Workout With Friends

I was spinning last week when a thought came to me. Everywhere I turn people are playing WWF(Words With Friends). They're addicted to it. I for one have not played, having no IPhone, IPad, or I anything. Never was very good at scrabble anyway. So the thought occurred to me. Instead of words with friends, how about workout with friends? A partner makes any activity more fun. My Y friend Kathy and I started spinning together about 18 months ago, and although we don't always do it together, it is much more fun to sit next to a friend, moan and groan togther, and compare mileage and calories. Sounds like torture, but it really is fun. Workout with friends (the new WWF) can be applied to swimming, walking, weight training, zumba, or any aerobics class. All you need is someone who will make a committment to workout with you. Fran and I have been walking together for years. Even during these busy holiday times we manage to squeeze in a one hour walk each week. And our boogie boarding group has been riding the waves together for years. What fun would boogie boarding alone be? (fun, but not as fun). Fran has come up with a new activity. It's walking with walking sticks. You can buy a pair of walking sticks at Walmart for around $25, and incorporate an upper body workout into your walking routine. I was at Batiquitos Lagoon last week and saw a woman walking with the sticks. I stopped and asked her how she liked them. She loved them, and felt she was getting a super workout. So Fran and I are buying the sticks and will start walking with them. It's always fun to try something new. So find a partner, just once a week, and get out there and WWF. Walking, biking, weight training, whatever it is you like, find someone who will commit to doing that activity with you once a week. You will be doing something good for your body and mind, and developing a deeper friendship with your partner. It's a win-win situation, and maybe for some of you, a first step back into exercise. Remember, WWF doesn't just mean "words with friends." It now also means "workout with friends."

Make Your Own Seasonings

One of my fondest memories of life during my 30's was a cooking class I took once a week during the school year, for maybe 5 years. The class was taught by Frances Raboff, an artist and cook, and dear family friend. She and her partner Eleanor taught a unique cooking class at Westchester High School in Los Angeles. I signed up with two friends the first year, and several years later we had a group of six, who loved the class so much, several of them travelled from the San Fernando Valley, probably a 70 mile roundtrip every week. You know it had to be good. Each week the class had a theme. Dinner in Provence, Italian Night, Creole Night, Sunday Brunch, Thanksgiving, Holiday Gifts were just a few of the themes. We would break into groups of four, and each group would have a full mini kitchen to work in. Each group would make the entire meal, then we'd eat and clean up. Fran and Eleanor would spend some time at the beginning of the class teaching us a particular technique, like boning a chicken, or folding eggwhites into a souffle. I learned a lot. But the fun of the class was cooking the meal with friends. I can't put into words how much we all enjoyed the evening. We looked forward to it all week. One class was spent on making gifts to give for the holidays. One recipe Fran had was for a seasoned salt. I made this for years, and used it on everything from chicken to vegetables. I can't find the recipe now (I've moved so many times I may have lost it), but I did find recently some wonderful recipes for other seasonings that are great to keep on hand or give as gifts. The great thing about keeping these on hand is you no longer have to buy packaged ranch dressing or onion soup, something many of use alot. Here are two recipes I think you'll enjoy, and they're so easy. Dry Onion Soup Mix: 2/3 cup dried, minced onion 3 teaspoons parsley flakes 2 teaspoons onion powder 2 teaspoons turmeric 1 teaspoon celery salt 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper Mix all ingredients in a jar, then give the jar a good shake. I’d recommend shaking the jar to mix the ingredients well before each use. Use 4 tablespoons in a recipe in place of 1 packet of onion soup mix. Store this in a dry, cool place. Homemade Ranch Dressing: Dry Mix Recipe 1/2 cup powdered Buttermilk 3 tablespoons dried Parsley 1 tablespoon dried Dill Weed 1 tablespoon Onion Powder 1 tablespoon Salt 1 1/2 teaspoons Garlic Powder 3/4 teaspoons Pepper Combine in a food processor and blend into a powdery consistency. Store in a container of choice. To make ranch dressing: Combine 1 tablespoon mix with 1 cup mayonnaise and 1/2 cup milk. (or use half mayo, half yogurt) Mix with wire whisk. Store in refrigerator until ready to use. Make several hours before using, to allow flavors to blend.

Pumpkin Mousse, Weight Watchers Style

Dieting is difficult during the holiday season, but here's a recipe you can eat without guilt, and at the same time not make you feel like you're missing anything. It's a Weight Watcher's pumpkin mousse, but everyone will love it. You can even make it into a pumpkin mousse pie by pouring it into a graham cracker crust pie shell. It has just the right amount of sweetness and creaminess to make it sooo delicious. Note the fact that with the new Weight Watchers program the points have changed, but the bottom line is that it's still 100 calories, and that's not much for a delicious dessert. You may even like it so much that you'll make it all year round. Oh, and did I mention that pumpkin is one of the superfoods? (our Weight Watchers friend Betty, just loved this recipe. She lost much of her weight eating pumpkin soup and pumpkin mousse.) Weight Watchers Pumpkin Mousse Ingredients: ■2 small packages of instant sugar-free vanilla pudding ■2 cups of non fat milk ■1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice ■15 ounce can of pumpkin(pure pumpkin, no added spices) ■8 ounces of fat-free Cool Whip Directions: 1.Make pudding first with the 2 cups of skim milk. 2.Fold in the rest of the ingredients - spice, pureed pumpkin and Cool Whip. 3.Serve! This recipe makes 12 servings ■Calories 102 ■Calories from Fat 44 ■Total Fat 4.9g ■Saturated Fat 4.2g ■Cholesterol 1mg ■Sodium 185mg ■Total Carbohydrates 13.2g ■Dietary Fiber 1.0g ■Sugars 7.6g ■Protein 2.0g Under the old Weight Watchers POINTS system, it’s 2 POINTS per serving. Under the new POINT PLUS system its’ 3 POINTS per serving

Made In The USA

Our once a month poker group always has a holiday party, and this year was no exception. We don't play poker on this night, but eat, drink, laugh and tell stories. It's a wonderful evening. This year, our poker diva in charge of fun, Fran, decided that the gift exchange would include gifts under $15 that were made in the USA. Everyone thought this would be a daunting task, but in the end, the gifts were thoughtful and made domestically. Food and drink was most popular. Domestic wines, regional jams and jellies, fancy mustard and chutney, and several Trader Joe's products. Trader Joes is a bit misleading, as many of their products say "Packaged in Monrovia, Ca." That only means that their distribution is there, and determining the original point of origin is difficult. I have written about this before, and there are codes that tell what country produced a product, but the codes are not on all items. What are they hiding? Other gifts at our party were candles, lots of candles, bath oils and soaps, homemade jewelry, and some novelty items. Everyone loved the American theme, and went home with something unique. I received a bag of Cranberry beans, an old American heirloom bean, and a recipe for an Alice Waters creation using the beans. Now what could be more American than that? If you really are interested in trying to buy American, you can. Below are just a few of the dozens of websites to show you the many products that are produced domestically. It takes a little more work, and sometimes more money, but if that's important to you, here is some info to help. Americansworking.com Stillmadeinusa.com bassettfurniture.com hardenfurniture.com allusaclothing.com amdericanmadecompanies.com Cars, toys, shoes, socks, underwear, jeans, you can find it all made in the USA. There's a shoe manufacturer right here in Carlsbad, and they make great sporty shoes. New Balance has 5 plants in the USA. Even companies like Apple are starting to shift their workforce back home. It's not as hard as you think, so keep your eyes open, check some of these websites, and buy American.

It's Soup Time

My front porch thermometer says 37degrees this morning. My living room thermometer is at 60degrees. In other words, it's time for soup. I usually have a Sunday afternoon soup making session every so often, in which I make two kinds of soup, then freeze most of it for use over the next month. I go to the Y on Sunday morning, have a quick coffee with my friends, then I'm off to Sprouts to buy all the ingredients for soup. Most recently I made a vegetable bean soup for a holiday party. I thought it was overcooked, as I did it in the crockpot and the beans were so well cooked that they became a thickener for the soup. The soup was good and hearty, but a little too purreed for me. Here's another version of a vegetable bean soup, adapted from Martha Stewart, that I like better. It freezes well. Vegetable Bean Soup Ingredients 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 medium carrots, diced small 2 celery stalks, diced small 1 medium yellow onion, diced small 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon dried thyme Coarse salt and ground pepper 2 cans (15.5 ounces each) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (any beans will do) 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes 4 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley Grated Parmesan, for serving Directions 1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, and onion and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and season with salt and pepper; cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes, broth, and parsley and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide soup among four bowls and add parmesean cheese if desired. For a thicker soup, take about 1/3 of the soup, puree in the blender, then mix back with the rest of the soup. Either way, it's a great lunch or dinner during the cold weather.

China's Great Shame

Every country has its shame. Ours is slavery. For Germany it's the Hitler years. For China, it is the 36 million people that starved to death between 1958 and 1962, during the man-made calamity known as the Great Famine. I recently read a New York Times story on the subject and recalled a fiction book I read on the subject last year, Dreams of Joy, by Lisa See. I still remember vividly Lisa's descriptions of life in China during that period, and even though her book was fiction, from what I've read about the great famine, it was very real. The 36 million lost to starvation twice outweighs the number of fallen men in World War 1, and about six times the number of Ukrainians starved by Stalin in 1932-33, or the number of Jews murdered by Hitler during World War 11. 50 years later, the famine is still a taboo subject in China. Books on the topic, like Yang Jisheng's Tombstone, could only be published in Hong Kong, Japan, and the West. China has historical amnesia, and is tightening government control on information and expression in it's most recent Communist Party National Congress. Even as they have become major players on the world stage in many ways, China will not tell its people the truth. The party line rhetoric says that there were three years of natural disasters, but no plague, flood or earthquake ever wrought such horror during those years. The reason that China does not want to tell people the truth is political: a full exposure of the Great Famine could undermine the legitimacy of a ruling party that clings to the political legacy of Mao, even though that legacy is the root cause of the famine. In Mao's China the state penetrated every corner of national life. Rural populations were brought under control through collectivization of agriculture. The peasants survived at the pleasure of the state. The Great Leap Forward was Mao's ambitious attempt at rapid industrialization, without the means to achieve. The people were lied to, as newspapers boasted of huge production from rice farms which were not true. Peasants were forced to give anything metal to the state, which melted it down and used it in building. Families were forced into communal kitches. Food ran short, and no aid ever came. The result was starvation on an epic scale. I have not yet read Tombstone, Jisheng's account of how the Great Famine happened and why, but I will. Dreams of Joy, by Lisa See, is fiction, but she has done her homework, and gives you the feeling of what life might have been like during that period. I highly recommend it to anyone who finds this topic of interest.

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

You probably know by now that the sweet potato is one of the superfoods. It's got more good stuff in it than almost anything you can eat. If you know me at all you also know that sweet potatoes are one of my favorite foods. I eat them for lunch and dinner several times a week. Hmmm, maybe there's a breakfast recipe for sweet potatoes. I'll have to check that out. In the meantime, I just made the salad below, which I found on the Whole Foods web site. (an excellent site for recipes, nutrition and health articles). It's only 160 calories per serving, 0 calories from fat, 0 grams cholesterol, 85 mg sodium, 39g carbohydrate, 3g protein, 5g dietary fiber and 23 g sugar. If you want to eliminate the sugar, use a sugar substitute for the honey. The calories will also be reduced. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Roasted Sweet Potato Salad 2 small sweet potatoes, peel and diced (or purchase the pre diced sweet potatoes in a bag at your local supermarket) 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced 1/4 tsp black pepper 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (divided in half) 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup honey (or sugar substitute) 2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped 4 cups baby arugula (buy the bag of prewashed and trimmed arugula) 3 medium radishes, thinly sliced Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss sweet potatoes with pepper, half the cinnamon and onion in a bowl, and transfer to a baking dish. Roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Make sure they have enough room so that they're not stacked. For the dressing, whisk vinegar, honey, the rest of the cinnamon and chives together. Toss arugula and radishes in serving bowl, add cool roasted sweet potatoes and dressing and combine. Enjoy.

100 Wines: Another Great Eatery From The Cohns

I love to explore. I've always looked for out of the way places to eat, visit, and shop. Who else do you know that's been to Benin and Togo? Definitely out of the way places. I had heard the Cohns had opened another restaurant in Hillcrest, called 100 Wines, but didn't rush to try it simply because of the name. I thought it would be just a wine and appetizer spot, but I couldn't have been more wrong. On a Friday night (not a good choice of nights) we drove to 100 Wines. It took us 45 minutes, so we won't do that again on a Friday, but it was worth it. We were really hungry by the time we arrived, and thoroughly enjoyed our evening. The decor is similar to Bo Beau in Ocean Beach. Comfortable tables, dark and rustic looking, areas for bigger groups to wine and dine together, an outside area with a fireplace, and in general a great vibe from the minute you walk in. We were lucky to find a place right in front on busy University Avenue. The wait staff is extremely helpful. They will suggest their favorites and were able to describe dishes in detail. Immediately upon sitting, our waitress announced that someone would bring over a complimentary appetizer for us to munch on while we studied the menu. We received a cup of roasted chick peas (whole, in the shell), roasted with sea salt, olive oil, lemon and chili flakes. Chick peas (garbanzo beans) are in a shell similar to edamame, so you remove the shell and eat the inside. I'd never had them before, and when the chick pea was roasted, it diminished to half its size. Not much to eat, but it was tasty and unusual. I love the Cohn restaurants because they all have very reasonable prices on wine. I love a glass of wine, and at $6 for an excellent Merlot, I was very happy. I was happy about the food we ordered and some I saw and can't wait to go back and try. There are lots of appetizers on the menu, and I think many people come for drinks and appetizers in lieu of dinner. We started with melted brie topped with jam and dried fruits and nuts. It was served with thin sliced bread that had been lightly toasted. Amazing. We also had the Mediterranean lamb meatballs. There were 5 in the order, served on a bed of lettuce with a yogurt-cumin dipping sauce. I loved it, and the tart sauce with the meatballs was refreshing. Too much for us, so Pepper polished off one meatball for breakfast the next morning. Next, Ron ordered the pork osso bucco and devoured the entire thing. It was sitting on a bed of semi pureed carrots which had been infused with the juices of the pork. Ron raved, and wanted to lick the plate. I had a ravioli with sage and butter sauce. Excellent. 100 Wines has lots of pizzas, like the prociutto and fig pizza that we almost tried, but will get to next time. They have roasted cauliflower with bacon (similar to the brussel sprouts dish at Bo Beau), that I also want to try. Cheese and meat boards, steak tartare, and a combo of Mediterranean salads were also offered. Stuffed chicken breast, pan seared scallops, 5 oz. beef filet, and simply broiled fish of the day were also on the menu. The menu changes seasonally, so this is a place you can go back to again and again. It's not for someone who wants a basic steak and potato. You won't find that on the menu. But if you like to try new combinations, new flavors, new locations, this is the place. By the way, after the long ride to get there, we were home in less than 25 minutes. It's great to explore new restaurants and new neighborhoods. You never know what you're going to find. What we found, 100 Wines, is a real find.

Goodbye Huell Howser

Years ago I first met Huell Howser (not actually met him, but felt like I knew him through television)when he was a reporter for KCBS in Los Angeles. He would do human interest stories, and I knew that with his folksy speech and casual demeanor, it wouldn't be long before he was doing something else. I was right, and within a few years he had he moved to KCET to produce a program called "Videolog," the predecessor to "California's Gold," which is aired throughout California, Oregon, Nevada, and Huell's home state of Tennessee. Huell was a people person. With his distinctive twang from his Tennessee roots, he charmed everyone he met. His series, "California's Gold" took viewers to many parts of the Golden State, with Howser doing folksy

, highly enthusiastic interviews and narration. He'd talk to locals, have them tell stories about the area, and he'd always punctuate their dialogue with exclamations of "That's amazing!" or "Look at this." "I want our stories to reveal the wonders of the human spirit and the richness of life in California, including its history, people, culture and natural wonders," he wrote. His charm and enthusiasm tickled viewers wherever he went. Once, when doing a program on the U.S.-Mexican border, he playfully taunted the federal agent by tiptoeing back and forth from one country to another. He was so charming he could get away with it. Huell could make anything interesting, even hiking a local canyon. He would find old timers and let them tell stories. He was so interested in even the most mundane story that it made the viewer interested too. Huell reminded us to find the magic and wonderment in our everyday lives. He was able to capture the wonder in obscurity. From a ham sandwich to artwork woven from the lint to the exoticism of cactus to the splendors of Yosemite, he brought us the magic, humor and poignancy of California. He died so young. He was only 67 years old, and details of his death have not been released. All that has been said is that he died of natural causes. He will be sorely missed by me, as well as thousands of other viewers who considered him "the man" that knew California best. From big cities to rural communities, he covered it all. I remember several years ago when he did a program on Encinitas. Knowing the community so well, I found it especially entertaining, as he mentioned all the local stories, restaurants, and sites. His folksy interpretation of California life will be missed.

Ghrelin and Obesity

My mom is always taking the most interesting classes. The current class she's taking is on neuroscience, I think. Every week she calls me with new information on subjects like the brain, obesity, memory and behavior. A recent class focused on a newly discovered hormone, ghrelin, and what it can do. Ghreline is a hormone produced in the fundus of the stomach and epsilon cells of the pancreas that stimulates hunger. Ghrelin levels increase before meals and decrease after meals. It is considered the counterpart of the hormone leptin. Ghrelin is also produced in the hypothalmic arcuate nucleus, where it stimulates the secretaion of growth hormone from the anterior pituitary gland. The discovery of ghrelin was reported in 1999, so scientists are just now learning about its role in growth, learning, depression, sleep and obesity. Scientists have learned that in fetuses, grehlin is early produced by the lung and promotes growth. Grehlin may enter the hippocampus from the bloodstream and play a role in enhancing learning and memory. It is suggested that learning may be best during the day and when the stomach is empty, since ghrelin levels are higher at that time. A 2008 study suggests that ghrelin might help defend against symptoms of stress-induced depression and anxiety. Also, short sleep duration is associated with high levels of ghrelin and obesity. As the hours of sleep increase, ghrelin concentrations were considerably lower, thereby potentially reducing appetite and avoiding potential obesity. The discovery of ghrelin is relatively new, but what they have discovered so far is that it plays a significant role in obesity. Ghrelin is increased by stress and lack of sleep, and may lead to obesity. There is much more to be learned about this hormone and its role in the human body. The other hormone that my mom learned about during the same lecture, is cortisol. This is a hormone that we've know of for awhile, and there are many products on the market that claim to control your cortisol levels. I will give you more information on cortisol in another blog. For now, remember that ghrelin is a newly discovered hormone that can affect a wide range of human conditions, from learning and memory, to growth, to obesity.

The Good Old Days

We all look back on "the good old days," usually with fondness. I recently had a chance to reminise about the 1990's the decade that we were deeply involved in horseracing. The Daily Racing Form, the horseplayers bible, published an article by Bill Christine about the 10 most eclectic silks in racing. Ours were number 4! In the article Bill talked about the many horses we had owned and raced, how we acquired them, how we named them and how we came up with the Cubs logo on our silks. His writing brought that era back to life for me, as I remembered the highs and lows of horseracing, the men and women who came in and out of our life during that time, and the few long relationships that developed. Horseracing is an industry where you're as likely to know the president of a foreign country as you are a homeless man. We knew both. Unfortunately, most of the people involved in racing are only interested in what you can do for them: give them a winner, give them a job, do something for them. Thus, when you get out of the business or fall on far times, most of those people are long gone. So when I think about the good old days, I have both good and bad memories. The friends that have survived our departure from racing, Roger, Alfredo and Angela, and Jose and Renee are true friends. We cherish their friendship. The good old days for me also means stress. There is tremendous stress to win, as feed and vet bills are very expensive. It costs upwards of $3,000 per month to keep a horse in training. That means they must run and earn money every month to pay their way. If they get injured, they still have to eat. We had horses that had to be laid up for a year before returning to racing. The anxiety of the actual race is a huge adrenalin rush. Big race or small race, it's all about winning. We loved our involvement in racing, but looking back on it, I am glad we've moved on. I'm not sure my heart could take it now. Below is the article from the DRF written by Bill Christine. I got a kick out of it, and hopefully you'll enjoy reading it too. 4. Ron Anson Adrian “Cap” Anson was a 19th century star first baseman for the Chicago franchise that became the Cubs. A hundred years later, Ron Anson (no known relation) campaigned a California racing stable noted for silks patterned after a Cubs’ uniform. Anson comes from Chicago’s South Side, which by rights should have made him a White Sox fan. He campaigned mostly claimers, but took shots with horses in Japan and won the Oak Leaf Stakes at Santa Anita with the you-have-to-explain-the-name-of-this-horse Tali’sluckybusride − something to do with Ron’s wife, Susie, who befriended a puppy thrown off a bus and named her Tali (“lucky” in Chinese). The Ansons once won the same race twice on the same day, when their entrymates, Gomezmerize and Onepowerful Bullet, finished in a dead heat at Hollywood Park on Nov. 18, 2000, Ron Anson’s 58th birthday.

Time For New Year's Resolutions

At the end of each year, I usually blog about the fact that I don't make New Year's resolutions. I've never yet kept one, so why make them? Instead, this year I have promised myself to improve in some areas that I have let slide. The typical resolutions that I used to make would be things like this: lose 20 pounds, exercise everyday, do a better job on cleaning the house, stuff like that. I never kept any of them, in fact I always thought resolving to do something was setting myself up for failure. The promises that I am making this year will lead to change. I may not do all of these things all of the time, but I promise myself to try. Here are my 2013 promises. 1. Tell everyone I love "I love you" as often as possible. 2. Call someone I haven't talked to in a while but have thought about once a week. 3. Make a date to do something special with Ron at least once a month. 4. Get back to playing golf. 5. Make dinner on Monday a meatless meal. 6. Waste less food (this is a challenge) 7. Introduce new foods (especially veggies) into our meals. 8. Continue to live a healthy lifestyle (no diet promises for me, but maybe healthy living will lead to weight loss. I can always hope). 9. Read something everyday. 10. Learn something everyday. Since the horrible tragedy in Connecticut a few weeks ago, people have been talking about performing acts of kindness. I have always been one to help others, to try to cheer up lonely people. (I've written about "pay it forward"). I think you just need to remind yourself that the grumpy man next to you may have problems you can't imagine, and that your kindness may make him less grumpy. (one of my biggest challenges is to try to get grumpy bridge players who come to my table, to smile). The day before Christmas, Fran and I were sitting in The Coffee Bean, and next to us was an elderly man with a new Verizon Tablet and phone. We decided to talk to him since he was all alone, and I'm sure we made his day. We found out that he lived alone, in a converted van in his car and did odd jobs to pay the bills. We found out much more about him than we needed to know, but he needed to talk, to connect with someone, to share, and we allowed him to do that. Fran and I walked out of there having allowed him the opportunity share some of his life with us. A simple act of kindness that I think made his day. Make your own list of promises for the new year. Even if we just do some of the things some of the time we'll be making our lives, and the lives of those around us, better.

Something Fresh and New: Seasons 52

The week after Thanksgiving I went to lunch with Vivian and Paula. We were celebrating Paula's birthday and decided to try something new. Seasons 52 in the newly remodeled UTC, had just opened. Vivian had been invited to the soft opening, loved the place, and thought it would be the perfect place to celebrate. It was. I was recently in LA and noticed that a Seasons 52 was under construction in the Century City mall. I said to myself that whoever is behind this restaurant group must have a lot of money. I was right. Seasons 52 is part of the Darden group, which includes such chains as Olive Garden and Red Lobster. However, when I walked in the restaurant it didn't have that "chain" feeling. It was beautiful, a little dark, with lots of comfortable booths, and several private rooms for small to medium private dinner parties. The picture here is of one of the small private rooms. The kitchen is open, the servers are very well trained, and the food is delicious. The concept of Seasons 52 chain (17 restaurants and counting) is to serve fresh, contemporary food in a relaxed atmosphere, with an emphasis on offering no food item over 475 calories. They want to offer an alternative to diners that want a healthy meal. Also, the menu changes seasonally, and there are weekly specials, so there is a great deal of variety. We ordered a flatbread and two salads, and split everything between the three of us. The artichoke and goat cheese flatbread was delicious, and very thin. (what I like). We had a seared ahi tuna salad and a barbeque chicken salad. The salads were beautifully displayed and the taste was great. The ingredients used in the salad were so fresh you could taste every bit of the salad. No cheese laden, dressing laden salads at this establishment. Salads were lightly dressed, cheese was used sparingly, nuts were toasted instead of sugar coated. That's how you get a salad for under 475 calories. The desserts were the highlight. They serve mini desserts in little glass containers, which they bring to your table, so tempting you cannot resist. I had a lemon mousse and poundcake. It was so good I wanted to lick the bowl. Other choices were a pumpkin pie in a glass, chocolate mousse, and several other exotic choices. Be sure and save room for dessert. I can't wait to go back for dinner, where the menu is a bit more expansive, including trout, several steaks, shrimp and penne and lamb chops. This is a restaurant you can go to for a special night out without breaking the bank. Oh, they also have free valet parking right in front of the restaurant, so don't stress about trying to find a parking space. Catch a movie at Arclight, the new movie theatres in UTC and you've got a perfect evening.