So after checking in and checking out the grounds, Jeff and I made it to the pool. I’m not really comfortable posting bikini pics and definitely not okay with posting pics of people without their knowledge, so instead here is a shot courtesy of Miramonte.

Gorgeous.

We spent the day lounging poolside, taking lunch there. The food was amazing. I went with a salad off the spa menu with baby spinach, grilled shrimp, raisins, walnuts and pears. Yum.

After lunch I made a quick run to the room to get some more sunscreen and this is what I walked into:

Jeff really went overboard this time. ;) I was so surprised by all of his romantic touches.

For dinner we decided to get off the resort. I spent hours researching the perfect restaurant. I yelped, open-tabled, read NYT and Frommer’s and finally selected Cork Tree. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty much addicted to Yelp. I won’t deny it, I’ve definitely been misguided in the past, but not this time around – Cork Tree was PERFECTION.

I knew from the moment I saw the menu that it would be good, even with a prix-fixe Valentine’s menu. Imagine my surprise when I learned we could order off the whole menu! That meant two things: one I wasn’t going to be forced to pay for something I wouldn’t necessarily choose and/or eat and two, I could mix and match to my hearts desire.

We started with the most amazing artichoke dish I’ve ever tasted. For some reason its not listed on the menu, but if my memory serves correctly it was wrapped in prosciutto and topped with a creamy cheese, cracked pepper and micro cilantro.

For our next course, we opted for a Valentine’s Day special, the Seared Rare Ahi Tuna and Jumbo Lump Crabmeat. I don’t know how its possible but a restaurant in the middle of the desert has honestly had the BEST tuna I’ve ever tasted. See for your self.

Perfectly Pink. Yum. My mouth is watering right now.

Since we had eaten quite a lot already, I kept my main simple and went with the Baby Iceberg Wedges. I know you’re thinking how boring, but this happens to be a favorite of mine and Cork Tree’s take was the best I’ve ever had. Their version included roasted tomatoes, applewood bacon and Point Reyes bleu cheese. The roasted tomatoes made the meal.

Jeff on the other hand, being the bottomless pit he is, went with the Grilled Lobster Tail and Scottish Salmon, which came with Maine lobster ravioli, asparagus, lobster bisque and mashed sweet potatoes. Talk about indulgent.

No great meal is finished without a little something sweet and to my surprise, Jeff selected an apple dish. It included some sort of cake, warm apple compote and the best vanilla ice cream that’s ever passed these lips.

This meal was perfection every step of the way, from the food, to the service to the ambiance. If you ever find yourself in the Palm Springs area I highly recommend you give it a try.

So I bet you think that wraps up the V-Day post, but I have one more meal to share. Keep your eye’s peeled for the last part tomorrow.

Hope you’re having a fantastic Tuesday.

Well let me make that Valentine’s Day weekend yet. Jeff and I actually don’t have plans for today, but we had a wonderful weekend trip to Palm Springs to celebrate the holiday. To be honest, when we first decided to go there, I didn’t have very high expectations.  There is so much hype about Palm Springs, that I just couldn’t believe it was that great. When something is hyped up to that level it always ends up being anti-climatic, but not this time.

We arrived in Palm Springs bright and early Saturday morning, it was only a two hour drive so we were there and checked-in by noon. Jeff and I stayed at the Miramonte Resort, which is actually about 15 minutes from Palm Springs. Although not my usual style, I still love the room.

And I really loved the bottle of champagne Mr. Chubby had delivered upon our arrival. Two years later and he’s still full of surprises.

Champagne at noon? You can only imagine where the day took us. And you’re going to have to hold tight for more. This post will be continued once I locate my other camera. :)

Today, I actually had an opportunity for a nice, leisurely lunch, a rarity with my new job.  Jeff was in the area so he decided to join me. It’s gorgeous here in LA so we decided to eat at The Counter, a build your own burger joint.

Since its walking distance from work, we’ve been known to get take out from here quite frequently. In fact, just  a week ago I placed an order for delivery but was disappointed to get the wrong meal. They gave me a turkey burger when I ordered a veggie. Fortunately I’m not a vegetarian so I didn’t have to wait for a new order, but it was still a big disappointment. Luckily they have an amazing customer service policy and offered me a free meal card.

My comp card included a free started, and since Jeff and I are really focusing on being healthy, we opted for a side of grilled veggies. I know you’re thinking boring, but let me tell you these veggies were perfect. I was shocked at how good they were. The corn added the perfect sweetness to balance out the more savory zucchini and carrots. And look how pretty:

The Counter claims to have over 312,120+ different burger combinations to choose from, and looking at this clipboard I believe it.

However, it took no time at all to figure out what I would be having: a veggie burger in a bowl, with goat cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, sprouts and grilled onions. This combination gets me every time, fresh and rich at the same time.

They have a tendency to go over board with the dressing so to be safe I always order on the side.

All in all it was a delicious lunch, but not something I’d do regularly. I like to keep my mid-day meal a little more on the simple side. I don’t want to be that girl with the stinky breath. :)

That’s all I have for now. As I mentioned yesterday, I’m going to continue to post about my LA eats, but expect much more variety moving forward.

Hope you’re all having a wonderful day!

After a three month break, I’ve decided to make a come back. Its not that I haven’t thought about blogging during these past three months, but the stress of my move, the new job and other life events was a little too much for me to handle. Now that I’m settled, I plan on blogging regularly again. At first I’m going to aim to blog at least a few times a week and I hope to begin blogging daily within the month. Not quite sure where I’m going to take it this time around, but stay posted for some new recipes and my adventures in LA.

Ooh Baby. I don’t know about anyone else, but I died when NKOTB came back. I loved them growing up. I would have to say they were my first true boy band crush.

But as much as I love NKOTB, that’s not what I’m talking about here. What I really want to tell you about is the best quesadilla ever. Unfortunately, I can’t take credit for it. That goes to the queen of step tutorials, The Pioneer Woman. I originally went to her site for some inspiration, but after stumbling across this delicious recipe for Quesadillas de Camarones, I knew I wouldn’t be able to improve on that. Not to mention I had all the ingredients on hand so why mess with a good thing? Since she doesn’t specify a type of sauce to use, I went with a red enchilada. It was perfection. Ask the chubster. He had three helpings.

Now I didn’t take a step-by-step photo guide of the preparation, for that head over to the Pioneer Woman. But I do have a snap shot of the end result. And let me tell you this pic does not do it justice.

Step One – We can have lots of fun

Step two – there’s so much we can do

Step three – it’s just you and me

Step four –  I can give you more

Step five – don’ you know that the time has arrived

Where do you go for recipe inspiration? What’s the best recipe you’ve come across online?

Twice a year I go to huge medical conferences for my job. This is hands down the most stressful function I have at work and also the longest days. My mornings start at 7 a.m. and I don’t get in until 10 p.m. Committing to a fitness routine during these trips may seem excessive but its what keeps me going. I know if I didn’t work out I would be borderline depressed and suffering major anxiety. I’m the type of person who has to do some form of exercise at least every other day.

Over the past few years, I’ve come up with a routine to planning my on-site workouts. If I don’t plan in advance it makes it that much harder to actually squeeze it in. So here are my tips for fitting in fitness with minimal time.

• Check out the fitness center. Before you pack, scope out the fitness facility online. Make sure they have the equipment you need to get in your workout. For me, that means a treadmill and some free weights. The hotel we’re staying at this year has a pretty great gym, so I’ll be packing minimal workout extras.
• Schedule your workouts. Once you have your work schedule confirmed, determine which days you can realistically fit in a workout. I know that there will always be two days where  I can get to the gym, by planning around these dates I never feel bad about my schedule. I’ll be at this year’s meting from January 12-16, and have already decided that I’ll workout out on the 12, 13 and 16. Maybe not as much as I would do at home, but more than enough to keep me energized and happy.
• Have a back-up plan. Ideally I’ll make it to the gym as scheduled, however the attendees at my meetings are all in the health industry and the gyms fill up quickly, in the event that I can’t get a machine I plan to do Core Fusion on my favorite channel – YogaVibes.com. If you prefer workout DVDs, just throw a few in your suitcase.
• Walk, walk, walk. If all else fails just make an effort to walk as much as you can. At my last conference in New Orleans I ended up walking for an hour each day. Not only did I get to see some amazing sites, I also got in tons of fresh air and exercise. It was a nice change from my usual gym routine.

So its pretty obvious, getting in some decent workouts isn’t too difficult with just a little bit of effort, but whats incredibly challenging for me is sticking to a healthy diet. I don’t normally rely on junk food to energize me, but when surrounded by an endless supply of snacks and sweets and colleagues egging you on, its easy to get side-tracked. On top of the day time challenges, each night we go out to dinner with the clients and every client I’ve ever worked for has been a serious foodie.  Here’s how I handle it.

• Choose the best breakfast. When you start your day on a high note, its easier to commit to eating healthy the rest of the day. Our breakfast buffet this year includes your standard bagels (my kryptonite) and pastries, but it also includes an oatmeal bar and tons of fresh fruit. One guess what I’ll be eating.
• Snack soundly. Again, I’m fortunate that this is a medical conference and at its heart everyone is trying to be healthy, so there will be options when it comes to snack foods. In addition to the usual chips, our group will be serving crudites with hummus and dips and a selection of sweets. Since I know dinner will involve appetizers and desserts, I’ll go with the lightest fare.
• Portion control. If I do let loose and snack on some sweets, I always pay attention to portion sizes. A lot of the cookies, brownies and cakes are huge, but there is no reason you have to eat that entire portion. I like to ask a colleague to split with me so there’s no way I’ll over do it.
• Beware of beverages. By that I mean, sodas, sugary fruit drinks, coffee drinks and heavy cocktails. During the day, I’ll stick to black tea, coffee and water and at dinner I opt for a glass of wine rather than a specialty cocktail.

One thing to keep in mind about this type of travel is that it only happens a few times a year, so indulging a bit more is a-okay! I’ll do my best to stay healthy, but this may be one of the few opportunities I have for free fine dining in Chicago so I plan to take full advantage at my dinners out. :)

How do you stay healthy when your travel plans are extremely hectic?

With so many mouths to feed, my mom did everything she could to stretch her dollar at dinner and keep her recipes simple. That meant that a lot of our meals featured ground beef, from meatloaf to tacos to chili to spaghetti there isn’t a ground beef dish my mother didn’t have a recipe for. And then there was my favorite of them all, sloppy Joes. The Sloppy Joes my mom made always included ground beef, onion powder, a Sloppy Joe seasoning mix and potato rolls. The sides typically include Ore-Ida french fries and an iceberg lettuce salad.

Yesterday I had an intense craving for my mom’s Sloppy Joes, I was home sick from work and needed comfort food. Google to the rescue. After searching for recipes online I stumbled across this version on allrecipescom. In an effort to appease my Chubster and to keep grocery shopping at a minimum, I made some tweaks and let me tell you it was fantastic.

The biggest difference between my version and the one from allrecipes was the substitution of ground turkey. I prefer ground turkey for three reasons: first, its healthier, especially when you use all white meat, second, I find it to be more flavorful and third, there is less grease and less grease means less clean-up. Less clean up makes me a happy camper.

And without further ado, my healthy take on one of Bon-Bon’s go to meals.

Health(ier) Sloppy Joes

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey, white meat only
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, quartered
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 cup water
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Whole wheat hamburger buns, split

Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the ground turkey until cooked through, about 7 minutes. Add the onion and mushrooms; saute for 5 more minutes, or until onion is tender.
2. Mix in tomato paste and water, stirring until paste is dissolved. Stir in garlic, chili powder, paprika, cumin, vinegar, brown sugar, oregano, salt and pepper. Continue to heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until mixture is thick.
3. Serve immediately.

Okay, maybe I’m jumping the gun, but Pier 1 has had Christmas decorations in their windows since October 23 so I think its perfectly fine to officially declare November the beginning of the holiday season. I love the fall/winter holidays more than anytime of the year. While most people favor Christmas, Thanksgiving definitely holds its own. Christmas can be such a busy time of year, between decorating, shopping and celebrations galore its easy to get overwhelmed. Thanksgiving is all about the day.

I love that its one holiday where there are no gifts, treats or mascots involved. Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas and Easter, but Thanksgiving is especially sentimental. When I was young my brothers and sisters would all lay down in our family room and watch the Macy’s Day parade. We’d play in the leaves while my mom cooked and visit with my extended family who were at my Grandmothers next door. Then at dinner we’d push together two huge dining tables and have one of the best meals of the year. That night we’d watch some more TV, Christmas specials from It’s a Wonderful Life to The Year Without a Santa Clause. I can’t wait for Thanksgiving this year!

Obviously the star of the dinner is the Turkey, but dessert is equally as important. In the past I’ve made everything, from Pumpkin and apple pies, to the standard chocolate chip cookie. Since Thanksgiving will be the last time I see my family before the move out West, this season I want to go all out. So I’ve already begun to test some recipes. My first test was a special fall-inspired cookie – Spiced White Chocolate Chip cookies.

The flavor is reminiscent of ginger cookies with an extra touch of sweetness. The perfect balance.

Spiced White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used 100% white whole wheat)
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons Apple Pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup margarine, softened (I used Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 (12 ounce) package white chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Mix together the flour, ginger, baking soda, apple pie spice, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the orange juice. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the butter mixture. Stir in the white chocolate chips.
3. Shape dough into walnut sized balls and place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, flatten slightly.
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Hi All! God its been too long since I’ve updated the bloggy, things have been crazy busy, both with work and with life. And I have a MAJOR update to share – after 3 years in the city, Mr. Chubby Hubby and I are packing our bags and moving out West. To Los Angeles! In one month!

I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned it, but LA has always had a special place in my heart – two of my best friends live there and its were Jeff and I met. I’ve always wanted to live on the West coast but to be honest, I’ve been too scared, until now that is. It was my last trip out there that cemented the deal, I turned 27 and knew it was now or never. Immediately following that trip I checked out my company’s website and saw that they had a position open, and after some interviews and procedures, they agreed to a relocation. My official start date in the LA office is December 6 and our tickets are purchased for December 2. Things are moving incredibly fast.

While I’m a little anxious about the move, I’m not too stressed – this isn’t my first major relocation. Back in 2006 I actually moved from Philadelphia to Pensacola, Florida. Even though Pensacola wasn’t the right town for me, it was an amazing experience. The culture there is so different from what I know and thanks to family I was able to really integrate myself. Including the local restaurants and food. That has to be one of my favorite parts about traveling. The food. One of my favorite dishes from when I lived down South was Shrimp and Grits. Feeling reminiscent last night I decided to recreate it for the chubster. It was almost as good as I remembered.

Shrimp and Grits
Adapted from Bobby Flay

Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup stone-ground grits
• 1 tablespoon butter (I used Earth Balance natural buttery spread)
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup fat-free Monterey jack cheese
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• 4 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 cup thinly sliced scallions
• 1 large clove garlic, minced

Directions

Bring water to a boil. Add salt and pepper. Add grits and cook until water is absorbed, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and cheese.

Rinse shrimp and pat dry. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until browned; drain well. In grease, add shrimp. Cook until shrimp turn pink. Add lemon juice, chopped bacon, parsley, scallions and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes.

Spoon grits into a serving bowl. Top with shrimp mixture and mix well. Serve immediately.