{F}ood Trucks….A Few {F}un {F}acts: #AtoZChallenge 2016

The last time that I did this challenge, for my Letter ‘F‘, I blogged about ‘Farm to Table ‘

I luv’ed the concept then and even thought about re-blogging it for this post.  *wasn’t sure if that would be cheating.  Sheepish grin* .  So I picked a not-so-new-but-equally-as-exciting  ‘F’ word.

No. Not that F-word!

 The other one – Food Truck, of course!

Wikipedia defines a food truck as

“A food truck is a large vehicle equipped to cook and sell food.^[1] Some, including ice cream trucks, sell frozen or prepackaged food; others have on-board kitchens and prepare food from scratch. Sandwiches, hamburgers, french fries, and other regional fast food fare is common. In recent years, associated with the pop-up restaurant phenomenon, food trucks offering gourmet cuisine and a variety of specialties and ethnic menus, have become particularly popular.^[2] Food trucks, along with portable food kiosks and food carts, are on the front line of the street food industry that serves an estimated 2.5 billion people every day.^[3][4]

Today’s food trucks are not the mobile grease machines of yesteryear that went, largely, unregulated *read ‘food petri dish’*.

The food trucks today can be as well-equipped as a well-appointed chef’s kitchen and clean enough to “eat off of the floor” *in the proverbial since*.

Food trucks existed well before the early 2000s, but many sources pinpoint 2008 as the unofficial onset of the food truck phenomenon.

I found this infographic about theseverything trendy ‘Meals on Wheels’. Check it out:

I’m lucky enough to work in an area that I can, at lunchtime,  run out and grab a food truck meal.  I hope that you can too!

Got a favorite food truck?

Do tell….

Next.  Letter {G}

Happy World Pistachio Day!!!

Happy World Pistachio Day! Luv-lies

  Here’s a few Fun Facts about the pistachio nut:

~  Native to Central Asia & Middle East, they made there debut in the United States in 1880

~  it is related to the Cashew Nut

~  it is a desert plant

~  In 2013, the City Council of Avenal, California, proclaimed the city to be the Pistachio Capital of the World

~  The FDA says that they help to lower heart disease

~  Americans consume about 45,000 tons of pistachio a year

~  Here’s the ‘FAT’ breakdown:

roughly 14% saturated fat, 54% monounsaturated fat

and 32% polyunsaturated fat. A 1-cup serving of pistachio seeds contains 6.143 g

~  They are antioxidant rich and high in fiber, copper, manganese, and vitamin B6.

{source}

Need more reasons to consume this delicious excuse to eat salt?

 The World’s view of the Pistachio Nut

Here’s some Fun, Fast Pistachio Recipes

How will you celebrate World Pistachio Day?

Do Tell …

citi{B}ikeNYC… #AtoZChallenge2014

Day #2 of the #AtoZChallenge2014.

The Letter B

CitiBike NYC

What is CitiBike? You ask… (well, not if you’re a New Yorker)

Meet the Bike

Tell your couch you’ll be seeing a
lot less of each other. Both rugged
and easy-to-use, your Citi Bike was
built for simple, spontaneous trips
in the city so you can get around
town like never before.

“CitiBike is New York City’s bike sharing system. Intended to provide New Yorkers and visitors with an additional transportation option for getting around the city”. The thought is, since bike sharing is fun, efficient and convenient, why not give all who wish (or are brave enough) to cycle through the streets of New York City?

 

With thousands of bikes at hundreds of stations, CitiBike is available for use 24 hours a day, all year ’round.  The bikes can be rented from and then returned to any station in the system, creating an efficient network with many possible points and combinations of departure and arrival.

This little slice of nostalgia is sponsored by Citibank {title sponsor}, with MasterCard as the Preferred Payment Partner.  That’s right.  Payment is via plastic.  No need to carry a pocket full of change or a wallet full of bills.

Here are the stats a month after its May 2013 Launch.  ….. Not too shabby

 * did you notice, in the fine print, that an average of 40 calories are burned for every mile biked*?

Look fashionable and burn calories, too?  I’m in.

 Over 14,600 PBSC bikes are used every day, across the globe. New York joins a growing list of cities offering bike sharing to its citizens and visitors. These include the Capital Bikeshare in Washington DC and Arlington VA, Hubway in Boston, Melbourne Bike Share in Melbourne, Australia and Bike Chattanooga in Chattanooga, TN.   Explore other cities with bike share programs with the PBSC system and take advantage of the opportunity to discover a new city on two wheels when you travel!

 

There’s loads more to learn about this ‘Fun in a work out’ …. but right after a spin through Central Park….

Tomorrow… The Letter ‘C’

Friday Food {Porn}:: The Right Equipment Makes All the Difference

Hello Luv-lies,

Over the last several months I’ve been giving this ‘chef’ thing a try.  I’ve gathered and collected recipes that, simultaneously,  make my eyes, mouth and belly ‘water’.   I’ve firmed up my pantry with the contents of these enticing feasts.  In the past, my kitchen gadget/equipment was what I affectionately referred to as my ‘collection’.  They didn’t get much use, but they looked great in the kitchen!  Today, the pots, pans, grinders, processors & utensils are in a constant rotation of use.  I’m sure that if they could speak, they would be loudly cheering at the notion of no longer being pretty objects that sat on the counters gathering dust due to a lack of use.   Although, the ‘how to’ of most of these wears are no longer a mystery to me, the use of one piece of equipment still escapes me!  I am having the darndest time using the knife!

Yessss.  I have tried – and failed miserably – to handle what seems the most basic of utensils, like the chefs that I watch on the food channels.  Now, I’m not trying to look exactly like them – blurred visions of blades flying through the air while performing the simple task of chopping an onion.  All while managing not to chop off their fingers!  Noooo.  For me that image is merely a dream.  I just want don’t want to look dangerous *blank stare*.  In an effort to find out what I was doing – or not doing with the knife – that makes me look like I have to left thumbs, I found this very (did I say ‘very’?) useful infographic.  (my grammar school teacher would not be pleased with that last sentence :/)

This little beauty has given me far more info than I could have imagined existed on the use of a knife.  To which I am overjoyed.  Because now, with this as a reference, I am on my way to at least looking like a real chef!

If my knife skills get really good, I just may post a video-tape of my accomplishment…. hmmmmmm. 

What is challenging you today?

Do Tell …..

{Man}Day Monday:: Be his Chocolate Candy on V-Day

Hey Luv-lies,

There’s not that many more days left, before cupid rears her luv-ly head.  Still empty-handed, or worse, without a clue as what to buy for your Valentine Love?

 

If your Man Crush is a techie, then you’re in luck.  Here are a couple of  digital gadgets that will assure that you will be his chocolate candy on this night meant for love.

Happy National Coffee Day!

Happy National Coffee Day!

kopi infographic

Happy National Coffee Day !

{Reblog} :: Treadmill interval workout

Hey Luv-lies,

The weather is slowly drawing to a nice soothing warmth during the day. And a friendly coolness at night.
When the sun no longer lingers in the sky, I happily turn off the air conditioner and patiently await
the night breeze that is familiarly characteristic of the waning of Summer and the dawning of Fall.
So,
with the new weather pattern, comes a re-newed way of thinking about my, now, outdoor workouts. I am reblogging this infographic (I kinda like the way that infographics sum things up… and so pretty too) that I’m going to give it a whirl (once I absolutely, positively have to bring my running inside).

What do you think?
Do Tell….
Thanx

8 Tips for Healthy Eating

Hello Luv-lies,

Ran across this infographic  while trolling the ‘net.  Trying to make some sense of my eating plan (… even though I make certain that I keep up with my ‘healthy checks’ on WW Tracker, I periodically need other sources to make certain that I’m getting all of the nutrition that I need (… this growing girl needs all the info she can get to help with to get that girlish figure  *wink wink*).

I found this wealth of information all bundled in one nice little infographic.  *Not real sure why the ‘Yeast Infection Organization is sponsoring this…. but….*

Although I like the information shared, there are few things that would change/amend if I designed this.

Like the following:

I prefer brown rice and bread over the white

don’t particularly like referring to Carbohydrates as starches (the word ‘starch’ just has a bad wrap)

Those two are it…. What do you think?

Do Tell …..