Valentine's Day Bummer

Again I apologize to all of my nonexistant readers out there for not updating in a few days. I've been sick and I've had midterms, haha funny story. So today I thought I had a midterm exam at 10:00, and I got up at 7:00 to study for it. Being sick has cut into my study time the past few days so I thought I would review this morning. I get to class, and look at everyone else who seems suprisingly nonchalant about today's impending midterm exam. I realize I'm the only one who typed up a six page study guide and I start to wonder.

My professor comes in and starts writing notes on the board and begins the lecture. I whisper to my neighbor, "I thought we had an exam today!" Well, it was more of a hoarse, throaty whisper because I can barely talk due to an unknown illness I currently have (the health center sent a culture in so, we'll see how that goes). Anyway, my neighbor goes, "No he decided to move it to Thursday."

Now I'm feeling two different things at this point. #1, I am so glad that I have another two days to study because I was totally cramming this morning and #2, I am so angry I came to an hour and fifteen minute lecture while I can barely concentrate due to my burning throat/chest.

On top of that, my Valentine's Day sucked. Not only do I not have any special someone to spend it with, but I am super far away from any family and friends that I have back home. Oh, yeah, and I got sick!
Anyway, that didn't stop me from enjoying the lovely Valentine's Day desserts in the dining hall last night! Between four different kinds of cakes, cupcakes, three different types of brownies, as well as a chocolate fondue, I think I enjoyed myself. I did find the standard candy hearts that are to be expected during Valentine's Day, however, I was greeted with unusual messages.

I don't know, maybe it's just me, but don't these seem like they came from a box of candy hearts for the confused lover or something? I mean seriously, what happened to "Be Mine" and "Love U"? These seem like what you might read in a bad breakup text. What has happened to our society??
I started to wonder, then I picked up some more just to check and found some slightly more normal messages.

Aww, that's more like it. Now this is something you would give to your lover. I realize Valentine's Day is a special day to show people you love exactly how much you love and care about them. Sometimes, I just feel as if it all becomes a little superficial after a while. Here's another thought I'll leave you with. My dorm is planning a Valentine's Day party for this Thursday...?? How can you have a V-Day party three days after the day already happened? I'm not sure I understand the logic behind that one.

I hope everyone else out there had a great time on V-Day. Enjoy the leftover sweets!

Stephanie, WWT

Mid-day Snack: Asian Pears

Looking to spruce up your day with a refreshing mid-day snack? Want to try something different? How about Asian Pears? The market on campus near my dorm sells perfect asian pears. I'm not sure how or where they're getting them from, but they are some of the largest ones I have ever seen. I couldn't eat a whole one in one sitting, for lunch. No joke! This thing was enormous, I could barely hold it in one hand! I've included some pictures so you'll believe me.

Keep in mind this is only a half of the pear! 

Anyway, asian pears are actually pears, although they more closely resemble an apple. They are crunchy, juicy, crisp and a bit grainy. They sometimes have more of an earthy taste that comes from their brownish skin, which is rougher than the more common European pear species (with a typical "pear" shape). They also have a rounder shape than the European pears.  You might easily spot them wrapped in a foam cushion in order to keep them from bruising. They are ripe when hard - most likely right when you buy them, but can keep for several months in a fridge.




The "Hosui" here is the asian pear



There are different varieties of asian pears and the one that I'm talking about would be the pyrus pyrifolia also known by Japanese pear, nashi, Taiwan pear, apple pear, Korean pear, or sand pear. When choosing an asian pear, you want a firm one with a small amount of brown spots. Remember, they are ready to eat when purchased, you want that hard crunchy feel to them. These pears are sometimes used in soy sauces and vinegars as a sweetener. They can also be incorporated into a marinade. So what are the benefits of eating an asian pear besides the taste and crunchiness? Well, 1 medium pear is only 50 calories and gives you 4 grams (14% DV) of dietary fiber, not bad for a snack. There's also some vitamin C in there and a small amount of iron. So whether you just want a nice change of fruit, or are looking to incorporate them into your meals (great in salads) try an asian pear next time you visit the grocery store.

Happy snacking!

Stephanie, WWT

College Cuisine: American Soul Food

So, tonight was a theme night in my college dining hall and the theme was...you guessed it "American Soul Food." Now, I had to check out the menu beforehand to get an idea of what would be served and then I realized it was typical "southern" cuisine. Never have I lived in the south, visited the south, or been served a meal by someone from the south, so this was all new to me and I was excited to try a few things I hadn't before.

Here's a run down of the menu:

• Corn on the Cob
• Collard Greens
• Fried Chicken
• BBQ Baby Back Ribs
• Stewed Black Eyed Peas with Rice
• Hush Puppies
• Spooned Bread

I looked at this and immediately noticed some things that I had no idea existed. Namely the spooned bread and hush puppies. I mean, I'd heard of hush puppies before, but had no idea what they actually were. I bit into the small, dense ball of some cornbread-looking thing only to find that it pretty much was cornbread. I hope I'm not offending any hush puppy lovers out there, but seriously, I wasn't impressed. Neither was my stomach actually. I could only eat one of the dense little bread balls to save myself for dessert! Maybe our dining hall version of this just isn't up to par. Wouldn't be the first time...

Anyway, next I moved onto the spooned bread, which again, resembled a pan of flat cornbread, just not in a ball form. By this point I was wondering why they didn't just make cornbread.  I was surprised however, and didn't think it was too bad.  I picked up sort of an eggy, salty flavor that was slightly different than the sweeter, fried flavor of the hush puppy. Meh, it's something I could live without.

Recipe from KFC here (from the Colonel himself :P)



When I saw the collard greens I almost jumped for joy! I am ashamed that this is my first time trying them, I feel like all chefs know how to cook simple collard greens. They just never looked exciting to me. I was wrong. They were great! They didn't even need a lot of flavor to them and I was happy eating them mixed with the black eyed peas/rice mixture.

After a hearty meal with my stomach full of soul, I moved on to the dessert counter and spotted what I knew I had to try: Sweet Potato Pie! Just imagine a pumpkin pie here, but darker more sweet-potato-ey. It was alright, the spices were nice, but I have an inkling the dining hall just bought a bunch of packaged pies. Oh well, it was a nice way to end the dinner.

Overall, I would have to say this dinner inspired me to try more of this southern style "soul food." I will have to experiment with collard greens myself when I get home. I'm not even sure I've seen them in our grocery store. Hm, going to have to do some hunting... Anyone have any opinions or recipes they'd like to share? I'm a good listener and I'm still looking for that first comment/follower. Come on, you know you want to be the first right? :)

Eat Hearty and Be Healthy!

Stephanie, WWT

Back in...Pink?

Alright Peeps, how are we liking the new blog design? Better? Worse? Is this the first time you've stumbled across my blog? In any case, welcome to the new and improved WWT!

I'm not sure I'm 100% set on this style, but for now, it seems more cheery and girly than the black and puke-green color lol.

I'm hoping to start a Philadelphia Tourism series over the course of a week, highlighting some great tourist hotspots in Philly with photos from yours truly. I'd also like to add some restaurant evaluations too, assuming I go out and eat more often :P

You can expect more foodie articles too. I hope you enjoy the one about antioxidants, it took forever to make! As always, feel free to leave a comment, good or bad, and click follow if you believe in me! Hey I've kept up with this blog for a month now, I'm on a roll!!

Finally back on track,

-Stephanie, WWT

Under Construction

To all of my nonexistant readers, my blog is currently undergoing some construction.

You see, I had an epiphany today. I realized that no one reads my blog! I pondered why this might be and I came to the conclusion: my blog is not aesthetically pleasing. Or it might be that no one knows about my blog. Or that no one cares??
Well It's probably a combination of the three, so I decided why not change? The problem: having to change all of my colorful fonts that I've been styling my posts with. So bear with me my imaginary friends, my ever so intellectually stimulating blog posts will be restyled into a better design...hopefully. :P

Oh, and check out the new monthly playlist page I added!
Lots of love!

Stephanie, WWT

Buzz about Antioxidants

We've all heard that antioxidants are important for our body, mainly to keep skin clean and healthy, right? So naturally we want to know which foods will give us the most benefits. It seems that there is some disagreement between sources, but a few commonalities keep popping up. I did my research from several websites and compiled a list of the most commonly cited antioxidants.

First of all, what are antioxidants? Well they do just as their name suggests; they prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body, thus ANTI - oxidant. Make sense? Not yet? Well our bodies naturally produce these things called free-radicals when our cells use oxygen. Okay, wait what are free-radicals you ask? This explanation deals a lot with chemistry, something I'm not too fond of, but here's the short version. Free radicals are basically atoms who need an electron, so these little thieves steal them from other atoms in our bodies. Then the atom who has just been robbed becomes a free radical and essentially starts a chain reaction. Basically, free radicals are natural but accumulate over time as we age.  The way antioxidants help with this problem is by donating one of their electrons to the greedy devils thus ending the chain reaction.

Certain envrionmental factors can also contribute to an excess of free radicals such as cigarette smoke, radiation, pollution, and herbicides. Two of the most common antioxidants that can help fight off these radicals are Vitamin E (the most abundant fat-soluble antioxidant in the body) and Vitamin C (the most abundant water-soluble antioxidant in the body). The main importance associated with these are disease prevention. Vitamin E helps protect against heart disease by defending against clogged arteries. High amounts of Vitamin C have been linked to low cancer rates, specifically cancer of the larynx, mouth, and esophagus. 
Bottom line, antioxidants are good! So let's find out how to get them! 

Try adding some of these into your diet to reap the benefits of antioxidants:

BEANS

• Beans are high in both fiber and antioxidants
• They help lower cholesterol and LDL levels, moderate insulin, reduce cancer risk, and scavenge those pesky free radicals
• How much do I need? Two 1/2 cups servings a day of cooked or canned beans
• Examples: Red beans, Kidney beans, Pinto beans, Black beans
• Meal Ideas: Beans and Rice, Bean Burrito, Split Pea Soup

BLUEBERRIES

• Blueberries provide more antioxidants than any other fruit or vegetable. Surprising right? I mean they're so small!
• They have lots of complicated sounding stuff in them that basically helps with fighting cancer, heart disease, and age-related memory loss
• Raspberries and Blackberries are also good substitutes. Eat any type of berry at least three times a week
• How much do I need? 1/2 cup fresh or frozen or 1/4 cup dried every day
• Meal Ideas: eat them raw, put them in cereal, garnish vanilla ice cream with blueberries, blueberry pancakes, blueberries in yogurt, the list goes on and on...

BROCCOLI

• Broccoli helps fight against cancer while also promoting eye health and warding off macular degeneration
• Broccoli is considered a cruciferous vegetable like brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage
• How much do I need? 1/2 cup raw or 1 cup cooked every day
• Meal Ideas: fresh steamed broccoli, broccoli stir fry with other vegetables and pasta, beef with broccoli, broccoli cheddar soup

TOMATOES

• Tomatoes help with the same problems broccoli does, but they also contain lycopene, a pigment and phytochemical that may be linked with cancer prevention
• Cooked tomatoes contain more lycopene than raw tomatoes
• How much do I need? eat one serving a day with healthy fat like olive oil to help absorb the lycopene. Servings include 1 medium raw tomato, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup sauce, 1/4 cup paste, 2 tbsps of paste, or 6 oz of juice. Enough options?
• Meal Ideas: pasta with red tomato sauce, bruschetta with basil and mozzerella, tomato soup

DARK CHOCOLATE

• Finally right? Something we actually love and crave! Basically the darker the chocolate (the higher percentage of cocoa) the more antioxidants it contains
• How much do I need? 1 oz serving a day
• Meal Ideas: do i even need to list these? Raw dark chocolate, dark chocolate candies, fruits dipped in dark chocolate, melted dark chocolate over ice cream etc. 

More Great Sources of Antioxidants include:

• Oats
• Soy
• Garlic
• Nuts: pecans, walnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts
• More Vegetables: artichokes, cabbage, kale, peppers, red beets
• More fruits: cherries, pomegranate, grapes, plums, apples

I guarantee you can fit many of these into your daily diet if you don't already. Remember, these aren't necessarily going to prevent you from getting cancer or any other diseases, but they will definitely help decrease your chances. Enjoy experimenting with new foods and try incorporating some of my suggestions to have an antioxidant rich diet!

Be healhty!

Stephanie, WWT

Facebook, YouTube, and Skype! Oh my!

I found these "vintage posters" on http://www.ufunk.net/en/insolite/des-affiches-publicitaires-vintages-pour-facebook-skype-et-youtube/

I thought they were great because they look like some of the old ads from 60 or 70 years ago. Enjoy these!

Facebook

YouTube

Your films will last forever! lol

Skype

"the healthiest, most economical, and secure way to keep vigorous family bonds miles away."

Only recently did I actually use Skype for the first time. I must say it was fun to see and hear people talking on your computer screen, but I'm not sure it's completely necessary unless you're communicating long distance. Still fascinating though.

I hope you had a laugh at these, I know I did. Just think how far we've come with regard to technology and communication. You can count it as a blessing or a curse, but this innovation is amazing and ever-expanding.

Stephanie, WWT