Jan/Feb Issue of Everyday Food

Ever pulled into the drive-thru and wondered if you felt a pang of hunger or guilt? Now, celebrity chefs are admitting the same and offering these healthy eating tips.

If you’re thinking it’s only regular people who settle for fast food when they’re in a rush, think again. Even some of the most accomplished chefs succumb to this less healthy convenience, and one of the newest shows on Food Network is highlighting the consequences, while also helping those chefs fight the battle of the bulge.

The bluntly titled “Fat Chef” series is much like NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” but focuses on professional chefs who can’t resist the urge to sample their wares (at least more than what’s absolutely necessary); fall back on heavy meals (like pasta) or turn to fast food to sustain them through long hours on their feet.

Between constant temptations and little to no time to exercise, chefs may struggle more than most of us to stay healthy. Each chef featured on the series is charged with dropping 25 percent of his or her body weight over the course of four months. Though the challenge is big, most of the chefs seem motivated because their extra pounds pose a serious threat to their heart health or put them at risk for diabetes.

While the show focuses on chefs who are near the end of their rope, what about the secrets of chefs who juggle the challenges of cooking for a living and eating right too? Everyday Food magazine’s January/February issue—appropriately dubbed the “Light Issue”—shed some light on high-profile chefs who are conscious of their waistlines.

Whether or not you’re a chef, you can easily take these five simple strategies to heart for lighter eating.

Eat More Veggies. Anita Lo of Annisa in New York City pours on the veggies to eat lighter. She merely ups the amount of produce, giving her the option of cutting back on meats, for example, and says she has “shed considerable pounds” as a result.

Eat What’s In Season. Several chefs in the Everyday Food article advocated this approach. Lo, for example, says she likes to incorporate shaved raw veggies into salads or enjoy squash lightly roasted in oil. Chris Pandel of Chicago’s Balena looks to Mediterranean inspiration, adding vibrance to dishes with pomegranate seeds, chickpeas and orange slices.

Eat a Healthy Breakfast. New York City’s Shaun Hergatt relies on this basic—but important—strategy. A wholesome, filling meal to start the day can make all the difference. His go-to combo is pineapple-carrot juice with a poached egg on whole wheat toast.

Enhance Foods’ Flavors. Wolfgang Puck says he gets more out of his ingredients in soups, for example, by omitting cream and butter. He says it helps cut the calories while boosting flavors like pumpkin, carrot and turnip. To finish, he purees the mixture for a creamy and flavorful meal.

Use These Kitchen Must-Haves. A grill pan or a steamer can help reduce the amount of oil and butter you have to use, thus making the dishes lighter. Puck says he uses a grill pan for chicken and fish, while Pandel whips up veggies—and fish—in his steamer. Pandel swears by fish prepared this way dressed with olive oil and flavored with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Men's Journal March 2012 with Redesigned Logo

It’s convenient and tasty, but is bottled water as safe as you think?

When you receive your March issue of Men’s Journal magazine, you’ll notice a slight redesign in the new logo on the cover. “Rugged, elegant, unadorned” is what the magazine says they were going for, taking inspiration from European car racing posters from the 1930s. Although the logo has been tweaked a few times in the magazine’s 20-year history, this is the first total overhaul. I didn’t love it at first glance, but now it’s growing on me.

Once I could tear myself away from the logo and start flipping through my copy, one article stopped me in my tracks with the title “What’s Really in Your Water?”

According to another magazine, Fast Company, Americans spend about $15 billion dollars a year on bottled water. Yep, I said “billion” with a B. But are we getting more than just water in that bottle?

Imagine if the ingredients listed on the back of that bottle you have on your desk right this minute also included lead, copper, cleaning solution, asbestos, chlorine, paint thinner and cocaine. You probably wouldn’t be so quick to take another sip. Yet the FDA allows a certain amount of contaminants into our water. Yuck.

As I read the article in Men’s Journal, I kept expecting the author to tell me exactly which bottled water was best to drink. Instead, he warned of the dangers of improperly installed home-filtration systems and changing the filters too infrequently. Then he mentioned the problems with drinking out of plastic bottles. It all made me want to reach for a diet soda instead of another sip of H2O.

So what are we health-conscious, water-loving folks to do? Opt for natural spring water that isn’t overly processed and purified. And drink it out of glass instead of plastic.

When life gets busy, exercise tends to get dropped from the docket. But with these tips from Family Circle, you’ll be out of breath–not time.

I’ve yet to meet a parent who had extra time to himself or herself during the day. If your days are like mine (and I’m sure they are), I’m on the go from morning to night. The only “me” time comes before my kids get up or after they go to sleep. Exercising is always on my daily to-do list, but it’s definitely the item I skip when time is tight.

An article I read in the February 2012 issue of Family Circle magazine, however, gave me the perfect motivation to fit a workout into my routine, even when my days are busy. “Break your training into three 10-minutes sessions throughout the day,” says Andrea Metcalf, a certified personal trainer and the author of “Naked Fitness.”

Metcalf offered a few ideas for routines, some of which allow your kids to join in:

Bend and stretch walking. Alternate with 20 lunges followed by 40 strides. Repeat for 10 minutes.

Jump rope for one minute. Stop and twirl the rope in a figure eight pattern for one minute. Repeat for 10 minutes.

Run or walk upstairs for 10 minutes. If you’re able, take two at a time on the way up and down.

Bust a move. Turn on your favorite dance music and shake it out for 10 minutes. (My kids would love this one!)

Bike it. Ride a stationary bike for three minutes. Continue pedaling and raise your arms to create letters: T (arms out the side), U (overhead press), V (arms extended), W (arms up with elbows close to the ribs). Lower arms and continue pedaling for two minutes.

Jack and jog. Jog for two minutes. Stop and do 10 jumping jacks. Continue alternating until you reach 10 minutes.

Ten-minute exercise circuits sound like the perfect solution to my no-time-to-work-out excuse. They can be done in my driveway while the baby is napping, or in my den while the older two work on their watercolors. Now, if only I could work out a way to shower and dress in 10 minutes too!

Vanity Fair's March 2012 Hollywood Issue

They’re young, they’re beautiful and their careers are on the rise. Meet the latest batch of Hollywood’s up-and-coming starlets in Vanity Fair’s annual Hollywood Issue.

What does Oscar nominee Rooney Mara really think of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” director David Fincher? What Hollywood faux pas are “The Help” star Jessica Chastain and “Hunger Games” star Jennifer Lawrence guilty of making? These are the burning questions avid moviegoers (like me!) want to know. And as usual, nobody delivers the goods better than Vanity Fair‘s annual Hollywood Issue.

Maybe it’s because it’s such an honor to be featured on this special cover, but whatever the reason, Mara, Chastain and Lawrence (along with Mia Wasikowska, Paula Patton, Adepero Oduye, Shailene Woodley, Felicity Jones, Lily Collins, Brit Marling and Elizabeth Olsen) are giving up some serious secrets about life as an “It” film actress. And of course, one might expect there to be some bumps along the way.

Taking on the role as Lisbeth Salander in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” took Mara away from the Hollywood social scene for a while. The daughter of football royalty–her paternal side owns Super Bowl champs the New York Giants, and her maternal side the Pittsburgh Steelers–famously shed all outward signs of herself to portray the socially stunted genius computer hacker, shaving her eyebrows, piercing her body in various and sundry locations, dying her hair the darkest of blacks and then chopping it off in a punk ‘do.

These were sacrifices to be sure, she says, but all quite worth it for a chance to work alongside Fincher and a stellar cast, including James Bond portrayer Daniel Craig. Of the notoriously demanding director and his habit of doing numerous takes for each scene, Mara is quick to defend. She says, “Everyone has put in all this effort, you may as well explore it and do it right.”

Chastain has been doing plenty right, gaining praise right and left and an Oscar nomination to boot for her 2011 body of work. Such high regard has led some to compare the natural redhead to one of her idols, Meryl Streep. After rubbing elbows with Streep multiple times over the past awards season, Chastain has not grown less starstruck around Tinseltown’s most revered actress, which probably has an awful lot to do with their first meeting.

Chastain explains to the magazine that Streep came to see one of her stage performances and even came to congratulate her after the show. She says, “Because I was so shocked by it, all I did was I held her hands and went, ‘Thank you, thank you. It means so much to me that you came.’ And I walked away.”

Lawrence has a similar snafu to report from her time on set with Robert De Niro for “The Silver Linings Playbook.” She confesses, “Two days ago I told Robert De Niro I wasn’t gonna get him a wrap gift.” After confirming with the legend that she never thanked him for the gift he’d already given her, she remembers saying, “‘OK, well I probably won’t get you one.’ And when it came out of my mouth, I was like, ‘Just because I don’t think I’m going to have enough time.’” Obviously, she wishes she could take it back. Her words, that is–not the gift!

Check out more from this bevy of Hollywood beauties in the March 2012 Hollywood Issue of Vanity Fair.

When blogger Kara Gause found that her family needed to go gluten-free, she at first panicked but then found some incredible resources she shares here.

Over the past several years, I’ve come to realize I have quite a few food intolerances, one of them being gluten. Sure, I was more than a little bummed to say sayonara to the convenience of delivery pizza, but these days I’m finding that my dietary needs are more of a small annoyance than a giant inconvenience, thanks to some great gluten-free products. I have only come to say this after much whining, tantrum-throwing, pity partying and–most productive of all–researching.

When my husband and I found out that we both have some of the same food issues (gluten), we decided it might be best to begin avoiding gluten altogether for our daughters, determining that it could be hereditary. Of course this resulted in more whining and tantrum-throwing–mine, not theirs.

Would I become one of those mothers whose children never tasted cupcakes or pizza or yummy sandwiches? Ever? What would become of them? After bemoaning their lost gluten-filled childhood, I became resolute: We would all have our gluten-free cake–and we would eat it, too!

So, whether you’re in my boat or you’re just looking for a nice gluten-free recipe, here are some of my favorite resources for gluten-free cooking, baking and eating. May they help bring you and yours (if gluten-challenged) back to your favorite foods.

“BabyCakes: Vegan, (Mostly) Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York’s Most Talked-About Bakery” and “BabyCakes Does the Classics.” These books comprise the baking bible to celebratory and everyday gluten-free baked goods. The secret to a moist gluten-free confection is coconut oil, which makes for the most delectable yum-yums you’ll ever eat. There are fantastic recipes for cobblers, donuts, cookies and even my girls’ favorite–carrot cupcakes. Some of these treats are my husband’s favorites of all time.

Pamela’s Products. Miss the everyday ease of grabbing a muffin or whipping up a quick batch of pancakes and waffles for the family? Look no further than the good lady Pamela. There are gluten-free mixes for everything from pancakes to cookies to brownies and pizza dough. She even provides a mean ready-made chocolate chunk cookie for the car ride home from the grocery store.

Gluten-free blogs. Bloggers like the Gluten-Free Goddess are solely responsible for making me excited about cooking and baking again.

Udi’s Gluten Free Foods. Prepared muffins, pizza crusts, loaves of bread (yes, really!) and the best granola you’ll ever eat–all available in a regular grocery store chain as well as Whole Foods. Udi’s means you can once again make a sandwich for lunch. Power to the people!

Local and national chain pizzarias. Gluten-free pizza dough is popping up everywhere. Some aren’t so great (back to the drawing board for you, Mellow Mushroom!), but others like California Pizza Kitchen are making some major strides. The best I’ve ever had is from Nashville-based Pizza Perfect, so check with your favorite local pizza joint, and always remember the supply and demand principle: If enough of us demand it (politely, of course), they will supply it.

For more information on gluten-free recipes, check out magazines like Vegetarian Times, Whole Living and a myriad of other cooking and nutrition magazines.

What’s Wolfgang Puck’s little luxury? Food Network Magazine dishes out the details of the Governors Ball, Hollywood’s premier after-Oscar party.

With the Academy Awards exactly a week away, it’s time to start planning that next all-important event: the viewing party—that is, of course, unless you’re lucky enough to attend the real deal in Tinseltown.

While movie buffs and perpetual party planners get to work on creative themes and menus, Food Network Magazine’s January/February 2012 issue went behind the scenes of one of the biggest parties in Hollywood.

Renowned chef Wolfgang Puck is the culinary mastermind behind the popular Governors Ball, the after-Oscar event that hosts 1,500 celebs and other hot shots. Puck has already been at work for several weeks preparing for the Feb. 26 event.

According to the timeline he provided to Food Network Magazine, the menu has long been set, as it’s something he starts thinking about around six weeks before the show. Though Puck is making more than 50 dishes, you can definitely expect mini kobe burgers, smoked salmon and gold-covered chocolate Oscars—which are served every year.

As you might imagine, when you’re serving 1,500 dinner guests, there are a lot of special requests ranging from vegetarian to gluten-free to raw to vegan. But with a crew of 300 sous chefs from his restaurants, plus culinary students from L.A., the gang’s got it all covered.

The cooks get started early—around 6 a.m.—on the day of the show and continue their preparation while watching a live feed of the ceremony. That’s so they can synchronize having the hot dishes on the table just before the star-studded guests arrive.

Once the celebs move on to the next venue, the food served at the Governors Ball doesn’t just go to waste. Instead, it’s given to Angel Harvest, a non-profit organization that disperses the unserved leftovers among soup kitchens and shelters to help feed the community.

Not until this last generous duty is complete does Puck afford himself his only luxury of the evening. When he can finally relax, he toasts a job well done with a glass of champagne and calls it a night.

After seeing photos of magnified and gemlike grains of sand, Dana McCranie reflects on her childhood by the beach, the passing of her father and the value of art.

I grew up 15 minutes from the beach. My father loved the ocean, and living near water was always a requirement for him. I’ll be the first to admit I took this location for granted. I realized this when I went to college in Tuscaloosa, Ala. and no longer had daily access to the sight of the endless ocean and its beautifully crashing waves.

My first job out of college took be back to the beach, and this time I lived just five minutes from the ocean. After that, my husband and I lived in California for the first year of our marriage and then we moved back home to North Alabama. I’ve spent the past 10 years living a full day’s drive from the closest beach, and I desperately miss the luxury of wiggling my toes in the sand on any given day. When I miss the beach, I’ll often pick up Coastal Living magazine and escape within its pages. It sometimes serves as a quick little substitution for being able to actually make a trip.

In the current issue of Costal Living, readers are treated to a different look at sand. The magazine features images that show just how different each grain actually is and how each truly is its own work of art. Former biomedical researcher Gary Greenberg used to spend his time looking through the lens of a microscope at living cancer and nerve cells. “The Secret Life of Sand” tells the story of how one day he put some sand he received from his brother under the microscope. He saw amazing textures, colors and shapes. Greenberg’s discovery changed his life and led to the invention of a new art form. He now photographs grains of sand magnified up to 300 times their size.

The images displayed on the page are so magical they caused my heart to race. I thought of my father, who passed away a year ago, and how much he would have loved this marriage of art and science. He was a brilliant engineer who loved the ocean. These images would have surely generated a wonderful discussion about life, beauty and fishing.

Some of Greenberg’s photos are featured alongside panoramic shots of sunsets and beaches, “to remind people where they came from,” he says. Although I consider Alabama my home, I know that every future visit to the ocean will be a reminder of Daddy and where I came from. At first I counted it strange that these images of sand should take me to such rich thoughts of my dad, but that’s what good art does. It travels through our eyes straight to our hearts.

Whole Living Feb. 2012

From the stomach-soothing relief of peppermint to the anti-inflammatory benefits of nutmeg, Whole Living magazine helps us stock our kitchens with delicious, health-inducing herbs.

I love winter for many reasons, one of which is the fact that I was able to stock up on peppermint ice cream around Christmas, and now I can enjoy it for a couple of months until spring arrives. I love that stuff and could eat it all year long, but I’m glad it only hits the shelves for a few months each year because it makes it that much more special to me.

According to the December issue of Whole Living magazine, it’s good that I still have some of that peppermint ice cream on hand. Why? Because peppermint can ease an upset stomach, as it turns on an “anti-pain mechanism” in the GI tract. And it doesn’t take much to reap the benefits. After a hearty winter meal, just a single piece of peppermint candy or a cup of peppermint tea can quickly make you feel better.

Also included in the magazine’s list of beneficial common herbs:

• Sage: Baked into a dish or simmered in soup, sage can help boost your memory.
• Cinnamon: As little as a teaspoon daily can help control blood sugar levels. Sprinkle it in your oatmeal, winter squash dishes or over French toast.
• Cloves: Apparently cloves contain one of the highest levels of antioxidants of any spice. Antioxidants are good, especially if anti-aging is a goal.

I wonder how my peppermint ice cream would taste sprinkled with cinnamon and cloves. I had better not even try …

March 2012 Seventeen

She may be the daughter of pop royal Phil Collins, but actress Lily Collins is making a name for herself with upcoming film “Mirror Mirror.”

Lily Collins may have skipped a few rounds–OK, years–on the audition circuit, but the daughter of pop star Phil Collins aims to prove she’s got staying power. Covering the March issue of Seventeen, the  actress confronts the naysayers who suggest she’s only getting roles because of dear old dad.

“My last name may have opened doors, but I have to keep them open,” she tells the magazine. After a breakout role as Collins Tuohy in “The Blind Side,” the British-born but L.A.-raised beauty went on to star opposite her then real-life love Taylor Lautner in “Abduction.” Riding largely on Lautner’s name and “The Twilight Saga” heartthrob status, the film managed to gross more than $82 million worldwide and solidify Collins as one to watch.

On March 30, the 22-year-old will get to show off her acting chops once again in “Mirror Mirror,” playing Snow White opposite Julia Roberts’ Evil Queen and Armie Hammer’s Prince Andrew. Her portrayal of the innocent princess with a posse of dwarves has been compared to that of Kristen Stewart in June’s “Snow White and the Huntsman.” But the comparisons should end with the title; “Mirror Mirror” promises to tell the traditional tale we’ve all grown up with and grown to love but with a modern twist of feminism.

Heavy on display in the film will be Collins’ incredible beauty–perfect for that of Snow White–framed by those trademark thick eyebrows of hers. She confesses that what once made her feel out of place now makes her feel unique, saying, “It used to bother me–having bigger, fuller brows. I even plucked them once so I’d fit in, but I hated them and couldn’t wait for them to grow back. Now I embrace them. I’ve realized the quirky things that make you different are what make you beautiful.” I know, moms: Collins is fast becoming a contender for role model status, right? Refreshing!

Beautiful, smart and humble, the young Collins also dishes to the teen magazine about her own celebrity crushes (Leonardo DiCaprio and Justin Timberlake) and the excitement over potentially coming face-to-face with them on the job. She says, “It’s weird to have celebrity crushes now because I could actually meet them or work with them!”

Confidence, too! Must come from the actress’s “mirror mantra,” which she says is simply “looking in the mirror and reminding myself that I’m enough. What I am to myself and what I am to people that love me is enough.” Collins challenges readers to “love the person that you see” in the mirror.

I, for one, can’t wait to see more from this wise young woman!

Will you see “Mirror Mirror” next month? Will you take your teen daughters?