L.A. Diet

Grimm Actress Bree Turner Eats ‘Protein Infused Bread,’ Loves La Scala’s Chopped Salad

Actress Bree Turner, who stars in the role of Rosalee Calvert on NBC’s Grimm, has a hectic shooting schedule pinning her in Portland for considerable stretches of time. It may complicate her life at home in L.A. but also endows her with a new respect for good food. “I’m way more into organic eating,” the mother of three tells Grub Street. “I’m more aware of what I’m buying and how far is it traveling to the market. Just things I’ve never thought about before. A goal of mine is to eat better. To eat like a grown-up.” Before returning north to resume production on season three this fall (this season’s finale hits on May 21), Turner is enjoying her hiatus back in L.A., stashing snacks, cooking family meals, and trying to remember to eat breakfast along the way. Read all about it in this week’s L.A. Diet.

Wednesday, May 1
I don’t eat enough breakfast, because I don’t eat until lunch. I’m so in the mode of taking care of my kids and making sure are they getting their protein, their veggies, and their fruit. Then I realize I haven’t eaten in 6 hours. I think I need to have a better breakfast, but mornings are so busy.

On Wednesday, I went to the zoo with the kids. Their age difference is getting easier to be with them all day, but it’s definitely challenging. My friend got me hooked on these raw almonds from Whole Foods, so I have a bag in my driver’s side door, and I basically nosh on them all day. She also got me hooked on a raw coconut cookie. Actually, it’s more like a crisp. I usually have those two things in my door.

So we get to the zoo. I had some chicken tenders and I opted for a salad, even though I wanted French fries. You walk so much at the zoo. I felt like I burned off the chicken tenders and then some. I treated myself to an ice cream cone with my daughter. My husband has a big sweet tooth, and she definitely has that, too. I’m more of a savory person. With the kids and sugar, I kind of allow one treat a day. I try to keep it to snack hours and not replacement of meal.

Thursday, May 2
We do a lot of leftovers. Leftover mac n’ cheese, pad Thai. I had a protein bar for breakfast. Generally, I find protein bars kind of gross. But I’ll throw those “Think Thin” bars in my car for emergencies. I’ve also discovered the apples and greens smoothies at Jamba Juice that my daughter loves, so I’ll get a big one and split that. I get into a habit with food that I’ll eat the same thing three days in a row.

Friday, May 3
By Friday I got my shit together and went to the market. I just got a frother, so I’m making my own almond milk lattes in the morning, which is saving me money instead of going to Starbucks.

This woman who was helping me out with the kids last summer opened my eyes to really easy meals and snacks that are three ingredients or less and take five minutes. Like a tomato and avocado snack with olive oil and salt. My daughter has always been a good eater in terms of well rounded meals, eating her veggies, loving spices. But now she’s a classic picky three-year-old.

Now I’ll make a batch of whole wheat spaghetti at the beginning of the week. I’ll just take what I need, and use my wok, reheat the pasta, and I’ll throw in some veggies in the wok, Parmesan, olive oil, salt, and pepper. It’s so easy.

Saturday, May 4
My husband likes to make French toast, so he made that on Saturday. Or as he calls it, “protein-infused bread.”

For the rest of the day, we just stuck around the house. We’re kind of in this flux of babysitters. So, in transition we haven’t had our date night. Usually we love Terroni. We love AOC. We go to the Katsu-Ya Izakaya.

I used to live in Beverly Hills for 12 years, and I’d do take out from La Scala. It’s the best salad in town. There’s nothing that hits a craving like that chopped salad. We love it there. I love going to the Tower Bar, and type of event-y evening that’s a go-to. I love going to Boa and ordering a filet and they have the best sides and martini. Done and done. That’s a birthday dinner kind of place.

Sunday, May 5
On Sunday we went to the Natural History Museum. We brought our own lunch. My husband made peanut butter and honey sandwiches for us.

Then we went to have Indian food. We go to Electric Karma. It’s definitely Americanized, I’m not going to lie. I love the place because they’re the nicest people in the world and they’ve known my daughter since she was 6six months old. For a time she was loving the aloo gobi, and the cauliflower and the naan, but now she’s super picky and will only eat the rice. They have that cozy lounge in the back where you sit on the floor. Because we’re the only ones there at that hour, it turns into basically my daughter’s playroom. They have a fountain, and the Bollywood playing. It’s stimulation of the senses for my children. We probably go there once a week.

Monday, May 6
My mac n’ cheese comes into play again. I made green beans; that was my big victory. And I made yogurt with almond granola. There’s always my morning coffee. I can’t go more than about 20 minutes without getting it, and I relish the moment when I can go down. I have the Keurig; I’m sure some consider it sacrilege if you’re a true connoisseur of coffee, but it’s easy.

Grimm Actress Bree Turner Eats ‘Protein Infused Bread,’ Loves La Scala’s