of said lemons and limes
• Vodka (want a big O? add more vodka)

best served in large jars

and drank while wearing sunglasses

Happy Birthday Olivia!