I just finished a great morning hike with some co-workers. We hiked up to (and a little past) Dante’s View in Griffith Park. Here’s a few flicks I got. Enjoy!
Today I’m starting a fitness challenge with a couple friends of mine (and a few thousand strangers). It’s a 28 day challenge with a schedule of meals and workouts, called the Fit Girl Guide.
While I’m all for a good hard workout, I like to eat what I want. The challenge for me will be sticking to the meal plans provided. However, I think I can stick it out for 28 days, especially if it yields results!
For the first week, the challenge has the same breakfasts lunches everyday. Im not doing that, sorry. I will stick to the idea of eating healthy, but I need variation! So, for breakfast I made an overnight oatmeal with almond milk, honey, Greek yogurt, and blueberries. For lunch I made a roasted veggie “power bowl” with brown rice and hummus. I’ll let you know how they taste when I eat them.
Groceries for the week!
Overnight oatmeal in a mason jar, because they’re cute!
Roasted squash, brussels, bell pepper and garlic. Baked trout for protein.
Lemon and mint water. One for home, one to take for lunch.
Roasted veggie power bowl all read to go!
My dinner is a whole wheat pita pizza topped with spinach, mushrooms, roasted red bell pepper, and roasted garlic (the last two were extra veggies I had from the power bowl).
Pita pizza and sliced apple
My main goal for this “jumpstart” challenge is to simply get into a good habit and hopefully shake off some of the jiggle in my thighs and tummy. Yes, jiggle. It’s there. I’ll be posting updates at least once a week. Below is a “before” photo taken today (day 1). Let’s do this!
Day 1
Cheers!
Okay, so for the past week or so I’ve been craving both the beach and poke. As the post holiday work week approaches, I knew my time was limited so I decided to take action. I was going to satisfy both cravings today. All I needed was an accomplice, and fortunately I have foodie friends!
A simple text and about 45 minutes later, my buddy and I were cruising down the 10 freeway to the coast, where our treasure awaited us.
We first went to what’s probably now my favorite poke place in So Cal, Poke Poke (I first mentioned it here). I was so super excited to see there wasn’t a long line (which is typical for this beach eatery). It was my friend’s first time there and only her second poke experience (her first being in Hawaii, so she knew the real deal). We both had the Aloha and added seaweed and avocado (I think that’s a Cali thing). Bite after bite, all we could say was, “Oh my gosh, this is so good!” It could have been that neither of us had eaten until then, or the fact that I was finally satisfying a craving, but that poke was all I ever could have hoped for!
Large Aloha and a side of Hawaiian Sun. Perfection.
After the grub, we took to the sand for a little play time. That’s right, here in Cali we can still do the beach in January and I love it.
All is calm…
High 60s still calls for sweaters and scarves
My octopus. I named him Nelson.
Must go shoeless in the sand.
Walking on sunshine. Almost.
It would have been a total waste to drive all the way to Venice and not stop for some bread pudding at Schulzies. After all, it’s adjacent to Poke Poke. So that’s exactly what we did. I had been raving about their salted caramel bread pudding since we arrived at the beach, but when we dove in it was way too salty for me this time. I’m not sure if it’s protocol, but the lady sprinkled or dumped (whatever) so much salt on top of the bread pudding it killed it for me. Neither of us finished them.
Super salty caramel bread pudding
A final California treat as we walked back to the car was the most beautiful view of the sunset. There’s something about watching the sun set where the land meets the water. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! You too? No? Okay well, whatever. I’ll be warm and fuzzy by myself. But you can still look because it’s pretty!
The wonder of His creation!
Eat.Go.Learn.Live is now on Instagram! Please go check it out @eat.go.learn.live! Cheers!
Well it’s a new year, and there’s so much to look forward to! Lots of exciting events this year for my family and friends that I can’t wait to experience. As I sit here, belly full of new year’s gumbo and peach cobbler, I can’t help but wonder what all this year has in store.
Instead of reflecting on the year, I’d like to just share how my year ended. I went out with a couple of friends and of course, we welcomed the new year in our own special way!
In honor of the year 2015 we decided to emphasize the latter half of our calendar year by wearing quinceañera dresses.
We kind of scored big time when we came upon a formal dress shop in dtla’s fashion district called Paris Connection. The owners, who are this really adorable married couple, we so kind to us, and totally set the tone for our NYE. The lady told us that she likes to see her customers happy, and I completely believed her.
Our night started in downtown LA where we stopped for about one minute exactly in Grand Park. We ended up in the most random location (I don’t even know its name) for the countdown.
After a toast and a dance we took advantage of free public transportation and journeyed to Koreatown, to a little bar called Lock and Key. It’s a speakeasy-type bar with a wall of doorknobs, and you have to guess which one leads to the inside.
On our way back home, we hadn’t realized that the free transportation had expired (it ended at 2 am). When we came to the turnstile for the metro, I was walking full speed ahead, and then all of a sudden, WHACK! I crashed into the turnstile and almost front-flipped over it. To my advantage, I had an audience of about 12,000 (or 10) people and a couple of hysterically laughing friends. None of which came to my aid, I might add. But like a pro, I brushed it off and kept it moving. We met a singing man on the subway platform that was drinking a can of Arizona tea that happened to match two of our dresses… photo-op! The relatively long wait for the train was also the perfect time to get some more visual memories of our first hours in 2015.
Even though our night wasn’t extremely eventful or spectacular, I felt like it was just right to begin a new year. I hope you’re ready to Eat.Go.Learn.Live through this year with me!
Cheers!
Eat. Go. Learn. Live. 