Greek Yogurt… A Man’s Yogurt

Oikos Greek Yogurt
I swore I’d never eat yogurt again. After days upon days upon days of eating what felt like liquefied mush, I just couldn’t take it anymore.  Eating yogurt in place of Ben & Jerry’s was my way of making the “smarter” choice, but it got to the point that I simply could no longer handle the blandness of eating plain yogurt anymore.  Then something magical happened…

After telling a friend about my disdain for vanilla non-fat yogurt, he suggested I try Greek yogurt.  Thinking that I have already eaten Greek yogurt before (Gyro sauce anyone?) I was not exactly hot on the idea. He then explained to me the difference between flatbread sandwich paste and Greek yogurt.  My appetite began to warm.  He went on to explain the differences between Greek yogurt and the other types you find in the store.  I was now, once again, hot for yogurt.  From his explanation and some more research on my part, I found out why we should all be eating Greek Yogurt.

Most Greek yogurts have twice as much protein than the womanly yogurts you’re probably used to.  This occurs from the unique straining process that is used. They also have a lower carbohydrate content and are much thicker than other yogurts. The thicker the yogurt the better it is to cook with.  Another quality that makes these yogurts a step above the rest is the presence of active cultures. What does this mean?  Active cultures that are found in yogurts hinder the growth of  bad bacteria in your body. So in other words, Greek yogurt contains good bacteria.

There are many brands of Greek yogurt out there and it is mostly comes down to your choice preference when choosing one. Oikos is my favorite.  I am able to eat it plain or mix it with fruits or nuts.  You can even add it to your burger or sandwich for more taste and protein. You can find Greek yogurt at almost any super market.  Oikos is also available with blueberry or honey at the bottom, both of which are pretty delicious, although plain is the most versatile.  I probably wouldn’t have blueberry yogurt on my burger.

Why I love my iPhone

i_love_my_iphone

  1. My iPhone has flawless push mail for all 5 of my email accounts
  2. My iPhone helps me jam out at the gym
  3. My iPhone tells me the weather without forcing me to look outside
  4. My iPhone never gets mad at me when I check out girls at the mall
  5. My iPhone has crazy penguin catapult
  6. My iPhone has LOLcats
  7. I am never bored on the toilet
  8. My iPhone has Paypal, so I can pay debts with annoying Internet money that people have to spend on eBay
  9. My iPhone has eBay, so I can outbid you on the toilet (see above)
  10. My iPhone has Facebook, so I can talk to hot college girls
  11. My iPhone has MySpace, so I can talk to hot girls not smart enough for college (even better)
  12. My iPhone tells me what time movies are playing without ever asking me to “press one for more options”
  13. My iPhone fits comfortably in my front pocket
  14. My iPhone fits comfortably in my back pocket
  15. My iPhone could probably fit comfortably in a lot of places
  16. My iPhone vibrates firmly
  17. My iPhone gave me a reach around
  18. My iPhone has Wordpress, so I could post to Alpha Mantra from it, but I never would because the keyboard would drive me insane, but I can look at the icon on my home-screen and pretend it’s useful
  19. My iPhone holds photos (read homemade LOLcats)
  20. My iPhone has Pandora Radio, but my stupid EDGE network P.O.S. can’t support it
  21. My iPhone makes me feel important
  22. My iPhone is shiny, and sometimes when the backlight is off I can see myself in it
  23. My iPhone tells me I’m beautiful
  24. My iPhone never asks me how many phones I was with before I started using the iPhone
  25. My iPhone never asks me how many people I’ve slept with
  26. My iPhone cannot perform oral sex on me, but I bet it wants to
  27. My iPhone has a clogged headphone jack

Should You use Mint.com and Why?

mintlogoI was surfing the internet on StumbleUpon a few months back when I came across this site called Mint.com. The site was very aesthetically pleasing, with a beautiful logo and a great color scheme. It all looked very legit, and I wanted to know what I was looking at.

I started reading on the site and found that it was basically a one-stop site for keeping track of all my finances. “Awesome” I thought, I hate having to go through 7 different sites each week to check my bank balances and make sure I don’t have any credit card bills due. I always avoided auto-payments on my credit cards so I can make sure I have sufficient funds, and I can pay more than the minimum so that I can be out of debt one day. That’s the smart way to do it, but smart can be tedious. This site was going to let me do all that wonderful stuff in one place, saving me time, and putting minutes back into my life for all the things I’d rather be doing. Sign me up!

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Boost Your Cardio by Creating Your Own Triathlon

Whenever I suggest this workout to a friend, colleague, or fellow gym member, they all have the same response, “You want me to do a triathlon? Are you $^#&ing serious?” Every time I look them straight back in the eyes and say, “Yes.”

First off let’s get one thing straight, I have never trained for or competed in any form of sanctioned triathlon so I cannot comment on how much fun they may or may not be. However, I have completed many mini-triathlons and have been crazy ever since reading about them in Men’s Health Magazine. What is a mini-triathlon? A mini-triathlon is a combination of any 3 cardiovascular exercises in immediate succession. Mini-triathlons are bad-ass.
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Must Have Super Bowl Food

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After devoting the last 21 weeks of your life to one team, you have now realized that the one game that counts, that means everything to the fans, the league and the players competing in it, means absolutely nothing to you. Now that you have come to grips with your team not making it to the big game, I want to let you know that you can make the season worth while. How? By throwing the most kick ass Super Bowl party ever, alpha style.

Now there are a few main aspects that encompass hosting a Super Bowl party. First off, the host must have a television set that is worthy of viewing such a momentous occasion. Second, the host must allow the transaction of money in any form of gambling. Times are tough, and someone should benefit off of the misfortune of someone betting heads on the coin toss. Third, and most importantly (to me at least), the host must provide proper nourishment and refreshments so guests can perform proper high fives, chest bumps, and nervous fits of rage over their team throughout the entire game. This is where we begin. Here is a list of Super Bowl food must haves.

beef-nachos-1NACHOS are a staple of any Super Bowl party I attend, therefore, I assume everyone hosting a SB party makes (or buys) a platter. This delicious concoction is usually the fist to go so be sure to have double the amount. (Note: This rule also applies for beer) When I was having people over to watch the Giants game 2 weeks ago I had the dilemma of either ordering food or making something. After seeing that I had the ingredients to make nachos I looked online to make sure I was preparing the ingredients right when I came across this great, easy recipe. It was so simple and so good. Nothing like cheezy, meaty, crunchy goodness. Nothing!

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A New Way to Make a Healthy Tuna Salad

Yes it smells kind of icky, and yeah, some people think it tastes funny, but damn it, it’s good for you, and every man should be eating it. Tuna fish yields a variety of health benefits. It is high in protein, which is essential to build lean muscle, and because of the high traces of Omega-3 fatty acids, tuna is excellent for cardiovascular health. Some people shy away from Tuna, but there really is no excuse not to eat this super food.

When I recently went into Bagel Boss (some hometown love) to grab some lunch, I decided to try one of the new tuna salads they had. After enjoying their vegetable tuna salad with egg whites, I decided to try to make it myself, and I did a pretty damn good job. Now I’m going to share my recipe for egg white vegetable tuna salad with you.

To make:

Hard boil 4 eggs (place in boiling pot of water for 15-17 minutes)

After eggs are done cooking, take out the egg yolks, chop the four egg whites and place the whites into a mixing bowl

tuna-sandwich

Add two cans of tuna to bowl

Chop a 1/4 cup of carrots, onions, cucumbers, and spinach leaves and add to bowl:

Mix all ingredients together and add 2 tbsp of your favorite condiment for taste (Just be aware of the extra calories and fat). The flavor of the vegetables makes the salad taste great as it, but if you must add something my suggestion would be honey mustard.

There you have it, a great tasting, healthy tuna salad recipe that is extremely easy to make. Try it out and let us know how you like it.

Festive BACARDI Drinks For Your Holiday Party

Ahhh. The holiday season is upon us and many of you are gearing up for family gatherings, office parties, and random drunken nights that have you wondering if buying your lady that Mrs. Claus nightie was a good idea. Every one of these occasions gives us the perfect reasons to consume just a little too much delicious holiday flavored cocktails. As my annual holiday party approached, I struggled to come up with a new way to excite my friends. Apparently naughty ginger bread cookies becomes inappropriate at my age. Luckily however, I have found another way to keep all of my guests in a cheerful, holiday spirit. How? With alcohol of course.

Bacardi Rum put together a list of holiday flavored drink concoctions that are sweet enough for the women, but also contain enough of the confidence boosting chemicals that men desire. This bods well for hitting on the office secretary, or accepting the challenge from your cousins who think they can beat you at scategories (which will in no doubt turn into the offensive version). Here is a list of some of my favorite from the list:

BACARDI Select Egg Nog:

You know the saying, “everything tastes better with alcohol.” This is proof. Personally, I am not a big fan of egg nog, but after trying this drink I truly became a convert. Don’t let past bad experiences discourage you from trying this quality mix strong and sweet. To make just mix:

BACARDI SELECT Eggnog3 Parts BACARDI SELECT rum

5 Parts half & half

1/2 Part sugar

1/2 Part vanilla extract

Shake all the ingredients with crushed ice and then strain into a mug. Sprinkle nutmeg on top for some added flavor. (Note: There is a video on the website showing how to make this drink if you get stuck)

BACARDI Party Punch:

I know, I know, it’s not a “traditional” holiday drink. But remember all the good times you had on spring break when the rum punch was free flowing. Yeah you do. Now be a man and give the ladies what they want; a drink that only has a a hint of that liquor taste, yet is strong enough to make them lose all inhibitions. To make mix in a large bowl:

party-punch

1 750 ml bottle BACARDI GOLD Rum

1 Liter Cranberry Juice

2 Liters Ginger Ale (chilled)

8 oz Orange Juice

1 oz Lime Juice

1.5 oz Lemon Juice

Just mix and chill in a large enough bowl. Makes 16 cups.

BACARDI RAZZ Mojito Cocktail:

This mix puts a nice holiday feel on this Caribbean staple. Not only do these taste great, they will warm you up in a minute after you decided to make nude snow angles with your bro. To make just mix:

razz-mojito

1.5 oz BACARDI RAZZ

12 Fresh spearmint leaves

1/2 lime, sliced

2 Tbsp Simple Syrup (Or 4 Tbsp of Sugar)

Just crush the mint leaves along with the lime in a tall glass, then mix in all other ingredients and top off with club soda.

So there you have it, a few great ways to amp up your holiday party this year. Hope you all try at least one of these and let us know how they came out, or if they led to any hilarious holiday shenanigans. Be well and happy holidays to all.

Top 10 Awesome X-mas Gifts that you can Order in your Underwear

There’s nothing worse than the shopping malls at Christmas time… except maybe the parking lots at the shopping malls at Christmas time. Don’t get me wrong, I truly enjoy Christmas shopping; I like thinking about gifts that will make my loved one happy, I like to picture how excited they’ll be when they open them, I even like to run around asking my friends what they think other friends and family will think of different gifts. I love Christmas shopping, so long as I can do it from the confines of my underwear while on the computer.

  • amazon-gift-cards10. Amazon Gift Certificates - Nothing says I’m too lazy to get you a present quite like a gift certificate, except maybe a gift certificate that you ordered online. The good news is, if you have lazy friends, they will appreciate it, because what you will really be sharing are the joys of shopping in your underwear. Your friends and family will be able to log on to their amazon account and buy pretty much anything under the sun without ever having to dredge through one horrid shopping mall on the day after Christmas (aka Return Day, where the only thing worse than shopping is working at a customer service counter.)


  • 1800flowers9. 1-800-Flowers - We all have women on our shopping lists, and women like two things, flowers and jewelry. Jewelry is wicked expensive and after watching Blood Diamond I’m a little traumatized at the thought of buying a sparkly rock that children were slaughtered for, not to mention the slaughtering I’ll get from my credit card when the bill comes. Flowers, on the other hand, are more versatile. They can be romantic, for that special lady in your life, or you can send them to your mom and she’ll love them. I probably wouldn’t send them to your dad though.

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The Perfect Flask For All Occasions

Sorry buddy, your red cup isn’t fooling anybody. Oh, and is that orange water in your Poland Spring bottle? Every time I go out at night I see people coming up with new, inventive ways to disguise their booze. Although I enjoy the novelty of chugging my 40 oz out of a brown paper bag, I know that there is no way I will be able to sneak it into any bar, concert, or little league game. Luckily for you all, I have found the perfect way to remedy this problem.

Flasksare no longer just a college graduation gift given by parents to hint to their child that they know they’ve become a ragging alcoholic while at school. These glorified pregame water bottles have become a staple in the drinking scene, and I have come across a set that is perfect for any occasion. These two 3 oz stainless steel flasks hold enough liquor to get you and your friends on t.v for displaying the painted “Dallas Sucks” on your chest during a -15 degree football game. Having two three-ounce flasks allows you to bring along multiple types of liquor and makes them easier to conceal. Held in a leather carrying case, they can easily be mistaken for a cell phone so security/bouncers won’t suspect a thing. In any case, these trendy flasks provide an ideal way to covertly carry your drink of choice around in a public situation.

We at Alpha Mantra do not promote the breaking of any laws, however we do understand that the holiday season makes us all a little crazy, and if you need to mix your coffee with milk, sugar, and Jack Daniels, by all means go ahead my friend.

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