MERCADO SEGRADO – ARTISANS AND EATS!

by with No Comment adventureartcommunityentertainmentfamilyfestivalsfood

The perks of raising the world’s most perfect flower child is that she knows when anything zen-y and cool is happening in our area! Mercado Segrado in Topanga Canyon is an artisan goods and healthy eats event that happens annually and we’ve turned it into a family tradition.  Full of organic food options, art, and hand crafted goods, if you love festivals than you’ll love this one. We especially love supporting local artists and eating from locally sourced venues!




This year, the background for the event was the grounds of Paramount Ranch in Agoura. It’s an old western set, with open spaces, barns, and buildings that look like they came straight out of a John Wayne film. The festival in past years have been held in Topanga Canyon but each year it becomes larger and this location didn’t disappoint!

We had a few favorite vendors that we kept popping our heads into to check out, Earth + Element being one of them! She makes some of the most beautiful ceramics you’ve ever seen, a ’boutique with a conscience’ <3 Their Moon Mugs are out of this world beautiful, check them out if you love ceramics like we do. And DL Skateboards– we couldn’t get over the craftsmanship and admired their boards throughout the day.

Each skateboard is handcrafted from a single piece of solid oak wood, they’re gripped with sand from Topanga Canyon, and the wheels and hardware are all made with parts from right here in California. How awesome is that?! If that weren’t convincing enough for you to go check them out, you should know that they also believe in the bartering system! Yes, you can barter for a board lol that’s the damn best! If I had a military issue canvas tent (ahem dad send me one from your basement!) to barter with, it’d be for the Deep Sun board. It’s my favorite, the colors just make me happy!



And of course, no travel post of ours is complete without a food photo! Pictured here is mango sticky rice. Made to perfection, this was one of many eats and treats featured at Mercado Segrado and we would’ve ordered another one if the line weren’t so long, it was one of the most popular dishes!


Pro tips: Wear comfy shoes- you’ll be walking around on unsteady rock all day, bring a hat and sunscreen- it’s an open space and you’ll want to explore the grounds, and get there when it opens- it’s nice to visit each pop-up tent and vendor there, and then have a seat to listen to one of the live performances take place. Take it all in it only happens once a year.

 

Do you have any local events near you that you HAVE to go to each time they come around again? 

 

Daily Vitamins

WHY DO I NEED TO TAKE A DAILY VITAMIN?

by with No Comment fitnesshealthwellness

This is a question Corrine used to ask me when she was little and it’s still a question Joe asks me when I try to hand him a palm full pills each day. Part of my daily regime is to take a daily vitamin, and about 17 other vitamins that do a few different things.

Daily vitamins

Ok not 17…7, and I know what this looks like…so many vitamins! Why?! How do you do it?! What do they do?! Well I’ll tell you. So pictured above we have . . . the 2 green pills which are for my brain (more on this in a bit), the larger orange pill is fish oil, the smaller tan capsules are a multi-vitamin, the larger tan pills are  anti-oxidants, and the two white capsules are fish collagen. I know what you’re thinking…”whoa back it up….brain pills and fish collagen?!”

Let me explain what they do and it will all make more sense. The first is my daily multi-vitamin. I love this one by the Tone It Up Girls because it’s vegan and gluten free which means my Corriney can take them daily also. Not to mention that it provides 100% of most of everything you need like Vitamin C, E, B6, Folic Acid, Biotin (big one for your hair, nails, and skin), Zinc, and others! So just by taking this one vitamin a day (2 capsules per serving) you’re able to refrain from having to take 805 other pills. I choose to take the other 7 you see, but if you wanted to take only  one vitamin- THIS is it! Simple, wholesome, and almost everything you need! It is a vegan product so the fish oil and collagen I take separately.

Perfect Fit Daily Vitamin

The Super Antioxidant formula smells like fruit which makes complete sense considering it’s comprised of super potent seeds like black cumin, cranberry, pomegranate, black raspberry, grape, milk thistle, and others. Antioxidants are simply molecules that interact safely with free radicals (highly reactive atoms that can start of chain of damaging reactions) thus preventing any damage free radicals may cause. Soooo . . . I take two of these a day.

Ear Bar Organics Super Antioxidant

Fish Collagen I take as it promotes collagen support and reproduction. As we age, there is a progressive break down of collagen in our skin. A loss of firmness and elasticity, the ‘plumpness’ you have in your skin that we try to regain the older we get. So I take 2 capsules before bed! The collagen in this is the main component found in the collagen of our skin, and combined with the other ingredients, promote collagen and tissue renewal… YES YES YES!

Fish Collagen

And Brain On. Now I can see how this would sound a lil bit cooky….it all does, all these pills and vitamins and minerals, but this particular supplement is great for focus and clarity, a balanced mood and lowering stress levels. This blend is primarily composed of blue-green algae which contains active enzymes, amino acids, phytochemicals, and essential fatty acids. Hey I’ll take anything that will keep this brain of mine young and sharp . . . short of having to consume 15 cups of coffee a day…yeesh! But so far I’ve noticed sharper focus, I work with more intention, it’s only been a few months but I love that I feel more alert and ON! It’s the same effect I get with coffee except this is caffeine free.

Brain On

And there you have it! Those are the vitamins and supplements I take daily, along with a ton of water, lots of rest, and an active lifestyle – I feel like I’m on the right path towards having a healthy mind and body. We’re all going to get older, aging is a part of life. I accept that and I look forward to aging gracefully. Gracefully being the key word here. I will supply my body with what it needs to flourish but I 100% understand that at times it could make me appear a tiny bit loopy……”why yes I take brain on and fish collagen”. It’s a bit much.

Do you take a daily vitamin? Have you ever heard of some of the other supplements I’ve talked about today? Share your daily regime with me and I’ll see you later this week!

 

xoxo- Jess

eggplantblogpic1

A Mediterranean inspired Coponata dish recipe!

by with No Comment beautycharitycommunityfashion
For those of you out there on a cleanse, or if you’re gluten free, or vegan, this one’s for YOU! So the night Fr. Leo came over to cook up a storm, one of our friends was on a cleanse (I know right, I felt so bad that all this carb dense food was staring at him!) and my daughter is a gluten free vegetarian, soooo we had to make something that wasn’t all carbs and meat haha! This dish was refreshing to our palettes and diet friendly to our friends. Win win baby! So lets get cookin shall we! 


So this egg plant dish is creamy in texture, but not creamy in an ‘I hate textures and can’t eat that’ kind of way. It’s mineral-ly and smokey, and light enough that I could literally eat this every day. 

We had this in between courses while our food settled, and it was light enough to refresh us, yet satiating enough to keep us from going back for seconds on the other dishes. 

What you’ll need for this Coponata: 

– 1 eggplant
– 1 clove crushed garlic
– 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
– 1 teaspoon sea salt
– 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
– 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
– half of one finely diced red onion

So cut the tips off of the ends of the egg plant and slice the eggplant in half, horizontally. Then cube and cook them on very HIGH heat in 2 tablespoons of heated olive oil. Cooking this on high heat will allow the eggplant to blister which we want. You may drizzle the eggplant with extra olive oil if it’s not frying enough, perhaps you didn’t add enough at the beginning (this is what we experienced). You don’t want the eggplant to dry out so if using more olive oil is necessary, go for it. 

Then add in the fresh garlic and onion, crack some fresh pepper over top and add in the salt, and give it a toss. Drizzle the red wine vinegar over top once the onions are softened, this will de glaze the pan, and then add in some freshly cut parsley to top it all off before serving. ENJOY! Nom nom nommyyy! 

This is really really yummy for an appetizer too, light enough for it, and gets you ready for the other 5 courses! Please visit Grace Before Meals for more yummy recipes, and thanks again to Fr. Leo! 
Hope you enjoy this dish, I know we did! Be sure to tag me on Instagram and Twitter when you make it, I love seeing your spin on recipes! 

hugs all around, 

Jess
smoothieblogpic

The super fruit, super charged, energizing smoothie!

by with No Comment DIYfoodlifestyle
I’ve been on a smoothie kick lately, just throwing everything I have into my blender and enjoying these yummy treats for breakfast or as post workout recovery fuel. Today’s smoothie recipe is my new all time favorite. I used Pitaya which is a super fruit… dragon fruit! We’re getting fancy! This antioxidant rich, vitamin packed, energy boosting recipe will leave you feeling refreshed, refueled, and re-energized! Isn’t the color just so pretty!? Go grab your blender and run to the kitchen!

I had some Pitaya packets in my freezer and decided to make a smoothie with this superfruit. 

The yummies:
– 1 packet of Pitaya (superfruit, purges harmful toxins from your body, high in fiber, low in sugar, jam packed with antixidants, vitamins, and promotes healthy skin)
– half of a banana (potassium, magnesium)
– 1 TBL spoon unsweetened coconut shreds (fiber, vitamins, minerals, calcium)
– 1 cup almond milk (iron & riboflavin which aid in muscle growth and healing)
– 3 to 4 strawberries (antioxidants, vitamin C, heart healthy)
– handful of blackberries (Vitamin K, reduces inflammation)
– few mint leaves (aids in digestion, great source of several essential minerals)
– 1 TBL spoon chia seeds (rich in antioxidants, minerals, fiber)
I put everything into the blender, blended until smooth and then topped it off with some more coconut shreds and mint leaves. No ice was needed since the Pitaya packet came straight from the freezer and I freeze my bananas so they make my smoothies extra creamy! Try that trick out! The smoothie was sweet enough as is, but if you wanted to drizzle in some agave for added sweetness, I think it’d be the bees knees! 

This was really yummy, filling, and the mint made the taste even tastier than I thought. Try it out, let me know your thoughts, and if you make this or make a version of it, tag me on Instagram or Twitter 😀 Jess_Lizama 

A very healthy, happy day to you!

Jess