After posting about my awesome lunch at Bruegger’s, I was contacted about getting some Bruegger’s coupons to give away on the blog!  Yahoo!  Each coupon is the equivalent of a $5 gift card—helloooo free lunch!

To enter the giveaway for a $5 Bruegger’s coupon, do one (or more) of the following (make sure to leave a separate comment for each one):

• Post a comment on this post letting me know your favorite bagel concoction
• “Like” the Fervent Foodie page on Facebook and leave a comment on this post letting me know you did so.
• Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment on this post letting me know
• Tweet about this giveaway, and leave a comment here letting me know 
• Post a link to this giveaway on your blog or your facebook profile, and leave a comment here letting me know ya did

I’ve got five $5 coupons to give away, and I’ll use a random number generator to select the winners (pssst.. you can win more than one!)  😀

BTW – Have you guys tried the new Sun-Drenched Tomato and Bagel Salad at Bruegger’s?  I haven’t got to try it out yet, but they did send me the recipe!  Sounds delicious!

SUN DRENCHED TOMATO AND BAGEL SALAD 4-6 people

This is a nice twist on the Tomato-Mozzarella and Basil Salad, but has its roots in the panzanella traditions of Italy, combining the best of summer’s abundance with the frugal utility of leftover bread or, in this case, bagels.

This salad is best when tossed 10 minutes before serving, to allow the dressing to soak into the bagel croutons. The vinaigrette can be made in advance and the tomatoes must be very ripe and at room temperature.

• 2 large ( 1 lb.) vine ripened/ heirloom tomatoes
• 8-10 yellow pear tomatoes
• 3 rosemary olive oil bagels
• 3 tsp sun dried tomato paste
• 4 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup olive oil
• A generous pinch sea salt
• A generous pinch cracked black pepper
• 1 cup grated Asiago cheese
• 2 romaine lettuces

1. Slice the bagels into chunky croutons and dry out overnight on a cookie sheet in a warm oven.

2. Blend the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sun dried tomatoes to a smooth consistency. Keep a light hand on the vinegar as the tomatoes provide some acidity.

3. Core and slice the large tomatoes into large, coarse pieces. Cut the yellow pear tomatoes into halves.

4. Place the tomatoes and the croutons into a large stainless bowl with room to toss them.

5. Line a large platter with the romaine salad leaves, white stem at the center

6. Add the dressing, salt and pepper and almost all the Asiago cheese to the bowl and toss, until the entire mix is coated with the dressing.

7. Transfer this to the platter, piling it loosely over the romaine stems and top with the remaining Asiago on top.

Adding diced, grilled chicken or drained anchovy filets makes this a meal for a hot summer’s day. Red onions, capers or red pepper are also great additions.

Good luck!  Contest ends Friday September 3rd at 11:59pm Eastern time and I’ll post the winner over the loooooongggg holiday weekend!

In the last few weeks, I’ve had a couple of friends and family members ask me about grocery shopping.  Things like what I buy, how I save money, and where I find certain products.  I didn’t really think much of it, until my friend Natalie asked me to post a list of products I use to “healthify” my meals.  I thought this was a terrific idea!   But…. once I started working on the post I realized there really isn’t anything special about my grocery list!   But here goes!

I’ve heard the phrase “shop the perimeter” before, and I guess you could say that is what I do.  Not because I’m trying to follow some guideline, but because that’s where most of the stuff I genuinely like can be found!  My purchases are greatly affected by what’s on sale in any given week.  I hate to say I’m a cheap ass… but.. well, I’m a cheap ass!  I try to save money on things like food, groceries, utilities, etc. so that I can spend more money on FUN things like travel and going out to eat!  I may really want asparagus, but if it’s not on sale chances are I’m not buying it.

When I decided I wanted to start eating healthier, one of the biggest changes for me was understanding portion sizes.  For example, I really had no idea what a serving of meat looked like, and I NEVER measured out my morning cereal.  Turns out I was typically eating 2 times the normal serving size on my meats and nearly 3 times the serving size of cereal!  I invested in a kitchen scale which helps me a TON… and when I say invested I mean I bought one on eBay for $8.  I also make sure to measure pretty much everything that goes into my recipes or onto my plate.  It can be tedious, but I personally think it’s worth it.  If you put 4 ounces of chicken on your plate then load the rest of with delicious roasted veggies, you’ve still got a full plate o’ food.  In my book, eating healthy does not involve going hungry—it’s all about making healthy swaps. 

My list typically starts off with a ton of fresh produce.  I try to buy ingredients that I like and that I know I can incorporate into several different recipes.  That way I can cook whatever I’m craving and not be stuck to a rigid plan.  That also helps me to save a lot of money on groceries.  I try to avoid buying any sort of “special” ingredient, unless it’s something I’m super excited about.

My Favorite Fresh Produce:

• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Zucchini
• Cucumber
• Green Pepper
• Apples
• Berries
• Grapes (if they are on sale, of course 😉 )
• Romaine Lettuce (for salads and for lettuce wraps)
• Spinach (salads, sandwiches, green monster smoothies)
• Tomatoes
• Onions
• Bean Sprouts

 I’d say 75% of my groceries in any given week come from the produce section.

 Meat

I typically only buy 1 package of meat a week.  If I’m craving something different, I’ll freeze half and pull something different out of the freezer (which I stock pretty well when the meat sale rolls into town 😉 )

• Boneless, skinless chicken breast
• Lean ground turkey breast– I like the 99% fat-free, but it’s harder to find in my area.  (For those of you in Akrowdy, check out Giant Eagle)
• Jennie O Spicy Turkey Sausage – All I can say is YUM.
• 96% Lean ground beef

Dairy

• Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk – LOVE this.  It’s good on cereal, oatmeal, shakes, etc.  Big big fan.
• Greek Yogurt – typically Chobani or Dannon (depending on what’s on sale).  Greek yogurt has WAY higher protein than regular yogurt, and to me it’s worth the extra $$
• Stonyfield Farms Plan Fat-Free Organic Yogurt  – I LOVE this stuff.  It’s a great substitute for sour cream and mayo and can be used in smoothies too.
• EGGS!  I love me some eggs!  I typically go through an 18pack of eggs each week. I use a lot of egg-whites (yes, I throw away the yolks), but I find it cheaper to buy a carton of eggs than to get eggbeaters.  BTW… are eggs considered Dairy??
• Babybel light mini cheese rounds –> this stuff melts really well. Great for pizzas, oven baked sandwiches, etc.
• Laughing Cow Light cheese

 Other Stuff

• Oats!  I just buy the cheap value-time quick oats.  They get the job done just fine 🙂
• Cereal – I shoot for something lower in sugar.  Favorites include
  • Barbara’s Peanut Butter Puffins (to the NE Ohioans – I’ve only been able to find this at certain Giant Eagles and Trader Joe’s)
  • Kashi Warm Cinnamon heart to heart
  • Honey Bunches of Oats with Cinnamon Bunches
  • Special K Cinnamon Pecan
• La Tortilla low carb tortillas (again – Giant Eagle, acme doesn’t have em)
• Pepperidge Farm 7 Grain Deli Flats
• Luna bars (my favorites include White Macadamia, Blueberry Bliss, Iced Oatmeal, lemon zest)
• Larabars (my favs = peanut butter & jelly, cherry pie, cashew cookie)
• HERBS and SPICES!  The more the better.  You can add great flavor without adding calories and fat.  My go-to spices include:  S&P, red pepper flakes, onion powder, garlic powder, garlic salt, dried oregano, dried basil, cinnamon, McCormick’s Montreal Chicken
• Assorted frozen veggies – I keep these on hand just in case I run out of fresh veggies
• Classico Fire Roasted Tomato & Garlic Pasta sauce — this was the result of me standing in the pasta sauce aisle for a good 20 minutes one day and comparing the labels on different sauces.  This sauce is lower in calories, sugar, and carbs than most others you’ll find in a normal grocery store.  Not to mention that it is oober tasty.
• Smuckers Low-sugar Red Raspberry Preserves
• Smuckers Organic Peanut Butter
• Smuckers Sugar-Free Syrup
• Frank’s Red Hot – this really should be the FIRST item on the list considering I use it EVERY day.
• Banana Pepper Rings – just a couple add a big pop of flavor
• Ken’s Steakhouse lite dressings (my favorites are the Balsamic and the Northern Italian)
• Heinz Organic Ketchup — tastes just like the “real” stuff and no corn syrup

Things I can only find online:

Anytime I order online, I check out Netrition first because they have $4.95 flat-rate shipping.  And we all know I’m a sucker for cheap shipping 🙂

• Mama Lupe Low carb tortillas
• Al Dente Carba Nada Pasta
• PB2
• Joseph’s Low Carb Pitas
• Joseph’s Low Carb Lavash
• Bob’s Red Mill Low-Carb Baking Mix
• Alternative Bagels

I’m a numbers person, so for me seeing the nutritional content of all my meals throughout the day is extremely important and valuable.  I use MyFitnessPal to keep track of all this information, and I’m pretty much obsessed with it.

Question:  What are some things you typically buy for a healthy meal or to healthify recipes?