Try It Tuesday #tryittuesday #yogurt #breakfast #siggis

Siggi’s yogurt

This month for Try It Tuesday, I decided to tell you about Siggi’s yogurt. I admit that I bought this yogurt because of the stylish packaging. ***I am a marketer’s dream<3*** As I read the label to see what was made Siggi’s yogurt from other yogurts, I realized that I never had an Icelandic style cream yogurt and thought that would be good to try in case I liked it.

It caught my eye, BUT the regular price (I think regular price was $1.75) was more than I wanted to pay for a cup of yogurt. When I saw it on sale last week at my local grocer, I decided that it was time for me try.

I chose the coconut flavor because I like coconut yogurt in my usual brand and the granola I usually put in my yogurt goes well with coconut flavored yogurt.

The number of calories in Siggi’s are much higher than what I usually expect when eating yogurt. In reading the package, the company said that they do not use as much sugar as other yogurts brands. I thought this would be a good thing because sometimes I think that yogurts are too sweet. I like sugar and honey as sweeteners but do not like stevia, sucrolose or aspartame.

After tasting this yogurt, I thought

I needed to add honey because it was not sweet enough.
I could not taste the coconut flavor, tasted like plain yogurt (not even hints of vanilla).
It was thicker than Greek yogurt and very creamy.

TOW Opinion: If you are looking for a yogurt that has a lot protein and very little sugar, then you will like this flavor of Siggi’s. To me, I would prefer buying plain Greek yogurt since I still need to add sweetener to it. When I eat yogurt with granola and fruit, I want my entire cup to be 200 calories or less. I would rather sacrifice a little bit of the creaminess for a sweetener like honey. However, if the prices were the same, I might opt for the plain Siggi’s (about 80 calories) which is similar to plain Greek yogurt but a lot creamier.

Chef It Up #tryitTuesday #greenwoodsc #uptowngreenwood

Jul19

tryitTuesday

For my Try It Tuesday feature this month, I want to focus on a new business venture from my favorite local restaurant Montague’s called Chef it Up.

The concept is very simple: they prepare ingredients for you to take home and cook a delicious gourmet meal. The majority of the recipe’s ingredients are in the bag and already measured, chopped, and diced, ready for you to sauté in the saucepan. You may need some pantry items like butter, flour, or vegetable oil.

On their website (www.chefitupgreenwood.com) they say:

Our meal recipes are created by chefs, feature local meats and produce, and are ready to cook right out of the bag. We take the guesswork out of cooking and put the fun and enjoyment back in.

I am well known among my friends for my lack of cooking ability. I love to bake, but cooking, no so much. While I can follow directions for a recipe, cooking is not something that I have a passion to do. Thankfully, the hubs likes to cook more than I do.

However, the concept of having everything prepped already intrigued me enough to purchase Chef It Up bag meal chicken piccata from the Uptown Market last Saturday. In addition to having all of the ingredients already prepped, inside the bag was a recipe card and a QR code for a how-to video.

On Sunday afternoon, I set out my ingredients, got out two saucepans, and turned on the stove to begin cooking. I didn’t watch the video first, but the recipe card was very easy to follow.

Seasoning the chicken

Cooked chicken in the orange glaze and almonds

This was delicious!!! I was so surprised, mainly because I have little confidence in my own cooking ability. It was quick and easy to prepare. Being able to cook this AND it turned out like the picture gave my self esteem a boost.

Should you try? Yes!!! This is a great option when you want something a little fancy but don’t feel like trying to buy all the special ingredients to make that happen.

For someone who does not like to cook, I definitely am going to do this again. Signing up for their weekly newsletter will let me know what meal options are available in the coming week. I might even suggest to the hubs that I need to have a regular monthly cooking night.

Try It Tuesday – #Travel Tuesday #destinationMexico

Jun14

This Try It Tuesday, I am focusing on a destination!

Try It Tuesday is also Travel Tuesday!

This month’s focus is on an island off the coast of Cancun called Islas Mujeres (translation: Island of Women). It is very easy to get here and not as expensive as you might think.

We stayed in the Zona Hotelera district in Cancun at the Riu Palace Las Americas. We took the bus for 10.50 pesos (about 60 cents US). Then we paid 146 pesos at the Ultramar station for our roundtrip ferry tickets (about $8US). We also pre-paid for our golf cart 650 pesos (seated 5 people- about $35US).

TIP: In this case, it is good to have already converted Mexican money (pesos) to get the best exchange rate.

The ferry ride is about 20 minutes. We went to the top deck to get some sun during the ride. There was a guy that was singing for tips. I think we would have paid him not to sing. But I digress.

Once we arrived and got off the ferry, we walked to the golf cart rental place. It was about 2 blocks from the port. The rental process was easy. If we had rented a 4 person cart, the price would have been considerably lower.

TIP: If you want to see more than just the downtown area, rent a golf cart. Take some form of ID (I prefer showing driver’s license instead of passport just in case it gets lost) because they keep it until you return the cart.

We went to:

Turtle farm in Sac Bajo – looking at turtles is always fun for me. There is not much to this place. They charge a minimal amount for admission.

Punta Sur below the Mayan ruin – This is a great look out point. Also, it is a nice place to take pictures. Other than that, there are vendors selling their goods to tourists. Nothing new in the way of souvenirs.

Beach – we decided to get massages from a beach vendor. There is only a sheer curtain between you and the public masses on the beach. However, all your private bits are covered and not on display for the world to see. If you are with a group and more than one want a massage, haggle the price to get a good deal.

We did not go to any restaurants or bars while on the island. I did have some friends that did that when they went and the recommend going to one of the local bars (off the beaten path for best prices). Take pesos and make sure you do your mental math so you know how much you are spending. Many places don’t prefer to take credit cards, so cash is better.

Should you go? YES!!! If you want to do something different than staying on the mainland, it is worth a trip. It is a nice, entertaining day trip. I do recommend renting a golf cart for ease of getting around on the island. Plus they offer a little more safety than mopeds.

Try It Tuesday: Dietary Supplements #vitamins #multiminerals

Apr5

I am sure that everyone is supposed to be taking vitamins of some sort. We rarely get all of our required nutrients through our diet.

I have tried several and here are my opinions based on how it worked for me. I am not a doctor, so this is in no way medical advice.

Vita Melts Hair-Skin-Nails

According to the package, it contributes to healthy hair, skin, and nails because of biotin. Vitamin C supports collagen production.

TOW Opinion: These taste good, like candy. However, after 2 months of taking these religiously, I saw no improvement. My nails were still splitting. This may not work for nail growth, but I continued to take as a Vitamin C supplement.

Phillips Colon Health Daily Probiotics Caps

The claims are that the capsules help defend against constipation, diarrhea, gas, and bloating.

TOW Opinion: To be honest, I don’t know why I bought this since I do not have any digestive issues. In any case, I think this works as they claimed. I think if a person really has digestive problems, this is worth a try.

Martha Stewart Essentials Vegetarian Multivitamin Gummies

The product claims to be delicious gummies that support, nurture and protect the entire body. Flavor includes apple and apple juice powder, grape seed, carrot, tomato, broccoli, spinach, kale, strawberry juice, raspberry juice, blueberry juice, tart cherry, pomegranate seed and cranberry juice.

TOW Opinion: I love Martha Stewart and I love gummy vitamins, so I thought this would be a winner. Unfortunately, the mineral flavor was too strong for my palate. These gummies tasted like medicine tossed in sugar. I gave up trying to eat these.

Martha Stewart Essentials Hair, Skin and Nails Supplement

The product claims that it nourishes and strengthens the delicate tissue that keeps hair, skin, and nails looking radiant.

TOW Opinion: I think this was the best vitamin supplement that I tried! After about a month of using this product, I could tell that the splitting on my nails was minimal. I could not tell a difference in my skin, but since I was taking it for my nails, I was thrilled. My stylist did say that she noticed less breakage and shedding of my hair. All in all, this gets two thumbs up from me 🙂

Work on your Fitness with Aerial Acrobatics #aerialacrobatics #tryitTuesday

Nov10

This month for Try It Tuesday, I want to focus on an activity that I did a couple of weeks ago: aerial acrobatics.

I am not the most graceful person. I trip over my own feet. However, when my friend suggested trying aerial acrobatics/yoga, I thought it could not hurt to try.

I loved it!

This exercise is so relaxing because you are hanging in the air while experiencing a light swinging motion. It reminds me of how I felt as a child playing on the swing set. If you are prone to motion sickness, this might not be good for you.

It did not feel like exercise at all. As a bonus, the exercise poses worked my core muscles. While hanging upside down, I was able to do more crunches than usual.

I was feeling fit.

By the time the class was over, my back felt more in line, my spine straighter, and my muscles limber.

Word of caution though: The next day, I could feel that I worked all those muscles I forgot I had 😂. I was SORE! But it was a good sore.

TOW opinion: Google “aerial acrobatics near you” and put this on your list of activities to try. If you have back problems, this could help, but ask your doctor first.