the cereal experiment: Kashi GoLean Crunch! Honey Almond Flax

When I proposed my crazy (yet brilliant) idea for the cereal experiment to friends and family, Kashi GoLean Crunch! was suggested more than once. So, my most recent box of healthy breakfast eats was just that, the Honey Almond Flax variety.

Results. Kashi GoLean Crunch! Honey Almond Flax (hereafter referred to as KGLCHAF, because academics love acronyms) tastes really great. When they say honey and almond they aren't kidding - I taste these flavors in a delicious way. I'm afraid when they say Crunch! they aren't kidding either. And, in my opinion KGLCHAF has a questionable function as a cereal by itself, and may perform better as an addition to yogurt or oatmeal because of its out-of-control crunchiness.

I'm just going to say it. KGLCHAF is too crunchy. After a bowl of this stuff, my jaw is sore and I wouldn't be all that surprised if my mouth was bleeding. For me, it is just too much. Based on others' suggestions I let KGLCHAF soak in milk before eating, which made the texture more bearable. But, I still was not convinced when I had to face several large rock hard balls of scary-cruncy-KGLCHAF.
 

*Ranking system.

Despite its unsettling texture, KGLCHAF has pretty fantastic nutritional stats. For a 1 cup serving you intake a healthy 200 calories and a (relatively) high 4.5 grams of fat. With that you get 5 grams of fiber (my minimum fiber limit) and 9 grams of protein (the second highest amount so far). You also intake a high 24% of calories from sugar. I should note that the the basic GoLean Crunch! cereal was above my 25% of calories from sugar limit (at 27%) so I didn't consider it. There is also a Kashi GoLean Crisp! Toasted Berry Crumble flavor that contains only 22% of calories from sugar that is probably worth a try. Crisp! versus Crunch! Will this ease my texture woes? (Can any of you Kashi-eaters let me know if it is worth a go?)

These admirable nutritional stats give KGLCHAF a fourth place ribbon, falling below (by a very slight margin) Kashi Golden Goodness.

In summary, Kashi GoLean Crunch! Honey Almond Flax has a brilliant flavor but an unfortunate texture that I just can't ignore. When choosing between a tasty morning cereal and a potential jaw injury, I choose my safety. And that is that. 

the sock experiment: Old Navy Mesh Athletic Socks

Today, I get back to the real reason this entire experiment began, to determine if expensive running socks are really better than inexpensive cotton socks. For comparison to the fancy brands I have been wearing lately, I have spent the last 2 weeks wearing newly purchased, inexpensive, cotton athletic socks from Old Navy.

Results. I came across these cotton basics on sale at Old Navy and couldn't pass up the opportunity for this sock experiment 'control group' showdown. I should note that these are 'athletic socks', so they do come with a mesh feature for 'ultimate breathability'. They are composed of 67% cotton, 31% polyester (yikes), and 2% spandex. They come in a pack of 3 for $6.50, which makes each pair $2.17. No fancy fibers, no complex moisture management systems, no specialized cushion zones. Just cotton, polyester, spandex, and my feet.

*Ranking system.

And my feet, apparently, have no qualms with polyester. Although I did notice a slight difference in performance when compared to Balega Enduro, these cotton socks didn't leave me wanting. I was satisfied and my feet were content. If the price were the same between the two, I would choose the Enduro hands down, but at only $2 per pair, my feet and my wallet just can't justify the added expense. When evaluated in my ranking system, which weights prices heavily, these Old Navy athletic socks take first place.

Please forgive my bloody ankle and the streaks of blood down my running shoe. This morning's run, it seems, was not completely injury free.

Dear fancy running socks, I'm sorry, but you just aren't doing it for me.

But, for the sake of completion and a thorough academic comparison, I am giving one more pair of running socks a go. Hold your breath folks, the long anticipated finale to the sock experiment is almost here.

my less serious day: jeans so perfect, i cried.

This weekend I was a mad woman on a desperate search for jeans. I traveled to another town, went to five stores, tried on countless pairs, and experienced much disappointment and frustration. Then, it happened. I tried on this pair and stood in the fitting room with tear-filled eyes while marveling at their perfection. I am convinced that finding perfect jeans is a perfectly justified reason to cry.

Wearing.

Perfect jeans: Gap (real straight); top: Old Navy; belt: Banana outlet; necklace: gift from M; shoes: Tsubos.

Doing.

My morning workout was a 30-minute run with L (working pace). Two 10-minute walks also happened today, one after lunch and one when I returned home from the gym in the afternoon. My afternoon workout was a 60-minute cycling class (variety ride).

Eating.

Breakfast was a bowl of Kashi GoLean Original cereal, Cascadian Farm Fruit and Nut Granola, agave nectar, blueberries, and almond milk.

Today's lunchbox held a Lean Cuisine, Pink Lady apple, peanuts, and golden raisins.

Dinner was a sweet potato smothered in Greek yogurt and cinnamon and an over-sized spinach salad with tomatoes, carrots, green onions, mushrooms, leftover Brussels sprouts and green beans, and a Morningstar chicken patty.

Dessert was a luxuriously delicious bowl of chocolate pudding and almond butter inspired by Amanda at running with spoons. I died.

weekend review: tequila-glazed labor day

Figure 1. Saturday night's dinner: grilled pork chops (marinated in olive oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper), pine nut couscous (Near East, amped up with fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and 1/2 cup chopped green onion), and green beans with toasted garlic.

Figure 2. Saturday (and Friday and Sunday) night's dessert: chocolate chip peanut butter swirl blondies.

Figure 3. In preparation: penne primavera.

Figure 2. Sunday night's dinner: penne primavera.

Penne Primavera

M's mom made this for us during our last visit. Simple, creamy, vegetable deliciousness. We doubled this recipe (which says it makes 2 servings) because M was hungry and we wanted leftovers. And boy, do we have leftovers.

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil

1 cup sliced onion

1 cup sliced eggplant

1 1/2 cups sliced zucchini

1 cup sliced red bell pepper

1 tsp minced garlic

1 1/2 cups quartered plum tomatoes

2 ounces crumbed goat cheese

salt and pepper

1/4 pound penne pasta (about 1 1/3 cups)

1/2 cup fresh basil, torn into small pieces

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (we used less)

Prepare pasta. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion. Saute 2 minutes. Add the eggplant, zucchini, red bell pepper, and garlic. Saute 5 minutes, stirring occasionally (I cooked mine longer). Add the tomatoes. Lower heat to medium and cook 5 minutes, stirring once or twice. Add the goat cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

Drain pasta, reserving about 2 tbsp pasta water in saucepan. Return pasta to the pan and add the vegetable sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss well. Sprinkle with basil and Parmesan cheese. Makes 2 servings.

Figure 3. Monday night's dinner: tequila-glazed grilled chicken thighs, rice pilaf (Near East), and sauteed Brussels sprouts with sesame, garlic, and ginger.

the sock experiment: ranking system

For good measure, I am posting my ranking system for the sock experiment. With the exception of the variables and weighting schema, this is identical to the ranking system used for the cereal experiment. 

I realize that some of you may, at some point, want to participate in an experiment of your own and would weight variables differently than I have here. If this is the case, I am more than happy to share my spreadsheet with you (pending you keep me posted on your results!), which calculates these ranks, so you can play around with your own personal preferences. If anyone is interested, just comment or e-mail: mylessseriouslife@gmail.com. Now, go get your nerd on.

Standardization.

Each variable (e.g., overall feel, price) was standardized to that variable's mean by calculating Z-scores (i.e., a common metric with a mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1). In this way, the Z-scores are relative to the socks in the experiment, not to an absolute standard. To do this, an average and standard deviation was then calculated for each variable. The Z-score was calculated as follows:

Z = (variable value) - (average of variable values for all socks) /
(standard deviation of variable values for all socks)

I assumed a higher Z-score indicated 'worse' sock characteristics. Those variables that didn't follow this trend (i.e., where higher values indicated 'better' characteristics) (i.e., overall feel, cushion, moisture) were reverse coded by multiplying their Z-score by negative one (-1). 

Weighting.

Each Z-score was then multiplied by its appropriate weight as determined, albeit subjectively, below (adding up to 100%). I emphasized price in this weighting scheme. As you may suspect, results change drastically when other variables are emphasized based on personal preference.

Overall feel (1-5): 25%
Feet temperature (cool, normal, hot): 6.25%
Cushion (poor, average, good): 6.25%
Moisture (poor, average, good): 6.25%
Blistering (none, moderate, a lot): 6.25%
Price: 50%

Composite Score and Ranking.

All of the weighted Z-scores were then summed to create a weighted composite score for each sock. The composite scores were sorted by value, with the lowest composite score indicating the best sock. Based on this sorted list, each sock was assigned a rank.

You can see the current table with these ranks on my experiment page.

my less serious day: memories and bling

My boss complimented me on my necklace this morning. I thanked him and called it 'a little bling'. After I provided him with a 5-minute explanation of 'bling' he paused and said, 'Man, I should get my wife a bling'. Yes, I thought, every wife deserves a bling or two.

Wearing.

Skirt: J Crew; top: Old Navy; necklace (i.e., bling): LOFT outlet; shoes: Olukai via Zappos

Doing.

I began the morning with a 60-minute run (easy pace). I had a meeting across campus late morning, so I crossed of a 20-minute walk off my list trekking there and back. After work I attended a 60-minute R.I.P.P.E.D. class. My tired body ended the day with a slow, but steady 10-minute walk with L when I returned home.

Eating. 

Breakfast was a mix of Cascadian Farm Hearty Morning Fiber and Kashi Go Lean Crunch Honey Almond Flax cereals, raspberries, and almond milk. Lunch was an Ethnic Gourmet frozen entree.

My afternoon snack was a sliced Pink Lady apple with almond butter. 

For dinner, I made one of my favorite recipes from childhood, skinny pork chops. The smell and taste of this dish brought back fond memories of family dinners. Mom used to always serve these chops with white rice and applesauce. Tonight, my pork chop was served on leftover green pea rice and alongside Madison's Parmesan roasted asparagus. And here for you, is the simple, but wonderful recipe thanks to Mom and Dad Less Serious.

Skinny Pork Chops

The recipe makes 4 chops. I only made one, but with sauce for two because it rocks.

Ingredients: 

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup water

4 thin pork chops

1/2 cup thinly sliced onion

Mix soy sauce and brown sugar and 1/2 cup of water. Heat 1 tbsp oil and brown chops (I used medium-high heat). Remove. Add onion and cook, stirring until edges are light brown. Put chops back in. Pour soy sauce mixture over top. Cook slowly (I used medium-low heat), 5 minutes, turning once. Uncover and cook, basting 1/2 minute. 

Dessert was Greek yogurt, Kashi Go Lean Original, peanuts, crushed up Annie's Homegrown Snickerdoodle Bunny Cookies, and honey.

And you? What meal brings back childhood memories? (comment and share!)

the skinny belt experiment

Background. Most of us 'regular folk' need a little inspiration to incorporate new items into our wardrobe in a fashionable and unique way. I tend to find something that works and get stuck in a style rut. Variety is what creating an interesting fashion profile is all about. In that light, this new series of experiments aims to take one daunting piece and re-style it in four ways. First up, the skinny belt. 

It wasn't long ago that I didn't even know that there were varieties of belts. Wide belt, stretchy belt, skinny belt. Sounds like the beginning of a Dr. Suess book. They dangle from store racks in countless varieties of colors, textures, materials, and finishes. You may have purchased one or two of the skinny variety with high hopes and they now simply lay in a dusty pile in your closet or only get worn in one very specific way. Well, my friends, it is time to master the art of the skinny belt.

Objective. To style this skinny belt in four completely different ways to provide excitement to my wardrobe and (hopefully) inspiration to my readers. 

Methods. Style this skinny belt in four ways. Take photos and record my feelings, others' reactions/complements (if any), comfort, confidence, and overall experience. In the end, I hope to discover new and brave uses for this previously under-utilized item.

And, I want you to play along! Style your own skinny belt - your own way or try some of mine - comment and tell me how it goes. Even better, send me a picture (mylessseriouslife@gmail.com) so I can get inspiration from you!

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