Weekending: The Final Whole30 Push

 
Ahh the weekend. My favorite time to relax, catch up on sleep, see friends, drink bowl sized servings of coffee, hang with my main squeeze and tidy my apartment. If we're being perfectly honest, this weekend was a little on the mellow side for my liking, with the main reason centering around Whole30.

Don't get me wrong - I like snoozing & loafing as much as the next 20 something, but it is usually prompted by a late night out with friends grabbing drinks, dinner and a movie, date night, etc. With Whole30, I've been spiraling down the hole of extreme boredom, with an overwhelming feeling of not being able to do anything.

I realize of course I'm being a bit dramatic. My entire life does not should not center around a 7 p.m. glass of wine...and yet it more or less does. Okay not really around alcohol, but social activities that involve eating or drinking.

When you can't eat without the fear your brunch omelette was sauteed in canola oil, that your chicken was rubbed down with a sprinkling of brown sugar before served to you, that you can't stuff a pre-snack into your mouth to make it through HH sitting looking like a weirdo when you don't order anything, or the fear that you will get hungry at some point during your friend hang out and you need at least 30 minutes to get home to then prepare a wheat/gluten/grain/sugar/soy/legume/dairy free meal is EXHAUSTING. And it's starting to spill over into too much of my life. I'm over it.

It is safe to say I am beyond thrilled to be on day 28 of 30 in this Whole30 journey. This challenge has changed my mindset, my determination, my eating habits and my body in such an amazing way that I will likely recommend it to everyone I know (that means you friends! I'm comin for ya with my Whole30 peer pressure!). But I am SO EXCITED to close this chapter and get into a new normal.

My new normal will be 90/10 paleo. I never in a million years thought I could get away from grains completely (wheat was tough enough but brown rice too? No way sister), and I am shocked to be standing at the end of this journey having walked away from my favorite quinoa or brown rice stir fry recipes for an entire month.

My new normal will include a weekly sugary treat, a weekly indulgent meal, and wine or a mimosa whenever I please. I will skip the gluten and grains, but you can better believe I won't be checking the labels of my favorite gluten free BBQ sauce for a "contains less than 2% sugar" soul crushing message.

In a few days I'll post my "must have" foods and recipes to survive Whole30, because it really is doable. But now, I'm back to day dreaming about my Friday night plans of celebrating the completion of this month with dinner at Pizzeria Bianco and a personal bottle of wine with my favorite, supportive boyfriend, who I could not have made it through without.

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Foodies in Bisbee Arizona

Not too long ago, my good friend Kortney & I roadtripped down to Tucson to visit our friend Greg. I search of an adventure, we hopped on the road and kept driving south - in search of the old western town of Bisbee. Our first stop lunch, and we chose the vegan mexican restaurant Poco after reading a flood of fantastic yelp reviews.

It was hilarious to see the server's face as we added chorizo to several of the items, not realizing that it was a vegan restaurant. I think the comment "mmmm I love pork" really pushed her over the edge, and she let slip an audible chuckle.

The inside of the restaurant is pretty tiny, but so colorfully decorated. We opted to sit out on one of the patios to enjoy the beautiful cool weather, watching the dark clouds of a stormy afternoon slowly roll in.

Being new in town we rookie ordered a meal each - which was entirely too much food. Nachos with chorizo, a chick'n sausage burrito & double decker mexican pizza (the middle was filled with black beans) were left half untouched, as we sat with fire breath and full bellies. Filling up on fresh pureed watermelon juice probably didn't help - but wow was it refreshing!

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A Year of Independence

As the time nears that we count down the last minutes of 2012, I am completely in awe of the events, people, and surprises that have happened in the last twelve months. 2012 was a year of fierce independence for me, a year of growing up, moving on, and believing that I could accomplish things way outside of my comfort zone.

Some of the highlights & milestones that made this year an important one. Growing pains are probably an understatement.

January: I got my heartbroken. And spent the next few months picking up the pieces, with the help of some very special & important people. The gratitude I feel toward these people will never really be put into words. It's too great. In the midst of the fog, a group of fabulously creative friends & I officially launched The Phoenix Style Collective - with a kickoff party that blew all of our expectations to tiny, sparkly bits.

February: I hosted a movie night premier at Studio Movie Grill, got a fantastic pair of new grandpa specs, went on one of many girl dates with one of my best gal pals, and packed up my bags to flee to a weekend getaway in San Diego. The beach is a wonderful place for clearing one's head.

March: Warm spring winds finally blew in to Arizona, where the season of patio brunching began with bottomless bloodies & mimosas. Business sent me to chillier weather, to Denver for a conference - which happened to allow two extra days with my BFF and her boyfriend. Just a few days later, they arrived in AZ! I discovered the sock bun, and hair washing has never been so few and far between (only joking!). Kinda.

April: The Phoenix Style Collective crew and I put together the first annual Arizona Blogger Conference at the Saguaro in Scottsdale - the cheeriest hotel in the entire city! With more than 100 guests in attendance, it's clear that blog lovin' is growing strong here in the desert! A 24 hour competition for a client at work dragged out for more than 50...which meant even more coffee than usual, and a REALLY fast exit to vacation the following weekend. There are no words for that time spent at Oprah's house in Palm Springs.

May: Coffee shop touring while solo became a fun past time, and my library card saw more action in the month than the entire year. Setting my sights on house improvement, I finally caved and hung up the gallery wall that has been nagging me in my thoughts for months. Then I created a jewelry display, which was featured on retailer's blog! I am still amazed by the outcomes of both! I cooked a lot of pinterest dinners, after resolving to cook a new recipe at least once a week. My favorite contribution to the month was the creation of Powder Room Fashionista - my exploration of outfit self portraits in ladies restrooms. But best of all - my bestest friend Bianca got engaged to her wonderful boyfriend Bobby. Let the wedding planning skype dates begin!

June: ...NEW ORLEANS! One of the favorite highlights of my entire year. We strolled Bourbon Street, wasted away at Margaritaville, got goosebumps at a crazy old cemetery, ate beignets & got powdered sugar covered pants at Cafe du Monde, experienced a true southern multiple course meal at Commander's Palace, followed my a classy pot of crawfish. Not to be overlooked - we got in touch with our mystical side with a ghost tour at the Myrtles, and a visit to the psychic! Back home, I coffee shop hopped, and baked with the largest zucchini I've ever seen.

July: I hopped back on a plane to San Diego for the 4th, where I rode a bike for the first time in years. My talented friend Sarah launched her awesome photography e-course, which I modeled for! I became a concert goer, magic bullet aficionado, and hosted cocktail filled networking event in downtown Phoenix. My mom came to visit shortly after for an amazing jam packed week! We brunched, toured the cute northern town of Prescott, and tasted some big tasty burgers. I got promoted at work, and moved in to my first big girl office...with its own door!

August:  Featured over on Stephanie blog, I shared the things I'm most grateful for these days. Coffee was included, of course. With the exception of an early morning breakfast pretend meeting at Carmel's, I took a break from blogging as I said goodbye to my coworkers, and started my new job working in Scottsdale, doing PR for NM! Cue happy tears, fireworks & air punches. My BFF Courtney moved in to my apartment complex, and weekday nights have never been better (wine & wedding videos anyone?)

September: Vegas called my name, and off to sin city I went to celebrate the big 2-4 with all of my college buds, which continued in Phoenix when my best friend Lauren got stuck on a layover. No photos have surfaced on the blog, for good reason. I drank way too much coffee (typical), which got me through the craziest, busiest, most fun month in fashion. As the month wound down, the anticipation of fall quickly became top of mind.

October: I tool a fall break. The mind was a jumble.

November: Briefly touching on the political conversations going on in our Country, I pledged to make small differences here in my bubble. Hoping others would do the same. My dad flew down to visit me for the most fun & hilarious Thanksgiving I've ever had. SparkleFarkle Thanksgiving 2012 was made of an accidentally double brined bird - in a garbage can no less, a menu for eight with a table for two, and stomach aches for daaaays to follow. We toured the amazing Musical Instrument Museum, and drove up to windy Sedona for a day of exploring.

December: This month has literally flown. The only moments I stopped running were the two sudden flu outbreaks that kept me home for several days on end. Party, after party, after celebration, after event...I LOVE THE HOLIDAYS. That's basically all there is to that! I joined Fashion Group International, and started writing for their blog, and took a few vacation days when my mama flew down for the holiday! We celebrated Christmas in Arizona for my very first time, and sending her off just a few days ago was just as difficult as usual. Moms are the best.

So there you have it friends! A whirlwind! 

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Bring it 2013.

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A weekend in red, black & whites

With the holiday craziness in full force at work, my weekends usually consist of one day of working, and one day squeezing in as many fun nights/errands/market lurks/evenings of not sleeping/coffee chugging friend hangouts as a 24 year old can handle. Which apparently is a lot.

a coffee at lola

I'm not entirely sure what to say about this. 

I love my friends?

Yep, that'll work. 

Starting off the day at work with a little industry research. 

If you insist!

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Kissing Frogs & Red Rocks

While my dad was in town, we took a day trip to the chilly city of Sedona (chilly in Arizona standards). It was 60 degrees! How glorious! Whenever I have visitors in town, I easily forget about the close daytrip options we have in this state. Sedona, Jerome, Prescott, Tucson, Bisbee, even the Grand Canyon if you're feeling extra adventurous!

Usually saved for longer visits, when my fam & friends come into town I like to pick one small town to explore. It's a great way to get out of my usual Phoenix & Scottsdale bubble and traipse around the state, which I may not have done without them.

A little fresh air never hurt anyone. 

In other news, being in Sedona didn't make me any more psychic. Even with all the vortexes! And the Elote Cafe was closed for the third time that I've attempted to visit. Looks like I'll be needing to head up again soon!

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Giant Coffee

I stumbled on a new favorite coffee hideaway one Saturday morning with my wonderful friend Greg. A wall of open windows created the lovliest breeze throughout the shop. We sat at a table for two, planned our day & sipped our soy lattes and cappuccinos like true hipster coffee snobs.

Giant Coffee

1437 North 1st St.

Phoenix 85004

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The Raven Cafe, Prescott

Prescott is just close enough to be the perfect day trip from Phoenix. A little planning ahead of time, an early set alarm clock, some great car tunes to entertain you during the drive and before you know it you've arrived.

Even close enough for the adventurous types who want to try a new coffee shop or cafe. Strolling through the city's cute weekend art markets, antique shops, or laying on the big lawn out front of the court house can be exhausting. Raven Cafe is just the spot if you're up for the hour, day, or weekend.

My beautiful mom and I drove up for precisely all of those things - to explore the new town, grab a coffee, see if there were any vintage goodies at antique shops I needed to own, etc. We had heard great things about the Raven Cafe, mostly from locals & Yelp, and decided to get a quick bite to eat before heading out of town.

The line to order was long, but the wait for our food was not bad. The place was packed - apparently we weren't the only ones to know about this local favorite! With a few ominous clouds in the sky we opted to sit inside, but if you're there on a nice day you must check out the upstairs patio. What a great view! I love a good restaurant patio.

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An Organized Holiday I - Festigrams

Shout out to all of the holiday procrastinators out there! Without fail, each year you can find me joining in the frenzy of shoppers digging through what's left in the mall Dec. 20-23. The panic, the regret, the guilt - not feelings that go well with the cheer, Christmas merriment & joy you're supposed to feel during this time of year.

This year, I'm finally changing my ways. I've given myself the green light to start celebrating early, with the understanding that I cannot procrastinate on the less exciting things. Each garland strand or glittery holiday ornament I pull out of storage will be followed by things like ordering gift wrap online, and picking up mail friendly packaging & stamps before a trip to the post office becomes a three hour excursion.

First on the agenda - cards! With so many places to choose your festive holidaygram, I thought I'd narrow down a few of my favorite online stops to purchase snail mail.

1// Etsy - Ordering off of this handmade site always makes me feel good about supporting people who are following the entrepreneurial dreams. A great way to find & support the art of letterpress cards, my favorite, for a surprisingly lower cost than you might think. Parrott Design Studio - $18 for 6

2// Papyrus - Easily one of the most well known greeting card companies in the country. Papyrus products can be found in big retailers, like Target, but also in neighborhood shops and their standalone boutiques. A pricier price tag per card, but anything heavily saturated with glitter and rhinestones I really can't resist. Papyrus Snowflake - $6.50

3// Tinyprints - For newlyweds, engaged couples, families with cute kiddos or even cute pets, ordering custom photo cards is the way to go. I qualify for none of these, although I was completely tempted by Tinyprints' modern calligraphy, cute layouts and supremely low cost. Tinyprints 'Merry Christmas' - about $2.25 each if you order 10, less the more you order!

4// World Market - A favorite store for home & kitchen things, World Market also has a great yearly holiday shop filled with inexpensive wrapping paper, tissue, tags, gift bags & more. It's one of my must-stops for holiday giving. Even better, they offer boxed card sets for much less than other stores. This is great if your Christmasgram must-send list is as long as your Santa wishlist. (Guilty) World Market - $9.99 for 10

More An Organized Holiday Tips to come!

Get festive!

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Holiday Spirit

Each year, I try so so very hard to stifle my urge to acknowledge Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving. Even with a still-full Thanksgiving dinner stomach, you can find me bolting out of bed, sipping hot coco, blasting holiday music and putting the final touches on a perfectly assembled fake tree all before 9 am.

 

This year, there is no denying it. After searching through the sale racks at Michael's, Target & Crate and Barrel over the weekend for left over Halloween crap, my feet led me directly into the neighboring Christmas sections. My heart! The sparkle, the deep reds and greens, reindeer, cute plump Santas, cheery sayings on banners and plates, I couldn't help but launch into full holiday mode. The spiral was all down hill from there. An hour spent in Hobby Lobby's 50% off Christmas aisles, a dash to the nearest starbucks for a peppermint americano in a red cup, NSYNC Christmas blasting in my car....

I LOVE CHRISTMAS.

Anyone else finding it completely impossible to resist?

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Crisp Air Friday

Happy Friday lovely people! I hope your November is off to a great start. This morning there was the most amazing chill in the air here in Phoenix, which of course was quickly chased away as the day progressed. 85 is not exactly my idea of Fall weather. We’re certainly getting there though…slowly.

Regardless, this weekend I will for sure be enjoying my first peppermint soy latte of the season, and will likely wear a wool sweater or two. I’ll also be getting started on some fun holiday crafts – not that I have any idea what those are yet. I have the itch to plug in my hot glue gun, and inspiration shall follow!

A few blogs I’ve been loving lately, to fill your weekend with a little more joy.

Kelly Murray’s Blog

Late Afternoon

NYC PR Girls

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When you don't know what to blog about...bake to avoid writing

I half expected this blog break to be earth shattering. Like I would wake up one morning realizing the key to simplify posting to a 10 minute commitment, to enhance photos in one click without photoshop,   and discover a never ending stream of content ideas to make my blog, and my life, more interesting.

As I sit here, one month later, shaking off my rusty blogging skills, I feel pretty much the same. I am a month older, a month further into my new wonderful job, and one month closer to Christmas. That's about it.

It almost seems that is what I needed though. The shocking realization that blogging is never going to get easier, it will always be a happy chore that I have to set aside time for. A hobby chore, that I love so very much.

So I will continue baking and dumping goodies on my friends to get them out of my house, continue snapping an unnecessary amount of photos at friendly gathering, happy hours, brunches, hikes and during trips. I will continue to struggle with posting five times a week, but will make it work as often as possible.

But mostly I will continue to document my now 24th year, to one day look back on and smile at the wonderful things I've experienced. I'll likely look back and realize I ate too many sweets, and baked too many goodies. But hopefully I will have shared them with friends, and on the interwebs, spreading a little cheer in the mean time. Deep, I know.

So hello blog friends! Happy November! What's new in your worlds?

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients

•  1 cup canned pumpkin
•  1 cup white sugar
•  1/2 cup vegetable oil
•  1 egg
•  2 cups all-purpose flour
•  2 teaspoons baking powder
•  2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
•  1/2 teaspoon salt
•  1 teaspoon baking soda
•  1 teaspoon milk
•  1 tablespoon vanilla extract
•  2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

 - Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. 

 - In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. 

 - Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. 

 - Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.

 - Add vanilla & chocolate chips.

 - Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes, or until lightly brown and firm.

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A Fall Break

I've decided to close up shop temporarily on le blog for the month of October. A full 31 days (well I guess 30 after this post goes live) to sit back and decide where I'd like to take this little ol' online journal. I've gotten to a place where I have compiled quite the list of great post ideas, recipes to try, tutorials to shoot (the hair curl! finally!), crafts to super glue, etc. - yet I seem to never give myself the time to execute. Which leads to frustration and anxiousness, because this little blog of mine is one of the happiest hobbies I've ever had in my entire life. A hard stop seems to be the best choice for now, as the sporadic three halfassed posts a week were really making me mad.

The goal is to nail down a direction. With so much inspiration out there, I'd really like to step back and figure out where I want this space to go, for me, which will hopefully turnout to be an inspiring online space for all my lovely readers as well.

Let's be honest, a true clean break will never happen. I'm still an instaobsessed fool - follow along @sparklefarkle for all my october fall fangirl adventures, outfit shots, and a look into the life of a caffeine addicted, slightly grandma-esque, single PR gal. The Twitter too, which will hopefully one day be more than just a string of instagram posts:) I'm @kthornhill.

Happy October friends! Get out there and abuse cans upon cans of pumpkin puree. 

See ya on the flip side. 

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twenty four and ten

Currently: drinking hot tea and pondering the 25 things I want to accomplish with the 355 days I have left until my next birthday (and impending quarter life crisis). The first on the list? France. I'm not sure when I'm going, or where I'll be exploring, but it is my number one goal for the next year to make it back to that country. It's kind of exhilarating knowing I'll be doing some international travel this year.

Currently: still in sweats, listening to Freelance Whales & thinking days off on Wednesdays are the best invention since Gorilla Munch.

Currently: struggling to edit photos & type this blog post on my ancient laptop that is basically begging to be put to rest. If only saving for an iMac wasn't such a slow process. Curse you, expensive adulthood!

Currently: counting down the hours until this weekend. Friday! The Lumineers show! Then enjoying the last few moments of my favorite month, before ushering in an equally as exciting 31 days. Fall baking (PUMPKINEVERYTHINGGETINMYMOUTH), a visit from my best friend Lauren, cooler temps., the return of Happy Endings, decorating for my favorite holiday & an annual spoOoOoky dinner party.

Yep, currently, life is good.

What's new in your world?

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Lulu*s Style Studio - In Phoenix!

I am so excited to announce that for the past few weeks, the Phoenix Style Collective has been working  alongside Lulu*s to bring a style studio event to Phoenix. The event is totally free & open to all you fashionable bloggers out there! Mara from the lovely blog M Loves M will be hosting - who I am so excited to finally meet. Hope to see you all there!

Reserve your spot at http://stylestudiophoenix.eventbrite.com

Tweet me if you're planning to attend too! {@kthornhill}

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A Healthy Substitute

There are many things in my life I could stand to substitute for something healthier. I've made the switch to home cooked meals instead of eating out, veggies to dip in hummus instead of pita chips or crackers, dark chocolate (for all the antioxidants and good things like that...), soy milk instead of the cow-made kind, and other small changes to my diet.

Healthiness aside, I take my dessert very seriously. I am a 1 treat a day kind of person, someone who has tried countless times to cut down sweets to one or two days a week, which usually results in a very angry katherine.

Now comfortable with the idea that I can allow myself a treat a day (wine counts too!), I've at least tried to pick a few things that I won't feel guilty about. Soy mini chocolate ice cream sandwiches from Trader Joe's are high on the list, as is wine, a mini milky way midnight, a small handful of semisweet chocolate chips, wine or froyo.

Thanks to a successful day lurking the interwebs, I stumbled on the oh so popular one ingredient ice cream substitute - a.k.a. frozen bananas. I didn't believe that something so healthy could take the place of something so sinfully heavenly, but with several ripe bananas sitting on my counter I decided to test it out. Banana bread could wait for another day.

The steps couldn't be easier. Find questionably bruisey ripe bananas in your fruit bowl. Cut into very precise even slices (bahaha: see above), freeze for an hour or two, blend.

I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT. It's ice cream! From one ingredient! Sorcery! I immediately ruined the "one ingredient" wonderment and added honey, and a few dashes of cinnamon. From here, you can either eat it as the frozen yogurt consistency it forms after blending, or throw it back in the freezer to scoop like real ice cream at a later time. You can also add a whole plethora of toppings/mixins. Nutella, chocolate covered pretzels, mini chocolate chips, berries, anything you want! So delicious, and healthy!

One Ingredient Ice Cream

• Bananas

- Cut ripe bananas into semi-even pieces. 

- Freeze.

- Blend. 

Shockingly simple.

Blogspiration - Pep Talk Tuesday

I love this. 

Rhi really hit the nail on the head!

Hoping to be back soon.

xoxo

Fashion's Night Out

Be there!

A Groove

I'm struggling to find one. Which is a very uncomfortable feeling for someone who is a perfectionist, battling a small amount of OCD and the usual angst of an almost quarter-life crisis victim.

There are a lot of wonderful things happening in my life right now, and I struggle with the realization that I so easily take things for granted, succumbing to the anxiety and fear of big change. I'm a go-with-the-flow person by choice, forced choice, it doesn't come as naturally as it does for others. I'd much prefer to be organized and in control, going through my day exactly as it was mapped out in my planner over coffee first thing in the morning, mentally checking off my to-dos before I can grab a colorful pen and do it in real life.

Right now, I'm lucky if one or two things I've put on my list of plans are looked at, let alone acted on. In its place are experiences upon wonderful experiences at work and with friends, in addition to a quick phone call to mom & dad when I have a second to sneak away.

But in between the wonder, the big eyes and the smile of new discovery, my heart aches for routine - which is quickly followed by guilt. Guilt that I glance at my phone en route to the bathroom throughout the day to find so many unanswered text messages from loving friends & family saying hi, catching me up on days events and asking about my job, that my head spins and I hide the device. Guilt that I haven't sent my parents' birthday presents (coming up on 1 month past-due), guilt on the days that I forget to pack my lunch the night before which pushes back my entire morning ritual by 15 minutes, leaving me scrambling, flustered and swimming upstream to recover those minutes - yet the overwhelming tiredness after a full day of work, then personal training, then home to stuff whatever spare food into my mouth (usually a mixture of corn/broccoli, rice cakes and hummus, turkey jerky and the occasional trader joe's microwave mexican food) leave me too exhausted to make lunch. So I skip it. Knowing full well what it'll do to me in the morning. Guilt that dishes keep piling up even though I swear I'm only cooking for 1 (it looks like 6), guilt that I don't go to bed early enough, or make it to the gym for long enough, or meet up with friends often enough over drinks or froyo to hear about their lives, or blog. Blog guilt is the worst.

At the moment, there is no resolution. I'd like to say I've found the solution to dig myself out of the chaos but unfortunately I think the only answer is time. Time to get settled into this new job, new life, new me.

Time is my least favorite answer. 

You better believe I'll be smiling my way through this, but chocolate donations are always welcome. 

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Carmel's & A Summer Vacation

Everyone deserves a summer vacation. A glorious getaway from all of life's excitement and stressers. A week or two to turn off your brain, stop responding to emails, hold the pinteresting/internet lurking/inspiration gathering, and just relax.

More or less, that's what I've been off doing. In the midst of all that relaxing, I resigned from one job and started another, apartment hunted all over scottsdale, shopped until I dropped, joined a gym, got a personal trainer & wore heels almost every single day. So the internet portion stopped, but everything else exploded!

During the craziness, I found my new favorite coffee shop (okay second favorite, Lola still wins). Carmel's on Camelback is the perfect short drive from my house, and I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot of time here.

My friend Courtney has the amazing ability to be a gatherer. Do you know people like that? They have a gift of getting the perfect group together, coordinating everyone, finding new places to check out, and everyone is always up to attend. This particular morning she managed to convince the other Phoenix Style Collective ladies and her two sisters to all meet at Carmel's at 7am. On a Sunday. And everyone came! I could never do that.

It was the first time we were reunited with our friend Chelsea, who has been away in Colorado all summer. There was a lot of coffee chugging that morning, but a lot of laughing, hugging and an overall feeling of whole-ness. It's amazing being friends with such a great group of strong, motivated individuals. Each person had something exciting to share that morning, whether it was work related, school related, house-buying related or personal. They're so inspiring!

I tried to participate but was entirely too enthralled with my breakfast & its pretty plate. 

Go to Carmel's. You won't regret it. And certainly won't miss it as you're driving along Camelback when this bad boy jumps out at you. Ha!

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The Grind

I'm not a frequent burger eater, and rarely even glance over the burger portions of menus when I dine out. But every so often, a craving hits me like a ton of bricks. The I NEED A BURGER NOW feeling is very pursuasive, so it's always good to have a few favorite locations on hand to visit within a 5 hour window. No angering the burger gods on my watch.

The Grind is a popular local restaurant in the Arcadia area, just a few streets up from my apartment. I've been before for happy hour, but never ordered a burger (much to the dismay of all of my tablemates).

You feel a little bit shunned in those types of situations, especially when the menu offers about four alternative non-burger options. Which are actually really good. While my mom was in town the craving hit, and I knew we needed to check this place out. It also happened to be a Monday, a.k.a. all day happy hour. Such a win.

We decided to split the barbecue burger - which is topped with house made barbecue sauce, house made mozzarella, wild arugula and garlic aoli on a brioche bun. Awesome. A side of sweet potato fries to split made this the perfect meal size, I have no idea how people attempt to go at it alone. Coolest thing about these burgers? They're cooked in a coal-fired oven, which cooks the meat at more than 1,000 degrees. What! Crazy talk. So really you can't recreate this at home - I highly suggest you visit and check it out.

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