Back for some more New York City action, huh?  Well, I can’t blame you!  In yesterday’s post, I gave you the lowdown on our first day and night in the big city.  Boy, did we have a great time!  We checked into our lovely and fabulously located hotel, we had a quick and delicious lunch at Cranberry Café, we witnessed the grandeur that Times Square has to offer and we enjoyed a laugh-filled dinner at Connolly’s Pub and Restaurant.  But that was just the tip of the iceberg! Thank goodness, we all got our much needed beauty rest.

After getting a good night’s sleep in preparation for our Sunday celebratory festivities, we were refreshed and had a full tank of gas, just rearing to go.  With our breakfast scheduled at 9:30am, I knew we had to be up by no later than 8am to get our day started.  However, I’m not sure if it was the cool temperature in our hotel room or the fact that I was electrified by the fact that we were in the New York, but I was wide awake at 7am (that’s not a normal thing without an alarm clock for Healthy Chow).  Patrick must have been on the same sleeping pattern as me, because he was also ready to greet the day before the alarm went off.  That said, we jumped into our workout clothes and made good use of the hotel’s fitness center.

The Millennium Broadway Hotel’s fitness center was pretty impressive.  There were two separate areas to work out in: one was for weights and weight training and the other was for cardio.  The gym was clean and had multiple televisions available for use.  Other than two other people, Patrick, David and I were the only ones in the gym.  It was great! No lines and no incessant yapping from other guests.  Plus, I got to stare at the tops of the New York City buildings as I was speedwalking and working up a good lather.  With a few yoga stretches, 25 minutes of speedwalking and regular walking on the treadmill and some cool down stretching, I was completely energized.  While I got a good workout in, I probably could have pushed myself further.  But, I also didn’t want to be tired (or sore) for the rest of the day.  My quick cardio session was just enough to get my blood pumping and to do some much needed detoxification.

Wow, it looks like we both worked up a good sweat!

After quickly showering and getting dressed, we only had a few moments to spare before it was breakfast time.  And this wasn’t just any ordinary breakfast, it was a special breakfast for a special girl.  In addition, breakfast wasn’t going to be served at just any ol’ restaurant, it was being held at a place that is undeniably, a little girl’s fantasy.  For Casey’s 5th birthday party, Lisa and David planned a breakfast at none other than American Girl Place.  I really wasn’t sure what to expect, but when we arrived, I was blown away.  To be able to see all the children so giddy with excitement and joy was truly endearing.  Plus, this place was amazing and huge! There were about four or five floors filled with shopping, activities for girls and their dolls, a restaurant and more shopping.  I could not believe how popular this store was – it was filled to the brim with families and dolls! Crazy!

Our breakfast destination!

Not only did the guest of honor, Casey, have a blast at her birthday party, but we all did as well.  The staff was hospitable, friendly and prompt.  In a large restaurant with so many customers, one usually expects and receives less-than-stellar service and not-so-great food.  This was the complete opposite!  Our main server, Anthony, couldn’t have been more accommodating and polite.  Plus, the menu offered more than ‘kid friendly’ options and everyone seemed quite pleased with their selections and the quality of the food.  The decorum of the dining area was also fantastic.  I felt like a doll living in a dollhouse or at least, a big (but not that big) little girl having her dreams come true.  As the conversation flowed, the coffee flowed and the good times and laughter were continuously being rolled out much like our hot breakfast entrées.  There were even souvenirs (a hair elastic with a hot pink bow) for all the guests and fun little conversational question cards available at the table.  It’s truly a blessing to be able to spend time with your family and to be able to be in the presence of such wonderful company.  I can only imagine the greatness that both Dan and Ellen felt just watching their family interact and have such a joyous time and knowing that this all stemmed from the love they created 40 years ago.

The guest of honor with her dolls

Taylor with her Papa

Taylor with Grammy

Who’s the bigger doll?

Everyone smile for the camera and say, “Healthy Chow!”

How’s that smoothie?

The American Girl Breakfast Menu

My Breakfast: Eggs Benedict Florentine - poached eggs served with wilted spinach and English muffin topped with hollandaise sauce (I had mine on the side) and accompanied by home-style potatoes and fresh fruit

Flower Power Pancakes with Fresh Bananas and Whipped Cream – served with fresh fruit and sausage links (and some Country Breakfast Eggs)

Country Breakfast - scrambled eggs with home-style potatoes, onions, sausage and peppers topped with cheddar cheese and served with a side of avocado, salsa and sour cream

Classic French Toast – topped with warm apples and cinnamon fresh fruit kabob, served with a side of apple wood smoked bacon and maple syrup

Chocolate Mousse Flowerpot with Butterfly Cookie

The whole gang

Question: Who would you want to trade places with for one day?  Why?

Taylor’s Answer: “I pick you, Nicole, because you’re a lot of fun and you look like a teenager.  For real!”

Too much!

Once breakfast was over, the gang broke free to explore the rest of American Girl Place.  While the little ladies got their shopping on, I managed to check things out and get a lay of the land.  Holy moly, words can’t describe the magnitude of this place.  If you have an American Girl doll, this is the place to go for your doll.  There is everything and anything you could possibly want or need here for your American Girl.  I think both Taylor and Casey were more than happy with their purchases.

An hour and a half?!

The Doll Hair Salon

After getting back to the hotel to drop off our purchases, we freshened up and decided to make a trip to the Empire State Building.  While most of the group was in on visiting this tourist attraction, some decided to make good use of the amazing weather and make a visit to Central Park.  Since my MIL and I love shopping and enjoy each other’s company (we share the same sense of humor!), we decided to branch off from the group and have some mother-in-law and daughter-in-law time.  We ventured off and hit some of the nearby shops as the rest of the group made the trip to the top of the Empire State Building.  Patrick was in the Empire State Building group and thus, became the interim photographer for my blog.  He did a pretty fancy job snapping some great pics.  Thanks Patrick!

By the time all of our tours were over, it was late in the afternoon.  But with our dinner reservation at 6:30pm, we had only a few moments to rest and recharge.  But when you’re in New York, who needs to rest, right?  For our final dinner and celebration in the big city, we decided to have dinner at the Italian restaurant, Becco (thanks for the recommendation, Billy!).  Becco was about a ten minute walk from our hotel, which was key since it was about 6:15pm by the time we left.  We made it just in time and with even a few minutes to spare! While we all congregated in front of the restaurant, we decided it was the perfect time to take a group photo. Don’t you love it when you can grab a complete stranger off the street and ask them to take a picture and it actually turns out well?

What a night to remember!

Becco’s menu was incredible! There were so many delectable sounding choices and quite fairly priced for a New York City restaurant.  After much deliberating both to myself and out loud, I finally chose the Pesce Spada (grilled swordfish paired with spaghetti squash, stewed cherry tomatoes, roasted pumpkin seeds & pumpkin seed oil).  It was divine and certainly had its fair portion of both vegetables and fish.  Not to mention the swordfish was grilled to perfection and the stewed cherry tomatoes were deliciously sweet.  While I originally thought I had ordered ‘the best’ entrée on the menu, I soon questioned my belief after sampling some of Patrick’s Sinfonia di Paste (Becco’s renowned unlimited table side service of Becco’s Chef’s Three Daily Pasta Preparations) and David’s Costolette di Maiale alla Maniera dello Chef (brined double cut pork chop grilled, topped with figs poached in Apianae & roasted fingerling potatoes), I soon realized that there was just more than one ‘best’ entrée at Becco.  Actually, everyone was more than thoroughly pleased with both the food and the service at this restaurant.  You really could not go wrong with any item ordered off the Becco menu.  Our waitress, Anne, was a pleasure and was gracious throughout our entire meal.  And while the food was excellent, the restaurant itself was quite charming as well.  It had a rustic feel and almost felt like a North End restaurant with it’s exposed brick and close fitting dining area.

Our coat check tag and table reservation number from breakfast- both were 40, like Dan and Ellen’s anniversary!

Fresh mozzarella with roasted red peppers, toasted pine nuts & golden raisins

Fresh prosciutto

Caesar salad – very tasty but way too much dressing for my liking…

Now that’s a meatball!

Pesce Spada – Grilled swordfish paired with spaghetti squash, stewed cherry tomatoes, roasted pumpkin seeds & pumpkin seed oil

Costolette di Maiale alla Maniera dello Chef - Brined double cut pork chop grilled, topped with figs poached in Apianae & roasted fingerling potatoes

Sinfonia di Paste - Becco’s renowned unlimited table side service of Becco’s Chef’s Three Daily Pasta Preparations

Trancio di Salmone – Pan-seared salmon with braised cauliflower & extra virgin olive oil

Bistecca – Grilled Black Angus rib eye, dry-aged & rubbed with porcini mushrooms
with garlic mashed potatoes & seasonal vegetables

Of course, we had to have dessert!

Happy 40th Anniversary!

Once dinner was over, we made our way through Times Square once again to get one last look at the the city lights.  They were as bright as ever and the city was even more jammed with people than when we last saw it.  I saw a bunch of cameras and even brighter lights at the center of Times Square and people clamoring around as though there was something being filmed.  As we made our way over, I realized that it was Entertainment Tonight’s The Insider being filmed.  With my MIL, Ellen, being a huge fan of The View, as soon as I realized it was Star Jones sitting on stage, I just knew this would be one of the highlights of her trip.  Not only was Ellen excited to see Star, but she was even more thrilled to see that the guest anchor was none other than Levi Johnston! Ellen, I will have to admit, Levi was pretty cute!

Hey there!

Our trip to New York City was certainly a memorable one.  We shared as many laughs and smiles as we did bites of food and dessert.  When you’re in a special city celebrating occasions such as a wedding anniversary and a birthday with your entire family, everyone is lucky enough to receive a gift.  I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful family and to have been able to be a part of the New York trip.  It is sure to go down as one of my favorite family vacations.  And while we were able to see so many sights and do so many things in the city, there was one common theme that remained throughout and that was love.  Like the lights in Times Square that brighten up the sky morning, noon and night, and guide the city’s people, it is the love of family and the love between an extraordinary couple, like Dan and Ellen, that remains a constant and continues to fuel the fire of life.

What’s your favorite city you’ve ever visited?  Do you wish you could live there or would you rather keep it as a favorite vacation spot?

Namasté,
Nicole

No, this isn’t a post on the 2009 World Series Champions, The New York Yankees.  I think my family, both immediate and extended, would definitely might give me a stern talking to if that were the case.  This past weekend, my family and I traveled to New York City to celebrate two very special occasions, my mother and father-in-law’s 40th wedding anniversary and my niece Casey’s, 5th birthday.  Not that we need special occasions to celebrate in order to go to New York, but since they happen to occur on the same day, it just makes the trip that much more extraordinary.

(sidebar – Guess who I saw while waiting to board my flight to New York?  Ellie Krieger! Can you believe it?  I so badly wanted to take her picture but since she was VIP, she boarded before anyone else and I missed my chance.  But, when I walked by Ellie to get to my seat, I smiled and she gave me a head nod.  Then I shouted, “check out HealthyChow.com…”  Just kidding, I wish I had the nerve to say that!)

While Times Square was our meeting place and where our hotel was located, we were all coming from different directions and via different modes of transportation.  Ellen and Dan, my mother and father-in-law, were coming from Springfield, MA via train, my brother and sister-in-law were coming from Atlanta via plane with my nieces, my other siblings-in-law were driving in from Boston, and Patrick and I took the shuttle.  Needless to say, by the time we all finally arrived at our hotel, The Millennium Broadway, we were excited to see each other and excited to see the big city.

On the bridge heading to Times Square

The lobby area of the Millennium Broadway Hotel

The Dolls with their dolls

Thanks to Travel Agent Pat, our hotel could not have been better situated.  We were literally in the heart of Times Square and within walking distance from anything we could possibly need.  But then again, when you have a bird’s eye view of the heart of New York City, what more could you possibly need or want?

View from our room

Another angle…

Check out all those taxi cabs!

Are those people or ants?!

I think my nieces, Casey and Taylor, love being in NYC!

Well, there was one thing we wanted and needed and that was a quick bite to eat.  We had all been up since the crack of dawn traveling, so some much needed food was definitely on the menu (lame pun intended).  With the suggestion of the concierge, the eight of us walked across the street to the Cranberry Café.  It was a hungry traveler’s dream come true! The deli offered every kind of hot and cold sandwich, wrap and sub you could imagine while there were also stands for custom made salads and pre-made sushi.  And if sandwiches, sushi and salads didn’t float your boat, there was also the largest of hot bars and a pretty hefty salad bar.  And if you wanted even more bars, there was a whole wall filled with protein/convenience bars.  Because I was overwhelmed with all the choices, I decided to make it easy on myself and went with the salad bar.  I really got a nice myriad of everything – just the way I like it!

Once we purchased our food, we ventured upstairs to the dining area and had a relaxed lunch.  It was a ’seat-yourself’ type of restaurant and we grabbed the largest table we could find and chowed down!  While we were all so excited to catch-up with one another, I don’t think a word was uttered from anyone (including the kids) for at least 1o minutes.  We really needed the nourishment and the Cranberry Café definitely fulfilled that need.

Hungry!

My lunch: romaine lettuce, cucumber slices in vinaigrette, grape tomatoes and 1 small mozzarella cheese ball, a hard boiled egg (minus the yolk), salad of chick peas, red kidney beans, peas and carrots, grapes and cantaloupe

Travel Agent Pat’s Lunch: YUM!  Nothing like corned beef on rye! Hi Billy!

After lunch, one of our hotel rooms was finally ready for us to check in and we were able to freshen up and head back out into the city.  I couldn’t believe how many people were out and about.  You would have thought it was a holiday or that there was some event going on in Times Square, but it was just an ordinary Saturday afternoon.  Because the weather was unseasonably warm, we were able to walk through the city with just light jackets.  It felt like spring and we certainly had a spring in our step.  Just to be able to be in a wonderful place such as New York with our family was enough to put a permanent smile on our faces.

David and Dan

Me and Patrick

After taking a tour of Times Square and the Marriott Marquis hotel’s upstairs lounge, my sister-in-law along with her boyfriend, and my brother-in-law along with his fiancée, arrived and finally, the whole clan was here!  Since one of my brothers-in-law and his family live in Atlanta, we don’t always have the entire group in one place, at one time.  Thus, to have everyone together in one spot was a momentous occasion on its own.  I grew up with only my twin sister and while we were always thicker than thieves, it’s nice to be a part of a large family.  I love the different dynamics that occur within a big family and I love having a large group around.  Nothing is ever boring and there’s always something new to learn about another person.  With my extended family, there are always plenty of laughs, fun, good times and a shoulder to support you whenever you need it.  It’s truly a magnificent feeling to have.

Look at all those floors!

For our first family dinner in New York, we decided to go casual and quite local.  We headed across the street to Connolly’s Pub and Restaurant.  Since this restaurant is right in the middle of the theater district, it was packed when we arrived at 7:30pm.  But since there was now 12 of us, we managed to snag the front tables and basically had the whole front area of the restaurant to ourselves.

Taylor and her grandparents

Kevin,Vanja and Taylor with Casey climbing the stairs in the background

Greg, Carolyn and Taylor - so cute!

From the ATL, David and Lisa

Your girl, Healthy Chow, and Travel Agent Pat

Connolly’s is an Irish pub with live music and pretty good food.  In addition to their traditional Irish dishes like beer battered fish and chips, Irish beef stew and bangers and mash, Connolly’s also serves burgers, wraps, salads and other comfort food dishes.  Everyone seemed to find exactly what they were looking for within minutes and the friendly Connolly’s staff was able to serve our enormous and hungry party almost immediately.  I ordered the Mediterranean grilled vegetable wrap with eggplant, zucchini, tomato, mushroom, roasted red pepper, carrot, romaine lettuce, goat cheese and a balsamic glaze on a honey wheat wrap.  All the sandwiches and wraps came with french fries and while they did sound and look good, I asked if I could substitute the fries for a vegetable.  The vegetable was a carrot and parsnip purée and it was delicious! I think I preferred my side dish of veggies over my sandwich.  Wow!  Those must have been some vegetables!

Once we all finished eating, we decided to have a few more drinks before calling it a night.  Since it was Casey’s birthday the next day and Ellen and Dan’s anniversary, we had a day filled with festivities planned and wanted to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.  Plus, Casey’s birthday breakfast was set for 9:30am and we could not be late for our reservation.  But we were all pretty tired from traveling, so we were ready to hit the sack.  Our first day and night in the big city was great and if it was any indication of how the rest of our weekend was going to be, we were going to have a blast.  The city that never sleeps seems to have some sort of a power over the people.  And we were ready for this city to take us over…

“These streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you, let’s hear it for New York, New York, New York…”

***BTW, while we were celebrating Dan and Ellen’s anniversary and Casey’s birthday in NYC, it was also MHC’s boyfriend’s birthday in Boston.  Happy belated birthday, Darrell!***

***Don’t forget to come visit me tomorrow to see what else Healthy Chow and the gang did in New York…stay tuned…***

Do like visiting and exploring big cities?  Do you like to have things planned and mapped out or do you like to plan as you go like me when you’re on vacation?

Namasté,
Nicole

***Thank you again for all your kind words and your concern about my blog and its ‘issues’.  I am so lucky to have such great friends and readers.  I’m truly blessed and so happy to have all of you in my life.  Unfortunately, if you commented or linked back to my blog late Sunday, October 25th or early Monday, October 26th, your comments/linkbacks did not get posted (and I wasn’t immediately notified) due to my hosting provider issues   I just didn’t want you to think that I was ignoring you – that would never happen!  I guess while Healthy Chow was down, she was really out.  But she’s back (fingers crossed) and better than ever!  Thank you again for your patience!***

Yup.  You’ve guessed it.  I’ve decided to dedicate a post about ME.  Gah!  I kid, I kid…

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the second ALLocal Dinner at UpStairs on the Square, in Cambridge.  ALL, meaning, ‘All Local & Luscious’, was hosted by the Local Food Committee of the Sustainable Business Network (SBN) and Cambridge Local First.  Local food leaders and local Cambridge business leaders were invited to attend a dinner that was going to be prepared with ingredients that would be:

• Sourced as close to Cambridge as possible within New England
• Processed by New England artisans and companies
• Delivered by New England-owned distribution companies
• Prepared and served at a Massachusetts restaurant
• Eaten by `Local Eaters’  (Outsiders were welcome, too!)

Not only was this dinner going to be prepared with some of the freshest and finest ingredients in and around New England and at one of the best known restaurants in the Cambridge area, but it was going to be a five course meal to boot!  How could Healthy Chow resist?! Plus this fabulous dinner was an opportunity for me to:

• Support local farmers, fisherman and food artisans
• Share a meal with local Cambridge business leaders and local food leaders passionate about their local community and local food choices
• Raise funds for the work of Cambridge Local First

I’m all about having a belly full of delicious food, but to know that the food that was going in my belly was actually going to be doing some good as well, now that’s a home run (it is October after all, how could I not use that lame pun?)!  And to be considered a local food leader?  Healthy Chow would be honored to call herself that! (*brushes her shoulders with the tips of her fingers*)  Usually, I’m just a food ‘eater’!

When I arrived in Harvard Square, I wasn’t quite exactly sure where this established restaurant was located.  But because it was a lovely fall night (there haven’t been too many of those lately) and your girl was dropped off early again, I decided to take my time finding the place.  After asking about five different people (no lie), I finally found it.  It’s just one of those places that you know you’ve walked by 1,000’s of times, but just can’t seem to pinpoint it in your head.  I should have just followed my nose; the smell from the fireplaces inside were beckoning me to come in.  But not before I could snap a few shots .

UpStairs on the Square had some of the funkiest decorum for a restaurant I have ever seen.  As I walked ‘upstairs’ (about three flights) to the function room where the dinner was being held, the leopard print carpeting grabbed my attention and informed me that this was not going to be any ordinary restaurant.  Inside the function room guests gathered around the lit fireplaces, meeting and greeting others as the libations flowed and were enjoyed.  After checking in and getting my name tag and table number, I looked around for some familiar faces.  Unfortunately, I did not know anyone but this didn’t deter me from introducing myself to some of my table mates, as well as taking some pictures of our beautifully decorated dining room.  The pink and gold painted walls reminded me of Alice in Wonderland, which was quite apropos considering the feeling I derived from the dining room was more fairytale than reality.

As the final guests arrived, I sat down to eagerly read the special menu for the night, but was soon greeted by a familiar face.  Jim Broderick, the founder of Teather™, was seated at the table right behind me.  As usual, Jim was his friendly and upbeat self and we discussed just how excited we were to taste our locally prepared and sourced dinner.  Within a few minutes, the guests were asked to take their seats as our first course was being served.  I think everyone, including Healthy Chow, was ready to eat since it only took one call for all the guests to sit.  To say that the food was being highly anticipated would have been a huge understatement.

To start off our five courses, the first course was Salad of Siena Farm’s Autumn Greens – Fried Green Tomatoes, Cilantro & Lime. The greens were like no other greens I had ever tasted in my life.  I couldn’t believe just how fresh they were and how fragrant they tasted.  Even though the salad was lightly dressed with a vinaigrette, it could have been eaten dry - that’s how truly delectable this salad was!  The fried green tomato was fried in a light batter that was a bit salty on first bite, but complemented the salad greens perfectly.

Our second course was easily my favorite.  We were served Creamy Long Island Pumpkin Soup – Gray’s Rhode Island Cornmeal ‘Johnnycakes’. Holy smokes, this soup was outstanding! With just the right amount of cream and spice, this soup that ate like a meal, warmed the bellies from the inside out.  But the best part was the Johnnycakes.  The table likened the Johnnycakes to be a cross between a hushpuppy and cornbread, but not as heavily fried.  I’m not sure if my table mates were right or wrong, but what I do know is that these golden pieces of goodness were like a dream.  They were so incredibly light and airy, and served as the perfect ’sponge’ to soak up my soup.  The delicately fried fresh sage leaves that garnished this orange bowl of delight were also out-of-this-world good.  I think they might have been there for sheer decoration, but I happily gobbled them up.  They were too tasty to leave behind!  Yum!

For our main course, we had a choice between a fish or vegan entrée.  I honestly had a tough deciding between the two; you would have thought I was making the most difficult decision of my life.  I finally chose the Gloucester Day Boat Cod – Vermont House-Cured Bacon, Pat Woodbury’s Wellfleet Clams, Native Fennel, Radishes & Spicy Cress.  The cod was exquisite, but definitely did not overshadow the clams.  Hidden inside of these tiny mollusks were bits of bacon that I could have sworn were the equivalent to finding buried treasure.  If I wasn’t sitting at a table filled with strangers, I definitely think I would have licked my plate clean.  However, when I saw the vegan option being served next to me, I began getting entrée envy.  The vegan dish was Savoy Cabbage Beggar’s Purse  – Stuffed with Creamy Westport Macomber Turnips, Bill’s Foraged Mushrooms & Rainbow Carrots, Braised in Col Walker’s Little Compton Tomatoes (sorry, I was a bad lil’ blogger and forgot to snap a photo of this dish; I was too busy eating). If it was acceptable, I would have dug my fork into my neighbor’s plate and had me a taste.  Healthy Chow likes to have a taste of both worlds - literally.

For dessert and our final two courses, we were served a cheese plate of Three Perfect New England Cheeses - Kimball Farms Quince & Native Honey and Baked Spiced Apple – Cinnamon Ice Cream.  Because both courses were served at virtually the same time, I couldn’t decide which to eat first.  The cheese was paired with a drizzle of honey that tasted as if it came straight from the bee.  Dipping the chunks of glorious cheese into this sweet nectar was enough dessert to end the night.  But when you have a warm baked apple sitting right in front of you with homemade ice cream, how can you say no? Well, I certainly did not say no and instead, said yes to devouring the whole bowl.  And yes, it was certainly worth it!

While every single one of the five courses wowed me and had me asking myself why I had never dined at this restaurant before, the speeches and conversation that continued throughout the night were also something that I quite enjoyed.  Because this dinner was a benefit to raise money for Cambridge Local First, as well as to raise awareness for supporting local independents, various speakers spoke throughout the night about some of the upcoming events and projects that were taking place in the Boston area.  For example, the International Day of Climate Action that took place on October 24th, which was organized by 350.org, supporting the world’s greatest bake sale – Pie in the Sky, the importance of 10PercentShift.org and the weekly vegan tasting menus that are available at UpStairs on the Square, who for 27 years has been dedicated to serving the best of local fare.  While my taste buds were being stimulated by the wonderful food being served before me, my mind was certainly not left out.  After listening to the words of the various speakers, I came to the conclusion that I could certainly do more in my part to support local business and to eat more locally sourced food.  My stomach was filled with some of the most extraordinary tasting food I’ve had in quite some time, and my head was filled with some food for thought.  To say the least, I was stuffed.

Because I’m still new to the blogging world, I have to admit that I was a bit nervous about the night.  I knew there were going to be some actual prominent leaders in local food and I wasn’t quite sure what I could bring to the table (yes, I meant that one!).  However, the guests that were seated at my table were anything but intimidating.

Fan Watkinson, Co-Chair of SBN Local Food Committee, was seated directly to my left and while she was one of the hosts for the night’s dinner and was responsible for much of the night’s organizational duties, she made it a point to get to know each guest at our table.  Fan made me feel more than welcome at the dinner and in fact, made me feel special.  We talked about my blog, social media and the impact it’s had on business and communication.  Fan is an absolute delight; I was so glad to have had the chance to meet her.  Also seated at the table was Dan Meyers, the Administrative Director of Cambridge Local First.  While Dan spoke to our table about some of the events Cambridge Local First was conducting, he also impressed us with his culinary background.  Dan was a chef in the Boston area and is an avid cook.  We discussed some of our favorite food blogs and how we couldn’t believe just how creative some people could be.  He was certainly one multi-faceted person!  And finally, two ladies from The Fishmonger market in Cambridge, talked about the seafood industry and answered my questions about mercury levels in fish.  They were certainly knowledgeable and informed me of the do’s and don’t’s of ordering seafood at restaurants.  I guess I won’t be ordering seafood on a Monday night ever again, especially after a big storm!

All in all (get it?), the dinner was a huge success.  The room was filled to capacity with guests and the food was nothing short of amazing.  I was so happy to have been a part of such a wonderful event.  To be surrounded with people who have as pure of an interest in food as myself was comforting.  Each guest at my table and at the event brought their own unique personality and contributed to the energetic vibe that circulated throughout the night.  My eyes were opened to a whole new dining experience, as well as my mind was opened to a whole new world of awareness – and there is no kidding around about that.

What was one of the most unique dining experiences you’ve had?  How much of your budget goes to buying from local vendors/businesses?

Namasté,
Nicole

***Thank you so much for your patience.  I’m back and I finally have pictures (and boy, do I have pictures!).  Did you miss me?***

Do you have anyone in your life that is tough to shop for?  Someone who has impeccable taste and great style and has one (or more) of just about everything and anything? A person who is so beautiful that nothing you buy her will compare to her beauty? But this human being is very near and dear to your heart and you love her so much that you want to give her something but you just don’t know what?  Well, ladies and gents, let me introduce you to that person.  That person in my life is Mother Healthy Chow (or MHC for short).

As you might have read from my posts a couple of weeks ago, MHC recently had her birthday.  She turned 39 (*ahem-ahem, cough, cough*) and doesn’t look a day older 25.  Being the good daughters that we are, Michelle and I wanted to get a nice gift for MHC.  But we just didn’t know what?  The woman has too much a lot of clothes, more handbags than she ever can carry, fanciful jewelry, mucho make-up, a collection of shoes that can rival Imelda’s or Mariah’s and two amazing daughters (*pats herself on the back*).  What more could she want or need?

Can’t get enough of this pic!

However, even if a person has just about everything, the person’s gotta eat.  So, instead of taking MHC to the latest and greatest resto in the Boston area, we decided to shake-n-bake things up a bit and do something we haven’t done in awhile and should do more often.  Michelle and I decided to cook MHC a birthday dinner! And because MHC just moved in with her boyfriend, Darrell, we decided to make dinner at their newly renovated home.  There’s nothing like cooking in a brand spankin’ new kitchen!

Because Michelle and I were going to be responsible for cooking the whole dinner and bringing dessert, we had to plan in advance what we were going to make and thus, bring the ingredients.  I’m not quite sure how we decided, but we divvied up the courses as follows: sides, salad and dessert – Healthy Chow and main course and dessert – Michelle.  Yeah, I know dessert is mentioned twice.  That’s no mistake!  We wanted a birthday cake-ish treat for MHC, for candle blowing and wish making, as well as some other goodies, for variety and pigging out’s sake.

Image Credits – fundraw.com

While I was planning the few days prior to the dinner party, I chose to make sides that I felt would go with just about anything.  Because Michelle hadn’t told me what she was making as the main course and I didn’t want to keep annoying asking her, I just went with my gut (lame pun intended)  and selected recipes that were tasty and on the ‘healthier’ side.  Thus, I chose to make two recipes I found from Cooking Light - Creamy Parmesan Orzo and Mustard-Dressed Asparagus.  Both recipes received at least 4 out of 5 stars and very good reviews and comments from readers.  In addition, I had made the orzo recipe a few times before and it was delicious and easy and the asparagus recipe seemed healthy and easy.  Done and done! For the salad, I decided to bring mixed greens (baby spinach, arugula, radicchio and frisée) and the ingredients to make a homemade vinaigrette dressing.  So easy-peasy lemon-squeezy!  And for dessert, I just stopped by the store and grabbed brownie bites and chocolate chip ice cream.  You can’t go wrong with warm, soft chocolate baked goods à la mode, right?

I was so excited for this night!  Not only did I want to show off some of my much improved culinary skills, but I also love spending time with my family and I could not wait to see my mother’s new place.  MHC had just moved into Darrell’s condo, which they recently renovated and enlarged by acquiring the adjacent condo unit.  I’ve always loved seeing the interior of people’s homes, but ever since we gave our place a face-lift, my interest has reached a whole new level of appreciation.

Oh my stars!  I thought the ocean view from the outside of their building was incredible; the interior of their home was absolutely gorgeous! I tried not to have any expectations or visions in my head before arriving in order to be totally surprised and when I walked in, I was blown away.  Not only was their condo ginormous, but every detail was carefully paid attention to and flowed seamlessly to the next.  I felt as if I was flipping through the pages of an interior design magazine.

I lurrrrvvve those bamboo floors!

Absolutely beautiful…

Sparkle, sparkle…

I think the food might taste better coming from this kitchen…

Even the spices are cool, or should I say, ’sah-pie-say’!

Now that’s a closet!

My dream come true!

Even the washer and dryer are stylin’!

Darrell loves his shoes, too…

This closet would suit me just fine

An ocean view…

Simply breathtaking…

After receiving the grand tour and getting my groceries for dinner settled, I nibbled on some shrimp cocktail and chips and salsa.  While we told our mother she didn’t have to do a thing, she naturally put out a spread of appetizers and snacks.  What a good lil’ doobie.

It’s a good thing I had to cook or else I’d be full before dinner…

Snacks and sports…

I was having so much fun chatting it up with the party goers that I almost forgot that we were in charge of preparing dinner.  I could see the hungry looks growing, so I stopped munching (for a few minutes) and got started on cooking.  Since all of my dishes were relatively simple to prepare, I picked the one that would take the longest to make and would be the easiest to reheat.  So, I started on the creamy parmesan orzo.  Having Michelle and MHC (she couldn’t stay out of the kitchen for long, nor did we want her to) by my side in the kitchen was so much fun and so helpful.  While I would read off the instructions, one would hand me the needed ingredient and the coordinating utensil.  It was like having my very own sous chefs!

Stir that orzo, Michelle!

Even the birthday girl isn’t safe from kitchen duty!

Love that green!

Once the orzo was about done, I began on my asparagus dish.  Even though the recipe was for asparagus, I decided to add some zucchini since it would give the dish some variety and because I had some just sitting idle in my fridge.  I know, your girl is so resourceful! The recipe called for the asparagus to be boiled, but because MHC had a crazy-arse steamer built into the stove top, I just had to steam versus boil.  It just seemed so cool and high-tech; I had to give it a whirl.  The vegetables took only minutes to cook and the sauce took an even shorter time to prepare.  The key ingredient to this recipe was no doubt the mustard seeds.  They’re little, but they’re powerful (does that remind you of anyone you know?).

I gotta get me one of these…

The Yellow Wonder…(tee hee)

While I was cooking the vegetables, Michelle and her boyfriend, Jonathan began cooking the main dish – chicken saltimbocca.  Jonathan and Michelle make a great team both in life and in the kitchen.  They love cooking together and testing out new recipes.  I was told by the dynamic duo that the trick to making their recipe was to brine the chicken in salt water the night before.  I guess I’ll take their word for it.  It looked dang good! And just as the chicken was about to be taken out of the oven, I whisked together a simple salad dressing using Trader Joe’s Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar, dijon mustard, olive oil, some chopped shallot and salt and pepper.  As I’ve said before, Trader Joe’s never lets me down and he came through for me again that night.  The Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar was divine! It gave the right amount of citrus and zip to the dressing without making it too sweet or weighing it down.  Another winner from TJ’s!

That’s some kickin’ chicken!

I heart TJ’s

Veggie Might!

Finally, dinner was served! MHC did a fabulous job setting up her dining room table for her first dinner guests and her first dinner guests did a fabulous job of dining.  I couldn’t believe how well everything turned out.  Everything was cooked to perfection and tasted wonderful.  Michelle and Jonathan’s chicken saltimbocca was moist and juicy (must be that brining action) and the prosciutto that enveloped it was flawlessly crisped with just the right amount of fresh sage.  Ah-may-zing! And like the chefs who played off of the synergy that was overwhelming the kitchen, the dishes co-mingled with each other fantastically and complemented each other perfectly.

And while I don’t like to brag much, I just want to say that my dishes came out quite well.  MHC loved the creaminess of the parmesan in the orzo recipe and said that the fresh basil was the perfect complement to the dish.  And everyone seemed to really like the mustard sauce on the vegetables.  They said it gave the vegetables a unique flavor.  As for the salad, everyone wanted to know what I used to make the ‘fruity’ dressing.  They truly seemed to enjoy my new found secret weapon from TJ’s and the fact that the salad was tasty without being too greasy or heavy.  Success!

And what would a birthday dinner party be without birthday cake and dessert?  Not a good one in Healthy Chow’s book! Jonathan made a key lime pie that was so light and refreshing, I thought I was having a cocktail.  There was just enough lime to cleanse my palate and the airiness of the filling coupled with the flaky crust was enough for me to want to have seconds.  However, because there were other desserts to sample, I stayed with having only one small (ish) piece and had a scoop of ice cream along with a mini fall-inspired brownie.  I think MHC honestly loved every bite of her birthday celebration.

While receiving a luxurious cashmere sweater, the latest bottle of perfume, a new pair of fall boots, or some fancy handmade jewelry may be a wonderful birthday gift, it’s no match for the gift of time.  Being able to spend time with my mother and sister in her new kitchen laughing, cooking and simply enjoying each other’s company was my favorite part of the night and by looking at my mother’s face, she felt the same way.

Oh, he’s such an angel! Hahahahaha!

Gotcha!

“Isn’t she lovely? Isn’t she wonderfuuuuullll?“

MHC is always appreciative of any gift she receives, but I could tell that this time this gift meant the world to her.  She was so excited for us to finally see her new home with Darrell and to be able to see how our culinary skills had developed.  I think it’s always a gift for a parent to see how their children have matured and blossomed, but it’s also a gift for the child to see their parent being happy in their new life.  While it may have been MHC’s birthday, I feel as though I was the one who was showered with presents.  It was a spectacular night filled with giggles, good times and great food.  While it might have been easier to go to the mall or hop online to buy our mother a birthday gift, it definitely would not have been as much fun, nor would it have been as special.  Being able to create a memorable night, such as our dinner party, is something that everyone should try – it may require a bit of time and energy, but what you get back is immeasurable and certainly priceless.  For the person who has everything, it’s definitely something of which they could use more.

What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?  Or, what’s your favorite secret ingredient to use?

Namasté,
Nicole

OK, three down and three more to go!  If you read last Friday’s post, you’ll know that I created six different meals made from the ginormous vat of grilled chicken I brought home from my sister Michelle’s house.  I featured the first three meals I whipped up in last Friday’s post and in this post, I am going to show you the remaining three.  Are you ready? Is your tummy ready to grumble?!

So, let’s recap.  I did an easy-peasy grilled chicken with salad greens.  I ‘Greek-ified’ my would-be ordinary pita pocket by adding my version of cool and creamy tzatziki sauce.  And finally, I made my idea of comfort food by combining the grilled chicken with jazzed up tomato sauce, melted mozzarella and whole wheat ravioli.  What could I possibly do with the rest?  Let’s have a look…

1) Grilled Chicken Quesadilla – Very much like Healthy Chow, my husband, Patrick, likes to eat.  And when he’s hungry, his window for going from mildly hungry to starving (remember this post?) is quite the small one, very much like Healthy Chow’s.  So when Patrick needed lunch in a hurry one afternoon, I decided I would make him a healthy version of a quesadilla.  To make the quesadilla, I took a whole wheat pita and sliced it horizontally, resulting in two pita discs.  On top of one of the pita discs, I layered:

• grilled chicken, which I cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/4 cup of red kidney beans
• 2 TBSP of reduced fat cheddar cheese

I then took the other pita disc and layered that over the pita with the chicken, bean and cheese mixture.  Carefully, I placed that in my George Foreman grill and grilled it until the cheese started oozing and the top of the quesadilla started getting toasty.

As one of the sides for the quesadilla, I whipped up a quick guacamole by mixing the following:

• 1/2 of a small avocado
• few dashes of dried cilantro
• few dashes of adobo powder
• few dashes of garlic powder
• few dashes of onion powder
• few dashes of cayenne pepper

For the other sides, I used Trader Joe’s European Style Plain Nonfat Yogurt (a healthier substitute for sour cream) and organic salsa.  The result was much better than what you’d find at a place that rhymes with ‘Paco Hell’.

¿Qué Pasa? Quesadilla

Look at those awesome grill marks…

Amazing avocado

All together now…

Any one in the mood for a margarita?

2) Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Grilled Marinated Portobello Mushrooms, Goat cheese, Dried Figs and Spinach – This sandwich was my favorite.  I loved the combination of the sweet dried figs and creamy goat cheese.  It was definitely what you would call a sandwich! For this meal, I took the grilled chicken breasts and sliced them lengthwise. Then, I began making the marinade for my portobello mushrooms.  I used:

• 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
• 2 TBSP of olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of chopped garlic
• few dashes of garlic powder
• s&p

Once my marinade was made, I dropped my two already washed portobello mushroom caps into the mixture.  I let them marinate in the fridge for about 15 minutes.  While the shrooms were marinating, I started chopping up 1 1/2 dried figs (I used Trader Joe’s Turkish Smyrna dried figs).  Then, I sliced a whole wheat ciabatta loaf in half lengthwise and cut each half into fourths (thus, making four small sandwiches).  I then spread about 1.6 oz. of goat cheese (I used Trader Joe’s brand, about a 1/3 of the 5 oz. tube) onto the sliced ciabatta.  Next I layered the chicken pieces, the baby spinach and the dried figs.  While these were resting, I began grilling my portobellos on my George Foreman grill.  It took about 3-5 minutes for my mushrooms to be grilled.  Once grilled, I sliced them into tiny slivers and placed a few pieces on each sandwich half.  Finally, I sandwiched the two pieces of ciabatta together and placed the sandwich onto the Foreman and grilled for a few minutes until the bread started getting toasty (it’s a pretty thick sandwich, so it may take a few extra minutes).

This sandwich made my mouth sing! I loved the warm creamy goat cheese against the crunchy ciabatta with the sweetness of the dried figs, the mellow tasting portobellos and the garlicky chicken.  There was so much flavor in this sandwich and everything blended so exceptionally!

My favorite sandwich

Mushroom madness…

Grilling…

Grilled.

Sliced.

Almost done…

I wish I had one to eat right now…

3) Grilled Chicken with Couscous, Grilled Marinated Portobello Mushrooms, Cucumber, Tomato, Capers and Feta – For my final dish, I decided to go with one of my favorite grains, couscous.  I love how fast couscous cooks up and how it tastes great with just about anything.  That said, here is what I used to make my couscous salad:

• grilled chicken, chopped into bite sized pieces
• 2 1/2 – 3 cups of cooked and chilled couscous (about 1 cup uncooked)
• leftover sliced grilled marinated portobello mushrooms (how do you like that one, Robin?),
• 1/3 cup of peeled chopped cucumber
• 1/3 cup of chopped tomato (with the guts removed)
• 1/2 of a small chopped onion
• 2 TSP of capers
• few dashes of dried dill
• few dashes of dried parsley
• 2 TBSP of roasted red pepper salad dressing (I used Kraft’s, but any vinegarette salad dressing will do)
• feta cheese (I used Trader Joe’s brand, fat free)
• s&p

Combine all your ingredients in a large bowl, except the salad dressing.  Blend well.  Once everything is blended well, add your salad dressing and mix again until everything is coated.  Cover your couscous salad and let it sit in the fridge to chill for at least an hour.  Once it’s chilled, it’s ready to eat!

Picture time again…

Getting in the mix…

Time for a stir…

The dressing

Suddenly salad…

Phew!  That was six meals made from cooking just once.  Can you believe it?  I really did enjoy putting my energy into the creativity of coming up with a new recipe versus putting my energy into cooking the chicken.  Having the step of already having cooked chicken was quite convenient.  That said, it’s always best to think and plan ahead.  Cooking more of a certain ingredient or prepping in advance really helps to make cooking more fun and less time consuming.  When you know you already have the majority of the work done for you, it’s easier to make a home cooked meal versus running to get take-out.  It also helps to take the stress out of figuring out what to make for dinner and/or lunch, which leaves you with more time to lounge and hang out in your backyard.  Or in my case, more time for me to hang out at Fenway Park.

What’s your favorite way to make meals in advance?  How do you save time in the kitchen?

Namasté,
Nicole

I’m a city girl (for now).  I live within walking distance from just about everything I need – a grocery store, restaurants fancy and not-so-fancy, coffee shops (both locally owned and major franchises), a reputable hospital, a couple of malls and most importantly, three different Trader Joe’s.  I’m also steps away from public transportation, so if I can’t get there by foot, there’s always the T.  And oh yeah, the Red Sox play right around the corner from my house.  Needless to say, I live in a great area.

Image Credits – destination360.com

However, while I love where I live and I’m not quite ready for my large house (but a large kitchen would be nice), sometimes I do long for a driveway, my own backyard to hang out in, a basement for storage (Healthy Chow has a lot of stuff) and most importantly, a place to grill.  Don’t get me wrong, I would never say a bad word about my beloved George Foreman grill, but the Foreman just doesn’t give my food that charcoal-y taste.  Don’t hate me, Mr. George Foreman grill, you know I love you…

So the other day when I was rummaging through my freezer, I noticed that we had about a bazillion pounds of chicken breasts (OK, not that many, obvi).  There was seriously a huge mound of poultry just sitting there and it was starting to look a little like Frosty the Snowman (and not in a good way).  That said, when my sister, Michelle, offered (OK, I invited myself) to let us use her grill at her house in the country, I said yes without any hesitation.

OK, so Michelle doesn’t really live in the country.  I like to kid.  She actually lives in Wayland, which is a suburb located only about 20-25 minutes from Boston.  I say she lives in the country because her house has so many trees surrounding it, because there is a lake about 15 yards from her backyard and because she has wildlife such as deer and snakes paying her visits on more than one occasion.  WOW!  Although Michelle doesn’t live very far from me at all, it feels as if our homes are worlds apart in terms of similarities.  So when Healthy Chow gets the chance to cook in a big kitchen, she hops right on it!

The frozen chicken breasts were almost completely thawed by the time I loaded them up in my cooler in my car.  By the time we got there, they were just about ready for marination.  We used Italian dressing (unsure what the brand was), some fresh garlic, dried oregano, dried rosemary, fresh lemon juice, and salt and pepper.  We let the chicken marinate in that mixture in the fridge for a few hours as we hit the mall.  By the time we got back, the chicken was ready for some country grilling.  You’ll have to excuse Healthy Chow – she forgot her camera at her home in the city and thus, you’ll just have to envision chicken sitting on an open flame.  I would imagine it being something like this:

Image Credits – eHow.com

When I got home, I remembered (finally) to grab my camera and take a picture of the grilled chicken in real life.  I think you’ll be happy with the results.

I told you there was a lot of chicken…

With all this chicken already prepared and cooked, I knew we could make more than a few quick meals out of this platter of poultry.  It was just a matter of how creative I could get.  I had to channel my inner Robin Miller; I knew she was deep down inside there, somewhere.  Here are a few pictures of how my grilled chicken became ‘Quick Fix Meals‘:

1) Grilled Chicken with Festive Salad Greens and Feta – This pretty much explains it all.  For our first meal, we sliced up and heated the chicken and ate it over a humungo salad.  It was honestly put together in a few short minutes.  But the simplicity of this meal was what really made me happy.  Grilled chicken cooked on an outdoor grill is divine.  The chicken was cooked to perfection (Thanks Jonathan!) and was juicy and tasty enough where I didn’t even have to add dressing to my salad.

I let Patrick be in charge of the chicken and I think he may have thought we were having guests over.  Boy, that’s a hecka lota chicken!

The salad contained romaine lettuce, baby spinach, baby carrot slices, cucumber, tomato, grilled marinated eggplant and broccoli slaw.

So simple, yet so good!

2) Pita Stuffed with Grilled Chicken, Tzatziki Sauce, Romaine Lettuce, Tomato and Cucumber – This was for lunch one Saturday afternoon when we had both had just come home from working out (Healthy Chow – yoga and Patrick – run around the Charles River) and we wanted something quick and on the lighter side.  I remembered recently eating at a Greek restaurant and having tzatziki sauce to dip my pita bread into and I wanted to recreate that for the sauce in our sandwiches.  To make my version of tzatziki, I combined the following:

• heaping 1/4 cup of nonfat plain yogurt (I used Trader Joe’s European Style Plain Nonfat Yogurt)
• 1/4 cup of chopped cucumber (peeled and seeded)
• 1/2 tsp of chopped garlic
• 1/2 tsp of lemon juice
• few dashes of dried dill
• salt and pepper

After mixing the above ingredients in a bowl, I let it sit and chill (literally) in the fridge for about 30 minutes while we showered and changed for lunch.  Once chilled, I heated the chicken, stuffed each whole wheat pita with romaine lettuce, cucumber and tomato slices and then poured the tzatziki sauce over the sandwich innards.  For a side, I sautéed some summer squash with thyme, lemon juice, garlic powder and salt and pepper.  It was the ideal lunch!

Ready for the tzatziki…

Cool as a cucumber…

Check out all that color, Ma!

3) Grilled Chicken with Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella Cheese and Whole Wheat Ravioli – Patrick and I were in the mood for some pasta and gooey cheese every one night but I really didn’t feel up to making anything elaborate.  Ding, ding, ding!  Cue the frozen ravioli!  This was another item that I had forgotten all about until I spotted the bag in my freezer the day I was getting my chicken.   That said, I grabbed my mozzarella cheese, my jarred tomato sauce and my almost forgotten whole wheat ravioli and went to town. While the ravioli was boiling, I heated up the chicken with some melted mozzarella on top along with some tomato sauce that I jazzed up with some dried basil, garlic powder, and dried oregano.

How could I forget I had ravioli?

Hmmm, melted cheese…

Patrick and I shared this plate of food.  I just kept it on one plate for easier picture taking.  Not pictured was the side salad of baby spinach and cucumber we had.  Gotta get in those greens!

There you have it.  The first three meals made from cooking (grilling) just once.  I felt as if these three were all pretty different from one another and definitely ones that could be put together in a matter of minutes.  By having the chicken already cooked, I didn’t have to stress about defrosting it, making sure it was cooked all the way through or having to marinate or season it.  With just a few simple ingredients that I already had on hand in my fridge and pantry, I was able to have my ‘Quick Meal Fix’.

Stay tuned for my next post, as I will show you part II of 6 Meals Made From 1…

Are you a city dweller or do you live in the suburbs?  Do you like living where you are or do you wish to move elsewhere?

Namasté,
Nicole

Sometimes I think I should have dedicated my blog to Trader Joe’s.  I <3 that place!  And, I can’t believe that I only started going there this year.  What the H-E double hockey stick (hi Greg!) was I thinking?  I try to only go there once a week, but it’s hard when there are literally three within walking distance from my house and another that is five minutes from my yoga studio (and I’m at my yoga studio almost every day of the week).  And when I’m in a Trader Joe’s, I try to stick to my grocery list and buy only what I need in order to not overspend and in order to NOT spend over an hour in there.  Sometimes it works, and sometimes, I just have to succumb to the power that is Trader Joe’s.

And like Heather, while I’m at Trader Joe’s, I like to always try a fun, new item in addition to my ‘necessities’.  But because everything seems so fun at TJ’s, I usually have a difficult time choosing the item (hence, my marathon stays there).  So after walking up and down every aisle at least three hundred times and having at least five TJ’s employees ask me, “are you finding everything OK, ma’am (gag, don’t they know Healthy Chow likes to me called ‘miss’?)?,” I finally settled on this:

Granted, this little item may not be as ‘fun’ as some of the tempting sweets that stare at me from up above whenever I’m in the frozen food aisles, but I’ve never heard of pea shoots and they looked pretty interesting.  Plus, they were organic, nutritious and cheap (I think it was less than $2.50 for this).  Sounds like a winner to me!  I also admit that I just like saying ‘pea shoots’.  I know, I’ m weird like that…

Here are some of the ways I enjoyed my fun, little Trader Joe’s pea shoot treat:

On a salad…(beware, it is a humungo salad…)

Before getting salsa-fied...

And after...along with some whole grain melba toast

Just from another angle...

The pea shoots gave my salad of romaine lettuce, baby spinach leaves, cucumber slices, tomato slices, chopped baby carrots, red kidney beans, adobo powder and salsa a fresh added crunch.  I would say that the pea shoots taste like a hybrid of bean sprouts and alfalfa sprouts.  I get so used to eating the same things in my salad, that having something unique such as this diddy made my salad special.  Plus, as noted on the box, these pea shoots have a good amount of vitamin C.  Woot!

In a quesadilla (ish):

In a Joseph's flax pita with mashed red kidney beans, tomato, carrots, baby spinach and a slice of reduced fat provolone (not shown).

All grilled up in the Foreman...

Plated next to a sliced Gala apple

When I pressed my quesadilla in my George Foreman grill, the pea shoots got softened and cooked a bit.  While they were no longer as crunchy, the pea shoots still were crisp enough to be noticed in my cheesy quesadilla.  Actually, they seemed a tad more sweet after being grilled versus when I had them raw in my salad.  This was so yummy and filling! But then again, I think grilling anything in a pita with cheese is divine.

In an omelet (a very large one):

It was quite the stuffed omelet...

I think I've perfected the omelet flip...go Healthy Chow!

Next to an ear of sweet corn...

Take a look at all that yummy goodness!

I think this was by far my favorite way to savor the pea shoots.  As I mentioned previously, when the pea shoots are cooked, they taste sweeter.  However, when coupled with the sweet peas, the taste is sensational! I love egg white omelets in general – they are less greasy tasting than whole egg omelets and allow for the inside ingredients to really shine through.  While my omelet had tomato, baby spinach leaves, adobo and garlic powder and salsa on top, it was hands down the peas and pea shoots that stood out.  This combination of the subtly sweet and savory was a.maz.ing! Not to mention corn on the cob (sans butter) is like summer’s candy (oh, I miss you already, summer!).  Can you tell Healthy Chow had a good time eating this meal?

Well, I haven’t been disappointed by a Trader Joe’s product yet and I’m happy to report, that is still true.  I’m so happy that I selected something from the produce section for my fun, little item versus something from the baked goods (because I was so leaning towards that…).  It helped to show me that eating healthy can be fun and having fun while you’re eating doesn’t have to mean eating crap.  Also, a little treat for myself doesn’t always have to mean cookies, chips or brownies (although those are all wonderful, too!).  I have learned that treating myself to healthy and nutritious foods can be just as enjoyable as having a sugary snack.  Don’t get me wrong, I still love me some decadent cookies and cream ice cream, but life can be just as sweet with some pea shoots.

What’s your ideal breakfast?  Do you like having breakfast foods for lunch/dinner?  If so, what’s your favorite breakfast for lunch/dinner meal?

Namasté,
Nicole

***To be sung to the tune of Phil Collins’ Sussudio***

There’s this salad that’s been on my mind…
All the time, su-su-salad-o!
Oh oh!
Now I don’t even know if it has a name…
But I think I like it just the same…
Su-su-salad-o!
Oh oh!

If you don’t know Healthy Chow, she loves her ’80s music, especially some Phil Collins.  She also loves her humungo salads.  Put the two together and you get that little silly diddy from up above that she conjured up in her head late one night.  And oh yeah, Healthy Chow is quite random as well, if you haven’t already noticed!

But whether you have a soft spot in your heart for music from the ’80s, Phil Collins (or Genesis) or just plain ole’ randomness, I wanted to dedicate this post to my recent love of the big salad.  I hate to admit this, but a few years ago, I didn’t really ‘love’ salads.  I knew I ’should’ eat them and I knew it was a good way to get my intake of vegetables.  However, I never really enjoyed them or wanted a salad.  And, the thought of ordering a salad as my meal while dining at a restaurant was the last thing I wanted to do.  I felt that if I ordered a salad, it wouldn’t get me full and that a salad wasn’t worth paying for at a restaurant.  Boy, was I wrong!

I’m not sure what exactly happened to turn the tide.  I know that a few years ago when I was trying to shed a few pounds, I turned to eating salads as a lighter option for my meals.  And I don’t mean the salads that are loaded with greasy cheese cubes, fried breaded chicken pieces, buttery croutons and creamy salad dressing.  I ordered the plain garden salads without dressing, cheese or croutons.  At first, these garden salads were not something I looked forward to eating.  I guess in my mind, plain salads were the equivalent of ‘rabbit food’.  But once I started telling myself that what I was eating was healthy and nourishing for me and I started focusing on how my salads tasted versus thinking about my preconceived notions of salads, I began to thoroughly enjoy my leafy greens.

While I was trying to cut back on calories by omitting dressings and/or cheeses, I also wanted a ‘naked’ salad for the fact that I wanted to truly taste the vegetables.  I wanted to savor their simplicity versus masking them and thus, hiding them, with something else.  I wanted to like eating my salads for the taste of the lettuce leaves and the vegetables, not for the taste of the blue cheese crumbles and the gobs of ranch dressing.  Now when my salad comes already dressed or covered in cheese, I get disappointed.  It’s not because I’m afraid all those extras are going to add to my calorie count, it’s because I no longer like the taste of a ‘wet’ salad.  I’ve been so used to just tasting plain veggies and leaves, that if I get a mouthful of vinaigrette or creamy Italian (TWSS), I just don’t like it.  Now, I’m not trying to preach that salad dressings should be a ‘no-no’ and that cheese should be avoided at all costs.  Don’t get me wrong, I do add the occasional sprinkle of cheese and/or nuts and I will dip my lettuce leaves in a side of dressing.  All I’m trying to say is that sometimes, what you’re covering up can be exactly what you need to see.

In addition to happily ordering salads when dining out, I now have incorporated salads into my meals at home. – especially the big salad (thanks for the inspiration, Mama Lovin – we miss you!).  Many people wonder how I get full off of just eating a salad for lunch or dinner, but they just haven’t seen my salads.  So, I thought I would post a few pictures of my humungo salads to show you, as well as some tips for fostering some of your own home salad love.

Tips for Making and Enjoying Quick, Healthy and Hearty Salads at Home:

1. Variety – Buy different produce.  If you’re going to be eating a salad, try to make it fun.  Thus, don’t make the same salad everyday.  Mix it up by stocking your fridge with various kinds of lettuce (romaine, baby spinach, kale, arugula, radicchio).  Also, give yourself a good selection of vegetables (cucumber, tomato, carrots, string beans, sugar snap peas, broccoli, cauliflower, bell pepper strips, celery…the list can go on forever).  While I do have my favorites and my salad staples, I try to do my best in incorporating something different as often as I can.  It also gives me an excuse to buy and try new things at the grocery store and at Trader Joe’s!
2. Convenience – Make this easy for yourself.  When you get home from the grocery store, wash your produce and slice/chop up your veggies.  Place them in separate storage containers.  Thus, when you go to make your salads, they are already there ready and waiting for you to select them.
3. Color – Try to make your salads as colorful as possible.  Think rainbow!  Different colors represent different vitamins and nutrients, so it’s wise to incorporate a different mix of fruits and vegetables everyday into your meals (to learn more about which vitamins and nutrients come from which color, see this article).  Not only will having a variety of color in your salads be healthier for you, it’s also more visually appealing.  Remember, we tend to eat with our eyes.
4. Texture – I like having cool, crisp cucumber slices in my salads, but I also like the creaminess of an avocado sliver.  Fresh and crunchy romaine lettuce is also one of my favorites, but I also like to add some steamed spinach for a softer and warmer taste.  Adding bean sprouts and/or alfalfa sprouts will also give your salad some more crunch and a unique taste.
5. Protein – Don’t just stop at vegetables.  Adding beans, hummus, tofu and tempeh is a good way to get some protein in your salad.  And of course, you can always add some tuna, grilled chicken, egg whites or a hard boiled egg.  This extra protein will also help to keep you fuller longer.
6. Get Creative – Salads can be pure vegetables, but I like to also add items like ricotta cheese, nonfat or lowfat cottage cheese, dried fruit and chopped nuts (I like to stick with just a sprinkling).   Some of my other creative favorites are salsa, pumpkin purée, grilled eggplant, grilled portobello mushrooms, broken up pieces of melba toast and guacamole.  With items such as cottage cheese, salsa and guacamole, there’s enough moisture and taste that I usually use them as dressings.  And don’t forget that fruit is also a great ingredient.  Just think sliced strawberries, a handful of grapes, some blueberries or even a few kiwi slices!
7. Herbs and Seasonings – Don’t forget the spice!  If you have some fresh herbs on hand, like some parsley, cilantro or basil, throw them into the mix.  Also, sea salt and cracked pepper (obvi) are a nice way to season your salad.  I’ve been to known to add garlic powder and/or adobo powder to my salad.  It gives it a nice kick!
8. Omegas – We probably all want to add more omega 3’s and 6’s into our life.  So, why not sprinkle some ground flax seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and/or walnuts to your salad (again, I like to add a light sprinkling here).
9. Dress it up – While I’m not the biggest salad dressing fan, I know I’m probably in the minority.  Try out some different dressings (just be sure to use it sparingly) – it might make your salad taste completely different from the day before.  Also, try making your own salad dressings.  With some mustard, olive oil, vinegar and some salt and pepper, you can have your own healthy and homemade dressing in no time.
10. Make it pretty – I like to arrange my salad in a way that it looks like art to me.  Instead of just plopping the ingredients onto your dish, make it look fancy.  Presentation is key!  Also, don’t stick to the same plates, bowls, dishes or utensils.  Jazz things up and use your fine china!
11. Speed – Since all of these items won’t last forever in your fridge, be sure to make and eat your salad.  I know that when there’s some wilting lettuce leaves in my fridge, it pushes me to eat my veggies versus reaching for a non-perishable item.
12. Enjoy! – Once you’ve finished making your salad creation, take the time to enjoy it.  I like eating my humungo salad not only because it tastes good, but because it takes me a good 15 minutes to eat it.  Unlike a sandwich that I can motor through in less than five minutes, a salad takes me more time to chew and thus, to savor.  Because there are so many different textures and different items going on in my salad, it gives me the chance to slowly eat and digest what was on my plate.

There you have it.  There are some shots of some of the various salads I’ve created, eaten and enjoyed over the past few weeks.  And I have to honestly say, I looked forward to eating each and every one of them!   There’s nothing like being able to ‘pig out’ on a salad, and then having a full, yet energized feeling afterward.  I may not have always been in love with the giant plate of fresh produce and greens, but now I’m a huge convert.  I guess you could say, “that Healthy Chow… she’s an easy lover…”

What’s your favorite song from the 80’s?  Or, do you have any tips for making a fun and healthy salad?

Namasté,
Nicole

***Do you like product giveaways?  If so, check these out…***

There is a Bondi Band giveaway at Silly Tater Tot .  It’s the same cute head band that Katy wore while running
in her 5k the other day!

Also, Nicci at Nicci’s Nifty Eats is giving away crunchy crackers and flatbreads from Doctor Kracker. They sure look good!

Do you ever assume you’re doing something right and you keep doing and doing it until finally one day, you have this inkling to check and you’re totally wrong?  (No?  No one?  Tap, tap, tap, is the mike on?…)

Well, I had one of those moments happen to me the other day and I was completely taken by surprise.  I love eggplant and have always enjoyed making eggplant parmesan, sautéing it and adding it to my pasta dishes and mixing it into a casserole dish.  However, I never knew that it was necessary to ‘prep’ the eggplant before actually cooking it.  My eggplant tasted good (to me, anyway), but something told me that it just wasn’t quite right.  It was either too greasy or had this sort of bitter taste.  But I guess you know what they say when you assume.  Not that this is such a huge tragedy and I made such a grave error, but after poking around online the other day and reading this article, someone finally arrived to a well-lit home.

It was as if the final piece of the puzzle had finally clicked in.  I never knew it was common practice to partially peel the eggplant, I just always thought that people were trying to give their eggplant more of a decorative look.  And the bitterness that I often tasted in my eggplant dishes, I just thought was more of an issue with the eggplant I selected versus my being able to do something about it.  The greasiness I figured was just from me being heavy handed with the olive oil and the other ingredients I was using in that particular recipe.  Nope!

After reading this article, I was quite eager to make a dish with eggplant so that I could put these tips to the test.  I wanted a recipe that would be on the lighter side and one that would showcase the eggplant.  Eggplant parm (or anything parm) is a sure favorite of Healthy Chow’s but sometimes with all the breading and cheese, it’s hard to actually taste the eggplant.  And, I wasn’t quite in the mood for a casserole-like dish just yet.  That said, I decided to make classic grilled eggplant.  It’s healthy, can be added to anything and everything and very simple (plus, I had all the ingredients on hand – bonus!).

If you’re like Healthy Chow and you’ve had less than stellar eggplant in your recipes, I’ve made a quick little tutorial on how to properly prep your eggplant.  And if you’re unlike Healthy Chow and prepping your eggplant was already part of your cooking repertoire, then this will be a refresher for you.

Make Your Eggplant Go from So-So to So Good:

1) Start with a clean eggplant.  Thoroughly wash and dry your eggplant as you would any other fruit or vegetable.

2) Then, with a vegetable peeler, peel off some of the skin.  You want your eggplant to end up resembling a zebra.

3) Next, cut up your eggplant in about 1/3 inch slices.

4) Lay your eggplant slices out on plates, a drying rack (I don’t own one) or in a colander.  I used my new cutting boards.  Then, generously salt your eggplant slices (have no fear, you’ll be rinsing the salt off later).

5) Now, go catch-up on your Google reader for an hour or so as your eggplant sits in the salt.  Or, go for a speed walk and sweat it out as your eggplant does the same.  Check out those beads of sweat…

6) After you and your eggplant are a sweaty mess, rinse your eggplant under cold water to remove the excess salt (feel free to shower yourself as well ).  You’ll want to sandwich each slice (or a few slices) between your hands to squeeze out all the water.  Don’t be afraid to really press down; it’s important to get out all of the moisture.  This will help in resulting in less greasy eggplant.  Then, lay out the slices between two layers of paper towels and give them a pat down for the final step in the drying process.

7) You’re now done!  Your eggplant has been prepped and it’s now ready for any recipe of your liking.

As I mentioned previously, I decided to grill my eggplant.  But before grilling it, I decided to make a quick balsamic marinade.

For one medium sized eggplant, I used:

• 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar, Trader Joe’s brand
• 1 TBSP of olive oil
• s&p
• 1 TBSP of chopped garlic (or more if you <3 garlic)
• few shakes of garlic powder
• few shakes of dried basil
• pinch of brown sugar (or dried sweetener of your choice)

1) Get all your ingredients into a large bowl and give it a good stir.

2) Drop your eggplant into the marinade and let it sit for at least 30 minutes (more time for you and your Google reader).

3) After your eggplant has finished marinating, turn on your indoor grill (or you can bake them in the oven).  I used my beloved George Foreman grill.  Make sure to wipe up as much of the marinade as you can with the eggplant slices before dropping them onto the grill.

4) Let your eggplant sit on the grill for 3-5 minutes.  My eggplant wasn’t sliced too thick, so it didn’t take long for it to cook.

5) In a few hot minutes (literally), you’ll end up with this…

I don’t know if sexy ever left, but if it did, those grill marks definitely brought it back…

Paired with a humungo salad…

So so so so so so so good!

So I know prepping the eggplant requires a bit more work than just slicing and sautéing/grilling it, but it’s totally worth it.  My eggplant was cooked to perfection.  There wasn’t a slight hint of bitterness or greasiness.  Plus, because all of the moisture was taken out in the salting and drying process, my eggplant stood up quite well in my George Foreman.  At times when I grill vegetables on my George Foreman, they can end up a bit soggy or mushy.  Not in this instance – the eggplant was firm and almost had the consistency of a piece of meat.  Because all of the moisture was taken out, my eggplant was full of flavor from the marinade and not greasy from the olive oil.  This was  such a good way to bulk up my already large and in charge salad!

I still can’t believe I spent all this time not knowing about prepping an eggplant.  I was honestly taken aback when I stumbled upon this information.  It goes to show that there’s a whole wealth of knowledge available online (hint, hint)…

Random question: What’s your favorite item you buy at Trader Joe’s?  If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s in your area (I’m so sorry), what item do you read about most that people love from Trader Joe’s?

Namasté,
Nicole

HAHA!  I just cracked myself up with that blog post title (I know, why don’t you just go give yourself a pat on the back?!).

Anyways, I keep reading about ‘broccoli slaw’ all over the food blogosphere in places such as here and here.  I’ll have to admit, I was a bit hesitant at first.  While I’m certainly NOT a picky eater and will pretty much eat everything anything that is put in front of me, I’m not a fan of coleslaw.  It’s odd to me.  Maybe it has to do with the fact that it’s usually drowned in mayo (and not the good kind like the Hellman’s Mom used to buy but the not-so-miraculous Miracle Whip)?  Maybe it’s because it always came all warm and soggy on my plate?  Or maybe it’s because someone told me once that restaurants made it out of the rancid lettuce and cabbage leftover from the day before’s meals?  Whatever the case was, I never liked it.

However, broccoli slaw is not the same thing as coleslaw and if everyone else is raving about it, maybe I was the one missing out?  I mean, it is just broccoli, carrots and red cabbage.  These are all things that I like and things that are good for me.  So what was I waiting for?  After all, I was always told as a child to try everything once.  So, a week or so ago when I was at the grocery store, I picked up a bag of this:

I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to do with my new purchase.  I guess I could mix it in with one of my humungo salads?  Or perhaps shove some in a pita pocket for some added crunch to a sandwich?  Then, a light bulb went off.  I decided I would face my distaste for coleslaw head on.  I decided to make my own ‘lighter’ version of coleslaw.  Here is what I came up with:

-1/3 of the bag  or 3 oz. of broccoli slaw
-2 heaping TBSP of nonfat yogurt (I used Trader Joe’s European Style Nonfat Plain)
-1 TSP of dijon mustard
-a glug of red wine vinegar
-1 TSP of honey
-black pepper

Get yourself a small bowl and mix all of the ingredients except for the broccoli slaw and black pepper.  Mix until everything is well blended.  Taste and adjust ingredients accordingly.  Then, mix in your broccoli slaw and turn to coat.  Sprinkle with pepper.  All done.

Because the yogurt is more liquid-y than thick, my broccoli slaw served as a dressing for the rest of my salad.  Alongside the slaw, I had romaine lettuce, baby spinach, chopped plum tomatoes and cucumber slices.  I also had a yam that was about to bite the dust, so I peeled it and steamed it for an accompaniment to my salad.  I then melted some Smart Balance Omega-3 Light and drizzled that over my yam.

Wow, my salads are gettin’ all fancy on me…

The yam didn’t want to get left out of the ‘fancy pants party’…

All together now…

Paired with a frosty glass of seltzer water…

The verdict?  It was pretty good!  Nothing at all like the coleslaw that came in those clear dixie cups that I used to turn my nose at.  Plus, it was a much healthier version sans the greasy mayonnaise.  Because the dressing was so light and subtle, I could still taste the flavors of the vegetables.  The crunch was still there, too.  It was a nice added texture to my sometimes ‘boring’ salads.  I would definitely buy this again.  It’s an easy and healthy way to bulk up my salads and/or sandwiches and might even be good steamed a bit and eaten as a hot side (ok, why does Justin Timberlake now come to mind?).

Are there any foods that make you cringe?  Do you still dislike them or have you given them another shot?

Namasté,
Nicole