I go through a love-hate relationship with quinoa. I’ll go through phases where I make a batch every week and eat it up for quick lunches or dinners but then I’ll go months without making it.

After a pretty long quinoa dry spell, I needed something enticing to bring it back into my life. And I decided that something would be quinoa spring salad.

I combined cooked quinoa with a bright vinaigrette and then topped it with sauteed leeks and asparagus with some salty feta cheese and shrimp for extra protein and flavor. It was delicious! Since most of it can be made ahead of time, it is perfect for rushed weeknight dinners or packed lunches.

I know a lot of people prefer sweet things for breakfast, but in my opinion, there is nothing better than eggs for breakfast.

They are healthy.

Pretty cheap. (My husband wishes I would buy the really cheap ones, but I refuse).

So very versatile.

And they definitely don’t need to be limited to breakfast. (I will admit that I eat them so frequently for breakfast that they don’t make an appearance for lunch or dinner very often, but I’m working to change that).

Eggs are pretty perfect on their own, but there are ways that you can make them even better!

• purchase Organic or Free-Range Eggs
• add vegetables! Think veggie-filled omelets, frittatas or eggs served over greens (a personal favorite)
• combine with a whole grain. Serve with some whole-grain toast, or over brown rice or quinoa with sauteed veggies.
• eat the whole egg! There are loads of vitamins and nutrients in eggs and they are usually found in the yolk.

Egg Recipes to Try:

• the perfect hard boiled egg
• baked egg boat via spoon fork bacon
• anaheim scramble 
• parmesan baked eggs via pinch of yum
• eggs benedict salad via epicurious

 What is your favorite way to eat eggs? 

Kitchen24 is quickly becoming one of my favorite restaurants in West Hollywood.

It has a lot going for it – it is within walking distance, has a great outdoor patio and a whole list of fun, creative drinks. Oh, and the food is delicious. (Although, I just discovered this past weekend that they have very few appetizers which is too bad – I love appetizers).

Richie and I went for breakfast on Easter Sunday, I was there for lunch a few weeks ago with a friend from yoga and then we visited with my friend (and baby!) who were visiting last weekend for an early evening snack. So far, everything has been great. The California Eggs Benedict was ridiculous and the Cahuenga Chopped Salad was everything I wanted it to be.

I tend to go through salad phases – I’ll make and eat a salad until I get sick of it and then I’ll have to move on. So this chopped chicken salad, inspired by the one at Kitchen24 has been my latest phase.

All of the flavors and components I need in a salad are there: a combination of greens, salty feta, briney olives, protein-rich chicken, flavorful bacon, crunchy cucumbers and apples all tossed in a tangy balsamic dressing.

I have always loved a good egg salad. I mean, I absolutely love eggs so it is only natural for me to love them in every form. When I came across a recipe for a Cucumber-Basil Egg Salad on the epicurious app (do you have it? you should!) it just sounded like my new favorite egg salad recipe.

The basil and cucumber add a fresh flavor to the egg salad and I decided to use a blend of mayonnaise and greek yogurt after it worked so well in the spring chicken salad. It is the perfect egg salad for spring and summer. Serve over greens with bread or crackers.

When it comes to Anthony Bourdain, most people fall under the love or the hate categories.

(source)

I am one of the people who love him. Yes, he can be a little rude, a little crass and sometimes a total ass, but I find him to be completely real, very unapologetic and totally hilarious. In fact, if I had to choose one person to have a drink with, it would be him.

When you have a drink with Anthony Bourdain, you are most certainly going to eat some delicious food as well so it really is the best of both worlds.

During his new show The Layover, he stops in LA.  He stays at the Chateau Marmont (his favorite hotel in the world) and visits a number of restaurants – Korean BBQ, Mexican dives, etc. and we scribbled down every spot he visited. The next day we found ourselves at Ham Ji Park celebrating my birthday with Korean BBQ. The rest of the restaurants are added to the ridiculously long “LA Restaurant List.” Breakfast though, he made for himself in the kitchen of his private bungalow. It was a simple egg recipe – bacon & chive scrambled eggs.

I love it when chefs share their standard meals, and especially when they are nothing more than simple elements that come together in a very delicious way.  This was no exception – it is an easy egg recipe that has become a staple in our home. 

Obviously bacon and chives are the perfect pair for eggs and the addition of sour cream at the end of cooking ensures that you’ll have creamy, silky eggs – even if you over-cook them!

Southern California is known for its lack of real seasons, and I hear time and time again, “I just could never live without the change of seasons.” To which I reply with, “Yes, I know. Seventy-five and sunny most of the year is awful.”

I might miss the seasons (fall and spring only) at some point, but I haven’t noticed yet – I’ve been enjoying the weather just the way it is.

But now that spring has arrived for the rest of the world, it is time to embrace all of the lovely spring foods and produce.

This Spring Chicken Salad is wonderful – it has the bright and light flavors that we love in the spring and is so versatile – serve it over greens, on toasted bread, in a wrap or even mixed into pasta salad! I hear scooping it straight of the bowl with crackers is also delicious…

The inspiration came from Bon Appetit’s Three Pea Chicken Salad – I wouldn’t have thought to add peas to chicken salad on my own, but it was such a wonderful addition. I’m hooked! As an added bonus, this recipe is on the lighter side, without tasting anything like it. Greek yogurt replaces most of the mayonnaise but it isn’t evident at all, in case you live with someone who doesn’t like greek yogurt like me.

Is it really April? I’m still not convinced.

Coffee: I started with some coffee + 1/2 & 1/2 but just wasn’t feeling the coffee so switched to some green tea. Some days that happens – I have no idea why.

Breakfast: I hadn’t had eggs in a few days so I was craving them. Eggs and toast is probably what I would consider my standard/favorite meal to be – anytime of the day! I never get sick of it. Yesterday I had, sourdough rye bread + earth balance + 2 eggs.

I had a busy day of work, spring cleaning and prepping for an exciting interview – cross your fingers!

Workout: This really isn’t a “workout” but I wanted to move a little (but didn’t feel like actually working out) so I went for a short walk to pick up  a few things at Whole Foods. (1.5 miles) The weather in LA was absolutely gorgeous – it felt so good to be outside!

Lunch: Vegetables were, uh, lacking this past weekend so I was needing produce in my life! I had an apple while putting everything together.

Salad: mixed greens + blue cheese + nuts + dried cranberries + champagne viniagrette.

Side: bowl of kale sauteed with coconut oil.

Snack: 2 cups of Movie Theatre Popcorn from Trader Joe’s. I love my popcorn.

At about 6pm I decided I should do my taxes – normally I get them done right away in February, but I’ve been putting them off, mainly because I thought it was going to be a huge pain this year, but it really wasn’t. I have two small glitches to work through and then they are done! (Let’s hope the “small” glitches are just that)!

Taxes –> Wine!

Dinner: One of our go-to meals of late has been turkey meatballs (Trader Joe’s) with marinara. I usually serve mine over greens or vegetables instead of pasta because I never miss the pasta and I’d rather eat really good pasta than average pasta.

kale + 4 turkey meatballs + marinara + green beans

 And 2 ginger chews to finish the night off!

Have you done your taxes? Please tell me I’m not the only procrastinator!

I hope you all are enjoying my simple & healthy meal ideas. The whole purpose is to give you meal ideas that are delicious and nutritious while at the same time satisfying your family and going from the kitchen to table in less than 30 minutes.

Todays meal, Sausage & Peppers, is one that you can go in many different directions with. Richie loves it over pasta, I’m a huge fan of it stuffed in bread, but you could also serve it over brown rice or even use it as a pizza topping or in a calzone.

Serve with a fresh side salad for a complete meal.

The process is fast and simple:

1. Prepare grain component if necessary.
2. Grill or saute sausage, slicing after grilling or before sautéing.
3. Saute peppers, onions and other vegetables, sliced into bite size pieces.
4. Top with “extra flavor” if desired.

Grain:

• brown rice
• whole grain pasta (or a whole grain/white blend)
• sub roll
• on pizza dough or wrapped in it for a calzone

Protein:

• chicken sausage
• pork or blend sausage
• veggie sausage

Vegetables:

• bell peppers
• onions
• mushrooms
• spinach (thrown in at the last minute to quickly wilt)

Extra Flavor:

• marinara sauce
• roasted or canned tomatoes
• parmesan cheese
• smoked mozzarella cheese

Hello Friends and Happy Spring!

3.20.12

Coffee: Still on the 1/2 & 1/2 kick…

Breakfast 1: 1 packet instant oats + 1 Tbsp almond butter. I ate about half of it as I was leaving to work out shortly after and needed something, but didn’t want too much.  Pretty ugly and very boring!

Workout: Today I checked out up dog fitness, a yoga and cycling studio in my neighborhood. I’ve been wanting to try it out for a long time and I saw a groupon last week so I grabbed it! I took a great 45 min spin class. It was part motivational speech/part gospel church/ part gay dance club all rolled up into a spinning workout. It was fabulous.

Breakfast 2: egg + kale chips (sample from Expo West) Kind of random, but kind of like greens and eggs!

Lunch: 1 can tuna (with touch of mayo, onion, celery and shredded cheese) broiled on 1 slice sprouted bread + salad (romaine, arugula, olive oil, red wine vinegar, raw parmesan cheese, salt & pepper) + raw sauerkraut

Snack 1: small apple x 2

Snack 2: I had to take a few pictures (so embarrassing) so we had a photo shoot and wine on the roof!

Dinner: I didn’t have anything planned for dinner so we decided to finally check out the sushi restaurant around the corner. We’ve been a little nervous because it always looks empty, but I think we’ve been looking too early. I’m still not really used to the later dinner life of LA. (I’m used to my 5:00 happy hours, which really don’t occur here).  I’ve also been a little nervous that we would like it and then want to go all of the time.  It was about 8pm by the time we went and the restaurant was pretty busy and continued to get even busier as we were there. I had another glass of wine (rebel) and we shared 5 rolls that were all delicious. I kind of want to go back tomorrow for lunch…

 I’m snacking on a square of dark chocolate and getting ready for bed. Have a great Wednesday!

Sometimes I get really excited about dinner.

You do too?

Oh good!

This was one of those dinners. I had a recipe from Bon Appetit that I was dying to try and I just knew that my husband would love it. He did. (He told me about 4 times)!

The chicken was cooked perfectly (something I rarely do!) and the crunchy, cheesy topping was delicious. The recipe comes together very quickly – perfect for a weeknight meal that feels special.