I stumbled upon a fabulous NY Times article about how people in the food business stay fit when surrounded by tantalizing food ALL day long! Read it and you might be surprised at how many food writers have had eating or body image issues throughout their life…I certainly was!
I just don’t know why some celebrities like to pretend staying in shape is easy! (urgg! this hits a nerve….or an eyeball roll at the very least)
Bet you didn’t know Padma keeps 2 different dress sizes on the set of Top Chef for when she starts putting on weight (typically 10 – 15 pounds) throughout the season. Padma said, “I just try to cut myself a break – I know I’m going to gain weight…in my job, I eat the most when I’m working the most.”
Her tips for staying fit are pretty standard, but true:
- Moderate what you eat
- Don’t panic when work makes you overeat or when you can’t work out (I like this one!)
- Pay attention to what you’re eating
- and…She’s also been known to pack a jump rope in her suit case while traveling
When the season is over, Padma’s version of detox is: NO red meat, NO alcohol, and NO cheese until she’s “back in shape”.
Her bag of tricks sounds pretty simple doesn’t it? Almost too simple! To all you foodie pro’s out there,
What would you add to Padma’s bag of tricks??
Here’s the link if you want to check it out yourself.
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Lazy Lady’s Breakfast
Now that it’s the summer, oats and oatbran have gone OUT the window for a while. A typical breakfast now is a big bowl of cereal with fruit on the bottom and a giant dollop of plain FF yogurt. I like the thicker consistency it makes the milk.
I know i have a hodge podge of cereals here, but my current FAVORITE is Kashi Go Lean with high fiber and high protein. It definitely holds me over better than the combo above – which is special K, Kix, and frosted shredded wheat. I Also have fallen in love with plain soy milk and frozen blueberries in the cereal mix.
*Dumb News Flash* frozen fruit makes the milk SUPER cold and SUPER tasty! It makes such a huge huge difference for me!!
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Mama’s Leftover Lunch!
My mom actually made a HUGE batch of food before she left, so all my brother and I have to do is whip up some vegetables on a daily basis.
I come home to something like this at lunch time EVERY da.
The top left hand corner is a plate that’s already had some goodies piled on top of rice.
You aslo have spinach stir-fried with garlic (SO much better than raw spinach, I promise!), soy sauce braised eggs, and a delicious Shitake & chicken dish that I shall feature right now!
3 Simple Ingredients, 1 AMAZINGLY flavorful dish
- Diced chicken tenderloin
- Shitake mushrooms (whole)
- Chopped carrots (with the skin on)
Everything goes into a big pot with soy sauce and a splash of oyster sauce. Add water. Cook until ingredients soften over medium heat. Remove from Heat. ENJOY!!!!
The best part about this dish? You can make a giant pot of it and leave it in the fridge to enjoy bit by bit! 🙂
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Di Pescara Dinner
For all you “Italian” seafood lovers out there, here’s a supposedly Italian seafood restaurant review for you!!!
Di Pescara (Italian) means “To Pescara” in English, in which Pescara is a both the name of the capital AND the name of the province of Pescara in Italy.
However, the food at the restaurant is more…More like a “mixed/halfie” babies – only 75% American and 25% Italian. You’ll see why…
I started with the Tuna tartar appetizer.
Thoughts: There was a thin layer of tuna stacked on top of a THICK layer of diced avocado. I wasn’t impressed with how roughly everything was chopped (you should see the size of the avocado chunks) and sorta thrown together, but the tuna marinade was Asian, and therefore yummy! The fried won ton’s that the tartar was served with was cold and stale. Disappointing for a $12 appetizer!
Nick started with the Crab Cake.
Thoughts: Finally! A crab cake filled with real lumps of crab (woohoo!) and it was seasoned perfectly, so Nick was one happy camper. Only complaint was that it was certainly a little bit greasy.
For my entrée, the Cedar Plank Salmon with a side of sweet potato!
Thoughts: The texture of the salmon was absolutely perfect…moist, soft, and flaky. It was however, lacking the “smoky” flavor that the waiter touted. Good thing I ordered that half a sweet potato, which was probably drenched for a week in super sweet syrup before it was baked.
I guess what upset me a little was that instead of a real cedar wood plank, my fish came on a cardboard wrapped with “cedar” paper, which you can get a box at WF for $5. NOT that there’s anything wrong with cedar paper, but even the Cheesecake Factory roasts and serves their fish on a real plank of cedar wood, so why couldn’t Di Pescara if they charge more??
Nick’s entrée was a half-and-half of BBQ ribs and king crab legs.
Thoughts: The crab legs were big and juicy, so no complaints there…you can’t really go wrong with a simple boiled crab leg dunked in butter, except the flesh was rather salty. However, the BBQ ribs were a huge huge disappointment. Dry and tough. Enough said. I guess that’s why you should never order American fare at an “Italian” restaurant.
Dessert of an Apple Crostada was shared between Nick and I.
Thoughts: This was a decent dessert. Overly hyped up on Yelp, but nonetheless, decent. If you love apple pie with a ton of crust, a TON of caramel, and a single layer of apple, this is the dessert for you. My favorite part must have been the vanilla bean ice-cream on top, and Nick took care of the crust. I believe there was in total three slivers of apple.
RATINGS:
Taste: 3.5/5 (No mind blowing dishes, just solid)
Originality: 4/5 (Lots of dishes to choose from…not exactly Italian though)
Plating: 3.5/5
Value: 2/5 (First of all, this restaurant is in a mall in the suburb and charging too much for average quality ingredients. Second of all, the casual atmosphere and crazy jam-packed tables didn’t really justify the prices they charged)
Service: 4/5 (Fast, wonderful, friendly, professional!)
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Don’t forget to share YOUR BEST fitness tips!
I’ll pick a person to send some juicy coupons to…so bring those tips on!!! 🙂
Lucky Taste Buds! 
HERE is the new post. what a malfunction! ok mixed cereal is definitely in my top 5 favorite things to eat. i LOVE mixing cereals! so good. and kashi go lean is the best, isnt it!
that restaurant looks really great~especially the dessert. too bad it wasnt mind blowing!
A very helpful trick is if you don’t have the(not so healthy)foods in your house you won’t be tempted to eat it all the time. If I have a craving for something I will go buy it and just get one or a single serving size. If it’s not to far away and it’s decent out, I love to walk to go get my treat!
I think it’s important to never deprive yourself any foods because that usually backfires big time and to savor and enjoy every bite.
Best fitness tip?? Keep your workouts varied! You need to trick your body a bit, to keep in shape, and to continue building muscle!
I love Padma from Top Chef, and I love to hear that she gains 10-15 pounds, and is ok with it. Nick and i always take guesses as to how much weight they gain, I think that’s worth eating all of that delicious food! Her weight loss strategies are perfect, and the jump rope is key to success! A simple, yet powerful step.
Kashi GO Lean is my favorite too. That and Kashi Vive. Isn’t Kashi just wonderful! 🙂
Hope you are having a great week hun!
so this may seem weird…BUT, i looooove combining frozen fruit with milk because of the way the milk freezes a layer around the fruit…do you know what im talking about or is this mumbo jumbo? kashi golean is a dangerous thing in my apt. once i open it, i cant stop!
I usually only drink water. You don’t realize how many calories and sugar are in other drinks and it all adds up. That’s always my first step when I want to get in shape – switch to just water!
Wow thanks so much for the detox tips. I always secretly wondered how Padma and those other foodie chicks stay thin. Very interesting but again it all comes back to balance and what works for you. Frustrating but true :). I would take that food your mom made any day over that restaurant food!! Thats shizzz looks good for real!!! Nothing better than a home cooked meal. Especially if your mama made it.
~Justine
Frozen fruit with milk sounds really yummy! I’ll have to try that! I enjoyed that article! Very interesting…
❤ jess
xoxo
My best tip is to listen to your body. If you’re feeling void of energy, there is something that your body needs. It could be rest or better nutrition. If you’re feeling anxious and irritable, you may need to destress with activity (running, yoga, cycling or even a walk).
My best fitness tip is to mix up your routine! Run, walk, bike, do yoga…just mix it up!
I love leftovers for lunch! Something about it is so comforting. My favorite kind of meal.
And your dinner looks so yummy – that tuna tartar looks bomb!!!
Thanks for the Padma link! I have such a girl crush on her 😉 Hmm, I do not have any great tips right now. I am trying to do SOMETHING active every day, even if it is just a moderate walk after dinner. I do think it makes a difference.
Whenever I see what you order at restaurants, I always think, “That is exactly what I would order, too!” Cedar plank salmon + SP sounds perfect.
We are foodie soulmates 🙂
great review of the article, it’s really interesting to see how these chefs also struggle with body image!
Love all your mom’s leftovers for you! that’s so typical that chinese mothers do when they leave their kids…. with tons of food!!! (except my mom, she’s not a conventional one I guess).
I love DiPescara! They have one of my favorite salads EVER there… and their pounded chicken is amazing too. See you Sat!
That was a very interesting article, thanks for bringing it to our attention! I am still curious how Giada de Laurentis stays soooo thin despite supposedly being addicted to chocolate and Nutella (my weaknesses)…. if you ever hear her secret please pass it along 🙂
I hate when celebrites make it sound so easy to stay fit and really they are just starving themselves… I would have to add WATER! Drink water, water, and more water.
HI! I’m with you on choosing different breakfast options over oatmeal in the summer. I also don’t crave hot tea when it’s warm outside…still got to get my coffee in though, especially on work days.
I love seafood! I’m not actually a big fan of Italian but this restaurant looks good! And I agree about the celebrities making fitness seem like a no-brainer. Most of them can afford a personal trainer/nutritionist/the works…if I had a whole team of people trying to make me look good it would probably be a LOT easier, you know?
I LOVE yogurt and cereal! My roommates in college thought I was the weirdest girl ever because I used yogurt and not milk. It tastes so much better to me! I will have to try the frozen fruit trick – that sounds awesome.
hmmm….my tip would probably be to drink TONS of water and never let yourself get too hungry. I eat every couple of hours and never let myself get too famished. This way, I don’t overeat and eat huge meals that make me feel bleh!
Thanks for the link to that article! It was very interesting. I remember reading something from Jillian Michaels sort of along the same idea that her weight changes with seasons of TBL.
Sorry the dessert wasn’t that great – it certainly looks incredibly delicious!!
wow great article from Padma! I love her on top chef and I totally didn’t like that new chick on top chef masters!
hmm best fitness tips..
eat something before you hit the gym and stop working out when you’re tired at the gym or else you’ll come home and eat back all AND more of the calories you just burned!
no cheese? But that’s so sad…I wouldn’t miss the meat and alcohol much, though.
The food in that restaurant looks great! Too bad it wasn’t stellar. And eeyuck! syrup-drenched sweet ptoato? WHY?! Isn’t it already so sweet and delish by its own?
I had never tried ribs until I moved in with my carnivorous fiance
wow I really like her detox tips. I feel like they are easy to stick to and not going overboard (aka juice diets/only eating veggies)
That chicken dish looks fabulous. How long do you think it sits in the soy sauce? How much soy sauce – enough to cover or just a little bit? It looks like such a fabulous dish that I’d like to recreate it. Do you dilute the soy sauce with water or chicken broth?
It would be soo hard to be surrounded by food all day yet have to be exposed on TV all the time. I’m sure I could do it 🙂 Lol! Anyways, my fav fitness tip is just to get it over with–do your exercising in the morning so you have no excuse not to do it and then I find myself making better food choices knowing that I worked so hard!
The surf and turf looks amazing – too bad it sucked!
That was a great link with Padma’s tips. I agree with everyone who added that drinking water is a great way to fill yourself up when you know that you’ll be presented with lots of food. You still get to eat, but if you have plenty of water, you won’t just eat for the sake of eating.
-Jessica
I just did a blog post with food I think you would be proud of! 🙂
I’m so glad you posted the link to the article. I’m so interested in the way other’s eat and maintain balance.
My fitness tip? Well, I’d second? third? fourth? the tip about drinking water. I also try to walk as much as I can when running errands. I figure if I walk to the grocery store, that’s a bit of cardio, and the walk home with my heavy reuseable grocery bags full of loot add a strength training element. I grew up in the country where it was impossible to walk to run errands, so I love the fact that I can do that here in the big city!
Interesting info about Padma! I like how she doesn’t stress out too much about gaining a little weight while working. I think she could also aim for 30-60 min of exercise most days of the week as a part of her “detox” routine. Also, she should make sure to drink lots of water and include lots of veggies and complex carbs.
Best fitness tip? Do exercise classes at the gym to keep things interesting! Mondays I do Kickboxing, Tuesdays I do Total Body Conditioning, Wednesdays is Spin, and Thuesdays is Total Body Conditioning! I never get very bored with all the variety!
Love that apple dessert yumm!
Hey! Thanks for visiting my blog and for your sweet comments! I’m enjoying your faithfully frugal tips…definitely NOT something I hide. I can’t wait to spend some more time exploring.
Very interesting article. I like that she doesn’t beat herself up over gaining a couple lbs.
I think doing my best to keep moving is the thing that works best for me.
thanks for the article link! v interesting! i totally agree with you about the whole skinny celebrities thing…i love how they can just immediately lose weight whenever they need to…ummmm easier when you have a personal trainer and someone giving you exactly what you need to eat, right?!
Your cereal mix sounds amazing girly. And I agree, frozen blueberries are perfection. I always add them, however, at the moment, fresh blueberries are sooooooo sweet and so cheap that I just have to use fresh. It’s not long that these little wondes are in prime season.
Hope you are well! 🙂
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Definitely a do-able and healthful way to detox. Somehow I think if I stuck to a cayenne and lemonade detox diet, my husband would suffer the consequences! 😀
Great Site. I agree with your comments and only wish more people listened to this. Go the Natural Detox.