This Mama Cooks! On a Diet

The continuing quest for the perfect energy drink

As you can tell by my enhanced water and energy tea drink reviews, I'm on the lookout for the perfect energy drink. Here are my requirements:

• Not too expensive. This is a big one since the low-carb canned energy drink I now buy is $30 a case at Costco or about $1.50 a can.
• Low calorie. I don't mind sugar substitutes too much if they're not too sweet.
• Healthy. I want B vitamins for energy and anti-oxidants (C or E), too. I also like added fiber, real juice, and green tea.
• Caffeine. The more the merrier I am.
• Fat burning. L-carnitine, chromium, guarana, hoodia, ginseng, etc. I'm not really sure that any of this stuff works, but I'd like to think so. And if I'm paying a premium for an energy drink that supposedly boosts your metabolism (like a bunch of them claim) then bring it on!
• Convenient. Cans or bottles are fine as long as they are recyclable. But I really like the single servings of powders available in the drink mix/iced tea aisle, too. Less waste and cheaper.

The latest energy drink I tried comes from a trusted fruit juice source.

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Not your average energy drink

I'm addicted to energy drinks. I'm thinking about contacting my current favorite energy drink company for a sponsorship. You know, "This mommy blogger brought to you by X Energy Drink." Or "Motherhood made possible by X Energy Drink." Honestly, with my schedule and my bad sleep habits, I rely heavily on them.

They're expensive, but cheaper than getting a latte at Starbucks, especially when you buy them by the case at Costco. Still, it does bother me that I drink them. Except for vitamins and herbs, most energy drinks are full of crap and a lot of things I cannot even guess to pronounce.

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Lusting after dishware

My every day dishes are the Autumn Leaf pattern by Franciscan by Glading, McBean & Co. And if you've seen my food photos, like this odd pairing of kiwi and pizza (what was I thinking?) you've seen my dishes!

The Autumn Leaf pattern was made in the mid-'50s, and they've held up very well. (Yes, I put them in the dishwasher.) I have dozens of the bowls and smaller plates and enough dinner plates for a large sit down meal. But there are pieces I never get down from the cupboard, like the matching mugs, which I paid $35-50 each.

Lusting after dishware is a genetic thing for me. My mom had special bowls for fish soup, and special plates for eating steamed artichokes. So you'll understand when I occasionally indulge in some online dishware porn - fancy china, crystal, and dinnerware.

The Martha Stewart in me comes out for a second until I realize how much good dishes cost. But that's o.k. because it makes me feel less guilty about buying that $50 Autumn Leaf Teapot a few years back.

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In my next house...

After more than seven years living here, I still love our house. But it's missing a few things. A proper laundry room. (Our laundry set is in a closest on the way to the downstairs half-bathroom.) An office for me. (Maybe I'll get that some day when we finish the basement.) And a bigger kitchen with better appliances.

My kitchen is fine, but it's just one counter short. If my husband and I are cooking dinner, it's inevitable that one of us is also using the kitchen table to chop veggies. And when I'm baking cookies or cupcakes, it's impossible. I have cooling racks all over the dining room and kitchen.

And after seven years, the appliances are getting old. Even my sink is getting chipped and needs replacing.

Otherwise, I love the house and the location. So if the housing market gets back on its feet, I could see us doing a small kitchen expansion. But that's hardly a DIY project. Instead I'd hire special kitchen designers.

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5 tips for eating out when you're trying to lose weight

One of the biggest challenges dieters face is eating at a restaurant. If you're on a diet with a fixed daily menu, it's impossible. It's one of the reasons I gave up doing the Extreme Fat Smash Diet. However, for those of you on more flexible weight loss plans like Weight Watchers, dining out is easier but not without its risks.

All the diets I've been on give you tips for how to eat at a restaurant. You know, things like "order the grilled fish with no sauce" or a "get a salad with dressing on the side." We all know how to follow those strategies. Instead, how about trying a new one:

Plan your restaurant meal before you leave the house

1. Choose the restaurant in advance and make reservations. No restaurants with a buffet or a mascot like Chuck E. Cheese. (Yuck!) Instead, pick a restaurant with a varied menu, so you can find something healthy to eat. Your best bets are seafood restaurants that grill (not fry) their fish, Japanese places for low-cal/high protein sashimi and miso soup, or one with an extensive salad bar. Also, when you make a reservation, your table is ready when you arrive (hopefully) so you don't spend time drinking and snacking in the bar.

2. Plan out your food budget before you go. Calculate how many Weight Watchers POINTS or calories you can use during the meal. Then stick with it!

3. Don’t leave the house famished. Have a light snack, like a piece of high fiber fruit or something with protein in it (nuts or a glass of skim milk) an hour before your reservation. Make sure you've had a few glasses of water or a cup of tea (bring a to go cup in the car) before you leave, too.

4. Get your exercise in earlier that day. If you can manage it, exercise then immediately go out to eat.
(Shower first and change your clothes, please!) That way your metabolism will be revved up and you'll be burning calories at a faster rate while you dine.

5. Go to the restaurant's website to plan what you're going to order. Or have them fax you a menu. Write down what you're going to order and any questions you have for the wait person. (Can I get it with brown rice? Instead of the potato, can I get some steamed veggies?) When you arrive, tell the hostess that you don't need a menu since you already know what you want to order. That way you won't be tempted to sabotage your plan.

For more Five Things/Ways advice articles, click here.

Click here to read how Outback Steakhouse is a great place for dieters, and those on gluten free, diabetic or low carb diets...

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Horizon DHA Omega-3 milk: a review

Way back when before I read The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, milk was just, well, milk. I didn't care if it was organic, hormone free, or shipped in from California. It just had to be cheap and no fat.

Then we went to Switzerland last May, and we drank real milk. Even the Weight Watcher's no fat milk tasted better than our usual brand. Somehow it was creamier, richer and didn't taste like water with stuff it in.

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Need to publish a book or cookbook? Think about self-publishing

Do you belong to a group that is looking to print a cookbook for fundraising? Or maybe you want to create a cookbook of family recipes as holiday gifts for your kids and grandchildren. Instead of going to your local copy shop and coming up with something expensive and amateurish, look into getting your cookbook self-published.

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Blog review: iFitandHealthy.com

iFit&Healthy.com is a blog that promotes a healthy lifestyle and covers health and fitness with a focus on healthy dieting and weight loss. Each post offers either weight loss diet tips and diet reviews. The blog is strongly against weight loss pills as a scam, unhealthy, potentially dangerous, and a waste of money. It also focuses on celebrity weight issues in the news like this post about Jessica Simpson.

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A Review of PopularCookieRecipes.com

Did you know that the first cookie dates all the way back to the 7th century in Persia? Seems that sugar was first cultivated there and then spread to the eastern Mediterranean. At the end of the 14th century, you could walk along the streets of Paris and buy little wafers, and cookie recipes began to show up in Renaissance era cookbooks. From there it was only a matter before cookies took over the world - well its sweet tooth that is.

That's one of the fun things I learned about cookies at PopularCookieRecipes.com, a collection of popular cookie recipes from around the world - a website you should check out for basic, simple cookie recipes.

This time of year we don't think about cookies much since we're busy making pies and tarts from all the great fruit available in the summer. Still, cookies are classic and very portable - great for picnicking or taking to the beach for a snack.

Since I'm always on the lookout for eggfree dessert recipes, I thought I'd share PopularCookieRecipes.com recipe for shortbread cookies.

Shortbread Cookies
I think these cookies would be marvelous to dip into a little fruit preserves or maybe eat with a bowl of fresh berries and a tall glass of iced tea.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups all purpose flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix butter and sugar in large bowl.
3. Stir in flour. If dough is crumbly, mix in an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of softened butter.
4. Roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness and cut dough with cookie cutters into desired shapes. The dough can even be cut with a knife into wedges or strips for interesting designs. Get creative and have fun!
5. Bake about 20 minutes or until set.
6. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

PopularCookieRecipes.com bills itself as a collection of popular cookie recipes. Yet the selection is pretty limited now. Since it's a new website, I look forward to seeing them expand their cookie recipe collection.

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Goji Berry Juice - another way to get your anitoxidants

Goji Berries.us carries organic wildcrafted Goji Juice from the Himalayas for their tasty, yet powerful health-promoting tonic. The delicate berries (Lycium Eleagnus Barbarum) that go into their juice have long been treasured by the Tibetan people for health reasons.

These berries are naturally protected on plateaus in the Majestic Mountains of the Himalayas. The nutrient-rich soil and the fresh mountain air guarantee nearly optimum conditions for the plant to flourish. It is not uncommon for people in the Himalayas who eat Goji berries on a regular basis to have life expectancies of 100 years or more.

They are  officially certified as being chemical and contaminant-free, and naturally dried in semi-shade.  The berries are not touched by hand, but instead collected by shaking the vines, as touching them causes them to lose some of their nutritional potency.

Nutritional Properties
•  19 amino acids, 6  times more than Bee Pollen
•  21 trace minerals, including Germanium
•  6 essential fatty acids
•  Vitamins  B1, B2, B6, C, E
•  More beta carotene than carrots
•  More antioxidant power than any other known food source
•  500 times more Vitamin C than oranges
•  4 Unique Polysaccharides (Master Molecules) found in no other food source
•  More antioxidants than any other known food source.
•  Linoleic acid, which significantly promotes body fat loss
•  15 times more nutritional iron than spinach

Goji Juice has antioxidant and immunity enhancing benefits. If you are a believer in alternative medicine and nutritional supplements, go to the Goji Berries.us site and see if Goji Juice is right for you.

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