Happy Easter everyone! Has everyone had their Easter chocolate today? I know I did…

Sorry little guy! Btw- dark chocolate from Godiva? LCCMom knows me too well! Hey, at least this year I’m only eating my chocolate bunny and not my little brothers. I would nevvvvvver steal a chocolate bunny that wasn’t mine.  😉

I haven’t been home for Easter in 6 years. Every year since I’ve been gone I’ve created my own Easter traditions. In Boston I would go to Trinity Church and make Swedish meatballs. But my LA Easter traditions are my favorites!

My friend Josh’s church, Bel Air Presbyterian, rents out the Hollywood Bowl each Easter for an epic Easter service! This is Easter with the works! There is a full orchestra, choir, tons of singing, and “He is risen” written in large letters across the stage. Our group was able to snag a box and we came prepared with treats and even mimosas.

I assigned myself to treat duty this year. Thus, I woke up bright and early and did this…

I decided to make Maple-Oatmeal Scones from the Flour Cookbook. Josh said that they shouldn’t even be called scones because they are way moister than what we traditionally think of when we like of scones.

Maple syrup, oatmeal, and a confectioner sugar glaze… these were tasty!

You know who else wanted to love them?

Sneaky, sneaky. I managed to keep her away from the treats and soon enough I was headed to the Bowl.

Just like last year, the Bowl was decked out for the holiday!

Josh managed to snag the last box available. It didn’t take long for us to break into the treats.

Mimosa in a jar.

Maple-Oatmeal Scone.

Happy Easter!

The service was great, just like last year. There was a lot of music, a mixture of new, modern music and the classic hymns I love that remind me of my childhood at St. John’s Lutheran in Wilmette. I really liked the message of the sermon too. I haven’t been to church in a while. I had a regular church in Boston but I haven’t found one in LA yet. Today definitely motivated me to think about checking some out.

The best part of church at the Bowl? People watching!

Some people were decked to the nines with Easter hats, seersucker suits and Lily Pulitzer dresses. I don’t know that I ever want to have children but I have to admit that I almost stole a little boy in a seersucker suit. And of course, being LA there were people decked out in club clothing, huge Christan Louboutins and ridiculous accessories.

What can I say, I love Easter!

After the Bowl, I came home, made funeral potatoes and waited for a couple friends to come over. Eric, Chrissy, Hailey, and Danielle came over for low key Easter. Basically, this is “finals are two days away and we have no energy” Easter. Chrissy brought fried chicken, Danielle brought pie and Hailey brought eggs and decorating supplies.

I didn’t snag any pictures of the food (whoops) but I did get some pictures of the eggs we made.

We represented UCLA!

There was an egg that was slightly broken so we wrote “eggshell Plaintiff” on it and dyed it. Law humor represent.

And then I went to yoga! All in all, a great Easter. Oh, and before I forget…

What I wore Easter Edition:

Top: J Crew Ruffle Tank

Bottom: Blue print pencil skirt from the Ann Taylor Outlet Mall (on sale!)

Accessories: Pearl necklace my Grammy gave me for either First Communion or Confirmation, I can’t remember which!

I’ve always gotten pretty decked out for Easter, especially when I was younger (think white gloves!). This was a big challenge in Chicago when it might even SNOW on Easter.

In fact I dress up so much that my parents sent me this card with my Easter basket (yes I still get an Easter basket).

And on that note… hope you had a great weekend, a happy Easter or a happy Passover!

Do you celebrate Spring holidays? If so, what?

Did you know April is Grilled Cheese Month? Well, it is and I am allllllll over celebrating! I knew I wanted a nice grilled cheese tonight after studying in the law library.

Where did I decide to go?

Obviously I went to Clementine. For reasons I cannot disclose I am unable to use my kitchen until tomorrow so I basically had to go to Clementine. Clementine has 10 grilled cheeses on their menu right now. 4 are on the menu all month and then they have a rotating list of other special grilled cheeses to enjoy!

Obviously, I didn’t dine alone.

Did you know you’re never alone when you have books? Sorry. I couldn’t help myself.

I ordered a ginger lemonade and had a water. I took yoga this morning and it seriously kicked my boo-tay. My muscles are already sore from today’s class! With a 10 miler tomorrow I need to rehydrate.

Soon enough my grilled cheese arrived.

The Hudson’s Deluxe French Onion Grilled Cheese. This bad boy is Gruyere and caramelized onions with braised brisket and dipping jus on wheat levain.

You had me at caramelized onion and braised brisket.

This sandwich was impeccable. The bread was crispy, the Gruyere was perrrrfection with the onions. The sandwich on its own was fantastic but when dipped in jus?

Amazing. I wish I had better adjectives for this meal but if you can get to Clementine in time to get special grilled cheese you should.

Before I left I got a little something for the road…

Is it possible to leave Clementine without picking up a cookie?

I wouldn’t know. The cookie was snicker doodle btw.

Special deliveries!

Today was an exciting day for many reasons. I got a record breaking three packages in the mail.

First I got my race T for She Runs LA!

I pretty much only run in Nike Dri Fit (because it wicks seat like a champ) so I was very excited to get this hot pink racer back top. I plan to rock it on my 10 miler tomorrow!

I also got a new book in the mail…

Tina’s book!

Tina’s blog was the first one I started reading. I was introduced to it by my good friend Carolyn in January 2010 when I started my weight loss journey. I really identify with Tina’s story and I love her philosophy towards eating. Tina is all about eating healthy things with tasty splurges and staying active. She lost about the same amount of weight as I did in about the same time frame. I cannot wait to read this book before bed tonight!

What books are you dying to read or can you recommend? After finals I am going to make a reading list for the summer and I need good suggestions! Deep thinkers and fluff are welcome!

Hello, my name is Katherine.

(Photo credit to Kaitlin)

And I am a goat cheese addict.

(Hi Katherine)

It started innocently enough…

And then my addiction to goat cheese grew…

And then it spiraled out of control and I came up with this…

Avocado and Goat Cheese Quesadillas

What can I say? It’s nearly finals and my resistance to my obsessions is weakened. This time next week (when classes will finally be over) I will likely be binging on some combination of goat cheese, cup cakes, macaroons, and bagels.

This gem of a goat cheese recipe came to me Sunday night before yoga. I think its simplicity is what makes it so addictive.

Basically, I heated a whole wheat tortilla with spreadable goat cheese. As the cheese melted I placed avocado, arugula, and chopped green onions on top and waited for this bad boy to melt. Then I folded the tortilla. Very similar to a Brie Cheese and apple quesadilla, really.

I mean come on… can you really blame me for being a goat cheese addict? I didn’t think so.

On an exciting note!

Do you know where your President will be tomorrow? Here’s a hint… he might be noshing on my favorite treats… That’s right! Our own BO is going to be at Tavern tomorrow! I like to think that he read one of my stellar reviews and knew he had to check it out. 😉

You know those times when you decide to switch up your normal routine just a little bit? Aren’t those the best?

Case and point: I always have 2 multi-grain Van’s waffles drizzled with local honey for breakfast. Seriously, every day since last December. I love them because they’re easy, decently filling and cheap. But today I looked in my fridge and felt the need for change. Morning are my best study time, I do most of my work in the morning hours, so they tend to be the most monotonous.

How do we fight monotony?

Change and color.

Enter my first ever smoothie in a bowl.

No, you are not reading Kaitlin’s blog. I actually made a unique, delicious breakfast and then I added granola on top. This is not the usual for me!

What can I say, I saw farmer’s market strawberries and Greek yogurt. Before I knew it I was throwing things into the blender.

The Mix:

• 4 chopped strawberries (if you live in So Cal it’s a crime not to eat the fresh berries we have right now. They are in-sane!)
• Handful of frozen pineapple
• 1 0% fat Fage Greek Yogurt
• Generous pour unsweetened original almond milk
• Topped with granola, bought bulk from Whole Foods, because that’s how I roll 😉

I cannot lie. This was amazing. Not only was it nice to have fresh fruit with my breakfast but the smoothie was so cold and refreshing. I’m not a big fan of yogurt bowls, so this is a good way for me to get some dairy into my diet. I don’t think that I would eat this for breakfast every day but I do foresee more smoothie bowls in my future!

Do you have go-to meals? What are your old standbys? I’m pretty uncreative when it comes to breakfast!

Sunday featured an epic meal that truly deserves it’s own post. I met up with Jill, a college pal, at Tavern for brunch. Jill was the one who pointed out Alice Waters eating there almost a year ago so we have been long overdue for a brunch date there.

When we arrived Jill asked what on the menu is “great” and honestly, EVERYTHING is amazing. I said we for sure needed some of the breakfast potatoes. We placed our orders and snagged a table outside. It was 70 and sunny (sorry those in Chicago, where it snowed yesterday!) and we definitely wanted to enjoy the nice weather.

Jill ordered soft scrambled eggs with fontina cheese and creme fraiche. Cheese and creme fraiche? Can can bet it was good! It came with whole wheat toast and breakfast potatoes.

Jill agreed, best breakfast potatoes ever! Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside.

I ordered frittata with asparagus, green garlic, spinach and chevre, again with a side of whole wheat toast and potatoes.

Why, hello my potato love. It’s good to see you again.

Frittata is one of the egg dishes I love (true story). Asparagus is in season right now and it was truly delicious! The eggs were so light and fluffy. This is an egg dish I would for sure order again.

Jill and I had a great time chatting catching up. Before we left I told Jill she had to try the macaroons. Sadly, there were no salted caramels but I decided to try Mexican chocolate and vanilla bean instead. We got them to go. After saying goodbye to Jill I went home with the intent of saving the macaroon for later. Who cares that “later” was 30 mins after arriving home.

Whoops, how did that happen?

Mexican Chocolate

Chocolate with a mild spice.

Vanilla Bean

Tasty, strong vanilla flavor.

Overall, both of the macaroons were excellent, but of course they are no salted caramel. Oh well, I still won’t complain because they were still damn good.

What is your favorite brunch dish?

Hey there world, how was your weekend? Mine was full of studying. Boo. It was gorgey out but I mostly sat on my porch and did work. I did however get three great workouts in.

Friday: yoga!

Yoga was great! I love my Friday yoga. I will say that my yoga studio is in a dangerous location: next to an Anthropology and mere blocks from Real Food Daily. Normally I am able to resist the charms of RFD but on Friday I surrendered and it felt so good!

I was only going to get an appetizer and supplement it with my own food to save money but I couldn’t resist the charms of the weekly special, the Buddha Belly!

Beast! Brown rice with kung pow tempah and sauteed veggies and toasted cashews. This was delicious! I would looooooove to have this again.

Saturday: 10 mile run

Saturday was a hot hot hot day so I waited until after 5:30 to go on my run. I made sure to fuel by not eating cheese and butter smothered things all afternoon but the first half of my run was rough. I tried to keep hydrated but I was so hungry for the first half. I ate my shot blocks but I wish I’d brought more. By the second half of the run the temps had cooled off which was nice. My pace was slower than I wanted it to be but were still a month and a half out from the half and my body felt better after this run than the last which is always a nice improvement.

Sunday:Yoga

Just got back from a mellllllow yoga sesh! She killed our arms and abs so I’m hoping that I feel it tomorrow. Definitely what I needed for another long week full of work. I’m at the point in the semester where working feels like a long slug to the summit of a mountain. Yoga and running is keeping my energy up. Last semester I burned out early and I’m hoping that regular running and yoga will help be avoid the burn out.

Did you workout this weekend?