In a few weeks, one of my closest friends, Kelly from Eat Travel Rock is moving to LA. While the thought of her not being in the same city as me literally makes my stomach hurt, I had to face reality and help put together the perfect girls night to send her off. Since we've both currently live in the same building, we decided it would be fun to host a fun night with our girlfriends in our building, Parc Huron, since it literally has some of the most incredible amenities in the city. Our guest ... [ Read More ]
How I transformed my body in 30 days!
Six months ago I had a beautiful baby girl. While having a new baby has been the most wonderful thing, I've had a really difficult time coping with how it impacted my body. You always hear people tell new Moms that they should embrace their new body, love their curves and feel proud for their accomplishments. For me, that was much easier said than done. To be honest, my difficulty wasn't necessarily all about my weight. I just didn't feel good. I was out of shape, I felt so tired and ... [ Read More ]
Bootler – It’s like Google for Food Delivery!
Have you ever gone to order food delivery and found yourself checking multiple apps to see who has the best fees and delivery times? Story of my life. What can I say, I like a deal! Now, there is an app the can help! Meet, Bootler! Bootler is a Chicago-based food and alcohol delivery search engine that pulls together data from lots of different food delivery services (like Postmates and Grubhub) and tells you which service has the best price and fastest delivery. Since not every restaurant ... [ Read More ]
Curly’s BBQ Pulled Pork Shepards Pie
Hi Guys! If you know me, you know I love a contest. When I found out that Curly's BBQ was having a tailgate recipe contest, I just HAD to participate! What can I say, I'm a competitive little bugger... The mission? Create a quick & easy dish (using Curly's BBQ) that can be served as a Basketball Game Day party recipe for family and friends. Without hesitation I knew what I was going to make. Pulled Pork Shepard’s Pie topped with mashed sweet potatoes! It's easy to make and there is not ... [ Read More ]
Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash (Paleo/Whole 30 Friendly)
When it comes to breakfast, I have always had a hard time eating healthy. I'm not much of an egg person and I feel like that only leaves me with carb-heavy options like waffles, pancakes and muffins. Recently, I've been really focused on shedding these last 10lbs of baby weight, so I've had to start thinking of breakfast dishes that were low-car, high-protein and dairy-free. Once I created this sweet potato hash, having a healthy, nutrient dense, breakfast became a whole lot easier (and more ... [ Read More ]
5 Reasons I’m OBSESSED with Peapod
Between being a new Mom, working full-time and trying to maintain some sliver of a social life, my time is VERY limited. With lots of holiday parties coming up, I need to get to the grocery store and finding time has been nearly impossible. Thankfully, I discovered Peapod. This awesome service allows me to grocery shop right from my computer or mobile device and have the groceries delivered whenever I need them. The great thing is, Peapod has everything you would find at your favorite grocery ... [ Read More ]
2016 Holiday Gift Guide for a Foodie
I simply cannot believe how quickly this year flew by. Last year at this time, I found out I was expecting and now I have a 4-month old angel! Pinch me. For the 3rd year in a row, I have scoured the interweb to find what I think are the absolute best gifts you should give to your foodie friends this holiday season. I tried to pick things at different price ranges that you wouldn't find on other gift guides. In the end, I wanted this guide to feel totally unique and celebrate some really ... [ Read More ]
Brussels Sprouts with Pear, Pecorino and Morton Coarse Sea Salt
Last month I attended one of the coolest secret pop-up dinners and today I can FINALLY tell you about it. Morton Salt hosted a very intimate, Thanksgiving-inspired dining experience with Chicago chef, Jason Vincent of Giant. Jason's role in the dinner was to coach Cara, a novice cook, on how to prepare a restaurant-quality meal by showcasing how the proper usage of salt transforms home-cooked food into an elite dining experience. It turns out that using table salt for cooking purposes just ... [ Read More ]
Family Fun with Conagra
I simply love the fall in Chicago. Not only does it give me a chance to whip out my favorite boots and cozy sweaters (sans coat), but now, I get to bring my daughter Elia to all the fun fall festivities! This weekend we headed over to a free, family-friendly event in Bucktown thrown by Conagra. The event was put together to unveil their gorgeous mural by renowned artist, Jeff Zimmermann. This insane work of art is right off the 606 park system. To celebrate, the Conagra team had a fun, ... [ Read More ]
Best Bites: Chicago Gourmet 2016
I can't believe that another Chicago Gourmet has come an gone! It is seriously one of the best weekends of the year. I had such an amazing time (as I always do) and ate so many delicious bites from some of Chicago's best restaurants and chefs! This year was also extra special for me, because I was asked to emcee two different cooking demos! I seriously felt so honored to be asked! It's crazy to me that just 3 years ago, my brand was nothing more than a distant pipe dream in my head. Now, ... [ Read More ]
