Shape Up Series: Taste Testing Panera Bread's Low Fat Smoothies

By: Finance Foodie

This past week, my willpower was tested harder than an engineer at MIT. And unfortunately, I failed with flying colors. ARGH!! From greasy sandwiches to Italian dessert trays that turned up everyday in the kitchen at work, my willpower could not resist but to indulge! Alas, I paid dearly, for led to a STEP BACK on my goal weight loss. Let's go to my (sad) recap....

Shape Up Series: Low Fat Apple Cinnamon Crisp

By: Finance Foodie

Thanks to my Shape Up Series, I've been on a serious cooking trek for lunch and dinner (Specific definition of cooking for me: anything that utilizes a large piece of kitchen equipment. Let's be clear, I'm no Julia Child here with all day to spend basting chickens). Therefore, I decided it was only natural to expand this new found usage of my kitchen to make healthy breakfast items. While browsing though the General Mills site, I found a lovely looking recipe for a hearty Apple Cinnamon Crisp using Cheerios. I've never been much of a plain cereal and milk kind of gal, so I was uber happy to take this recipe for a spin!

You Don't Have To Be Italian To Enjoy The Comedy Of The Italian Chicks!

By: Anne M. Raso

The Italian Chicks is a two-hour casino style show that blends comedy, acting, dancing, music, and song. Describing their performance as "part meatball, part cannoli", The Italian Chicks are "Leader of the Pack" Maryann "Boom Boom" Maisano, Mary Dimino, Carolann Valentino, and Gina Scarda. All of the ladies are comedy veterans and actresses, and Dimino even has the distinction of having won the 2008 Gracie Allen Award for her work in the PBS film Fat: What No One Is Telling You. But probably the most interesting piece of trivia on The Italian Chicks is that the show's MC, Gina Scarda, decided to become a stand-up comedian after retiring from the New York Police Department (so it comes as no surprise that she describes the pitfalls of having to pose as a decoy prostitute in her former occupation)!

Sunday Brunching: Mapping Out the Cafe Fleuri's City Brunch

By: Finance Foodie

When I read that the January brunch gathering for the Boston Brunchers was going to be at Cafe Fleuri at the Langham Boston – well I let out a loud “Woo Hoo” and fist pumped a few times (no worries, I did this in a confined setting amongst other food bloggers who understand my passion for a great brunch!). Brunch has always been my favorite part of the day (it’s usually my motivation for waking up – is that sad? I don’t know) and I had been DYING to try the Langham’s legendary brunch. I walk past the Langham everyday for work and have had several business meetings there, but never have I been to the hotel on the weekend. (I admit it -- I can be a lazybones and going to the financial district always feels like a walk too far on the weekends).