Category: #foodie

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Pretzels vs. Hot Dogs

Dear Female Customers,

I know you all probably look at the menu and think to yourselves “Gee, hot dogs, so fattening! I think I will be healthier and have a pretzel.”

I hate to break it to you, but a pretzel is probably unhealthier than a hot dog.

Think about it: all the pretzel is is salt (sodium, yikes!) and white bread. Simple carbs that aren’t easily broken down. No real nutrients. In addition, the salt will make you retain some water (i.e., you will feel bloated later).

Meanwhile, a hot dog at least will have some protein in it, and when you add some relish or onions or sauerkraut, you get some sort of vegetable servings.

So stop trying to kid yourself into thinking that the pretzel is healthier, because in reality, it really isn’t. I do believe a soft pretzel packs more calories than a jumbo hot dog (correct me if I’m wrong).

So anyway, what would you like to buy today? An unhealthy soft pretzel or a less-unhealthy hot dog?

Sincerely,

Your Favorite Hot Dog Vendor in San Francisco

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#foodie holiday sweet treats

Happy Pi Day!


This whole week, I have been thinking “Why does March 14th sound like a familiar date to me?” I only know one person who has a birthday today; I don’t recall any special event occurring on this day.

But this morning I woke up and then realized….Ah! Today is Pi Day.

Yes, Pi as in the Greek letter “Pi”. For those of you not familiar with Pi, it is “the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Pi = 3.1415926535…” (quotation from the website). I remember in middle school and high school that all my math teachers used to celebrate this day with us in class, by asking each of us to bring in none other than Pi, er, pie to class to share with everyone.

So to celebrate this day, I went to the grocery store and bought myself this lovely little pie (just the right size for me!). It is a caramel apple pie with pecans. Smells delicious; I shall eat it later today.

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#foodie fast food television

Quizno’s on Celebrity Apprentice

(Screenshot of Quizno’s website)

Last week I went to Quizno’s for dinner and I remember seeing some promotions in the store saying how they were going to be featured on “Celebrity Apprentice“. Tonight, I was just wondering when that would happen and was delighted to see that Quizno’s was in fact featured on tonight’s episode.

The project for the episode was to create a new sandwich and sell it to the lunch rush in NYC (two hours); whoever sold the most sandwiches would win the challenge.

Both sandwiches created (The Champ sandwich and The Prime Rib Cowboy sandwich) sound really really tasty. I didn’t think that the sandwiches would actually be available for purchase at Quizno’s, but they are available up until March 21st (well, they HAVE to feature the sandwiches now since Celebrity Apprentice gave them a “free” plug on the show).

Anyway, The Prime Rib Cowboy sandwich features prime rib, mozzarella, bacon, and onion on their SAMMIE bread; The Champ sandwhich is turkey and cheddar on SAMMIE bread. I tried Quizno’s flatbread last week and I must say, it was very heavenly. Soft, warm, and fresh. Which sandwich should I go for? Which would you choose?

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#foodie sweet treats

No Pudge Brownie Mix.

Ever heard of No Pudge! before?

I know I had heard of it before, but I ended up forgetting about it and was only reminded by an LJ friend a few weeks ago about the product. Basically, Ms. Lindsay H. Frucci developed a brownie mix that has zero fat in it. It’s quick and very simple to make–just add nonfat vanilla yogurt to the mix. The box also comes with directions on how to make single servings from the mix, which is great for someone like me who has a hard time practicing portion control.

I made myself a single serving today, and it was delectable. At first, I was skeptical on how it was going to taste since the brownie mix didn’t look so promising. I also did not have vanilla yogurt, only plain, but the box said I could use plain yogurt and add some vanilla extract. Easy substitution, no?

My friend had said that the calories are not so “forgiving” but I say, for crying out loud, the “prepared” calories are only 120! That is probably A LOT better than most other brownies/dessert treats out there (Come on, Trader Joe’s sells tiny cupcakes capping off at 400 calories per cupcake. I think that’s insane right there; that’s approximately 1/3 of the calories I need daily).

I bought the No Pudge! Brownie Mix at Trader Joe’s by the way. If it’s not available at your local store, I recommend just ordering online. Comes in four flavors: Original, Raspberry, Mint and Cappuccino. Try it out and let me know what you think.

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#foodie fast food

Quizno’s: More than Sub Sandwiches.

I don’t think many people know that Quizno’s actually sells other food items other than subs. Well, at least that’s what I had always thought. I always thought, “Quizno’s only sells subs; therefore, they are competing with Subway.”

Yes, they compete against Subway, but I feel in many ways, Quizno’s is the better of the two. Granted, I did not try one of their subs when I went there today, but I have to say, I rather enjoyed the quality of my Raspberry Chipotle Chicken Salad tonight. Very high in quality, but at a great, affordable price. Plus, the atmosphere at the Quizno’s I was at (on 3rd Street @ Market) was similar to the atmosphere at any yuppie cafe/eatery: swank yet at a good value.

I regret that I didn’t go to Quizno’s earlier; one of my friend’s friends recommended Quizno’s to me last year, and my former manager actually recommended it to me, too. I rarely ate out before this month though, so that would probably explain the lack of visits to Quizno’s. With a hectic work schedule and lack of time to cook healthy meals at home, I do have to resort to eating out a lot more often. I don’t like it, but it can’t be helped right now. Sigh.