One of my extra romantic and healthy Date Night Mediterranean Meals with my Greek god on the beach in Santa Barbara, California Photo by RomancingtheTable.com

This month is National Mediterranean Diet Month (Med Month!) created by Oldways, a world-renowned source of Mediterranean diet information, “to highlight the healthy Mediterranean Diet and its lifestyle practices.” It is based healthy foods “that have traditionally been consumed by people living in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.”

To me, every month is Med Month! As an American Italian-Greek, married to an American-Greek who loves to eat, I’m often found in the kitchen cooking delicious Mediterranean meals and testing recipes for date nights, my blog, my upcoming book and my website (RomancingTheTable.com). I strongly believe in an Oldways’s quote on how the Mediterranean diet affects your love relationships, “You need to eat well to love well.”

Research that began on the Greek island of Crete after World War II proved that the Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest in the world. It is often described as the “gold standard for healthy eating” and has been proven to reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases and increasing brainpower.

Oldways created the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid along with the Harvard School of Public Health. According to the pyramid, we should eat mostly vegetables, legumes, grains, fruits, herbs, spices, and healthy fats such as olive oil on a regular basis. Seafood should be eaten at least twice a week, poultry, diary, and eggs consumed daily to weekly, and red meats and sweets should be on the menu less often. Being physically active and enjoying meals with others is also an important part of the pyramid and the Mediterranean lifestyle. Below are images of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid along with a Vegetarian Diet Pyramid.

Mediterranean Diet Pyramid by Oldwayspt.org

Vegetarian Diet Pyramid by Oldwayspt.org

I’ve found that delicious and healthy Mediterranean meals with quality time at the table definitely contribute to my happy and healthy marriage. Each week, my husband and I take turns planning our weekly date nights (I’m lucky that he can cook, too!) The person whose week it is makes a Mediterranean dinner and chooses an arts and entertainment activity for the night. We occasionally save up and go out to one of our favorite California-Mediterranean restaurants. The ultimate Mediterranean eating experience was when we were in Greece to produce our #1 NY Times About.com culinary travel DVD - A Greek Islands Destination Cooking Class DVD that took place at a top gourmet Greek restaurant. Back home, when we sit at the table we love recreating a Mediterranean atmosphere with a delicious and healthy Mediterranean Meal. To date, my husband Jim and I have been married for five years and if you count the year of our engagement, we’ve had over one year (365 days) worth of date nights in total. That’s a lot of romantic eating! You can do the same by downloading the Date Night Scheduler HERE.

My Grecian Goddess Greek salad that was inspired by the salad we shared on our first dates causing love at first Mediterranean bite!

Oldways also has a Mediterranean Foods Alliance, which I enjoy being one of their culinary advisors. We’ve all teamed up to put together a list of vegetable recipes for Med Month. You can find my info and recipe here, the fourth from the bottom. For more information on National Mediterranean Diet Month by Oldways go here.

I send you Goddess Blessings for your own romantic and healthy Mediterranean date nights! Click here for extra tips on creating a romantic atmosphere for your date night meals. Write me and let me know about your own culinary date nights.

Check out this short video on my wonderful experience as a CSA member
(Community Shared Agriculture) at Fairview Gardens, one of the oldest organic farms in California. With increased national interest in eating locally grown organic foods for one’s health, the environment and supporting your local farmers, a CSA program is a great and affordable way to ‘eat like a Mediterranean’. The Mediterranean diet, largely plant-based, has been proven scientifically to be one of the healthiest diets in the world.

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Check out RomancingTheTable.com for recipes, tips and watch me explore the cuisine of the Mediterranean (on location) with our #1 New York Times’ About.com Culinary-Travel DVD, A Greek Islands Destinations Cooking Class (DVD), filmed in Santorini, Greece. For women’s wellness tips, check out my Amazon.com Top Selling book, Diary of A Modern Day Goddess.

For more information on Fairview Gardens visit FairviewGardens.org.

To find a local Farmer’s Market or CSA program near you, visit LocalHarvest.org

During the course of one’s lifetime we will all have eaten many meals whether alone or with others. Some which are ordinary and others quite special. The mere scent and taste of a certain food or even a photo can transport us back to a wonderful food memory which includes the people, the food and the location.

A Greek salad or horiatiki (villager salad) is what I love to make at home as often as possible. Its gorgeous colors and shapes of ripe tomatoes, green or red peppers, Kalamata olives, cucumber slices sprinkled with Greek oregano and lemon juice and completed with a glisten of olive oil and creamy feta cheese (made from goat and or sheep’s milk) are a feast for the senses. It is also take me back to my wedding and honeymoon on the Greek islands of Santorini and Crete and our recent trip to Naxos and Mykonos.

Watch the video below and join me as we enjoy a Greek salad by the Mediterranean sea at a Greek taverna, Alexandros, located in the Little Venice section of Mykonos:

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Our Greek village salad in Mykonos is another precious deposit into to our romantic culinary food memory bank.

Remember you can create or recreate your own wonderful food memory at home or while traveling as well.

– I want to share with you a simple and easy recipe to make your own Greek salad which I now call:

"A Grecian Goddess Greek Salad."

- Go to the recipe section of this website to view this and all the delicious recipes.

- You can also watch clips of another culinary travel memory we had in “A Greek Islands Destination Cooking Class” DVD which was filmed in romantic Santorini, Greece and chosen the #1 NY Times About.com culinary travel gift.

If you any questions or a culinary food memory you would like to share email me at cynthia@moderndaygoddess.com

Romance, Relaxation & Gourmet Dining.

My husband James and I were delighted with our experience at Secrets Capri Riveria Cancun, an all-inclusive ultra luxurious resort located on the Mayan Riviera on 71 oceanfront acres. This adults-only resort is a romantic, relaxing, first-class getaway.
The cuisine was delicious, gourmet, healthy and well presented. The overall resort service was top notch. The Mexican Mediterranean architecture surrounds a scenic pool and a white sand beach offers thatched umbrellas and couches to lounge on by the sea,

When we mentioned prior to our arrival that we were recent newlyweds and that it was also my husband’s birthday, we were greeted with a honeymooners banner on the door and balloons in the room on the day of his birthday. Our room had a fabulous view of the ocean, the resort and the pool. We had a four-poster bed and a full Italian marble bathroom.

The resort activities where the staff “shares a secret” included everything from how to sculpt towels into love swans, to cooking classes to couples massage to dancing. The activities were low key so you could still relax by the pool and beach if you weren’t participating in an activity. The resort also has a variety of beach, land and water activities including complimentary golf at Cancun Golf Club.

One of the highlights is the resorts lovely spa – where you can experience a romantic couples massage side by side under an atrium directly on the beach. It was a wonderful feeling knowing my love and I were receiving massages at the same time.

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The other highlight of our stay was Secrets’ all inclusive dining which included five gourmet a la carte restaurants with menus offering Seafood, Mediterranean-Italian, Pan-Asian and Mexican cuisine plus a sumptuous buffet and 24 hour room service. Our two favorites were Oceana and Portofino. At Oceana, we celebrated my husband Jim’s birthday with a romantic table for two on a private balcony overlooking the pool. At Portofino we enjoyed Italian cuisine and experienced a private romantic dinner for two with a menu designed by the talented chef in Portofino’s wine cellar (available for an extra charge.) Overall, I enjoyed presentations and flavors of the Mediterranean Mexican dishes that utilized an abundance of fish, seafood and fresh produce. One of my favorite desserts was the flan. For variety, there was an outdoor dining event held on the beach for the guests complete with a live show of talented dancers. There was also a Mexican buffet by the pool that was a colorful feast.

Secrets Capri Riveria was exactly what we were looking for – a resort that offered first class amenities such as romantic and delicious dining options, couples massage and a tranquil environment. This allowed my husband James and I relax together, spend time on the beach, in the pool, dining, reading and just enjoying being together. What a lovely trip first class Mexico offers for couples wanting romance, relaxation and gourmet dining.

To get there:
From Los Angeles we took a Mexicana Airlines flight direct from Los Angeles to Cancun. (4.5 hours) Then secured a driver we arranged ahead of time with the resort to drive us to the resort which was 35 minutes south of Cancun Airport and 15 minutes from Playa del Carmen. We visited the resort in December and enjoyed the sunny and warm weather. For more information go to www.secretsresorts.com

On the wrap around porch of Maples Inn

While we live in California, the state of Connecticut and county of Fairfield, is where I was born and can be quite a beautiful for a romantic getaway. In the fall with the leaves turning or the spring when crocuses are just blooming – New England can be extra quaint. Since my husband and I also wanted to be close to New York city we chose the quaint town of New Canaan which has a nearby Metro North train station that takes you into NYC in one hour.

New Canaan is a wealthy and charming suburb. It was romantic for us strolling down New Canaan’s Main Street and looking at all of the shops. We even spotted designer Ralph Lauren and his wife exiting his namesake store on Main Street looking very stylish as they got into their Porsche and drove off. We later learned he lives in nearby New York state which is close to the New Canaan, Connecticut border.

In front of Maples Inn in New Canaan, Connecticut

Springtime Crocuses on lawn of Maples Inn

For accommodations we stayed at the Maples Inn, which is a 22 room, 100-year-old inn.
It originally began as a summer retreat for the urban dwellers from New York City. The Victorian style architecture and wrap around porch reminded me of growing up in New England. The Inn had a quiet and peaceful B&B atmosphere with a self-serve buffet breakfast that could be enjoyed dining on an antique table and underneath an elegant chandelier. The staff was wonderful and we enjoyed being only a few minutes from the quaint main street of New Canaan and an hour away from Manhattan.

Maples Inn Breakfast Tea & Coffee Table with Antique Mirror

The owner Tom Kennedy, a former executive, was quite personable and said the Inn was not only great for visitors to the area but also a great place for those on a business trip, visiting family or needing long term accommodations.

We attempted to eat at the Roger Sherman Inn next door but it was closed so we went into town and had a lovely, romantic dinner at a cozy European Bistro Bonne Nuit.

Romantic Bistro Dinner for Two at Bonne-Nuit

On one of days during our stay, we went into Manhattan to explore the city. We easily took the Metro North train that took us into Grand Central station. I was delighted to have the chance to check out the station’s restoration with its new food markets. My family and I often took the train to see matinees and I commuted to Manhattan for my journalism/broadcasting work and acting classes. Another day on our trip, we visited nearby family.

A Visit to Delicious Grand Central Food Market

Restored Grand Central Station

Often people ask me for some getaway ideas, which is one of the reasons I started my blog/website RomancingTheTable.com. If you’ve moved away from your home state, it can be fun to return, especially with your sweetheart if they have never visited the area. Also one tip that helps keep intimacy alive is to add an extra day or two to spend with your sweetheart alone if you can when you are on a business trip, conference or visiting family.

See if this can work out even, if you have children and are visiting parents or relatives who are still active. After you’ve visited family perhaps they could watch the children overnight while you vacation for a day or two at a nearby hotel or inn as a couple. It can create quality time for everyone. For example, grand kids get time with their grandparents and you both have time alone together. With the current economy there are many affordable deals to be had especially during the week.

2010 LODGING UPDATE: I often do updates on properties I’ve visited and it looks like The Maples Inn is now closed. I’ve learned it is being developed into lovely condominiums with an emphasis on seniors – all while keeping it historic outer frame. As part of the process, the Maples Inn website says there will be a large estate sale of the inn’s 22 rooms of antiques on the weekends of January 29th and Feb. 7th. For couples who are antique lovers, attending an estate sale together is another romantic date idea. For more information & updates go to www.maplesinnct.com and www.dwestatesales.com.