Terroni: Los Angeles

The apps are awesome, service is great, and don’t forget to end your meal with the il Chiostro beer. This grilled fish was pretty good, but the pine nuts in the ratatouille were a bit overpowering for my taste.

7605 Beverly Blvd

Santa Fe: Farmer’s Market

This morning, my parents and I got up and headed down to the Santa Fe farmer's market. This nationally recognized market has been going since the sixties, and all of the produce is locally grown.
My favorite part: all of the samples and the opportunity to take in the local flavors!

Best glasses I’ve seen all week; Old Pecos Foods’ Green Chile Mustard- great with pretzels, but I can’t wait to try it on grilled chicken; Soften skin and smell great with Milk and Honey soaps and lotion bars (even if you can’t escape corporate logos!); Wind chimes made by local artisans.
Old Pecos Foods
Milk and Honey's Site
Crumpacker's Catering and Pastry
Farmer's Market Site

Red Chile Apricot Cornish Hens with Apricot Almond Wild Rice

Easy and delicious! All I did was rub a couple of cornish hens with a little olive oil and some red chile, stuff them with apricots and pop them in the 350 degree oven for an hour and fifteen minutes. For the rice, I just threw in some chopped dried apricots, a little (low sodium) chicken broth, and put some almonds in in the last 10 minutes of cooking. Spicy and sweet… like all good things in life!

Simple and Healthy: Boiled Crab and Shrimp

There’s nothing better than a good meal that’s healthy and easy to make! Avoid the butter, and season crab legs and shrimp with Old Bay and use cocktail sauce for dipping. Add some oven roasted asparagus and a baked potato on the side, and you’ve got a feast!

New Work Out: The Wave

My mom has at least twenty different workout DVDs, so a great part of coming to Santa Fe is that I get to test them all! Perusing through her collection, I was intrigued by this contraption called "The Wave."
A device from the Columbia, SC based fitness company The Firm, the Wave promises fast results using their core-strengthening device. Like most people, I'm all about instant gratification, so I set up for the thirty minute express workout.

As a person that enjoys frequent workouts, I was a little surprised to be challenged. Yes, some of the steps were a little tricky, but nothing that doing the video a few times couldn't cure. If you can decipher the super Southern accents (which just remind me of home!) and giggle through the Stepford-like smiles of the instructors, it's actually a great workout. The best part? I felt the post-workout burn throughout the day yesterday, and woke up with little to no soreness. All the better to do it again!

For more info, check out The Firm's website: http://www.firmdirect.com/

Model Breakfast: Pancakes

You might remember these from my post on breakfasts. Well, I finally made them again, and wanted to include a photo of how they should look! Egg White and Oatmeal “Pancakes” topped with low-fat yogurt and blueberries. Great tasting and easy to make, these pancakes are full of protein and fiber to keep you feeling full.

“Pancakes”
Recipe Care of Lorraine Lopez
2 egg whites
1 serving of quick cooking oatmeal
Mix together, heat up a nonstick skillet, spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Put the mixture on the skillet, cook like you would a pancake, flipping when the sides start to pull up.
“Pancake” will turn golden brown when done.

Santa Fe: Chicken Green Chile Tamales

Believe it or not, from Whole Foods. You can stand there and watch as a lady fills and steams them. You can choose from Chicken Green Chile or Pork and Red Chile, and she’ll throw them in a bag for you to take home. Simply delicious.