**UPDATE: Native Foods no longer has this happy hour! Very sad as we looked forward to it every Friday. Maybe it will come back periodically?**

Last night I took the girls to Happy Hour at Native Foods. It opened about a month ago on Ocean Park Boulevard between 29th & 30th. We used to go to the one in Culver City once in a while. Like twice a year. Since it opened here a month ago, G’s been once and I’ve already been twice (two Fridays in a row!)

This time I took the kids solo. We parked our massive stroller outside, walked in & ordered at the counter. All the starters & sides are 50% off during Happy Hour. We ordered accordingly:

Saigon Roll. A really tasty wholesome wrap accompanied by a spicy/sweet dip. YUM! I love these.

Bowl of Black Bean Soup. I could take or leave the soup. I make a fair amount of soup myself in the wintertime and found this one to be just so-so. It had some croutons in there that immediately turned to mush. Plus, the flavor was very one-dimensional. Can you tell I’ve just watched “Around the World in 80 Plates?”

Seasoned fries. (I recommend the sweet potato fries but my kids don’t like them. Bea liked the seasoned fries.)

Sweet Potato Fries (Photo taken last visit…)

Native Chicken Wings with Ranch. (I got these instead of the kids’ chicken nuggets b/c I knew my kids wouldn’t eat the rice and they didn’t need the lemonade.)*

Mini Greens Salad. This is an excellent, pretty little salad that is piled precariously high in an adorable little bowl. I dumped mine out on the large plate so I could toss it in the dressing better. This is no lame-o salad you typically get for $5.00. (Keep in mind – you get it for $2.50 during Happy Hour!)

I also got a glass of chardonnay for 50% off. Nice!

NOTE: I do NOT recommend the kids’ Macaroni & Cheese. It’s in a milky/watery sauce. Last time I was there, neither of my kids liked it and they were really hungry.

I took the pix LAST Friday when we went with our friend Elsie. Last night I was the only ahem…adult there and I had NO free hands to take pix!

My bill came out to $16 and change. Of course I had to leave a big tip for the greasy booth we left behind but still a great deal! We were all stuffed full of mostly healthy fare (‘cept for the fries) + a nice glass of wine. Not bad.

NOTES:
- Although there is patio seating, wine & beer are currently only allowed inside.
- Be sure to get a Native Foods frequent diner card. I have been twice and already got a free non alc drink.

Btw: G is a meat-a-tarian and he likes it!

Native Foods
2901 Ocean Park Blvd.
(310)450-3666
Park behind (off of 29th Street), at a meter on Ocean Park OR take the #8 Blue bus which goes from Westwood to Main Street (and not sure where it goes from there). I highly recommend the bus so you can have a couple of glasses of wine!

NATIVE FOODS
Happy Hour:
Fridays
3-6PM
50% off all appetizers, beer & wine.

Let me know how you like it!

*Incidentally – they also have Native Foods in Boulder and at several locations in Chicago! Check their site for more.

I saw variations of this idea all over Pinterest & the internet(s). This is a really cute, relatively easy gift.

What I used:

- Matte (from Michael’s) – $4.99
- Picture frame (from Michael’s 50%-off sale $14.99 each)
- Photo print (from iPhoto) $.50
- Paint (gift!)

It ended up being just over $20 for a really beautiful & heartfelt gift. And I’m sure you can do it much more cheaply than I did…

When the baby was napping, M and I went out back. I poured silver-dollared size blobs of the five different paint colors, each on a different plate. Next to the table I had a bucket of water & an old towel for hand rinsing between colors. I only brought out ONE color at a time and let M smush her hand in it all over the plate. I put all three mattes (I planned on making 3 of these for gifts) on the table. First we did pink. I let her practice pressing her hand down on a piece of scrap paper first so she understood what we were doing. Then I had her press her hand in the pink and PRESS, PRESS, PRESS stamp all three mattes in the same spot. Very factory-like. When she was done, I moved the pink paint away, she washed her hands in the bucket & dried them with the towel. I then brought over the next color.

After they dry – the fun part. Assembly!

This is the one I made G for Father’s Day.

Photo taken by Tempting Weddings (click picture for link!)