Archive for May, 2009

Daily Delish – How to be cool if you are a dork like me…

Yay for the weekend! The weather here is beautiful and I’m going to make this quick so I can get out and enjoy it. Last night the Mister and I finally made it to Paladar and enjoyed a delicious dinner al fresco before meeting my parents at the movie theater to watch “Up” (which is adorable by the way – a must see!).

Paladar is a trendy Latin Kitchen on the East side of Cleveland. It has become one of my favorite spots for when I’m craving something different. The decor is trendy and sophisticated and makes you feel 10x cooler by simply being there – which is a big plus, for dorks like me!

Inside Paladar (image credit: cleveland.metromix.com)

Inside Paladar (image credit: cleveland.metromix.com)

Paladar interior (image credit: cleveland.metromix.com)

Paladar interior (image credit: cleveland.metromix.com)

Paladar’s menu is pretty extensive and would be sure to please even the pickiest eaters.

Paladar Menu

Paladar Menu

The Mister and I split the following to start:  Ceviche Trio

Ecuadorian Shrimp Ceviche
Steamed Shrimp, served chilled and tossed in a Citrus Marinade with Fresh Avocado, Pickled Garlic, Tamarind and Housemade Plantain Chips

Tuna and Watermelon Ceviche
Sushi Grade Tuna diced and marinated in our Sweet Chili Vinaigrette tossed with Sweet Honeydew and Watermelon, Fresh Basil and served with Housemade Yucca Chips

Coconut-Lime Salmon Ceviche
Fresh Atlantic Salmon thinly sliced and marinated in Coconut Milk & Lime Juice tossed with Diced Pinapple, Sliced Red Onions, Cilantro and accompanied by the traditional side of Popcorn

Ceviche Trio

Ceviche Trio

Next, we each ordered one of the restaurant’s homemade guacamole. The restaurant actually has a guacamole bar where avocados are peeled and masked with other fresh ingredients to make various flavors of tasty guac.

I ordered chef’s specialty flavor – roasted red pepper.

Roasted red pepper guacamole

Roasted red pepper guacamole

The guacamole is served with a variety of fresh chips including: Plantain, Yucca, Malanga & Tortilla Chips.

Paladar chips

Paladar chips

All of them were amazing, but my favorites were the plantains and yucca chips.

For our ‘dinner’ we each ordered a bowl of soup. I went with the Gazpacho. It was full of flavor and also served as a great ‘chip dunker!’

Gazpacho soup

Gazpacho soup

Check out that housemade crouton!

Check out that housemade crouton!

It was so nice to unwind after a busy week and soak up some sun.

Check out the beautiful view I had!

All the dessert I need!

All the dessert I need! (he also makes me 10x cooler!)

Now we’re off to the gym and getting some breakfast with my father in-law at our favorite spot, First Watch. Tonight we’re heading to Pittsburgh to see Coldplay and take my brother and his girlfriend (who I LOVE!) out to dinner. I’m sure I’ll have some fun events to report ;)

What are all of you up to today?

Daily Delish – Chillin’ and grillin’ ;)

I wanted to share some photos from last weekend with all of you! The Mister and I had a family-filled Memorial Day – just the way we like it! We started off the day at the gym and met the Mister’s dad for breakfast at First Watch. Then we headed over to my parents’ house for lunch and then the Mister’s mom’s house for dinner. We both ate way too much, but we didn’t care — that’s what holidays (and working out) are for, right? ;)
Here we are on my parents’ patio, enjoying the beautiful weather…
Mister and Misses ;)

Mister and Misses ;)

In love (look at my borther in the background!)

In love (look at my brother in the background!)

The Mister and I both had one of Amy’s California Veggie Burgers on the grill, with one of Arnold’s sandwich thins. I also had a grilled baked potato. DELISH! Grilling the veggie burgers, as opposed to microwaving them, makes SUCH a difference. I’m just way too lazy to do it this way more often.

Grill time

Grill time

What is your favorite thing to cook on the grill?

Fashion Friday – old piece is as good as new!

Happy Fashion Friday!

To all who care (and I know you all do!) the Cavs won last night! Let’s just say the Mister is in an extra good mood today ;)

This week I was looking through my closet for some fun skirts (now that it’s finally nice enough to wear them) and I stumbled upon a skirt I’ve had since my early years of high school. It sits a bit higher on the waist now (since I had NO hips back then), but it fits nicely and was almost like buying a brand new skirt, since it had been so long since I’d worn it! LOVE THAT. I paired it with a summer top and some modern accessories to create a completely new outfit! I call it- modern hieroglyphics (don’t ask.)

Fashion Friday

Fashion Friday

Full-length

Full-length

head-on

head-on - I call this the 'deer in headlights' look :)

Smiles

Smiles

The details:
Shirt – Saks outlet
Belt – can’t remember
Shoes – Steve Madden
Necklace – Forever 21
Skirt – NO IDEA!
Mary

Mary

Welcome back, Mary! Mary’s outfit’s inspiration came from the scarf wrapped around her wrist that she received from her grandmother. I LOVE green and purple together so I am digging this outfit. I also love the way Mary cuffed her jeans for a ’summer’ look that shows off her adorable shoes!

Cardigan - Target
Purple Cami - Kohls
Green Lace Cami - Gifted, originally Old Navy
Necklace - Ragstock
Scarf (worn as a bracelet) - Grandmother’s
Jeans - JC Penny
Sandals - Target

Elina

Elina

I’m so glad the incredible chic Elina is back!  Now this, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call the perfect pencil shirt. Stunning. Fits Elina like a glove and will make anything look incredibly polished. I love that she paired it with an understated delicate blouse – beautiful!

Skirt + blouse - Club Monaco
Shoes - Via Spiga
Hoops - Lord & Taylor – not sure what brand

This week’s winner is…

Here are your random numbers:

2
Timestamp: 2009-05-29 13:20:53 UTC

ELINA! Congrats, girl! Email me your address and I’ll send out your loot ;)

Where were ya this week everyone?! Busy with everything that the start of summer brings?? I hope to see more of you next week!

See you all later for a yummy daily delish ;)

How often fo you incorporate older pieces of clothing to create new outfits?

Daily Delish – Cheer for cherries ;)

I’m going to make this quick because the CAVS game is starting! Is your home team still in the playoffs? For those of you who are still watching, the Cavs/Magic series has been a real nail-bitter! It is almost too stressful for me to watch! The Mister and I are getting ready to make some ice cream sundaes and cheer on King James!

I had my first real fruit salad of the season today! My goodness, this just made me realize how much I miss fruit when it’s not in season. It makes SUCH a difference to eat the freshest fruit of the season. So juicy and flavorful. Makes me and my taste buds happy.

Fruit salad

Fruit salad

Cherry goodness

Cherry goodness

My fruit bowl contained:

Cherries

Watermelon

Strawberries

I guess this was a reds-only fruit party!

The star ingredient was definitely the cherries – they were bursting with flavor! I think the fact that I haven’t had them in so long also made this a special treat.

What’s your favorite RED fruit?

Have you all submitted your Fashion Friday photos? Remember to send them in by midnight tonight to info@thedailybalance.com

Thankful Thursday – for all the furry friends…

I miss my dog. She’s still alive and kicking, so don’t go feeling too sorry for me, but she’s a family dog and thus resides with my parents. I miss having a smiling furry face bound towards me when I open the door and I hate the empty spot on my lap where she used to snuggle (even though the Mister is a pretty good stand-in ;) ) I was able to spend some much wanted time with Teddy (don’t judge, my brother named her) this weekend and realized again just how much I love her. This week, I’m thankful for my dog.

I’m thankful that…

She still gives me kisses, even if I yelled at her 30 seconds prior
She’s always excited to see me
She senses when I’ve had a bad day and lets me wipe my tears on her ‘coat’
She hasn’t run away
She pretends to listen when I talk to her about my problems (I’m telling you, she’s perfected the ‘i care’ face!)
She adds to my healthy lifestyle

Wait, what?

No, Teddy isn’t a nutritionist or personal trainer, but ” for nearly 25 years, research has shown that living with pets provides certain health benefits,” the article “5 Ways Pets Can Improve Your Health” on WebMd explains. In fact, “people with pets have been found to have lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels when compared to people who did not have pets, even when matched for weight, diet, and smoking habits,” according to the article, “Physical & Medical Health Benefits of Pets” on peteducation.com.

In addition, “dogs have been shown to reduce blood pressure in a number of populations. Studies in women undergoing stress tests, have demonstrated that the presence of a dog had more of an effect on lowering blood pressure than the presence of friends.”

I know all the walks Teddy and I take together have certainly only helped my fitness and health initiatives. So while cats may provide some of the benefits I listed above, I don’t know of many that will willingly walk outside on a leash!

Teddy

Teddy

She asks that you please excuse her grassy hair, the paparazzi snapped this photo only moments after she finished playing catch ;)

She asks that you please excuse her grassy hair, the paparazzi snapped this photo only moments after she finished playing catch ;)

Do you think you pet has contributed to your healthy lifestyle? Are you a cat or dog person? What is the name of your furry friend?


Don’t forget to enter this week’s Fashion Friday Contest! Email photos to info@thedailybalance.com by midnight tonight!

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