Eat This Not That

You've probably heard of this guy...he writes for Men's Health, he has weekly columns on Yahoo, he makes appearances on the Today Show and he's the author of this book. His name is David Zinczenko and he's my idol for coming out with these books.

But, the other day, this guy was on the Today show doing a segment about some fast lunches we might think are healthy but are hidden with calories, fat and sodium. I try not to eat out a lot. Sometimes I like to eat a lunch out to be social with co-workers, catch up on the work place gossip, and get away from the office. Although we haven't met in a couple weeks, I have a little Thursday lunch club that goes out and we "thought" we were being somewhat healthy with our restaurant choice.

Lately, in an attempt to grab something that doesn't break the bank, is somewhat healthy and filling, and that we can all agree on, we've been heading to the Olive Garden for their soup and salad deal at lunch. You get all you can eat salad, bread sticks (which in my defense I stay away from because I've taught myself white bread is the devil) and soup. They have some not so healthy choices, like the chicken and gnocchi soup, to healthier, like their minestrone.....or SO I THOUGHT!!!

I was devastated, okay, maybe I'm being a bit dramatic. But, I was crushed and let down when the Olive Garden was the #1 place listed that is unhealthy for you when you're think you're being healthy that was featured in the segment on the Today show I was watching. I thought I was making a somewhat wise decision at lunch when I would try and eat more salad, hey, fill up on those greens. I would try and avoid the bread sticks, because I knew they weren't good for me. Lastly, I'd go for the Minestrone soup.

Here's why the Olive Garden got a big fat "F" rating. This is the nutritional info for ONE serving of salad:

Garden-Fresh Salad (1 serving with dressing)

350 calories
26 g fat (4.5 g saturated)
1,930 mg sodium
22 g carbohydrates

This is the nutritional info for ONE bread stick

Bread stick (1 with garlic butter spread)

150 calories
2 g fat (0 g saturated)
400 mg sodium
28 g carbohydrates

Oy. For crying out loud it's a vinaigrette dressing! You'd think with that fat count you're bathing in blue cheese! Just one serving of each will give you 25 percent of your day’s caloric intake!! I was also amazed at the amount of sodium in a serving of salad!

So, what's the lesson here? Educate yourself! Can you never go out to eat again, I'm not saying that. But, if you know you're heading out, especially to a well known restaurant or chain, take the time to look online and see if you can find the nutritional information for their menu to help you make smart choice.

Olive Garden, it was fun while it lasted, but I probably won't be back anytime soon for the salad and bread sticks deal!

What a great place...The Newport Wine Cellar and Le Petit Gourmet

Ever go somewhere new and the whole time you're thinking to yourself, what a fantastic place this is! How did I not know about it before? Why haven't I been here? What a great place to have a little get together? I didn't know they have events?

I said all these things to myself on Saturday night as we gathered for a wine and cheese tasting for our friend, M's, 40th birthday. We all met up at the Newport Wine Cellar and had a wine and cheese tasting in it's adjacent shop, Le Petit Gourmet.

There were so many things I loved about this night. I loved Le Petit Gourmet. For someone like me, who loves to cook and use good ingredients, there were so many different products to browse. Everything from olive oils to cheese paper to jams, olives and pates.I always want to learn more about cheese and how to pair it with wine, and this tasting was the perfect opportunity to learn a couple of things! Before I go on and on about how much I loved everything, here are a couple pics of our night out!

This was how our group was set up for a wine and cheese tasting in the store

This was my tasting plate that I wanted to gobble up. I'm bad with remembering my cheese names, but I remember the darker orange one in the top right hand corner was a smoke Gouda and my favorite was the cheese in the bottom right hand corner covered in pineapple confit.

And...then the wine started flowing....

 Since we are experiencing "Siberian" cold temps in RI right now, we did a tasting of four different Cabernets

The chalkboard behind the cheese counter....Mr. Allan is going to make that Latin proverb his new motto

 Of course we needed to buy our favorite bottle...a Spanish Cabernet

Once our friends cleared out from the cheese case...everyone was buying a triple cream Brie that seemed like a crowd pleaser

Overall, what a great experience! The Newport Wine Cellar has tastings each week. You can check out their Facebook Page for more information. Click HERE

You can also visit their website at http://www.newportwinecellar.com/ or click HERE

There are weekly tastings Friday and Saturday from 4-7pm and they're available for private tastings (like we did) as well! There are also different wine classes scheduled that are $35/pp. Some that are coming up:

January 26- Yes We Love Beer Too!- Derek Luke from Coastal Extreme Brewing Company (aka Newport Storm Beer) will have a tasting of their beers and they will be paired with different cheeses

February 2- Designing a Menu around your Wine- designed for people who want to enhance their meals or dinner parties with wine. Chef Peter Lucas will pair a bistro style meal that will be enhanced by affordable and interesting wines.

February 9- Cabernet Sauvignon- a sampling of Cabernets from the New and Old World Regions

Here's a cute little blurb from Edible Rhody about the Newport Wine Cellar. Click HERE

I can't rave enough about these two shops. I thought it was a perfect place to get together with some friends to celebrate, learn about some wine, and enjoy some delicious cheese!

Local Farm Dinner

The Celestial Cafe is a little restaurant near our house. We've eaten there a number of times and have really enjoyed ourselves. But, they've come out with a monthly Local Farm Dinner, where each course is made of all local ingredients, and it's made us regulars there.

This past weekend, we went to our sixth straight Farm Dinner and it was, once again, fantastic! Our friends tolerated me and the camera phone during dinner so I could snap some pictures and share with you all, something we've made a little monthly get together for the past 6 months.

So..I present to you this month's Farm Dinner...but before I start..in fairness to the Celestial Cafe, I forgot to snap a picture of my first course...a Butternut Squash and Maple Bisque..which was delicious!

Second Course...Cornbread Salad...made of hearty winter salad mix from Ledge Ends Produce and tossed with Kenyon Grist Mill cornbread, onions from Shartner's Farm, with a red Sakonnet wine and herb dressing...

Third Course...one of my favorites...Mini Burger Appetizer...two sliders made with Carpenter's Farm beef topped with Narragansett Creamery cheese, a smoked pepper aioli, Nana's Pickle Mix and mini fries...a vegetarian version with Farming Turtle Shiitake mushrooms was also available..

We couldn't decide who's dish looked better....I think my burgers were beefier

Fourth Course...Winter Lasagna...this knocked all of our socks off...I'm not sure what was better..the whipped sweet potato filling or the sauce...This was made with Whipped Shartner Farm's sweet potatoes, with Narragansett Creamery Ricotta, and layered with homemade pasta made with Pat's Pastured eggs, local kale,  and an herb and garlic drizzle..hmmmm

Lastly..Nana's Apple Pie made with Barden Family Orchard apples and homemade vanilla gelato made with Pat's Pastured Eggs and Rhody Fresh Cream...no offense to Nana, while the pie was good, my apple pie is better.

So, why do I love this dinner so much? I'm over the moon with a restaurant that utilizes local farmers. I also love the menu, where each course has all the ingredients listed, so you know what's in the food you eat. As someone who tries to buy our food locally and support the local farms, I'm familiar with most of these places and know that the meat, eggs, and dairy are all hormone free and I like to help keep these local businesses afloat by supporting them through this Farm Dinner.They also make each dish vegetarian friendly..for example you could get mushroom sliders vs. the beef and the main dish is usually meat optional as well. You also get a glass of a local beer or wine as well!

If you're reading this and you don't live near RI...you can also go to http://www.eatwellguide.org/i.php?pd=Homese or click Here. This website lets you plug in your zip code to find restaurants near you that use local and organic products so you can eat well and support local farmers in your area.

If you're a local RI'er or feel like taking a road trip, check out the Celestial Cafe at www.celestialcaferi.com or click Here and join them for their upcoming February Farm Dinner. (if you're put on their email list..you typically get the menu about 2 weeks beforehand!)