Easy yummy home meal
My favorite meal is to barbecue some salmon because I grew up in British Columbia, so we had a lot of salmon. That, and a big mixed green salad. I often make this one salad when we go to friends houses that included organic mixed greens, goat cheese, caramelized pecans or walnuts, dried cranberries, sliced avocado and balsamic vinaigrette that I make with balsamic vinegar and a little bit of maple syrup and Dijon mustard. My favorite dessert is pumpkin pie.
Her fab hair secret
For my daily life, I rely on really, really great shampoo and conditioner—Kerastase or Alterna. I do a deep conditioning treatment every couple of weeks. Same with moisturizers. My grandmother moisturized every day. My favorite is Crème de la Mer. I find that its the one that feels so good on your skin.
Instant look-great trick
For me, I find its a little bit of mascara. The best one in the world is by Fresh. Its all-natural; theres no alcohol in it and it makes your lashes look twice as long. Theres also this spray called Lisa Ashley moisturizer. You spray it on your face and it instantly moisturizes. You can wear it under makeup, over makeup or with no makeup. Or if youre on the plane you can put it on. Its just like a little magic product.
Wedding bells?
Jamie [Afifi] and I were about to start to plan, but then I found out Id be gone for nine weeks [filming Maneater], so well probably start planning when I get back.
The fiance effect
I think we have both grown up together in the sense that weve been together for 10 years. We met 10 years ago and we have had to do a lot of long-distance, which is why having visits often is really important. Hes one of the most generous and caring and honest people Ive ever met.
“Rock Band” rivalry
Jamies way better. Hes played the guitar since he was 12 and has a musical ear and I am totally tone deaf, so hes much better. And he practices more.
Great night out
I would go out with Jamie or with a bunch of friends and have some sushi and sake. I love to go dancing, but I dont do it very often, so I cant say it would be a typical night out, but it would be a favorite way to spend a night.
Serious relaxation ritual
I grew up in Canada. My dream way to blow off steam is to go skiing, but since I live in Los Angeles, that doesnt happen enough. My favorite way to cocoon is to go to a ski cabin where its all snowy and you want to bundle up and build a fire and have some red wine and dark chocolate under a giant, giant, giant blanket.
Girls best friend
I have a chocolate lab named Lola because she walks like a woman and talks like a man. Named after a song. She walks like a lady, but she has that deep, deep, deep Rotweiller bark. The cast of Scrubs got her for me at a charity dinner. She was a chocolate lab nugget and I totally fell in love with her. They all noticed and decided to get her for me. She was our little Scrubs mascot and went on set every day.
Her top money-saving tip
We always had hand-me-downs from my cousin. My grandmother would get some matching thing for me and my sister and my cousin. I was the youngest, so I would end up in it for six years because after I wore mine, Id get their hand-me-downs.
Her fave comedy
Steve Martins movie The Jerk. My favorite scene or line is probably when hes leaving and hes like, “All I need is this and this mug and this thing,” and thats how I felt when I was leaving when I was leaving for Arizona. I was like, “All I need is this Scrabble board and this and this,” and of course I didnt really need any of it.
Her fave TV show
30 Rock. I mean its such a good ensemble. They all play off each other so well and the writers are so good and write so well for each of them. Maybe Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey [are my favorite characters], though I know that is totally predictable. My favorite scenes to watch or them bantering together.
Work can be fun!
There is something really nice about [work] being intense and you are going to be in every single scene and you can go in and just focus on that. There are so many distractions at home, so be able to jump in and dive in and really focus is nice.
Going green
I grew up recycling and composting and all of that and I hang all of my laundry…except for towels, because otherwise they feel like cardboard. But recycling is a huge one for me. I find it crazy when you walk into a set or anywhere that doesnt have a recycling option. At this point, thats got to be a priority for everyone. I also use only formaldehyde-free nail polish from Butter and Nars. Your nails are so porous and its such an easy way for the chemicals to get in there. They both have a ton of colors. I think Butter is actually free of three things, like maybe carcinogen-free. When you hear that, youre like, What do you mean? That normally has that in it? I am also going to try to reduce the use of my cell phone.
Natural stress buster
I do acupuncture once a week. Ive been doing that for two years and I just love it. I find its such an amazing way to reduce stress. You go in for one thing and you cure six other things. Also, we always have aloe vera in my house. I am really clumsy and often burn myself.
Vary workouts
Usually I work out in the morning. At the end of the day, I rarely have the energy. I will only get on the treadmill at night if I have a bathing suit scene or bra and underwear scene the next day. Often, were handed the script and find out I have that the very next day. I just started doing some classes with a bit of circuit training. They alternate light free weights with abs and core strength exercises. My favorite thing is yoga, but thats hard to do because they are always an hour and a half or two hours long, so there isnt always enough time. I want to try to do more of that for flexibility and posture and to reduce stress. Thats such an important thing. I think thats what causes a lot of illness in all of us.
Travel musts
I travel with echinacea and golden seal and oil of oregano for when I feel like I am getting sick. You end up smelling like an Italian restaurant, but its totally worth it. It comes with a dropper and you can put it in water or juice to make it taste better, but I usually drop it right down my throat. Sometimes you need a little bit more.
About playing a doctor
I think you grow up and feel so invincible. But having gone through having some people close to me get cancer and then working on a medical show, Ive definitely had a few wake-up calls. Even though its a comedy, every script is about some disease or ailment youve never heard of that you can add to your list of things to obsess over.
Blues busters
Sometimes I need my fiance or my good friends to cheer me up or snap me out of it or make me laugh. There are even some stories that you can just think of and make you laugh and put you in a good mood.
Click here to read more of Sarah Chalke's interview.