True Life: I'm a Carb Queen

Despite the proliferation of carb-counting diets and anti-bread campaigns in the past few years, I have remained a steadfast fan of all things starchy. One of my (many) favorite places in the grocery store is the bakery section--not only is the aroma of baking bread intoxicating, but there are also so many baked goods to examine and explore. Indeed, my kitchen is constantly stocked with English muffins, bagels, and bread. While the fresh stuff nearly always taste best, I've discovered a few packaged gems that I've grown to love in recent weeks.

Rudi's English Muffins
While these little rounds of joy cost a pretty penny ($3.99 per pack of 6), they provide the perfect fresh-baked texture for a variety of applications. So fluffy and perfect for soaking up flavor.
Rudi's produces several varieties: whole grain wheat, spelt, and multigrain with flax. Each variety provides 120-130 kcalories, 3 grams of fiber, and 5 grams of protein. All except the multigrain variety are whole grain.
Suggested use:
*Crust for mini pizzas
*Accompaniment to tofu scramble
*Base for a breakfast sammie
*Vehicle for loads of PB:)
La Tortilla Factory EVOO Soft Wraps
These tortilla wraps enjoy widespread popularity across the food blogosphere; Hungry-Girl is just one of their well-known fans . While they are available in many major supermarkets such as Publix and Wal-Mart, I have a difficult time locating them in Durham--when I do have access to them at home, I am always sure to stock up. What's so amazing about these wraps? 1) They're big. 2) They're relatively low in kcalories. 3) They're stretchy--meaning that making monster wraps is a breeze!
These, too, are available in several varieties: traditional, multigrain, tomato basil, and rosemary. Each wrap contains just 100 kcalories (for the whole thing!), a whopping 13 grams of fiber, and 8 grams of protein, along with 3 grams of fat. While the ingredients list is a tad long and not as natural as other brands' (e.g., Rudi's Flax Wraps), they're a kcalorie bargain so that you can stuff it full of even more of your favorite ingredients.
Suggested use:
*Monster wraps
*Base for thin crust pizza
*Homemade tortilla chips
Arnold's Light Breads
Ya know those times when you want a sandwich, but don't want a heavy snack? Many turn to "diet" breads for this very purpose, which provide minimal kcalories for a serving of 2 slices of bread. However, many of these breads are not whole grain and lack the texture to make them worthwhile. Enter: Arnold's Bakery.
Arnold's makes three varieties: 100% Whole Wheat, 7 Grain, and Oatmeal. Only the 100% whole wheat is whole grain. Each 2-slice serving contains just 80 kcalories, 1 gram of fat, and 5 grams of protein.
Suggested use:
*Nighttime sammie
*Vehicle for mounds of cottage cheese
*However you enjoy your normal bread!
Rudi's Bagels
When I finally discovered these wonders in my local health food store (after coveting those of my fellow food bloggers'), I practically leaped for joy. Nutritious bagels of a reasonable size that don't taste like cardboard are hard to find. Rudi's delivers the goods once again.

Rudi's produces several varieties of these bagels: plain, cinnamon raisin, sweet wheat, and multigrain. The nutritional stats vary according to variety, but most provide 130-150 kcalories, 3 grams of fiber, and 5 grams of protein. Only the sweet wheat variety is whole grain.

Suggested use:
*Toasted and smothered with nut butter of choice (the perfect accompaniment to your morning smoothie)
*Spread with Laughing Cow Light, Tofutti, or light cream cheese (especially for cinnamon raisin variety)
*Sliced and baked to make homemade bagel chips
Well, that concludes my list of most recent grain-based faves. What bread products can't you live without?

Motor Mouth

Although I am generally a girl of relatively few (spoken) words, today I just could not keep my mouth shut. Of course, the approaching Halloween weekend and some exciting romantic (!) developments might have had something to do with it, but I was going a mile-a-minute when I talked to my mom on the phone today. I feel sorry for my poor roomie, who upon returning from a long day of exams and tests, was greeted by my motor mouth. Perhaps I should switch to decaffeinated tea?

Before I get started, I want to be sure that you are all aware of Arnold's Name That Sandwich Contest. Just think--you could be responsible for a sandwich revolution! Check out the rules here.

Rena from Arnold Bread was kind enough to notify me of this opportunity and send me some samples of their sandwich thins (which are not available in my area), plus a couple loaves of their new varieties of sliced bread. Hmm, sounds like good material for a future product review...Anyway, I am SO excited to try these items and get creative with my sandwich makin'.
Onto the eats!

Monday
Oh, how I have missed my Nutiva Hemp Shakes. Monday's superb concoction consisted of strawberries, mango, soymilk, and berry pomegranate hemp. Yum.
Tuesday
I fired up the MB for breakfast yesterday morning, despite the sub-40* weather. Nothing gets between me and my smoothies. This one had blackberries and soymilk, and I served it with a mini bagel topped with cashew butter and dried cranberries. Note the lovely Merlot color of the smoothie:)
For lunch, I was jonesin' for some breakfast pizza. My attempt was comprised of scrambled tofu with Boca crumbles mixed in, plus sliced mushrooms and oregano, all on an Italian flatbread. It was tasty, but it would have been even better with soy sausage and onions. On the side is a salad and grapes.
I just can't get enough of that butternut goodness, so I decided to use a recipe I've had bookmarked for a while from Imagine foods (although technically I used Pacific brand's soup). I combined zucchini, onions, and mushrooms with butternut squash and poured the mixture over whole wheat wagon wheel pasta. Along with it, I had a salad with olives, plain yogurt with agave and cinnamon, plus an orange to fend off this cold. Lots of food, lots of satisfaction.
The shake last night again featured the berry pomegranate hemp protein. I blended it with soymilk, peaches, strawberries, and coconut. PS I finally got a big enough cup so that I don't have to deal with overflow anymore--sweet.
Wednesday
It was another Banana Blender Cereal kind of day today. This time I actually used the walnuts that the recipe calls for, rather than substituting almonds or pecans as I have the past few weeks. It turned out delicious and creamy, as always. Next time I might consider adding coconut!
Today's lunch was inspired by a recipe from Rudi's bakery. The original recipe called for turkey, cream cheese, and walnuts, but I ended up using Tofurky, vegan mayo, and almonds (respectively). Yep, those are luscious sliced peaches in that tasty spinach wrap. On the side I had some brussels sprouts and a salad with dried cherries on top.
I was feeling festive this evening (and had an intense desire to procrastinate), so I decided on a Thanksgiving-ish meal. I had some beans 'n greens ( peas with spinach, garlic, and black eyedhot sauce), stuffing, and green beans with chopped pecans. While I ate dinner, I had a pot of cranberry sauce simmering on the stove, so I am just finishing up a dish of that as I type. I simply combined a 12 oz package of cranberries, 1 1/3 cups water, cinnamon, vanilla, and 1/4 cup agave nectar for a tart and delicious treat. This will be so good with pumpkin flax granola!
Before I conclude this rather lengthy post, I will leave you with a picture of my current Clif stash. I recently received a package from my mother with clothes, coats, and --what else--mini Clifs! As you can see, I am fully stocked! I've got a few of the full-size seasonal flavors, plus some Z bars too. I figured you all would be the only ones who would appreciate this:)
Happy Wednesday!