Places to Check Out: VeggieGrill

I finally got a chance to check out VeggieGrill! 

I was running some errands in Hollywood earlier today and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try VeggieGrill, especially since there was one close by and I've always wanted to try it. 

VeggieGrill is a 100% vegan restaurant. 

They are actually a chain of restaurants. There are quite a few in the Los Angeles area, which makes sense to me because there is such a high volume of vegetarians and vegans living here.

So, here is my experience:

The style of the restaurant is very similar to the layout of a Chipotle. The three main differences being that VeggieGrill is fully vegan, they don't assemble the food in front of you like Chipotle does, and VeggieGrill has a wider variety of foods. They have some Mexican food...as well as American, Italian, rustic dishes etc. 

I looked at the menu while I waited in line. After taking quite a while to choose what I wanted to eat, I decided upon the "Crispy Chickin Plate". It goes without saying that the "chickin" was not really chicken. The entree was supposed to be the vegan version of a country plate of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, and greens.

The fried chicken is replaced with vegan chicken, the mashed potatoes are a healthy combination of potato and cauliflower, the gravy is a mushroom gravy, and the greens are kale!

All in all I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved my meal. My only complaint would probably have to be that it was just a little bland. It was also a TON of food! I didn't finish it and took the rest home to eat later.

Have you guys tried any vegan/vegetarian restaurants? Let me know if you try VeggieGrill and what you thought!

BKL

 

Some People Make Resolutions...

...and I make one year and five year plans...

Seriously, I have a problem. Well, I guess you could say it's both a really good habit and a really bad habit. I make lists and plans and schedules and notes for EVERYTHING.

On one hand it really helps me remember things, stay focused, and actually get shit done. On the other hand it makes me nervous because I can actually see all of the things I need to do and still haven't done. It's just the teeniest bit nerve-wracking.

But, nevertheless, if I didn't write these lists like this I also wouldn't be able to sleep at night. I would just stay awake, hopelessly thinking about all of these things swirling around in my head. Instead if I find that I can't sleep because too much is on my mind, I get out of bed and write it all down.

Now, onto my plans.

On the paper below I wrote my important dates for January, my 2015 plan, my five-year plan, and my monthly budget. 

I won't go into everything on the paper because that would become tedious and it's unnecessary.

  

2015 goals:

   

• Become fully vegan: I have been vegetarian for almost two years now, and the longer I go on without making the plunge to vegan the more unhappy I become. So, I want to finally make that switch over to full veganism this year. It will take a lot of money and determination, but it's worth the happiness and peace it will bring me.
• Get fit and work out more: Okay so I know this is something almost everyone says they will do at the beginning of every year, but I truly want to do this. This isn't a wish for me, it's something that will happen, and something I've already been working on. I've already lost about 5 pounds (yes, even through the holiday feasts) and I don't plan on stopping any time soon. I've been walking more, doing yoga, hooping, hiking, and eating better. I plan to carry that into 2015.
• Blog and Vlog: I want to continue blogging! My life is going to be crazy busy this year but I want to write at the very least one blog post a month... and continuing on that note, I want to start vlogging. Yes, people, YouTube. I want to start making YouTube content. I don't care if that means only one video up this year, I just want to start.
• Work and Career: This year is going to be huge for me career-wise. Last month I finally got my cosmetology license and I am working on getting an assistant job in a salon in Hollywood. I want to really put everything I've got into furthering my career. I want to work full time. I want to continue working with Mikaela Phillips on her photoshoots. This year is really going to be a game-changer for me and my career. 
• Conventions galore: This is going to be the year of conventions for me! I've already attended quite a few conventions in my lifetime, but I want this year to be full of them. I am going to make every effort I can to attend as many as possible. I want to do this partially because it's fun, and partially because conventions are a huge platform for education in my career field. I plan on attending IMATS LA, ISSE Long Beach, The Makeup Show LA, VidCon, BeautyCon, PHAMExpo, ScareLA, and any other cons I can get my hands on. 

Five-Year Goals:

•  MUD master's program: Unfortunately I will not be able to attend MUD this February like I had hoped. I will simply not have enough time to devote 5 days out of 7 to school. I just can't make it work, even if I only worked part time. So, instead I have moved the MUD program to my 5 year plan. I still have every intent on going to the master's program there, I'm just unsure of exactly when I'll be able to do it.
• Living on my own: Every young adult's dream: I want to move out! This is in no way an expression of any sort of disdain for my family, please understand. It's just that I'm a twenty year old young woman who can't wait to be independent! Anyway, I plan on being out and on my own by 2020.
  I'll probably be living in a studio apartment somewhere in LA. I love the Hollywood/Los Feliz area. Of course, I make this a part of my five year plan because it will take at least a couple of years before I can even begin to afford living on my own in LA. For now, I am happy living in LA with my father. 
• Career: By 2020 I want to own a salon suite. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is basically a huge apartment-like building that houses many, many individual, small salons. Imagine an apartment complex where each apartment is a different, mini salon. Each beauty professional rents his or her own space, and is completely in charge of their business. That is where I want to be with my career in five years. Oh, and working on movies/photoshoots/editorials/TV wouldn't hurt either.

 THERE YOU HAVE IT.

Have a lovely 2015!

BKL

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Places to Check Out: Romancing the Bean

Move over, Starbucks! This coffee shop in Burbank was so insanely cute, and of course, the coffee was to die for.

I don't usually go for black coffee, but in this case I got my own little French press with my coffee inside, and the flavor of the coffee itself was subtle. It wasn't bitter or too strong. I drank the whole thing without adding any sugar or cream at all!

Besides the great coffee, this little coffee shop offers excellent decor and ambiance, free wifi (every coffee shop customer's dream and necessity), a variety of foods to try, and an overall laidback feel that I greatly appreciated. 

Stop by Romancing the Bean in Burbank for a truly awesome coffee experience!

Besitos,

         BKL

Hiking Above The City of Angels

This new transition to living in Los Angeles has given me a second chance for everything: a fresh start if you will. Among starting a new job, starting a new school... (which neither will happen for a few months anyway) I also have other goals that I want to accomplish now that I'm living here. 

I want to get into shape. Now, by "in shape" I don't mean buff and muscley. I just want a healthier lifestyle. I want to eat well and exercise often.

Today marks the beginning of my journey into a healthier lifestyle. This past year I've been way too focused on my career/school to focus on my health. I'm going to make more time for myself.

This morning I did a simple and very short hike up a mountain behind the city of Burbank in Wildwood Canyon Park. You could see all of Los Angeles from the top of the mountain. It was truly beautiful! It took only an hour to do the hike and due to the elevation gain I was huffing and puffing like crazy.

I'm hoping I can do things like this every morning right when I wake up. If not a hike, anything physical like: yoga, walking, gym etc.

Even when I have a job and I have to be at the salon at 8 every morning, I can wake up early enough to get a workout in and then get ready for work.

Much love,

BKL