I really like to eat.  Like a lot.

I think breakfast, lunch, AND dinner are all the most important meals of the day.  (This is why I try to work out so much, because I’m always eating.)  On top of my three square (usually) meals, I am a pretty big snacker, too.  If I could eat whatever I wanted, I’d go for nacho cheese Doritos every time.  Because I just can’t eat like that whenever I want + I definitely wouldn’t want to offend you with Doritos breath (no really – Doritos give you the worst breath!), I’ve turned to alternatives like whole wheat pita chips + my newest love/ favorite snack: kale chips.

Kale is super healthy for you since it’s high in fiber, vitamin A, and calcium among other things.  It tastes pretty good raw, but it’s truly awesome when thrown in the oven and made into chips.  Kale chips totally curb my salty/ crunchy cravings and they are way more filling than they look!

Basically, I get this bag of kale from Trader Joe’s…

…and in a few simple steps I turn it into this.  Voila!

Here’s the kale chips recipe I’ve been using lately:

What you need:
8 cups of kale
1 Tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of onion powder
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of black pepper

How you do it:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line sheet pan with parchment paper.  Remove stems from kale.  Tear into very large pieces.  (Chips will shrink considerably.)  Wash kale.  Dry in a salad spinner or with paper towels.  Make sure it’s fully dried.

In a large bowl, add kale, oil, and seasonings.  Stir to coat evenly.  Add kale to parchment lined sheet plan in a single layer.  Bake in batches for about 8 minutes until edges are slightly brown.  (Start checking your chips at about 6 minutes.)  Do not allow to overcook – they can go from perfectly crisp to completely burnt in a matter of seconds.  Enjoy!

Happy healthy cooking + eating, y’all! 

xx, L

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Hello, everyone!  It’s me!  It’s me!  I’ve returned from my two month hiatus!

THANK YOU for allowing me that precious time for a little blog cleanse.  After over three years of almost constant blogging, I’ll be the first to admit that you can get burnt out when you overdose on things that you love so much (gelato, pizza, yoga, Real Housewives of any city, blogging), so I truly appreciate your patience with me.  The good news is that I’m officially back now and ready to fill you in on lots of exciting things going on in Atlanta!  Starting tomorrow, I’m back to the grind.  Today, I wanted to update you on what I’ve been up to over the past two months.

Kevin and I tied the knot in Atlanta!  It was an unforgettable weekend for us.

(Muscles brought to you by the amazing pilates reformer guru, Meredith Bass!)

We took an awesome trip to Arizona!  Here we are in Sedona…

At the South Rim of the Grand Canyon…

And relaxing at the Ritz-Carlton Resort at Dove Mountain.

We spent Thanksgiving in Jacksonville where we came in second place in a highly competitive family holiday cookie competition with these bad boys.  Brown Butter Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies.  (We were robbed, I tell ya!)

We traveled to beautiful Montego Bay, Jamaica for Rosh’s wedding.

Then to Delray, Florida for our friend Jesse’s wedding.

And we celebrated the New Year in sunny Jacksonville Beach!

In between all of our traveling, we found time to eat.  A lot.

Drink.  A lot.

Relax.  A lot.

Experiment in the kitchen.  (Here’s the no-brainer peppermint bark recipe we used.)

Feed ducks.

Ride horses.

Drive boats.

Get together with good buddies.

Play with nail polish.

Hug some babies.

Get some dental work done.  (Sidenote: I really wanted this to be our holiday card, but I was vetoed.)

Watch an entire two seasons of Homeland.  Totally obsessed – more on that later…

And meet Charles Barkley!

Needless to say, it’s been a very busy past two months.  I’m rejuvenated now, and it feels so great to be back! 

Here’s to the Q+DD!  Here’s to 2013!  It’s totally gonna be a great one!

xx, L

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The Q+DD wishes a VERY HAPPY 90th BIRTHDAY to one of our most loyal readers…

Miss Henrietta Jean Meyers Kraselsky!

In honor of each of her decades – I will share 9 things I’ve learned from her over the years. 

9.  In order to stay in tip-top condition, one must have chocolate at every single meal.  Chocolate is also acceptable AS a meal. 

8. You can rock whatever hair color you want for as LONG as you want.

7.  Wear your good jewelry every single day.  Why not enjoy it?

6. Pick a signature scent and stick to it.  Miss Henni has been committed to Estee Lauder’s “Beautiful” for as long as I can remember…

5. Exercise every day.  Or don’t!  Do what you want.

4.  Learn to cook one dish really, really well.  (Hopefully everyone will get sick of it and you can just go out to eat!)

3. It’s a-ok to play Scrabble all.day.every.day.  It keeps you smart and witty.  (apparently!)

2. The MOST important thing in the world is family.

1. The best-kept beauty secret is living well and surrounding yourself with love.

Happy, HAPPY 90th, Grams.

(Just 10 more years ’till Al Roker wishes you a happy one…hopefully this will do until then.)

I love you so much!

xx,

L

(AKA Your GG)

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In prep for my upcoming big day, I’ve been examining all of the junk I typically shovel into my body.  (Please refer back to every food-related post I’ve ever written on this blog, and feel free to judge me…)

Hummus is so healthy and delicious, but I eat on the go more often than not and I haven’t found it to be very portable.  Until now.

I’ve seen these 1.76 oz individual hummus tetrapacks from Wild Garden on Delta flights, but I didn’t realize that they don’t need to be refrigerated (they don’t until after you open them = brilliant).  They are convenient, gluten free, vegan, made with very few ingredients, and they taste great.  I’ve been eat one every day at work with carrots, and I stock up on them online HERE.

Just wanted to share with y’all.  Happy snacking! 

xx, L

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The way I figure it, my liver is my body’s MVP. 

I mean, as evidenced here, here, and here – that itty bitty organ, roughly the size of a football, is definitely earning it’s keep. 

Yep, that little guy does a lot for me so when Shannon Sliger, owner of dTox Juice (remember the dTox Box?  Click HERE), challenged me to try their 7-day Liver Cleanse – how could I refuse?

The Q+DD on the Liver Cleanse is this: each day, you receive a fresh box of goodies which includes four 16oz juices: dTox Water, Liver Flush, Green Juice, Red Juice, and Brazil Nut Milk as well as a vegetable soup, a carrot salad and a beet salad. 

Beet salad and carrot salad. Respectively.

Shannon tells you the order in which to consume these goodies – basically every 2 hours.  Everything is DELICIOUS.   Well, everything except the Liver Flush.   It’s mostly grapefruit, ginger, olive oil and…garlic.  It’s not awful – nothing closing your eyes and pinching your nose can’t fix. 

Trust the process, trust the process.

And, unlike other programs - you can eat on this cleanse!  You can eat as much as you want from a finite list of alkaline foods (check out the full list) Although, I gotta tell you – I don’t know if it was because I knew I could eat if I wanted to – or simply because the juices and salads kept me satisfied – I didn’t find myself supplementing with much extra food at all!  (Just some hummus and bell peppers and cukes – per Shannon’s suggestion)

In the interest of full disclosure, the cleanse is meant for a whole week, but I only committed to 4 days.  BUT: I am here to tell you that I have just completed my 4^th day and I feel FANTASTIC!   I’m lighter (3lbs) and brighter and I would SO do it again.  Maybe even for the full 7!

Here are some of the benefits of cleansing your liver (from the dTox website):

Complexion clears and brightens
Dark circles disappear from under the eyes
Some age spots may disappear
Digestion improves
Weight loss becomes easier; cellulite goes away
Energy increases
Sleep improves; need to urinate at night disappears
Aches and pains disappear
Headaches often cease
Memory improves
Mood is better
Allergies go away
Facial Puffiness disappears
Sinus problems clear

You can do the full 7 day cleanse for $500 or wait for the seasonal group cleans that dTox offers for a discounted rate of $350!

I’m totally a believer.  If you’re considering a juice cleanse, I say head on over to dTox and give it a (wheatgrass) shot.

Aaaaand…. back to chewing tomorrow. 

xx, L

dTox Organic Juice
305 6th Street, Atlanta, GA 30308

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