The perfect light meal for a busy day

February has been jam-packed here at the Keuilian house with my side gig as an event planner going into overdrive.

Next weekend two friends and I are hosting The-Baby-Shower-Of-The-Century for my cousin who is preggers with twins. (pics to come!)

Then the second weekend of March is our 6th annual Fitness Business Summit where over 400 fitness professionals gather for 3 amazing days. My job is to coordinate everything with the hotel, prepare swag bags, t-shirts, handbooks and name badges for the attendees, and to make sure that the show runs smoothly. I love every minute of it!

One downside to this month’s excitement is that my time in the kitchen has been dramatically cut down.

Quick meals like this Egg Drop Soup are essential for times when work and other activities monopolize the day. This soup is comforting, filling and oh-so-quick to whip together.

Here’s what you need:

• 6 cups veggie or chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 yolk

1. In a medium pot heat the broth.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add shredded carrots and sliced celery. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often.
3. Transfer the veggies into the broth, add the ginger and salt. In a small bowl whisk the eggs and yolk together.
4. Once the broth begins to boil, use a fork to drizzle in the egg. Egg should cook immediately in the boiling broth.
5. Serve warm.

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No fat, lots of protein, with creamy strawberry goodness.

Nothing says Valentine’s Day quite like strawberries and chocolate.

Here’s a strawberry ice cream that you can really get excited about. It’s made with 2 simple, wholesome ingredients: organic strawberries and non fat Greek yogurt. Serve this to your sweetie on top of the Ultimate Brownie.

Strawberry ice cream is even better on top of a brownie.

Here’s what you need:

• 20 organic strawberries
• 2 cups non fat Greek yogurt

1. Wash and hull the strawberries. Mix in high speed blender until smooth.
2. Add yogurt and blend well.
3. Pour into an ice cream maker and run until yogurt is frozen and creamy.

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When egg salad is done right it is delicious, creamy and satisfying. When egg salad is done wrong it is tasteless, mushy and heavy.

This Real Healthy Egg Salad is made with non fat Greek yogurt, fresh celery and onion greens. It is perfect on a bed of lettuce, wrapped in romaine lettuce leaves or in a sprouted grain tortilla. This is egg salad done right.

Here’s what you need:

• 8 organic, free range eggs
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons onion greens, chopped
• 1/4 cup non fat Greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons champagne mustard
• 1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon
• dash of salt and pepper

1. To boil the perfect egg: place eggs in a large pot and cover with cold water by half an inch. Heat the water to a boil, turn off the heat and cover the pot. Wait exactly 7 minutes, and then place the eggs in a bowl of ice water for 3 minutes.
2. Peel and chop hard boiled eggs. Place in a large bowl. Add celery, onion greens, yogurt, mustard, lemon, salt and pepper. Mix well.
3. Chill and then serve.

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These cakes are lemon-y delicious

This weekend the kids wanted to make cupcakes to bring to their cousin’s birthday party. As usual, I took this as a challenge to create something sweet yet wholesome.

These lemon cakes are made with almond flour and sweetened with pure maple syrup. The frosting uses dates instead of sugar. Fresh lemon juice and rind gives it a fresh tangy kick.

Here’s what you need for 16 cakes:

Party time!

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 4 organic, free range eggs
• finely grated rind from 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

For Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 20 pitted dates, soaked for 10 mins in warm water
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• finely grated rind from 1/2 a lemon
• 1 cup whipped cream cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place 16 muffin liners in a muffin pan. Generously spray each liner with non-stick spray.
2. Mix the almond flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Cream the coconut oil, syrup, apple sauce, eggs, lemon rind and lemon juice. Add the almond flour mixture and mix until well combined.
4. Fill each prepared muffin liner to the top with batter (muffins won’t rise much) Place in oven for 20 minutes, or until golden.
5. Remove dates from water, and place in a high speed blender along with lemon juice, rind and cream cheese. Blend until well combined.
6. Allow the cakes to cool. Remove each cake from the baking liner (these will be greasy from the spray) frost the top and place into a new liner. Top with fresh lemon rind curls. Enjoy!

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When in Beverly Hills...eat a chopped salad

There’s nothing quite like people watching in Beverly Hills. It’s such an eclectic mix of people.

The ancient, wrinkly lady with her perfume cloud and diamonds the size of apricots. The glassy-eyed reality star couple, bumping into things as they walk down the street. The weird guy in bike shorts, sports bra and knee high socks. The middle eastern royalty exiting their shiny Rolls Royce. The struggle soap star, waiting tables to make ends meet. The super skinny Beverly Hills mom clad from head to toe in spandex, with yoga mat under her arm.

This Tuesday the girls and I had lunch on the patio of Villa Blanca and enjoyed all the entertainment that the corner of Brighton and Camden had to offer.

It seems to me that every restaurant in Beverly Hills features a chopped salad as their most popular dish. This recipe is part Villa Blanca, part The Ivy and is fully delicious! The dressing is my absolute favorite.

Chopped salads on the patio of Villa Blanca

Here’s what you need:

• 1 bunch asparagus, chopped
• 4 large carrots, chopped
• 5 green onions, chopped
• 1 green zucchini
• 1 yellow zucchini
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• dash of salt and pepper
• 1 avocado, chopped
• 2 heads of romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

For the dressing:

• 1/8 cup olive oil
  

  And chopped salads at The Ivy

• 2 Tablespoons lime juice
• 2 Tablespoons agave nectar
• 1 clove garlic, minced (or better yet use one frozen garlic cube from Trader Joes)
• 1 teaspoon champagne mustard

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place the asparagus, carrot, onion and zucchinis in a large bowl, mix well with the olive oil and salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, stirring after the first 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile place the remaining salad ingredients into a large bowl. In a small bowl combine all of the dressing ingredients and whisk with a fork.
3. Once the veggies are roasted, mix into the salad bowl and toss with the dressing.

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There's no grain weighing down these fluffy puff pancakes.

Experiencing winter in southern California is a bit like living with a schizophrenic.

Gloomy and rainy one weekend and then a blazing 80 degrees the next.

To confuse us even further, our city took a great big snow blower and turned the local park into a snowy wonderland this weekend. The kids had a blast sledding and having a snowball fight.

Pancakes are a great breakfast no matter the weather. Puff pancakes are probably the easiest pancakes to make since you just pour all the batter into a pie pan and bake it for 20 minutes — no flipping necessary.

Here’s what you need:

Getting the best of both worlds. 80 degrees and snow!

• 2 Tablespoons organic butter
• 1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup water
• 6 organic, omega 3, free range eggs
• 2 Tablespoons raw honey
• 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese
• 1 cup almond meal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place butter in a pie plate and melt in the oven.
2. Place all the remaining ingredients in blender and blend for 1 minute. Pour batter into pie plate.
3. Bake until puffy and golden, about 20 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve with fresh strawberries an pure maple syrup.

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Natural sweetness from oranges replaces sugar in this healthy recipe.

I have a history of being an extremist.

From hardcore workout plans to starvation diets, biting off more than I can chew only to quit from exhaustion a week later.

This past year I’ve been trying out the philosophy of slow and steady. Maybe it was because I turned 30, or maybe it simply sunk in that my extreme plans never produced lasting results.

Sticking with the Real Healthy Recipe Eating Guidelines and choosing healthy sweets like these amazing poached pears has produced real, lasting results.

If you’ve never made poached pears, don’t be intimidated. The recipe is quite simple, and produces a delicately sweet and delicious treat. Using fresh squeezed oranges instead of sugar, this recipe cuts back on calories and guilt.

Here’s what you need:

• 4 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
• 4 cups water
• 1 (2 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• zest from an orange
• 6-8 ripe pears
• optional: low fat cottage cheese
  

  Poached pears over cottage cheese make a perfect yummy snack.

1. Place all ingredients, except pears in a large saucepan over low heat.
2. Wash, peel and core the pears. Use a small melon baller to scoop out the core from the bottom of the pear.
3. Place all the pears in the saucepan, making sure that all the pears are fully covered with liquid.
4. Bring the pot to a simmer for 30 minutes. When the pears are soft, but not mushy, remove from liquid.
5. Optional: serve your poached pears over cottage cheese.

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All the creaminess without the guilt.

It’s official…I’m obsessed with Greek yogurt.

This morning I found myself spreading it on egg sandwiches for the kids.

Last night I served it up as an after-dinner snack with fresh blackberries.

And then it somehow made its way into my tuna salad for lunch.

This recipe turned out impossibly delicious and creamy, thanks to fat-free Greek yogurt. Shredded apple and green cabbage compliment the creaminess with a delicate crunch.

Here’s what you need for 4 servings:

• 2 (5oz) cans wild albacore tuna, packed in water
• 1 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
• 2 Tablespoons champagne mustard
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed, plus more for garnish
• dash of freshly ground pepper
• 1 green apple, shredded
• 2 cups green cabbage, shredded
• 4 cups organic mixed greens

1. Drain the tuna and flake in a medium bowl. Add the yogurt, mustard, dill and pepper. Mix until creamy and well combined.
2. Add the shredded apple and cabbage. Mix well.
3. Arrange mixed greens on plates, then use an ice cream scooper to place the tuna mixture. Sprinkle with dill weed.

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Strawberry jam and creamy peanut butter together forever

Front street in Maui…and a tropical shaved ice.

A dark, rainy morning…and a cup of steaming hot coffee.

The Sauk Mountain hiking trail…and a bag of sweet and salty trail mix.

Certain things go beautifully together.

This recipe takes two great things — creamy, natural peanut butter and fruit-only strawberry jam — and encases them in a buttery, almond bread muffin.

Here’s what you need:

• 5 cups almond meal (buy at Trader Joe’s- 4 cups in each bag, or grind raw almonds in food processor)
• 1 heaping teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 omega-3, free range eggs
• 2 Tablespoons raw honey
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/3 cup fruit-only strawberry jam
• 4 strawberries, sliced
• 1/8 cup chopped peanuts

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Generously grease a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl combine all of the dry ingredients.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs then add honey and vinegar. Add the wet ingredients to dry ones and mix until fully combined.
4. Fill each muffin tin halfway with batter. Drop a teaspoon of each peanut butter and jam into each tin. Cover with more batter.
5. Sprinkle the muffin tops with chopped peanuts and a strawberry slice.
6. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the muffin tops are golden.

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These are a few of my favorite things...

Lately it feels like someone reached up and pushed a giant fast-forward button in the sky. Life is moving at break-neck speeds, and it’s all I can do to hold on and enjoy the ride. Not get so caught up in nostalgia that I overlook the wonderful things in front of my face.

On Monday my son confidently charged across the gymnastics floor, and I got the same proud tickle in my chest as when he took his first wobbly steps in our mommy-and-me class.

This morning my daughter showed off her latest fashion creation with a flirty twirl, and I got the same giddy smile as when I dressed her for the first time.

On Saturday I was cleaning out a drawer and found a picture of me and B, taken on one of our first dates over 10 years ago. A couple of inexperienced kids, ready to take on the world. And apparently I hadn’t yet heard of tweezers…yikes!

Yes, life has a speeding problem.

Today this salad was my pause button.

I gathered up some of my favorite things — creamy goat cheese, tart grapefruit and tender avocado — and ended up with this refreshing salad.

I took a few moments to slow down, to enjoy a peaceful, sun-filled kitchen, and to savor every bite.

Here’s what you need:

• 1 bunch flowering kale, de-stemmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 bunch endive (chicory)
• 1 red grapefruit
• 1 yellow grapefruit
• 1 avocado
• 3 tablespoons creamy goat cheese
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup grapefruit juice
• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds

1. Place the kale and endive in a bowl. Peel and slice the grapefruits and add to the bowl, reserving 1/4 cup juice. Chop the avocado and add to the bowl.
2. Add the goat cheese in small dollops.
3. In a small cup mix the grapefruit juice, olive oil and poppy seeds. Drizzle on the salad.

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