While I usually prefer to eat my greens because I really do love all kinds, I realized that I can also get them in at breakfast. I mean, who eats spinach at breakfast even when they like it?

• 12 oz. almond milk
•  handful of berries
•  one banana
•  two handfuls of spinach
• heaping tablespoon of flax seeds
•  ice

I have been creating the above recipe without the spinach for about ten years now. Instead of spinach I include a really great chocolate whey powder with 35 grams of protein by Optimum Nutrition. I think I have tried every whey powder on the market and this is the only one I could even stomach. And it’s tasty.

After realizing that I cannot taste the spinach in my green drink, next time I’ll add the chocolate powder back as well.

Who’d a thunk spinach and chocolate would go together?

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Follow-up – Several people have asked me where to purchase Optimum Nutrition.  My local source no longer sells it and I’ve never seen the Pro Diet formula in any stores. I purchase mine from All Star Health at about 50% of the price that Optimum Nutrition charges.  The Pro Diet formula has more protein in it than some of the other formulas that body builders use.

 Of course we started with the margaritas.

The Pomegranate Margarita was smooth and delightful for this imbiber who doesn’t normally do margaritas.  Made with Corazón Reposado, pomegranate liqueur and fresh lime, I could have easily done two. But I managed to hold out for the next pairing.

This margarita was paired with a choice of soup or salad. Ensalda de Mango was made with succulent mango with jicama, seasoned pumpkin seeds, grapes, mint and queso fresco with a honey vinaigrette.

We ordered a soup and salad, and were absolutely wild about the Sopa de Pimient, a creamy roasted red pepper soup topped with almonds and queso fresco (a white cheese). There wasn’t a drop left when we were done. I’m a big soup lover, and I highly recommend this one.

The main entrees are paired with the Sunset Margarita, citrus drink with Corazón Añejo, Patrón Citrónge, fresh lime and dash of Cholula, a hot sauce.

We were lucky enough to taste all three entrees. First up was a wonderful Filet Pasilla,   seven ounces of Certified Angus Beef filet mignon topped with pasilla pepper sauce.  Accompanied with sugar snap peas and roasted red peppers, along with a magnificent potatoes baked with cheese that left us wanting more.

Enchiladas de Cangrejo are crab and poblano pepper enchiladas topped with chile de arbol cream sauce. I really enjoyed this dish and don’t think my photo does flavor factor  justice. This was my favorite of all the entrees, but I’m partial to seafood.

Lomo de Cerdo is a pork tenderloin with casacabel pineapple sauce. It was very juicy pork, but be aware –  it is for hot and spicy sauce lovers.

Dessert was paired with a coffee called Heart Warmer made with Corazón Añejo and Bailey’s. There is a choice of two desserts. I recommend you get one of each and be good valentines and share. The Chocolate Cake is a moist seven-layer cake served with ice cream and chocolate sauce. It will definitely give you your Valentine’s Day chocolate fix.

The Strawberry Bunuelos was the other hit of the evening. Vanilla ice cream with fresh strawberries and whipped with cinnamon chips. The chips were light and not overly sweet, and we used them to scoop the ice cream and strawberries up with them. Good, good, good.

This Valentine’s special is available through Tuesday, February 14th.  You’ll have an opportunity to try dishes not on the regular menu. It’s $35 per person, and $50 with margarita pairings.

The service and environment at Cantina Laredo were top notch.  As many know, parking is sometimes an issue at St. Johns Town Center (who said recession?) so I recommend the valet parking Cantina Laredo provides.

There were loud groans and snickers all around me last night when Wolf Blitzer asked the presidential candidates at the GOP debate in Jacksonville why theirs wives would make the best First Lady.  Twitter was overloaded with snarky remarks as well. I thought the question was a good one.

I was lucky enough to score a ticket to the debate through CNN, although I was definitely in the cheap seats.  But the cheap seats were also a cross-section of local Republicans, not the movers and shakers in the VIP seating below.

First Ladies are important because they set the social and cultural tone for the White House, have immeasurable influence on presidents and can make enormous differences in the social issues they champion.  Using the media correctly, they can bring big time brownie points to the White House.

The President actually sets the parameters for his wife’s involvement whether it be by his outright support or subtle use of his aides to ignore requests from the First Lady’s office.

Jackie Kennedy brought culture and grace back to the White House.  As a mother of young children, she declined the role of taking on outside social issues saying that if she messed raising her children that up nothing else really mattered. But the public ate her up and President Kennedy once remarked that he was simply the man who accompanied Jackie Kennedy to France.

Lady Bird Johnson’s highway beautification projects were roundly supported by her husband and later became law with the Highway Act.  Rosalyn Carter was the first to sit in on cabinet meetings. Her work with mental health issues also eventually became law. She also traveled to Latin America to meet with heads of state. Pat Nixon was kept at bay by Nixon’s staff and President Nixon himself seemed to all buy ignore her. She was a quiet influence well-liked by the press.

Hillary Clinton was the first to have an office in the West Wing and spearhead a program, the healthcare issue. She was the first former First Lady to ever run for president, be appointed to a cabinet level post or be a U.S. Senator.

Betty Ford shared her fight with breast cancer at a time when women did not do that publicly. She was outspoken on social issues and the media loved her. And then there’s the Betty Ford Clinic.

Nancy Reagan’s  “Just Say No” brought the issue of fighting drug abuse to youth.  It was her influence on the president and the operations of the White House that is probably unparalleled by any First Lady.  For all the spears thrown at Nancy Reagan, no one can doubt that she was deeply loved and respected by President Reagan.

Barbara Bush and Laura Bush championed literacy. Barbara was a prolific speech giver, while it took Laura longer to get used to the role. Laura seemed to also bring back a degree of genteelness and structure back to the White House after the Clinton years.

Michelle Obama has championed childhood obesity and it’s safe to say she has the ear of the president.  I’m sometimes put off by the way she seems to call him out publicly for his personal quirks. Not cool, especially when you have a public husband.

The most heartwarming line of the debates last night was when Rick Santorum called his wife Karen his hero. You knew he meant it.  How a man speaks of his wife is very telling. When a man cherishes his wife, it makes him a better person.

Just look what happened to Newt.

Directed to a long gravel road in the Jacksonville train yard, I finally found
the Pie Car.

In just one car of this mile-and- a- half- long train, meals are served around the clock to the 320 who travel with the circus when the train is moving.

This day we were feted by by Chef Michael Vaugh and Guest Chef Sjana Venson to a Cajun style lunch that included crab cakes, popcorn shrimp and sausage creole. Make no mistake, this isn’t what you would think Circus food would be. This was worth joining the circus for.

There are only ten booths in the cafeteria -style Pie Car that was frequently referred to as a ‘family den.’  It’s the circus family gathering place when relaxing.

After settling in, we were joined by “America’s Favorite Cowboy” decked out in an orange satin bedazzled shirt and vest,white leather fringed jacked and orange ostrich boots. Andre McClain is the host of the  “All Access Preshow” hour where children join in the circus ring for up-close activities with clowns, elephants and other animals before the big show.

Joining him was Dani Giambaoli, a Brazilian dancer in the show, and now Andre’s fiance.

Andre has been with The Greatest Show on Earth almost ten years and Dani for two. The pair began as best friends and then romance blossomed.

Before circus life, Andre grew up in a real-life rodeo family and began competing at seven years old.  He shows off his cowboy talents now with trick roping, fancy gun twirling, and just about anything to do with the Wild West.  He is also a self-taught animal trainer and trains all varieties of the circus’ animals except the lions, tigers and elephants.  He’s also the back-up ringmaster.

Ringling Bros. scouts the world for specific talent, often according to the needs of the upcoming new shows.  There are 16 different nationalities represented, with certain countries specializing in particular talents. The Chinese are featured in the tumbling and martial arts,  the areal sphere acts are from the Ukraine and most dancers are from Brazil.

Brazilian women traditionally have the dance talent Ringling wants, including smiling constantly smiling. Competition is fierce. Dani was one of five women chosen from a field of almost 400 who auditioned in Brazil over three days. She dances as the Queen of the Southern tribe in this show. Although she spoke no English when joining the circus, she has picked up a slight southern accent to her English which she now speaks well.

It was surprising to find out that each person with the circus has their own private quarters on the train. Andre says he has a nice-sized room, and now that Dani is staying with him, they use her room as a closet.  The only crew that doesn’t stay on the train are those who take care of the lions, tigers and elephants. They stay in trailers next to the animals.

Jacksonville is the third stop on the two-year tour of “Dragons,” the 142nd Ringling Bros.  show. (There are two different shows traveling across the country so each year a new show comes to town.)  There were in-house concerns that the greatness of last show  honoring the 200th birthday of P.T. Barnum would be difficult top top. Agreement all-around, however, says that this is the best Ringling has ever put on.

Surprises will surely abound. With a devilish smile and a knowing laugh, Andre remarked, “Everyone will be part of the show this year. They’ll all take a piece of the show home with them.”

Shows begin tonight. For more info:

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents: Dragons

Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum:   Show times and tickets

The Greatest Show on Earth presents DRAGONS,
where myth and majesty will share the arena. 

For the first time in the history of the circus, dragon tribes from the far reaches of the earth are brought together in a single performance, displaying their breathtaking skills in a circus tournament of champions. Each tribe must prove that they have virtues of courage, strength, wisdom and heart to arouse dragons which appear right before your very eyes! 

There’s also an all-access pre-show where  families can join Host Andre McClain and participate in interactive experiences such as learning juggling and balancing skills, get performer autographs, meet the clowns and see one of the majestic Asian elephant’s paint a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

To enter the giveaway, leave a  comment below about why you love the circus.

Deadline to enter is noon on Wednesday, January 18th. The winner randomly selected by the app “And the Winner Is” and will be informed soon thereafter by email.

The winner can select among the following performances:

Thursday     January 19      7:30 p.m.

Friday          January 20      7:30 p.m.

Saturday     January 21     11:30 a.m. , 1:30 p.m.,  3:30 p.m

Sunday        January 22      1:00 p.m. , 5:00 p.m

Look for my post later this week about what’s sure to be amazing lunch in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Pie Car! That’s the car of the train that feeds the entire circus crew. I’m hoping to run into some interesting characters.

Seasons 52 at St. Johns Town Center in Jacksonville was packed and the bar full on a Tuesday night in the second week of January. Luckily, I was joining up for a dinner at the Chef’s Table to sample the new winter menu.

The Chef’s Table is tucked away just enough to make it feel private, yet close enough to what’s happening to not feel isolated.

As always, every dish on the menu is less than 475 calories.

I couldn’t resist starting with a Ruby Red Grapefruit Martini  just from the way it was described by our server –  made from organic grapefruit crushed down and soaked in Prairie vodka for seven days. Luckily, it was what I refer to as a “sissy martini” meaning it wasn’t a true martini that is primarily vodka. This was one smooth and somewhat sweet martini as it included a bit of agave nectar. For $10.60 you get your own martini shaker that holds two drinks. So worth it.

Next up was seasonal appetizers and salads…

Prince Edward Island Mussels steamed in marinara sauce and served with grilled ciabatta bread.  The mussels weren’t too chewy and the zesty marina was wonderful to soak up with the bread.

Grilled Spicy Tandoori Chicken Skewers with mango chutney and cucumber herb raita which is an Indian sauce made with yogurt. These are cooked on the grill rather than in clay. $8.60

Organic Tomato Stack Salad with blue cheese, crispy chopped bacon, arugula and balsamic glaze. $7.25  Anything blue cheese and bacon is a winner. Seasons 52 gets these tomatoes from a California grower. Although they were great, might we suggest Florida tomatoes?

Maple Leaf Farms Sesame Duck Chop Salad with apples, mint, cranberries, butternut squash and toasted pecans.   This is Seasons 52′s signature salad serving presentation that keeps the warm duck on top so it won’t wilt the greens before serving. Once at the table the server lifts the cylinder and gently releases your salad onto your plate. Absolutely loved this duck salad. While this salad has toasted pecans, in the winter months many of the salads are served with pumpkins seeds. $13.95 entree

Entrees were ordered individually off the menu…

I chose Caramelized Sea Scallops grilled and served with roasted asparagus and tomato-mushroom pearl pasta. While I thoroughly enjoyed my scallops, I couldn’t help but eye my neighbor’s dinner….

Grilled Venison Chop on Venison & Mushroom Ragout with truffle mashed potatoes. One taste of this venison left me wishing I had ordered it, and I’m not even much of a red meat lover. The ragout was simply marvelous, too.  $25.25

Side dishes…

Roasted Beets were one of the side dishes ordered from the menu that changes weekly. $4.95  These were accompanied by a wasabi sauce which sounded quite odd to me but tasted pretty good. I think I would have preferred to smother them in butter, salt and pepper. But thankfully I was saved from myself as Seasons 52 not only doesn’t use any butter in its cooking, but there’s none to be found anywhere in the restaurant.

Roasted Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms were large, tasty and satisfying at $4.95.

Mer Soleil Barrel Fermented Chardonnay ’09 was one of the wines recommended to accompany our dinner. I loved this slightly buttery California choice.  $15 glass/$60 bottle 

Dessert at Seasons 52 is always such fun with its Mini-Indulgences.

This is the only dessert offered at Seasons 52 but that’s okay because sharing is so much fun. The pecan pie remains my favorite, shown bottom right.

 A delightful and delicious dinner was topped off with a wonderful amaretto coffee.

The winter menu continues through March 12, 2012.

Seasons 52
5096 Big Island Drive
Jacksonville, FL  32246
St. Johns Town Center
(904) 645-5252

Being a food blogger means one eats, writes, posts.  Smart restaurants owners know that treating a group of foodies to an exclusive seven course dinner will get their fingers moving and the Internet a buzz,  and in return people at their tables. We don’t just like to eat. We like to write about our experiences.

Our seven course meal lasted more than four hours.  Some of that time was spent photographing the food once it hit the table and before anyone was allowed to dig in. This is that rare event when everyone at the table has their heads in their phones. And that’s a good thing. We tweeted and posted to Facebook photos and info as we ate.

Our dinner at Pele’s Wood Fire was on a Thursday night, so when I got home later that night, I lay like a beached whale in a food coma and wasn’t about to try to write for Food Porn Friday. I’d give myself the week.

Here are my favorites in order of how much I liked them:

Mushroom Formaggi Pizza

Garlic ricotta, roasted seasonal mushrooms, fontina, fresh thyme

The pizza takes two minutes to stretch and top, then only 90 seconds to bake in the wood-fired ovens at 1400 degrees.

Truly the best pizza I’ve ever had.

Black Pepper Spaghetti Carbonara  

Smoked bacon (pork bellies) , Parmesan, tomato, egg-yolk cream

This dish was in tight contention for my favorite. I took two helpings which was a big mistake considering steak was next.

Iced Seafood

Raw oysters, Mayport shrimp,
Dungeness crab

While the seafood was great, the cocktail sauce was out of this world. It had just a little something extra in it that made it magnificent, but alas they wouldn’t reveal what it was.

Arugula and Brie

Arugula and sweet grass dairy brie, red pepper, roasted onion vinaigrette, truffle honey, pistachios

I could eat this all day.

White Chocolate Cheesecake

With amarena cherry glaze and a chocolate-espresso pot de creme

This was a clear favorite of the table, as many left with a second helping for the next day. (One of three desserts!)

Other specialties of the evening were bread made in-house with a light smokey flavor, Lemoncello chicken wings, chicken Caesar salad, margherita pizza, coal-fired rib-eye, tiramisu, and zeppole (Italian donut holes) and Italy’s Segafredo coffee.

Pele’s has an open kitchen design with a great bar area. While they offer 50 beers on tap, there are only about 12 wines by the glass. I was surprised at only one chardonnay option at $10.50 per glass. They make up for it with their by-the-bottle prices which are quite good for the 40 different available.

One of my favorite features is Pele’s hands-free restrooms. With a wave of the hand you get your water, your soap, your towels and your door opened when you leave.

Pele’s Wood Fire is worth the drive to Riverside for all my fellow Beach dwellers. It will soon be open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

She politely hesitated and simply said, “Well, I’m not.” (Thankfully she has been in full remission for a number of years.)

I recognized immediately my mistake. The comment seemed as if it were discounting all she was going through and the important thing was it was not showing. To a person undergoing painful and long-term treatment, saying they don’t look sick is not the compliment it’s meant to be.

I cringed the other day when a friend walking with me on the beach said it to an acquaintance  we happened upon.  I did not know the woman had been under medical treatment for Lyme Disease. As we shared stories, she mentioned that she had a chest port surgically implanted to receive intravenous antibiotics. That’s often the last resort of Lyme sufferers when nothing else is working.

My walking buddy put a big smile on her face and exclaimed, “But you look great!”

Same reaction, “Well, I’m not.”

Those with chronic “invisible” illnesses have a long list of answers to people who say such comments as, “But you don’t look sick.”

Most responses are only those they fantasize about saying, such as, “And you don’t look like a rude idiot either.”

Another favorite sport of the well meaning is when someone suffering from Lyme mentions a symptom such as having leg pain or a severe headache. A frequent response is, “I have bad headaches too, and I don’t have Lyme.” As if the Lyme suffer was creating it all in her mind.

When someone  is very ill, trying to cheer them up by discounting what they are going through is not helpful or wise.  It’s downright insulting.

I learned my lesson as the insulter and the insulted.

Photo by Michelle Chance-Sangthong

Today I am grateful that I have been reminded every day by Facebook friends that there is indeed a much healthier way to eat than the four days straight that I’ve had turkey tetrazzini for dinner from Thanksgiving leftovers.

Michelle Chance-Sangthong has set forth making incremental changes to her health starting with the quality of food she eats. I think she’s past the incremental stage now.  She has quite a massive garden in her backyard and she drinks all those mysterious fresh green drinks. It’s all working for her as big time though.

My sister Priscilla Roland did it a few years ago and went from a pantry full of junk to a consistently healthy way of eating and exercising. (I mean, kick-boxing first thing in the morning?) This is also a woman who drove all the way from Florida to Chicago to spend Thanksgiving with her daughters and took her own salmon to eat rather than turkey.

Photo by Michelle Chance-Sangthong

I totally changed my health ten years ago. Lost a ton of weight as well as cholesterol. It all crept back in time with sick children and exhaustion.

Now, however, I’m like someone who reads  cookbooks but never cooks.  I keep asking Michelle what she’s cooking and growing as I eat turkey tetrazzini.

Time to get crack-a-lackin’.

So what are you grateful for today?

The best news, however, is his supposed pledge to current owner Wayne Weaver to keep the Jaguars in Jacksonville.

I suspect that a few long stays in our beautiful and relaxing coastal city and Mr. Khan won’t ever want to take the team anywhere else. Yes, it’s that great.

Shahid Khan

We as fans, however, will need to make him feel as welcome as possible and step up to the plate to support the team.

So what are you grateful for today?