The Cheeseboard

As avid readers of Gwynnie's newsletter Goop - me and Lola like to actually do some of the things she recommends. I know most of the time we're super healthy but on occasion we have both been known to indulge in white carbs. This was one of those days.
To begin with, it was a gloriously sunny 30 degrees (!) in London. The whole city changes when the weather is nice. Noone is as angry or impatient because everyone is too hot and tired to care.. so they all go and languish in the nearest park.
To be truly accurate in making a cheeseboard a la Gweyneth we thought we should try the same independent cheeseshop she makes her purchases at.. La Fromagerie (Marylebone branch)!
Well it was a lovely shop. The entrance way was abundant with lovely looking fruit and veg. So bright and ripe looking - the tomatoes were just about the reddest things I have ever seen. There is a small cafe at the back of the store and they also sell accompaniments to cheese such as the Honey Oat Wheat loaf we bought.

Divinely fragrant lavender.. would've bought some but couldn't think of anything to use it for - other than freshening up my wardrobe..?

Lola basks in the divine scent while I become transfixed by the quality of produce in the fridge.

Anyway, obviously the real aim of the day was to buy some cheese. So we entered, a la Gwyneth, through the sliding glass doors into the controlled atmosphere of the 'Cheese Room'..!

As passionate foodies, we know a thing or two about cheese but whilst we were in the mecca of curdled milk it felt right to utilise the knowledge of the super helpful staff. He didn't personally help Gwyneth with her cheeseboard as he wasn't in the shop at the same time - but he did recommend and let us sample some amazing cheeses that were suitable for our occasion (eating smothered on bread in the park).

Lola bought a herb infused, creamy goats cheese which was a nice start to our binge.

I bought some brie de meaux which was so ripe I could spread it with a blunt plastic knife.
I was a bit of a fatty and also bought some tangy, crumbly goats cheese which I saved for lunch today - crumbled over a post-workout pasta salad. Delish.

My friend Gemma also came along for the cheeseboard purchase, but didn't want any part of our Gwynnie-P idolatry. This amused the guy who worked in the shop I felt.. we definitely brought the lolz to his day in work. She bought the strongest cheese out of any of us.. I wish I could remember what it was called. It was really strong and it had been soaked in a French whisky or something like that..? La Fromagerie does provide the names of the cheese you buy on the receipt but they were lost within seconds probably.

Anyway it really is the perfect shop.. Completely recommend it. We happily spent ages in there and not just because the cheeseroom was like being inside a giant fridge on a day that was hotter than the sun.

In other Gwyneth news, it seems she was enjoying the sun as well.. spending the day with her homeboy Jay-Z at Glastonbury watching her BFF Beyonce on stage. I at least caught the performance on BBC - Beyonce was amazing - big love for the revival of that Foxy Cleopatra weave from 2002.

Gwynnie says: Bon Appétit!!!

We've known for quite a while that Gwyneth would be gracing the cover of Bon Appétit's June issue. We waited, and waited, and waited. When May arrived we assumed that Bon Appétit June would be out soon. It wasn't. Then we waited some more, the angry Indian man at our local magazine stand was clearly getting annoyed with us. Then last Monday it came. Even though we had seen the cover, read the article (thank you internet) and seen the pictures (only Gwyneth can pull off white shorts in the kitchen), we were excited like kids getting a puppy on christmas day.

The article starts like this: "She's an actress, a singer, a blogger, a mom, a wife and now a cookbook author. Is there anything Gwyneth Paltrow can't do? We hopped a plane to London to find out once and for all." THEY GOT THEIR ANSWER!! They should have asked US!!! NO THERE IS SIMPLY NOTHING SHE CAN'T DO!!! SHE IS WONDERWOMAN!!


On our quest to become wondergwyneth ourselves we thought we would try one of the recipes from the mag: her corn vychissoise.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium leeks, white and light-green parts only, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 5 ears shucked corn, kernels cut from cobs, cobs reserved
• 1 cup coarsely chopped peeled potato (about 1 medium)
• 4 cups good-quality vegetable stock
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
• 
  

Preparation

• Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add corn kernels, reserved cobs, potato, and stock. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover with lid slightly ajar, and cook until the vegetables are very soft, about 35 minutes.
• Discard corn cobs; let soup cool slightly. Working in batches, purée soup in a blender until very smooth. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl; strain, discarding solids. Chill soup until cold. If too thick, thin with water by 1/4-cupfuls. Stir in lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Spoon a dollop of crème fraîche atop each serving and sprinkle with chives.
  
  

• Nutritional Information

  One serving contains:
  Calories (kcal) 258.5
  %Calories from Fat 34.5
  Fat (g) 9.9
  Saturated Fat (g) 2.1
  Cholesterol (mg) 4.0
  Carbohydrates (g) 39.9
  Dietary Fiber (g) 4.4
  Total Sugars (g) 10.8
  Net Carbs (g) 35.5
  Protein (g) 5.5
  Sodium (mg) 168.7

It was sooooo simple and DELICIOUS. AND SUPER HEALTHY!!!! (ok, ok there is crème fraîche...but it's cream, not arsenic, people. )


Here is the whole article (though we suggest you buy the mag, as it is great for any foodie, or...anyone that eats, really.):


http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2011/06/gwyneth-paltrow


Lots of love!!!


Lola

When I grow up I want to be Tracy Anderson.

Hi guys!

Sorry we have neglected you, and neglected Gwynnie for so long! Being the Yummy Mummies that we are, we had very little time to fit this blog in our grueling schedules. It's very involved being us.

A few weeks ago we ordered the Tracy Anderson Method Dance Cardio Workout on the internet. It has been sitting on my desk for ages now and I thought it'd be fun to try it out now that we have a little time to breath (and sweat).

OMG. This woman is INSANE. I have been "practicing" (ie: jumping around like an idiot) the same 20 seconds of the routine for the last 2 hours. It goes so fast!! She's so quick!! arrrghhh. I found myself yelling at my computer: TRACE (that's what Gwynnie calls her) MY BRAIN IS NOT SENDING THE MESSAGE TO MY LIMBS TO MOVE THEMSELVES QUICKLY ENOUGH TO FOLLOW YOU, FREAK!!!

Then I calmed down, considered having a Nairn's stem ginger oat biscuit, then calmed down some more and remembered what Gwyn had said in her interview to Self magazine: "It took me a long time to learn the choreography when i started. I was so uncoordinated! After 11 minutes, I'd pass out and cry and say, "I can't do this anymore!" Now I can't live without it."

So I took a deep breath and tried again. I stopped trying to be perfect at it and just tried to break a sweat. It is truly fun and to be honest if I can ever look like Tracy Anderson, I'm ready to do anything. Even dance around like a goofball.

So go ahead guys!!! DANCE!!!

If you want the video it is available on amazon for like 8$.

Lots of Love and remember: WWGD?

Lola

Gwyneth on Twitter!

Hi guys!
Gwyneth is on Twitter! Not that we care for Twitter that much, but we do like a good sneak on Gwynnie's life!

Here is the link:

http://twitter.com/#!/gwynethpaltrow

Beautiful profile pic!

xxx

Lola

Ps: I really think the next logical step in becoming Gwyneth would be to marry a rocker and have babies.

Gwyneth is Married to a Musician?

So apparently our favourite actress/singer/lifestyle-inspiration's husband is quite famous in his own right? Chris Martin from a little known band from here in the UK called Coldplay..

Well, their new song Every Teardrop is a Waterfall is surprisingly good for working out to. The tempo is just perfect for soundtracking a difficult intervals session.


By the looks of it Chris has been taking a leaf out of Gwyneth's fitness book. Maybe they do Tracy Anderson's DVDs at home together with Moses and Apple..? Quality family time.
I actually think Lola might have a bit of a crush on Chris as she was making crude jokes about Gwynnie getting private shows and commenting on his honed arms ("he does have some major pipes").
I think, either way, we both agree there is a marked improvement from his early days.. but Gwyn did once date Brad Pitt so to be expected.

I wonder when the day will come for Gwyneth to to a duet on the album.. I mean with Glee, Cee-Lo Green and Jay-Z.. Till then we'll just have to be content with wishful thinking and listening to Natasha Bedingfield singing Scientist while we pretend it's actually Gwyneth..

Sunny London cook-a-thon

For those of you who have the privilege of living in London, you will agree with me that the weather has been just fab-u-lous. As fabulous as the Gwynnie herself!
So what better to do in such beautiful weather than barbecue??
So that's what we did on Friday!
I went to my local butcher on Fulham Road, always so sweet and amicable. I bought some wonderful rib-eyed steaks (which I didn't have because Gwynnie swore off red-meat after Leo Dicaprio exposed her to the cruelty of mega-farms) and some fresh veggies.
I had never barbecued before so I ask my butcher how to cook steaks on the BBQ to which he replied: "Well surely you have a boyfriend to cook them for you."
Oh right. Thank you. THANK YOU for reminding me that I don't have a boyfriend and for giving me such good culinary advice. That is just fabulous. Anyway, I managed to cook them and apparently they were just delish. My real pride and joy though were the veggies! So simple yet soo sooo good! Just cut up some peppers, fennel and zucchinis add some olive oil, lemon juice, loads of garlic, fresh thym and salt and pepper. I let it marinate for about 2 hours and then maybe 10 minutes on the grill. The fennel on the grill...is out of this world.

Those of you who know me a little, will know that I have the biggest sweet tooth on the planet.
So when Gwyneth came out with her cookbook and provided us with this amazing healthy-as-can-get-brownies recipe I HAD to try it. After a lovely trip to Wholefoods (I feel so good in there, I could do a sun salutation in the middle of the wholewheat pastas and breads aisle) I had all my ingredients ready for the ultimate healthy brownie: HELLO AGAVE SYRUP and SPELT FLOUR!!!

These brownies (NO EGGS!) were seriously the best brownies I have ever had!! Do not forget to put in the chocolate chips in the middle and on top... simply decadent. This is truly the Marie-Antoinette of all brownies. 

Key points: Don't over beat! And she says 30 minutes, but mine were ready in 20...so be careful! 

Also I put some actual milk instead of soy milk...didn't really change anything. No fuss. 

DELICIOUS!! ENJOY! Life is too short! 

What would Gwynnie do? She'd eat those brownies.  

You can find the recipe here: 

http://www.self.com/fooddiet/recipes/2011/05/fudgy-chocolate-brownies

xxxx

Lola

Daily-Healthy-Living-Log

Only a quick post from us tonight..

Luke's daily-healthy-living-log: 

I just got back from Sainsburys after a gruelling Power Pump class. For once I thought past the immediate hunger and actually did a sensible shop. I don't think my groceries have looked so healthy in a while. A veritable kaleidoscope of coloured fruit and veg that Gwyneth would be so proud of.

Lola's daily-healthy-living-log:

I went to M&S post-workout (20 minutes of interval running and 20 minutes muscle work) and bought veggies to make a wonderful salad with some left over grilled salmon. I sprinkled everything with linseeds and it was delish. Linseeds are soooo good for you, you wouldn't believe it. My favorite benefit: they make your skin look GREAT! and they are packed with Omega-3! Seriously I just sprinkle them on EVERYTHING: cereals, salads, roasted veggies, yogourt, pasta. Name it.

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/flaxinfo.htm

Anything you are proud of today? Good workout? Healthy food choices?

When in doubt just ask yourself: What would Gwynnie do?

Lots of love!

L & L