Review
I shouldn’t say ridiculous things like “I’ll pick a winner March 1st” when there’s no telling when I’ll next get to a computer or even if I’ll have a clue what day it is.
But none the less, here are the TEN winners of the Think Thin Weight Wellness sampler packs:
Please email me your mailing info so I can pass it on!
Now, for those of you who didn’t win, I’ve got another giveaway for you. If you read a bunch of healthy living/food type blogs, chances are you’ve probably seen the new Chobani Greek yogurt flavors floating around. Not to bore you with repetitiveness, but you’re going to seem them at least one more time:
The Chobani crew sent me a box of their newest varieties: Apple Cinnamon, Blood Orange, and Passion Fruit. How are those for creative yogurt flavors?
Normally I love anything apple cinnamon flavored, but the thought of apples & yogurt together made me cringe a little. I’m willing to admit when I’m wrong however; I immediately fell in love with the combo. Creamy Greek yogurt on top with soft cinnamon-spiced apples on the bottom. Pretty much dessert in disguise.
The blood orange flavor surprised me both in taste and appearance. It truly tasted like blood oranges were mixed into the cup and the bright pinkish orange flavor was beautiful. {An important quality in yogurt, no? 
}
I really, really wanted to like the Passion Fruit since it’s such a unique yogurt variety, but I just couldn’t get on board. I’ve heard the 2% Greek yogurts are deliciously creamy, but it was just too much for me. While authentic to the passion fruit, the seeds in the bottom of the yogurt just didn’t jive for me. The crunch just didn’t mesh with the smooth yogurt and they left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth.
Keep your hands off the other flavors though, those are mine!
So…want to win your own box of Chobani?
Leave a comment below telling me what flavor yogurt you’d create if you were a yogurt maker.
Recipe
Ahh tofu. Loved by many, hated by more.
Tofu is a fantastic protein source and is rich in iron, copper, manganese, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Unfortunately, it’s often overlooked as a food choice at home. Ever notice {if you’ve dared to order it} that tofu tastes delicious in a restaurant dish, but bland, squishy, and gross at home?
It’s all about the prep method. Think of tofu as a base for whatever dish you’re making- it’s up to you to make it work!
I used to be a firm believer that you could skip the first step in tofu preparation: pressing the tofu. But I will admit, I’m wrong. {You won’t here me say that often!} Pressing the water out of the tofu makes a huge difference. Sure, it’s fine to skip if you’re just whipping up a side of tofu for a quick dinner, but once you’ve seen how much better it cooks when you press it, you won’t go back.
Tofu comes packed in water. It needs to be drained and then pressed to remove most of the water from the tofu to make room for other flavors to be absorbed. If there’s too much water, your tofu will remain bland no matter how long you marinate or cook it.
Note: If you’re cooking tofu for stir fries, etc., be sure to use the “firm” or “extra firm” varieties instead of the soft or silken, which are better for blended use.
To press tofu, wrap in paper towels and place something heavy on top. I wrap the tofu block in a layer of paper towels then surround it with a dish towel so I’m not wasting too many paper towels. Rest a heavy dish, cookie sheet with cans, or stack of cookbooks on top. Let rest for at least 30 minutes; more is just fine.
Once tofu has been pressed, slice into strips, cubes, or triangles. Spread on a paper towel for a little extra water absorption.
Next up: cooking. Yup, we’re skipping the flavoring. For now.
Dry cooking the tofu helps remove a little more moisture and create a crispy outer crust on the tofu. The trick is to use a hot non stick pan- if you have a cast iron pan, this would be a great time to use it. Do not add oil or spray to the pan.
Optional: toss tofu in cornstarch before cooking to help get a crispy coating. {I compared cornstarched & non-cornstarched versions side by side, and I still can’t decide which I prefer. So it’s up to you!}
Spread tofu evenly throughout pan. Let cook untouched for a few minutes, until tofu starts to brown. Flip tofu and cook other side until brown.
Now it’s time to flavor your tofu. You can use any kind of marinade or dry rub you like, but leave out the oil- oil & water don’t mix and it’ll make it hard for the tofu to absorb the marinade.
Add the tofu back to the hot pan until warm enough to eat. If you’re using a marinade with sugar, cook until the sugar caramelizes and thickens.
I’m a big fan of Asian-based marinades for tofu, but sometimes I like to mix it up. Like this Mexican style marinade:
by Heather Neal
Keywords: entree vegetarian vegan Mexican Southwest
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 2 T apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp adobo sauce {from canned adobo peppers}
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Dash of cinnamon
Combine all ingredients.
Pour over tofu, chicken, or other meat. Let marinate for 15-30 minutes, or use as sauce when cooking.
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Want to learn more about tofu? Visit Nasoya’s Tofu U to learn all you ever wanted to know!
Bonus: Win some tofu! One lucky winner will get 5 coupons for Nasoya products plus a T-shirt! I used Nasoya’s Sprouted Tofu Plus {thanks to a coupon} for this dish and loved it- it held up well & tasted great.
To enter, take the Nasoya Tofu U pledge! Leave a comment letting me know you did so.
For a bonus entry, leave a comment letting me know you’re favorite way to prepare tofu or what dish you’d like to make.
Ends tomorrow!
Health Info
{Have you seen that movie? It’s horrible in that “have to watch” it way.}
The Yoplait relaxation giveaway is over {winner at the end}, but don’t fret if you didn’t win. I have another one for you. ‘Tis the season. 
In honor of promoting healthy holiday substitutions, I have Greek yogurt for you- lots of it!
More specifically, 3 of Chobani’s new 32 oz containers- perfect for using in your favorite recipes.
Sure Greek yogurt’s good on it’s own, but it’s also a great way to lighten up some of your favorite dishes while bumping up the protein content.
Just a few ideas:
Use Greek yogurt to thicken your smoothies.
Swap oil for Greek yogurt when baking.
Make a protein-packed yogurt parfait.
Use plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.
Use it to thicken soups instead of heavy cream.
Use as a dip for fresh fruit.
Skip the mayo and go for Greek yogurt instead, especially in chicken, tuna, or egg salad.
Ramp up your pancakes with a scoop or plain or flavored Greek yogurt.
To Enter:
Leave a comment about any or all of the following:
The winner of the Relaxation giveaway is….
Lauren!
Email me your address so you can get your prize!
Holidays
There’s something about the end of the year that makes people run around frantically with their heads spinning and their hearts pounding. Sleep becomes both the enemy and the most desirable need of the day. Manners are left at home, traded instead for maniacal driving, parking space stealing, and toy-fighting.
But isn’t it supposed to be just the opposite? A time to relax, unwind, and appreciate. Time to snuggle up on the couch in a cozy blanket with a hot mug of cocoa and a cheesy made-for-TV holiday movie. Time to squint your eyes and let the lights of the Christmas tree blur and make twinkling starbursts. Time to spend with your family, soaking up the moments you don’t normally have time to appreciate.
So take a few minutes; slow down. Don’t worry about having perfectly wrapped gifts or elaborate dinners. It’s ok if the Christmas cards don’t go out in time or the house isn’t sparkling clean.
Make double portions of your favorite meals and pop them in the freezer so you can take a break later in the week. Let breakfast cook itself overnight. Dig into a batch of freshly baked cookies without guilt. Employ any shortcuts you have and use the extra few minutes to soak up the spirit of the season.
In honor of relaxing and enjoying your holiday season instead of stressing, I have a giveaway for you!
To celebrate the release of the newest smoothie flavor, Chocolate Banana, Yoplait is giving away a prize pack including a coupon for a bag of free chocolate banana smoothie mix with a smoothie tumbler, a soft neck pillow, and a lavender eye mask.
Yoplait Chocolate Banana Smoothies have live and active yogurt cultures, and deliver 50% of the recommended daily value of calcium. Each package contains enough frozen fruit and real yogurt to make two 8 oz servings, when blended with 1 cup of skim milk. They also make Triple Berry, Strawberry Banana, Blueberry Pomegranate, and Strawberry Mango Pineapple flavors.
Don’t want to wait to see if you win? Download a printable coupon for $1.00 off one package of Yoplait Chocolate Banana Smoothie.
Now I’m not going to lie and say it’d be hard to make a smoothie on your own. But heck, sometimes letting someone else do the work makes it taste that much better. 
To enter to win the relaxation pack, simply leave a comment below telling me what flavor smoothie you’d like to see next from Yoplait.
Disclosure: The Yoplait® VIP Coupon, information, and giveaway have been provided by Yoplait through MyBlogSpark.
Psst. Don’t miss my 34 week update!
Recipe
When you frequently experiment with recipes, especially baking recipes, you’re bound to stumble across a disaster or two. I’ve certainly had my fair share.
But every once in awhile, that disaster isn’t really a disaster- it’s just something else entirely. Like this gingerbread:
Let me back up. I received this gift pack from Seventh Generation and the encouragement to come up with a dish that incorporates the flavors from the products’ ingredients.
I loved the Fresh Citrus & Ginger scent and it seemed appropriate for the season, so I figured I’d go with that. In addition to citrus and ginger it has cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Perfect!
I was in the mood for something baked {when am I not?} and a quick bread sounded like the perfect solution. In my head I was envisioning those orange cranberry muffin mixes I always see at the grocery store. I decided I was going to make a citrus spiced pecan version. Ha.
So I played around with some recipes and ingredients, and finally came up with my recipe. Time to give it a try!
I started with one of my banana bread recipes, took out the banana, and swapped in apple sauce, orange juice, and a heap of spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger. Since the dish soap flavor I was channeling was citrus & ginger, I really wanted the ginger to stand out, so I used fresh grated ginger in addition to the powdered kind to give it a little kick.
Into the oven it went; out it came.
I don’t know why I was startled to see it was brown instead of white like the muffin mixes- I used whole wheat flour after all.
Then I sliced into it and helped myself to a still warm from the oven helping. I could smell the aroma of fall spices drifting out of the bread as soon as I cut into it. It reminded me of something…
As soon as I took a bite, I knew what it reminded me of: gingerbread.
And then it hit me: I’d just made gingerbread. Why I didn’t put two and two together before that moment, I have no idea. Let’s blame it on pregnancy brain.
So this bread is nowhere near what I thought I was trying to make in my head, but I sure did end up with a darn good gingerbread- nice and light, and perfect for a snack in this chilly pre-holiday weather.
I guess the moral of the story is not every disaster is really a disaster; it just depends on your perspective.
by with a Side of Sneakers
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- orange zest
Add vinegar to almond milk. Stir & set aside.
Mix dry ingredients.
Stir in almond milk, orange juice, and applesauce.
Stir in pecans and orange zest.
Spread into loaf pan. Top with extra orange zest if desired.
Bake at 350 degrees for ~40 minutes. Tester should come out clean.
Let cool slightly before removing from pan.
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Or double up the recipe and make a loaf-cake!
The Le Creuset pan makes it easy, and clean up’s a breeze with the Seventh Generation dish soap!
The best part of this whole thing? You now have a chance to win the same gift pack I received and I promise- you want it.
It’s four full sized bottles of Seventh Generation liquid dish soap in a variety of scents, including their Free & Clear scent free version, along with some natural cleaning supplies: Twist loofah sponges & scour pads, and colorful organic dish towels. There’s also a 3 quart Le Creuset baking dish. Yes, you read that right- Le Creuset can be yours. 
You can also enter their “Nature Makes Perfect Scents” contest to win a trip to Italy, France, or Vermont, where Seventh Generation gets their essential oils.
For a chance to win the prize pack pictured above, answer one of these two questions in the comments:
- Which of the Seventh Generation natural dish liquid varieties are you most interested in trying?
- Which essential oil sourcing site would you be most excited to visit, if you were to win the “Nature Makes Perfect Scents” sweepstakes?
For bonus entries, you can:
Please leave a separate comment for each entry method. You have until Friday at midnight!
Disclosure: The Seventh Generation Natural Dish Liquid prize pack, product and information have been provided by Seventh Generation through MyBlogSpark.
P.S. Don’t miss my 27 week update: pregnancy by the numbers.
