Healthy Chicks

Whenever you find yourself in need for a quick lunch, whether you are running late to work or rushing to get the kids ready to head out the door, it’s always a good idea to access what you already have. Before you go out and spend $15 on an over-priced salad or sub, consider putting your leftovers to use first. It may not always come out pretty, but I can guarantee you’ll save money, feel good about what you’re putting into your body, and perhaps invent a new favorite recipe. Hey, you never know!

Here’s what I concocted this afternoon when crunched for time:

{sorry, this pic was taken from my Droid. Told you, I was pressed for time}

about 1/2 c. leftover brown rice spaghetti + few tablespoons of all-natural garlic marinara sauce + steamed broccoli & spinach from last night’s meal + a few baby bella mushrooms + 1/4 c. chickpeas + touch of freshly grated parmesan cheese + dash of garlic powder & black pepper

And there you have it. A lunch made in minutes. What’s your favorite way to put leftovers to use? Have you ever created a new favorite recipe based on a leftover combo? … Read More!

If food really is the way to a man’s heart, I knew I had better be making my man the meal of all meal’s this past weekend. The Boy recently had a loss in his family, and rather than buying him an Edible Arrangement or a prewritten Hallmark card, I decided to get my little butt in the kitchen. I know just how much fresh garlic & seasonings, red wine and a home-cooked meal made with TLC  can really mean (far more than any cliche gift in my book), and well that’s what I wanted to do.

So I thought, and I thought and I thought and I thought.

What would be extra special? What would really show how much I care?

And alas, the idea was born. It started out with a CD my sister had given me a while back filled with authentic Italian dinner music. Italian theme it was!

And then came the menu that I designed, printed out and placed aside the table settings with the card I had written him. Ristorante Di Amore or shall I say, “Restaurant of Love.” Here’s a mini preview below:

Primi (First Course): Field green salad with assorted vegetables; … Read More!

Today I enjoyed one of those Sundays that encompass what all Sunday’s should be like, yet are not most of the time. Instead of  spending the day rushing around in the hustle bustle that is Boston, googling/blog-stalking/blogging/researching on my Mac, or psychotically trying to cross off every single thing on my to-do list while cleaning the apartment AND cooking all while glued to my Android nonetheless, I decided to just be.

I spent the morning sleeping in until (oh my!) 10:30, eating “breakfast” at 11:30 and a absolutely delicious blackberry banana smoothie (kudus to The Boy for being smoothie master) at two for an afternoon pick-me-up. I had absolutely no agenda, and it felt incredibly refreshing.

The rest of the day was spent enjoying time with The Boy’s family watching old episodes of Three Stooges on VHS tapes, laughing our faces off, and sharing stories. I decided to shut down my computer, put my phone in the other room and just be present (something I’m desperately working on improving).

We even caught a 4 p.m showing of Contraband (with Mark Wahlberg) fully equipped with a large popcorn and all. These are the kinds of things weekends should be made of, … Read More!

[source]

“All around the hair is healthier, I’m healthier and my clients are healthier.”

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting with Marcus Sederstrom, the face behind My Stylist Marcus, at Salon Red on Newbury Street. With his impeccable style and witty charm, Marcus may seem like an ordinary Boston stylist at first glance.

However, once the conversation begins to flow, one realizes that there is quite the story behind that charm. While Marcus has been in the hair industry for 15 years, he just recently came back from a five-year leave while battling Lymphoma (cancer of the lymphatic system).

During recovery, Marcus realized that he desperately missed his days as a stylist and interacting with clients, but didn’t want to work in an environment filled with toxins and chemicals all day long. Right then and there, he decided he needed to make some changes for his health, and his clients’ health.

Now Marcus proudly provides his clients with natural, certified organic cleansing, styling, color and even keratin treatments. “It’s the cleanest of the greenest products available,” he said with a smile. “All around the hair is healthier, I’m healthier and my clients are healthier.”

While describing … Read More!

[source] Got leftover pesto hanging around the house? Try this easy peasy recipe!

Remember how I told you all that I’m a huge fan of experimenting with new recipes? Well, this afternoon my sister had the brilliant idea of making use of my grandma’s homemade pesto we had stored in the freezer. (Sidenote: freezing pesto is a super practical way of making it last longer, while keeping it fresh and tasty. My grandma taught me a little trick to freeze in ice cube trays for individual servings.) Once I knew pesto was on the menu, my little brain started to ponder.

After a trip to Whole Foods, I decided we’d incorporate some all-natural chicken into tonight’s meal. And peas. And penne. Alas, dinner was planned.

Here’s what we used for tonight’s easy supper*:

*makes about 4 servings

• 2 c. brown rice penne
• 1 large boneless skinless chicken tenderloin, all-natural & raised without antibiotics (organic is best – I got ours at Whole Foods)
• 1/2 can sweet peas, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 c. frozen spinach, organic
• 1/4 c. homemade pesto (may adjust according to taste)
• 1 1/2 TB olive oil
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• salt  & pepper

How many of you tend to let your dreams and envisions for your “ideal life” get the best of you at times? Well, trust me you are not alone. You know what they say, we all want what we don’t have. But what about stopping to think once in a while what you do have. And not in the cliche kind of way. Of course, we are all grateful to have food on our plates, some sort of family and a roof over our home.

I’m talking about the things we have that we don’t realize we have; the things that were once merely on our “want” list.

I personally tend to think about the “what ifs” and the “dont’s” from time to time, primarily when it comes to the oh so scary future, financial issues and career opportunities. However, whenever I find myself getting like this I try to remember that many of the things I now have (a loving boyfriend I wouldn’t trade for the world, a happy & healthy relationship with my body, a super cute North End apartment) were once on my “want” lists.

You see, many of those hopes and dreams from months/years/decades ago are … Read More!

Happy Friday loves! Hope your weekend is off to a good start so far. Today I took myself on an amazing date to Whole Foods, where I stayed for a good portion of the afternoon. I had a lot of work to get done today, and most of it I could do without the internet, so I decided to unplug from my Mac for a solid 4+ hours. However, I did bring an old-fashioned notebook and my IIN iPod in order to catch up on my latest lectures for nutrition school.

I loved everything I learned about today, from the pros, cons, and logistics of soy products to lessons of healthy eating from cultures years ago, like eating REAL, RAW butter and cheese and consuming all natural meat and fish products (fat and all) for nutrient optimization.

It definitely helped that I was listening to my lectures while eating a delicious, wholesome meal from the Whole Foods’ salad bar. My plate included lentils, spicy chickpeas, raw pumpkin seeds, salmon salad, roasted mushrooms, quinoa and feta among some other samplers. I absolutely love the different variations you can make at Whole Foods, and if I could I would go there … Read More!

We’re all guilty of over-reacting, analyzing, and dwelling on “the little things” at times. You know exactly what I’m talking about. Your heat bill is $100 steeper than normal, you can’t find your left high heel that you JUST. NEED. TO. WEAR. FOR. THIS. DATE, your face broke out in a massive eruption of pimples, and work is sucking lately. Bad.

Hence, we think “everything sucks.”

Does this sound familiar? We all do it, and I myself am a huge victim to dwelling on those little, tiny annoying things that seem really, really big at the time. Take today for example. I woke up and felt “off” from the beginning of the day. I then immediately went for my Mac to get a little internet in me, only to find out that my internet was down. Turns out the modem broke (somehow) and the Comcast dude couldn’t come until after 6 p.m.

Suddenly I was irritated. Angry. Mad. Over the freakin’ internet. I mean, c’mon Rach, get a grip. (That’s what my rational self would have told my “crazy” self at the time). This anger only led to more “little things” like a stupid fight (well, more like a tiff) … Read More!