Frozen Yogurt or Ice Cream?

It's one of those debates that we may never settle. And while you know I love my frozen yogurt runs, I would absolutely choose ice cream over fro yo.

The fact is, though, I'm pretty sure there aren't any creameries nearby. On the other hand, we have at least four frozen yogurt shops in walking distance. Given the choice between handmade ice cream and frozen yogurt, I choose the former. But given the convenience of fro yo, I'm willing to make the sacrifice.

Tonight, however, we got to enjoy some delightfully fresh creamery ice cream. I'll get to that in a moment.

It's been a tough week over here; I'm struggling to find balance between work and home. People who think teachers have it easy are absolutely insane. We work just as hard as the next guy, and--at least the last three weeks--I'm working more hours than my engineer husband! I hope I'll eventually settle into a routine that works for us, but I felt as though I didn't see Terry at all this week.

So after work today, Terry picked me up, and we set out on a little afternoon/evening date. We drove out to Manhattan Beach, a cute beach town in the South Bay. First we walked down the pier and enjoyed the gorgeous sunny day, watching the surfers and fishermen. There was a little indoor aquarium exhibit, too!

We stopped at Manhattan Beach Brewing Company before settling on Simmzy's as our dinner location. It's quite a hot spot, but we hit some down time and lucked out with a table right away. We also scored some awesome people watching, one of our favorite dinnertime activities. One woman insisted on creating her own cocktail, and another spent about 15 minutes describing a new "cool LA spot" to her dining mate. She explained the atmosphere to him by describing what she would wear (a cute dress or jeans and a cute top, in case you were curious)--I'm not sure he got it.

Anyway, the meal was fantastic! We agreed to share meals; I ordered the apple, walnut, and grilled chicken salad with fresh goat cheese and Terry got the famous Simmzy's burger. We also split sweet potato fries, which came with a phenomenal dipping sauce.

Everything tasted incredible. It was fresh, and the flavors came together wonderfully. The fries and dipping sauce was my favorite part, but who's surprised about that? We also shared a flight of Belgium brews, and Terry has decided I'm a Belgium girl. I won't argue.

After dinner, we wandered over to the Manhattan Beach Creamery. I'm going to be completely honest here; I could have skipped dinner and just eaten ice cream for dessert. Luckily my husband insisted on an actual meal, so I was happy to just eat one scoop. But this place was adorable! The decor seems very retro, and it's really cozy inside. I was also shocked about the variety of sweets: candy, frozen bananas, chocolates, frozen yogurt, and, of course, ice cream. Terry and I ignored the rest of the shop and zoned in on the dozen-plus flavors.

In a word--WOW! Remember when I went to Little Man Ice Cream in Colorado? Well, since then, I've been craving cinnamon ice cream. I figured finding actual "Cinnabon" ice cream wouldn't happen again, but MB Creamery has Sticky Bun Crunch! SOLD! Terry liked his Peanut Butter Cup, but I think I won the dish-off.

That's what got our conversation going about frozen yogurt vs. ice cream. For me, frozen yogurt is just a vehicle for toppings. But with quality ice cream, you have all the flavor and texture you need! I especially love ice cream like I had today; it's not vanilla ice cream with bits of sticky bun and pecan; it's cinnamon-sticky bun ice cream with pecans mixed in. Plus, it's just so creamy and rich! And while fro yo is apparently fat free or low fat, I'd rather have a small, full-fat dessert that's made with quality ingredients than the likely more processed frozen yogurt (which, I'm sad to admit, probably has lots of artificial sweeteners). But that ice cream...yum yum yum yum yum! Can I go back now?

We had so much fun exploring Manhattan Beach today. Tonight I'm really taking it easy and enjoying a little break from grading. Scout's loving that I'm on the couch with him, so we'll cuddle and then head to bed early. Another busy day tomorrow!

Alright, folks, let's hear it: frozen yogurt or ice cream? What's the best of your favorite you've ever had?