WIAW: Shameless Reality TV

Oh, hello everyone. And happy Wednesday to all! It’s time for another edition of “What I Ate Wednesday” (WIAW), and, as a bonus, I’m serving it up with a little discussion about one of my favorite guilty pleasures: shameless reality television. I watch it. You watch it. We all watch it.

No sense in denying it. Let’s embrace it and talk about our favorite shows!

But first, let’s talk breakfast. Yesterday I threw together a delicious combination. I cut a wheat pocketless pita in half and topped it with honey, bananas and some dark chocolate chips.

Simple n' Easy

Simple n’ Easy

Sweet, savory and filling. This is the perfect breakfast for when I’m in a rush or running late.

It was just what I needed to power through a quick run with the pup and a BodyCombat class.

Happy Puppy!

Happy Puppy!

The BF has had dinner plans for work the past couple of nights, so he asked if I wanted to go to lunch yesterday to get in some QT time and sunshine. Luckily his work dinners have coincided with The Bachelorette and Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition, so I haven’t really been that disappointed…

Anyway, since I knew lunch would be large, I didn’t eat my typical 2-3 mid-morning snacks. We headed to Torches on the Hudson, one of our favorite restaurants on the river. The weather was beautiful, so we were able to sit outside and enjoy the view.

Not bad for a lunchtime view...

Not bad for a lunchtime view…

I ordered my favorite, the Asian Chicken Salad, which is filled with crunchy lettuce, cabbage, veggies and shaved chicken.

Never fails.

Never fails.

Per usual, I ate almost the whole salad. It’s really the perfect size, because I never feel uncomfortably full. Post-lunch, we walked on the river for a bit and caught up on our lives for the past couple of days.

Lovin' the view!

Lovin’ the view!

After lunch, the afternoon flew by, and I worked on a few projects while enjoying some tasty snacks.

Creamy and delicious

Creamy and delicious

First, some Apricot Chobani, another new flavor that I absolutely loved.

Then, some fresh veggies, with cheese and some bruschetta dip.

Love my veggies!

Love my veggies!

Since the BF wasn’t around for dinner, I decided to make something that I know he hates: tofu. I really like the silky texture of tofu and how it sort of takes on whatever flavor you give it. Last night, I marinated it in some Frank’s Buffalo Wing Sauce, roasted it for about 20 minutes and finished it off on the stovetop.

Lookin hot...and spicy.

Lookin hot…and spicy.

I spotted the sauce at the store yesterday, and I’ve seen a lot of recipes with it lately. Alongside my Buffalo Tofu, I felt inspired to tackle a vegetable I have never cooked before: eggplant. Even though I eat a ton of vegetables every day, somehow I’ve never tackled the eggplant. I used a simple roasting recipe, topped it with cheese and broiled.

A vegetarian Sometimes Healthy Delight.

A vegetarian Sometimes Healthy Delight.

This meal was SO filling and flavorful. I almost didn’t have room for ice cream. Almost.

At around 8:30, I broke out the Breyers and concocted my favorite Goldfish Ice Cream Sundae.

The best way to end my day.

The best way to end my day.

I then parked myself on the couch for my Tuesday Night ritual of ice cream and Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition. By 8:45, there were tears streaming down my face, and once again, I was sucked in by the emotional machine of Chris Powell and his latest client. This show gets me every.single.time.

And speaking of reality tv, confession: I’m sort of obsessed with reality television. It’s just so mindless and easy. I’m sure many of you are like me – your brain is constantly running, so fast at times that you can’t even keep up! That’s why, sometimes you just want to shut it off. And who better to do it with than The Kardashians…

Anyway, one of my favorite ways to get through a long workout is to watch an episode of one of these television gems, so I thought I’d share with you some of my favorites in case you were looking to broaden your shameless reality television horizon:

1. The Next Food Network Star

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Food Show + Reality TV = perfection for a Sometimes Healthy Girl. Can’t get enough of this show and watching these people seemingly shape their potential shows before our very eyes. I’ve actually learned a little bit about food blogging from watching too! I find it much more entertaining than shows like Top Chef, because the show is dealing with more than just food.

2. The Princesses of Long Island

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Yeah, I knew I was going to like this show from the beginning. I didn’t even bother to fight it. While not practicing, I am Jewish, and I am quite familiar with all the stereotypes. These girls are as authentic as they come. I find myself entranced by all of the drama, and while I cringe several times each episode, I just can’t get enough of it. Each girl is neurotic and crazy in a different way, and they come together to make a very compelling tv show. My favorite episode so far? Shabbocalypse. Bravo to Bravo on the casting here – you couldn’t have done better!

3. Supermarket Superstar

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This is a new lifetime reality show hosted by Stacy Keibler. I didn’t expect to love this show, but the premier was free on iTunes, so I gave it a shot. The premise is brilliant. Each week, people from different categories compete to get their product on the supermarket shelves. Categories include cake, ethnic foods, natural foods, etc., and there is a different winner ever week. It is so interesting to watch a product shaped behind the scenes, from picking the ingredients that bring the pricepoint down to finding the right labeling and packaging. The grand prize winner at the end of the show will actually have his or her product on supermarket shelves across the country.

4. The Vineyard

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This show makes The Bachelor look like “reality.” I have not seen such forced drama since the days of The Hills and Laguna Beach. Yet, I missed those horrible shows so much. There is nothing real about this “reality show” that features a bunch of gorgeous twenty-somethings trying to figure out their lives as they summer at Martha’s Vineyard. But, I don’t care. I don’t mind watching a bunch of beautiful people force fights and dramatic situations. Plus, I’ve always been curious about life in these preppy palaces, so I’m hooked.

5. Pretty Wicked Moms

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Another Lifetime gem. This show is about a bunch of “Southern Bell” type mothers who, although some of them have fulltime jobs, spend most of their time criticizing and backstabbing each other. Somehow this makes for great entertainment. I just can’t get enough of watching these women try to “one-up” each other with each birthday party.

So, there you have it. My top 5 guilty pleasure of the moment. Now, don’t get me wrong. I also enjoy the more popular shows, like The Bachelor and Keeping up with Kardashians. However, I wanted to share some of the lesser-known shows, because, shouldn’t we all have a chance to enlighten ourselves with these revolutionary representations of real life?

And with that, I’m off to do some REAL work.

YOUR TURN:

Don’t be ashamed. Go ahead, share your favorite guilty pleasure TV show, past or present. Let’s start a top 10 list!

16 Thoughts on “WIAW: Shameless Reality TV

  1. Ok, I <3 Food Network Star. I can't even take it, I'm so addicted! But my guilty pleasure TV show is…………. The Client List. On Lifetime. For cryin' out loud! I record em then watch em really fast so that my BF doesn't know I watch it. I'm that guilty! Hahaha ok, that's off my chest. I feel better! Happy WIAW πŸ™‚

    • I feel like I’ve heard of The Client List but never given it a try. I’ll have to check it out. Don’t worry, I won’t tell the BF.

  2. Buffalo tofu sounds delicious!! And I hear you about the reality TV..I’m hooked! πŸ˜‰

  3. I just made bbq tofu last week but I will have to try buffalo tofu too!

  4. Kelli on 7 August, 2013 at 3:59 pm said:

    There are so many shows I love lol but the Bachelor/Bachelorette are amazing. My ultimate guilty pleasure TV shows though are the Real Housewives of the OC/NJ/Beverly Hills and Teen Mom.

    • I forgot to mention Real Housewives of OC. One of my favorites! And Beverly Hills is next! After that, I’m not as interested. I can’t wait to see the next season of The Bachelor. Ohhh, Juan Pablo!

  5. all your eats look so lovely and delish!! and i’m the SAME way with reality tv…life is serious and demanding enough as it is…i like TV that requires no brain power. aka reality πŸ™‚
    love your blog! will def be following you!

  6. I love The Bachelor / Bachelorette as well, although I just could not get into this season of The Bachelorette. I LOVED Ashley as The Bachelorette .. she just had such a fun personality that you just couldn’t help but like her!

  7. I had a cheeseburger wednesday haha. I just did a post on a new show. Check it out πŸ™‚ http://www.empowernetwork.com/jaggergraham/blog/project-a-w-o-l-reality-television-show/

  8. Reality TV is definitely my guilty pleasure. The hubby has family guy, and I have RHONJ. I had no idea The Vineyard was supposed to be a reality show. I thought it was just a show with a bunch of bad actors! ha Oh, I am also a big Pretty Little Liars fan..

  9. Pingback: WIAW: Veggie Packed + Cheese | Sometimes Healthy Living Blog

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