Product review: Element Bars
Posted by Mike Farley (05/08/2012 @ 9:49 pm)
I realize that this blog is often geared toward recipes, reviews and ideas that are not exactly healthy. But we do include our share of healthy ideas, and truth be told, my gut is growing in inverse proportion to the inactivity I’ve endured following recent back surgery. And so I need to eat better, something that is always easier when it’s more convenient.
Well, there is a product that was pitched to me recently for this blog that is healthy, convenient, and tasty–and has the added bonus of being gluten free–Element Bars. Standard granola bars often have so much added sugar or other sweeteners that offset the health benefits. Protein bars have long lists of ingredients that you can’t pronounce and usually they have this weird aftertaste. And there has been another wave of bars–the all natural kind, and Element Bars fit that bill. But they take it a step further by allowing you to customize your bars.
Go to www.elementbars.com, and poke around. You can make your own bars based on whether you’d like them chewy, oaty, crispy, datey or fruit&nut. Those are the “core” parts of the bar, and from there you add whatever types of dried fruit, nuts, sweeteners (such as honey or maple syrup) and “boosts” such as whey, fiber or Omega-3. But you can also order pre-determined recipes, and some flavors I sampled were Datey Divine, PB Power, Almond Sunrise, Cherry Charge, Banana Repair, and Cherry Chocolate.
They were all delicious, and I’m not just saying that because they sent me product to try. But there was the added bonus of knowing I was eating something all natural and good for me–with good amounts of fiber or protein or both. I have to say though that I was really partial to the “Cherry Charge,” which had oats and whey crisps, as well as dried cherries and cashews. And maybe one of the best points here–I was running out the door twice recently and realized I had no time to make breakfast. I grabbed an Element Bar, ate one in the car and my hunger was curbed for a few hours. No joke. I guess when you give your body the nutrients it needs, you don’t get hungry. Imagine that!
Seriously though, for you folks that are health conscious, you won’t find a bar that tastes this good with this much nutrition. Or one that you can create on your own. Now that’s good marketing.
For more information, check out www.elementbars.com
Posted in: Green Living, Healthy, Ingredients, Product Reviews, Recipes
Tags: bars, breakfast bars, breakfast on the go, dried fruits, Element Bars, Element Bars review, fiber, granola bars, healthy breakfast ideas, healthy food reviews, honey, make your own healthy bars, maple syrup, nuts, oats, Omega 3, protein, whey
Foods I miss from…..Cleveland
Posted by Mike Farley (04/25/2012 @ 6:59 pm)
After living in New York from when I was born until I was around 27 or 28, I moved to Cleveland and kick-started my life and career in various ways that, while involving many twists and turns, were somewhat defining. I also went through various phases of food experimentation–and back in the late ’80′s, and ’90′s there was a lot of low-fat this and that, and less meat. Thankfully the pendulum for that stuff swung back toward high protein, low-carb, which is still not ideal (I want to eat everything, yo), but, well, I love bacon. Let’s leave it at that.
Anyway, as was the case when I moved away from New York, moving from Cleveland to Nashville left a void in some areas food-wise. And so here are a few items I miss and still do from the Buckeye state…..
Aladdin’s–okay so this isn’t a food item as much as it’s a restaurant, but it’s something I have to have when going back there. Aladdin’s is a local chain that serves delicious and inexpensive Middle Eastern food. They have great stuff like hummus, stuffed grape leaves and falafel. But it’s more than that–they have some delicious signature items like pita pizzas and one I miss in particular is the one with spicy chicken, peas, fried onions and a spicy tomato mixture. Also, they have these smoothies that you can get with combinations of fruits and vegetables. Seriously, they make veggies more palatable than you can imagine using a blender.
Pad thai–I’ve never had pad thai like the pad thai at Phnom Penh in Cleveland. It’s….wait for it…..Phnomenal. Sadly, I haven’t been back there since moving in 2003, but maybe next time. I mean, we have great Thai and Vietnemese and Laoatian food here in Madison, but….
Pizza–There really is great pizza in Cleveland. There is Mama Santa’s, Tasty, Geraci’s on the east side. There is Antonio’s and Santos on the west side. This is all coming from a New Yorker too.
West Side Market–There is nothing like the West Side Market in Cleveland. It’s an institution, and you can get all kinds of fresh produce, but also the indoor portion has vendors selling meat, bakery products, cheese, nuts, candies, and more. It was always fun to go there hungry, and we try to get to the market whenever we are in town. My mouth is watering thinking of the spicy jerky at this one place, and I think Michael Symon profiled it on The Best Thing I Ever Ate on Food Network once.
Krispy Kreme Donuts–I don’t think there is a single donut shop in Madison. In fact, you have to go to grocery stores and gas stations to find donuts at all. Yikes. But the ones in Krispy Kreme are freaking heavenly. The glazed ones in particular are their signature item, and it’s quite easy to down five or six at a sitting (no, I really haven’t ever actually tried that. No, really!).
Homemade granola/fruit bars–The Arabica coffee shop at University Circle has these pastries they sell at the counter, and they are like granola bars with a layer of cherry or berry preserves. And I go way out of my way to get some no matter how long we are in town for. In fact, last time I think I brought home a dozen.
Tommy’s fries–Tommy’s in Cleveland Heights has amazing french fries, but also makes some mean sandwiches and veggie creations. Oh, and milk shakes!
I know there is more. But we’ll have to just re-visit this column from time to time!
Posted in: Chefs and Restaurants, Food TV, Grocery stores, Healthy, Ingredients, Your Kitchen
Tags: Aladdin's, Antonio's, Arabica, bakery, candy, cheese, Cleveland food, Cleveland Heights, coffee shop, donuts, falafel, food I miss, french fries, Geraci's, granola bars, grape leaves, great food in Cleveland, guilty pleasures, jerky, Krispy Kreme, Laoatian food, Mama Santa's, meats, Michael Symon, Middle Eastern food, midnight snacks, nuts, Ohio food, pad thai, pastry, Phnom Penh, pita pizzas, pizza, produce, Santos, shakes, smoothies, Tasty, Thai food, Tommy's, Vietnamese food, West Side Market
Easy Fried Rice
Posted by Mike Farley (04/02/2012 @ 11:15 pm)
 I made this fried rice twice last week and it was awesome. If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, they have easy and delicious rice in their frozen foods section. You just nuke a bag of it for three minutes and you have perfect rice–either brown or jasmine or white rice. You can also buy the Uncle Ben’s or other easy microwave rice packets that are sold in the rice/pasta section, but trust me–this Trader Joe’s rice tastes better. I use the brown variety but either would work fine.
So after you nuke the rice, set it aside. Chop a small or half a large onion. Chop some baby carrots, and put them along with a handful of frozen peas (and/or frozen corn) in a small pot and cover with water and boil for a couple minutes. Crack an egg and cook that in a small, nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray for a minute or two until set.
Then, take a large nonstick skillet, swirl in a tablespoon or so of cooking oil such as canola. Heat over medium heat for a minute, then add the onion and rice. Stir fry for a couple minutes or until the onion is cooked and translucent. Drain the peas and carrots and add those. If you have any cooked pork, chicken or beef, chop that up and throw it in. Chop the scrambled egg and add that. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then add a couple tablespoons of soy sauce. Continue to stir fry for another minute or so. If you have any cilantro, chop that and add in at the end (or green onion, or both).
That’s it. It is easier than it felt typing it all out, trust me. And it’s delicious and not too greasy as most restaurant fried rice is.
Posted in: Food on a Budget, Grocery stores, Healthy, Ingredients, Recipes, Your Kitchen
Tags: beef, brown rice, carrots, chicken, cilantro, easy fried rice, easy rice recipe, eggs, fried rice, green onions, guilty pleasure, midnight snack, onions, peas, pork, soy sauce
Spring Ahead Sandwich
Posted by Mike Farley (03/21/2012 @ 10:27 pm)
I’m not sure what prompted me to call this sandwich “Spring Ahead Sandwich,” but I think it has something to do with the fact that it has a hard boiled egg on it–something that may often be associated with Easter or Passover. Anyway, I intended to make this a vegetarian sandwich, until I fed my son some slices of delicious-looking salami for lunch.
So that was that. I picked up some nice long sub rolls, and sliced one open. I piled it with lettuce, salami, sliced hard boiled egg (Trader Joe’s sells them pre-peeled in a bag), sliced kalamata olives, sliced sweet/hot peppers (again, thank you Trader Joe’s for this amazing new treat!). I sprinkled some olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and dried oregano, and closed it up. And it tasted as good as it looked in this photo. Okay, so maybe I’m not the best food photog, but it still looks good for a Blackberry shot!
Anyway, give this one a shot or some variation of it. It was filling, but I did have to stop myself short of eating two of them. At least on that day I did.
Posted in: Food on a Budget, Grocery stores, Healthy, Ingredients, Interviews, Recipes, Your Kitchen
Tags: easy healthy sandwich, easy sandwich, egg sandwich, hard boiled eggs, kalamata olives, lettuce, midnight snack, olive oil, olives, oregano, red wine vinegar, roasted peppers, roll, salami, sandwich, Spring Ahead Sandwich, spring sandwich, sweet hot peppers, Trader Joe's
Taco baked potato
Posted by Mike Farley (02/20/2012 @ 5:47 pm)
Sometimes you have no idea what to make for dinner, and it’s getting late in the day. Lately, that’s happened a lot to me. I work from home and do most of the cooking in our house, so I’m usually planning and cooking, and trying to time things for when my wife gets home from work. Recently I had some ground turkey and didn’t know what to do with it, and had to think something up. We had some nice baking potatoes, and I’m one of those people who does not believe in microwaving potatoes–blech. So I popped two potatoes in the oven, and using some taco mix we had on hand, made taco meat with the ground turkey. And what was born? A combo that I’m surely not the first person to think of–a taco baked potato. This combines two awesome food items and it’s pretty healthy, so long as you’re not counting carbs.
Here is what to do–rinse the potatoes, and pierce them a few times with a fork. Bake at 450 degrees for an hour or so. Meanwhile, with about 15 minutes left on the potato cooking time, make the taco meat according to package directions. Shred some cheddar cheese (or used pre-shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese), and gather taco items such as chopped tomatoes, olives, jalapenos, sour cream and either salsa or taco sauce. You can also add chopped avocado as I did, and/or cilantro. Really, you can use your imagination or anything you have on hand. The only item that goes in tacos that might not be good here would be lettuce, since it would wilt when added to a piping hot potato.
So cut the potatoes in half, mash them a bit and then top with the meat and other toppings. Dinner is served!
Posted in: Food on a Budget, Healthy, Ingredients, Recipes, Your Kitchen
Tags: avocado, baked potato, cheddar, cheddar cheese, cilantro, easy dinner, easy grub for guys, easy taco baked potato, ground turkey, guilty pleasure, jalapenos, lettuce, Mexican cheese, midnight snack, olives, potato, salsa, sour cream, taco, taco baked potato, taco meat, taco mix, taco sauce, taco seasoning, tomatoes
Super Bowl Snacks IV
Posted by Mike Farley (02/01/2012 @ 9:55 pm)
It’s that time of year again! We’ve been making it an annual tradition to post some snack recipes in advance of the Super Bowl, and this is the fourth year we’ve done that on Bullz-Eye’s Grub for Guys. This year, I made five new recipes that you can find on Grub for Guys on the Food & Drink homepage–queso meatballs; ham, avocado & corn tostadas; pizza potato skins; easier Italian beef sandwiches; and grill & chill Buffalo poppers.
It was way too much fun, as it always is, making these things and transforming our kitchen into a test kitchen. The poppers are the one gratuitous recipe I have to do every year with wing sauce. But the meatballs and skins were my favorites out of the bunch. Of course, everything is good…trust me, I wouldn’t steer you wrong with food like this. Hopefully you can try a few of these as you watch my Giants upset the Patriots again. Enjoy!
Posted in: Ingredients, Recipes, Tailgating, Your Kitchen
Tags: avocado and corn tostadas, easy game day snacks, food for dudes, football snacks, grill and chill poppers, Grub For Guys, guilty pleasures, ham, Italian beef sandwiches, Jalapeno, midnight snacks, new Super Bowl snacks, pizza potato skins, queso meatballs, Super Bowl, Super Bowl recipes, Super Bowl snack recipes, Super Bowl snacks, tailgating, wing sauce
Easy chicken vegetable soup
Posted by Mike Farley (01/28/2012 @ 8:48 pm)
Here is an easy soup I made twice this past week, and one that is real easy–chicken vegetable soup. Here is a general list of what you’ll need:
Olive oil or vegetable oil
1-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 carton chicken broth
assorted vegetables such as onion, carrot, celery, cabbage, green beans (whatever you have on hand)
assorted frozen vegetables such as corn, optional
noodles or pasta
Salt, pepper, and dried herbs
Grab a large soup pot and pour in about 2 tablespoons of oil. Heat on medium heat for a minute or two, and meanwhile cut the chicken into small pieces. Put chicken in pot and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then stir very few minutes. Meanwhile, chop your vegetables (maybe 2 cups total), and add to the pot. Sprinkle more salt and pepper. Cook for a few more minutes, then add frozen corn and other frozen vegetables if using (1/2 to 1 more cup total), and chicken broth. Add another 1-2 cups water, noodles or pasta (about 3/4 cup dry), a bit more salt and pepper, and herbs such as Italian seasoning, oregano or basil (just a teaspoon or so). Stir and cook for about 10 minutes or until pasta is tender. Serves 3-4.
Posted in: Food on a Budget, Grocery stores, Healthy, Ingredients, Recipes, Your Kitchen
Tags: chicken noodle soup, chicken soup, chicken vegetable soup, easy chicken soup recipe, easy chicken vegetable soup, easy chicken vegetable soup recipe, food for dudes, Grub For Guys, guilty pleasure, midnight snack, soup, soup recipe for guys
Pizza omelet
Posted by Mike Farley (01/25/2012 @ 10:44 pm)
Yeah, you read that right. But I’m not talking about cracking eggs in a pan with tomatoes and mozzarella. I’m talking about the way I did it this past weekend–with bits of leftover pizza folded into an omelet. Something about it is very primitive, very college, very hangover. But mostly, it was delicious. Just ask my wife.
It started with some leftover pizza we had in the fridge. I used homemade pizza, like the one I posted here last month. But you can use any pizza you have left over from the night before.
Take out 2-3 large eggs. Heat the pizza (1 large or two small slices) for 30 seconds in the microwave or 5 minutes in the toaster oven at 350 degrees, just to warm it a bit. Cut the crusts off, then cut the pizza into bite size cubes. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Crack the eggs into a bowl with a splash of milk or water, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Pour the eggs into the pan, and swish the pan a bit to let the eggs cook and set evenly. When the egg is almost set, sprinkle with the pizza bits.
When the egg is almost entirely set, fold over half and cook for 30 seconds. Flip the omelet and cook for another 30 seconds. Slide onto a plate and cut in half. Serves two hungry and/or hung over people.
Bonus–try it with a Bloody Mary, like the one I posted here.
Posted in: Food on a Budget, Grocery stores, Ingredients, Recipes, Tailgating, Your Kitchen
Tags: bloody mary, easy hangover food, easy omelet, egg dish, eggs, food for dudes, fun with leftover pizza, Grub For Guys, guilty pleasure, hangover food, leftover pizza, leftover pizza recipe, midnight snack, morning after, omelets, pizza, pizza omelet
Product review: Taco Bell Beefy Crunch Burrito
Posted by Mike Farley (01/11/2012 @ 11:15 pm)
Memo to Taco Bell–your commercials work. I was watching football on Sunday and a commercial came on for the limited time only “Beefy Crunch Burrito.” It’s a burrito with (are you ready for this?) Flamin’ Hot Fritos right in the burrito. Are you kidding me? I knew I wouldn’t want to be plucked from my comfy blue recliner while watching my Giants crush the Falcons, but dammit, I will get to Taco Bell this week. That’s what I said to myself. Monday came and went and I forgot. Tuesday morning came and a light bulb went off in my head around the time I had lunch hunger pangs. Oh yeah, it’s time, I thought.
I had to pick up our son from preschool which meant I had a short window of time to get to the Bell and then pick him up, and get home before my food got cold. The line was literally out the door, and I stood there for a few minutes, and then noticed the drive thru lane was near empty. I got in my car, cruised up and ordered, “Two Beefy Crunch Burritos, please, no sides, no drink”…..and amazingly, it was only $2.09. And I would still be in line if I didn’t do the drive-thru.
Anyway, I got some hot sauce to go with the burritos, but these babies needed no sauce–there was some saucy taco meat, rice, some oozing cheese, sour cream, and of course, the spicy corn chips, wrapped in those pillows of flour tortilla. Damn. This is as close to dude food nirvana as it gets–of course, it’s not like it’s a juicy steak, but there is certainly a place for nicely crafted and delicious fast food in any guy’s diet. (speaking of which, don’t tell my doctor I ate these).
Oh, and they did get cold by the time I got through my second one, because I was working while eating, and because I was savoring every bite. For real, yo. Go try these now…..seriously, go try these now!
Posted in: Chefs and Restaurants, Ingredients, Product Reviews
Tags: beefy crunch burrito, burrito, cheese sauce, corn chips, fast food, Flamin Hot Fritos, flour tortilla, food for dudes, Fritos, great fast food, Grub For Guys, guy food, hot and spicy, midnight snack, product review, rice, sour cream, taco, Taco Bell, Taco Bell beefy crunch burrito, taco meat
Why diets are a downer
Posted by Mike Farley (01/04/2012 @ 11:47 pm)
I have excellent intentions every new year. I start every January on a diet and sometimes they last a few months, sometimes a few hours. I started this one on Monday and have made it thus far to the end of Wednesday doing the South Beach Diet, and if you have done this particular diet you know that the first two weeks (Phase 1) are extremely restrictive–no carbs of any kind. That means only meat, dairy, vegetables, eggs, beans and nuts. And it’s freaking HARD. Especially if you’ve been just eating whatever for whenever. And I think the reason so many of us fail at dieting is that we go from eating so bad to so good so fast, as I just did.
I’m not saying I can’t keep it up, but let me tell you a few reasons why all I want tonight is a huge plate of fries, a pizza and a whole coconut cream pie. One, I haven’t had time to adequately plan, which has left me scrounging for jerky and nuts mostly. Oh and sugar free candy. You get sick of these items real fast, believe me. Secondly, the broccoli cheese soup I made yesterday was great, but for whatever reason my belly was not happy yesterday. And today it really wasn’t happy after I ate it again for lunch. Finally, my breath smells like a large metropolitan market’s sewage plant. I know this because my wife keeps reminding me of it. And I can just feel how bad my breath smells.
Mrs. Mike is on Weight Watchers, so it’s pretty easy for us to synch these diets. But I have a feeling we’re about to binge, and try to start this diet again (or skip to Phase 2) tomorrow or the next day, or Monday!
Do you have diet horror stories, or anything else you’d like to share this January?
Posted in: Healthy, Ingredients, Your Kitchen
Tags: beans, cheese, coconut cream pie, diet, eggs, fries, January, jerky, low carb, meat, new year diet, New Year's, nuts, Phase 1, pizza, resolutions, South Beach diet, sugar free, sugar free candy, vegetables
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