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.

Straight up, wait up, hold up, Mr. Lover. Like Prince said you’re a sexy avocado. Oh wait, did I just mashup 2 of my faves? If Salt-N-Pepa got word of these baked avocados, I’m sure I’d get a “that sounds sexy!”. I had every intent of making these crispy strips of avocado into tacos, but they were so dang good on their own, that I just straight up grazed on all this roasted veggie goodness. And the vegan red pepper crema – honey, dip it, dunk it because it is so worth it! Don’t be shy, ask for dEATs (and get ’em below).

Here I go again. Girls what’s my weakness? Avocado. And Salt-N-Pepa. And tacos. I’ve got a lot of weaknesses, okay? And there’s nothing I love more than combining all my faves in one. Ever since I made these Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos, I’ve been obsessed with finding more veg friendly tacos. Avocado is usually a garnish on a taco, but what if it was the star of the show? Wish it, wonder it, make it happen. Gluten free and vegan baked avocados it is! And since a taco isn’t a taco without something saucy atop, I mixed up this vegan red pepper crema for drizzling and dipping to your hearts content.

I thought the baked avocado was going to be the star here, but O-M-G, this red pepper crema is amazeballs. Like, I want to put it on everything (and probably will). The creamy base is raw cashews soaked overnight in water and then blended with roasted red peppers, nutritional yeast and paprika.

If you’re not yet familiar with nutritional yeast, hop on the train because this caboose delivers cheese-like flavor, tons of nutrients like B12 and is a complete protein. It comes in a flaky or powder form and is low in fat and sodium, gluten free and contains iron. Talk about nutritional magic dust.

Also, option to add one more secret ingredient: a scoop of Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides. Find out all the benefits of collagen here.

So while my original intent was tacos, these baked avocados make a great appetizer too when paired with the red pepper crema. Make sure the avocado is *slightly* under ripe. You want it to be firm enough to hold it’s shape through dipping in almond milk and then breading with seasoned panko. I was also super stoked to find shishito peppers at Trader Joe’s this past weekend. I first tried these at a market in Madrid, Spain, but they’re actually Korean. Hot off the grill, these blistered little peppers are a spicier version of a green bell pepper – something like 1 in every 10 is bit hotter like a milder jalapeno.

Also, the striped bell peppers that I charred with portabellos and sweet onion are a variety that were first discovered in The Netherlands in 2013. The enjoya peppers have a yellow base color with strips of red, similar to a Gala apple. They’re sweet and crisp just like a red bell pepper, but ‘o so much prettier.

I found both the shishito and Enjoya peppers at my local Trader Joe’s, but char whatever veggies you like with this baked avocado and red crema stat – you won’t be disappointed!

Baked Avocado with Vegan Red Pepper Crema
Serves 4
Ingredients:

Baked Avocado
– 2 firm avocados
– 4 T unsweetened, unflavored almond milk
– 3/4 C panko bread crumbs
– 1 tsp smoked paprika
– 1/2 tsp cumin
– 1/2 tsp garlic powder
– pinch of salt & pepper

Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Crema
– 1 red bell pepper, roasted (I bought a jar from Trader Joe’s)
– 1 C raw cashews soaked overnight in the fridge
– 1/2 C of water
– 1 clove of garlic (or 1 tsp of jarred, minced garlic)
– 1 tsp smoked paprika
– 1 tsp nutritional yeast
– 1/2 tsp salt
– freshly ground black pepper, to taste
– optional: 1 scoop of Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides

Directions:

Baked Avocado
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and prepare two dipping stations: fill one shallow bowl with the almond milk and the other with the panko, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix the dried breading thoroughly.
Step 2: Halve the avocados, using a large knife to remove the pits. Lay the avocado halves skin side down on a cutting board and slice into 3 equal parts or roughly 6 slices per avocado. Gently peel away the skin.
Step 3: Dip the avocado slices in the almond milk, allowing excess to drip off. Then coat in the panko spice mix, using a spoon if necessary to fully coat all sides. Place on the foiled baking sheet.
Step 4: Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Crema
Step 1: Place all ingredients in a food processor. Mix until a creamy texture. Add additional water depending on desired thickness.
Step 2: Enjoy as a dip for your favorite veggies or as a sauce for tacos or pasta.

The post A grazer’s delight appeared first on The Shooks Life.