Orangetheory Fitness Los Angeles Opening Soon!

**5/14/14 UPDATE: Orangetheory Fitness LA to soft open on May 23rd! Presale pricing will run until June 4th, with a grand opening on June 5th.**

LA & San Fernando Valley fitness friends, there is a new workout center opening soon! I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz on Orangetheory Fitness LA, which is getting ready to open in May. Currently they are hosting weekly fun runs, workouts on the Santa Monica stairs & other impromptu workouts near their soon-to-be opened Los Angeles/Brentwood location.

To find out when their (mostly) outdoor workouts take place, follow Orangetheory Fitness LA on Facebook or Twitter. I’ve been meaning to go to one, but just haven’t made it out yet.

However what I will be attending in the near future is one of their classes. This is what Orangetheory Fitness is all about – using treadmills, water rowers, TRX &  other strength training tools to create a fun, challenging, fat-burning circuit workout. Participants use heart rate monitors to ensure they reach the optimal “Orange Zone” that helps to maximize fat burning and heart health benefits.

Recently I chatted with franchise owner Paul Marcus about this unique approach to fitness workouts. Each 60 minute class is led by a certified, Orangetheory Fitness trained instructor & is designed to build muscle, tone your body, measure calorie burn & increase metabolism for up to 36 hours post workout! Paul explained to me that while folks may be tempted to feel like they have to compete against the person next to them on the treadmill, it’s really about working out within your limits & making sure that you hit your own “Orange Zone.” This is achievable by following your heart rate monitors & looking at the screens placed around the room.

Sound cool?! I think so! Currently they are running a special, no obligation, presale pricing for members who join before May 1st. All members who join before this date will receive a two week FREE trial & also qualify as a founding member. If you are interested in receiving a complimentary trial & becoming a founding member, please call their studio at (310) 694-5656.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. I simply wanted to share this information with all of my fitness friends & readers! Images courtesy of Orangetheory Fitness. All opinions are my own.

Lemonade Studio City

Last week I had the opportunity to check out Lemonade, an eatery known for its seasonal southern California comfort food. Lemonade’s newest location opened last month in Studio City. I had gotten a taste of Lemonade in Westlake Village over the Christmas holiday break & really fell in love with their fresh, healthy cuisine! So when I found out that we were getting a location in my own “back yard” I was thrilled!

Lemonade Studio City is located on a popular stretch of Ventura Blvd. When I visited it last Wednesday, there was a steady crowd of people going through the lines – moms with young kids, business folks on their lunch break and women in yoga pants (such as myself) who looked like they had just finished with their Pilates workout across the street at the local studio. 🙂

Lemonade is a Los Angeles-based fast-casual cafeteria-style eatery. When you first walk in, grab your tray & follow the buffet line.

There are a TON of options – salads, soups, sandwiches, braised meats, mac ‘n cheese, even vegetarian chili!

It’s easy to be overwhelmed with all of the choices; however, the folks behind the counter are very friendly & knowledgeable about the food. I found them to be helpful when I had questions about the ingredients in some of the salads.

Here’s a sampling of their proteins:

They offer several lemonade flavors, even sugar-free options. I chose the cucumber mint, which tasted very refreshing!

Lemonade Studio City has both indoor & outdoor seating.

The decor inside is very light & bright with whimsical touches like this ceiling art.

Since it was a warm, sunny day (typical SoCal winter weather), I opted to sit outside.

(clockwise from upper right: red quinoa with arugula, Fuji apple, sunflower & pistachio; butternut squash with brussel sprouts, grapes & almonds; Israeli couscous with wild mushrooms, parmesan & lemon truffle; chipotle brown rice pasta with smoked gouda & cherry tomato; curry chicken with green apples)

For my protein, I chose a red miso beef short rib:

My meal was delicious, but the stand-outs for me were the chicken curry, miso beef short rib & the red quinoa. I loved the nutty flavor & crunchy texture of the quinoa. The short rib was very flavorful & I’m a big fan of curried chicken.

A friend of mine once said that a meal isn’t complete without a sweet treat. At Lemonade, there are many options:

Lemonade is known for their huge macaroons, so naturally I got a lemon flavored one!

There are several Lemonade locations throughout the Los Angeles area, a location at Fashion Island in Orange County, as well as one in Ventura County. I’m so happy that there is one in the San Fernando Valley. If you are ever in the area, you should definitely check it out!

Lemonade Studio City is located at 12401 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA 91604. The food menu & lemonade options rotate on a daily basis. Visit their website for more details. As far as parking options, you can valet your car for a flat fee of $3 or do street parking (if you can find an available space). Tip: If you plan on doing a bit of shopping (as there are tons of cute boutiques in the area), I found an inexpensive public parking lot close to Ventura Blvd. & Laurelgrove Ave. My car was parked for a little over an hour & I paid only 90 cents. What a bargain!

Tell me: Have you been to Lemonade? What did you try?

Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post. I received a complimentary meal to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

Horsing Around Downtown LA’s Little Tokyo District

Last Sunday, since my hubby had to work, I decided to take my daughter on a Mommy & Me outing. My daughter is really into horses (she’s a big fan of My Little Pony), so I thought it would be fun to go to the Japanese American National Museum to ring in the New Year & celebrate the Year of the Horse. Best of all, admission to the museum would be free that day, including all of the fun activities!

They had many arts & crafts for little ones at the museum. First up on our agenda was making a stick horse!

Then we strolled over to another table to make a horse wall-hanging. Chloe chose pink & purple since it’s her favorite colors. Currently it is being used as a door hanger on her bedroom door.

While we were there, I decided to peek into the museum’s Marvels & Monsters exhibit. It’s a fascinating examination of racial stereotypes in comic books that was especially prevalent in the 1940’s through the 1960’s.

Naturally my daughter wanted to save the best part for last. Outside of the museum, they were offering free pony rides. The line was a tad long, but it was worth the wait. She had so much fun!

We had a great time at the Japanese American National Museum & can’t wait to go back again!

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. I attended the museum’s annual Oshogatsu Family Festival, which is a free community event.

Need A Sitter For the Holidays?

The following post is sponsored by UrbanSitter.

December is around the corner & as a busy mom I’ve got a lot on my to-do list. There are holiday parties, parent-teacher conferences and Christmas shopping, among many other things. While I do have family nearby that can watch my daughter, it’s not always possible. That’s why it’s so nice to utilize the services of UrbanSitter, an online resource that connects parents with babysitters.

UrbanSitter started out in San Francisco in 2011, but has quickly expanded to over a dozen cities throughout the United States, including Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Chicago and San Diego. I learned about UrbanSitter last month through a mom-friend & eagerly checked out the site. I found it to be very user-friendly. The steps are simple: sign into the UrbanSitter website using your Facebook account, create a parent profile, then with a few clicks of the mouse you’ve got a list of babysitters to choose from.

(image: UrbanSitter)

The great thing about UrbanSitter is that you can look for sitters based on recommendations from friends and parenting networks such as your local YMCA or mommy group. UrbanSitter also has search functions so that you find a babysitter based on their rate, experience, education level , response time & other criteria. Another handy tool that they have is the UrbanSitter iPhone app. It’s so easy & convenient to search for sitters while you are on the go! You can also use the app on your iPad or iPod Touch.

After reading the bios of several babysitters & reviewing their video profiles, I sent a booking request to a sitter located in a town about 15 minutes from my home. She responded within 2 hours (messages are sent  through the UrbanSitter website) & we made arrangements for her to come to my home to watch my daughter later that week, who would be home all day due to a school holiday. The sitter arrived promptly & I chatted with her for about 10 minutes so that I could ask her some questions about her background & babysitting style. How did it go? My daughter loved playing with the sitter while I got to work in my home office, free from distractions. Win-win!!

Parents, are you in need of a babysitter this holiday season or for the new year? Do you live in the LA/San Fernando Valley area? If so, you are in luck! UrbanSitter and Real Mom of SFV invite you to attend a special event in Sherman Oaks. Join us on Friday, December 13th from 5-7pm at Lollipop Dream. You’ll have the opportunity to meet some of the Valley’s newest babysitters, mingle with other parents, enjoy light appetizers & drinks, plus do some holiday shopping!

Kids are welcome to attend, as we’ll have plenty of kid-friendly snacks & drinks, not to mention plenty of sitters to engage with your little one while you shop the store!

RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/babysitter-meet-greet-with-urbansitter-sherman-oaks-tickets-9451633089

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by UrbanSitter, but all opinions are my own.

Mendocino Farms Giveaway

Mendocino Farms recently hosted a Family Fun Day at their Sherman Oaks location. It was a fun afternoon of eating, music and arts & crafts.

There were several types of sandwiches, a pasta salad, sweet treats & drinks for everyone.

While noshing on all of the great food, we rocked out to Rhythm Child, a family friendly band.

Each kid got to decorate their own picture frame.

They had a photographer on-site so you could take a picture with Mendocino Farms’ iconic blue cow. Check out the finished product!

Readers of my blog know how much I love the food here, which is why I am offering a giveaway to Mendocino Farms.

One lucky winner will receive a gift certificate good for 2 sandwiches, 2 fountain sodas AND 2 kids meals!

The voucher is good for the Sherman Oaks location only, so you must live in the Los Angeles area or be willing to drive to the San Fernando Valley.

All you have to do to be entered to win is:

• Follow Mendocino Farms on Twitter & leave a comment below saying that you did.
• For an extra entry, “like me” on Facebook & let me know you did so in the comments below.
• For a third entry, share this post on Twitter & leave a comment with the link below.

The contest runs until Thursday, November 14th at 5pm PST. Winner will be chosen at random & contacted on November 15th. Open to Los Angeles area residents only. The winner will have 24 hours to respond with a mailing address or the next winner will be chosen.

*** Update: The winner has been chosen & notified. Thank you for entering!***

Mendocino Farms is located at 14141 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423. Free parking garage located in the back. Visit their website for more information & to see what’s on the menu.

Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post. I was invited to a free community event. The giveaway was supplied by Mendocino Farms.

Summer Sounds at the Hollywood Bowl

Last week I attended Summer Sounds at the Hollywood Bowl with my daughter. This is a summer program for kids that feature arts & crafts, as well as a musical performance. The theme for this particular performance was American Bluegrass music.

We arrived at the Hollywood Bowl around 10am. Parking in Lot B was a breeze & FREE (major plus). I had signed up my daughter to do the arts & crafts segment of the program first. There were several art projects to choose from, but ultimately she decided on decorating a drawing book. I had “encouraged” her to make a musical washboard, but she quickly overruled that idea. Lol…

Once the art project was done, we had a 10 minute break before the concert started. We wandered over to the Hollywood Bowl gift shop to browse. They had musical items for kids, picnic items (for your next trip to the Bowl), baseball hats & other really cool stuff.

The concert itself was really neat. It takes place not on the main stage, but in the Hollywood Bowl Museum patio. The music was performed by The Get Down Boys, which is an American Bluegrass band. Their music is very catchy & the band was very engaged with the kids in the audience. Although you were not allowed to take photos during the concert, the band did pose for pictures after it was all over.

After the concert, we ate our lunch on one of the picnic tables that are sprinkled around the Bowl. I noticed several moms & their kids go inside to look at the main stage. No trip would be complete without a photo of this classic LA landmark!

There is still one more week left of Summer Sounds. For more information about the program, click here. If you’d like to learn more about The Get Down Boys, click here to get info on their music & upcoming concert schedule.