The BEST Healthy Apple Crisp

(PUBLISHED ON CAREPILOT.COM, NOVEMBER 2013)

The age old saying "An Apple A Day Keeps the Doctor Away" holds quite a bit of truth.  Not only are apples rich with antioxidants, they also provide an impressive amount of fiber.  This perfect handheld snack carries Vitamin C, b complex vitamins that keep the nervous system functioning properly, and phytonutrients to help protect the body from the effects of free radicals.  As if that wasn't enough, apples are also rich in calcium, potassium and phosphorus!

Apples are a great snack year round, but is there is nothing more quintessential for fall than apple picking.  I thoroughly enjoy dragging in an overflowing bag of hand picked apples, but there are only so many apples I can snack on each day before my prized fruit starts to go bad.   Most will turn to

Healthy Chicken Piccata

Chicken is a staple for dieters looking to trim down and tone up.  But there is only so many nights we can grill chicken and serve it with steamed vegetables before we turn to pizza and pasta out of boredom.

So this week I took one of my favorite chicken dishes, chicken piccata and tweeked it into the most healthy version I could.

Chicken piccata is simple. A lemon and caper sauce over pan fried chicken.  And what better way to jazz up chicken then with lemon.   Lemons aid in keeping your immune system in top shape, help cleanse the liver, and are packed with vitamin C, citric acid and magnesium!

So throw on the apron, pull out the fancy plates and get ready to impress with my quick, easy, and healthy chicken piccata recipe.

What you will need:

INGREDIENTS
-chicken breasts (1 breast per person)
-whole wheat flour

XIV

Summer weekends in Los Angeles aren't a flip flop affair for the young and restless Hollywood dwellers.  They are a full blown rave.  From the rooftop hotel lounges to the mansion pool parties - you will find girls in bikinis with stilettos and guys still afraid to let go of their fedoras.

...and then comes the 5 o'clock wind down of a pool party on Sunday.

After a weekend of drugs, tanning and the same edm song playing on repeat, one would imagine the hollywoodians would crawl back into their apartments to prepare for the workweek.   But not these fist pumping diehards. 

Come 5pm the doors of XIV open up and the neon crowd storms in to spray champagne, and well, get even more blackout wasted than they did on Friday and Saturday combined. 

Now, you may be wondering how a sweet, adorable, level minded girl like myself is so well informed about this 'XIV' hooligan hangout.  I'd say curiosity killed the cat, but I have gone once every year.  I'd say it's tradition that I go once a year, but after each time I vow never to return.  I'm just going to blame it on my roommate begging (mentioning she might go once via text) and me not being able to pass up a fist-pumping, champagne-spraying, ludicrous-in-every-sense-of-the-word, time.

So here are my warnings to anyone who has the same neon bright idea as me when they reopen next Summer:

1.  It's called FOURTEEN.  That's XIV in Roman Numerals.  XVI is sixteen.  Stop ruining Hollywoods reputation for intelligent and motivated residents (look I made a funny) and stop #hashtagging if you can't get the damn name right.

2. You must mentally prepare for what is going to happen to you.  There will be a theme.  And it will be scary at times when you find yourself sans friends in line for the bathroom.  There will be drugs.  Dont drink anybody's "happy water". It's not the same idiot who wrote #xvi mistaking smart water.  It's drugs. And if you drink it the theme will become a bit more overwhelming. 

3. But YAY there will be a theme!  Have fun and dress up!  Or bring 50 dollars to spend on a 4 dollar neon crop top tank top at the door.  Either way, hooray!

4. Girls.  Your hair will get soaked.  in champagne.  bring elastics accordingly.  

5.  Really, people buy shitty champagne and spray it everywhere.  There's even a slogan - "Save water, spray champagne" And it doesn't end.  They even sell umbrellas!!  From 5-10 there's a constant 'shower' that is completely unavoidable.

6. At some point, a hot girl will walk up to you and slap a wrist band on you that says 'and we're still going'.  You think aww fun, a momento of the great time I had here.  No.  Get this.  All of these people... GO TO A CLUB from here, and DRINK MORE.  I told you it was ludicrous.  This wristband is your entry into the club.  And, I know, now I'm just talking crazy, there are after parties AFTER the club. Let.  That.  Sink.  In. 

So did I have fun?  Well.  I put my number in two peoples phones and they came up "chelsea xiv" and "blonde xiv".  Two different people.  This makes me worry a bit.  I missed the gym Monday morning, had the shakes for two days, ruined a tank top, and saw some questionable things that have forever desensitized me in Hollywood. 

But F yeah it was fun.  A slogan, 'Save water, spray champagne' ?!  And a legitimate open air Sunday day club only open in the summer and only accessible to girls, promoters or dudes with absurd amounts of money?  Let me just say it is an experience.  And one I wouldn't want to have more than once a year.

Another one bites the dust. Audition 1, Chelsea 0

Actor life is getting a bit ...how shall I say it... it is getting to be a bit of a struggle.  

I just left an audition at this beautiful theatre within walking distance to my apartment.  And when I pushed open the heavy mahogany doors I knew in my heart's heart that I would land this part. 

Problem was, I wasn't quite sure which part I was reading for.  

So I pull instead of push the door until someone helps me and clumsily stumble inside.  The casting assistant asks which role I'm reading for.  Well, funny story, I'm not really even quite sure - a friend who was working at the theatre just happen to extend an invitation to a casting and I thought well, no opportunity is a bad one unless you miss it! 

hm.

There were four other women (let me reiterate women.  because I keep booking 19-20) all dressed, head to toe, in Marilyn Monroe outfits.  

So I reply, "I'm reading for Marilyn!"  I'm wearing black leggings, little booties, a white tank top and an oversized zebra sweater (stop judging me. it was cold out). 

"Great have a seat".

As I start reading over the Marilyn sides my nervousness subsides and I feel elated with confidence.  I AM Marilyn, I WILL get this part.  I'm perfect for it.  I rehearse how I'll say each word, how I'll command the stage, how I'll pile on the sex appeal.  Well, I rehearse this all in my head anyways.

I can faintly hear the audition before me, and I hear a bunch of applause.  How many casting people are in there I wonder?  Oh well.  All the more people to impress.  

And now it's my turn.  So I waltz in with my zebra grandma sweater and I take front and center stage on the most beautiful and regal stage I have ever stepped foot on.  There is even a balcony!

I pucker my lips, sashay my hips and get ready to deliver my lines with conviction. 

"Alright dear can you just do your song first then we'll get to the lines"

"what? a song? was I supposed to prepare something?!"

"no no.  anything will do.  just give your normal audition song.  You're a singer right?"

"yes, I can sing"

"whats your range"

"um well. I sing low.  like baritone"  (i cringe immediately.  baritone is the guys range).

"alright well just sing happy birthday for us"

here it goes.  I walk up to the microphone and I caress it, and slide down singing my sexiest "Missstah pressssident" and when it's all through I wait for my applause. 

someone shuffles their feet.  

"hah. hah.  that was like a show tune version."  the casting directors exchange looks "alright well go ahead with your lines"

And so I performed.  I paced back and forth, I delivered each line, didn't miss a beat.  But the Marilyn had faded.  The character was gone.  She died in the Happy Birthday song, and now it was just some too thin blonde shuffling her feet in the middle of this grand stage. 

It ended.  There was still no applause.  

So I gathered my things and breathed a sigh of release.  Lesson learned, now pack up your humility and hightail it home for a glass (or 3) of wine.  

"Hey, can you do a french accent?"

"of course!" 

They like me! they like me!

"Good.  go read the sides for Lila, we'll call you back in after a few minutes"

Hooray! I knew my performance was good. I brought so much life to the character.  I just didnt get it because I'm too young!! 

I take the new sides in my hand and read them (in my head) with my best French accent.  The only basis I have is Sebastian the crab from Little Mermaid, but I feel like I've still got a pretty good grip on this.  Instead of stripper I'll say streepah.  Instead of mister, meestah.   Piece of cake. I search "french for dummies" and look up a few more vowel tricks.  Down pact.  I knew I was always great at accents!  Hah! the way everyone will be so impressed when I nail this! And then I can put it on my resume!  No one will ever even know I was born here! I'll book every french role there is!

"Alright we're ready for you"

Back on stage.  Another pucker of the lips.

And I deliver my lines. In a perfect French accent.  beautiful even. 

but.. there's still no applause.  At this point I've hear applause from every other audition.  And there's likely been a dozen. 

"well thank for trying"

And with that.  I left.  And picked up another bottle of wine on my way home, in case 3 glasses wouldn't cut it.

So what is the lesson learned?  

Be prepared.  Know your strengths ...AND your weaknesses. Dress the part.  And when all else fails, keep a full wine bar stocked.

"I don't mind making jokes.  But I don't want to look like one"- Marilyn Monroe

Back to School

I don't necessarily miss college, but I do miss the act of going back to school.

The return to school marks a new beginning.  A fresh start.  Almost like New Years, but even better.  Armed with new summer experiences and memories - you enter each school year a changed person.  Maybe those summer months matured you a bit, leaving you more confident and poised.

New classes, new living situations, new professors.  It is all gloriously refreshing but a bit daunting. Alas, you set your goals, open up your notebooks to a fresh page and sharpen your no. 2 pencils to dive right into the unknown without hesitation.

This September nothing is changing for me.  After going back to my parents house for two weeks, I have kind of lost momentum.  Instead of feeling rejuvenated, I feel a bit out of control of my destiny.  So this fall, I am fixin' to change that.

I will refocus all of my energies on landing a hosting or acting gig that pays the bills. Stick to my diet and stop snacking.    Write the rest of my screenplay.   Network more.   Keep up with my blog.   I will let go of pessimism and clouded thoughts and wake up every single day feeling at peace with myself and the universe I inhabit.


wish me luck.  

Fallin' for Autumn in LA

AS SEEN IN FGMAGAZINE UNDER THE COLUMN 'THE BUBBLY' (fall 2013):

  Sure the leaves don't change colors and float to the ground in Los Angeles, nor does the air fill with an undeniably clean crispness, but nonetheless fall is still my favorite season.  Can't take the Boston out of the girl I suppose.

  Luckily for Los Angelenos, we are a creative bunch with fantastic imaginations and our fashion and fall activities still reflect the spirit of the season. 

  Fall Fashion is delightful in LA, as you can actually dress simply for the trends, not just for protection from the cooling weather.  This season I am going to dust off my combat boots for another year, check all my favorite tights for holes and hang up my prized scarves.  For new additions, my eyes are peeled for the 2013 falls trends: houndstooth, emerald green, winter white, and perhaps a military inspired jacket.  I love layering, animal prints, soft furs (faux of course), leather pieces and stylish boots.  There is something so refreshing about packing up your flip flops and beach cover ups to make way for boyfriend shoes (I die for Dries Van Noten inspired!) and fierce over the knee heeled boots.  Oh and don't forget a gorgeous winter hat to compliment your houndstooth blazer!

  Albeit the weather can often still classify as 'beach temps', come September we will be migrating back into cozy lounges and clubs.  We will bid farewell for now to the pool parties and bbqs of summer and focus our energies on discovering new hidden gem restaurants and posh watering holes.  Cozy into a dark table at Bar Marmont or journey downtown to experience the views at WP24  or to order a prohibition inspired libation at Edison.  If you are more into bottle service, heart pounding bass, and live djs - well this is your season as well!  Check out who is performing at Sound, Create, Greystone and Emerson, and raise your champagne flutes to "I get a good feeling" without the trampling of tourists or the sweltering heat. 

  With tourist season behind us, we can start to do a bit of site seeing ourselves without being overrun by never ending traffic and lines.  Take a trip to the Getty Museum or even Disney.  Mark off your calendars for Oktoberfest at Alpine Village and Dia de los Muertes at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.  Around Halloween make sure to check out the Haunted Hayride at the Hollywood Bowl and, if you are brave, grace the streets of West Hollywood on Oct 13st for one heck of a costume party.

  Of course, it is always sad to see another summer slip away, but with just a slight change of perception, the coming of fall can feel like a blessing. Our calendars are no longer brimming over with bbqs, cookouts, weddings, beach outings, fourth of July festivities, and cramming in every single last drop of summer fun.  We now have room to do a weekend getaway to Palm Springs, Santa Barbara or Pebble Beach.  We can release the stress of maintaining our bikini body and relish in a home cooked pumpkin bread or the magic of layering scarves and jackets. And while we are grateful for the tourist revenue, we can retake the city that we love and truly enjoy it with other like minded locals. At least for now. :)  

Cheers to embracing fall, and doing it gracefully.  I'll be enjoying espresso martinis in a leopard sweater dress until winter if anyone needs me. 

Chels

The Magic Castle

The Magic Castle maintains a regal hiding spot perched atop a hill overlooking Hollywood. And rightfully so.  This establishment is an exclusive members only experience.  It has been for decades.  And will be for decades to come.

Unfazed by social media and the quickly evolving world outside the castle walls, the magicians who grace the dark and hazy halls are a special breed.  All with their vastly unique specialties, the members have this old world stoic respect for the art of magic and illusion. 

There are artifacts around every corner, mysterious bars in each den.  You can have a full sit down dinner on the main floor, or cozy into an old mahogany bar stool for a whiskey and lighter fare on the upper level.   There are a handful of different stages - some as intimate to only hold a dozen guests, others with a stage and elevated seating for 200. The magicians only perform one or two weeks a year, to always keep the material fresh and draw dropping. I could spend hours trying to find the right descriptive words to describe a visit, but I think I'll just briefly recount my new favorite place in Los Angeles, through my eyes.

Dress coats & ties are a must.  When you pay for valet you are given a secret code to say aloud at a bookcase, which opens you into the castle.  I could have left after this and felt satisfied with the experience. 

The halls are draped with dark red curtains, the owner (who is in his 90s) will always be sipping down a drink and engaging a patron somewhere amongst the bars scattered on the two floors.  The first bar is for beginners.  The amateurs who are practicing their first sleight of hand.  These hopefuls are sporadically visited by one of the great veteran magicians to bestow a piece of invaluable knowledge.  We cozied up to the bar for a glass of wine before dropping in to see a dear friend Adam Trent's magic show.  The room held no more than 30 people, his act was was sidesplitting funny, and the magic awe-worthy. After the half hour show we were back out to enjoy some quick tricks by passerbys at the bar before catching the final 11:30 show at the biggest stage.  

The first act was the magician that played the hand on the Adams Family.  He was eerily quiet and utterly mesmerizing to watch, his tricks classic sleight of hand with a level of superior sophistication.  The second act was akin to a comedy central standup where the comedian takes props from a giant chest. He was hilarious, pulling material from the audience.

The Magic Castle is just that.  Magic.  A hidden gem that takes you back a half a century to a time where we would appreciate a trick or illusion without googling how it was done.  A time where we respected a stage with a single performer and a castle with a password. 

Staying On Track during ... COOKOUT SEASON!

PUBLISHED FOR CAREPILOT.COM BLOG (AUGUST 2013)

Greetings from day 10 at my family’s home in Plymouth, MA! While I love visiting my favorite little speck on the map more than anything, the trip really tests my willpower and inevitably expands my waistline in the most undesirable ways.

Each morning, I wake up to chocolate chip pancakes, eggs benedict, bacon and cheese danishes I grew up begging for. Lunch and dinners are heavy meals of lasagnas, meatloaves and steaks, followed by an irresistible homemade dessert. I am sure you all can sympathize in one-way or another. It is August, and cookouts, family reunions and weddings are rampant.

Here are some tips to stay sane and only gain a pound or two when you are up against visiting family, a wedding weekend, a long vacation, or just wrapped up in the enjoyment of cookout season.

1. Wake up with good intentions. Start your morning routine with a cup of coffee or tea and assess your will power. Don’t focus on guilt trips from the feast you enjoyed the night before. But rather, reflect on the enjoyable, but heavy, meal and make a conscious effort to be mindful of what you will consume today.

2. Fill up with a sustainable breakfast. Doing so will help keep you full and away from the cookies and sweets until lunchtime. It is okay to indulge a little, but try not to overdo it. One pancake and a slice of bacon is enough. Have a sliced banana with a little bit of peanut butter with your meal and you are bound to feel more satisfied and less likely to reach for a second cinnamon bun.

3. Try to only indulge in the things you cannot get everyday. The grocery store cupcakes are always going to taste the same. And so is the pub cheese and the hot dogs. Choose to fill up on your great aunt’s famous apple crisp or your sister’s first attempt at a fancy potato salad.

4. Really eyeball the food options before digging in. This is one of my favorite calorie saving rules! Don’t just choose the foods you normally deny yourself of because you think this is your one free day to be a glutton. Fill one plate with the dishes you think you will most enjoy. This rule is especially important with the desserts. You do not need a separate plate to try each dessert. Chose one or two that look undeniably delicious and pick a small piece to enjoy.

5. The 50:50 Ratio. When making my plate, I like to give myself at least a 50:50 ratio of healthy to unhealthy foods. That means half my plate will be vegetable dishes, less fattening dips (such as hummus, guacamole, salsa or yogurt based dips), lean meats and salads.

6. Be conscious of alcohol consumption. Excessive alcohol can lower our inhibitions and leave us less will power to stay away from the buffalo chicken dip. Plus, a full day of drinking can quickly triple our daily calorie, carb and sugar intake! For mixed cocktails, I try to stick to wine coolers or sangrias made with soda water and fresh fruit. Rum punches and margaritas will spike your sugar and tack on a few hundred calories per serving. Wine, champagne, beers and unflavored liquor mixed with soda water or tonic is your safest bet if you are planning on having a few cocktails over the course of the party.

7. Get some exercise! Play croquet or horseshoes with the family, get up on the dance floor at the wedding, go for a walk around the block, or hop in the pool with the kids! There are always plenty of chances to burn a few calories and step away from the buffet line.

All of these suggestions are useful tactics for sticking to our diet goals, but they are just that: suggestions, NOT rules!

The only rule I have is to live joyfully in the moment. If I am going to have another piece of my mom’s homemade lasagna that brings me back to my childhood, then I am going to savor every single delicious bite. Our social lives revolve around enjoying meals in good company. Dieting does not mean giving up this social life, it just means being conscious and fully aware of our eating habits and actions.

Do not feel guilty for a day (or in my case 10 days!) of veering off track. We are in this together, and with a little extra motivation at the gym on Monday, we will be back on the road to fit and healthy in no time.

Enjoy your time with family and friends!

-Chelsea

Friday Rants

I want to formally apologize for beings so obnoxiously preachy and optimistic lately.  All this recent booking success is getting to my head and clouding my cynical edge.   Long gone are the posts fueled by misery as a theatrical agent I suppose.

Nonetheless, I know there's still a bit of wit somewhere in me, and I felt it creeping up on the set of Tosh.O yesterday.  Here's a guy whose cynicism is the groundworks of his fame!

So here's my Friday Rant list.  Because why not spend Friday sulking about the idiocracy of the week instead of posting "TGIF bitches!!" posts all over twitter.. even though you know damn well that you are probably going to work through your weekend, get too drunk and make bad decisions, or waste it overeating on your couch.


1. The over bearing hairdresser. Right, you think cutting my hair is the only way to make it grow longer because you'll be cutting off split ends.  Well genius if you cut off the split ends, the hair is just going to split even higher up, causing you to cut shorter and shorter.

2. I get it, you're Jewish.  But I'm not.  And I don't know how to respond when you say Mazel tov.

3. I'm so happy you uplodaded two photos per minute the entire week you were on vacation! You should have just stayed home and googled your destination, since all you did was experience it through your cell phone camera and uploading clever comments on instagram ...then waiting to see how many likes you get.

4. Laser hair removal doesn't work.  I don't care what anybody else says.  I suffered through 6 painful sessions, and there is still hair.

5. Granola and yogurt parfaits are not a healthy morning choice. They are a dessert.  But.. no.  A dessert.

6. Oh I have the eating disorder? I munch on fruits, veggies, hummus, and lean meats all day and take multivitamins. You starve yourself then eat 3 pieces of pizza with soda. But I'm the one with the disorder because I prefer salad for dinner instead of starving myself and binge eating junk with you. Makes sense.

7. When I walk into the plastic surgeons office to inquire about a nose job and the secretary assumes breast augmentation. Well, you bitch, I wasn't planning on getting my boobs done until now.

8. Trail mix. Show me one person who can eat just one serving.

9. Sticky lipgloss. Which manufacturer thought adding glue to lipgloss made sense. And why did everyone follow suit.

10. That makeup artist who poked me in they eye with the mascara wand and I had to drive the half hour home with one contact on.  I hate you.

11. The casting director who decided the wardrobe should be a bathing suit and heels. I hate you so much more.

12. When the nail girl clips your cuticles until they bleed. Then acts pissy when you only tip 3 dollars.  Sorry, I wanted a light pink color, not red.

13. Girls who drag their heels because they cant walk in them. Or the girls who stomp their feet like dinosaurs for the same reason.  Or the ones who manage to do both, against all odds.

14. Crop tops.  Who decided these are in style?  Like really?  what asshole dude is the mastermind behind this? What happen to good old tunics and moo moos.  when can they come into style?

Parents.

There are so many times i wish I could shoot home to do my laundry, or ask advice while helping weed the garden, or raid my parents cabinets for the zebra cakes they still buy for me even though I have told them for the last 8 years I am watching my figure.

I miss them so much.  And while technology helps us communicate daily, it's just not the same.  Sometimes you need a hug from your dad over a bud light and rummy, a shopping trip with your mom, or a good heart pounding run through the cranberry bogs with your dogs.

It is a cruel reality that our parents are so much older than us, that they don't get to experience our entire lives right along with us.  Maybe I'll come to terms with the passing of the torch and the circle of life, but for now it just seems unfathomable.  I truly cannot imagine a single day without chatting on the phone with Papa, or calling my mom excited about a new audition.

Blame it on only child syndrome (like I do everything else), but my parents and my mom's twin sister are more than just a mom, a dad and an aunt, they honestly are my very best friends.

They will never stumble upon this blog, but it feels good knowing that my gratitude and love for them is out there in the universe.

Never forget where you came from, but more importantly, don't forget those who helped you get to where you are.