Crispy, Salty Chuao Chocolate (Product Review)

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Coco

When I was exploring the boutique shops at my hotel last week, I was not disappointed to find this one.

I was drawn to the unusual varieties of the Chuao bars. After browsing the extensive selection, I chose this one.


While I don’t usually like nuts or dried fruit in my chocolate, the combination of dark chocolate, a bit of crispness and salt sounded like it could satisfy all sorts of cravings.

It was good, but it wasn’t spectacular, so the next day I went back for this one.

I expected it to be similar, but was enticed by the promise of milk chocolate (perhaps it would be smoother?) and kettle chips (which I love). I definitely liked it better. 🙂

In case you think I am not dedicated to the pursuit of the finest chocolate, I paid $9 for each bar (including tax). I would only do that under the influence of a resort boutique shop!

Have you tried an unusual chocolate bar lately?

Have you bought something at a resort that you would never pay that price for at home?

Posted in Food, Product Reviews | Tagged , | 11 Comments

The $75 5K That Wasn’t

Posted on June 23, 2012 by Coco

This week I am at conference in San Diego, staying at a resort hotel that extorts me at every turn. ($4.75 for a cup of Diet Coke? No thanks. $4.25 for a tall Starbucks brewed coffee? Yes, please!)  Knowing that I would have to squeeze some work in between conference sessions, the only “acitivty” I signed up for was the 5K. The $75 entry fee is above my price point for a 5K, but it is for a good cause and my law firm will cover it.

I attended this same conference last year and actually “won” the 5K, but this year I had to take a different approach. My physical therapist doesn’t want me running at all, but I couldn’t resist the temptation of a run on the beach on a cool, overcast morning. I decided to treat it like an easy run, and had no goals for a finish time.


I was pretty impressed that the hotel had its own branded race bibs, but that didn’t make the course measurement any more accurate than last year’s course. (In all fairness, since we had a wide swath of flat, hard sand to run on, it’s possible that we didn’t follow the route that was measured.)

I reached the “finish” in under 25 minutes, so I kept running for an extra out-and-back segment to make sure that I ran at least 5K. (If I was going to break my physical therapist’s rules, I wanted it to be worth it!) I ended up covering about 3.6 miles in 33:30 (about a 9 min/mile pace). Even though we ran on packed sand, my shoes managed to get full of dry sand from the short walk to and from the shoreline.

Maybe next year I’ll remember to bring old shoes to use on the beach.

I have to confess that my SI joint has been bothering me since this run, but I can’t say that it wasn’t worth it, or that I wouldn’t make the same choice again.

Do you like to run on the beach?

Have you ever violated “doctor’s orders” about exercise restrictions?

Posted in Fitness, Race Recaps | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Three Things Thursday (The Skeevy Travel Edition)

Posted on June 21, 2012 by Coco

I am only three days into my seven day business trip but I am already struggling with being away from home. For some reason, during this trip more than others I have been skeeved out by the run-of-the-mill unsanitary conditions of traveling.

  1. Being barefoot in my hotel room. I try to avoid this at all costs, even if that means keeping my shoes on when all I really want to do is kick them off. I will lay a path of towels from the bathroom to my suitcase if I forget to bring sock or shoes into the bathroom.
  2. Using the bathroom near the end of a 5-hour flight. I try not to think of how many people have used the bathroom before me, but it is hard when I’ve seen the constant line for the only two lavatories. I know public restrooms get lots of use, but I’m pretty sure those are cleaned more frequently, and they have more room so it is easier to avoid contact with skeevey surfaces.
  3. Doing floor work in the hotel gym. I usually hop on the treadmill or elliptical, so I avoid being on the floor of hotel gyms, but my physical therapy routine requires me to spend 45 minutes doing plank variations, leg lifts, and other floor exercises. I am using several gym towels on top of the mat that I have no confidence has ever been cleaned. Ever.

Are there skeevy things about traveling that gross you out if you think about them too much?

Do you lose track of time when you travel? I keep having to stop and think to remember what day it is!

Posted in Fitness, Life, Work | Tagged , | 11 Comments

Playing In The Sprinkler

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Coco

Now that it is summer time we are discovering Tiger Lilly’s love for sprinklers!

If she encounters a sprinkler on a walk, she wants to put her face in it and drink. One day last week after a long walk she just laid down and got comfortable while lapping up the cool water.

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When is the last time you played in a sprinkler?

Posted in Life | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Two For Tuesday (The Grocery Store Edition)

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Coco

This weekend two new products caught my eye at the grocery store.

It’s no surprise why these were interesting. Kashi? Chocolate? Say no more.

I was a bit put off by the nutrition information:

With 160 calories per serving, they are much higher than my go-to chocolate fixes: Cliff Chocolate Brownie Z-Bars (130 calories) and Deep Chocolate VitaMuffins (100 calories). Although the fiber content is high for a snack bar, so is the fat content, and the ingredient list is long. Still, they are from Kashi and they were on sale, so I tried them.

Honestly, I was not impressed. There is an off taste that screams “I am a ‘healthy’ food trying to taste indulgent.” (Maybe it’s the sweet potatoes?) I would never attempt to get my family to try them, and I’m not even sure that I would recommend them to my Kashi-loving friends. I can’t even see myself choosing to have one again instead of a Cliff Chocolate Brownie Z-Bar or Deep Chocolate VitaMuffin, so I probably will put the rest of the box up for grabs in my office kitchen.

When I got to the dairy aisle, a woman was sampling new Keurig “iced” products, including Celestial Seasonings Half and Half Black Perfect Iced Tea (black tea/lemonade).

I don’t have a Keurig machine, but we have them at work, so I decided to give it a try. It was sweet, but not too sweet, although the ingredient list explains the 70 calories and 16 g of sugar per serving.

Evaporated Cane Juice, Black Tea with Tea Extract, True Lemon, Hibiscus, Natural Lemon Flavor, Citric Acid, Rebiana (sweetener from Stevia) and Tricalcium Phosphate (a natural free flow agent).

(It is gluten-free and Kosher if that matters to you)

I didn’t buy any yet, but if I find myself tempted to go to Starbucks for Shaken Iced Tea Lemonades this summer, I should stock up on these instead, since they would save me money and calories (a tall Starbucks Shaken Iced Tea Lemonade has 100 calories and 25 g sugar).

Have you tried any new products lately?

Is your office a kitchen a dumping ground for unwanted leftovers?

Posted in Food, Product Reviews, Work | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments