G-Blog

Tropical Maple- Pecan Protein Bites

gb@graziellabaratta.com (Graziella Baratta) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:33:54 PDT

Try these for an excellent, healthy snack in- between meals!

A Flashback to College Years

gb@graziellabaratta.com (Graziella Baratta) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:32:27 PDT

Varli Food Festival NYC: An Indian Cuisine & Culture Event

gb@graziellabaratta.com (Graziella Baratta) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:39:34 PDT

On behalf of iFood.tv, Graziella explores the Varli Food Festival, an Indian food and culture event at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City featuring celebrity chefs including Padma Lakshmi of Top Chef!

I'm on Telemundo!

gb@graziellabaratta.com (Graziella Baratta) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:15:58 PST

If someone would've told me a few years ago that I'd be on Telemundo, the second- largest Spanish language network in the country, I would've said "no way Jose!"...simply because I'm not perfectly fluent in Spanish! Although I can hold a basic conversation in Spanish, I never would've thought I'd be filming a TV show in Spanish!! My first language was Italian, but I was born American, so next came English in school, 7th and 8th grade Spanish, then French for 5 years, and my Spanish was rarely practiced. To my surprise, my 7th and 8th grade Spanish lessons came in p r e t t y handy when I was offered to host a fitness segment on the morning show "Al Amanecer Con Jackie!" I'm ever grateful for this opportunity to share my passion for fitness and wellness with a greater audience!

You can catch my segment "En Forma Con Graziella" on the morning show "Al Amanecer Con Jackie" on Telemundo every Monday morning between 6-7 am. I appear twice, the first time with a fitness sequence, and the second time later in the program with a nutritional tip.

Los veo en la próxima, ciao!

SUPER BOWL PARTY 2012 CHILI & NACHOS RECIPE!

gb@graziellabaratta.com (Graziella Baratta) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:56:56 PST

Three cheers for Fit- Foodie style chili and nachos!! No one will ever know they're healthy, wooo!! =)

The BEST Protein Bars Ever

gb@graziellabaratta.com (Graziella Baratta) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:58:11 PST

Graziella, the fit foodie, shares a delicious recipe for the best HEALTHY protein bars, you've ever tasted!! :)

The Classic Makeup Look...& 3 Years of GTV!

gb@graziellabaratta.com (Graziella Baratta) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:47:46 PST

Graziella recreates one of her early show episodes with this classic makeup tutorial, 2 looks in one! Find out what happened to some "vintage" GTV episodes, and enter to win a giveaway sweepstakes in celebration of 3 years of Graziella TV!

Dancing in Heaven

gb@graziellabaratta.com (Graziella Baratta) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 21:55:07 PDT

Dear Auntie Annette,

My heart sank when I heard the news... that you left this earthly plane way too soon. I love you Annette, for everything you were and taught me: dance, theater, life. You were one of the greatest mentors I have ever, ever had. You were the most passionate, genuine, caring and involved teacher I have ever learned from. You brought out of me what I didn't know I had, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful. As a performer and dance professional, I strive for the brilliance you never failed to display. It was such a blessing to have had you in my life, even for this short amount of time. So it's just goodbye for now, and I know you'll be dancing in Heaven. I love you.

Annette Cardona, most known for her role as Cha Cha Di Gregorio in the movie Grease, died yesterday.

I was compelled to sit down and write this after I heard the tragic news because I could do nothing else, but more importantly, I wanted the world to know the side of Annette I knew. I met Annette through a mutual friend of ours when I was a dance major in college. I had this paper to write about, and had to find a "famous dancer" to interview...and I had NO idea how I was going to do that! Well, the opportunity to meet Annette presented itself serendipitously, and I thought "wow, how lucky am I to meet Cha Cha from Grease" (one of my all-time favorite movies)! I was so anxious to meet her and wondered how she would react to a mere "civilian" like me. To my surprise, she was incredibly humble, kind, easy to talk to and sooo fascinating- we had lunch for almost 3 hours!! We found that we were both Pisces and shared many other similarities aside from being dancers. Needless to say, I got an A on my paper, but the friendship we developed from then on was something I would have never imagined.

I eventually got to train with Annette to prepare for a performance career and Miss America local pageants in New Jersey. I would have these amazing 3 hour long workshops with Annette in my basement covering theater, improv, dance, and voice. When I say she was a phenomenal teacher, I am not exaggerating. Annette got down to the nitty gritty and made you, MADE you dig deep within to visit places you wouldn't want to go... but that's where the magic happened. I'm not gonna lie, she scared me...but in way that was SO necessary for me at that time in my life. She knew what was going on within me, and was able to draw it out of me through performance. It was the most therapeutic professional instruction I had ever received.

I was fortunate to have watched Annette in action with other students too, as I was invited to participate in her college theater course. She was unstoppable, and simply didn't allow her students to undermine their inherent abilities. A phrase that I use to this day with my own students, I learned from her: "never say I can't, because if you do, then you won't." Annette was such a giving, beautiful, humble and selfless woman who touched the lives of many.

Annette Cardona became Auntie Annette to me as our families grew closer and we shared many joyous occasions together. I was honored to have been her student, but even more so to have had her love support in all of my performance endeavors- she was there to cheer me on. It meant so, so much to me that she came to watch me in the Miss New Jersey pageant (for Miss America) in 2003, and greeted me with the best compliment I had ever been paid after a performance. This photo of Annette with my family and I was taken in 2008 shortly after I was crowned Ms. United States 2008. We drove from Vegas to California and met with Annette in Santa Monica for an afternoon of reminiscing together.

It was still cool that Annette was Cha Cha from Grease, but it was even cooler that she was Auntie Annette. After she moved back to California, we saw each other much less, but still kept in touch via email and phone. She sent me a card recently that I never got a chance to respond to and thank her for.. and it pains me deeply. I only wish I was able to speak to her one last time, and tell her how much she means to me and how she has influenced my life in such a beautiful way. We don't get these second chances. So, Auntie Annette, I hope you're up there watching and reading...I love you and I miss you. I want you to know that every time I dance, I feel that fire that you passed on to me, and I will forever carry it in my heart.

God bless you, and may you rest in peace.

Organize Your Life! TOP 10 TIPS to Decluttering Your Home

gb@graziellabaratta.com (Graziella Baratta) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 23:37:18 PDT

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Graziella chats with organization expert Aimee Stricker about the top 10 ways to organize your life in your home from everything to your front entrance, kitchen, desk, bedroom and everything in- between!

Lamb and Quinoa Royale: Fit Foodie

gb@graziellabaratta.com (Graziella Baratta) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 22:17:24 PDT

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Graziella Baratta, the Fit Foodie serves up a fancy, decadent dinner fit for royalty- her very own creation, Lamb & Quinoa Royale!

Summer Pesto & A New Place for GTV!

gb@graziellabaratta.com (Graziella Baratta) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 20:16:17 PDT

Graziella Baratta, Ms United States 2008 shares a simple summer pesto recipe that's no only yummy but healthy! Cook it up hot in a cool 10 minutes!

Subscribe to the new GTV Youtube Channel!!

OK! Magazine Spokesmodel for Kiwi Fox

gb@graziellabaratta.com (Graziella Baratta) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 14:12:40 PDT

I'm proud to announce that I'm the new spokesperson for Kiwi Fox beauty products, and here I am in an OK! Magazine ad for their product, Foxy Lash, an all- natural eyelash growth serum! It's a stellar line of effective and natural products that I really feel great about promoting. If you've watched my Graziella TV shows, you know I wouldn't promote anything that wasn't natural lol.. I'm pretty big on that.

Photo credit goes to the wonderful Angel Sanchez of New York.

This is the July 4th issue of OK! Magazine, with Kim Kardashian on the cover, although it came out on June 23, 2011.

Check out Kiwi Fox and hear my radio ad!

10 Ways to Beat the Stress Monster

gb@graziellabaratta.com (Graziella Baratta) — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 00:17:13 PDT

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Graziella shares 10 simple ways to beat the stress monster we all face..plus check out her fight moves ;) Special announcement at the end for all GTV fans!

Tropical Seared Tuna Salad FIT FOODIE

gb@graziellabaratta.com (Graziella Baratta) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 07:28:43 PDT

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Graziella re-creates one of her faborite restaurant dishes: a fresh tropical seared tuna salad that's perfect for summer!

Green Beauty

gb@graziellabaratta.com (Graziella Baratta) — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 13:20:06 PDT

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Graziella shares natural beauty solutions for skin, cellulite, eyelashes, wrinkles and more! Plus a special announcement =)

Chocolate Mousse Fit Foodie

gb@graziellabaratta.com (Graziella Baratta) — Thu, 19 May 2011 07:44:36 PDT

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Graziella shares a divine chocolate mousse recipe that is super- healthy, but doesn't taste like it! You'll never believe the ingredients!

GTV Bloopers and Outtakes

gb@graziellabaratta.com (Graziella Baratta) — Fri, 06 May 2011 16:59:36 PDT

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Get a closer look inside Graziella TV in this behind- the- scenes footage of bloopers and outtakes. Go ahead, laugh at Graziella's expense!

Lower Manhattan Historical Tour

gb@graziellabaratta.com (Graziella Baratta) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 08:59:06 PDT

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Former Ms United States Graziella Baratta takes you on a mini- historical tour of downtown Manhattan. You'll learn some new things about the great city of New York, and even hear a ghost whisper (more like hollar)!

Oatmeal Banana Pancakes Fit Foodie

gb@graziellabaratta.com (Graziella Baratta) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 23:19:14 PDT

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Graziella prepares oatmeal banana pancakes, a hearty, healthy, and above all scrumptious breakfast! Oh, and there's a little surpise in this episode ;)

Spring Has Sprung! Your Top 5 To-Do

gb@graziellabaratta.com (Graziella Baratta) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 22:11:14 PDT

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Excited about Spring, Graziella talks about the 5 things you need to do at the change of the season, including a yummy dip recipe!

Apple Crisp- Fit Foodie

gb@graziellabaratta.com (Graziella Baratta) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 13:01:26 PDT

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Graziella cooks up a stovetop version of apple crisp, keeping it simple, delicious and of course, Fit- Foodie style!

Spring Fashion 2011 for Less

gb@graziellabaratta.com (Graziella Baratta) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 17:21:25 PDT

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Liana Baratta of B.youneek Total Image Consulting styles her sister Graziella in Spring 2011 trends for less than designer prices...WAY LESS!

French Bistro Dinner- Fit Foodie

gb@graziellabaratta.com (Graziella Baratta) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 14:20:25 PDT

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Graziella prepares a typical French Bistro dinner, Fit- Foodie style! Hanger steak with shallot and red wine sauce, potatoes and green beans. C'est tres bon!

French Bistro Dinner- Fit Foodie

gb@graziellabaratta.com (Graziella Baratta) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 13:47:56 PDT

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Graziella prepares a typical French Bistro dinner, Fit- Foodie style! Hanger steak with shallot and red wine sauce, potatoes and green beans. C'est tres bon!

Fit Foodie Authentic Italian Carbonara

gb@graziellabaratta.com (Graziella Baratta) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 18:24:25 PDT

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Graziella, the Fit Foodie re-creates an authentic Italian Spaghetti Carbonara dish, fit foodie- style! Here's a hint: there's no butter or cream in it.