Friday Food Finds

For my 2nd installment of Friday Food Finds, I will actually be blogging about 2 foods (ok, one is not a food). First up...Apple Chips!

Yes, this is probably not exactly the most healthy "food" to blog about, but I was eating some yesterday and thinking about how much I love them. Apple Chips are basically like dried apple pieces, that resemble a thick potato chip. I buy mine in the produce section of the grocery store and this is the kind I get:

Seneca Brand...they come in like 6 flavors, but I have to admit I like the original flavor the best. They also sell the organic version of these at Whole Foods. Now, I'm not calling these a health food or even saying you should eat them by the bagful...but they are definitely better for you than potato chips. I couldn't find the nutritional info on their website, but they do come in a smaller size that's only 100 calories, as well as a larger bag. They are cholesterol free and low in fat. They do have quite a bit of sugar, like most dried fruits.

I tried apple chips for the first time a few years ago, when I was looking for an alternative for nuts as a crunchy topping for my salads. Since I'm allergic to nuts, I'm always on the lookout for things I can add to my salad for some crunch and texture, besides like bacon bits or croutons. I break up some of the chips and they make an excellent addition to a salad, that you don't have to feel too guilty about. Here's my favorite salad to add the apple chips to:

Baby Spinach
Dried Cranberries or Craisins
Crumbled Goat Cheese
Apple Chips
Topped with balsalmic vinegrette dressing.

YUM! It's sweet and tangy all at the same time...I could seriously eat this salad 7 days a week!

The 2nd "food" I'm blogging about today is actually a vitamin...Vitamin E!

I started taking Vitamin E in December when my hair stylist recommeded it to help grow my hair out for the wedding. My hair is in a chin length angled bob and I really want to grow it as long as I can in the next 8 months for the wedding. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that aids in skin and tissue protection, and since hair is part of that body system, it's also been found to help grow and strenthen hair. In the past 2 months, I have seriously noticed a difference in my hair...it's definitely much stronger, not as much damage (I also switched conditioners, so I have factored that in as well) and I'm hoping I can get my hair below shoulder length by September.

Vitamin E is found in a lot of beauty products, like skin creams, because it's also been found to help with wrinkles and skin evenness. It's also been found to help with high cholesterol and a healthy circulation system/red cell production. Vitamin E is found in the following foods:

- Apples
- Avocado
- Bananas
- Blackberries
- Egg yolk
- Kiwi
- Nuts
- Peanut butter
- Vegetable oil and margarine
- Whole Grain Products

So anyone who is trying to grow their hair, or just make it stronger, I recommend Vitamin E! I plan on having rapunzel type hair by the wedding! haha!