Christina's Blog

The difficulty today with finding nutritional foods is that everything is so processed and it is hard to find foods in their whole state. In my eighteen years of experience and eating, I have learned that the best foods for you are the ones that come directly from nature that are not altered. Crisp spinach with berries and walnuts tastes delicious and is quite nutritious. I enjoy making my own food because I know exactly what I am consuming. Not only do foods in their natural state taste better, but they actually affect the way your body works. When I eat something wholesome, I feel better and my body functions more efficiently. Whole Foods and Fresh Market are two of my favorite grocery stores. At these stores, organic foods and wholesome baked goods are made. I trust that these stores will produce and sell wholesome foods with wholesome ingredients. Some of the core values of Whole Foods are: selling the highest quality organic goods, caring about the community and environment, and satisfying their customers need. Fresh Market has some of the same values: “We are dedicated to consistently delivering a superior shopping experience that exceeds our customers’ expectations by offering fresh, premium products and providing a high level of customer service. Our full-service philosophy, with our Old World Butcher shop, European Delicatesan and Fresh Baked Goods keeps our customers coming back for more!” Both Whole Foods and Fresh Market provide their customers with wholesome foods and products. Shopping at these stores is a great way to living and enjoying a healthy lifestyles.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/values/green-mission.php

http://www.thefreshmarket.com/company/foods.html

In the past six years, frozen yogurt has reeled Americans in and kept them coming back for more. The trend started on the west coast particularly in California where the population is more health conscious. Frozen yogurt is a healthier alternative to ice cream containing less fat and digestive enzymes. The common misconception with FroYo is that is it “healthy.” People see labels that say dairy free, sugar free, or low fat and automatically think that it is good for them. Frozen Yogurt is for sure a more healthier choice than ice cream but, it should not be considered healthy.

Recently, in the past three years, Frogurt grabbed Hoosiers taste buds. Frozen Yogurt stores started popping up on every corner and there are more FroYo places in a five mile radius of my house than ice cream stores. Huddles, Orange Leaf, Pinkberry, FroYo, Red Mango and La Paix are among the most popular Frozen Yogurt places in the Indiana. All of these FroYo places switch up their flavors on a weekly basis and have more toppings than one person can handle. Pricing depends on the weight of your frozen yogurt and toppings combined. If you are looking for a healthier alternative to satisfy your sweet tooth, Frozen Yogurt is the way to go. Check out this link for Frozen Yogurt places near you:

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=frozen+yogurt&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#hl=en&safe=off&client=safari&rls=en&biw=1247&bih=647&sclient=psy-ab&q=frozen%20yogurt%20in%20indianapolis&oq=frozen%20yogurt%20in%20In&aq=1&aqi=g4&aql=&gs_l=serp.11.1.0l4.2706l5591l0l7064l6l5l0l1l1l1l1420l1970l0j4j7-1l6l0.llsin.&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=180aa9184df0bb33&pf=p&pdl=300

I am guilty of using lent as a time to eat healthy. In this sense, I am really guilty? I do not think so. I decided to give up all desserts and let me tell you, it has not been really working out for me. With spring break, prom and summer around the corner, I’ve got to be looking my best! If you ask any of my friends what they gave up for lent, I guarantee ninety percent of them would say they gave up chocolate or sugar in general or sodas or gluten. In reality, Lent is a time of fasting or the giving up of some sort of luxury as a form of penitence. If you find yourself regularly snacking on a certain food, that food could be counted as your luxury. Giving up something for lent is not supposed to be an easy task so, when deciding what to give up, make sure you choose something that will challenge you. Some say that you are allowed to splurge and eat that food or whatever you gave up on Sundays but, I personally do not believe me this. I do not think it is right to be able to take a day off once every six days. It just does not seem like a challenge to me. I have broken my lent promise at least five times now but, I have learned to punish myself by making myself work out even harder. Even though that does not fully measure up, I think it takes some of the weight off. Lent only lasts forty days so all you that gave up something for Lent, YOU CAN DO IT! Stay focused and strong! =)

1) CEREAL: In the morning, I wake up and my stomach growls. Hunger kicks in and I crave my everday bowl of Honeynut Cheerios with cold milk. Nothing else satisfies my breakfast cravings like this cereal. The problem with cereals is that they contain lots of sugar and lack nutritional elements. When you wake up in the morning, your body needs protein to repair its cells from the day before and to start of your day right. FUN FACT: women are more likely to eat cereal for breakfast than men.

2) DIET SODA: Midday, my energy level starts to wear off so, I usually make my way to the vending machines or starbucks to get my caffeine fix. Diet Coke is my regular caffeine go-to because when it’s iced, it’s refreshing and delicious. I used to always consider foods healthy or unhealthy based on the amount of calories the food contained but, calories are only a fraction of what you should consider before you consume something. I always choose diet over regular soda because it is zero calories. Artificial sweetners have taken over the dieting world but, trick the body. I try to avoid diet sodas for caffeine and instead choose teas or coffee. Regular soda is not a healthy alternative either but, can be considered healthier since it is made with sugar cane rather than sweeters.

3) COLD CUT DELI MEATS: My regular order at Jimmy John’s is the Turkey Tom, light on the mayo with the veggies piled high. Deli meats, in general contain a lot of added chemicals to help preserve them including salt. Salt is necessary for the body to function but, too much salt is not healthy and can lead to bloating. Instead of cold cut meats, try cooking your own chicken or turkey so you know what is in your food.

4) YOGURT WITH FRUIT AT THE BOTTOM: I love Chobani yogurt because it has loads of protein. The problem with a lot of yogurt brands is that they advertize that they are fat-free, which is true but, they add tons of sugar to  make up for the lack of fat making it still taste delicious. Reading labels is a great way to learn about the food you put into your body.

Now don’t get me wrong, I eat all these foods. The key to any good diet is a well-balanced one. Switch up your breakfast routine and eat some eggs with toast, or sip on some delicious passion Tazo tea for that energy boost. There are some many delicious alternatives out there. It is a matter of finding them and trying them out to see what you like!

In Ap Language, I’d say we have thoroughly learned how to work in a group setting this year. Personally, I think group work is more productive and reflects a better understanding of a topic. Here are some of my thoughts, pros and cons, on the topic of group work:

PROS:

-work can be split up evenly among group members

-diverse pool of ideas

-less bias

-less work per person

-rely on peers for editing

-rely on peers during presentation or for advice

-strengthens communication and social skills

-share ideas

-don’t have to do everything alone

CONS:

-group ideas can be polarized or skewed to a particular view

-might not get along with other members

-one person may end up doing more work than another

-group members may persuade others to procrastinate

-members may come less prepared since the weight of the project is not on one persons’ shoulders

-possible personal conflicts among group members

-one person may take the position of the head which defeats the purpose of group work

If there is anyone to go against current trends, that would be me. Marissa Klausner’s mom introduced me to the latest inboard-styled social photo sharing website called Pinterest. At first, I rarely got onto the website but, over the weekend when I had a fever of a 103, I got hooked. I was stuck on the coach for five days and was thirsting for some type of entertainment. Pinterest is a completely personalized website where you can choose whose pins you see and don’t see. You can explore and search among different topics such as entertainment, food and drinks, health and fitness, clothing, photography, and many more. Users have the capabilitiy to “like” or “repin” others finds. Each user can categorize their pins by however they please. For example: I have three boards going at the momment called clothing, food, and funky. When I find something I like, I can “repin” it to one of my boards and the people following me, can see them. It’s like Twitter or Facebook in the sense that you can request who to follow. I would say Pinterest is more public than Facebook or Twitter because there is less personal information required when signing up.

I have come across so many delicious looking foods on Pinterest and can actually say  that food pins account for  at least half of my pins. You can always tell what people are thinking about according to what they pin. When I am hungry, all I post is FOOD! From mini grilled cheese croutons in tomato soup to peanut butter banana french toast to a simple fruit salad to a frothy glass of orange juice to sweet potato fries. My mouth is watering while writing this and I hope yours is to! I encourage everybody to check out pinterest, not just for the food but, for the great collaboration of ideas of different individuals.

Wow! So if this picture does not make your mouth water, something may be seriously wrong with you (only joking). My lovely friend and fellow AP Language classmate TARA MORTON came across this delicious recipe on stumbleupon.com. Tara and I plan on trying this hot new recipe on friday. Judging by the pictures and directions, it does not look like you can easily screw up the recipe so, no worries my friends. You can also try other different sweets wedged in between the rice krispie treats. I recommend anything with peanut butter but, that is just me.

INGREDIENTS:

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe or just buy cookie dough

2 Tablespoons softened butter

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons light brown sugar, packed

2 Tablespoons beaten egg

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup chocolate chips

___

2 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

2 tablespoons butter

3 cups rice krispie cereal

1. Place butter and sugars into a medium bowl, beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add egg and vanilla, mixing to combine. Add flour, salt, baking soda and chocolate chips, mixing to combine. Transfer dough to a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until baked through. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet.

2. Place marshmallows and butter into a microwave safe bowl and heat for 60 seconds, until puffed. Working quickly stir in rice Krispie cereal until well combined. Divide mixture into 2 and take half and press into a round just bigger than your cookie onto parchment paper. Quickly place warm cookie on top of pressed mixture and quickly press remaining treats on top of cookie sealing edges and smoothing top. Should be round.

Makes 1 large cookie, cut into 8 wedges

*Note, Try stuffing brownie bites, smaller cookies, peanut butter, Biscoff, Nutella and so much more!

I will post later on how this treat actually turned out. I love combining different foods together. Isn’t that what life is all about? We put different combinations of people, places, and FOODS together and see how they work out. Enjoy all! =) If you want a more thorough step by step with pictures go to:

http://picky-palate.com/2012/01/30/inside-out-rice-krispie-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Thoroughout time, people have discovered different plants and animals. With each new discovery new ideas and recipes have been made. I found a timeline of the discoveries of different foods. It is said that water was the first food discovered, then salt followed by oysters. I found it interesting that wine and beer were among the first foods/beverages that were invented. We use foods and plants that did not originate from the place we live. For example: corn originated in Mexico but, today we use it all the time. Once a new plant is discovered, it spreads widely and other countries learn how to cultivate it. Imagine before a plant was discovered, someone had to be the tester and see if it tasted good. What if someone tried a plant for the first time and died because it was poisonous? Someone had to be the tester but, many others benefited from this experimentation. From this, we learned that we probably should not eat that particular plant. It sounds like a silly thing to bring up but, it is a legitament topic to bring up when discussing the history of food. To narrow this broad topic down, I could discuss the history of a particular culture such as Chinese or American cuisine. I could talk about the different evolutions of foods and how each countries foods came to be. Here is a link to the food time: http://www.foodtimeline.org/

If you are a Disney channel fan, you are most likely familiar with “Pass the Plate.” It is a sideshow on Disney that is hosted by Brenda Song that showcases how different countries around the world use different foods. The show “aims to inspire kids and preteens to lead a healthier lifestyle by sharing cultural and historical facts about food and cooking, while giving emphasis to kids assisting in the preparation of their own meal.”  For example: Brenda will show how a mango is used in ten different countries. Every country uses the particular food chosen in a recipe. The show is brief but, adds a cultural aspect into children’s lives. In Eastern Relgious Thought, we discussed how at a young age, you absorb everything. Characters in television shows and different programs shape the person you will be. I love trying new foods and recipes. There are so many good flavors in this world and it saddens me to think of all the people who are too afraid to try new foods. Pass the Plate is an educational program that is suitable for children and young adults of all ages.

Don’t let this title deceive your taste buds my friends. I am not talking about the crumbly flaky food you feed your fish. Phish Food by Ben and Jerry’s is one of their most popular flavors: “Chocolate Ice Cream with Gooey Marshmallow, Caramel Swirls & Fudge Fish.” Let me be the first to tell you, it’s delicious. The sad thing is that I am actually lactose intolerant but, I make an exception for this delectable cold treat. The creamy chocolate ice cream is perfectly balanced with dollops of marshmallow fluff, swirled in caramel with an explosive amount of chunks of rich chocolate fudge shaped fish, or should i say phish? Basically, this ice cream sums up my childhood. Ben and Jerry know how much people love their ice cream so on their website, they have a “Flavor Locator.” So, naturally, I typed in my zip code and luckily, six locations, near my house popped up. I was quite relieved that I could relive my childhood again through this ice cream. You can purchase this treat at a Ben and Jerry’s location or at most grocery stores. Unfortunately, there is only one actual store in Indiana and it is not very close. Everytime I take a bit of Phish Food, it is like a small taste of the past which always brings a smile to my face. Here’s a link to their website: http://www.benjerry.com/company/