F R E S H

When spring rolls around in California.. it brings with it the best harvest. 

I am so in love with the fruits and vegetables that are in season right now.

The farmers market down the street from my house always has a great selection. 

It's small but mighty, offering a wide range of products and produce. 

While you are shopping this weekend, keep this list handy- because buying items that are in season can ensure you're getting the highest quality and best flavor.

Spring time Goodness (buy these)

Apricots :: Artichokes :: Asparagus :: Broccoli :: Collard greens :: Corn :: Honeydew 

 Limes :: Mango :: Oranges :: Pineapple :: Spinach :: Strawberries

10 Reasons to Support your local Farmers Market

My sister and I had a fabulous time at the Japantown Farmers Market last Sunday. I always find everything I need, even though the size is a lot smaller compared to others. The produce is always fresh and I always get a better deal compared to the grocery store. To see a list of local Farmers Markets in your area,

 check it out here. Happy Shopping.

1. Taste Real Flavors

The fruits and vegetables you buy at the farmers market are the freshest and tastiest available. Fruits are allowed to ripen fully in the field and are brought directly to you—no long-distance shipping, no gassing to simulate the ripening process, no sitting for weeks in storage. This food is as real as it gets—fresh from the farm.

2. Enjoy the Season
The food you buy at the farmers market is seasonal. It is fresh and delicious and reflects the truest flavors. Shopping and cooking from the farmers market helps you to reconnect with the cycles of nature in our region. As you look forward to asparagus in spring, savor sweet corn in summer, or bake pumpkins in autumn, you reconnect with the earth, the weather, and the turning of the year.

3. Support Family Farmers
Family farmers need your support, now that large agribusiness dominates food production in the U.S. Small family farms have a hard time competing in the food marketplace. Buying directly from farmers gives them a better return for their produce and gives them a fighting chance in today’s globalized economy.



4. Protect the Environment
Food in the U.S. travels an average of 1,500 miles to get to your plate. All this shipping uses large amounts of natural resources (especially fossil fuels), contributes to pollution, and creates trash with extra packaging. Conventional agriculture also uses many more resources than sustainable agriculture and pollutes water, land, and air with toxic agricultural by-products. Food at the farmers market is transported shorter distances and is generally grown using methods that minimize the impact on the earth.

5. Nourish Yourself
Much food found in grocery stores is highly processed and grown using pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, and genetic modification. Some of it has been irradiated, waxed, or gassed in transit. These practices may have negative effects on human health. In contrast, most food found at the farmers market is minimally processed, and many of our farmers go to great lengths to grow the most nutritious produce possible by using sustainable techniques, picking produce right before the market, and growing heirloom varieties.

6. Discover the Spice of Life: Variety
At the farmers market you find an amazing array of produce that you don’t see in your average supermarket: red carrots, a rainbow of heirloom tomatoes, purple cauliflower, stinging nettles, green garlic, watermelon radishes, quail eggs, maitake mushrooms, and much, much more. It is a wonderful opportunity to savor the biodiversity of our planet

7. Promote Humane Treatment of Animals
At the farmers market, you can find meats, cheeses, and eggs from animals that have been raised without hormones or antibiotics, who have grazed on green grass and eaten natural diets, and who have been spared the cramped and unnatural living conditions of feedlots and cages that are typical of animal agriculture

8. Know Where Your Food Comes From
A regular trip to a farmers market is one of the best ways to connect with where your food comes from. Meeting and talking to farmers and food artisans is a great opportunity to learn more about how and where food is produced. CUESA’s seller profiles that hang at the booths give you even more opportunities to learn about the people who work hard to bring you the most delicious and nutritious food around. Profiles, articles about sellers, and a map of farms are also available on this website.

9. Learn Cooking Tips, Recipes, and Meal Ideas
Few grocery store cashiers or produce stockers will give you tips on how to cook the ingredients you buy, but farmers, ranchers, and artisans at the farmers market are often passionate cooks with plenty of free advice about how to cook the foods they are selling. You can also attend free seasonal cooking demonstrations by leading Bay Area chefs and evening classes on food preservation and other kitchen skills.

10. Connect with Your Community
Wouldn’t you rather stroll amidst outdoor stalls of fresh produce on a sunny day than roll your cart around a grocery store with artificial lights and piped in music? Coming to the farmers market makes shopping a pleasure rather than a chore. The farmers market is a community hub—a place to meet up with your friends, bring your children, or just get a taste of small-town life in the midst of our wonderful big city.

source

simply :: smile

:: some times you have to stop and smell the roses :: remember the best things in life are free ::

:: know that when one door of happiness closes, another opens :: and always count your blessings::

Count your gains instead of your losses.
Count your joys instead of your woes;
Count your friends instead of your foes.
Count your smiles instead of your tears;
Count your courage instead of your fears.
Count your full years instead of your lean;
Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.
Count your health instead of your wealth

{{author unknown}}

ummm... its Friday [[YAY]] and I seriously can't even remember this week it has been so busy. So with that in mind I'm forcing myself to remember all the good things that have come my way lately. My boyfriend's Mom heard good news and is seeing results from her doctor, over an ailment she has been dealing with for far too long!! She is such a strong woman and I just know that everything will even out and I hope she finds her peace soon.

Home has been crazy with the beau's new start up. Our schedules have been clashing lately, so I hope we can save room in our schedules for each other this weekend. He took me to the beach (yes, that's the way to my heart) and we shared a picnic from our favorite place and "kicked it old school" with some 40's by the surf . Sublime status. It was the perfect day to spend with my guy; lunch, frisbee by the water and a nap in the sun. Those are the moments I'm thankful for. 

Tonight I get to witness my sister and bro's unveiling of their new digs, well I saw it already- but now it's all "done up". They have a beautiful life together, and their new home is going to be one fun adventure after another- because lets face it, you never finish decorating your house. I know I've been bugging them with the details, but "good things come to those who wait"... and all that jazz and whatever... but I'm ready to pop the champagne and celebrate... TONIGHT, I finally can. Thank you for inviting me to be a part of your happiness.

So take a chill pill today, and reflect on your own life's journey. Be thankful for how far you've come and be optimistic for what has yet to unfold.

sooooo good

funky pickles at the farmers market

best milkshakes.... PERIOD

one of my favorite flowers

Maddie practicing safety first in her new car seat

best omelet from this favorite

the pacific

Wine tasting {{part one}}



in the barrel room

  As I told you before, I had a wonderful trip to Napa Valley a few weeks ago, I had never been. On our trip we were able to visit two wineries, Silver Oak and Darioush winery- both were exquisite. Silver Oak had more of an old world vibe in their decor and Darioush had a very glitzy, high- class feel. After admiring the first winery and enjoying a complimentary tour we got to sample some of their classics. Gorgeous grounds, especially the vines, they were lush and green and looked to be right off of a wine label. If you are in the area and love a good Cab, I highly reccomend their place.  I felt a little funny having a glass of wine before noon, but as they say... do as the Romans do

view of the property

:: me with my cupcake tray ::
Lulu dress from Therapy, swarovski havaianas sandals

Jackie had the most gorgeous nails that day. A deep coral color with gold tips. Which she explained to me to be much easier to do than it looks. I love to have pretty nails, but I didn't believe that I could do them myself (because I'm terribly uncoordinated). And I don't always want to pay extra at the nail salon.

Turns out it only takes a few steps.

1) paint you base color x 2

    2) use a make-up sponge with a small amount of glitter

nail polish on one end and dab the tip of your nail.

3) start to dab about 3/4 of the way out on your nail

and concentrate it more as you get closer to the edge.

It creates the perfect ombre effect because the porous surface of the sponge doesn't allow too much glitter to rub off when you apply it tot he nail.

I don't know which shines more..

We decided to head to the Oxbow Market and check out the competition for San Jose's new market. For lunch we dined at the the Kitchen Door and I had a wonderful soft shell crab sandwich. It had just the right amount of crunch and salty flavor, but the dressing that came with it was cool and creamy and added just the right of smooth to every bite. Totally not on the regular menu, but it was a special occasion so I thought it would be acceptable. The market was very eclectic inside and reminded me of a future San Pedro Square Market. i hope ours will be as successful. It had everything inside from cheeses to spices to coffees and ice creams. It really did hold quite a few vendors, who I would be interested in seeing again. I also liked the layout of the interior, it seemed as though all the shops were crowded together but still had a comfortable flow throughout the stands.

bloody mary, sweet potato fries, crab sammy

Oxbow Cheese Market

baked delights
"it's ok, they're organic"

weekends

farmers market flowers

swimsuits signal the beginning of summer.

This was one of the first weekends that we didn't really have to do anything, well I didn't have to any way. My boyfriend had a day trip to Santa Barbara for business on Saturday and Father's Day was today. The weather was set to be warm and sunny. It was the perfect combination for a weekend filled with relaxation. I feel like the last few weekends have been a whirlwind and really the only thing I wanted to do this weekend was, be lazy. I missed my usual activities, and made a promise to myself that I would try to slow down. From the pictures you can see my enjoyment from previous weekends. PLUS the rejuvenation project of a ten dollar table we found from a moving sale. Quite the deal of the century.

cupcakes from Icing on the Cake bakery

loved the over grown yard

I was able to catch up on reading some of my favorite magazines while laying outside, Saturday after work. Then ran a few errands and picked up my hunny from the airport that evening. Sunday morning we enjoyed breakfast at home and then a trip tot he local farmers market. easy breakfast idea- an Ezekiel Brand english muffin with a TBSP of Almond and Flax Seed butter and smashed bananas on top. It weighed in at 210 calories and filled me up till 1. pretty easy meal, if you ask me...

organic vegetables from the Veggie Box



flowers from the farmers market



We rode our bikes to the farmers market in Japantown to pick up fruit for the week. We don't get our vegetables there that often. Ever since the Veggie Box opened in the San Pedro market we don't shop anywhere else, we cant find cheaper organic produce anywhere. Later in the day we headed to our bbq, which was delightful and very filling. My mom brought her famous blueberry salad

:: spinach, blueberries, cheese of your choice (Gorgonzola, feta, blue..) pecans, raspberry vinaigrette::

Sitting here on my couch reminisceing about my weekend, it was just what the doctor ordered. I got to relax and enjoy some of my old weekend activities... plus it was the perfect way to spend the last of my time with the boyfriend.. he leaves me for two weeks on a "boys excursion" what will I do for that long!??  ha ha ha ill tell you what.. eat Ben and Jerry's right from the carton, watch the Real Housewives marathon on Bravo and enjoy the fact that I could have breakfast for dinner each night if I really wanted. But really, Maddie and I will miss him like crazy. Before he leaves on a trip i always stuff his bags with little notes. I figure if I miss him this much and get to be at home, it must be harder missing us and being away. So when he sees my notes, I hope it makes him smile.

Also I got this pretty amazing cupcake cutter, that I really want to try. I'm thinking that a German chocolate cupcake with a coconut caramel center and chocolate ganache topping might be in order.. but who knows i might do half with the topping and the filling reversed, just to see which I like better. And below is the rehabilitation project of the table we found in Los Gatos. We needed a new end table in the living room and I had wanted room for a blanket basket- so this seemed like a good idea. Since then, Maddie has assumed that the blanket basket was set up for her and has taken it as a bed.

Before

After (sanded and re-finished)

While on a Walk: Farmers Market

My day to day life during the week is pretty routine. I workout in the morning before the sun comes up, I walk to work, and when I come home I eat dinner and pass out on the couch haha. I wear boring clothes to work (I'm a personal banker and I usually have to dress very conservative). I also don't go out late on "school nights", because I have to wake up early for the next day. So when weekend rolls around, I like to break the cycle and do something fun, wear something new, go somewhere out of the ordinary or just go on a walk with my unit- AKA my dog and my boyfriend.



Spring is coming...



I wish I could take this home, but Mother Nature wouldn't like that

On Sundays, I like to get up early and walk to the Farmers Market in Japantown, mentioned here. My boyfriend will usually put up with it because he knows he'll get a treat out of it. We stopped at this cute coffee shop on the way. Roy's Station used to be a gas station, but it was refurbished into a great local hangout. We grabbed a couple of hot drinks and this yummy veggie pumpkin bread while walking to the market. If something catches my eye in any of the store fronts, I always take a peak. One of Maddie's favorite stores is Biscuits, the cutest dog store that offers everything from all natural treats to adorable clothes and even birthday cakes. 

Maddie hoping for a bite...



New yummies for the week



I took some photos of this classic Chevy and even posed for my boyfriend while he snapped a few. All the while, the owner of the car was right across the street watching the whole thing, and we had no idea? OOPS good thing we made sure to look and not touch. As soon as we finished with the impromptu shoot, we saw the owner move the car to his driveway and we just laughed at ourselves.

I have always been a sucker for a Chevrolet

dress- Forever 21, sweater- OLD Abercrombie & Fitch, sandals- Slim Havaianas,
bag- Chanel, glasses- Electrics, watch- Michael Kors



kinda like my name...

Have a great weekend.... xo
P.S. check out this site for a farmers market in your area.