Serendipity is finding exactly what you’re looking for, without looking for it. Like this mural I happened upon while wandering Logan Square. It was serendipitous that 1.) the wall perfectly matched my fav new heels and 2.) it started pouring 2 seconds after this photo was taken. When it rains it pours and June was jam-packed with a flurry of activity. It’s those moments of joy before you even know what’s coming at you that make the journey though. Let’s flashback to a few of my June favorites over the last month below.

Every month I like to take a moment to reminisce on all the little discoveries that brought joy to my day, whether a workout that left me inspired or a meal that I’ll remember forever. Here’s the rundown on June Favorites:

1.) Favorite Fashion Finds: A New Day Michaela Pumps

Not sure whether it’s happenstance or the Target curse, but I found myself meandering through an array of cute new sandals at Target this past weekend and walked away with two pairs when all I really came for were some sandwich bags – oops. These bright red block heels can add a pump of color whether dressed up or casual. And get this, they’re less than $30! Plus, Target is running a 20% off sale now through July 4! Super comfortable, though note these run a bit narrow – so don’t feel shy to go with the wide cut.

2.) Favorite Breakfast: Purely Elizabeth Vibrant Oats

I LIVE for color and these bold, superfood-filled oats from Purely Elizabeth are EVERYTHING. I happened upon these while perusing Plum Market in Old Town after a Soul Cycle class. It was like the universe wanted me to try them with that bright “on sale” sign saying, try me! buy me! I’m a sucker for marketing (even though I work in marketing), so I bought every kind. The one above gets its vibrant blue hue from spirulina, a superfood loaded with antioxidants and known to detoxify, lower blood pressure and boost energy. They’re also relatively low in sugar (6g from coconut sugar) and come with a crunchy granola topping (the Purely Elizabeth granola is pure crack).

3.) Favorite Refreshment: Limitless Lightly Caffeinated Sparkling Water

Limitless Coffee is known for sourcing beans from farms that are wet washed so they’re free of contaminants (more on that here). I’m a big fan of their cold brew coffee and iced matcha, so I was thrilled to see a new offering when they exhibited at the asweatlife Fitness Festival a couple weeks ago. This sparkling water gets a bit of a caffeinated kick from green coffee beans. No calories, no sugar and no artificial ingredients makes this a hybrid between LaCroix and green tea, which has about the same amount of caffeine (35mg). I tried the Blood Orange and Cucumber Pear – both oh so good without being overpowering flavor-wise.

4.) Favorite Snack: Purely Pecans Sweet Potater Pecan Butter

I visited the Smart Foods Expo last week to explore the latest in the better for you and plant based food arena. There’s a lot of exciting stuff underway, but my favorite of the show was this Purely Pecan Sweet Potater Pecan Butter made with pecans, sweet potatoes and a touch of maple and cinnamon. Tastes just like pecan pie in a jar! Also, some fun facts: pecans are the most antioxidant-rich tree nut and the copper in pecans helps to reduce inflammation, like that caused by arthritis. I smothered these apples slices with pecan butter, shredded coconut and extra pecans for a healthy take on a “cookie” that was a super easy afternoon snack.

5.) Favorite Workout: 606 Workout with Shred415 and Lululemon

Every summer, Shred415 and Lululemon partner to offer free outdoor workouts across the city. The workouts are taught by Shred415 instructors and follow a similar high intensity interval training format, alternating between running exercises and body weight strength training. I went to the workout on the 606 trail in Bucktown last week and it was a scorcher – the weather and the workout! Four trainers split the group of 30-40 in half with one group focusing on running drills for the first half of the hour-long session while the other group did strengthening exercises like curtsies and split jumps for some cardio. Everyone who attended not only got the workout for free, but also got a free session at Shred415 – score! Plus, there was a burpee competition at the end and well, I’m always in it to win it, so I scored a bonus 5-pack. I’ll be going again next Thursday, July 12, if you want to join me!

6.) Favorite Recipe: Paleo Pop Tarts with Strawberry Chia Jam

This was my first foray into baking with alternative flours and it did not disappoint! Mashed banana added just the right amount of natural sweetness and stickiness to keep this dough together. The pop tarts are filled with a strawberry chia jam that takes roughly 10 minutes to make and can be added to everything from oatmeal to yogurt. The real eye pop is the Pearl Butter Smarty Pants coconut butter, which serves as the icing. This one’s a bit time consuming, but a fun morning activity and a definite show-stopper!

7.) Favorite Plant-Based Meal: Beyond Burger Lettuce Wraps

Before Beyond Meat came along, veggie burgers were mostly bean or soy-based flimsy patties that tasted nothing like the real thing. That’s fine and good for some, but if you’re craving a better version of a thick and juicy burger, Beyond Burger will straight-up fool you. The texture is on point and the beet juice gives it a tenderness and pink color before cooking that will leave you in awe. I paired mine with a butter lettuce “bun”, a juicy beef steak tomato and creamy avocado slices for a hearty plant-based meal that rivaled even the best burger joints.

8.) Favorite New Restaurant: Pacific Standard Time

I visited Pacific Standard Time in Chicago’s River North a few weeks ago for a work event and was awed by every bite, but especially the desserts from Natalie Saben, former pastry chef at Grace. Saben even earned a 30 under 30 award from Zagat at her prior gig, so it’s no surprise that she continues to bring it at Pacific Standard Time. This new American restaurant opened about 2 months ago under the helm of Erling Wu-Bower (opening chef of Nico Osteria) and Joshua Tilden (former director of strategic operations at One Off Hospitality). Favorites of the night were the bright sungold tomatoes with creamy burrata, crispy chicken with pistachio aillade and the toasted vanilla macaron with banana semifreddo and candied hazelnuts (shown above).

9.) Favorite Workout Jams: Spin Class – June 2018 on Spotify

This was my last month of teaching on the reg at Cycle X Studio before taking the summer off to do more outdoor biking. Just in time, Cardi B and Drake dropped some mega hits to add to my list of favorite songs for the month. Even though I’ll be taking the summer off from teaching, I’ll still keep my monthly playlists running. Follow me on Spotify (search for Meghan Shookman) to always have a fresh list of songs to power you through your workouts.

10.) Favorite Bar: Parson’s Chicken & Fish

There are three reasons I love Parson’s: 1.) it’s a dog-friendly patio, which means Moose gets to join in the fun 2.) it’s a block and a half from my house and 3.) they serve the best dang frozen beverages in town, including the negroni and an always-rotating specialty frozen cocktail. It’s a hipster scene for sure, but always filled with adorable puppies and their loving furparents on sunny days.

That’s a wrap on June! Can’t wait to see what July has in store!

The post June Favorites appeared first on The Shooks Life.

Awww…snap! Summer is in season, my friends! Before we jump into June, let’s rewind on May. Check out the list below of my May favorites – places, products and passions. As per usual, if you have a suggestion of a workout, product or recipe I should try in June, let me know in the comments. Happy kick-off to summer!Roll out the red carpet, here’s the top 10 places, products and pastimes from May!

1.) Favorite Places to Lolly Dolly: every spring I look forward to the opening of the Green City Market Lincoln Park. It’s my favorite farmer’s market in Chicago for the rows of fresh produce, divine bits like fresh tamales and a great spot for Moose to meet new pooch friends. I love how the market evolves as new produce pops up throughout the season!

2.) Favorite Brunch Spot: Mindy’s Hot Chocolate is a staple in Wicker Park and while it may be most famously known for the rich cups of hot cocoa and decedent desserts, it’s one my absolute favorite brunch spots for its rotating seasonal menu of fresh fare like the creamy spring pea risotto I had there recently. My husband is a die hard french toast fan and inhaled the strawberry rhubarb french toast with sweet cream. I’m more of a savory brunch fan, but it was hard to keep my hands off that french toast.

3.) Favorite Workout: with all that brunching, something needs to offset the decadence. This month, the first of my favorite workouts was flowing to Cardi B at Y7Studio in NYC. This hip hop yoga studio gave me all the positive yoga vibes.  And I absolutely NEED every piece of apparel on their racks, including the “I make yoga moves” tank.

4.) Favorite Workout Jams: nothing gets the body moving like good tunes. Get my personally curated playlist featuring my favorite mash-ups of May on SoundCloud. Catch these songs as I return to teaching spin as a guest instructor at Cycle X Studio Monday mornings in June! First class is free!

5.) Favorite Beauty Hack: when you’ve got a 9-5 and side hustles as a blogger and spin instructor, time is a hot commodity. Thanks to Amazing Lash Studio Lincoln Park, I can roll out of bed looking gorgeous with lashes for days.

6.) Favorite Indulgence: my willpower may have been at a low, but I did not regret stocking up on a stack (literally) of Vosges Haut Chocolate Bars at O’hare earlier in the month. I wouldn’t have expected it, but my favorite of the bunch was the Coconut Ash & Banana Super Dark Chocolate Bar. It was just the right amount of island sweet to offset the bitter, but rich dark chocolate. Close second was the Matcha Green Tea & Spirulina Super Dark Chocolate Bar. Give me all the antioxidants and superfoods!

7.) Favorite New Product: The Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi is worth the hype peeps! Seared in a pan, it had the perfect crispy exterior and pillowy center. Paired with a simple sage butter and…perfection! Get the sage butter dEATs here.

8.) Favorite Workout: there were too many favorites this month to pick just one, but the Peloton Tread class absolutely killer! I literally booked the class before I even booked my flight when I had a business trip to NYC earlier this month. Now the wait begins until the new tread is released this fall! Check out my blog post on the class and treadmill here.

9.) Favorite Way to Restore: Chill Meditation + Massage in Chicago’s River North turned this busy bee into a believer. Living in the moment and tuning out the noise is not my forte, but Chill helped me to see the light and pause in the moment. Walked out feeling the sweet sweet nirvana of a mind at rest. For more on my experience, check out my post.

10.) Favorite Recipe: it’s always SO HARD to choose just one because I love all of my babies! But, if I had to pick (which I force myself to pick just one), it’s hands down the vegan red pepper crema that I paired with everything from fresh veggies, to strips of baked avocado in tacos and even pasta. This one is a must try, my friends!

I hope you enjoyed these May favorites. Excited to see what June brings and hope you are too!

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Finally time to put away the sweaters! Hurrah! And, it’s the start of a new month, which means a roundup of my April favorites. See below for the top 10 and if you’ve got places, products or workouts that I should check out, let me know in the comments!

Drumroll, here’s the top 10 places, products and pastimes from April!

1.) Favorite coffee shop:

Ipsento Coffee in Bucktown is my go-to for a Saturday afternoon perk-up post dog park excursion with Moose. They always have unique seasonal beverages like this lychee match tea latte and the best tiny sweet potato-based donuts that don’t even make you feel guilty because they’re so adorably tiny.

2.) Favorite workout:

Climbing indoor mountains at First Ascent bouldering gym made me feel like a serious spiderwoman ready to conquer the world. For more info, check out my blog post on this bad ass experience.

3.) Favorite restaurant:

True Food Kitchen is seriously the bomb diggity (aging myself) when it comes to fresh, seasonal and chef-inspired deliciousness. It’s rapidly expanding with 1 location in Chicago. I finally visited and had to hold myself back from ordering absolutely everything on the menu. I settled on this inside out quinoa burger with two crunchy quinoa patties buns filled with loads of veggies and oozing with hummus and creamy tzatziki sauce. Served with a sweet potato hash to round out the ultimate vegetarian burger experience. Run, don’t walk there…now.

4.) Favorite afternoon pick-me-up:

Four Sigmatic mushroom cacao is the answer to the sugar demons that perk up mid-afternoon. This chocolately delight is “like a warm hug from grandma” and tempers stress with superfood reishi. Plus, there’s only 2g of sugar per serving!

5.) Favorite snack:

Trader Joe’s Organic Fruit & Seed Granola will make you forget that gluten ever tasted good. Pop it, snack it, top salads and yogurt.

6.) Favorite snack:

(can you tell I like snacks?) Another winner from Trader Joe’s is this Seed and Bean Medley filled with crispety crunchety edamame, roasted pepitas, whole kernel corn, fava beans and green peas.

7.) Favorite snack:

(call the police, this snackaholic is on a real binge) I discovered these vegan chocolate bars from Tabal Chocolate when at The One of a Kind Show last weekend and practically had to be dragged away.  TBH, I’ve only tried the Coconut Mylk bar thus far because I’m trying to savor every last delectable bit until I can make my way back to the shop in Wauwatosa, WI. Yes, I could order online, but it’s just. not. the same. Call me old school.

8.) Favorite self-care products:

This new shaving cream compliments of eos is super smooth and soothing. It’s filled with natural ingredients like cucumber seed oil, lavender butter and wild oat to calm sensitive skin. I love that it’s easy to take on the go to the gym with these sleek Venus Platinum razor to make shaving feel a bit more luxurious vs the usual chore. I received both products compliments of @influenster  but always provide honest opinions and don’t write about products that aren’t worth your time (or mine).

9.) Favorite indulgence:

This crackerjack donut from Mordecai Chicago is everything your nostalgic heart remembered about that salty sweet snack with the rando toys. Topped with freshly popped popcorn and a caramel crunch, but the real delight is the creamy filling reminiscent of a Butterfinger. Still drooling over this. Next game at Wrigley, this is a must-visit.

10.) Favorite recipe:

Not to toot my own horn, but these Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos were off the charts firey deliciousness. Got Cinco de Mayo plans? You do now. Recipe here!

That’s a wrap on my April favorites, friends! Remember to send any requests my way for new things to check out in May!

The post April Favorites appeared first on The Shooks Life.

New month, new beginning and always something positive to pull forward…except for the cold, that can stay with March. Let’s flashback to some of my favorite products, places and playlists.

1.) Too good spring pea pesto that was the “sauce” for my beet crust pizza, but just as good as a dip. For the recipe, check out my post here.

2.) When you’re food obsessed and walk around @wholefoods like it’s a candy factory, you come back with lots of goodies like:

•  @purely_elizabeth Ancient Grain Granola in Cranberry Pecan (seriously clean and seriously addictive)
• @simplemills Pumpkin Muffin Mix (gluten-free goodness made with almond flour)
• @vitalproteins matcha (perks of collagen peptides + creamy matcha)
• @moderntablemeals lentil pasta
• @365bywholefoods beet crust (check out my pizza creation here)
• @sunfood trail mix (raw, organic goodies like goji berries & cashews)

3.) All the tunes to keep your body moving and grooving whether spinning, running or commuting – cannot get enough of P.Y.T. Check out this playlist on Spotify here.

4.) The pretty pastels of this roasted purple cauliflower and sunset fingerling potatoes.

5.) Fuel for your workout like @healthwarrior chia bars and cooling + cleansing wipes from @oarsandalps to help you face the day with some extra pep from caffeine.

April, we’re ready for you!

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