A Little Pump for Pimp

Happy Fall Everyone.  I usually hate this season because I am such a summer person but due to the fact that I have developed some sort of weirdo sun allergy in my old age I am learning to embrace the other seasons like Fall.   Fall into the Gap ( love that old commercial).  So since I am learning to love Fall I want to bring up something I that is helping me fall in love with this season and that is Pumpkin coffee.  Starbucks has had their Pumpkin Spice Lattes for a while and I always enjoyed them but I wasn't as obsessed with them as everyone else and thought they weren't worth all the calories.  A few weeks ago I noticed Dunkin Donuts was also promoting a new Pumpkin flavor.  As an expert food blogger I knew I had to try.  Well from first sip I WAS HOOKED.  My first thought was OMG, I don't even need my go to sweet and low with this bad boy.   Since I opted for the coffee and not the latte I thought oh there probably aren't that many calories in this.   I kept on drinking them, even after my weekend runs.  I made friends with the Dunkin Donuts worker in Murray Hill.  He is very nice and would ask how many miles I ran. When he was making my Iced Pumpkin Coffee with skim milk I noticed how many pumps of Pumpkin flavor he put in and it was A LOT.  Oh no I thought, there is no way this has minimal calories.  So of course I went online and looked at the nutritional information.  It isn't terrible, but it isn't good either.  As you might know, I only ingest calories through drinks if it contains alcohol.  I mean, why waste it you know.   A medium Iced Pumpkin Coffee with skim has 160 calories. Again, not terrible but 160 can add up after a while.  So my thoughts on this are it is a perfect treat.  Kinda like a tasti d lite.  Won't kill your diet but probably not something you should drink everyday.  So for now only a little pump for the non-existent pimp!

Skinny Dipping in the Cheesecake

A few weeks ago I had my weekly visit with my parents.  Sometimes I get lucky and they pick me up and take me to a joyous NJ mall.  I love that because it allows me the flexibility of having my weekend in the city but also the luxury of spending time in one of my favorite places, a mall!  I am a GREAT mall shopper. Watch out Banana Republic sale rack, I am coming.
Anyway, on my latest trip to the mall I suggested we go to Cheesecake Factory.  I hadn't been for a while and figured I could get something like brunch on a Sunday.  Well much to my surprise and glory I was introduced to their Skinnylicious menu (ugh the name sounds like something someone at a NJ mall would say).  Besides the annoying menu name, the menu is a pure delight.  It isn't just a list of five bland, boring, blah dishes like salmon and broccoli.  Instead it is a full menu of appetizers, entrees and desserts, with something for everyone!  Including Captain Picky McPicky, me!!
I went with the chicken pot stickers for my meal.  They are an appetizers so it is not a huge portion, but were quite tasty and under 500 calories!   My mom got a turkey and avocado sandwich and seemed happy with her choice.   Other items that stick out to me were the arugula salad because it contained raisins, nuts and cheese - a true Rori salad, chicken lettuce wrap tacos in 3 versions - Asian, Mediterranean and Mexican, a veggie burger, an Asian chicken salad, flatbreads, various chicken entrees with veggies and rice and of course many low calorie drinks like sangria and mojitos.  Anyone who reads this blog knows, I love my low calorie chain options so this is obviously a welcome addition!  Good job Cheesecake!!

And She's Back ...With a National List

America, rest assured, I am back.  Yes the economy might be tumbling, wars are going on, weirdos running around Wall Street but we do have two things to be happy about.  1 - My girl Amanda Knox is free 2 - I have decided to blog again.  Why you might ask?  A few reasons.  The most important one is that when I run into people who haven't seen me in a long time the first thing they ask is why haven't you updated the blog.  I always come up with some grandiose excuse like I am too busy volunteering at soup kitchens, rescuing dying puppies or sitting on my couch watching copious amounts of TV including Breaking Bad and my ultimate guilty pleasure Most Eligible Dallas (oh I am so happy Matt and Court are getting together!).  Anyway, I decided those are bad excuses so today is the day I shall blog again and one day hope to have my dream come true.  The dream you ask??? To have my blog turned into a reality show staring yours truly traveling around the world to different chain restaurants trying them out and giving my take on their offerings.  A girl can dream!
So I saw this article on Huff Po (not that I read that liberal garbage, it came up on my AOL front page) and decided to blog about it and see what everyone else thought about the list Market Force (whatever that is) published of America's Favorite Casual Chain Restaurant.   You will see many of the RorDawg faves are up there!  See, I know what I am talking about.

1) Cheesecake Factory - holla - stay tuned for my update on their skinny menu
2)  Texas Roadhouse  - Yussie
3)  Olive Garden - Eh
4)  P.F. Changs - should be higher
5)  Carrabba's - long name lot;s of repeat letters

For the rest of the list, see the link below.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/03/americas-favorite-casual-dining-chains_n_991997.html?icid=maing-grid7|aim|dl4|sec1_lnk2|101207#s384365&title=1_Cheesecake_Factory