Fro-NO

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I just had the WORST fro-yo experience of my life. The worst food service experience, in general!

If you're ever in the Braunschweig area, I recommend staying far, far, FAR away from the Eis Cafe Tiziano - and it's not even the ice cream's fault! Sure, their menu is a stunner, but it's really hard to swallow considering the terribly rude service!

I had a cup of froyo with blueberries in syrup and candied walnuts, which tasted okay (not the best, but not the worst, froyo I've had) but I didn't enjoy my 8 Euro cup at all!

It really cost 4 Euro (still a lot, when you do the conversion to USD), but I dropped my first cup because I was so harried by the terribly rude, impatient brat who served me. My aunt and I rushed to clean up the mess, but she didn't even offer us a napkin or any empathy for my wasted yogurt!

There's only one word to describe the girl, and it rhymes with witch.

I'm actually sad that I bought another (I only did because I promised you guys a review of German froyo), as I don't want to give another penny of my hard-earned money to a company that employs workers who treat the customers so badly. I am NOT eating at Eis Cafe Tiziano again - I'd rather go without!

I've worked in froyo cafes before and if I had behaved even half as nasty as she did, I would have been fired (rightfully!) on the spot.

Have you ever had a really terrible customer service experience?

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We Bring the Fire: PB&Co The Heat Is On Product Review

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Or rather, this brought the fire!

I swear, I thought my mouth would burst into flames! Like with their Dark Chocolate Dreams, when the folks at Peanut Butter & Co take on a flavor, they *really* take it on!

Does that look reddish to you? Yeah? That's because it is:

And if you look at the ingredients, it's no surprise!

Somehow, though, I didn't really take it seriously, so I licked some off of my spoon. BIG mistake. I *ran* to the fridge for that soymilk!

And still, I didn't learn my lesson. I spread it on my bread almost as thick as I do all other peanut butters:

Thinking the swirl of honey would take the bite off. But of course it didn't - because this is *real* spice and not some synthetic, here-now-gone-later stuff. Nope, not at all.

I ended up scraping most off the PB off. But it was delicious! It's just like really expensive cheese, though - you only need a *little* bit for a *lot* of really awesome, satisfying flavor.

Still, even in small doses, this isn't the peanut butter for me. I am such a wimp when it comes to spicy and I just can't handle this stuff. But my dad, who's a big spicy-stuff fan, *loved* it.

He tried a bite, and then it was all that he'd eat until the jar was all empty!

Verdict: Peanut Butter & Co's 'The Heat is On' really brings the heat! If you like hot foods, you should definitely check this out!

PS: Do the settings look familiar? Like a flashback to my old days in Maine? That's because they are! I wrote this post in my last few days, but I decided to save it for later, because scheduling stuff seems like such fun - it's like hiding $10 for you to find later!

Can you handle spicy foods?

What's the most unique kind of peanut butter that you've ever had?

Do you like scheduling posts/planting time capsules/hiding money and pictures?

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Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar?

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*SOMEHOW FORGOT TO POST THIS EARLIER*

I stole the cookie from the cookie jar! Remember that childhood game? Hee-hee!

But, on a more serious note, I didn't actually steal the cookie from the cookie jar - stealing is wrong! Instead, the lovely Nicole Nelson of Erin Baker's Wholesome Baked Goods sent me a cookie! Along with a bunch of other tasty, whole grain treats to try:

Yup, that's *peanut butter* granola and those are organic *brownies* - ooh, get excited! Or, well, I guess I am the one who should get excited, as I'm the one who gets to sample them! :P

But today I stuck to this baby:

I know it's a breakfast cookie and thus meant to be eaten for breakfast - but I needed an afternoon snack and this was just the ticket! Plus, I'm not really a big cookie-for-breakfast person, as I love my yogurt messes entirely too much for that.

But this was a lovely snack and, with ingredients like these, a wholesome choice for a quick brekkie, too, if that's what floats your boat!

Note that the first ingredient is *whole grain* oats and note those lovely 5g of fiber to keep you - you know. ;) Also, don't freak at the sugar count (if you're the kind of person that freaks over things like that) - prune puree is the third ingredient, so you can bet your granny's dentures that a good portion of those are natural fruit sugars.

I slipped it out of the packet (okay, yanked it out - as the break reveals):

and stuck it in the microwave for fifteen seconds, to achieve that fresh-out-of-the-oven melty-chocolate-chip awesomeness. Awesomeness achieved!

It might not look so from this picture, but this was one *big* cookie. I could definitely see this filling some of you up for breakfast (definitely if you're the kind of lad or lass or who calls a bowl of cereal breakfast).

It was nice and chewy, with a regular distribution of lovely chocolate chips to add that rich chocolate flavor - definitely dessert-worthy. For me, at least, the coffee flavor was a bit lost. I caught some undernotes of it, but it definitely wasn't the predominant flavor to me - which was actually a good thing, as I'm more of a chocolate than a coffee person, anyway.

It was definitely not hockey-puckish either, and was actually almost cakey in the center - but still substantial, so I was quite pleased. My favorite parts, however, were the corners of the cookie. They had a wonder crunch-chew thing going on that I just adored. I bet that, if I had toasted this instead of microwaved it, the whole cookie would have been like that... Now that I look at the packaging again, it *does* suggest using a toaster (but doesn't mention a microwave - oh dear, if only I could read :P ).

This was definitely quite the treat, anyway!

Nomnomnom, the cookie monster approves!

If you want to get some healthy yummies for yourself, you can order them from Erin Baker's site. If you're a (often broke) college kid, like myself, I'd suggest checking out them out on YouTube , Facebook , or Twitter , too. They are known to post special offers through those venues (*shh,* you didn't hear it here)!

What do you think of the use of social media to spread coupons and deals?

Do you coupon-/deal-hunt online?

What's your favorite social media platform? It's a bit embarrassing how long it took me to figure Twitter out, so I'm not going to keep that to myself....

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Vegan-friendly JFK and the Plane

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JFK is probably the most vegan-friendly, health-conscious (and taste-conscious) airport around! I was flooded with tasty options, but finally settled on this for lunch:

It was quite the tasty sandwich! I'm just not a huge fan of vegan mayo, so that's my only gripe (actually, not a fan of mayo at all).

The plane ride started well, with really friend air stewards and stewardesses - but took a nasty turn when my little sister suffered from some unpleasant motion sickness. No pics of that, of course!

On the upside, I had a personal TV with more good movies than I could watch (I settled on Just Go With It, Arthur, and The Adjustment Bureau):

Had a dinner with semi-fresh fruit and veg, as well as a really tasty roll and actually flavorful margarine:

The wrapped up stuff is some just okay rice dish and mixed veggies in sauce.

Breakfast was miniscule, though! Thank goodness I had saved peanuts and pretzels to supplement this with:

But the banana was tasty. And I was thrilled to touch down in London!

Do you (or a frequent travel partner) get motion sick?

What's the best in-flight meal you've ever had?

What's your favorite airport?

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D-Liteful

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It was a warm day in Boston, so we decided to head out for some frozen goodness to cool us off! A hop, skip, and T-ride lader, we found ourselves on Newbury Street. Now: to find that Pinkberry...

We searched high; we searched low. We did not find the Pinkberry. *Sigh.*

But we found Tasti D-Lite, instead! None of us had ever eaten at Tasti D-Lite before, but I have read about it and heard about it from New Yorker friends who are huge fans, so we decided to check it out!

My mom had a small cup of Tart & Tasti with raspberries, my little sister had a small cup of french vanilla with sprinkles and oreos, and I had a regular cup of Tart & Tasti with raspberries, blueberries, and a peanut butter brownie (I warned you about the sweet tooth!). These three cups were $18 and I have to admit that I wasn't too impressed with the few toppings they sprinkled on. For the same price, I could have way more toppings at Pinkberry or (my favorite) Red Mango.

It was tasty, though. The tangy Tart & Tasti lived up to its name and was very refreshing, as well as the perfect accompaniement to the brownie and the berries. The brownie tasted a little...beany?...and was kind of caky in consistency, but I really enjoyed it after the first two bites!

It's not a frozen yogurt, just a frozen dairy dessert (here's what's in the vanilla: water, nonfat milk, sugar, corn syrup, cream, guar gum, locust bean gum, carrageenan, vanilla, lactase) but it is tasty and I like that they had a nice tart flavor and that you can top it with what you want. They also had some tasty looking cookie sandwiches...

All in all, though, I think I'll stick to fro-yo as my favorite. This wasn't *quite* as delicious or *quite* as creamy, though it was good, and so I'd probably only eat here again if there were nothing better around.

Anyway, after having our frozen treats, we walked around Newbury Street a bit. I love Boston! There are so many different cultures, there's so much tradition (gothic churches juxtaposed with chrome sky rises!), and it's just such a fun, outdoors-friendly city!

Do you like Tasti D-Lite?

What's your favorite dessert?

Do you have a favorite city?

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The Travels Begin (really)

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So my travels technically began on Thursday, when I drove to Boston - but somehow they really begin today, when I fly to London, United Kingdom. Whoppee!

And spending the night at the Embassy Suites Boston Logan was a great way to start things off on the right foot.

Here's why:
1) I love how close it is to the airport - convenience, when it comes to transatlantic travels, is key.

2) It's a really pretty hotel and the suites are nice and spacious - we all felt really comfortable. Especially with the warm welcome of the manager's reception last night (5pm to 7pm):

I started with a plate of chips and veggies with dip, but they also had nice cheeses, crackers, grapes, egg rolls, pot stickers, goat cheese tartlets (my mom loved those), and all manner of non-alcoholic beverages. Yay! I went back for an apple, some more veggies and dip, some crackers, and a butterscotch chip cookies (soft in the middle, crunchy on the outside - excellent). If you tried, you could probably make a dinner out of the stuff!

3) It's surprisingly quiet - especially considering that it's right next to Boston Logan Airport?!

4) Everyone here has been beyond nice and helpful - from early check in to opening my soup cans!

5) Two thumbs up for a big, tasty breakfast:

See the two apples? Airport snacks - these looked so tasty that I knew the $2 waxy ones from Starbucks in my terminal could definitely not beat them.

I was disappointed that the only yogurt option was Light & Fit, as I try to avoid artificial sweeteners and stick to real sugar, honey, etc. for the most part, but they really can't cater to everyone and they do such a good job that I'm not grouchy (plus, a little weird chemical stuff now and then certainly won't kill me).

They had fruit, yogurt, oatmeal, cereals, pastries, bread and english muffins, scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, bacon, sausage, waffles, pancakes, juices, teas, coffee, etc.! Quite impressive, *two thumbs up.*

Ooh, and spotted this funny family speed-walking (hips thrusting, arms swinging, the whole shenanigan):

So, that's all for now - sorry it took so long to get it posted. Blame the slow internet!

What's the weirdest thing you do with your family?

What's your favorite thing about staying in hotels?

What's your favorite US city?

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Java Fix

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Hi, guys!

I'm in London, yippee! And this post is courtesy of last-week-in-Maine-me, who decided to schedule posts *just in case* (if I end up having WiFi access + time in London, then they'll just be extra posts - that's fine!).

So, without further ado: java time!

I'm the kind of person who can only handle coffee in Frappucino/Ice Cream form. This Gnu Foods Flavor & Fiber Espresso Chip bar was sweet and tasty, like the aforementioned, but much healthier - for when I need a snack that won't send me into a sugar crash!

Check out those whole grains and flax:

And it tasted like a healthy dessert, with lots of yummy flax and - this one came out of left field! - millet (?!) to add nice texture and chew to the bar. I'm a fan!

You get intense dark chocolate flavor with even more intense espresso notes overtop.

And, at least for me, a real energy burst from the caffeine! Because it's not made with coffee 'flavor' but with real ground coffee beans. As I'm not used to coffee, I was like 'yowzers!'

But it was tastylicious (tastilicious?) and I need that power burst to power me through presentation practice (this was an after dinner, ~9pm, snack to keep me going for a bit longer...surprisingly, I slept well despite the coffee!)

Anyway, this bar was really tasty - if all of them are like this and the Lemon Ginger bar I reviewed, I don't think I'll be able to pick favorites!

Does coffee keep you awake?

What's your favorite coffee flavor combination?

Do you drink coffee a lot?

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McFlurries, Dives, and London :)

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So, I'll do a quick photo update, to get you guys back up to pace.

Had some greasy food at a British dive:

Sorry, I forgot to take a pic until I was done!

I also had two McFlurries (a Crunchies McFlurry, of which I can't seem to find any pics, and a Cadbury Milk Chocolate McFlurry):

Even the cup is British:

I had *way* too many sweets today - everything looks so tasty here, I'm so relaxed, and my appetite's a proper beast! In addition to this, I have had a king-sized Snickers bar, a *ton* of Nutella and PB&Co Dark Chocolate Dreams, two dinners (!) and just a real ton of food - it's 9:45pm, and I've just finished eating!

I *did* do some stuff other than eat, though:

Saw a bunch of these, visited Madame Tussaud's (took a pic with the super-hot Robert Pattinsen - we're a cute couple ;) and he's *so* tall!), and did a lot of window shopping:

The buildings are lovely!

And the fashion is amazing. I'll have to dedicate a post to just it. But for now, more buildings!

Okay, that's all for now! I've had a great first two days in London. Hit the sites, ate lots of junk (British junk food trumps American junk food, IMO, even the McD's...) and not gotten much sleep. Good times, though!

What's your favorite junk food?

What do you do differently when traveling?

What kind of architecture do you like?

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Organic Lunchin'

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A while ago, the generous Anja Hakoshima of Amy's Kitchen sent me some coupons to try a few organic soups. Especially in the spring term, when I'll be thrust back into the busy life of a college kid (complete with tummy-rumbling all-nighters), having a quick and healthy soup to warm up during a study break would be very useful.

As a lot of folks are heading back to school soon, I thought now would be an appropriate time to try a few soups and give my thoughts. After all, whether you're a busy college kid or a time-strapped professional, tasty and healthy vending machine/fast food alternatives are always useful. So I headed to the Shaw's Supermarket across the street from my hotel and picked up a few cans to try.

After picking my mom and sister up from the airport, we headed to the Embassy Suites (the Doubletree was fine, but the Embassy Suites is *way* nicer in pretty much every way) and nuked our three cans in the microwave for about two minutes each.

The Lentil:

Ingredients = No Trans Fat/No Added MSG/No Preservatives (Vegan) Filtered water, organic lentils, organic celery, organic carrots, organic onions, organic potatoes, organic extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, spices*.*100% pure herbs & spices (no hidden ingredients)

The Cream of Mushroom:

Ingredients = Filtered water, organic mushrooms, organic onions, organic wheat flour, organic high oleic safflower and/or sunflower oil, organic leeks, organic grade AA butter (cream, salt, annatto [color]), organic cream, spices*, sea salt, organic garlic, organic black pepper. Contains wheat and milk.*100% pure herbs & spices (no hidden ingredients)

The Light in Sodium Lentil Vegetable:

Ingredients = No Trans Fat/No Added MSG/No Preservatives (Vegan) Filtered water, organic onions, organic lentils, organic carrots, organic celery, organic potatoes, organic tomatoes, organic spinach, organic green beans, organic extra virgin olive oil, organic garlic, sea salt, organic balsamic vinegar, spices*, organic black pepper.100% pure herbs & spices (no hidden ingredients)

They were all really tasty, but I settled on the light in sodium lentil vegetable, because I loved the contrast between the lentils, potatoes, chopped carrots, and soft - but not too soft - green beans. I'll definitely have this again! And you really don't miss the salt, the flavors of the yummy veggies are enough!

 

The cream of mushroom soup, too, had a tasty mushroom flavor and my little sister enjoyed it (though she couldn't finish more than half, as there is a lot of soup in one of those cans).

My mom had the plain organic lentil soup and it got a really big smile and this compliment: 'It tastes just like Eintopf!' Seeing as lentil Eintopf is one of her favorite foods, that's a big compliment.

All in all, we enjoyed the organic soups!

Ooh, and my fruit (sniped from the buffet) was good, too!

What's your favorite hotel?

How do you handle blog updates when stuck with icky internet?
Are you a soup person? What about lentils?

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Have it Your Way

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Hi, guys!

When this is posted, I'll be in London - whoot whoot! But, considering the *crazy* schedule I'll probably be on and the fact that I'm not sure what the internet situation is London will be, I decided to schedule a few posts ahead of time - just so I don't neglect you. :) And, even if I don't post any material for the few days that I'm in London, I'll be gathering tons of it - and will be sure to post *at least* daily once I arrive in Germany and have my WiFi!

Anyway, here's a blog I wrote last week:

I was feeling peckish (heehee, I can't wait for London!) so I had a banana with PB (the off-brand one that we have at the house, with hydrogenated oils and trans fats - ick) and a YouBar.

Sorry for the blurred pic, I'm about to switch over to a new camera (in time for London & Germany) - I promise!

Anyway, I was displeased with the PB and just wish every company would pay as much attention to providing delicious, nutritious products as YouBar does. This bar had only 7g of sugar, but a whopping 10g of protein!

Ingredients = Cashew Butter, Honey, Whey Protein, Perky's Crunchy Rice Cereal (Rice Four, Rice Bran, Raisin Juice Concentrate, Honey, Salt).

This one was definitely the most like a traditional 'protein' bar of all of them. As you can see, it had a bit of an interesting texture:

Chew and dense, but a bit dry and crumbly, too. You *could* tell that there was protein powder in it and, if you don't like protein bars, this wouldn't be the bar for you. I thought it was still tasty though (not as amazing as the others , but still great to switch things up with).

It was sweet enough, but not too sweet, and was nice and substantial. My only real gripe, then, would be that it really fell apart - I had to eat it with a hand under my chin to catch the crumbles whenever I took a bite!

See the broken off bit?

But the cashew flavor did dominate the bar in a great way, and the honey added a nice subtly sweet touch. I'd recommend it, but not as strongly as the Breakfast Bar or Cookie Dough, both of which just blew my socks off.

And now I'll filled up and energized - I'm ready to nail my presentation. Wish me luck!

What's your favorite texture for a bar?

How do you blog when you're actively traveling (not the longer bits, like I'll be doing in Germany, but the crazy short ones)?


What's your favorite kind of short trip?

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B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-boyfriend

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No, I don't have one and this post isn't about boyfriends (not at all). I was just listening to the Big Rush song (don't judge!) 'Boyfriend' and was pretty impressed by how intense the stutter on 'boyfriend' is. Imagine if someone actually had such a bad stutter?

Anyway, let's cut to the chase: after kicking back and finishing a paperback I had with me (no more books, waaaaaaaaaaah!) I headed downstairs for dinner. After a bit of deliberation, I decided that this was the dinner the heat called for:

It doesn't really look like a $9 dinner to me (especially considering that the water was mine) but it did taste good and was prepared relatively quickly. The bread was nice and soft, though I would have liked it toasted better...

I had greens, salsa, dijon mustard, yellow mustard, guacamole, sauteed tomato, pickles, cucumber, and tomato on there - yes, I'm weird. Your point? It was tasty, and that's all that matters. :P

As you know me and my big appetite, I'm pretty sure you already knew that the sandwich and apple (which was less than crisp, much to my dismay) weren't quite enough to fill me up. So I finished with this:

A Cinnamon Raisin Flavor & Fiber bar! These do taste like candy, albeit more substantial. And definitely filling! I was *full* after this!

This is a tasty bar for cinnamon roll/cinnamon toast fans. As always, the folks at Gnu take flavor seriously!

Oh, and for you vegans - I just realized that this was a fully vegan dinner (unintentional, again)! Because yup, the Gnu bar might have tasted like a buttery cinnamon roll, but it was 100% vegan (though *NOT* gluten-free, because whole wheat is an important part of the Gnu bars' high fiber grain combo).

Anyway, full to the brim, I hung out in the lobby for a while (yes, yes, free wifi!) and then went back up to my room to leaf through a magazine, watch a little silly TV, and enjoy this:

The pillow wished me 'sweet dreams.'

Thanks, I don't mind if I do! :)

Do you like cinnamon?

What's your favorite condiment?

What's the *weirdest* sandwich you've ever had?

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