My Trip to York with Stonewall Kitchen

Stonewall Kitchen hosted my visit. I was not compensated for my time. 

Where do I get started? I have to say, this trip to York, Maine was one of the best blogging trips I have taken to date. What made it so special was the unforgettable hospitality from the Stonewall Kitchen crew (hi Margaux!). The most gracious, kind-hearted, passionate people (Maine does that to you). I have been coming to Maine every summer since I was born and it will forever be my #1 place to de-stress. How can you not be calm with these gorgeous views??

Cottage

York

Stonewall Kitchen asked myself and a few other fun-loving ladies (miss you guys!) to come to York for a couple of days of learning what goes on behind the scenes at Stonewall's corporate headquarters. I have been a long-time fan of Stonewall and the company continues to amaze me. Firstly, the amount of hard work and passion they pour into this company is astonishing. They're literally doing everything and I respect that. Did you know the founder used to hand write the product labels? They actually made a font out of his handwriting (which they now use, but how cool).

Bloggers

If you're unfamiliar with Stonewall, they have become way more than delicious jam - Wild Maine Blueberry, you rock my socks. They are whopping out new product at record speed and no plans to slow down anytime soon. From delicious crackers, pancake mix, sriracha aioli and even hand soap, they are killing it!

We spent our first evening chatting and had a wonderful dinner at Stage Neck Inn. I got the halibut with crispy potato pancake and local, seasonal veg.

Halibut

Our full-packed first day included touring the headquarters in York. We met with the R&D team, styling guru team and attended a cooking class held by chef Sanford D'amato. He cooked up some awesome Mexican dishes including a bomb sweet potato soup, steak and chocolate hazelnut tart for dessert.

Food styling

Stonewall kitchen

Steak

We had a little break after our busy morning so Brittany and myself checked out the Wiggly Bridge and proceeded onto the cliff walk for some movement and spectacular views.

Early dinner with some of the girls at York Harbor Inn was all about lobster. I got the lobster cobb and it hit the spot. We then headed to the Wiggly Bridge Distillery to learn about their brewing process and sip on fabulous, locally sourced cocktails. I rarely drink these days but The Bees Knees cocktail was one of the best cocktails I've had in a while.

Lobster cobb

Wiggly Bridge Distillery

Stonewall set up a fabulous fire by the beach and it was magical. I don't know how they get their homemade marshmallows to taste SO good and soft but I'll leave that to the pros. We made s'mores cups (best idea) and I filled my jar with crushed graham, toasty mallow, dark chocolate and sea salt caramel sauce. Heaven in a jar.

S'mores

Our final morning in York, we grabbed coffee and breakfast at the Stonewall Cafe (seriously the cutest). You might've seen on IG already, but this lobster egg sandwich was the best breakfast sandwich I have ever put in my mouth. I was all for being extra that weekend and when in Maine, you take advantage of the best lobster there is! A stroll through the farmers market and some York beach exploring made for the perfect morning. A couple of  hours later, we took in the beautiful views surrounding Nubble Lighthouse and got ourselves more lobster. Lobster rolls and french fries, enough said.

Lobster rolls

Nubble Lighthouse

This trip and Stonewall will always have a special place in my heart. Many thanks to the BEST and kindest hostess, Margaux, for showing us what York has to offer. I hope to come back soon!

Best Matcha - The Ultimate Guide in NYC

Looking for good matcha in NYC? I've got you covered with The Ultimate Matcha Guide in NYC, rounding up the smoothest and best-tasting (in my opinion). Read on below to see where you can find the best matcha lattes in the city!

What constitutes "good" matcha? Fine powder (Japanese), non-bitter, not too strong or too weak & smooth finish.

1. Saltwater Coffee - my personal favorite matcha latte and go-to. They use House of Matcha ceremonial grade matcha which I find to be one of the smoothest out there. Refreshing Aussie cafe with the friendliest baristas and pretty decor.

best matcha

1. Greecologies - newest find and almost equivalent to Saltwater. They use their own Proprietary Blend from Uji, Japan (pure and fantastic). Ample seating with killer aesthetic, great place to do work. Also, solid music playlist!

best matcha

1. Cha Cha Matcha - trendy AF but it's good. A quirky, tropical vibe that is usually always packed. They use ceremonial grade matcha from Uji, Japan. I like their extensive list of milk/non-dairy beverage options.

best matcha

1. Zenchai Matcha Cafe - relaxing and quiet atmosphere. They use their own ceremonial grade blend from Japan and is proud of their artisan-approached tea service. Another great place to do work and chill. Try the truffle avocado toast too!

Some other notable places: Gotan,Chalait, MatchaBar, Boba Guys, Bluestone Laneand many more I have yet to try

best matcha

For all of you matcha lovers and those who remain curious, I hope you find this helpful!

Wellness Rituals I Practice Regularly

Hi guys! Wow, it has been quite some time since I wrote a meaningful post. Huge thanks for those of you still choosing to follow along on this platform, I appreciate you! You can expect to hear from me more often these days.

After sharing some of my favorite daily rituals here, I thought it could be helpful to expand upon the topic. Please ignore the "to stay slim and rev up metabolism" part in the header - I did not share those things to promote weight loss. Mindfulness and "well-being" are such hot topics for discussion today but I also think it's crucial to find and practice rituals that serve YOU and not because you feel pressured to follow someone else's routine. We could all use a little reminder to remove some of the "shoulds" in life. Do what feels good to you and if it's not serving you in any way, let that shit GO. Find below some of my favorite ways that help provide wellness in my life.

Wellness Rituals

1. Breathe - After living with severe anxiety a few years ago, I learned just how important it is to breathe. For those of you who have or currently experience anxiety, it can feel difficult to breathe normally - not getting in adequate oxygen and/or hyperventilation. Deep breaths also do wonders when stress creeps in. Try taking one long inhale and then exhale, counting down to five on the exhale.

Yoga

1. Yoga - I actually don't practice yoga daily but several times per week. And sometimes by doing yoga, I often mean doing a quick sequence and stretches on my own vs. an actual class. I find even doing some poses to help stretch my body out is so helpful and feels SO good!

2. Meditation - Another strategy that helped with anxiety that stuck and again, I don't do this daily either but when I did, it was life-changing. I found it helped me relax but also to let go of the things in life that I had zero control over. *Remember, anxiety never fully goes away, you just adapt and form positive coping strategies

Matcha

1. Matcha - I love a good matcha latte. Coffee also brings me joy but when I am feeling increased stress or anxiety, matcha comes through like a champ. It still provides a great deal of energy without the typical side effects of caffeine in a strong cup of coffee. *Everyone reacts to caffeine differently. Matcha provides calm, focused energy for me so I like to switch it up between coffee and matcha weekly.

2. Gratitude list - Saying or writing out 3 things I am grateful for daily has a huge, positive impact on my day. It helps set the tone for the remainder of the day, helping me stay grounded. I usually say them in my head but l write them down every so often.

There are so many others I could list but the above has had the biggest impact. Let me know if you try any of these or tell me what you do to bring wellness into your life!

The Best Pancakes in NYC

Pancakes

I felt the need to share this with you all because I have recently came across some seriously good pancakes here in the city. I have always loved pancakes but never bothered to order them out as much as I have over the past few weeks. Why? It's so easy to make at home and you can put whatever you want in them.Apparently, NYC has a killer pancake game and I can now attest to that. I am only sharing my top three with you but there are definitely more stacks out there that need to be eaten. FYI - I claimed each of these my favorite after eating but I think my #1 goes to Hi-Collar. The other two might be a tie. All so amazing, you're just going to have to take my word for it.Japanese-style hot cakes at Hi-Collar. So ridiculously fluffy! Comes with a side of special orange marmalade butter and maple syrup. My favorite thus far.Blueberry pancakes at Clinton Street Baking Co. These came closest to classic buttermilk pancakes.The banana pancakes from Brigitte are cake-like yet light. A must-get stack when you're brunching here.

If you have any more recs in NYC, I'd love to hear from you!

Healthy Options with Ready Pac Foods

This post is sponsored by Ready Pac Foods. All opinions remain my own. 

I was asked to review the latest healthy, convenient food items from Ready Pac Foods. As always, I promise to give you my honest opinion!

I was very excited to try out Ready Pac Food's newest products: Fresh Prep'd Soup Kits & Wrap Kits. This new line of product definitely holds true to their motto of, "your day is packed; we packed you lunch". We all lead busy lives in our own way and some days it's extremely nice to not have to worry about what's for lunch (or dinner). Not only are these soup and wrap kits convenient but they are a great addition to a balanced lifestyle.

The Fresh Prep'd kit line consists of five different soup and wrap flavors each. You might be wondering how they stay so fresh, being shipped all over the country or finding them in your local deli and produce isles? They first use the freshest ingredients possible. During processing, they maintain specific cutting, washing and drying technology and then use special packaging formats to ensure maximum freshness.

Vegetable wrap

Vegetable wrap

If you have ever purchased a pre-made, store-bought wrap before and came to find that is was a tad underwhelming (the worst when you are hangry!), then be prepared to have your taste buds blown. Fresh Prep'd Wrap Kits do NOT get soggy. I know, I also found that questionable at first but trust me, these wraps are FRESH. See below for the assembly breakdown: All kits come nicely packaged with individual food slots (love this) so you have the option of leaving out whatever ingredient(s) you wish. All you have to do is remove the flour wrap and fork that is with the vegetables underneath. Mix in your add-ons to the veggies and add the desired about of dressing. Stir to combine well. Remove wrap from package and unfold. Add filling to the middle of the tortilla and fold/wrap up tightly like a burrito.

Vegetable wrap

Pictured is the Roasted Vegetable & Feta Wrap. I personally thought this flavor was delicious! I love how customizable all of the wraps are.

The Fresh Prep'd Soup Kits are equally as easy and perfect for work lunches. All you have to do is mix in the add-ons and soup base, add water and heat for approximately three minutes. I was amazed at how crisp and fresh the veggies stayed in the soup and the abundance of veggies! You can also add the desired amount of soup base you wish. Pictured below is the Tuscan White Bean kit - very good!

Soup

I honestly didn't expect these to be as satisfying as they were but they did the job and I highly enjoyed them. I gravitated more towards the wraps only because I am not always in the mood for soup. Work lunches were such a breeze when I had these on hand - minimal meal planning, easy to eat and even easier clean-up. I would definitely order more of these kits and plan on doing so!

Thanks again to Ready Pac Foods for providing me with product to review!

Trader Joe's Eats July

Maine

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Omelet

Hello and happy July! I hope for those of you who celebrated had a nice July 4th holiday and took part in some self-care. I spent the holiday along with a few extra days in Camden, Maine and savored every last minute of fresh air and lobstah! I posted some food pics on Insta you can check out if you missed it. One of my favorite things to do right when I get into Maine is take a looong inhale of quality air. After being stuck in a polluted city with too many crowded streets, it is SO refreshing to get out and breathe a little.I'm sharing with you another Trader Joe's Eats - just some super simple and no-fuss recipes using new and old Trader Joe's goods. Apologies if you have already seen these on my IG feed - a little late posting this!We made homemade pizza one evening using their new cauliflower crust pizza (you can find it in the frozen section). Let me just say how much easier it is to use pre-made, frozen cauliflower pizza crust! It can definitely be a fun experience making your own, but this way, you don't have to worry about tiny pieces of cauliflower spilling all over the place and forming your own dough. I am all about easy and convenient these days and I think there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, especially living in NYC.I left the cauli crust in the oven for maybe 10 minutes longer than the suggested cooking time to get that extra crisp on it. I would probably leave it in for even longer next time - love the crispy crunch! For those of you who have never tried cauliflower crust pizza before, you need to add a lot of flavor from the sauce and/or toppings. We topped ours with this crazy flavorful eggplant garlic spread along with shredded cheese, spinach, mushrooms and pancetta. Definitely recommend this combo!I was so intrigued by these veggie patties (also from the frozen section). They taste like a combo of hash brown and pea pattie. I'm a sucker for hash browns so I thought this was tasty.I cooked one in the frying pan and ate it alongside an omelet, stuffed with this yummy chive spread and local Edenworks microgreens. I topped it with more greens because they are so pretty and nutritious.

Have a wonderful week!