A weekend vacation to Jekyll Island
This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own. :)
Only a five hour drive from Atlanta, Zach and I hopped in the car with the dogs and headed to Jekyll Island for a long weekend getaway. Being our first time there, we used the Jekyll Island website to plan our trip. Although the island is small, it’s packed with plenty to do that will keep you going the whole time. It’s extremely clean, quiet (perhaps because we went before school let out for the summer), and one of the most dog friendly places I’ve ever been - woohoo!
We stayed in a spacious suite at the ocean-front Holiday Inn Resort. Our balcony overlooked the ocean so every morning we spent some time waking up to the sound of waves hitting the shore. The room came with two queen sized beds, a kitchenette (full-sized fridge, microwave, stove top, and sink), two tv’s, and the living room had pull-out couch. If cooking is more your vibe, this is the way to go. You won’t find any big-box grocery stores on the island, so you may want to bring some groceries with you. You can also pick up a variety of groceries and local provisions at the nearby Jekyll Market or hit a larger grocery story right before the entrance to the island. Parking was easy, and the property featured several gas fire pits, a kids’ playground, a gorgeous pool, cabana sitting areas, a coffee and martini bar, fitness center, several beach access points, bike rentals, and a dog-friendly restaurant called “Beach House” on site.
We are the type of people who like to stay active on vacation and bring our dogs as much as possible so we tried to fit in as much in as possible and adjusted as necessary considering there was a bit of rain for a few days while we were there. First on the list was taking our dogs to the beach! It was drizzling when we got in on Friday afternoon but after we settled in we took the dogs out to the beach right outside of our hotel. They LOVED it and we ran up and down the beach with them. This was also the day we realized the tides change quite noticeably on the island which was unique to see.
Saturday was filled with sunshine so we hit up the Summer Waves Waterpark first thing in the morning and checked out all of the slides! That afternoon we ventured around Beach Village which is a small shopping center featuring several restaurants, shops, and Jekyll Market. Lastly we caught the beautiful sunset while exploring Driftwood Beach. This beach is dog-friendly and filled with the remains of fallen trees due to many years of erosion. It’s one of the most photogenic places we went and was voted one of America’s “Ten Most Romantic Beaches.”
Sunday stormed so our hotel lost power a few times so it was PERFECT that we had tickets to go behind- the- scenes at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. Because they take care of animals, they have generators to continuously power the hospital. Although the general entry gives you an inside look at turtle care and is open rain or shine, I HIGHLY recommend the behind-the-scenes tour. We happened to be in the vet area when they brought in a turtle who needed blood work done which was incredible to witness! You also get to see where the food is kept, see the other turtles not out on public view, and ask all of the questions you want - it was truly an incredible thing to experience. During the lighter drizzle times, we walked around the Historic District admiring the beautiful historic buildings and large trees covered in Spanish Moss. That evening, when the weather had cleared up, we took a spontaneous sunset dolphin tour with hilarious husband-and-wife duo tour guides. We saw a ton of birds, learned all about the ecosystem of the island, learned a little history, and of course saw dolphins at sunset!
Knowing the weather on Monday was going to be incredibly sunny, but we had to check out by 11, we woke up early to take full advantage of the time we had left. We finally rented bikes and took advantage of the islands 25 miles of paved bike paths. These paths almost always keep you separate from the road allowing for you to venture out on a bike with the family in a very safe way. This made for a unique and beautiful way to see the island! Of course, we ended our trip with one last visit to the beach with the pups and said goodbye to a wonderful weekend getaway.
Below are a few bullet lists for dog friendly places, activities we did and didn’t do, and a few extra tips!
Although not a full list, here are a few dog friendly places that we visited while on Jekyll Island:
The Holiday Inn Resort
Oceanview Beach Park of the Holiday Inn Resort
Driftwood Beach
Walking through the beautiful Historic District
The expansive bike path is also shared by dog walkers and runners alike
Sunrise Grille Restaurant
Beach House Restaurant
Tortuga Jacks Mexican Restaurant
To note, there are plenty of other places to eat that have outside seating, but because they aren’t full service restaurants it would require you to either tie up your dog outside while you go in, or have an additional person to wait outside while you go inside to order. To name a few: all of the places inside of the Jekyll Market including Hibiscus Cafe, Boardwalk Deli, The Love Shack BBQ, and A Sweet Shop Named Sprinkles. Fuse for froyo, The Westin Cafe for Starbucks coffee, and Red Bug Motors Pizza and Pub. My recommendation is to call ahead if you aren’t sure.
Activities that kept us moving and a few others we didn’t get to:
Summer Waves Waterpark
Driftwood Beach
Biking
Georgia Sea Turtle Center
Dolphin tours
Stand-up Paddle Boarding/Kayaking
Mini golf and/or regular golf
Tennis
Mosaic, the Jekyll Island Museum
Horseback riding
A few extra tips:
Heads up, there is a parking pass that you must purchase when you first arrive.
Bring bug spray or purchase the local spray called “No Natz” found at several local stores.
Dogs must be leashed at all times and the leashes can’t be longer than 16ft. So happy about this so other people’s dogs can’t just come up to yours and cause a potentially dangerous situation.
Dogs are allowed on beaches except South Beach between South Dunes Picnic Area and 2,000' northeast of St. Andrews Sound Picnic Area, to protect nesting shore birds..
Be careful about walking out to the sand bars on the beach as the tide rolls in and out 8 feet every six and a half hours. Also, plan your beach visits accordingly as I had no clue about the tide and there are times when the water completely covers the sand. Mother Nature is so cool!
The water is not clear, but it’s not because of pollution. In fact, the water is very nutrient dense which allows for all of the thriving wildlife!
If you’re a fellow lover of Jekyll Island and have any recommendations that we missed, please leave them in the comments below so myself and others can enjoy during their next trip!
Snowboarding at Beech Mountain
Beech Mountain - one of the best towns for snowboarding in the South East. This tiny town in North Carolina offers a beautiful ski resort for all ages. I share with you where to stay, what to do, tips, food and more!
In early February, I drove from Atlanta to visit Beech Mountain, North Carolina and the Beech Mountain Ski Resort with Zach and six of our friends. Based on my experience, I’m going to give you a few tips for food, lodging, your first time on the slopes, and how to dress accordingly. Spoiler alert, we had an incredible trip.
Lodging
There are plenty of places to stay and several options to choose from : Bed and Breakfasts, hotels, property rentals, and so on. We used Beech Mountain Realty and Rentals and stayed in a dog-friendly house a little over a mile away from the resort. Regardless of how you book, if your main itinerary is to ski/snowboard, I would recommend you stay in a place that has walkable slope access. Our friends did this and we ended up using their house as home base because it was ridiculously easy to get to and from the slopes. In total, it was about a 45 second walk from the slopes to their house. This allowed for everyone in our group the ability to stop for a break, eat, etc on their own time without having to gather the whole crew to get in a car and coordinate leaving and coming back. If you take one piece of advice let it be this: stay slope side, especially if you’re with a group.
Food
The mountain offers a decent amount of food options including pizza, Mexican food, BBQ, and so on. We did a mixture of eating out and cooking at the house, but I'll be honest I never found a breakfast place that I loved. I opted for eating at the house in the morning and grabbing straight espresso at the coffee shop located in the resort village - I think it was called Beech Mountain Cafe. If you need that caffeine kick, this is the only place that opens early and serves espresso drinks that I could find. Heads up though, they only make hot drinks (they literally don't have an ice machine) so if you're a year-round iced coffee lover you'll need to plan accordingly. However, if you are a late riser, I saw that Brick Oven Pizzeria has a coffee shop inside, but I asked and they don't open until 11am. Can you tell that finding strong coffee was very important to me?
Alright, on to lunch. So, if you're like me and want as much time on the slopes as possible, there is a cafeteria style place called The Lodge located at the resort that offers food and alcoholic beverages. It's your basic chicken tenders, fries, chips, burgers and such - but the convenience of just walking in with your big ole boots, covered in snow, and safely leaving your board/skis outside made it worth it. Also worth noting was Valle De Bravo which is a short drive from the resort and is where we stopped and ate as we left to go home. It was by far the most reasonably priced place so if you're on a budget (or not) and want some good Mexican food definitely hit this place up.
We only tried two places for dinner and I recommend them both. Brick Oven Pizzeria is a cool and casual little place that also has the previously mentioned coffee bar inside and a small arcade geared towards kids. The serving sizes are generous, the food is good, and they have PLENTY of desserts to pick from (I got a cookie the size of my face). Lastly, my favorite place of all was Beech Mountain Grille. It's considered casual upscale dining and the food is amazing. It's perfect for large groups, the service was spot on, and the menu was the most extensive that I found. These two places are only about a half mile from the resort and as I didn't do any night riding, it was nice to shower and go out to eat after a long day of snowboarding.
When it comes to alcohol there is no short supply at Beech Mountain Resort. They have a brewery in the resort village called Beech Mountain Brewing Company who put on cool events like "Girl Scout Cookie and Beer Pairing" nights and have live music. During the day you can take the ski lift to the very top and grab a drink from the 5506' Skybar, but you have to be able to ski down from the top so choose wisely.
Food from Beech Mountain Grille
Food from Brick Oven Pizzeria
Rentals
You can rent everything from snowboards, ski gear, boots, helmets (highly recommend), bibs (which are your waterproof pants and you will want these), waterproof jackets (also highly recommended), and lockers to store your stuff.
First time on the slopes?
Besides lift tickets and gear, I HIGHLY recommend lessons at Beech Mountain Resort. They offer lessons several times a day and keep the groups small. We each got personal attention and the guy who taught us was a really good instructor. I’ve been snowboarding once before and didn’t take a lesson which resulted in a full day of falling. Believe me when I say that a GOOD lesson makes a MASSIVE difference. I went from being terrible and having no coordination to snowboarding from the very top - all in one day! Total game-changer. I still suck at getting off the lift, but hey, can't have it all.
Clothing
Proper clothing is arguably one of the most important things that you need to have on the slopes. In my opinion, it can make or break your experience because if you're cold and wet you're probably not going to have the most enjoyable time.
At the very least, you need:
- waterproof bibs or pants
- a waterproof jacket
- waterproof gloves
- tall warm socks
- ski goggles
- a moisture wicking base layer
Depending on how cold it is, you'll want to add layers such as:
- a beanie or warm headband that covers your ears
- scarf, neck gaiter or balaclava
- glove liners to make your fingers even warmer
- another jacket or sweater
- leggings under your bibs
The first day I snowboarded it was 14 degrees and snowing. I wore a beanie under my helmet, goggles, an Under Armor long sleeve base layer, a lightweight insulated jacket, a waterproof snow jacket, a Lululemon Vinyasa Scarf (I forgot my Buff so opted for this and it worked great), Lululemon Fast and Free tights, waterproof snow bibs, thick knee high socks, snow boots, and waterproof gloves.
The temperature shot up by the third day and at the hottest point I was only in a casual sweater, bibs, socks, boots, helmet, and gloves. It made for quite the look. Oh, speaking of look. If you're wondering what people wear - literally anything goes. I saw people in t-shirts, crazy outfits, and even someone shirtless at one point. So dress in whatever makes you feel comfortable, but you know, keep it waterproof so you aren't soaking wet from falling in the snow.
Lastly, see the yellow ski suit in the top photo? Yeah, don't wear that. I found that places like ASOS will list items as "ski" but it's definitely all for the looks and isn't actually meant to be skied in. I would recommend sticking to trusted snow sports shops and always look for the word "waterproof." I've said it a bunch already, but trust me you don't want to be wet and cold - not worth it. Real ski jackets and pants/bibs are expensive, so if you can't afford to get your own just rent them from the resort, borrow from a friend, or buy second hand.
Tip: There is ski shop in the resort village. You can literally ski up to it, it's so close. They sell helmets, boards, goggles, skis, clothings, layers - you name it. I ended up grabbing my own helmet and an ear warmer headband.
Miscellaneous things worth noting
Although I didn't do these things so I can't elaborate on them, the resort does have ice skating and tubing at an extra cost; a terrain park if you're, you know, talented like that; and a children's nursery.
We had such a fun time that two of my friends, who were brand new to snowboarding, ended up buying their own boards! We will be back next year that’s for sure!
This trip was kindly gifted to me, but my experience and opinions are always my own. I take a lot of pride in only recommending places and products that I TRULY love.
Women inspiring women
A huge thanks to Athleta for sponsoring this post!
In a world that is rapidly changing - where we have so much at our fingertips - it’s still incredibly easy to stay in our own lane and never venture beyond what we currently know and do. The world is ours to explore yet sometimes some of us stay in our bubble. I 1000% can be that person, but just because I can be that person doesn’t mean I want to let it define me or become who I am all of the time. The first step is realizing it, right? Look, for whatever reason I can get on a podium in front of 60+ people to teach and motivate a class, but somewhere along the way in the last two years I’ve found hesitation in doing something outside of spin and yoga. I decided it was time to shake things up a bit so I asked my friend Jen for a little help. Look, if I was going to leave my cozy bubble, I needed a little hand holding, OK?
Before I explain what I did, let me paint you a little photo here. Jen is a BADASS. Like, four-stripe blue belt in Brazilian Jujitsu, vegan, incredibleeee cook, super positive, calming energy, shows up when you need her, most organized person I know, and an amazing friend to everyone - like, when I think about the kind of person I want to be I’m just naming qualities of Jen. We have talked about her coming to one of my classes and me coming to a class with her for months, but it just never happened. Finally, I just sent her a text and we set it all up. At this point I know NOTHING about MMA, the gym she goes to, where to start, what to bring, etc. In fact I only know two people who even practice Jujitsu - Jen and my friend Anna. I’ve always thought how cool it was, but from a distance, like a farrrr distance on Instagram, and here I was about to put myself out there and try it.
Thursday rolls around and I’ve now committed to taking an intro Jujitsu class at Creighton MMA & Fitness Academy. Was I excited? Yes. Was I nervous? ABSOLUTELY. I made such a big deal out of it in my head it was all I could think about the entire day. To some people trying a new workout class is totally normal! Why was I so freaked out? I don’t know, maybe because I was about to wrestle on the floor with someone else! Literally, I got so nervous on my way there that I knew if Jen wasn’t waiting on me I would totally bail. Once I got there the guys at the front walked me through everything and were SO nice. The gym is broken up into three sections - the lobby, an area for group fitness classes, and a huge mat area. I put my bag in the girls locker room, took off my shoes and walked out to the mat area where class would be. Although everyone else in class were beginners (except Jen because she asked to stay with me - thank God lol), I believe I was the only brand new person. We started off with a few warm ups going up and down the mat and moved straight into learning three moves. This class was LEGIT you guys. I literally learned how to flip someone off of me and a rear choke hold!!! We did more than that, but those were the two that really BLEW MY MIND. I was so excited and proud of myself after class, plus I learned something completely new to me! A few of us jumped into the Total Body Fitness class afterwards and then I hung out and watched Jen in her advanced class for a little bit. Right as I was about to leave, a girl that was in my intro class came up and introduced herself to me. I asked her how she found out about Creighton (thinking she also came with a friend) and she said, “Google.” Come to find out she comes by herself and has for a few classes now - so brave!
I literally came inspired by someone and I left inspired by someone. Never under estimated the impact you have on people! You never know how much you’re helping them by just being YOU!
Again, a huge thanks to Jen for just being herself! Her badassery on Instagram led me to want to try Jujitsu, her encouragement made me actually pick a time/day, her kindness in taking class with me made me less anxious, and her patience in helping me take all of these photos allowed me to share my story with others!
*Also, thank you for only accidentally hitting me in the face once. 🤣
P.S. here is an outtake when we couldn’t stop laughing (who knows why) when we were trying to re-create our sweet jujitsu moves, hehe.
Shop our Athleta looks here:
Hosting a stress-free holiday party
This year was our Second Annual Christmas Sweater and Ornament Exchange Party. I don’t know how you are, but I very much get stressed out when it comes to hosting. I love it, but I definitely let it overwhelm me. I can honestly say this past Saturday was the most relaxed I’ve ever been leading up to a party at our house.
Here are a few tips, and even a holiday punch recipe, that I recommend:
Party Invite and Theme:
The invite was so easy. I found a wallpaper on Google and added text over it using the app called WordSwag.
The theme every year is for everyone to come wearing a Christmas sweater and bring a wrapped ornament for the ornament exchange. I love the sweater idea because people can either wear something they already own making it a no pressure situation, get creative with DIY, or buy one that really shows their personality. My sweater is from Missed Calls on Etsy!
Holiday Cocktail Recipe:
(Super alcoholic, but you cannot taste the alcohol. You’ve been warned.)
Everything was purchased from Kroger (thanks, Kroger!)
Ingredients:
2 - 750ml bottles of Prosecco (I bought Menage a Trois brand because it’s $10/bottle)
1/2-2/3 - 750ml bottle of Vodka (you can add more or less)
1 - 24 fl oz Pomegranate Juice
1 - 52 fl oz Orange Juice pulp free
1 - 64 fl oz Cran-raspberry Juice Cocktail
1 - 12oz bag of cranberries (frozen or fresh)
2 Oranges sliced into rounds
2 limes sliced into rounds
0.5 oz Mint to garnish
Ice (only need if you bought everything last minute and didn’t have time to chill your ingredients)
Directions:
Combine everything (except the mint) into a beverage dispenser or massive punch bowl. Stir. The oranges, limes, and cranberries will all float to the top making it very pretty and festive to serve. Garnish with mint.
Party Activities:
Ornament Exchange - we ask everyone (or every couple) to bring a wrapped ornament to the party. We play white elephant style by having everyone select a number from a jar. Whoever draws #1 goes first, #2 can either steal their ornament or open a new one, and so on. We made the rule that once an ornament got stolen twice, it couldn’t be stolen anymore. Some people play where they allow more than two chances to steal so that’s up to you. At the end, everyone who brought an ornament ends up with a new one!
Bon Fire - last year we had a fire pit put in our backyard and it’s always a hit. It gives the smokers a place to go, keeps everyone warm, plus, s’mores are always a good idea!
Puzzle - this was perfect for the people who weren’t really drinking and wanted to be more low key. I put out a 400 piece Christmas puzzle of a dog sitting by a fireplace and Christmas tree and it was finished in 2hrs and 10min.
Christmas Music started it all, but we ended up with rap music by the end of the night.
Food (no cooking required):
All food was purchased from Kroger and this part made my life SO easy! I was in and out with everything I needed in no time.
chicken tenders party platter ordered from the deli about a day before and picked up a few hours before the party
Tostitos chips and everything needed to make homemade guacamole.
a few other dips for the chips including refried beans, pico, and salsa.
Pita chips and hummus
Doritos because we are big spicy sweet chili fans
all pre-made desserts like Private Selection brownies, red velvet bundt cakes, and Private Selection Sea Salt Caramel Cookies. I cut them up and served everything on nice plates and topped with Christmas sprinkles so you couldn’t tell, hehe.
* although we didn’t ask anyone to bring anything we did have some guests bring a cheese plate (HUGE HIT), bruschetta, and a vegan cake!
Do you ever host parties? If so, do you theme them? I’d love to hear more below!
Working out while in Cancun
A way to workout while in Cancun.
Working out while on vacation is important to do, yet sometimes we neglect it. Do you have to go all out? Absolutely not, but getting in a good sweat will boost your mood, give you some time to yourself, and keep you on track. Plus it helps if you’re like me and you eat every delicious thing in sight :P
Zach and I visited Cancun last week and we stayed at the Royalton Riviera Cancun. This isn’t the first time I’ve been to an all-inclusive, but it’s hands down the best one I’ve been to. Although I’m going to touch a lot on their fitness offerings, this is NOT a fitness resort. It’s a luxury resort that just so happens to offer everything you need.
THURSDAY EVENING - ARRIVING AND DINNER
We arrived on a Thursday night just in time for sunset. We shuttled from the airport to the resort with their service called Nexus. When you pull up you’re greeted with a non-alcoholic drink, your bags are taken, and you’re walked to the check-in room. From the moment you walk-in until the moment you leave they have exceptional service. There is only one person that I didn’t care for the entire trip, but one bad egg didn’t effect or discount the SEVERAL other people we had the pleasure of experiencing. We stayed under Diamond Club status which meant a little more privacy and other add-ons. Check this link to see what all it includes.
Once we checked in, we were taken to our gorgeous room that included free snacks and drinks in the fridge, a balcony that looked over the beach and pool area, a shower, jacuzzi bathtub, and two very comfortable beds. You are given a bracelet that serves as your room key, FYI - SUPER convenient. We quickly settled and went down for dinner at Agave for some Mexican cuisine - this is one of the 9 restaurants they have on the property. I highly recommend sitting outside at night because we had perfect access to the Pop show that was happening by the pool area. It was literally dinner and a show. Also, the shows they have are LEGIT. It’s not some cheesy, half attempt. It’s full blown costumes, lights, fog machine, etc. After dinner we walked around the different parts of the resort. It has four sections- kids, main, diamond, and hideaway. That evening the hideaway section, which is only for adults, was having a chocolate party. It featured a half-dressed man and woman covered in gold paint in front of a large chocolate display. As a chocolate loving woman - I WAS OBSESSED. After that we turned in for bed since we had an early start the next morning.
FRIDAY - YOGA, AQUA FIT, + TRX
The following morning we woke up for sunrise yoga. It was outside the main pool area and was a relaxing way to start the day. We ate breakfast at the GIANT buffet they have called Gourmet Marche. It features ALL kinds of food - including vegan and gluten-free options. After breakfast we changed into our swimsuits and the main pool was having Aqua Fit. This was led by Isis who was also our instructor for yoga and taught all of the classes we took that weekend. SHE IS AWESOME. Anyways, back to Aqua Fit. It’s done in the pool and you’re given these gloves to wear. It’s low impact and all done to the beat of the music. You get wet, get in a workout and laugh because it’s totally unusual and fun at the same time. We grabbed lunch at Gourmet Marche again, took some photos, relaxed on the beach, and headed to TRX. So, here is the deal, I had never done TRX before and out of all of the workouts I did, this was the most challenging for me. TRX class is held in the upstairs part of the gym with is through the spa area and into a two-story gym that also features an outside area full of tennis courts - it’s insane. After a much needed showered we had dinner at ZEN for some Japanese cuisine. They were incredibly accommodating as we had a few vegans and a gluten allergy in our party. The chef took his skills to the next level and created a very fancy and special dish for these people. If you have special dietary needs you know that most people give you a sad excuse for options or have no clue how to even accommodate you. We were blown away with their service and culinary skills! Because we had done three exercises that day I could barely stay awake and called it a night. However, I sadly missed the silent disco that I heard was SO fun. So next time I need to make sure I leave some party energy in me, lol. I ended the night by ordering Saturdays breakfast from my TV.
This is the special vegan curry dish the chef made look like an egg. It was apart of Zach’s three-course meal.
SATURDAY - BREAKFAST IN BED, KICKBOXING + STRETCH PILATES
After a busy Friday we woke up to room service on Saturday morning. We ate and had coffee together on our balcony while the sun came up and heard waves crashing the whole time - it was so peaceful. We took our time and chilled out until it was time for kickboxing class. Again, this class was held in the upstairs of the gym. It was so much fun but wore us out so we spent the afternoon chilling in a bed on the beach with cocktails brought to us. THE LIFE, lol. After some much needed recovery and lunch at Gourmet Marche, we headed to a stretch pilates class. It was a slower paced stretch class with a little small challenges here and there - perfect speed for a relaxing Saturday. We freshened up and ate at TAJ for some Indian cuisine. After dinner we passed by the stage for some unexpected live music and dancing. I swear, there is ALWAYS a party happening somewhere. We hung out with some new friends while they played giant chess until it was time to head to bed. Other people went out to continue on partying and a few of them won $1,000 that night at the casino - so crazy!
SUNDAY - BOGA BOOTCAMP, SUNSET YOGA, + FAREWELL DINNER
Sadly Sunday was our last full day so we woke up to have coffee on the balcony, eat breakfast, and head to Boga Bootcamp. This was the one class I was unsure of leading up to it. I was like, “what the heck is Boga Bootcamp?” Turns out it’s a workout on a special “Boga” board done in the pool. The board is huge and features straps and bands and you legit do a workout on it. Several people fell of course, including myself, which just made it more challenging and fun. It is top of my list of favorite workouts though. So unusual and not sure if I’ll ever find a class like it again. After that we went to the roof to take some photos, ate lunch, walked past a raging pool party (I clearly missed all of the partying some how), and enjoyed our last day on the beach. We always sat in the adult area which was so peaceful and always included a drink and towel service - so fancy. We ended our last amazing day by doing yoga on the beach at sunset. It was a challenging class and the wind was kicking so it made for quite the balance struggle. After yoga we headed back to dinner at ZEN - this time for their dinner hibachi show upstairs. They were just as amazing this time as they were the first time we went. Zach and I headed back early to pack as we had to be up at 3:30a! We did facemasks, and had a sing-a-long to the famous Royalton jingle that they play on your TV, lol. It was an amazing trip and I can’t recommend the Royalton Riviera Cancun resort enough. I hope we go back soon and if you have any questions please let me know.
Also, if you’re more of a visual person, I have an Instagram highlight for our trip that you can see called “Cancun.” My IG handle is @MaeElizabethG
Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes
Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes
Hey guys! Today I’m going to share with you two Thanksgiving recipes that are vegan. Before my meat-lovers click off, these two have been approved by myself and three other non-vegans. They are good, trust me - I wouldn’t share them if they weren’t. Take my absolute failure attempt at vegan sweet potato casserole for example. I just scraped that baby into the trash can and pretended that soupy goup never happened.
Story time: If you don’t know, my fiancé Zach is vegan, but I’m not and neither are our families, so that makes cooking and eating out really fun 🙃. When holidays roll around it gets even more complex. You end up around buttery, cheesy, and chicken broth recipes GALORE. I’ve learned that SO many dishes could easily be “vegan,” but since everyone cooks with butter and chicken stock, for example, Zach typically can’t eat anything, not even the veggies. Don’t get me wrong, we both have families who try to accommodate, but it doesn’t always work out. People often forget or don’t really understand what being vegan means and they say “we made this for you and it’s vegan.” He’s like, “great! So no butter, egg, chicken broth or cheese?” (the usual suspects) and you just see their defeated face go “oh, yeah, I forgot I used (insert whatever non-vegan ingredient here). 9/10 if you’ve invited us to an event or dinner, we have stopped by Subway on the way for Zach, haha. LUCKILY, earlier this year Zach got into cooking and has made some pretty incredible food these past few months. When I got contacted by Kroger to work with them on a Thanksgiving campaign over on my Instagram account, we took this as the PERFECT opportunity to trial some vegan Thanksgiving recipes. Below are two dishes that have passed the test! Enjoy!
Vegan Green Bean Casserole
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. green beans, trimmed
6 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
3 c. Unsweetened almond milk (make sure it’s NOT vanilla as well)
6oz container of French fried onions
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375°.
Prepare an ice bath. In a large pot of boiling water, add green beans and cook until bright green, about 6 minutes. With a slotted spoon or tongs, quickly transfer green beans to ice bath to cool, then drain and transfer to a large bowl.
In a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally until tender, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until mushrooms are golden, about 5 minutes more. Stir in garlic then transfer mixture to the bowl with the green beans.
Heat remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in almond milk and bring to a simmer. Cook until thickened, about 4 minutes (prob longer). Remove from heat then add green bean mixture and toss until even combined. Transfer mixture to a medium casserole dish.
Bake until warmed through and bubbling around the edges, about 20 minutes. (If it isn’t thickening up enough, keep cooking it - we had this happen). Top with fried onions and bake 5 minutes more.
Enjoy!
*Recipe was modified from the Delish website.
Image by Vegan Green Bean Casserole via Delish.com
This next recipe is courtesy of Jackie from Vegan Yack Attack. I’m going to tell you right now, I didn’t eat the “mac and cheese” with the sweet potato like it says in her original recipe (so I didn’t include it below), but Zach and our friends did and loved it. I can say though 100% that the “mac and cheese” on it’s own is pretty incredible. HOWEVER, it does not taste like your standard Velveeta Shells and Cheese so get that out of your head or you’ll be disappointed. As a meat-eater who enjoys delicious vegan food as well, I have this theory that some vegan dishes need another name. BECAUSE, although it’s incredible tasty, I have found that if you try to call a vegan recipe the same name as it’s cheesy counterpart you just let people down when it doesn’t taste identical. SO, let’s call this one “Smokey Pasta.”
Smokey Pasta
INGREDIENTS
1/2 C . Vegetable Broth
1/3 C . Raw Cashews soaked for 1-2 hours or for 20 minutes in boiling water
1 Clove of Garlic
1/2 T . Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp . Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp . Chipotle Flakes (we couldn’t find flakes so we used Chipotle Chile Powder)
1/2 tsp . Smoked Paprika
1/2 tsp . Sea Salt
1 C . Packed Kale Chopped with Stems Removed
3/4 C . Tomato Diced
1/3 C . Yellow Corn Kernels (we just used canned corn)
1/4 C . Green Onion Diced (plus more for garnish, which is optional)
DIRECTIONS
Start cooking the pasta by following the directions as the package describes (cooking times are different on most).
To make sauce: Take the pumpkin, cashews, veggie broth, nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon juice, mustard, chipotle powder, paprika, liquid smoke, sea salt and turmeric in a blender or food processor and puree until completely smooth.
Once the pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse with cold water. Place the pot back on the stove, over low-medium heat.
Pour the sauce into the pot, and add the kale, tomato, corn and green onion.
Stir it all together and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the kale is wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired.
Serve up that “Smokey Pasta” to your friends and family!
*Recipe was modified from the Vegan Yack Attack website.
Image by Jackie Sobon via Vegan Yack Attack
Oh look! There is me eating a bowl of mashed potatoes!
Anyways! If you guys try out these recipes let me know! Also, huge thanks to Kroger for working with me on a Thanksgiving campaign over on my Instagram. If you haven’t seen the photo already (click here), I’d love some support by liking, commenting, and sharing it with others! Thanks guys!
TRAVEL: A WEEKEND GUIDE TO AUGUSTA, GA
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!
The Power of Limitless Potential
The Power of Limitless Potential
Huge thanks to Athleta for working with me again, sponsoring this post, and empowering me to share my #PowerOfShe story.
As a child I never considered myself to be much of an athlete. I played organized sports from a young age because my friends did, but it was a social hour more than anything else. I always liked soccer, cheer, and basketball but I didn't really care if I was the best. I thought getting winded meant that it was time to be benched and for someone else to go in. No one ever taught me the concept of pushing through in order to get stronger, or at least it never clicked for me.
Then came freshman year in high school. We had a week of soccer try-outs to make either the Freshman, JV, or Varsity team. I showed up every day and at least tried my best. At times it sucked, I wanted to skip practice, I hated running for long periods of time, and how I managed multiple "heading drills" still baffles me. My near breaking point was when we had to run with the Varsity girls. The fact that those girls can sprint from the back of the line all the way to the front while singing a song literally almost killed me. But, I stuck it out, and because I showed up and tried, I made the JV team. Man, was I OVER THE MOON that I made JV! That meant I was good enough to skip the Freshman team.. as a Freshman AND I was part of the starting line up! All because I tried rather than shoving myself into the "not good enough" box. I felt SO cool in my warmups on game day and I still have my sweatshirt to this day!
I know that this experience is why I'm so empathetic to new riders at Flywheel and it's why I was all about sharing my journey when I used to race bikes. All I want to do is show people that they CAN. You don't belong in the "not good enough" box. You are capable of the things you want to try, you can achieve more than you give yourself credit for, and you deserve to give yourself the chance.
If you're interested in any of the incredible soft items that I'm wearing, I have linked them below in order of appearance:
Trophy Seamless Bralette
Stash Pocket Salutation Tight
Exhale Capri
Shala Dress