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A Difference You Can Taste Giveaway

Happy Sunday! I am so behind on posts due to my busy weekend but I promise that over the next two days you’ll see the following:
Dasha Wellness Center
Fish Restaurant Review
David Burke @ Bloomingdales Review
Glo Bars review
and
Saturday Fun Day
Let’s rewind back to Friday however to get this post started. Friday morning I couldn’t decide what I wanted for breakfast but knew I was quickly growing tired of my same old oats. I decided to take advantage of the amazing package I received Thursday night from the friendly folks at Jay Robb Protein. I was elated when they offered to send a sampler package of their whey and brown rice protein powders for Bo and I to review. Even better, they sent TWO so that one lucky reader can enjoy some Jay Robb in their life as well.
The man behind this protein empire, Jay Robb, is a clinical nutritionist with almost 30 years experience. He founded Jay Robb Enterprises Inc in 1988 and prides himself on the fact that his company produces the best-tasting protein powders on the planet. His products are sold in over 8,000 stores including Whole Foods.
I have to agree with his opinion. I was flabbergasted when I opened the sampler bag to find powder flavors which ranged from the typical vanilla and strawberry all the way to Tropical Dreamsicle and Pina Colada. A Pina Colada protein smoothie? Yes please!
The next thing I noticed were the amazing nutritional facts. The whey and brown rice protein powders have similar nutritional facts:
Whey: 30 g serving
Calories: 110, Fat: 0, Sodium 150mg, Potassium: 390 mg, Carbs 1g, Protein 25g, Sugar 0g, and Calcium 3%
Brown Rice Protein: 30 g serving
Calories: 110, Fat: .5g, Sodium: 15mg, Cargs: 4g, Fiber: 2g, Protein 24g, Sugar 0g, Calcium 10%
Friday morning I enjoyed a green monster using the strawberry whey protein powder. This along with some soymilk, spinach, and 1/2 a banana kept me full for five hours! I loved the flavor and these powders seem to mix better than any i’ve used before. I’m hooked! His powders truly deliver a difference you can taste!
GIVEAWAY!!
Now, I want you to be hooked too by winning a sampler pack of your own so you can taste the difference! You have until Thursday, March 4th to enter. This pack includes a Jay Robb reusable shopping bag and six packs of powder both brown rice and whey.
1) Leave me a question you’d like me to answer on the blog.
2) Become a fan of Healthy Happier Bear on Facebook! Please also suggest to at least 5 friends. You may suggest it to as many people as you like. Let me know below.
3) Add A Healthy Happier Bear to your blogroll and link back to the giveaway on your blog. Please let me know by leaving a comment.
4) Tweet this giveaway! You may write: “@HealthyHappier is giving away JayRobb! Enter here http://healthyhappierbear.blogspot.com/2010/02/difference-you-can-taste-giveaway.html“
I will choose a winner this Thursday. Good Luck!


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Rewind….


Happy Sunday! I hope everyone has enjoyed a wonderful weekend thus far. New Yorkers have been celebrating the sunshine in full force! Yesterday over 10,000 runners and walkers were able to enjoy the seasonable and sunny weather while raising over $400,000 for Haiti through the NYRR Run for Haiti! WOW! But before that, it’s time for a quick rewind back to Thursday.
Before meeting my girlfriend for dinner at Candle Cafe, I was on a mission to find a new gym bag. My large, akward, floral Vera Bradley bag just wasn’t cutting it anymore as an everyday gym bag. While the size afforded me room to carry TOO much, it wasn’t suitable for carrying to work events and other social outings. I discovered this the hard way Wednesday evening when I almost knocked over someone’s wine at a networking event due to it’s size. I also received one too many stares lugging that bad boy around. I realized that the UES Lululemon (66th and 3rd) store was conveniently located between work and Candle Cafe. What luck? 🙂 Upon entering the UES location I was in LOVE! It was huge and the perfect pick me up after a long day due to the colorful displays, friendly staff, and rocking music. I saw a couple of great bags in the window but wanted to make sure I picked the best one for my needs. The staff quickly helped me see the differences between each bag (inside dividers, removable bag or not, large enough for work clothes and gym clothes or not, color selection, price, etc) until I found the perfect one! I also picked up an I LOVE RUNNING Sigg bottle to replace my daily water bottle. It’s bright pink and that alone makes me smile and want to drink more water. 🙂 I also found out that in NYC, each Lululemon location has a different focus. The one near Lincoln Center is Dance focused, the UES (66th and 3rd Avenue)is running focused, etc. This made total sense as this one is near the park and has a Spring/Summer running club! In fact, the running club kicks off on Wednesday, March 3rd at 8pm with an info session led by the running coach, Michele Solomon. Then, on March 10th at 6:45pm the outside runs begin! I’m excited about this as the location is close enough to work that I should be able to make both these events! Anyone want to join? If so, RSVP to runeast66thnyc@lululemon.com by March 3rd!
After the shopping was complete, I headed down 3rd a few blocks to Candle Cafe. Knowing that Bo was out of town on business gave me the perfect excuse to meet my girlfriend Liz for dinner at Candle. I hadn’t enjoyed Candle’s vegetarian goodness in over a year and was therefore very excited! This cozy location is located on 3rd avenue between 74th and 75th. Upon entering, each patron can quickly see what their goal and mantra is:
Candle Cafe is dedicated to bettering the health of the individual and the planet by serving food fresh from farm to tableâ„¢. Our organic vegan cuisine is rooted in sustainability, eco-friendly practices, local farming, and compassion for animals.
There is a small juice bar near the front that doubles as a wine and beer bar during the evening hours. Luckily this area wasn’t too crowded while Liz and I waited for our table. Unfortunately, they don’t accept reservations for a party of 2 so there is normally a short wait involved. We didn’t mind however as there was room for us to stand out of the cold and we were able to watch all the amazing food pass and catch up. Once we were seated we quickly ordered an appetizer and wine since we were both starving. The seitan chimichurri which included herb marinated seitan skewers was amazing. The texture was perfect and the flavor was right on with a bit of subtle sweetness due to the citrus. Ordering dinner was far more challenging as everything sounded wonderful and neither Liz nor I like to make the dinner decision first. Normally we wait to see what everyone else orders and then chooses something last minute. But, we finally decided on the tuscan lasagna and paradise casserole. The tuscan lasagna was exactly what I was craving and better than any lasagna i’d had in ages. The seitan ragout tasted

just like a flavorful meat combination and I quickly forgot this was a vegitarian entree. My only complaint was the chunkiness and texture of the tapioca cheese. It didn’t melt like normal cheese does in lasagna and therefore mostly got pushed to the side. Liz’s paradise casserole was MASSIVE and a feat to even enjoy half as it was filled with delicious sweet potatoes, black beans, and millet over greens. I especially enjoyed the flavor combination of all three paired together in a bit. We both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at Candle Cafe and would return often. The service was friendly and quick while the food delighted each and everyone of our cravings. The wine option was an added bonus as I had forgotten this option and assumed they only had a juice bar. In addition, the prices are very reasonable for a weeknight meal. I can guarantee that if Bo and I end up moving to the UES this April that i’ll be ordering takeout frequently from Candle Cafe. I highly recommend this for a casual meal on a weeknight or weekend! If your plan is to enjoy it with a larger group, call ahead for reservations!

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Bar Boulud: A serving of classic French fare
This weekend has been absolutely wonderful thus far filled with an 8 mile long run through snowy Central Park which was tough but so gorgeous and fun since Bo and I talked the whole time , long walks through the city, apartment hunting, drinks with friends at The Red Lion,
relaxing on the couch watching The Tudors, experimenting with healthy breakfast options, and dining out! Bo and I normally only order in once per week (normally from our local favorite Shi) and dine out on Friday nights after work. However, this weekend, due to the holiday we ended up eating out both Friday and Saturday night at two wonderful restaurants, Bar Boulud and Perilla.
Bar Boulud is Daniel Boulud’s casual classic French bistro located across from The Lincoln Center in NYC. Daniel Boulud is a famous French chef and restauranter who now has restaurants in NYC, Las Vegas, Vancouver, Beijing, Palm Beach, and Miami. He opened his first restaurant, and most famous, Daniel, in 1993 after his time as executive chef Le Cirque in NYC. Bo and I have often passed Bar Boulud during our long walks and Columbus Circle ventures and finally decided Friday night that we had to try it! After a work happy hour we wandered up to Lincoln Center around 7:30 in hopes of snagging a seat even though we didn’t have reservations. We were escorted to the bar area while we waited for a table but after fifteen minutes were told that we could in fact eat at the bar if we wished. This was a perfect option as the bar area offers the full menu, a first hand look at some of the cheeses and chartucerie, and wines. We started the evening with a glass champagne and the Degustation de Charcuterie to share (3 types of pate, charcuterie, condiments, pickles, and mustard) and the escargots persillade (wild burgundy snails garlic and parsley). The pates were amazing though the chicken liver pate was definitely my favorite. The snails were a treat as i’d never tried these before and they were rich and succulent. The parsley added to the flavor against the warm snails especially when paired with the small hushpuppy like potato balls.


As for our main meal, we shared a classic French fish dish, local catskills trout, toasted almonds

roasted cauliflower brown butter, verjus. This dish was absolutely divine as they used the cauliflower in so many different ways and the fish was perfectly crisp.
Bo and I agree that Bar Boulud’s food and wine was absolute perfection. Everything we tasted was seasoned perfectly and bursting with flavor. However, it was all very classicaly prepared which means the flavors weren’t innovated (to be expected at a classic French restaurant) and the service was attentive but a bit pretentious for our liking on a Friday night after a long week. We would definitely go back but we’d probably take friends so we could make our own noise and laughter. This Friday night it was painfully quiet and reserved which was ironic since Zagat warns of the noise levels.
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