Hi friends! How are you? Hope you’re having a happy Monday! I’d love to hear about your weekend and what you were up to! Today, I’m sharing a very exciting Alinea review!

In 2017, we took an AMAZING trip to Chicago to celebrate our 10th anniversary. We met up with our friends Betsy and Jeremy (who live in San Diego) for a weekend of fun, including ridiculous restaurants, a show (HAMILTON! It was everything), and lots of shopping.

Whenever we meet up with them, it’s like no time has passed at all. Since we move so often, we’re lucky to have friends all over the world. I feel so fortunate that our time in San Diego introduced us to these wonderful friends, who are really more like family.

I’ll be recapping some of the adventures, including where we stayed + all about Hamilton in the am, but for now, let’s talk about the food.

Chicago Eats: Alinea Review + Menu Details

Oh, the food.

In Chicago, there’s an awesome restaurant every 20 feet or so. I could stay there for 2 weeks, go all out for every meal, and not even begin to touch all of the best dining possibilities. While we depended on your amazing suggestions + online reviews to make restaurant decisions, going into the trip, we knew there was one place we had to go: Alinea.​

Alinea Chicago Booking​

The Pilot and I are huge fans of Chef’s Table on Netflix -it’s one of the few shows we both like- and when we saw the episode featuring Alinea and Chef Grant Achatz, we knew we had to go at one point or another. When we de

Hi friends! Hope your morning is going well. I have a long post tomorrow about creating a healthy relationship with food, but today, I wanted to re-share this oldie but goodie in honor of the upcoming “all things green” holiday.

Not only is this is the best St. Patrick’s Day cocktail, it’s the best cocktail for anytime, really.

There’s not too much “Irish” about me. There’s a little bit on my great-grandmother’s side, the fact that I used to Irish Step dance (I had a mean slip jig), and I married an Irish man. He introduced me to wonderful things about his family’s culture -they actually own a bar in Ireland that we’d love to visit someday!- including this cocktail. It has a rich sweetness to it, a little goes a long way as it’s very rich, and is absolutely perfect for the upcoming holiday.

We’ve had some pretty memorable St. Patrick’s Days, like when we visited Savannah and the power went out in the entire city. (I was convinced it was aliens or an attack of some sort.) But with all of the ones we’ve spent together, my favorite was the night we stayed home in Valdosta, watched movies and drank copious amounts of this cocktail.

My version is with almond milk, and the Pilot’s is with heavy cream or regular milk:

[One of these things is not like the others. Also, these are older pics but my go-to almond milk right now is the Malk brand]

As you guys know, I tend to stay away from dairy for health/skin/autoimmune reasons. I don’t stay away from Bailey’s Irish cream for any reason aaaaaand they now make a dairy-free version that’s pretty good 😉 I also have added back some dairy with success after healing my gut!

Here’s the recipe for my favorite cocktail, which I’ve dubbed “The Lucky Irish Girl.” Even though I’m mostly Irish by association, St. Paddy’s is one of my favorite holidays. Hope you enjoy this drink as much as we do!

Sharing my thoughts and review on Darin Olien’s book Superlife and what I learned.

Hi friends! How’s the morning going? I hope you’re having a great day so far. It’s been *slightly* cooler around here lately. Just to the point where the air feels nice and fresh without being too cold. The mornings have been really lovely.

For today’s post, I wanted to share my review and thoughts on Darin Olien’s book, Superlife. Written in Olien’s engaging conversational style, Superlife is a one-of-a-kind comprehensive look at dieting and nutrition, a timeless and essential guide to maintaining the human body and maximizing its potential.

Superlife Book Review

You may know Darin from a couple of places:

1) he was Zac Efron’s knowledgeable sidekick in Down to Earth (which I pretty much spent mentally debating who was more attractive. In the end, I think it’s a tie.)

photo source

2) he’s one of the creators of Shakeology! This is Beachbody’s protein shake, which is packed with superfoods and nutrients. I drank it religiously and loved it for years, but stopped drinking it when I was pregnant with P and never really got back into it. It tastes amazing.

When I saw that Darin had a book, I instantly downloaded it to my Kindle app. I finally had the chance to dive in and finish it, and wow. While a lot of it was info that I already knew from being in the health and wellness space for a while, I still learned a ton. It also was a gentle nudge to get back to some healthy habits that have fallen off

Healthy Holiday Potluck Ideas

‘Tis the season:

to deck the halls,

spend time with those you love,

don your ugliest Christmas sweater,

(my own Dick van Dyke!)

shop it up

and enjoy festive feasts 🙂

I’m not sure about you, but our schedule is jam-packed until after New Year’s with holiday events! Many of them: bring a side dish or dessert.

Anyone else experiencing a pot-lucking overload?

What to bring?!

I always debate what I should bring to a holiday party. I’d like to make something semi-healthy, since I know I’ll be indulging in the treats and libations at the party, something festive/seasonal, and something that guests will enjoy and remember.

So, as I pick my brain, I thought I’d share a list of my favorite crowd-pleasing healthy potluck recipes and those I have yet to try, but have been scoping out.

Most of these healthy holiday recipes tend to be on the savory side since parties this time of year are heavy on the sweets.

Healthy Vegan Artichoke Dip

I often think about this dip during conversations about the best comfort foods. It’s gluten free and dairy free, and one of our favorite vegan recipes to bring to parties.

Bring it in the slow cooker with tortilla chips or a crudités platter.

My Favorite Fall Salad

My favorite fall salad comes together in just minutes, and it’s loaded with flavorful and nutritious ingredients.

All you to make this crowd pleaser is greens, goat cheese, dried cranberries, candied pecans, and balsamic dressing. If you actually do need to feed a crowd, make a bunch, because it always disappears fast!

Red And Green Quinoa Lentil Salad

Cheezy Quinoa Bake

Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

Greek Layered Dip

Buffalo chicken dip and Tuscan white bean dip (both dairy-free)

Read more

Today I’m talking about my #1 favorite mode of exercise that I recommend to almost everyone: walking. Read on about the benefits, how to start a walking routine, why it’s important to walk every day, and how to change up your routine.

Check out these tips for getting started with a walking routine or making small changes that can lead to better fitness, health and wellness.

Hi! How’s the day treating ya? I’m taking an F45 class with a friend, then I have back-to-back client calls and I’m making tacos for dinner tonight. YUM! Hope you have a lovely day!

For today’s post, let’s talk about what I truly consider to be the *best* form of exercise. Are there other amazing modes? YES. But if everyone (who has no physical limitations or medical conditions that are contraindicated for this) could walk, I think it would have such a positive impact on physical and mental health. Walking is one of my non-negotiable activities every day. Even if it’s a short 10-15 minute stroll around the block, I feel more centered, energized, and sleep better when I’ve gotten in a daily walk. Maisey also loves daily walks and is less destructive when she’s gotten out some energy. 😉

In today’s post, I thought I could share some ideas on how to start a walking routine, some tips, health benefits of walking, and ideas to change up your walking routine if it’s already a consistent part of your life (YAY). I’d love to hear your thoughts on this, too!

How to start or change up your walking routine

Benefits Of Walking:

Meditative Benefits

My therapist told me that walking can similar benefits for the brain as meditation. It’s the repetitive movement of your feet on the pavement that calms the body’s sympathetic system (the “flight or fight” response) and can help with anxiety, depression, and mood. (Of course, if you suffer from anxiety or depression, please seek out the help you need. Walking can be a great complement to traditional therapy, but isn’t a substitute.)

Cardiovascular Benefits

Walking for 30 minutes each day can decrease risk of stroke, heart disease, and diabetes.

It’s extremely functional

I want to be able to walk for as long as possible, and the best way to do this is by walking frequently and training the muscles that support walking. As far as functional everyday movements go, walking is high on the list, and if you don’t use this skill as you age, you can lose it as the muscles atrophy and bone density decreases.

Increased Calorie Burn And Reduced Body Fat

Walking can be used to increase overall calorie burn and reduce body fat. While the actual amount varies from one person to the next, walking at a rapid pace for 30 minutes can help you burn about 150 more calories a day.

Sunlight benefits from walking outdoors

This is a great way to get vitamin D, fresh ai