I think I can speak on behalf of (most) fellow bloggers and say nothing is more annoying than a missed alliteration. As much as I would love for this to be a Friday Favourites post, unfortunately I missed the boat on that one last week…so Monday Favourites it is:
- Uncle Ben’s Rice: I have seen these pouches at the supermarket for years, but only picked one up last week out of sheer desperation to eat dinner ASAP. The prep couldn’t have been easier, merely requiring me to add the contents to a pan with 3 tablespoons of boiling water & cooking it over stovetop for 2 minutes. I opted for the Wholegrain & Quinoa variety, but will definitely be adding other flavours to my grocery cart next time. You never know when they’ll come in handy for a quick meal. Quick note: Although the pouch says Serves 2, I managed to get 3 servings out of it.
- Although berries tend to be THE summer fruit, personally I can’t get enough of tomatoes this summer: Cherry, beef, raw or grilled- they have been so flavourful. Aside from turning them into marinara sauce, I’m addicted to the simple combo of sliced tomatoes drizzled with olive oil & topped with crushed black pepper & fresh basil – yummers!
- Two Chicks Chirps Snack Bites: When choosing a snack, I try to make sure it contains a decent amount of fiber and/or protein. Although I tend to be a bit weary of foods labeled as “high-protein” due to the extensive use of dodgy additives and ingredients, I was pleasantly surprised by these snack bites. The kind people at Two Chicks sent me samples of all 3 flavours:
- Sour Cream & Onion
- Smokey Jalapeño
- Sea Salt & Cracked Black Pepper
A quick glance at the ingredient list & nutritional values and I was already hooked: all “clean” (a.k.a. REAL) ingredients. Made primarily from free range egg whites (as opposed to soy protein which is common for high-protein snacks), each bag contains a mere 110 calories & a whopping 9.5 grams of protein. Taste wise- you could’ve fooled me…they taste as delicious as regular crisps, if not better. The Smokey Jalapeño is my favourite, but the other 2 aren’t far behind. For those of you with intolerances, all 3 flavours are gluten-free. Although the Sour Cream & Onion contains buttermilk & yogurt powder, the other 2 flavours are also dairy-free.
- Little’s Infused Instant Coffee, particularly the French Vanilla flavour…because life is too short for crappy coffee. Since I tried this at a friend’s place, and then immediately bought a bottle to keep at home, I feel like I have coffee running through my veins. It consists merely of freeze-dried Arabica coffee & natural flavourings, but the vanilla flavour is ON POINT! Even without milk or sugar, it tastes like dessert in a cup. I will certainly be purchasing a bottle of the Swiss Chocolate flavour very soon.
- I am officially addicted to Body Pump (click here for more info about the workout structure). One of my goals this summer is to start strength training regularly again and body pump seems to be the answer for me. Especially as each track focuses on a separate muscle group, it’s an efficient way to get a full body workout within 45 – 60 minutes…and actually enjoy it! As body pump is not yet available in Mumbai, I’m making sure to get my fill in London and attend at least 2-3 classes per week at a nearby leisure centre. I would definitely recommend this class to people who find weight training in the gym monotonous or too slow-paced. And if you’re intimidated by the use of barbells- don’t be. Each class is totally customised to individual fitness levels- just adjust the number of plates on the bar accordingly.
Disclaimer: I received the Two Chicks Chirps free of charge; however no other compensation was provided for writing about the product in this post. All opinions are my own.
What’ve you been snacking on lately?
What’s your favorite summer fruit?
I love tomatoes too! We hqve been getting these really sweet bell tomatoes, they are the best!
Mmm will have to look out for bell tomatoes next time!
Hi Khushboo
I can just imagine what your suitcase is going to be filled with when returning to Mumbai 😉
By the way, there ARE Body Pump Classes in Mumbai – conducted by my niece who is a fully certified Les Mills trainer at her own gym – F2 Fitness, Linking Road, Bandra, check them out on FB. Yeah , the only sad part is that its on the other side of town for us townies …
Enjoy your week !
Farrah is your niece! I tried the gym when I was on vacation and loved it.
Ooh how I hope Farrah starts teaching in South Bombay!
Ahh please ask your niece to consider teaching classes in town- I just can’t justify going all the way to Bandra for a workout ;)!
I love Two Chicks egg whites (well, I love the fact that they’re free range – it’s quite hard to love a carton of egg whites…) so I’d be all for trying those snacks!
I’ve been snacking on DIY balls a lot recently (ball jokes aside) and they’ve been pretty great – and so much cheaper than the ones in shops 😉
Mmm balls (that’s what she said – haha) ;)!
I always mean to do a favorites post and somehow it always escapes me. The quick cooking rice is a dream, especially when you want to eat fast. Seeds of Change has some good options with different medleys too, like quinoa and wild rice. In fact, we used one as part of dinner last night.
I love Body Pump. They offer it at my gym and when I’m in the office, I try to go every Monday. It’s fantastic.
Ohh shnap- Monday is my Body Pump day too :)!
9.5 grams of protein in a chip??? Woa – my mind is blown! I need to look for Two Chicks Chirps Snack Bites here in Atlanta! My fav snack item has been wasabi hummus and broccoli – so weird – but so good!
I’ve been wondering about Bodypump – I need to see if there are Bodypump workouts on DVD….
Ohh woah- wasabi hummus sounds unreal….definitely need to look out for that!! And please do try out body pump- it’ll complement your running rather nicely :)!
my choice of snacks lately is smoked almonds + farmer cheese ( impulse buy but soo worth it)…and my fruit of choice right now is watermelon.
YUM- can’t beat watermelon in the summer…they seem to be especially sweet!
I love Cherry Tomatoes too! Berries are just so expensive….. Though I’m still on the rhubarb train 😉
Still need to give rhubarb another try!
I’m addicted to those rice pouches because I’m super lazy. I don’t think I’ve actually cooked rice properly since I moved to London. Tonight I found out that Tesco sells ready made courgette noodles and cauliflower rice! It could take my laziness to a new level, if not for the fact that I’m leaving so soon!
HAHA no way- for the sake of curiosity, I’ll have to pick up a bag of their cauliflower rice next time I am in Tesco!
yay bodypump! You know how I feel about it 😉 And I’ll have to keep an eye out for that rice – I don’t like making it because of the time commitment involved :-p
Choice fruit: blueberries and cherries…and my latest snack was cherries and almonds!
Mmm sounds like the perfect summer snack…or any season snack if you ask me ;)!
My favorite summer fruits include mangoes and berries…hands down my fav! And PB + apple is my go to snack right now – so filling and delicious!
There’s something about apple slices & PB that just never gets old :)! See you SOON!