Updated: Kir Royale

Cat Cora has updated the classic Kir Royale to include some healthy pomegranate juice.

Ingredients

• 4 sugar cubes or 1 1/ 2 teaspoons sugar
• 4-8 dashes Angostura bitters, optional
• 20 ounces (2 1/ 2 cups) champagne
• 4 ounces (1/ 2 cup) pomegranate juice (such as POM)
• 4 lemon peel twists

Divide the sugar evenly among the four champagne flutes. Sprinkle 1 or 2 dashes of the bitters on top of the sugar. Pour 5 ounces (about 2/3 cup) champagne into each flute. Gently pour 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) pomegranate juice into each flute. Drop a lemon peel twist into each drink. Serves 4.

Notes

If you prefer a sweeter drink, leave out the bitters.

NPR’s new music app

NPR’s new music app went live yesterday.  It includes their enormous archive of music coverage and live performances and is, in my opinion, a very well organized app.

The content is broken down in a few different ways, which makes it easy to browse depending on what users are looking for. It can be viewed by content type (articles, videos, etc) or by genre or individual radio programs. There’s also a search utility if you’re looking for a particular artist. If the band or musician you’re looking for has appeared on any NPR program in recent years, they’ll come up in search results. This could be an interview on WXPN, video of a live performance, a feature on “All Things Considered” or just about any other kind of music coverage NPR does.

The app also comes with an excellent playlist builder.  As you come across audio clips and shows you want to hear, whether it be via search or by browsing, you can add queue them to play one after another. This ends up working like a sort of personalized radio station, not of songs, but of NPR’s best in-depth music coverage.

Dessert for the Oscars

Here’s what I’m serving for dessert at our Oscar Party.  It’s a recipe from the Biggest Loser cookbook called Chocolate Kahlua Mousse Parfait and is probably my favorite healthy dessert on Earth – each serving has only 3 grams fat.

Ingredients:

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon very cold fat-free milk
¼ cup Kahlua or other coffee-flavored liqueur
1 envelope (1.5 ounces) sugar-free, low-fat chocolate mousse mix (Sans Sucre is the brand I use)
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 chocolate graham crackers, crushed into fine crumbs
1 cup thawed fat-free frozen whipped topping

Instructions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk, Kahlua, mousse mix, and cocoa. With an
electric mixer, whip on low speed until blended. Slowly increase the mixer speed to high, whipping for 5 minutes or until fluffy.

In each of 4 large glasses or glass dessert bowls, layer ¼ cup of the mousse, 2 teaspoons of crumbs, and 2 tablespoons of topping. Repeat layering once more, using the remaining ingredients except for about 1/8 teaspoon of graham crackers crumbs.

Sprinkle the top of each serving with a few of the remaining graham cracker crumbs. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Makes 4 servings

145 calories, 3 grams protein, 22 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fat, lent than 1 mg
cholesterol, 1 gram fiber, 43 grams sodium.

The Beauty Oscars

With the Oscars coming up on Sunday, it got me thinking about the Oscars of the beauty world.  I hate to spend money on something that isn’t very good, and I rely on several sources for product recommendations.  People often ask me, “Where do you find about about all of these products?”  These are my favorite sources:

• Cosmetics Executive Women (CEW) Beauty Awards www.cew.org
• InStyle Magazine’s Best Beauty Buys www.instyle.com
• Allure Magazines Best of Beauty Awards www.allure.com
• Makeup Alley website – If 600 people reviewed a product and gave it 4-5 stars, you can be pretty certain it’s a buy. (www.makeupalley.com; click on product reviews)

Some of my favorite products I’ve found thru these sources:

• CeraVe cleanser – has both peptides and hyaluronic acid to add moisture to the skin and is less than $10
• Burt’s Bees cuticle cream – has been one of my favorite nail products for years.  I keep it at my desk and apply daily.
• L’Oreal Voluminous mascara – It is great on the budget and is great for anyone who needs volume for their eyelashes (i.e. too thin).
• Garnier Fructis anti-puff eye roller – really gets rid of puffiness with caffeine and other ingredients.
• Sonia Kashuk brightening powder – adds a nice radiance to the skin and makes you look instantly better
• Laura Mercier radiance primer – really does what it says – adds a radiance to your complexion that you might not normally have.
• Sephora foundation brush #55 – gives you a flawless airbrushed finish to your foundation – no obvious lines or uneven finish.
• Cover Girl & Olay Positively Ageless corrector – the yellow toned corrector minimizes dark circles prior to applying your concealer.

What I’m Reading

Sonja Lyubomirsky is the author of The How of Happiness.  Her 5 tips for happiness are consistent with my own experience:

1) Generosity – People who give charitably rank themselves happier than people who don’t.

Actions:  Drop change into an expired parking meter for someone, pick up a friend’s lunch check, give to a charity you admire.

2) Gratitude — People who take the time to write down what they are grateful for score 25% higher on happiness and energy than those who don’t.  I started a gratitude journal some time ago and I believe this is true.

Actions:  Send a thank you card or email to someone.  Start a gratitude journal.

3)  Companionship — People with stronger and bigger social networks are happier.  The pleasure you get in the moment of an activity increases when you’re with someone who similarly values it.

Actions:  Go for coffee with a friend.  Spend a day at the spa with a friend.  Take a vacation with a family member.

4)  Experience — People who spend money on experiences rate themselves as feeling happier than those who use money to purchase material things like clothes and cars.

Actions:  Go see a movie.  See a new band perform live.   Take a cooking class.

5)  Well- being — Exercise releases endorphins when you work out, and those good feelings stay with you for up to 12 hours after your exercise.

Actions:  Take a yoga class.  Hire a personal trainer.  Invest in a home workout DVD or a piece of exercise equipment for the home.

The next time you’re feeling a bit down, put one of these items into action and I think you’ll be surprised at the results!

Best tuna salad I’ve ever had

I am making my fav tuna salad for lunch today.  The recipe comes from Cook’s Illustrated – they test literally hundreds of recipes for the same item and declare the one that is best, and this is their choice.  I have made it for several people and everyone remarked that it is exceptionally good tuna salad!  The texture is perfect, not watery, and the lemon juice gives it a nice fresh flavor.

What Cook’s Illustrated did differently:

•  It is important to use the best tuna you can find.  Cook’s Illustrated tested numerous brands, and they preferred Starkist solid white tuna.  I sometimes mix one can of the really expensive Italian tuna (about $6.99 a can) with the Starkist albacore, and that takes the gourmet factor up a notch.
•  Most cooks simply use the top of the tuna can to press against the tuna to drain the water.  Cook’s Illustrated took the time to drain thoroughly in  a colander and they believed that made a difference in the texture.
• While many cooks break the tuna apart with a fork, they used their fingers to thoroughly break apart any lumps.
• The seasonings they used were chosen carefully.  Salt & pepper are often skipped but really helped bring out the more delicate flavors of the tuna.  Here’s the entire recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 (6 ounce) cans solid white tuna packed in water
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 stalk celery , minced (about 1/4 cup)
• 2 tablespoons red onions , minced
• 2 tablespoons dill pickles or 2 tablespoons sweet gherkins , minced
• ½ clove garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1/8 tsp.)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves , minced
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard

Directions:

1. Place the tuna in a colander and drain well.
2. Shred the tuna with your fingers, breaking up any clumps until it has a fine and even texture.
3. Put the tuna in a medium bowl and mix in the lemon juice, celery, onion, pickles, garlic, salt, pepper, and parsley until well blended.
4. Fold in the mayonnaise and Dijon until mixture is evenly moistened.
5. Salad can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
   

Fitness DVDs

Once a year, Fitness Magazine publishes their choices for the top new workout DVDs that have been released.  They use about 100 people to test the tapes and publish their top choices.  Their choices represent a wide range of types of fitness (cardio, weights, yoga), and I am never disappointed when I buy one of the ones they recommend.  I’ve highlighted some of the ones below that I am likely to try, since I have used other workouts from these instructors.  The complete list is also included at the end:

Awesome Ab Blaster: Intermediate/Advanced

Bob Harper: Totally Ripped Core, $15

What you’ll need: a pair of 3- to 5-pound dumbbells

Calories burned: 380 during a 48-minute routine, 65 during an 11-minute bonus*

The skinny: Testers loved the “fun mix of fast-paced coreexercises,” like weighted side crunches, and muffin-top-melting plyometric bursts from The Biggest Loser‘s master motivator. They also gave a thumbs-up to the on-screen countdown clock; it helped them push through the full routine, which made one reader “‘good’ sore every time I completed it.” Finish with the stretchy bonus session, which includes trunk rotations and windmills.

Supershaper: Intermediate

Personal Training with Jackie: 30 Day Fast Start, $15, amazon.com

What you’ll need: a pair of 3-pound dumbbells, a pair of 5-pound dumbbells, a yoga mat

Calories burned: 132 to 137 per 24-minute routine

The skinny: Nonstop supersets of sculpting moves “definitely make you feel the burn.” Start with one rep of abiceps curl and then do one push-up. Keep adding another rep, alternating sets, until you’ve reached 10 reps of each. The two routines are split into an upper-body session and a lower-body and core combo. Celebrity trainer Jackie Warner’s “encouraging” style will make you want to “do it over and over.”

Perfect Circuit: Intermediate/Advanced

Jillian Michaels: Ripped in 30 $15, amazon.com

What you’ll need: a pair of 3- to 8-pound dumbbells

Calories burned: 222 to 250 calories per 24-minuteworkout

The skinny: Jillian Michaels’ winning formula? Strength-and-cardio sessions built on three minutes of toning (like alternating lunges with biceps curls), two minutes of cardio (speed skaters), and one minute of ab moves (elbow-to-knee planks). Follow one of four half-hour workouts each week from the “motivating,” no-excuses former Biggest Loser trainer for a “sweat-tastic” routine. One new-mom tester found that “the quick workout options are perfect for burning calories during naptime or before work.”

Kickboxing Champ: Intermediate

Billy Blanks: PT 24/7 $90, billyblankspt247.com

What you’ll need: fingerless boxing gloves, resistance tubing (both included in DVD set)

Calories burned: 269 to 309 per 30-minute disc

The skinny: “Charismatic” martial arts phenom Billy Blanks is back with Tae Bo 2.0. You’ll feel as if you “really accomplish something in 30 minutes.” Besides the “inventive” bands and gloves that add resistance to eachworkout, the kit comes with a nutrition guide and a calendar suggesting which of the seven workout discs to pop in so you “don’t have to think about which to do next.”

Yoga Master: Beginner/Intermediate

Shiva Rea: More Daily Energy $20, acacialifestyle.com

What you’ll need: a yoga mat

Calories burned: 173 during 65-minute “lunar” routine, 227 during 85-minute “solar” routine

The skinny: Expect a gentle mat session from the longtime yogi and rock star of asanas, Shiva Rea. Broken down into mix-and match 7- to 20-minute segments, this “meditational” yoga workout is “perfect for days off from cardio” and “helped me feel less sore after my other workouts.” The sequences “get the kinks out of your neck and back” after a long day at the office.

Other winners:

• Cathe Friederich:  Slide & Glide (uses gliding disks)
• Tonique Mat Workout (lower body toning) – high repetitions of one the mat moves targeting legs and rear view
• 10 Poiunds Down:  Better Body Blast – has 3 20-minute toning workouts which can be done separately or combined
• Amy Dixon: Breathless Body – cardio interval workout based on the Tabata method  – burns mega calories
• The Bar Method Super Sculpting Workout – similar to Pilates

The complete slideshow, which includes clips from each DVD, is located on the Fitness magazine website.

Enjoy!

New approach to the heart rate monitor

I just downloaded this yesterday and can’t wait to use it.

The Azumio Instant Heart Rate app makes it easier than ever to track your heart rate while exercising.  Simply place your index finger over the camera lens on your smartphone and it displays your heart rate (only takes seconds).  The app works by using technology used  by medical pulse oximeters for years.

Good reviews so far on iTunes and won an award for the best Health  & Fitness app on Mobile Premier Awards 2011.

Posh Pantry

Upgrade Your Pantry Staples

Invest in a higher-quality version of these 11 basic ingredients and taste the payoff in every bite.

Black Pepper

Pepper is one of the last things you add to a dish, so its flavor has a big impact. Always grind your own.

The upgrade: Tellicherry black peppercorns ($4 for a four-ounce bag, penzeys.com).

Butter

Use creamy European-style butter on the rare occasions you use butter for cooking. Buy unsalted to control the sodium.

The upgrade: Organic Valley, Horizon Organic, or Land O’ Lakes Ultra Creamy Butter ($3 to $3.50 for eight ounces, in supermarkets).

Canned Tomatoes

Organic tomatoes come in enamel-lined cans, so there’s no metallic taste―just a fresh, natural flavor.

The upgrade: Muir Glen Organic tomatoes ($1.50 for 14.5 ounces, in most supermarkets and health-food stores).

Chicken Broth

Broth from bouillon cubes is overly salty and suspiciously yellow. Low-fat, low-sodium broth is ideal.

The upgrade: Swanson Natural Goodness 100% Fat Free ($3 for 32 ounces, in supermarkets).

Eggs

Spring for organic eggs from free-range chickens. The yolks are bright yellow-orange, not a muted yellow, and the taste is full, rich, and downright eggy.

The upgrade: Greenbrier or Trader Joe’s ($2.50 to $3.50 a dozen, at health-food stores or Trader Joe’s, traderjoes.com for store locations).

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

There is a huge difference in quality between the big-brand varieties and oils made by small producers. A flavorful extra-virgin olive oil can transform a simple salad into something spectacular.

The upgrade: Lucini Italia ($19 for 500 milliliters, lucini.com) or Bertolli Gentile ($6 for 500 milliliters, in supermarkets).

Parmesan

Bypass the canned version. The best-tasting Parmesan is from a specific region in Italy and has the Parmigiano-Reggiano stamp on its rind.

The upgrade: Authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano ($9 to $18 a pound).

Peanut Butter

The kids’ stuff is loaded with sugar. The natural kind contains only peanuts and salt.

The upgrade: Smucker’s Natural Creamy Peanut Butter ($3 for 16 ounces, in supermarkets).

Salt

Kosher and sea salt are clean-tasting and easy to control with your fingers.

The upgrade: Maldon Sea Salt ($7 for 8.5 ounces, thespicehouse.com) or Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt ($3 for three pounds, in supermarkets, or call 800-428-4244).

Tuna

Italian-style light-meat tuna packed in olive oil delivers a double dose of good fats. It has more calories than the all-white-meat, water-packed kind, but it doesn’t need a lot of mayo when made into tuna salad.

The upgrade: Genova ($2 for six ounces, in supermarkets).

Vanilla

Use pure (not imitation) vanilla extract and you’ll be wowed by its complex, heady perfume.

The upgrade: Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract ($20 for eight ounces, kingarthurflour.com) or McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract ($7 for four ounces, in supermarkets).

 

Additional ideas:

• If you like yogurt – try Greek style yogurt
• If you like salads – try arugula, butter lettuce, or belgian endive
• If you like spinach – try kale
• If you like cucumbers, try English or Perisan cucumbers
• If you like brocolli, try broccolini or broccoli rabe
• If you like ketchup and mustard – try flavored versions such as hot & spicy ketchup, horseradish mustard
• If you like sausage – try chicken sausage or vegetarian sausage

 

 

What i’m cooking

Hungry Girl’s Miracle MashiesPER SERVING (1/5th of recipe, about 2/3 cup): 82 calories, 1g fat, 168mg sodium, 16g carbs, 3g fiber, 2g sugars, 3g protein — PointsPlus® value 2* Mixing cauliflower and potato is a GREAT way to get true mashed potato taste and texture, with a healthier, lower calorie spin. Woohoo! Ingredients: 1 large (about 13-oz.) potato 3 cups cauliflower florets 3 tbsp. fat-free half & half 1 tbsp. light whipped butter or light buttery spread 1/4 tsp. salt pepper and additional salt, to taste Optional: 1/2 tsp. crushed garlic Directions: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil, peel and cube the potato. Once water is boiling, add peeled potato cubes and cauliflower. Wait for the water to return to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium. Cook for 15 – 20 minutes (until potatoes and cauliflower are very tender). Remove the pot from heat and strain out all of the water. Transfer contents to a large bowl, and add half & half, butter/buttery spread, salt, and (if you like) crushed garlic. Mash it all together with a potato masher, until completely blended. Season to taste with pepper and additional salt. Enjoy! MAKES 5 SERVINGS