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More of My Favorite Things

I got such a positive response from my first posting of this kind that I thought I would add some more.

Food

Ginger Gold apples - The past few weeks I've been frustrated by the fact that my beloved mutsu (a.k.a. crispin) apples have been replaced in all the markets with ginger golds. I remembered them as having a bland, watery taste. Nevertheless, since I dislike most of the alternative types of apples available in the markets right now I bought a few. Either my memory is inaccurate or the crop this year is exceptional, but all I know is they are delicious. Crisp and sweet. Yum!

Wildwood Pastaslim - Who doesn't love pasta? Although whole grain versions are nutritious, they pack a calorie wallop. A serving is a mere half cup, which I think even a toddler could devour in seconds. Now these will never replace real pasta for me, Pastaslim noodles are a great alternative when you want an extremely satisfying/filling AND low calorie meal. If you are trying to lose weight these an be very helpful. They are made from tofu so they are also wheat and gluten free and a WHOLE BAG has just 40-50 calories!!! I think they work better in recipes where you would use rice noodles, rather than wheat noodles because the consistency is closer to rice noodles. Two warnings though:
1) They smell a bit funny when you first open the bag, but rinse them well under warm water and it disappears.
2) They don't absorb sauce like wheat or rice noodles do so if you have lots of veggies in your sauce, it may get watery. For Asian style dishes, just use some corn starch to thicken up your sauce.



Organic Food Bars - Getting the girls to eat veggies is always a challenge. These bars are not particularly appealing to me, but for some reason both girls love them. The Active Greens variety actually are a bit icky to me, but they adore them and I feel really good feeding them this product. The ingredients are pretty impressive and often it is the only green food substance they are willing to ingest.



Beauty Products

Burt's Bees - These all-natural personal care products for babies, kids and adults are wonderful. After we bathe the girls with the shampoo and body wash, I can't stop smelling them.

Books

Ruth Reichl Biographies - Ruth Reichl is the former restaurant critic for the NY Times and editor of Gourmet magazine. I've read the first three (Tender at the Bone, Comfort me With Apples, and Garlic and Sapphires) and I can't wait to read the fourth: For You, Mom, Finally. They are extremely funny and interesting and a great light read, if, like me, you sometimes get sick of reading heavy, depressing literature.

Television

Rookie Blue - Another Canadian show shot in Toronto! This is a new show in its first season and each episode I like it more and more. It airs on Global in Canada and ABC in the U.S. Some say it is like the Grey's Anatomy of cop shows, but I disagree...I can't stand Grey's Anatomy! I find most of the characters in this show much more likeable. At first I thought the actor, Missy Peregrym, who plays the main character, is far too beautiful, but I actually think she's really good and am really enjoying her character.

Movies

Seven Pounds - Adam and I recently rented this DVD and I thought it was interesting and thought-provoking...and Will Smith always does a great job.

Clothes

HUE Jeggings - Right now jean/leggings are all the rage. I don't really care about that, all I know is they are very comfortable and fit me well and it is generally difficult for me to find pants that fit because: (1) I am 5'2, and (2) I have no discernable hips or waist (Adam teases me that I am "tubular"). They come in capris and full-length skinny jean styles) and I believe they are available at most major department stores.

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