Food

Grilled Chicken MarbellaBaby Spinach & Roasted ZucchiniSpaghetti Squash I love the message I got from Kiki Heinzer, CEO and founder of KLEAN LA this week: “Low-carb diets are so 2000! We are all becoming more educated on the benefits of eating a diet of balanced, whole foods.  The use of complex-carbs in the Klean program plays a very important role. Carbs are our body’s main source of energy.  If you completely eliminate carbs from your diet, your body breaks down your precious lean muscle for energy instead.  The less lean muscle you have, the fewer calories you burn at rest and the slower your metabolism gets!  This means you have to work ...Read More
Greek Chicken Salad with Romaine, LentilsPomegranates, Walnuts, Mint Balsamic Vinaigrette If you come to my house and enter the kitchen, on the counter you’ll see a huge (and I mean huge) container labeled “VIRGIN DIET.”  Usually people do a double take and wonder what exactly I’m doing and (usually the men) make a joke asking if I know that ship sailed for me a long time ago. Ha ha ha. I reassure them that I’m not becoming a nun but in fact trying to follow a diet created by JJ Virgin. The Virgin Diet calls for eliminating 7 things: Soy, corn, gluten, dairy, sugar and artificial sweeteners, eggs and peanuts. Sounds cray ...Read More
The other day, a friend told me that I’d make the perfect “1965 wife.”  Some women might find this to be offensive, but me, nah… I’m a full time working gal, with a plate so full and a life so busy. So the fact that I cook, clean, raise a child and sit patiently during tackles, touchdowns, and all things end-zone, kinda makes me feel like a badass. While I’m still the “not so queen of it all,” I actually feel proud that I have figured out a way to be “domestic” too. It may not look perfect, it may not always be pretty, but I can certainly try to be a little ...Read More
This morning, I intended to share this delicious Giada DeLaurentiis Eggplant Capanata recipe and sort of brag about the fact that I am “woman hear me roar” because I’m making an Thanksgiving appetizer that will also double as a fantastic leftover dish to add to pasta (okay, so I still kind of roared). But right as I started to craft the post and upload my ever so stylized and glamorous iPhone -push the mess aside so it looks just like Pinterest minus the blur photos, I remembered the date:   Exactly one year ago today, I went to Haiti. One year ago today, (which happened to be the week after Thanksgiving), I ...Read More
Is this fancy iPhone work, or what?! As if life isn’t hectic enough, (and that doesn’t include wedding planning), I’m hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year for 23 people. Thankfully, everyone is bringing a dish, so all I have to do is cook the turkey (hi, mom), and make the table look pretty (hi, Pinterest). Needless to say, this past week has been a little crazy. In an effort to stay sane (and healthy) during “go, go, go time,” I’ve been leaning on some “go to” recipes that I know I can whip up easily.  Some of my go-tos are meatloaf, crockpot turkey chili, shredded chicken tacos and takeout ...Read More
It seems like every Monday, I’m on a hunt for a recipe that is sort of a one stop shop– a recipe that I can get all the ingredients literally in one shop, put them all in one pot, and walk away. However, not only is this crock pot-codependent relationship hurting the feelings of my 5qt Le Creuset pot (I’m not bragging, I’m just saying it’s really pretty), but it’s starting to bore Jonah and Peter to tears: There’s only so much shredded chicken tacos and turkey chili a man/boy can take. Luckily, a few months ago, I went to New York and had the opportunity to cook with the very ...Read More
Even with my busy schedule, I can always find a reason to throw a party and hang with the girls. In honor of the Season finale of “Project Runway,” Sugar and Charm’s Eden Passante and I, invited some friends over for a “So Good Moms’ Night and served up some delicious treats inspired by Yoplait Frozen Yogurt.  Watch to see what we serve and (most importantly) what we wear ! > “Project Runway” airs Thursdays at 9/8c. Don’t miss the season finale on October 17.
This post is sponsored by Nestlé, which compensated me to partner with California Pizza Kitchen® frozen pizza and share news about the “Adventures in Entertaining” campaign this summer. As a person who likes to party and entertain, you can imagine how over the moon I am about the fact that I’m engaged (to the man of my dreams, no less), and get to plan THE party of a lifetime. Weddings are no easy feat. I realize this. However, thanks to Pinterest and all things bridal, I’ve gathered dozens of ideas, inspirations, and, of course, DIY projects that I’m bursting at the seams to do. The summer is ...Read More
This post is sponsored by Nestlé, which compensated me to partner with California Pizza Kitchen® frozen pizza and share news about the “Adventures in Entertaining” campaign this summer. If you asked most of my girlfriends what would be their idea of the “perfect night,” I think most of them would say, (in this order): “Babysitter or Husband puts kids to sleep, get together with best girlfriends, drink wine and eat delicious food… and someone else does the cleaning.” Well lucky for them, I got to facilitate that night… And pretty much in that order.  I decided that hosting a girls’ night of ...Read More
05.16.13
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“Annie” themed Birthday Party. Age 6.  Growing up, almost every birthday party I ever had was at the same park. In fact, to this day, we call that park (a park I take my son to play at frequently), the “birthday party park.” While you might think a birthday party at a park is a standard fête, let me tell you: You don’t know my mom, and you certainly don’t know the kind of parties this woman knows how to throw. Entertaining always seemed natural for my mom. Every spread (even the simplest) seemed elaborate… Colors were coordinated, food was themed, delicious, and plentiful, décor and tables were precise and exquisite, and all ...Read More