Stonyfield Luncheon at EVOO

Yesterday was the most glorious day: amazing weather, grandma with kids, a luncheon with amazing food bloggers AND the CEO of Stonyfield and then coming home to an amazing family and home. Since I have so much to share with you in regards to the luncheon, I am going to start first with the food at EVOO. Being that the lunch was with Stonyfield, the chef incorporated their yogurt into the dishes.

While chatting and waiting for the actual starter course, we munched on a bread course with a EVOO, balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese (one of my favorite ways to start any meal)

Photo courtesy of HealthyandSane

Starters
Asparagus, Peas, Fiddleheads, Radish and Arugula with Great Hill Blue Cheese, Herbed Yogurt Dressing and Course Crumb Crunch.

OR

New Jersey Asparagus Soup with Parmigiano Reggiano, Red Chili Flakes and EVOO.



I chose the soup and my goodness, it was amazing. They pureed it perfectly as it still had some great texture and small pieces of asparagus. I think they need to add garlic in the description as I am now able to ward off vampires..while smiling ear to ear thanks to this soup.

Mains
Seared Atlantic Golden Tilefish with Organic Potatoes, Fiddleheads, Wild Ramps, Cilantro, Curried Potato Broth and Minted Carrot Salad



OR

Seared Misty Knoll Farms Chicken Breast with Red Fire Farm's Spring Dug Parsnip Manicotti, Shaved Fennel, Orange Segments, Arugula, Parmigiano Reggiano, Garlicky Chicken Jus and Hazelnut Crunch

OR

Chinese Box Full of Crisp Fried Mustard Glazed Tofu, Asparagus, Gingered Vegetable - Cashew Salad and Organic Brown Rice

I chose the tilefish as I have been wanting to it for a long time and it was well worth the wait. I am one who prefers a lighter texture and flavor in my fish and this fits the bill. The fish was cooked perfectly and no single flavor over powered the other. The chef Incorporated the yogurt into the minted carrot salad

Dessert
Stonyfield Organic Yogurt with Balsamic - Basil Glazed Strawberries



All I can say is that I am going to do my best to replicate this dessert. When the chef came out, I asked him about the topping, assuming it was made with the Yogurt. However, I was surprised that it was the tart where he Incorporated the yogurt not the topping. This tart was truly amazing and the perfect consistency.

Stop & Shop Luncheon at UpStairs on The Square

My favorite local 'megamart' grocery store is Stop & Shop and I am a big fan (in particular their Nature's Promise line), so I was thrilled to be invited to their Holiday Luncheon.

Upon arrival, I was greeted by the lovely ladies of 360 PR and was invited to do some flower arrangements with some S&S employees . The next station was chocolate covered pretzel rods which I enjoy doing for baby showers in pinks and blue pastels. My favorite station was the Soup mix in a Jar. What a thoughtful gift idea.

During lunch, the lovely Andrea Astrachan then told us about some great programs including the new offerings for the thanksgiving spreads from the deli and my favorite three: the Holiday Rewards Program and the new magazine 'Small Victories' and the Adventure Guide.

Before I get to those, I want to talk about the restaurant: UpStairs on the Square. As soon as I walked in, I smiled. It was quite a funky and ecclectic place and had a super fun vibe. I was intrigued and excited to try the food.

The passed appetizers included chicken satay, cheese puffs and pizzas. I spent my time with the satay-yum.

We were then offered a Spinach Cannelloni or Grilled Spiced Chicken Salad. I thought the Manicotti was good but needed a bit more flavor. I can not speak for the salad as we had a choice of either. We then given a bread pudding dessert which I thought was fabulous however, I do not see these items on the regular menu. I am definitely planning on going back for a special meal soon.

Back to the programs:
Holiday Points: By simply doing your regular shopping. you gain 1 point for every $1 you spend. There is no limit to the number of Holiday Reward Coupons you can earn and the discount you earn is based on the number of points you accrue until December 10th and you can then redeem them through Christmas.
250 Points = 5% off

450 Points = 10% off

600 Points = 15% off

800 Points = 20% off Holiday Reward Coupon

Store Explorer Adventure Guide: A new program where school students go to a local Stop & Shop and go on a healthy store tour. They also get a 'goody' bag at the end that I am told is full of healthy items. I am waiting to hear what are in the bags (hoping it is filled with all the right things.)

Small Victories: A new mom-focused magazine filled with tips and coupons. Love the first one.

Disclosure: Flowers, Lunch, Soup Mix and Gift Card were all provided. I was not asked to post.

Dining at Michael Jordan Steak House with Five for Fighting

Exciting title isn't it? Well, it is a bit of false advertising but still a great post. I am going to share with you the meal we had prior to seeing the Five for Fighting concert at the Mohegan Sun Casino. First the yummy meal at Michael Jordan's Steak House.

My meal consisted of the: Roasted Beet Salad. Here is the description from the menu: Smoked Almonds, Herbed Goat Cheese, Frisee, Radicchio & Truffle-Honey Vinaigrette. Now, normally I am not a beet girl. However, this dish turned me around and inspired me to make this beet dish.



Grilled Corn off-the-cob with Smoked Chile Butter. This was a lively salad that contained carmelized Onions and fresh cilantro. I think I moaned at the first bite.



My husband opted for a Scallops Special: seared scallops with radicchio, arugula salad, crispy capicola over yellow heirloom tomatoes with a Parmesan aioli. Heaven.



And to end the meal, a surprise from the restaurant to celebrate our 8th Wedding Anniversary: The 23 Layer Chocolate Cake




Now onto the concert: When the One to One Network asked me if I wanted to go to the concert, I think my mouth dropped open. I love Five for Fighting. Better yet, this would be great for a hubby-wife date night. In order to have a healthy marriage, you need to make time for yourselves and as parents, couple time is often put aside isn't it? I admit that I am guilty as well and took this opportunity to remind myself (and my hubby) how important the couple time is and how much fun we have together. We are now back to our weekly date nights. That may mean something as simple as some popcorn and a TV movie but it is our time.

Now, onto the concert: The concert began with "What Kind of World Do You Want" followed by "The Riddle". I felt as if John Ondrasiks' voice was caressing my insides with his soulful voice and music. Next came "Chances" which I had seen performed on the Today Show the week before so I was looking forward to hearing it live. I do not think I have ever heard a singer's voice as authentic live as on the album.

He then performed 'Slice' (The title song from this, his fifth album) which is a nostalgic tune and pays homage to Don McLean’s oldie but goodie, “American Pie" and past times. It is funny as he mentioned 'James Taylor' as that is exactly who I had thought of during this concert. I was reminded of the conversations, if you will, that go on between each song. You learn about he singers thoughts and life during the time the song was conceived.

Next came "Freedom never cries", "Tuesday", which is an ode to 9/11, then the touching "I Just Love You". After those songs I dried my eyes and continued to smile.

Happy people during the intermission of a fantastic concert. To quote my husband "I have a new favorite singer"

He is sending out a dedication to me. Ok, not really but he spotted me a minute later and I am sure he was wishing he was not married. Just go along with me, will you?

If you can get to a Five for Fighting Concert, do so and bring someone you care about. I will share the final song "Hope" for you below-Fantastic!!!

Full Disclosure: The tickets were supplied for the concert.

Jen’s adventures at Tortilla Flats: Can you make healthy choices at a Mexican Restaurant?

The phone rings and you are invited to dinner at the local Mexican eatery. You eat healthy and do not want to be stuck eating fried food and cheese or maybe you are trying to lose weight? Should you say ‘No, thanks’ or go and throw your determination out the door? No way! I have some tips to help you make smart choices and a story about how I did it. Read the story carefully and note some of the ways I found better nutrition choices and how you can find a restaurant that will make some changes for you.

First up is my story of Jen’s healthy adventures at Tortilla Flats.
I was recently invited to a luncheon by the owners of Tortilla Flats in Providence, Rhode Island, who were very excited about their new menu. I debated whether to go? I write about and practice eating healthy so can I go there knowing they will be giving me cheese and guacamole? I debated but found out that we would be ordering whatever we wanted off the menu. I took a look at the menu online and realized that it would be possible and that I could then share my experiences with you.

Upon arriving at this former firehouse, I was charmed by the slightly industrial decor as well as the wooden tables and other Mexican touches. It was refreshing not to sit at tables covered in uneven bright tiles or overbearing bright colors. First up, what to order to an appetizer? Yup, there is a nice selection of the less healthier choices but then I spot the winner: Chicken Tortilla Soup. This soup is made with a chicken broth base, shredded chicken, and loaded with veggies. The soup is not salty and I can taste the cumin. I am pleased.

Next up, I get to choose the main dish. I peruse the menu and then question the owner: tons of cheese in the quesadillas? No, but feel free to request that they go light on the cheese? Can I get whole wheat tortillas? Yes, or choose corn tortillas. I was impressed. I also note that you can order a vegetable or shrimp quesadilla. Other healthier main dish choices: baja tacos made with sauteed tilapia (hold the dressing), or the Santa Fe salad (substitute grilled chicken), or the house salad. I was thrilled to see that they had a bison burger, just hold the cheese and instead of fries, ask for the cucumber salad (spicy but yummy). So my choice you wonder? I choose the Baton Rouge Tilapia Sandwich. I loved the subtle spicing as so many Mexican restaurants go overboard. I also thought the ciabbiata roll was great but I thought I would be stuffed so I simply ate the tilapia and the lettuce and tomato it came with it. I enjoyed that it was not smothered with the aioli but instead an adequate drizzle. You can wipe it off if you wish or ask for it on the side but I would not skip it. A children’s menu was also offered but contains the standard less than healthy options however, they do come with apple slices. Always keep in mind that you can always order the little ones something that is not on the kids menu (grilled chicken kiddos?).



Dessert: To be honest, most Mexican restaurants do not have healthy options however, if you must have something, I suggest this: split the dishes! maybe split ice cream amongst the group? Tortilla Flats has a strawberry shortcake cornbread that I am sure the group would be happy to share with you but try to steal most of the strawberries. Maybe you should have a margarita instead.

In summary, I was happily surprised at the selections, flexibility and taste of the food offered at Tortilla Flats and that I left with not a fried chip of guilt. I bet that as with most restaurants, you will find the Mexican place near you willing to make adjustments.

So now on to other ideas for eating lighter at a Mexican Restaurant:
*Ask them not bring the chips to the table
*Ask what substitutions you can get besides rice or fries or if you can simply get the rice if there are no vegetable side dishes.
*Order soft tortillas instead of hard as 'hard' equals fried
*Substitute black beans for refried beans
*Use salsa as a condiment instead of sour cream or guacamole
*Do not restrict the children to the kids menu: if need be, order the 'grown up' version and either share (keeps the cost down) or bring the rest home.

Any other suggestions that you have to cut the fat?

Apizzo comes to Pawcatuck

I noticed this building being renovated in downtown Pawcatuck, CT. and began to get excited when I saw the exterior painted black and then the sign that clearly stated 'apizzo Pizzeria Napoletana’. I knew immediately it was going to be an up-scale and authentic Italian pizzeria. I mean a sign with black and red and no picture of a slice of pizza? When my husband and I found ourselves without children for a few hours we knew right away what we wanted to do with the time. We entered apizzo about 4:45 and the place was quiet as you would expect at the early bird dinner time. Being that it was not busy yet, there were plenty of youthful smiling faces to greet us. We requested the table in the back, on one side a chair and the other, bench seating. The restaurant décor and ambiance borders on minimalist but still feels warm. That warmth comes from the darker, subtly lit interior, the wood-fire brick oven in the open kitchen to our left and to our right, the lounge area with armless leather chairs. They have generous seating yet not so much that you will feel overcrowded. In fact, by the time we left at 6:25, almost all the tables we filled yet it was not noisy and uncomfortable. We noted 'all walks of life' were there even though this restaurant exudes a higher end feeling. Definitely not the typical pizza joint.

Our server Katie welcomes us and offers to get us some beverages. Oh, and what a beverage selection they have. The sodas are there as well as the unsweetened iced tea but the real story is the beautiful selection of Italian wines and the extensive selection of domestic, microbrew and imported beers. We placed our order and began to feast on the eye-candy of a menu. We first focus on the appetizers and choose both the wood roasted wings and caprese salad. Once they arrive, we take a moment to admire them before digging in. First, the caprese salad: I truly tasted and enjoyed the mozzarella. The tomatoes could have used another day to ripen to my liking but were fresh and both the tomato and mozzarella were dressed with the prefect amount of balsamic syrup. Next, the wood roasted buffalo wings. Now, these are not the run of the mill, over fried wings coated with Frank’s Hot sauce (which I love by the way). The wings were meaty, were not just skin and bone and the texture was different as they are not deep fried as the only means of cooking here is in the brick oven. Katie, knowing that the pizza cooks in 2 minutes flat, timed it perfectly and waited for a few minutes after finishing our apps. to even order it (We had, after all, told her that we were there for a relaxed experience.). The main course of ‘Shrimp & Pesto’ Pizza arrives and looks even better than I expected. This lovely pizza was not covered with a large dose of pesto and tiny shrimp. Nope, this pizza was lovingly created with nice sized shrimp and a great pesto (not the oily and too garlicky mixtures), and cooked perfectly: not chewy and tough-how wonderful. We dug in but savored. If you like stiff thin crust pizzas, than this place is not for you. The outer crust itself is wider than I am used to seeing, being about 1.5-2 inches of fresh, lovely bread. The pizza is light and refreshing and close to a touch too salty so do not salt before tasting, but that is always a great rule to follow. After staring at each other and smiling during our pizza experience, we decided that we wanted to enjoy some dessert and cappuccinos (‘illy’ people, illy). Katie also did a great job informing us that the cheesecakes were by the Cheesecake Factory and so, yes, a slice of carrot cheesecake please. In case you were wondering, yes, we ate the whole thing. It is a perfect size for two and because it is not the standard heavy, chewy pizza, we could make room for dessert.

We will be going back for some paninis, more pizza pies and to experience the wines & beers. Ciao! p.s. Have fun washing your hands in their all glass bathroom sinks.