LA JOY

sigh.

It's a comforting overcast Saturday here in LALA.

I took advantage by sleeping in for as long as I could stand.

Our planned sushi dinner last night turned into a jaunt to Mid-Wilshire for some Buddha's Belly

It was pretty amazin'

In honor of my post last week on wine, I started out with this glass of Red Zinfindel

(I'm usually a white wine drinker, but figured I should do a little somethin' somethin' for my heart)

Our appetizer was probably the best part:

Ahi Tuna and Avocado Tempura Roll- 3 of my favorite things [literally] rolled into one!

Alex INSISTED I take a picture of his dinner for you guys ;)

Ahi Tuna Burger with Sweet Potato Fries. A stole some bites- it was delish

I opted for the dinner special:

Scallops + Japanese purple sweet potato and asparagus. It was pretty good- the purple sweet potato was gorgeous on the plate, but I still prefer the traditional ORANGE guys. I'm glad I tried it, though.

And for dessert... this was NOT my fault, but we happened to be in the neighborhood and well...

We went to MILK.

The great thing? I did not have one OUNCE of guilt while putting this away:

A blondie + 1 scoop chocolate/1 scoop coconut w/butterscotch and candied pecans.

This MIGHT have been the best dessert experience of my life and I think I know why. When you don't indulge in these sorts of divine treats everyday (which I have been known to do for long stretches in my dietary life), they taste 10 million times better! I swear.

Since I spend most of the week feeding my body all the good stuff it needs, once the weekend comes I can indulge in the occasional AMAZINGNESS (without going overboard) and enjoy it so much more than when I was going through my nightly bread pudding phase at work...

Alex and I came home in a happy food coma and watched Bill Maher. Which reminds me:

PLEASE VOTE.

I don't care what you stand for- well, actually I do, but I won't start in on a rant here- but in the difficult times this world and country faces right now, one of the MOST important things we can do is have our voice HEARD. I don't necessarily think that any mainstream politician is the perfect beacon of hope, but it is what it is and they ARE the ones that run our government, so we might as well have a little bit of a say in the next step.

This morning, I slept in while Alex met his friends to tailgate for the Cal vs. USC football game at 6am.

They're insane.

When I finally rose, I had some breakfast:

A 2 egg breakfast sandwich with grilled onion, fresh basil and daiya cheddar cheese + a little salad

I didn't feel like going to the gym but I DID want to get out and enjoy the cool overcast weather, so I took a walk to the reservoir and stopped for a morning pick-me-up:

This was my first time at LA Mill Coffee and I will most certainly be back. For one, it was PACKED- that's usually a good sign of it's quality (or it's trend factor in LA, I suppose) and once I had the first sip of my cafe con leche (a quad espresso with steamed milk and a touch of brown sugar), I almost died of caffeinated happiness.

The quality was definitely there.

As I walked the long way home around blocks, up hills and under overpasses, one thing stood out. The natural vegetation here is stunning. Sure, we've got endless miles of freeway, smog and a lack of seasons but it's not in every city that you can turn a corner and see a yard full of blooming roses. In the middle of October.

A couple things I've seen over the months while taking a casual stroll (there are dozens more, but sometimes I just like to enjoy, rather than snap photos):

An orange tree with real oranges (Thanks Anjay, I stole this pic from u)

Pink Flowers that I see on almost every residential block in LA. I'm not sure what they are, but I love 'em.

And this little beauty...

Came from the seemingly infertile loins of my future project next to the parking area behind our house:

I know, it looks dead right? Well if the pink rose above tells me anything, it's that this little patch of dirt can someday be something again!

I've started a little potted garden of my own:

The fresh herbs I've got going are Thai basil, rosemary, oregano and a habanero pepper plant.

Seeing that little fruit on the plant brings me such joy! It's as if I brought life to the planet. Coooool.

I recently planted some parsley from seeds.

We'll see how/if they come up in the next couple of weeks.

If you don't have easy-access to an outdoor area to keep potted plants, growing things inside is possible too.

I keep a basil plant in my kitchen and I LOVE the option of having a fresh herb to just toss into anything.

Like this morning, I picked a couple of leaves off the plant and threw them into the pan with my eggs- it spruced up my breakfast quite nicely ;)

Another thing I'd like to look into is starting a compost heap. I use so much produce, it'd be nice to put the remnants to good use, rather than throwing them in the garbage... I'll do the research and letcha know more if I decide to go for it.

And if you don't feel like actively looking after a plant, pick up some flowers on your next stop at the grocery store.

Dropping that extra $5 will definitely enhance your mood at home, I promise ;)

I'm off to work- Saturday, I know weird... Wish me luck!

Catcha tomorrow!

Mads