Chic Eating - How to Start

A yahoo group I've belonged to forever recently had some posts about clean pantries
and more frequent, but less acquisitive, stops at the market. We been thru this before on that group (french chic) and it's understandable as this is one of the cornerstones of a healthy, chic way of relating to food. Lean pantry, eat seasonally,
realistic portions, unprocessed foods - all building blocks of your personal chic culinary lifestyle, one that will satisfy your mouth and your soul. Wow, who knew. Anyway I also love that it is thriftier (yes,despite costlier organics etc) and just a superior way to conduct yourself (earth consciousness, the whole picture).
You've got to clean that refrigerator out. First timers must take every single item out, wipe the fridge clean, and sort and restock, wiping down the condiment bottles as before returning to their shelves. I try to do this a few times a year- seasonally seems right, and once you do it, and you keep a sparse, clean fridge, it's not too time consuming. First timers - for you it is tho, almost certainly. So worth the effort.
As you go make a list of what you need to eat asap and what you need to replace.
You can make some quick menus from these items. Today I had 1 1/2 lemons (squeezed them right into the existing, summer-fridge omnipresent pitcher of lemonade). One cooked chicken breast and 2 hard boiled eggs - made a quick bowl of chicken salad adding some celery and green grapes. Get the picture? "yes, we see".

Don't forget the freezer. And the dry pantry of course.

The pantry basics, well you can find lists everywhere and you will want to make it
'your own' anyway. The flavors of jelly, the particular spices, what sort of mustard you enjoy - this is what not only makes all sorts of delicious sustenance easy for you to prepare daily - it is your way of treating yourself to what you love! Pick what rocks your world! Experiment! What do YOU like? Indulge yourself here. Condiments are the accessories of your pantry and, as we chics know, accessories are essential, fun and can make or break it.

Off to pick some golden raspberries for the yogurt that needs to be eaten up. It was my first attempt in years to make homemade. And it is delicious, thick Greek style stuff. Maybe I'll post about that process...
La

Positively Free!

Lovely for you and free (or very inexpensive)!
Enjoy!

BREATHE
EXFOLIATE (try Baking soda)
MOISTERIZE
WALK
CYCLE
HYDRATE
POSTURE CHECK
DAYDREAMING/VISUALIZING THE CHIC LIFE YOU DESIRE

XO,
LA

Computer Snack Tip

In general "no snacking" is an ironclad rule for chic. Just think about it - food is messy and greasy fingertips do not belong in a soignee world. But my world - the real one - requires me to spend hours at the computer keyboard. I have found the only snack that is now allowed at keyboard: Dark Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans. 5 beans = about 45 calories w/ 25 mg of caffeine that is more absorbed than the same amount of caffeine in an espresso, for example,due somewhat to the presence of the chocolate (according to my research). I can make those 5 beans last 45 minutes! I rarely chew the bean, rather slowly savor the choc layer and then sort of suck the bean (sounds so gross put this way, but I make sure to never lay the bean against any teeth that might get stained etc) - as I said I almost never chew and swallow the bean. Simply toss it into the compost. These can be found at many markets and
the terrific Trader Joe's.
This is a nice treat, low calorie and invigorating, hope you enjoy it.
To my friends, chocolate and caffeine, and you,
La

Me, me, me

Well I apologize for being such a bad blogger. I'm finding that this particular blog is more like an online diary/goalsetting/vetting resource than the traditional blog.
Oh well.
We are ensconced in my favorite month, finally. Warmth. Growth. Kids home from school (2 out of three ain't bad). The potatger is in. Lots of unexpected veggies cropping up due to compost/reseeding. My peonies and first round of Mme.Issac Periere roses were glorious.
My head is on straight regarding work. I've been slaving (yes that is the correct lingo) for the past several years, attempting to make a new career profitable and supplement with part time work, (Jake has too, he's working like a madman). I am seeing the light at the end of that tunnel. Some balance between work and life, and some earning power. Jake and I have been talking/pondering our 8 year goal path - in that time, God willing, all three of our children will be college grads and we'll be total empty nesters. In 4 years we'll be semi-empty, I guess. This is a good timeline/way to look at the future for us.
I've had time to get back into the music scene, working on a couple of projects right now. It's exhilarating to be back working at that passion.

Our plan, in a nutshell: keep the income as low as possible (easy!) - we have bright kids and they will all qualify for college financial aid based on our current/past several years income. Build my primary business. Freelance/under the radar income (pet sitting, music gigs, handyman (Jake)) etc. Optimize our rental property income.

In 8 years our primary residence will also be paid off. We will probably move to a condo downtown that we own (and currently rent out) at that point and sell or rent this house. We loved city living and the condo is a loft style with exposed brick walls, 20 ft ceilings, hardwood floors, rooftop garden - that we lived in as newlyweds. Simply love the space. We could then travel, use the condo as a home base to recharge, take care of our rental properties etc.
sounds good to me.....
xo,
La

BOOK REVIEW COMPARE CONTRAST

Read 2 books lately. Same theme, American girl moves to Paris. There the similarity ends. I really loved one and only liked some of the humor and french references in the other. Thought it'd be a good exercise to dissect a bit the reasons why.
Book One:
LUNCH IN PARIS A Love Story with Recipes, Elizabeth Bard

RIGHT OFF in the subtitle "W/ RECIPES!!"
Straight on biographical a la Peter Mayle.
Heroine a New York Jewess. Much like some of my best friends, but not me.
A writer.
Visits Paris (from London, where she's working) to have lunch with a man met at an educational conference. Begin serious dating after that first lunch/sleepover. They
navigate the usual cultural divides as they date, she moves and they marry. Lots of back and forth, observation, about/between the French and the American cultural differences as she has occasion to observe her husband and in-laws not only in Paris and their natural habitat - a smaller village - but also in the States.

She learns to love the French approach to food.

Book Two:
PARIS HANGOVER, Kirsten Lobe
Well, hangovers are not traditionally viewed in a good way to start.
Written in a pseudo fictional style, the heroine as well as the author is a pretty, blonde with a fashion background, but, the author protests in the notes,"it's fiction!". Her fiction.
Heroine a NY transplant, midwest(?), very type A with major fashionista job and clothes.
Drops everything (in an unbelieveably quick, easy way) and moves to Paris, alone.
Navigates in a series of oddly timed coincidences to get a great apartment, her paintings in a gallery, etc. And her sex drive is on the border wild.



In book One the writing is far superior and the style of the first heroine rings better with me. Of course the food component rocks. Love books with recipes - will certainly share some in my book:) Tried the cod/leeks/mayo recipe - very good.

more NY Times

I know this is dreadfully lazy and can't be considered real blogging at all, but
the Times has 2 decent articles, one on packing:
http://tinyurl.com/2va67l3
and one about the passing of a stylish icon, Lena Horne:
http://tinyurl.com/2bmpluy

wave!
La

Frugal French

Below is, hopefully, a link to a NYT's article I read today. It speaks to me of a difference between my American culture and that of the French, one that I write about here sometimes, thrift. When I attempt to communicate that feeling of satisfaction inherent in loving a beautiful, old object that has a history, been handed down perhaps, and IS the real thing rather than a stand in, I feel that the fact that it was also the frugal choice sometimes feels cheap.
http://tinyurl.com/y7hhhbp

enjoy,
La

Comments not showing

Hi,
Does anyone know why the comments lister at the bottom of each post isn't registering?
On my last post I noticed that Kristi left a comment, but it says 0 comments.
I left a reply and still: 0 comments.
I have posted a question on the help forum, but it looks like those don't often
get replied to.
thanks!

Dandy salad

Yesterday I harvested the small dandelions growing in our yard. I didn't realize until I was working at it that the nice rain we had overnight was making it very easy to pry my screwdriver-like tool into the base of the plant and pull it out. I shook off the dirt and collected about a quart sized baggie of plants. Inside I cut the roots off and put the greens and any small unopened buds into the salad spinner with a teaspoon of vinegar (standard veggie washing procedure here) and swished thru,
picking out any grass etc. After rinsing and spinning I put the greens into the fridge to crisp up a bit. For dinner I had a bed of lightly dressed greens with a salmon filet on top. Very good! Pricey mesclun mix contains dandelion greens and so I had a 'gourmet' meal for a frugal cost. Bonus: the American side of me liked the fast that I "weeded" the yard while the Eurochic side enjoyed the foraging/frugal/healthy benefits!

Springtime

Although Spring weather comes slowly to NE Ohio the date has arrived and I'm busy trying to do all the little things that come with the change of season. Changing over the closet is one of them. I'm always surprised by what I "find".
This year I am determined to harvest dandelion leaves from my yard and the local woods
(both places that don't use pesticides) and have dandelion salad. It is supposed to be a marvelous tonic, nature's offering to cleanse your insides. Asparagus and leeks are the next 2 greens that I plan to eat in force while in season.
I've had the bike out - it's running fine - and would like to decorate it a la Copenhagan Cycle Chic, with some plastic flowers.
And flowers - can't wait to pick some from my yard. I also can't wait to harvest the garlic I sowed last fall, cut back the clematis and prune the concord grape vines.
a la printemps!
La

Lacura sale

If you haven't tried the Lacura line at Aldi - it's on sale starting March 17th.
Google Aldi and read the reviews on the store website. It's great stuff!

I've been busy making a living, raising the 3 teens, studying for an upgrade/test
to my appraiser's license, singing a few times here and there with some bands I know and
just shot a TV commercial - played a mammography patient (fully robed!)....oh the glamour. It's been a while since I've gotten any acting/modeling gigs and the money is very welcome.
Anyway, a dear man I know has just found out that a song he cowrote is being released as Carlos Santana's latest single as Carlos is rereleasing Supernatural. The song is Angel Love. Alan's wife passed away last year and this is sort of bittersweet for him - almost as if she is watching over him. Carlos' daughter's nickname is Angel.

I hope all this activity means Spring is going to be a good season for all of us. It's been really hard the past couple of years. My husband is working like a dog and the economy has really been evil to his business.

Again, so busy! and there doesn't seem to be many followers here...so forgive the sporadic nature of my posting if you are out there.

Here's to warm weather and sunshine.
La

What do you wear?

What do you wear to bed? My current crop of pjs are worn and stretched out and need replacing. I've never been a nightgown gal - they ride up! I've done au natural, but
when I had young kids this wasn't a good option - too many calls for Mommy in the night or small visitors,unexpected, to my bed. I kept a robe handy, but decided I'd better find, and wear, pjs of some sort. Now that they are teenagers I suppose I could go that route again, but then again they are teenagers, and heaven forbid they catch wind of it:) I've been wearing a Carole Little set, found inexpensively a few years ago at Marshalls, pull on pants and a v neck top, that have now seen better days. I was never a fan of the top anyway as the v had a tendancy to move and expose me! So now I'm wondering what to wear to bed? What do you wear? Thanks in advance for sharing.
La

Aldi's Lacura Face Creams

I've been using 2 creams from the Lacura line: Q10 Restorative, which comes in the pink packaging as shown and Hydra Complete, which comes in a blue jar. The Q10 is for mature skin and is intended to increase the skin's firmness and diminish fine lines. It has a light rose scent and is a fairly thick formula. Along with coenzyme Q10, this formula contains E, F and B5. I use it as a night cream. A small amount, gently massaged, absorbs quickly. I'm very happy with the texture, scent, price (USD $5 for 1.7oz)and, most importantly, the results. I think my skin looks firmer and smoother.
The Hydra Complete (comes in blue packaging) is now my daily morning moisturizer. Containing sea minerals and vitamin B5, this cream is much lighter than the Q10 and absorbs quickly. It's intended to moisturize and freshen the skin. It also appears to have some illuminating ingredients as it makes my skin brighter and glowing. I love this formula and find it compares favorably to the pricer Neutrogena Visibly Even daily moisturizer I've also been using.
I give both creams very high marks and have read that, when tested, they compared favorably with the much pricer Lancome brand.

Six Weeks of Lent

Kristi at La Bella Figura has posted about 'not a cent in Lent' - which I consider a clever way to confront this season. I am not a very strict Catholic, but I welcome the idea of backing off things a bit: less food, less spending, less alcohol.... and doing some things more frequently: complimenting my family, being more patient with them, spending more quality time with them. So I am hereby telling myself in print that I CAN DO IT. I have to remember that many of my ideals in terms of how I want to live my life are related directly to less is more anyway - and not to look at this as deprivation but as cleansing and reorienting.
One of my ideas is to reenergize with a new breakfast routine. This will start every
day off in the right direction. A member of the french chic group eats this: Greek yogurt(I like Trader Joe's) with some blueberries, a hard boiled egg w/salsa (love that!) a few almonds and a couple of prunes. I think that sounds like a delicious, well balanced meal that would stick with you at least till lunch.
So on Wednesday here we go......
La

LACURA LIPS

Aldi's lip line includes lipstick, but I don't normally emphasize my lips with a lot
of color so I won't be reviewing their Lacura lipstick. I like a soft shimmer, somewhat pearly, but not super pigmented for my lips. I love Aldi's Gentle Lip Care - tubes that are similar to a lipstick - that come in 3 varieties:
Pink - which is the one I use and gives me just the hint of pink shimmer I like. Blue - which is unscented and uncolored and Yellow - which has a honey scent. These lip balms are a lovely texture (not chapsticky tacky), mineral oil and preservative free. They contain Vitamin E and B5, jojoba oil and (says the packaging) protect against harmful UV rays.
I bought several 3 packs of the Pink tubes when I discovered them in early December and passed them out to a few friends: RAVE REVIEWS! It's a wonderful feeling to find
great skin products that seem/feel/are luxurious for literally pennies. The 3 pack was $1.50 - that's right fifty cents a tube! (It's whats on my lips in my photo if you can see it - it's so subtle and the photo is not the best).
bisous,
La

AN ALDI PRIMER

To begin my little series on Aldi here is some background on the store. Primarily a grocery store, Aldi is a European company based in Germany. Aldi has been operating in Europe for some time, but is fairly new to the U.S. The same company owns Trader Joe's, and many in the U.S. are familiar with their wonderful (and thoughtful - no high fructose corn syrup!) assortment of foodstuffs. Aldi (like Trader Joe's) concentrates on food, and also sells cleaning products (laundry and dish detergent), paper products (plates, toilet tissue etc.) and personal items (shampoo, soap, body lotion, feminine hygiene etc.)but Aldi also has weekly specials that have run from slow cookers to men's work boots to 400 thread count sheets (at $35!!)in the 3 years I have been shopping there.
I am an informed consumer,a foodie, a label reader who eats well and I love this store. The prices are very low and this is not because of inferior product but the structure of the entire process. For example, at Aldi there is only one brand of saltine cracker. This is the Aldi brand and the crackers are of the highest quality (obviously outsourced from a major producer as Aldi is not a food manufacturer). Offering only the Aldi house brand means lower prices. I have done my grocery shopping almost exclusively at Aldi for years, have never been disappointed in the food and love the savings! Before Aldi I shopped at 2 markets that are considered very nice - and I don't miss them at all.
Be aware that you need a quarter to unlock a shopping cart, but you will be refunded when you return the cart to the corral. At Aldi you bag your own groceries($avings!) but here's my tip on that: grab a few banana boxes while shopping (they are sturdy and have handles built in) and keep them in the trunk of your vehicle. After checkout - which is super fast, they are timed on this - take your cart to your car and unload (no bags!) sorting as you go. When you get home it's sort of like an old movie: groceries delivered in a box AND the stuff is sorted for putting away. Go on try the fresh mozzarella, dark chocolate bars or the chibatta bread and tell me this is 'generic, inferior' food. I dare you.
Do not be afraid of Aldi.
Disclaimer: I am not employed by or paid by or anything by Aldi. I am just a foodie on a budget who is happy that they are in my heighborhood.
And now they have begun shelving their Lacura line of cosmetics - which I will review in this series.

Happy New Year

It's been ages! I didn't publish one whiny post. You're welcome:) And that was it for 2 months?

I know I said I'd take a blog break. Then I posted and said well maybe I'll post sometimes, it clears my head. And then...,.nothing. It's a curse being born on the cusp of Gemini/Moon Child.....I really do have 3 (or more) personalities/ways to think about things.

Anyway -

Writing, regularly, was one of the primary reasons I started blogging - something I do for me. I started and found a bit of a rhythm over time. Then it became a chain. I'd like to make it
meditative, responsive and regular - just like my workouts/playing music/and other things I
should be doing for me.


With work, 3 teenagers and all the rest of 'my' life draining my essence I sincerely need to claim more of my own turf.

I have posted a picture on my blog profile. My upcoming series will be a review of Aldi's cosmetic
line Lacura and I want to be able to show some photos to illustrate my reviews, so I'm experimenting with self portraiture a la La Bella Figura and Euro Chic. I don't think I'll really be able to show makeup/skin in enough detail by photographing myself in my bathroom, but this is one of the test shots.