Farm Spirit

Over the weekend I had one of the most amazing dining experiences in recent memory, maybe one of my top meals ever. 

At the suggestion of a friend, my +! and I went to Farm Spirit, a vegan restaurant that offers a small plates multiple course dinner to 14 diners Wednesday through Saturday night. They also offer a wine pairing and a non-alcoholic beverage pairing. We went with the wine!  

Upon arrival we found our names on the cute wooden placards and this simple place setting. I immediately knew it was going to be a good night.  All of the diners eat at the bar that faces the kitchen/prep-space, which makes for a fun and educational experience.

In total we had 12 courses (13 including the bread), all sourced from local farms and vendors. I won't go into detail about every dish, because there are a lot of little details, and everything is worth mentioning, but that would take up a lot of space. Not only was the food pretty on the plate, but it was DELICIOUS!

Here were the first four courses.

The bottom left was probably our favorite dish of the night. It was Maitake mushrooms, smoked potato (the white), black garlic, soubise, wild spring onion and leek ash. And some tasty "potato" chips. It was incredible!

The top left is a Fennel Vinegar Kiefer that we drank before the "dessert" courses. It was fresh and delicious and unlike anything I've ever had. The sour rye bread with pureed filberts, pickled shallots and dill was also one of my favorites (top right).

Farm Spirit serves delicious, innovative and healthy food, but it's not just about the food. It really is a dining experience. The service is impeccable. If you leave your seat, they immediately replace your napkin with a fresh and clean one. The water glasses were never below half full, and the chefs are attentive, friendly and engaging. 

At the end of the evening we chose from a selection of 2 coffees (pour over) or two fresh made teas. I went with the decaf tea. And, probably my favorite part of the dinner...really the cherry on-top was the amazing "breakfast bread" they sent us home with in this cute package. Mine didn't even make it to the car, let alone to breakfast! 

No doubt my +1 and I will be making another reservation very, very soon. 

If you live in Portland I highly recommend making a reservation. I suggest going as a party of 2 since everyone sits at the bar, which isn't very conducive to group conversation.

C & C on the Move: When in Rome

I'm back on the blog! Thanks for your patience as work and travel have taken over my life. I promised a Rome food recap so here it is! Let's start with the most important thing...gelato. I had it every day I was in Rome and loved both spots - San Crispino and Don Nino.  

I had two incredible meals that are DEFINITELY worth sharing. Let's start with Cul de Sac, located near the Piazza Navona. One of Rome's oldest enoteca's (wine bars) delivers in wine and food! The lasagne was hands down the best I've ever had. And of course I ordered mozzarella and tomato salad. When in Rome, right?!

Rome also delivered the best seafood I have ever tasted - and I'm not really a seafood person. Assunta Madre was off the charts. When you walk in the restaurant you're greeted by an insane assortment of fresh fish caught that day. It's so fresh that whatever isn't eaten that night goes to the fish market for the next morning.  

I was proud of myself for trying some things I wouldn't normally eat. My favorite dish was pasta with shrimps that had just the right amount of spice (not the most daring, but so delicious). 

And, of course, dessert. The presentation was nothing short of awesome. Chestnut and walnut ice cream presented in the actual nut shells. 

If you're headed to Rome, I'd definitely hit up these four spots. I know I'd go back in a heartbeat. 

C&C in the Kitchen: Recipes on Repeat

When I find a recipe I have the tendency to make it over and over and over again...

Here are a few of the recipes that are currently on repeat in our house.

Spiced Almond Thumbprint Cookies with Chocolate-Cashew Cardamom Frosting from Dishing up the Dirt

Speedy Veggie ‘n Brown Rice Noodle Bowl with Homemade Teriyaki Sauce from Oh She Glows. 

No-Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars from Hummusapien

Roasted Cauliflower, Beet and Farro Winter Salad from Joy the Baker

Have a great weekend!

C & C on the Move: Maui Part 2

One of the best parts about travel is food! I love taking to Facebook for recommendations - and I must say, my friends have never steered me wrong. Our trip to Maui was no exception. Because we had a kitchen in our room (check out Maui Part 1 if you missed it), we saved our eating out for select, choice meals and restaurants, and I've got to say, I wasn't disappointed by one!

For organization sake, I'll do this by areas of the island.

Lahaina
It's only fitting to start with my most favorite place (we went twice - and I easily could have eaten there EVERY day), Choice Health Bar, which was recommended by friend and blog reader Mariko (THANK YOU!). Right off Honoapiilani Highway in Lahaina, this little gem offers organic fresh food, vegan soups, smoothies, and the MOST INCREDIBLE acai bowls you'll ever have.

And while I didn't get any pictures (#fail), we also had a delicious meal at Star Noodle. I'm not sure if we didn't order the right things or if it was an "off" night for us, but I was expecting more based on friends' experiences (one of our readers ate there 3 times in one week). That being said, I would definitely try it for yourself. You can tell it's a local favorite. Although these are my only two spots in this part of town, Lahaina Grill, Mala Ocean Tavern, and Honu Seafood also came highly recommended by trusted sources. 

Napili/Kapalua 

Coming in close behind Choice was The Gazebo. Right down the beach from us on the other end of Napili Bay, this Hawaiian equivalent of a diner (but my kind of diner) has an eclectic atmosphere (you're literally eating in an open-air gazebo), efficient service, incredible views, and mind-blowing pancakes. I mean life-altering Pineapple, macadamia nuts, bananas, you name it. And did I mention the coconut whipped cream they put on top! I had an omelet and half a papaya both days (stealing bites of Dr. B's of course) which were the perfect way to start the day. They're also known for their fried rice, which we did not try. Beware, there's usually a line (they only have 30 seats), but they offer free coffee while you wait...and truth be told, there's not a better view for waiting in line. 

Our nicest and most delicious dinner was a short walk down the street at The Montage. You may remember from this post that our cousin is the executive chef at The Montage in Laguna. They just took over the property about a year ago and not only are the grounds impeccable, but the food and service at Cane & Canoe were superb - as you'd expect. 

I started out with goat cheese tempura with roasted beets, lilikoi (passion fruit), arugla, and orange. I'm not a fan of queso, but if liquid cheese was like this all of the time, sign me up. It was truly sensational. Dr. B started the meal with a kula strawberry panzanella (bread salad) with burrata, crispy basil, braised walnuts, and pickled fennel. While his was delicious, mine definitely was the big cheese (hah hah, get it ). 

We both went vegetarian for our entrees. I had the buckwheat soba noodles with kumu kale, hamakua mushrooms, grilled pumpkin, tamari, and a fried egg. They had me at fried egg. While this dish was incredibly simple, the earthy flavors from the vegetables paired with the soba noodles were perfection. Brian had braised turnip "scallops" with oatmeal verde, kabochoa squash, and porcini tea. Even up close these "scallops" looked like the real deal. Add in brussels sprouts with macadamia nuts and horseradish and kula corn with chili pepper and cotiija cheese, and you had to roll us out of there. Thankfully, I've always got room for dessert - and in this case, I'm glad I did. This goes down in the dessert hall of fame. Without the recommendation of the waitress, who said it was the best she's ever had, I wouldn't have gone this route (give me chocolate, or give me death). But not much compares to this vanilla panna cotta and lilikoi gelee with basil "caviar", macadamia nut shortbread, and coconut espuma. If I could have, I would have licked the glass. And you think I'm kidding...

Also within walking distance to Napili Kai (as in right next door) is Merriman's (you can also find them on the Big Island and Kuai). Overlooking Kapalua Bay, there's no better place to watch a sunset. 

We had drinks and appetizers one night and went back for our "last supper" before getting on the red eye home. The food was very good, but for me it was all about the cocktails. The No Ka Oi is hands down the best cocktail I've ever had. Ocean vodka, thai basil, lime, and honey lilikoi foam (are you sensing my obsession with passion fruit) come together to make a spirit sensation. They went down way too easy! Also worth the mention (thank you if you're still reading, I know this is long) was the molten waialua chocolate purse....molten and chocolate...need i say more?

Before I wrap up (if I'm tired of writing, you're most certainly tired of reading), a few others of note. 

Morimoto - We had a great dinner with friends here in Wailea. We're not huge seafood/raw sushi eaters, so are probably not the target audience, but our friends who are LOVE it. 

Da Kitchen - If you find yourself in need of a good casual meal in Kahalui (where the airport is), this is a great spot. Definitely a local favorite, this is the spot for traditional Hawaiian cuisine (with huge portions). I had a very gluttonous basket of mahi mahi fish and chips. 

Mama's Fish House - There isn't one person that didn't tell me to eat here...and we didn't. We weren't in the area at the right time (the location is unbeatable). Now we've got something to save for our next trip along with Hali' imaile General Store in the same area. 

Hungry yet? Stay tuned next week for more on Maui! 

Keeping it Real- Food as Fuel

Happy Monday. Here is a post I wrote on Saturday. I hope I don't regret "Keeping it Real".

As I write this, I am on a plane en route back to Portland from Orlando where I spent the last 48 hours for a Junior League Leadership Conference. While this post isn't really about the Junior League (an incredible organization), it plays a part in my story...

We talk about food here on C&C on a regular basis: our favorite recipes, restaurants we've tried, food from our travels, etc. We've shared our commitment to healthy eating through things like the barre3 challenge and Katie's recent reboot, so it's no secret that we like to fuel our bodies with good, whole foods.

Despite years of "healthy" eating, this past year my +1 and I have really made a commitment to eating vegetables, to cutting out sugar (not all) and to fueling our bodies with the best quality of whole foods possible. In these last 48 hours I have realized just how much of a change I have made in my life, in my eating and in my preferences. My purpose in this post is not to judge anyone or to alienate anyone who chooses to live their life in a different way. My hope is just to bring awareness to a topic I feel quite passionately about, food as fuel to energize your body.

Let me start at the beginning...

Last Wednesday at a Junior League General Membership meeting we screened a TED talk by Jamie Oliver about food and the obesity epidemic in children. I highly recommend watching it (here). The screening was a part of a program the League has called "Healthy Habits Healthy Kids (H3K)." We are in the process of ramping up this program and showed the talk as a way to educate and excite our members. As a part of H3K, we hope to roll out something called "Kids in the Kitchen."  This program was created by the Associations of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) and is a critical element of their ongoing commitment to teach kids and their parents about the importance of eating healthy foods and involve them in the fight against childhood obesity.

Fast Forward less than 36 hours from the screening of Jamie Oliver's Ted Talk to my arrival at the AJLI Leadership Conference in Orlando. My day started at 2:30 a.m. Portland time after a terrible night's sleep. My motivation for an incredibly early wake up....exercise. Lucky for me, barre3 has partnered with AJLI, so barre3 workouts were included as a part of our conference agenda, including a early morning pre-conference workout and 5 and 10 minute workouts through the day. I dragged my roommates (somewhat willingly) out of bed for a 6 a.m. barre3 workout. Afterwards we rushed back to make ourselves decent for the business of the day.

Now here's where the "Food as Fuel" comes in. Let me start with breakfast, arguably the most important meal of the day, and especially when you will be sitting in a conference room trying to stay alert enough to retain important information... No small task when you've had maybe 3 hours of sleep.

The breakfast buffet included a croissant egg, ham and cheese sandwich, English muffins with a fried egg and ham, fruit, and a variety of cereal and sugar filled yogurt. Now that doesn't sound terrible, right? I suppose it could have been worse, but I'm used to fueling my body with filling and nourishing foods like oatmeal with nuts, flax and hemp seed and some almond milk or a smoothie with kale, carrot juice, banana, Greek yogurt and frozen mango. I finished breakfast with a stomach ache (thanks to jet lag and a cold and hard fried egg), feeling nauseous, unsatisfied and sluggish.

Let's move on to lunch. After a long morning of meetings we sat down to a plated "luncheon" of Cesar salad, a chicken pasta with heavy cream and garlic sauce and a gigantic piece of chocolate cake. I struggled to eat the pasta dish given the richness of the sauce and the dryness of the chicken. Needless to say I skipped the cake. Nothing about the meal was nourishing. Nothing about the meal was going to give me the "fuel" or the energy necessary to stay alert in my afternoon meetings, but it was in front of me, so I ate what I could. Once again I finished with a stomach ache, feeling nauseous, unsatisfied and sluggish.

Day 2 was more of the same. Breakfast was slightly different with an offering of fruit, eggs, bacon and a selection of sugar, oil and butter loaded muffins and breads. Again, not the "fuel" I was looking for to get me through the day. I tracked down some plain oatmeal and fruit and called it good. Lunch was a slight improvement over day 1. They served a green salad that actually had tomatoes and cucumbers (hurray for veggies), mixed vegetables of carrots, squash and zucchini, a small serving of orzo, a GIGANTIC piece of chicken Parmesan and a piece of key lime pie. Again, I skipped the dessert. While slightly better than Day 1, the meal was still rich and heavy and left me with a stomach ache, feeling nauseous, unsatisfied and sluggish.

The intermittent 5 and 10 minute workouts throughout the day lifted my energy, but never did I feel at the top of my game. Never did I feel energized. Isn't that how you would hope a group of women leaders would feel during a leadership conference?

Through all of these meals I couldn't help but think about Jamie Oliver's Ted Talk, about our H3K program and about AJLI's "Kids in the Kitchen". How is it that we as an organization educate kids and communities about healthy eating, yet we are not able to put these principles into action ourselves? How can we fuel our leaders with the same junk that they discourage kids in their communities from eating?

Putting on a large conference and feeding hundreds of people is no small task. I pass no judgement on the Junior League.  If anything, after this weekend, I am even more motivated now to help facilitate change not only in our own League and community but also throughout the whole organization.
Because we are an organization of smart, talented, caring and motivated women, there is so much opportunity to make a difference in the health of our members and our communities.

Interestingly enough, the lack of good "food as fuel" over the last 48 hours has fueled me to find opportunities for improvement. Big shifts in behaviors take time. They start with small steps. I'm hopeful that in our own League we can use H3K to make a positive impact on both the health of our members and of our community. I'm hopeful that with the help of barre3 and some amazingly open minded and motivated people at AJLI that there is an opportunity to make a positive impact on other Leagues and subsequently in their communities.

Start small. Dream big. Maybe Jamie Oliver wants to help?

C & C in the Kitchen: Easy Weeknight Frittata

Weeknight cooking is my least favorite thing. And I don't say that lightly. Thank the Lord for Blue Apron which has truly added years back onto my life in the last 10 months. But…they only provide us with three meals, leaving four days to either cook, eat out, or order take out. Last week we'd made all of our Blue Apron meals but were home for the night. I needed to use up some eggs that were at their prime along with some veggies. Enter the frittata. The frittata is an Italian egg-based dish that similar to an omelet or quiche (but without the crust). It roughly translates to "egg-cake." And you can pretty much put anything in it. Here's how to make a frittata. 

Ingredients

8 eggs (beat the eggs in a small bowl)

1/2 cup grated pepper jack cheese (roughly)

1 cup diced peppers (roughly)

1 corn on the cob (cut off)

Handful of cherry tomatoes cut in half

2 tsp of basil (I used the frozen cubes from Trader Joe's)

1 tsp of Oregano

1 clove of garlic

*I wish I'd also had some onion and spinach to add

* You can add any ingredients you want - veggies, sausage, etc. - although I'd stick with a max of 3-4. 

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. 

Heat olive oil in a pan until hot (I used my Le Creuset).

Add garlic and sauté until fragrant

Add the peppers (vegetables that take longer to cook) and sauté until soft

Add the corn and continue to cook

Add the tomatoes last (I don't' like mine too cooked)

Add in herbs and stir for 30 seconds

Evenly spread vegetables on the bottom of the pan, and cover with grated cheese until it melts slightly. Pour the eggs over top of the vegetables - continue cooking on the stove top until the egg cooks slightly around the edges

Transfer pan to oven for 10 minutes (you'll know when it's done by sticking a knife in the middle without having any egg run)

I stuck mine under the broiler for 1-2 minutes to slightly brown the top

Let cool for 5 minutes, cut, and serve!

C & C on the Move: Paris Part 1

If you follow C & C on instagram, you know that I recently took a trip to Paris...for work. I know, insert world's tiniest violin playing my heart bleeds for you. With a weekend on the front end of the trip, Dr. B joined me for the jaunt across the Atlantic and we took full advantage of it. I'll update you in another post on where we stayed and what we did, but let's start with what's most important...the food!

First stop when we landed Saturday morning was Boulangerie Julien on rue St.-Honore. Paris food guru Elodie Rouge said it best, "Their name is to Viennese pastries what that of Hermes is to handbags." You had me at Hermes. The almond croissant I had was the perfect way to start the trip. 

A longtime friend from college who lived in Paris was an amazing resource when it came to eating in the Marais where we stayed. Our first night we dined at Le Mary Celeste, a new hot-spot with the bobo crowd (a combination of bourgeois and bohemian), and the place for some delicious cocktails and food. The menu is small plates and changes daily. I'd recommend emailing for a reservation or be prepared for a well-worth-it wait.

My favorite stop (well, stops...three to be exact) of the entire trip was Breizh Cafe. If you're going for the cliche crepe or galette, this is the place to do it. When we went for brunch, I ordered a savory combination of fresh cheese, tomatoes, spinach, zucchini, and an egg. It was as big as my face and I ate every last bite. Dr. B went with mushrooms, cheese, and bacon...clearly it could do no wrong. We loved it so much it was only right to return for a dessert crepe that night filled with pear compote and topped with figs, honey, and vanilla ice cream. 

We also made dinner stops at Le Relais de l'Entrecote for the quintessential steak frites and L'As du Fallafel. When we walked by the fallafel carryout window the night before there was a line down the street - clearly a good sign. By Paris standards at 7.50 euro (we ate in the dining room - it's 5 at the window) my sandwich was a great deal. As you can see by the 10-finger grip, it didn't leave me hungry (excuse the weird look of fallafel excitement). 

No trip to Paris is complete without warming a bistro chair at a traditional cafe. For our last night, Cafe Charlot was just the place. Between a bottle of Bordeaux, a cheese plate, and a hamburger, I was contacting the airlines for a seat belt extender for the ride home.

And, of course, there were sweets. Laduree is known for their macarons, and we didn't fuel through all this eating without some highly-charged blood sugar. While Laduree has age (founded in 1862), Pierre Herme has beauty. The combination of flavors is unexpected and mouth watering. If you want to bring Paris home for your friends and family, these macarons are your answer. 

Now it's back to reality (aka the gym). Stay tuned for Paris part deux. 

Products We Love

Katie and I have always liked lunch boxes. Who wouldn't like a lunch box when it has Popples or Care Bears on it? 

Since the days of crimped hair, Popples and Care Bears are over, we've had to modernize our lunch box preferences. 

This is our current pick: The Gourmet Getaway Lunch Tote from BUILT. They come in a variety of fun colors and patterns, are insulated and machine washable! 

As for what goes in the bag...Back in the day, we used paper lunch bags filled with plastic sandwich bags to store our lunch goodies.  But now it's all about reusable, eco-friendly products, so we've replaced our Ziplock bags with these reusable bags from LunchSkins. The Mini Fashionista uses them in her lunch bag as well.

If you take your lunch with you on a daily basis, these are two products you NEED in your life!

28 to Great Update

One week of the barre3 "28 to Great" challenge has come and gone (plus one day...we had to do a Golden Globes recap)!

Last week I taught 7 classes, took one class in the studio, and did 4 barre3 online workouts (two 10 minute workouts and two 30 minute workouts). I also walked my dog for at least half an hour six of the seven days. By the end of the day on Saturday (I taught two classes in the morning), I was tired and aching and looking forward to sunday, my "rest" day!

Here are some other high and low points of the week!

- My +1 went out of town on Thursday for 48+ hours, so I wasn't sure how I would make it through without a glass of wine at the end of the day. I was also highly tempted to put some wine in a water bottle and take it with me to the movie on Friday night. Talk about an act of self restraint. I made it through the entire movie without wine, candy or popcorn! Instead I took three of the barre3 "donut holes" and was actually quite satisfied!

P.S. Les Miserables is AMAZING! In my next life I'm coming back as a Broadway star or Stacy London. Either will do.

Now back to "28 to Great"!

- I have been eating way too many of those aforementioned barre3 bars... three pans this last week, if I'm being honest....and with very little help from anyone else. Lesson for week 2, moderation. But honestly, those are the only thing that satisfy my cravings! If I gain weight after these 28 days it will be because I ate my weight in barre3 bars.

- Despite sticking to many of "the rules", I have broken a few too (GASP!). I will confess to using sweetened coconut instead of unsweetened, chocolate chips in my barre3 bars (only twice), generic cocoa powder and salad dressing out of a bottle.  I live for the Trader Joe's low fat cilantro dressing, and so does the Mini Fashionista, and the Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette is my go-to for salads when I don't have time to make my own dressing. Oh, and I ate white rice instead of brown. I might die a slow processed death...but it's what I had in the cupboard.

- More on "cheating", I have definitely taken a few bites of the Mini's food...a little pumpkin flax granola here and there and a few banana chips swiped from her little snack bag. Sunday I had a piece of Rittersport chocolate and a decaf nonfat latte. Sure, it's not a part of the "plan" but let's be real...I don't need to loose weight, I lead a healthy life and I'm human! At least I didn't cave in to the wine!

And now on to a few positive notes....

- I am eating way more vegetables than I normally do! Hurray for green leafys!

- I am doing my best to drink lots and lots of water.

- I have been setting my alarm for 6:00 to walk my dog before the Mini Fashionista wakes up.

- I really enjoy checking in with Katie at the end of each day to see what she ate, how she is feeling, etc. It adds a new level of interest to our converations (not that she is uninteresting).

And most importantly, I feel so incredibly energized by this wonderful community of women (and men...we know they are out there) participating in the challenge.

Here are a few photos of all the healthy (and photogenic) food I have been eating!

1) Carrot, sweet potato and leek soup with salad 2) Those dangerous beasts the barre3 bar. They taste like healthy magic cookies 3) Green smoothie with kale, carrot juice, pear, banana, blueberries, chia and flax seeds 4) Sweet potato and carrot red lentil curry. 

If you want to see more of the recipes, check out the barre3 blog. These are all modified versions of what is posted. 

Designer Cupcakes

Who ever thought your food could match your outfit? Swedish photographer Therese Aldgard and stylist Lisa Edsalv, have created a fantastic line-up of cupcake sets, including Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Betsy Johnson, and Christian Louboutin. They look too pretty to eat!

Images courtesy of highsnobiety