Page 24 March 2017 STOP BY ANY OF OUR 8 CONVENIENT VALLEY LOCATIONS! • 22 S. Mesa Dr, Mesa • 1017 E. Apache Blvd, Tempe • 1111 E. Buckeye Rd, Phoenix • 2628 W. Van Buren, Phoenix • 3920 S. Central Ave, Phoenix • 4121 N. 44th St, Phoenix FAX: 602-952-9233 • 5516 W. Glendale Ave, Phoenix • 9309 W. Van Buren, Tolleson Need a menu? Visit our web site: www. PETESFISHANDCHIPS .com Family Owned & Operated Since 1947 It’s our 70th Anniversary of serving the fastest fish in the Valley. We want to thank all of our loyal customers for making this possible. Thank You! – Your friends at Pete’s. By Andrea Barkley A former client and I were talking recently about how she’s been eating healthy and pretty consistently going to the gym but didn’t feel like she was bringing her “A” game. I actually congratulated her, telling her that she found the answer to long-term health and fitness and also well, everything! It turns out, when we bring our A game all the time, we have nowhere to improve and teeter dangerously on burn out. Life is a matter of balance, so when you swing high for too long, you inevitably swing low. When your diet is completely clean, how can things improve when you want your body to change? When you are crushing it at the gym day after day, where do you make adjustments to improve and avoid injuries? There is a lot of talk about balance in life, but there are so many messages encouraging us to crush every goal; to be at the top of our game. It can cause us to feel guilty for not being on our A game at all times. Really though, life is a marathon and not a sprint. Sprints are brief, followed by long periods of rest and recovery. Let’s take a closer look at how this applies to nutrition. If I started every morning with the perfectly balanced protein shake, followed by a salad with wild fish and olive oil and vinegar for lunch and a 4oz grass-fed steak with sweet potato and steamed broccoli for dinner, I’d be eating a near perfect diet. Which is wonderful. But, what happens when my fitness efforts stall and I succumb to two slices of pizza and gain five pounds overnight? The problem is that there is simply no room for improvement in a perfect diet. We hear a lot about the 80/20 rule in nutrition, which means we eat clean 80 percent of the time and indulge the remaining 20 percent of the time. I have a different name for it: I call it my B game. Lol! Also, the idea of committing to bringing your A game day after day can be completely overwhelming. The mere thought can cause many folks to wind up bringing zero game. My B game principles are applicable to not just nutrition and working out, but also work, relationships, finance and every other part of your life. So, if you’re bringing zero game, get the ball rolling by aiming for your B game. The fact is that you will wind up bringing your A game when you are ready. If you’re constantly on your A game, give yourself permission to dip into your C game a little bit. Then come on up to the B squad, where we can sustain success for much, much longer and achieve better long- term results. — Andrea Barkley is a fitness expert and founder of Moan Out Loud Protein Shakes. Long-term winners make constant use of their ‘B’ game FOOD WISE When we bring our “A” game all the time, we have nowhere to improve and teeter dangerously on burn out. ”

Page 25 March 2017 COME ENJOY ALL YOUR TEEPEE FAVORITES WITH THE GREAT WEATHER ON OUR COOL PATIO! BOOK YOUR PRIVATE PARTY ON ONE OF OUR PATIOS OR WE CAN PROVIDE FULL CATERING SERVICE CALL KATHY AT 602-300-7133 FOR RESERVATIONS OR CATERING. 602-956-0178 | 4144 E. Indian School Rd. PLACES WE LIKE By Nick Smith The southeast corner of East Doubletree Ranch Road and Scottsdale Road is an area loaded with places to eat. But even here, ALMA WxSW stands out. A division of Soul Concepts from Executive Chef Sheila Bryson, ALMA touts a “west by southwest” flare to a modern American cuisine. ALMA offers breakfast and lunch, but dinner seems to be one of the most popular times, with parking spaces scarce on a recent Friday night. The restaurant was completely full, but with a layout that doesn’t make it feel cramped. There is a large outdoor patio that connects to the indoor section, with both a bar and dining area. The decor is modern with a touch of classic southwest, including antlers for chandeliers. The drink and cocktail menu is extensive, and the list of starters and small plates is long and varied enough to allow some guests to construct their entire meal. The Crisp Cauliflower is the kind of dish that even non- vegetable lovers can enjoy. The cauliflower is fried crispy and the taste is sweeter than anticipated. A chipotle creama lightly coats the bottom of the dish, giving guests the ability to choose how spicy they want to make each bite. The pickled onions add a vinegary element. This may be the standout dish from the starters. Another eye-catching starter is the Crisp Pork Belly Tacos, served in lettuce cups instead of tortillas. The pork belly is soft, making the crunch of the lettuce cups a welcome textural balance. A sweet spicy chili jam gives the tacos an almost dessert-level sweetness. Seafood options are abundant at ALMA. Steamed Clams are served in a bowl with a white wine butter garlic sauce, which has a real kick to it. The clams are surprisingly spicy, helped along by the savory jalapeño bacon spread liberally throughout the bowl. One of the daily specials is the Lobster Bisque, and the piping hot bowl isn’t one where guests will feel shorted. There’s no mistaking the front- and-center taste of lobster in this dish. Entree options include steak, scallops, pork chops and short rib ravioli. A dish that perhaps best represents ALMA’s mixing of southwest flare to American cuisine is the Mexaloaf. The softball-shaped meatloaf is presented beautifully, wrapped and sealed in bacon. The meat has the familiar ketchup taste that one expects from meatloaf, combined with the spicy heat of jalapeño bacon and chipotle. Each dish at ALMA hit a high note, from the presentation to the taste. It’s a gem in the north Scottsdale area, a restaurant with high quality dishes that are unique and familiar all at once. ALMA WXSW CUISINE 8989 N Scottsdale Rd #608, Scottsdale almascottsdale.com Southwest-modern American cuisine done right Alma WXSW offers diners the opportunity to dine outside to enjoy the beautiful Arizona weather. The popular restaurant fills up fast, but is designed to ensure diners are still comfortable even on busy Friday nights. Mexaloaf Rainbow Trout entrée over vegetables with tri-colored home fries. Mahi Mahi Tacos