THE ACTORS DIET

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2009-11-30T21:28:00.001-08:00

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Lynn - Yes We Have No Bananas

2009-11-30T16:48:00.001-08:00

That song kept going through my head all through breakfast:

1/2 cup oats cooked in 1 cup water with 2 TB cage free egg whites, 1 TB Ruth's Chia Goodness, and an organic persimmon. We didn't have any bananas in the house today - not even frozen ones (I usually keep some for us and Julius' kong) and they were definitely missed - the oats were a lot less creamy - in fact, they were almost crunchy!

With a pot of Creme Au Caramel Rooibos -

Today has been all about getting the house back to normal - I dragged myself to the gym with the promise that I would only have to do 1/2 an hour of cardio so I could tackle all the laundry, cleaning, etc. I had to restock on a lot more than just bananas so I hit the grocery store too. (We had watched "Food, Inc." last night so I was extra conscious of what went into my cart.)

Back home we had a huge pile of vacation mail waiting to be opened, including this package from Cyndi at The Best Damn Granola Company - apparently, they also make handcrafted soaps!

I chose the Chocolate Raspberry one, which came in this cute burlap sac -

Looks like someone already took a bite (it actually does look good enough to eat):

Smells heavenly, too. Can't wait to take a soak in it later. Thanks, Cyndi!

For lunch I made a salad with farmers market organic greens, shredded carrots, Galeo's World's Best Miso dressing, and some Applegate Farms Organic Genoa Salami:

Plus some Doctor Kracker Cherry Semolina Crisps on the side:

And s'more rooibos (I keep reusing the tea leaves):

Time to get unpacking! I took it easy yesterday so that I could recover from the travel exhaustion but I did find the energy to put up the Christmas tree! My birthday is December 24th, so I'm a bit of a freak about the holiday. I grew up with live trees and sentimental ornaments but since being on my own we've stuck to the fake tree we bought back in NYC, and I've started collecting my own tree trimmers throughout the last few years' travels:

A butterfly from Cambodia last Christmas...

...a Giraffe from South Africa...

And from this September's trip to South Dakota:

I'm so happy it's up!

Christy - Our own B&B

2009-11-30T13:00:00.000-08:00

When Jeff and I come to CT for Thanksgiving, we are lucky enough to be invited to stay with his Aunt and Uncle. We have our own comfy room and bathroom, a treadmill and all kinds of workout equipment, and the best part is BREAKFAST!!

Each day, Uncle Dave makes us a gourmet breakfast to start our day. Here are a couple of the breakfasts we enjoyed this year:

Say hi to our Chef - Dave Marcial!

This morning's delicacy is Peach French Toast.

He soaks bread in a french toast batter mixture of eggs and brown sugar over night. In the morning, add peaches or whatever type of fruit you prefer, on top of the soaked bread, taking out a few pieces to lay on top of the fruit. Then bake in the oven for ______

This was my portion

With maple syrup from their trees!

Another morning we had thin, crepe like omelets.

Pour the beaten eggs into a pan to make a thin layer. On top add some tomato, basil and cheese (if desired). Once the egg firms on the bottom, instead of flipping it, take a baster of water and squirt a small amount until the egg. Then put a lid on the pan. This steams the eggs and since you are not flipping it, it doesn't get too fluffy.

Then roll it up and serve

It is delicious - Light and not too filling.

Christy - A Pug night in

2009-11-29T16:53:00.001-08:00

It has been a busy time with the family in CT and I am behind on my blogging. So the next couple of days will be some catch up blogs.

This dinner is from Friday night after Thanksgiving. We spent a relaxing day around the house. Here is my pug niece Emma

Contemplating what to do...

And we were treated to a special dinner by my brother in law and his girlfriend Tina!

They made poached salmon with roasted vegetables. First you roast the vegetables into the oven to roast (we had red peppers, onions and tomatoes). Then you chop them up and set them aside. On a separate cookie sheet, you put the salmon and asparagus into the oven on 400 to cook for about 10 minutes. Take it out and spread the chopped roasted veggie mixture on top and then put it back in the oven. Change the temp to broil and broil for 10 minutes or until the salmon is cooked through.

Then we had steamed kale with tamari shaved almonds on top and some sourdough bread.

After dinner, we played a game of celebrity. And at the request of my husband, Judi (his step mother and my mother in law) made a delicious pecan pie. It's the holidays!

Lynn - Welcome Home!

2009-11-29T10:58:00.000-08:00

It's really nice to be back in Los Angeles. Here's what my last day in the Boston area looked like -

We woke up, packed, and checked out of the hotel so that we could all head over to the bakery where my cousin Rachel (the one who made the marvelous Thanksgiving treats) works, Swiss Bakers in Reading, MA.

She treated us all to a lovely pastry breakfast!

I began with a free sample of Raspberry Croissant...

...then ordered a cup of herbal tea and this jumbo pretzel (which I ate about 1/3 of)

A bite of a chocolate weggli -

And a bite of a special treat isn't even available in the bakery yet - PRETZEL CROISSANTS!!!

Absolutely unbelievable. Buttery, light, flakey, and pretzel flavored!!!

There were 12 of us packed into that tiny bakery for well over an hour (with only one table) so we decided it was time to say our good-byes and continue on with our travels. We bid adieu to Abe's family, who was driving back to Philadelphia, and the rest of us killed some time before our flight.

We headed to the nearby Jordan's Furniture, which I'd never heard of before but apparently they're all over Massachusetts. As their slogan aptly describes, "Not just a store, an experience."

An experience, indeed. This place was crazy!

The Reading location had a whole town made out of jellybeans:

Yup - those are beans:

And so are these:

So much stuff to look at! Fenway's Green Monster:

This place was perfect to get out of the crazy weather (it was blustery and c-c-c-cold) with our cousins.

They even had trapeze (the main reason we went here, since you may remember that Franny and Mark both go to trapeze school in L.A.)

Insanity, this place was. We didn't even check out the giant furniture store part.

After saying goodbye to our cousins, it was just me, Abe, and Aunt Gail. We stopped by Flour Bakery since it was near the airport.

It was a really cool place - Gail ordered a soup and Abe got a sandwich to go but I didn't have anything. The place was super crowded, especially with kiddies since it was near The Children's Museum.

We also wandered into the Boston Fire Museum, where the two super charming guys showed us around:

They shot "The Departed" here!

We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare - surprisingly, the lines were super short. Logan has a pretty good food court with interesting options. I hit the counter of Ufood Grill:

I ordered a salad to eat on the plane and enjoyed a cup of vegetarian chili, without cheese:

A bite of Abe's hummus and veggie sandwich from Flour Bakery:

And a crunchy New England apple:

I got hungry on the plane about 3 hours later. I dug into my salad, which had chicken, cranberries, and walnuts with a sweet pomegranate dressing:

Pretzels (x2):

Around 20 minutes later I was still hungry so I ate this organic pear. (FYI - not my beer in the background!)

We watched A LOT of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" ...

And I read the first 100 pages of Kathy Griffin's autobiography, which my sister-in-law Anna brought for me. She said there was some stuff in it about eating disorders/Hollywood that I could probably relate to and there sure was - I had no idea Kathy Griffin was also a binge eater/anorexic...it was helpful for me to read about that, plus her struggles with persevering in this super brutal business....

It was the perfect plane book; I may have to save the rest of it for our trip back east for the Holidays!

News and Links

2009-11-28T13:00:00.000-08:00

What Does Ashley Greene Eat?!

Nicole Kidman Loves Her Post-Pregnancy Body

Amanda Peet is a Role Model For Her Daughter

Ashlee Simpson Defends Her Sister

Elizabeth Hurley Swaps Wine for Vodka and Starts a Snack Line

How Padma Eats for a Living

Tyra Gets Her Shape in Shape

Valerie Bertinelli's Fitness DVD

Tweats of the Week: T'giving Edition

2009-11-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

For those of you who follow us on twitter, you know that we retweet what other actors eat - the good, the bad...all of it. Here's some special Thanksgiving highlights from the last few days:

alilandry: Finished up all of the Thanksgiving grocery shopping. We r making everything from scratch and nothing will be FAT FREE!!!!!

Alyssa_Milano: Making my food shopping list for Thanksgiving!!!!

feliciaday: Here's a copy of the recipe I used from Cook's Illustrated.....http://bit.ly/75xCYT

KimKardashian: Happy Thanksgiving twitterfam! Let the cooking begin! I'm starting with my seet potatoe souffle! yummy!

alisonbrie: Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I'm about to make some kick-ass cranberry sauce! :)

HaylieK: Heading to a spin class, Can't wait to start cooking and eating! My mom made vegetarian stuffing and gravy, just for me! ...

lisaloeb4real: Happy Thanksgiving! Pace yourself, & don't be afraid to take your pie for later! Take a walk & talk break....

DonGlover: Made macaroni and cheese, collard greens, and cookies. About to make biscuits from scratch. Someone marry me, quick.

SherriEShepherd: http://twitpic.com/r3cnp - My thanksgiving meal!

torianddean: Homemade spinach/artichoke dip & crostini. To start...Let the fun begin! (pic) http://znl.me/8I0LC

ShannonElizab: I hope everyone had a great day! The Tofurkey is making me sleepy-haha-I'm going to attempt to hit the bed now early...

iamdiddy: Seconds!!!!!!! Let's gooooo! And for the record Ciroc goes better with food because its made from GRAPES!!! Lol hhaaaahaaa

AndyMilonakis: I went to Koreatown to eat Pho for Thanksgiving, it was pretty dope, I video taped it, putting it online in 30 minutes.

emmyrossum: I'm kind of starting to get hungry again. Is that nuts?!

mrskutcher: Turkey overload! Happy Thanksgiving!

JulietteLewis: http://twitpic.com/r4t63 - Making smores for Thanksgiving in a parking lot in Spain.

AliciaLaraLA: I wonder if I will ever feel the feeling of hunger again. Ow.

Ali_Sweeney: Dear Thanksgiving Dinner. I give. Uncle. You win. Hugs, Ali P.S.I loved every minute of it.

MingNa: My friends served up the most amazing feast 2nite! Turkey, Prime rib, all the fixings! Thank u Angie & Mitch! Major Food Coma!

TameraMowryTwo: http://twitpic.com/r77tv - Well, u guys asked for food...here it is:)

Lynn - Blame it in the Tur-tur-tur-tur-tur-turkey

2009-11-27T14:10:00.001-08:00

A fantastic night of sleep!

This morning we skipped the gym and had breakfast with David and Wendy (Abe's parents) and Anna and Zack (Abe's sister and her hubby) in the hotel lobby. There was an all-you-can-eat-buffet for $11 but we weren't that hungry. So we asked if we could just order a la carte and they said yup.

I fixed myself a bowl of Strawberry Banana Light N' Fit Yogurt with some melon, pineapple, and dried cranberries (plus a sprinkling of Abe's Special K cereal for crunch).

With a cup of spiced apple tea:

We headed over to visit "The Bubs" (Abe's grandmother) who was asleep when we arrived so we had to wake the poor lady up. Woops. She was in great spirits, though - kept telling us how tall we all were. Bubs is 95-years-old and a one-of-a-kind, marvelous woman. Lately she's been singing a lot, so Abe recorded her on his i-phone and used the T-Pain app to make her sound auto-tuned. It was pretty catchy, actually.

We stopped by Aunt Gail's afterwards, whose house smelled marvelous because she had turkey soup bubbling away. I didn't have any, because I wasn't hungry. But then everyone else started eating and I figured I should be on the same feeding schedule. So I wound up heating up a plate of leftovers before we left the house:

Sweet potato, curried squash, turkey, cranberry mold, string beans, carrots, and broccoli. I'm a leftover kinda gal, especially Thanksgiving stuff.

A piece of pineapple and a thin slice of pumpkin cake:

It's been a miserable grey day in the Boston area - cold, wet, and rainy. We wanted to avoid any Black Friday chaos and there were no movies playing that we all wanted to see so we wound up going to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Unfortunately, there are no cameras (or phones, or coat-carrying) allowed so I couldn't share all the amazing things I witnessed. It's a stunning and very unique space; if you're ever in the area you should check it out.

By the time we dropped off Gail, it was getting dark and we were all pooped. I dunno if it's the traveling or the turkey, but I've already taken many lovely naps in the car today. All hail tryptophan!!!

After resting in our rooms for a few hours, we walked across the street from our hotel to Naked Fish.

We started off with the spinach artichoke dish.

I a few tortilla chips and a scoop of dip, with half a roll (multiply this plate by 2)

For my entree I got a side salad with dressing on the side -

And a bowl of New England Clam Chowder, which I ate probably 2/3rds of.

I also had bites from everyone's dishes - most of them went unphotographed but I did snap this one - the mashed sweet potatoes with bananas were the winner.

Everything was really good!

Thank you David and Wendy for a fantastic dinner and trip!

Back at the hotel I plopped down in front of the lobby fire to enjoy a tootsie pop. I kept my coat and hat on for a while because I was still chilly.

We played a fun word game called Bananangrams:

It's a lot like scrabble, except more free-form and fast-paced. I'm a scrabble addict (anyone play on facebook?) so I found it quite thrilling.

The game is super-portable too - it comes in this cute banana pouch!

Well I am officially pooped out. I definitely ate too much tonight and am feeling like I need to do a better job of listening to my body tomorrow, and not eat when I'm not hungry - especially the rich stuff.

Christy - Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T17:55:00.000-08:00

Tuesday was a loooong travel day. Lots of delays, of course, because of the holidays. So we got in super late and went right to bed. Wednesday was a relaxed day of nature walks and grocery shopping.

Here we are walking in the woods

Then for Thanksgiving morning, we always run the local 5 mile road race - the Manchester Road Race. The race has been held on Thanksgiving day since 1927 when there were 12 runners. Today there were 12,000! The proceeds of the race go to charity and the whole community gets involved. If you aren't running, you are there on the sidelines cheering the runners on. People dress up, run as families or teams, and there are bands that play music along the way. It is the perfect way to start a Thanksgiving day!

Then we came home for our FEAST. Thanks to our relatives, there was tons food. We had all the normal thanksgiving fare - Turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce.

We also had some specialty stuff - vegetarian stuffing

Carrot casserole

Baked Yucca

Broccoli with cheese (No cheese for me so I didn't have any. But I thought the broccoli was a good addition to the meal)

Roasted Turkey

And no Turkey Turkey - which is seitan and vegetarian stuffing in a phyllo dough crust (my brother in law's specialty)

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving too! I am so thankful for the blog community which blesses me with so much inspiration, information, and fun!

Lynn - Delicious Day

2009-11-26T17:00:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful day! We headed to my Aunt's house early to take a walk in the neighborhood and visit with some family friends (and their dog Harry). Abe's whole family was going through doggie withdrawal so we took Harry for a walk.

Labradoodle alert:

Here's something you don't see very much of in Los Angeles anymore -

Thank you to everyone who advised me to pack my winter coat - even though it was "seasonally warm" here, my thin west coast blood definitely needed it!

Back at the house I helped prep a few dishes...

...and then joined the kiddies for a fun game of "The Family Album Game."

Abe's Dad (drawing on the right) invented this game almost 20 years ago as a tool to help families bond - kinda like charades meets Cranium.

Our cousins Franny and Finn loved it; unfortunately, David wasn't around to consult about some of the rules.

By 3 pm almost all 20 (or 21?) guests arrived, including the 2 newest members of the family:

We passed around the appetizer - Aunt Gail's famous egg salad (in honor of Abe, as a vegetarian protein source) served with challah:

I had about 2 pieces of this - it was fantastic. The secret is not too much mayo and diced onion/scallions.

Gail (left) and mother-in-law Wendy produced a gorgeous looking turkey that was perfectly seasoned and fantastically moist (they had wrapped it in cheesecloth).

Franny made place cards for everyone, giving us code names. I was Judy Blume, since I've been rereading her lately (I polished off "Deenie" on the plane yesterday) and Franny is discovering her books now.

Abe was Santa Claus. I think Judy Blume + Santa = match made in Heaven.

It took a while to pass everything around the very long table. I took a scoop of basically everything:

Hmmm....what was on this plate?! String beans, brussels sprouts, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, crispy roasted potatoes, stuffing (both vegetarian and meat versions), curried butternut squash, turkey (both dark and white meat) and lots and lots of cranberry sauce, cranberry chutney, and gravy. I took probably around 4-5x additional servings of all the starchy stuff, especially the stuffing and sweet potato.

I stopped eating when I was at about 95% full, but there were additional dishes that came out that I had to just sample. One of them was this cranberry mold:

Basically gelatin, apples and cranberries. It was a wonderful palate cleanser before dessert.

Speaking of...

Everything pictured here was made with love. Our cousin Rachel is a professional pastry chef, so we were in for quite the treat. Her tarts:

And meringue cookies with freshly whipped cream and strawberries:

I took a small sliver of every single thing: tart, apple tart, pecan pie, tiramisu, pumpkin cake, and a cookie with cream:

I also sipped on some Apple Cinammon Spice tea. I was definitely pushing the fullness threshold, but it really wasn't anything unpleasant feeling. It was felt really really nice, actually.

We checked out "Fantastic Mr. Fox" at the local theater around 6:30 pm:

Maybe it was the tryptophan, but this movie didn't hold my interest. I dozed off every 5 seconds and whenever I woke up it was too confusing for my foggy mind to follow so I just went back to sleep.

Now it's almost 10pm and surprisingly, I'm ready for bed, despite the fact that I just had a long nap and it's only 7pm in Los Angeles. No more food/snacks for me. I can't wait to wake up tomorrow with my appetite again and dig into some leftovers!

Hope you had a wonderful day!

Lynn - Bonjour Boston!

2009-11-26T07:12:00.000-08:00

Or....I should really say Waltham, because that's where we're staying. We'll be heading over to our Aunt Gail's house nearby for Thanksgiving "dinner" at 3pm.

Our airport travels really weren't bad! I vastly overestimated the time it would take to sit in traffic, drop Julius off at the dog boarder's, etc. and we wound up at LAX 3 hours before lift off. Thankfully, everything went on schedule and we had a very smooth flight. We passed a lot of time watching lots of HBO on my computer - "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Hung" (the latter we kept having to shield from our neighbors because it got downright pornographic at times).

I wasn't planning on blogging yesterday because I knew our eats wouldn't be too exciting (a veggie burrito at the airport, an Amazing Grass Superfood bar and an orange) but then my father-in-law David and brother-in-law Zack picked us up from the airport with this in the car and I had to whip out the camera:

Awwww yeah. Leftover pizza from one of my most favorite places in the entire WORLD (and I've been to Italy) - Pepe's!!! Back in college (when Abe and I were young little lovebirds) we would stop by the New Haven location every chance we got - it's the kinda place where you go expecting to wait up to an hour - but it's definitely worth it. This one was from the Manchester location.

Still delicious, even after sitting in the car for hours:

Our bodies are on Pacific Coast time, so I didn't fall asleep til around 1 am, but as predicted I woke up at 7 am this morning (4 am L.A. time, like every other day this past week)! I did a quick work out in the gym - for some reason they had really crappy treadmills but a very good spin bike so I walked slowly on a high incline for 20 minutes, then cycled for 10 to get my heart rate up. 3 sets of 3 upper arm weights later, I headed up to my sister-in-law Anna's room for a little carpet picnic; they'd been kind enough to pick us up some bagels from Bruegger's Bagels:

I wasn't incredibly hungry from my late-night pizza (and I want to save room for later) so I only had 1/2 of a Honey Wheat spread with Justin's Natural Maple Almond Butter:

Everyone proclaimed this the best nut butter in the world.

Plus a stowaway orange, which I split with everyone:

Time to get ready, then do a little exploring around town before the big sit-down. Can any Waltham-area locals recommend a must-try place that's vegetarian (and large group) friendly for tomorrow? Sadly, I don't think I'm going to be able to do a blogger meetup because the schedule's pretty packed with family stuff (as I'm sure your's are too) but I wanted to hear about places you've been to that you love that maybe I can check out while I'm in the area.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Thanksgiving!!! Can't wait to see all your pix and hear about your days.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

Remember Lynn's cousin Amy, the hostess with the mostess? She's a hilarious actress, and here is a video she did for Funny or Die with some tips for today:

Thanksgiving Tips - watch more funny videos

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Tweats of the Week

2009-11-25T16:17:00.000-08:00

For those of you who follow us on twitter, you know that we retweet what other actors eat - the good, the bad...all of it. Here's some highlights from this past week:

Alyssa_Milano: ~♥~ Going to the parental units house to watch a movie and eat pizza. Nom. Nom. Nom.

emmyrossum: There isn't a sweet potato to be found in this city. Seriously, I think everyone got the cook-a-few-days-in-advance memo.

brookelyons: ate marrow from mozza and thought it divine

torianddean: Chicken Soup cures all!. Here's the chix soup my friend @rwcourtney made 4 me....(pic) http://znl.me/SM4XW

mariamenounos: This salad just showed up at dinner...I didn't realize I asked to feed a small army!haha http://pic.gd/0cd593

miraclelaurie: a bird just shit on my lunch. my friend said that that's actually good luck. there's no way that's true, right?

Sara_Paxton: All my south african friends! I need help! I am CRAVING that beef jerkey stuff u guys love...what is it called?

jimgaffigan: Nobu 57. For dessert I order an entree. http://twitpic.com/q1zzr

michellekrusiec: holiday eating is on the rise. will burn calories later at royksopp.

AndyMilonakis: I want to eat a salad that tastes like Marilyn Manson's personality. Can I get that somewhere this late?

Guest Blogger: Samantha Quan

2009-11-25T07:40:00.000-08:00

Our buddy, actress Samantha Quan, shared this easy recipe idea - perfect for an easy, stress-free Thanksgiving dinner!

I have been making personal pot pies (great for leftovers too).

Take 2 ramekins (the size for personal baked soups) and fill them with a stew-like mixture (i.e.: potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, chicken, chicken stock, maybe some cream, peas, turnips... leftover roasted vegetables/chicken/what have you, bay leaf, salt and pepper to taste)

Make nice and thick... then I cover it with some pre-bought puffed pastry... bake until golden and bubbling at 350 (about 25 min) and it's DELISH!

Lynn - Giving Thanks

2009-11-24T15:48:00.000-08:00

Since we won't be around, I haven't gone shopping for fresh produce in over a week. The last few days have been all about using up stuff from the freezer/fridge and last night was one of my favorite concoctions:

Gluten-Free Mediterranean Pizza

Take one Udi's Gluten-Free Pizza Crust out of the freezer (they come 2 in a pack) -

Spread with 2 TB Wild Garden Hummus (this flavor wasn't spicy, despite its taunting pepper pix)...

Nuke some Trader Joe's Misto alla Griglia...

...this is one of my fave frozen food products. It's just marinated/grilled eggplant and zucchini:

Chop the veggies and sprinkle on top. Bake at 450-degrees for 10-12 minutes:

I had mine with a side of frozen brussels sprouts/broccoli, tossed in residual oil leftover from the eggplant/zucchini (it can be quite greasy) and Lavender Sea Salt.

The crust is pretty good (for gluten-free) - but it's more of a flat-bread texture than a traditional pizza crust. Next time I plan on baking it directly on the oven rack, instead of a cookie sheet, since it was a little soggier than I would've liked.

For dessert I had one of the Oatmeal Nutridel cookies we were sent.

The nutritional stats are impressive - naturally sweetened with molasses, preservative free, and full of fiber and antioxidants. They come two in a package - about the size of my palm - and are very flat and crisp.

With some Creme Au Caramel Rooibos and organic grapes:

Abe and I both liked the Nutridel - it reminded me a little of a fortune cookie - a very subtle sweetness and full of nutty flavor. My one complaint is that it didn't taste like an Oatmeal cookie to me (maybe because in my mind, that should mean chewy and with raisins).

Right before bed: an organic orange and Apple Ginger chew -

This morning I took a hike with Julius and am finishing up packing (yes I'm still not done). Here's some of the snacks I plan on bringing with us for the plane ride/hotel room:

Newman's Own Organic Dried Apples, Peeled Snacks Go Mango Man-Go, Justin's Almond Butter squeeze packs, Honest Foods Baked Whole Foods Bars, and some organic oranges and pears. Yumnuts also sent one package of their Chocolate Slow Dry-Roasted Cashews and I'm excited to start sampling them - they have no added oils, preservatives, or artificial flavors/colors.

This is the first Thanksgiving in a loooong time that I'm not anxious over food. That said, I do have a history (as many people do) of overeating on this particular holiday so I have given it some thought. I am not planning on bingeing, as I have in the past (I used to pack larger pants with the knowledge I'd be super bloated) and I'm not planning on following any diet rules either. I want my focus to be on time with the family, and to remember I've had many meals with them and many scrumptious buffets that have not ended in overstuffing myself.

My father-in-law, David, forwarded me this post in today's NY Time's Health Section about families and food on Thanksgiving. I'm super grateful that pretty much everyone I'm going to see knows about my history of eating disorders and that I don't feel like I have to hide a secret, eat to please others, or shove my feelings down with food. That said, comments may be made that will trigger old thoughts and I've got to remember that I am in control of how I react to them.

Tomorrow we travel; ugh. I'm mentally prepared for it, though - I've got meditation mp3's on my i-pod, episodes of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Hung" that I'm looking forward to watching on my computer, my aforementioned snacks, and if all else fails, I can bitch and moan on twitter.

Christy - Packing Boot Camp

2009-11-23T22:49:00.001-08:00

Everyone is packing today!! We are getting ready for our east coast trip as well. I just finished packing now (10:30pm) and still need to get the kitties all set up with the instructions for our house-sitter. So much to do!

I kept food pretty easy today - trying to use up all the veggies in the fridge before I leave. I had a salad with kale, spiralized zucchini and squash, some cucumbers and jicama.

Then after a day of clients and meetings, Jeff and I hit up a boot camp class at our gym. I usually love boot camp but this guy had us moving so fast that my knee was a little sore at the end of the hour. Maybe I will nurse it back to health with a little pumpkin pie this weekend :) Pumpkin pie is my favorite, so I have a slice on Thanksgiving. I never think to make it or have it any other time of year though.

For dinner we had some baked fish and broccoli. Boring, I know.

Talk to you guys from the east coast tomorrow!

Lynn - Packing Heat

2009-11-23T16:45:00.001-08:00

I had a glorious, uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep but woke up with a sore throat. Uh oh. Not the thing to have before a cross-country flight this week. I made sure to have some Slice of Life Vitamin C gummies with breakfast:

Tropical Oat Bran

1/3 cup oat bran cooked with a lotta water (about 1.5 - 1.75 cups) to make it ultra voluminous
2 TB cage-free egg whites
1/2 an organic frozen banana
6 or 7 pieces of frozen papaya
pinch of NuStevia
1 TB Udi's Hawaiian Granola

In the teapot:

I won this Creme Au Caramel Rooibos from Ashley's giveaway. It is a wonderful, non-caffeinated treat! I drank it straight-up.

I took Julius for 2 long walks today; the rest of my day has been spent packing for our Thanksgiving trip to the Boston suburbs. Why does it take me forever to pack? I really have no idea. I'm still not done, actually...

I'm trying to figure out how to dress for East Coast weather again - I don't think it's a good sign that I'm cold here in Los Angeles (where it was 75-degrees outside today). I'll have to bring my heavy coat, right? Help me out New England-ers!

For lunch I heated up 1/2 a box of Dr. McDougall's Roasted Pepper Tomato soup with some frozen spinach, and topped it with some curry chicken/almonds from my restaurant leftovers yesterday:

On the side, some Lesser Evil Potato Krinkle Sticks.

Here's what's in them:

I put the soup in a small mug so I could easily eat it while watching Oprah.

I'm a little sad about her announcement; I have only gotten into Oprah in the last few years (even though she was my graduation speaker more than 10 years ago) but her show has played a huge part in my eating disorder recovery - it's actually the reason I acknowledged I had a problem and started seeing a specialist.

My sore throat has gone away; I credit it to the copious amounts of tea:

Back to pack!

Christy - New Moon

2009-11-22T23:44:00.001-08:00

On Sunday Jeff and I usually go to the farmer's market in Hollywood and get prepped for the upcoming week but since it is a holiday week this week, there was no need to stock up on food like we normally do. So we took the day instead to get a head start on Christmas shopping and see a movie together.

I woke up late and had some quinoa before doing 45 minutes on the treadmill.

Then I made myself a green veggie juice with celery, cucumber, parsley, kale, and a little apple. I also added some chia seeds to it as well.

We shopped for a few hours and then decided to grab a quick dinner at the food court in the mall. I am not a huge fan of food courts but the one in the Century City Mall in Los Angeles is pretty nice. We opted for the sushi place and had miso soup

A spicy tuna roll concoction

And some salmon teriyaki with a salad and a california roll (which was not that good). We split it all.

Then we headed to the movie theater and watched...Twilight: New Moon. I wouldn't say I am a huge fan (like I would about Harry Potter) but I have read all the book and they are fun. I saw the first Twilight movie and did not love it. I had higher hopes for this one because the previews looked so cool. The verdict...it was...okay. There were parts that were fun, a lot that was cheesy. I was really glad I had read the book so when they shortened some of the parts down, I had the back story to still make it interesting. If you are on the fence, I say, wait for DVD.

Lynn - Video Game Junkie

2009-11-22T09:56:00.001-08:00

A lot of time was devoted to this last night:

The New Super Mario Bros. Wii is hours of nostalgic fun!!! Just like the format of the old skool games. I know I played too much because when I woke up at 4 am this morning (my body's new habit, apparently) I imagined new levels as I was drifiting back to sleep....

A random dinner was consumed at some point:

Leftover Sardine/Dulcet Cuisine Mustard on top of wilted baby spinach and some frozen asparagus, topped with balsamic vinegar...

Some Udi's Hawaiian Granola...

...On top of a smushed organic banana:

Love the chunks of dried pineapple and macadamia nuts in it.

"The People I've Slept With" is currently in Asia! It's playing at the Golden Horse Film Festival in Taiwan and will be the closing film at the Hong Kong Asian Independent Film Festival.

Hope you're having a great Sunday...I'm excited to see my friend Shelby today - she's in town from NYC and I haven't seen her in years - we plan to have a late lunch with her...I also intend on playing a lot more Mario (hee hee)...

Are you a video game junkie? What are your favorite games?

I have an addictive personality, and since I no longer drink, smoke, do drugs, or binge, having an outlet for an old obsession calms me down. It's been a while since we've had a video game we really love and man...it makes me happy!

Lynn - Sandwiches and Art

2009-11-21T16:35:00.001-08:00

This will have to be a post of few words, since there are a ton of pix and I'm anxious to play the New Super Mario Brothers game on Wii!

A small breakfast at 10am after 30 minutes of upper arm weights - 1/2 an Honest Foods Granola Plank in blueberry vanilla crackle:

With a bag of Mighty Leaf Organic African Nectar. Literally not my cup of tea - it reminded me of cough syrup.

After acupuncture, Abe and I drove downtown, for Starry Kitchen's special lunch. I've blogged about them before; they serve Asian fusion food out of their home and this was their test-run in a restaurant setting. The place was hoppin' -

They had two options - Vietnamese lemongrass chicken or 5-spice popcorn tofu, served on your choice of baguette, taco, or burrito. I ordered the non-vegetarian one on a baguette:

Served with a side of Japanese Garlic Noodles.

I also dotted my meal with pepperoncini and fresh tomatillo salsa, which was so yummy we packaged some to-go with us.

Everything was mind-blowingly delicious, and I'm not just saying that because I'm friends with the owners. Their creations will knock your socks off.

I still smell like garlic. :)

After lunch we continued exploring downtown with a trip to the Japanese American National Museum for the Giant Robot biennale exhibit:

I'll just let the pix speak for themselves:

So much fun, interesting art to look at! I took a breather on the long green couch:

Here's my fave, since it reminds me of my marriage:

And...more art by where we parked our car - we spotted our friend Kim's mural:

Time to get my video game thumbs warmed up....

Christy - Honest

2009-11-20T20:44:00.001-08:00

No exciting meals to report today. It was a day full of leftovers for me as I ran from clients to an audition to a hair cut appt. We had leftover eggplant casserole for dinner with some steamed asparagus.

And for dessert we decided to try one of the Granola Planks that Honest Foods sent us. I don't eat a ton of granola because I don't eat a lot of yogurt and seldom have a milk substitute like almond milk or rice milk. I do love the taste of granola though and love that it is sweet and still healthy. So this product was intriguing to me because it is granola as a bar! The ingredients are all really natural and healthy.

I tried the pomegranate walnut crisp flavor. It was good. Not too sweet and really chewy. I think this would be perfect to throw in the car as an on the go option during the day. Or it might be good for teenagers who don't like breakfast (I was like that when I was a teenager) because it is fast and tastes good. Pick it up and see what you think.

Oh! And you have to go to Youtube and watch the funny video that the marketing team there made - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0x-2OIEGBE. They should take part of this and make it the commercial for brand!

Lynn - Udi's

2009-11-20T11:56:00.001-08:00

Yesterday's auditions went well; I wound up eating an early dinner before my second one:

Mixed organic greens, frozen bell peppers and asparagus, TJ's frozen chicken strips, avocado, Galeo's World's Best Miso Dressing, and a Pumpkin Cheddar Dr. Kracker.

An orange for Vitamin C!

We got a package from Udi's Handcrafted Foods, a small Denver-based company that makes granola, as well as gluten free products. They also have a local catering and bakery/cafe business.

When I got back from my second audition (which was a commercial callback - fingers crossed) it was dark and I was ready for PJ's, dessert, and snuggle time with Julius on the couch.

I had half of each of the muffins they sent, the Blueberry and Lemon Streusel flavors:

I've been sampling a lot of gluten-free products lately! And I have to say, I've been pretty impressed and would not be heart-broken if I developed an intolerance with all these yummy options. The baked goods were moist and most definitely muffin-y, although I couldn't really tell the difference between the two kinds (I even did a blind taste-test). They were both just deliciously sweet to me (not a surprise, since sugar is the first ingredient).

Udi's gluten-free products are available online; they are also dairy, soy, and nut-free. Can't wait to try their granolas next. Thank you, Udi's!

Before bed I ate an organic pear.

I wasn't really hungry, but I felt like I "needed" something. Habit, I guess.

Christy - Thursday Casserole

2009-11-19T22:16:00.000-08:00

Tonight's blog comes from my amazing husband who made dinner tonight by looking up a recipe on line that included ingredients we have here in the house. And it is the first time he has ever made a casserole!!!! Give it up folks!!

Hi everyone. Thank you to Christy and Lynn for inviting me to guest write on their world famous blog! My name is Jeff by the way. So I've been big on Eggplant lately. Usually what I do is cut a few circles off, dab it in egg, lay it in some organic bread crumbs and pan fry it. Then serve it with a red sauce from Whole foods (the 365 Traditional). But today I decided to get creative, at least for me. Making a casserole puts me in some serious unchartered territory. I got the idea from a friend who recently made a dish with eggplant and turkey sausage. I loved it and thought, "I can make this" so I typed into google: Eggplant recipes and wouldn't you know there is an actual website called www.eggplantrecipes.net. Scrolled down and this is what I made!

Preheat the oven to 400, take 2 pealed eggplants and steam them till soft. Below is the organic corn meal and canned tomatoes that come into play in a little bit.

Once the eggplants are ready I cut them up and blended them with 1/2 cup of corn meal and 2 eggs in Christy's favorite toy, The Vita-mix.

Here is the result

Another angle of my handy work

All the while I took 2 turkey sausage and diced up 4 garlic cloves and sautéed them in olive oil.

Add the diced tomato

Combine the eggplant mix with the frying pan food

Mix 'em all together. (Don't forget to add Salt & Pepper to taste)

Pour the mix into a casserole dish and put it into the preheated oven for about 30-40min or until golden brown.

Add some cheese on top if you like (Christy and I used shaved parmesan) and Red Pepper Flakes

Serve it with a nice little side salad and ENJOY.

After tasting it we realized it would be REALLY good with some fresh basil or Italian herbs.

News and Links

2009-11-19T21:00:00.000-08:00

Jenna Fischer in Shape

Jenna Fischer on her Shape Cover

Sarah Michelle Gellar Finds Balance

Kristen Bell Counts Calories

Amber Ryan from Glee on Body Image

Salma Hayek on the Definition of Ugly

Carnie Wilson's Weight Loss Reality Show

Jeremy Piven's Man Boobs

Kate Hudson Losing Weight for Role

Kate Winslet Wins Lawsuit over her Exercise Regime

Giveaways:

Trader Joe's Super Red Drink Powder

Lynn - Up All Night

2009-11-19T13:43:00.001-08:00

I've been awake since about 4 am; I don't really know why. I guess I've got a lot going on in my mind - I've got 2 auditions today and I was also thinking about everything I've got to do before now and going to Boston for Thanksgiving next week. Yesterday my agent called to tell me I was offered the lead in a short film, but that it shoots in NYC next week. So I was weighing the pros and cons about that too while I listened to the birds wake up.

Christy and I had plans to take a hike this morning, but I requested a long walk instead since I was too groggy to march uphill. When we got back I asked her advice about what I should eat for breakfast that wouldn't leave me feeling too wired or gross. She recommended greens (that didn't sound appealing) or a shake. So I did a combo of both:

I combined a packet of Amazing Meal Original Blend with an organic banana and some ice.

The banana added a subtle sweetness to a very healthy-tasting brekkie brew. It was freezing in my house so I drank it in front of the space heater.

I've been taking it easy today, which I feel like I've been needing to do - it's been pretty non-stop the last week. I spent my morning listening to a relaxation tape, talking on the phone with my friend Anna, and memorizing my audition lines.

For lunch I mashed 1/2 a can of sardines with Dulcet Creole Mustard and some raisins, then put it on top of some toasted multigrain with baby spinach.

Some organic green grapes too...

Mighty Leaf sent us some of their herbal teas to sample. I chose the Ginger Twist:

"A harmonious mix of lemongrass, tropical fruits, and mint fueled with a touch of ginger."

Housed in a beautiful, biodegradable silken pouch:

It smelled amazing, even before it took a dip.

It was a splendid tea experience; the lemongrass really made it special.

I'm still feeling a little tired but I'm sure the adrenaline will kick in for my auditions. And I decided that I'm not going to do the short movie - even though it sounds like a cool project and I'm flattered they asked, Thanksgiving and family are too important to me, especially this year.

Christy - Thanksgiving game plan

2009-11-18T20:49:00.000-08:00

This morning, I helped out a friend with the little girl she nannies and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try out one of the bars that Fruition sent us. I liked the simplicity of the ingredients (always a plus with bars like these). It has black and white chia seeds in it too which is a great source of calcium and fiber. This is going to sound a little strange but it tasted like a cross between a fruit roll up and a healthy fig newton. The blueberry was a little sweet for me but my husband had one (peach) and loved it. I think that means that it goes in the category of healthy foods that taste good enough that you might not know they are healthy. That's always a plus!

On a different note, I have been prepping my clients for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday this week. The holidays bring a lot of stress around food. I like Thanksgiving foods just as much as the next person, but isn't it funny that the point of the holiday is to be with people you love and be thankful for the community and the blessings that we have in our lives. Don't you think we could do that with a normal sized meal? Do we have to get absurdly stuffed so that we are in food comas for most of the day/night?

Anyway...I think it is helpful to think of the day and come up with a game plan. A way of approaching the day and the challenges it might present so that you can enjoy yourself but not feel like it is out of control. This week, I have been helping clients develop their game plans and I was wondering, what are yours? Do you have a game plan for your holiday?

My game plan for Thanksgiving is to make sure to exercise in the morning, eat a healthy and sensible breakfast so I am not starving by the big meal, drink water throughout the day, and pick a few things that I want to eat (remembering that I can actually have this food anytime I want, I don't have to gorge on it right then).

How about you??

Lynn - Green Pan

2009-11-18T17:35:00.000-08:00

For the last two years, I've been on the hunt for eco-friendly cookware. Like most people, I grew up in the Teflon age and was a big fan of its magical non-stick properties. However, I was not thrilled when I found out how hazardous it can be to our health and environment. Normal nonsticks can release noxious fumes when overheated so I've been taking great care to never preheat my nonstick pans and keep the flame low (which can get frustrating and I admit I don't always remember). I've been cooking on cast iron skillets and stainless steel pots and pans, but have not been ga-ga over them - they are heavy and can require a lot of oil, respectively.

That's why I squealed like a child when I got an 11-inch Green Pan to review.

The Green Pan uses Thermolon, a PTFE and PFOA-free non-stick coating made of silica that, unlike traditional nonsticks, can be heated up to 500-degrees without being damaged or releasing toxic fumes. It retails for about $100.

Other eco-friendly Green Pan facts:

Made of recycled materials (35%-75%)
The manufacturing process uses 60% less power to produce its coating (compared to regular nonsticks)
Typhoon (their distributor) will plant a tree in India for each pan purchased

Uh huh. But how does it PERFORM?!

I decided to try something that would really test out the pan's nonstick properties. I've been wanting to use up the rest of my Granny Choe's Kimchi jar so last night it was finally time to make Kimchi Pancakes!

I altered the recipe on the Granny Choe website, subbing a shallot for green onion, and whole wheat flour for regular. I also wound up adding A LOT more water than recommended, just because it was really dry.

The first flip was easy!

It certainly LOOKED like it cooked just fine. But when I went to cut it, I noticed the filling was really gooey.

I've never made (or even eaten) kimchi pancakes before, so I have no idea if that's normal. I was under the impression that it would be drier in the middle, like a sweet breakfast pancake.

I put it back in the Green Pan and heated it for another 8 minutes on low, with the lid on so it wouldn't get dried out.

The middle firmed up a little, but it was still pretty wet. I took a chance and ate it...I feared we were eating raw batter but it actually tasted pretty good, consistency-wise. Flavor-wise, it could've used some salt. I made a dipping sauce from some orange marmalade, soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar - pouring some of that on top of some nuked brussels sprouts too.

So all in all I'm very happy with my first experience with the Green Pan (though next time I should try it on a recipe I'm already familiar with, like a frittata or something). My one problem with it is that this little burn stain wouldn't come off, even with a lot of elbow grease:

I will see how this pan performs over the next few months, and give you an update! I hope it's not full of ugly stains then!

For dessert part one I had some Lesser Evil Kettle Corn:

Part two was a navel orange, some Honey Chamomile Tea, and a Yummy Earth lollipop.

Thank you all for your very sweet comments about my headshots! Made me blush.

What are your thoughts on eco-conscious cookware?

and

Can you tell me what a Kimchi Pancake SHOULD be like?

Christy - Lentil Soup

2009-11-17T18:02:00.001-08:00

Last night, I was really in the mood for some stew-y type soup and I started to get out the ingredients to make it myself. And then I realized that I had some of Dr. McDougall's Lentil Soup to try. They sent us a few different kinds to try out and this one sounded like just the thing I was looking for. I looked at the ingredient list (as I do with all processed foods that I buy or try) and I was really excited to see that they were all things I would have put into the soup myself and there was no sugar on the list! Score!

I put it in a sauce pan to heat up. And at the same time, I steamed some kale and took out some quinoa to put the soup over.

This is what the end product looked like (you can't see the quinoa underneath).

It was good. Hearty like I wanted and warming. I split the container into two serving and had the rest for lunch today with a green salad that had swiss chard, cabbage and lettuce in it.

For dinner we made a piece of cod slowly cooked with some vegetable broth, garlic and dill and some steamed asparagus. The fish was a little bland so if you cook it this way, add a little more seasoning to it.

Pretty simple day of food for me today which I think my body needed because I have been feeling a little tired these days. It might be the chilly (ish) weather but I always find that if I am feeling a little run down, it always helps to simplify my food and make it warming and nurturing.

I am really excited about my post dinner treat I will be enjoying after the gym tonight though - Hot apple cider! I bought the Trader Joes' brand of Spiced Apple Cider. And I am going to heat it up on the stove and add a cinnamon stick. MMMMMM!!!!

Christy - The Amazing Cucumber

2009-11-17T14:51:00.000-08:00

A friend of Lynn's and mine, Anna (shout out Anna!), sent this to me the other day and it is so great. It is an article from The New York Times on the cucumber. I couldn't find the article to link back to but I thought I would post it here in case you missed it:

Subject: The Amazing Cucumber is the New Thing

The Amazing Cucumber
This information was in The New York Times several weeks ago as part of their "Spotlight on the Home" series that highlighted creative and fanciful ways to solve common problems.

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a! few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening! snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students ! during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

Lynn - Head Shots

2009-11-17T14:00:00.001-08:00

Oh, it's been one of the days where my head hasn't been screwed on right. The day started off fine - with 30-min. of upper arm weights and a delicious brekkie:

Last night I dumped some frozen organic raspberries into some organic plain yogurt. This morning it thawed to form this gorgeous magenta base, which I added a little NuStevia to and topped with 1/4 cup of Fig N Nuts Granola, made by the Best Damn Granola Company. It's available via Regional Best (who sent us the lavender salts too) and really was the perfect combo of flavors (you know how I love the figs). Crunch, crunch, chew, chew.

I also sipped on some honey chamomile tea with some Vitamin D3 gummies, my multi (it's a generic store brand), green pills, and a Newman's Ginger Mint.

Then my day got silly. After a near alternate-side-of-street-parking-ticket incident which got my heart pumping, I drove an hour in traffic to Santa Monica for an audition that I thought was all improv (it's an improv show) but turns out there were 4 pages of sides (that's what they call audition scenes). So I wound up having a very, very, very cold reading that left me feeling, well, not so hot. Both were mistakes that could've easily been avoided, but I dunno what to say - brain fart.

After that I headed to my new manager's office to drop off some headshots. I just realized I never shared my pix from my commercial shoot back in August. Here are the ones my commercial agents chose:

But these are the ones I dropped off with my manager, which are for theatrical (TV/film) -

Don't I look threatening in that first one? That's for all the uber serious drama stuff I go in for.

Lots more traffic, a trip to the gas station and Trader Joe's, and I was READY for lunch:

A starving salad: organic spinach/herb salad mix, avocado, TJ's hodgepodge mix and some frozen broccoli, a Sunshine Burger, chopped pickles, 1/2 an organic carrot, and Wild Garden hummus thinned out with water for dressing.

With a side of Guiltless Gourmet Spinach Artichoke Parmesan Tortilla Chips.

This day keeps going - I have to take Julius for a walk before teaching a piano lesson. I changed my regular Tuesday night shrinky dink appointment to a phoner instead, so I don't have to do any more driving in traffic than I have to. Give my little noggin a rest.

Theme song of the day: "Where is My Mind?"

Tweats of the Week

2009-11-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

For those of you who follow us on twitter, you know that we retweet what other actors eat - the good, the bad...all of it. Here's some highlights from this past week:

frandrescher: Getting a starbucks. Energy dropping. 2 more shows 2 go :)

lisarinna: For dinner Beelers soup- celery, zucchini,and parsley boil it up put in blender add some spike ...

JoyVBehar: Cooking chicken with olives and pine nuts and zucchini gratin. Experimenting now so I don't poison my guests

officialkathyg: I admit it. I had a "secret cake" 4 my bday that I just finished. Yeah, 1 cake 4 friends and another 1 stored in the fridge 4 me. SUCK IT!

LouDPhillips: Grilled red onion,sliced avocado & a sour cream,BBQ,chipotle spread...worked pretty damn good but needed a tougher bun....

brookeburke: At Rubys eating a tuna sandwich.

SherriEShepherd: …one chocolate chip cookie & I'm hitting the sack! ...

greggrunberg: Man!! I love this place "BP Oysterette" in Santa Monica. http://yfrog.com/iy4s5j

jumblejim: had a pork bbq sandwich, fries, an apple slice, bit of salad, 2 candy bars, and 2 sodas and the room's still whirly

ArdenMyrin ...watching "Barefoot Contessa"- it is like food porn.Lots of up close money shots of icing being whipped...

PadmaLakshmi: We're making all this good food for the set and I'm in my dressing room eating fried chicken and mashed potatoes!

feliciaday: To stay awake while driving:Eat...sunflower seeds.The act of opening the shell with your mouth actually keeps you awake.

emmyrossum: Emmy's Cranberry Chutney Recipe http://biggertwitter.com/user/emmyrossum/status/fssoa/

AndyMilonakis: Have you ever tried fruit stripe gum?...the flavor lasts only for a minute. I agree, dude but what a great minute.

KimKardashian: I am so repetitive! morning workout & Body Factory smoothie! I just love a good routine!

candacecbure: Very full from Tutti Frutti yogurt- I had chocolate, cookies & cream & cake batter with almonds on top.

EthanSuplee: Waitress: "Oh wow, so you're hungry!" Me: "No. Actually I'm just fat."

Lynn - It's the Fratelli's!

2009-11-16T15:12:00.001-08:00

When we got back from the beach yesterday Abe and I did some cleaning. I like to start off the week with an orderly house, y'know?!

A post-tidying/pre-walk snack:

Doctor Kracker sent us a bunch of their flatbreads to try. Having autumn on the brain, I had to open the Pumpkin Seed Cheddar.

Yup, I can pronounce these:

With a glass of Sodastream seltzer and an orange tootsie pop (which I wound up licking half of)...

Dr. Kracker really rocks. Both Abe and I thought the flavors were perfectly balanced. We really enjoyed the crunch/thick texture and agreed that it tasted sophisticated - I can totally see myself putting these out to entertain with some spreads/dips/cheese. The founder, George Eckrich, obviously knows what he's doing - he has a new website about bread-making that all you bakers should check out.

For dinner we sampled one of the other goodies we were sent this past week, from Dei Fratelli:

I've never had a canned tomato sauce before (I grew up a in a jar-centric household) so I was very curious to see how it would turn out.

A nice simple ingredient list:

I couldn't help but think of The Fratellis from one of my all-time favorite movies, "The Goonies" - especially the scene where they threaten to blend Chunk's hand and demonstrate with a tomato.

Chunk-y Pasta (serves 4)

1/2 1 lb. bag of organic whole wheat rotini pasta
1 28 oz. can Dei Fratelli tomato sauce
1 bag frozen organic spinach - defrosted and water squeezed out
24 Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs
1 shallot and 4 cloves garlic, chopped finely

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. In the meantime, saute shallots and garlic in a large pan until browned, then add tomato sauce, meatballs, and spinach. Simmer sauce while the pasta cooks -

Drain the rotini a few minutes shy of al dente. Add pasta to the sauce with a ladle of pasta water and finish cooking through for another few minutes.

Is there anything more comforting than a big bowl of pasta?

I was pretty impressed with the canned sauce - it didn't taste tinny at all, and was very robust and thick. I'm looking forward to making recipes from Dei Fratelli's no-sugar/salt added crushed tomatoes, and trying their jarred sauces to see how they compare.

After dinner I finished off the other half of my tootsie...

...and right before bed I made myself a hot chocolate by combining 2 tsp. organic unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tsp. Erythritol with a splash of boiled water to make a syrup; then adding 3/4 cup warmed organic rice milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Totally hit the spot - except the syrup residue left a funny tickle in the back of my throat afterward. I chewed on a piece of gum before flossing and brushing my teeth.

Now I have a bunch of quotes from "The Goonies" running through my head.

Christy - Ravioli, a glass of wine, and you are Italian

2009-11-15T17:31:00.000-08:00

It was so sunny and beautiful here in LA today. We did our regular farmer's market trip this morning. But we found something new to try today. Ravioli!!

I am not a pasta person at all. I almost never eat it. But for some reason, I had been thinking about ravioli for a while now and we walked past a stand with a friendly Italian owner who was selling ravioli and it seemed like the perfect place to buy it. We bought the Pumpkin Ravioli that was sized for two people - about 13 ravioli in the container. And the owner told us exactly how to make it and to pair it with a glass of wine - "and you're Italian!"

When we got home from the farmer's market, we unpacked and then headed over to Griffith Park to enjoy the sunshine and take a bike ride.

Both of us were so excited for the ravioli that we decided to make an early dinner. The instructions were this: take the frozen ravioli out of the freezer and put it directly into a pot of boiling water for 4 minutes.

I made a spinach salad with grilled onions and homemade balsamic dressing while the pasta was boiling.

When the ravioli was done, we dusted it with cinnamon, a sprinkle of fresh parm cheese and some fresh rosemary from our herb garden upstairs.

We had a small glass of white wine with it. I was so inspired by the dinner that I lit candles and turned down the lights so we could have a romantic Italian dinner.

It was so simple to make and soooo good. The perfect way to satisfy my ravioli craving.

Now I can go another 6 months before my next pasta craving totally happy :)

Lynn - Whack-A-Mole

2009-11-15T15:18:00.000-08:00

My layover in Vegas last night was quick. There were slot machines everywhere!

I did not play; I was on the phone with my brother in NJ, so I grabbed a ready-made sandwich from Starbucks so I could keep talking with him.

It was a pretty sad sandwich, dry and lacking in flavor. I ate it on the 45-minute flight back to Los Angeles, removing the Provolone, with a big fat tootsie pop.

I was exhausted by the time I got home. I ate an organic granny smith before I hit the hay.

With a decaf thai coconut chai/rice milk/erythritol:

I slept enough, but not well. I was awoken a few times in the middle of the night; my noisy neighbors have started making a new noise. Um, how shall I put this. One of them now has a girlfriend. And she is quite loud. I don't even know what to shout at them anymore...

We had plans to meet our friends in Redondo Beach for an early lunch so after a half hour of leg lifts/yoga, I wanted something quick and light. I sampled a Blueberry Fruition that ProBar had sent us:

The ingredients are all my fave stuff - dates, oats, and naturally sweetened with brown rice syrup and barley malt. It's organic too!

I snuck a bite while I boiled some water for peppermint tea:

The texture is very reminiscent of a larabar, but it actually tastes...I dunno, "fresher?" Almost homemade. I really enjoyed it, and this flavor was dynamite.

Abe and I hopped in the car for the 45-minute drive to Redondo Beach. We went to one of our favorite vegetarian restaurants, Green Temple Vegetarian:

They have a gorgeous outdoor seating area with a fountain and lots of buddhas.

I ordered the Rice on Greens, requesting their famous tofu sauce on the side.

Can you believe this is a junior portion?

It also came with a piece of their delicious honey wheat bread:

I had a bite of Abe's usual, the veggie burger. Probably one of the best ones in Southern California, dare I say....

I brought Yummy Earth lollipops for everyone. We had to bribe our friends' son to eat his lunch before he got one for himself. It worked.

I had the sour apple flavor:

After lunch we took a very short walk along the beautiful beach....

...and saw this cute mole sticking its head out of a hole...

That was my first mole-sighting. It was freaking adorable.

Christy - Soccer Saturday

2009-11-14T23:37:00.000-08:00

Exciting day today! We went down to Long Beach to watch our niece and nephew play soccer. The first game was at 10:45 so we headed out of the house around 9:45 and I brought my breakfast with me - a shake with blueberries, Jay Robb Chocolate protein powder, vitality super green powder, and water. I just remembered to take the picture before I finished it!

It was a gorgeous day for the games - sunny and warm. Our niece's game was first. She is in the under 8 league. They don't keep score in the league which I think is quite Zen of them (but I was counting and they won!).

After the game - look what they give to the kids to drink

hmm...isn't there anything healthier to give kids after games?

I had some leftover green soup from last night. But I couldn't really interest her in any of this, go figure :)

Then we headed to our nephew's game. They do keep score. And they definitely won.

I only got action shots of my nephew but I got some cute one's with my niece on the sidelines:

We headed back home after the games and worked out. I did about an hour of pilates. And then we had some shrimp stir-fry for dinner.

After dinner, we went to see 2012. Has anyone seen this?? It is almost 3 hours of total stress!! I had to come home and have a glass of wine to relax.

(If anyone is looking for a good white wine -this organic one is awesome. Bonterra Chardonnay. We served it at our wedding. You can buy it at Trader Joes, Whole Foods, and probably at most liquor stores)

Hope everyone out there is a having a less stressful night :)

Lynn - Yee Haw!

2009-11-14T13:44:00.001-08:00

Before yesterday's student screening of "White on Rice," I consumed this PB and J sandwich (Nuttzo with TJ's Reduced Sugar Orange Marmalade 0n multigrain) that I'd made at home.

The screening was packed with about 300 students - the University, which sponsored the event (and my flight/hotel) did a really good job promoting it. Here's the poster one of the seniors drew:

His rendition of me and my co-stars cracked me up. I even got to keep it!

I was really pooped right after the screening so I decided to be anti-social and head straight back to my hotel. This was calling my name:

It was super comfy and had an adorable longhorn logo -

Then I ordered room service and hooked up a video i-chat session with Abe. Julius got very confused about where my voice was coming from:

I still wasn't feeling terribly hungry so I just got a bowl of chili. I left off the sour cream/cheese and just had the oyster crackers with it.

It was delicious - but where was the hot sauce? I liked dining "with" my husband.

An apple I'd snagged earlier from the hotel gym:

Some of my favorite childhood movies were playing on TV! "Annie:"

and when that was done, I switched to "The Wizard of Oz:"

What a lovely night. I noshed on a Flax Plus Pumpkin Granola Bar from Nature's Path right before I passed out about 10:30 pm.

I give this bar the same review I give their "pumpkin" cereal - pumpkin seed, yes, pumpkin flavor, no. Still tasty, though.

I wound up sleeping much later than I thought - when I woke up it was time to hit the gym, pack, and check out. Masashi, the Austin Asian American Film Festival Executive Director, was kind enough to take me to the flagship Whole Foods for a healthy meal.

Behold, the motherland:

I've been here once before, when I was in Austin 3 years ago, but I was still swept with emotion as I stepped through the doors. There were so many options, I was a bit overstimulated. They don't let you photograph inside, but I must tell you - it's beyond. BEYOND, PEOPLE!

I ate a bunch of samples inside before deciding on the simplest option - the salad bar. We sat outside in this beautiful area, where the atmosphere was almost like a party - they kept making announcements from inside the store and people were quite jolly.

I can't even remember what I got. Basically a little bit of everything:

After lunch, we headed over to the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz, where "White on Rice" had an already sold-out screening at 2pm scheduled.

The theater was so cool - they actually serve food there and even have tables so you can eat and watch.

After intro-ing the film, I had to hop right over to the airport to catch my flight, where I am actually blogging from now. Yay for free wi-fi (a gift from boingo for the holidays at select airports)! I've got a layover in Las Vegas in a few hours - crossing my fingers for internet access there as well.

If you're in Toronto, "White on Rice" will be playing at the Reel Asian Film Festival tomorrow, 5pm, at Innis Town Hall. I will obviously not attending that, but my director, David Boyle will. Thanks to the University of Texas and The Austin Asian Film Festival for taking such great care of me - it's been a whirlwind of a trip but a lot of fun.

Christy - it's good to be home

2009-11-13T20:38:00.001-08:00

I'm back home in LA and it feels great! It was hard to travel while doing the cleanse!

I mentioned that I took the 18 Rabbits granola bars with me and liked them a lot. Here's the picture of the two flavors I had. The Cheeky Cherry Chocolate was my favorite.

Today, I really needed to have lots of green veggies to feel like I was back on track. So I started my day with another green juice - cucumber, celery, parsley

Then for lunch I had leftovers that my husband had made last night for dinner - garlic shrimp and broccoli over a little spaghetti squash. The shrimp was really good. To make it: he took 3-4 tbsp of ghee in a saucepan on medium heat and cooked the peeled shrimp. Then he added 4 cloves of garlic, crushed, parsley and salt. That's it! It was really flavorful.

I went to a spin class this evening and wasn't too hungry when I came home so I just made myself a blended green soup. In it I put cucumber, zucchini, celery, asparagus, parsley, flax seed oil, water and sprouted chia seed powder. It was really refreshing and light. Perfect for me tonight.

Thanks Meg and Chrysta for you website suggestions - they were really helpful!!

Lynn - Howdy!

2009-11-13T14:15:00.001-08:00

While I was getting ready for Austin last night Abe picked up some take-out from Z Pizza, which Christy has blogged about before.

I asked him to order the Berkeley Vegan, which I hadn't realized was buried in a deluge of bell peppers - Abe doesn't eat them. So I picked off all the peppers and put them on mine, served with some frozen broccoli I nuked:

I ate another pepper-heavy slice:

It was really really good vegan pizza - also on top: marina, veggie burger crumbles, zucchini, tomatoes, shrooms, red onions, and Daiya vegan cheese. If you're vegan, you MUST TRY THIS CHEESE. It melts beautifully, tastes wonderful, and is made of plant based ingredients.

For dessert I ripped into the generous package that Lesser Evil sent us. I inhaled their newest product, Bag O' Cocoa Coal:

Man oh man it was delicious. I really hope it's available year-round because this could become an obsession. You can follow Lesser Evil at twitter and on facebook.

My sweet tooth was really jogged - I also had a cup of Decaf Thai Coconut Chai with Rice Milk and NuNaturals Erythritol:

I went to bed feeling pleasantly stuffed. My appetite didn't really start coming back til I was already on the flight to Austin this morning, so I ate an Amazing Grass Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bar and an organic pear while catching up on 3 back-to-back episodes of "Flash Forward" on my computer.

Despite it being Friday the 13th, my travels have been flawless! We took off on time, arrived early, and my driver was already waiting for me (you can actually see him in this picture - he's the one with the sign in the left-hand corner):

The hotel I'm staying at, the AT&T Executive Education Conference Center, is BEAUTIFUL. It's right on the University of Texas campus.

Free Wi-Fi and cool gadgets:

I haven't actually left the hotel yet....after unpacking I hit the gym for a 30 minute cardio workout (very nice gym), and just finished getting beautified for tonight's "White on Rice" screening with students. Now I'm going to eat something before meeting my driver downstairs in a few....

Bye y'all!

Guest Blogger: Mary Catherine Garrison

2009-11-12T22:50:00.000-08:00

Mary Catherine Garrison is an actor who has been seen on film, TV ("30 Rock," "Lipstick Jungle," "Third Watch"), and on Broadway ("The Man Who Came to Dinner," "Debbie Does Dallas"). In addition to acting, Mary Catherine is a talented artist and crafter - take a look at her blog and get inspired to make some creations of your own. You can also buy some of her amazing creations on her etsy page.

She has been kind enough to share a day in her diet with us:

In general I like to eat really healthy. I allow myself plenty of room to pig out on mexican food when I want it - I eat sweets, meat, occasionally some dairy, all of it, but I usually crave dark green stuff and lots and lots of vegetables. I was vegetarian for about 6 years but ironically I eat way healthier now that I’ve included meat again than I ever did as a vegetarian. I don’t eat a lot of meat, but I eat it whenever I feel like I really want it. Ideally all my food would be organic, hormone-free etc. etc. but you don’t always get the ideal :)

I’ve gone through phases of not eating enough or counting calories to be super-thin, but it would make me so grumpy and I just didn’t feel great. In fact I generally felt terrible. Prior to being a "professional actor" -- I was a person who always felt great about herself and it never occurred to me that I wasn’t cute or that my body wasn’t cute — none of it! Until I started to get a little older (by TV standards!) and my body went through the normal changes it goes through when you aren’t a teenager anymore. I don’t know that I will ever not struggle with wanting some things to be different about my body blahblahblah, but my overall goal IN LIFE is to feel happy and healthy. 100 pounds is not happy-making for me. Starving myself does NOT make me a pleasant friend or wife — or a better actor! It makes me unbalanced and groggy and depressed. Life is too short and an acting job will never be satisfying enough for me to sacrifice contentment like that again.

For years I’ve skipped breakfast or just had coffee—I don’t generally like a ton of food right away and could make it to lunch (see above). And I had coffee today—probably 2 cups...

But since I’ve been getting up earlier lately, I had to have something besides coffee and this has been my new go-to: Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie. It completely fills me up for hours and it’s chock full of good stuff so I don’t feel too guilty for what is probably a 9000 calorie start to my day. I use (all measurements are eyeballed and approximate, btw):

-- a TBS of Hemp Protein Powder

--a TBS of psyllium husk

--a TBS of Nutritional Yeast

--a cup or so of almond milk

--1 banana

--2 or 3 TBS of peanut butter

--2 or 3 ice cubes

--and a few (maybe 2) tsp of agave nectar for a sweetener.

This is one of my very favorite things ever. Completely delicious.

For lunch I had vegetable soup with my favorite crackers “Mary’s Gone Crackers” which I probably eat every day. I say it’s for the flax seeds but....I’d eat them anyway :) I make huge batches of this soup and then freeze individual portions in baggies. They only take 20 minutes or so to defrost so it’s a simple solution for me. Plus I live and die by soups. Never enough!

For dinner my husband made one of our dinner staples which is sauteed vegetables over quinoa. We LOVE this dinner. We probably have this once a week, on average. And if you make too much, which we always do, it makes a great cold salad the next day for lunch. In it he used chopped kale, red peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, jalapenos, and cashews. He sautees them in peanut oil, Bragg’s liquid aminos, and soy sauce and then drizzles sesame oil over the top as well as our VIP condiment, sriracha.

We also had a green leaf salad topped with a garlic and lemon-juice dressing. And I had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc which went very well :)

I have an unquenchable sweet tooth. So after dinner I had a handful of chocolate-covered almonds. My favorite sweet treat.

And I have no idea how many calories are in ANY of this! :)

Lynn - It's the Great Pumpkin Oats

2009-11-12T17:04:00.000-08:00

Today has been bananas! I did a few leg lifts/crunches while watching TV this morning before eating a ginormous bowl of oats:

1/2 cup oats cooked in 1 cup water
1/2 super ripe banana
2.5 heaping TB of canned pumpkin
1 organic granny smith apple
1 TB Cranberry Ginger Chia Goodness
NuStevia , cinammon

Obviously, my appetite has come back. I needed breakfast to really stick this morning because I was working my personal assistant job for 5 hours. And boy oh boy did it last. I wasn't even hungry for lunch but it was getting late in the afternoon so I had a small one:

That's Dr. McDougall's Minestrone Soup with some salad greens and a side of Guiltless Gorumet Spinach Artichoke Parmesan Chips we were sent.

I found the chip flavor to be super subtle; it'd be better mixed with something else. They're very low in fat, since they're baked, and reminiscent of a baked potato chip texture. The crunch factor is insanity. I can't wait to try some of their other flavors (this one is their newest one).

Waiter, there's a salad in my soup...

This is probably my least fave flavor of the Dr. McDougall's soups I've tried.

Just got off the phone with my new manager! You may remember I was searching for one a little while ago. I'm very excited with my decision, and about setting up shop with him, but unfortunately a lot of that will all have to wait til next week since I'm going to Austin tomorrow morning. I'm attending the film fest there and making some appearances for the "White on Rice" screenings. I still have a zillion things to do, including pack! I'm staying right by the University and will not have a car - can any locals recommend some nearby places I can get my grub on?

Christy - on the road again

2009-11-11T16:37:00.000-08:00

I have to apologize for the lack of pictures - I took them but the speed of the internet here at my hotel won't send them.

I am back on the east coast for a fast job today and tomorrow. This is making the cleanse pretty impossible to stick to so I decided to just make smart choices and do the best I could.

Before I left for the airport, I made myself a green juice of celery, cucumber and parsley and then added my Vitality Greens green powder by Body Ecology. And I made sure to have my Mona Vie to boost my vitamin level.

At the airport, during my connection, I picked up a salad from Wolfgang Puck's restaurant. It was not as exciting as I hoped but it hit the spot - lettuce, spinach, cabbage, a little bit of chicken, and some tomatoes and onions. The dressing was sugary, so I just ended up going without.

Then for a snack, I had the cheeky cherry chocolate granola bar by 18 Rabbits. Yum! This was so good and hit the spot. So much better for me than the sugary cookies, pretzels or peanuts that the stewardess was offering.

I do a quick spot tomorrow morning and then head back to California on an afternoon flight. I'll post some pictures when I get home.

Thanks for all your suggestions, advice and support as I was going through the cleanse. I normally do a cleanse 3 or 4 times a year. They are a wonderful way to detox the system and give your body a break from all the work it does. They are also a great way to welcome in a new season (especially spring). I had never tried this particular cleanse before though and it did not agree with me as well as others have in the past. I can see the benefit behind it but I definitely needed to alter it some to fit my needs. I may still try to continue a modified cleanse when I get home.

Lynn - Legal Eagle

2009-11-11T16:01:00.001-08:00

I roasted last night away:

Spaghetti squash, cooked whole at 375 degrees for an hour; then cut, scooped out the seeds, and scraped with a fork.

Frozen Brussels Sprouts, organic roma tomatoes, and shallots tossed with Delicae Gourmet Tomato Basil Oil and Little Sky Lavender Sea Salt (about 40 minutes in the oven):

Organic Sugar Snap peas with EVOO, S&P, fresh oregano and rosemary (20 minutes)

All together with half a Garden Herb Sunshine Burger crumbled on top:

We caught up on a few episodes of "Gossip Girl" last night. I'm still so behind on that show...

Pineapple and chocolate for dessert:

Attune sent us some coupons to try out their probiotic bars. I've been having appetite issues lately so I figured it couldn't hurt to get some digestive bacteria action. I split half a dark chocolate bar with Abe:

It tasted just like chocolate. Except it has calcium, 5x the active live cultures in yogurt, and is also vegan. Woo hoo!

Now is the part of my post where I use my blog for legal purposes. I got a replacement phone from T-Mobile because my blackberry, which I got back in April, has been having all kinds of freezing issues. They sent me a new one to replace it, since it's still under warranty. But here are some pix of my old phone, to prove it was in good shape when I sent it back (they charge $200 if it's not):

Working nicely....

Nothing cracked back here....

No water damage (since the little sticker's still white):

Don't you feel like you just served jury duty or something? Sorry about that. Here's some more interesting news...the winner of our Chobani giveaway!

Since I'm being all legal, I'll make it "official"

K from ksgoodeats said...Sorry about the other comment, I don't know what happened but like I said before I'd love to whip up their cho-nana bread!

Congrats K! Shoot us an email at actorsdiet(at)gmail.com with your address.

Lynn - At Least My Taste Buds Are Working

2009-11-10T13:54:00.001-08:00

My appetite seems to have disappeared again, so after a quick trip to the gym this morning I just grabbed breakfast on the go.

18 Rabbits was kind enough to send us a few of their granola bars (and really cute T-shirts/buttons).

I chose the "Funky Figs and Cherries" flavor, being a fig freak and all....

All this was consumed in the car on the way to acupuncture. The bar was delicious - chewy and perfectly sweetened. The ingredients are stellar - naturally sweetened and certified organic. 18 Rabbits tastes, in my opinion, exactly like a granola bar should.

I wasn't hungry for lunch either so I made myself a very simple salad of mixed organic greens, an organic pear, and an organic carrot.

Dressed very simply with some lemon juice, pepper, and the addition of a few fancy schmancy goodies we got in the mail:

Delicae Gourmet's Tomato Basil Caper Oil

and

Little Sky Lavender Sea Salt, courtesy of Regional Best, an online food marketplace featuring handcrafted, homemade foods direct from artisans, family farms, and small companies.

Plus a bag of Cinnamon Toast Pretzel Sticks that Kays Naturals provided in a generous package.

All together:

The dressing tasted really special - a nice rich flavor, thanks to the infused olive oil, with a subtle lavender flavor from the salt. I am not gluten-free, but these pretzels were, and for that, they were pretty good - they had a nice crunch, texture, and I enjoyed the sweet/salty combo. I also liked that they had 10 grams of protein and recognizable ingredients.

Yay for free food. Speaking of which, have you entered our Chobani yogurt giveaway yet? You've got til tonight!

Christy - I feel

2009-11-09T23:50:00.000-08:00

So, I have been doing this cleanse for a while now and some of you have asked how I feel.

I feel okay. Just okay.

On the one hand, this has been an easy cleanse for me because I have been able to have protein. I am someone who would love to be a vegan but my brain chemistry is such that I need to have a high level of protein to maintain a feeling of happiness. I get as much protein as possible from vegetarian sources but need to supplement some with animal protein (sometimes once a day; sometimes a couple of times a week). I have tried many times to cut out animal protein completely but I do not process dairy, soy or beans well which leaves me with not a lot of options for protein. So I have always settled back into having it when I feel I need it and not over doing it.

This has always been the hard part about fasts and cleanses for me. By the fourth day, I am too depressed to do anything. With this cleanse, I have not had that at all because protein is a big part of the cleanse. My brain chemistry has stayed even. And my energy and focus has been consistent too. I have felt hungry at times for sure. But I have been able to maintain my level of productivity during the cleanse.

On the other hand, I have had a hard time having as much protein as the plan is calling for. It is a lot, even for someone who has protein regularly. I have been stopped up (bathroom wise) even with the psyllium husks that I have each morning and evening. And the gallons of cran-water I have been drinking. And I have had headaches each day. Could be detox or the cran-water but I think it also has something to do with the amount of animal protein.

So for the next days, I think I am going to attempt some of the vegetarian forms of protein. Though I will have to figure out a way to keep them low carb so that I stay in the constraints of the cleanse.

Lynn - Indo Cafe

2009-11-09T15:00:00.000-08:00

The rest of my Sunday was rather free-form and unplanned. I took an hour walk in the afternoon, then ate "lunch" in the car around 3pm on the way to the movies:

My last slice of pumpkin bread, consumed with another cup of herbal tea (I reused the same bag from Bricks and Scones earlier).

My attempt to balance out even more sugar with some green pills:

We drove to the westside of Los Angeles, to one of our favorite theaters, The Landmark. I love that you can reserve your seat there - important for me, because I like to be on the aisle (I get neurotic and feel trapped since I always have to pee). They also have a terrific selection of movie munchies, including pretzel sticks from La Brea Bakery and frozen yogurt.

The place was packed - and the movie we had wanted to see, "Precious," was sold out so we got tickets for our second choice, "The Men Who Stare at Goats" and killed some time at the attached Barnes and Noble beforehand.

Unfortunately, neither of us enjoyed the film. The trip was not wasted, though, because we decided to have dinner nearby. Abe had wanted to check out this place, at the suggestion of Jonathan Gold.

Indo Cafe is an Indonesian restaurant in the Palms area of Los Angeles. The small place looked recently renovated, and was packed with a lot of diners. I wasn't terribly hungry, so I ordered the Lalapan Salad, which the waitress informed me had no taste. She recommended the Gado-Gado instead, so I asked for it without tofu and with the peanut sauce on the side.

I was far too entertained by this plastic light/candle on our table, which kept changing colors.

Abe ordered an appetizer called "Martabak Telur" and asked for it to be vegetarianized with tofu instead of ground beef.

It was basically tofu, egg, and green onion rolled around in flour, pan fried, and served with sweet chili sauce.

I tried only a piece - because like I said, I wasn't very hungry - and then wound up eating about 5 more because it was fantastic. When my salad came out I ate the whole thing, aside from most of the shrimp chips that came on top...

...with 4 or 5 spoonfuls of the delightful peanut sauce...

...and a few bites of Abe's "Sayur Lodeh," a mild vegetarian curry.

Nothing like really delicious food to get the mouth salivating again! When we came home I snacked on some pineapple right before bed.

"Indo Cafe" was our first experience with Indonesian food and we are huge fans! Can't wait to go back and try some more dishes, especially when I have a legitimate appetite.

Hope you're having a great start to your week - you've got a few more days to enter our Chobani Yogurt Giveaway if you haven't already...

Christy - farmer's market

2009-11-09T00:00:00.000-08:00

ckToday was day 4 of my cleanse. Yesterday was a rough one. I was feeling hungry and frustrated the whole day regardless of how much protein I was eating. I finally broke down after dinner and had some blackberries and strawberries. I figured it was not the end of the world since they are low sugar fruits. And I decided that going forward I might add in some vegetarian forms of protein because I just can't do this much animal protein!

Today, I started my day with the Long Life Cocktail, some hot lemon water and a raspberry smoothie like the one I had on day 2.

Then Jeff and I headed to the Hollywood farmer's market to get our veggies for the week.

I always bring my list otherwise I walk around aimlessly trying to decide what I am going to make. I will say that having a menu of the week's dinners made shopping easier.

Here is the good husband buying us some celery and cucumbers.

And a shot of one of our bags full of veggies - celery, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, jicama, and some tempah in this one. We also got some swiss chard, garlic, corn on the cob, lettuce, spinach, and zucchini.

This afternoon we drove up to Santa Barbara to visit some friends and had lunch at a little cafe. I had a mixed green salad with grilled halibut on top. It was HUGE so I split it in half and ate the rest on the way home.

Another cleanse day down. More tomorrow...

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Lynn - Bricks & Scones

2009-11-08T13:11:00.001-08:00

We got home late last night and our next-door neighbors were being obnoxious, as usual, by drunkenly screaming until 3 in the morning. We've been having issues with them for over a year now - both we and our other neighbors have talked to them, written them notes, spoken to their landlord, and even called the cops - but their behavior hasn't changed. I didn't sleep fantastically and woke up at my usual 6 am time, groggy. I journaled, caught up on blogs, and felt brain dead by the time Abe woke up at 10:30. I needed food.

A welcome addition to the neighborhood:

Bricks & Scones opened down the street last weekend; I was excited to give them a try.

The baked goods looked amazing, but it was too early in the day for sugar, especially since I was already Ms. Cranky Pants.

I ordered a decaf coffee for Abe and a cup of herbal tea for myself ($1.65 each) plus some sandwiches.

The space is very cozy and clean, with free wi-fi! Just ask the counter person for the password.

They have a shelf where you can exchange books - I have a bunch I plan to donate/swap.

We sat in the outdoor patio...

...because of this guy (who got his own bowl!)

My tea was delicious and came in an eco-friendly paper cup.

The Turkey Pesto Panini (I ordered it without Mozzarella) was terrific - I got it on multi-grain ciabatta with fruit for $6.00. It was very flavorful and interesting, even without the cheese.

I also tried a bite of Abe's Caprese on Baguette ($5.00) which was tasty as well.

After taking my supplements...

...I headed inside to interview Jinah, the owner.

Tell me about yourself and why you started this business. I’m 2 years out of college – I was trying to decide if I wanted to go to grad school; I’m also a musician. I’ve always loved coffee shop culture. My parents own this building - there was a café here before about a year ago, and they left, and the space has just been empty here since…I just thought, “What a waste.”

Who does the cooking and what are some of the specialties? My mother is an incredible baker. She cooks all of the food and bakes all of the pastries – everything is homemade. She went to baking school in the past and is just great in the kitchen. Her chestnut corn muffin cake is pretty awesome – and also the red velvet, which we frost to order. She also makes an amazing cranberry walnut bran muffin, and of course our scones – which actually is modified from an old British recipe from a tea house in England – I try to make it as authentic as possible. We have an afternoon tea special – all day, for $5 you get a pot of tea and 2 scones, served with clotted cream, jam, and lemon curd. You can also special order any of our baked goods.

Do you have any vegan options? We don’t at the moment, but we’re definitely looking into it – the vegan, the gluten-free, the sugar-free option. We’re starting off kind of small because right now it’s only my mom in the kitchen; once we get our footing, we’ll definitely be expanding, with a weekend brunch menu, more pastries, etc.

Where do you get your ingredients – are they local? Organic? All our barista milk we get from an organic family dairy. We get our Intelligentsia coffee from a roasting factory just past Silverlake. We use a ceramic dripper to brew each cup – with each order, we take the whole beans and grind them per order, so it’s not just sitting there in the grinder getting stale.

I noticed your cups and eco-friendly. We try to be as environmentally-friendly as possible – our sleeves are made from recycled paper, our cups and clamshell/to go containers are all biodegradable/compostable, our plastic forks are made from potato starch. All our napkins and to-go bags are made from recycled craft paper. We’re really trying to keep it eco-friendly.

How do you envision this space being used? I’ve lived around here for over a decade now and as a resident, I’ve always felt the neighborhood could always use another hangout/community/local spot and just wanted to provide a good place for people to relax and study. Hopefully we’ll be starting live music nights once a week. Next week we’re opening up the second level – a little corner room that will seat about 5-6 people that we’re planning on calling “The Study.” Each person will get their own desk; it’s going to be our only no-talking section, for those who really want to just hunker down with their coffee (we have bottomless coffee/tea options).

I'm so happy this place opened - it's a great space to just sit, read, and get work done. It's further up on the Larchmont strip (north of Beverly) so it doesn't get as much foot traffic but I think once people discover it, they'll love it. I plan on coming back often to blog there, and maybe perform in their music night?! Yeah, we'll see....but I'll definitely be back for Jinah's mother's Sweet Potato Cake, which has my name written all over it. Hmm...maybe they'll name a future sugar-free, fig-filled dessert after me!

Lynn - Appetite Found

2009-11-07T14:14:00.000-08:00

Whew. Hunger came back with a vengeance 3 hours after my mini lunch yesterday. It kinda hit me out of the blue - one second I was reading blogs on the couch, the next I was screaming, "Are you ready for dinner, Abe?!"

Luckily there were wonderful leftovers to be consumed, stat. I'd made a lazy lasagna on Thursday night, this time using only cottage cheese (no yogurt) with a sprinkle of Nutritional Yeast on top.

I'd forgotten to add an egg, and we still don't have mozzarella cheese in the house, so once again, it didn't meld fantastically. Tasted delightful, though.

Dessert was a thick slice of pumpkin bread and a cup of Decaf Sweet Coconut Thai with organic skim milk and Erythritol. I'd made a loaf from some store-bought pumpkin mix, substituting the milk with rice milk, the eggs with egg whites, and the oil with canned pumpkin puree.

The result was tremendous - super moist and bursting with pumpkin. I'm stocking up on more bread mix and canned pumpkin this season! I felt so happy and content eating this delicious meal after feeling ravenous. (I've also snapped out of my poopie mood today, by the way!)

We watched the documentary "Every Little Step," which follows the casting of the Broadway revival of "A Chorus Line." The movie was good - it was entertaining, and truly captured the emotion involved during the casting process. I even shed a few tears for those actors - the ones who made it, and the ones who didn't. I also felt incredibly relieved that I no longer go out for musicals, which I did when I was first starting out in NYC ten years ago. Those dance routines and cattle calls are brutal!

While watching the movie my mouth was bored so I sucked on a raspberry tootsie and drank some extra bubbly seltzer from my Sodastream.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend, especially those at the Foodbuzz Festival! I'm a little sad because I had originally planned on stopping by - I was supposed to be in San Francisco for an "X's and O's" screening party but wound up canceling since I'm doing a lot of traveling these next few months. It looks like everyone's having a great time so far. Happy Saturday and don't forget to enter our Chobani giveaway, which ends on Wednesday!

Christy - cleanse day 2

2009-11-06T19:04:00.000-08:00

Okay, today was a little harder. When I woke up, I did an hour of yoga. And then started my day with the Long Life Cocktail from the book and a cup of hot tea with lemon.

For breakfast, I was instructed to have a Raspberry smoothie with some Jay Robb protein powder, green powder, raspberries, and flax oil.

I didn't have the morning snack again because it was too much after all the drinks I was scheduled to have. So I skipped right to lunch. I didn't have time to make the scheduled menu item so I improvised throwing together a salad similar to yesterday's with romaine, spinach, asparagus, cabbage and some spinach. And then added two hard boiled eggs on the side.

This afternoon I went on a hike with a friend and when I came home I was STARVING!! I had my apple and cran-water and was still starving. It was only 4pm and way too early for dinner so I had some carrots sticks (it was either that or the amazing looking granola bars). It sort of held me off.

For dinner, I made a turkey meatloaf from the recipe in the book and it was scrumptious. Really, really good. And I paired it with some zucchini that I baked in the oven along side the meatloaf.

The second day is always the hardest and I am really feeling it. But I know that by tomorrow evening, I will be feeling great. So I am holding strong....

One more Long Life Cocktail tonight and that's it for me!

Disclaimer: Definitely do not follow these postings as instructions for a cleanse - I am leaving out some of the details from The Fat Flush Plan that you would want to follow. If you are interested in trying this cleanse, buy the book The Fat Flush Plan. Ann Louise Gittleman gives detailed instructions for the full cleanse.

Lynn - Have You Seen My Appetite?

2009-11-06T15:30:00.001-08:00

Hello world! I am feeling a bit numb today. I got some sucky news yesterday, and have dealt with the disappointment the best I can - I'm over it, but I think it may have manifested itself in a loss of hunger. Which, for me, is weird because it used to mean big binges.

I hopped to the gym pretty quickly this morning, before I could argue my way outa it. After a 45-minute workout (which was not the least bit challenging; I definitely phoned it in) I wasn't hungry, but I had to work for 4 hours so I reluctantly ate something that I knew would be very filling.

Berry Protein Oat Bran:

1/3 cup oat bran cooked in 1 cup water
Frozen organic wild blueberries
1/2 a frozen banana
1/2 packet Jay Robb Strawberry Whey Protein (stirred in at the end)
NuNaturals Liquid Vanilla

It tasted good, but it left me feeling even more dull in the tummy.

I ran errands and organized for my part time personal assisting job today. It's funny grocery shopping for someone else and seeing how differently we eat. It was actually my first time EVER going up to the deli counter to order a pound of ground beef. I got nervous!

By the time I got home I still wasn't hungry but it was already 3 pm so I had a light-ish lunch. I have a delicious dinner of leftovers to look forward to and I'd like to have an appetite for it.

I nuked 1/2 a container of Dr. McDougall's Split Pea Soup with a huge handful of organic baby spinach:

The soup was delish - I am a fan of these particular boxed soups for their convenience, natural ingredients, and their flavor/hearty textures - this one had barley in it.

Did you spot that whale coming out of the green sea?

Whale Tails sent us some of their tortilla chips to sample. Of course the first thing I did was examine their ingredients:

Looks pretty great! Especially the Hawaiian Sea Salt (Alaea), which contains "over 80 trace minerals from the sea."

I also love that their product looks EXACTLY like what's on the package.

I had a bunch of Whale Tails with my souped up soup:

They tasted good - like a regular tortilla chip, but I love that they're all-natural and the company participates in eco-improving causes, including donating a portion of their proceeds to whale research.

Plus, they're freaking adorable.

What do you do when you're not feeling hungry? I definitely feel like I'm just going through the motions today with everything - exercise, eating, etc.

Here's some things I'm happy about - "White on Rice" opens in San Diego today and continues to play in Hawaii. It's also playing at the Vancouver Asian Film Fest this weekend, along with "The People I've Slept With," which is the closing night movie. I'm also excited for Austin next weekend - I'm going to do some "White on Rice" promotion, with a special appearance at the University.

On the blog front, we have an awesome Chobani giveaway that I'm excited to see a lot of readers coming out of the woodwork to participate in. I love hearing from new commenters!

And of course, I'm grateful for my husband, my dog, my family/friends and Friday!!!

Christy - cleanse day 1

2009-11-05T22:20:00.000-08:00

Today was the first day of my cleanse and it went pretty well. I wasn't very good about following the exact menu because some of the things I don't have and some I don't eat so I improvised but I did stick to the same type of food.

For breakfast I had the juice that Fat Flush Diet recommends and gives the recipe to. And then I had 2 scrambled eggs with parsley and onions on a bed of spinach. Not the exact menu but close enough.

In between meals, I drank lots of cranberry water (2 Liters total during the day)

I wasn't hungry for the mid morning, so I had a cup of Dandelion tea instead.

For lunch I made some more addendum's to the menu based on what I had. I wanted to be sure I was having the right amount of protein so I used my scale to measure the chicken. I could only do 3 ounces instead of 4.

Then I paired it with some salad, broccoli, cucumbers, cooked asparagus and the dressing they recommend in the book.

More cran-water in between meals and then for dinner...

I had spaghetti squash, cabbage salad and a chicken dish made from a recipe in the book.

I feel pretty good. A bit of a headache and a little sleepy but definitely good for being on a cleanse. There is a lot of protein on these menus - the reason being that protein levels need to be high in order for weight to be lost - and in the future, I am going to figure out some vegetarian ways to replace some of the animal proteins (a bit tricky since grains are not on the first two weeks plan)

Disclaimer: Definitely do not follow these my postings as a cleanse - I am leaving out some of the details that you would want to follow. If you are interested in trying this cleanse, buy the book The Fat Flush Plan. Ann Louise Gittleman gives detailed instructions for the full cleanse.

Carrots 'N' Cake - My Favorite Things

2009-11-05T14:58:00.000-08:00

Continuing with our My Favorite Things series, Tina of Carrots 'N' Cake recently shared with us some of her kitchen picks:

Vita-Mix Super 5200 Blender: This thing is diesel! It’s heavy-duty and powerful. Not at all wimpy. Of course, you can use it to make smoothies, but it also doubles as a food processor. I've made homemade hummus and party dips with it. Really, the options are endless with the Vita-Mix Blender. It's been such an awesome addition to our kitchen!

Stainless Steel Drinking Straws: I had no clue these even existed! Stainless steal straws are a more environmentally-friendly option to my daily iced coffee habit. The straws don't make my iced coffee taste differently, but it does add a cold sensation to it.

Stainless Steel Tea Strainer: Great for freshly brewed tea! The tea strainer is large enough for a single cup or a whole pot of tea. And, the strainer makes it so easy to brew the tea. For a mug, you just add hot water to 1.5 tsp of loose tea leaves and let seep for 5-6 minutes before removing the strainer. The fine holes removed even the smallest leaves and sediment from my mug.

Griddler: The Griddler is probably my favorite "gadget" in our kitchen. It makes delicious pressed sandwiches as well as meat, fish, and even pancakes. Love it!

Tweats of the Week

2009-11-05T09:02:00.000-08:00

For those of you who follow us on twitter, you know that we retweet what other actors eat - the good, the bad...all of it. Here's some highlights from this past week:

paulfeig Currently eating grapes the size of human eyeballs. They're delicious. Wait a min-- these aren't grapes! Oh, wait. Actually, they are. Whew.

JoyVBehar On my show tonight, I'll be talking with four different diet experts. I'm hungry already.

lisarinna Just eatin cereal watching Oprah before I go get the kids at school

KimKardashian Dr. Siegal's Cookie Diet is falsely promoting that I'm on this diet. NOT TRUE! I would never do this unhealthy diet! I do QuickTrim!

brookeburke Eating the most decadent marshmallow treat at my girlfriend's b day dinner. So fun!!!

moonfrye Just baked two cakes with the girls for my husbands birthday and ate them. So yummy. Home made gifts, for sure the best.

andreabarber Do not break open the Halloween candy....do not break open the Halloween candy...

torianddean String cheese worms in coconut grass. So cute! (pic) http://znl.me/PGLY8

emmyrossum The sweet smell of warm, freshly baked goods wafting out onto the street corner is taunting me!

alilandry: Just had fried crawfish and crawfish etouffee at the Govenor's dinner. I miss louisiana!!!

rosemcgowan: Can someone please orb me an In-n-Out cheeseburger? Only Charmed fans will get that...

Busyphilipps25: I just found a bug in my mostly eaten salad. It was supertiny and still alive but still. Ugh.

HaylieK: Just cooked another good vegetarian meal, think I just need practice, but they seem to be improving.

PadmaLakshmi: Alright tweeters, cooking video #2 is up...A delicious white bean and vegetable soup for fall! http://bit.ly/2biXbF

jimgaffigan: "I don't like what this restaurant does to their broccoli" http://twitpic.com/ob9gz

1capplegate: ...Eat your veggies and stay healthy!!although right now I want pizza :(

Marielhemingway: got to get the groceries in from Farmers market.... oh how lucky to live in LA when it comes to produce!!!

joelmchale: Man I love hot sauce.

lisaloeb4real: crushed ice w/real pineapple/coconut juice w/a huge dollop of greek yogurt on top...like ice cream for bkfast

Christy - Let the cleansing begin!

2009-11-04T19:10:00.000-08:00

Okay, I have decided to try out the Fat Flush Plan's 2 week initial detox as my cleanse this season! (Of course, I will be altering it a little bit here and there as I always do with eating plans) I am going to add in some of the things from her other book - The Fast Track Detox Plan. I am really looking at this as a way to cleanse my liver and rejuvenate my digestive track. I will also be able to see how this works, how I feel, and who might benefit from it.

I am also excited because this actually seems like a pretty "simple" plan - I eat lots of veggies, some fruit and I still get to eat protein. The main things that are cut out are gluten, dairy, sweets, alcohol, processed foods, and anything with flour.

I won't be able to publish everything I am doing because I am pretty sure that is illegal but you can take a look at it in the book The Fat Flush Plan and the book The Fast Track Detox Plan. And I can post how I am feeling and some of the tips I have for anyone trying it in the future.

Can't wait to share it all with you!

Lynn - Bye Bye Summer Giveaway

2009-11-04T11:46:00.001-08:00

Like Christy said in her last post, it's still warm in Los Angeles but I'm feeling autumn in my bones, especially at night. Yesterday I had a typical summer lunch. Mixed organic spinach/arugula with Wild Garden hummus (thinned with H20), leftover roasted veggies, and a piece of Applegate Farms Organic Herb Turkey.

Plus some Alec's Spicy Pretzels on the side, 2 calcium bears, a fish oil supplement, and raspberry tootsie pop.

I took another hour-long afternoon stroll with my friend Skye before heading off to teach piano and my shrinky dink session. When I got home, the house smelled amazing, thanks to this:

Abe said it reminded him of when we lived in NYC - our apartment building often smelled of slow-cooked dinner.

I added a tablespoon of salt to the whole thing, then served myself a big ladle full of Lima Bean Casserole Cassoulet....

On the side, I made some kale chips by massaging a bunch of cleaned and very dry organic kale with 2 tsp. Grapeseed Oil, salt, and pepper, then roasting them on a thin layer at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

A perfect fall dinner:

Everything tasted incredible. I will definitely be making both these recipes again. Jessie asked what lima beans taste like and the answer is - buttery and delicious.

We had plans to go to our friends' house for their weekly movie night but I got a last-minute audition for today so I stayed home to prep.

Some memorizing fuel:

Three Low Fat Fig Newmans (delicious but I was disappointed they have corn syrup in them) and a cup of Decaf Sweet Coconut Thai with organic skim milk, sweetened with 2 tsp. NuNaturals Sweet Health Erythritol Crystals:

Erythritol is a naturally-derived tooth-friendly, diabetic friendly, no-calorie sugar alcohol. This product was really good - without any weird aftertaste. I'm glad to have a sugar substitute for my hot drinks, which I like to have on cold nights.

To bid ta-ta to summer, we decided to do a giveaway of one of our favorite warm weather foods, yogurt. We loved Chobani when we first sampled it a few months ago, and were thrilled when they offered to give one of our readers the chance to try it too.

The winner will receive a mixed case to try. Open to U.S. Residents only, sorry!!!

How to enter:

1. Visit the Chobani site and leave a comment on this post telling us which recipe you would like to make for a fall meal. (Mandatory)

Extra Entries:

2. Repost this giveaway on your blog and leave a comment saying you did.

3. Twitter about this giveaway and leave a comment saying you did.

4. Add The Actors Diet to your blog roll (or let us know we're already on there) and leave a comment saying you did.

5. Subscribe to The Actors Diet (or let us know that you have) and leave a comment saying you did.

The winner will be chosen by random integer and announced next Wednesday November 11th, so check back to see if you're one of them!

Christy - Fall Feelings

2009-11-03T20:18:00.001-08:00

I'm not sure why, but the past couple of days have felt like fall to me. Sounds weird to say since it is fall, but living in Southern California for the last couple of years has made it rare that I feel like it is any season in particular. The weather is still beautiful but inside me, it feels like fall.

So this morning I had some oatmeal with cinnamon, pumpkin spice, almonds and vanilla stevia.

Lunch was an on the go salad of spinach, arugula, lettuce, broccoli and egg.

When I came home this afternoon, Eve was giving her sister a bath - how cute!!!

And I had a little apple and peanut butter before my afternoon clients.

Then for dinner, my husband made roasted chicken, steamed broccoli and some roasted sweet potato wedges.

Since it is fall, and I am feeling it inside, I am getting the bug to do a seasonal cleanse like I used to do in NYC between each season. I am currently reading The Fat Flush Plan by Ann Louise Gittleman and she starts her plan with a two week cleanse. I like to try things out so I can see how it feels and what it does - that way I can know if it is a good recommendation for any clients I have. I also picked up her Detox Diet plan book to take a look at too.

Anybody tried a cleanse that they love?

Lynn - Love & Taxes

2009-11-03T12:13:00.001-08:00

My body hasn't quite adjusted to daylight savings yet; I'm starting my day around the usual time (7:30-8:00 am) but have found it more and more difficult to physically peel myself outa bed. Since I went to the gym yesterday I agreed with my groggy limbs that an hour-long walk with Julius would be a nice way to get some exercise. We walked by the shoot for "Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2" with the hopes that Julius would get discovered, but no such luck.

(He took the rejection very well.)

For breakfast, I combined some organic fat-free cottage cheese, 1/2 a banana, some organic frozen wild blueberries (defrosted for 30 seconds in the microwave) and 1 tsp of Cranberry Ginger Chia Goodness.

This was a fantastic combo of flavors though I don't like how curd-y this particular brand of cottage cheese (from Trader Joe's) is. I guess prefer a more creamy/small curd consistency.

I also sipped on some Yogi Ginger Tea.

My Tuesday evenings are usually pretty busy because I teach a piano lesson and see my shrinky dink, which leaves me mentally exhausted and starving by the time I get home. Now that the weather is cooling down, I dusted off my trusty crockpot to take care of dinner tonight.

I heart my crockpot. It almost feels futuristic, like having a robotic chef. I love walking through the door and smelling a home-cooked, hearty meal - and there are always a ton of leftovers. Yay, crockpot. I truly love and appreciate you.

My favorite site for crockpot recipes is A Year of Slowcooking, which was one blogger's challenge to use her crockpot every day in 2008. Now she's a published cookbook author.

I had a bag of lima beans sitting in the pantry, so I tried Allison's Lima Bean Casserole Cassoulet, adapting the recipe with what I had in my house and making it vegan:

1 pound lima beans, soaked overnight in water (water dumped today)
1 cup water
28 oz can of organic diced tomatoes
2 Tofurkey sausage links, chopped
1/2 a large yellow onion, chopped
3 large TB crushed garlic
The bottom remnants of a yellow mustard jar (mixed with water to get it out), probably about 1-2 tsp worth
couple grinds of black pepper

Combine all the ingredients, cover, and set on low - I did this around noon and will be home between 7-7:30pm so we'll see how it turns out!

Now I'm tackling another thing I haven't seen since the beginning of 2009 - tax receipts. I vowed I would be better about recording everything but, as usual, I put it off until the end-ish of the year. It's such a tedious task, but I try to make it fun by listening to old NPR podcasts, like The Splendid Table, which is a great culinary show if you haven't heard it before. Another story I listened to (and loved) was Jessi Klein's "Dale"on The Moth Podcast; if you've got 20 minutes and need a good laugh I highly recommend it.

Lynn - Walking With Joy

2009-11-02T17:06:00.001-08:00

We headed downtown yesterday for my friend Joy's birthday. Joy is one of the most fun, interesting people I know. Aside from being a talented actress (we met while filming "White on Rice" - which, by the way, is playing in Honolulu right now...it's been a while since I gave an update) Joy is also an entrepreneur, teacher, and beekeeper!!!

I tried a sample of her hive's product, which was unbelievable.

Since she is no ordinary person, Joy chose to celebrate her birthday in an extraordinary fashion - she gathered a bunch of her friends together to go on a private walking tour!

Here we are, walking to meet our tour guide from Los Angeles Conservancy. (Joy is the one in the cute teal dress.)

Once we got to Pershing Square, the two-hour tour started.

We got to know the gorgeous Biltmore Hotel, built in 1923:

Here are some of the highlights - the posh tea room, which you first encounter upon entering....

...the elegant lobby on the second floor...

...the ginormous ballroom (where Abe's cousins had gotten married!)

I learned so much about the hotel's architecture and rich history. For example, they used to host the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences' Annual Awards of Merit Presentation Dinners (now called the Oscars). Here's a picture from 1937:

Filled with uber-famous folks. Can you spot Walt Disney?

The tour was a lot of fun and totally worth the $10 price - unfortunately, we couldn't hang around and eat cupcakes with Joy because we had to get back to our television (for the World Series game).

It had been seven hours since our breakfast sandwiches so we were very hungry. We stopped by Cactus Mexican Food (the second location, since it was on the way) for some take-out.

I got a chicken burrito, which had beans/rice/cilantro - I ordered it without sour cream and cheese, saved half of it for tonight's dinner, and ate it with their prepared hot salsas and some broccoli/brussels sprouts that I nuked at home.

It was pretty good - there are other take-out places near us that I like more, but this was fast and cheap and just fine.

I munched on an organic apple while reading the Larchmont Chronicle as Abe watched the game.

Around 9pm I got hungry again so I had a small snack. I opened this Pumpkin Raisin Crunch cereal that Nature's Path had sent.

On top of organic fat-free yogurt, a small organic plum, and some Navitas Naturals Cacao Nibs:

The cereal was good, but where was the pumpkin? I guess I was expecting to chomp into flakes that tasted like pumpkin pie or something, but that wasn't the case. Looking at the ingredients, it appears that the "pumpkin" refers to the "pumpkin seeds," which I think is misleading. Still, tasty.

Christy - Halloween Weekend

2009-11-01T23:12:00.001-08:00

Happy halloween weekend everyone! I love holidays but I don't usually get into the Halloween spirit. This year however, I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun it was.

Friday night I got to babysit two of my favorite kids, Theo and Benji, for a couple of hours. We decided to carving pumpkins would be fun - especially since I had two that needed carving that I hadn't had a chance to get to yet. And it was especially fun because my husband decided to come along and help out.

This is Benji and Jeff scooping out the seeds

And Theo designing his pumpkin's face

And here are our finished pumpkins!!

Halloween day, I went to two different parties with friends which were awesome (when I get some pictures I will post them). I went as a Robert Palmer girl, from the video "Addicted to Love", a genius suggestion from my husband and his friend Quincy. I even won a costume contest!

I was dragging this morning after staying up late so I went to the farmer's market and then had a late lunch.

I was really excited to try this new oil that Delicae Gourmet sent us last week. I tried the Rosemary Garlic Oil. It has Olive Oil, Rosemary, Garlic and Peppercorns in it.

I had it with an 11 grain bread that I bought at the farmer's market (and only ended up eating half of because that sucker was dense!).

It was really good. Light and flavorful, but not too intense which is probably good so it will appeal to all people. I love garlic so I could have taken a little more garlic flavor. This would be perfect for parties though - it looks really beautiful, they have all different flavors, and how fun to set out some oil infused with herbs and seasonings instead of the same old hummus dip! I may order some for my holiday party this year. If you want to take a look at it, here is the website www.shopdelicae.com/Infused-Oils-and-Vinegars/

I also had a kale salad with pine nuts and cranberries.

And I decided to make a little cucumber and mint water. I just blended some cut cucumbers, fresh mint leaves and water. And then added a little ice

It came out kind of like a slushy. Very refreshing.

Hope you all had wonderful weekends too!

Lynn - Howl-ween & the Puparazzi

2009-11-01T11:16:00.001-08:00

I had such a nice, mellow Halloween yesterday. There were dinner plans with friends I wanted to be hungry for so I made a light lunch. I nuked the other half of the Dr. McDougall's Black Bean Soup from Thursday, with a handful of organic baby spinach and a smidge of organic plain fat-free yogurt.

On the side I tried a few of these Alec's Spicy Pretzels which were sent to us.

They are a very thick and crunchy sourdough pretzel developed by an eighth grader in Vermont (Alec) for a school project, which is pretty impressive.

I'm used to eating Sriracha regularly, so these weren't too hot for me - they have a nice kick to them (if you've got a wimpy mouth I bet you could handle it).

I liked how random the bits and pieces are - very rustic, almost more like a bagel chip consistency than your regular bagged pretzel - but the long, unpronounceable ingredient list raised my eyebrows, particularly the MSG.

Abe wasn't a huge fan. He said they tasted like a kid made them.

After lunch we dressed up our dog and paraded him into town.

No, he's not a member of Devo...

This should make it a little more clear:

Abe was dressed as the 2009 World Series...

Julius' costume caused a little more of a commotion:

Back home I sat on the porch, snacked on an organic pear, and read...

Then I went off to my friends Angela and Dustin's for dinner - Abe stayed home to watch the baseball game and hand out Halloween candy.

Angela and Dustin are also actors, and probably the busiest people I know - I haven't gotten a chance to really hang with them in almost 1.5 years so I was glad we could find some time to catch up.

Angela was dressed as a fairy...(I wasn't totally unfestive - notice my orange and brown?!)

I snacked on about 3-4 chips/guac while dinner was being made.

Dustin grilled chicken/fish outside, and also prepared some rice and steamed broccoli.

I brought over a salad - organic greens/arugula topped with some of the leftover roasted veggies from the other night and a few handfuls of raisins...

...and a really delicious dressing that I whipped up in a jar:

Maple Dijon Balsamic Dressing:

1 TB Dijon Mustard
1 TB lemon juice
2 TB Balsamic
6 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 TB Maple Syrup
Salt and Pepper

My plate (I had seconds on all the veggies and the fish):

Our friend Karen is an amazing baker - she made this homemade apple pie:

Another friend brought a pumpkin one:

I had a small piece of each. I LOVE PIE.

As always, Dustin and Angela's get-together was filled with amazing food, lots of laughter, and great stories. Whenever I'm there the house is always bustling with people coming and going, and last night was no exception - in addition to a steady flow of dinner guests, they had a ton of trick-or-treaters. I left feeling all warm and bubbly inside.

Thanks guys!!! I hope it won't be another year before we hang out again!

Back home the game was over and most of the candy had been handed out so Abe and I drove into Hollywood to check out people in their costumes waiting in lines for clubs. This is how I prefer to experience Halloween now - from my car. I'm such an old fart....as evidenced by the fact that I was up at 6 am this morning, thanks to daylight savings. We went for our usual hike, but it got too hot so we didn't make it all the way up to the Observatory. I still felt like walking, though, so we took a 15-minute loop through Ferndell:

This is a heavily shaded area of Griffith Park, with beautiful plants -

And a calming stream...

If you're ever looking for a place to just stroll, sit, read, or think in Los Angeles, this is a good one. I often see Tibetan monks here.

Back home I made some breakfast sandwiches. I spread half of a day-old baguette with avocado, the other with laughing cow cheese. Plus some egg whites that I nuked with frozen bell peppers, topped with fresh oregano, salt and pepper:

Wrapped in foil, and pressed on a cast-iron grill with a baking sheet and heavy pot; 2-3 minutes on each side:

The result was tasty:

With an organic pear too.

Now we're off to downtown Los Angeles for our friend Joy's birthday. Hope you had a great Halloween!

Lynn -Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T12:43:00.001-07:00

....a recap of yesterday:

After 45-minutes at the gym, I ate an Applebran Vitatop with 1 tsp. Better N PB and peppermint tea....

Lunch at my cousin Kristine's! She cooked us mexican eggs - tomatoes, poblano chiles, onions, bell peppers, and chicken broth with an egg poached in...

...served with corn tortillas, blistered on an open flame....

...garnished with goat cheese and fresh marjoram...

I ate the whole bowl and two tortillas.

A delicious, quick and healthy lunch! You guys have just gotten a sneak preview of Kristine's food blog, which she will be launching soon.

Delicious biscotti from a bakery that came out straight from the freezer - I actually really loved it frozen; wasn't too hard and made it less crumbly.

Kristine also gave me a TON of cookbooks! She actually had 4 other full bags for me, but I didn't think I'd have room for all of them on my shelves. Though it was tempting...

My goal is to start cooking from cookbooks at least once a week. I kinda feel like that book on top is perfect for this blog. Is anybody else curious about Dick Van Patten's eggplant parm?

The drive back from Topanga on the Pacific Coast Highway was glorious -

I spent a long time this past week going through my closet and clearing out all the clothes I never wear. This is my favorite place to donate them:

"Out of The Closet" Thrift Store profits go to medical services provided by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. A bunch of their locations also offer free confidential HIV testing and counseling, like the one I went to, in Venice.

HIV/AIDS outreach has been very close to my heart for a long time; Christy's as well - that's how we met, actually, through the Nitestar Theatre Company.

I ran around on the westside for the next few hours and met up in the early evening with Abe and my cousin Maya to see "Where the Wild Things Are." I thought it was pretty good but I admit I was a little disappointed; if you remember, I had been very excited to see it.

We caught up with the rest of the family afterwards for take-out pizza and salads:

I ate 2x the amount of salad pictured. I also had an apple and a lot of other unpictured supplements/candies yesterday.

This morning I did 1/2 an hour of light weights/crunches while watching the other half of "Alice" (I'm a big fan of Woody Allen's movies) which we started watching the other day...then, since it was Halloween I decided to make a special "candy" breakfast:

Reese's Oat Bran

1/3 cup oat bran cooked in 1 cup water
2 TB egg whites
1 TB unsweetened organic TJ's cocoa powder
1.5 packets NuStevia + 10 drops of NuStevia Cocoa Liquid
1 small organic plum, raw
1 tsp Better N PB, stirred in at the end

It tasted good, but not as sweet as I would've liked it to be. Maybe I'll play around with a different sweetener next time, or add a little less cocoa powder (it was a bit overwhelming). Anyone have other uses for unsweetened cocoa powder other than baking? This was my first time buying it and I'm wondering what else I can do with the giant tin.

Peppermint tea before heading off to acupuncture...

And I set out a big bowl of candy ready for trick-or-treaters - all my usuals in there, so I won't be stuck with a lot of unwanted candy if we don't hand it all out.

It's a bit premature, but where I grew up in NJ, kids came at all hours of the day.

Happy Halloween blog heads!!!

Christy - Curry Egg Salad Lunch Date

2009-10-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

I had a friend over for lunch today and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try the Madras Curry Mustard that Dulcet sent us. This is the award winning mustard that Lynn was talking about in this earlier post. And it was the most flavorful mustard I have ever tasted, I can totally see why it won. The ingredient list is small and clean, everything is recognizable which I love. It does have cane sugar in it though and I am not crazy about that.

First I made a big salad with lettuce, spinach, cucumber, tomatoes and red onions.

Then I took about 2 tsps of the mustard

And added it to hard boiled eggs (I put in 4 whole eggs and 2 egg whites).

I also added a little vegan mayonnaise.

As dressing for the salads, I made an olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper dressing. Then felt like it needed a little something more. So I put on a touch of the goddess dressing too.

This was a great lunch! I would have had no idea how to make a curry egg salad so I loved that I could just add this super flavorful mustard to what I already had and it tasted great.