I love my husband.  And while I know he loves me, I know he also loves his food.  Patrick will try and eat anything I make.  He has his favorites, he’s been the guinea pig for some of my ‘not-so-ordinary’ creations and he has even compared one of my dishes to tasting like fast food (but in a good way!).  But sometimes, Patrick just wants what he wants.  And sometimes, Patrick just wants a cheeseburger.

Image Credit – cafepress.com

Now, don’t get me wrong; there’s nothing wrong with a cheeseburger.  In fact, I enjoy eating them myself.  However, I can’t remember the last time I had a real cheeseburger.  I usually opt for a turkey burger or a veggie burger.  I think the last time I had a beef burger, it didn’t quite agree with me and thus, I’m now a bit leery.  So the thought of having a burger for dinner, would not be my first choice.  But the last time I ‘denied’ my husband of a meal, the restaurant ended up shutting its doors.  Lesson learned.  That said, we were off to satisfy Patrick’s craving.

Four Burgers is a cute little restaurant located in Central Square, Massachusetts, that serves, you guessed it, four different kinds of burger.  I first heard of this burger joint on the Phantom Gourmet, and I remember the rave reviews it received.  Since I’m a believer in the Phantom and this restaurant was only about 10 minutes away from our house, we figured we’d give it a go.

Cute, huh?

Notice the four circles?

This is such a fun and cozy place!  The four burgers that Four Burgers serves are all natural beef, vegetarian, turkey and wild salmon (they also had a lamb burger on special the day we were there).  I loved the decor and how the ‘four burger’ theme carried throughout the restaurant.  In addition, I really appreciated Four Burgers’ mission: To become the most “unique” and “original” burger concept in the market by providing top quality burgers and service. We are dedicated to making burger lovers out of everyone! Four Burgers also has some admirable core values.  Some of my favorites are that they use only the freshest, high quality, local products whenever possible, and they are mindful of their impact on the environment and the community.  And if that isn’t enough, their menu didn’t look so bad either.

Who needs a bigger menu?

Patrick took all of two seconds to figure out what he wanted to order (grass-fed, all-natural beef hamburger with cheese, lettuce, tomato, bacon and mushroom).  I couldn’t decide if I wanted a turkey burger (with apple & cranberry chutney, lettuce, tomato) or an organic vegan black bean burger.  They both sounded beyond good, but finally, I decided to go the meatless route.  And of course, no burger meal (meat or veggie) would be complete without a side order of french fries.  But in our case, we ordered what Four Burgers called, the ‘half & half’, which was half regular french fries and half sweet potato fries.  In our case, the side was more of an entrée!

So how did our burgers taste?  One word.  Phenomenal.  I’ve had my share of veggie burgers, and this one was one of the best I’ve had in quite some time.  It was flavorful, moist, thick and filling.  And, it was green in tint!  I’m guessing this was from all the fresh herbs that were inside.  My veggie burger also came with lettuce, guacamole and salsa (I could have also ordered it with mango BBQ sauce) all within a fluffy whole wheat bun.  While I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner, Patrick was on cloud nine with his.  To quote him exactly, “This is soooooo good!  The burger is juicy, has a slight char-grill taste, which you know I like.  And, the bacon is crispy.  You know how I like my crispy bacon!  I can’t believe we didn’t come to this place sooner!“  Um, yeah.  I think it’s safe to say Patrick really liked his dinner.  And what about the fries?  Perfection.  Both the regular french and the sweet potato were so, so, delicious!  I really hate to admit this but, we polished off the whole plate.  They were so worth it!

YUM!

My black bean burger close-faced…

And, open-faced…

Patrick’s ultimate cheeseburger…

Look at all of those layers!

Drooling…

Patrick and I give Four Burgers, four stars and four thumbs up!  The atmosphere was excellent, the food was excellent and the fact that they only use the highest quality ingredients and are environmentally sound is excellent.  We couldn’t have been more pleased with our meal.  While the menu was simple (in addition to the four burgers, they also offered an all natural hot dog, a mesclun greens salad, as well as a few sweet treats), the taste was nothing short of extraordinary.  But then again being able to provide great food with friendly service, coupled with a good conscience, doesn’t have to be complicated.

Pretty cool, huh?

(these might be the noisiest chairs on the planet!  just sayin’…)

What’s your favorite kind of burger?  What toppings do you like to put on your burger?

Namasté,
Nicole

Life as a food blogger is so hard…

Yeah right!  When Shannon invited me to her cookie swap, I was so excited that I practically yelled at my computer screen.  I had never been to a cookie swap before and the thought of attending one with local food bloggers was enough to make me jump for joy.  I immediately replied yes to Shannon’s email (after all, she can’t hear me yelling through my computer) and began my search for the ultimate cookie recipe.

Image Credit – newenglandcoaching.com

But finding the ultimate cookie just wasn’t as easy as I had anticipated.  Do you know how many recipes there are out there?  Holy moly!  And because my blog is called ‘healthychow’, I wasn’t sure if I should make a recipe that was ‘guilt-free-esque’ or if I should just throw that idea out the window and make a cookie that was fully indulgent, fully fattening and chock full of calories.  I didn’t want to stress over this little matter, but I also wanted my first cookie swap recipe to be pretty darn good.  But then I realized, cookies are cookies and the whole point of a cookie swap is to be able to taste a vast array of these baked goods and to see and appreciate all kinds of recipes.  So, I just went with my gut (lame pun intended) and baked the cookie that sounded the best to me.

Finally, the day had arrived!  I was so happy all day Sunday before the swap.  I’m not sure if it was because I just love a good party or if it was in anticipation of all the yummy treats I was going to be consuming.  Whichever the case was, I was psyched by the time I reached Shannon’s door.  Shannon’s home was cute and cozy and so inviting.  Because Shannon literally lives down the street from me, I was able to burn off a few calories while taking my brisk walk over to her house.  I felt that if I could burn a few calories before consuming a few thousand, it was better than nothing.  Right?

Image Credit – foundation.wchob.org

I can’t believe the amount of cookies!  There were a total of 10 guests at the party, meaning there were going to be 10 different kinds of cookies and each guests was going to be taking home about 3 – 4 cookies of each.  Ummm, that meant we were all going to be taking home a shiz-nit load of cookies!  Oh.em.gee!  Among the guests were Shannon (obvi), Adrienne, Mary-Kate, Elina, Tina, Kerstin, Kelly, Rebecca (Shannon’s friend who was also present at my apple picking adventure), Bridget and me (another obvi).  I was so impressed!  Each of the cookies present were so unique and had their own individual flare, much like the guests and their respective blogs.  I was in blogger and cookie heaven!

Cookies galore!

And so we wouldn’t go into an immediate cookie coma, Shannon, being the wonderful host that she is, provided us with some delicious snacks.  After all, it wouldn’t be appropriate to just eat cookies all afternoon…or would it ?  We all slowly nibbled on the savory finger foods in order to prep our bellies for the main event.  Everything was so tasty and I wanted so much to eat more of the snacks, but I knew I had to save room.  It’s a good thing I wasn’t wearing a baggy pair of stretchy sweat pants!

Salmon mousse with crackers and cucumber slices

Coconut-chai almonds (made by Shannon – so good!), smokey bacon potato chips (brought by Elina), mini pear, walnut and Gorgonzola quiches (made by Shannon – loved the sweet and savory combo!)

The guests of honor:

Cookie Dough Truffles by Kelly and Chocolate Crinkle Cookies by Elina

Lime Meltaways by Adrienne

Maple Toffee Bacon Cookies by Shannon

Break-up Bars (Chocolate Caramel Bars) by Rebecca

Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Bars by Tina

Black and White cookies by Mary-Kate

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars by Kerstin

Lemon Almond Cranberry Crescents by Me

After we devoured sampled all the various types of cookies and packed up the rest to take home, we let our sugar highs slowly come down by playing a round of Foodie Fight.  This was a Trivial Pursuit type of game that only involved questions about food.  How perfect!  We took turns reading off questions and answering them until we were able to fill all the ‘pies’ (hahaha!).  I couldn’t believe how tough some of the questions were, but even more so, I couldn’t believe the party guests actually knew the right answers.  Needless to say, we laughed a lot and learned a bunch and fortunately, we didn’t eat anymore cookies!

Mary-Kate and Kerstin

Shannon reading some trivia questions

Bridget, Tina and Kelly

Kerstin, Adrienne and Elina

If you couldn’t already tell, I had a blast at my first cookie swap.  Shannon gave a great get-together (that’s a lot of ‘G’s’!) and was a gracious host (one more ‘G’).  I had so much chatting it up with the ladies and of course, tasting all of their heavenly creations.  Even though this was a cookie swap, we also traded laughs, smiles and stories that I’ll be sure to remember for quite some time.  And while I may have eaten more cookies than any normal person should on one given day, I would never swap this good time for anything else.

My loot

I’m having a serious sugar overload at the moment (oh yes, I had more cookies today!).  Do you have any tips to help me snap out of this? I think I am going to drink some hot water with lemon…

Namasté,
Nicole

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

Remember that scary moment a few weeks ago when there was that pumpkin shortage?  Well, thankfully, that rough patch is over and Libby is back!  Life can now resume, as well as fall baking.

However, when the shortage was still going on in full force, I became desperate and decided I was going to look for another gourd to gussy up my gastrointestinal goings-on (how’d you like that one, Sarah?).  I had read so much about the kabocha squash in the blogoshere like here, here, here and here, that I knew I just had to try it.  I love me some gourd and orange fiber, so I knew this was going to be right up my alley.  Plus, if I didn’t end up eating it, it was a super cute fall decoration for my home.  Resourceful (or ‘ree-zource-full’ as I heard someone saying the other day), eh?

But just finding this darn thang was a project in itself!  I looked at various grocery stores, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Russo’s and I could not find this squash.  I saw some things that resembled the kabocha, but none were actually called ‘kabocha’.  Then, I was enlightened by the ever so lovely and intelligent, Katharina, who mentioned to me that kabocha is also referred to as ‘buttercup’ squash and that if I was having trouble finding kabocha, the buttercup is a very close cousin and tastes pretty much the same.  DUH!  I think I’ve seen the buttercup at just about every store I visited and never once did I think they were the same.  Jeezums.

After purchasing my squash-y and bringing it home, I realized that I had to cut it before I could have the chance to savor its sweetness.  But just how do you cut into this tough skin?  I mean, I have some good knives (OK, they probably could be better), but I’m not sure if they could handle cutting through this harder-than-diamonds outer shell.  Armed with the help of my friend (aka Google), I believe I found the easiest way to tackle a kabocha.  You can read about it here.  Or watch it live (not really) here:

Kutting and Kleaning a Kabocha:

1) Wash the green guy thoroughly.  I used my trusty Veggie Wash and sprayed it generously all over the kabocha.  Then, I massaged the kabocha and gave it a good rub down for about 30 seconds.  Once cleaned, I gave it a good rinse and dried it off.

2) Using the tip of a sharp knife or a large and sharp fork, begin making several cuts/stabs/pricks all over the kabocha.  This will help to allow steam out of the kabocha while cooking and will help to avoid an explosion in your microwave.

3) Once covered in small punctures, place the kabocha in the microwave and microwave on high in increments of two minutes.  I cooked mine for a total time of six minutes.  It’s ready when the skin can be easily pierced with the tip of a knife.

4) Be careful when you take the kabocha out of the microwave.  It’s going to be very hot!  I put on my oven mitts after trying to be a hero and grabbing the kabocha bare-handed and failing miserably.  Or, you could be patient and wait for the kabocha to cool down before handling it.

5) Once cooled, cut the kabocha.  You can cut it in half or be like me, and cut it into thirds (I’m not quite sure why I did this).

6) With a spoon, scoop out the seeds and the fibrous stringy pulp.  You can toss the seeds if you want, but they are divine in their own right and can be a scrumptious snack.  Start cutting the now softened green skin off from the lovely orange flesh (imagine what you’d do with a butterNUT squash).  Or, you could leave the skin on, as some like to eat the skin as it is highly nutritious.

7) You can then slice your kabocha into whatever shape you would like.  I chose to cube mine since I wanted small, bite-sized pieces.  You could also cut it into crescent moon shapes (think cantaloupe smiles).

8 ) You are now free to do whatever you want with your kabocha.  Imagine that?  To see what I did with my kabocha, keep reading…

Spiced and Roasted Kabocha

1) After my kabocha was kut, kleaned and kubed (did you see what I did just there?), I coated all the pieces in about a tablespoon of olive oil.

2) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  In a big bowl, I mixed together a million few spices and seasonings.  I used a generous amount (lotsa shakes) of the following: cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon, dried cilantro, ground ginger, onion powder, paprika and ground black pepper.  And a pinch of brown sugar and sea salt.

3) Mix the olive oil coated kabocha pieces in your spice/season mixture.  Make sure the pieces are evenly coated with the mixture.  Then, on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil (spray the foil with cooking spray), spread out your kabocha in a single layer.

4) Bake your kabocha for 20-25 minutes, turning half way through the cooking time, or until your kabocha starts browning at the edges.  Enjoy the orange goodness!

The baked kabocha comes out sweet and soft, quite similar to a butternut squash, but has a more earthy, nutty taste.  It also seems to hold its shape better than a butternut during the baking process and has a less fibrous (stringy) texture.  I absolutely loved it!  While I had a hard time stopping myself from munching on the cooked pieces straight off the baking sheet, I managed to save some for some future meals and dishes.  BTW, cooked kabocha tastes great cold right out of the fridge.  It’s almost like a dessert…a healthy and low calorie dessert!  In addition to it being a cold and sweet treat, I used my cooked kabocha in a series of fast and convenient dishes.  Wanna know how?  Keep reading…

Kreamy Kabocha Pasta

After cooking and draining about 2 cups of whole wheat pasta (and reserving a cup of the pasta water), I added a big handful of baby spinach to the pot with my cooked pasta.  Once the spinach cooked down, I mixed in about a 1/3 of a cup of nonfat ricotta cheese.  Because the pasta seemed a bit dry, I added a few splashes of the reserved pasta water to loosen it up.  Then, I added a 1/2 of a cup of cannellini beans, salt, cracked black pepper, garlic powder and dried parsley.  I mixed that together until well-blended and then added some of my cooked kabocha.  Since the kabocha is already cooked, it just needs to be warmed.  Once everything has been warmed together, serve immediately and top with parmesan cheese.  Hmmm, hmmm, good!

‘Omelet’ the Kabocha Take Over

If you liked the pasta dish but don’t want to be weighed down with all those extra carbs, why not try making the same dish in omelet form?  I made my omelet by pouring a 1/2 of a cup of egg whites onto a small heated frying pan.  Once the egg whites started bubbling, I added a few dashes of salt, cracked black pepper and adobo powder.  Then, I dropped down a handful of baby spinach and a few of tablespoons of nonfat ricotta cheese.  As soon as the spinach started wilting down, I added a few cubes of my cooked kabocha.  Once everything was heated through, I folded over my egg whites.  After another few minutes of cooking, the omelet is done.  Transfer to a plate and top with some salsa.  Ta dah! Kabocha with some added protein, minus the extra carbs.  This is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  I loved it!

Hooray! I finally did it!  I am so glad that I finally tried the kabocha squash and was successful at prepping it and cooking it.  I have a tendency to shy away from the things people rave about and the things that seem to be the latest trend (remember this post?).  However, kabocha was just too good to resist (sorta like Justin Timberlake IMHO).  I love the versatility of this squash and the fact that with or without the seasonings and spices, it still is wonderful (just like Justin).  Perhaps opening up a can of Libby’s is a bit more konvenient than kleaning, kutting and kooking up your own gourd, but then again who wants konvenience when you can have kabocha?!

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post when I show you part II of My Little Buttercup, the Kabocha…

Have you tried kabocha squash yet?  If so, what is your favorite way to prepare it?

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

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!

I’m not going to apologize, because as we all know, nobody’s perfect.  Plus, we are all human and as humans, we have cravings and temptations.  I am certainly not perfect and I am human.  Phew! Glad I got that off my chest…

So the other day, I had this overwhelming desire to pig out.  I wasn’t having such a fab morning and I felt like I needed to stray from my usual lunch of a gigundo salad.  I wanted some grease and no, I wasn’t hungover.  I just felt like being a ‘bad girl’.  I know, this is supposed to be a ‘healthy lifestyle’ blog and all, and you’re probably saying, “you wanted to turn to food for comfort?”  The answer is yes.  I know I probably could have gone for a long walk or called a friend and grabbed coffee but I wanted to eat.  And eat is what I did.

I wasn’t sure what I was going to have but I wanted to eat something that I wouldn’t normally eat on a ‘regular’ day.  I figured I would start walking down the street and once I saw it, I would instantly know.  At least, I thought I would know.  Holy crap on a cracker, was I wrong!

It was as if I was caught in the crossroads.  You would have thought I was making the biggest decision of my life.  I mean, the Bachelorette had an easier time picking out her man than I did that afternoon picking out my lunch.  There I was – standing in the middle of the street.  Was I going to have my all-time favorite super chicken burrito from Anna’s Taqueria or was I going to get a healthier option from b.good?

After all, they were directly across the street from one another.  It’s not as if I had to walk any farther.  Like I said, total crossroads – as if I were a character in a cartoon…

Image Credits – CATS

I love me a good chicken burrito slathered in guacamole, sour cream, gooey cheese, pico de gallo, dirty rice, black beans and spicy chicken all neatly tucked in a flour tortilla the size of Montana.  All those flavors blend so nicely together as if they were meant to be.  But those burritos usually kill me afterward.  I often times feel way too stuffed, bloated and filled with regret for eating so much.  But if I was going to have a splurge, wouldn’t this be a good choice?

Or, I could opt for having a healthier burger at b.good.  The food there is what they like to consider ‘real food made by real people’.  Their ingredients are all natural, their beef and turkey burgers are house-ground and hand-packed and their french fries are always baked and never fried.  While eating at b.good would probably leave me feeling better afterward, was it going to satiate my comfort food craving?

As I just stood there frozen, I really could not decide which route to take.  I think about five minutes had passed until Patrick said that we only had 30 minutes before he had to be back home for a conference call and I really had to make up my mind.  So, I just closed my eyes and allowed my stomach to choose.

I picked… (or rather, my stomach picked…)

I figured since both restaurants served food that I liked, I couldn’t lose either way.  Plus, selecting a ‘healthier’ option would have left me feeling physically and mentally better post-consumption.  Plus, if I was going to go to b.good, I could have a veggie burger and fries and still be eating a more nutritious meal than if I had a chicken burrito at Anna’s.

Luckily for my stomach (which was growling at this point) and for Patrick, I had a much easier time choosing what I wanted to eat at b.good than I did choosing a restaurant.  I went with the West Side veggie burger with baked french fries and an unsweetened iced tea.

At b.good, you can order either a beef burger, turkey burger, veggie burger or chicken sandwich.  They also have salads, sides such as baked french and sweet potato fries, crisp veggies or a seasonal vegetable that’s organic/local, milkshakes that can be made with ice cream or nonfat yogurt and fruit shakes that are made with nonfat yogurt and fruit juice.  The nutritional value of b.good’s menu can be found both online and at each table.  I really enjoyed that; there’s nothing wrong with being fully informed.

My West Side veggie burger was delicious!  It came with avocado, cilantro, tomato and chipotle salsa all on a whole wheat sesame roll.  The burger itself was soft yet still slightly chargrilled, full of seasoning and quite filling.  I loved how the burger itself still had taste and that it wasn’t the ingredients on top that gave it its flavor.  If I closed my eyes, I would have thought I was eating fries fresh from the fryolator.  They were hot, salty and just what I needed to quiet my screaming french fry craving.

My lunch hit the spot and gave me the comfort I needed without the discomfort I didn’t need.  Usually, when I eat ‘poorly’, I end up feeling sluggish, queasy and sorry.  But with this meal, I felt great.  I felt as if I made a wise decision and while I said earlier that I was going to let my stomach decide, I really went with my head.  I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch and left feeling emotionally better as well.

My lesson learned here was that there are always other options to choose from when a choice has to be made – you just have to want to look.  There would have been nothing wrong with choosing a super chicken burrito that afternoon and I’m sure I would have really enjoyed it.  But, I learned that if you just take a moment to fully understand your craving and what your body really needs versus surrendering immediately to temptation, you might make a different decision than you think.  After all, instead of choosing to eat bad, you might be like me and choose to b.good!

What's better than starting a company with your best friend?

If you can't tell, this place used to be a gas station with a garage

What do you do when you have a craving?  Do you fulfill it or do you try to tame it?

Namasté,
Nicole