Just a few (super cool) things that have caught my eye on Pinterest lately… (Follow me on Pinterest for more goodies!)
6 super cool pinterest finds (+ giveaway winner!)
January 20, 2014
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my rituals: beauty expert and blogger olia majd
January 17, 2014
**If you haven’t yet entered my giveaway featuring 2 DOZEN Cravory cookies and a clever print from Odd Daughter Paper Co., go now! Today is the last day to enter. Get all the details here.**
Today’s Rituals features Olia Majd, a half French-half Persian beauty blogger and esthetician with some of the best beauty tips and tricks in the blogosphere. On her style blog, Love, Olia, the San Diego gal offers style inspiration, YouTube tutorials and peeks of the chic place she recently purchased. (Note to self: Must find this red patterned rug.) Her pictures are bright, her style is colorful and her taste is most certainly feminine. It’s no wonder more than 12,000 people tune into her Instagram feed every day!
Check out what Olia has to say about the three rituals that keep her happy:
around san diego - San Diego eats + drinks
san diego restaurant week // preview at JRDN
January 15, 2014
San Diego Restaurant Week kicks off this Sunday, and to scope out the scene for my very first RW, I checked out what the menu looked like at participating restaurant JRDN, Pacific Beach’s seaside restaurant at the Tower23 Hotel. The restaurant is all about fresh, local California cuisine. Even their menu lists which local farms their meat came from, which was great news for me because I love knowing where my food comes from. (Shouldn’t we all?)
We started with a potato gnocchi topped with super creamy burrata, made our way through a chicken confit and side of fregola (a larger, more chewy Israeli couscous), and ended with my favorite of the night, the coconut pain perdu, which was essentially ladyfinger-size pieces of coconut dough surrounding lime sherbert, goat cheese and chocolate- and coconut-coated macadamia nuts. I could’ve had a three-course meal of just that and been happy. Also, I would love some notes from the chef on how to cook chicken that turns out that juicy.
And while we’re on the subject of beachfront dining, it’s a bit embarrassing to admit that in the year we’ve lived here, this was the first by-the-beach meal we’ve had. But what a good one to start with! In terms of restaurants/bars, JRDN is one of the best places in San Diego to watch a sunset. (I love Sunset Cliffs for a nature-themed spot to watch.) Beyond their formal dining area, they have a stylish garden lounge where you can sit at the bar or at tables and enjoy the sun, sand and many characters of Pacific Beach. If you live in San Diego, you know what I’m talking about.
To find out which 180+ restaurants are participating, check out San Diego Restaurant Week. And scroll ahead for some hunger-inducing food pictures, gorgeous sunset views and a peek at JRDN’s beach-cool interiors.
happy one year, my SoCal’d life + a foodie giveaway! (closed)
January 13, 2014
In my very first post on this blog I mentioned that I once had a food blog, then I had a travel blog and then I started this blog. (I failed to mention that in high school I also had a movie blog back before blog was a word.) Each holds a special place in my heart, but this is the blog that feels most true to me. It’s my sanctuary of all things happy, exciting, sad, scary, insecure, delicious, adventurous, beautiful and canine-related. Me in a nutshell, I guess. It’s also helped me through my first shaky year of freelance by giving me routine and an opportunity to put something out there that’s all mine. And to have people read and care? That’s pretty awesome.
So on this day, my one year blog-aversary, I’m running my first giveaway! One lucky winner will get two prizes, both of which represent my love for food and San Diego’s small business scene. Read on for details about the prizes:
one year in san diego
January 10, 2014
Tomorrow marks our one-year Caliversary, and I can say with absolute certainty that there is no where I’d rather be at this point in my life (and maybe forever?) than San Diego. I wanted to live somewhere warm, sunny, outdoorsy and healthy with an emphasis on a good quality of life. And let me tell you, San Diegans live very well. They go to the beach, hike, buy from the farmer’s market, relax and work to live (not the other way around). They have a very positive, friendly and happy outlook on things. How could they not? San Diego is beautiful.
I also wanted to live in a small city, which is such a 180-degree switch from my late teens and early 20’s. I love that San Diego feels like a sprawling urban suburb — oxymoron, but it does feel that way — with tons of distinct and very different neighborhoods. I like that it’s quiet and slow. I like that the city feels most alive in the mornings. I sometimes miss New York’s energy, but at the end of the day, San Diego’s laid-back pace is what I want.
Of course there have been growing pains.
around san diego - San Diego eats + drinks
lessons learned from beaming’s 4-day superfood cleanse
January 8, 2014
I don’t like the idea of straight-up juice cleanses. Though juice cleanses swear they’re not meant to deprive, that’s what they sound like to me. And anytime I’ve attempted one, I almost always end up stuffing my face with cookies by the end of the day.
But then I got to know Beaming, a new juice bar in Del Mar (that ships nationally, too), and they had a novel idea: What if a juice cleanse combined cold-pressed juices with actual food and the freedom to snack? You’d get the same detoxifying properties without feelings of deprivation or guilt. The company’s founder, Lisa Odenweller, has a laid-back, relatable approach. “If you’re hungry, eat half an avocado or some almonds.” There’s no reason to starve yourself, she had told me.
Inspired to take better care of the mind-body-soul connection after I came back from India, I decided to try Beaming’s 4-day Total Rejuvenation Cleanse. I had always, always, always wanted to try a cleanse but had never found a company that structured their cleanses in a way that made sense to me. Beaming’s would be the jump start I needed. Was it hard? Some days. Was it worth it? Yes.
Straight from the mouth of a real girl who likes her food, here’s my honest account of the four days:
neighborhood watch: silverlake in los angeles
January 6, 2014
This weekend I took the train up to L.A. to visit one of my best girlfriends, and since she lives on the west side, we decided to use the train station’s downtown location to explore somewhere far east of the 405. We chose Silverlake, and it was a breath of fresh air to be far away from the glitz, ritz and overall sceney vibe I’ve found in places like West Hollywood and Santa Monica.
If you find yourself in L.A., step into the cool little enclave of Silverlake for well-edited boutiques and awesome food choices. Here are some picks:
video recap: december 2013
January 3, 2014
A peek at what the holidays looked like around these parts, including December Nights in Balboa Park, celebrating Eaman’s business launch with cake from New York City, a few hikes, a weekend pop-up shop of local artisans, freaking Teddy out with a horse head costume I won at a white elephant party and gorgeous 80-degree days. Oh, and I thought it was only fitting to end the last video recap of 2013 with a song about how YOLO.
Have a great weekend!
Music: “The Motto” by Drake
