The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans LLC » Breakfast

Saturday Review: NEW Chobani Flavors! {Giveaway}

Mel — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 11:00:22 +0000

In case you haven’t heard, Chobani just introduced some awesome new flavors! From left to right, we’ve got Apple Cinnamon, Blood Orange, and Passion Fruit. These flavors are so new, you may not have seen them in your local store yet, but keep your eyes open because they should be there SOON!

I was fortunate enough to spot a couple of the new flavors this week at my local Target. I scooped one of each up right away to give them a taste test for you guys. I know, I know. It’s such a sacrifice to eat good food, but someone has to do it, right?!

I tried the Apple Cinnamon flavor on Thursday morning for breakfast. Oh yeah! Think apple pie filling mixed into yogurt. These are fruit-on-the-bottom yogurts, so be sure to give it a really good stir before you dig in to enjoy. It had a nice, smooth, and creamy texture just like all of the other flavors of Chobani that I’ve tried. One of the thing I really liked about it was that it wasn’t overly sweet. I was concerned it might be with the apple cinnamon flavor profile, but it was perfect (for me)!

Next up, I tried the Blood Orange flavor yesterday for breakfast. I must admit I went into this one with a bit of trepidation because I’m not generally a fan of citrus stuff due to the acid/tartness (well, except for margaritas. YUM!). In fact, I only added clementines into my food repertoire in just the last couple of years. So, you can see why I was a bit leery over whether I would like this. Given the success of the Apple Cinnamon flavor, I decided to just dive right in after giving it a good stir.

Oh. Em. Gee.

This stuff is just heavenly! Up to this point if someone had asked me what my favorite Chobani flavor was, I would have been torn between the Mango and the Black Cherry. Well, my apologies to those flavors, but I think I may very well have a new favorite. I thought the Blood Orange had just a very subtle hint of tartness and I really think that came more from the fact it’s Greek yogurt rather than the acid from the citrus. This will definitely become a regular in my fridge, that’s for sure!

Now on to the nitty gritty details. I’m sure you’re all wondering how these will fit into your healthy eating plan. I’m here to tell you that it’s not going to be a problem at all! The Apple Cinnamon and Blood Orange flavors are both nonfat and the Passion Fruit is lowfat (2%). For those of you (like me) who are on Weight Watchers, the Apple Cinnamon is 3 PointsPlus™ value and the Blood Orange and Passion Fruit are each 4 PointsPlus™ value. For those of you who are following other plans, here are the nutrition facts for each of the new flavors:

Apple Cinnamon

Blood Orange

Passion Fruit

WIN IT!

This giveaway is now closed. Congrats to Melissa W. on her win!! Melissa – I’ll be contacting you shortly via email to get your mailing information.

So, have you spotted the new flavors in stores near you? No? Well, you’re in luck then because we’re giving some away! One lucky winner (U.S. residents only) will receive a sample pack of the new flavors from the nice folks at Chobani. Now, since these flavors are SO new, it might take a couple of extra weeks for the winner’s shipment to arrive, so please be patient.

There are three ways to enter:

**Mandatory Entry** Leave a comment below telling us which of the new flavors you are most excited to try.
Tweet about this giveaway, then leave a comment with the link. Be sure to mention @shrinkingjeans and @chobani in your tweet.
Write about this giveaway (including a link back to this post) on your blog, then leave a comment with the link.

This giveaway will end at midnight PST on Thursday, January 12, 2012. Please be sure to include your email address with your comment(s) so we can contact you. If you win, we need to be able to get in touch to get your mailing address for the yogurt shipment!

Disclosure: I purchased the yogurt used for the purpose of this review. Chobani will be sending me a sampler pack in addition to the pack being sent to the winner. I did not receive monetary compensation for my review and all opinions expressed are my own. Giveaway open to U.S. residents only. No purchase necessary.

Recipe: Super Duper Smoothie

heather — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 19:10:09 +0000

Thanksgiving is upon us. Food, food and more food. I always vow I won’t overindulge.

And then? The stuffing, the gravy, the mashed potatoes – they form a coalition to completely wreck my willpower. Cranberry sauce joins the party and I’m defenseless.

I wake up the next morning in a shroud of regret, doing the food walk of shame. Of course, I try to burn as much as I can hitting up the Black Friday sales, but I can’t go in on an empty stomach.

That’s where my Super Duper Smoothie comes into play. Packed with vitamin c, fiber, antioxidants and protien, it’s just the right mix to help battle the maniacs in the mall. Even if you don’t brave the Black Friday sales, whip up this smoothie for a little detox, and to help avoid eating a turkey sandwich ~~and a slice of pie~~ for breakfast!

Super Duper Smoothie

Combine the following in a blender:

1/2 cup plain, fat-free greek yogurt or kefir (I love kefir – it’s a like a mix between milk and yogurt)

1 cup frozen fruit – I like blueberries and mangos.

1/2 banana

2 T psyllium husks – you can find this at Trader Joe’s or a health food store

1 serving vitamin c crystals – I also find these at Trader Joe’s or the health food store

honey or agave to taste

Blend until the smoothie is your desired consistency, adding water as needed. Serves one.

Menu Plan Your Butt Off

lisa — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 20:36:42 +0000

I have to be honest, I’m not very good at menu planning every week. The two times I have done since we started this segment at Shrinking Jeans have been awesome weeks of eating at our house. All the other weeks that I have not done it have still been yummy weeks of eating but definitely more stressful around mealtimes ~~because I wait to the last minute to figure out what we are having~~. I end up going to the grocery store more often because I don’t have what I need for that meal ~~because I didn’t plan it out~~, I end up spending more money ~~because it’s impossible for me to go into the store to just get what’s on my list~~, I end up wasting too much time.

The moral of the story: I need to menu plan my butt off each and every week!

The Menu

Sunday- dinner at Souper Salad, my kid’s favorite place to eat out!
Monday- Pork Tacos, Spanish Rice, Beans, Salad
Tuesday- Crock Pot BBQ Chicken, Buttered Noodles, Green Beans
Wednesday- leftovers
Thursday- Baked Chicken Parmesan, Green Salad, Garlic Bread
Friday- leftovers
Saturday- Mommy will be gone for the night so Daddy will have to fend for himself!

Other Lovely, Delicious Items to Make:

Coconut Banana Bread- the absolute bomb! This was so good the first time I made it- I wish I had made TWO loaves. The kids loved it, too and they aren’t even big fans of coconut. I did substitute 1/4 cup applesauce + 1/4 cup canola oil for the 1/2 cup oil; otherwise, I followed the recipe as is.
Cookies and Creak Shake- another winner from weight Watchers.
Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes
French Onion Soup- I’m pretty sure my kids won’t eat this so it will have to be something I make for myself, maybe at lunchtime.

Whew, I did it- I menu planned my butt off and lived to tell about it- woot woot! I hope ya’ll have a fabulous week. Make sure to share to the link to your weekly menu plan in the comments section below.

Oh, Oatmeal, how I love you so…

april — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:40:31 +0000

On cold winter mornings when I was a kid,
For school I would wake, barely opening my eyelids.
I stumbled and mumbled my way down the hall
To the kitchen from where my mom would call.

At the breakfast table, a bowl appeared before me
and I opened one eye and what did I see?!
One of my favorites! Could it be? Was it real?
It was! It was! It was a bowl of oatmeal!

To this day, I still love oatmeal so much
On this cool morning, the spot it did touch.
It sticks with my stomach all morning long;
By having oatmeal, I can never go wrong!

So, eat your oatmeal is the moral here.
It won’t hurt, I promise. You won’t have tears. (Or maybe you will. Oatmeal is THAT good!)
Oatmeal is something we all should celebrate;
It’s so good for you, love for it should be fate!
So, join us and Bob Harper and Quaker Oats
Because Saturday is National Oatmeal Day!

It’s a Special K giveaway!

april — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 16:31:35 +0000

I love fall. I love the colors and the chill in the air. I love cool mornings (not cold) with warm afternoons and I love orange and maroon with a little yellow mixed in. I love short sleeve t-shirts over long sleeve t-shirts and I love looking great in my jeans.

Who doesn’t love looking really awesome in her jeans? Seriously, if you wake up and say, “I hope I look terrible in my jeans today,” well, then I just don’t know what to think about that. But knowing you all like I do, I know that you DO love looking great in your jeans so I have a little something for you. And it’s really SPECIAL, if you know what I mean!

Recently, Special K sent me a little piece of heaven that arrived in the form of a Kellog’s Special K starter pack. Inside I found a box of their Red Berries cereal. Have you guys tried this? I admit, I usually don’t like berries in my cereal, but with one bite, I had to break up with my old favorite cereal (who, due to non-healthiness, will remain nameless). My starter pack also included a box of Protein Meal Bars. These chocolate caramel bars are fantastic if you need to grab a quick breakfast on the go! (Which for me is most mornings.) My favorite thing is they really fill me up, and I don’t get hungry until lunch! But if you’re looking for a little morning snack, you should give the Special K Fruit Crisps a try! I sampled the strawberry ones, and I’m not even kidding when I tell you that it was HARD no to eat the whole box all at once. They were my favorite ever. The last thing my starter pack included was a box of Cracker Chips, which are great for a mid-afternoon snack. My parrot and I have shared the Sea Salt ones and they’re really great. (But not as great as the Fruit Crisp!)

Want to win? Here is what you do:The awesome thing about all of these products is that you can enjoy them, and they help keep you looking good in your jeans! The more awesome thing about all of these products is that you can try them because Special K has been kind enough to give us a starter pack to GIVEAWAY!

(The Kellogg’s™ Special K™ Jeans Blogger Giveaway (“Sweepstakes”) is an online-only Sweepstakes. In the Sweepstakes, up to twenty-five (25) Kellogg’s® Special K® Brand Ambassadors (pre-selected bloggers specified below – “Participating Blogs”) will each host their own blog sweepstakes (“Blog Sweepstakes”) on their individual blogs (see below) as part of the Kellogg’s™ Special K™ Fall Challenge. Blog Sweepstakes begins no earlier than 12:00:00 PM (ET) on 9/16/11 and ends no later than 11:59:59 PM (ET) on 9/30/11 (“Promotion Period”). Check the individual Participating Blog for the Promotion Period associated with the blog.)

To enter, upload one (1) photo of you (the entrant) to the Kellogg’s® Special K® Facebook wall wearing your favorite pair of jeans, and then come back here and leave a link to your Facebook post! You can upload one photo and enter all 25 Brand Ambassadors’ Sweepstakes (the list of all Brand Ambassadors is on the the OFFICIAL RULES page here).

-Don’t forget to comment to let us know you uploaded your photo!

-For complete official rules, go here!

Giveaway will end on Friday September 30th at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time, so go take those photos and upload them to Facebook, and good luck!

Recipe :: Smoked Sausage Breakfast Scramble

april — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 17:32:04 +0000

This morning, I was browsing for a recipe to share with you guys (because let’s face it, I just don’t cook that much), I came across a recipe on NBC.com from my favorite show, The Biggest Loser. I LOVE everything breakfast, but one of my favorites, sausage egg and cheese biscuits, just aren’t that healthy. I came across this recipe today that I think will be a great substitute without losing any of the taste that I love so well! Have you tried this? Is it yummy? I can’t wait to give it a go!

Recipe: Smoked Sausage Breakfast Scramble

Ingredients

Olive oil spray
4 ounces extra-lean fully cooked smoked turkey sausage or kielbasa (5 grams fat or less per 2- ounce serving), diced
1 cup finely chopped sweet onion
2 teaspoons freshly minced garlic
16 large egg whites
1 cup chopped seeded tomato
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Spray a large, shallow microwave-safe bowl with spray. Add the egg whites and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Set aside.
Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly mist the skillet with the olive oil spray. Add the sausage or kielbasa, onion, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the sausage is heated through and the onion is tender but not browned.
Meanwhile, spray a large, shallow microwave-safe bowl with the spray.
Add the egg whites and cover the bowl with microwave-safe plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 1-1/2 minutes. Uncover the bowl and, using a fork, push the cooked portions of the whites into the middle of the bowl, letting the runny, uncooked parts run toward the outer edge.
Re-cover the bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals until the egg whites are just a bit runny on top. Uncover, then using a fork, stir the whites to break into large “scrambled” pieces. By the time you scramble and stir them, the residual heat should have cooked away the runniness. If they are still undercooked, re-cover and continue cooking in 10-second intervals until just done (be careful not to overcook).
Add the scrambled egg whites and the tomato to the sausage mixture. Stir well to slightly warm the tomatoes and incorporate the egg whites. Season with salt and pepper. Divide the scramble among 4 plates and serve.

Number of servings (yield): 4

Try It Thursday: Breakfast (An Everybody Wins Giveaway!)

Mel — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 10:00:58 +0000

We’ve all heard it time and time again: Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. In fact, some people say (Hey Ryan!) it’s THE most important meal of the day because, among other things, it stokes and fuels the metabolism for the entire day. This is especially important if one is on a weight loss journey!

For those of you who read my personal blog, you may already be aware that I’m participating in the Summer Breakfast Swap challenge with Uncle Sam cereal and Attune Foods. Like me, I know several of the other writers here at the Sisterhood are also big fans on Attune Foods. So, when I was approached to take part in this challenge, I was more than willing and happy to do it. For the months of July and August, I’m swapping out my regular breakfast for a bowl of Uncle Sam cereal and reporting in each week via vlog with how the challenge is going.

So, how does this all fit in with Try It Thursday? Well, the good folks over at Attune Foods have allowed me the opportunity to extend a mini-challenge offer to all of our awesome readers here at the Sisterhood which includes a FREE box of Uncle Sam cereal for everyone who signs up! How cool is that?! Here’s all you need to do to participate:

Go by my “I’m with Mel” page on the Attune Foods site.
Grab a copy of my button using the code provided on their site and post it on your blog. Here’s a little preview of how it looks:
Click the coupon link to request your FREE box of Uncle Sam cereal. (Please note the coupon is for U.S. redemption only.)
Once completed, the coupon will be ready immediately via PDF for you to print and take to your favorite store that carries the Uncle Sam product line.
Swap out your regular breakfast for one week with the Uncle Sam cereal and then share your experience on your blog.
This isn’t a requirement, but please leave a comment below to let me know if you’re going to take up the challenge and provide a link to your blog. I’d love to follow along with your experience as well. :)

As you can see, my Try It Thursday challenge to you all is actually two-fold. First, I want to encourage those of you who haven’t been eating breakfast to give it a try. You might be pleasantly surprised to see how much it helps not only your hunger levels, but with weight loss as well. Secondly, even if you’re already eating breakfast, I want to encourage you all to give Uncle Sam cereal a try. I mix mine with some fresh fruit (blueberries are my fave!) and unsweetened vanilla almond milk. With the combination of protein and high fiber, it definitely stays with me right through until lunch. So there’s no more mid-morning snacking temptation for me which is a good thing!

So, get out there and eat some breakfast, people!

Disclosure: I was provided a supply of Uncle Sam cereal for my participation in the Summer Breakfast Swap. The opinions expressed are, as always, entirely my own.

Western Omelet Flatout Wrap

Lissa — Tue, 24 May 2011 02:17:41 +0000

Recipe: Western Omelet Flatout Wrap

Summary: Delicious {and easy} omelet wrap!

Ingredients

1 Flatout® Light Flatbread
2 strips extra-lean uncooked turkey bacon
1/4 cup red and/or green peppers, diced
1/2 cup fat-free egg substitute
1/4 cup shredded low-fat Cheddar cheese

Instructions

Prepare egg beaters and turkey bacon according to instructions on package.
Chop red and green pepper.
If desired, warm Flatout in microwave on medium for 10 seconds.
On one rounded end of Flatout, layer cooked eggs and bacon, sprinkle shredded cheese and peppers.
Gently pick up filled end of the Flatout, roll flatbread tightly, cut in half and enjoy!

Quick notes

Weight Watchers Points Plus Value: 8 points

Preparation time: 5-10 minutes

Cooking time: 5-10 minutes

Number of servings (yield): 1

Meal type: breakfast

My rating 4 stars: ★★★★☆ 1 review(s)

Editors’ Weekly Round-Up: Inspiration, FitBloggin’, Breakfast and Babies.

Lissa — Fri, 13 May 2011 16:58:25 +0000

It’s Friday the 13th…. ooooh, scary! I am a total horror-movie buff and I love, love, love the dumb, gory movies {but only if my husband is home to watch them with me}. Anyway, despite the superstition associated with today, it will be a good day!

Check out these links and your day will brighten, I promise!

First up, possibly the best race report I have ever read. Do you know Sharon from Mom Generations? She is my idol. Mother to four and Grandmother to nine, Sharon is a such beautiful soul. I am constantly in awe of all she does. She just completed her first MARATHON, for goodness sake. She is AMAZING. Read about her experience here!

Lacking in breakfast ideas? Check out this breakfast of champions. I want.

And ohmygosh, I will be in Baltimore next week for Fitbloggin’!!!! I can.not wait! Did you know that the other half of my brain will be speaking about building online communities? Make sure you sit in on the session on Saturday!

And last, but certainly not least… our beautiful Heather welcomed her sweet baby girl into the world on Monday! We are so excited and I only wish she lived closer to me so I could baby-stalk. Make sure you tell her congrats over here!

Review: Eggo FiberPlus Waffles! And Giveaway!

april — Sat, 07 May 2011 14:20:37 +0000

By show of hands, who loves breakfast? (Come on, raise those hands high!) Better yet, who loves waffles? Yeah, I thought so. Me too.

In fact, I love waffles way more than I should, so I don’t eat them often. However, when I was contacted by Kellogg’s to give their new Eggo FiberPlus Waffles a try, I really couldn’t resist.

I fully admit that receiving frozen waffles in the mail is one of the coolest things that has ever happened to me. I’m pretty sure I heard angels sing when I removed the dry ice (Note: You have to be careful with dry ice. It’s super cold. You’re welcome.) and saw those two boxes filled with chocolate chip and buttermilk yummy goodness. Yes, I had waffles for dinner that night. Yes, they were awesome.

I’ll bet most of you think that you “can’t have” waffles. I will be the first to tell you that throughout my weight loss journey, I have yet to give up anything that I love. So, while I may not smother my waffles in syrup any longer (OK, sometimes I use a little bit of syrup), I still enjoy my waffles. When you add waffles that have 35 percent of your daily recommended allowance of fiber (and! without sacrificing taste!) and excellent sources of antioxidants (chocolate chip) and calcium (buttermilk), there is no guilt in having the things you love. Just don’t eat the whole box in one sitting. It’s tempting, believe me.

So. Now to the fun stuff. Who wants to give yummy Eggo FiberPlus Waffles a try? Well, today is your lucky day because we’re going to choose one lucky reader who will get a chance to do just that because Kellogg’s has been kind enough to include us in the Eggo FiberPlus Better Your Morning Blogger Giveaway! From today until Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. Central, you can enter for a chance to see for yourself how good Eggo FiberPlus Waffles are. Here’s how to play:

Leave us a comment below explaining how to make waffles a healthy choice of breakfast. (Give us alternatives to smothering your waffles in syrup!) And! For an extra entry, tweet about this giveaway!

Disclosure: Kellogg’s is the sponsor of the Eggo FiberPlus Better Your Morning Blogger Giveaway. The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans did not receive compensation for this review. The opinions are solely our own.

KELLOGG’S™ EGGO FIBERPLUS™ BETTER YOUR MORNING
BLOGGER GIVEAWAY
Abbreviated Rules. No Purchase Necessary. Begins no earlier than 12:00:00 AM (ET) on 4/18/11 and ends no later than 11:59:59 PM (ET) on 5/22/11. For complete Official Rules, go to http://web.mediacdt.com/docs/eggo_fiberplus_rules.pdf. Open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia who are 18 years of age
or older at time of entry. Subject to complete Official Rules. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: Kellogg North America Company, One Kellogg Square, Battle Creek, MI
49016.
®, ™, © 2011 Kellogg NA Co.