Good evening!
Today I just laid low and worked out in the home gym while watching Oprah. As much as I’ve enjoyed going to classes at the gym here, I will say that the big downfall is not getting home until 7 or 7:30 and still needing to eat dinner, pack lunch, do laundry, read, bible study, blog..…and make it to bed at 9:30 to get my 8 hours of sleep! I checked at one of the yoga studios that I used to frequent in Tampa and they DO offer noon yoga classes daily so I’m pretty sure that’s going to be my new exercise routine once I start my job. I have it all worked out in my head on how it will work but we will just have to see… I did end up having a pretty good upper body workout today though. Here’s what I did:
10 minutes on the pre-cor to warm up
2 sets of stability ball pushups, 10 reps each set
3 sets of assisted pull-ups, 10 reps each set
3 sets of dips on the bench, 10 reps each set
3 sets of shoulder raises, 12 lbs, 10 reps each set
3 sets of chest press with dumbbells on stability ball, 15 lbs, 10 reps each set
3 sets of standing bent-over row with dumbbells, 15 lbs, 10 reps each set
3 sets of crunches with 12 lb dumbbell, 20 reps each set
Total workout= about 40 minutes
After I worked out I made dinner. I, um, “borrowed” this mac&cheese from my parents when I was home:
My mom raved about it and I had never tried it before….I always just stuck to the powdered Annies, which was fine to me. When you get into the squeezy cheese realm, I always tend to compare to Velveeta, which nothing could ever beat. Velveeta shells and cheese was always my FAVORITE growing up…oh man, I can just taste it! These days I try not to eat too much of it, but it does own a piece of my heart :). Anyways, I tried this tonight and really liked it! Granted it’s no Velveeta, but it was really really good! And much creamier than the powdered cheese kind.
I mixed the whole thing (which apparently serves 3) with a can of tuna to up the protein and then served myself a whopping cup.
I like mixing Annies with tuna because it not only tastes really really good (I never thought I would go for this combo!!!) but it also ups the protein from 10 grams, which is the amount of protein per serving in a cup of prepared Annies alone, to about 21 grams with the tuna. Can’t beat that! I also had a small spinach salad drizzled with woodstock dressing. It was an Annies kind of night!
And then for dessert I switched to Amy’s! π
Needless to say, I was SO excited to try this. Having the profession I do, I get asked ALL THE TIME what my favorite dessert it. That’s like asking me what my favorite book is. Its impossible to answer! But, I have to admit, it’s hard to top warm cake and ice cream π
The instructions on the box say that you should let the cake sit in the fridge for a few hours to defrost but I skipped that step and just sliced away . Even though it was frozen, it was not that difficult to slice easily and I tried my best to gage portion size because the entire cake serves 6. In cases like this you just need to eyeball it! So, I cut my slice (which was about an inch thick) and zapped it in the micro for 20 seconds. It needed something creamy on top and Betty didn’t have any whipped cream (the REAL stuff…not that cool whip crap made out of lord knows what) so I broke out the coconut milk ice cream and scooped out a tiny scoop for a topper.
Now, I always try my best to give an honest review of products. More times than not its a great review because I know the product line going into it and usually love the new stuff! This was definitely one of those cases. The cake was soft and rich….it had absolutely NO weird frozen taste, which is one of my biggest pet peeves. I’d liken it to one of my beloved vitamuffins, but it had a richer taste….more “birthday-cakish” if you will. Of course topped with ice cream it was marvelous and I had to sit down and remind myself to eat slow and enjoy it because every forkful was so chocolaty, rich and amazingly light at the same time.
Now, a review wouldn’t be fair if I couldn’t find one fault. And, I admit, I’m a tough critic when it comes to desserts. Most of the time I’d rather just make it myself. However, the only thing I can find wrong with this little treasure was that it was hard not to eat the entire cake!!! I would like to see the little cakes portioned out so one can have a quick dessert, pronto, without the stress (well not really stress, but you know what I mean) of trying to slice the cake into a perfect 1 out of 6 slices. It would be very easy to inhale this whole cake…it was that good!
Here are the stats:
And the ingredients:
Amazingly simple, no? Amy’s strikes again!
I need to brush my teeth and get to bed to read before I run back for seconds. Tomorrow is Adam’s day off and on top of all my daily work stuff, I’m going to create a barm, or mother starter, which will in a few days become a sourdough starter that I will use to make my very own sourdough loaves around Christmastime with! The barm needs to be refreshed every couple days for about 2 weeks in order for it to really develop the “sour” flavors that will be present in my sourdough. I’m doing it at work because they have the 100% dark rye flour and hi-gluten flour I need. Once its made, it will last forever really, and I can create sourdough loaves any time I want. Sourdough was my FAVORITE style of bread that I made back in school. If you do it right, the bread will have an almost “cheesy” taste and just be faaaabulous.
See you tomorrow!
rebecca
December 10, 2008 at 7:02 pmthe cake, looks FABULOUS! I must say, I am extremely jealous. Organic chocolate cake? geez, heaven!
Nikki
December 10, 2008 at 7:21 pmAnnie’s makes goooood mac and cheese yum. Quick question-What brand is the sugar cookie tea that you drink? It sounds good, I wanna look for it π
jenna
December 10, 2008 at 7:25 pmNikki,
It’s celestial seasonings. I love it!
VeggieGirl
December 10, 2008 at 7:43 pmGreat workout and cake!
Megan
December 10, 2008 at 7:44 pmThat cake is such an awesome find! What a great ingredient list! I love Amy’s frozen cereal, especially the Cream of Rice.
Erin
December 10, 2008 at 7:45 pmYum I love Annies but it’s def. no velveta for sure.
-Erin
http://primadharma.blogspot.com
Nikki
December 10, 2008 at 7:52 pmThank you Jenna!
Erin
December 10, 2008 at 8:00 pmAmy’s has some courage, sending you cake! Wow!
Shelby
December 10, 2008 at 8:05 pmI LOVED the Velveeta Shells as a kid too! That and velveeta grilled cheese sandwiches..mmm. I have yet to find a good cheese replacement though, maybe one day.
I’m so glad you gave the cake good reviews!!! I’m hoping to find that soon but I might have the same problem with inhaling the whole thing haha
Cassidy
December 10, 2008 at 8:06 pmHaha I “borrow” things from my mom’s house too. More like raid the kitchen so I dont have to grocery shop. π
Lindsey (Mrs. LC)
December 10, 2008 at 8:10 pmOoh, yummy Amy treats! I’d love to try sourdough made the “right” way. By the way you described it, I’m not sure if I’ve ever had “real” sourdough bread!! Sounds yummy.
Mara
December 10, 2008 at 8:13 pmI love mac and cheese with tuna!!! Sometimes I add peas too!
caroline
December 10, 2008 at 8:23 pmWah! And it’s VEGAN?! I need to get my little paws on this stuff.
Heather McD (Heather Eats Almond Butter)
December 10, 2008 at 8:37 pmCan’t wait until Annie’s starts selling the cakes in my local store. Thanks for the review!
Megan
December 10, 2008 at 8:58 pmLOL I love Velveeta too! I try to avoid it also but now I will have to try Annie’s! thanks for filling us in π And that cake looks so good. I can’t wait to find it in my supermarket! I’m jealous you got to try it already!!!
Sarah
December 10, 2008 at 9:01 pmCan’t wait to get that Amy’s cake as soon as it is available in stores. I have never tried an Amy’s product I haven’t loved! Lucky girl to have received all those Amy treats.
Margaret
December 10, 2008 at 9:08 pmI have been reading your blog for a while and love it! I decided to finally stop lurking around and say hi π I am very inspired by the food you eat and I am extremely jealous of how you got to live in France for a semester! I am obsessed with France and everything French and have taken French for way too many years and I am minoring in it.
I might have to buy that cake next time I go to grocery shopping! The ingredients and nutrition list is pretty impressive, and the idea of having cake with ice cream is soooo good!!
Jenny
December 10, 2008 at 9:09 pmI just tried the Annie’s shells for the first time, and my only complaint was that it was too watery…I’ll definitely have to look into this version!
Great cake review, I agree that perfectly portioned servings would be great…that’s why I love vitamuffins so much! But Amy’s never disappoints, that’s for sure!
Enjoy your evening!
Marissa
December 10, 2008 at 9:29 pmI’ve been on the look out for the coconut ice cream. It looks so good!
Meghan
December 10, 2008 at 9:30 pmMmm tuna and Annie’s mac and cheese, one of my favorite quick-fix combos fo’ sho’.
Moran
December 10, 2008 at 11:44 pmWow 21 grams of Protein??? That’s great!
Foodie (Fab and Delicious Food)
December 10, 2008 at 11:46 pmThanks for the cake review! The cake sounds yummy- I’ll have to see if I can find it!
caitlin
December 11, 2008 at 7:05 amyou are one busy lady!
jenna, i wanted to let you AND your readers know that our online holistic supplement store has LAUNCHED!
Check out the post here: http://www.seebriderun.com/2008/12/introducing-wwwtheholisticdoctorisincom.html
K
December 11, 2008 at 7:21 amGlad to hear the cake is a winner! That mac and cheese looks amazinggggg!
I’m a big fan of sour dough bread π Have a great Thursday!
Allie
December 11, 2008 at 8:04 amWOW, that looks delicious! I am jealous.
I hope your new schedule works as well in real life as it does in your head!
http://alliecanrun.blogspot.com/
Mariposa
December 11, 2008 at 8:31 amoh that cake looks sooo delicious! i love chocolate anything!!!
Nadia
December 11, 2008 at 8:57 amI’ve tried the Orange flavored Amy’s cake and abs. loved it…have yet to try the chocolate one.
arielle
December 11, 2008 at 9:25 amI want some of that cake! I hope they sell it here. Does it have icing?
Teresa
December 11, 2008 at 9:32 amIf you ever want to be completely exact you could get a food scale. I got one when I started watching what I ate and I was amazed at how much I was eating when I thought I was only getting “one serving”.
I have one that weighs in grams and ounces. They aren’t badly priced, you could get one for as low as $20.
Thank you for the daily inspiration!
Meghan
December 11, 2008 at 11:02 amI cannot wait to find that cake!!! Happy belated one year, I think I have been following since almost then- crazy! So glad you’ve stuck with it for so long because you’re a huge inspiration π
Oh She Glows
December 11, 2008 at 11:11 amGreat review!
Thanks for being so honest π
Any chances these are coming to Canada??
Angela
http://www.ohsheglows.com
theplatedecorator
December 11, 2008 at 11:39 amYumm that cake looks good gotta love Amy, and your baking always looks wonderful! do you have any tasty oatmeal cookie recipes?
http://theplatedecorator.blogspot.com/
Fancy
December 11, 2008 at 1:07 pmI have just started adding tuna to my mac and cheese….delicious and much healthier due to the added protein! I made my own mac and cheese from scratch this week and threw in a can of tuna (Whole Foods 365, no added salt) and it was great! I just had the leftovers for lunch π
runjess
December 11, 2008 at 1:25 pmAmy’s cake…dangerous.
You will really like the Amy’s stuffed pasta shells, if you haven’t tried them already!
Teddy
December 11, 2008 at 1:40 pmI always “borrow” items from my parents… they love me so they get what I like when I come home π
Runeatrepeat
December 11, 2008 at 2:33 pmI learned that is how you make sourdough from Boudin’s bakery in California Adventure (Disney theme park). I have wanted to make my own ever since!
Tina
December 11, 2008 at 2:44 pmMmmmm… Annie’s! Love that stuff! π
Fitness Surfer
December 11, 2008 at 2:49 pmYour workout looks amazing, and Iβm going to try and integrate some of those exercises into my upper body workouts. What is βpre-corβ?
jenna
December 11, 2008 at 7:31 pmArielle,
Sadly, no icing. I wish.
Fitness Surfer,
It’s like an elliptical machine but not…probably something from the 80s..? you move your legs like the elliptical but not your arms.
theplatedecorator,
Hmmmm….personally I don’t. My favorite “oatmeal-ish” cookie is the Super Charge Me cookies out of Eat, Drink and Be Vegan. Technically they are not standard oatmeal cookies but they do contain oats!