Elle MacPherson & Mango Sorbet

While I was on vacation, away from my day to day reality, my life turned into one big cheat week.

I had deliciously greasy Mexican food in fab, hole-in-the-wall restaurants and super rich Greek food at Petros in Manhattan Beach (If you are ever in the neighborhood, sit at the bar and order the prawn saganaki, greek salad and the organic California Pinot Gris. Amazing!).

Enchiladas, burritos, fish tacos, calamari…On and on it went. Occasionally I would throw a cold-pressed juice, salad or big, juicy watermelon into the mix but mostly I ate whatever the heck I wanted with zero guilt.

But America is different than Canada. Admittedly, we have big portions here but the US of A takes it to another level with Godzilla size meals. I noticed this daily as I ate my way through Southern California. Especially, when on the way home from the beach one day, my friend Tammy did an ice cream run. I asked for a small chocolate and she returned with a huge, two scoop cone. When I questioned her about the size of my ice cream cone, she said that it was the smallest size. Oh God! I thought and then proceeded to eat it all.

I came back to Canada full, sluggish and wearing uncomfortably tight jeans.

And then I saw this:

“If I look at pictures of when I was young, my smile wasn’t even genuine, because I was so wracked with self-consciousness. Now I look at my pictures and I think, “Yeah, that’s where I’m at. That’s who I am. I’m not 20, I’m 50. I’m comfortable.” – Elle MacPherson

Read article here.

Okay, I realize Elle MacPherson has super-gorgeous, super-model genes. But she’s 50 now and great genes will only take you so far. Elle is a woman who looks like she’s been taking wickedly good care of herself for a long, long time. It’s not that we should all aspire to look just like her but I love seeing people in the media who prove that we don’t have to fall apart as we age. Especially when they do it without any trips to the plastic surgeon’s office. I saw an interview with Elle M. on TV shortly after reading the above article and she looks seriously un-botoxed. Her face is showing a bit of aging but it just makes her look like a lovely, natural, sexy surfer girl of a certain age…which is exactly what she is.

Anyway, this photo has inspired me to get off the enchilada train and back onto my healthy eating path with a mini, juicy cleanse. And while I’m cleansing, Elle’s bikini photo is going to be on my fridge for inspiration.

Another thing that is going to be on my cleanse is this delicious mango- banana sorbet.

Mango Banana Sorbet

• 1 cup of frozen mango
• 1 frozen banana
• Dash of cinnamon
• Splash of coconut milk

Place all of the above in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.

Because, even on a cleanse, a girl can’t live on liquids alone.

 

 

Yoga & Martinis

Shade Boutique Hotel in Manhattan Beach was my home away from home in California and I feel like I could have happily stayed there forever. I truly mean that. When I was a teenager the most glamorous life I could imagine, and would constantly daydream about, was the life of a writer, in a big city, living in a luxury hotel room. I still think I would be incredibly happy living that life, especially since it includes daily maid service.

My dog and I both enjoyed Shade’s perfectly glam roof deck. I loved the morning yoga classes…

And the Nickster enjoyed lounging by the pool, drinking cucumber water and deciding if he should bark at the other guests.

The daily, complimentary breakfasts were amazing…

But the real jewel of this hotel is it’s lobby bar-restaurant, Zinc. This is a cool little spot where you can end the day sipping a craft cocktail, chatting with the bartender and getting to know the other guests. My favourite fellow guests were two sisters from Atlanta. They were drinking wine and laughing every time I saw them and were in town to get a little botox and fillers in Beverly Hills. Just a touch so they could go back home looking “refreshed”.

There were a lot of delicious cocktails at Zinc but my absolute fave was the sweet and cool Cucumber- Pear Martini.

The Drink at Zinc

• 2 oz. Grey Goose pear vodka
• 1 oz St. Germain elderflower liqueur
• one peeled slice of cucumber, muddled in the glass
• lemon lime juice (organic citrus fruit, agave syrup and water to taste)

Instructions:

• Muddle cucumber in the bottom of a martini glass
• Shake (or stir) remaining ingredients with ice
• Pour over cucumber

Voila! A perfect cocktail.

Oh, and then there was the food…

Shade Hotel

1221 N Valley Dr Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

1 310-546-4995

Wordless Wednesday: Sun Sand Surf

Fishing with Dynamite

Urban Dictionary – fishing with dynamite: Phrase used to describe anything that can be accomplished easily.

My LA friends were buzzing about a restaurant called Fishing with Dynamite and told me that it was a “must visit” while I was in town. Sue of Birgerbird happened to be one of these friends so we decided that lunch at FWD would be the perfect way to meet up in the offline world.

The morning of our lunch I was flipping through Angeleno magazine and saw that an FWD platter called The Mothershucker had made their top 10 list of dishes to try in LA. A good sign. A little later someone I was chatting with on the beach also told me how amazing the restaurant is and that I had to try their raw scallops. I had never had a raw scallop in my life so I smiled and nodded but thought….maybe.

That afternoon I strolled into the restaurant full of anticipation and I found a cozy, comfy room, full of light and filled with the scent of delicious seafood. The restaurant also had a cute sit down bar area where one of the patrons had brought his parrots in to have a drink with him. I bee-lined to the parrot.

After hanging out with my new parrot friend for awhile, it was time to find my table and Sue and get down to the serious business of eating.

The menu was divided into an old school section of traditional seafood dishes and  a new school section of either unusual items from the ocean or fusion dishes for the adventurous palate. I was craving raw oysters (which are full of anti-aging zinc btw) and feeling adventurous, so it was new school for me. To start, I had sweet, succulent Kusshi oysters from my very own province, BC. Then came the adventure. Apparently sea urchins or “uni” are all the rage in California and our server raved about the dish. So I ordered uni along with the raw scallops my beach friend had recommended. And this is what appeared…

When I posted this photo on Facebook, my friend Tammy commented. “I saved one of these the other day by helping it back into the ocean. Never did I imagine, at that time, that it could be lunch.” Fair enough. It’s appearance does not make you immediately think “Food!”

So, the scallops were sublime with a ceviche-like flavour and the urchin was very interesting with both a buttery texture and seafood flavour. Definitely worth a try if you’re looking for a new taste sensation.

Lunch at FWD was everything I had hoped it would be. A lovely atmosphere, delicious, exotic seafood and a chance to get to know a very lovely and talented online friend in real life. What more could I ask for?

Fishing with Dynamite

1148 Manhattan Avenue Manhattan Beach CA 90266 – 310.893.6299

 

El Matador Beach, Malibu

 We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, we are going back from whence we came. – JFK

 There is a magic about the sea. People are drawn to it. People want to love by it, swim in it, play in it, look at it. It is a living thing that is as unpredictable as a great stage actor. – Cecelia Ahern

 I’m always happy when I’m surrounded by water, I think I’m a mermaid or I was a mermaid.

The ocean makes me feel really small and it makes me put my whole life into perspective… it humbles you and makes you feel almost like you’ve been baptized. I feel born again when I get out of the ocean. – Beyoncé

Project Save our Surf

California

My little furry sidekick and I just got back from a week of sun, sand and surf in California.

It was just what I needed with a ton of beach time, listening to the waves and feeling the amazing power of the ocean, a couple of days in Malibu with my friend, Tammy, and a lot of eating and drinking (I had my must-visit restaurants and farmer’s markets all lined up). I met up with one of my favourite food bloggers, Sue of Birgerbird, for lunch. And I even spotted Gene Simmons of Kiss, filming an episode of Family Jewels on the rooftop patio of my hotel. Since Kiss was the first rock concert I ever saw, when I was 14, I was maybe a little overly excited to see this now reality tv star.

Another thing I did on this trip was continue to unplug from my beloved Facebook, Twitter, WordPress, Instagram, and Pinterest (whew!) by leaving my laptop at home. Although I could still access my social media loves from time to time via my iphone, I was hardly online at all for the whole vacation and it felt amazing, like a true break. I spent my down time reading (no kindle, just old fashioned books) and writing (old school, with a pen and paper journal) and daydreaming on my balcony, watching the waves of the Pacific crash against the shore.

So, now I’m back home sweet home with a bunch of photos, a recipe or two and a few stories to tell…

Krokodile Pear

There’s a new juice bar in town and the sleek, all white space has become one of my favourite places to hang out and sip a delicious, organic smoothie or cold pressed juice.

It’s name is a play on words taken from a Mexican slang for avocado. In parts of Mexico avocados are referred to as alligator pears, so the owners changed the nickname slightly and Krokodile Pear was born.

Whenever I’m on my way to the beach and find myself in need of a raw, organic thirst-quencher, I stop by 1st and Cypress and get a juice or smoothie to go.

When you order a drink to go, for an extra dollar, it comes in a mason jar embossed with the beautiful Krokodile Pear logo that you get to keep and use over and over again. One of the reasons I love this establishment is their zero plastic policy. Unnecessary plastic is my number one environmental pet peeve (we all know about the Texas size plastic garbage patch floating in the Pacific, right?) and I love supporting businesses that care both about our health and the health of our planet.

But what I love them for maybe even more is their Capilano Smoothie. I can only describe it as bliss in a mason jar. It’s a combo of cucumber, celery, beets, apple, pineapple and lime juice blended with avocado and banana. Yum.

So good and so good for you. If you live in Vancity, check out Krokodile Pear at the corner of 1st and Cypress for some natural, cold pressed, juicy goodness.

True health is more than the absence of disease. Natural, organic food makes your skin sing, your sleep deeper, your waistline slimmer and  your mind clearer. – Krokodile Pear window art quote

Nigella’s Watermelon, Feta and Mint Salad

I love fresh mint. I love fresh mint so much that when I buy it at the market, I walk around carrying it in front of my face so I can sniff the tantalizing, minty aroma while I shop. Instant aromatherapy.

And, usually when I buy a big bunch of fresh mint, I either make mojtos with it or keep it in a mason jar, filled with water, on my kitchen counter, so the entire room smells minty fresh. But, oddly enough I don’t use it in many food recipes; my raw, vegan pea soup that I made a few weeks ago was the first.

So, I was perusing bad-girl chef, Nigella Lawson’s website the other day when I found this amazing, minty watermelon salad recipe and decided that it was time to do something with mint other than smelling it, drinking it and decorating my kitchen with it. 

Nigella’s Minty Watermelon Salad

• 4 limes
• 1 small red onion
• 1.5 kilograms watermelon (sweet and ripe)
• 250 grams feta cheese
• 1 bunch fresh flatleaf parsley
• 1 bunch fresh mint (chopped)
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 100 grams pitted black olives
• black pepper

1. Peel and halve the red onion and cut into very fine half-moons and put in a small bowl to steep with the lime juice, to bring out the transparent pinkness in the onions and diminish their rasp. Two limes’ worth should do it, but you can find the fruits disappointingly dried up and barren when you cut them in half, in which case add more.
2. Remove the rind and pips from the watermelon, and cut into approximately 4cm / 1½ inch triangular chunks, if that makes sense (maths is not my strong point). Cut the feta into similar sized pieces and put them both into a large, wide shallow bowl. Tear off sprigs of parsley so that it is used like a salad leaf, rather than a garnish, and add to the bowl along with the chopped mint.
3. Tip the now glowingly puce onions, along with their pink juices over the salad in the bowl, add the oil and olives, then using your hands toss the salad very gently so that the feta and melon don’t lose their shape. Add a good grinding of black pepper and taste to see whether the dressing needs more lime. Hava Negila! The taste of Tel Aviv sunshine!

I didn’t follow the recipe exactly, but close enough, and it was melt in your mouth, refreshingly delicious. A perfect light, summer dinner.

Oh, and the health and beauty benefits of mint:

•  Juice from fresh mint can soothe and calm skin that’s itchy or infected. You can also use it to help heal bites from mosquitoes, wasps and bees.
• Mint contains vitamin A and helps to strengthen skin tissue, reduce oily skin and clear acne outbreaks.
• Mint also helps upset or inflamed stomachs. When you feel sick to your stomach, drinking a cup of mint tea can soothe your tummy.

And watermelon:

• Fights dehydration. Made up of 92% water and full of important electrolytes, watermelon is perfect to munch on during hot summer months.
• Watermelon is also great for your skin because it contains vitamin A, and a high water content to keep skin soft and hydrated.
• Watermelon and watermelon juice have been shown to reduce muscle soreness and improve recovery time following exercise in athletes.
• Contains a ton of health giving vitamins, minerals and antioxidants but is incredibly low in calories.

 Mint and watermelon. Tastes amazing together and has a ton of health and beauty benefits too! What’s not to love?

 

A Life That Feels Good: Step One

 

Create a life that feels good on the inside not one that just looks good on the outside. – Unknown

Step One: Unplug

Ever since I started my Online Marketing studies last fall, I’ve been hyper-plugged into the internet and spend hours and hours online every day. On top of working on a computer most of the day at the office, I go home, walk the dog, eat dinner and then turn on my laptop and TV around 7:30 or 8pm (with my iphone resting right beside me, beeping periodically with notifications). I try to turn both off at 11pm but, more often than not, it’s midnight by the time I shut everything down. I usually plan on being online for maybe an hour or so and then I get sucked into Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and, of course, our wonderful WordPress. Before I know it, it’s 11pm and I haven’t even started my homework, so I do an hour of work online and then finally off to bed, with my eyes burning and brain racing.

Since I’ve started this routine, I’ve noticed my sleep has become, well, let’s say not restful at best and often I wake up exhausted. So, what do I do then? I make a ridiculously strong pot of coffee that gives me a quick, jarring boost of energy (with some jittery anxiety added in) and, boom, I’m stuck in a vicious, energy-draining cycle.

And, maybe even worse than my tired, bleery-eyed mornings, I’m worried that with all of my social media activity, I might eventually become one of those people who put more effort into their online image than their real, honest to goodness, life. You know, the ones who post constantly, usually about the fabulous places they’re going and amazing things they’re doing with hourly selfies to chronicle their adventures. Do we really even enjoy those amazing experiences if we’re almost compulsively concentrating on facebooking and tweeting and instagramming our every move?

I know it’s been scientifically proven that we all get a big hit of feel-good dopamine with all of those social media “likes” on our posts but we also get that hit of dopamine by connecting with the flesh and blood people we’re hanging out with too. But that only happens if we actually stop checking our smartphones and give ourselves a chance to connect with them (I’m really guilty of this bad behaviour too).

Anywayyy, I’ve decided it’s high time to take a step back and tackle this internet dependency of mine.

How will I do it, you ask? Like this:

1. One hour of laptop time in the evening.  No matter how enticing Pinterest and Facebook are, one hour only. No excuses. I’ll remind myself that social media sites will continue to thrive without my constant input.
2. Put my iPhone in a kitchen drawer. No social media/internet surfing allowed after 8pm. The phone will only be taken out of the drawer if someone calls and then put right back in again.
3. For the moment, no TV. I binge watched three hours of the Kardashians last Sunday and then watched a new show about horrific plastic surgery mistakes and addicts (the people who just won’t quit no matter how big their lips/breasts/cheeks get) called Botched and, by the end of the evening, I think I felt my IQ drop a couple of points. No more reality TV for me. My goal is to keep the television unplugged for the summer and, in the fall, decide if I plug it back in or not.

And what will I fill all of my “unplugged” spare time with? Music, reading, daydreaming and much, much more, of this:

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” – Eleanor Roosevelt