Mmmm… lunch time! What are you guys having today? Here’s what I had:
The highlight of my lunch was actually the salad dressing! I used this cold pressed organic macadamia oil, which I was sent to review by a fourth generation French oil mill company called Emile Noel. Have you guys ever tried macadamia oil before? I hadn’t!
Emile Noel makes over 20 organic, fair trade, and GMO free virgin vegetable oils. I am also intrigued by their sweet almond oil and pumpkin seed oil – how interesting!
Macadamia oil is a good source of omega 3 fatty acids and has a light, nutty flavor. I decided to use it in place of olive oil in my standard salad dressing to see how I liked it! Macadamia oil + balsamic vinegar + dijon mustard + lemon juice = yum.
If you like nuts you will really like this dressing – it gave the dressing a lot of extra flavor compared to olive oil! I was a big fan. Thank you to Emile Noel for the opportunity to try the macadamia oil; two thumbs up for taste and two big thumbs up to them for being an environmentally responsible and high quality producer of oils. I’ve been trying to mix it up some with oils lately since it’s good to not always eat the same things from a nutrition standpoint (yay for variety), so I think I’m going to buy a bottle of one of the other more unique Emile Noel oils when this bottle runs out. You can find their oils at select Whole Foods – I’m definitely going to look for them next time I’m there now that I know they are a company worth supporting!
p.s. Fun fact: every wondered why higher quality oils are in dark bottles? Because some of the nutrients in oils break down with exposure to light! They can also break down with exposure to heat, which is why some oils are best not used to cook with – and why higher quality oils are cold pressed during processing (e.g. processed without heat).
Anyway! On the side, I enjoyed a little snacking plate with some crackers, Cabot sharp cheddar, and tuna salad. Did you know you can make a really yummy (and healthy) tuna salad by simply mixing canned tuna (go for the “chunk light” canned tuna – it’s lowest in mercury) and guacamole? It works with tuna + hummus, too! File this under the “looks gross, tastes awesome” category. 😉
Someone else really loves when I have tuna for lunch, too… No matter where Zara is in the apartment, whether she is fast asleep or awake, the second I open the can of tuna, I turn around and see this. Lol. She knows I can’t resist that adorable fluffy face. <3
And now it’s back to work for me! But before I go, a couple quick announcements:
- If you’re a Twitter fan, I’m helping to co-host a chat tonight sponsored by the Almond Board of California (@almonds) to talk all about time saving fitness and smart snacking tips for the summer! I’d love if you joined us – the chat starts at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT and you can join the conversation using the #AlmondChat hashtag. We’ll be giving away some healthy prizes and gift cards, too!
- For my DC area readers, Roam Fitness is hosting a really cool special edition “OutRun Adventure” on Saturday, May 31 at 9 a.m. It sounds AWESOME and includes rowing, biking, and running in teams of 4, followed by a lunch BBQ. 🙂 It’s not meant to be a crazy intense competition – just a fun urban adventure. It costs $50 per person ($200/team) and you can sign up solo and be matched to a team or sign up with your own team already put together. The fee includes kayak rental, a t-shirt, and the food and drinks after the event. You just have to bring your own bike (a BikeShare bike is fine, it will only be in paved areas). I’ll be there and hope to see some of you, too! Use the code “ORADanne” to get 10% off your entry. 🙂 Sign up here.
