IN THE KITCHEN Mom's Hot Cocoa

Much to my daughters' delight—and mine—it snowed at the farm yesterday. It was the first snowfall ever for Indi Joon, and since Rumi Joon and I are Southern California girls, it was a huge thrill for us, too.  The three of us snuggled up in front of the fireplace as the flakes floated by, with cups of cocoa for Rumi and me. I can't send snow to the less wintery parts of the country, but I can share my mom's cocoa recipe, now mine, soon to be Rumi's and Indi's. 

Mom’s Hot Cocoa

Ingredients:

4 cups whole milk

1 vanilla bean

½ cup semisweet chocolate, chopped

½ cup milk chocolate, chopped

Warm milk in a pan over medium heat. Split vanilla bean down the middle, and scrape out the seeds using the back of the knife. Add seeds and vanilla bean to milk. Simmer milk for a few minutes. Whisk in chocolate until melted. Remove vanilla bean and serve with marshmallows.  

Images via:

Apartment Therapy

Blueberry Lake

IN THE KITCHEN Crackly Banana Bread

It's been brrrrr here in Pennsylvania. Actually, it's been in the 50s and 60s, but for this California girl, that's chilly! I've been doing lots of baking to keep warm and welcome the turn of the seasons, and I found this fab banana bread recipe on one of my favorite food blogs. It's healthier than the classic recipe—no butter, whole-wheat flour, and millet. So you can have a piece (or two) with your morning coffee or tea, guilt-free. The millet gives the soft, chewy bread a toothsome crunch. Super yum! 

With love,

Josie

Images via: Smitten Kitchen, Diabetes Club

IN THE KITCHEN Quinoa Salad with Chicken, Radishes, and Basil

We are cuckoo for quinoa! Quinoa cakes, quinoa pudding, quinoa salad, quinoa casserole. Is our obsession excessive? Perhaps. But, this South American super-grain is packed with protein, fiber and vitamins, so at least our fixation is a healthy one (unlike our love of beer, or our “relationship” with caffeine.) Not familiar with the wonders of quinoa? Try our yummy recipe for Quinoa Salad with Chicken, Radishes, and Basil. Make this one at the beginning of the week and you’ll have a delicious lunch that will last ‘til Friday!

Xo,

The Chicological Chicks

Quinoa Salad with Chicken, Radishes, and Basil

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water or vegetable broth

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp chopped rosemary

½ cup cooked chicken breast, chopped

6 large radishes, thinly sliced

¼ basil leaves, chopped

2 tbsp chives, chopped

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Combine quinoa, water, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and rosemary into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Quinoa should be plump and slightly translucent, with no remaining liquid. Cool until quinoa reaches room temperature. In a large bowl, mix cooled quinoa and the remaining ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Note: If you like things a little spicy, add ¼ tsp chili flakes. Yum!

Images via: My Less Serious Life, Fruit Guys, 2Stews

PINTERESTING FINDS Sweet Treats

Every other month our trainer, Michelle, measures our body fat percentage and weight to gauge our fitness progress. With our weigh-in coming up, we've been chomping on kale and grilled chicken at lunch, trying desperately to avoid all things sweet and naughty. But, alas! Pinterest is determined to thwart our collective will power, tempting us with all kinds of mouth-watering indulgences. We're looking forward to feasting post-weigh in. (By then, Josie will finally be back with us in the office, giving us a real reason to celebrate and indulge!) What's your favorite sweet treat for a special occasion? 

Mango Coconut Tres Leches Cake

Nutella Bombolini

Vanilla Pudding with Sauteed Pears

Rustic Peach Tart

Salted Caramel Chocolate Mousse

WHAT WE'RE EATING Midsummer Detox

We've been screaming for ice cream all summer long, and our wonderful coworker Coco, has been bringing us party size boxes of Drumstick ice cream cones, which we've been devouring like the sweets freaks we are. But now that we're making final plans for our end-of-summer company beach trip, we're trying to cut back on the calories. Here are our picks for healthy AND tasty treats that will have us "just saying no" to Coco and her frozen temptations. 

Summer Squash Salad and Red Quinoa Salad with Walnuts

Vegetarian Smashed Cauliflower and Roasted Asparagus Sandwich

Shiro Plum & White Corn Salsa

Vegetable Tian

Roasted Strawberry & Basil Agua Fresca

Stone Fruit Galette

IN THE KITCHEN Meyer Lemon Sorbet

After binging on junk food on the Fourth of July, we're craving something fresh and yummy. This divine-looking recipe for Meyer Lemon Sorbet has us drooling. It looks amazing on its own, but if you're still in indulgence mode, mix yourself a treat by pouring some raspberry Italian soda over the sorbet for a fresh take on a float. 

xo, The Chicological Chicks

Recipe via: This Homemade Life

Images via: This Homemade Life, Healthy Green Kitchen

IN THE KITCHEN Moroccan Argan Salad

Hi Argan Beauties!

I recently spent some time over at Access Hollywood sharing some of my healthy eating tips and a recipe for a super delicious salad. One of my healthful tricks is to incorporate a little bit of Argan Oil into my diet. As you know, Argan Oil has some amazing benefits when you apply it to your skin, but it’s also so good for you if you eat it! It has a ton of vitamins and essential fatty acids to nourish you from the inside out. One of my favorite ways to serve it is in a Moroccan salad. While my 100% Pure Argan Oil is technically edible, I recommend that you look for food grade Argan Oil to use in your cooking. Keep the super pure stuff to pamper your skin. Here’s my recipe for Moroccan Argan Salad that I shared with Access Hollywood on air.

Moroccan Argan Salad

Ingredients: 

1 large cucumber, chopped 

1/2 red onion, chopped 

2 - 3 large tomatoes, chopped 

1/3 Cup cilantro, finely chopped 

2 TBSP Argan Oil

2 TBSP vinegar (I like apple cider or red wine vinegar)

Juice of 1/2 lemon, fresh squeezed 

Feta Cheese (not Moroccan but yummy!) 

Preparation: 

Chop cucumber, onion, tomatoes and cilantro. Mix all ingredients (except lemon juice and feta cheese) in large bowl. Then squeeze lemon juice over the top of salad and mix. Sprinkle feta cheese to taste. 

Images via: Seven Spoons Flickr, Houry Wordpress

WHAT WE'RE EATING farmer's market finds

It’s the beginning of the best produce season of the year. Here are the recipes we can’t wait to try with finds from the Farmer’s Market.

Stuffed Squash Blossoms

Sweet Cherry Pie

Rubarb Lemon Balm Margarita

Arugula Salad with Fennel and Pine Nuts

WHAT WE'RE EATING Earth Day 2012

Happy Earth Day everyone! We try to be good to Mother Earth all year round, but Earth Day is a great reminder to live in a sustainable, eco-friendly way that ensures the success of our amazing planet. A great way to be good to the Earth is through one of my favorite activities: eating! In honor of Earth Day, try to go to the farmer's market and buy local organic produce. If you don't have time to go, a great alternative is a local CSA box. If you're a meat eater, try to buy organic, hormone-free meats. And, I always try to be nice to the chickens and buy organic, free-range eggs. Delicious and eco! In honor of Earth Day, here are some of the yummy things we're eating in the office this week. What's your favorite Earth Day recipe?

Healthy Green Kitchen Alana's Vanilla Pudding

Deliciously Organic Kale Salad with Currants and Walnuts

Food and Wine Grilled Vegetable Sandwich

The Italian Dish Blog The Collinzano Cocktail

Smitten Kitchen Shaved Asparagus Pizza

Kitchenist Chopped Tusanesque Salad

WHAT WE'RE EATING: Oscars 2012

Happy Oscar week everyone! This is one of those great times of year when Los Angeles is abuzz and there is glamour in the air. So in honor of this once-a-year show and perhaps your own sparkly soiree, I'm going to be dedicating all my posts to the occasion until Sunday. First up? Food. Ahhh....food. As a pregnant woman, it's all that's on my mind thse days! I hope you enjoy the JMC Oscar party edible picks and may you have a great time watching the show! Who do you want to win this year?

Donna Hay: Eggplant Sumac Chips

Vegetarian Nirvana: Salted Caramel Lava Cakes

White on Rice Couple: Spicy White Bean Dip

A La Mode: Shell Shucked

Tartlette: Chanterelle Tartines

Scaling Back: Blackberry Sage Cooler