An Ordinary Day...

Wednesday, April 12th started off as an ordinary day. The alarm sounded off at 6:00 a.m. like it always did. Reggie did his work day morning ritual, showering, grooming, selecting a suit and accessorizing with the perfect accents for Read more

Why are some people mean?

Why are some people mean? I'm not talking about a little mean, but bazaar, go out of their way to be mean. Recently I've encountered a few mean people, I remind myself that these situations will make me a stronger Read more

Maldives

Our last trip of 2016 was to the Maldives. Last year was one full of excursions, We traveled to Cameroon, Paris, Bali, Hawaii, New Orleans, New York, Chicago, Lake Tahoe, Atlanta, Napa, San Francisco, Dubai, and I must say Read more

Quote

It's okay to venture out of your comfort zone... Lately I've been doing it quite often. This weekend is going to be one of renewal, my personal Super Bowl. What are your plans? I will be working today and tomorrow. Happy Read more

Do you enjoy yourself?

Both of my kids are in New York, my son is in school in the Hudson Valley and my daughter is living in Brooklyn and working. So we are officially empty nesters, and have been so for a while Read more

Veganism

CROSSROADS–VEGGIE DELIGHT

Posted on by Gigi in Dining Comments Off on CROSSROADS–VEGGIE DELIGHT
crossroads

crossroads

Reggie and I have been on our vegan journey for the past four years. We have explored raw vegan, vegan and vegetarian diets, and have settled into to a vegan/raw vegan combo that serves our lifestyle well. We love good food and are happy with the influx of vegan restaurants around the southland. Tonight we decided to try Chef Tal Ronnen’s Crossroads restaurant, a plant based fine dining eatery located on Melrose, surrounded by trendy designer boutiques, a perfect location for a girls lunch. Tal Ronnen author of The Conscious Cook has a large celebrity following including Oprah among others. Crossroads opened this past March, the space is beautiful, and sophisticated, not your 70’s style “hippie” joint.

dining room

dining room

Our server Chloe was wonderful, she quickly told us about the menu and made excellent suggestions for us since this was our first visit. Before our vegan days we were  fishetarians, we had cut out chicken about 15 years ago, so I must say there are a lot of seafood favorites that we missed, so I was happy to order the vegan crab cakes and the artichoke oysters. I love the seacakes at Real Food Daily, but I must say these “crab cakes” were delicious as well and the presentation was just like “real crabcakes”, now the artichoke oysters were fan-ta-bu-lous, I can’t even imagine how they came up with that recipe–so good.

artichoke oysters

artichoke oysters

crabcakes

crab cakes

Reggie being a bread person ordered the fall squash puree flatbread, which was sort of like a light pizza topped with mustard greens. Chloe also recommended a scaloppini parmesan which reminded me of eggplant parmesan which was also good. We also ordered the beet salad which was fresh and delightful. We ordered a total of  5 small plates and we were satisfied, not stuffed. We finished with a pumpkin tiramisu which was a gluten free pumpkin cake finished with a pumpkin  creamy topping-yummy.

flat bread

flat bread

beet salad

beet salad

pumpkin

pumpkin tiramisu

Fresh Artisian cocktails as well as a nice wine list are also availible. I will be going back very soon.

Crossroads Kitchen 8284 Melrose avenue Los Angeles for reservations 323 782 9245

Gigi

Gigi

Xoxo,

Gigi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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LIVE TO BE 100 ?

Posted on by Gigi in Aging 2 Comments

Today I read this article, that appeared on my facebook news feed, it was about this vibrant 90 year-old lady. Of course I was impressed, being on the other side of 50, you pay attention to articles on the aging process, antioxidants, powerful skin creams, hormone changes and such. Phyllis Sues, the woman featured in the article is extremely active, she practices yoga, dances the tango, and took up the circus trapeze in her 80’s. She is always learning something and challenging herself to do something new, doing some yoga poses that I can’t do yet. While it would be nice to live a long life, and possibly reach the ripe old age of 100, I would want to be healthy and vibrant like this 90 years young lady.

Phyllis Sues age 90

Phyllis Sues age 90

For the most part I live an active life style, occasionally I go on binges where I become fixated on an activity and become obsessed, like yoga, spinning, bootcamp or training for a tri, and sometimes I take a little unintentional hiatus-not good at my age.  3 weeks ago I got my mojo back working out almost daily, and of course like always I feel great. I’ve been doing bootcamp, hiking and working with a trainer.  I took a yoga class this weekend, and realized that it is a critical part of my well being, and it took being away for a moment to see how much my body and my mind missed my practice. My yoga teacher said something that stuck in my head, “We are always comparing/competing–stop it!” with that I did my best, not beating myself up for being so “tight” and feeling as though I lost all the gains I had made in my yoga practice.

What is your workout routine? How do you stay motivated? When you really think about it, there is no excuse, the benefits are life saving and although sometimes it is difficult to be consistent all the time- you just have to do it! A few more golden warriors.

75 year-old Ernestine Shepherd

75 year-old Ernestine Shepherd

Rae Kline 83 years-old

Rae Kline 83 years-old

95 year-old Ida Keeling

95 year-old Ida Keeling

Also stumbled upon this cute video–“Worry About Yourself

Happy Monday-Stay warm my southern cali Peeps…

Xoxo,

Gigi

 

Gigi @ 54

Gigi @ 54

 

 

 

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At My Age…

Posted on by Gigi in Aging, Beauty, Fitness, Well-Being 2 Comments

I’m going to be honest here. We live is a youth obsessed society, everywhere you look there are images of celebrities in the news, on the TV, FB etc., whether an update on Bey’s comings and goings or some Kardashian story, we are bombarded by these images.

Celebs in the news

Celebs in the news

BEY

BEY

Our “norm” of what a person looks like is an overly photoshopped picture that leaves a little remnant of what the person actually looks like in person. Digital images once uploaded and magnified expose any sensitive areas you may have or shall I say did not know you had…

Madonna Before and After

Madonna Before and After

Most days I feel like I am holding on pretty good, considering I’m 5’4″ and 54. I inherited my father’s hair color gene, just a sprinkling of grey strands, which allows me to color my hair about every 5-6 months and wearing a curly “do” hides a multitude of sins.

Photographer Gigi

Photographer Gigi

The body however, is something that needs constant monitoring. No more of the magically tight 20’s, or the taunt 30’s or the firm fine 40’s this is the “betta find your a$$ in a gym 50’s” or else ease on down the middle age spread road. Is there anything really wrong with that? Passing on the baton and settling comfortably in to a pair of spanx and a good bra? No. Not at all-but of course there are other benefits to working out other than the “I don’t like the body that I glanced at in the mirror” reason.

Spanx

Spanx

And don’t throw in the dreaded “M” work…That blanky-blank will jack a body up until you outsmart it…My theory is that menopause has a timer that tries to tell the world in subtle ways that this body is no longer available for reproducing. Let’s try and plump it up just enough to take away that youthful hourglass figure, just enough so somebody may slip and call you “Ma’am”.

menopause

menopause

My car is a 2007 model, which is old by California standards, the moment the service light comes on I am at the dealer, never ever missing an appointment, that is how you have to be with these bodies, diligent. I have to do yoga or I risk stiffening up like the tin man, strength training-a must do especially since I was diagnosed with osteoporosis a few years back. Cardio, cardio and more cardio if you want to have some memory of a waistline, and finally the most important one of all-drumroll THE DIET!

Chair Pose

Gigi yoga

You have to fine tune what you put in your body and know what works for you. I’m not here to preach the vegan diet, vs raw vegan or vegetarian sermon, because even those can wreck havoc on a body if not followed properly ie. we all have met the obese vegetarian who lives on macaroni and cheese and pizza. The only rule I want to share is “GRREN UP” Saturate your body with as many anti-oxidants as you can stand, from fresh organic produce-you will notice the benefits inside and out especially in your skin. Everyday I have at least one big glass of fresh green juice.

Green Goddess Juice

Green Goddess Juice

Of course there are skin care advances and procedures available, but I want to do everything I can holistically before I investigate those options. I know I owe a lot to my diet and protecting myself from our beloved sun.

botox filler injections

botox filler injections

So Gigi’s advice to all my pretties:

20’s Have fun, but set up a foundation of being active

Gigi @ 25

Gigi @ 25

30’s “twerk” the diet if you had bad habits in the 20’s, especially if you are starting to have babies

Wedding Day july 23, 1989 1 week before 30

Wedding Day july 23, 1989 1 week before 30

40’s if you don’ get your shit together here, this is like the last hooray-lots can happen in this era

Gigi @ 40

Gigi @ 40

50’s you can still be FAB, but you have to do the work No get our of jail card here, you will go direct to “fifty and frumpy”

50's Gigi

50’s Gigi

60’s and beyond KEEP it MOVING and watch the diet, it is a lifetime commintment

The good thing is our bodies are truly amazing, with a lot of effort and hard work you can still get results and reverse the aging clock. Will you ever look 22 again? No, but you can be a damn good looking 50 something year old

So start today by making good choices or bumping it up a notch if you already have a good routine. I’m always trying to do something, whether it is trying a new workout or training for an event, anything to keep my butt moving instead of drooping…

So let’s toast with a green juice and move your body today!

Xoxo,

GIGI

 

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TO EAT OR NOT TO EAT…

Posted on by Gigi in Dining, My Life, Well-Being Comments Off on TO EAT OR NOT TO EAT…

I’ve always been a foodie, I loooooove decadent, flavorful, preferably ethnic vegan food. Growing up, my earliest memories are of both my parents in the kitchen cooking. We never had convenience food, which at the time would have been something like frozen TV dinners. At that time I had no dietary restrictions, I ate everything, meat, chicken, seafood etc.. As time passed and I became a young adult, I denounced all red meat and existed on seafood and chicken. My husband was raised vegetarian, but he too had converted to the seafood/ chicken plan. Shortly after my son was born, I gave up chicken and became a “fishatarion” , sushi, salmon, crab, shrimp, and my favorite ahi tuna became the mainstay of my diet. I ate so much seafood that four years ago, I was diagnosed with mercury poisoning. So I gave up seafood overnight and became a vegetarian/vegan. At the time I had a friend who was a raw vegan and she shared with me the benefits of a raw vegan lifestyle and helped me make the transition. I felt great and enjoyed learning about and making gourmet raw vegan food. Currently my diet consists of lots of raw vegan food and some cooked vegan food. I find that adding some vegan food works for our lifestyle, especially when traveling. I love all the raw vegan restaurants in my area, Au Luc, Cafe Gratitude, M.A.K.E., and Planet Raw to name a few but I did not want to restrict my dining options to a few spots. So I have become a master at tweaking menus at main stream restaurants to fit my needs. I’m amazed at how chefs are happy to come up with interesting vegan alternatives other than green salads. This past weekend we went to the Lazy Ox, the name alone made me think this was going to be problematic. What a surprise!

Husband & I At Lazy Ox

Husband & I At Lazy Ox

Our Delicious Dinner

Our Delicious Dinner

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We had grits with curry oil, mushrooms and kale,- blistered shishito peppers & lime, -caramelized cauliflower, chili flakes and toasted almonds,- beet salad with white balsamic & hazelnuts,- Black tuscan kale salad with preserved lemons and apples, and not pictured a green salad and a mushroom risotto, everything was delicious and full of amazing flavors.

What type of diet do you follow?

Xoxo,

Gigi

Lazy Ox Canteen, 241 South San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, 213 626 5299 Reservations a Must (it’s a tiny place only seats about 50)

 

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