Have you ever had one of those days where everything feels off? I’m still feeling a little under the weather today, but much better than yesterday. My anxiety has gone down, my patience has grown, and my mind is a bit more level. I found myself searching for distractions yesterday instead of writing, and every time I’d write, I’d start backspacing. This went on for hours, and I’ve never felt like that before. I knew it was time to step back and give myself some time. I closed my computer, went to the gym with Kyle, came back and walked the dogs, had some tea, and fell asleep after catching up on our show. That was exactly what I needed to do. I feel like my brain has been so “on the blog” lately, and I need to be better about shutting off my computer and stepping away during the evenings now and then. My therapist has been encouraging me to take electronic-free days (a full 24 hours), and I may schedule one every week. I appreciated all of your comments you left on last night’s Instagram photo! I’m so lucky to have so many understanding readers.

With that being said, I’m excited to bring a new recap post to you!

After writing last week’s recap on Monday, I walked the dogs for a mile, and then rushed to my appointment at my favorite place, the mechanic. I have been putting off getting new tires for like a year, and it was finally time to get them replaced. Fortunately, the auto shop is right next to Starbucks, so I sat there and had tea for an hour while they changed my tires.

Monday’s breakfast: 1 scoop vanilla Orgain protein powder, one cup frozen strawberries, 1 tsp elderberry, 1 tbsp ground ginger, 3 tsps. maca powder, 1 tablespoon flaxseeds, 1 cup almond milk.

A couple of hours later I had a bowl of Cinnamon Oat Crunch Cherries with almond milk and blueberries. If you can get your hands on a box of these Cheerios, you’ll be amazed. They live up to the “crunch” and taste so good! It’s almost time for pumpkin spice Cheerios to make their way back to the shelves.

Link for my smoothie glass here.
On Monday night, we headed to the Pump House for dinner. Kyle’s mom and friend were still in town, so we decided to continue the birthday celebrations. I ordered the salmon with a sweet corn puree, summer squash, and green beans. They brought out a birthday card and dessert which was really nice. 
I headed to the airport with Kyle’s mom and his friend early Tuesday morning. I was so sad to see them leave! We had so much fun, and it meant so much to Kyle that they came down.

When I got home, I made a delicious espresso drink to sit down and decompress with before catching up on laundry, the blog, and taking a trip to the grocery store.

My drink had two shots of espresso, one tablespoon collagen, one cup of barista-style almond milk, half cup vanilla bean Koia protein shake, and a splash of nutmeg.

Around 2 pm, I got a text from Kyle’s friend saying his flight had been canceled due to storms. I went straight to the airport to pick him up, we headed to Target to get him some things because he had already checked his bags, and then stopped at the store to pick up some things to throw on the grill. 
I made my Uncle Rich’s cheddar teriyaki burgers. They are the most mouthwatering burgers you’ll ever have. I also threw on some turkey burgers for myself. I’ll have to share his recipe in a separate post. He made these for us while we visited him in Ohio fifteen years ago, and I’ll never forget the first bite.
I had my leftover Chopt salad from the weekend with my turkey burger on the side. 
I dropped Kyle’s friend off at the airport for attempt number two early morning. It was successful this time!
I played tennis for an hour later in the morning. Before I headed there, I grabbed a quick snack-like breakfast. I had a coconut almond Koia shake, a carrot/apple/ginger veggie go, and a turkey stick. 
I was so hungry when I got home, so I had more leftover Chopt salad, avocados, and the turkey burgers on top, and then headed out to walk the dogs.
Later in the afternoon, I had a refreshing smoothie.

It had 1 scoop vanilla Orgain protein powder, one cup frozen raspberries, 1 tsp elderberry, 1 tbsp ground ginger, 3 tsps. maca powder, 1 tablespoon flaxseeds, 1 cup water.
It felt good to get back into my evening walking routine on Wednesday. I also watch the news with my headphones while walking at an incline while Kyle lifts weights. I’ll usually put it on a setting that changes incline from 1 to 6 during the hour. I’ll do five minutes at a 3.5 pace, three minutes at a 4.1 pace, and switch them up to keep my heart rate alternating between high and low.

Between my dog walks and the treadmill, I’m averaging about six miles a day. I love the way I feel after a walk, even if it’s for fifteen minutes. 
When I got home, I had spinach, arugula, sweet potatoes, and ground turkey mixed with honey mustard vinaigrette.
I spent Thursday afternoon getting ready for the trip. We planned to leave Thursday night, so I wanted to make sure everything was ready to go as soon as Kyle got home from work. I decided to make a protein shake for lunch to use up the spinach and arugula before heading out.
I made some travel-proof energy balls before we left. They are Kyle’s favorite, and he asked if I could make him some. These are great for traveling because you won’t have to deal with any melted chocolate or sticky fingers. You can keep them in your purse for quick energy. I like having one with my coffee before or after walking the dogs in the morning! They really did come in handy during our trip. If we’d get hungry while walking around, we’d have one. I usually wake up at 5:30, so they held me until breakfast was served at 8 am.
After dropping the dogs off with my parent’s Thursday evening, we headed out on our trip! I was in “go go go” mode all day, so I looked forward to sitting in the car with my cappuccino I made for the ride.
We ended up playing the Jeopardy app for an hour of the drive. It’s such a fun way to make the time fly by in the car. 
We got to the first hotel later in the evening. We picked up some dinner for Kyle at Zoe’s Kitchen, and I had the salad that I packed. I hate wasting produce in the fridge, so I made a salad to use it all up. A great money-saver! My salad had cucumber, sweet potatoes, pecans, tomatoes, peppers, arugula, ground turkey, and a side of herb goddess dressing.
I was up bright and early finishing up my meal-prep blog, but the video wouldn’t upload to YouTube. I had to go with plan B and post my apricot cranberry nut bar recipe instead.

I brought an apple cinnamon oatmeal from Gold Emblem Abound to have for breakfast. I absolutely LOVE these oatmeal cups. They have no added sugar, artificial flavors, or preservatives. If you’re going on a trip, I highly recommend these!  You can get hot water from the hotel’s lobby, or pour water into the cup and microwave it in your room. 
We decided to check out Hilton Head and Bluffton before heading down to Savannah.
I couldn’t wait to try out Delishee Yo! I made a list of some places that looked cool before heading down there. I’ll be checking out the rest of the places on our next trip down there.

All of the food is made from locally sourced, organic ingredients. The little cafe was adorable, and if you’re a plant lover, you would have been in heaven!
The staff was extremely nice and welcoming and just seemed so happy. 
Look how beautiful that acai bowl is  
The bowl had acai, banana, almond milk, granola, agave, strawberries, blueberries, bee pollen, blackberries, kiwi, pineapple, dates, coconut, and granola. Each bite was heavenly! I bought a ginger lemon power shot to take with me. 
If you’re ever in Hilton Head, add this to your list!
We stopped at Corner Perk cafe before heading to Savannah.
I’m always hesitant to order drip coffee at a coffee shop in the afternoon because I’m not sure how long it’s been sitting there, or if I’ll even like the roast. This coffee shop had a brilliant way of solving that problem. You could choose your own roast, they’d grind your beans, and make a pour-over coffee. This was also a great way to try out a coffee before purchasing a roast. I wish all the coffee shops did this!
Of course, I went with the Sumatra! My favorite. In fact, I made it this morning. 
Bluffton was such an adorable town filled with historic spots. Next time I visit, I’m going to have breakfast at FARM! This place was right next to the coffee shop and it looked so good. 
We headed to our Bed & Breakfast in Savannah around 2 pm.
Kyle and I had the best weekend together and I can’t wait to share it all on the blog!  We spent a weekend in Savannah a couple years ago, and it was so nice to be back.

I was pretty sad to leave but excited to see my dogs!

We made it home around 2 pm on Sunday, picked up the dogs, and then headed to play tennis. We were ready to move our feet after sitting in the car for a long period of time. 
We played for a couple hours and then headed home to walk the dogs, shower off, and then meal prepped for his workweek.

link for this bottle

I finally got my EverlyWell results back from my food sensitivity test. Here is what was listed on my highly reactive food chart. It’s interesting to see that the foods I eat daily like eggs, peanuts, chicken, almonds, bananas, and sesame were on the list! If you’re new to EverlyWell, check out my blog post on it!

The meals I’m sharing today are from recent trips I took (so yes, TSA-tested and approved!) Both meal options are gluten-free, dairy-free, and one is vegan! For me, traveling 20+ hours is exhausting. And if your flight is late and you don’t have time to stop for food, you’re out of luck. Plus, airport food is pricey! Your best bet is to plan and pack ahead. These meals made my trip less stressful, and I’ll never rely on airport food again. Because TSA does an awesome job at keeping our airports safe, ALL food is subject to additional screening, even if it is allowed on the plane.
I had so many people shocked that I was able to bring my food to the airport and on the airplane. Why do we feel like we have no other options? Well, I think we are all secretly terrified of TSA, or holding up long lines! But, if you plan and pack ahead, security will be a breeze, and you’ll have delicious, budget-friendly, and healthy meals during your travel day!

I can’t believe how much money I used to spend at airports. NEVER AGAIN. When I posted this on Instagram, the most frequent question I got asked was, “how did I get yogurt & hummus through TSA.” Well, 3-ounce containers! I found these containers in the baby food section. They’re great if you want to pack dipping sauce, yogurt, nut butter, salad dressing, and other liquid foods. I mean, if you wanted, you could pack wine in the little container

As long as your meat is in a solid form, you can pack it into your carry-on. Most solid foods are allowed.

I was going to need breakfast, lunch, snacks, and some dinner, during my 20-hour travel day. I usually like to have my protein yogurt with fruit in the morning, a protein source at lunch, a vegetable snack in the afternoon, and another protein source for dinner. And you never know if you’re going to get a delay, so you can play it safe and pack some extra snack bars. With my luck, it’s crucial to pack extra!

I decided to go with two turkey burgers and sweet potatoes for my lunch and dinner. I packed sliced bell peppers and carrots to snack on with hummus, grapes, an apple, and my protein yogurt for breakfast. My protein yogurt is coconut milk yogurt mixed with vanilla protein powder. I brought my water bottle to fill in one of the fountains, some of my favorite tea packets, RXBARS, superfood bites, and ginger chews.
The best advice I can give is to keep your food organized in your carry-on bag. If TSA has to keep removing food from the bag, it’ll be a big process, and security already takes long enough to get through. Keep all your containers in a large bag, and convenient enough for the workers to remove them quickly if they need to. When I left Charlotte, TSA pulled out my ziplock bag with all my containers inside, saw that it was food, and put it right back in my bag for me. Just keep everything together.

Foods to Bring on Your Flight:
Homemade Healthy Muffins (vegan peanut butter banana chocolate chip gluten-free & no added sugar muffins)
Breakfast Cookies (homemade cookies)
Fresh Vegetables & Fresh Vegetables (pineapples, cantaloupe, grapes, celery, carrots, bell peppers)
Veggie Burgers (my favorite is gardening black bean chipotle burgers)
Grilled Chicken Kale Salads (grilled chicken tastes great cold, and kale holds up well)
Empty Water Bottle  (stainless steel to keep it cold.)
Tea Bags (i love to bring a lemon & ginger tea for calming) 
Protein Powder Packets (sample sizes are easier to pack)
Healthy Sandwiches & Wraps (wrap them in parchment paper, or keep them in a container) (travel wraps)
Quinoa or Rice (sweet quinoa salad)
Protein Pancakes (I love making protein pancakes with cashew milk, peanut butter, orgain protein, and paleo bircher blender mix)
Protein Bars (Rxbars, homemade bars, no cow bars, orgain protein bars, tone it up, or any of your favorites)
Snack Bars (homemade granola bars)
Pretzels or Crackers (I love kale chips!)
Trail Mix (make your own: dark chocolate chips, craisins, almonds, pistachios, cashews, pecans, dried pineapple)
Popcorn (pop your own and put it in individual baggies)
Falafel Kale Salad (a great vegan/vegetarian option)
Peanut Butter (3.4 ounces)
Hummus (3.4 ounces)
Yogurt (3.4 ounces) (i like to mix protein powder with coconut yogurt)

You can bring gel or ice packs as long as they are not melted when going through security. Sometimes packing frozen fruit bags will help keep your food cold, and you can eat the fruit as a refreshing snack later! Bring baggies to fill up with ice at restaurants after you get through security!

Here are the TSA instructions for keeping your food cool.

“If the food is packed with ice or ice packs in a cooler or another container, the ice or ice packs must be completely frozen when brought through screening. If the ice or ice packs are partially melted and have any liquid at the bottom of the container, they will not be permitted. You also can pack frozen perishables in your carry-on or checked bags in dry ice. The FAA limits you to five pounds of dry ice that is properly packaged (the package is vented) and marked.”

My hack? I just went to the food court and filled up two baggies with ice, and put them in my carry-on. Too much? Oh, well.

I was so hungry during the first layover that I mixed all the veggies with the hummus for a snack.
Grapes and apples are great options because they don’t bruise or go bad easily.

I asked for hot water when the flight attendant came around so I could have some of my tea while reading. 
My second trip meals were so delicious. Other than the RXBARS, everything above is vegan. I thought it would be good to make a vegan travel meal plan because I’m sure it’s so hard to eat healthy while traveling as a vegan. Unless you plan on eating nuts, chips, and snack bars for twenty hours, packing may be your best bet! It’s never smart to always rely on the airport restaurants, either! Flights can be late, and restaurants can be packed.

For lunch and dinner, I packed cold-cooked quinoa with chickpeas, onions, bell peppers, cucumber, carrots, cabbage, and kale. I also made black bean burgers to eat on top of for extra protein. I bought dressing for the side and kept it in a 1.5-ounce container. I brought some nut butter, snack bars, and my empty water bottle. If it’s solid food, you’ll most likely be completely fine getting it through security, but make sure to check TSA because some states/countries have different rules.
The best part about bringing my containers and ziplock to my first destination is being able to use those same containers and ziplock on my return flight. It made the meal planning process easier. I ended up filling the 3-ounce containers with protein yogurt and grapes. They were in the fridge cooling before my flight home. The Tone-it UP power bars are plant-based and a great snack if you want something sweet but healthy. 
Packing food made my trip run smoothly. I used to stress about having enough time to stop and grab something to eat. When I flew to Hawaii last year, I had five minutes to grab something to eat. I went almost all day without food, and I had another seven-hour flight. I panicked and grabbed a crappy turkey sandwich with potato chips. I think I paid like $22 bucks for it too

I also love to bring popcorn on flights. I brought some Boom Chicka Pop for my layover in San Francisco. I ended up eating it while watching the new Jumanji movie.   
But I’ll never turn down coffee after a 20-hour flight! I ended up reading my book to beat jetlag while drinking delicious coffee high in the sky.

Questions for you!

1. Where is your next flight taking you?
2. What is your favorite travel tip?
3. What is one item you cannot fly without?

I have an insanely busy weekend coming up mixed with work projects and plans with friends. I’m crossing my fingers I get everything done. Between working on other posts, I’ve been putting together this annual hiking trip blog along with a fun little video. I couldn’t get through the weekend without sharing the fun with you all.

When Becca (my best friend) and I met, we were both in pretty low places in life. I was ending a crappy relationship while fighting my own battles, she was dealing with her struggles while living in a city where she didn’t know anyone, and it’s almost like God planned for us to meet. We instantly became best friends; she is the sister I never had. We started going on walks together, drinking wine on my apartment’s balcony, visiting antique stores, doing photography, and taking many road trips. We pulled each other out of our slumps and helped build each other up to where we are now. I’m so lucky to have a friend like her.

For the past three years, we have made a trip up to Pisgah Forest to hike Looking Glass Rock trail. She asked me to go with her the first time as a celebration of her going an entire year without smoking. Well, now it’s been three years. And I can’t wait for more to come! I had her write up a blog post the first year we went, so make sure to read here to learn her story.

Blog Post Year One // Blog Post Year Two

While I write this post, our little video is being uploaded to YouTube. I am no video guru, so the quality will be improved in the future (no cell phone videos from now on), and I’ll be using a different video camera specifically for filming. If you don’t care for videos, no worries! I’m here with the usual blog post, something I actually know how to do.

Becca and I met up at 10 am to head out for our hike. I had planned on stopping at Earth Fare for snacks, but they shut the highway down because of an accident, so I had to take the backroads. I decided to just pick up some snacks at Starbucks while we got coffee. They always have some pretty unique and healthy snacks (expensive, but better than nothing.)
I was sad when I left my Pisgah trail mix at home! This would have been so fitting for our hike since we were heading to the Pisgah forest.

With only one bathroom stop, we made it to the trail head! Looking Glass Rock is such a fun hike, and I highly recommend it if you’re in the area. I look forward to it every year. It’s a little over 6.5 miles, but since we venture off and explore random parts of the trail, we hit about seven miles on our trackers.

There are so many hikes in North Carolina that I need to do, so I’m adding them all to my list. Now that Kyle’s workload has died down a bit, he can come with me!
We have taken photos on this rock every year. It’s funny to see all the changes we’ve made. This has been one of the best years because we are both in great places in life. 
I’m so in love with my new Adidas windbreaker jacket. It’s super lightweight, and perfect for spring weather. It gets hot and cold while hiking, so it was the perfect medium. It comes in a ton of different colors! It’s on sale right now, and it comes in four different colors. I bought this backpack a year ago, and they finally put it back on the Fabletics site. It’s now 50% off! I’m honestly obsessed with it, and it’s held up incredibly well. It’s called the Outland Backpack. It has so many hidden pockets and sturdy compartments.
About two and a half miles up, there is a helicopter pad that we stop at each year. It’s tradition to get a photo with our peace sign. It looks like it’s faded but still there! We made it to the top!
Honestly, videos and photos don’t do this moment justice. It’s so breathtaking and tranquil up there. The Falcons are nesting, so you’ll see them flying around. 
We were so hungry when we got to the top. I didn’t get the chance to have breakfast, so I was running off of two vegan cookies and a cup of coffee. Thank goodness we brought snacks, and water! I love taking RXBARs on the trails They have some awesome new flavors coming this summer! P.S. I’m obsessed with my Hydro Flask bottle. My water was still ice cold when I got to the top. They are a bit pricier, but a great investment. I chose the blueberry color so Kyle could borrow it. I typically go for pinks or purples  
Every year, we do the jellybean cleanse. (what is the jellybean cleanse?)
Chocolate Sea Salt & Peanut Butter Chocolate are two of my faves!
Holy moly, those Emmy’s Coconut Vanilla Bean Cookies taste just like Almond Joys without the chocolate! THEY WERE INCREDIBLE! My newest addiction for sure. If you like coconut, you have to try these! Now, I have to try their other flavors. 
Time to make our way back down! 
By mile six, we were ready to go!
We want to come back when the trees are full. It still looked like winter in the mountains. 
I think we ran into maybe two people the entire time! I don’t think you should do this trail alone without some protection. Becca and I always carry pepper spray, first aid kits, whistles, and pocket knives. There are some weirdos in the world, and I watch way too much Dateline to not be prepared.
After our seven miles, we headed to the Looking Glass Waterfall! It’s right by the trailhead. 
The views never get old. 
And then we were off to our traditional ice cream stop, Dolly’s! This place is adorable! 
We decided to skip out on stopping for dinner, and headed back because we were zonked (we’re getting old!) We snacked on all the leftovers on the way home. Goodness, the drive home was so pretty! The sun was setting, and the scenery was breathtaking.
Questions for you!

1. We need a good pair of hiking boots, that aren’t too heavy! Any suggestions?
2. Is there a favorite hike of yours that we should travel to?
3. Tell me something that you’re proud of your best friend for.

After commenting with your answers, head over to my YouTube channel to watch our video!

I hope you all had a lovely week. We finally had warmer weather, and it’s starting to feel a little bit more like Spring. I woke up this morning to the birds chirping, and the last drops of the rainstorm. I didn’t sleep well last night because I was so worried about the baby bird that kept falling out of its nest. There is a beautiful dove family that lives in the palm tree outside of my parent’s house. My mom had a little surgery on Wednesday, so I’ve been staying out at my parent’s house to help out a bit. While I’ve been here, I’ve been trying to keep this little dove alive. I did a lot of reading up on the behavior of doves and what they do if the babies fall out of the nest. Doves have a high mortality rate, which makes me sad, so the parents will watch from a tree nearby when the baby falls out of the nest. It’s OK to put the baby bird back in its nest. The mama dove is so tame around us. My dad and I put the baby back while the mom was still sitting next to the nest. She jumped back into the nest and sat next to the baby bird while my dad was still on the ladder. We like to call her “mama.” We did this twice yesterday after the heavy winds blew the baby out. I checked this morning, and the little baby was still with her mama in the nest. I saw the father go in this morning to feed them. I’ll keep you guys posted, and share some photos of the little baby on my recap post Monday. 
I was supposed to post these lemon balls a long time ago, but I got too excited about the carrot cake and wanted to get that posted before Easter. After so many requests for them, I’m finally getting around to posting the easy recipe.

A couple of weeks ago, Meighan and I went on a fun weekend trip to Asheville. Before we took off, I made these lemon & chia no-bake protein energy balls to take with us. They turned out awesome! I also made a batch for my mom, and she was obsessed. I had about fifteen text messages from her the next day begging for the recipe, and asking if I’d make a batch for her office. It was the cutest.

All you need for this recipe is coconut flour, cashew butter, chia seeds, vanilla protein powder, white chocolate (or vegan white chocolate), juice from one medium lemon, agave or honey, and cashew or almond milk. 
You don’t have to use the exact ingredients. If you want to use different nut butter, water instead of milk, or lemon extract instead of real lemon juice, go for it! You can play around with the ingredients to make it more convenient!
Mix the cashew butter, lemon juice, agave, chia seeds, protein powder, cashew milk, and coconut flour together. The thing about coconut flour is that it tends to absorb more moisture, so it takes more liquids to form a ball. You’ll have to continue to add in more cashew milk (or water) to create the “cookie dough” texture. 
Once you get the perfect texture, roll them into three tablespoon sized balls. 
This recipe makes about 25-28 balls. Place them onto wax paper. 
Melt your white chocolate. (this is totally optional)
Dip the bottom of the energy ball into the chocolate bowl. Use a spoon to scoop it up and place it back onto the wax paper. 
The chocolate will harden in about twenty minutes. Finish them off with a little bit of lemon zest! 

Print

No-Bake Lemon & Chia Energy Protein Balls

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Prep Time 19 minutes minutes

Servings 26

Author Taralynn McNitt

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Coconut Flour
• 1 Cup Cashew Butter
• 1/4 Cup Chia Seeds
• 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice (or extract) (plus zest)
• 1/2 Cup Vanilla Plant-Based Protein Powder
• 1/4 Cup Cashew Milk +more if needed (or your choice of milk)
• 3 Tbsp Agave or Honey

Instructions

• In a large bowl, mix together the cashew butter, chia seeds, lemon juice, vanilla protein powder, cashew milk, and agave. 

  Gradually add more milk to form the perfect "cookie dough" texture. 
• Roll into 3-tablespoon sized balls, and place them onto a sheet of wax paper. 
• Melt your white chocolate. 
• Dip the bottom side of the energy balls into the white chocolate and place it back onto the wax paper to dry. 

  **You'll want to do this with a spoon so the balls do not break from the warm chocolate. 
• Top with lemon zest, and allow the chocolate to harden for about 20 minutes. 

Notes

Makes 25-28 Balls (Mine made 26)

Nutrition (for one ball)
82 Calories, 6g Fat, 7g Carbs, 7g Protein, 3g Sugar, 2g Fiber

Adding the white chocolate is totally optional. I left half of the batch without the white chocolate, and it tasted just as amazing.
These no-bake balls are perfect for hikes, breakfasts or snacks on the go, road trips, or dessert! I love the lemon flavor because it reminds me of spring. I love how fresh it tastes.

Questions for you!

1. What flavor reminds you of spring?
2. Will you be making anything special for Easter?

WINNER OF THE NESPRESSO & FROTHER GIVEAWAY
amye_weaves on Instagram! (look out for a DM this weekend!)

Enough about my yoga morning. I hope you all had fantastic weekends! Mine was fun. Meighan had a work conference in Asheville and asked me if I wanted to come with her so we could hike and hang out on her off hours. I didn’t have anything going on, so I tagged along with her. Asheville is a playground with everything you could ever want. It’s filled with tons of hiking spots, endless coffee shops, restaurants, music, arts, and so much more! If you’ve never been, you should plan a trip.
Last week was cold and rainy. It felt nothing like Spring, but at least it kept me inside staying busy. I had a lot to get done before heading out for the weekend. I developed several new recipes, which will be posted soon. I have ten lined up for the upcoming weeks. Nothing like new and fresh recipes to kick offspring!

Tuesday breakfast while finishing up last week’s recap post: kale salad with avocado and Green Goddess dressing, a side of pears, and over-easy eggs. 
When I finished blogging, I headed out for a long walk with the dogs. This is something I love to do multiple times a day because it keeps me active and it gives my brain a break. And my dogs LOVE it.

When I got back from the walk, I returned to so many sweet comments! I still have some waiting in my moderation box, but I hate posting until I get the chance to reply, so I promise I’ll get to it. I am so grateful to you guys!

I ended up spending the afternoon commenting and chatting with you all while sipping an afternoon cappuccino with one of my chocolate chip muffins on the side. By the way, those muffins are so good. I’ve had about five of you send pictures of your creations, which I’ll post soon! I love seeing you recreate them in the kitchen! For my cappuccino, I used oat milk (i mentioned it in my last recap!) It’s the best for frothing, and it tastes unbelievable!

Oatly Milk
Nespresso and Milk Frother Machine
Later on in the day, I had a big bowl of my protein and matcha yogurt with pears. My protein yogurt had matcha powder, (Vanilla Orgain protein powder, and unsweetened coconut milk yogurt (SoDelicious.)

For dinner, I had kale with green goddess dressing, avocados, grilled chicken, and an everything bagel. 
It actually snowed on Wednesday morning. I couldn’t believe it. I had to bring all of my outdoor plants inside to hang out with us. Leo kept trying to eat the leaves off of the plants (which is why he was sitting in that chair.)

I had a toasted everything bagel with peanut butter and a cappuccino before heading to the gym for pilates. I love the Wednesday pilates class. I used to go all the time in the summer, so it felt good to go back. Pilates, yoga, light jogs, and walking are my go-to’s right now. 
When I got back, I had a kale salad with avocado and leftover tofu kebabs with eggs for lunch.  
I’ve been trying to eat up all the kale. I bought so much last week that I’m still currently eating it right now. I need to go to the grocery store and get some vegetables to roast. I’m going to turn into kale soon. For dinner, I had ground turkey, rice, and…..kale. My ground turkey was seasoned with soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. 
I spent all day cleaning and cooking (recipes for the blog) on Thursday. I also wanted to put some of Kyle’s favorites in the house since he was going to stay at my place and watch the dogs all weekend.

After cleaning, packing, and cooking, I headed uptown! Meighan and I were leaving early Friday morning, and I wanted to avoid morning traffic. I had slow cooked sesame chicken, rice, broccoli, and ground turkey for dinner. Kyle and I ended up watching some weird movie and falling asleep early.
I was up so early on Friday morning! I showered, had some tea, and worked on the computer a bit. I need a couple of hours to wake up before I can officially start my day.

I packed a big cooler of my favorite Kombucha, ginger tea, and snacks for the hotel room.

We got to Asheville mid-morning! Meighan headed to her conference, and I parked a seat at The Green Sage for lunch, coffee, and to work. I had lunch with Becca at the Green Sage almost two years ago, and it was so good! This time, I ordered the citrus kale salad. It had oranges, chicken, avocado, cabbage, carrots, raisins, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and a citrus vinaigrette. It was so good and very inexpensive for the amount they give you. That is a picture of the half size. I can’t imagine what the full looks like! It hit the spot
Later in the evening, Meighan and I walked around the downtown before dinner. I was so excited when I saw a tea shop! I’ve been all about tea lately. I picked up a blood orange tea that smelled incredible. I can’t wait to try it tomorrow morning. I’ll report back! 
We headed to the Twisted Laurel for dinner. I definitely recommend this spot!
I loved the vibe and all the seating options. The food selection was broad! They had pretty much everything. I especially liked that we didn’t hate to wait for seating.
I ordered the seasonal salad with grilled salmon and a side of grilled vegetables. It was all so good! My seasonal salad had spinach, asparagus, onions, peppers, and prosciutto. The vinaigrette dressing was so fresh and earthy. 
On Saturday morning, we headed out to get coffee before Meighan’s conference. I mean, with the ten + hours of sleep we got on Friday night, we definitely needed it…

I headed back to the hotel to work on some projects and then walked around the Biltmore village.
For lunch, I had protein powder mixed with unsweetened coconut milk yogurt with pineapple slices. This is one of my favorite on-the-go go-to’s when I stop at Whole Foods.
We and I decided to go hiking late-afternoon at Dupont Forest. There are so many waterfalls along the trails, bridges, and gorgeous water views. This is one of the prettiest hikes I’ve ever done.
We stopped for a juice break about an hour in. My juice had celery, apple, cucumber, spinach, romaine, kale, lime, lemon, and parsley. I loved it!

How amazing do those lemon energy balls look? Probably not as amazing as they taste! I can’t WAIT to share this recipe with you. I did a little tease on my insta story on Thursday. Omg…they are so good. 
My happy place! 

We packed a ton of snacks just in case we got lost. I mean, there were so many signs and trails that there was no getting lost, but it’s better to be prepared

We got back around six and got cleaned up for our dinner reservations. 
We were so excited about having dinner at Plant. I’m trying to refrain from typing in all caps because my excitement for this place is on a whole new level. If you are ever around Asheville, add this to your list of “musts.” It doesn’t matter if you’re a vegan or not, this food trumps all. I can’t explain to you how amazing each bite was, you have to experience this for yourself. I want to go back and try everything else on the menu. They keep the menu small, so they can remake the dishes daily. There is no food prep or freezing things at Plant; everything is made right when you order it. It takes a really talented chef to create what we ate. It was pretty much beautiful art. 
We started with the cheese plate, and when you visit, you have to start with this too!

How in the world did they make vegan cheese taste better than the original cheese? This plate had aged cashew, farmer’s involtini, rosemary amber pears, pickled turnips, black garlic arugula, and warm toasted house-made gluten-free bread. The bread tasted like it was drenched in butter, and I have no idea how they did it. Each bite of this plate was magical. We fangirled over it until our next courses came out. 
These kimchi Brussels sprouts were unbelievable. UNBELIEVABLE!

I’d love to try to recreate this recipe at home and hope they taste at least a 1/8 as good. They had sesame-peanut dukka, smoked onion, and scallions. 
For my dinner, I ordered the tofu bibimbap. OH. EM. GEEEEE! It had Korean-style chili tofu, grilled bok choy, togarashi, kimchi, purple cabbage, chilled sesame sushi rice, sesame-scallion sauce, toasted cashews, and pea shoots. I wish I could eat this for every meal for the rest of my life. All of the flavors were unique, fresh, and perfect.
Meighan ordered the seitan chili con queso, and it was also just as unbelievable. I had a bite so I can confirm. It had tamale Gordo, grilled farm romaine, cilantro mojo, and pickled jalapeños and onions. 
Even though we were full, we did not want to skip out on dessert. The food was delicious, so we knew the dessert had to be magical. You can’t go to Plant without treating yourself fully!

We went with the blackout pie. It had a pretzel crust, chocolate peanut butter fudge, berry sauce, and salted macadamia nut ice cream. I have no idea how they did it. This was one of the best desserts I’ve ever had in my life. The vegan dessert tasted better than ANY dessert I’ve ever had! Maybe this is what food is actually supposed to taste like SOOOOOOOOO unbelievable. If it were appropriate to lick the plate, I would have. Now, I’m inspired to make a vegan peanut butter fudge for the blog!

After dinner, we rolled into bed, kept talking about how good dinner was, and eventually fell asleep while watching Mean Girls.
Meighan had to work a few hours on Sunday morning, so I walked to Trade and Lore coffee shop for a cappuccino. I just found out that Charlotte has a Trade and Lore coffee shop now! I’ll have to try it out because the coffee was so good. I haven’t been on my coffee shop/restaurant game lately. 
They had oat milk  
I did a couple of emails but then decided to pack up my backpack and just walked around the quiet Sunday morning town. I needed to get some extra steps in after the food coma I put myself in on Saturday night.
I woke up at 3:45 am and couldn’t fall back asleep, so I was looking real good (sarcasm.)
I walked around exploring for a while. I loved how quiet the city was after a busy St. Patricks day. 
Meighan and I left Asheville around eleven and headed to Hendersonville for coffee and brunch. We stopped at Black Bear Coffee Co in downtown before walking around the square. 
We went to Honey & Salt for brunch!

While we waited for the table, we headed to the cute little gift shop, Dogwood, next door. They had all kinds of cute bowls and mugs. Some of the home items in there reminded me of the Magnolia line by Chip and Joanna Gaines. I wanted everything! I picked up coffee instead. I bought several different local roasts to bring home during my trip. I’ll keep you posted on my favorites in the upcoming recap posts.

Meighan and I both started with their detox juice. It had lemon, ginger, and cayenne! It was really good.
Their menu was awesome. They had all kinds of superfood bowls, smoothies, traditional breakfast options, and trendy ones! The food was also inexpensive. You really get a big bang for your buck in and around Asheville!
I ordered the super green bowl and a side of over-medium eggs. So tasty! 
This was such a successful trip filled with delicious food and exploring! I can’t wait to go back to Asheville in a couple of weeks.
For dinner last night, I had a sautéed sesame kale with my leftover tofu bibimbap! I was so excited to experience these flavors all over again!

Questions or you!

1. What do you always purchase from different places while traveling?
2. Did you do anything for St. Patrick’s day?
3. Does yoga help you relax or make your day more productive?

I’m writing from the airport this morning. I’m off to NYC for a couple of days, and I thought this would be the perfect time to write all about my week + my Charleston trip. I hope you have your coffee ready because this is going to be a long one! I picked my coffee up at Cinnabon, and it was so hard fighting the temptation for one of those tasty little cinnamon rolls. It doesn’t help when my gate is right across from the delicious aroma.
I spent all last Wednesday locked to the couch editing the video + blog post from my hiking trip. I knew I had to get up and do something, or I’d officially become a couch potato.

I laced up my shoes and headed out for a quick three-mile run in the neighborhood. After my run, I took the boys out for a two-mile walk. When I’m a couch potato, so are they.

For dinner, I made roasted carrots, salmon, and brussels sprouts. I’ll blog that recipe soon!
I have no idea how it happened, but I’m on a kickball team in a real kickball league. I hadn’t played kickball since I was in sixth grade! Not to brag or anything but Meighan and I both scored on our first kicks. My second kick was caught, and I managed to get a few people out. It was honestly such a fun night, and I can’t wait for my next game. When I got home, I made leftover flat out wrap pizzas and a Caesar salad for dinner.  Meighan and I headed to Charleston Friday morning. This was going to be our last long run together before our half marathon. We wanted it to be somewhere fun, so we could celebrate how far we have come. As soon as we arrived in Folly, we headed to CVS and the grocery store for beach snacks and a quick lunch. 
Now, that’s a big SAND which.

All of that bread was too much, and I didn’t want to be too full for our dinner, so I reconstructed the sandwich.

We spent a couple of hours on the beach and then headed to get coffee and walk the pier. Folly is so much fun to explore, and it’s filled with fun shops and restaurants. 
If you’ve read any of my other Folly Beach/Charleston blogs, you know I never leave without a cappuccino Center Street Coffee! It’s the cutest little spot, and the coffee is delicious!

 I ordered a cappuccino with skim + one extra shot of espresso!

Beach hair. I don’t care.

We left Folly Beach around six to check into our hotel and clean up for dinner.
 We stayed at the Francis Marion Hotel. It’s right on King Street and close to all the coffee shops, restaurants, trails, parks, and more. I used to drive by this hotel every time I was in Charleston and dreamed of staying there. So glad we finally made it happen! 
The hotel rooms were adorable. Gold & Blue! The view of downtown Charleston was breathtaking, and you could even see the water.
“The historic Francis Marion Hotel, named for the Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion, the “Swamp Fox,” has a long tradition of gracious service, elegant accommodations, and hosting splendid banquets and events dating back, it’s opening in 1924. Built by local investors at the cost of $1.5 million from plans by noted New York architect W.L. Stoddard, the Francis Marion was the largest and grandest hotel in the Carolinas. The 1920s was the Golden Age of railroads, radio, and grand hotels, and the Charleston Renaissance was in full bloom, and the Francis Marion Hotel was “the place to be” Read more about the history here! 
If you want a taste of southern hospitality, you’ll find it here! The staff was so friendly and welcoming.

Meighan and I headed down King Street to find a place to eat dinner.

We found a cute little spot called “Eli’s Table.” It’s right on Queen Street.

We sat outside under the lights. They greeted us with Champagne. “HELLO!”

Palate cleansers.

We treated ourselves to an appetizer. All of the appetizers look phenomenal, but we went with the Prosciutto & Fig Crostini. It had fresh local figs, prosciutto, truffled goat cheese, and pomegranate syrup on top of toasted crostinis. They were heaven. The bottoms of the crostinis were slightly toasted in butter.

For my entree, I had Eli’s Forager’s Salad with salmon on top. Their salmon was perfection. The salad had kale, lemon-olive oil, blackberries, watermelon radishes, shaved red onion, and vincotto.

I cannot wait to go back! We skipped out on dessert because we wanted to feel our best for our last long run on Saturday morning. Kyle and I are going to come back here for dinner when we visit again!
I never slept better in my entire life. The hotel beds were like clouds

My alarm went off at 5:30 am, and I slept through it for a good five minutes. I heard it going off in my dream but couldn’t snap out of it. The annoying alarm didn’t wake me up, but Meighan’s voice softly whispering, “Tara, Tara,” woke me up.

I headed downstairs to grab us some pre-run fuel and coffee. I like to be awake three hours before my run, so that’s why I woke up so early!
Pre-run fuel: banana, energy nut bar from CVS, and a medium-roast coffee.

It was kind of a bad thing that the beds were so soft because I didn’t want to get up. 
We took off for our run at 8:30 am! I had a route in my head, and I was happy with how successful it was.

*When I take photos while I run, I just hit the camera button and pray they turn out well enough for me to edit! I don’t stop to take photos.

We started down King Street. Luckily it was still early, and most of the shops hadn’t opened up yet. Most people were rising or packing for a day at the beach. We were extremely blessed with perfect weather.

We took a turn down Meeting Street to Queen Street and then to the water.

I always talk about how I rarely sweat during a run. I usually sweat once my heart rate begins to go down, but this run had me sweating the first five minutes. Welcome back, humidity!


I saw this magazine at the grocery store and recognized the path instantly

Running in new scenery makes a difference for me. The beautiful surroundings distract me, and I forget about the time or any aches and pains. If the run is any distance over six miles, I have to find a new spot.
There is a method I always use to start and finish in the same place during long runs. I want to be near my water when I finish and in a spot where I can stretch.

Estimate your mile time – 10:25 per mile
Divide your total distance in half – 4 miles
Multiply your half distance mileage with mile time – 10:25 x 4 = Approx. 41 Minutes
Run the half time in one direction, immediately turn around and run back to finish the next half.

If you’re running a loop, you won’t have to worry about it! Be aware of the streets you take and take a second to recognize and memorize buildings you pass.  
The mileage felt great! I could have kept running, and so could have Meighan! We just wanted to stick to our training plan and not overdo it! We still had a lot of walking to do. If you are ever in Charleston and want a great running route, use the one posted above! You won’t regret it. But don’t do it in the summer! It tends to get a little too hot and humid downtown.

The plan we used and created was amazing, and I can’t wait to share it with you!

After showering off and checking out of the hotel, we walked down to 82 Queen for breakfast.
Last fall, Kyle and I had breakfast with his dad at 82 Queen. I’ll never forget the incredible food I had, so I wanted to experience it again. I also wanted Meighan to try it out!

This place is a Charleston gem. The restaurant has been in Charleston for over 30 years, and it continues to thrive and serve some of the original recipes.

Southern buttermilk biscuits <3
I never liked grits until I had them at 82 Queen, and putting seafood in my omelets would have never been ok with me. 
Meighan and I both ordered the same breakfast. I’m literally at the airport drooling over this photo! I want this all over again.
The low country omelet had shrimp, crabmeat, spinach, tomato, and Parmesan cheese. We had a side of stone-ground grits, bacon, and fresh fruit.

Add this breakfast to your Charleston list; you will not regret it!
We, food coma, walked all the way back to the hotel to pick up the car. We were excited to spend the rest of our day at the beach.

Instead of going to Folly Beach again, we decided to try out Sullivan’s Island. It’s usually less crowded and easier to get to.

Nothing better than cold coconut water under the sun!


After the day at the beach, we decided to grab gelato and coffee at Beard Cat’s Sweet Shop! Meighan found this place on her phone search, and it was definitely a win.

Gelato made fresh daily with milk from local South Carolina farmers!

I had a cappuccino + 1 extra shot of espresso and a side of gelato. The sweets shop was so bright and colorful!

For my gelato flavor, I chose one scoop of carrot cake and a scoop of pistachio almond. 
The carrot cake gelato had chunks of actual carrot cake in it. It was out of this world! The pistachio was equally delicious.

We decided to leave around 6 pm. We wanted to get back on Saturday night, so we didn’t have to face the Sunday Easter traffic on the way back to Charlotte. If you like spicy and sriracha, you need to try this popcorn!!! We made it to Charlotte around 8 pm, and I was so happy to see Kyle and the pups.

Meighan has been BEGGING me to try out Joe’s Dough for the past four months! Ironically, they sent me a free half dozen coupon in my Instagram inbox. I think Meighan’s continuous behavior of tagging me in their post worked.

We decided to pick up their Easter donuts early Sunday morning.  I was sad that the Cadbury egg donuts were sold out Above, we have salted chocolate caramel, coconut jellybean, chocolate sprinkles, glazed, cinnamon, spicy carrot cake, maple bacon, and chocolate glazed. The donuts were pretty dang good! *adding this to my Charlotte list* We cut them into little pieces to sample them all. My FAVE donuts are the jelly-filled ones.

Kyle and I took the pups to the dog park later Sunday morning. This was Leo’s first dog park! He was a bit scared at first but was jumping all over the dogs ten minutes in. They were both in heaven! I used to take Grumples to the dog park every single day when I was living in Atlanta. It was my morning routine. I’d grab a coffee and drive him over to play for an hour.

I wish Charlotte had more dog parks! This is Frazier, and it’s located near uptown Charlotte. It’s pretty large, and there are many grassy and shaded areas for the pups to play.

The boys were zonked.

Since the gym was closed on Sunday, and there was no way I would go out for a run, we all headed to a hot yoga class.

I loved the 95+ degree room. Sweating out all the toxins and getting in a deep stretch was just what I needed! I was actually feeling sick on Sunday, so I was nervous about doing yoga, but it actually made me feel better.

After yoga, we all headed to Bourbon N Burgers (formerly known as EDS) for lunch. Kyle and I split a turkey BLT avocado wrap with sweet potato fries.

We all split wings and Southwest spring rolls. They were so good! This is probably a top spot in Charlotte for wings. I recommend the Jamaican Jerk.

I spent Monday morning having coffee, relaxing, and working on the blog. I even fit in a three-mile dog walk with both dogs before it got too hot out.

I made a yummy tuna salad on Monday for lunch. You can find the recipe here!

I decided to head to the gym and do an athletic conditioning class on Monday night. It’s one hour of movement to keep your heart rate up. Many jumping jacks, squats, ab work, planks, push-ups, hand weights, cardio, and so on!

I took the dogs to my parent’s house Monday night, and we all hung out for a bit. I stopped at CVS to grab my FAVORITE post-workout on the drink! The muscle milk pro series is so good! I usually have it fifteen minutes post-workout. Sometimes I drink half before and half after.

After working yesterday afternoon, I headed out for a three-mile run before yoga. Running and yoga always relax me before a day of travel.

On the way home from yoga, I stopped and picked up a salad at Chopt! I still have half left in the fridge and can’t wait to eat it when I get home on Friday.

My salad had cranberries, goat cheese, the Chopt lettuce blend, Falafel, grilled chicken, butternut squash, onions, cucumber, and balsamic on the side.

Kyle and I spent the night finishing up 13 Reasons Why. It’s a love/hate for me with that show. It’s definitely one you’ll have to judge on your own. Some people like it or hate it. I’m both.

Questions for you!

1. Have you ever done hot yoga?
2. Best Donut flavor you’ve ever had?
3. Do you have a favorite destination run?

I spent New Years in Washington, D.C. with Kyle. We visited my brother and enjoyed some time exploring. It was a very low-key trip and I had so much fun. We didn’t have any set plans, or expectations. We just decided to spend some time together before the New Year!

I wanted to fit a long run in before our trip. I knew I wouldn’t run in D.C. and I couldn’t pass up the sixty degree weather in Charlotte. I ran through uptown, hopped on Little Sugar Creek Greenway, through Freedom Park, down Park Road, and finally onto Woodlawn. It was a beautiful run and it felt great. Sometimes running is enjoyable and sometimes I hate it. That’s the beauty of running. My headphones had a short in them, so they didn’t work the entire run. I’ve never ran more than a mile without my headphones. I don’t know what came over me, but I ran without them and it ended up being one of my best runs. I’ll never run without my headphones again because I love music, but I was still impressed with myself. It’s all about mindset. Most of my run was uphill, minus the 7:20 minute mile. The last mile was the hardest because I ran up a never ending hill in the back neighborhoods! This route was awesome for training! I can’t wait for Thursday because my running buddy gets back from Europe!
 Becca picked me up on Woodlawn and we headed to the mall. She needed an outfit for the night and I went for the coffee! I had a Acai Pomegranate EBOOST Natural Energy Powder when we got there. It was so refreshing after that run! Before I left the mall, I had a skim latte with three shots of espresso.
I was so hungry later in the afternoon, so we stopped at Mac’s Speed shop. I ordered some plain smoked wings.
 I really wanted a new jacket from the Nike store, so I headed to the outlets on Thursday morning. I had my eyes on a jacket for months. It was $160 when I first saw it, and I almost bought it. I saw that it was on sale for $75, so I headed out to get it! Sometimes waiting for sales is the smart way to go! Before I went to the outlets, I a did a quick gym circuit and then grabbed a latte at the Sunflour Baking Co!

I had dinner with Becca at Tupelo Honey Thursday night. We started with the delicious brussels sprouts.

I had grilled, marinated flat iron steak, with Appalachian corn soufflé and basil butter green beans.
When it actually comes out medium rare…makes me so happy!

I spent Friday getting ready for the trip. I had to drop the pups off at my parents and get them situated, pack, and then meet Kyle uptown at four to head out. I also love power cleaning before trips so I can come home to a perfectly clean house! We got caught in a little bit of traffic, so we decided to stop at Panera bread for dinner. I did the pick-two salad and soup combo. I had the fuji apple chicken salad with added steak, no cheese, and avocado added. I did vegetarian creamy tomato soup on the side.

We go tto D.C. at 11pm and decided to go straight to bed. We were so exhausted.

I go to Table Talk every time I’m in D.C. It’s the cutest little breakfast spot in Alexandria and it’s a tradition. Karlee was working, so we met my brother there. I ordered fresh cantaloupe, two eggs, and home fries. 

Kyle and I had no plans for the day, so we just decided to walk and go wherever we felt like. I felt like some Killer E.S.P. coffee.

We walked in and out of the Old Town Alexandria shops.  
We walked down to the waterfront to look at the views.



My favorite 


We hopped on the Metro and headed towards Georgetown.
  We walked across the bridge and all the way down to Baked and Wired. There was a huge line, so we ditched that idea. I couldn’t believe the line! I’ve never seen that before.
 
We headed back to Alexandria to get ready for New Years Eve at my brothers.
I brought snacks from Whole Foods and a gluten free pizza. I brought Nut-Thins, jalapeño hummus, cucumber, guacamole, chips, salsa, mixed nuts, and some cookies.
 

We didn’t plan the matching outfits, but it was kind of funny. T.C had about twenty people over and we all played Fibbage. It was such a fun game! Everyone in the room plays from their cellphones, but it all shows up on the T.V.

We headed up to the rooftop to watch the fireworks a couple minutes before midnight.

Wouldn’t be New Year’s without the cliche kiss.
 

I had so much fun NYE! Kyle and I left the party and headed back to our hotel after the fireworks.
I woke up at 7am to get in a workout before Kyle woke up. I did this circuit twice and then did some deep stretching! This is a workout you can do right in your living room.
 
After getting cleaned up, Kyle and I headed to breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien. 
I ordered the salmon and scallion egg-white omelet. 
It also came with gluten free toast.
Le Pain Quotidien has the BEST coffee. 

Kyle and I were on the hunt for new Nikes. 
And we found some My feet look huge in this photo, but I promise it’s the angle haha! I’m a nine!
We tried Baked and Wired again, but LINE! Ugh. We got a quick bite to eat at Dean & Deluca. I had a chicken kabob and lemon kale salad.

Their green juice was so good! Kyle even liked it, and he usually hates my green juices. The pear was the game changer. 
We decided to walk down to the White House. We didn’t feel like doing all the monuments on this trip, because we’ve both done it plenty of times, but visiting the White House is always fun. I love the people watching.
 


We stopped at this little cafe called the “Market” to grab hot chocolates on our way to the White House.
 
I loved how quiet D.C. was. The cold winter sunset was beautiful.


There was a lot of construction going on for Trump’s inauguration. They’re building a giant platform in front of the White House and it reminded me of something from The Hunger Games. I guess he’s heading to the White House for a final speech after the inauguration at the capital building. 
The Eisenhower Executive Office building is one of my favorite buildings in the U.S.
After stopping at the White House, we headed to the Metro so we could go back and get ready for dinner.
Baggage.

We walked down Old Town to meet T.C. & Karlee for dinner.
I loved all of the lights in the trees  
Virtue Feed & Grain is one of my favorite Alexandria spots.
I ordered a salad with grilled chicken. My salad had chopped pears, avocado, spinach, kale, goat cheese, and honey mustard vinaigrette on the side. 
I ordered a salad so I could have ice cream for dessert! Kilwins is one of my favorite spots for ice cream and pistachio almond is my favorite flavor in the entire world. I just found out that they have a Kilwins thirty minutes from me! I’m going to have to pick up some pints for the freezer. 
Kyle and I woke up at 7am on Monday morning so we could head back to Charlotte. I had to make one last stop for coffee before taking off.

It was a quiet morning in Old Town and I loved it. I ordered a flat white at Killer E.S.P for the ride home. 
I also picked up a green juice and Kate Bakes bar for breakfast. 
I always get those bars when I’m in D.C.! The date flavor is my favorite.

Kyle enjoyed making a series of “What are you doing” snaps of me on this trip. I might have to collab them for your entertainment. We got back around 5pm and I couldn’t wait to see the pups! I made a latte and sat down on the couch with them for a movie! I had the best weekend ever

Questions for you!

1. What did you do for NYE?
2. Any fun January plans?
3. Did you watch The Bachelor last night? – I did not want Nick to be the Bachelor, but it looks like it’s going to be a good season. So far I like Vanessa, Brittany and Rachel!

As you all know, I love CVS. I stop there more than twice a week and it’s the most convenient store ever. I go there for my snacks, makeup emergencies, medicine, and more. I’ve made trips to CVS for medicine way more than I wanted to this fall. Hello, cold season!

It’s been few months since I’ve done a CVS roundup, and I wanted to share all my delicious CVS finds, and show you how I incorporate their delicious brands into my lifestyle.
First off, if you haven’t heard of Gold Emblem yet, let me introduce you!

Gold Emblem abound is a popular CVS Pharmacy line made up of delicious and inexpensive snacks. The Gold Emblem Abound brand carries more than 100 products that are free of artificial preservatives and flavors. Im sure you’ve seen the Gold Emblem products from almost all of my recap posts.

Not only does CVS carry delicious Gold Emblem brands, they care some of my favorites! They have popular brands like Annie’s, Sabra, Stacey’s, Naked and more!
I really love the special edition seasonal snacks they offer. They didn’t disappoint with the pumpkin spice this year! Now that Christmas is coming up, I’m anxiously waiting to see what they come up with! 
CVS also carries seasonal decor for your home. They have candles, coffee mugs, hand towels, and all kinds of fun goodies to go through. 
I especially love picking up toys for the pups, and they love it too.

*btw…that cashew caramel crunch is heaven. I like to throw a couple pieces on top of my air popped popcorn. 
Before I go on trips, CVS is a must-do on my travel list. I go there for travel snacks and travel necessities. They have a section for travel sized shampoos, soaps and more. I stopped at CVS before all of my road trips and big trips this summer.
 
Airport snacks are stupid expensive, so I always pack CVS snacks in my carryon. I love their protein bars, fruit snacks, and mixed nuts.
 
I took some my CVS goodies with me on my mini getaways this summer as well. They have perfect beach drinks! They have the best coconut water and they keep it cold in their store refrigerator section.  
One of my FAVORITE post-run breakfasts is protein powder with Greek yogurt. CVS has the best whey protein packets that I can take with me on my trips. Taking a big tub of protein powder with me is not ideal and that is why I love the convince of CVS products. They really have everything. I bring one packet for everyday I’m there. I took my protein packets to San Francisco and Canada this summer.

They come up with the most unique products. These were perfect and even better on top of my salad. 
I’m lucky because CVS is all over the Charlotte area, so when I’m out and about and need something to eat, I always turn to CVS. I actually discovered the No Cow bars (my FAVORITE) at the CVS store while I was looking for some pick-me-ups.
 
And for all of you popcorn lovers…The Gold Emblem brand takes the cake with their popcorn. I don’t know how, but they have the BEST flavor and it tastes so guilty for being so healthy. This is perfect for the movie theaters or road trips. I almost ate the entire bag of popcorn while watching the elections the other night. I stayed up till 4 am…
CVS literally has everything, even coconut oil. I put that $#!t on everything. I like to put a couple teaspoons of coconut oil in my first cup of coffee in the morning. The coconut oil at CVS is super inexpensive compared to the grocery story brands.  CVS has also turned me into a late-night dessert monster. I like to take their crunchy granola bars (they taste just like nature valley granola bars),break them in half, top them with marshmallow fluff and a dark chocolate square. I microwave it for ten seconds and it’s like the greatest tasting s’more evr. It’s also under 100 calories.
If you go to CVS often, make sure you join their FREE retail loyalty program. The CVS ExtraCare Rewards program not only helps you save money, but it personalizes offers to customers based on their shopping history! How cool is that? You just scan or swipe your ExtraCare card and gain the benefits. I keep mine on my keychain! Make sure to take advantage of the CVS Pharmacy app as well! It’s totally FREE and allows you to tap into app-only deals, easy refills, same-day photos and so much more!

 
I still can’t get enough of these pumpkin spiced mixed nuts…& a pumpkin latte sucker? Only you, CVS, only you.

I just put myself in the CVS mood and can’t wait to go check out their holiday selection. Thank you CVS for partnering up with me this year and introducing me to some of the greatest finds!

Want to win a $50 CVS gift card? All you have to do is answer the questions below in a comment section! Ends Friday 11/18/16! 

1. What is your favorite Gold Emblem Abound Snack?
2. What do you go into CVS for?

i’m proud to be working with CVS Pharmacy to help spread the word about how to #FindYourHealthy. All opinions expressed are my own, and all product claims or program details shared should be verified at CVS.com or with the appropriate manufacturers.

I hope your week is off to a great start. I spent unpacking yesterday, doing laundry, grocery shopping, food prepping, working out, and getting back on track after a weekend out of town. I can’t sit and write if things around me are out of whack. Now that everything is taken care of, I get to share all of my photos from my D.C. trip with you!

 
Becca and I wanted a relaxing weekend away from Charlotte, and I thought it would be cool to surprise my brother for his birthday, so we decided to take a last-minute road trip up to D.C. for the weekend.

We didn’t have plans to see anything specific; we just wanted new scenery.

Karlee, Becca, and I walked down King Street in Alexandria to grab breakfast. We love going to Le Pain Quotidien (The Daily Bread) because the food is so healthy and fresh, + their coffee is perfect.
   I ordered an egg-white omelet with veggies. It came with a salad and homemade bread. One of the best parts about Le Pain Quotidien is that the table is filled with delicious spreads and jams. They’re so fun to try. They have hazelnut, chocolate, cinnamon, apricot, raspberry, white chocolate, and more. I bought the cinnamon one to take home because it tasted like little Teddy Grahams. 
We ran some errands after breakfast and stopped at some shops. I bought some cute little dog treats to bring Kona. Becca and I are usually quick to go out and explore D.C., but we just wanted a “chill” day (totally not like us.) I decided to go for a run because it was gorgeous out. It’s nice running without humidity. I went four miles while Becca walked the graveyard (goodness, that sounds creepy.)

We stopped to get snacks and headed up to the rooftop to sit by the pool for a couple of hours. It was so peaceful up there, and I ended up falling asleep for a good hour in a little cabana chair. 
I stopped at CVS to grab some gift cards, wine, and a birthday card for my brother. I’m all about that last-minute convenience.
We all headed to Chinatown for T.C.’s birthday!
Drake was right across the street. NBD.

Everything was packed and almost impossible to get into because it was the weekend and restaurant week in D.C., + Drake was in town. The manager at Daikaya(Izakaya) was amazing. I reached out to him early morning, and he got back to me within an hour with an opening for us.

Our waiter was phenomenal, and he made the whole restaurant week experience so much fun. You could tell he loved his job and was passionate about the food.

It was only $35 for a six-course meal per person. We decided to all order different meals off of the special menu to try and share. We doubled up on the favorites.

Tater Tots Okonomiyaki style. These tots take gold.
Sautéed edamame Puttanesca style with olives and capers. 
Grilled oysters with miso butter.
Fried Brussel sprouts with tofu ranch dressing. I was shocked how much the tofu ranch tasted like real milk ranch dressing.
Grilled okra with preserved lemon salt. I added okra to my grocery list after trying this! “Swedish” Tsukune Japanese-style chicken meatballs with Chintan-based gravy and lingonberry jam.
Grilled avocado with house-made ponzu, fresh wasabi, and nori salt. (recreating immediately)

Corn rice with butter, soy sauce, and mentaiko.
Grated Yamaimo with egg yolk. 
Fried Shishito peppers with fried egg & baby kale Ohashi with spicy sesame oil and garlic.  
Grilled cucumber salad with sesame soy dressing. 
Miso salmon with carrot puree. I loved the flavors and presentation of this dish. 
Mochi ice cream. One was green tea, and I think the other was plain. This was my first time trying Mochi, and it was such an unexpected and unique experience. It tasted like dough on the outside with a delicious ice cream filling. The outside is made from pounded sticky rice.

Fried Nasu (eggplant) with Vanilla ice cream and honey. This was my favorite of the desserts.

This is definitely a spot you will want to add to your D.C. stops. It was so different from ANY food eat. I’m a pretty basic person in food, and I really enjoyed stepping out of the box with this one.  
We were standing around listening to an amazing singer (Kenny Sway), and we had one of those movie moments (things that never happen to you, but only in the movies.) He pointed at me and asked if he could sing a song to me. I didn’t think he was talking to me at first. I did the whole turn around to see if he’s talking to the person behind me thing, followed by a finger pointed at myself with a light, “me?” He sang a beautiful Ed Sheeran song, and it’s a moment I’ll never forget. His voice is so good, and you can really feel the connection through his voice. That made my night.

We headed back to my brothers to have a homemade lemon cake Karlee made! I took this opportunity to try the Halo Top Birthday Cake Ice Cream!

I’m terrified of this cat. The cuts and bites all over my arms will explain why. He’s nuts. If it was champagne on the counter that he wanted…it was champagne on the counter he was going to get. He has a slap stronger than a ten-year-old boy and a bit bigger than a snake.

The lemon cake was so good!

Becca and I went on a walk after cake to walk some of it off before bed. I was so full and didn’t want to sleep on a full stomach.

We threw our gym clothes on, grabbed coffee, and took the metro to the Arlington Cemetery for a ten-mile walk. 
You can read all about the Arlington National Cemetery in my previous trip’s post.

We found a juice bar we wanted to go to for coffee, water, and juice after our ten miles! We were fueling off of a protein bar and coffee.The juice bar was unfortunately closed, so we walked to the next closest restaurant. I wasn’t mad about it because I LOVE Potbelly’s. We split a Mediterranean veggie salad. We also downed tons of ice water!

 
We took the metro back to Alexandria to grab coffee and clothes.

I ordered a flatliner with skim and topped it with nutmeg. I am SO obsessed with this little nutmeg grinder. I bought one immediately after. I can’t wait to use it for fresh nutmeg in my baking this fall.

 The walk back was so gorgeous. We really lucked out with a beautiful weekend.

  
Love sunflowers!
I quickly showered, got dressed, and did my hair to visit with Kona and Shauna! I loved seeing these two! They’re moving to Hawaii in a couple of months, and I’m going to be so sad when they leave. I won’t be sad visiting them, though! Kona LOVED his dog treat I got him. He stole the bag and ran around with it.

We had some snacks before going out to walk the monuments at Whole Foods.

 
It’s kind of nice having no set plans.

Ice Cream before dinner is acceptable when you’re an adult.
After walking over four miles around all the monuments, we met Karlee at the metro station so she could grab a late-night dinner with us.

We were STARVING, so we headed over to TGIFs to grab ice water and small bites while waiting on our reservation at Founding Farmers.

 
We started with the Whirley Pop kettle corn pot. It was so good and glazed! I had one bite and decided to have it at the end of my meal because it was sweet.

For dinner, I had the Founding Farmer’s salad with medium-rare steak. It had romaine, spinach, croutons, dates, almonds, tomato, and grapes.

Table farm bread with prosciutto, fig, mascarpone, and balsamic. (ANOTHER DISH THAT MUST BE RECREATED.)

Becca had the fish n chips!

Current obsession. I love how tasty this juice is, and it’s not full of sugar! It was ONE serving per bottle and not the misleading “2 servings.” It also has the right amount of ginger.

While everyone was sleeping in on Sunday, I made it down to see Kona and Shaughna for coffee before taking off.

Becca and I walked down to Le Pain Quotidien one last time for a good breakfast before heading out on the road.

         I knew they had really good oatmeal, and that’s what I was in the mood for.

 My oatmeal had strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, honey, and walnuts on top.

I ordered some muffins to take home for Kyle. (we tried them, and they were really, really good)

   We said our goodbyes and headed home!

I stopped at Panera bread and ordered a salad for lunch. It had pineapple, watermelon, apple slices, egg, strawberries, blueberries, pecans, chicken, romaine, tomatoes, and kale with poppy seed dressing.

 
I’m currently so obsessed with these “No Cow Bars.” They are basically the vegan version of the Quest Bars, but I like the taste better. They have 20-22 grams of protein, 20 grams of fiber, less than a gram of sugar, less than 5g net carbs, and only around 160 calories.

I always hit rain on my drives home. I can’t name a road trip that I haven’t had to drive back in a storm. I’m used to it by now!

What a beautiful Charlotte sky! It felt good to be home, but the weekend away was much needed!

Questions for you!

1. Do you ever go on last-minute trips to change up the scenery?
2. Have you ever gone to the same restaurant twice because you loved it so much?
3. What did you do this weekend?

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My friend Becca and I headed to the beach on Saturday morning. The great thing about living in Charlotte is that it’s surrounded by all kinds of scenery. I can drive two hours north and be in the mountains or two hours south and be at the beach.

We stopped at CVS to grab beach and road trip snacks before we left. Becca picked up these naturally flavored Wasabi soy almonds and they were out of this world! I had to tell her to get them away from me because I could have eaten the entire container! Partnering up with CVS has been the best because I am introduced to new delicious products daily.

We hit a little string of beach traffic, so we got off the exit to grab an afternoon pick-me-up at Starbucks. Our two-hour jam session to 90’s music took a toll on us. We saw these little Moon Cheese snacks at Starbucks and were super intrigued. I love how Starbucks has a rack full of unique snacks. I’m a sucker for pepper jack cheese, so I bought them. They were great! I want to chop them up and add them to my salad for an extra crunch. They had other flavors too.

Charleston was HOT. We could barely breath in the heat. We walked for about 45 minutes downtown and then decided to book it and go to the beach. It was unbearable. We plan on exploring the downtown area together sometime in the fall. This was Becca’s first time there and I want her to experience it all!

The Charleston area has tons of beaches to go to. I’ve been to a lot of them and love them all! We chose Folly because we wanted to just chill, walk the town and have some delicious seafood.

This post is going to be filled with photos from the day!

Some of you were asking for the link to my bathing suit! I bought it at Target, but you can find it online here!

I know my nails are equivalent to a five year olds, but I loved it.

CVS has the best sparkling waters! The pomegranate blueberry was my favorite.

Whoever you are, whatever you look like, just whatever…be happy.

I loved sitting at the edge of the water as the waves rolled in.

Ocean air, salty hair. 

SALT WATER IN THE EYES…OUCH

Life is better at the beach 

Blanket is from Ankit!

After about five hours on the beach, we headed to the car to change. I threw on a white dress, rocked the salt water hair and tried my hardest to wipe off all the mascara from my eyes. I was rocking the raccoon look for a bit.

We went to the rooftop at Snapper Jack’s for a drink and an appetizer.

Beach hair, don’t care 

I had Shark Blood. It had cranberry juice, tequila, peach schnapps and pineapple.

We split the hummus appetizer. It had chips, celery and hummus (obviously).

We went to the Island Grill for dinner. I ordered the catch of the day! A delicious grilled grouper with rice pilaf and roasted vegetables. The grilled grouper had some kind of spicy peach glaze and it inspired me to make a delicious fish dinner on Sunday night. I’ll be sharing that recipe on my weekly recap soon!

I originally wanted crab legs but I wasn’t about to wait an hour to be seated.
AINT NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT.

I eyeballed the Corner Street Coffee shop from the minute we got there! I wanted to end my day at the beach with a delicious latte and dessert.

Maybe you don’t like coffee. BUT, if you do go to Folly Beach…do yourself a favor and buy a chocolate chip cookie at the coffee shop. It was hands down THE BEST COOKIE IVE EVER HAD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!!!!!! It almost tasted like they only baked it for five minutes because the centers were almost like cookie dough, the edges were chewy and the flavors were just right. A cookie like this belongs on the food network or travel channel. I want to go back just for those cookies.

The Center Street Coffee shop KNEW how to make a great latte. It was perfection. Coffee while watching the sunset was one of the best moments. If I could spend every night like this, I would in a heartbeat.

Cheers to the best day!

I am truly lucky to have a best friend like Becca. We both have an obsession with photography and random adventures. I think my abs have grown simply due to our laugh sessions. Her Instagram is pretty bad ass! It’s funny how we are both so different, but get along so well. I truly believe in best friend soul mates (call me crazy). She’s into skulls and I’m into butterflies, but it works.

My happy place 

I’m excited to have a beach day at Folly with Kyle. I think he’d love it. Any excuse for me to be on a beach

This year has been one of the best years of my life so far. Amazing people have entered, I’m truly happy and so many good things are happening.

You are the captain of your own life. You need to learn how to steer it, through the storms, through the waves, and if you can ride it out during the hard times, you’ll see the sun again. And believe me, the sun is always brighter than the previous one. 

I hope you enjoyed all the photos from the day! 

I’m excited to get the July Fitness Challenge up! I hope you’re all ready!

Questions for you!

1. Where is your happy place? (mine is anywhere coffee is)
2. How far away do you live from the beach?
3. Have you ever created a meal inspired by a vacation?

’m proud to be working with CVS Pharmacy to help spread the word about how to #FindYourHealthy. All opinions expressed are my own, and all product claims or program details shared should be verified at CVS.com or with the appropriate manufacturers.