Taking a step backward after taking a step forward isn’t always a disaster; it’s more like a cha cha. And that’s how I choose to view the last month on the road readying a new product for launch. En route to Colorado from Austin, we side stepped our way to Santa Fe. It was only a day, but it was filled with play! Whether you have 24 hours or 2-4 days, Santa Fe is a playground for artists, foodies and fitness aficionados alike! Cha cha your way to my top picks below!

You can sure work up a hunger on the 11-hr drive from Austin to Santa Fe. Bring snacks, but not too many because Santa Fe is a feast for foodies. Expect dishes featuring local ingredients like red and green chile (also known as Christmas chile), blue corn tortillas and even donuts, prickly pair margaritas (yes, there is a margarita trail!) and sopaipilla (fried bread pockets to soak up that chile).There’s something to fill your fancy morning, noon and night. Here’s what I fancied during my stay in Santa Fe:

Food You Should Fancy in Santa Fe:

Morning Food: Visit the Santa Fe Farmer’s Market from 7am-1pm on Tuesdays and Saturdays for a plethora of fresh foods. Thought Santa Fe was in a desert? Sure is, but you couldn’t tell from all the fresh produce. Dare I say one of the best farmer’s markets I’ve been to? Yes, I dare. Make sure to tickle your sweet tooth with a Lavender Blue Corn Donut from Whoo’s Donuts. You can nibble on one at Sky Coffee Co while taking in the views of the railyard on the patio overlooking the market. They serve a legit brew from Onyx Coffee Lab out of Fayetteville.

Noon Food: By this point, you’ve worked up a hunger and probably need more caffeine to fuel your day. Visit Iconik Coffee Roasters for a Horchata Latte and some seriously fresh breakfast food that is unexpectedly good from a coffee shop. I feasted on a Brunch Ratatouille loaded with eggplant, greens, creamy grits and poached eggs. It’s a neighborhood joint with ample parking and a quiet patio for dining al fresco if quarantine still has you uncomfortable with indoor dining.

Night Food: A visit to Santa Fe isn’t complete without trying the infamous green chile and margaritas! My top pick: the Christmas Chile Enchiladas and Prickly Pear Frozen Margarita from La Choza. It’s a twofer – why choose red or green chile when you can have both ladled over loaded enchiladas (vegetarian, carne adovada, chicken or beef) made with local blue corn tortillas? It’s a filling plate paired with a side salad, posole, pinto beans and choice of sopaipilla, French bread or tortillas. I chose the vegetarian tamales filled with sauteed broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini and yellow squash paired with sopaipilla – a puffy friend bread pocket to soak up the red and green chili. Wash it down with a vibrant pink prickly pear margarita. Hubs went with carne adovada – chicken slowly cooked in a rich marinade of chile caribe, oregano and spices.

While there’s plenty to eat, there’s certainly plenty to do in Santa Fe, even in times of quarantine. Whether you’re an art, history or fitness buff, you can find all three in Santa Fe. And yes, you can hit it all in a single day! Here’s my activity guide for some breathtaking art, history and wilderness.

Sites to See with 24 Hours in Santa Fe

Breathtaking Art: Take a stroll down Canyon Road for a plethora of art galleries, gorgeous pueblo-style architecture, native plants and gorgeous gardens. The road is home to more than 100 galleries, boutiques and restaurants in just a 1/2 mile stretch. We took our stroll by car on our way to the next site!

Invigorating Hiking: If you’re looking for some fresh air, stunning views of the city and a way to work off those enchiladas, visit the Santa Fe Canyon Preserve – 575 acres of nature and trails located just minutes outside of downtown Santa Fe on Upper Canyon Road. At the Cerro Gordo Trailhead, you can access the Santa Fe Dale Balls Trails with 25 miles worth of hiking through the foothills. Head south for more mountainous terrain scattered by Ponderosa pine trees or venture north for more shrubland in the lower, dryer terrain.

Plentiful History: Stimulate the mind after all that hiking by checking out the ample museums in Santa Fe. Some, like the Institute of American Indian Arts, are now closed due to quarantine, but still offer gorgeous sites of architecture and art from the exterior. Santa Fe is also home to the Georgia O’Keefe Museum, the Santa Fe Opera House, the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi and the Museum of International Folk Art. Many of these sites can be seen with a stroll around the Santa Fe Plaza. Check websites to confirm the sites that are open during quarantine, because unfortunately the popular Meow Wolf contemporary art exhibit is not.

While quarantine may limit some activities, road trips are not cancelled and Santa Fe is a welcome oasis of activity, food and culture. You bet I’ll be back! Have reco’s for my next visit? Oh do share!

The post Santa Fe In a Day appeared first on The Shooks Life.

The secret to a flippin’ great Saturday: Oatmeal Banana Blender Pancakes. A thick, fluffy, gluten-free stack with just the right amount of sweetness from that overly ripe banana you didn’t have the heart to turn into yet another loaf of banana bread. This recipe proves your blender is good for more than just smoothies. With all the time saved from this blender hack, you can make your own cinnamon apples and homemade coconut caramel sauce to top it all off. Get the recipes for these simply good pancakes, sauteed apples and homemade caramel sauce below!

Confession: I’ve always been a boxed pancake mix gal. It’s so easy…and good! Until, I realized just how simple it is to make pancakes from scratch with gluten-free oats magically converted to oat flour in the blender! Seriously. That’s all it takes. Rolled oats, in a blender! It’s like riding a bike with training wheels. There is no way to screw up this recipe. And, what I love is that there is just the right amount of sweetness from whole foods like banana. I somehow always forget about one loan banana that is past its prime and what does one do with one overripe banana? One banana won’t even suffice to jump on the banana bread bandwagon!

So why oat flour? Let me count the ways. Here are my top 5 reasons to pick oat flour over other options:

Why Oat Flour Wins Every Saturday Morning Pancake Feast at My House

1.) Low Glycemic Index: the glycemic index (GI) is an indication of a food’s impact on blood glucose (also known as blood sugar levels). Oats have a lower GI score than other grains, so they won’t spike your blood sugar like pancake mixes made with white flour.
2.) Natural Source of Protein: Oats are a good source of protein with 6g of protein per cup. No need to add protein powders to make these flapjacks a protein powerhouse!
3.) Fiber, Baby: Oatmeal is rich in both soluble and insoluble fiber. According to Healthline, soluble fiber leads to slower digestion, increased fullness and appetite suppression. And insoluble fiber helps with bowel movements if things aren’t going with the flow.

Now that you’re aware of the wonders of oats, let’s talk about the type to use. For this recipe, you’ll want to use rolled oats. Steel cut oats will take too long to break down while instant oats will instantly become…mush. My favorite rolled oats are from The Soulfull Project. For every serving of oats purchased, a serving is donated to a local foodbank. Plus the oats are certified gluten-free and I love the texture and health benefits of the chia and flax seeds that are incorporated in the Hearty Grains & Seeds blend.

Enough chit chat already. Let’s get to making these pancakes happen in your kitchen stat! Oh and if you’re wondering if the coconut caramel sauce is worth it…it is. Saturday is calling and you should definitely answer with these pancakes, cinnamon apples and coconut caramel sauce!

Oatmeal Banana Blender Pancakes
Makes: 10-12 pancakes

Ingredients:
-2 C rolled oats (I used The Soulfull Project Hearty Grains & Seeds Hot Cereal)
-1 ripe banana
-1 pasture-raised egg (I always use Vital Farms)

-1 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
-1 T maple syrup OR make my homemade coconut caramel sauce (below)
-1 tsp vanilla
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/4 tsp sale
-optional: top with cinnamon apples (see step 4), pecan butter and additional coconut caramel sauce.

Directions: 
Step 1: In a high speed blender, grind the oats for a few seconds to create a flour-like consistency. You’ve now made oat flour!
Step 2: Add the remaining ingredients to the blender and pulse until evenly mixed, scraping down the sides if necessary and avoiding over-blending. Let sit for 10 minutes for best results (the oats will really soak everything up and the batter will thicken).
Step 3: Pour 1/3 C of the batter onto a hot griddle that’s been coated in butter, ghee or olive oil. Flip once bubbles form around the edges and the pancake becomes golden brown.
Step 4: Option to saute apples in cinnamon and ghee butter to top! Dice a medium apple and place in a saute pan over medium heat with 1 T of ghee or butter. Sprinkle with ample cinnamon and stir to coat. Allow to cook until soften and easily pierced with a fork. If the pan becomes dry, add a little water.

Coconut Caramel Syrup
Makes: 1 small mason jar

Ingredients:
-1 C coconut cream (from a can placed in the fridge overnight)
-1 C coconut sugar
-optional: top with sea salt

Directions:
Step 1: Place the coconut cream and coconut sugar in a small sauce pan over medium/low heat. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and continue to stir off and one for 15-20 minutes until thickened.
Step 2: Allow to cool and thicken. Option to add a sprinkle of see salt. Store in the fridge for up to a week.

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So this is September. Feeling a lot of gratitude these days as we enter a new moon and an opportunity for a reset. I don’t know about you, but August was rather tumultuous for me with Mercury in retrograde and a swirl of emotion that had me contemplating a lot of personal decisions about career, family and…purpose. Like, am I mindlessly climbing the ladder…or am I truly following my passions, the things that light me up? It reminded me that what truly excites me is not random. It’s connected to my purpose. And I needed to follow those passions. Like reigniting my passion for travel, my passion for driving innovation and my passion for creating connections. Read on for what sparked my clarity and creativity while in Venice Beach.

What better way to express gratitude than through food? At Cafe Gratitude all of the plant-based dishes are named for inspiring feelings like “Nourished”, “Bountiful” and “Restored”. Flavorful dishes like the “Evolved” bowl (shown above) feature local, organic produce like the oyster mushroom bulgogi, daikon, cucumber, kim chee and chickpea frittatas that top the crispy brown rice with bibimpap sauce. So much texture and flavor going on! These dishes live up to their names. But also, isn’t it amazing how just a name like “Restored” can reset your entire mood?

My lust for travel…and ice cream was fulfilled and then some at Wanderlust Creamery. This artisinal ice cream shop on Lincoln features flavors inspired by global travels. Each scoop takes you to a new destination like the Ube Malted Crunch (above, purple) inspired by the Philippines and featuring sweet purple yams with malted milk pieces. The bottom layer (green) is a Japanese Neapolitan with layers of matcha, hojicha (a more mellow green tea than matcha, with a slight nutty flavor) and black sesame seed ice cream. I have no desire to site on a flight for 10+hours to visit Japan, but I will take a walk to this ice cream shop again!

If you’ve been watching my Instagram feed, you know my new obsession with Erewhon Market. This pizza is what raw food dreams are made of. Erewhon may be “nowhere” spelled backwards, but the name of this organic grocery store and cafe might as well be spelled h-e-a-v-e-n. The crust is a crispy blend of buckwheat, sunflower seeds and flax that is topped with a creamy cashew “ricotta”, walnut pesto, cherry tomatoes and olive tapenade. This is the kind of pizza you could eat every dang day.

This gourmet grocery store is a Mecca of healthy foods that’s named after the book with the same name in which the world is a utopia where everyone is responsible for their own health. The market continues to be a pioneer in functional foods with a tonic bar (where I ordered an activated coffee of ghee, collagen peptides and…), raw food bar and aisles filled with everything under the sun from local produce to every adaptogen you can name.

The Class by Taryn Toomey may have a generic name, but it’s anything but generic. This was my second time returning to The Class, this time at The Space, formerly know as Cardio Barre. I wanted to see if it could carry the same luster the second time around and whether it would be as insanely hard, or if that was a one-time event at Wanderlust Hollywood. The verdict? Just as mentally, emotionally and physically exhausting…in a good way. Check out my prior post for a low down on what to expect.

The Butcher’s Daughter featured vegetarian fare just as clever as the name. I’ll be dreaming about the Spaghetti Squash Carbonara for days. Carbonara is a classic turned plant forward with a bed of “angel hair” spaghetti squash layered with the most decadent and creamy cashew “ricotta”, adzuki “bacon” and a soft poached egg nestled amidst spinach and seared cherry tomatoes.

Adzuki might sound like something you would sneeze, but it’s actually a red bean that is indigenous to the Himalayas. It has a relatively neutral flavor that pairs well with buckwheat and liquid smoke to create a bacon-like flavor and texture. It’s not quite as crumbly as the real deal, but I can’t wait to try making it on my own!

The Venice Canals were my serenity on this vacation. It was a quiet and calm oasis of gorgeous homes lining these man-made canals off the coastline. The canals were developed back in the early 1900’s, but were left to erode. In the early 1990’s they were resurrected to their current state of beauty for the public to wander the sidewalks and dream of Italian Villas.

The theme of my trip was really wanderment (yes, I made up that word). I so often plan every minute detail of my life, and my trips, that it sometimes takes away the joy of discovery. I happened upon this exotic sausage shop and beer hall on my way back from yoga. Now that I’m working in innovation again, I take every opportunity to discover new foods, like this rattlesnake rabbit jalapeno sausage. Like I’ve heard before, the rattlesnake tasted surprisingly like…chicken. And the jalapeno was just the kicker to spice things up.

Usually when I run out of time during my weeks, the first thing to go to the wayside is yoga. On this trip, I cultivated the time for some much-needed introspection at Love Yoga. The practice at Love Yoga is a blend of Katonah Yoga, Iynegar and Vinyasa with inspiration-laden narrative winding through challenging poses. The hands-on practice made it personalized and was especially needed for some of the unique movements. Ultimately, I left feeling radiant, transformed and ready to take on September!

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