Review: Elli Quark (a.k.a. A Reunion with a Childhood Love)

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Growing up as a half-German girl living in North Carolina, I loved having the best of both worlds:

Cool German summers and temperate winters in the American South.

German sweet treats, like Kinderschokolade and Nutella, and American peanut butter and trail mix.

German Weihnachtsmaerkte and American Halloween.

German linguistic freedom (anyone can build a word!) and uncomplicated English grammar.

Long American summer vacations and school to attend in Germany during those long summer breaks.

Rustic German breads and neon-colored American ketchup to amuse my German cousins with.

As the increasing global market brought more and more of my German favorites to me in the USA (I still fondly remember the year that Target brought Nutella in America to me - even if German Nutella tastes way better) the things that I couldn't get here stood out more and more. Key among them: quark.

Creamy Elli Quark

A soft cheese that is both low in lactose and fat, as well as high in protein and creaminess, quark was dairy that I could digest and I LOVED it. I still do! But it was, sadly, impossible to find in even international markets in the USA. Until now!

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Nutritious Dessert: Tiramisu the Healthy Way!

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I participated in an Event and Blogger Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Dannon. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation. All views and opinions are my own, and do not necessarily represent those of Dannon.

Bikinis and beaches. Barbecues and brats. For many of us, summer is associated with a lot of great sensory experiences. But one thing that we tend not to associate with summer is dairy! 

But with cows producing more bone-strengthening milk in the summer months than the rest of the year and the average American already only consuming 52% of the recommended 3-4 servings of dairy daily, we shouldn't neglect it just because the sun is out! That's how June as National Dairy Month came about.

Many of us, myself included, purposely avoid much dairy because of the associated digestive upset from lactose intolerance. 

Yogurt, however, contains live active cultures that help produce lactase in our bodies to digest the lactose in the yogurt. So even if you're like me and just a slice of stomach makes your stomach roll, you might find that yogurt doesn't bother you at all! 

If you're really worried, rich for protein-rich Greek yogurt. The same straining process that makes it so good for us removes some of the yogurt's lactose, making it a lower lactose option than regular yogurt.

Dannon's *Limited Edition* Light & Fit Greek Tiramisu

But here's the best part - with Dannon Light & Fit greek yogurt dessert flavors, your daily Greek yogurt can serve not only as a nutritious snack, but also a creamy, indulgent dessert that's low in sugar, free of fat, and perfect for a sweet treat that you can feel good about eating!

A nutritionist from Dannon and a nutritionist from Stop & Shop hosted me for an educational morning in a suburban Massachusetts Stop & Shop store, to celebrate the launch of *limited edition* Dannon Light & Fit Greek Tiramisu. 

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Diet to Go Review!

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It's been a while since I've done a Diet to Go review, but they're a really handy meal delivery service for those strapped for time but still wanting healthy meals. Cost-wise, they're also no more expensive than eating out (which is nice, since that's generally the alternative when you're too strapped for time for the whole grocery shopping and cooking thing).

Diet to Go Vegetarian Plan Frozen Foods Cooler 

I tried week 4 of the vegetarian plan and again enjoyed the ease of the online menu management portal to sub meals that I wasn't as interested in out for meals that I was.

Diet to Go Vegetarian Plan Pantry Foods Box

Like the Claire's Quinoa Salad meal, which I requested multiple of since it was so amazingly delicious! The salad bit is a bit of a misnomer, because I think leafy greens when I think salad and there's none of that here - just pure healthy carbs and grains. Still, YUMMO.

Quinoa on the left, bean salad on the right - it arrives frozen, you just pop it in the microwave!

The side of beans in a flavorful dressing is also delicious, if a little oily for my taste.

Strawberry Banana Muffin Breakfast with vanilla cream cheese, organic low fat strawberry yogurt

The breakfasts were delicious, too.



From the sweet blueberry pancakes with flavorful soy sausages, to the creamy fruited yogurt with granola, to the sweet fluffy muffins, to the hearty whole wheat bagels, they're all delicious and packed with the nutrients you need to start the day right.



No light fruit salads with no substance here, these are meals that keep you going. Even the yogurt parfait breakfast includes a nice little container of granola, instead of just a sprinkling on top.



That trend is consistent through all the meals and the portions are generous enough that you aren't left hungry.

Veggie Pizza

If you're not actually on a diet, as I'm not, but just strapped for time and looking for a healthy meal delivery, you can add in snacks between meals.

Soy Creole meal (unpictured brown rice included)

Thus it's even a really great, helpful option for people who don't want to limit calories!

What's your favorite breakfast?

What's your favorite grain? I'm a little late to jump on the band wagon (what else is new?) but I've really been enjoying quinoa lately. All day, errday.

Have you ever used a meal delivery service? What was your experience?

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Review: Smari Organics

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Are you obsessed with greek yogurt (like *cough, cough* me)?

Well, put down the spoon because I have an exciting new obsession to share that you're bound to love!

Greek yogurt is awesome because it's delicious, creamy, thick, and loaded with protein (about double as much as regular yogurt) in addition to all the usual probiotic and calcium benefits of regular yogurt. Greek's neighbors (in a far removed sort of sense) from the north have Greece beat in terms of healthy, delicious, and satisfying cultured dairy creations.

Icelandic yogurt (=skyr) is made from four cups of whole milk that are skimmed, heated, cultured, allowed to rest, strained, strained, and strained to create one cup of protein packed goodness!

Smari Organics brings that protein-packed, potentially longevity-boosting yogurt to the US!

It's no coincidence that Icelanders have among the highest life expectancy in the world - 83.3 years for women and 78.8 for men.























The yogurt, with its crazy high protein levels, may be partly to thank for Icelanders' famous strength (not only from Viking days, but more recently from being the 8 time winners of 'Strongest Man in the World').

If not that, I can't believe that it isn't related (causally) to the fact that they were ranked as the fourth happiest nation in the world in a 2006 international study (taste that awesomeness, realize it's healthy, and yes, you will be happy, too).

Smari comes in four popular flavors - strawberry, vanilla, blueberry, and pure (=plain).



It can be purchased in convenient single serving 6oz cups at a variety of stores, including Whole Foods (just use their handy-dandy Smari Finder to find Smari near you).

With 0g of fat and 17-20g of protein per flavor, this figure-friendly snacks really can't be beat.

And did I mention that Smari Organics keeps it organic and grass-fed? Because they do. Also, there's no Red20 (or whatever the heck the colorings usually are) in the Strawberry Smari - just a drop of red beet concentrate for color, which gets two thumbs up from me!

Don't worry, you can't taste the beets, it's sweet, creamy, and delicious.

Speaking of thick...Icelandic legend has it that people in remote Iceland villages eat it with a knife and fork. You're skeptical, right?

SERIOUSLY GUYS, THIS STUFF IS THICK. It's amazing. Period.

I didn't need a knife and fork, but I also didn't need my usual million cups of granola to make it satisfying. The sweet, simple, fruity blueberry and strawberry Smari yogurts made a delicious snack all by themselves (like a less sweet, more substantial mousse) and the vanilla was great with a sprinkle of dried cranberries on top.



I tend not to like vanilla, as I think they often try to be too dessert-y, but Smari Vanilla isn't too sweet and doesn't try to be dessert-y, but ends up being scrumptious. Yum!



I had the plain with a little granola sprinkled on top and a dollop of jam and peanut butter before a three hour lecture all the way over at Northwest Labs (on the far side of Harvard's undergraduate campus) and was satisfied and focused all through class.

WHAT.

These are a keeper! Definitely a new favorite food and a new favorite study aid. Double win!

Check them out on Twitter and Facebook to stay up-to-date on product promotions, discounts, etc.

Have you tried Skyr?

What's your favorite way to eat dairy and get your calcium in?

Have you ever been to Iceland? Tried Icelandic Cuisine? Met a Viking?

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An Icelandic Treat

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I love Greek Yogurt, but thick, protein-rich yogurt isn't just a recent trend. It's blown up over the past few years in the US, but people in Iceland have been enjoying a similar creamy treat for years!

Skyr is a super-healthy form of dairy that pairs an enticing creamy, thick texture and smooth, rich flavor with exceptional levels of calcium and protein. It's also naturally low in fat and a staple of the Icelandic diet - part of why Icelanders are among Europe's longest living people!

Skyr.is is an authentic Icelandic company that has expanded to providing Skyr to US consumers, as well!



There are three varieties of low-fat Skyr available.



There's Blueberry (I didn't try this one, but I imagine it must be as good as the others), Strawberry, Vanilla, and (my favorite!) Plain.



I was delighted to find that Skyr is like the lovechild of Greek yogurt and quark - it's technically a soft cheese, but with the nutritional stats of a thick yogurt.



It's really delicious to enjoy as a yogurt (either by itself or, as I prefer, topped with dried fruits and nuts and cereal). It's thick, creamy, and just lightly tart. If you go for one of the flavored varieties, they aren't too sweet (but are sweet enough).



It's also a great ingredient for healthy and cooking - the Skyr.is website even has several healthy recipes to get you started! You can make Tzatziki ala Skyr, Chocolate "Skyramisu," fun smoothies, and even "Skyr-a-mole," a high protein, low fat twist on guacamole.

Have you tried Skyr?

What's your favorite world cuisine?

Have you tried any Icelandic foods?

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Halloween Fashion Inspiration: Mean Girls

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First: Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a chance to win a Ronco Food Dehydrator and my other one to win 3 taster bars of organic, fair-trade Madecasse Chocolate!

Second: happy (almost) Halloween, everyone!

Do you remember the Halloween party scene in Mean Girls, where Halloween is described as "the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it."

Walking back from a babysitting job on Halloween my freshman year, I realized just how true that was. There were girls in various states of undress all over Harvard Square and then a group of giggling girls dressed in literally bras and panties got out of a cab and proudly informed me that they were Boston University students visiting for a final club party.

Some stereotypes die hard. Especially when so many work to reinforce them.

Anyway, here's an outfit that's about 5 on the skanky scale, with 0 being a big purple Barney costume, complete with the head and everything, and 10 being those girls in their lacy underwear. As always, no individual piece is over $50. Enjoy!

Halloween by livelearneat featuring platform shoes

Long maxi skirt
$25 - etsy.com

Platform shoes
$48 - lulus.com

Kate spade jewelry
$38 - couture.zappos.com

REGENCY glove
$32 - etsy.com

Steampunk Costume,Steampunk Clothing,Steampunk Corsets,Steampunk...
$40 - costumesofnashua.com

Persuasion Womens Masquerade Mask with Feathers and Trim
$28 - successcreations.com

Black Lace Fan
$5.99 - totallycostumes.com





I've also been enjoying this not-so-spooky snack:

 Wallaby Organic Low-Fat Greek Yogurt is super creamy and smooth. My favorite flavor is the strawberry, which tastes the most authentic to me and is really yummy with the tart greek yogurt. Yum!

There's also no food coloring or high fructose corn syrup, so there's no reason to be spooked ;)

I'm such a kid sometimes, I got entirely too much of a kick out out the separately partitioned flavoring and getting to dump my own mix-ins in. :P

Do you celebrate Halloween?

What's the coolest Halloween costume you've ever seen?

What are your Halloween plans?

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