Healthful Bites

When I was interning in the City last summer, I tried to make the rounds to various restaurants to try the offerings. Of course, New York is famous for the pizza, pretzels and cupcakes, but there are plenty of other goodies to discover. I chronicled my ten favorite places that I had visited over the summer on this blog before moving back to the Big Apple, and the folks over at The Lite Choice discovered themselves on my list! 

Claudia and Ron were kind enough to offer a visit to one of the “TLC” stores for a Taste the Difference tour.

When I arrived, Ron told me about the all organic, all-natural and kosher dairy mix that makes up the yogurt base. Today’s flavors at the Upper West Side location? Chocolate Rocky Road, Raspberry Truffle, Chocolate, French Vanilla, Angel Food Cake and Chocolate Chip Mint. All flavors have between 80 and 120 calories per serving—much less than the 200+ calories per serving that can be found in premium ice cream flavors with the same name (300 calories per half cup, Haagen Dazs?!? Seriously?).

Ron let me take the reigns and fill a cup. I began with a couple spoonfuls of Angel Food Cake (tastes just like the pastry Mom makes!) and French Vanilla (a classic!).

Next, I learned about the peanut and almond butter options for mix-ins or toppings. No doubt, other food bloggers out there would have a ball playing with, and tasting the creations from, the fresh nut butter churner!

Simply flip a switch and the nuts—and nothing else—are mixed into a creamy consistency. Ron topped the French Vanilla yogurt with some almond butter, then mixed the two in the fancy “Any Flavor, Any Time” shake-like machine! The results, with a little hot fudge that Ron recommended:

Like a Reese’s treat with some cool vanilla thrown in the mix! I snagged a few bites of this as well…had to pace myself! ;)

Last summer, and the times that I have been back this year, I’d noticed the “Any Flavor, Any Time” sign, but never taken advantage of it. So I asked Ron, “How do they do that?”

Well, you begin with a plain base, such as French Vanilla. Next, add a squirt from their flavor bottles, which are basically blended fruit concentrates or other natural flavors. 

Then get ready to do some mixing! The flavor and yogurt go on a ride in the shake machine until they are thoroughly combined.

I got to try this too! And can I say thank you Ron for the perfect angle on the photos to make my biceps look nice and buff? :)

The final product: Strawberry yogurt. The verdict: another winner! And there is no additional cost for custom flavors. Cool!

We also chatted about the stores loyal customers (some come in twice or three times a day, slurping on protein shakes for meal replacements!) and discussed top toppings. Can you guess which is the most ordered?

Rainbow sprinkles. (Or do you call them Jimmies?) Either way, I can see their colorful appeal. Just remember that one tablespoon has about 60 calories, so you may want to ask for “light sprinkles.” There are a few tasty fruit toppings offered as well! 

Our tour ended with a trip the the lobby freezers, which stocked to-go pints and quarts, ice cream sandwiches and bars and frozen yogurt cakes. I might have to come back for one of the cakes for a future celebration, don’t you think?

What a fun afternoon! You can’t really have a bad one with all that tasty yogurt. Thanks to the crew at The Lite Choice for the fantastic tour and delicious treats! You know I’ll be back ;)

What is your favorite flavor and topping for ice cream, frozen yogurt or gelato?

During my quick trip home to Iowa this week, I set out for one dinner at a local haunt to show that you can dine in a place that’s not Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, etc. and still get a healthful meal. It’s not quite as easy, as health food restaurants aren’t in every neighborhood, as they may be in larger cities. But you can find places with nutritious offerings alongside all of the buffets, hearty diners and fried food establishments!

In my 18+ years living in the Quad City area , I had surprisingly never eaten at Arthur’s Garden Deli before yesterday. Arthur’s has five locations in Illinois: Rock Island (about 15 minutes from my house), Galena, Dixon, Rock Falls and Sterling. The deli is a sandwich shop—obviously—that also serves salads (pasta, vegetable and fruit), soups, potatoes, chips, miscellaneous desserts and frozen yogurt. You can easily order a waist-widening dish such as a pastrami, mayo and swiss sub, a “Lots of Cheese” buttered potato or peanut butter cup cheesecake. But you can also make wise choices if you study the menu a bit!

My order? A small fruit cup (strawberries, red grapes, watermelon: thumbs up! canned pineapple: thumbs down!) and a gardenburger on a whole wheat bun. All of the fruit besides the pineapple was fresh and sweet. The bun was nicely soft and I loved the seeds on top. Interestingly, the burger had a bit of rice mixed in. Have you ever had a veggie burger with rice involved? Anyway, it had a nice, hearty flavor. I only wished that I knew it came with melted cheese on top! I prefer my sandwiches without cheese, so that required a little fork lifting :)

To finish off on a sweet note, I returned to the counter to order a medium no sugar added raspberry frozen yogurt! Arthur’s offers candy and fruit toppings for yogurt, as well as shakes and cones, to go along with their traditional cups of the cool treats.

The perfect way to end my meal, plus only 10 calories per ounce. Cool! (Literally… Groan.) ;)

Arthur’s has a pretty nice hometown vibe and is a welcome addition to the area’s restaurant scene. What is your favorite dining establishment in your hometown?

As everyone reading knows by now, I spent last weekend in Baltimore livin’ it up at Fitbloggin. The seminars at the conference were helpful, the food was tasty and the company was fantastic! Here’s a brief overview of some of the bites I took and great people I met while soaking up the sun in Maryland…

When I hopped on my plane from Chicago, I saw someone sitting right in front of me with a notebook with “Fitbloggin” written across the top of the page. What a coincidence! I introduced myself to Mary (right, from A Merry Life) and we made our way to the beautiful Marriott together after arriving in Baltimore. We ran into several other perky and fantastic bloggers in the lobby including Jen (left, from Prior Fat Girl) Dr. Mo from Foot Dr 69 and Gracie from Girl Meets Health. All amazing ladies and chatting with them was a great way to kick off the weekend!

After meeting even more blog idols, my roommate Danielle from Danielle Abroad and one of her fun friends found this gem in Baltimore’s Little Italy:

How cute is Cafe Gia? We were drawn in by the adorable decorations and stuck around once we saw that it was chosen as “Baltimore’s Best Italian Restaurant” of 2009 in City Paper.

Opting for something new (can you believe I’ve never had this before?), I ordered gnocchi with marinara. The pasta-like potato bites were tender and delicious. Comfort food at its best! Another plus: the reasonable portion size of gnocchi was perfect and the carbohydrates were served with plenty of extra lycopene-packed sauce—just how I like my pasta!

In between the seminars at Fitbloggin (for more recaps about the conference click here!) I enjoyed lunch with the fabulous Caitlin from Healthy Tipping Point and Operation Beautiful, among other great newfound blog friends. My meal included roasted vegetables, a grilled vegetable sandwich on focaccia and a cup of wild mushroom soup. It was all delicious, but the soup tasted extra good since the hotel conference rooms were quite chilly! I had some wonderful fresh fruit for dessert as well.

After all of the blog talk, networking and a super busy week prior to my trip, I was ready for a quiet stroll along the waterfront that evening. I set out to clear my mind (which exercise/movement almost always does) and find a bite to eat.

We had a cocktail party at the end of the conference, so I had some snacks there and throughout the afternoon…so when I stumbled upon Mr. Yogato, I knew that was the perfect place to top off my tasty day! 

I was not disappointed. The atmosphere was SO fun (Connect Four during or after dining?) and the toppings were colorful, appetizing and yummy! I opted for a medium blackberry yogurt with kiwi and blueberries. The best part? I joined in on one of their “Rules of Yogato” and received a 10 percent discount for answering a trivia question correctly. Too bad I couldn’t do the physical challenge which would have racked up 50 percent off! You know I tried and tried—no shame folks—but I must just need to practice standing on the tippy toes of one foot with my eyes closed just a bit longer to have it mastered. Next time Yogato physical challenge, I will have you beat ;)

Beautiful view at dusk along the waterfront!

The next morning Danielle (right) and I woke up bright and early to attend a yoga session led by Diets in Review’s Heather. I later sweated to a 10 Minute Solution half-hour class and got ready to head back to the Midwest. 

It was lovely to meet so many kindred spirits and since returning, it has been fascinating to check out all of their blogs! I hope that we can all meet in person again very soon.

Thank you to Roni, Fitbloggin mastermind, and Diets in Review for generously holding the contest that won me a ticket to the conference! Good news everyone: Roni just announced on Twitter that Fitbloggin ‘11 is a go! Will you be attending?