loving lately Archives - Her Modern Kitchen

So it’s been a while since I’ve done a non-recipe post and I have a lot to share! Life has been beyond busy here in Austin, Texas and it’s only ramping up as the holidays near. So here’s a few snapshots of life as well as some fun random internet articles and even a few recipes that have made it onto my ‘Must Make’ Bucket list!

Life Lately
So last month <3M and I took a long weekend trip to Colorado. I was yearning for some cooler weather, mountain views, and a chance to explore their craft beer scene! We spent some time in Denver exploring the beer world, took a hike in Boulder, and ended with a beautiful drive through the mountains to Vail where we played tourist in the Village. In all, the trip was beautiful, relaxing and we came home stuffed from all our foodie adventures!

Nutrition & Fitness
I’ve read so many interesting articles on the internet lately about nutrition, health trends, and fitness. Here’s three that I really enjoyed! I’d love your thoughts on them!

What the World’s Healthiest Diets Have In Common — Surprisingly it’s not the food they eat but the fact that all other cultures walk more than the average American.

Why LaCroix sparkling water is suddenly everywhere — I’m a Topo Chico fan myself but it’s all similar. This sparkling flavored water market has exploded. Here’s a sneak peek as to why, as well as a little history on LaCroix

Weight Loss on Your Wrist? Fitness Trackers May Not Help — Interesting read. I believe this more of a personal thing in regards to what motivates a person rather than a blanket statement that fitness trackers do/do note work. I myself wear an Apple Watch daily and it’s often a good reminder to stand up and move a little bit. I actually like seeing the cell filled completely at the end of the day when I hit my goals! For my, fitness trackers work!

Baking Goals
The Geode Cake — Just take a look at this site. I’m sure you’ll be as dazzled as I was. Maybe someday I’ll welcome the challenge but for now, I’m more than happy to just stare admiringly as these gorgeous cakes. I truly can’t get over how realistic they look!

Cake Decorating — Yes more cake decorating goals but this time in video form! Watching these cakes come together was mesmerizing. I bet I could definitely pull off the Watercolor Cake (video 7)! Gorgeous! What’s your favorite?

Here’s some expert advice on when pre-heating the oven is really necessary. Pro-Tip, if you’re baking, pre-heat that baby.

My Recipe Box
Here are a few recipes from around the web that I’ve added to my ‘must make!’ bucket list in the next few weeks.

Butternut Squash Goat Cheese Pasta from Half Baked Harvest — This sounds beyond perfect for the Fall season! Delicious butternut & creamy goat cheese. Yum!

I love cornbread and soup and this Spicy Posole with Cheesy Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins from Pinch of Yum sounds just about perfect. I’m also tempted to try this out in the crockpot as a time saver!

Autumn Citrus Crunch Cake from Cooking and Beer seems like something well-suited for brunch or perfectly paired with a cup of coffee. <3M and I have some guests coming to town this weekend, so this might be nice to make on Sunday morning for our friends!

Just Plain Loving
Last weekend I treated myself to a little pumpkin spice manicure! In case you’re interested, it’s Kiara Sky Egyptian Goddess and DND Desert Spice! And if you’re loving that ring, it’s an engravable from Stella & Dot!

And to accompany that, I’m also craving all things pumpkin and cinnamon including my Cinnamon Sugar Crumb Coffee Cake & 5 Ingredient Pumpkin Spice Mousse. If you haven’t tried them yet, get on it! They both whip up quickly and pair perfectly with this upcoming Fall weekend!

Most of Austin is looking forward to the Formula 1 Race this weekend at COTA but personally, I’m looking forward to Taylor Swift’s performance Saturday night at the race track. I’m already getting in T-Swift mode — wearing some TayTay signature red Keds, singing along to the Red and 1989 albums in my car and attending the Taylor Swift Dance Party at the Alamo Drafthouse Friday night.

Yeah, Taylor, I’m ready for you!

What have you been up to lately? Any recent recipes you’ve loved or fun events coming up? I’d love to hear about them! Share in the comments.

Below’s just a quick list of some of my favorite things as of lately in all part of my life! Hopefully you’ll be inspired to check out some for yourself!

Avocado Toast – I used to be all about sweet breakfasts, rarely breaking from my oatmeal, berries & peanut butter mix but for the past few months I’ve been digging this savory breakfast — rotating my avocado toast toppings between salmon, chive cream cheese, and cucumbers or lemony ricotta and hard boiled eggs. It’s delish!

Chainbreaker White IPA – <3M and I stumbled upon Descheutes Brewery earlier this Spring and although I have yet to have a beer of their’s I didn’t like, this Chainbreaker White IPA is by far my favorite. It’s a mix of traditional hefeweizen with the slight bittery hops of an IPA. Perfect for summer sippin’

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel – This is not a new to me product, I’ve been loving it for over a year now and am still obsessed. This is the route to a flawless, perfect at-home manicure every time. It’s truly rock solid in 5 minutes. Perfect for the busy girl! My current color is Sugar Fix!

Instacart – I am obsessed with this service. I LOVE grocery shopping but somedays, it’s just not in the cards and Instacart makes picking up our weekly groceries so much easier. They also have an option to choose alternative items should your first pick not be in stock or you can text your shopper if needed. It’s all seamless and you can get your groceries delivered in less than two hours!

Yasso Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars – I love ice cream but keeping a tub of it in the house can’t happen, it’ll disappear within a week. These cookie dough bars are portion controlled (100 calories, 2.5g fat, & 5g protein), made with Greek yogurt and best of all, are seriously delicious! Try them. You’ll thank me.

iHeart Radio App – I know live radio is dwindling but I still love a good morning radio talk show — specifically the Bobby Bones Show. And since I no longer own an actual radio outside of my car, this app lets me tune in each morning as I get ready for work. I can also listen to my old favorite Rochester station, Drive 100.5 anytime, anywhere! This is by far, one of my favorite, most used apps!

Camp Gladiator – This past Spring I got into a real workout rut — I was either at the gym on the elliptical with a magazine or heading to spin class and my body had become complacent. In March both <3M and I started CG and we’ve been going 3-4 times a week ever since. We absolutely love it! The workouts are challenging, forever changing, and there’s a huge community/social aspect that ties everything together. I’ve also noticed physical improvements since joining which is a major plus and it has definitely pulled me out of my workout rut! <3CG

(Photo cred, courtesy of CG trainer!)

Loving This Week 8

Things I’m Loving Lately

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