Sunday Pranza Al Fresco with the Family

Does it get any better when you are having an al fresco lunch with your family? NO! But if you're having delicious food, a great bottle of red wine and laughter with your family...it pretty much is heaven on earth! Today Angela and Stefano started out by serving FRESH ricotta that we served on bread drizzled with olive oil and salt and pepper, grilled eggplant, Italian meats and cheeses and olives. It was wonderful. Sundays are for families and I have the best in the world!

Now...you're asking how I did this if I am still living my "healthy lifestyle?" Well, let me tell you that I worked out with Emily Reynolds today. She is on the cover of "Fitness Gurls" magazine this month. Wow!!! We went up to Carlsbad and worked out a couple blocks from the beach. She practically killed me. Great butt and thigh workout! It's all about balance!

Eggplant Caponata or as we Sicilians say...Caponatina

If I say so myself...THIS IS AMAZING!!! Hands down, my family and friends go CRAZY for this dish. It is pretty much a staple in my house. I can't keep it around very long. I used to fry the eggplant but NOT ANY MORE! Actually, I have thought about roasting the onions and celery too but I am taking baby steps to adjust this recipe because it is just so good. I will say that I don't eat the bread with it anymore. I slice up carrots on the diagonal and they look and taste great with it. Once through the lips...forever on the hips. I have worked too hard to get to my size 6! Nothing like the taste of feeling thin! Oh...I serve this at room temp. If, for any reason, you might have some leftovers, you can serve it as a pasta sauce or in my case....over some tofu shiratake noodles. My father is definetely going to turn over in his grave with that last "tofu noodle" remark.

Caponatina

Eggplant is sometimes a vegetable that you either love or hate. I love it. It has a pleasant, somewhat bitter taste and a spongy texture. When you add the ingredients that follow to this dish you will absolutely be amazed at how wonderful this vegetable is to your palette. The nice thing about this dish is that you can freeze it and use it a million ways. Try it on a sandwich as the spread, as a side dish, or a topping for bruschetta. Just let your imagination go! This makes approximately 4 cups so you will have enough to last for awhile! Just try it.

Ingredients
2 eggplant (chopped into cubes)
¼ cup olive oil (divided in 2 increments)
3 onions (finely chopped)
3 ribs of celery (finely diced)
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup of currants
1/4 cup capers
1 cup green olives (finely chopped)
2 tablespoons white vinegar
6 oz can of tomato paste
3 tablespoons sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon oregano

Place eggplant on cookie sheet lined with foil and dabble with olive oil. Roast at 400 degrees until lightly browned and soft. Coat sauté pan with olive oil and sauté onions and celery until caramelized. Don’t add more oil, just add water if you need to cook them more. Add pine nuts, currants, capers and green olives. Stir. Add vinegar, tomato paste. Add cooked eggplant. Sprinkle in oregano and sugar. Season with salt and pepper. It should have a sweet, yet savory taste.

Happy 4th of July!

Had a fabulous weekend with my family! Jogged, swam, and worked my tail off with weights. Now...the bad news! Had sangria, margaritas and wine! Was it worth it? You know it baby! The best part was being with my family and friends the whole weekend. I am the luckiest girl in the world!!! The good news is that for appetizers today I served carrots with capanatina which is an eggplant tapenade that is delicious, some jalapeno yogurt dip and olives and cheese. DO NOT ASK ME WHAT I MADE FOR DINNER! Ok...you know I can't lie! I HAD A PIZZA PARTY! My grandkids got to make their own big sheet pan of pizza and boy, did we have fun. I sauteed bulk sausage, had sliced pepperoni, tons of different cheeses and other toppings. The kids had a ball! A nice salad and some baked pasta and OMG... I love living in the US of A!

Recipe for Capanatina will be up tomorrow!

Sugar on Sunday? Why not?...but now it's MY WAY!

NO, NO, NO! I have not given up my HEALTHY LIFESTYLE! But do I still need a little Sugar on Sunday? Well, yes... in some form or another. And of course, it's after morning mass.

This recipe is from Emily Zaler. She is a fitness model, author and CEO of the EZ Whey Protein Powder, LLC. I heard of her through the webseries that I am on ... Art of Fitness. It airs next month...HURRAY!!! Boy, do I look different!!! Check out the trailer on the network,

Healthy Power TV.

Her recipes are AMAZING. I will meet her next month at Natalie Jill's house (my trainer) and then we will be best friends, I'm sure!!! She is absolutely gorgeous but more importantly than that, she bakes with this new addiction that I have acquired...PROTEIN POWDER. It completely satiates you and is so versatile. You know that I have been mixing it with Fage yogurt for a dessert for quite some time but baking with it? Well, here is the recipe for the...

Chocolate Peaunut Butter Cups

1 Scoop Chocolate Protein Powder

1 Tablespoon Natural Peanut or Almond Butter

3 ounces water

1-2 packets of Stevia ( I use Splenda)

Optional...a little cocoa powder

Blend all ingredients together and freeze in muffin ins for about an hour or until solid. They pop out just like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups !

Yes...hell yes...THIS IS PART OF MY HEALTHY LIFESTYLE!

A martini you say? YES...a martini I say! If you freakin' think that I am going through this

"TRANSITION" without an occasional martini...you better sign on to another blog!!! My attitude, and it seems to improve with a little bubbly, is 80% of the time I am on track with no alcohol at all but a little Vodka (which comes from potatoes) is not going to kill me every once in a while. But to be honest, let's talk about what it does to your body...

First, the way alcohol is absorbed by the body is different. All other foods and drinks are digested, converted and transported to cells and tissues. Alcohol goes directly to the blood stream. About 20 percent of the alcohol is absorbed (into the bloodstream) through the stomach walls and about 80 percent is absorbed through the small intestine. They are empty calories, meaning you get all the calories with little or no nutritional value.

You know, I'm not going to say another word because I just think that I popped my own balloon!

Dammit! I hope that I still even go to the birthday party tonight after this post!!!

You Need to Move to Lose...Then have a HEALTHY BREAKFAST!

START the day off RIGHT or END the day doing something wonderful for yourself that relates to your new HEALTHY LIFESTYLE!!! I am so fortunate to live in an amazing city where I can feel like I'm on vacation even though I have lived here my whole life! Had a great jog yesterday down at San Diego's Embarcadero! What a high!! Smelled the salt of the ocean, listened to the "out of towners" rave about San Diego and had my little babies and daughter by my side! Can life really get any better? Normally, I would say no but right now...HELL YES! But this is a good start! Today I will start the day with a bowl of Fage Nonfat Greek Yogurt with some blueberries and because OF COURSE, I have to have a little sweetness...I had a teaspoon of SPLENDA's brown sugar mixed in! (Don't tell my trainer and nutritionist on the show, the Art of Fitness. Show should air in about 4 weeks) They are NOT into fake sweeteners! I am!

Like they are not going to see this post! Oh well...Who has lost almost 30 pounds? You know it!!!


Have a FABULOUS, HEALTHY and HAPPY day!!!

Tofu Pasta with Chicken? Don't knock it til you try it!!!

Ok, now before you make the assumption that I have totally lost it, just listen!!! This is pretty darn good. The GREAT part about this "noodle substitute" is that for an 8 ounce portion there are only 40 calories, 1 gram of fat and 6 carbs. I thought...ARE YOU SERIOUS? A regular 8 ounce portion of pasta is over 200 calories and at least 40 carbs. I'm telling you...this is amazing! You have to remember to rinse the noodles really well so the "TOFU" smell is gone. Microwave the noodles in a bowl for about 3 minutes and then dry them with paper towels. Add about a tablespoon and a half of either mascarpone cheese or cream cheese, another tablespoon and a half of Jalapeno yogurt (you can buy this at Costco) and a handful of grated Romano cheese. I added some roasted chicken for the protein. Fresh cracked pepper adds a nice touch, too. Almost a spicy Alfredo sauce. Really! I am eating a whole different way now that I am on the "Art of Fitness" show and I need to be creative. This is something I'm proud of for sure!