Protein Shake and Heaven- Oxymoron?

I have tried a lot of different protein shakes, but never found one that I liked. It was a chore to gulp it down. While there are many benefits of drinking them, the major setback for me was the horrible taste. Enter Muscle Milk to the rescue. I first learned about this little piece of Heaven when I worked at a fitness center last year. It was our best-selling protein shake. I asked its loyalists if it really did taste good and they all raved about its wonderful taste. I didn't try it then because the calorie count was a little high for my liking. When the light version hit the shelves, I gave it a try. No lie, this stuff tastes AMAZING. I bought the chocolate powder and then the vanilla powder. There is no need to mix it with milk- water tastes great and makes it fairly thick. I feel like I'm drinking a true shake. If you want to have a better experience, try the pre-made ones. They come in a packs of 4 and cost below $7. Here are the stats:

150 calories
20 grams protein
8 grams carbs
3 grams sugar
5 grams fat

Does it get any better than that? I think not. Chocolate Mint is my favorite, but I have yet to try a Muscle Milk flavor that I disliked. So, if you're looking for a meal replacement shake that tastes like a dessert, buy Muscle Milk. If you are watching your calorie intake, go for Muscle Milk Light. Happy Drinking!

An analysis on PIZZA

Yes! I remember growing up, that was the only food kids wanted at their parties. No variety, especially when you could choose between cheese and pepperoni. Why don't they just call a cheese pizza a plain pizza? Doesn't pizza automatically come with cheese?

Not only am I a cookie snob, I'm a pizza snob. The best pizza I've ever had is from NYC. There is this one place that my great aunt introduced me to. It has all sorts of interesting pizzas, such as lasagne pizza, salad pizza, and baked ziti pizza. Just writing about them makes my mouth water!

The second best pizza I've ever had is from Mangia Pizza in Austin, Texas. It's a Chicago Deep Dish Style, with the toppings sandwiched in the double crust. It's a little piece of Heaven and for that reason I wish I could have it more often.

So, what makes a pizza place stand out from the rest? Better ingredients, better pizza, or so says Papa John's. I don't know who Papa John's thinks they are fooling. Their pizza is disgusting! For fast food pizza, what would you choose- Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa John's, Little Caesar's, Cici's (or as my brother likes to call it "Feces Pizza")? I would go with Pizza Hut. Part of it may be sentimental since they gave out free personal pan pizzas for reading books when I was in elementary school.

I think that the crust has a big responsibility for the overall outcome of a pizza. The toppings also need to be evenly distributed. Did they chince you on your favorite ingredient? Be sure to hold it against them next time. For the sheer amount of ingredients, Poppa Rollo's Pizza in Waco is hard to beat. It is loaded so much that you can't see the cheese. I was introduced to it at a young age when my brother, Robert, went to Baylor. To this day, if I'm ever passing through Waco, I try to take him a pizza because he loves it so.

What about frozen pizza? Tombstone, Red Baron, Freschetta, and DiGiornio come to mind quickly- I guess that's effective branding. Freschetta and Digiornio are decent, but it's been so long since I've had a frozen pizza. Their are places, such as Papa Murphy's in Fort Worth, that will make the pizza and you bake it at home. The price is very reasonable, and the product is fine. I wouldn't be giving them any taste awards though.

If you're going to eat pizza, or anything for that matter, make it worth it. This has been an overarching theme in my posts so far. Life is too short to waste on crappy food!

Cookie Snob

My brother, Robert, is the absolute best baker in the world (he's also a great cook by the way). He's especially famous for his cookies and banana pudding. I don't know how he gets his cookies so perfect. The last few times I've made them they have been really flat. Robert's chocoloate chip cookies are to die for-chewy, melt in your mouth, and double the amount of chocolate chips! After eating them (or shall I say inhaling them), I just can't have a "Chips Ahoy" or even a store-baked cookie. His wife, Erica, agrees. She said it perfectly when I saw her in Texas a few weeks ago- "I'm a cookie snob now." She compares his cookies to those of her coworkers and they just don't measure up- of course I'm not surprised! She and I agree that it's better to not waste calories on mediochre, amateur cookies. Robert was so kind enough to teach me some of his secrets, which I will graciously share with you.

1. He uses a kitchen aid mixer. It really mixes everything a lot better than a hand mixer.

2. He watches the cookies very carefully and takes them out when they are BARELY brown (possibly even before).

3. He uses a nonstick/silicone spatula to take the cookies off of the cookie sheet.

4. The William Sonoma cookie sheet works the best. He doesn't know why, it just does.


What cookie tips do you have?

If you eat it, make it worth it

Have you ever eaten something that wasn't very good just because it was there/you were bored? Have you ever been hungry and eaten something that didn't fully satisfy you? If you are like me, you sit at a desk all day. It's nice to have hand-held, unmessy snacks to break up the day. Just the sound of the crunch of the potato chips may break up the monotony of listening to your computer humming. Office goodies can be a trap. At my previous jobs, there were so many people in the office that there was always an occasion to celebrate. Cake was involved. As a self-proclaimed cake guru, not all of the cakes that were brought in lived up to par. For example, some were dry, and some had that horrible whipped icing! I would finish the entire slice, either because I thought it was polite or just because it was there in front of me. I have now learned better. If a calorie doesn't give me the satisfaction I crave, I don't eat it. When I crave chocolate, I have the best dark chocolate I can afford. I am a chocoloholic, and dark chocolate satisfies me a lot quicker than milk chocolate. Hershey's doesn't do it for me, but Russell Stover's and Godiva do. Everyone has their own tastebuds. Just make sure that when you do eat something, you like it!

Beware of Free Samples

Have you heard of the diet tip to never go to the grocery store on an empty stomach? It's true. Not a good idea, because you may buy foods that are bad for you on just an impulse.

Here's my own diet tip. When going to a place that offers millions of free samples (e.g. Costco or Sam's), especially on the weekends, chew gum while you shop. Just one taste of a sample may not be much, but a calorie is a calorie. They add up, and when you multiply the number of samples with their corresponding average calorie count, you may be astounded! Plus, do you think that you will really get a lot of satisfaction from just that one bite, or are you just doing it because it's something to do while shopping? So, save the calories and don't graze. Chew a piece of gum instead.

Work In Progress

What is a "Work in Progress" anyway? We've all heard it, but it seems as though this phrase is overused. You and I are both a "work in progress," constantly striving to improve ourselves. We all want to look better, feel better, eat better, and improve different areas of our lives. I want this site to be an outlet for us all to share our goals with diet and nutrition. I will share my findings from nutrition articles and my experiences with exercise, and welcome all of your comments.

To overuse the phrase even more, this site is a "work in progress," but I welcome the challenge.