WWgasm = George (Forman) + Joe (Trader)

When I was going to acting school in NYC in the 80's my friend Fran and I would often pop into the diner around the corner from The Neighborhood Playhouse before school and get one of our favorite breakfasts: grilled corn muffin with peanut butter on the side.  It would come to the table with those beautiful black grill marks blessing it with charcoal goodness and the peanut butter would melt creating a gooey-crunchy-cakey filling and fulfilling breakfast that stuck to our ribs.

Well, just now I went into the fridge looking for a post baked potato/pea shoot salad dinner (yes, I am absolutely, unequivocally addicted to this meal!) dessert and I found that I had some leftover Trader Joe's Triple Bran Muffins (made from mix).  I cut one in half and put it on the George Foreman grill, made it nice and toasty with the proper grill markings, and slathered on 1 teaspooon Almond Butter just for a little twist. 

WWgasm = only 4 Weight Watchers Points Plus! OMG

So, find yourself a healthy muffin and try it for yourself with the nut butter of your choice!

Buon Skinny Appetito!

Lazy Memorial Day -- Very Berry Ice Cream + Broccoli Slaw

On my way out the door, but wanted to quickly post pix of two of the three things I made today.

It was time to make ice cream and the berries looked lovely today so I used raspberries, strawberries and blackberries to make this:

Guess who licked the heck out of this:

And then I decided to make Broccoli Slaw...

INGREDIENTS
Servings: 6 to 8

Two bags of Trader Joe's Broccoli Slaw
1/3 bag of Trader Joe's Toasted Almonds (either cut you wish)
1 package of Trader Joe's Chives (chopped finely)
1 package of Trader Joe's Flat Parsley (chopped finely)
A few splashes of Red Wine Vinegar
One splash of Rice Wine VInegar
One splash of Balsamic Vinegar
A couple drizzles of Olive Oil
Salt
Pico De Gallo Spice (See previous post for a picture of this dry spice found in Mexican Food stores)

DIRECTIONS

Toss it all together to make delicious spicy crunchy yumminess!

 No time to write up the recipe for ice cream right now but SUPER EASY!  Email me if you want it.  So so so so easy and scrumptious...creamy and not too sweet!

Buon Memorial Appetito!

Lazy Spring Dinner = Pea Shoots + Baked Potato + Haricots Verts

It's Spring!  It's Spring!  It's Spring!  We are having literally the most delicious day in Los Angeles today.  Bright blue skies, white fluffy clouds, a sweet breeze to balance out the warm sunshine make it really hard to not keep a big smile on your face.  I stopped in the middle of my trip to Bar Method Class to pull over and put my top down (convertible top that is) because missing any part of this day would be a shame.

When I got home I popped a baked potato in the oven so it would be nice and crispy by the time I got home from walking the dogs.  When I got home, I took out the Pea Shoots I got at Trader Joe's!  Yes, Trader Joe's has Pea Shoots!  It's a miracle!  They are so profoundly delicious, and their season is so short, I decided to just toss them with fresh lemon juice, a tiny bit of oil, salt and pepper.

Then, I pulled out the baked potato and put my new secret weapon on it -- 1 serving of the Trader Joe's Creamy Goat Cheese -- only ONE Weight Watchers Points Plus!

Then I sauteed up a package of Trader Joe's Haricots Verts with just a tiny bit of oil, garlic salt and some red pepper flakes.  Throw them over the potato and ....Yummarifico!

Buon Springtime Appetito to all!!!!

BlogHer Food Conference Take-Away -- One White Curtain Makes All the Difference in the World!

A few months ago I picked up this cute little white voile curtain at World Market.  I didn't have a use for it but I just had to have it and knew one day I'd want to cover one small window with it!  I just knew it!  Well, in the middle of my BlogHer Food Conference Workshop on photography, Sarah Amelar showed a photo of her home studio in her kitchen where she put up a simple white curtain to diffuse the directional light.   Brilliant! 

So, I got it out today and it works! 

I hammered a couple of brads above the window and haphazardly hung it because it will just go up temporarily when I shoot in there.  I threw it up in seconds!

And voila, my new obsession with Kale and Mushrooms...this time with more garlic and Italian spices....and much more beautifully lit than my last Kale-Mushroom posting! LOL!

Buon Well-Lit Appetito!!!!

BlogHer Food Conference -- What I Learned in Blogging School Last Weekend

There was such heart at the BlogHer Food Conference, so much generosity, sharing, wisdom, genuine caring about each other.  It was loverly!  And, it was delicious and fun.  Great food every where we turned, good fun to be had in any moment.  I posted pix the other day, and my more heartfelt post, but wanted to post my notes for people who couldn't go to the conference,or who missed a session I might have attended. 

My notes look lovely in a 7 page Word Doc, but inserted here they just look so...well, like a whole bunch o' words!  So, if you would like my notes, email me: bridget@lazywoman.com and I'll shoot it out to you!

WWgasm = 4 Points Plus Lunch Deliciosa!

Trader Joe’s does it again – making my Weight Watchers dreams come true, giving me yet another WWgasm. I had only a couple minutes between calls to whip up a good-for-me-beyond-delicious lunch. This literally took about three minutes.



INGREDIENTS


½ cup Trader Joe’s Frozen Jasmine Rice
1 tsp Dark Sesame Oil
½ bag of Trader Joe’s Kale (it’s pre-chopped – roughly)
1 bag of Trader Joe’s Sliced Mushrooms
Rice Vinegar - to taste (I do about 2 tsp probably)
Red Wine Vinegar- to taste (I do about 2 tsp probably)Water -- about 1/8 cup


Red Pepper Flakes
Garlic Salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Pop the frozen rice in the microwave for about 2 1/2 minutes. 
2. Put Dark Sesame Oil in big sautee pan.  Warm it up on a fairly high heat.
3. Add everything else in the ingredients list.
4. Cook it up!  I kept mine on a medium high heat the entire time and it was deliciously inflused with all the flavorings by the time it was all done, which was just a few minutes.
5. Put 1/2 cup of rice on your lovely salad plate.   Yes, all this food fits nicely on a small dinner plate!  Add the veggie mixture.
6. Have your own WWgasm!

Buon Skinny Appetito!

A Three WWgasm (Weight Watchers Foodie Bliss) Day = A Very Excellent Day

Just had to quickly post about this because I've been in WWgasm heaven for 24 hours.  And, all of this comes from Mecca, aka Trader Joe's.  So, we're hitting all the Lazy markers:  easy, inexpensive, simple, healthy, and delicious!

1. Lazy Ass Delicious Potato -- I believe in butter -- used sparingly.  I would never dream of using substitutes, though I know I am in the minority on that one.  But, I think if you want butter, just have it -- in moderation.  I allow for the points for it.  But since getting on Weight Watchers, I actually have not used as much as I used to.  I'm not a butter freak.  I am not a fat person, I'm a sugar person.  So, I have always used oils and butter sparingly for my taste buds' sake.  The only item that I have always put more butter on is the Almighty Baked Potato.  Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, I found a most divine substitution for buttering said Almighty on.  I wasn't even seeking a substitution.  I have gotten very used to less butter on my potato, and frankly have enjoyed the flavor of the potato even more.  But, I accidentally ran out of butter yesterday.  So, I whipped out the Trader Joe's Creamy Goat Cheese and took just 1/4 of the container -- which is only 1 point -- yes, ONE point -- and slathered it in the potato.  Add salt and pepper and you are in potato heaven.  Sometimes I grill up a portobello mushroom (on George Forman Grill with no fat added) and slice it on top of the potato.  Wowza Potato WWgasm Bonanza! ONLY FIVE (5) POINTS PLUS (if medium sized potato)!
2. Triple Berry Bran Muffin Peanut Butter Bliss -- The Triple Berry Muffin mix is unbelievably easy -- add two eggs and a cup of water, pop in the oven for 30 minutes. Done.  And, they taste so homemade!  Then, it says let them sit for about 20 minutes.  Well, when they came out of the oven, I got way inspired.  I popped the top off of one of the muffins and put a teaspoon of peanut butter (1 point) on top and put the lid back on.  Do you understand what that means?  It means I had a WWgasm coming!  I had just created hot peanut lava in the middle of the warm cakey deliciousness.  Are you kidding me?  WWgasm Maximus.  FOUR (4) POINTS PLUS!
3. Crunchy Filling Snackalicious -- Trader Joe's scored even more points with me when they added Lundberg Rice Cakes to their menu of items they carry.  I just tried the Lite Cheddar Sliced Cheese for the first time this week -- just to check it out, not expecting much.  Well the texture of this super-crunchy rice cake with the perfectly chewy and surprisingly rich for a lite cheese, is divine.  It's very tastebud fulfilling and tummy filling.  THREE (3) POINTS PLUS!

Buon Lazy Lite Appetito to All!

BlogHer Food Conference 2011 in Atlanta: --- Sweet Deliciousness!

There was so much much that was DELICIOUS about the BlogHer Food Conference:

1.  Sweet Peeps!   The speakers, the attendees, the organizers, the hotel staff -- everyone was so generous!  People shared, supported, nurtured, attended to, cheered, and inspired each other.  Magic was happening around every corner.  Two of the highlights for me were Laurie David (author "The Family Dinner" and producer on "Inconvenient Truth") and Molly O'Neill (formerly of NY Times and now, check her out at onebigtable.com) who were genuinely, unequivocally generous with people who were asking for support and/or inspiration.  I witnessed each of them taking such care with people to give them what they needed -- in a most humble way. 

It was mostly women at this conference and it was truly women showing up as their most powerful, generous selves.  A true inspiration.  I give major credit to the organizers for creating such an amazing space for everyone to step into with love and generosity.

2.  Sweet Auburn Market -- I'm sorry but for a vegetarian, there is nothing more orgasmic than a Farmer's Market.  This is a fun and funky one and full of all kinds of veggies and legumes that we don't get to see here in Los Angeles.  And, they had a penchant for wrapping foods in plastic so it was fun to photograph the wrapped jewels.

But the biggest vegorgasm of my trip was the veggie burger at Grindhouse Burgers at The Sweet Auburn Curb Market.  It won "Best Veggie Burger 2010 in Atlanta" and it totally deserves it.  If you're not a vegetarian please go and get you some o' dat meat burger stuff because you will LOVE it.  They have a million creative toppings too.  I chose the homemade slaw which was so incredibly light and inspired, and sauteed mushrooms and onions! OMG! Again Vegorgasm Galore!

3.  Sweet Wisdom -- I got so much wisdom from this weekend that I actually typed up all my notes on the plane home late Saturday night.  I will post soon the best tidbits I got throughout the weekend. 

4.  Sweet Lovin' -- My wonderful friend, Salle (who came with me to the conference) and I met the Tuna of Our Dreams...isn't he handsome?

Lazy Summertime

The lazy days of Summertime are a-comin' and one of the laziest most impressive desserts you can make is homemade ice cream or sorbet.  You guys, I'm not kidding it's LAZY to make ice cream.  Even the fanciest of ice creams are relatively easy to make. 

For instance, if you are making something like a rich vanilla bean, peach or other fruit, or deep dark chocolate ice cream, the most complicated thing you do is make a quick custard on the stove and let it cool.  But, you can make sorbets and easy ice creams with very few ingredients and one or two steps.  It's so easy.  Seriously. Please try it.  You'll be happy.  You'll make other people happy.  And, isn't that what makes this Lazy world go round?!

So, first step: buy an ice cream maker.  The reason I'm even bringing this up today is that I got the latest Crate & Barrel catalogue and they have the Cuisinart Ice Cream maker on sale -- great deal -- $49 instead of $90!!!! 


http://www.crateandbarrel.com/kitchen-and-food/specialty-appliances/cuisinart-ice-cream-frozen-yogurt-maker/s676864

I have had a few different kinds of ice cream makers over the years but my very favorite is the one I have which is probably synchronistically one of the least expensive on the market.  But the genius reason I bought it is that it is the LAZIEST to clean, store and manage in every way.  It is just two pieces.  I keep the frozen canister always in the freezer in the garage so it's ready to go when I am.  The rest of the ice cream maker is the paddle/electronics.  So, I get the canister, throw the incredients in, pop the paddle in, turn it on and go away for about 25 minutes, and voila: YUMMINESS!

http://www.amazon.com/Rival-Gel-Canister-Cream-Maker/dp/B0012UZ3D6

Happy Summery Deliciousness to all!  I'm off to a hotter zone -- Atlanta -- for the BlogHer Food Conference.  Muy excited!  Will report!

Lazily yours,
Bridget

Best Lazy Tip of 2011 = Smile, Smile, Smile!

"I will never understand all the good tht a smiple smile can accomplish."

Mother Teresa

Good Morning Gorgeous Lazy Men and Women!

Please take 7 minutes to watch this video - http://www.ted.com/talks/ron_gutman_the_hidden_power_of_smiling.html

It will:

1.  Inspire you.

2.  Be fun to just watch.

3.  Make you go "Wow" or "Aaaaah" or something in betweeen.

4.  Have you realize something about yourself.

5.  Make you smile!

6.  Show you that smiling is the laziest way to a long life!

And, one of my favorite songs just popped in my head. I thought Charlie Chaplin wrote this but it turns out he wrote the music (which is lovely) but the lyrics are by Turner & Parsons.

SMILE

Smile, though your heart is aching

Smile, even though it’s breaking

When there are clouds in the sky
you’ll get by

If you smile through your fear and sorrow

Smile and maybe tomorrow

You’ll see the sun come shining through

for you

Light up your face with gladness

Hide every trace of sadness Although a tear may be ever so near

That’s the time you must keep on trying

Smile what’s the use of crying

You’ll find that life is still worthwhile

If you’ll just

Smile

Are you ANTI-Aging or PRO-Aging?

I'm sorry but I think it's fairly hilarious that we are so ANTI-aging!  It's like we are ANTI-nature! 

I find it almost as hilarious that I just last week posted about my grandma's skincare regime that I love and follow has kept my skin relatively wrinkle-free and healthy. 

Well, the very next day after I posted that I went to my friend's beautiful store -- ELISA B. in Old Town Pasadena.  If you ever need a special dress, a unique lovely piece of jewelry, or a clever gift for a special woman in your life -- go to Elisa B. 

At one point I popped out of the store to run across the courtyard to Origins for one of my favorite lip glosses.  As I was checking out someone behind me asked "Have you ever tried Plantscription?"  I turned around and heard the story about how people are raving about it, that it's being featured all over the media as a skin rejuvenator.  She said it reduces wrinkles and skin discoloration. 

There were a couple of women there who were also extolling its virtues, so I sort of, kind of, well, you know, I had to get it!

And, boy oh boy am I happy because after just over a week's use, the sun spots on the left side of my face are absolutely lighter.  The fine lines around my mouth are also reduced.  This stuff seriously works.    And, it smells divine, is so light and lovely in feel, so it's a joy to apply twice a day.  I put it on, leave it for a few minutes and then go back to grandma's moisturizing secret!  (if you missed it scroll down in the blog posts)

With Lazy tricks like Plantscription around we can be PRO-aging, eh?  It's good to be positive!

Lazily Finding My Best Self

Last night I went through my closets yet again, culling out more old stuff that I never wear or don't really like.  I was slightly ruthless.  I am clearing out the old, making more space almost every day.

I'm doing it on every level.  A couple days ago I had a divine Reiki/Shamanic session that lifted the weight of pain from my recently discovered betrayal that happened in my last relationship.  It had been tearing me apart for weeks.  But, this session lifted it and cleared my heart...just like one of my closets!  The very next morning I realized I woke up genuinely happy (a smile on my face, no less) for the first time in a few dark months.

Today, I was filling the house with fresh flowers, clearing out the old ones -- right now as I look up from my computer I have two huge tulip bouquets in my sights -- and I am literally so happy just looking at them.  I've made sure to have as much beauty around me as possible these last few months, but now I can fully take it in.  That's really something.

Today was also weigh in day at Weight Watchers and I am lighter than I've been in probably 12 years.  My goal weight that I thought was "as good as it gets" was 5 pounds higher than I am now.  My new goal is 10 pounds lighter than I am now.  And, I honestly don't know how I thought my previous goal was acceptable to me.  I really get that in many ways -- including in my relationships with men -- I was stuck in the "as good as it gets" mode.  

Part of the mechanics of keeping that mode alive was a conversation I had with myself about hard work.  With relationships I think I was way too willing to work way too hard.  Yes, relationships are work, but not as hard as this last one!  And, I had a conversation about weight loss that said getting to my ideal weight would be too hard.  I heard myself saying on several occasions: "I'm not willing to work as hard as it would take to have my ideal body."

The bottom line: neither has to be hard.  When you are whole and not looking for food or love to fill up the holes, it's not an obsessive treadmill.  It's easy, drama-free, an easy flow of energy.

I am declaring right now that my next relationship will look like my weight loss journey: stress-free, flowing, and truly honoring myself. 

Now that, my friends, is LAZY!

Ch-ch-ch-changes....dealing with change the Lazy Way

Our world is transforming and if we are lucky we are transforming too, moving forward to more peaceful, loving and happy lives. 

I had a rough couple of days being berated by feelings of betrayal.  "Was it all a lie?" was my mantra-like response to unveiling lies that had been told to me during my relationship of two years.  I wanted to sift through every memory and deem it "truth" or "lie" like I was on my own little game show. 

Last night, though, I had the pleasure of listening to the recording of Marianne Williamson's talk from Monday night: http://bit.ly/l8lfyi.  Marianne speaks every Monday in Los Angeles, and I always miss it.  But, we are all blessed because she records it.  This Monday the talk was about our external and internal reactions to the Osama Bin Laden news.  I highly recommend the talk, especially if you are struggling or wrestling in any way with the news. 

But, it's also applicable if you have anything like a "war" going on in your own life.  For instance, the war I'm having in my heart with my ex is not a pretty one.  I am my own terrorist in the dangerous neighborhood called "my head!" 

Two amazing quotes I gleaned from her talk were promptly typed up and posted on my wall as a reminder.  I put some pretty graphics on them to make them easy on the eyes -- actually pretty enough to draw me into them.  Here are the divine quotes I am clinging to now, which I share with you, thanks to the Divine Miss Marianne...if not solace today, perhaps you can use them in the future or send them to someone in pain, in the midst of their own battle:

God, lift me above the battle.

 

My job is to see beyond this illusion. 

I can seek to dwell in love.

Wo ho ho! I feel like a Woman! (thank you Shania Twain)

"Every death is a wake up call to live more fully, more presently right now."

Oprah Winfrey

Yet another synchronicity in my life.  Today, I felt like I took several steps back in my healing from the break-up with my boyfriend of two years.  The recurring theme of my day was "betrayal."  I remembered the gorgeous flower arrangement he sent to me whose card said very simply "Never doubt."  He always claimed he never wanted me to doubt his love, and that he had never had a single doubt that I was "the one" for him.  And, yet he was courting someone else when we were together.  The card maybe should have said "Always doubt me."  LOL!

I had a day littered with icky flashbacks to the time of the betrayal.  It was not a LAZY day.  Again, Lazy = less stress and more joy. 

But I just sad down to watch my taped Oprah from earlier today and lo' and behold it's an interview with Shania Twain who was betrayed by not only her husband, but her best friend.  That I don't actually understand surviving.  But, Oprah uttered the quote at the top of this post, and it's so true: every death -- and there is no doubt that the end of a relationship is a death -- is a WAKE-UP call to LIVE fully right now!

It's funny.  I always have live flowers all over the house, but since the break-up I have even more....three bouquets in my bedroom alone almost always, and literally every room has at least one bouquet.  Life! Life! Life my soul is shouting.

But, when I slip into the past and run the old tapes with new revelations about lies that were said, I go back into the Death Zone.  That doesn't feel good.  And, honestly, my LIFE cannot afford it.  Back to the flowers, back to the love I do have in my life, back to POSSIBILITIES, back to the new body I've created for myself, back to the PRESENT.

The new anthem ringing in my head after the Oprah episode is Shania's breathtaking...

"I feeeeeeeeeeeeel like a WOOOOOOMAN!  Wo ho ho!!!!"