Good morning all!

How are ya today? Are you having a good week so far? Yesterday’s new things were all thoroughly enjoyed and I’m excited to tell you about them. Here you are, the recap of Try Something New Tuesday 27!

1. Recipe of the Week: Spiced Sweet Potato Salad. This is an adaptation from Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean Diet Cookbook (the 2009 version) and I cannot get enough of it! It can be eaten hot or cold and is a great portable option. The raisins in it provide a bit of unexpected sweetness and the spice blend is delicious – I actually made a little extra so that I can use it on chicken and in other dishes. The version I made included chicken, but I’ve included nutritional stats for a vegetarian-friendly salad too. Enjoy!

2. Starbucks Via Instant Flavoured Coffee in Caramel!

Now you guys all know I’m a biggggg Starbs junkie, so it’s probably no surprise that I was pretty quick to try one of the new VIA flavoured coffees. They come in 4 flavours, Caramel, Vanilla, Cinnamon Spice, and Mocha. Being the huge sucker for all things caramel, that’s the one I chose. It was enjoyed in the lovely Halloween-themed mug my mum gave me (which also came with a matching bowl – mum likes to make sure her daughters are well coordinated and Halloween is no exception.)

There appears to be a pair of eyes in my coffee...

BOO!

I didn’t realize this at first but VIA is pre-sweetened. Ideally, I like to drink my coffee just as it is, sometimes with a touch of milk if the mood should strike. However, the cane sugar used to sweeten this particular brew wasn’t sickly-sweet and the caramel taste (and smell) was definitely there. The only problem is that there are only 6 packets in the box….

3. A new beverage: La Croix natural sparkling water in cran-raspberry

This new thing was a little treat given to me by Callie, who picked it up when she was in the US a few months ago. (Thanks, Callie!) Prior to my chat with her about La Croix, I vaguely remember seeing a few ads for it in magazines like Shape and SELF, but I hadn’t looked into what was so great about it compared to other carbonated beverages. After Googling La Croix, I learned that…

“La Croix is 100% natural with a hint of natural flavouring including orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit, cran-raspberry, berry, and is also available in an unflavoured version, pure. The La Croix brand is nutritionally superior as it is calorie-free, sugar and sweetener-free, sodium-free, caffeine-free, contains nothing artificial, and has no colours, additives, or preservatives.”

You’re probably wondering, “Well, what could be left??” The only ingredients on the can are carbonated water and natural flavour. I didn’t have a clear glass to pour it into, but the klutz in me who managed to dribble it down her chin and on to her shirt can confirm that it is indeed clear and has no artificial colourings.

When Callie and I were chatting, she mentioned that it didn’t taste at all like she’d expected. Clearly I didn’t keep this in mind when drinking it during lunch yesterday, because I too expected it to taste more like a sweet, cranberry-flavoured pop. But it’s not. It’s sparkling water. Just like the can says. Nowhere does La Croix claim to be pop, so why should it taste like one? Anyways, expectations aside, I still thought it was good – a little bit of a bitterness to it – but still good.

4. A new bar: The Simply Bar in Cocoa Coffee. I’m a big, BIG fan of the Simply Bar because it has a fairly innocent list of ingredients and tastes ridiculously good. So far I’ve sampled the Lemon, Cinnamon, and Chocolate Peanut Butter flavours, and have been equally satisfied by all of them. During my mandatory stop at Whole Foods during my last trip to Oakville, I found a Cocoa Coffee Simply Bar and immediately snatched it up as a new thing for this Tuesday.

No disappointment here – ’twas lovely! It tasted more chocolatey than coffee-like, and just like the other Simply Bars, was light and crispy. If you’re looking for these and don’t have a Whole Foods nearby, I’ve also seen them at Bulk Barn and some local health food stores.

5. A new fish: Snapper. I know it’s not an “oh my goodness, you ate WHAT!?!” sort of new thing, and I’m not 100% sure that I’ve never tried it in a restaurant before. I do know for certain though, that I’ve never actually purchased it in the grocery store, nor has it ever been prepared in my kitchen. The new thing I’d planned to try was a little higher on the risk scale but it’s proving difficult to track down… maybe next week!

Snapper is a mildly-flavoured fish with pale flesh. Its skin is red, and apparently some people enjoy the taste – I’m not a big fish skin-eater, and mine came without it, which is just the way I like it. Like many other fish, it is high in protein, low in saturated fat, and a good source of healthy fats. Four ounces, or 112g, provides 15% of your recommended daily intake of omega-3 essential fatty acids. Snapper is also an excellent source of vitamins B12 and B6, which help the body to utilize energy more efficiently and break down carbs and fat more effectively.

This fab fish was the main event at dinner last night. I was in the mood for a little heat, so after dipping the snapper in egg whites, I coated it in a mixture of cajun seasoning, chili powder, and whole wheat cracker crumbs (Triscuit Thin Crisps to be precise). It baked it in the oven for about 20 minutes while I prepared some salsa to spoon on top.

The final result was Crispy Cajun Red Snapper with Tomato Salsa, and it looked like this:

Delicious. I really do love fish and am going to make an effort to eat it more often. Chicken is great, but I’d be lying if I said the bird isn’t getting a little boring. The Triscuit crust was also great, and a nice change from the usual whole wheat bread crumbs or Panko bread crumbs.

Alright, that’s all for now! I’ve gotta get to work! Today I’m attending a financial planning lunch & learn session, which I’m hoping will be super informative and useful. I’m quite excited about it, but something’s telling me that trips to Lululemon are not going to be included in the financial advice. Before I go, my questions for today!

• Have you tried any of Starbucks’ flavoured VIA coffee yet? In general, do you prefer flavoured or regular coffee?
• Are there any new products that you’re dying to try?