Aspartame: Why it's the devil

Hi all! So, I am all for saving calories whenever and wherever I can and the other day I did just that with a skinny peppermint mocha...except I had a major headache afterwards. All because of this little butthole known as aspartame. Thanks, Starbucks. I know, I know, I didn't think before I ordered but anyway, aspartame is by far the worst artificial sweetener out there. According to fitday.com aspartame can cause cancer, diabetes, psychological disorders, birth defects, vision problems, brain damage and seizures, as well as hinders weight loss. Fun shit, right?? 

Cancer: When aspartame is broken down by your body it produces a substance called DKP, as this substance is being digested it produces a chemical that promotes brain tumor growth. Awesome!   

Psychological Disorders: Emotional and mood disorders are effects of aspartame. High levels of this little devil can cause depression and other emotional disorders. The effects are so dangerous that scientist had to put an end to a study. Yikes!

Vision Problems: Methanol found in aspartame can damage the retina and optic nerve, as well as cause eye pain and blurred vision and in extreme cases blindness. Thanks but no thanks.   

Brian damage: Aspartame has formaldehyde (a preservative used to embalm bodies) in it which alters brain function and causes degenerative diseases such as, Parkinson's, ALS, and Alzheimer's. Nuff said. Period. 

Hinders weight loss: Aspartame is in a lot of diet foods including, diet coke. I had to kick the habit after I found out all these awful side effects. It hinders the production of serotonin, which helps signal to your body that you're full, leading to more food cravings. It also spikes your insulin causing your body to remove glucose from your blood stream and storing it as fat. If you're craving bubbles stick with St. Croix sparkling water, I love the grapefruit flavor!    

A healthier option is Stevia, it's an all natural sweetener. However, I feel that everyone shouldn't make a habit out of using zero calories sweeteners, even if they are natural. I'll only add Stevia to espresso; I drink my coffee without any type of sweetener, only light soy milk and two sprinkles of cinnamon. I find that sweeteners mask the wonderful coffee flavor. 

So anyway, please STAY AWAY from aspartame, it's no good! 

Kale Chips

The other day I went to a local market right by where I live called Cermak. They seriously have the cheapest and best produce around (I'm talking a container for raspberries for $.99!) I was picking up some lettuce because I've started eating a big salad before each meal to cut down on calorie intake. While browsing I saw that there was a sale on kale and I've never tried it before (I know crazy, right!?) 

So I picked some up and decided what better way to use kale for my first time than to make kale chips. It's a healthy delish snack that's sure to satisfy any chip craving. 

*I ate mine with Trader Joe's salsa verde. 

                           

Kale Chips:

- 1 bundle of kale

- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

- 1 tsp low sodium soy sauce

- 1 or 2 shakes of salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

 Rinse kale and pat dry

Rip apart into medium sized pieces and put into a large bowl

Add EVOO and soy sauce and mix

Place kale on a parchment paper and bake for 10-15 minutes or until brown at the edges. 

Sprinkle with 1 or 2 shakes of salt

Enjoy!

Mercadito

Last night was a blast! I went out with my sister Kristi, her boyfriend Mark, and Brian to Mercadito. It is a Mexican restaurant in the river north area of Chicago. It's very hip inside and their drinks are very good. I had this one drink that came out literally on fire and another one that was spicy and had something like a blueberry mash on top. Sooo good! 

The guacamole and tacos are also really tasty. We had two types of guacamole, a spicy sautéed chili guacamole and pineapple guacamole. I think the pineapple guac was my favorite, i seriously could have eaten huge bowl of it ;) As for the tacos we tried various kinds including fish, pastor, molé, and mushroom (this one didn't taste vegetarian at all). 

Once we finished eating we headed over to a martini bar for some yummy cocktails. I had this delicious raspberry martini and pineapple martini. 

It was so much fun to catch up with Kristi and Mark! I wish I could see them more often, but they're both working full time and in school. We did make plans for a fun game of shuffleboard for this Friday. I've never played before, so we'll see how it goes. 


Flaming Drink

Black Sand 

 Aren't they cute?!

New Job

Today I found a job in Wicker Park. The people and environment seem really nice. Eeee so excited! Brian and I celebrated with beer from Maria's and meat pies from Pleasant House Bakery. Their meat pies are soooo good! The crusts are so light and flaky. I swear the crust must be made with lard. They are worth the calories though. Definitely a MUST have if you ever find yourself in the Bridgeport area of Chicago.  

Doesn't that look delish?! 

photo via: babcc.org

Fall and Football

Yesterday I went over to my sisters to watch the Packers kick some Texans butt. She bought this take-n-bake pizza by HomeMade Pizza Co., which was really good. It was loaded with mushrooms--which my younger self would have refused to eat, but as I got older I realized mushrooms weren't so bad. Before I came over she asked me to make something for dessert and I knew exactly what I was going to make. 

Caramel corn!!!

Caramel corn just reminds me of fall and football. About 2 or 3 years ago whenever I would go home to my parents house my Mom and I would make caramel corn to snack on while watching football. I feel like ever since then it has become a tradition to make it for any football game. 

Believe me, this stuff is to die for! It's kind of like the Pringles saying "once you pop, you just can't stop." Seriously, one year I made some to bring back to Brian and I ended up having to make another batch, because my Mom, Dad, Chloe (the dog) and I ate ALL of it! Whoops... It's so easy to make too, which is the best part! 

Basically all you need is: 

2 sticks of butter

2 c. loosely packed brown sugar

1/2 c. light corn syrup

1/2 t. salt

5qts. popped popcorn (3 bags of microwave popcorn)

1/2 t. baking soda

In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over low heat. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt to pan; mix well. Increase heat to medium-high; bring to a boil. Boil mixture for 5 minutes.Remove from heat; stir in baking soda. Place popcorn in a large roasting pan. Pour caramel mixture over popcorn, stirring to coat. Bake uncovered in 250 degree oven for 1 hour, stirring ever 15 or 20 minutes. Turn out onto wax paper to cool. Break into small pieces. Store in an airtight container. 

What's really neat about this recipe is that it comes from a cook book my Mom helped put together for Central School, my old elementary school, back in 1995 in Plainfield, IL. This was one of many recipes she contributed :) 

Here are some pics at my sisters (sorry they're basically all cat photos) 

Bobcat

Doing the blanket dance

Giving him some love