Seed: The People's market

One of the places I defiantly wanted to stop at was this little place. It's called Seed: People's Market. It was in a really cool market with a yoga study, a Patagonia, a few other stores and a couple "healthy" restaurants. I had lemon-grass and coconut soup. It was excellent! My brother in law and his girl would love this place!

I was able to get a couple of Christmas gifts here. Most things are handmade by locals or handmade for charities.


This is for my father-in-law. He has like 200+ hours of unused vacation.

Zac's going away party

One fun thing we were able to do while in LA was attend Zac's going away party. Originally, we were going to spend quite a bit of time with Zac and Kristin. However, he got a job in Dallas and was moving on Sunday. Since they were parting for a month while she stayed in LA we gave them time to themselves and did our own thing. We did however, have a blast with them on Friday night. I totally LOVE Kristin's cousin Louis and just had a great time hanging out with their LA clan. We ate mexican, drank margiritas, did a little triva and went to their "hang out" bar. We got back to the apartment after 2 am which was really 4 am for us...we were tired to say the least. It was totally worth it! Thanks guys for inviting us along. See ya at the wedding in a couple of weeks!

Beachcomber

This was my favorite place we ate at in LA. It was in at Crystal Cove in Newport.

Jarrod had an omelette and I had eggs benedict. yummy.

It sat right on the beach and each seat had a blanket in case you got cold. So cute.

I wish I could get breakfast there everyday. :)

A "healthier" fudge

This is a funny post after my food post yesterday but I would like to share a very good recipe with the world. I made this fudge for my friend, Cheri who is allergic to dairy. This is something she can eat...and everyone else will like. :) I got this recipe from my other friend, Danielle. The ingredients are simple and natural but don't be fooled. It's not a "low calorie" or "low fat" fudge.

Fudge:
1 cup of cashew butter
1 cup of almond butter
1 cup of unsweetened coco
1 cup of honey

Mix, put in dish then refrigerated. Great fudge in a couple of hours.

An article worth reading...

I realize I don't know everything about food. However, I am confident in what I do know because of my wonderful sister and her legitimate background in foods. She has her masters, is a Registered Dietitian and has been teacher for 4 years. I count that gold over any person who just "has researched" stuff on line (sorry for those who have heard me say that a hundred times). Anyways, I've had many friends get on kicks about fads they hear in the food circle. I'm not saying all are false but I did come across an article today that highlights a few. You should check it out...I'm going to highlight on two. :)

6 biggest lies about food busted

Myth 2: High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is worse for you than sugar.
The Truth: The idea that high-fructose corn syrup is any more harmful to your health than sugar is “one of those urban myths that sounds right but is basically wrong,” according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a health advocacy group. The composition of high-fructose corn syrup is almost identical to table sugar or sucrose (55 percent fructose, 45 percent glucose and 50:50, respectively). Calorie-wise, HFCS is a dead ringer for sucrose. Studies show that HFCS and sucrose have very similar effects on blood levels of insulin, glucose, triglycerides and satiety hormones. In short, it seems to be no worse—but also no better—than sucrose, or table sugar. This controversy, say researchers, is distracting us from the more important issue: we’re eating too much of all sorts of sugars, from HFCS and sucrose to honey and molasses. The American Heart Association recently recommended that women consume no more than 100 calories a day in added sugars [6 teaspoons]; men, 150 calories [9 teaspoons].

Myth 5: Microwaving zaps nutrients.
The Truth: This is misguided thinking, says Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, Ph.D., R.D., professor of nutrition at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Whether you’re using a microwave, a charcoal grill or a solar-heated stove, “it’s the heat and the amount of time you’re cooking that affect nutrient losses, not the cooking method,” she says. “The longer and hotter you cook a food, the more you’ll lose certain heat- and water-sensitive nutrients, especially vitamin C and thiamin [a B vitamin].” Because microwave cooking often cooks foods more quickly, it can actually help to minimize nutrient losses.

Trip to LA

We are heading out tonight for LA. Originally, this trip to LA was to visit friends but all our plans have fallen through, or maybe the reality is no one wants to hang out with us. Either way, we got cheap flights, a free place to stay and a free car to drive. Not bad, uh? So Jarrod and I are calling this our 4 year anniversary trip. :)
Below are pictures of all our other anniversary trips.

1st Year - Branson, MO


2nd Year - St. Louis, MO

3rd Year - Back to Branson. We had a one month old and I wasn't about to leave her.

This year, she's staying with the grandparents and we are going to stay out sooo late! I can't wait!

Her Uncle Cam

Last Saturday we went to Silver Dollar City with Jarrod's family and then on to the Beatles concert. I was worried about Z sitting through the show but she did great. She was dancing, shacking and singing the whole time. The last song was a little rough. She was tired, it was 2 and 1/2 hours past her bedtime and she only had an hour nap when she is used to 2, 2 hour naps. She was out before we left the parking lot.

Okay, on to my story about Uncle Cameron. Jarrod's little brother is the baby of the family and you can TOTALLY tell that he is the baby (he's 21, almost 22) but we love him dearly. Anyways, he loves his little niece and she loves him. If you ask her where he is, she looks at him with a big cheesy grin...so precious. As we were walking through SDC, I kept telling Z that her uncle Cameron was going to ride the rides with her, so of course, he did. :) And it was hilarious! He's not a short man and sitting in these little bugs was not an easy task for him...

But she was SOOOO excited about the ride.

This is him hating me right now.

Look how sweet he is holding her and look at how tight his knees are.

Even the random couple is enjoying the preciousness of it all. Hahaha (I can't stop laughing right now)
Thanks Uncle Cam, you're so cute!

Cher Bear and Chris Cross

Two of my really good friends just turned 26th. Yay! I was blessed with the chance to spend their birthday eve and birthday morning with them. Us girls stayed at my parent's Branson house on Friday night and went to dinner at the Bleu Olive. If you haven't tried the Bleu Olive in Branson, it's a must. Some of the best Mediterranean around. An odd addition to the restaurant was a belly dancer, she came around to give a little show while you were eating. She can by Megan and I, Megan jumped and I said, "It's their Birthday" as I pointed to the girls. Poor Cher and Chris, she made then stand up to dance. Plus, she come back to the table a couple of times. Sorry girls! We continued the night with a quick walk on the landing and a stop at Vintage Paris. Another must do in Branson/Holister. The next morning we ate at the Branson Cafe in downtown Branson...so good. I love little cute vintage breakfast places. They had this super tasty apple butter on every table. I order something that came with toast just to try it out. Yummy. Megan pointed out as we were leaving that you can buy a jar of it. I would like that in my stocking at Christmas please!


The girls opening their gifts!

The cute breakfast place...the apple butter is in the top right corner.

My Pretty Baby Girl

Some days her hair looks red, and this is one of them.

Conversation between Jarrod and Zeda...

Jarrod: Where are your clothes baby girl?
Zeda: I don't know daddy.

Update: MyfitnessPal

If you remember a couple post back about MyFitnessPal, I'd like to post an update. No, the picture below is not what I currently look like but it is my goal and the picture is my inspiration. This is Spring Break 2005. Ha. Look at Jarrod's hair. :) I'm pretty sure I will never be that dark again, I have a new fear of tanning. However, I'd like everything else to possible go that direction...like my abs. :)
Update: I've lost 10 pounds with 5 remaining. This has been way easier than I thought. Why didn't I start this...say, 6 months ago?

Say Goodbye

Yesterday, we said goodbye to our puppy Scoobs (hints the wine post). I'll spare you all the details as to why we had to give him away, but we did. He went to a co-worker of Jarrod's. He's lives in willow springs now on a farm. It's good for Scooby. He'll get to run free, get a ton more attention and live a happy puppy life.

Jarrod and I didn't realize how hard this was going to be. When we met the new owners to pick him up the guy said, "I feel like I'm taking your baby." Haha, Jarrod and I are ridiculous. We LOVE that dog. It's super quiet around her today...I'm filled with lots of regret. :( However, Dean (the new owner) called Jarrod this morning and said things were going really well. I'm happy about that.

Well...My Sco-Bears, Cooby-Wooby, Scober-Dober and all the other hundred ways we say your name...we'll miss you buddy.

Wine makes the world better.

Here is my first glass of the night, followed by a few more. Yep. Rough night in the Murdaugh home so Jarrod and I are going to drink a full bottle of wine. I'll fill you in tomorrow. Tomorrow is not going to be pretty.