Yoga Pants and Grocery Stores

I promise there is a correlation here. Most of us wouldn't be caught dead (or hope not) to be caught by our ex, our boss etc in our sweats at the grocery store-except for after yoga class. We're glowy and just a tad bit sweaty (well unless you finished a Power Sculpt class and then you're soaked), and our exuberance for life is floating around us.  I think healthy/natural foods grocery stores purposely position themselves next to yoga studios (healthy activities=healthy eating?). And I think that women and men alike leaving their yoga classes purposely go to these stores with their post glowy selves to see and be seen. Come on-like you don't think your butt doesn't look good in yoga pants?!

So my short and sweet dating tip and thought here...we all know their are more "single" grocery stores-Whole Foods, Sunflower Markets, Trader Joes etc that boost a health conscious, rather good looking group of shoppers. Hey it's easy to strike up a conversation over which cheese should be the splurge this week or brussel sprouts vs. Kale for dark greens. (I'm going to make Kale Pesto for dinner...I should let you know how it turns out). It's the shy single's easiest pick-up place and you know you already have a couple of things in common: you both like food and yoga, crossfit or whatever.

Recipe for Kale Pesto:

3 cups of chopped baby kale (large stems removed)
1 cup of basil leaves
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper to taste
Olive Oil (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

In a food processor blend all ingredients together except for salt, pepper and olive oil. Slowly add olive oil in a steady stream until ingredients come together and make an almost runny consistency. Salt and pepper to taste.

Note: I don't add nuts because the kale has a pretty nutty texture and it also reduces the fat a lot by not using them.

I like to toss mine with whole wheat pasta, oven roasted tomatoes, and rose wine sauteed onions and mushrooms. Make sure your date eats it too...no one loves garlic breath by themselves, it's meant to be shared.

Coffee Culture

There is an experience with coffee. The aroma, the sniff test, the first taste, the enjoyment as you savor the flavor and enjoy the effects of caffeine. Ok. I am a coffee addict. But I love everything about coffee, whether it's brewed in my home, at my local favorite place or wherever I have searched out a shop.

Your home:
It's the essential coffee. The get-up get going in the morning coffee to make it through your morning routine and out the door to your job, your first appointment or whatever. It's what you share with your special someone as you snuggle in bed or on the couch and wake up together on a weekend morning.
I used to date a guy who (and I should have ended the relationship immediately as soon as the first time this happened) used to brew himself one cup of coffee in the morning. Yup. One Cup. Guess what his nickname was? One Cup. Coffee is meant to be shared and enjoyed together, and when you both share a love for something, no matter how fundamentally functional it is, savor the experience together.

Your local favorite place:
You always have one. Or maybe several. I like to people watch at mine while I enjoy a Skinny Vanilla Latte or an SVL as they like to call it. Or maybe it's Americano day. Creamy, thick, dark, smooth when it's pulled just right. Coffee shops are where I order my "treat coffees" and work on emails, or this blog or surf for my next vacation deal (I wish). But it's where I get outfit ideas on what to wear, and maybe more importantly what not to wear. It's where I hear all of the local gossip and start to feel like I am "fitting in" in my new neighborhood. It's an ideal date place (well maybe not your FAVORITE local coffee shop...if the date doesn't go well, you still have your hideout later).

Your searched out shop:
This is your essential coffee away from home. And not Starbucks (unless you are in Seattle, and then you are given a pass). And you know you are an addict when you actually search on your GPS for the local coffee shop, or will walk several blocks past the nearest Starbucks to find that shop.
It's where you can shyly tell the barista that you are new to town or just visiting and they treat you like their best friend even if it's only for 5 minutes. It's your home away from home.

Whoever started Coffee's marketing campaigns...I'd like to meet them. They were brilliant. They not only sold us on a flavor and feeling, they gave us an experience. And I bought in-probably for life.

Where to try:
Home: Currently I am checking out Trader Joe's selection and am favoriting the Medium and Dark Roasts of their house blends. It's a fine line between good and breaking the bank when you work from home.

Your favorite local place in San Diego:
Influx for that Italian feel, complete with Italian speaking customers and the "just right" pulled espresso
Cafe Virturoso for some of the best coffee outside of Seattle you will ever have. Small and loud because they are grinding and roasting in house, but try the Mexican Mocha.

Your searched out shop:
Hop a plane to Boulder and check out The Cup. Environmentally concious, just hippy and hippish enough to be the hottest place in town to be seen, and to see. Try their milkshakes or a Bahkti Chai with a shot of Vanilla Syrup.