catch-up | pt. 2

It told you it was coming. Prepare yourselves for heaps of photos.

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colorado

We freaking love our cousins that live in Boulder, CO. Here are some shots from our latest visit, most of which are from the PRETTIEST HIKE EVER. Seriously.

CHAI SMOOTHIE BOWL
(insert that praise hands emoji here)

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catch-up

It's been a hot minute since I last blogged and boy is there a lot we have to catch up on. I'm just gonna hop right into bombarding you with photos. Enjoy.


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summer in photos

I'm playing catch-up here and sharing farrrrr too many photos from my summer. Enjoy :)

I LOVEEEE ME SOME ACAI

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celebrating samantha



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rehearsal dinner

At Hannah and Blake's rehearsal dinner, I forced all of my family to get together for a few photos and they ended up being some of our favorite photos we've ever taken together. (What would they do without me????)


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hannah's bridal shower

My older sister, Hannah, got married this summer, so our summer has been FILLED with wedding planning and prepping. It's stressful - yes, but it's just so exciting that it doesn't even matter! Paige and I were in charge of the bridal shower. Neither of us had really planned any parties/events before, so we had so much fun with it. It was supposed to be outside, but due to weather we had to move inside, which was a bit of a bummer, but it still looked great and everyone had a lovely time. Here are a few photos from the shower! (I, uh, temporarily misplaced the memory card with the rest of the photos on it....)



Heck yes, I found some more! Here's a little countdown sign I made for Hannah.



So my grandma has this gorgeous ruby ring that my sister has always coveted and my grandma surprised Hannah and gave it to her.













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phoenix phood phavorites

Hey there blog, did you think I forgot about you? I promise I didn't. 

 My sister and I moved home from Phoenix for the summer a couple weeks ago and I'm already SERIOUSLY missing it. Okay maaaaybe I'm mainly just missing the food.... I'm not totally sure why but I find so much joy in seeking out cool little places to eat and trying them all. So today I'm coming at you live with a short list (in no particular order) of my favorite places for grub in the Phoenix metropolitan area. 




1. Original ChopShop Co. - Scottsdale/Tempe/Chandler
- BREAKFAST - LUNCH - DINNER - SNACKS - DRINKS -

 Okay I know I said these are in no particular order, but this is definitely one of my top favorites. It's a trendy little cafe that serves all kinds of healthier foods like quinoa bowls, sandwiches and salads, açaí bowls, fresh juice/smoothies, and lots more. It's a young, fun, and casual atmosphere and there's outdoor seating with cute lights and yard games - does it get any better than this? No, no it doesn't.
My favs? 
The chicken balanced bowl for breakfast
The sirloin protein bowl with quinoa
The pitaya açaí bowl (so many bowls)
And the seasonal lemonade is a MUST



2. 32 Shea - Phoenix
- BREAKFAST - LUNCH - DINNER - DRINKS - COFFEE & TEA  -

 This place is so good. While their menu isn't massive, what they do have is gooood stuff. Create your own smoothies with fresh fruit? Yup. Croissant breakfast sandwiches? Yup. NUTELLA MOCHA LATTES AND NUTELLA BANANA SANDWICHES. YUP AND YUP. (Plus they have a drive-thru like whaaaat????)
My favs?
The "Yummy Yummy in My Tummy" AKA the Nutella & banana sandwich
The iced Nutella mocha with almond milk
The smoothies!!!



3. Forge Handcrafted Pizza - Phoenix
- DINNER - DRINKS -

In this rad little clump of the coooolest shops and restaurants called, "The Union", in downtown Phoenix, Forge Pizza is the perfect urban dinner spot to grab a bite to eat and chill with friends in their cute and relaxed outdoor seating area. 
My fav?
The cauliflower pizza 
(try before you judge, people)



4. Snoh Ice Shavery - Phoenix
- DESSERT - TREATS -

Is it shaved ice? Is it ice-cream? IT'S SHAVED-ICE-CREAM. 
My fav? 
The taro shaved-ice-cream with 
almond cookies, mangos, and condensed milk glaze



5. Zinburger - Phoenix/Scottsdale/Gilbert/Tucson
- LUNCH - DINNER - DRINKS - DESSERT -

Okay so there's this Arizona-based company called, "Fox Restaurant Concepts" and they have some of the best restaurants that I've ever been to. They have 15 different restaurants and 39 locations and each one is sooo well done. I've been to 7 of the 15 and they are literally all amazing is so many different ways. Some are healthy, some are more indulgent, some are casual, some are fancier, but I mean it, this company is unparalleled. Everything from the design of the menus and branding to the people they hire, they've got it figured out. Zinburger is one of my favorites of theirs. It's basically a gourmet burger and wine bar and it is SO GOOD.
My favs?
The craft-your-own-burger with kobe beef, arugula, jelly, and feta 
(one of my favorite meals of all time)
The Nutella shake, but with vanilla ice-cream adding bananas 
(I'm a waiter's nightmare)



6. North Italia - Phoenix/Scottsdale/Tucson
- BRUNCH - LUNCH - DINNER - DRINKS - DESSERT -

Another FoxRC restaurant. Seriously they know what their doing. This one is a nicer, modern, italian-style restaurant with food that's simply delectable.
My favs?
The prosciutto bruschetta appetizer
The seasonal vegetable salad



7. The Henry - Phoenix
- BREAKFAST - LUNCH - DINNER - DESSERT - DRINKS - COFFEE & TEA  -

Aaaaand another FoxRC restaurant. Are we surprised? Not even a little. This one's one of their best. When I'm not eating out (which is often I promise) I'm a big fan of avocado toast. Guess what they have for an appetizer here? YUP. Gourmet avocado toast.
My fav?
The avocado toast, duh



8. True Food Kitchen - Phoenix/Scottsdale
- BRUNCH - LUNCH - DINNER - DESSERT - DRINKS -

The best. The ultimate. And my second favorite restaurant of ALL TIME. (Second to Urth Caffe in West Hollywood - if you were wondering.) This place is good for the body and the soul. I've never had anything here that I didn't love. I'm not quite sure how they do it.  Did I mention it's another FoxRC restaurant????
My favs?
The pomegranate limeade
Edamame dumplings!!!!
Inside-out quinoa burger
Butternut squash pizza
Red chili shrimp with the shirataki noodles
Chia seed pudding for dessert
Everything else on the menu


9. Sweet Tooth Fairy - Gilbert
- DESSERT - TREATS -

Oddly, I don't have a huge sweet tooth, but I will randomly crave ice-cream, a little bit of chocolate, and cookies. And let me tell you - this place knows cookies. 
My fav?
Oatmeal cookie with 
cream-cheese frosting



10. Bahama Bucks - Chandler/Gilbert/Mesa/Tempe
- TREATS -

IT'S A SHAVED-ICE DRIVE-THRU. I REPEAT, IT'S A SHAVED-ICE DRIVE-THRU. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. Pretty sure my sister and I went here 4 times in one week.....
My fav?
A passion-fruit, mango, and kiwi shaved-ice with 
ice-cream on the bottom and cream on top



11. Phoenix Public Market Café - Phoenix
- BREAKFAST - LUNCH - DINNER - TREATS - DRINKS - COFFEE & TEA - 

This is probably the cutest place to eat in all of Phoenix. They describe themselves as a "casual, urban hangout" and that's exactly what they are. The food is healthy, fresh, and to-die-for. I had trouble deciding on one meal so I maaaaaay have gotten two. (And on Fridays, there are food-trucks!)
My favs?
The Evans-Churchill
The chick pea pancakes



12. The Coffee Shop at Agritopia - Gilbert
- BREAKFAST - LUNCH - COFFEE & TEA - 

I would often come here just to chill and work on homework. It's an cute, chill atmosphere and locally owned which I love. They don't have a massive menu, but their coffee drinks are some of the best I've had. And they won Cupcake Wars, so it's sort of wrong if you don't try a cupcake.
My favs?
The granola with berries and almond milk
The prairie toast with avocado
The iced caramel macchiato with almond milk is my FAV
The pumpkin whoopie



13. Joyride - Phoenix/Gilbert
- LUNCH - DINNER - DESSERT - DRINKS - 

Chill atmosphere and bomb-a$$ tacos. Enough said.
My favs?
The Baja fish tacos
The almond horchata aqua fresca to drink
The mini churros!!!



14. Crêpe Bar - Tempe
- BREAKFAST - LUNCH - TREATS - COFFEE & TEA -

I try not to judge people but if you don't love crêpes WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU. This place is bomb. A young, urban crêpe and coffee bar that is just plain amazing. If you're in the area, you have to go.
My favs?
The Andouille Sausage crêpe
The 13Mi Vegetable crêpe
The "First Time" crêpe (Nutella & banana brùlée!!)
The Vanilla Bean Custard crêpe with nut du jour
Probably everything else on the menu



15. POMO Pizzeria Napoletana - Phoenix/Scottsdale
- LUNCH - DINNER - DRINKS - 

I studied abroad in Italy and upon my return to the states, I was craving some authentic Italian pizza. After a bit of research I found this place and it seriously took me right back to Italy. The guys working there spoke Italian and I loved every second of it. They even serve you limoncello afterwards, just like in Italy. Whenever I had friends in town, I took them here. 


My favs? 

The Diavola
The Principe



16. Tea & Toast Co. - Phoenix
- BREAKFAST - LUNCH - DINNER - TREATS - COFFEE & TEA - 

Tea and toast. Literally me in a restaurant. This place is brand new and killing it. They are slowly adding more and more to the menu and I'm in pain over the fact that I have to wait to try it all until I go back to Phoenix. They also serve Teaspressa Tea which is basically like an espresso machine that does tea instead of coffee. So their tea drinks are amazing. Definitely one of my all-time favorites.
My favs?
The Bacon Jam & sunny-side-up egg toast
The blueberry jam, lemon curd, and pistachio snow toast
The croissants with Nutella 
The iced London fog tea latte with almond milk



17. Nami Tsoft Tserve & Coffee - Phoenix 
- TREATS - COFFEE & TEA - 

For all my fellow lactose-sensitive peeps, this is our place. They call them Tsoynamis and they're basically DQ Blizzards, but with soy ice-cream and healthier/vegan ingredients. I can't even tell you the amount of times I drove through rush-hour traffic just so I could get a one of these bad boys. And it was worth it every time. 
My favs?
The Clunky Monkey with vanilla
The Dough Boy with vanilla

And there you have it - some of the best places to eat in Phoenix. Obviously there are so many more, but these are the ones I tried, loved, and wanted to share. PLEASE go try these out if you're in the area. My mouth is watering just thinking about when I'll be back to enjoy them all again.

 Until next time.

 FOODIE OUT.
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