Last week, I was using my beloved Wallaby yogurt in my smoothie, but the store I shopped at yesterday was sold out of the vanilla Wallaby, so I bought low-fat, plain Stonyfield Organic yogurt instead. The Stonyfield is probably better as a base anyway because it’s thicker than the Wallaby. And I enjoy eating Wallaby too much anyway – it’s better to save it for savoring by the spoonful (I end up eating half the tub while making the smoothie).  I also bought some blueberries yesterday because everywhere I look, there is a news story about their antioxidant punch (and I’m a sucker for nutritional advice).

A couple of spoonfuls of yogurt, a pour of hemp milk, some crushed ice, one small banana, a handful of blueberries, a few drops of vanilla, some sprinkles of cinnamon, and I’ve got a smoothie masterpiece. I was wondering how the cinnamon would mesh with the blueberries, but they actually taste quite nice together.

I’m also really happy with the hemp milk I’ve been using: Hemp Dream. You may remember that I tested out a different hemp milk a while back and was disappointed to learn it contained carrageenan. Hemp Dream is carrageenan-free. And, it is overflowing with nutrients, so using it as a smoothie base is a great way to load up on vitamins. Of course, if hemp milk is too wacky for you, milk, soymilk, rice milk, or almond milk work just fine.

He’s pretty dramatic on the court, slamming his racquet when he misses, hitting himself in the head with his racquet, and yelling at himself. And, he adds some comic-relief during interviews – you never know what he’s gonna say (after one match, he compared the shade to sleeping with his girlfriend: http://sports.yahoo.com/tennis/blog/busted_racquet/post/Novak-Djokovic-says-the-shade-was-like-sleeping-?urn=ten-266624). So while he may not be the main topic of tennis conversation or the center of tons of commercials, he has no problem drumming up attention when the focus is on him.

At the US Open this year, Djokovic received even more attention due to a t-shirt (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6880DD20100909). During Djokovic’s matches, his father wore a shirt with a huge (I mean huge) picture of Djokovic on it. The shirt received a fair amount of buzz, and Djokovic was even asked about it during an interview.

Some might think the t-shirt is ridiculous and awful, but I actually think it’s nice. I’m not saying that I would buy one for myself or anything, but I think it’s sweet that his father supports him like that. Every time they showed his father during Djokovic’s matches, he was full of energy, rooting his son on – standing, clapping, yelling – and always wearing that shirt. To me, I see a father who is overflowing with pride for his son, and I don’t think there is anything wrong with that.

Anyway, I’m on my own yogurt craze, and it’s over Wallaby yogurt (http://www.wallabyyogurt.com/). This yogurt is Australian-style yogurt, but it’s made in the US. The yogurt doesn’t use gelatin to add thickness (woohoo for vegetarians) and instead uses a special cooking process to achieve its consistency. The yogurt is much thinner than any other yogurt I’ve had, but it’s still creamy. I’m actually a big fan of the lighter texture. In terms of taste, the yogurt isn’t artificial and sugary like a lot of yogurt out there – it’s subtly sweet. And, it’s organic, so that is a big plus! Another added bonus? This yogurt packs iron (at least the flavors I’ve tried do – I haven’t checked the label on every flavor though), which is great if you’re a vegetarian (or anyone really) looking to balance your nutrition!

My favorite of the ones I’ve tried so far is the low-fat vanilla. It is by far the best yogurt I’ve ever had – tasty, creamy, light, and delicious. It feels like an indulgence, and I always find myself scraping the bottom of the container. If you see some in the grocery store, check it out, and let me know what you think!

I have to say, I’m a bit disappointed that cheerleading needs to pave its way through either gymnastics or stunting, rather than through the sport as a whole. But, I’m glad to see plans to recognize cheering as a sport. And, stunting and gymnastics are a big part of cheerleading, so they’re great springboards. I’m excited to see what happens!

That said, I choose to follow a strictly vegetarian diet. I stopped eating meat a few years ago, and I weaned myself off fish several months ago. While I know I’m missing out on the great omega vitamins in fish, I’m also avoiding the mercury. I know that with a balanced diet, I can achieve healthy eating and give my body everything it needs. And studies like these confirm that I’m not crazy – that plant proteins are just as valuable as animal proteins.

The problem is, I get a lot of slack for being a vegetarian. You would think I tell people that I eat pizza, white pasta, deli meat, fried foods, sugary snacks, and soda all day. When people learn I’m a vegetarian, eyes grow wide and lecturing begins – how will I get protein, iron, all of the vitamins I need, blah, blah, etc? It’s just not healthy to eat like that . . .

Sometimes people are truly concerned, and that is fine. If you don’t understand how to balance meals properly, you might think veggie-only eating is going to result in nutrient deficiencies. The thing is, becoming a vegetarian has made me so much more aware of what I eat. I scour labels, read tons of articles, and search for foods that are going to provide me with appropriate nutrients and vitamins. Protein isn’t just in chicken – throw kidney beans in your salad, add a big dollop of hummus to your meal, make a black-bean and brown rice burrito on a whole wheat wrap, slurp on lentil soup, eat whole wheat breads, have some organic dairy products (I’m not vegan), munch on a potato with broccoli on the side, pour a bowl of cereal, nosh on some nuts, blend an organic yogurt-based smoothie, heat up some oatmeal  . . . need I go on? It’s all about researching your food and making smart choices. The same goes for iron, calcium, and other vitamins you need.

I look at how I eat now and compare to how I ate when I was a meat-eater and truly believe I am much healthier now. Because I’m a vegetarian and have to pay more attention to my food, I have a lot more knowledge about my food now. Armed with that knowledge, I buy more whole foods, balance my meals better, and believe I’m healthier than ever as a result.

Sometimes I have to laugh when people lecture me about being a vegetarian because I see the unhealthy, processed crap they eat. I keep my mouth shut because it’s really none of my business, and I also keep my mouth shut about people being meat-eaters. I don’t care if you’re a meat-eater; I used to be one. Our food choices are personal decisions, and it’s not my place to tell you whether or not to eat meat. So . . . why don’t you back off me too?

I get that Serena is number one in the world, so of course the announcers are going to interview her on the night she attends the US Open. Great – interview her and then focus on the players actually competing. But, these announcers didn’t move on. Instead, they spent the entire match plugging in Serena’s name to their commentary on Venus’ match (Venus was probably ready to shove some balls down throats this year).

It started with the pre-game interview during which they asked Venus about Serena’s attending the match. Was that a serious question? Don’t you think Venus has more important things to worry about than her sister sitting in her box? I shrugged it off – one weird question. But, as the match began, and the commentary was saturated with Serena comments, rather than Venus comments, I got really upset for Venus. At one point I think they even remarked on how the match was going for Serena . . . ummm, you mean how is Serena battling her hard blue seat and keeping her make-up perfect? (I would’ve understood if she was sitting in the upper deck – THEN she may have needed some brass knuckles to protect herself from the crazy tennis-fan brawls: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/03/us-open-fight-video-fans-_n_704613.html) .  The comments were so distracting that I wasn’t even paying attention to the match anymore – I was yelling at the commentators to quit the Serena-talk.

Hubby raised a good point while we were watching – if Serena had been playing, would they have spoken about Venus like that? And we all know the answer is “no.” Honestly, I thought it was disrespectful to Venus, who is just as much an accomplished athlete and the athlete actually competing that night.

As I listened to the commentary, I felt like I was back in high school, Serena was the cool kid, and everyone was puckering up. Maybe if we say lots of nice things about her and shower her with attention, she’ll like us! Did it work? Did you all go back to Serena’s house after, do your nails, and play truth-or-dare until the wee hours of the morning?

Chase has been rolling out TV ads lately for its Ink credit card, and the commercials feature a cupcake shop called Sweet Revenge. But, this isn’t any cupcake shop – it also serves wine and beer and provides suggested cupcake-wine and cupcake-beer pairings. 

After spending far too long ogling the website (http://www.sweetrevengenyc.com/), I’ve determined that this cake joint is my heaven. And, unfortunately for my waistline (and my legs which will now have to run even longer on the treadmill), Sweet Revenge is right here in NYC.

I definitely will be making my way down to Sweet Revenge soon. I mean I owe it to the blog world to try this something new, don’t I? So, congratulations, Chase. You got me, but I kinda got you too because I completely ignored the credit card part of the commercial. So there.

This week hubby and I had a date on our living room floor. We ordered a pizza, lit a candle, opened Pandora, poured some wine and sat across from each other, cross-legged on the floor. In case you couldn’t tell, we’re not very high maintenance – we don’t need gourmet meals and fancy clothes to have a romantic night together.

I love simple dates – they allow you to focus on the other person – no frills getting in the way. Once the pizza was done, we found ourselves lying on the floor talking, our cat nervously eyeing us from the corner of the room (she did not understand what was going on). It was such a simple pleasure and so much fun.

And that’s why I love him so much. We can have fun anywhere doing anything – all we need is each other. Sometimes people wonder how to know if they’ve found “the one.” For me, it’s that – being happy and comfortable with that person when it’s just that person and nothing else clouding your view. Take away the presents, the fancy food, the grand gestures, anything material. If you were alone with that person in a small, bare room, would you be content? Would you be comfortable being yourself? Would you give up all of the material stuff and big words for just that person?

I would. Forever.

I looked through my kitchen and found black beans, eggs, and feta cheese – I was being called to make an omelette. I opened my can of Eden Organic black beans (no BPA!), washed the beans, and then combined about 1/3 of the can with two organic eggs. I mixed the egg and the beans and then put the breakfast batter in a frying pan (I did not add any oil or butter).

After unsuccessfully trying to flip the omelette, breaking it into three large pieces instead, I let both sides cook and then moved the “omelette” – a/k/a chunks of eggs and beans – to the plate. I sprinkled some fat-free feta cheese (only 35 calories/serving when you use fat-free) on one piece of egg and then covered that with the rest of the egg pieces to complete my deformed black bean + feta omelette.

I’ve never made one of these before, but I was really happy with the outcome.  It was incredibly easy to make, tasty with just those simple ingredients (no need to add anything else), and only around 300 calories! Also, this meal gives a big protein punch: 20 grams. It’s also nice to add ingredients I don’t normally have at breakfast, like beans, to mix things up a bit.

Try it tomorrow for your own breakfast – you won’t be sorry!