get your weekend on

Bitter Beer Crawl 

Not surprisingly as the South Bay beer scene continues its growth.. with new gastropubs opening their doors all throughout downtown. It seems like it is only a matter of months before the food/drink scene becomes one of the best in the area. Tonight starting at Market Beer Co. will be a beer crawl, also featuring... 

• 1st stop: Meet at Market Beer Company at 7:00 p.m. (192 W. Saint John St., San Jose, CA)
• 2nd stop: O’Flaherty’s Irish Pub with 56 taps (25 N. San Pedro St., San Jose, CA )
• 3rd stop: The Farmers Union with 50+ taps - grand opening (151 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose, CA)
• 4th stop: The Brit with 40+ taps - free appetizers for beer crawl participants only (173 W Santa Clara St, San Jose, CA)
• Last stop: Good Karma with 18+ taps (37 S. 1st St., San Jose, CA)
• 
  

Farmers Union Grand Opening

151 W. Santa Clara St. 

• San Jose, California 95113

I am so stoked at the amount of great restaurants and bars opening up in the downtown area. This is one that I have seen since the beginning, and watched it go up. The gastropub has yummy food on the menu, the largest TV in the area and boasts an impressive  60+ beers on tap. This is sure to be a packed house every night, so if you cant make it to the grand opening, check it out on a week night. 

Blackbird Tavern Grand Opening

200 S 1st StSan Jose, CA 95113

Hours: 

closed Mon

Tues/Wed/Sun- 4:00- 11:00

Thurs/ Fri/ Sat- 4:00- 12:00

This trendy little spot brags in their flyer that there is no reason to drive to San Francisco for good food, because it is right here in San Jose. The menu looks yummy from what I have seen; Red Curry fries, salmon and the peach cobbler top my list of must try items. I had heard that one of the owners has an a association to Naglee Park Garage, but I'll find out for sure tonight.

Have a great weekend everyone!!

natural defense

When you are working out hard (especially in the summer time) it can be very draining on your body. Make sure to keep your nutrition in check with the right vitamins and antioxidants to ensure proper repair. I found this article the other day in Runner's World about all the right super foods that you should be eating to help your health and recovery. Remember; you can always click on the image for larger viewing. 

9 to 5 chic

blouse- Zara, skirt- Jcrew, heels- Jessica Simpson, bag-Lou, watch Michael Kors

Can I just say that I am pretty much convinced that dressing for work is almost as fun as dressing for play. Jcrew and Zara have the best collections for easy office fashion. Everything from jcrew pairs well together, it's almost like Jenna Lyons designs a collection like one big mix and match line, I love it!!  Their cropped trousers and stylish blazers make any outfit professional and stylish. The blouses from Zara make you feel feminine and flirty, but you can still keep an authoritative vibe. 

side note: The restaurant pictured is Nemea, it just opened a couple months ago and is already making a name for itself in the San Jose downtown dining scene. The ambiance and service is almost as remarkable as the presentation of their dishes. For a modern, upscale take on Greek dining, this may be your spot.

yep, in my white tee

I think that a white tee can be your best friend. 

Just look at all the different looks you can create with this versatile little item. grunge, classic, girly, flirty, fierce, relaxed. When you have somewhere to go and you feel like you have nothing to wear. My best style advice is to pull out old faithful and accessorize your look, then the rest of your look falls into place.. pants, shoes and bag... hawt.

get your weekend on

Dine Downtown- San Jose

June 21, 2013 5:00 pm - 
Sunday, June 30, 2013 9:30 pm
ticket prices range from $20- $80

It's restaurant week in San Jose, and the party kicks off tonight!The event extends for 10 days, allowing patrons the opportunity to try out multiple three-course prix-fixe specialty meals at great savings. Some of the locations include 19Market, Bella Mia, Billy Berk’s, Cafe Stritch, Mezcal, Paolo’s and Vino Vino. 

Dancin' on the Avenue- Willow Glen

June 22, 2013 2:00 pm - 8:00 pm 

One of the most mellow street festivals in the area and takes place in cute downtown Willow Glen. There will be four stages of music plus all the usual suspects; beer/wine, food trucks, art, edible goods, home design, and craft items. 

12th Annual San Francisco Film Festival

June 21, 2013 7:00 pm - 
Sunday, June 23, 2013 11:00 pm
tickets

 SF Indiefest is a year-round, non-profit organization that has been operating since 1998.  The SF Independent Film Festival draws crowds of over 11,000 and continues to support and celebrate maverick filmmakers and their work. 

Stanford Jazz Festival

June 22, 2013 5:00 pm - 
Friday, August 9, 2013 8:00 pm

The Stanford Jazz Festival 2013 presents 32 exciting concerts this summer, involving more than 100 artists, including living legends, rising stars, trail blazers, and world jazz sensations. The Festival opens with a blockbuster weekend, beginning Saturday, June 22nd with a living icon of modern music, Herbie Hancock. 

Paleo Brownies

These scrumptious little babies danced on my taste buds yesterday, and boy do they know how to tango.

  They are definitely more moist and more dense than your typical brownie, which I liked. It made for a chewy- gooey texture and it didn't crumble. My friend also said that you could substitute apple sauce for half of the banana, but I'm also wondering if you could replace some of the avocado too. (like the cake box recipes that allow you to substitute apple sauce for vegetable oil) I'll have to look into that. The recipe that my friend used is below... but I found some other options here here and here, if you're interested. 

Ingredients

2 1/2 cup almond butter
1 1/4 cup honey
2 lg ripe bananas
2 lg avocados
3 eggs
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tbsp. vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder

Instructions

Mix the honey and almond butter in a large bowl
Beat the eggs, banana, vanilla, cocoa powder and avocado until you get a mousse-like consistency in a blender
Add baking soda and baking powder.
Spoon in almond butter to complete the batter
Pour into 8 x 8 baking pan or you can make them into bite size brownies by using a mini-muffin pan.
Bake at 350, 15-18 minutes

fun tip- add 1 tsp red pepper to your mixture for a little kick, or walnuts for a little crunch!!

Steal or Splurge

I was having a conversation the other night about how crazy girls are. We spend on purses and shoes what some spend on house payments!? I don't know why that happens, it might be that we are hypnotized by the pretty designer labels.. I pulled a few of my favorite things and some great less expensive look-a-likes (not knock-offs!! mama don't play those games) So next time your lusting over a new Rag and Bone blazer, just know that there may be a in-expensive similar style just waiting to be discovered.

happy shopping xo

Celine Bag $2400

Coach Bag $348

Forever 21 geo print dress $16

Missoni geo print dress $1195

Karen Walker glasses $250

Vince Camuto glasses  $65