Health: My Favorite Morning Drink!

Hi Friends,

A fun fact about me is that I love sipping on things more than chewing things! I’m not sure why, but I love a yummy drink: carbonated, fresh juice, teas & coffees (I really don’t discriminate).

Lately, one of my favorite morning drinks has been 100% Bolthouse Farms Pomegranate Juice and chia seeds! (I’ve been purchasing Bolthouse over Pom Wonderful due to the price point. I’m sure if the POM Wonderful price point were better – I’d use either/or.)

I bought the Chia Seeds from amazon for $11  – you can find them anywhere though. At night (preferred method) or in the morning (least preferred method) I take a tablespoon or two of the chia seeds ad them let them soak in the pomegranate juice. By the time I wake up or am done getting ready for the morning –I have an awesome health drink ready for me!

The benefits of pomegranate juice are never ending, but here are some of my favorite benefits of drinking it:

• may help stop plaque from building up in blood vessel
• loaded with antioxidants (antioxidants are known to help prevent and repair DNA damage that can lead to cancer)
• A 2005 study on 45 patients with coronary heart disease demonstrated that a daily drink of 238ml (8.4oz) of pomegranate juice administered over three months resulted in improved blood flow to the heart and a lower risk of heart attack
• I’m anemic and the iron content is high in pomegranate juice!

I’m also really loving chia seeds – I’m sure you’ve read a million articles dedicated to these inflatable black seeds that turn all jelly-like, but once again here are my favorite reasons for loving chia seeds:

• one tablespoon of chia seeds have more calcium than a glass of milk, more omega-3s than salmon, and more antioxidants than blueberries
• high in fiber
• may help prevent cardiovascular, neurological and autoimmune diseases

I hope you’re inspired to try the combination tomorrow morning, because it’s something I’ll definitely be enjoying!

Stay healthy! 

Weight Watchers

Sometimes you watch a Weight Watchers (“WW”) ad and  you think they’re so freaking cheesy or …”yeah right…” but a while ago I actually watched one that I loved. I am attempting to DIET, but by diet, I mean engage in a healthier lifestyle.

For example, if I want a pannini – I’ll get half of one, and now get a small side salad. Trying to make healthy decisions is sooooo hard, but I am realizing you are the decisions you make – and they show. I want to be someone with a disciplined attitude that cannot be provoked and has control over my emotions. So I think showing myself that I can have control over my the food I eat helps me establish the fact that I can also exert control in other areas of my life as well.

I digress. I guess- every time I find myself making a smart decision, I find myself quoting the ad in my head “What will you gain when you lose?” For me -it’ll be discipline and control.

What will you gain when you lose?

Fettuccine Alfredo (with Chicken and Broccoli)

A week or two ago, I really wanted to make something hearty and creamy, and this was one of the first dishes to cross my mind. I thought I would attempt to make it from scratch. I prepared myself mentally to labor over the stove, until I actually started making it and realized how SIMPLE it was to make.  All I can say is: WHY DID I EVER BUY THE STUFF IN THE JAR?

I followed Entertaining With Beth’s Recipe, but I did not add peas and I added chicken and broccoli. I loved the way the chicken turned out and I really enjoyed the broccoli with it as well.

This recipe is INCREDIBLY easy, and can be prepared in 15 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 2 Chicken breasts (cut into cubes)
• ½ tbsp of garlic powder
• ½ tbsp of onion powder
• ½ lb (230 g) Fettuccini pasta
• 4 tbsp (60 g) butter
• 1 ½ cups (350 ml) of heavy cream
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ tsp (2.5 ml) salt
• Freshly cracked pepper to taste
• 1 cup (90 g) Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 1/3 cup of broccoli florets
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) of freshly chopped flat leaf parsley

Method:

• cook fettuccine according to package
• cut the chicken into cubes
• now sprinkle onion powder and garlic powder, with a dash of salt & pepper over the chicken
• once the chicken is cooked, take the chicken cubes out and place them on a plate (you should have a nice amount of better left in the pan)
• on medium heat, in the pan, which has the remaining butter, place the heavy cream in it and let it simmer, until it’s bubbly and thickened
• once you see in the bubbles, add the parmesan cheese and mix it well.
• now add little pieces of fresh broccoli  and let it cook until a pretty green
• add chicken and give it a nice stir!
• now add the fettuccine
• top it all off with a little bit of fresh parsley

 

Best Steak Marinade Ever

Hey Friends,

As most of you know, I LOVE TO COOK. I should have gone to culinary school, as opposed to law school, because I JUST LOVE IT SO MUCH. I was talking to my best friend the other day (she is in medical school)  and we spoke of dream careers, as opposed to the ones we are in right now, and hers was MAKE UP ARTIST (“MUA”)  (and boy, oh boy, is she fierce with her brushes), and mine was a mix between Food Network/ Cooking Channel Program host and some sort of part time MUA/hairstylist  (I didn’t word it this way, but I’m sure my best friend caught on).

I’ve decided to start a series on my blog where I talk about dinners I’m making while studying for the GA Bar.  I can’t post as regularly as I would like, but I will try to post once a week!

One of my favorite recipes by far is a marinade from: Sally Cooks.

This is a great marinade for any 4th of July weekend BBQ’s you may have planned. I promise – you will love this marinade  – and you will make it again and again and again.

I’ve now made this marinade twice and the portions listed work well for 2 lbs of flank steak!

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons parsley, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons ginger paste
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon coffee grounds

Sally just whisked all of this together, while on the other hand, I just threw all of the ingredients in the magic bullet. I loved putting in the magic bullet because I got a finer grain as far as a marinade goes and I smothered the meat in this marinade for approximately 24-26 hours.

A few little side notes:

I had the 2 lb flank steak cut into two 1 lb pieces, prior to putting it in the marinade.  Then I grilled it on each side for about 4 -5 minutes (medium cooked steak).

After removing the beautiful pieces of flank steak from the grill, I transferred them to a cutting board and placed a piece of aluminum foil over the meat (just place it on top) and let the meat REST for 10 minutes. You want to let the cooked meat rest, so that the flavors of the marinade settle in the meat– if you cut the meat to early, you’ll notice that all of the great flavor will just spew out of the meat.

After 10 minutes, cut the meat against the grain! Look at the meat –see those fine little lines, you want to cut slices that are perpendicular to those little lines! Voila – you’re cutting it against the grain!

I served it with the Akhtar family’s favorite potatoes and coleslaw, corn on the cob, & (not shown-and I cheated a little bit) a Trader Joe’s frozen Mac n’ Cheese. Lets face it- a BBQ is only as good as its sides – so make your favorite sides!

ONE MORE LITTLE NOTE:

I would TOTALLY make an extra pound of meat, so that you can enjoy a skirt steak salad, or a nice sandwich (like I did).

I hope you have a wonderful and safe Fourth of July! What are you planning on grilling — I would LOVE to know (and maybe I’ll add it to my Fourth of July menu).

Bye!

CREPES

I made another BETH recipe. Once again, I loved it!  I cannot wait to go home right now and make more crepes. I’m serious. I’m in law school too — I do not have the time or energy, but I always find my mind trying to convince me otherwise. Long story short — I made it. My only 2 cons are  clean up (I had a bunch of bowls to wash) and the fact that you can only make one crepe at a time (which is annoying when you’re entertaining and want everyone to enjoy a hot fresh crepe).

I stuffed my crepes with Biscoff Cookie Butter and a blueberry jam! I’m thinking about making a savory crepe– any suggestions?

Asian Lettuce Wraps!

I just made these & they’re incredibly delicious! Feel free to follow her recipe. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

RA Sushi: 1080 Peachtree St. Atlanta, GA 30309

Hey Friends,

So a while ago, I got the opportunity to go to RA Sushi with the Atlanta Eater Editor, Sonia Chopra! Sonia was designing a roll for a sushi contest, whose proceeds would then be donated to charity. Prior to this experience, I had never been RA. But after this experience, I will DEFINITELY be going back!  Here are a few pictures of  my experience at RA (my memory is a little hazy– bare with me, and remember, I LOVED IT– SO DEFINITELY CHECK IT OUT!):

We ordered these insanely spicy Shishito Peppers, which were sautéed in an Asian seasoning. 

I loved my lunch — I suggest you order the  BARA CHIRASHI BOWL, which consists of tuna, salmon, yellowtail, shrimp, avocado & cucumber with Asian green vegetables, mixed with poki sauce; served over rice

I honestly cannot remember what Sonia ordered, but it looked pretty! 

The chef taught us how to make sushi! Apparently the rice has to be incredibly fresh, so every 30mins to an hour they throw out the rice in the rice maker and make new rice for the rolls! 

Sonia created a roll, and this is the final product in many different forms!

This is the form that was presented to the audience! 

Yum!

Here is Sonia with the chef! 

Here I am with the chef! 

This was an incredibly fun experience. Seeing as I love food, I loved being able to discover the intricacies involved in sushi making!  My outfit consists of a striped top I purchased from Forever 21, and black jeans!  The striped top is so versatile, the material doesn’t need to be ironed, and it looks great with loose black linen shorts, or even tucked into a work skirt!

See you later!

Le Petit Marche

Check out this menu: http://lepetitmarche.net/le-petit-marche-menu.pdf

OMG. How yummy is that menu? Also, high five on it being incredibly affordable as well. I went there with a friend this Sunday, and one of my first thoughts as  I was searching for street parking was “Wow, Kirkwood is such a cute neighborhood.”

After entering the Le Petit Marche, my next thought was — will they seat me? and the answer is “it depends” (lol – what a law school answer). It depends because if you see an open table it’s your job to grab it, but if you look confused they’ll help you out and tell you where to sit. My friend and I were seated at a square table for four, which meant that 2 random people would soon be joining us — and yup, that is exactly what happened. I wasn’t a fan of sitting with randoms, but, luckily, I was with good company, so I barely noticed them!

There were plenty of people eating alone (so don’t feel weird about coming here alone — they even have a desk  set up for someone who wants to eat alone, look outside and eat a scrumptious brunch).

My friend enjoyed the Kirkwood. He throughly enjoyed his meal, but I feel like he wanted something more intricate, since his own, homemade, breakfasts often resemble the above!

I got the French Toast sandwich! I LOVED IT, and seriously ate every last millimeter of it! It was AWESOME. Being Muslim, I really loved the fact that they had chicken sausage, and will sub out any bacon for chicken sausage!

What to wear: I went on Sunday, so I saw people dressed in their Sunday Best (post church crowd), I saw people in athletic gear, and jeans and t-shirts. Wear whatever you want, but please, leave your pj’s at home.

Have you been to Le Petit Marche? If so, what did you think?

Hot Dogs: An Easy Dinner or Lunch Idea!

Okay — I love hot dogs! I know I LOVE a lot of things — but that’s because I really do!  Hot dogs are no exception! They’re so good, incredibly easy to make, and easy to jazz up! One day 2 weeks ago a friend and I were searching for easy dinner ideas, since I was getting done with class late, and he had a long day at work. Voila. Ball Park turkey dogs (45 calories each) were in my fridge just starring at me and ready for me to open up and attack. I told my friend to drop by Publix after work and to pick up WHOLE WHEAT buns (120 calories per bun)  and some of Publix’s homemade chili (which is in the Deli section)!  I had some red onions in my fridge and some kettle baked bbq chips in my pantry.  The end result after pooling our goods was pure satisfaction.

Paired it with some traditional yellow mustard

He thought he could finish three since the turkey dogs were 45 calories each (guess what — he was full by two!)

Do you love hot dogs? How do you make yours? Living in the south we have the good fortune of being able to grill a meal during any season — so we grilled them. But sometimes, when I’m lazy or busy — I’ll microwave them. Growing up we religiously boiled them!

Comment below on your favorite ways to eat hot dogs!

Atkins Park: 794 N Highland Ave Atlanta, GA 30306

Have you been to Atkins Park? Because of law school I had only seen the crowded bar portion of the restaurant — when I think of crowded, rowdy, bar, I do not associate it with a great restaurant attached to the other side — and this is EXACTLY what Atkins Park is!

A friend of mine LOVES Atkins Park. After being a tad skeptical, I decided I would check it out. Thank GOD I went! I LOVED the menu  and the food. The service was great and the food was well prepared. I loved my dish. I’m not one to want sweet things, but the pairings of the apple with the North Georgia trout was beautiful and the taste was delicate and not over powering. They ran out of the pot roast the night I went, so my friend ordered the special for the night (I think:  brisket with Vidalia onion and local greens.  We also ordered an awesome pimento cheese appetizer with fried green tomatoes: which I LOVE!!!!!!!

Here are few pictures of our meal:

Thankfully, celery is healthy and has only 6 calories per stalk….

I have a quick fact to insert about Vidalia Onions (great dinner conversation piece): did you know that in order to be a “Vidalia Onion” it needs to be grown by or from Vidalia, Georgia. These onions are trademarked by the United States Patent and Trademark office, so you can’t legally grow a Vidalia onion, or sell it without it actually being from the following thirteen Georgia counties: Emanuel, Candler, Treutlen, Bulloch, Wheeler, Montgomery, Evans, Tattnall, Toombs, Telfair, Jeff Davis, Appling, and Bacon; or portions of the following seven counties: Jenkins, Screven, Laurens, Dodge, Pierce, Wayne, and Long.

I definitely stole a few bites of that sweet Vidalia onion and mashed potatoes.

Loved this! Burbon soaked applies with a North Georgia Trout!

Who doesn’t love a side of mac n’ cheese?

Have a great Monday friends! Also, comment below if you have been to Atkins or are now planning to go!

Oh yeah, what should you wear to Atkins Park? Preppy, casual, bar chic, bar trendy. Do not wear clubbing clothes, or a short tight black dress — you’ll look awkward – or like you are trying too hard. Also don’t dress TOO casual. Example: if you decide to wear a t-shirt, khakis & rainbows — you will look like a fool.