California Chokes

We're back in New York City after our lovely trip to sunny California. It was a beautiful and invigorating trip - filled with relaxation, amazing hiking, wine, good food and friends. The California Coast is such a stunning part of our country...it was very hard to leave!

While we were on our coastal road trip, we drove through a town called Castroville, which unbeknownst to me, is known as artichoke farm country and even calls itself the "artichoke center of the world." Castroville takes great pride in it's crown jewel crop, the highly nutritious Globe artichoke; in fact, the town hosts an annual Artichoke Festival each May - so much pride! Interestingly enough, Castroville is where the iconic Marilyn Monroe, then known as Norma Jean Mortenson, got her start as the first ever artichoke festival queen.

We really enjoyed eating our 'chokes closest to their natural state...either baked or lightly steamed and then grilled.

Here are some beauties we had straight from the organic garden at the Treebones Resort.

To learn more about cooking and preparing chokes, check out The City Cook's blog post. There's also lots of youtube video's on how to prepare artichokes - so don't be intimidated!

I'm eager to make artichips from the Ocean Mist's website, an intriguing and healthy artichoke chip recipe that has minimal fat and no artificial additives.

♥ Cheers to your health ♥

Blogger Vacay

I'm away for the week!

Pat and I are escaping the putrid garbage smell of the hot city and heading to CA for a road trip along Highway 1. We're ready to breathe in the salty sea air along one of the most iconic (and winding) expressways in the US of A. Trading pavement for sand the last week before school starts only seems natural.

During our trip, we're going to explore the dramatic Central coastline. We can't wait to visit the bohemian beach towns along the Pacific coast, put our toes in the sandy beaches, marvel at the gorgeous panoramic views, stop at some roadside attractions, camp out under the stars and visit some local farmers markets.

Oh, and have lots of cocktails.

One of the more unique places we're staying is in at yurt at this place.

Another highlight of our trip will be hiking Yosemite's Half Dome. Half dome is a 16.5 mile day hike. It's been described to me as "the one hike you can't die without doing and the one you're most likely to die while doing." I also just learned it's the inspiration behind The North Face's logo design.

The last 400 ft of the climb are fearfully steep, which is why cables have been installed to give climbers something to cling onto as they pull themselves to safety. One website I read said, "if you slip while you're climbing the cable section and slide outside the cables, you're likely to fall to your death. Use extreme caution." GULP.

Photo via CaseyandEmily.com

Even still, I can't wait to see the natural beauty of the giant trees, majestic waterfalls, grassy plateaus, scenic rivers and ancient granite formations. I've been adoring Ansel Adams photographs of Yosemite's breathtaking views and now it's time to go and see it for myself.

Ansel Adams via Yosemite website

So friends...check ya laterrr.

Happy Birthday Madonna

In honor of Madonna's birthday and her bulging biceps, today's post is dedicated to the Material Girl.

photo image via The Sun

You may have heard that Madonna kicked Tracy Anderson's pint-sized butt to the curb last year. Now she's picked up a new trainer and a brand new fitness method. According to sources, Madge is now working out with Sadie Lincoln, the founder of barre3, a 60-min total body workout class that combines ballet concepts with the grace of yoga and strength of pilates. With a ballet bar, barre3 devotees do static and dynamic movements to create long, lean toned muscle mass.

It reminds me a lot of Physique 57. What do you think?

The barre3 method has it's roots in Portland, Oregon but has expanded to locations in Washington, Oklahoma and the Philippines. A little all over the place...

You can buy their Total Body Lift DVD if you'd like to try their workout at home.

♥ Cheers to your health ♥