I left my heart...and stomach...in San Francisco - Part Two

As I write, Journey is singing in my head: When the lights go down in the city, and the sun shines on the bay...

Now, you might point out that it has been several weeks since I returned from my vacation with my mom to San Francisco, but I'll let Eddie Money finish that song for me: I wanna go back, and do it all over...

The food, the wine, the weather, the company (no one travels as well as my mother) -- this trip begs to be shared.  Last time I showed a picture of my incredible lunch in a quaint little French restaurant just off of Union Square, and I also hinted at more details to come regarding this very interesting combo: my mom, a martini, and a ballroom.

In order to fully appreciate this lovely tale, you'll need the backstory:  My mom moved to San Francisco in 1963 from Europe, two weeks after JFK was assassinated.  Among her many jobs was that as a secretary at the Bank of California, at a time when women dressed according to season, and men took two-hour martini lunches.

Being with my mom in her city by the bay (and where I was born) was a magical thing indeed, if only I got to catch a glimpse of what her life was like "before baby" - aka: me. 

So it was only natural for our first night in the city to be spent at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, on the top floor in the Starlight Room.  For old times' sake, my mother opted for a martini.  I certainly hadn't inherited her adventurous drinking spirit, because I stuck with my favorite standby: a glass of champagne.

We laughed, we giggled, we shared stories and told tales, and eventually ordered another drink...

Then the band began to play.

And our stomachs began to rumble.

We decided to head downstairs to the famous Scala's restaurant, hoping to find another great meal to fill our bellies.  Unfortunately, we found out there was a over an hour wait...oh what's a couple of gals to do?

Head back upstairs to the Starlight Room, of course.

This time we each enjoyed a glass of champagne, and soon the dance floor filled up as the band played "Good Golly Miss Molly" -- I grabbed my mom and we headed out for a spin (It's not exactly easy, however, to lead a woman after too many martinis).

Dinner finally came in the form of mussels (for my mom) and linguine with clams (for me)...plus another drink, this time a glass of red wine.

What I do remember of dinner was absolutely friggin' delicious.  I wish I would've taken a picture of the meal, however, since it stands as only a fuzzy memory.

This night could only be topped by a pleasant walk, arm in arm, and uphill, back to our hotel.  It took us a little longer to walk the block and a half back, but I'm sure that crooked line if stretched out only proves we got a little more exercise after our decadent evening.

Thank you, Mom, for a night I won't forget (at least the earlier part of it)...I must be the luckiest daughter in the world to enjoy such a peek into my mother's past! 

And here's wishing you great memories of food and family on your next vacation!

Suzanna Quintana, Holistic Health Coach & Certified Foodie

www.suzannaquintana.com

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I left my heart...and stomach...in San Francisco

One of the highlights of any vacation I take is (no shocker here): the food.  God I love to eat really really good food, and I especially like to eat it when it's being served in a quiet French restaurant at lunchtime in the heart of San Francisco.

It doesn't get much better than this: me and my mom, white tablecloths, soft music, French waiter, Pinot Grigio, baguette -- what more could a couple of fun gals want?

Then after much laughter and conversation came the masterpiece, otherwise known as "lunch".  My mother chose her usual favorite: crabcakes, which she kindly offered me a bite of.  All I gotta say about that is, sometimes it would be nice to be a cow (they have four stomachs, you know).  Yum!

For me, I was tempted by the Cassoulet, or the Roast Chicken with Pommes Frites (which are so much better than french fries, go figure).  But in the end my love of butter lettuce and shrimp won out and I ordered just that.  Here's what it looked like when it arrived:

The best part of my meal?  Well, I'm actually quite brilliant when it comes to manipulating the combination of eating fabulous food without gaining any weight.

Since I ordered a salad (did I mention the butter lettuce that melted in my mouth?), I was able to enjoy another slice of the sweet French bread, plus another glass of wine, and I still consumed less calories than any fast food meal out there!  God, I really am brilliant.

And might I add that the place to enjoy any type of seafood, baby shrimp in this matter, San Francisco is the place to do so.  In fact, my mom and I pretty much ate a busload of tourist's share of seafood on our vacation, not to mention we drank a vineyard's worth of fabulous wine.

Stay tuned for my next blog when I tell the tale of what happens when one woman (my mother) revisits her old stomping grounds in the City by the Bay (ooh baby did we have fun).  More good food and wine to come!

Here's to your next fabulous meal!

Suzanna Quintana, Holistic Health Coach & Certified Foodie

A Date for Lunch? Don't tell my husband.

Everything was perfect...the room was quiet, Brazilian music drifted romantically through the corners, soft light from a baby blue sky sifted through the windows, and fell into a pool of color onto the floor.  My stomach grumbled as I sat down to the table, anxious as I was for my date to begin. 

There was even a deer and her young outside, not too far away from where I sat (not a surprise considering where I live), making my lunch date all the more perfect.

With all the great restaurants, delicious food, and good company available in this world, there is still something to be said for the simple act of dining alone, and enjoying a dish made with one's own hands.  Sorry honey, but I preferred to date myself for lunch today.

To begin the celebratory meal, I followed my instincts, gave in to my cravings, and within ten minutes I'd whipped up a light lunch that filled my taste buds with happiness for hours afterwards.  It was so delicious, in fact, that besides praising myself aloud I also grabbed the camera to take a picture. 

Here is my masterpiece:

A photo certainly doesn't do my meal any justice, so allow me to make your own mouth water with the details:  I tore up some baby spinach leaves and sprinkled a touch of vinaigrette dressing over them, then added a few sliced organic tomatoes, but the real magic came in the avocado that I halved and filled with tuna.  Who knew only 4 ingredients could bring such joy?

The real pleasure, however, was when I sat down with the dish, a glass of sparkling water, and the deer, while Brazilian jazz played in the background.  I enjoyed myself so much that I nearly was late for work (which happens to take place ten feet away in my office).

In all the chaos and traffic of daily life, I have learned to never underestimate the peace and joy to be found in a date with myself for lunch...and the timing of the deer seemed almost magically planned, as if the Goddess above smiled down on me and knew I still would enjoy some company, knowing I'm attracted to the strong and silent type.

And so I end with a wish for you to enjoy that perfect lunch with yourself, even if it's without the wild animals.  Like me, you just might end up making even more reservations for that "Party of One".

Here's to your next fabulous meal,

Suzanna Quintana, Holistic Health Coach & Certified Foodie

Champagne, Clams...and a ride in a Lincoln?

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love to eat delicious food, and anyone who is in my immediate family knows how when delicious food is combined with a glass of Champagne, I am in heaven.  On top of this, if the sun happens to be involved (like sitting out on a terrace with the rays on my back), my husband knows I turn into one happy gal...and he's about to be one lucky man.

But I digress.

We just returned from vacation in the Valley of the Sun and I am still reminiscing about our fantastic lunch and afternoon when we visited my favorite seafood restaurant and sat outdoors (75 degrees of happiness).  The meal started out as our others had on vacation: I perused the menu and ordered a glass of champagne.  Instead of a "glass" however, I was compelled to order the "split", which is a small bottle equal to about 2 glasses.  You can imagine how put out I was...

While the sun covered my back with warm rays, I sipped my champagne while my husband drank water, and we passed the time waiting for our food with great conversation.  My delicious meal of steamed clams with sourdough bread arrived, and I quickly disappeared into the mouthwatering meal.

The sun, though not too hot, still warmed me up considerably and made me thirsty...so naturally I ordered another glass, I mean "split", of champagne.

An hour later my husband and I were laughing and having a great time, so much so that I hardly cared about the sunburn on the back of my arms.  We stood up to leave, and he so graciously led me by the shoulders in a straight line out the door (I have a very helpful husband).

How could we possibly top off the day after such a fantastic meal?  A test drive in a Lincoln, of course.

I am certain I was born in the wrong generation, because if I could have any brand new car on the road, I would skip the Escalades and the Mustangs and the Volvos and jump straight into a Lincoln Town Car (the Secret Service and the Mob share my good taste).

Ricardo, our car salesman, offered us a test drive and we gladly accepted.  He had a funny look on his face, though, when he tried to hand us the keys and my husband told him, "Nope, you drive."

For the next 30 minutes I relaxed in the back seat with my buzz while Ricardo drove us around I don't know where.  He found my favorite radio station, "Smooth 70s", and my husband fell asleep in the passenger seat.

Now I'm back home, looking back on these great vacation memories and starting to plan for the future when I can have my own Lincoln someday (I wonder if I could convince my husband to wear a driver's cap, and serve me champagne in the backseat?).

Until then, I will continue to take every opportunity available, whether on vacation or not, to enjoy the wide delicious world of food, and maybe even do a little more test driving in my hometown to shake things up a bit.

Oh, and by the way, did I mention the 70s song that was playing when Ricardo drove me around?  One of my favorites: "Afternoon Delight".

Here's to your next meal and test drive,

Suzanna Quintana, Holistic Health Coach & Certified Foodie

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A Soup Worth Getting Soaked For

Over the course of many years, and all the delicious meals I've created, even I have to admit to a kitchen-full of not-so-brilliant choices I made that ended up in little disasters (like the time I cooked my first turkey and spent an hour trying to find the cavity and hidden giblets...turns out I had bought a breast of turkey).

These mistakes, however hilarious now they seem to be (and it's not because I'm blond, okay?), are exactly what has led me to some of my most fantastic meals.  Example: you might want to book your next Thanksgiving dinner at my house because my turkeys are now mouthwatering masterpieces.

My latest meal masterpiece, which we enjoyed the other night, was the result of an immense error, and lack of judgment (okay, maybe it was a blond thing), that happened a few years ago.  My kids will certainly never let me forget it every time I now make it, but I'll take the heat since it is so worth it: Tortilla Soup.

It's not completely my fault, since the recipe neglected to point out this very important step of concocting Tortilla Soup.  You see, after I put all the ingredients into the pot and brought it to a boil, the recipe informed me I was to now place the soup into the blender to puree it to a nice consistency (that sounded logical).

Do I sense some of you already chuckling at what is about to happen?

So I got out my nice big blender and poured the soup into it.  Then I made sure the lid was on snug and tight...and pushed puree.

Once the kids stopped screaming and I found the Off button, it was too late.  And what are the chances that I was also wearing a white sweater?

As it turns out (and as the recipe neglected to tell me), you can't put hot liquid into a blender because it will then explode like an atom bomb from the pressure.  My kids moved into emergency mode and grabbed paper towels to try and remove the red kitchen massacre, while I picked hot chunks of tomatoes out of my hair.

I'll tell you what, though, even if it took longer to clean up than it actually took to make the soup (I had to start over since all the ingredients from the first pot were now decorating my kitchen cabinets), it was so worth it.  Now it's one of my family's favorites and I find new ways of serving it all the time (adding fresh cilantro, avocado, fresh-baked corn tortilla strips), even at the expense of having to listen to my kids say each and every time: "Remember when the soup blew up, Mama?"

If you're looking for a little adventure in tonight's meal, recipes for Tortilla Soup abound in most cookbooks and all over the Internet.  But just in case you get a defective recipe like I did, which leaves out key steps to the process, learn from my errors and cool down your masterpiece before attempting to blend!

And if you have a hilarious food story you'd like to share, I would love to hear it!

Here's wishing you a kitchen-full of laughter, experience, and great food.

Suzanna Quintana, Holistic Health Coach & Certified Foodie

Healthy Meatloaf? Depends on the Cow.

I have yet to meet a white man in this country who doesn't love meatloaf (it's not a popular Latin dish, as you might have guessed).  And I have yet to meet a man or woman (Gringo or Gringa) who doesn't have a "meatloaf" story from childhood.  It's a fact: we love our meatloaf, and we don't care how unhealthy it is, or fattening (everyone knows how bad red meat is for us, right?), cuz it's so damn good, especially when paired with a chunk of homemade mashed potatoes and gravy!

The thing of it is, I cooked up my own loaf of meat last night and not only was it tasty as can be, but it had its health benefits as well (say what?).

My secret?  It's all in the cow.

Is beef bad for your heart?  Your health?  Absolutely...if you're buying it from a grocery store, or getting your burgers from fast food joints, or digging into a T-Bone at most restaurants.  Here's why:

Scenario A: calf is born, raised on pasture, shipped to feedlot, fattened up with corn and "byproducts" of corn (you don't even want to know what that includes) as it spends a few weeks standing in its manure and receiving injections of antibiotics before being sent down the line to slaughter.

Scenario B: calf is born, raised on pasture, kept on pasture, no corn, no antibiotics, and not one hoof ever stepping into a feedlot.

The results of these two vastly different ways of producing the meat you put in your meatloaf?  A feedlot cow, aside from passing on its hormones and antibiotics to you, is just the red meat your doctor warned you not to eat.

But a grass-fed cow?  Totally different story: Especially if the meat is very lean, it can have one-third less fat than a grain-fed cow.  More good news?  Because meat from grass-fed cows is lower in fat, it is also lower in calories (who'd a thunk it?).  Meat from grass-fed animals also has two to four times more omega-3 fatty acids (the good fats...yes there are such a thing), which means it may reduce your risk of cancer.  Cool.

But all this makes sense when you think about it, right?  We are what we eat, and if we're eating sick and unhealthy cows...you get the picture.

Is organic meat more expensive than regular?  You betcha.  So here's a double health bonus that I've put to use in my own life: I eat organic meat, but I eat less of it.  Besides, I'm a firm believer in the fact that we pay now or pay later.  There ain't no gettin' around that fact, as is evident by our exploding obesity crisis and our near-bankrupt health care system (or rather, "sick care" system).

So back to that meatloaf: start enjoying it again (along with all your other favorite meat dishes) and reap the health benefits by using organic grass-fed beef.  And if you need a little push in that direction (ooh boy you asked for it!), then watch the movie "Fast Food Nation" to see what's really going on in those slaughterhouses...if you're too squirmish for that, then read the book, that way you'll get the same info without the visuals.

And good luck in your search for a happier cow! 

Suzanna Quintana, Holistic Health Coach & Certified Foodie

For more info on how to achieve your best health, become a fan of "The Health Chick" today!

Does a Good Girl eat Bad Food?

Since I was a cute little thang in pigtails (ooh was I cute!), up until I turned 30 and left my home state of Arizona, along with my not-so-cute past, I was a "good" girl.  Suffice it to say nearly 13 years after abandoning the attempt to be good - whew - I'm sure glad that's over with!

But now, this awful word has come back to haunt me, although this time it's in reference to the food I'm eating, and then the following comparison of me to the food I'm eating: Good Girl = Good Food (meaning healthy), Bad Girl = Bad Food (meaning unhealthy but so friggin' tasty).

I can barely escape it, especially when I'm in a group setting such as a meeting/lunch buffet sort of thing.  "You're so good!" the overweight lady sitting next to me exclaims when I happen to skip the cheesecake (I'm not fond of cheesecake).  "Look at me, I'm so baaaad!" and she hangs her head in shame while finishing off her last bite.

What happened to simple adjectives for food such as: delicious, tasty, scrumptious, fabulous, mmmmgood?  How did food suddenly acquire the supernatural power of character prediction?  And could this be the reason why Americans in general are so screwed up with their food choices?  As if food actually was talking before we ate it?  (visualize a mouthwatering slice of rich chocolate cake...is it whispering to you?  "Eat me because you know I'm so delicious and I'm going to put 2 more pounds into your thighs and taunt you in your dreams of how weak you are for giving in.")

I'll tell you one thing, my food sure as hell doesn't talk to me, and it has no say over whether I'm a good or bad person for indulging in it once in a while (key word: once in a while).  It's food for chrissake!  And if I'm not going to let other people judge me for being "good" or "bad", I certainly am not handing that power over to a dessert.

Anyway, I can tell you firsthand that attempting to be "good", whether it's for your (ex) spouse, your dad, or a piece of food leads to nothing but extra heartache and extra pounds.  So now I'm going to offer a piece of revolutionary advice that no one else is telling you: if you need to lose weight, eat whatever the hell you want and enjoy it like it was your last day on the planet!

Eating healthy, being healthy, living healthy cannot be accomplished without a significant amount of happiness, and who can be happy if you're denying yourself the right to enjoy your favorite foods?  That's my secret: I enjoy it all, a little bit at a time, in moderation, not every day, on a special occasion.

And it has nothing to do with whether I'm a good girl or not (all you who knew me in high school can go on keeping that secret for me).

So the next time you're wondering if you should have that slice of cheesecake, nix the "good" "bad" girl and remind yourself how freakin' fabulous you are and that that cheesecake is one lucky dessert to be enjoyed by someone like you.

The world is your platter, eat it up!

Suzanna Quintana, Holistic Health Coach & Certified Foodie

Want more tips on how to enjoy all your favorite foods and live a healthy lifestyle?  Become a fan of "The Health Chick" at http://www.facebook.com/thehealthchick today!