Farm Fresh Sunday

On Saturday night I went out for cocktails for a friend's birthday to a swanky Beverly Hills lounge. The lounge was full of chic people and quirky decor. My scene is not usually so fancy but it is fun to pretend every once in awhile!

I ended up going to bed WAY past my bedtime and as a result slept through most of Sunday morning. When I finally got my sleepy self up and moving, my husband and I decided to take a lazy Sunday trip to the LA Farmer's Market.

I absolutely love shopping for produce at farmer's markets and the LA Farmer's Market is my favorite because it is like a miniature city! Located in the heart of West Hollywood, the LA Farmer's Market is a maze of food vendors and ethnic eateries.

We stopped for a late breakfast (brunch?) at The French Crepe Company where I ordered a savory L'Opera crepe filled with avocado, tomato, swiss cheese, egg and onion with a side of greens. It was light but very filling.

I went a little overboard as I wandered through the produce vendors- everything looked so juicy and delicious I couldn't resist!

Last night I cooked a farmer's market fajita feast with black beans, adobo chile, onion, jalapeno, bell pepper, green chile, cilantro, tomato, avocado, black olive and mushroom. All of the veggies were delicious but I was a little heavy handed with the habanero sauce and spent a lot of my meal with watery eyes, reaching for my drink!

Today's Question: Sometimes I am intimidated by the unfamiliar produce at the farmer's market because I am unsure how to prepare it. What is the most adventurous new food item you've attempted? How did it turn out?

Hiking Yoga

Saturday morning I tried something totally new! Through groupon.com I purchased two hiking yoga classes and I decided to cash one of them in. It was a balmy morning here in Los Angeles but there was a good group of us at the Griffith Observatory ready to get moving in a new way.

We started up the mountain and took intermittent breaks to overlook beautiful vistas like these:

And do some light yoga.

Getting some exercise and fresh air was the perfect way to kick off my Saturday. I'd never done yoga outside before and I found it to be both relaxing and invigorating at the same time. This company also has a Malibu hiking yoga location so I might give that one a try next time!

When I got home I was ravenously hungry from my workout so I heated up leftovers from a new recipe I'd made the night before from vegetariantimes.com

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers with celery, onion, carrot, cumin, black beans and pepperjack cheese. The flavors in this recipe were delicious and they all harmonized really well. I also had a small side salad to energize me before running some errands with my husband.

Today's Question: What new workout technique have you tried and enjoyed recently?

Mid-Workday Workout Mystery

I woke up on Friday craving fruit. Because I still need to do a major post-holiday grocery trip, I stopped by Jamba Juice on my way to the office for an all fruit Mega Mango smoothie. It really hit the spot!

Fridays are not good workout days for me. I kind of feel like I am entitled to sleep in and I never kid myself that I am going to exercise after work. So when I was running errands around the office a few days ago and came across this park, I thought it would be the perfect place to get some mid-day exercise.

After a very busy morning at work I packed up my lunch and took it to the park.

I had a whole wheat wrap with cilantro-jalapeno hummus, spring mix lettuce, yellow squash, onion, zucchini, and tomato. And an apple.

I walked the loop around the pond for about 40 minutes, which is absolutely better than doing nothing at all. However, sometimes when I'm keyed up from a busy day, I really want to run or bike and get the blood pumping!

I've also been fascinated by people who can pull off the mid-workday workout. I would love to be able to use my lunch hour for a quick workout but have never been able to figure out how people avoid getting sweaty when they have to go back to the office!

Today's questions: Do you workout during your lunch break? If so, what are your tips for achieving a real heart rate increase without making your coworkers keel over from your sweaty smell?

A Healthy Balance

Greetings from Southern California!

I'm Sarah and this is my first foray into the blogosphere! I am 25 and a fashion industry professional living in Southern California with my wonderful husband!

A little less than a year ago I was in an unhappy place. I worked long hours, navigated traffic, and arrived home too exhausted to do little more than pour myself a glass of wine and collapse onto the couch. I was stressed out and making unhealthy choices as I struggled to cope with my unbalanced life.

To address my stress level, I was fortunate enough to be able to make a job change and now work for a wonderful company with amazing and talented people. Having restored my mental health, it was time to take a long look in the mirror. I was extremely dissatisfied with what I saw. I was unhappy with my weight, my level of fitness and my overall energy level.

Something had to change.

In October 2010 I started using the livestrong app http://www.livestrong.com/ to track my daily calorie intake, I'm planning ahead and cooking more meals at home, and have been trying new and different ways to work exercise into my routine. To date, I've lost 15lbs and gone from a size 9 to a size 3.

Here I am in May 2010

And here I am now

I would love to share with you as I continue to explore new ways to live an active and healthy life. I also would love to hear your feedback and healthy living tips.