Things I Love Thursday

Finding healthy new snack ideas

Sunset hikes

Spring flowers

Mad Men, Season 6 portraits by Frank W Ockenfels

Lunch options at work



LA Life - I Annoy Myself!

I have gotten back into bikram (hot yoga) again. I had taken some time off due to Buster, moving, the holidays, etc. I am thrilled to be practicing again and love how it makes me feel. This past Saturday I went to the 8AM class to start my day. It was one of the best sessions I had had in a long time. Afterward I hiked Runyon Canyon in Hollywood, which if you haven't heard is extremely popular with celebrity sightings. It is entirely too crowded but a decent hike. When I got home, I made a healthy smoothie to round out my morning. It was very vegan and consisted of :

2 tbsp peanut butter

1 whole ripe banana

1/2 cup silken tofu

1/4 cup almond milk

1/4 cup coconut water

2 tbsp chia seeds



I used my new-used blender from the private estate sale as well as an old mason jar. I was so sickened by feeling like the epitome of LA life, I read a couple chapters of Proverbs then drove down to my parent's house in Orange County. :)

Things I Love Thursday

Visiting with old friends and their kids

Reminders of how food can affect you (both good and bad)

Sunsets on my walk home

Probiotic shots
Pajama parties with my nieces

Juice Week!

I found a Jack La Lanne juicer at a Goodwill store this past November but was skeptical as to how well it would work. I figured someone donated it because a piece was broken or missing but at $15, I couldn't turn it down! It creeped me out a little bit thinking about if the previous owner cleaned thoroughly so I was hesitant until recently. Two co-workers and I decided to do a 5 day juice cleanse. I am currently on my second round of juicing-I did it two weeks ago and enjoyed it so much I am doing it again this week!

Since I had never used one prior to buying mine so I was able to look up how to clean it on YouTube. I realized it was missing a piece but another online link showed me a simple Macgyver fix. It was a great investment and another testament for buying used!!!

My colleagues had used an app to make their juices but I decided to wing it (surprise surprise). Some of the combinations have been better than others but overall-very tasty. It is actually a lot of work to prep all of the “meals” since they take so many fruits and vegetables to make one juice. Each night I prep all of my meals by washing, cutting and bagging them individually and get the bottles ready. As I had said in a previous post, I reuse a lot of glass and have a ton of kombucha bottles which were the right size for my meals. I've been taking everything to work and keep to the schedule of 8am-11am-2pm-5pm-8pm with cider (warmed, juiced apples with cinnamon) at 9pm. To maximize my cocktails, I have added spirulina powder, coconut water and soaked chia seeds to help cleanse and provide omegas and protein.

If you don’t have a juicer or don’t have the time, there are several companies that deliver such as blueprint. If you find that too pricey, health food stores like Whole Foods have juice bars. I feel great, have plenty of energy for yoga every night and have a clear head. I suggest everyone try it at least once if you are healthy enough for your body to handle it. It is an opportunity to challenge yourself and clear both mind & body.

At work

Hollywood Highs

I have really made an effort to be more productive on my time off, especially in the last couple months since I am limited with what I can purchase. I've had to change my mindset about where I can go such as the mall-I have no reason to go there anymore! Also, my priorities have changed over the years; I decided to stop drinking a year and a half ago and it has really shifted my focus for weekends. Before, I would plan them around parties, bar hopping and who I would be hanging out with. Normally it meant staying up too late and sleeping in the next day, followed by a lazy afternoon. Now I go to bed at a decent hour, get up earlier and head out to enjoy the beautiful Southern California weather.

Recently, I hiked up to the Hollywood sign. I was really looking forward to it since hadn't before and it was convenient since my main man Buster moved into a new place just down the road. Now I plan to hike there often! It was an easy course but took about 3 hours from start to finish so it definitely felt like a workout by the time I made it back to my car. The trail head is in a quiet neighborhood with plenty of street parking. The first 800m is covered with trees and there's a small park for children. Once you start climbing, you leave shade behind but the views open up. There was a lot of traffic but it's wide enough so it didn't feel congested. Unfortunately it takes you to the backside of the sign so you're not able to get a really good picture of it but it is an amazing landmark and very cool to be so close to it. The letters are much larger than I expected!

Take Canyon Dr toward the mountain from Franklin Ave

The next day, I hiked the sister trail to the Griffith Observatory. It starts down at the Greek Theater and has several different routes. Some are easy and others could really cause some damage if you were not skilled or prepared. This trail had a lot of traffic as well but again, they are wide enough to get around people.

Take Vermont toward the mountains, park near the Greek Theater

Vintage Harley Davidson shirt, Active pants, Keen boots, Forever 21 hat & glasses

The Observatory is so beautiful. I love the architecture and colors. There are always zillions of tourists but that is part of the fun. I heard people speaking French, Portuguese and Chinese. The view of the city is breathtaking on a clear day and the panoramic view allows you to see most of Los Angeles.



Speaking of views, I drove up to Mulholland Dr. at dusk recently. There's no hiking involved but it is a great spot to park and view the city. It reminds me of the viewpoint in Peyton Place, except we have a view of the city and they had a view of a lake. I guess it isn't that similar...



Boyfriend button up, Active pants, Forever 21 scarf & glasses, vintage Harley Davidson boots

(I've bought a lot of Forever 21 crap over the years. Disposable clothing as my mom says. Don't judge me!)