RECIPE

BUTTERNUT SQUASH & APPLE SALAD with Tahini Dressing

By Amie Valpone, thehealthyapple.com

It’s a new year, which means it’s time to start your New Year’s Resolutions to eat and live clean. What do I mean by that? For starters it means tossing all the processed foods from your pantry and fridge and replacing them with whole foods. I know that probably sounds overwhelming (if you need some guidance, check out my best-selling cookbook

Eating Clean: The 21-Day

Plan to Detox, Fight Inflammation, and Reset Your

Body, which guides you through the kitchen detox process). Focus on one ingredient, whole, organic foods- you can base your entire day around these foods by selecting proteins, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates at the food store and tossing them together to make your meals and snacks, like the recipe below. Think of healthy proteins as organic chicken, beans and legumes; healthy fats such as avocado, walnuts, almonds, extra-virgin olive oil, coconut oil and pumpkin seeds; and complex carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes, squash and gluten-free whole grains. Eating clean is a lot easier than you think- start your New Year off on the right foot by tossing those processed foods that leave you feeling heavy, bloated and tired (which is a sure sign of inflammation) and instead reach for whole, organic foods.

Here’s an easy recipe you can make this week for dinner and serve leftovers for lunch. Tahini is a great way to get protein in your dressing; it looks just like peanut butter but it’s made from pureed sesame seeds, which are high in calcium and protein. It’s a win-win.

INGREDIENTS

l 1 large butternut squash l 2 tbsp. melted coconut oil l Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste l 2 cups finely chopped Swiss chard l 2 cups finely chopped flat (dinosaur) kale l 1 cup chopped purple cabbage l 1 small apple, diced l 1 small cucumber, diced l 3 tbsp. raw walnuts, chopped l 2 tsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro l 1 large scallion, thinly sliced l Juice of 1 large orange l 2 tbsp. tahini (sesame seed butter) l 1 tsp. hemp seeds l 1 tsp. freshly grated orange zest

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 2. Slice the butternut squash in half lengthwise and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Remove and discard the seeds. Drizzle with the coconut oil, sea salt and pepper. Roast for 30-35 minutes or until the squash is tender. 3. Remove the squash from the oven and set aside for 10 minutes. Peel the squash, discard the skin and cut the flesh into ½-1 inch cubes. Place the cubes in a large bowl. Add the chopped Swiss chard, kale, cabbage, apple, cucumber, walnuts, cilantro and scallion. 4. In a small bowl, whisk the orange juice and tahini until it creates a creamy dressing consistency. Drizzle this dressing over the squash and kale mixtures. Garnish with the hemp seeds and orange zest. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper and serve warm.

MORE THAN

JUST A Pretty Face

By Patricia Danflous

Model, actress, producer and fashionista Simona Fusco brings insight to forming perfect relationships.

Simona Fusco is well connected in the entertainment industry – she produced “Beverly Hills Christmas” starring Dean Cain in 2015 and has over 30 movie and TV credits to her name. But her interest in the field is waning. Today, her award-winning matchmaking firm Perfect 12 is her number one priority along with her non-profit organization, The Maria

Gruber Foundation. A native of Vienna, Austria, Simona entered into the spotlight at eight years old in national modeling campaigns for

Benetton and Lacoste. As a young teenager, she moved to America where the entertainment world discovered her beauty, talent and charisma. It was her Hollywood life that sparked an

interest in matchmaking. “Being in the entertainment business, all you meet are other people in the business,” she describes. “I really wasn’t interested in dating people in my business and I am not the type of girl to go to nightclubs or bars. I certainly did not want to go online for the obvious reason that it is too dangerous. Matchmakers would constantly approach me to join their service but I was very apprehensive.” Simona told me that she had been with matchmakers and eventually was introduced to her late husband and father of her child. However most of the matchmakers lied to her, told her things that were not true about the dates she went on, made her feel unprotected, exposed and used by the people she confided in just so they could appease their male paying clientele. It is for that very reason that she wanted to form a business emphasizing trust and a handson approach as well conducting thorough background checks as well as the extras including relationship counseling and image consulting.

“A Perfect 10 is just a pretty face. A 12 offers so much more than just that. She is sophisticated, classy, educated and her inner beauty far outshines her outer beauty,” the award-winning business owner, entrepreneur, fashionista, producer, actress and philanthropist explains in a light-hearted tone. With a strong belief that going beyond the skin’s surface is necessary for a meaningful relationship, Simona founded Perfect 12 Introductions, an award-winning executive matchmaking and personal recruiting firm with a 90 percent success rate. Originated and headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, the company has offices throughout the United States.

The expert matchmaker is selective in her client base. “The clients I take on are like family. We both have an understanding that I am here for them to help them find what they’ve been searching for their entire life. Because of the way I run my company and the values that I insist on upon myself, my staff, my clients and my girls, I have an over 90% success rate. There are a lot of beautiful women and wealthy men that apply with my agency on a daily basis from across the globe,” she says. “It is not looks or money that get you accepted into my agency; it is about what you offer besides a pretty face, fame or fortune. In addition to extensive faceto-face interviews, Perfect 12 conducts background checks, verifying all potential clients before introductions. “My clients consist of celebrities, athletes, politicians, Fortune 500, doctors, attorneys, and so forth who aren’t the types to go to bars, nightclubs or online dating sites to meet random people. They do not have problems meeting women or vice versa, in fact they are very popular, but they’re looking for quality over quantity. Much like they outsource a personal chef, personal driver or a personal

trainer, they outsource their love life to a trusted advisor. Their time and reputation are important to them and that is why they come to me to find love. Upon meeting I decide whether their expectations are realistic and match the values and core morals of our company. My clients are very discerning and that is why they entrust me.”

When it comes to image, Simona offers diverse suggestions for dressing, especially when it comes to that first date. Her female clients frequently ask her for suggestions about what to wear on that first date and it is for that very reason Simona started her very own online boutique www.StylebySimonaFusco.com. “Instead of sending my clients to an expensive Beverly Hills boutique, at Style By Simona Fusco my clients can find designer looks at affordable prices sure to impress their first date and every date thereafter”.

“Perfect 12 is responsible for hundreds of marriages and many babies. It is the most satisfying feeling to be responsible for two people meeting and falling in love. There is nothing more rewarding than being responsible for making someone happy and matchmaking is that and more to me. Everyone, no matter who they are, whether they’re rich, famous, beautiful or not, everyone ultimately wants to love and be loved. It sounds cliché but that is what life is all about. Finding your puzzle that fits. I feel lucky to be able to say that I have found a career that completely fulfills me and in the process of having found my calling, I am able to fulfill other peoples’ lives as well through Perfect 12 and my non-profit organization The Maria Gruber Foundation.”

“I started my non-profit organization in honor of my mother and for

Farah Fawcett, the godmother of my daughter. Both passed way from stage 4 colorectal cancer,” she explains, adding that it was her mother’s guidance and encouragement to keep moving forward. “The Maria Gruber Foundation is not to find a cure, but more to let people know that colorectal cancer can be so easily avoided if people would get a colonoscopy. It is also to provide support to families whose loved ones are affected by terminal cancer by turning the fear, grief and helplessness caused from this disease into awareness, compassion, and support. It is the mission of The Maria Gruber Foundation to create educational tools designed to help parents, children, and loved ones affected with terminal cancer. Foundation volunteers aid families with grocery shopping, walking pets, taking children to and from school, cooking, funeral arrangements, insurance negotiations, and many other aspects of their day to day life.”

Perfect 12 has hundreds of marriages. I am responsible for many babies and lovely relationships. It is very satisfying"

Although it is hard to imagine that Simona has any free moments when she is not writing a relationship article, interviewing clients, educating and helping others about cancer, or developing a new program to inspire young women, she does spend considerable time outdoors. “I have a beautiful German Shepherd and I love hiking with him,” she says. “I am an avid bike rider, putting in about 30 miles a day and I love driving along the coast all the while coming up with new ideas to improve my already existing businesses as well as creating new ones. I also enjoy traveling and exploring the world.”

Talking to Simona made me realize that this woman is far from the A-typical LA woman I thought she was; rather, Simona has much more depth, compassion and actually is a caring and loving human being, from helping people find love to helping families left behind by personal tragedy, her inner beauty far outshines her outer beauty. In my book that is a Perfect 12.

You're both loyal, honest and bring value to the table