Mmmmm...Ramen

The best ramen I've ever had, and my new obsession lately, is Ramen Jin-Ya on Wilshire in the Miracle Mile area. It is worth the 1.2 mile (roundtrip) walk from work and the long wait if you get there during rush hour. 

Fire Escape Succulent Garden+Terrariums!

Before you freak out about fire safety, I live in an old brownstone building from 1898, and all of the fire escapes facing public streets have been converted to wrought iron balconies, so my 4-stories-up garden is NOT a fire hazard to anyone. :)

RECIPE: Healthy Tuna Salad (Only 5 WW Points Plus!)

I LOVE to make this healthy, simple tuna salad for lunch or a light dinner! The whole thing, including the little whole wheat bread thins, is only 5 Weight Watchers Points Plus, for those of you working on your summer figures (as I feel I am perpetually doing. and then not doing. and then doing again...pattern, anyone?).

Here's the low-down on how to make this recipe at home, and good substitutions. One thing to know: my secret ingredient for this? PAPRIKA! Yep, that's right, paprika!

Ingredients:

• Chunk-light tuna or albacore in water (NO OIL! I like to buy the ones in the pouches because you don't have to drain them, refrigerate them and they are perfect to keep at work in your desk!)
• 1 tbl fat free or light mayonnaise
• 1 chopped persian cucumber OR large stick of celery (you can use either depending on what you have avail. the point here is to add a nice CRUNCH to your salad! I like the Persian Cucubmers because you can eat them with the skin on and it's filled with fiber)
• Salt, red or black pepper & paprika

Directions:

1. Dice the cucumber or celery into perfect little cubes. I like them pretty small because they look pretty, and i like each forkful to have a nice balance of the fish and the crunch.
2. Drain the tuna and place in a medium bowl. Use your fork to break it up into little chunks.
3. Add the mayo; mix it up well.
4. Add the diced cucumber or celery on top; season with salt & pepper to taste, then pour on the paprika to your level of comfort. (i like a LOT of it! especially if it's smoked paprika).
5. Mix everything together well.
6. Toast up some healthy whole wheat bread (I use the mini sandwich thins in this photo). I like to make the plate pretty so before I serve everything, i take the toasted sandwich rounds and cut them into fourths so that i have little triangle toasts. Makes me forget that I'm eating what is considered "diet food", and makes for a nice plate if you are serving this for a lunch!

Hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what YOUR best Tuna Salad recipe is, and if you have a secret ingredient that makes it uniquely yours!

Peace, Love & Progress,

D :)

Carrot Apple Ginger Juice + Pretty Bottles

I finally got to the juicing! Because it's a bit of a process that involves a lot of clean up, I tend to do a bunch of juice at once, and I bottle it in these lovely glass bottles that I save whenever I buy that fun sparkling Italian soda from Trader Joe's or the grocery store. And even though fresh juice starts to lose vitamins the longer it hits air after it's been made, I feel like day-old fresh juice has still gotta be great for you!

Check out the pictorial steps on how to make it below. Enjoy!

For just 1 serving, use 1 apple, 2 medium to large carrots and as much ginger as you like (i like it spicy & love ginger!) For this recipe I had 10 Red Delicious apples, a bag of organic carrots (1 lb, i think). I also used a large ginger knob.

I'm lucky enough to have a Jack LaLane Power juicer. All you have to do is remove the stems from apples, and as long as they fit in the juicer, you are set! Alternate apples, carrots and ginger (the apples wash out remnants of the other stuff since they have the most liquid).

I use a medium sized pot with pour spouts on the sides because it helps to catch all the juices as they splash out, and because it makes it really easy to pour into the tiny-necked bottles I'm about to put it in!

Here are the bottles that I use. I remembered an old trick that I learned in college for cleaning narrow-necked bottles (don't ask but you can guess), and I adapted it to clean these out since my bottle cleaner doesn't fit into these. I took some uncooked rice and mixed it with some soap, and closed the top. I shook it around like a rattle, and the rice helped to scrub off all the insides of the bottle! I felt like a bit of a genius for thinking of this plan of attack-i've tried dishwashing these bottles and they still keep gunk all up the insides, so now I have a new method of cleaning them!

Here's another great clean-up tip: save those small plastic bags that you use in the produce section of the market, and line the receptacle of your juicer with it. When you are done, just lift the bag out and trash it...at least it's just one less thing you have to clean in the end! 

All in all, a lovely, refreshing and healthy carrot, apple & ginger juice with lots to enjoy tonight and tomorrow for breakfast!

Oh yeah, this is happening now!

And it was Written in the Sand...(Day 1 Recap Coming!)

Working on a recap of day 1 (with lots of great beach and tide pool pics) now. Stay tuned! One tidbit: i didn't end up juicing. But i did eat healthy all day :)

peace, love and progress...

Prog Blog: Days 8 & 9 + Itinerary for Retreat Yourself Day 1!

carrots, apples & ginger. read on...

Even though I still have a ton of work to do tonight in preparation for being out of the office for 2 days (with NO access to email-I'm leaving the blackberry at home! ok, maybe not at home but definitely in the trunk of my car. only for emergencies. don't judge i can't help it. there's a reason they call it a crackberry.) I am SO very excited for RETREAT YOURSELF!! My 2 day mini-retreat kicks off tomorrow morning, and even though it's been cloudy and drizzly here in LA (which i normally LOVE) i'm still looking forward to hitting the great outdoors in Malibu for a workout, some meditation, journaling and general fun and relaxation tomorrow!