Month: August 2014

Nicki Minaj Anaconda Video

Nicki Minaj just dropped the music video for “Anaconda.” I just watched it. Yowzaz. My first impressions…

SO. MUCH. ASS. But we can’t really be surprised by that, can we? I mean, did you SEE the cover art? All booty. Now, I don’t love the song. I like that it feels more old school Nicki in that it’s a dirty rap song, but the sampled Sir Mix-a-Lot “Baby Got Back” clips are so redundant and make me start to feel a little like a psychopath toward the end. That said, I don’t hate it. I actually like it, but I wish there was a bit more variety in the melody…but maybe that’s not the point. 

Ok, back to the music video. I feel like this is Katy Perry’s “Roar” music video had it gotten a truckload of butts dropped on it (…wait, what?). The jungle setting just seems super familiar — but I get it, ANACONDA, JUNGLE. Going off on a tangent a big…how some women can get their butts to move like they’re separate entities is very impressive and mind-boggling…and there’s lots of that in this video. Nicki does a great job of shakin’ it too. There were times where I think it was definitely overly sexualized (I mean, the whole thing is, but there were times where it seemed more than just unnecessary). Also, the Drake lap dance was SO RANDOM. This whole video is based in the jungle (obviously not a real jungle, but the studio-set-up ass jungle, but STILL, keep the theme consistent, guys!), and it’s disjointed to have this end-cut with Nicki dancing up on Drake. Seems like it was done to just show how she can move? Or have a guy in the video so guys watching the vid can imagine they’re Drake? Not sure, just seemed random. 

What do you guys think of it? 

Major Food Coma from The Melting Pot! (Weekly Vlog 8.5.14)

Take a look at the above video for your weekly dose of Lauren randomness, including date night at The Melting Pot (keep reading for specifics on that), some car time chit chat, and a gut reaction review to Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande, and Jessie J’s “Bang Bang” song.

SO, like I said, the other night, Charlie treated me to a fancy date night dinner at The Melting Pot in Pasadena. It. Was. Awesome. I’ve been to The Melting Pot (at different locations) a few times before, but it was Charlie’s first time there. It did not disappoint.

We were tucked away in a back booth, which was really nice…made for a very intimate dinner, like it was just the two of us in the whole place (until someone knocked over what sounded like a shelf containing every single plate stored at the restaurant and reminded us that there was indeed a bustling restaurant going on). But anyhow…I digress.

We went all out and did the 4-course special. I mean, you’re going to be forking over a bunch of moola anyway for dinner, you might as well go big, right?! Here’s what we got…

  • Course 1 (one cheese fondue to share): Quattro Formaggio Cheese Fondue (Butterkase and fontina cheeses, roasted garlic, basil and tomato pestos, fresh mozzarella, and Parmesean) with veggies and bread for dipping
  • Course 2 (one salad each): California Salad (mixed baby greens, Roma tomatoes, candied pecans, Gorgonzola cheese, and raspberry black walnut vinaigrette) and The Melting Pot House Salad (crisp romaine and iceberg lettuce, cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, crispy croutons, and sliced egg, with ranch)
  • Course 3 (two entrees with one cooking style): We chose the Seasoned Court Bouillon as the cooking style and our entrees were The Classic (Angus beef sirloin, Memphis-style BBQ pork medallion, Pacific white shrimp, herb-crusted chicken breast, and teriyaki-marinated sirloin) and Land and Sea (filet mignon, herb-crusted chicken and Pacific white shrimp)
  • Course 4 (one dessert to share): I created a custom dessert by combining two of the desserts, the Turtle and the S’Mores, so it was dark chocolate, crush graham cracker, caramel, and marshmallow with a bunch of yummy goodies to dip (marshmallows, bananas, strawberries, brownies, goldies, pound cake, pineapple, etc.)

Dinner was amazing. A great thing about The Melting Pot, though, is that not only are you getting really awesome food, but it’s a super fun experience too. I’d definitely recommend it for your next special night out. Or, if you don’t wanna fork over all the dough for a big spendy meal, you can go in with some friends and share a cheese fondue or dessert. However, if you do go for the FULL meal, just know you will surely end up with a pretty major food coma. But it’ll be well worth it.

How To Make Homemade Banana Ice Cream (Quick, Easy, & Delicious!)

As you guys know, I’m doing a 90-day fitness challenge right now, which means lots of healthy eating and lots of working out. And less trips to get ice cream and fro yo. BOO. But I’ve figured out a little trick to be able to have delicious homemade ice cream – and it’s HEALTHY.

Here’s what you do:

  • As far as service size, I use one banana per person.
  • Choose bananas that are on the riper side for the best flavor.
  • Cut the banana into uniform chunks.
  • Arrange the sliced chunks evenly on a freezer-safe plate.
  • Freeze the bananas for about 2-3 hours.
  • Put the frozen banana chunks into a food processor and chop until the consistency is nice and smooth.
  • Serve and enjoy!

You can also add peanut butter, cocoa power, or cinnamon (or anything else really!) to the bananas while chopping them up to jazz up the flavor more. Once you’re done, you can top it with chocolate syrup, nuts, whipped cream – you name it!

(Another quick tidbit…potassium – there’s lots of it in bananas – is really good for sore muscles, so not only is this ice cream HEALTHY, but it’s good for your tired muscles! Another bonus!)