LAX: 'nuff said

I am dashing home for two weeks to visit my lovely and lonely doggies, my grandmothers, and taking a trip to the keys! Somewhere in my planning process I pretended the Los Angeles airport was close enough to Santa Barbara to make it worth saving $200 dollars on my flight. (new clothes as a reward for my thrifty travel planning, I think yes) Anyways, my super planning also included a red eye flight both ways. I saw this as a positive, I don't have to lose a whole day traveling! Well upon our arrival to LAX a mere 2 hours later miraculously without traffic, we enter what seems to be the airport version of disney world. Lighted signs, a spaceship looking control tower, and tens of thousands of tourists. Yes, I realize I am not for California, but I am at least from this country and consider myself to not be a tourist amongst the crowd frequenting this airport. After 40 minutes of trying to find a parking spot for my DUALLY, yes, we drove to LAX in a dually, we finally found this mysterious parking level with no cars on it. Yes, it is probably haunted, yes we were annoyed that they make hybrid car only parking, but we pulled right in and began the hike over to the terminal. 

I packed light, a small carry on and a tote....that weighs 20 pounds. I blame the extra purse, the MCAT books, laptop, etc. Anyways, I tried to use a restroom with said tote and carry on. My mistake. Those things are not meant to be maneuvered into a stall! Heaven forbid you leave the thing outside the stall they will probably call national security for an unattended item. 

I gave up and bought my $4 Evian water.

Phew! 

Now just to wait for the flight.

tasty table: spinach mushroom pie

I had an ambitious day and managed to cook two things today! 

I love the combination of cheese, toppings, and marinara sauce on pizza, but I wanted to 

make a somewhat healthier version. By making the crust the "topper" of the pie, 

I was able to fill the casserole dish with spinach giving me a much better vegetable to carbs ratio.

-fresh spinach (you will need a lot more than you think!)

-approx. 1 cup of part-skim ricotta cheese

-1/2 cup italian cheese blend or mozzarella shredded

-marinara sauce for dipping

For the whole wheat pizza dough:

1 1/2 cups regular whole wheat flour

1/2 cup white flour

garlic 

1+1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup olive oil

I found this recipe at Kristin in her Kitchen and modified a little bit. 

Saute the spinach with garlic and a little olive oil. Mix in ricotta cheese. 

Transfer to a casserole dish. Saute mushrooms. Layer mushrooms on top of spinach and ricotta mixture. 

Sprinkle italian shredded cheese on the top. Roll out pizza dough and place on top.

Bake for 

at 350 degrees.

Serve hot with marinara for dipping! 

YUM!

tasty table: avocado chicken salad

All the taste without all of the fat!
Summerland market has an outdoor BBQ on Saturdays, so I used grilled chicken, but any will be tasty!

- one pound chicken

 - one whole avocado

- juice of half a lime

- about 1/8 a cup of green onion

- salt and pepper to taste

Very fresh and delicious!

love: lifeguard press

I am so excited the new Lilly Pulitzer agendas are available! The new sticker sets seem to be the perfect addition to these agendas. I love that they are categorized, sorority, academic, and family. It may seem silly to have stickers covering all the pages, but I am more likely to continue writing things down if it looks cute! 

I try to write down everything I need to do or else I will surely forget it. I know our fancy iPhone technology is probably a much more efficient way to organize my life, but there is something fun about writing it all out.

LP also has new sorority items including tumblers, white boards, and cell phone cases. 

Two thumbs up Lifeguard Press!

in search of: loose sheer blouses!

I saw these on pinterest a while ago and fell in love with them! If anyone knows where you can find something similar, please let me know!

pilates: studio at padaro

We finally made it to the actual studio where they shoot Pilates Anytime. It is even more breathtaking in person. My mom and I loved the instructor, Niedra Gabriel. The class was challenging but she did a great job making sure everyone was able to participate and full benefit from each of the moves. The studio is right on the beach. We couldn't help but take an after class stroll!

padaro beach

the tasty table: Cava's Restaurant and Bar

in one word: amazing!

We went to Cava's Restaurant and Bar in Montecito, California for Father's day. 

The name is a little misleading because the ambience is nothing like that of a bar, and in fact it is quite the opposite! It is charming and home-y but in an upscale way.

In true California fashion, it has a very relaxed dress code, but everyone here looks beautiful all the time anyways!

My dad seems to find something wrong with most, if not all, restaurants we eat at, so we wer beyond thrilled that he had no complaints.

The food is very fresh with lots of seafood options. It has a Mexican essence, but you will not be finding any heavy or greasy, cheesy meals here. 

I have to mention the desserts: heaven.

We tried a coconut cream cake, bread pudding with orange carmel sauce, and a bananas a la habana with caramelized bananas, caramel sauce, and dulce de leche ice cream.

I will take pictures of the beautiful desserts next time, we were too busy digging in this time!

words of wisdom

california dreamin'

It truly feels like a dream to be back in Santa Barbara, California. I have not wasted any time in exploring my old favorite places to go.
My personal favorite casual restaurant here is called Padaro Beach Grill located on Padaro Ln by Summerland. It is very casual with picnic bench seating outside. There are sand play areas filled with toys for kids and a lovely view of the ocean. I have been there for dinner both nights we have been here! My new favorite dish is the Fish Tacos "Baja Style."  I ask for coleslaw instead of chips! Delicious!

 lots of fun at padaro beach grill!

 

padaro beach

farmer's market

I want all of them!

but.. I decided on blue 

fish tacos!

My mom and I also went downtown to State Street for Father's day shopping. Whoops, I got a little off track but I found a wonderful bikini top! I do not like the way halter tops fit me, so I was overjoyed to find a cute top with normal straps. (I did end up buying dad a present though!)