SEE YOU MIAMI!

So Miss Kima and I are heading to Miami, FL (South Beach actually) for the Labour Day weekend and I promise we're going to be trying a lil' bit of everything (especially the mojitos) so look forward to a bunch of reviews for some of what he hope are Miami's best (on our budget). And don't worry, we're def still on the cooking boat. I'm actually gonna try out this peanut butter cookie recipe soon. I'll let you know how it goes. And if there's anything you'd like us to make, let us know.

xoxoxo

CHARCOAL KABOB!!!

So this is the happiest place in Herndon, VA. Charcoal Kabob!! I don't even know where to start. I started eating here since what, senior yr of high school so that's like nine years ago. Dude, I don't think I've ever been so faithful to a restaurant. But the food is so beyond delicious here, how can I resist coming back over and over again. Ok, so yeah the prices have definitely gone up since I first started going (from 6-something a plate to around 8.50$) but for the amount of food that they serve, its definitely worth it.

So lets start with the Kabobs. I'm sure you all already know the lamb kabob is my favourite, but I will admit, the vegetarian kabob (made of a potatoe mixture) is really good too. All the kabobs are make in a hickory charcoal oven so it has that truly smoked meat feel. Not that "made in a conventional oven" flavour. You know what I'm talking about. You just don't get that true meat flavour in a regular oven. That rustic, deep flavour that makes you want to sink your teeth into that piece of meat and tear it apart like a lion to a gazelle. Did I mention I love to eat meat? Ok, so they also have chicken kabobs- pieces and chapli as well as keema kabobs and beef lamb ribs and fish.

Now that your kabob is on the plate, what else are you getting? Well, after you are topped with a oven baked naan (can it get any better?) you get some basmati rice and your choice of vegetables (chickpeas spinach, mixed veg).

There are some new changes to the menu since my VA days like gyros are now on the menu along with hummus, kaharis, and low-carb options (but really, why would you substitute naan for a salad?).

So where is it?

Charcoal Kabob

394 Elden St Herndon, VA

703-435-2400

Who Says Butter Makes Everything Better?

Just when I was convinced that it was law in Savannah for a meal to have a 50% fat content and calories over 1000, I came across two restaurants that restored my faith that people everywhere do believe in healthy eating. So let me start with my friend's restaurant: Caraway Cafe & Market. Definitely a place worth eating. On Paulsen St, this lil' hideaway is definitely the spot if work in mid-town and want a pick-me-up lunch that not only gives you that energy boost to get through the rest of the day, but it won't weigh you down or make you feel like nap time should be coming up. And if the work day ends up to be longer than thought, you won't be consumed with how long/fast do you have to run when you get home so that you can still have dinner and catch "The Bachelorette" (don't lie, you KNOW you watch it). So what do I recommend? Well, I definitely love the Portabello Pita- a warm pita stuffed with mushrooms, feta, sun-dried tomatoes....mmmmm! And for about 8.00$ the sandwich comes with a side of house salad, pasta, or potatoe salad. Ok, are you drooling yet? Are you becoming a fan or organic yet? Uh huh, you know you are :o) But if you want meat then go ahead, order meat. There are different sandwich choices and wraps like the Baja Fish Taco and the Fajita Steak sandwiches which will totally satisfy the carnivore in you. Oh, and if you're not a fan of chicken, but love apple in your salad, ask for the "Kelly Salad" and they'll switch out chicken for Turkey.

Caraway Cafe & Market

5002 Paulsen St, #105

Savannah, GA

912-691-1266

So let me now tell you about Firefly Cafe. So I first saw this place-well heard of it, when I was flipping through Urbanspoon.

Then I saw it on an episode of "Ruby" (this show about an obese woman in Savannah who is trying to lose weight the RIGHT way with diet and exercise). So my friends and I decided to go check it out and 3 of the 4 of us ended up ordering the same thing: The Mediterranean Tofu Sandwich. Baked tofu with eggplant, feta, tomatoes and olives on toasted baguette- OMGCB so good! With your choice of side (yes, I picked the house salad) its definitely a dish worth every penny. Oh, let me tell you. I'm not a fan of sweet tea (yeah I know, what am I doing in GA then?) so I asked for half and half (sweet and un-sweet) and I've to tell you- so refreshing. As for it with a slice of lemon. Firefly Cafe is kind of hidden, but if you look closely, its on Habersham St on the corner where it intersects with Harris St.

Firefly Cafe

321 Habersham St

Savannah, GA

912-234-1971

Ok, so these are just two of the hidden secrets of Savannah. I promise I'm going to do my best and track down as many healthy spots in this city as possible. And stay tuned for upcoming posts- Kimi has some chocolate brownies coming up and we're going to hit Miami in 3 weeks, so you know there's going to be some uber deliciosos goodies coming up.

xoxoxo Ate Lago!

Yoplait Whips are .60$ a cup- I can do better!

So I'm a yogurt freak. An absolute yogurt freak. Its everything from savoury to sweet. I love the creaminess of European and Greek yogurt. I can't stand that watery-excuse of of dairy they sell at most super markets. I mean, there's the gelatin like mass with some liquid floating at the top and on the occasion something that kinda resembles fruit. As Greek yogurt is over 1.00$ PER CONTAINER (and that's single serving) I turned to something different. I found Yoplait Whips and to quote a kinda annoying tv food personality: "YUM-O". Well, not that .60$ is much, I mean its basically 4.20$ a week + tax, I decided to make my own whipped yogurt. Well, Googl-ing whipped yogurt wasn't helpful when looking for recipes so I did the next best thing" Yogurt Mousse. Well, that definitely produced results. My favourite recipe contained kiwi and a lot of sugar, so still trying to get Miami ready, I took the liberty to make a few changes. For instance, the recipe was a cake and yogurt mousse, and as I didn't want cake, I just used the mousse part. Next, I eliminated the 70 gm of sugar and I used 1 tbsp of sugar in the whipped cream. Now, I know, you're like, "WTF! No sugar, how can it taste sweet?" Simple. After I made the mousse I layered it in a glass with fresh strawberries.And for a ta-da. drizzle a lil' honey. Now how is that not a great, healthy dessert? Plus umm, The tub of yogurt was 2.00$, the whipped cream was 1.00$ and I had sugar and gelatin at home. So yeah, say it all came to 7.00$, but its definitely enough ingredients to make more than one week. Enjoy!

Put A Spoon In It Before You Leave For Work

Yes breakfast truly is an important meal of the day. SO EAT IT. Don't think you ate a large dinner that it'll get your through lunch the next day. It won't. Sweeties, your body is breaking down the foods you ate and is using it for all different purposes to keep your body function. By morning that fuel has been used up. You need to have breakfast to get glucose going to the brain in the morning so you can function again. So you don't get sleepy and dizzy behind the wheel, so that you can concentrate on your work and not lose your job, so that your body doesn't collapse due to low blood sure. Oh, and did I mention that it helps you lose weight? For instance, eating a well balanced breakfast gets all the right things in your body, keeps you full until the next meal time, and keeps you from snacking on crap (no, Cheeze-Its are not considered a part of your daily dairy intake). If you don't believe me, and maybe its because I'm a new doctor and you'd rather get advice from old docs that have been around the block a few times about this topic, then here are a few links that will back up my reasons.

MayoClinic

WebMD

Beyond The Bend

So now you hopefully realize that yeah you have to eat in the morning, so what are you going to eat? I'm guessing there's no convincing you to get up a lil' earlier than normal to cook yourself something, and perhaps the cold cereal thing isn't your deal. Its ok, I found this link with some helpful ideas. BTW: Pancakes don't really go bad so you could just make a whole bunch at one time and warm them up in the morning. I'm a huge fan of "protein pancakes" which basically is just adding more protein to the pancakes via the tasteless product known as cottage cheese. Yes, that's right. That curdly stuff that no one wants to eat (myself included). So here's how I deal with it.

Lulu's Protein Pancakes

Recipe makes 2

1/4 cup of fat free cottage cheese

1 full tbsp of whole wheat flour

1 tsp ground flax seed

1 full tbsp of pancake mix

1 egg white

milk

So I mix the first five ingredients in a bowl until smooth and then I slowly add milk until its at the consistency I like.

When the pan is hot (I use a nonstick with a lil' butter 'cause nonstick is never really is it?) I pour half the mix. When its covered with air holes I flip it over and let cook for about a minute. Remove from heat and make the second the same way. I'm a lover of PURE maple syrup. Now for a twist, sometimes when I pour the batter in I add a few thinly sliced strawberries, or chocolate chips, or nuts and bananas. Add whatever you want.

So here are quick b-fast recipes.

iFoodtv

Mr. Breakfast