Arepa, Arepa!

One of my most favorite food blogs is At First Bite NYC, which is run by Lucky magazine editor, Noria Morales. A girl who loves her food and fashion? Now that’s what I call a Perfect 10! In addition to a writing style that brings the food to life (no wonder she’s a fashion writer), Noria also has an awesome approach to food. She pretty much eats everything and takes the reader on a culinary journey through all sorts of NYC eateries. I don’t eat meat, but reading some of Noria’s posts makes me want to feast on some prosciutto or juicy steak. (Once again, I’m a pescetarian – I eat NO meat except fish and eggs - because of health/digestive reasons, NOT because of animal rights), so don’t be surprised if I blog about a breakfast of scrambled eggs and pancetta down the road. I was going through AFB the other day and Noria’s post on arepas totally caught my attention and had me looking up places on YELP to find arepas in my neighborhood.

Mission accomplished! Apparently, there’s a place in Santa Monica (perfect!) called Cafe Bolivar, which got rave reviews from patrons about their arepas. Before I go any further with my story, if you don’t know what an arepa is, according to WIKI it’s a type of bread made from corn (so wheat-free + gluten-free) originating from South America but it’s more known as a type of Venezuelan mini-sandwich (and do I mean mini. The arepas from Cafe Bolivar were seriously the size of my palm, which makes them perfect for portion control.) So, of course, I had to try. Fast forward to today and I called ahead to place an order for pick-up. Since their arepas are made to order (as most are), it would take about 20 to 25 minutes. Minimum order is 2 for $6, so I ordered the tuna salad (solid white albacore tuna with bell peppers, tomatoes, red onions, extra virgin olive oil and mayo) and the one with Mango, Avocado, Panela cheese, rosemary and roasted garlic aioli. On the side was a little container of what tasted like cilantro pesto. YUMMY! I thought that the two pint-sized sandwiches weren’t going to fill me up but believe it or not, I couldn’t even finish my second one. I’m definitely going back here for more arepas. So sorry for the sucky quality of my pictures (taken with my Blackberry). I need to get my camera fixed, I know.

The tuna salad arepa

The mango/avocado arepa

In case you happen to be near Ocean Park and 17th in Santa Monica, stop by here. This is the full menu of arepas, so choose as you please:

1. Black beans and panela cheese
2. Plain cheese with your choice of gouda or panela cheese
3. Solid white albacore tuna with bell peppers, tomatoes, red onions, extra virgin olive oil and mayo
4. Jamon cooked with our choice of panela cheese or gouda
5. Mango, Avocado, Panela cheese, rosemary and roasted garlic aioli
6. Chicken breast and avocados with rosemary and roasted garlic aioli

Cutting the Cheese

I really, really, REALLY need to cut the cheese…from my diet!! I’ve been on dairy overload and my stomach and digestive tract is paying the price. Oh, the agony!! I think I’m on my third week of bread-and-cheese and it’s high time I start incorporating veggies and green juice into my daily eats again. I can’t promise it will be everyday but I’ll aim for a couple times a week of juice for now. So instead of the usual cheese-laden dinner, I opted for something light and healthy: a salad with blue cheese dressing and some blue cheese crumbles (groan, OK, so there was a little bit of cheese) and then grilled salmon and asparagus. Let’s hope I can keep this up. Fingers crossed!

Loving Lavash

Remember that $1.99 pack of lavash I told you about? 18 pieces of tasty lavash from the farmers market store made from only four ingredients: whole wheat flour, salt, yeast and water (I love this. I always try to buy things that contain ingredients I can pronounce or something my grandmother would recognize. The sight of ingredients that end in “-ide” and contain an “x” in the name makes me shudder.) Anyway, I pulled out the lavash to make some tasty greek wrap appetizers served up with a side of tzaziki (purchased at our Saturday morning farmers market) and stuffed with basil and sundried tomato hummus, sprouts, and feta cheese. Obviously, that wasn’t enough for me so I made a simple quesadilla with gouda cheese, again using that versatile lavash flatbread. Awesome!

Birthday Muffins

My dad’s birthday is tomorrow night and I wanted to bake him a birthday cake to celebrate. The only thing is that he has to watch his diet big time after a series of heart, cholesterol and blood pressure issues so that means no chocolate, not much sugar and not too much butter either. So instead of baking a traditional cake, I decided to make him carrot muffins since carrot is one of his favorite flavors for a dessert and I found a healthy recipe that calls for no butter and just a smidge of olive oil. To top it off, I used frosting to decorate “I <3 U” as opposed to the standard “Happy Birthday”…hope he likes it!

Recipes from Poilane Bakery, France

If you’re a foodie, you must have already heard of the famous Poilane Bakery in France. I would love to go there one day and buy massive amounts of their fresher-than-thou loaves, spread it with butter and fresh preserves and gobble it all up. You can now order the loaves straight from France but the shipping charges are INSANE and unless you’re recession-protected and don’t need to worry about money, you might be better off saving up for a trip overseas haha. In the meantime, the website does offer recipes to make your own bread, accompanied by some adorable illustrations!

Mint Brioche

 

Apricot Bread

Thai? Oh My!

Ayara Thai Cuisine is by far THE best thai place in the ‘hood. If you live around the Westchester area near LAX I urge you to go there. Service is impeccable and food is amazing. The curry dishes especially are not heavy at all, which is usually the case with Thai and Indian food at times. We ordered delivery because we wanted to enjoy the dinner in our own backyard, sipping on wine and taking our time without worrying about having the table turned over by a waiter. We got sticky rice (of course), a shrimp and veggie curry dish, sauteed vegetables (incredible!) and the green papaya salad. Sooooo good.

Make Your Own Almond Butter

Why spend close to $8 at Whole Foods for a jar of almond butter when you can make your own at home? I don’t know why I haven’t done it sooner but I did this weekend and it was so easy, I couldn’t believe it. I bought a bag of roasted almonds from Trader Joes, dumped about 2/3 of the bag into a food processor, added a dash of salt and let the thing spin and whirl for about 4 minutes. First, the nuts got crushed into nut dust and then all of a sudden the oils began releasing and voila! Almond butter! So far I’ve made almond butter jelly sandwiches, dipped frozen bananas in there, and eaten it straight off the spoon. What can I say, I love my almond butter

Inspired by Giada

I have owned Giada de Laurentiis’ DVD set from her earliest “Everyday Italian” days for about five years now …FOREVER. Last week, I busted them out to watch at home because I have no television and no internet (disconnected both!) so all I can really do for entertainment is listen to music CDs, watch DVDs or read books. I watched her BRUNCH episode and got inspired to make her recipe for a Frittata with Asparagus, Tomato and Fontina Cheese except I changed it up a bit. I went to the farmers market early Saturday morning and picked up some sweet peppers and fresh farm eggs that were picked the day before according to the vendor – how cool is that? I used the peppers instead of tomato and I added smoked gouda cheese because I didn’t feel like getting a block of fontina from the market I was worried the thing would stick to our All Clad pan but I buttered it so well that after I finished it off in the broiler, it slid right out of the pan. Perfection! I sliced it into 8 wedges and helped myself to two

Chocolate Chip Muffins, Two Ways

Behold the chocolate chip muffins I made this evening, one with chocolate chips and one with chocolate chips AND chopped walnuts. Ah, life is good.

Blue Cheesey

I love blue cheese – the pungent, sharp, almost stinky flavors make my mouth water. I especially love blue cheese dressing because it adds a great taste to the raw veggies and it really fills me up more than your standard balsamic vinegar would. Blue Cheese, in large amounts, isn’t the best thing for you but I found a great organic Blue Cheese chunky dressing from Whole Foods that only weighs in at 90 cals for two tablespoons! Not too bad, in my opinion. Yesterday for lunch, I had a yummy salad with romaine lettuce, fresh raw corn, tomatoes, a little bit of blue cheese and, of course, the blue cheese dressing! Behold my lovely (not) Photo Booth picture on my computer….ok, need a camera NOW!

Let’s Start The Morning Off Right

I’m 95% over that nasty sinus cold bug I caught over the weekend, which had me laying like a limp doll on the couch sniffling, coughing, blowing my nose, exhausted….yuck! Something is going around because I know so many people who are going through the same deal – I guess it’s the new season and all. Luckily, I think all my juicing and healthier eating has boosted my immune system somewhat because it would normally take me a good five full days to recover from something like this and this time it only took me around two and a half days to feel better. Not bad!

So this morning I happily bounced into the kitchen with a renewed sense of energy and whipped up delicious breakfasts for Chris and I. Always inspired by Amanda at The Grains of Paradise, I made a breakfast wrap for Chris. Mandy made a mediterranean version (which is soooo yummy) but I made him a California version (hehe) which consisted of avocado – that’s the California part – with salami and cheese. I used this awesome lavash wrap that I got from the farmers market near our house (only $1.99 for 18 pieces!! What a great deal! And healthy, too) and then grilled the whole thing on our Le Creuset grill pan. I loved hearing the crisp, crackle and crunch noise of the wrap when I cut it in half – it was perfect and Chris inhaled everything down to the last bite. He gave me the thumbs up. Woohoo! Again, it’s an iPhone picture

And for me? I made a super tasty cucumber, carrot, ginger juice and used one of those disposable juice cups you get at the juice bar. It makes it more fun to sip, I think Note the pretty light orange color.

Here’s To A New TV

Chris has been wanting a new television really, really bad. You know how guys and their e-toys are. Anyway, last night at around 7:30pm, he darted off to Best Buy to pick up a Samsung 52-inch flat screen LCD that he eyeballed earlier in the day when we were mulling around Best Buy. His old TV is a 54-inch Panasonic DLP so a new TV wasn’t really needed (in my opinion) but when Chris is honed in on something, he usually gets it. I’m not going to lie, the picture quality is AWESOME. It’s so crystal clear it looks like whatever you’re watching is in the room right with you! Kind of trippy to be honest. And just in time for Sunday football, which was really why he was so eager to get it last night.

I may be sick with a sinus cold right now but that didn’t keep me from doing what I love to do: cooking! I made Chris breakfast this morning, only to feel so ill that later on he made breakfast for me

Scrambled eggs with spinach (an ongoing theme now because the two make the perfect pair), a side of bacon and potatoes that I first sauteed with garlic and pepper in peanut oil, then transferred to the oven to be baked through. Chris loved this.

Brunch

Yesterday, the weather was outrageously hot! I’m all for sunny, warm SoCal weather but this up-and-down business (just last week we were hit with a rainstorm and chilly weather) is not doing my immune system any good. In fact, I’ve gotten the sinus cold bug (blahh!!) and my head feels like it’s going to pop from all the pressure.

Anyhoo, we made a trip to our local farmers market in the morning only to come home and enjoy a satisfying lunch. Again, so sorry for the photo quality – this was taken with Chris’ iPhone (we’re all out of cameras right now).

I had scrambled eggs with spinach and topped with farmers market feta cheese mixed with sundried tomato. Note the avocado I added I LOVE avocado with eggs!

Chris has something similar, only he made a taco out of his and added half a passionfruit (that dropped in our backyard) as well as bacon (of course)…hehe

Down To Zero Cameras + Pre-Halloween Bakes

Remember how I told you my Canon camera is broken? The lens is stuck and it makes a weird grinding noise when I try to turn it on? Well, it looks like Chris’ camera has caught the same virus because now his is broken too. That’s not the only thing broken – my heart is soooo broken over this!! It will be awhile before I can take nicey nice pics of my food so I’ll have to resort to using my phone or Photo Booth on the computer WAHHH!! Total bummer but what can you do, right? We’re going to try and get them fixed but who knows how much that will cost. Sigh.

Anyway, I spent tonight baking pre-Halloween goodies. I made chocolate cupcakes and was experimenting with frosting techniques. Um…total work in progress. My “mummies” (Butterfinger candies atop the cupcake with white frosting layered on top) looked more like candies with giant white beards and hair LOL. Oh well, they’re tasty at least!

Dinner at Home

There’s nothing I enjoy more than making dinner at home, enjoying some wine, good music, and great company. And that’s exactly how we ended our stay with our friends before Chris and I moved to the resort for the wedding (another group of friends). Each of us played a part in the night’s meal: I was in charge of the starter, Chris made the starch dish, Amos made the main course, and Ro (being preggo) was the star sous chef, helping out wherever she could

For the starter, I made panko-crusted goat cheese salad (I baked the goat cheese medallions, rather than frying them so I could keep them somewhat on the healthier side.) I served the salads with a strawberry dressing and crushed candied pecans. Haha, it looks like the salad has two eyes and it’s smiling

Chris made risotto for the very first time! He followed a dried porcini mushroom recipe, and it came out so creamy and delicious.

For the main course, Amos did a tilapia dish, which came out perfectly tender and flaky. He seasoned it simple-style, with salt, pepper, and some essential herbs.

Ta-da!

Good times!

Flagship Whole Foods

OMG call me dorky but one of the highlights of our trip was taking a trip to the flagship Whole Foods in Austin. I am such a Whole Foods sucker that I had to go and it meant so much to me It was HUGE! We have two Costco-sized Whole Foods here at home (one in El Segundo and another in Venice) but this Austin one had a lot of cool things like a RAW VEGAN food bar (yowza!) and a beer alley (haha, more for Chris, less for me since I don’t drink beer.)

Torchy’s Tacos – Austin, TX

The next day in Austin we were on a mission to get mexican food! Don’t ask me why, since Southern California is pretty much the mecca for mexican food but we heard of the Tex-Mex fare and wanted to try it. Our friends recommended Torchy’s Tacos (come on, they have a FRIED AVOCADO taco and a DIRTY SANCHEZ taco on the menu, why wouldn’t we want to go?) Torchy’s Tacos was a colorful place that had an adorable outdoor seating area. Granted, it was about 93 degrees that day and HUMID so it wasn’t the most comfortable (and our friend was pregnant, she’s a good sport!), but the food made up for the ultra hot weather

I ordered the Baja Shrimp Taco, which was hand battered shrimp fried with cooked cabbage slaw, topped with pickled onions & jalapenos, queso fresco, cilantro and a lime wedge. I got mine served on a corn tortilla with creamy chipotle sauce and added avocado. And, no, I didn’t get the fried avocado taco I think I was still full from the meal before and just couldn’t stomach more than one taco. Plus I was craving shrimp so the Baja taco it was!

Chris obviously had a larger appetite so he got “The Democrat”, shredded beef barbacoa and onions topped off with fresh avocado, queso fresco, cilantro and a lime wedge served on a corn tortilla with our green salsa.He also got “The Green Chili Pork Taco”, which was slow roasted pork carnitas simmered with green chilies and topped off with queso fresco, cilantro, onions, and a lime wedge served on a corn tortilla with green salsa.

South Congress Cafe – Austin, TX

I realize I’m backtracking here so bear with me. Our first day in Austin was spent with some very dear friends of ours who moved out there from Los Angeles about a year and a half ago. They live in Westlake Hills, a tree-filled, deer-filled neighborhood that reminds me of Topanga Canyon (perfectly secluded from the rest of the world, but about 10 minutes from downtown. How cool is that?) Anyway, they took us to brunch at South Congress Cafe, which I hear Giada de Laurentiis has frequented quite a few times. South Congress is an incredibly charming part of Austin, filled with offbeat shops and local establishments (you won’t find any Wal Marts or Targets around here, that’s for sure!) Hip, eclectic, artsy, kitschy…it was very much like the Los Feliz/Silverlake neighborhood part of LA, and we loved it.

Our appetites were already worked up so we couldn’t wait to order. South Congress Cafe serves up excellent brunch and is more “upscale” than some of the taco and bbq joints you’ll find in the area. Ladies and gentlemen, behold our food!

I got the crabcake benedict, which consisted of two amazing signature crab cakes topped with the restaurant’s homemade quiche and crispy proscuitto (which I gave to Chris.) It was so delicious and very filling since it was pretty rich. It came with a gouda potato pancake, and I happily finished the entire plate. Diet? Um, what diet? Haha! I’ll leave the detoxing to when I get home!

Chris wanted to quench his craving for brisket, so he ordered the SLOW SMOKED BRISKET AND JALAPEÑO SAUSAGE , which was a generous portion of sliced brisket and spicy grilled jalapeño sausage glazed with their “secret sauce”. It came with Texas-two step slaw (how cute is that name?), refried black beans and 2 homemade flour tortillas (I ate one of them.)

Our friends both got the same thing, which they always get when they frequent South Congress Cafe: The Migas – a blend of eggs, sautéed corn tortillas, tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, and three cheeses. It came served with refried black beans and a smoked gouda potato pancake and the couple eagerly added center-cut bacon to their meal.

The verdict?? Absolutely yummy! I highly recommend it and I can see why Giada does, too! If you’re ever in the area, please stop by and have a meal. You won’t regret it

1600 South Congress Ave
Austin, Texas 78704
(512) 447-3905

Texan Wedding

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the wedding of our good friends, Meghann and Kevin Bass. It was in Austin, TX and I had never been before so I was in for a treat!! A good handful of our friends from Los Angeles all flew out there to attend the wedding and it was so much fun to spend quality time with them in a different state (such a bonding experience!) All of my foodie pics are at home but I can assure you that I ate LOADS of queso, chips, mexican food, and freshly baked scones (thanks, Roseann!) and ALCOHOL. I am on a detox right now just so I can get my body back into balance but all that food was well worth it. For now, I’ll leave you with some pictures from the wedding itself. Meghann and Kevin did an AMAZING job with the wedding – it took place at Star Hill Ranch, which reminded me of a darling set at Universal Studios. The colors were a beautiful burnt orange (symbolic of Texas and the fall colors) and a deep chocolate brown. The bride looked so pretty in a classic style dress and the bridesmaids all glowed in cute little dresses with small bouquets of burnt orange flowers. I’ll get into more detail when I upload the rest of my pics

Me and the groom, a day before the wedding. We stayed at Lakeway Resort & Spa.

The party shuttle en route to the wedding. We pre-funked it so by the time we got on the shuttle, we were already “silly”.

Hook ‘em!! I got so many compliments on my dress (thanks all!) but I really opted for a long Grecian style dress so I could wear flip flops HEEHEE! I’m all about comfort.

I got to pet a long horn! Pretty cool. I look scared here…

One of the darling little buildings on Star Hill Ranch! So cute!!

The wedding setting. So lovely.

How cute is this set up for the place cards??

Our table. We got to take home some good ‘ole Texan rub as the party favor.

The back porch area with the twinkling lights and bundles of hay benches.

Contributing Editor Post: Caprese Flower Salad

Ack, I am so far behind again on posting! Here’s a quickie – my sister sent me this delightful looking Caprese Flower Salad she made tonight. Love the artistic thought behind the whole dish. Speaking of my sister, she will be visiting me again next weekend so be prepared for a weekend of fun foods! YAY!

Hey Y’all

I’m in Austin, TX until the end of the week so I’ll have plenty of pics and stories to tell as soon as I’m back home! I’ll just have you know I’ve been indulging in scrumptious tacos, crab cake benedict, homemade scones (courtesy of our dear friends we’re staying with) and plenty of wine. Until the end of this week…xo!

The Pure Package

Has anyone noticed the ever growing trend of meal delivery services here in the states? From Sunfare to Fresh Dining to RAWvolution, there is something for everyone. I tried a meal delivery service around a year and a half ago called Club Gourmet based in Los Angeles and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Pricey, but worth every penny. I got a week’s worth of super fresh food made from farmers market ingredients all tailored to fit my dietary needs. Every morning felt like Christmas as I would swing open my front door and find a cooler neatly packed with three meals plus two snacks (one sweet, one savory), all perfectly portioned out for my 1400-calorie days. Needless to say, I lost 2 lbs after just 6 days and I was feel so happy with all the variety and choices I had. Sadly, Club Gourmet has since closed its doors but the memory will live on!

Many people will dismiss meal delivery services as unnecessary and a waste of money. After all, some plans will cost you up to $60 a day! And some minimum orders require AT LEAST a week’s worth of food. Add that all up and you’re spending over a thousand dollars in food and that’s just for ONE person! It would be easier if you just made food at home, purchased disposable containers, and pre-packed everything yourself. Unfortunately, the DIY method allows for little variety (one of the reasons why delivery services are so pricey is due to all the variety you get – a different meal, a different snack every day) Also, the DIY method will take time. Lots of time. And meal delivery services are oh-so convenient, just another reason why it’s pricey.

I found a great list of meal delivery services here, and I urge you to check it out if you’re interested in trying out a service. One service that truly caught my eye (and tastebuds) is The Pure Package. One catch: it’s based in London. So you’re probably wondering why I am writing about a service that you readers can’t even try since this is located overseas. One word: beautiful. You know the phrase, “You eat with your eyes first” or “Presentation is everything”….this certainly applies to The Pure Package because every little meal they create is absolutely stunning. Forget wanting to eat their food, I could spend all day just looking at it!

Most of the meal delivery services I have researched all have the same disposable trays and containers, filled with a certain amount of protein, a certain amount of carbs, so on and so forth. But none of them really look good. On the other hand, The Pure Package puts each meal together like an exquisite work of art, all composed of the freshest ingredients. I really feel that The Pure Package has such an amazing clientele not just because their food tastes great (according to the testimonials on the website) or because clients feel healthier and more energized, but because the presentation is a feast in itself. Man, if I lived in London, I would be on the phone with The Pure Package, ordering a week’s worth of food in no time!

Here is an example of one of their menus. For more of their menus, click here.

Breakfast: Tomato, Avocado & Cottage Cheese on Organic Rye Bread: Cottage cheese and avocado on rye bread served with roasted tomatoes. As our avocados are not chemically treated they may go slightly dark, as this is a natural reaction.

Morning Snack: Black Grapes & Cashew Nuts: By consuming the nuts at the same time as the fruit will help slow down the release of the fruit sugar and therefore give you more constant energy.

Lunch: Thai Tofu Noodle Salad: Shitake Mushrooms, coconut rice noodles, mange tout and seared tofu served with an Asian dressing.

Afternoon Snack: Fruit, Nut & Seed Bar: Our home-made bar is packed with dried fruit, nuts and seeds.

Dinner: Spiced Swordfish with Black Bean Salsa: Coriander and lime marinated swordfish served with mange tout and a black bean, tomato, chilli and onion salsa. Swordfish is a good source of essential fat.

I am so inspired to make my meals more palatable to the eye now. I usually just throw together a medley of items and eat it mindlessly out of the tupperware but after reading about The Pure Package, I’m going to try and assemble each meal or snack with the utmost care. It’s no wonder their celebrity clientele includes actor Hugh Jackman, the model Erin O’Connor and Patsy Kensit. Check out some of their meals below.

And if you are in London and reading this right now, here’s how to contact them:

The Pure Package
Arches 39-40
New Covent Garden Market
London SW8 5PP

0845 6 123 888
+44 207 720 3250
info@purepackage.com

Experiment: Day 7

I was quite looking forward to what I had in store today. Here goes:

Lunch = Seeds of Change Turkish Seven Grain Pilaf

Cost = $5.49 at Whole Foods

Calories = 280

Verdict: This was surprisingly REALLY tasty. The creamy sauce mixed with the rice and the vegetables made for a very delicious lunch. Unfortunately, it wasn’t filling at all. I was hungry about an hour later, so I had to snack on something else, which really defeated the whole purpose of a “portion controlled” lunch. I would definitely get this again, but add a ton more cooked veggies to the mix to bulk it up.

Dinner = Amy’s Organic Roasted Vegetable Tamale meal

Cost = $4.99 at Whole Foods

Calories = 280

Verdict: Yummy, yummy, yummy! And very filling. I would absolutely purchase this again. The portion size was hearty yet the whole meal didn’t feel too much. A great portion of beans on the side, which oddly enough didn’t affect me as much as I thought they would. A great meal on the go or if you can’t cook. Highly recommended!

Experiment: Day 6

Again, I was only able to have one frozen entree today (lunchtime) since dinner is going to be Thai (Chris emailed me and told me he was treating me to dinner “just because”, which I find so sweet and endearing.) So for lunch, I chose Moosewood’s Organic Vegetarian Spicy Penne Puttanesca, which I had high hopes for considering I love the Moosewood cookbook so much.

Eh.

Cost: $4.99 from Whole Foods (I think!)

Calories: 300 but I only ate half the dish, if that.

Verdict: Plain, boring, blah. Really little flavor…actually, NO flavor at all. Sorry Moosewood but you really disappointed me with this. I’ve already read bad reviews on Moosewood’s frozen mac ‘n cheese, so I’m not even going to bother trying that. NEXT!

Experiment: Day 5

Do you ever have those days when you have a goal in mind but the day gets away from you and before you know it, you haven’t met that goal or plan? Today was like that for me. I woke up with the intention of completing day 5 of my frozen entree experiment but unfortunately, I was only able to have one frozen meal today rather than the two I originally planned for. So I guess today counts as a half experiment day.

Work was so busy that all I ate were random snacks with lots of creamy, salted almond butter from Trader Joe’s.

Breakfast = quick cooking oatmeal with almond butter

Lunch = sliced apple with almond butter

Snack = cup of FAGE yogurt and a giant spoonful of almond butter

Dinner (finally, here we go!) = Amy’s Indian Mattar Tofu (curried peas and tofu with rice and dal)

Cost = $4.99 from Whole Foods

Calories = 290 for the entire meal (not bad!)

Verdict: Considering how much I love Indian food, I was in for a shocking surprise to see how much of a portion of Indian food one should really eat. I don’t know if you can tell from the picture, but the amount of curried peas and tofu was petite and the rice was under a cup I would say. These are definitely the right amount of portions, but when I think back to how much Indian food I usually eat, I had to shudder. This girl can definitely put down her food, and I would normally eat three to four times this amount if I had no sense of portion control. The taste was just OK….kind of bland and not one of the best meals I have tried from Amy’s. The rice was good and light but the tofu and peas didn’t have much punch to it. Oh well. I won’t be getting this again but Amy’s has so much variety, I’m eager to move on to the other stuff. I would give this 2 out of 5 stars.

RESEARCH

Yesterday can’t be counted AT ALL for my week of frozen dinner experimentation. I was busy running errands all day and started the morning off having breakfast with Chris and a guest from out of town. Then I had a bachelorette party to go to but I had to be at the house by 5pm, so dinner consisted of little appetizers and sweets.

However, I plan on spending this whole week doing more reviews so I went to the market and picked up all sorts of frozen entrees that I will be eating this week. Ta-da!

Physique 57, Core Fusion, Fluidity, and Cardio Barre

I’m trying to get my ass in shape by firming up and leaning out. I’m not fat or overweight by any means – I am probably 5 feet 7 and weigh 120 lbs although when it’s that time of month, I can easily put on 5 to 7 lbs of water weight. But I’m really looking to tone up! I have an apple body shape, meaning most of my weight is carried in my midsection but I have incredibly slim arms and legs. The upside is that I can disguise my belly nicely with skirts (to show my legs) and long tops and shirts. As long as my arms are exposed, people think I’m skinny but that’s not really the case. The downside of this body type is that since I can easily disguise my figure, I’m less inclined to workout hard since in the back of my head I think, “Oh well, with the proper clothing I can look skinny.”

NO NO NO. Not anymore! That’s the old me. The new me just wants to be healthy, toned, and balanced! So I’m sticking to my plan of doing “one active thing a day” and am aiming to keep this up for the rest of my life. That’s a big commitment, I know, but then again it’s not. Doing one active thing for me can be anything from a 45 minute walk after work to a 3 hour home cleaning event to a one hour dance fest. Just something that gets me off the couch and moving!

For cardio, I am dancing, walking, jogging, jump roping, and doing cardio kickboxing at home to one of my many workout DVDs. But for strength training, I’m saying bye bye to the bootcamp style workouts with weights and using four well known programs that I know will garner much success and results if used consistently: Physique 57, Core Fusion, Fluidity and Cardio Barre. All three of these programs are pretty similar – they combine yoga and pilates with dancer-type ballet bar workouts to yield long, leans muscles, good posture and extra core strength. Also, I have these as DVDs…I don’t go to the actual classes. For one thing, I don’t have the money to blow on classes (average is $25 per class) and secondly, I love to work out at home!! In the mornings, I roll out of bed and turn on a DVD and get my workout over with. At night, after dinner and before bed, I punch out a session and hit the shower. It’s so convenient and I don’t have to deal with other people, parking, bringing water bottles and towels, etc. I loathe gyms because they remind me of sweaty prisons with heavy machinery (although here in LA it’s more like a meat market-slash-model/actress fest while wealthy and thin soccer moms read US Weekly while chatting on cell phones on the treadmill). Below are my reviews so far as I have used all of these DVDs thus far:

PHYSIQUE 57

Kelly Ripa swears by Physique 57 as her primary workout and there is a reason why. It kicks your ass. Literally! I just got the Physique 57 set of three DVDs in the mail two days ago but have already tried their 57 minute Full Body Workout and the 30 minute Express Workout (I still have to try the Arms and Abs workout later next week.) And boy, my legs and abs were SORE!! You go through some intense thigh and seat work (a nicer word for ass muscles) while holding onto a ballet bar or chair. Tons of squats, tiny pulses, and up-and-down moves while squeezing your heels together being balanced on your toes. OUCH! A fair amount of push ups, arm work with light and heavy weights, and some great moves using a light medicine playground ball (for example, keeping it between your thighs and squeezing it while shaking your hips to the left and the right. Did I mention this whole time you have to keep your heels touching together and stand at the top of your toes??) Oh, the pain. But it’s good pain. The instructor is kind of silly and goofy but she’s very motivating and says visual things like, “Squeeze the cellulite out!” Haha. Gotta love it. I heard classes are not only pricey but they only exist in NYC so the DVDs were the next best thing.

Physique 57 Rating: 8 out of 10 stars. I felt the burn. I like the energy. I love the music.

CORE FUSION

The Core Fusion series is a specialty held at the Exhale Spa in NYC and LA. I first heard about it from a friend, who swore that in two months, her body became a whole different machine. She went from out of shape to toned, firm, taut and her figure completely changed. Her waist whittled down, her thighs became long and lean, her posture was amazing and because of that, she looked like she grew two inches! Awesome results. Well, there’s nothing better than word-of-mouth referrals so of course I had to get the DVDs.

I got the three Core Fusion series DVDs: Body Sculpt, Pilates Plus, and Thighs & Glutes. I have tried all except the Thighs & Glutes. Like Physique 57, the Core Fusion concept uses a blend of yoga, pilates, light weights and the ballet bar or chair. However, I feel like Physique 57 focuses more on thighs and butt and Core Fusion focuses more on…well, the core. While my thighs and glutes burned like crazy doing Physique 57, my abs are seriously on fire when I do Core Fusion. The great thing about the Core Fusion DVDs is that it is 50 minutes broken down into five 10-minute sets. So it doesn’t even seem like a long time! You get a male and female instructor (I think hubby and wife?!) and they are perfect at cueing and instructing you what to do. Calming music, zen envrionment, simple yet effective. I REALLY like this series a lot and can see why people would get such success following these DVDs along with a good diet and a nice blend of cardio on the side.

Core Fusion Rating: 9 out of 10 stars. I can feel my abs sculpting themselves when I do these moves. Love the breakdown of 5 sets (10 minutes per set) and I cannot wait for the Abs & Arms DVD to come out in December 2009!

FLUIDITY

I got the Fluidity bar package as a gift and that’s actually how my love affair for ballet bar exercises began. This package came with three DVDs (beginner, intermediate, and advanced) as well as a playground ball and exercise bands. So it’s a complete package and well worth it since I use those bands for other strengthening moves like toning my arms and stretching my back. Excellent value. What I like about this program is that it utilizes the exercise bands, which can really lend alot to your strengthening and stretching routine. The instructor is not my favorite, and I can’t figure out why. Maybe it’s her leotard thong that totally shows her butt lol or just the way she talks but she kind of gets on my nerves. However, she did say something that really stuck with me: as long as you strength train using your own body weight (yoga or pilates), your body will shape to how it’s naturally supposed to look. No bulkiness, no thick arms, no meat-head style muscles. Just long, lean, firm limbs. Other than that, the workout is just like Physique 57 and Core Fusion but not as intense with the ab work.

Fluidity Rating: 7 out of 10 stars (but only because of the packaging). Take away the bands and ball and bar, and I’d give it 6 out of 10.

CARDIO BARRE

Cardio Barre is actually in Studio City, CA which is still quite far for me. But I first heard about this place when a male friend told me his girlfriend was taking the class there and “her butt literally got, like, three inches higher!!” Um hello, that’s all it took for me to buy this!

I actually really like the workout itself but cannot stand the male instructor. He’s just weird to me so I’d rather turn the sound off and blast music while following the moves on the screen. I like the Cardio Barre workout because it’s more cardio-based. It definitely gets my heart rate up way more than Physique 57, Core Fusion, or Fluidity. Also, you use weights in this program so if you enjoy utilizing 2 or 3-lb weights, then this is for you! Alot of stand-up style pilates, which is another favorite of mine.

Cardio Barre Rating: 8 out of 10. Gets your heart rate up and keeps it up. Good arm work for jiggly triceps!

Experiment: Day 4

Hi all, it’s Friday and Day 4 of my frozen foods/dinner/entree experiment. So many names to describe the pre-packed meals you find in the freezer aisle! Anyhoo, today I did something a little different. I only bought one frozen entree from Whole Foods but I used the serving tray (from one of my earlier meals, all washed and cleaned!) as a portion size container for a meal I made at home with leftover veggies (roasted bell pepper and carrots with salt and pepper) and served alongside 3 oz of Wildwood Aloha Baked tofu. Mind you, this experiment is more about portion size than anything else so using the serving tray counts as a freezer meal hopefully?? On to the food!

Breakfast = Nature’s Path Psyllium & Oatbran Cereal (I bought the cereal box because I’m planning on keeping it at work to have for breakfast next week)

Cost: $4.39 at Whole Foods (though I’m sure I can find it cheaper elsewhere)

Calories: 90 cal per 2/3 cup (but I ate double the amount coz I was starving after my morning workout – more on that later – and was craving cereal.) I had it with 1/2 cup of unsweetened Whole Foods 365 brand soy milk and that was 35 cal. I don’t like alot of milk with my cereal…just enough to “wet” it and that’s it! Soggy cereal is yucky to me.

Mid-morning Snack = 3 oz Wildwood Aloha Baked Tofu and roasted veggies (I was still hungry! That’s what happens when I workout hehe)

Cost: $3.99 for the tofu (divided into two 3-oz pieces)

Calories: 150 calories/3 oz of tofu. As for the veggies, um, I’m estimating 40 total?? I had about a cup and a half of roasted veggies with a dash of peanut satay sauce (that was like 20 cal)

Verdict: It was good but I added so much pepper to my veggies lol. Oh well. The tofu was sub-par. The flavor was bland and the texture was firm and almost rubbery – I felt like I was eating incredibly processed fake food, and even though the packaged tofu is a processed item, I feel like some taste less processed than others. Does that make sense at all or am I talking jibberish Reminded me of why I don’t buy marinated tofu anymore. Not really worth it.

Lunch = French Meadow Bakery Frozen Vegetarian Dal

Cost: $5.99

Calories: 370 (this is not within the range I want for my meals so I only ate half, which makes it 185 cal)

Verdict: Disappointing! I had high hopes for this dish considering how much I loved French Meadow’s Cuban Veggies and Brown Rice but this was plain at best. Zero flavor and it looked like brown and green vomit with a slab of rice – ewwww. The rice was supposed to be basmati but it tasted like anything but. I don’t expect super quality when it comes to frozen entrees but I had such success with the Seeds of Change penne and some other dishes that I was bummed about this frozen entree. Oh well, I learned my lesson! That’s what this experiment is all about

Dinner = Date night at Mama D’s in Manhattan Beach. I realize this is no frozen entree so I kind of cheated on the experiment today (sorry!) but how can I ignore date night and italian food? I’ll still give my review on the place, however, if you live anywhere near the South Bay or head down to the Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach neighborhood.

Verdict: Well, about five years ago when I worked in the area, I got takeout dinner at Mama D’s all the time. Not because I loved the food, but because it was easy and right down the street. I always remembered it as being over-rated, especially because it got rave reviews from all the locals. Granted, it’s very cozy Italian inside and frequented by the local families but I wasn’t super keen on the food quality. You get your usual pasta dishes and appetizers from here, but none of them shine with superior flavor. The prices range anywhere from $12 to $30 for entrees, and for that price, I have gotten some really amazing Italian food elsewhere.

Onto the meal this evening. We got seated immediately, which came as a nice surprise since there’s usually a wait. It was Friday eve, too, at 8pm so I was shocked that there was zero line and a few empty tables inside. Bad economy, maybe? Once seated, we were delivered an olive oil/garlic dish to dip the bread in but there was no bread. “It will be out in a just a minute,” the waitress promised. After 15 minutes went by, still no bread but we noticed that the servers were bringing out fresh loaves to all the other tables. Hmmmm. Another 10 minutes ticked on (by this time we had placed our orders and we thought the waitress saw our olive oil dish sans bread but apparently not) and we finally flagged down the server and asked for bread. Out came what looked like warm foccacia rolls, which we dipped in the oil and savored. It was alright at best…nothing special. I’ve had better.

We started off with an appetizer of bruschetta. Out came what looked like Pizza Hut garlic bread with almost-melted cheese and a small ramekin of roasted garlic and tomatoes. BLAH. I could totally make this at home and for $6.99, I felt ripped off. Three pieces of bread total.

For our entrees, I got the Caesar Salad and Chris ordered a pasta dish with sauteed spinach and calamari. My salad was sad, weak, and other than a couple tasty croutons, nothing was special about it. I’ve had some pretty spectacular Caesar salads before and this was a disappointment. On the other hand, I really enjoyed Chris’ dish and was happy he was feeding me a couple bites of it (thanks, hon!) Midway through our meal, Chris asked for a water but the server forgot and never brought it out. We didn’t bother asking anymore because for a tiny restaurant that wasn’t full (by the way, our server probably only had 4 tables to serve), I found this to be terrible service and just kept thinking about how her tip was dwindling by the minute.

I think the best thing about the meal was dessert (haha), which was two soft, chewy, chocolate chip cookies still warm. Who knows if they were homemade or purchased at the market but they were good. Kind of sad that the highlight of the evening was the cookies!

Why did we come hear, you ask, if I already had an opinion about it? Chris had never been and wanted to try it but I learned something tonight: if I already know a place isn’t that good, don’t let your boyfriend “fall and learn”! Just give him your opinion and try to steer him to the next best thing….oh well. Live and learn, right?

Rating of Mama D’s: 4 out of 10 stars. I can make better Italian at home. In my microwave. OUCH.

Experiment: Day 3

Real quick, I want to mention that I’m not blindly snapping up any frozen entree that I come across. Frozen meals have such a bad reputation and there’s a reason why – there are quite a few lines that are chock full of sodium, preservatives, MSG, artificial ingredients, saturated fat and calories. I’m looking for light, healthy, lean, preferably organic frozen meals that have the following:

1. 250-330 calories
2. Less than 4 grams of saturated fat
3. Between 500 and 800 milligrams of sodium
4. At least 3-5 grams of fiber
5. No MSG or artificial ingredients (meaning ingredients I can’t pronounce)
6. LEAN meals – no labels with “Hungry Man” or “XXL” or “GIANT”

Mind you, sometimes I might not be around these guidelines but I’ll do my best. I may also be eating more carbs than usual since a lot of these frozen entrees revolve around a starch of some sort but again, the portions are so tiny it’s OK. Plus I have been working out more lately and am balancing it out with light salads dressed in lemon juice (no oil) and plenty of water. Balance, balance, balance! I’ll leave deprivation to my late teens and early twenties

Day 3 Breakfast = Trader Joe’s Rice, Bean & Cheese Burrito

**Due to a broken camera, I couldn’t take a picture of the dish but pulled this image from heateatreview.com to show the size and portions. This is the chicken chile verde dish as opposed to my rice, beans & cheese.

Cost: $2.49 at Trader Joe’s

Calories: 260 (per burrito) Make note that there are TWO burritos, which equal 520 calories total for the whole package. Don’t fall into the trap of just eating frozen entrees without checking the serving size. Because this meal was basically two, I had one of the burritos for breakfast and the other one for lunch (served alongside another raw salad with carrots, greens and bell peppers.)

Verdict: I found this to be super satisfying. Remember, this dish came with TWO burritos but one serving only calls for ONE so I only had one for breakfast and then the other one for lunch. I also put Jalapeno Pepper Hot Sauce from Trader Joe’s on the burrito, which made for a spicy but ultra yummy meal. I felt like the spice also kept me satisfied longer…I’ve heard that before so maybe it’s all in my head. I would definitely purchase these again since they were cheap AND I had no problem with sodium content.

Day 3 Lunch = SAME AS BREAKFAST (see above) except served alongside a raw salad

Day 3 Dinner = Trader Joe’s Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas

Cost: $2.49 at Trader Joe’s (I think, I think! It was somewhere around there)

Calories: 150 calories for ONE enchilada (there were 2 in the box so the entire meal, which I had for dinner, was 300 calories total)

Verdict: Not as tasty as I had hoped. The inside was filled with spinach and corn and there wasn’t too much cheese, which contributed to the low calorie count. I even doused it with the hot sauce and the flavor was still sub par. I don’t think I will be getting this again unless I’m strapped for cash and time. But I love enchiladas so next time, I will try the Whole Kitchen brand (from Whole Foods) or Amy’s Organic.

Experiment: Frozen Entrees

Alright, before you start groaning and rolling your eyes and dismissing me, I’ll have you know that I’m no longer dedicating Pastries & Bacon to mainly high raw vegan foods. I’m taking a break (mentally and physically) from that lifestyle and going back to my roots: everything in moderation and doing what makes me happy, healthy, and balanced. Melissa from 2007/2008 is back and better than ever because this time, I’m incorporating healthier changes (like polishing off at least 62oz water everyday, having a green juice most mornings, eating a raw salad with every meal) while still having what I consider FUN with my food (that means a small cup of coffee in the morning, fatty brie or sharp parmesan with my pasta, etc).

So onto my experiment for the week: frozen entrees!! What this means is for the week, I’m going to leave my fridge COMPLETELY EMPTY and every morning, stop at the market on the way to work to pick up two frozen meals (one for lunch and one for dinner) plus a snack. The market is either Whole Foods or Trader Joes (both are right on my route to work so I’m not going out of my way at all). With each frozen meal, I am going to have a raw salad just to ensure I’m adding more nutrients and fill. Trust me, it’s not as unhealthy as you may think because I’m shopping smart when it comes to the frozen section, meaning I’m checking out the sodium, fat and fiber and protein content as well as the ingredients. No artificial crap for me although some processed ingredients might be scattered around here or there so please don’t judge.

Why am I doing this? Well for one, I’m just a wee tired of cooking and prepping meals. Need to take a break for a little bit. Spend less time in the kitchen and more time with my boyfriend, dog, friends, working out, being outside, gardening, etc etc. Face it, frozen entrees are convenient. No, I’m not lazy at all when it comes to cooking but a little convenience never hurt anyone Secondly, frozen entrees provide variety to your week – I mean, a different meal at every meal time! How awesome is that? I love variety so this is perfect. Third, instant portion control = instant calorie control. One of my downfalls is overeating and picking at leftovers and munching in the kitchen (see, I’m candid about my bad habits) so eating frozen entrees will definitely keep me from snacking since…there’s nothing left to snack on! And I don’t care if you eat raw, vegan, atkins, whatever…a calorie is a calorie. That’s math, plain and simple. Fourth, easy cleaning! We recycle so I’m very conscious about where the boxes will go…and I don’t have to slave away at the sink washing pan after pot after plate. YAY!

So here goes. I’m writing this a couple days in to my experiment so I’m playing catch up right now. Also, please note that my day includes some yogurt, fruit and other snacks so don’t be alarmed at the calorie count beneath each frozen entree – I’m eating MORE THAN THAT

Day 1 Lunch = Seeds of Change Venetian Penne Marinara

Cost: $5.49 (I think??) from Whole Foods

Calories: 300

Verdict: I like Seeds of Change because they use organic, real ingredients. Nothing processed, nothing fake. This was super super yummy but DANG! Those are some tiny portions!! The sad thing is that the portion size I got for the penne dish is really how much we should eat of pasta. This will for sure re-train my eye on gauging portion sizes (I like that!) I got real thirsty afterwards so the sodium content may have been a little too high for me. I chugged 50 oz of water after that so I felt alot better. I also added a giant raw salad on the side.

Day 1 Dinner = French Meadow Bakery Vegetarian Sweet ‘N Spicy Cuban Style Veggies

Cost: $5.99 from Whole Foods

Calories: 250

Verdict: SUPER SUPER filling and yummy. Came with brown rice and the mix of pineapple, veggies and a spicy sauce made it the perfect dish for dinner. I savored every bite and followed it up with a nice salad of greens, tomato, bell pepper and lemon juice. Not too shabby! Already planning on having it again for Day 2. And not thirsty at all either afterwards, meaning sodium content was good with my body.

Day 2 Lunch = Amy’s Organic Tofu Scramble

Cost: $4.99 from Whole Foods

Calories: 320

Verdict: This consisted of tofu scrambled with organic vegetables with hash browned potatoes on the side – real good, actually!! I was craving something “breakfast-like” for lunch so this did the job. I had a giant raw salad with it, too. Good for those who don’t like eggs but can eat tofu. I try to limit my soy intake because I believe it leads to stomach issues for me but the tofu portions were so miniscule it was all good.

Day 2 Dinner = French Meadow Bakery Vegetarian Sweet ‘N Spicy CubanStyle Veggies. AGAIN! Told you it was yummy!!