Friday Five

A weekly round-up of tidbits, tips, ideas, news articles, random cool things...

1. Loving these: Dorot Frozen Herb Cubes. These super convenient cubes are great to keep on hand in the freezer to drop in soups, stews, sauces or what I've been doing lately is popping 4 out in a small microwavable bowl and nuking them for 35 seconds or so then mixing in 1/2 cup Greek yogurt for a delicious herb dip for veggies, meats (adds moisture & keeps things moving in the right direction) or as a salad dressing.

When the herb garden is out of season these are a great substitute and they taste great because unlike those jars and tubes of garlic & herbs these have no preservatives, fats, acids or food coloring added. Yes, you can make your own (herbs, mini food processor, ice cube tray) but these are just too easy. I bought them at Trader Joe's $1.99 a pack, each pack contains 20 cubes, each cube = 1 teaspoon.


I've only spotted Cilantro, Basil, Garlic so far but the website says they have a few more varieties. Here's a store locator to find them near you.

2. Looking ahead: Mark your calendars to join me at the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) Inaugural "Your Weight Matters" Convention, October 25-28 in Dallas, Texas. The agenda has just been released and is packed full of AWESOME. They have a Facebook event page too.

3. Some articles I read this week that were worth checking out:

Why Being Overweight Could Earn You a Lower Salary
Bariatric surgery patients get a leg up with new fitness program
Research Shows Brain Scans Can Predict Weight Gain
Before winning her crown Mrs. New Jersey won the battle against obesity

You have to check out this Fox NY report on a company claiming to make low carb, low fat pizzas.


Moral of the story: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

4. It's Starbuck's Frappucino Happy Hour this week. Do yourself a favor and steer clear of the frappucinos even the light versions are not the best choice and whatever you do don't even think about the new Starbucks Mocha Cookie Frappucino Grande 16-oz has 480 calories, 19 g fat, 76 g carbs, 69 g sugar. Eeek!?!

A few weight loss surgery friendly Starbucks options...

Sugar Free (aka Skinny) Cinnamon Dolce Latte, no whip
Sugar Free Vanilla Latte, no whip
Sugar Free Caramel Latte, no whip
Sugar Free Hazelnut Latte, no whip
Sugar Free Mocha
Tazo Passion Tea with Sugar Free Vanilla (instead of Classic Syrup)
Tazo Vanilla Rooibos Tea Latte with Sugar Free Vanilla (instead of Classic Syrup)

All of the above can be made either hot or cold, milk can be changed (I'm a soy girl) be sure to say Sugar Free loud and clear and confirm with the Barista when you retrieve your order "this is Sugar Free, right?" Trust me on this they have messed up my order and I've spent the next hour feeling like crud.

or better yet make a CLICKacchino at home!


Shelly's Malted CLICKball


5. Speaking of CLICK it's the last day to enter the new DECAF CLICK Giveaway. Click here to enter. 3 winners will be announced tomorrow. Also check back Sunday when an exciting NEW GIVEAWAY BEGINS.

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