I was a little bad tonight…not eating wise, but money wise! I def. did not need to buy more groceries! ah! So…after dinner I was really craving something sweet but a little tired of biscotti + hot chocolate, my dessert for the past few nights. I wanted GELATO! I love gelato and used to get it ALL the time in Charleston..they had gelato “happy hour” at this one place a few blocks from my old house and my roommate and I would probably go once or twice a week to get dollar gelato cones (hey, its half the fat of ice cream, why not??!!). So, tonight I was feeling nostalgic and wanted some cold, creamy un-artificial sweetness. So, I googled. But, I failed…or rather, Orlando failed, because the ONE gelato shop just closed down! Another reason why Orlando will not be my home forever. Tampa has dozens of gelato shops.
Okay..on to plan B. I was still craving dessert so I went to the small health food store near where I live to look for something I could either bake or eat out of the freezer. I found these delicious ice cream sandwiches! They are all natural, organic, and only have 160 calories per sandwich. Not too shabby! But then…I also found a couple other things I “needed” at the store as well and ended up spending more than I should have. Sigh. The good thing was that I was so excited about my ice cream sandwich I ended up ripping the box open on my drive home and eating it in the car. Now I’m home safe and sound, sipping on some chamomile tea and getting ready for bubble bath + new books.
Look for these ice cream sandwiches in your grocery store! They rocked!
Mini Grocery Shop…shhhh (I’m only supposed to enter the grocery store once a week!!! Oops!)
Ashley H aka ashley
February 6, 2008 at 1:09 amThose flax packs seem really cool I would love to see how you like them.
Laura
February 6, 2008 at 1:13 amWhat are flax packs anyways? Looks interesting…
jenna
February 6, 2008 at 1:15 amI have NO idea what these are exactly.. but they were calling my name. I want to incorporate more flax into my diet because it seems to be like the thing to do! These “flax paks” are just single servings of ground flax seeds. 50 calories per pack. They seem very convenient and I def. will be trying one with my b-fast tomorrow! I’ve never seen these before….they were a little pricey (9.99 for 12 packs!!!!)
ibex hk
February 6, 2008 at 1:26 amtoo cute! and I love those Julie’s Ice Cream Sandwiches, good find!!
night
VeggieGirl
February 6, 2008 at 1:41 amI was at W.F. today – love food shopping!! :0)
I have those same flax packs!! I add them to smoothies for extra omega-3’s (I say extra, because the hempmilk I use in my smoothies is PACKED with omega-3’s).
Jenna, I answered your questions on my blog (in the comment box) – let me know if you need any further answers!!
Ruby Red Vegan
February 6, 2008 at 1:44 amFunny – I think I want to take up your biscotti / hot chocolate snack! I love hot chocolate so much, so it would be nice to have something crunchy and sweet to dip in it. And I totally know what you mean about the grocery store. They are so dangerous! I just know I’ll buy something if I go in.
Heather(II)
February 6, 2008 at 2:06 amJenna, I am sure you would have thought of this during your search, but does your Whole Foods carry gelatto? My WF has a small gelatto area in the coffee shop.
jenna
February 6, 2008 at 2:07 amNo! The whole foods here in HORRIBLE…..and small and always too packed. I shop there because, well, its W.F. and I have a sad addiction..but luckily they are building a HUGE brand new state of the art whole foods a couple miles away from my apartment and hopefully that will have a gelato bar!!! Its supposed to be opening this spring…hopefully I’ll be making more money by then and can afford to go!!!! 🙂
Heather(II)
February 6, 2008 at 2:19 amJenna, That is sad about your Whole Foods. I get like a euphoric feeling when I am there! I try not to think about the cash because it honestly makes me so happy just to look at new products and pick something I’ve never tried. Your new one will definitely be better. I bet it will have all the goodies. Anyway, I actually do have a question as well. I would love to kick my splenda habit. Are you going to switch to something else, or just go sans sweetener?
Heather(II)
February 6, 2008 at 2:20 amP.S. I love your Vera Bradley bag peeking out in the corner.
Sarah C
February 6, 2008 at 2:41 amJenna,
That Fresh Fruit Smoothie place that I was telling you about in Milennia has gelato…its really yummy to, I think they have like 10-12 flavors…
Kay
February 6, 2008 at 2:50 amJenna,
Do you read in the tub too?
Laura
February 6, 2008 at 2:54 amI must say I am so happy to hear that you are giving up splenda! Natural is always better 🙂
jenna
February 6, 2008 at 3:03 amyay for no more splenda!! I either drink my coffee/tea without anything or I add cane sugar (which I keep in a cute old fashioned jar in my kitchen) or honey. I dont mind the extra calories that real sweeteners add…its better than having artificial things floating around in my blood stream all day long!
Yes, I read in the bath 🙂
blueberrybabe
February 6, 2008 at 4:00 amhey girls. i need a little support if anyone is still up! by now maybe you know i am in the boat of wanting to put a little meat on my bones. sometimes i make big changes and feel really great about them. sometimes, though, it is the little choices that i make that make me feel uneasy. tonight after dinner i couldn’t decide what to have for snack. i decided on half of a larabar- the chocolate flavor. not sure why i didn’t choose to have the whole thing off the bat- i used excuses in my head like “it is too much sugar for night” or “you already had a lot of healthy fats today” or “its almost 11 pm” blah blah. so i had half the bar… watched a little tv…. thought that i wanted a bigger butt… went to the kitchen to get the other half… and ATE IT! now i am proud… but i feel quite uncomfortable. its not really the calories that i mind, but the fact that i “decided” to have half the bar and then changed my mind. this feels very scary to be flexible. i need a little eat,live,run LOVE!!! mwa.
ibex hk
February 6, 2008 at 4:10 amhey blueberry! Congrats, I’m seriously so envious of your ability to verbalize this fear so well. It’s inspiring and you’re doing exactly the right thing by looking for some support from friends….haha I feel like that’s what we all are here 🙂 Keep up the good work. I know that the idea of eating more and gaining weight is scary at first, especially if you feel out of control…etc. Try to take a step back, take a few deep breathes, and remind yourself of your goal. Be flexible, spontaneous, and follow your body. It’s awesome that you listened to your body, try not to stress about it…especially because there’s no harm in a good, nutritious snack like a LaraBar..I LOVE those things!
you’re doing great, night!
marth
February 6, 2008 at 4:15 amhey blueberry! i am in your same boat of trying to put on a couple healthy pounds. i have found what works best is just going with your first instinct of what your body is craving. if you feel like you’d rather have something healthy, instead of maybe the snickers bar you are craving, then try to find something that will be a healthy compromise/compliment to the original thought. don’t worry about having eaten the whole larabar! just try to listen to your body…i belive they are pretty loud and clear on what they want…we just stifle the request! rest easy though. food is awesome, give it some time!
ps-jenna, love the blog! my brother went to new england culinary institute in vermont. somehow he got all the cooking ability in the family, but your and kath’s awesome recipe’s are helping me catch up!
Kelly
February 6, 2008 at 4:52 amblueberry, are you in recovery from and eating disorder? i am too, and know exactly the feeling you are describing. What i learned in counseling is first of all, you have to “do the next right thing,” which means even though decided to only eat half, you did the next right thing by finishing it later. so congrats! another good thing to remember is you dont have to disagree with yourself, but you have to disobey yourself. you know that voice in your head that gives you a million reasons not to eat (your not hungry, theres too much fat, you are too fat, you dont deserve this, or maybe you just arent used to being about to eat what you want and it makes you uncomfortable) you dont have to disagree with yourself , but you must disobey these disordered thoughts and eat anyway. getting your head in line comes later. remember that it is easier to act your way into thinking than it is to think your way into acting. If you need any help from sone who has been there, let me know! good luck!
Noodle
February 6, 2008 at 6:05 amHey blueberrybabe and kelly…I am in the same boat…and feel like i’m in a never ending battle…too much or too little. It is easy to know what you have to do, but hardest to make yourself do it. I battled with myself tonight over dinner…knowing I had to eat a more substantial meal, but having a hard time make myself do it. I also said I was only going to have one serving, but ended up going for more…after much debate. Like you said, I am proud but uncomfortable. I know my body is happy for it, but the mind is the tough part. Hoping I can join your support club! :-p
Christie
February 6, 2008 at 11:16 amI wanted to get the Julie’s organic sherbert bars but did not find tham last week I will have to be on the look out for the ice cream sandwiches too, are they a decent size?
Sara
February 6, 2008 at 11:23 amSarah C,
Do you live in Orlando? I’ve lived here for about a year now and I was wondering if you knew the name of the fresh smoothie place near the mall? And if you could tell me some other healthy restaurants that you like in the area.
Thanks!!!
amy
February 6, 2008 at 12:55 pmQuestions about flax…Do you have to gring the seeds, or can you just add them to foods whole? Also do they go bad? I have a packet in my cabinet that is unopened since Dec., b/c I was not really sure what to do with them.
amy
February 6, 2008 at 12:55 pmI meant grind =)
Sarah C
February 6, 2008 at 12:56 pmSara
Yes I do live in Orlando…near UCF. I don’t know the name of the place (I actually think it may just be Smoothies) but it is in the food court upstairs in the mall. While I don’t live over in that area, I do go there a lot to shop :)! Mimi’s Cafe has some pretty healty options, California Pizza Kitchen has great salads and soups, but other than that, I usually just eat in the food court. There is a good place that does grilled paninis and salad, but I’m not sure of the name (something Bistro I think).
But near campus, some of my favorite healthy places to eat are Pita Pit, Designer Greens, Bagels Bites and Beyond, Fuji Sushi, the Pad Thai place in Waterford, Lazy Moon Pizza, Tiajuana Flats…and Jeremiah’s Italian Ice!
VeggieGirl
February 6, 2008 at 1:36 pm**Amy:
you need to grind your flaxseeds – the body cannot absorb the nutrients in (nor can it digest) whole flaxseeds: http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=81
Andrea
February 6, 2008 at 2:53 pmHey-
I go to college in Charleston and I know exactly what gelato place you are talking about with the happy hour (i think)!! is it called Modica? I love it there!
Phoebe
February 6, 2008 at 3:01 pmWhen you said that you had found delicious organic ice cream sandwiches with 160 calories each I wondered if they were Julie’s brand and then I saw that they were! I have never tasted a better ice cream sandwich . . . I think they are the finest of all of those I’ve tried!
amy
February 6, 2008 at 4:57 pmCan you grind the flax in a coffee grinder?
VeggieGirl
February 6, 2008 at 9:33 pm**Amy:
indeed you can grind them in a coffee grinder (at least, that’s how some people I know do it – I just use a spice grinder). I hope you see this comment!! sorry for posting it so late!!