Tag: los angeles

An Afternoon at The Getty

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This summer we did a fair amount of traveling and also made an effort to explore our home town. We managed to hit a lot of museums in Los Angeles.  One of my all-time favorites is The Getty Center.  We spent a great Sunday afternoon there a couple of weeks ago. The views are spectacular.  My son especially loves The Family Room where he can have a hands on experience (I managed to do so, as well). We all enjoyed the “London Calling” exhibit and had a fun lunch there as well.

 

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J. Crew Shirt

J. Crew Necklace

J. Crew Ryan Sunglasses

J. Crew Gemma Flats

J. Crew Lookout High Rise Cropped Jeans in White

J. Crew Hat (on sale!)

XO,

JAE

We Scream for Ice Cream

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Los Angeles has so many great ice cream options.  We set out to try several new places and also review a few of our favorites.  We enjoy ice cream in the summer (really all year long).  My husband and son were more than willing to help me with research for this post.

Salt & Straw

Salt and Straw started in Portland,  Oregon.   They have three shops in Portland and three (soon to be four) in Los Angeles.  We visited the Venice location.  My boys are both vanilla fans and their Double Fold Vanilla did not disappoint.  I was more adventurous and tried the Birthday Cake and Blackberries, which was amazing.    Overall, we all really liked it.

Sprinkles Ice Cream

Sprinkles Ice Cream is from the creator of Sprinkles cupcakes.  You can even get a cupcake split in half with ice cream in the middle. Again my boys love vanilla and their vanilla bean was amazing.  I tried the lemon meringue and it was really good.

Magpie’s Soft Serve

Magpie’s Soft Serve was the only soft serve we found and it was amazing..  My son had sweet cream and my husband had vanilla latte.  They have interesting toppings.  They also offer two non-dairy almond milk flavors daily that we tried and really liked.

Rori’s Artisanal Creamery

My husband and I first discovered Rori’s on a weekend in Santa Barbara.  We were so excited when they came to Santa Monica.  My son actually enjoys  another flavor other than vanilla here – Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  They offer a kid’s happy hour everyday from 3 – 5 where you get a free scoop for a child with the purchase of a scoop for an adult.

 

Sweet Rose Creamery

Sweet Rose is our local favorite.  My son is on the wall in their instagram gallery.  The boys love their vanilla in a vanilla cone.  I am loving blueberry muffin which is a July flavor.  Get it while you can!

Home

At home we drink almond milk and do not have much dairy.  We really save it for ice cream out.  We have tried a few almond milk ice creams and New Barn vanilla almond creme is our favorite.  We also found these great gluten free cones.  New Barn has a few other flavors and I am a big fan of their almond milk for lattes.

Overall we really enjoyed all the ice cream and the research.

Enjoy a scoop today!

XO,

JAE

 

 

Out and About – Bondi Harvest

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It has been a while since I did my first and only “Out and About” post.  I am only inspired  to post about places that are unique that I really love.  My previous “Out and About” post is here.  I happened upon Bondi Harvest through Instagram (this best source for finding things in cities you plan to visit and in this case, my own home town) and immediately wanted to share my find. Bondi Harvest is tucked away in a corner of Santa Monica in a parking lot among several production companies.

They are also known for their coffee which is Vittoria.  It is the largest coffee company in Australia and is in several restaurants in the US.  The story of Vittoria is an interesting three generation success story that you can read about here.

It has a great laid back Australian beach vibe that suits the healthy, but super yummy menu. It is very comfortable and serene.

Their shelf game is strong and includes Organic Vittoria coffee, tea by Art of Tea, spices and every surfer’s best friend Dr. Zog’s sex wax (which really reminded me of my high school days and the surf crowd).

They serve breakfast and lunch and are open Monday through Friday from 7 am to 4 pm with breakfast all day.  I opted for one of their tartines and a green smoothie.  The smoothies are not huge (and are also at a reasonable price) so they are perfect with a tartine.  The Sweet Halloumi was my tartine of choice.  It combined avocado toast with grilled halloumi cheese, pistachios and a touch of wild honey  I am always disappointed when places only have huge smoothies and you just want something a little extra with your smaller meal.  When I ordered, I considered the Peanut Butter Bomb, but was encouraged to get the On the Green as it would taste great and I would leave feeling healthy.  That was 100% correct.  The combination was perfect!

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I left already thinking about my next visit and, in fact, came back the same day with my son to try the Peanut Butter Bomb.  He was fresh from camp and already in swimwear, so he fit right in with the decor.  He is always happy to help with blog post research when it involves trying new treats.  We both liked it, but I prefer the On the Green as it is packed with greens and still tastes amazing.IMG_8018

My visits to Bondi Harvest helped to satiate the wanderlust I mentioned last week in this post.  Australia is definitely on my travel list.  It was nice to see a different corner of Santa Monica and feel like I had a taste of Australia.  The sign on the fruit basket says it all.  It was real, healthy whole food that left me feeling great and was delicious.

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Bondi Harvest
1814 Berkeley Street
Santa Monica, CA 90404
310-586-7419

Here’s to eating  healthy whole foods that taste amazing and finding hidden gems in your own neighborhood!

XO,

JAE