Click It. BEAT picks of the week.

Smoking slippers. I've been wanting these forever and finally got a pair.

DVF ankle boots.

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day in Rosemary.

Green juice recipes.

Red Cross Hurricane Aid.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: Steven Madden, Ltd.

Do It. Eagle Rock Music Festival.

Another weekend, another great chance at seeing live entertainment for cheap in L.A.!

This time around, it's the Eagle Rock Music Festival, featuring performances from especially good local acts like Flying Lotus, HEALTH, Mia Doi Todd, Nosaj Thing (the entire Low End Theory stage is fantastic), Shadow Shadow Shade, Rooney and more for just a $5 suggested donation. It's all going down this Saturday, Oct. 1 from 4pm-10pm, right on Colorado Blvd. L.A. couldn't be more good to us music fans.

The Eagle Rock Music Festival takes place this Saturday on Colorado Blvd. between Argus & Eagle Rock Blvd. in Eagle Rock.

-- Chau Tu

The Monthly BEAT: Venice. Coffee shops.

I found out just how seriously Intelligentsia takes coffee when I wrote an Archetype piece for Los Angeles Magazine on Intelligentsia (Silver Lake) barista Rachelle Tews.

One of the Chicago-based company's west coast locations is on the very cool Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, an area that's home to plenty of good beans.

Intelligentsia's Venice Coffeebar is worth checking out for the impressive modern industrial space alone, but you'll surely want to grab an espresso drink, and maybe a pastry, while there.

Other notable Venice-area coffee spots:

Abbot's Habit - a very neighborhood-y sort of hippie-style cafe that serves great coffee. An early morning favorite of mine during my LMU (Birkenstock-wearing) days.

Rose Cafe - reliable coffee, delicious fresh food, and a cute gift shop.

Urth Caffé - you cannot go wrong at Urth. Coffee, tea, breakfast, salad, soup, panini, chocolate cake, it's all spot-on. Technically this is in Santa Monica, not Venice, but it is on Main Street, which is just around the corner from Abbot Kinney.

Bring a newspaper to Venice this weekend and stop by one of these places for a relaxing morning and a stroll down Abbot Kinney and/or Main Street!

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: LA Weekly

Drink It. National Iced Tea Day.

Get refreshed with iced tea today, National Iced Tea day!

Our favorites:

Honest Tea

Tazo "Zen" iced green tea

Homemade Southern sweet tea

Bottoms up!

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: Southern Living

Drink It. Beverly Hills Juice Club.

My favorite fresh juice in town is from the Beverly Hills Juice Club. It's L.A.'s oldest juice bar (est. 1975), and is still running strong.

The unassuming little shop on Beverly Boulevard not far from the Beverly Center has a broad menu of delicious raw organic pressed fruit juice combinations--apple mint, apple mint coconut, cinnamon apple, apple lemon ginger, etc. My go-to is the orange coconut, but you really cannot go wrong even if you blindly pick one. They also have vegan shakes, and sell a vegan alternative ice cream, Banana Manna, by the pint.

Juices are pressed fresh daily.

A couple things to note--cash only, and closed Sundays.

8382 Beverly Blvd. in Los Angeles. Info: beverlyhillsjuice.com, (323) 655-8300

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: beverlyhillsjuice.com

Check It. Tazo Zen tea.

Green tea is often touted as a healthy alternative to coffee--but I find it difficult to choose green tea over coffee.

After a long and emotional weekend, I found myself at LAX early Monday morning about to board a cross-country flight. And in a long line at the airport Starbucks. I was majorly sleep-deprived and needed revitalization, but somehow didn't see relief coming from a strong and steamy Americano. I opted for a Venti Iced Green Tea (they use Tazo's "Zen" green tea). Wow. It was so refreshing and delicious, I made involuntarily "yum" noises. Slight hints of lemon, and the use of spearmint leaves, make all the difference in this outstanding green tea.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: stylehive.com

Check It. Honesty Day.

Today, April 30, is Honesty Day. Ok, so it's not one of the major holidays, but if I can "celebrate" a holiday by drinking delicious organic iced tea, I'm going to go there.

Before you take a sip of Honest Tea's Heavenly Lemon Tulsi tea, you can smell in the clove-like aroma of the tulsi how good it's going to be. It's one of the newer products for the brand, first introduced last fall, and I think it will be a keeper.

Native to India, tulsi is also called "holy basil", and is one of the most important plants used in Ayurvedic medicine, and is grown around Hindu temples. Dr. Andrew Weil notes the herb's importance for treating stress, "The most compelling evidence I've reviewed indicates that holy basil may counteract the effects of stress."

And who doesn't love some good lemon in iced tea? Heavenly Lemon Tulsi contains lemongrass and lemon peel (as well as lemon myrtle, lemon juice concentrate, and lemon extract--all organic).

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: the BEAT

Eat In. Fresh fruit salad with yogurt and coconut.

Whenever I'm trying to be healthy, yogurt and fruit are my first thoughts. Earlier this week, I got a small container of strawberries, blueberries, and mango at Whole Foods. I figured I'd split this between three mornings for breakfast, with yogurt.

I used Stonyfield Farm organic low fat french vanilla, but any favorite yogurt would work here. To make things a bit more delicious and interesting (and admittedly less healthy), I topped it off with some sweetened shredded coconut I had in the cupboard. This was a move inspired by the Fresh Fruit Salad at Malibu's John's Garden--one of my all-time favorite lunch spots. They also use chopped roasted almonds, which I may include tomorrow.

This is a great quick and easy breakfast, or a good sandwich alternative for lunch on a summery day--like the ones we've been having this week.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: the BEAT

Drink It. Mountain Valley Spring Water.

I realize it sounds ridiculous to say that water is delicious--but this one is. I met an old friend for breakfast last week, and he had a mysterious green bottle tucked under his arm. I first thought it was a Sprite or 7 Up, which seemed strange, especially in the morning. When it came time to order drinks and I got a large coffee, he said he was all set ... with his water.

I had to ask, "What is this water you have?" The water--Mountain Valley Spring Water--turns out to be somewhat difficult to find in Los Angeles, and is mainly distributed through home delivery. It's from a highly protected natural spring source in Arkansas. I found 1 liter glass bottles at West Hollywood's Whole Foods, but they're certainly not convenient to carry around.

Not really wanting to believe the hype about how excellent the water was, I poured myself a room temperature glass yesterday afternoon. Ok, it really is that good.

It's similar to Fiji in that it has a pH over 7. Fiji is 7.5, Mountain Valley Spring Water is 7.8. Evian is also somewhere above 7. Arrowhead (which I most often drink because of the convenient and well-priced 6-packs of 16.9 oz. bottles) is neutral, at 7. Waters that I consider to not taste very good, such as Penta, Dasani, etc. are at 4.

Mountain Valley Spring Water is available in both glass and plastic bottles, which is nice because some people like to avoid drinking from plastic. Even their home water cooler bottles are glass.

It is a bit pricier than Arrowhead, a case of 24 16.9 oz. bottles is $22 for example. But, if better tasting water means drinking more water, the health benefit outweighs the cost in the end.

Info: mountainvalleyspring.com, (800) 499-9982

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: the BEAT

Eat Out. Whole Foods teriyaki bowls.

This photo doesn't exactly do my teriyaki tofu rice bowl justice. There's some condensation going on because I drove with the steaming bowl sealed shut from the 3rd & Fairfax Whole Foods to Los Feliz last night. But, when I got in and ate it, it was still delicious.

I've had the chicken option for lunch, too, and it's very tasty. You can choose white or dark meat chicken, which is cooked to perfection and really delicious drenched in sweet teriyaki.

Recently I made the switch for the most part from white to brown rice, and with a meal like this, the brown rice adds substantial flavor. Like having an actual other ingredient rather than just filler.

Bell peppers and bok choy round this out to be a great option for lunch or dinner.

Well-priced too - $6.05 for the tofu bowl. I think the white meat chicken bowl is close to $8.

Click here to find a Whole Foods Market near you.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: the BEAT

Check It. Nalgene water bottle.

I saw these Nalgene water bottles at Target last night and they reminded me of Lauren and our L.A. Times days. She was so good about carrying it around the newsroom, and refilling it throughout the day--drinking plenty of water, something most people struggle to do. Then I saw a label that said something along the lines of "drink more water, feel better". What an easy way to feel better! I was sold. Aside from just daily sipping, the simple bottles would also be great for any kind of outdoor activity.

A large bottle (that can be refilled) is a great reminder of how much water one should drink throughout a day. This morning when I filled mine to the 32 ounce mark, I had a few sips and it was already down to 28 ounces before I was out the door.

BPA-free wide mouth Nalgenes are available at Target in West Hollywood for $9.99. Also on the Target website, and at www.nalgene-outdoor.com.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: nalgene-outdoor.com

Eat Out. BodyFactory.

I admit, I've had my fair share of Jamba Juice. But we all know there are better smoothies in town. BodyFactory is one of them. And they're open late (till 11:00 p.m. Monday - Saturday and 10:00 p.m. Sunday)! A perfect spot for after an evening workout.

They really showcase their celebrity fans (a la Millions of Milkshakes) which is a little odd - but I suppose if I made a health product that Kim Kardashian and Halle Berry consumed, I'd be telling the world too.

Their smoothies are really delicious and real-tasting. They only come in one size (24 ounce), but one smoothie can be split into two smaller cups for no additional charge.

Locations: in the ArcLight structure in Hollywood - 6366 Sunset Blvd., in the Sunset 5 structure in West Hollywood - 8000 Sunset Blvd., and another in West Hollywood at 8591 Santa Monica Blvd. Info: bodyfactory.com, (888) 263-9322 ext. 3

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: lasplash.com

Drink It. Arrowhead Sparkling Water [Thirsty Thursday!].

Doesn't it just look so refreshing? You know sometimes when you're really thirsty, but you're dying for a Diet Coke rather than a glass of water? Well here's a healthy compromise.

I think everyone tries to 'drink more water', but it's easy to forget to drink a whole lot, especially with some many delicious drink options available. I've recently gotten back into an old favorite of mine, Arrowhead sparkling water, in the lime flavor. It's tasty, 100% natural, and calorie free. The ingredients are simply: mountain spring water, natural flavors, and CO2. Arrowhead is a great water in general, as it's true spring water that's very reasonably priced.

Arrowhead water is widely available throughout Southern California.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: the BEAT

Drink It. Izze [Thirsty Thursdays!].

Izze Sparking Juice is one of my favorite drinks. All the flavors are delicious, they're completely natural, and they have just the right amount of fizz. The fruit juice/sparking water blend makes for a healthy choice--with just under 30 grams of sugar per 12 oz. bottle and between 120-130 calories, depending on the flavor. Pictured above are Blackberry, Grapefruit, and Clementine. More flavors available.

Straight from the bottle or over ice, alone or mixed with something, these versatile beverages can really be enjoyed at any time of day.

The bottle design is pretty cute too.

Izze is available at some supermarkets (Gelson's, Whole Foods), and at Target and Rite Aid, according to the Izze website.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: the BEAT

Eat In. Open-Face tuna and guacamole sandwich.

Here's a great recipe idea for a snack or a quick and easy lunch or even light weeknight dinner. I would order it often at the deli counter when Malibu Kitchen was Mary's Kitchen, but now make it at home.

Ingredients:

Sliced Sourdough Bread

Guacamole

Tuna Salad

Lightly toast your favorite sourdough bread, spread on a thin layer of guacamole, and top with a scoop of tuna salad (the Gelson's deli makes great tuna). Using a fork, make sure the tuna covers the whole surface of the toast, and then salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy the open-face sandwich!

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: www.myrecipes.com

Make It. Without health insurance.

Through a series of unfortunate events--even though I've paid my $2 for my DMO the last few months--I can't go to a dentist until February. Problem is, I have a dental issue NOW. I'm going to fight with Aetna until it gets resolved (I have, after all, paid them $6), but while I sit hear with a tea bag packed in my mouth, I am reminded of that time not too long ago when I didn't have health insurance at all (because Tribune is a GREAT employer and this country is AWESOME). It's rough and you feel helpless. It makes you want to karate chop Scott Brown in the face. But there are ways to get by if you're done with googling "home remedies for..."

Planned Parenthood. Thank God for this place. They offer services for all reproductive health needs for both women AND men. They charge on a sliding scale and will have no problem loading you up with free birth control. I have had nothing but pleasant experiences here. However, they are in demand. Even with an appointment you often have to wait an hour or more to be seen.

While you're in your Planned Parenthood, you may hear people talking about their "teal card." They are actually talking about "Health Access Cards" which are issued by Family PACT (usually out of PPs). If you're uninsured and low income, you qualify for one and with it, the state of California will pay for a bunch of your health needs. The website refers specifically to "family planning," but when I had the card, I was able to get antibiotics for free, so I think the definition is loose. I'm pretty sure California covers other things as well, but just like all government websites, their site is atrocious. If you are able to navigate or extract any clear information from it though, I’d love to hear about it.

And finally, Urgent Care. Yes, they are scary and will still run you $40, but at least they will take care of you. And they will do it right now. I am lucky enough to have one right in my building and if you live near the Echo Park area, I would totally reccommend Sunmoon Urgent Care. The Yelp reviews are pretty accurate. It won't be the doctor's office of your dreams, but it will be efficient and painless. I was seen immediately on a Saturday morning, had my prescription filled in-house, and was back in bed within thirty minutes. Be warned that these places are usually CASH ONLY.

Since 46 million of us don't have health insurance, I'm interested to know: how do you receive medical care?

-- Heather Robertson

Photo credit: Kaiser Foundation