Health
Habits
Food
Weight 
Better Than Butternut: Roasted Delicata Squash Recipe
10 Simple Ways To Eat Less Without Noticing
Juicing: Stupid and Pretentious or Nourishing and Enlightening?
10 Tasty Carbs That Won’t Make You Fat
How To Start Working Out When You Don’t Like To Exercise
Focus More on Your Brain and Less on Your Diet if You’re Serious About Losing Weight
Home Court Habits: The Secret to Effortless Weight Control
10 Reasons You Aren’t Losing Weight When You Think You’re Doing Everything Right
How To Burn More Calories Without Breaking A Sweat
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Foodists
Farmers Market Update: Santa Monica
I finally made it to the big Santa Monica farmers market on the 3rd Street Promenade. Woohoo!
It was a beautiful, freakishly sunny December morning, exactly what I would expect out of L.A. I didn’t buy a lot because, well, I’m on vacation and actually live in San Francisco. But it was a great experience and I hope to make it back one day for their Wednesday market, which is apparently twice as big.
In a future post I will give all the details of how to navigate this particular market, including maps, parking info and what days not to go. 
For now I will just say that if you are in the neighborhood it is definitely worth the trip. The pomelo I bought was by far the best I’ve had in this country (Thailand pomelos still win).
There were a bunch of things I would have loved to try if I could have brought them home with me.
Santa Monica purchases:
- Fuji apples
- Meyer lemons
- Pomelo
- Giant fuyu persimmon
- Empress dates
- Hydroponic baby bok choy
Wow, cool berry pic! Looks like an Andy Warhol.
You’re finally back! The holidays have been rough, and tonight will be no better……
I cannot wait to get back to my normal eating habits, my normal farmers markets, and my normal weight. Why of all the farmers markets in southern california did you choose to go to the santa monica one twice, though?
Cool organic popcorn. I’ve never seen that before. Are you supposed to shuck all the corn off, then pop it?
I seem to feel the same as Mike and Healthyliving above…eating healthy during this time of year can be tricky. I think a lot of this has to do with going to parties/family get-togethers where a lot of healthy alternatives are simply not available.I’ve had a few nightmare situations…especially being labeled the dreaded “vegetarian” in a family of monocultural omnivores (maybe cornivores?) My reputation as a freak-level broccoli lover is well known in my circles…and unfortunately has led to “brocoli” dishes made *especially* for me. All I can say is that the extra-overcooked brocoli with heaps of butter and cream cheese was epicuriously (is that a word?) repugnant.I’m heading down to SoCal in a few days to see friends/family, but I’m a little hesitant about how to approach the food situation…So what are some good tips for eating when on the road/visiting friends and family?I thinking of planning out a weeks worth of meals…so when I arrive I’ll just go to a good market and grab what need to survive the week…but I’m not sure that’s the best idea.@DaryaI read your Surviving Asilomar post…I visited there two years ago, but fortunately, did not eat there. I ate at this place called Tillie Gorts…it was phenomenal!
@anon1:Thanks! They were remarkable berries. I asked the woman working there how they grow them this time of year and they showed me a pic of their indoor, greenhouse-style facility. Ah, technology.The berries were expensive, but a nice alternative to frozen ones if you’re craving them in the winter….—–@HealthylivingThe first time I tried to go the Arizona Street Santa Monica farmers market (@ 3rd Street Promenade) it was closed (weekend after Thanksgiving), so I ended up at the smaller one on Pico. This most recent time I finally made it to the big one, so I have only been to each of them once.There are a few other LA farmers markets as well.—–@Anon2:I guess that’s what you’re supposed to do. I haven’t tried it but it looks neat!—–@MattI know, it’s really hard when you’re away from the comfort of your own kitchen and markets. It was kind of bruttal down there for me this past trip. Like every meal is a special occasion that requires splurging. It’s fun for awhile but after a few days it just feels gross.I think my advice in the Asilomar post holds up pretty well in a short trip. Bring some good fruit/nuts/granola with you to avoid starvation and just pick through and find the healthiest stuff you can get. That’s if your options are all icky. If confronted with indulgences you actually welcome, my only advice is to not worry about it too much and enjoy the special occasion. Just watch the portions/calories.I try to be extra good about taking my mulitvitamins on vacation too, just for insurance.I always end up eating a lot of Mexican food in SoCal because it is so much better than it is here. I figure it’s worth it to get my fill while I can!And thanks so much for the Tillie Gorts recommendation! I will definitely go there if I’m ever back in Asilomar *shiver*
Love the FMUs. Great post!
@DaryaThanks for the reply. I think a lot of my problems stem with the fact that I am flying and have limited cargo room to deal with. The nuts/grains/granola is no problem…but the all the intangibles like spices/seasonings, oils, essences, raw honey, celtic sea salt, etc. may be a problem. ;)I take several vitamins/supplements each day, so figuring out how to transport all of these is going to be interesting.I’ll let you know if I was able to come up with any additional suggestions to add to your list of effective traveling techniques for eating healthy on the road.
Just fyi, I finally ate some of that hydroponic baby bok choy from the santa monica farmers market. After deep inspection, I was thoroughly impressed with it cleanliness and resilience after sitting in the fridge for all this time- it still looked fresh out of the greenhouse! Threw it in with some onions, soy saucem, and pignolias, and it was de-licious!
And btw I second the Thai pommelo thing- maybe my faveorite fruit!