Meet the Mocktail That's Good for Your Health

Though we’ve made it through January and February, the sad reality is that winter’s not leaving us quite yet. (You have no idea how mopey I am about this fact).



But here’s a silver lining: You can fight the good "cold-and-flu-season fight" with this mocktail that tastes good AND helps your health. It's like an Emergen-C you can make at home and feel oh so #fancy. I promise ya, while you’re nursing a stuffy nose and using up your last box of Kleenex, this drink will become the cold remedy you look forward to.

Why's this mocktail the perfect addition to your health routine? It's the secret ingredient — elderberry! Elderberry is a naturally occurring immune system boost; it’s a great way to fight off a cold, even better when used at the first signs of sickness. Honey, especially organic, local honey, is known to reduce coughing and sweetens up the tart elderberry. Once you add a bit of mint, you’re practically on the way to a beach vacation — or at the very least a Bachelor binge, let’s be real.

Ingredients
- Elderberry syrup
- Local honey
- Berry LaCroix
- Fresh mint leaves (optional)


Directions
1. Dispense 2 tablespoons elderberry syrup and 4 tsp local honey in a small bowl. Use a small whisk to combine the two.
2. Add the honey and elderberry mixture to a can of Berry LaCroix or your favorite sparkling water.
3. Garnish with fresh mint, and kick the cold in style

p.s. if you're into Lacroix mocktails and aren't sick, try out my recipe for a Cara Cara Orange Mocktail or the Cran-Raspberry Lacroix Punch. Happy staying healthy!

Read More

My 2019 Goals

Well, it's the 10th and I'm just now getting around to sharing some of my 2019 goals, but hey — every day is a chance for a fresh start, right?!

I love the opportunity that presents itself during the New Year season to celebrate the past and set high hopes for the future. This year, more than any singular BIG goal, I'm hoping to focus my energy on smaller lifestyle habits that I hopefully will adopt for the long haul. I read The Power of Habit last year, and I've become convinced that all BIG goals are achieved by pursuing small, attainable actions.

So, here are some of my (hopefully!) attainable action steps for 2019:

Make time for breakfast
I'm the type of person who genuinely forgets about breakfast a lot. (Unless it's a weekend and "breakfast" means "brunch" — in which case, I never forget). But during the week, I tend to get ready for the day and then just... start working. Sometimes I have a latte for "breakfast" and sometimes I don't eat at all until later in the afternoon. Breakfast sounds like a peaceful meal if I'd make time for it, so I think I'll try that this year.

Try four new recipes each month
I love learning more about food, and the CSA Austin and I joined last year was so good for us. This year, I want to expand on the types of food we make at home. There's nothing wrong with having good standby meals, but I really enjoy following creative recipes and experiencing new flavors together. So, more of that in 2019!

Make $$$ in a garage sale/Insta sale/DePop sale?
Purging some unwanted items has been on my goal list for a while, but I haven't been prioritizing it. When I have free time with opportunities to purge, I tend to decide that time is more worthwhile spent having coffee with a friend or running errands. Maybe this is the year I actually take Marie Kondo's advice rather than just bingeing her show on Netflix. 😆

Less screen time/more time for what matters
A funny fact about me: I am kiiiiinda behind in iPhone technology. By that I mean, I have a 6S that I got a couple years ago, and I haven't updated it for fear the operating system will freak out on me. (It's happened before). I'm planning to upgrade my phone soon and take full advantage of the screen time controls.

In addition to that, Austin and I are aiming to instill "no media Monday" at home this year. Instead of being on our phones or watching TV, the plan is to do literally anything else — go on a date, have a dance party, clean the house, read a book...  You get it! This is the goal I'm most excited about and that I think will make the biggest impact. I'm excited to see how this unfolds!

Do you have any goals for 2019? I'd love to hear 'em. 💕

P.S. Outfit details! I'm obsessed with Everlane right now, so... here ya go: Sweater // Pants // Hat (this is the same one in beige, but I got mine locally from The Market)

Read More

Creating New Christmas Traditions

Any newlyweds out there? Austin and I have been married for over a year now, but for the purpose of this post, I'm going to consider us newlyweds. Last year was our first married Christmas (which you can read about here), and it was so special. We embraced double the family time, double the traditions, and double the cheese platters (no complaints here)!

But at the same time, I'd be lying if I didn't say it lacked something of our own. You grow up a child with glittering expectations of Christmas morning — cinnamon rolls, stockings, snuggly blankets, and the house pet following your every move, hoping to get a crumb of said cinnamon roll. And then an adult, you realize each Christmas was so special because your family gave you that gift. The gift of holiday magic! The gift of traditions.

I think traditions can be really special, whether or not they hold a ton of deep meaning. Of course, there are religious traditions surrounding Christmas that I cherish and that become even more special over time. But I truly love the silly "just for fun" traditions too, like ugly sweater contests or cookie decorating parties.

I wrote on Thanksgiving about how my family has a longstanding custom of going to our friends' house to celebrate the holiday; we do it every year, and they have since they were in their 20's. I want to create that type of ritual that Austin and I can look forward to now, while we're in our 20's. Something we can grow with, look forward to, change with us — or maybe it'll simply be there as an anchor for the seasons in which we change. I don't want to wait until we have kids to make Christmas memorable.

So this one's for you if you're a millennial trying to wrangle holiday expectations with a new season of life. I'm with you; I see you. Of course, Christmas never changed. We might have.

This year, I'm going to talk with Austin about what tradition, silly or serious, we'd like to create for our family. Just us! Traditions aren't the glue that holds this season together, but I think they're icing on the sugar cookie.

Read More