TRAVEL: A WEEKEND GUIDE TO AUGUSTA, GA

Zach and I had the pleasure of being invited to Augusta, GAby the Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau team for a weekend trip a few weeks ago and I Insta-storied the whole thing. Incase you missed it, or are planning a trip there yourself, I figured a blog would be a good choice to reference so you can see what we got in to. If you don’t know, Augusta is a small city about 2.5hrs away from where we live in the suburbs of Atlanta so it was an easy drive to get there, and we brought the dogs along to make it a nice family getaway. I’m going to break up what we did in sections: lodging, activities, and food, but feel free to visit the official Augusta, GA website to see a lot more options!

LODGING:

We stayed at the Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center. This hotel is right in the middle of Downtown on the Savannah River. The staff was nice, the room was very modern and clean - plus, we had a killer view. In addition, the hotel lobby is really nice, it features a coffee shop and restaurant, they have a pool, and they are pet-friendly!

ACTIVITIES:

We did various activities, and changed up our itinerary, because it was raining the day we got there. I’ll categorize everything by indoor and outdoor in case this happens to you as well.

OUTDOOR:

• Stroll along the Riverwalk : we did this at sunrise and took the dogs for a walk since it was literally right outside of our hotel. Plus, it was a gorgeous view.

• Kayaking and Stand Up Paddle Boarding at Betty’s Branch with Outdoor Augusta : this was on our list of things to do but because of the weather we didn’t make it.

• Phinizy Swamp Nature Park : this was about a 15min drive from the hotel and we took the dogs there for a nice walk. You get to see the swamp waters, they have a kids playground, and really easy walking trails.

• The Carolina Georgia Fair : this one is a bit more seasonal since I believe it is only there in October, but we went on a whim and had a good time. Plus, who doesn’t love a good ole funnel cake?

INDOOR:

• Augusta Candle Co - This place was awesome. You smell A TON of scents, write down your favorites, pick out a candle container, and go to the bar area where someone helps you create your own custom scented candle. It takes about 2 hours for the candle to harden so we ate lunch and killed time before we picked them up.

• Fitness classes - again, we didn’t get to go, but it was recommended that I check out Oxygen Fitness Studio. They offer: yoga, pilates, spin, barre, cross-training, and HIIT classes.

• Shopping (sort-of) - to be honest we didn’t really shop, but I got several messages on Instagram saying that I should check out Final Cut. It’s an “Anthropology/Free People Outlet” from what I understand. The place is huge and smells kind of funny, but if you’re into funky furniture and sifting through boxes of clothes - it might be your jam.

FOOD:

• Humanitree House: we got really, really delicious cold-pressed juice and smoothie bowls. It’s all vegan, organic, and local. The place is super eclectic with art everywhere, and they even have a few vendors set up selling items and more food.

• The Southern Salad: another really tasty spot with plenty of healthy options. Zach ordered the Grain Burrito Bowl and I had Toast + Lox. The also have salads, smoothies, more grain bowls, more toast options, snacks, and desserts.

• Sole: This was our dinner spot and I highly recommend sitting outside. They have strings lights, heaters, and you can hear the extremely varied, yet awesome, music choices. This place isn’t very vegan friendly so Zach managed with a veggie roll and edamame, but if you’re into sushi and tapas they have you covered! I ordered a few of the speciality rolls and one of their signature cocktails. The service was also really great!

• New Moon Cafe: This place was an awesome breakfast spot, but they serve lunch as well. They offer vegan, gluten free, and Keto options! They were quite busy when we got there, but the food came out quick. Zach got the avocado toast and espresso, and I got cheese grits, a lox bagel (again, I know), and a vanilla latte.

We only went for a weekend, so if you’ve been to Augusta before and have even more recommendations please leave them in the comments below!

Making good choices while eating out

When it comes to food I’m all about balance. First, I don’t meal prep and I don’t restrict - but I am mindful about what I’m putting in my body. Secondly, my boyfriend is vegan so we only go to places that are upfront and knowledgeable about their ingredients so he knows what he can actually order. You have no idea how many restaurants don’t have a clue what is in their food! For this post I teamed up with On The Border to talk freshness while eating out. 

We had to start with the Guacamole Live because it’s a given for us. If fresh guac is an option, it’s getting in our bellies! I love table side because I can see exactly what’s in it, and always ask to make it a bit spicier. My two “splurges” were the Border Queso and the Prickly Pear Margarita. Side note, if you’re like me and love a fruity girly drink, this is the bev for you. Cheese dip and alcohol are rare for me so I save them for special nights out. We just so happened to be on a double date with our friends so I enjoyed every minute of it! I must admit though, I resisted the urge to order the firecracker stuffed jalapeños and I’m still having major FOMO about them. 

Now on to the main course. I ordered the shrimp fajitas and Zach ordered the portobello and vegetable fajitas. I typically choose fajitas because they have all of the goodies on the side (sour cream, cheese, pico, guac) and I can build each little taco myself. This is also great for Zach because he can leave out the dairy himself. The black beans and rice were served family style so I didn’t feel like I had a massive plate to myself. I am really working on breaking the mentality of not having to eat every single thing on my plate and busting my pants open, so family style really helps. 

We had a great time unwinding from work with drinks and enjoying a delicious meal. If you’re near an On the Border I definitely recommend checking it out, especially if you’re particular about fresh ingredients or you’re with a picky eater. :)

Eating in Palm Springs

This isn't going to be the most elaborate of blog posts, but I wanted my list of places I ate while in Palm Springs to live somewhere I could easily access or point people to it. So, TA-DA, I give you the places I ate while in Palm Springs (with my vegan friend):

Wang's in the Desert
Evzin
Palm Greens Cafe
Chef Tanya's Kitchen
Jus Chillen (for froyo)
Natural Sister's Cafe
El Jefe at The Saguaro Hotel
FARM
Kings Highway at The Ace
Blaze Pizza
Native Foods

The location of this shoot was in Joshua Tree at the Barker Dam
I'm wearing the Blue Life Enchanted one piece from Largo Drive

PB + BERRY SMOOTHIE

I'm extremely excited to say that this is a sponsored recipe written by me on behalf of PB2. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Enjoy!

A smoothie is the easiest way I can jam pack nutrients into a meal as quickly as possible and sneak in vegetables and nutrients while keeping it simple. Today I give you a PB + Berry (and beet) smoothie. Now, before you click off of this because I mentioned beets, trust me when I say it doesn't taste like beets AT ALL, but it does give this baby an amazing hot pink color. In addition, I've teamed up with PB2 to use their powdered peanut butter to add protein and provide a great peanut butter alternative if you're looking for ways to lower your fat and calorie intake without sacrificing taste. All you need are 5 main ingredients to whip this drink up and an option to top it with whatever you want. I found everything I needed at Kroger which continues to add to the easiness of this recipe - woohoo! 

Tip: Feel free to toss in a handful of spinach (you won't taste it) for extra greens or leave out the bee pollen to make it totally vegan!

PB + BERRY SMOOTHIE

Serving size: 1 smoothie

INGREDIENTS (all available at Kroger) :

- 1 tbsp PB2 (it's non-GMO, gluten-free, and made in Georgia)

- 1/4 of a small cooked beet (I purchased mine pre-cooked at Kroger)

- 1 1/2 bananas

- 1 heaping cup of frozen raspberries (use strawberries if you don't like the tartness of raspberries)

- 3/4 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or milk of choice)

Toppings (optional) :

- bee pollen

- cacao nibs

- shredded coconut

DIRECTIONS:

Blend the PB2, beet, bananas, frozen raspberries, and almond milk until smooth. Pour into a glass. Top with bee pollen, cacao nibs, and shredded coconut. Enjoy immediately.

If you make this smoothie let me know what you think in the comments below! 

Protein Bite Balls - Recipe

Well, as someone who is a self proclaimed snackaholic, I should probably share another recipe as it's been way too long!

Between taking indoor cycling classes, training, and commuting to and from the studio, I grab these since they are easy to make and easy to take with me. BEHOLD, the seriously addicting, but also seriously easy, OLLY NUTRITION protein bites. Although extremely customizable, I'm more of a quick and easy kinD of girl, so I stuck to the basics, BUT Feel free to add dried fruit, nuts, or chocolate chips. However, I tend to stick with these four ingredients because I usually have them on hand.

CAFE MOCHA PROTEIN BITES

Makes 12 balls

- 1/2 c instant oats

- 1/2 c protein powder (I used OLLY Nutrition in Cafe Mocha)

- a heaping 1/2 c nut butter

- 1/4 c agave syrup

Mix all four ingredients together in a bowl and BOOM, you're done. Refrigerate or eat immediately.

Caution: I don't recommend eating more than 1-2 at a time. They taste very good, but it's A LOT packed into a little ball and you don't want to stuff yourself. Trust me, been there done that. <3

Thanks to OLLY Nutrition for providing the Smoothie Blend and sponsoring this post to create these delicious bites!

Enter their contest to win OLLY Smoothie, $500 Target, $200 Athleta and Pasternak Blender click HERE

Healthy eating on the go

This week is a busy one with many photoshoots lined up (music to a freelancers ears, right? haha) so I don't want to fall into the habit of relying on drive-thru food. Because eating healthy on the go isn't always the easiest thing for me, I teamed up with @postmates to do a paid collaboration and had my lunch delivered to me on set to make sure I was fueled with the right food. Bingo! Lunch break by the pool? Don't mind if I do! The website is streamlined and there are choices besides food - like I could have had clothes delivered to me from American Apparel, so cool! You get to watch the process happen; order submitted, food is being made, driver is on the way, etc. In fact, the driver even called me to let me know he was running a bit late because of traffic. Of course I anticipated that because, well, this is Atlanta we are talking about, but thought it was so courteous of him to update me! Once the food was given to me, I was able to rate my experience and tip my driver through the app. Done and done. 


If you're a new user of @postmates, just download the app and you can get $10 in delivery credit by using the code: maepm8! If you use it, let me know! 

In sponsored collaboration with Postmates.

What I Eat In A Day

Lately I’ve been exploring other forms of fitness and I tried a boxing class for the first time! Because I’m still getting my ride done in the morning, I find that these doubled up days tend to help me eat a bit better since I know I’m fueling up for a few workouts - thumbs up for that! Now I’m not much of a cook, but I have been trying to make better choices lately so here is an example of what I eat (on a good day)!

Breakfast: I make a smoothie or smoothie bowl with spinach/kale, oats, berries, acai juice, almond milk, banana, half an apple, flax seed, chia seed, cinnamon and sometimes protein powder. I pair that with some delicious espresso and a ton of water. 

On The Ride: So on the ride, depending on how long it is, I’ll take a banana and a Clif bar. These are just my choices, of course there are plenty of options out there. Sometimes I eat, both, none or just one. Also, water is a given on the bike.

Lunch: When I get home from my ride it’s time to get to work. I baked some salmon and asparagus and put it over some mixed greens. It’s so easy and flavorful which definitely makes it one of my favorite go-to meals. Again, paired with water.

Afternoon Snack: Because I meet up with a friend for my boxing class, it actually takes me a while to get there. I’m always heading straight from work so I find a fruit pouch is an easy item to grab for in the car. 

Dinner: Coming home in the evenings is always something I look forward to. My boyfriend and I are trying to make an effort to cook together, so I chose to make a pasta bowl. This one is whole wheat pasta with broccoli, avocado, shrimp, cilantro and lemon. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t eat chocolate at some point during the day, so I added in a few pieces of dark raspberry chocolate for dessert. Again, I paired my meal with water. See a trend here? That’s usually all I drink except sometimes I’ll mix it up with a tea or La Croix. Also, if you haven’t treated yourself to a candle lit bath using a bath bomb, I HIGHLY recommend it. It’s becoming my favorite way to relax. 

Well that’s it! Here’s to a journey of better eating and mixing up my workout this year! 

Easy Healthy Smoothie with Berries, Oats + Seeds

I'm lucky to date a health freak who sometimes rubs off on me. Otherwise, I might only workout to eat chocolate and pizza. Which I mean, I do, but sometimes I remember that I should fuel my body with a bit more nutrients. So now I present my favorite smoothie that Zach has been making for over a year. 

Ingredients: (serves 1)

- 4oz Milk (I used Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk)
- 8oz Acai Juice (I bet this would be good to freeze into ice cubes and make this super cold)
- 1/4 cup Old Fashioned Oats
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Chia Seeds
- 1/2 tablespoon Flaxseed
- 2/3 cup frozen mixed berries
- couple dashes of cinnamon (I personally don't think you can have too much, maybe 1 tablespoon or less if I had to guess)

*sometimes I add in chocolate protein powder or a banana. 

Toss everything in a blender until smooth and enjoy! That's it!