fall frenchies & dots

fall is finally slowly on it's way here in california,

still a little too hot to be fall, but can't mistake the visible changes to the trend changes on the street.

the fall 2014 trending nail colors seems to be:

gray, nude, dark red, navy, dark greens, royal purple and metallics.

so for my first nail art this fall i decided on:

art: french & dots

polish: cherimoya
color: forest green

cali lovin'

i try to head up somewhere new every weekend with my family.

i look up blogs, and spend more time on google looking for kid-friendly weekend visit areas.

here's one that i found that can relax your weekend and bring joy to the eyes.

place: MATADOR STATE BEACH, ca

this place is absolutely stunning.

yes, it seems to be a typical beach during the day, but as soon as the sun slowly starts to go down..

the eyes will be brought to a whole new joy.

how to sunlight hits the rocks brings this beach to life. from barnacles and mussels, to other life creatures already among the rocks, the tide brings in other small fish toward the rocks on the shore.

i must warn you though. like most beaches on the california coast, parking is tough.

another bad thing about this beach is the way down to the sand.

slightly steep sandy cliff is the only way down until you get to the stairs, where after it is a easier way down. as much as i wanted this place to be kid-friendly.. if you have babies or younger children, you may have to be really careful. it may be better to wait until the kids are a bit older..

other than that, this beach is PERFECT for couples, newlyweds and married couples without younger kids to worry about.

DON'T FORGET TO TAKE YOUR CAMERA you will regret it.

lemon tree kids restaurant & cafe

so i've been around town searching here and there for places my baby JJ to have fun.

i found a place that is close to where i live, which is convenient, and it seemed to have a good reputation with other moms.

so i decided to try it out a few times with a friend of mine, who also has kids.

LEMON TREE KIDS RESTAURANT & CAFE

www.lemontreekidscafe.com

it's $9 per kid for 2 hours of play and adults are free, under the circumstance that they order something from the menu.

their menu isn't all that bad, although honestly the taste isn't as great as the food description

chicken parmesan pasta, bulgogi rice ddukboki (rice cakes), and fries with honey mustard

the fries are just typical fries with typical honey mustard. JJ is a fan of fries with just about any dip so this is a MUST order for me.

the bulgogi ddukboki is a little pricey but it's pretty decent with just the right amount of sweet. kids and adults will both enjoy it.

the chicken parmesan pasta wasn't all that great. it may have just been that day, but i wouldn't order it again.

i've tried their fried rice which i don't think is worth the price. the rice was a bit dry and the flavor wasn't infused into the rice. it just tasted like rice with vegetables and other toppings placed to look the platter look nice.

enough of food and the talk of the play area..

at first when JJ was a little over a year old, he had separation anxiety and dragged me to the play area and had me sit right next to him. he would cry if I even so much as get up to stretch.
around his 3rd visit, he got used to it and wouldn't even turn around when i called out to him.
there's a ball pit where a machine blows the balls up into the air which he is ALWAYS interested in.
there's also a train that is operated every other hour. only downside to this is the parents aren't allowed on it. if your child can't be apart from you, this is a part of the play area that you'll have to give up on.
there's a small merry-go-round they operate twice every half hour. there are tunnels that the children can go in and out through and the rest of the area is covered in different kinds of toys for all ages.

the first two times seems fun, but after that i feel the place is overrated. still JJ loves going once in awhile.

vegan TWIX ice cream

i love ice cream. everything about ice cream.

so i decided to make some at home on my own.

without the hormones from cow's milk, i decided i wanted to go for the vegan alternative.

AND i don’t have an ice cream maker which would make the job easier, so i have a recipe for ice cream without an ice cream maker.

what you need:

• 2 cups almond milk (replace with half&half for a richer texture)
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tsp. vanilla extract
• twix bars (as much as you want to add)
• a freezable container of at least 5 cups in volume

what to do:

1. either in your already prepared container or in another mixture bowl, mix in the almond milk, heavy whipping cream and sugar. stir well
2. put in the vanilla extract and stir well (you can subtract or add more vanilla extract for the vanilla flavor)
3. if not already in the freezable container, pout into container and stir one more time
4. put into freezer and wait until the rim around the container is frozen (this takes approx. 30min – 1 hour)
5. take out of freezer and “churn” the ice cream around so the mixture gets around even
6. put back in freezer and wait another 30min – 1 hour before doing step 5 again
7. repeat steps 5 & 6 until you decide the all the mixture is creamy
8. break up the twix (grind it, mash it in a bowl.. whatever you like) and put it into the container and stir it around evenly
9. put container back into freezer and let it freeze all the way before you enjoy

so there you have it, your own homemade TWIX ice cream.

lemon herb chicken

not really feeling hungry? wanting something light to fill you up?

LEMON HERB CHICKEN

what you need:

• chicken breasts
• half a lemon per chicken breast
• any vegetable/sides to add to plate to compliment the chicken breast entree
• oregano flakes
• frying pan w/ a lid
• olive oil

prep: thaw chicken breast

what you need to do:

1. put a bit of olive oil into the pan on medium heat
2. put the chicken in the pan and put the lid on it to cook the chicken thoroughly
3. open up the lid once in awhile and if the chicken seems to be cooked halfway from bottom up, flip the chicken around
4. squeeze the lemon on the chicken and put some oregano flakes on top
5. close the lid and let the chicken cook thoroughly
6. put the chicken on a plate with some vegetables and maybe some rice for a bit of carbs

enjoy your lemon herb chicken dinner!

beef lettuce tacos

during the hot season if you don’t really feel like eating something heavy and want a light meal, this recipe would be perfect.

what you need:

• romaine lettuce
• ground beef
• corn
• sour cream
• guacamole
• tomato, diced
• onions, diced
• rice, if desired (a little bit of carbs keeps us going)
• fry pan
• cooking oil of choice

prep:

1. keep the ground beef thawing out or in the fridge
2. if using rice in the recipe, have a bowl of rice wrapped with plastic to keep the rice soft but cool

what to do:

1. wash the romaine lettuce and separate them, keep them aside with the water draining to slightly dry them
2. drain the juice from the corn if canned corn is used
3. dice the tomatoes and onions to nice bit size pieces, keep the two separated
4. put the frying pan on the stove on medium heat and pour in oil of your choice (oil should be spread as a thin layer on fry pan)
5. put the onions in the pan and stir for a minute as it cooks
6. then put in the ground beef and stir it together with the onions until both are fully cooked
7. turn the heat off the stove and pour the beef and onion content into a bowl
8. take a lettuce and slowly put on contents that you want, if you do put in all that is on my particular recipe, you may want to go in this order: rice, beef & onions, guacamole & sour cream, corn and tomatoes

that’s all there is to it.

the shape of certain romaine lettuces can keep the contents from falling out, but that’s part of what makes this meal so fun and delish!