Lunch Hour Pick-Me-Up

Well, today is Friday! Exciting!!! I thought I’d call attention to today’s Livingsocial deal, which is a deal for Linglestown Paintball. I’ve never tried it, so I figured, why not?! I’m sure I’ll post about my first experience at a later date. If any of you folks have any paintballing tips, they would be greatly appreciated.

Last night was the first preseason game for the Philadelphia Eagles. I am, naturally, sporting my Brent Celek jersey today in the office to celebrate the anticipation of what (hopefully) will be a magnificent season. I was of course impressed last night with Michael Vick’s brief performance, but was disappointed that I didn’t get to see more of the new talent on the team. I realize that preseason isn’t really the time to view said talent, but rather is a brief preview of what is to come, but nonetheless, the hype has been so high that I was expecting a little more. Oh well…Next week the Eagles move on to play the Steelers, which means there will be tension in my house as my dad is a Steelers fan.

Today is my dining out for lunch day. I’m not sure which venue I will end up choosing. Perhaps Neato Burrito? Or maybe I’ll go all fancy, and venture out to Café Fresco. Ok, that sounds like a good choice. Cajun chicken Caesar wrap, here I come!

Speaking of food and diet, I was disappointed this week when I gained .6 lbs (yes, that’s right 6/10 of a pound). Oh well, just one obstacle on this journey of this diet overhaul. Tonight I’m going swimming with my little, which means I’ll get an opportunity to burn it off anyway.

I’ll leave you folks for now with today’s beat:

Around Harrisburg: Skatin’ through the Summer

This summer I had the opportunity to go both ice skating and roller skating with my little sister. After visiting both Twin Ponds East and Olympic Skating Center, I was really shocked at the differences between the two as far as atmosphere and experience.

I remember when I was younger, I frequented Olympic for parties (school, birthdays, etc.) and loved it. Twin Ponds I rarely went to, and frankly, wasn’t all that impressed with. I have to say, though, now my opinion is completely opposite. I was not impressed with Olympic in the slightest when I went in June. To me, the venue was reminiscent of another time, and came off extremely outdated. Typically I would find this to be very charming, and it is in its own right, but the poor attitude of the staff made it simply seem out-of-date and nothing more. I was not impressed by the way they treated their customers, especially when I got an unnecessary attitude at the door after I parked in a place that, granted, I shouldn’t have (that’s an entirely different discussion, though, that’s probably not proper here). Even when we went inside the venue, I felt extremely uncomfortable the entire time, as if I was being watched. For example, if you are thinking about going here and you are either rusty at roller-skating (like I was) or a beginner, DO NOT go here. They seem to have little to absolutely no tolerance for it, and you will be watched like a hawk the entire time in a rather condescending way. In the end the atmosphere of the place came off extremely unwelcoming. I was very disappointed. Would I go there again? I won’t say no, but I will give it a “I hope not.”

Twin Ponds, on the other hand, I love. There aren’t too many people that go there and the staff is [almost] always very friendly and encouraging. They don’t patronize you if you are a beginner at skating and the rink gives you plenty of room to get acquainted with the ice. I rarely, if ever, feel uncomfortable skating there, which allows me to get into what I’m doing. I thoroughly enjoy the experience there.

So, there you have it- ice skating 1, roller skating 0.

Nutty for Nut Chips (and more)!

Before I get into the nitty-gritty of this post, I figured I would start off with a little catch-up. Back in June I was challenged to join WeightWatchers in an effort to get my eating habits on track and lose a couple of pounds while I’m at it. Well, I have to say that I love it! I’ve lost a couple of pounds (3 to be exact) and have come a long way in redeveloping my food regimen.

When I first started the Points Plus program, it was SO hard to keep inside my budgeted points. I have 29 daily points to spend and 49 that I can use over the span of a week. Trust me, when you are a fast-food junkie and a lover of everything deep fried and smothered in delicious chocolate, 29, and even 49 points, is NOT a lot. Example? One McDonald’s Quarter Pounder (no cheese) is 11 points. Large serving of fries? 13. That’s 26 points (not including the drink) in one meal. Yea, I think you get the point.

However, I’ll admit that I’ve come a long way since then. I can’t deny that McDonald’s fries are still my weakness, and I still go for the occasional donut from my favorite place in America, Dunkin’ Donuts, but not doing it every day has been key. Also, I’ve been staying away from a lot of processed foods and consuming a lot more salads and fruit, a [healthy] change so shocking that the first time I did it, my boss told me, “Yea, I saw that. That was weird.”

I have to say to anyone considering changing their eating habits or losing weight, try this! WeightWatchers isn’t a one-time diet. It’s a lifestyle change, and you won’t want to go back to junk food [often] after you’ve tried it.

Ok, now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, allow me to circle back to the topic of this post. I have realized that there isn’t a whole lot of common knowledge on what organic snack foods are good, and frankly, these products are a little pricey to experiment with, so I thought I’d “chip” in and give my thoughts on some of the stuff that I have tried thus far. Here’s this week’s snack review:

Blue Diamond’s Nut Chips with Sea Salt- These are made from almonds and brown rice. They are your (gluten free!) equivalent to corn chips. I loved them! I thought they were great with salsa (0 points). I do have to say, though, that the serving size is about all you can take. Also, you don’t get a whole lot in the bag. I do recommend them, though. 3 points per serving (15 chips)

Nature’s Promise Kettle Corn- This is my favorite of the week. This product is just, well, delicious! It has the perfect combination of salt and sweet. The best part?? Two cups is only three points! This snack is going to be in my lunch bag for awhile. 3 points per serving (2 cups)

Donut peaches- You may have seen them already. They are peaches but smaller and flatter, and in the shape of donuts. They are SUPER sweet, and are great if you don’t want to eat a huge peach, but just have the nibbles. Highly recommend these. 0 points per serving

Watermelon- In my humble opinion, watermelon is the second best fruit this season (other than donut peaches). It’s not the sweetest that it’s been in the past, but out of the pickings this year, it has to be one of the best options. It is also great for a fruit salad. 0 points per serving