Romy Raves

Being an oenophile and a recessionista, I am always on the hunt for a rockin’ bottle of wine that is budget friendly and delicious all at the same time, and honestly these two qualities are usually mutually exclusive, until now.

Let me introduce you to Chariot Gypsy 2008, a delicious blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Syrah, Zinfandel and Sangiovese from great vineyards in the Napa Valley, Sonoma, San Joachin, and Monterey counties. Now I know what you must be thinking, a red wine blend from Napa is going to be spendy, right? WRONG!

This is a Trader Joe’s bargain peeps (only FIVE BUCKS!!) and I just discovered it this past weekend while shopping for yummy eatz for the President’s Day Weekend.  All of the employees were raving about this delicious bottle of wine that just arrived (exclusive to TJ’s FYI), is a cult fav among oenophiles, and blows out of TJ’s in the blink of an eye. And after reading the tasting notes, hearing all of the in store hoopla, along with the ridiculously cheap price, I bought myself a case without even tasting it!

 Just listen to these yummy tasting notes from the winemaker:  “The 2008 ‘Gypsy’ displays a dark garnet color with a clear violet edge. It shows mixed fresh berry aromas — raspberry and strawberry, with hints of white pepper and pastry. Very clean and lively with juicy berry fruit, firm acidity and a touch of smooth tannin. Excellent and versatile food wine particularly well suited for pork chops and poultry. We think it is the perfect everyday red wine!”

So what do you think? For this price, can it really be that good? Online wine bloggers and insiders are already saying it is pleasant, has some depth,would benefit from some more age in the bottle and is perfect for everyday drinking. You be the judge, and so will I. In fact, I am planning on cracking open a bottle this weekend and then we can compare tasting notes. But for $5 a bottle, what have you got to lose? Let’s get a lively discussion going by posting your comments here.

FYI–I had a chance to try the Gypsy last night and it was surprisingly yummy! Very berry, a little creamy and a little spicy, but really delicious and much more impressive given the $5 price point. I REALLY like it and think I am headed to TJ’s soon to buy another case

You can find Chariot Gypsy 2008 at your local Trader Joe’s (in states where they are allowed to sell alcohol in markets, of course).

This Fall I was invited to a wonderful event for lifestyle bloggers–an afternoon of learning about healthy eating strategies from celebrity lifestyle and fitness guru Kathy Kaehler. Kathy created this wonderfully simple concept called Sunday Set-Up where you buy and prepare all of your healthy meal ingredients on Sunday and have them ready to go during the week when you are crazed, busy, tired and likely to make the wrong food choices. I love this uber simple lifestyle concept and have been using it since the Fall, and now I would like to share it with you. 

Kathy created Sunday Set-Up to help busy moms (and other uber busy peeps) make daily meal prep easier, healthier and more practical. Instead of stressing about how you are going to pull together healthy and tasty meals night after night, this program is your plan-ahead solution. The idea is that every Sunday you “set-up” your meals for the week by shopping for your ingredients over the weekend and selecting, then prepping foods that can be made into a week’s worth of recipe ingredients.

According to Kathy, “Sunday Set-Up is a great way for me to be organized. I get all of my food at the farmers market or grocery store on the weekend, wash it all, cut it up, and put it into containers. It just became a habit for me, and then I started sharing my strategy with clients and moms that I know. I eventually turned it into a program.”

Kathy feels that, “Families today rely too much on take-out and ordering-in. Our children are not learning how to prepare healthy meals. By implementing Sunday Set-Up into your routine, you will save money, eat better, eat healthier, feel more energized, gather as a family more often, and you may even lose some weight.”

Sunday Set-Up is as easy as 1-2-3:

1. On Saturday or Sunday afternoon, take your kids and go shopping at your local farmers market or grocery store, picking up the freshest ingredients possible. Try to be as ‘green’ as possible by making a point of buying seasonal, local, and organic ingredients (they tend to be the most vibrant and taste the best too!) Also, bringing the kids gets them excited and invested in the healthy eating process. Click HERE to see Kathy’s Sunday Set-Up Shopping List.

2. On Sunday, chop and cook the ingredients necessary for a week’s worth of meals and snacks. This includes vegetables, rice, pasta, beans and chicken/protein. And to add a little yummy inspiration to the mix, here are two of my favorite, super easy and delicious recipes that Kathy made with us at this event: Kathy’s Kale (ridiculously addictive) and Salsa Rice and Black Beans

3. After the preparing and cooking, store the fixings in clear glass containers (Kathy introduced me to Snapware Glass Lock Containers and I absolutely LOVE them–durable, leak proof, easy to see your food and aesthetically pleasing) and place them at the front of your refrigerator. That way, you will be excited about all of the mix and match possibilities for meals and healthy snack options.

That’s It! Simple, Easy, Inspired, Yummy and Healthy! Thank You Kathy for conceptualizing such a brilliant modern day program that can really impact lives in such a positive way.  So, what are your healthy lifestyle choices? Any quick and easy tips for eating healthier? Please post and share your tips and ideas.

I am a mother to an uber cool, six year old hipster boy who totally cares about how he looks, especially his hair. And he is all about the Faux Hawk.  He just loves his ‘do’ and all his little friends comment on it and love touching it, and he likes that too.  However, being an active little boy means that he gets into things and he needs some industrial strength product to keep his faux hawk in tact and withstand his ‘active boy-ness’.

This beauty maven hunted long and relentlessly until I found the perfect ‘little boy Faux Hawk holding Nirvana’ called (and you’re gonna love this) Hard Up Hard Holding Gel by Short by Sexy Hair. This is the most awesome, industrial strength hard holding hair gel on the market.  It totally keeps his faux hawk in perfect condition throughout his day (which I love) and when he comes home he still looks adorable and hip thanks to Sexy Hair (the irony kills me ) 

And not only does this fab ‘I can’t live without’ hair product withstand the test of time, it also washes out easily at night and does not damage his precious hair.  And I also use this megawatt gel when I want a super sleek ponytail that doesn’t move, and I tell you it doesn’t move! And I also love the large pump dispenser, which makes it super easy to access and use during the morning rush to get ready for school.

Kudos to the Sexy Hair geniuses who came up with this fool proof hard holding product, I am a fan and so is my kindergartener.  You can find out more about this great product HERE.