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You can now browse thousands of top magazines from around the world and purchase subscriptions or single issues instantly from your computer or mobile device to be read wherever and whenever you like. For someone like me that peruses several magazines a day this is great news.

Zinio is currently offering some great deals including:



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Ends April 23
and
 Earth Day
save an extra 50% off over 100 participating titles
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****Now for the fun part 9 lucky readers (plus myself) will get  1 free subscription to the magazine of your choice.   All you have to do to enter is leave a comment and let me know what your favorite magazine is by the end of the day on May 3rd.****

Fat Chance No-Going-Back Weight Loss Plan: Week 9

By:Jennifer Giralo

The start of this week dealt with one of my biggest issues. I have a lot of issues, but in regards to food, I need to get a hold of my super-power ability to make excuses. I can make an excuse out of anything for any situation.

The book really focuses on reframing those justifications or excuses. We only perceive that we need food. We can change the way we think about a situation and negotiate those thoughts within ourselves. For example, the book mentions my favorite excuse.

I’ve had a hard day, I deserve this.

The book suggests reframing it to think more along the lines of delayed gratification. Instead of thinking you deserve food, think of yourself as deserving of a healthy and slim body. It will help you overcome the default thinking of using food as your reward.

Another theme for this week was actually one of my justifications I use on a daily basis, social occasions. I always eat whatever out at restaurants whenever hanging out with friends. The books says to eat a light snack beforehand and to be prepared to say a polite no if you are not hungry.

What is your most frequently used justification for eating poorly and how can we reframe it?

Sassi: An Italian Villa In The Desert

I know what you're thinking; but yes, such a thing does exist. Nestled at the base of Pinnacle Peak mountain in North Scottsdale, Sassi Restaurant is the epitome of an Italian villa. The view from the back patio is breath taking, making it the perfect setting for a peaceful cocktail before dinner. Inside, this charming restaurant is divided into several rooms each one providing it's own piece of Old World Tuscan charm.

But Sassi is much more than the building and landscape; it's amazing Southern Italian food, from a chef with an abundance of culinary passion. Chef Christopher Nicosia, who has been at the helm for a few years now, truly loves both cooking and his Sassi kitchen. I was able to get a sneak peak recently and can totally understand this love. The Sassi kitchen is huge; the pantry itself is bigger than most house kitchens.

And when I say that Nicosia has an abundance of culinary passion I mean it...who else looks at octopus this way.
 

Let's talk about the food for a bit. "Italian Food" as quoted by Nicosia "is all about using a few simple ingredients and not doing a lot to them"   I love this theory.  I think we as a society are used to what is available at most Italian American restaurants; sauce laden pastas and meats.  I think we tend to forget or possibly have never experienced what real Italian food is.

It's the quality and taste of the ingredients and letting that shine through that makes good authentic Italian food.  For example you won't find eggplant parm on the menu at Sassi.  What you will find though are things like eggplant cakes, made Sicilian style with currants and pine nuts in a light tomato sauce.  A Caprese salad made with imported buffalo mozzarella and heirloom tomatoes  drizzled olive oil.

 Extremely tender wood grilled octopus paired with a lightly dressed arugula salad.

"Everything we can do in house we do," is Nicosia's motto.

The orecchiette which are hand rolled and paired with some of the best homemade sausage I've had and the pilllowy ricotta dumplings oozing with melted mozzarella are perfect examples of this.

Just like eating in a traditional Italian household the pasta course is always followed by some sort of meat. On the Sassi menu you will find things like a porcini rubbed bone in veal chop drizzled with truffle oil and fresh halibut (when in season) with eggplant caponata and pine nut pesto.

Sassi is not your typical restaurant it's a destination.  A place you can escape to for an evening of authentic and delicious Italian food created with love for you from Chef Nicosia.


Sassi 
10455 E Pinnacle Peak Pkwy  Scottsdale, AZ 85255

(480) 502-9095

Eating Whole Foods: Grilled Leg of Lamb with Mint Pesto

My mom, bless her heart, is the furthest from being a foodie that one could be.  She used to cook and she used to cook well...but somewhere along the line this changed. I'm sure it has something to do with getting older and not having lots of people around to cook for.  But what bothers me most is that not only has she forgotten how to cook but she is not open to the idea of trying anything new.

She remembers how she cooked/ate things 30 years ago and that's the only way she can eat them now. Why am I telling you this. Well this past Easter, as in previous years, she went on a tyrant about having mint jelly to accompany the Easter lamb. And of course, as has happened in the past, it was my job to let her know we would NOT be having mint jelly.

I had bought this wonderful fresh leg of lamb from Whole Foods Market that we planned to butterfly and grill and there was no way we were going to allow her to top it with a processed mint jelly. Be real mom...you should know me better than that by now.

I honestly thought her head was going to explode when I told her "NO MINT JELLY"  In order to appease the masses, or at least my mom, I made a nice fresh mint pesto that went very well with the lamb. Yes, even mom agreed....though you'll notice it was left off her plate below...just in case.

***Want to win a $25 Whole Foods Market gift card?  Scroll down for details***

Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Mint Pesto
(recipe courtesy of Mario Batali)

8 pound leg of Lamb (deboned; excess fat trimmed and butterflied)
1/2 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
3 Garlic cloves (peeled cut into slices)
2 sprigs fresh Rosemary
1 Lemon
Salt and Pepper

Season the lamb with salt and pepper and then rub the garlic and rosemary all over the meat.

Drizzle generously with olive oil and then place in a roasting pan to marinate.

Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice over the lamb. Add the lemon to the pan.

Marinate for a minimum of 2 hours or over night.

For the Mint Pesto:
2 cups fresh Mint leaves
1 cup Basil
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano (freshly grated)
1/3 cup Pine Nuts (toasted)
2 Garlic cloves
1/3 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Prepare the mint basil pesto. Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor, except the oil.

Begin to puree while slowly adding the oil. Adjust seasoning to taste.

****Arizona Whole Foods Market Community Support Day is April 24th,2013****
On this day, Whole Foods Market's seven stores in Arizona will donate five percent of all sales to the Arizona State Parks Foundation, helping support the group's work advocating, building relationships and fundraising to support and strengthen natural and historic parks throughout the state.

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Fat Chance No-Going-Back Weight Loss Plan: Week 8

By: Jennifer Giralo

Week 8

With this new lifestyle and new perception of food, I’ve grown to be more aware of my body and what it is telling me. The author explains that slim people listen to their bodies. Slim people know when they are satisfied and know when their bodies have not received enough nutrients. With the help of this book, I have been able to understand why I crave sugar sometimes or why I am still hungry. My body is simply searching for more nutrients, and eating ice-cream doesn’t assist in satisfaction. It actually adds to it.

I like the portion of the book in Week 8 regarding sugars. Sugars make you hungrier and make you crave more sugar. Sugar also tells your body to store fat cells. It’s important to feed your body protein, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, giving it the right message about food storage.

My problems are still with justification. I eat poorly still because I make excuses about being too tired to make food or feeling emotionally dependent on food. I’ll tell myself that it’s just this one meal, just this one day, just this one week of poor eating, and I’ll start eating better tomorrow.

I enjoyed reading about a proactive approach to these deeper needs. Sometimes I can tell when I’m going to have an emotionally trying day, so I can better motivate myself when it comes to eating. I encourage and coach myself, telling myself that it will make me feel better about myself when I eat better and that my body deserves good food.

What are some challenges you still face? How have you conquered past sugar cravings?

Yogurt & Granola Covered Frozen Bananas

I hike most weekends and I'm usually looking for a healthy snack when I'm done.  Last weekend I decided to chop up some bananas and freeze them as a post workout treat. Before freezing I dipped each one in Greek yogurt and homemade granola.

One bite and I was hooked, the combo was great.  Move over chocolate; I've replaced you with yogurt and granola.

Quick Homemade Granola

1 3/4 cups rolled oats
1 cup dried tart cherries, chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup honey, heated
1 Tbsp vanilla
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl stir together dry ingredients.  In another bowl whisk together heated honey, oil, and vanilla.

Add the liquid mixture to the oats mixture and stir until evenly coated. Firmly press mixture into an 8X8 pan that has been lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until browned at the edges but still slightly soft at the center. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.  Using the foil lift the mixture from the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Peel off foil and either cut into bars or crumble.

Distrito Scottsdale: High Energy; Modern Mexican

This past weekend some friends and I dined at Distrito, located in the Saguaro Hotel, in downtown Scottsdale. Distrito goes beyond the classics and offers a more modern Mexican menu and one of the largest selections of tequila in the area.

The menu which is divided into three sections features some delicious sharing plates, a bunch of small starter options and some really innovative entrees.  In other words lots of choices to customize your meal.

Before I go any further describing our meal....I wanted to tell you that I had the pleasure that night of meeting one of the most personable chefs; Iron Chef Jose Garces.  In town for the Scottsdale Culinary festival Chef Garces was nice enough to stop by our table and chat for a few.  Definitely an honor.

We bonded instantly over Philadelphia and talked about the differences between the Distrito there and the one here in Scottsdale. We also discussed the recent changes in the Scottsdale location's decor; something that I hear has been quite controversial amongst it's loyal customers.  Garces told me it had been to kitschy and didn't fit well with the Scottsdale crowd like it does with the hipsters at Philadelphia's University City location. 

We talked a bit more about the new menu and how it took months to develop and then he had to run to his next event...but not before pausing to take a photo with me.

Now let's get back to the food. We ordered a bowl of the guacamole and crab meat (a $5 addition that I thought was well worth the money) to enjoy while we mulled over the drink menu.

Distrito is very proud of their mezcal selection, as they should be, and many of their cocktails feature various ones. Like the Mezcal Mule, which I ordered. A spin on the traditional Moscow Mule this one is made with Ilegal Joven instead of vodka. If you want to taste something really different I would suggest ordering the Fresas Ahumadas which is a blend of basil and balsamic syrup, fresh strawberries and Los Nahuales Joven.

There were so many things on the menu we all wanted to try and so many recommendations from our waiter (the staff truly love the food here) that we decided to do a bit of sampling. First up was the  Albondigas, not traditional as it's more of a thick sauce, but absolutely delicious with a nice little kick.

Next we got the Pulpa Al Carbon, this Spanish grilled octopus and it's accompanying caper Bearnaise was a hit with the group.

But my personal favorite was the wood oven quail with pistachio spuma and shaved figs. Nicely done.

From the large plate options we chose the Chile Relleno, stuffed with quinoa, kale, black beans and queso oaxaca and the pan roasted duck breast with squash puree and mole negro. Both winners.

As I mentioned above Distrito takes pride in their Mezcal so of course no dinner there would be complete without a Mezcal tasting.  I'll be honest I don't know much about Mezcal other than they tend to be much smokier than tequila and are made the old school way which is baked in the ground. Yet it was still interesting to do the tasting and learn about the differences between each one.

Distrito is a high energy restaurant, did I mention they have a DJ, that serves Mexican food with a twist.  The staff are well versed in both the food and drink and seem to enjoy sharing that knowledge with you. I had a great evening and look forward to a return visit.

Distrito Restaurant
4000 N Drinkwater Blvd  Scottsdale, AZ 85251

(480) 970-4444

Fat Chance No-Going-Back Weight Loss Plan: Week 7

By: Jennifer Giralo

Week 6 was tricky, as we had a recent holiday involving lots of family cooking. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with my family. I was able to make choices on my meal, both in portion-size and ingredients. We chose to eat lean hamburgers with baked potato slices and grilled asparagus. It was quite a colorful and nutritious plate, and it kept me satisfied and full for hours. The baked potato slices were different and resulted in a tasty snack. I first saw the idea on Pinterest. It was fun to try a new recipe with my family. The idea to slice a potato and baking it instead of frying the potato is also a creative twist on the classic hamburger and French fries. What other creative twists can we make in our normal meals?

 

Week 7 focuses on eating meals that keep you satisfied longer throughout the day. I want to focus on eating more complex carbs, fruits, vegetables, protein, and oats.

The book mentions respecting your body, because it works hard every day. Respect your body by eating right and exercising. Respect it by giving it the rest, hygiene, and nutrition it needs.

What are some ways we can come to appreciate and respect our bodies more? Both mentally and physically? Where can we reduce unnecessary stress in our lives, putting our bodies to extra mental and emotional strain?

Moroccan Chicken Salad from the True Foods Cookbook

By: The Food Hunter

I'm always looking for new ways to prepare chicken.  So when I saw the recipe for Moroccan chicken salad in the True Food cookbook I knew I had to try it.  It's the perfect recipe for using up leftover chicken and I love the idea of serving it on lettuce leaves instead of bread. 

Moroccan Chicken Salad
(adapted from True Foods cookbook)

(serves 6)
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup honey
2 tsp grainy mustard
1 tbs fresh squeezed lime juice
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp lime zest
2 tbs parsley, chopped
2 cups leftover chicken, boiled or roasted, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1/2 cup chopped roasted and salted cashews
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup diced jicama
12 butter lettuce leaves


In a large bowl, combine yogurt, mayonnaise, honey, mustard, lime juice, curry powder, salt, lime zest and parsley.  Whisk well to combine.  Add the chicken, celery, cashews, raisins and jicama. Mix thoroughly.

Serve over the butter lettuce leaves.

Chocolate Chip-Oatmeal Cake

By Jennifer Giralo

I’ve been working on my sweet tooth cravings, dentist’s orders. However, this dessert recipe takes the cake. It has all ingredients I love in a recipe: Easy, Delicious, and Chocolate.

Better Homes and Gardens: Anyone Can Bake is for beginner bakers, but it is full of essential and exotic recipes for desserts all in one book. It’s definitely staying front and center in my kitchen.

This Chocolate Chip-Oatmeal Cake was a fast creation, and it results in a moist, chewy brownie-like dessert. We thoroughly enjoyed this variation on the average cake recipe!

For healthier substitutions:  
Use applesauce instead of butter.
Try sugar-free syrup instead of sugar.

Get creative with the recipe: 
Try using pecans or almonds instead of walnuts, or you can leave them out.
Mix in butterscotch chips instead of chocolate chips, or try mixing both!

Chocolate Chip-Oatmeal Cake

1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1 ¾ cups boiling water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup butter, cut up and softened
2 eggs
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 12 ounce package chocolate chips
¾ cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place oats in a large bowl. Pour the boiling water over oats; let stand for 10 minutes. Grease and flour a 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set aside.

2. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter to oats mixture; stir until butter is melted. Stir in eggs until combined. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt until combined. Stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chips.

3. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with walnuts and the remaining chocolate chips. Bake in the preheated oven about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Fat Chance No-Going-Back Weight Loss Plan: Week 6

By Jennifer Giralo

Week 5 was about awareness and recognizing triggers. I am doing well at recognizing the times when I feel I need to eat as a result of emotions; however, I am working to actually put that awareness into action.

Overall, I have seen major progress in my way of thinking and in my eating habits.

Week 6

Week 6 starts by reminding us that slim people do not use food to solve stress-related issues. Slim people have a positive mindset about themselves and the challenges in front of them. This mindset isn’t just about food; it’s about life. The power of positive thinking can change our actions for the better.

One victory I had this week was an epiphany when it comes to portion sizes. One night, I was very hungry; I hadn’t eaten since lunch time and I was sitting down for a late dinner. I made myself a dish of macaroni and cheese (a comfort food when my stomach isn’t feeling well). I thought to myself, I can eat this whole bowl. A whole box of macaroni and cheese is way too much of a serving size for my slim goal. So I took a third of the box and put it in a bowl to eat. After eating it, I was completely stuffed! I realized that I don’t need large servings; my body was just telling me that I was hungry in an urgent manner.


I like this Fat Chance workbook, because it keeps me accountable throughout the weeks going page by page.

One amazing lesson from Week 6 is choice. We have the choice to educate ourselves about what to buy at the grocery store. It is in our power to understand the nutrition breakdown on food labels and to buy food according to what is healthier. We can choose low-fat options and protein for every meal.

Let’s keep in mind the basic concepts of eating smaller portions, stopping when we are satisfied, and eating a variety of healthy foods. By reminding ourselves, it can be engrained in our thought process as a habit.

What are some substitutions or options you have chosen in your grocery purchases or eating habits? How have they empowered you as far as what you know about food?