dark chocolate chex mix

My newest favorite snack: dark chocolate chex mix.
I normally try to stay away from purchasing snack foods (chips, cookies, etc), but this is quite delicious. I normally do not care for the savory chex mixes because they are salty and have peanuts and too many pretzels. But this mix does not contain peanuts and there are only a few dark chocolate covered pretzels.
The only downside to the product is that 2/3 cup is a 140-Calorie serving. And chex pieces are kind of bulky so 2/3 cup is not a lot. I do not eat the mini chocolate pieces so hopefully I lower the Calorie content per serving by throwing those pieces out





RSBC status:
Running=26 miles
Swimming=2.4 miles
Biking=112 miles
Cook=3

RSBC-Pumpkin Challenge

Were people afraid of the pumpkin challenge? It seems like Christy at balance was the only other person who participated in the challenge. She made pumpkin gnocchi! It's an innovative incorporation of pumpkin (and added nutrients) instead of the traditional potato-based recipe.

**Feb. 27,2008***Another addition
Chez Denise created a salad and dressing using pumpkin seed oil. Pumpkin seed oil contains other nutrients than its orange-flesh portion. It contains vitamins (B1,B2, B6, C, D, E, and K),

and omega 3 & 6 fatty acids.

I cheated a little bit. My appetizer was on the sweet side and could be considered a dessert. I made a pumpkin mixture and filled and deep-fried them. They were really good right after they were made. But the next morning,,, they were soggy.

Recipe: Won Ton Wrappers
1 c. pumpkin puree
2 T corn syrup
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. granulated sugar
1/4 t. cinnamon
pinch (<1/8>

Mix all the ingredients together.Place 1.5 t onto a wonton wrapper. Wet edges, and crimp closed. Deep fry in oil. Dust with powdered sugar.

RSBC

I forgot to post this yesterday. So I was at the gym for almost 2 hours yesterday. I biked 25 miles and ran 7 miles. I plan to finish the 2 miles of running, 3 miles of biking, and 0.4 miles of swimming tomorrow afternoon.

RSBC status:
Running=24 miles
Swimming=2.0 miles
Biking=109 miles
Cook=3

Lemon Bars

My Lemon Bar Quest.
I've been on a lemon bar quest for about three years. I've been trying to create the perfect lemon bar. My definition of a "perfect" lemon bar is a 2:1 ratio of lemon filling to crust, a crisp and crumbly shortbread-like crust, with a tart and tangy lemon filling reassembling a slighty chewy tacky center rather than a curd.

All my attempts have not met the level of perfection I am striving for. All I know is that I have to use lemon zest in the recipe. I have to be careful when reducing the sugar and eggs in the recipe. I will not precook the lemon filling prior to placing it on the precooked crust. When I have the time, I will sit down with my Food Chem books and On Food and Cooking and try to come up with a scientific recipe.

RSBC status:
Running=17 miles
Swimming=2 miles
Biking=94 miles
Cook=3

RSBC

I have to finish the challenge by the Feb. 27th because I have a meeting to attend on the 28th. This gives me 9 days to complete the quadrathon! My plan is Mondays and Wednesdays bike 9-10 miles and take a cardio H2O class, and on the other days make up my running and biking miles. Unfortunately I got a blister on my right big toe, so I don't know how much running I can do.
I just finished working out for the day and here's my little vent. If you are going to work out at the gym; that's great. If you are going to work out, and then sit outside the gym and smoke a cigarette; boo. First of all, you're hurting your body, and secondly, if you are going to smoke, refrain from smoking so close to the gym or other buildings (it's against school policy).

My status:
Running=17 miles
Swimming=1.6 miles
Biking=85 miles
Cook=2

SuperFood Challenge-Week 3 PUMPKIN!!!

Pumpkin in an appetizer. It can be a savory or sweet; fried or a soup: canned pumpkin or fresh pumpkin. Anything you want!

Pumpkin is a squash full of beta-carotene (an antioxidant) which is converted to Vitamin A (fat-soluble vitamin that is important for healthy eye health). One cup of pumpkin provides more than your Daily Value of Vitamin A and 10 grams of fiber. Dole Foods Pumpkin can be eaten year-round instead of only during the Fall season, so let’s get cooking!

Email entries to me laur_64 AT hotmail DOT com by February 23.

tequila shrimp

Mike and I were planning to make Chipotle Shrimp, but we didn't check the recipe and both did not have a dry red wine. So we improvised and used tequila instead of red wine. I also cut down the butter, used some olive oil, added some chicken stokc, and the juice of half a lemon.

His is on the left, mine is on the right.

chipotle shrimp

My boyfriend and I are going to be making chipotle shrimp for our Saturday dinner date this week. After we cook it, we're supposed to take pictures of our dish and email it to each other. I'm kind of excited! Last time we cooked together, he showed me up and made blackened tuna encrusted with furikake with a wasabi soy dipping sauce. I had just made teriyaki tuna.

My status:
Running=10miles
Swimming=1.2
Biking=74miles
Cook=2

RSBC beet challenge

Chocolate Cherreet (cherry+beet) Cake

Recipe:
1 box Devil's Food Chocolate Cake Mix ( I prefer Duncan Hines, but any brand will do)
1 c. pureed beets
1 c. chocolate chips ( I used semi-sweet)
1 can cherry pie filling
3 eggs
Hand mix the ingredients all together. Bake at 350F for 25-30minutes.
My cake needed a bit more sweetness, so I made a chocolate frosting (butter, milk, chocolate, sugar).

You could not even taste the beets! Whoo-hoo! Will comment on the recipe later on.


My status:
Running=8miles
Swimming=1.2
Biking=49miles
Cook=2

comfort foods

These past few days I've been really tired and felt drained and lethargic. My meals consist of quick meals that require minimal cooking. For example today I ate mushrooms sauteed in olive oil and garlic, yesterday I had chips and salsa and half a grapefruit. To sum it up, I've been lazy and have contemplated, "Should I make the effort to prepare something to eat or should I go to sleep?"

I started thinking about my favorite comfort foods and what I wish I could eat.

All-time comfort foods: my mommy's cooking. oyako donburi, natto and rice, dave's ice cream-lychee sorbet, fresh hayden mango

Stressed out comfort foods: french fries with oodles of ketchup, onion rings, nachos, a good local fried rice, baskin and robbins rocky road.

Food I miss: squid luau, manapua, shave ice , zippy's chili

RSBC

i think i'm going to go for the beet challenge, and i'm going to challenge myself and use salty canned beets.

My status:
Running=8miles
Swimming=0.8
Biking=49miles
Cook=1

restaurants to visit in hawaii

one of my friends is going to hawaii on a family trip. he asked for recommendations and places to go, restaurants to try out, etc. so i'll be using this blog to jot down notes when ideas pop up.

random things you should try, but i don't have a favorite place.
hawaiian food-this is a hit or miss. most people have to adjust to the flavors of hawaiian food. it's basically flavored with salt. I don't know what kinds of spices are used in traditional hawaiian cooking. smoked items?
*dim sum-not sure where to go for cheaper yummy type. ala moana hotel has a pretty good one
*shave ice (matsumoto's north shore, waiola-in town)

restaurants (pricey..aka fancy date places, but so worth it!)
*alan wong's-asian fusion food
*roy's-asian fusion food. yummy fish

slighty cheaper, but still yummy
*alan wong's pineapple room (macy's ala moana)
*sansei-waikiki (go for half off after 10pm or before 5:30pm on sundays-these specials might only be for locals, i'm not sure)
*verbano on king (italian food cooked by asians. it's slightly different from regular italian, but good)
*tadashi-japanese food, yummy green tea shave ice
*ichiriki-japanese food. i forgot what the name of this kind of cook it yourself place is called. "nabe"? anyways, the food was yummy!
*restaurant kuni-japanese food
*shokudo-asian fusion restaurants. portions are on the smaller side ( i guess asian tapas?)
*pietros-asian italian fusion. (my sister's favorite restaurant)

on the go foods-take-out type
*bale-vietnamese sandwiches, it's like a franchise, so some restaurants taste better than others.
*monarch seafood-seafood and chicken are yummy. i think this place is only open for lunch
*char hun sut (sp?) -manapua (aka charsiu bao)
*zippy's ( a little over-priced for local fast food, but i like it. try the chili. i like the veggie chili too)
*kurukuru sushi


food places other people like, but i think it's just okay.
*sam choy's-pricey
*sam choy's breakfast lunch and crab (cheaper)

things to do
haunama bay-snorkeling
diamond head hike
check out chinatown-it's interesting. lots of different types of produce
polynesian culture center (toursits go there. you might want to check out the prices). i remember thinking it was kind of cool when i was growing up.

night scene
sorry i've been out of it so long, i'm not sure.
indigo has happy hour during the weekdays. i think it's half-off martinis. they have a good lychee martini

RSBC-green eggs and ham-kale challenge

My kale creation...green eggs and ham. well, it's green eggs and turkey bacon. I initially was going to make a frittata, but then realized that i had pesto in the freezer. so...i made pesto kale scrambled egg beaters and ham" (turkey bacon). surprisingly it tasted pretty good and kept me full for most of the day.

My status:
Running=8miles
Swimming=0.4
Biking=40miles
Cook=1

RSBC Update

It's funny, last year I thought each swimming class was equated to 0.8 miles, but this year it's 0.4. poo! I could be wrong...but I decided to dive into the swimming portion and took a Cardio H2O class today and it was AWESOME! I normally do not like this instructor in basic aerobics classes, but she's a pretty good Cardio H2O instructor. I think I might not be able to get out of bed tomorrow. We did the same moves as those in "Kick and Crunch" and "Strength" and it was great because my knees and ankles are not very strong. Even though those foam dumbells weigh a few ounces, man with the water resistance it felt MUCH heavier than those 5-pounders I use in Strength class.

Here's my status:
Running=6 miles
Swimming=0.4
Biking=40miles
Cook=0

My plan, knock out the cooking on Saturday, Bike 12 miles tomorrow or Friday, Run 2 miles on Friday.

Run-Swim-Bike-Cook Quadrathlon (RSBC)

Christy had the creative idea to host a Run-Swim-Bike-Cook Quadrathlon! We have the month of February to Run 26.2 miles, bike 112 miles, swim 2.4 miles, and complete 3 of the 4 "Super Food Challenges." A super food challenge is this: you are given a superfood and a type of dish to create for the week. **For Clarification, please refer to Christy's blog.
Christy is hosting the first two weeks, I'm hosting the third, and Julius of the Occasional Baker is hosting the fourth week.
I'm quite excited! The quadrathlon is open to anyone who is interested and is a great way to kick start your exercising and kitchen experimenting.

Here's my status:
Running=6 miles
Swimming=0
Biking=35miles
Cook=0


Hint: My superfood challenge might contain a food item high in Vitamin A that I'm working with for my IFT Product Development entry.