Lovely Spring Salad: Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad

So I have a confession to make. Those oft-hated on brussels sprouts that everyone likes to make revolted faces at and hide in their socks? I kinda love ‘em. Like really really love them. Roasted, sauteed (with bacon, of course), and even plain, I’ll take them any which way. So imagine my delight upon seeing blog post after blog post about shaved brussels sprout salads – I knew I had to try it, and try it soon. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. It’s crunchy and tangy, with just the right hint of spicy.

Although there are a ton of awesome recipes out on the Web, I went with this one from Food 52, with a few small adaptations. And because sharing is caring, here you go!

Image and bulk of the recipe courtesy of Food 52 (with a few minor changes from me.) 

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Red Onion, Lemon and Parmesan

Serves 6

1/2 small red onion

juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp honey

1 tsp whole grain mustard

3 cups shaved Brussels sprouts (I went the lazy route and used the pre-bagged shaved brussels sprouts from Trader Joe’s – otherwise, you’ll have to become good friends with your mandoline and shave those little suckers by hand.)

1/2 cup Parmesan shavings (again, feel free to do this by hand, or if you’re like me, head over to  your grocer for already shaved Parm)

1. Soak the onion slices in a small bowl of cold water for 15 to 20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, honey, mustard and a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. Set aside.
3. Put the sprouts in a serving bowl and toss gently with the onions (which you’ve now drained) and the dressing. Fold in the pecorino, taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve immediately, before it starts to wilt!

Voila! A fresh, delicious and healthy salad perfect for spring! I paired this with my favorite slow-cooker pork tenderloin recipe which really made making dinner for the night a 10-minute process – who could ask for more? Well maybe an ice-cold glass of white wine. A girl doesn’t need much to be happy, now does she?

Bon appétit!

Lovely Sentiment: I Am Not Afraid of Storms

Today is the first day that I can remember where I’m sick but the rest of the family isn’t. But the show must go on…so if you’re feeling lousy like me and struggling to make it through your day (it’s only 9am over here!), here’s a lovely sentiment illustrated by the talented Emily McDowell to pick you up:

Lovely Los Angeles: The LA Zoo

 

Los Angeles gets a bad rap a lot of times, and I don’t really know why. Sure, traffic sucks, but there’s traffic in every other major city too. But there’s no city quite like LA where you get to drive from the sandy white beaches of the Westside through deliciously garlic-scented Koreatown to hipster-ville Silverlake, to the highrise and 20s buildings and nightlife of Downtown. And as a food lover, I especially love the wide variety of ethnic and creative foods I have the opportunity to try here. Everytime I travel I’m always dismayed at my limited options. And, come, on, everyone knows you can’t beat the weather. I love this city, and hope to share in this series some of my favorite spots around.

Thanks to the kind folks at UGG Australia, my little family and I were able to take a trip to one of LA’s hidden treasures (with fancy new kicks on) – the LA Zoo last weekend (after a quick stop at the UGG store at The Grove for our sweet kicks – the staff there couldn’ve have been kinder). Like most zoos or places with lots of fish, I’ve lived in this great city for more than half my life and never made it to the zoo until I had a kid. I know some people find zoos creepy or sad, but I don’t mind them. And the LA Zoo is a great one to get your zoo feet wet in. It’s not too big (San Diego, I’m looking at you), there’s a wide variety of animals roaming, and lots of snack/drink/bathrooms scattered throughout. There’s even a great picnic area and petting zoo for the really little ones. Little Miss’s favorite part definitely had to be seeing the 3-week-old baby giraffe (did you know they have to be BORN 6-feet tall just to be able to reach their mother for nursing?!) and any and all creatures that resembled monkeys. Even though it hit 100 degrees that day (yes, in the beginning of May!), we still had a great time.

And this isn’t just to plug the UGG shoes I got, but they were super comfortable. I would tell you if they weren’t. I’m petite, so I can use any height I can get, so I opted for the Gaiana style, which has a modest 2.5-inch wedge. These are so comfy and flexible (i.e. there was no “breaking in” period), that I’ve been wearing them to work every day this week. Little Miss got this way-too-adorable Estee pair (she has teeny tiny feet even though she’s almost 2) that she insists on wearing all the time around the house. And guys, UGG shoes aren’t just for women. They’ve launched a really great spring/summer collection  for men that my hubby liked so much it took him an hour to pick out his pair!

So if you have a free day in and around Los Angeles, I highly recommend taking in the LA Zoo, and then grabbing a snack at the nearby Trails Cafe at Griffith Park.

Los Angeles Zoo
5333 Zoo Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90027

UGG Concept Store
189 The Grove Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Note: Tickets and products were provided to us by UGG Australia, but opinions and expressed are completely my own. 

On Helicopter Parenting and a Will Friedle Bonus

I was reading this piece over at the always-lovely Design Mom about helicopter parenting, and it really got me thinking about  this hot-topic issue. I think as a first-time mom, there are definitely moments when I could have let Little Miss fall or get hurt without intervening and she would’ve been fine a few tears later. But it’s like a natural instinct inside to go “nooooo!” and reach out and grab them. Then there are other times when she does hurt herself and I think, oh well, that’s what happens, now you learn.

I love the thing that the man with eight kids says to the mom of one at the end. And he’s right. It’s ok, kids get hurt, then they learn, and it’s good for them to learn these things on their own and to learn to be brave and try new things fearlessly. But I, like the writer, feel like whether I had one kid or six, I’d still rush to keep them from being hit in the head by another kid on a swing (also because that happened to my brother once and he had to take an ambulance ride and get 14 stitches.)

In the end, much like most other polarizing debates about parenting issues (breastfeeding, co-sleeping, vaccines), I really don’t think it matters in the end. If you’re a loving parent and trust your gut, I don’t think most of these – what are in my opinion – small things in the big picture, do irreparable and lifelong harm to our children. What does do harm is other parents criticizing and judging each other. Having a kid is HARD. Like really hard. So is life. So let’s just cut everyone some slack, and move on. Besides, why do we care so much what the Jones’ are doing when it’s our kid that’s about to touch that hot stove top? Life is short, enjoy your time with your loved ones and stop looking at what everyone else is doing. Ok, off my soapbox now.

In other news, this is for my ever-sick lovely friend, Neon Princess who teaches tons of kids all day only to constantly find herself germ-ridden and ill. If you were a child of the 80s who ever had crushes on what now seem ridiculous 80s tween stars, this is for you too!

P.S. Also, if you’re obsessed with Instagram, and you don’t have the Beautiful Mess app yet, you should totally get it – it’s so much fun! That’s how I made the image you see above. It’s Little Miss playing peek-a-boo which she thinks is just the best thing ever. Still.

Lovely Children’s Book: Stuck

Hope you all had a restful weekend! We started off Mother’s Day with a trip to the zoo (more on that later) in 100 degree heat, only to drive down to the beach a few hours later to visit my mom where it was 65! Talk about a huge change in weather.

Anyways, it’s Monday which means it’s time to slowly wake up from the weekend induced haze and get back to work… and another lovely children’s book find.

I found Stuck on sale at Anthropologie a while back, (which is often my secret source for affordable and aesthetically pleasing children’s books) and it’s become a huge hit with Little Miss who went through a big phase of telling us things were “stuck.”

This delightfully illustrated book by Oliver Jeffers tells the story of a little boy whose kite gets stuck in a tree, and as a result, he keeps tossing more and more absurd things into the tree that also get stuck.  Kids will love seeing each object added to the great big tree and delight in finding the same cat or shoe or boat over and over again as the tree gets more and more crowded. Parents will enjoy the humorous (and absurd) story line that young kids may be too little to get. And the pretty illustrations don’t hurt.

Another bonus for the reader of the tale: it’s not that long. This is an illustration-heavy book, which I always appreciate when I’m on book #3 and ready for bedtime (seriously, have you ever tried reading Madeline out loud?  It takes forever! Or my least favorite children’s book to read, Dr. Seuss’ ABC. There’s A LOT of letters from A-Z, folks.) This is definitely a book that I don’t mind Little Miss pulling out over and over again.

P.S. This has nothing to do with children’s books, but I can’t stop laughing at this NY Mag piece, “I Tried Gwyneth Paltrow’s Diet“, and it’s Monday and we could all use a boost, so read it and weep my friends.

Lovely Friday: This, That, and TV News

• Check out these amazingly adorable plates meant for kids, still suitable for playful adults.
• 9 great first birthday gifts (courtesy of me )
• Loved reading this NY Times article about complaining – as hard as you try not to, it’s hard to avoid it, and it is therapeutic at times, but when is enough enough?
• Babies eat food?!
• I don’t really know what Papadews are, but I want these Papadew Poppers. Like bad.
• Arrested Development (if you don’t already have Netflix, this is totally a reason to get it) is almost here! And the banana stand is back!
• …and Parks and Recreation just got renewed for another season. Hooray! Now if only that diving show would just go away…
• And in even more TV news, so long R-dawg, I stopped watching you half a decade ago, but you always made me laugh with all your “dawg” comments.

Have a lovely weekend all!

Lovely Sentiment: Reading & Dancing

On a somewhat related note, it’s Teacher Appreciation Week, so here’s a shout-out to anyone who is or was a teacher. It’s definitely one of the most challenging jobs out there (seriously, could you even image watching AND teaching 30 kids that are not even your own and making sure they come out responsible citizens of the world? I can hardly do that with one!), and our children wouldn’t make it without you! You are loved and appreciated! XOXO

Lovely Mother’s Day Gift Guide 2013

Wow, time has flown by! Mother’s Day is in a few days, and I’ve totally missed the boat on advanced gift-shopping and this round-up post. I know all I want is to sleep in (i.e. anything past 7am), relax, eat good food, and spend time with my little family. No diaper changes would be an added bonus. If you’re still stumped on what to get mom, here are some of my favorite picks.

That quintessential Mother’s Day gift – a necklace. I remember “buying” so many of these year after year at our elementary school “store” and gifting them proudly to my mom only to see her wear it for a week and never again. So get her one this year that she’ll love to wear all year-round. I’m partial to delicate initial necklaces like this Maya Brenner version.

It’s Spring! Which means lots of trips to the farmers markets, and the like. So why not gift mom with a super-cute market tote made for such trips. It’s definitely the kind of item she’s lust after but never really splurge on for herself, and this Apolis Market Bag from Terrain is so cute, she could use it as an everyday tote too!

A Learn-to-Knit Kit from the famous Purl Soho makes for a thoughtful and creative gift for the crafty or wannabe crafty mom. Don’t forget the most important part of this gift – some uninterrupted free time for Mom so she can actually learn these new skills. Maybe one day you’ll get a lovely homemade goodie out of it. (I say “one day” because if she’s anything like me, learning to knit will be a long process with lots more stops than starts.)

Go all out this year and get Mom something really special – a monogrammed buttery oversized leather clutch  from Clare Vivier. These gorgeous bags, iPad cases, wallets, and clutches are sure to become family heirlooms one day, and the gold monogramming just adds an extra sentimental touch.

When Mom wants to wind down after a long day and goes to make her requisite cup of tea, how happy will she be making it in this gorgeously simple enamel tea pot from West Elm? Pair it with some charming mugs and a selection of fancy teas to complete the set.

And if you’re really stumped, what Mom doesn’t want or love a spa day. Dads, whisk the kids away for some special time and send Mom off to get that massage/scrub/facial/reading US Weekly time that she’s been dying for.

Hope everyone has a lovely Mother’s Day celebrating, being celebrated, and just having a grand ol’ time in general.

P.S. Here’s a roundup I wrote over at Savvy Sassy Moms of awesome things you can do with your Instagram pics to have hard copies of them – another great Mother’s Day, or any day gift for anyone!

Lovely Rainy Monday

Sometimes rainy days feel just right. The beautifully gray skies, looming clouds, and the calming sound of the rain converge together for a pretty, just-right-for-a-monday picture. Now this isn’t always the case, sometimes it rains (yes, the 10 days it rains in LA), and I’m like ugh, I guess I”ll just stay in bed forever. But not today. Today I have my favorite rainy day Pandora station going (Arcade Fire), a hot cup of mint green tea, and a smile on my face as I gear up for some productivity.

What are some of your rainy day must-haves? You know, those things you pretty much only bust out on gloomy days. Things like:

- Hot cocoa with marshmallows

- Cuddling in a warm blanket on the couch while watching reruns of Felicity

- Cooking soup from scratch with a grilled cheese sandwich

- Taking an unplanned nap (ok, that only works if you’re not at work and home without kids, but one can dream)

Do share!

Lovely May: Happiness Revealed

April felt like kind of a blah month – gloomy weather, heavy hearts, endless to-dos. Of course there were many lovely moments too, but I’m still ready to say goodbye to April. Maybe it’s all the extra sunshine and the springy hello of May, but today just makes me want to do this:

Two interesting articles on happiness came out recently. One study claims that money really can buy happiness. I mean the logic kind of makes sense, I have one less stress in my life because I don’t have to worry about having enough to eat, or having a roof over my head. The study also argues that happiness increases with wealth because it really signals greater freedom. Freedom to choose what you do, where you go, how you live. Do you agree?

The other is an Op-Ed piece in the NY Times by a professor of philosophy at Notre Dame that opines that the four necessities for happiness are good luck, fulfilling work, “the proper use of pleasure,” and love. I don’t think I disagree with that!

I feel like I’m always focusing on the big picture that sometimes I forget to appreciate the small pleasures in life. Things like:

- Sleeping under a warm fluffy comforter on a cold day.

- Chips and guacamole.

- An ice-cold glass of white wine, or alternatively, “fancy” water with strawberries or mint inside.

- A loving hand on the small of my back.

- Cute stationary that I’ll probably never use.

- Sweet sticky rice with mango.

- Daily dance parties with Little Miss.

- Mom’s homemade chicken soup when I’m sick.

What are the little things that bring you joy? Do share!