This past summer I had the pleasure of celebrating my birthday at the Peninsula Hotel in Chicago for a girls weekend with a few of my friends. Whenever I stay at this hotel I feel like royalty. The rooms are so luscious and elegant and the lobby feels so "happening" (probably, in part, because of the chic lobby restaurant...more on that later). The staff seems to always go above and beyond for every guest. For example, I don't recall ordering a fabulous bottle of wine or goodies to greet us upon arrival, yet, there they were! I will admit that I DID order flowers to be in the room for enjoyment while we were there (a little gift to myself), so perhaps the concierge put two and two together and set up a little extra birthday surprise for me. I've had my share of Cabernet Sauvignon in my day, and I have to say, the flavor was fabulous. So rich and flavorful. After wonderful mani-pedi treatments from friendly manicurists at the spa, we took advantage of our room goodies. The spa was a bit small and they mis-scheduled our "4 at once" treatments, but the end result turned out pretty good. It was a bit pricey, too, but for a girls weekend, I'm guessing people would just pay up. But, for your planning purposes, it's good to know this going in if that's an issue for you. On our way out to dinner, we encountered this kind gentleman at the concierge desk. Regardless of his "blink" he was very helpful giving us directions to the restaurant. "At your service" seems to be the "way" all staff treat hotel guests at the Peninsula because they were literally at our beck and call at every turn. This quality service is what brings me back! To cap off my birthday celebration the four of us enjoyed the very popular,"Chocolate at the Pen", the chocolate buffet at the Peninsula lobby restaurant. The open air layout of the restaurant gives the diner a grand feeling of being a part of the heart of the hotel, where it's "happening" 24/7. The server was so kind to gift me with a Peninsula Chicago bear to take home (which sits proudly on my nightstand at home). Now on to the chocolate and sweets.. OMG! I didn't know which way to turn, the variety, color, and creativity of each morsel had me going back for more and more. Luckily, it was an all-you-can-eat style buffet. What was so impressive was the individualized service we received and how the various stations were replenished with new confections and sweets, on-going. Just small bites of so many different flavors... To cap things off, I indulged (again) on the custom hot chocolate station (offering over a dozen flavors), where the caramel hot chocolate caught my eye. The freshly made whipped cream on top put this concoction over the top. Isn't the little silver spoon darling? After a wonderful celebration, I stopped in the lobby, took a look around and in appreciation, absorbed the surroundings. If you are lucky enough to spend time at a Peninsula hotel, anywhere around the world, you can be certain that the service will be impeccable and the food fantastic. I especially enjoyed this gorgeous wall art and petite flower arrangement, as my last views upon my departure. The view from the fitness center.
One of my long-time favorite restaurants in Chicago is Wildfire. Years ago, I worked as a Secret Food Rater for Lettuce Entertain You, where I'd go weekly to one of their many restaurants (including Wildfire) to review the food, service and atmosphere for corporate. You can't teach an old dog new tricks, as the saying goes, so as expected, this former Food Rater can't help but be on the lookout every time while dining out. This past weekend was no different when I went out to dinner with the family. The meal was fabulous, as always, so for this post, I'm jumping right in to dessert. Wildfire is known to have a seasonal pie on the special menu, so whenever I arrive for dinner (or lunch), I immediately check to see what the dessert special is. Much to my delight, this most recent visit offered me the "special" option of Chocolate Cream Pie. With controlled excitement, I quickly and discretely finished my meal and asked, "Who wants dessert? I'm getting the pie!" With a couple of takers, we ushered the server to come and take our dessert order. Being that it was a busy weekend night, I was surprised at how fast the meal and dessert arrived. As I watched the pie make it's way across the room to the final resting place in front of me, I felt as though the room moved in slow motion. That familiar feeling of wanting time to stand still so that I could savor the luscious taste took hold of me. I delicately handled the chilled fork with accuracy as I slivered through the inverted "V" front of the pie, until I pierced the chocolately, gooey cookie crust below. The first bite didn't disappoint...it was flawless. The chocolate pudding-like center perfectly married to the heaping layer of freshly whipped cream that crowned the cookie-based creation. The piece was a generous helping, giving me enough to enjoy later. If you haven't been to Wildfire lately, or just haven't indulged in the Chocolate Cream Pie, I suggest you do. Anyone who knows me understands that I love to eat, but what they may not know is that, although I am a healthy living, cookbook author, sometimes I don't have time to cook. Running around carpooling kids and attending meetings will, at times, keep me out of the kitchen, unintentionally. But, hurrah! Lentil Soup is here to save the day. This soup is filled with nutrition, fiber and is so easy to prepare that I'm not even going to list the ingredients because the intention for you to personalize what goes into it. Check out the YouTube video below, from my book recipe series, and then pick your favorite add-in veggies, such as chopped cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, Brussels sprouts, etc. Just make sure you keep the onion, broth, seasoning and lentils! Give it a try and let me know what you think. Send me a FB comment or Tweet me. You're busy, I know, I am too. So, how in the world can we find the time to eat a healthy meal when we're always on the go? Simple, plan ahead. Find a time during the week when you have an extra 30-60 minutes to pre-cook and plan your eating throughout the week and you'll be surprised just how easy it is. For example, bake up a few fiber and nutrient-rich sweet potatoes in the oven and once cooled, store them in a glass container in the fridge for quick re-heating later in the week, or whip together an easy bean or lentil soup and store in mason jars for a quick and warm mid-week meal (soup blog post coming, stay tuned). Another one of my quick and easy pre-make favorites is the Power Breakfast Bars, featured in Dr. Gerard Mullin's book, The Gut Balance Revolution. This book has been invaluable to me this month as I embark on cleaning up my gut, diet and health. Check out how easy these gluten-free bars are to make and how easily they store in a glass container in the fridge for morning yums on the go all week long! Ingredients: 1/2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries 1/3 c. almond butter 2 eggs 2 teaspoons Stevia powder (or two packets) 1 c. rinsed and cooked quinoa 1 c. unsweetened graded/shredded coconut flakes 2/3 c. vanilla whey protein powder 1/4 c. ground flaxseeds 1 tsp. pure vanilla 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon *optional 1/4 tsp. ground cloves or cardamon (I used nutmeg when I made these) Preheat oven to 400*F. and coat an 8" x 8" baking pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine blueberries, almond butter, eggs and Stevia; mash gentley with the back of a fork. Add the quinoa, coconut, protein powder, flaxseeds, vanilla, cinnamon, and cloves or cardamon. Mash well with a fork until a thick mixture forms. Transfer the mixture into the prepared baking dish, pressing it into an even layer with a rubber spatula. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the top begins to brown and the edges are firm to the touch. Cool completely before cutting into 8 bars. Enjoy with your morning smoothie! Per serving per bar: 218 calories, 10 g protein, 16 g carbohydrates, 13 g total fat, 4 g. saturated fat, 46 mg cholesterol, 5 g fiber, 42 mg sodium It's no secret that eating more fruits and vegetables are necessary for optimal health, so get ready to tempt your taste buds with this plate-licking Kale knock off salad. I love eating at Wildfire Restaurant in the Chicago area, but being a busy mom, sometimes I just can't carve out time to run out to eat. But when I do, I love to order the Spinach and Kale salad. TRUST me when I tell you, this salad is one of the best I've had--anywhere. I order salads when I go out, almost everywhere I go, from Paris to Peoria and this salad is always consistently terrific. Here's my at-home interpretation (with or without chicken or beef) of my restaurant favorite. Ingredients: 1 bunch of Lacinato kale 1/4 c. raw pumpkin seeds 1 T. Olive Oil Juice from 1/2 Lemon The amount of seasonings below can be adjust to taste 1/2 t. Cumin 1/4 t. Cayenne Pepper 1 t. Garlic Salt 1/4 c. Crumbled Feta or Goat Cheese 1-2 Diced Hard Boiled Egg *Optional 1/2 c. Diced Cooked Skinless Chicken Breast or other protein of your choice Remove center stem from each leaf, then roll leaves and finely chop into small pieces. Combine Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Cumin, Cayenne and Garlic Salt in a bowl and whisk, adding some purified water to thin, if desired. Pour mixture over chopped kale. Massage the greens, working the oil mixture into all of the pieces, then set aside; then spread raw pumpkin seeds on foil covered toaster oven tray or cookie sheet and lightly toast for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Optional: sprinkle a small amount of Olive Oil and Sea Salt over the seeds. Toss toasted pumpkin seeds and diced chicken and eggs into the kale mixture and season to taste with black pepper. Voila! The perfect lunch or dinner that's sure to satisfy. Bon Appetit.
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