Cooking with Bobby Flay and FAGE Total

I'm participating in a new Bzz Campaign, this time for FAGE Total Yogurt. It was the first branded yogurt to be packaged and sold in Greece and is the  #1 yogurt sold there now! By the way, it's pronounced “fa-yeh”.  

This is a plain yogurt that's really versatile for cooking and baking. It's available in Classic, 2% and 0% varieties, and also in a variety of container sizes. BzzAgent sent me some coupons to sample the FAGE 17 oz. for free and they also pointed me to some great recipe resources. The first is the FAGE Community Cookbook where you can search their database of recipes or find a suggestion based on ingredients you have on hand. FAGE Total Plain Kitchen with Bobby Flay features video demos of recipes developed by Bobby Flay using FAGE Plain. Make sure you check out these demos! I fell in love with the Spice-Crusted Lamb Tenderloin recipe and just had to try it out. 

I substituted beef for the lamb, and also considered substituting chicken tenderloins. They're just more accessible to me here in small town, USA than lamb. I simply watched the video demo and went for it, but if you're the type who feels more comfortable cooking with a list of specific ingredient amounts, this recipe can be found on this list of FAGE Plain Kitchen  recipes supplied to BzzAgents. It's the third recipe! Note:  Had I not watched the video demo I would never have tried making the recipe as written. It just looks too long, too confusing, and there seem to be way too many steps. Bobby Flay never dressed the greens in the demo, which the recipe calls for, and I don't think they needed dressing. Bob (MY Bob, not Bobby Flay!) commented several times on how great the flavors in this meal were, and he went back to the kitchen to add more fresh greens to his plate when he started running low. He is not one to eat undressed greens, but did not miss a dressing! He also said he couldn't believe I made such a killer dinner while I was sick (a little post-vacation bronchitis). This was a winner of a dinner!

The recipe comes together quickly as long as you've procured (or prepared) the Pomegranate Molasses well ahead of time. I searched for Pomegranate Molasses recipes online and chose to make it myself (easy-peasy, with only 3 ingredients), but it really does need some cool-down and thickening up time in the refrigerator before mixing it with the cold FAGE as called for in the recipe. 

Spice-Crusted BEEF Tenderloin with FAGE Total
(I lack Bobby Flay's plating skills!  Also, there was not a pomegranate to be found in Cheboygan,
so there are no artistically scattered pomegranate seeds to enhance the plate.)

To make Pomegranate Molasses:
The basic recipe I found was 4 cups Pomegranate Juice (Pom Wonderful), 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice. Combine, cook until sugar is dissolved and simmer on low until reduced to 1/4. This can take 50 minutes or so, but it only took around 30 minutes for me because I reduced the recipe, using only 1 cup of Pomegranate juice and adjusting the sugar and lemon juice amounts down accordingly. Feel free to make the larger amount - the syrup will keep covered in the refrigerator for 6 months and can be used just like maple syrup. It's yummy!


I've always loved yogurt and have become a big fan of plain Greek yogurt. Here are some of the ways I recommend using FAGE Total Plain:

• Use a dollop on oatmeal instead of milk and add fresh berries 
• Substitute for Sour Cream when called for in recipes 
• Think Dips! Use to prepare Tzatziki, Spinach Dip or Fruit-based dips
• Use in casseroles and sauces such as stroganoff to add rich creaminess without added fat
• Layer with fruit and a bit of Granola (or Grape Nuts or Fiber One!) to make breakfast or snack parfaits
• Look for recipes that use yogurt to replace fats in baked goods. I highly recommend the Pumpkin and Banana Pound Cake recipes from Devin Alexander's book Fast Food Fix.
• Use in your morning smoothie

I'll be buying FAGE Total a lot more often now that I'm more informed about it. I love an ingredients list with only two or three items in it - no added sweeteners, thickeners or powders. 

In the spirit of full disclosure, I received the FAGE yogurt depicted in the recipe above FREE from BzzAgent and FAGE. The opinions are my own, as are my poor plating skills.

Another Day, Another Diet?

I got into another sponsored trial through SheSpeaks. They sent me a free copy of  Haylie Pomroy's new book called The Fast Metabolism Diet. I absolutely WILL be giving this 28-day diet plan a whirl, but not until I can commit to it 100%. There are rules - lots of rules - and I will be happily breaking them all while on holiday in Merry Olde England and aboard Celebrity Eclipse. So my plan is to begin on Monday, May 20th. That's a promise!

About the Author:
Haylie Pomroy calls herself the metabolism whisperer and a personal trainer for your metabolism. She firmly dismisses the idea that counting calories makes any sort of sense. Amen, sister!  She took an education that was heavily weighed towards animal science (she calls herself an aggie because of all of her agricultural studies) and expanded on it. Now, instead of helping to fatten up cattle just before market (FYI - corn will do it!)  or carefully managing a racehorse's diet to help it achieve peak form and performance, she's using many of the same principles to help people reach their personal goals.  She owns a series of clinics, mostly in California. The rich and famous fly out to consult with her or fly her out directly to them. The vast majority of her clients aim to lose weight and/or manage health conditions such as diabetes, but she also counsels the occasional actor or actress who needs to bulk up for a role.

What this Diet is Designed to do:
The Fast Metabolism Diet is for people such as myself who have metabolisms that have fallen asleep because of constant dieting. Haylie promises that strict adherence will trick your metabolism into actually burning fat once again. You'll feel better, look better, have lost inches around your waistline and be a healthier human being..

In a Nutshell:
Each week is divided into 3 Phases. Assuming that you begin on a Monday as suggested, Phase 1 will be followed on Monday and Tuesday. Phase 1 is designed to UNWIND stress and calm the adrenals. Phase 2 is followed on Wednesday and Thursday. It will UNLOCK stored fat and build muscle. Friday-Sunday is Phase 3, in which you UNLEASH the burn. This cycle of 3 Phases is repeated 4 times. At that point, Haylie says you will have lost up to 20 lbs and revved up your metabolism.

Rules - Lots of Rules!
There are lots of rules - not intended to be a pain in the ass, but meant to optimize  your body's processes and train it to release the stored fat that it's hanging on to for dear life. Some of these rules will be really hard for me, primarily the No Caffeine and  No Wheat rules.  I've given up caffeine before and it's a bitch. I know I can do it, but it's a bitch. The No Wheat thing is going to really put my local grocery stores to the test. It ain't easy to try to find sprouted grain bread or spelt pretzels in Cheboygan!

So, the basic food rules are: No Corn, No Dairy, No Wheat, No Caffeine, No Soy, No Refined Sugar or Artificial Sweeteners, No Alcohol, No Dried Fruit or Fruit Juices and finally - No Fat-Free "Diet" Foods.

That's only like 10 Rules! Not bad, huh? Oops, no, I said there were LOTS of Rules and I meant it! Allow me to continue on with the Fast Metabolism DO'S:
1. You must eat 5 times a day, 35 times per week. At the minimum.
2. You must eat every 3-4 hours, except when you're sleeping.
3. You must eat within 30 minutes of waking.
4. You must stay on the plan for the full 28 days.
5. You must stick to the foods allowed in your Phase.
6. You must follow the Phases in order.
7. You must drink half your body weight in  ounces of water each day.
8. Eat organic whenever possible.
9. Meats must be nitrate-free.
10. Exercise according to your plan. For me personally, this will cut my exercise routine by nearly 2/3. Seriously, you get to eat tons of food and exercise less.

So yes, it's a lot of rules, but I understand the need for them. They are explained in detail in the book. This is not, I repeat NOT a diet that needs to be followed for the remainder of your life! It's recommended to take a fresh look at where you stand after the 28 days and then decide if you want to continue with the plan until you reach your ultimate goal or if you maybe just want to repeat the cycle maybe two or three times per year. Haylie talks about the success that her patients have had and what seems to work for them. For example, one client follows the Fast Metabolism plan for the first week of each month. It's what works for her.

The Book:
I've read through The Fast Metabolism Diet once. It's engaging and hits home on just about every level, but it's not an easy read. Haylie Pomroy has the education and is not afraid to prove it!  I need to read it at least once more, probably twice. I also feel that I need to print out some of the information provided in the book for easier reference. I have been flipping pages like crazy trying to locate various sections, especially the Phase specifics, serving sizes, Phase-specific food lists and recipes. I originally planned to use a highlighter to mark important stuff, then I thought maybe Post-It notes or tabs attached to the tops of pages in the book would be better. What I've decided to do is copy the important stuff and slip this information into page holders for protection and to have it where I need it - in the kitchen. So if I could wish for any changes to this book it would be to put it into a glossy-paged format with tabs so I can find the lists I need when I need them.

I'll post a follow-up sharing my experiences once I actually follow the plan. Is it possible to rev up this 52 year old engine and make it purr like a kitten? Stay tuned. Remember - May 20th is Day One.

A big thanks to SheSpeaks for this book! I LOVE it and I believe in it!

My First BB Cream Encounter!

Yes, I've heard of B.B. Creams.  I understood them to be a product that performs several actions in order to minimize the number of facial products that are needed. It sounds like a brilliant idea. The closest I've come to this type of product was a few years ago when I was using an Olay product that contained SPF protection, moisture, and a light tint of color. You may have seen the product - the container was a clear tube, and you could see both a white and a tinted strand of product inside that corkscrewed around inside.  I loved that stuff, although I could have gone a shade lighter. It wasn't called a B.B. Cream, that was prior to the B.B. Cream revolution.

SheSpeaks sent me a tube of L'Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier B.B. Cream to try out for free!  I got to choose the shade, and I went with Fair. There were only 4 shades, and  in the grand scheme of things I am definitely in the lightest 25% of all human complexions when we're all lined up according to color (or lack thereof). Were I to ever purchase this product again I would choose the next darker shade, Light. I was unable to detect any tint at all to the Fair product that I received.

This product claims to perform 4 Beautifying Actions in 1 product:

Primes to smooth skin's texture: Yep. This performs very much like a typical primer. A primer is used prior to foundation application to insure a smooth surface. I think of it as smoothing over those deep pores so your foundation looks its best.
Perfects to hide imperfections: Here are Before and After photos of my hand. Yes, I have lots of freckling and age spots on my hands! It actually seems to have made a noticeable difference. I marked 2 spots on my hands so you can more easily compare Before and After. Clicking on the images will enlarge them.

Hydrates, for all day moisture: Not so much if it's expected that this is the only moisturizer  you'll be applying to your face. This B.B. Cream dries to a matte finish. I use a cream blush, and it did not want to spread when I applied it after using this product. If I had followed the B.B. cream with foundation it would have been fine, because I tend to use very creamy foundations.
Corrects skin for a healthy looking complexion: I find this one hard to address because it's so vague. Corrects and Perfects sound like the same action to me, so see my comments above.

Though this product comes in 4 shades, I noticed no tint at all. The product is dispensed as a sort of  an oyster white color and the white color disappears as you work it around. I wore it once without any additional foundation but would not do that again. I felt very white and think I need more color. In addition, my cream blush did not want to spread.

I see this product as a very nice primer, but I don't normally use a primer. The products that  are mandatory for me on a daily basis are  moisturizer, SPF protection, and foundation to even out my color. I like to layer my SPF via both moisturizer and foundation, following up with an additional SPF product over the foundation if I'll be in the sun for long periods of time. When using this L'Oreal Magic BB Cream  I felt like I was applying a product that didn't perform a function that I truly need.  I would use this pre-foundation when going out in the evening.

Thank You, SheSpeaks and L'Oreal, this was quite a fun trial!