Craving greasy, but must eat healthy? Go to Native Foods Cafe!!!

Good. I am glad we got that out of the way! If you have ever wanted something fresh, new and healthy, then you must have tried Native Foods Cafe. They have multiple locations, but they are not your typical vegan joint. I am not a Vegan, but I do love delicious food. Even if that food is made from foods that are not meat, but have the texture of meat. I can handle that.

I feel like at most Vegan places, I cannot really understand what they are going to look like or relate to what the dish might taste like. At Native Foods Cafe, the menu is translated to make you understand what the dish is trying to emulate. It makes it easy and not so scary because I can understand the menu. Simple, really. 

For dinner, we ordered the Sesame Kale Macro Bowl and the Yo Amigo Taco Salad. The crunchy cucumber seaweed salad came with the Sesame Kale Macro Bowl and it was refreshing. 

I loved the taco salad. The whole thing made me feel like I was eating nachos in taco form. (BTW: They do have Native Nachos and they are amazing! Just like the salad but instead of lettuce, it is chips!)

The art they have at the restaurant is all made of chalk. The menu is made of chalk and they even have an events board - like the one with the octopus here. They are not just a restaurant they are also involved with the community and the fact that they advertise events makes them that much better!

Now let's get on with the review!

Restaurant Name and Location: Native Foods Cafe, 9343 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232

Is the restaurant easy to find/park? Yes. It is off Culver Blvd, a very busy street. You can park in any one of the many parking structures around Culver Blvd. Free parking for the first 2 hours!

Did it take long to be seated? No. You order at the counter, take your number and grab a seat. It was not busy and we were able to snag a seat near the windows looking over the patio and Culver Blvd.

Meals Ordered: Native Chicken Wings, Sesame Kale Macro Bowl and the Yo Amigo Taco Salad.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the meal? I love the fact that I can understand the menu - the Vegan food is labeled so I can relate the food to what I am familiar with. Makes ordering less intimidating.

Restaurant atmosphere (casual, upscale, stuffy, fun): Casual! Servers bring your food, but you fill and refill your own beverages.

Would you come back to this restaurant? Yes! Although I am not Vegan, it is super delicious!

Would you recommend this restaurant to others? I highly recommend this to anyone looking for fresh, healthy food to satisfy their craving for greasy, unhealthy food.

Love,

Heather Dawn

Yokohama Sushi Dinner

I am usually a little weary about going to new sushi places. I am always looking for the grade from the city to make sure it is an A restaurant - when it comes to uncooked fish, cleanliness is key!

If you have ever worked in a restaurant you know what it takes to get an A rating. Working in and eating in a restaurant that has a B rating is a huge no-no. Luckily, Yokohama Sushi proudly displayed their A rating right on the front door and I was able to say "Ok, we can try Yokohama Sushi."

I love salt. I love endamame. I love salty endamame and this endamame was almost there! I had to show you an up close view of that perfect swirl! I think they used a pastry bag. It is too perfect!

A collage of the rolls we tried. They were all super fresh and delicious! I highly recommend to take a moment away from the menu and look at the specials posted on the wall. The specials on the wall are not on the menu - so take a look! It is worth it! The roll on the bottom left is a special!

Have fun!

Yokohama Sushi

3859 Overland Ave

Culver City, CA 90232

REVIEW: Sprouts Stuffed Salmon

Hello Foodies,

I love the convenience of popping a refrigerated meal into the oven and enjoying a good dinner with little work, but having the same thing every week gets old very quickly. 

I went to Sprouts and snagged a package of their Stuffed Salmon Filets. The ones I grabbed are stuffed with broccoli and cheddar cheese. 

I love a salad as my side dish. Sometimes, I crave a simple salad. 

Because this one had dressing all over it, I had it in a bowl on the side.

Stuffed Salmon all done! The package came with 2 stuffed salmon pieces and it only took about 30 minutes to bake in the oven. Super easy! 

I also made the Ore-Ida waffle fries in the oven. I love the super crispy ones! 

Overall, this dinner was easy and delicious. Just up my ally!

For dessert, I had Sprouts Raspberry Strudel Bites, 

Sprouts Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Peppermint Tea. 

Overall, the cookies were soft, but firm and the raspberry strudel bites were fresh and addicting!

Paired with the tea, it was a perfect end to an easy dinner.

Let's get on with the review!

Meal: Sprouts Stuffed Salmon

Did it come Fresh, Refrigerated, or Frozen: Fresh, but Refrigerated

Did it look like the photo on the packaging when you were done? No photo provided, but it stayed together and did not fall apart when baked.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes! This was an easy meal to make because you only need an oven safe dish to bake the fish and a cookie sheet to make the waffle fries on.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the meal? It was very easy! I loved the fact that all I needed to do was preheat the oven and put the food onto oven safe dishes!

Recipe alterations or any changes you made: None. As usual, I recommend a salad or a veggie to complete the meal. Any other side for a starch works. This would be great with mac and cheese or scalloped potatoes instead of fries as a side.

Would you make it again? Yes. Easy, delicious, minimal cleanup - this is a home run!

Would you recommend it to others? YES! :)

In the comments below, let me know what you would like me to review next! 

You can also ask me any other questions you have about this meal. 

Eat well!

Love,

Heather Dawn

Chocolate Peach Berry Protein Smoothie

This Chocolate Peach Berry Protein Smoothie was inspired by Fitness/Lifestyle blogger Taralynn of UndressedSkeleton. She is in love with making protein shakes and smoothies. Her photos are so beautiful (I need a better background! My counter is not cutting it!) and her recipes are fantastic! 

This is my first try at making any kind of protein shake. 

I started by going to Sprouts grocery to get Tera's Whey protein powder. Protein powder is necessary for any protein shake, but I have never had any friends who regularly have protein shakes, so I have not had anyone to turn to to ask. Until I started reading Taralynn and her fitness blog. Although she is not a friend of mine yet, she is a part of my life because I love to read her blog a few times every week. 

She recommends this protein powder and it is really not too bad.

I have created this recipe from ingredients I found at Sprouts and I used measurements from Taralynn's Chocolate Strawberry Protein Shake and her Peachy Strawberry Protein Smoothie to help me create my very first smoothie recipe. Without her this smoothie would not have been possible. She recommended  the best protein powder and gave me a reference to use when I wanted to create my own. I am so happy with my first smoothie!

Try it out and tell me what you think!

Thank you Taralynn for being so inspirational! 

REVIEW: Trader Joe's Saucy Scallops

Hello Foodies,

I love the simple meals available at Trader Joe's and Fresh & Easy, but I get a little weary. How do I know this will actually be good? I know I am allowed to bring it back if I do not like it, but it would feel a little weird for me bringing in leftovers and a box and saying "Can I have my money back?". 

So, I take chances. I go out on a limb and I try out anything I think I might like.

I do not have to be sure I will like it, but if I like the general ingredients, it might be a winner.

Let's get on with the review!

Meal: Trader Joe's Saucy Scallops with Mushrooms

Did it come Fresh, Refrigerated, or Frozen: Frozen

Did it look like the photo on the packaging when you were done? Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow? Oh yes! This is a pretty quick and easy meal to make. I made it on the stove and it took less than 10 minutes. TIP: Start the rice first! If you do not want rice, you can put this over your favorite pasta or even potatoes.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the meal? It was so easy! Although, I feel it needs a good veggie side like a salad or maybe steamed veggies.

Recipe alterations or any changes you made: None other than I made rice and a salad to make the meal complete

Would you make it again? Yes. Easy, delicious, fast. I love this meal!

Would you recommend it to others? Yes :)

In the comments below, let me know what you would like me to review next! 

You can also ask me any other questions you have about this meal! 

Let me know what you think down below!

Love,

Heather Dawn

Truffle Season at Umami Burger, Santa Monica, CA

Very pepperminty lemonade. Delicious if you love peppermint tea, 

candies, or just love peppermint like me. 

If you do not like peppermint....well, you know!

Those fries are The Manly Thin Fries 

They are smothered in beer cheddar and topped with bacon and onion strings. 

Out of this world delicious, of course! The salty from the bacon and the savory onion strings all clinging to the fries with help from the beer cheese make these heavy, but also addicting.

I had the Truffled Speciale Burger. The only photo I have is after a few bites!

The truffle burger was savory, but very greasy. The truffle oil was everywhere. Maybe it was the grease from the fried egg, who really knows... The arugula and the cheese crisp was not enough for me. I needed a tomato, or something with acidity to break up the grease from the oil on the burger. In the end, I used their tasty smoky flavored house ketchup, but still could not get away from the grease. 

Fashion options! Which cardigan do you like better? Teal hearts or Sea foam solid? 

Let me know down below!!

Love,

Heather

Sidecar Doughnuts - What A Dream!

From left to right: Huckleberry, Maple Bacon, and Fig.

The fig doughnut was my favorite, so it is being showcased! Delicious!

Sidecar Doughnuts in Costa Mesa, CA has the most amazing selection of creative and delicious doughnuts. It is a doughnut/coffee lover's dream! If there could be a job for someone who loves doughnuts and seeks out the best, don't you think they would be called something sweet like a doughnut-melier? Kind of like a sommelier, but for doughnuts...? Only in my dreams would that job exist! Hahaha! 

Back to Sidecar Doughnuts! Their flavors change monthly, but I am pretty sure the Huckleberry and Maple Bacon are staples. They even have gluten-free and vegan doughnuts!

 I highly recommend you try Sidecar Doughnuts. 

They are fresh and delicious and not made with preservatives, so they have no shelf life. 

What does that mean? Stuff your face Enjoy yourself!

Love,

Heather

Easy Recipe For PERFECT EVERY TIME Hard Boiled Eggs

I love to have hard boiled eggs in almost everything from a salad to a great stand alone snack. I used these in my tuna salad I made for my lunch. You can use them and make egg salad! Mix it up!

What do you plan to use your hard boiled eggs for? Let me know down below!

Love,

Heather

DIY Blanket: An Easy Guide For The Best Edge - Masking Tape!

Cameo By Penelope The Cat:

I hope you love how easy it is to stay along the edge of the masking tape. What have you been up to? Link to your projects down below!

-Heather

DIY: Flat Iron Steak Sandwich

I just got this amazing $20 cast iron grill pan from Target. I do not have a balcony or any outside area at my apartment so this pan is the perfect option since I am unable to have a grill. 

The flat iron steak sandwich had chopped jalapeños, Trader Joe's fresh pesto, mozzarella, and I also had Trader Joe's onion rings. I highly recommend the pesto and the onion rings. 

I love trying new things from Trader Joe's, Fresh and Easy, and Whole Foods; and this was the first time I had the pesto and the onion rings - they were very good! We used Famous Dave's Steak & Burger Seasoning and the meat came out flavorful and tender! I loved it! I am still amazed that this came out of my kitchen, and all because we got a grill-like skillet. 

I'm in love!

Do you have a grill or a grill pan? What do you love to make?

Love,

Heather