I wanted to share a new serving ware that I received courtesy "a la familia". No, that's not a new store! It was a gift from my lovely sister as she knows how much I love these.

I can already picture all the fun things I can utilize this beauty for:

Please ignore the green polka dot against the black damask.  The point is to show off the cake stand not the cupcakes...ha ha!!

Why did I get baked?

Happy Wednesday!! It's the middle of the week , love it!!  Most of you know my little addiction to this. And most of you know that I was on a mini-vacation last weekend. So, having said that, you absolutely know that I was looking for at least one cupcake/bakeshop to review in quest for the perfect cupcake!!

Say hello to:

Sugar Blossom Bake Shop (San Clemente, Ca)

Unfortunately, I do not have any good pictures of the cupcakes (boo picture fail) so you will have to use your imagination. Before I go into my "review" let me kind of tell you what I like looking for in a cupcake shop.

1) I like to see if they have a big enough selection. You need to be able to have a hard time deciding between your cupcakes.
2)  I also enjoy a well decorated cupcake store. Cuteness is a must!!
3) The obvious, tasty cupcakes!!

Back to Sugar blossoms. The place did not have a HUGE collection of cupcakes. (Fail # 1). The decor was semi-cute (Fail #2) and the cupcakes were so not D-lish!! (Fail #3).

Let me tell you what I chose. I only ordered 6 cupcakes, my standard is 12 but this place did not have a huge selection so I was out of luck.   The choices were: mint in chip, red velvet, carrot cake, German chocolate, vanilla and coconut.  My goodness with those simple and exotic flavors you would think that at least one would be d-lish, right?  Uh, yeah....WRONG!!  Each and every single one of them had a distinct taste of, {asking themselves} "Why did I even get baked, so not worth it"  Such a sad cupcake.  No flavor, awful after taste and some tasted old.

My quest will continue.....  have a foodilicous day!!

Rachel Ray is on the prowl.

It's no secret that I love using the Food Network website for a lot of my cooking inspiration.  So, when I had planned for turkey burgers one night, I decided to utilize that website for my recipe choice!!

Enter raspy voice Rachel Ray .....

and her Greek turkey burgers.

Let me tell ya, these burgers were d-lish!!  They were moist, flavorful and healthy!!  As usual, I doctored it up the style your dish way, meaning I cut out all fatty items and made it lean. You can taste the feta and the spinach and the tzatziki sauce: OH MY!!!  I will definitely make this again!!

What is your favorite type of burgers?  Do share!! 

Have a foodilicious day!!

Taking it on the road

 Do you find it hard to eat healthy when taking a trip? Or when just leaving town for the day?  Sometimes its too tempting to look at all the yummy options that are at restaurants. the hardest part,I feel, is when visiting out of state or a not a chain local restaurant.

I always do my very best to choose healthy options because obviously I can't control the cook in the kitchen and how they may prepare the meal. however, when on vacation or a quick trip these might sneak in:





            
       pancake pups pineapple and white chocolate.. they were okay! Not what expected but worth the tr. Would I recommend or get again, nope!!
Have a foodilicious day!!

On the hunt....

Most of you know, I adore a good cupcake.  I am in love with cupcakes!! And is always on the hunt for a d-lish flavor.  Anytime, I visit a new town or my family I will try my hardest to scout the town for the nearest store that sells them so I can get my two cents in on the flavor, texture, cuteness etc....



Cupcake love (San Diego, Ca)


I know what you are thinking, BUT how can cupcakes be healthy? Your such a nut when it comes to healthy foods...well, I am here to tell you that I don't care..so HA!!  Just kidding, once in a while I enjoy eating a good un-healthy cupcake but I am also determined to find a healthy recipe (calorie bust) so I can make my own. So stay tuned!!  Until then enjoy my adventures of finding the perfect cupcake!!

Cupcake Love (San Diego, Ca)



Where do I go?

Happy first day of summer (officially)!!  It's a fabulous time of the year!!  Of course with all the dining outside, I love checking out grilling recipes or easy light summer fares and I am sure you are all dying {insert sarcastic tone} to know where I go for overall food inspiration.

When I am in the need of a great summer recipe, I know exactly where to go so, so let me introduce you to a fabulous person, a person worth getting to know, a person who I would LOVE to meet!! So without further ado, my favorite grill master:





Bobby Flay (isn't he cute in a dorky kind of way)

I'm always checking out Food Network for grill recipes or overall healthy recipes. If you are ever in need of a great french fry sauce or burger recipe, Bobby is your man!!   Trust me, he will not disappoint.

As far as inspiration part goes, I love to read other blogs.   I read several different types of food blogs and it's great to see the different takes on meals and overall healthy lifestyles.  Here are a few blogs that I read daily for inspiration:

This blog is fabulous because she talks a lot about different types of healthy meals along with things going on in her life.





I like this blog because she showcases amazing pictures which always inspires me to cook



 

Skinny Runner is great inspiration because she talks a lot about running and her personal life. Food is sprinkled in their now & again (not too often) but it's great to read about her fitness life which inspires healthy meal planning.






I enjoy reading this blog because she too showcases gorgeous pictures but also the recipes just look so dreamy!! I guess the blog name just says it all.



So tell me do you have any favorite websites or grill masters? Do share!!

Have a foodilicious day!!

Oh come on....

Happy Monday!! This past weekend, I had a great time with some friends over dinner at Joe's Crab Shack.

At our table, people were ordering "Fancy Shmancy" options like steampot & crabs meals. I wish I had gotten some pictures showing our actual meals but alas all I have is this:

 Okay, so this is the thing everyone (and when I mean everyone, I am including a ten year old boy) was ordering these fancy meals!!  And little old me, what did I order...popcorn shrimp, the most generic, mundane easy peasy item on the menu. I am mean NO CREATIVITY with that meal right? Right!!   
Seriously, it's the type of meal you order and everyone says: "Oh, come on".

I am playing it safe and I like popcorn shrimp, I never eat it anywhere else except Joe's or Red Lobster so it's like a treat for me! But, on the flip side, I should be more daring and attempt at ordering a fancy meal!!

What about you, when you go out do you to eat do you order something you wouldn't normally make at home?

Or do you play it safe and have your guests roll their eyes and say "oh come on"

P.s No one really rolled their eyes (ha ha) but I am sure there are people out there that would.

Snickers satisfies the hunger

Happy Friday!! Yeah, it's the weekend which means lots of fun and food!! It's father's day weekend & we have some exciting things planned with some great friends. So, this weekend will be jam packed and I wouldn't have it any other way!!

Anyways, back to my post!  Okay, so I normally eat about 5 times a day, every couple of hours.  I workout a lot and I need to make sure to keep my energy up and my metabolism on the fast track.Now, I am sure you are thinking 5 times a day, that's a lot, and that would be so much fun to just keep eating!! WRONG!!  I  don't enjoy coming up with 5 different mini meals and making sure that I get enough protein to build muscle and enough calories to sustain weight and yadda yadda yadda.......that means enter the Snickers bar, ha ha!!  Well a healthy version of the snickers bar in the form of a protein bar!!

It's easy to throw in a bag, it's simple to grab and eat while I work, it's just plain easy!!  Here are a few of my "snicker bar" choices:

This one is delicious!! But, I wish it had a little bit more protein

I love the mint flavored of this one, better amount of protein, wish it had less calories.

This one only if it's an extreme emergency..ha ha!! Too many calories, but yummy tasting!!

Not a bad bar, can't remember the calorie count though

Do you eat protein bars? If, so what's your favorite?? 

Have a foodilious day!!

When all else fails....

Coffee will always be there!! 

Taking an iced coffee break.....

See y'all tomorrow!!!

Have a foodilious day!!

The musings of a mushroom

I decided to be a little daring the other day and make a really interesting French inspired cuisine. Now, I know what you are thinking, hmm..interesting?  French??  Can it be? Could it be?  SNAILS!!!  Well, I do have a bunch of them trying to eat my basil plant, so that's probably the best way to get rid of them. Right?  WRONG!!  I made crepes or as my husband likes to say: "CREEPS"  but whatever!

Anyways back to those creeps. I looked up the recipe in one of the books I mentioned here.  I choose this recipe because I love mushrooms and I wonder what mushrooms talk about since they are always popping around everywhere they must be curious creatures. And those wild ones...WOO HOO! Watch out. 









  

This meal was NOT flavorful. The crepes turned out NOT moist and mostly dull & dry. The mushroom mixture was too soggy (if that's possible)  They truly were creeps!!!  FOOD FAIL.

Have you ever tried something and it didn't turn out to be as good as you had HOPED?  If so what was?

Have a foodilious day!!

Coconut envy and high & lows.

Yeah!! I found my SLR camera cord!! Boo!! I didn't take pictures with THAT camera for this post. But, I promised a coconut chicken post and you shall get a coconut chicken post. On Sunday you will remember I blogged about my weekend d-lish dinner which involved fun with Panko. Here is the lowdown of that dinner:

Here are some before pics of me shredding the coconut. Let me tell you this is NOT fun, NOT easy and I will NOT do this again. Did you get the theme of this, NO!!  I researched online on how to soften the coconut so that I can easily remove the meat (white part) from the shell. Yeah, okay it does NOT work.  Boil or bake, nope didn't happen.

Anyway I finally was able to get about 3 1/2 cups full of coconut shreds!!

Ignore the baby monitor in the background. That's so I can spy on my husband!! HA HA!

The recipe itself was easy to do, just labor intense. You can find the recipe here.  I also decided to add some onion rings as a side dish, which you can find that recipe here. Note: I altered these recipes a little bit to fit my health conscious needs. Wink, wink!!


Chicken coconut was d-lish!! It was flavorful and light. You can taste the coconut but it was not overwhelming. The onion rings had the same light taste and did not have that strong onion taste.
This meal was a success and I loved the fact that everything was baked not fried!!  

Tell me have you cooked or baked with coconut?  And if so, what did you make?

Have a foodilious day!!

A drink less ordinary...

Okay, okay so I know I promised y'all a post on Panko coconut shrimp & onion rings...but I could not find my cord for the camera so I couldn't upload the pictures. On the hunt....

So, instead I will give you a calorie bust to a heavy calorie filled drink.  It's so simple, I know you guys wished you thought of it yourselves. Jealousy stops at the door!!

 I don't drink soda, juices, milk, etc..etc..etc...which leaves me with... you guessed it: H20.  Sometimes, I'll admit it, I get bored with water.  And yes, I have added: lemon, lime, strawberries, mint...you name it!!  I decided to try something different. So I mixed this:

Or any type of lemonade mix.

  with this:

& voila (just a fancy term for BAM!!) I get a calorie bust fruity drink to enjoy on a hot summer day!!

So I want to know do you have any calorie busts tricks up your sleeve???

NOTE: I ensure that I put way MORE H20 in my cup than lemonade so that I get just a hint of flavor but more water in my quench for thirst move.

Fun with Panko

Monday on the blog I am going to show you how I took this:

And turned it into this:  

Of course with all the delectable details.  Have a foodilious day!!

At a drop of a hat...

Inspiration comes to us in many ways. We see magazine pictures, billboards, nature, articles etc...whatever it may be it can strike at any moment or any time, or as the phrase goes, at the drop of a hat.  That's what happened to me early this morning (No, I did not drop a hat, who the hell came up with that phrase?) I was perusing through my new found love, Pinterest and created a board for "Style your dish" and BAM (my word for the day) the next thing I knew I saw this beauty:




Coconut chicken via pinterest



Don't they look d-lish??  I actually had purchased a coconut the other day from the store, just for kicks and now it's sitting in my fridge sliced open begging for me to do utilize it's goodness.  When I saw the coconut chicken I knew exactly what I was going to attempt for dinner tonight (sorry chicken chili-stir fry, you will have to be eaten another day).

I want to know what inspires you??? 

Have a foodlicious day!!

You had me at whole oats...

Hello Wednesday!! How are you doing today? Hope you treat me well since the sun has finally decided to stop playing hide n go seek.  Happy to see the sun!! 

Anyways, let's talk snacks. The other day I was at the grocery store looking for a snack before I went shopping and found a gem in the organic section. Now, I normally do not seek out organic foods however the protein bars happen to be in that section and so I thought "What the heck why not check out the organic snack section"  And oh boy I am glad that I did because I found these beauties:

Normally, I don't buy crackers, cookies, or snacky type of foods for my house. But, the ingredients really had me at whole oats and I was like hmm...let's give it a whirl. I don't eat the whole bag, I portion it out for snacks & maybe a little desert to ensure I do not go over my calorie count for the day and they have so many different flavors {I have only tried oatmeal} that you couldn't possibly get bored.

 Do you have a favorite organic snack? Let me know!!



  Have a foodilicious day!!

The planner I am

As most of you know {and if you didn't, you can pretend } I am a big PLANNER!  I plan almost everything in my life, sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. In fact my day job is being a planner or in formal terms "Events Director"  So you can imagine that since I am a planner at work, I am a planner at home and that includes meal times.

My button. I wear it proudly!!

 A quick rundown on how I make my meal plans.

• Each Saturday I go jot down what type of meal  I would like for a specific night. For example: Chicken, Steak ,Veggie, Turkey, Salad etc...  Since I am weight training, I ensure I get at least 2 or 3 chicken meals scheduled.
• I have a calendar that I jot down the final recipe name and I hang it on the fridge.  
• I scour the Internet, cookbooks and magazine cut outs for all kinds of healthy recipes (hence, I stay away from Paula Deen aka the butter queen) for the week.
• I then make my shopping list (making sure I check inventory first) and search all the store ads for deals & sales. 

Not a science but it works for us!! 

Tell me do you usually plan your meals or wing it the day of?



Cookbooks

Does one really use a cookbook?  It seems old fashion, doesn't it? I mean with the Internet and magazines and so many other options, who really goes to a cookbook for recipes?  I DO!!!  Yes, I am old fashion, yes, I love the pictures and the feel of turning the page plus I enjoy the satisfaction of putting my cookbook on a book stand and having the pages staring me in the face!!  I LOVE IT!!

Allright, let's talk cookbooks.  Here are two cookbooks that I am going to be experimenting from for your reading pleasure.  Both are healthy options to cooking and I have yet to try any from either one. So, this should be fun!! 

What are your favorite cookbooks?

Saturday breakfast

Sushi, oh Sushi

Really, they should make a song about the love of sushi.  I, truly feel like sushi is such a trendsetter. I mean, seriously it dresses itself up with oh so many beautiful sauces, and don't you just love the array of those saucy colors? And ohhhh...the abundance of stylish accessories; onions & masago. D-Lish!!

So, you can kind of guess what I had for dinner last night, because I was celebrating! Yes, you can read all about the reason for my celebration here.  I tried to take pictures with my digital but for some reason the flash and color was NOT working to my advantage, thus I only have cell phone quality pics. Believe me though, my cell phone pics were way better than a more expensive camera, but whatever!!


Let me explain the deliciousness that went on yesterday at Mikuni in Elk Grove.  We ordered 4 rolls: an Annie, a rainbow, the 49er & happy. Who the heck comes up with these names, seriously?

The 49er was too spicy...sushi should not be spicy, just an opinion, it just leaves me too scared (and believe me I love spicy foods) The Annie had just the right amount of sauces but not enough of flavor. The rainbow had no sauces but was light and simple. The happy which was just like the Annie but with crunchy tempura.

So tell me do you like Sushi and where is your favorite sushi restaurant?  

Hope you have a foodilicious day!!

Styling

"STYLE" your dish!! You see it everywhere you go, well ok maybe NOT at McDonald or a fast food chain, but you do see it at a nice restaurants or possibly even at fancy dinner parties. This blog is not really about styling your food or food photography (although you may see that pop in a couple of times) but I thought it was important to talk a little bit about styling your meals in the form of plate ware.

Here are some ideas that I love using for when hosting a dinner party or just making dinner at home for my family:



Printed plates are always fun for holidays and seasons. You can also use printed plate or serving ware for parties to carry out your theme.  Love, love the black damask print on the bottom left.



I enjoy using white dinner plates/serving dishes. The clean and simple look always allows your food to pop in color. I also like the textured and curvy designs of the far right charger plates. Simple yet makes an impact.

Welcome

Hi!! I'm happy that you find my blog and happy that you are here!! I wanted to start this blog as a fun and creative way to display my menu/food/meals with a recap/review. Earlier in the year I had started a little email "blog" to friends and family that I thought might be interested in healthy recipes and my take on different meals/recipes that I have tried.

I encourage healthy eating so I am always on the hunt for special healthy recipes. I also reviewed products that I used in my recipes. Since, I host another blog called freshfete.blogspot.com for work I thought how fun would it be to do the same thing for my food. Thus, Style your dish was created!! 

Hope you have fun and stay a while!!