What I Loved in April

A collection of things I loved in April, from beauty products and fashion to entertainment and everything in between.

A few weeks ago I tried placing an order from my favorite vegan restaurant, Café Gratitude. Sadly, I learned that all of their locations are currently closed because of COVID-19. The following day I saw an ad for Territory Foods on my Facebook feed and it showed that they were collaborating with Café Gratitude. Their website featured dishes similar to my favorites (“Bueno” Mexican Bowl, “Fortified” Tempeh Grain Bowl, “Powerful” Coconut Yogurt with Amazonian Superfood Granola, and their “Cheesy” Macaroni) which are pre-made and ready in 90 seconds. Each week I customize my menu, and I get my deliveries on Sundays and Wednesdays. Their meal plans are for just about every diet preference, but because there’s no dairy, mine are all vegan. Depending on where you live, the menu options change, but everything is locally sourced from restaurants, chefs, and farms.

Use the code AGIRLINLA to earn $25 off your first and second orders.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_iVQ1IpDXj/

Every night during the month of April, those of us who live in downtown Los Angeles have stood on our balconies or cheered out of our windows. The movement, #SolidarityAt8, began as a way to show appreciation for the nation’s healthcare workers and those who are battling COVID-19 on the front lines. At 8 p.m. as the sun sets, residents of DTLA (and beyond) cheer, bang pots and pans, whistle, and flash colored lights. What started overseas quickly grew and now happens all over the world. When there’s not much you can do (aside from staying home to help stop the spread), it’s a way to show unity and say, we’re thinking of you.

Last December when I was making my Christmas wish list, I found this gold pave Cuban link bracelet from The M Jewelers. The next day I went to purchase it but it was no longer available. Since then I’ve been checking periodically to see when (and if) it would be back in stock. The other day as I was browsing on their site, looking for a new piece of jewelry to buy, I discovered the bracelet I had been eyeing was back. Without hesitation, I placed an order, and I waited patiently for it to arrive. It’s even prettier in person and it’s rarely left my wrist. Not that I’ve ever needed an excuse to shop for jewelry, I have to say that receiving it at a time like this certainly put a smile on my face.

Staying healthy and entertained have been two of my top priorities. I discovered Ban.do’s resources + downloads page and I’ve been printing out a ton of the worksheets. I have the Wellness Planner and these printables are designed to fit inside. With PDFs on meal planning and grocery lists, water and activity trackers, goals, and fun things like bingo—these printables have become my go-to source in staying present and organized. They also have downloadable coloring pages, wallpaper for your phone or computer, and mixtape playlists via Spotify.

When I purchased my iPhone a few months back I received a trial membership of Apple TV+ (after the year is up, it’s $4.99 per month.) Even though the channel can be watched on your laptop or iPad, it was time for me to upgrade my Apple TV to the newest 4K version; this way I could stream Apple TV+ in my living room. The first show I binge-watched was The Morning Show. The drama/comedy stars Jennifer Aniston as Alex Levy, the star of a morning news program (think The Today Show or GMA). Following a sexual misconduct scandal, her co-host Mitch (Steve Carrell) is fired and the network’s executives are looking to do damage control while upping the program’s ratings. That’s when Bradley (Reese Witherspoon), an unfiltered reporter from West Virginia is hired to shake things up. The Morning Show is entertaining and draws parallels to the Matt Lauer scandal while giving a much-needed platform to the #MeToo movement.