I want to share a few easy-to-make breakfast foods. It has the most simple ingredients and it’s just made my life a little easier every morning. 

Berry Bowl

It may look like those fancy fruit bowls you can buy at the store but you’d feel more creative if you accomplished this bowl on your own. If you wanted some alternatives to the ingredients below, you can always use your preference in yogurt. Usually I’d recommend something similar to the fruits you’d be using to have a better taste. Greek yogurt also works with anything! 

Ingredients:

• Low fat strawberry yogurt
• Half a banana
• Two mini strawberries
• Handful of blueberries
• Spoonful of peanut butter

A Lil Nutty

The easiest go-to! It offers protein, potassium, and some good fatties. Quick energy fuel for your morning routine. 

Ingredients

• Bread
• Peanut butter
• Banana
• Honey

Breakfast Roll

Being creative is one thing but bringing it out into the foods you want to come to life is a whole other world. This breakfast roll is the new and improved sushi roll. It brings out the kid in you in every way!

Ingredients

• Fruity pebbles
• Banana
• Yogurt

Whip N Honey

A true invention, or at least something I’ve absolutely never heard of. I tried being creative in the kitchen because I was bored of having eggs every day and this is what was in the refrigerator that could end well in my tummy. Am I the only one that thinks like that when I choose foods that match?

Ingredients

• Raisin bread
• Peanut butter
• Whip cream
• Honey

Can you tell I love bananas? I literally use them for everything without realizing that’s the first fruit I pick out. But it’s always so fun to add a lil potassium in your day to day. 

WHAT DO YOU THINK?! Good, right!?

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Let’s get started!

I have split the procedures into three parts to make life a little easier. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grab the pan and spread butter (or Pam).

First Stop: Icing

• 1 pint of heavy cream for whipping
• 3 tablespoons of sugar
• Egg whites (from the 5 eggs in The Cake portion)

Crack the eggs, but separate the yolk and the egg whites very carefully! This is very crucial because it makes a huge difference in the dish. If the egg yolk fall in, I would recommend you start over. That’s a main reason why we start with the eggs before adding other ingredients. Mix the heavy cream and sugar to create the fluffy merengue feel. Let it sit on the side until you’re ready to spread it as the final touch.

Next: The Cake

• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• ⅓ cup of evaporated milk
• 1 cup of sugar
• 5 eggs (same eggs from The Icing)

Add baking powder, flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Get ready to use the mixer! Let it sift until the egg yolk becomes that rich, pastel yellow color. Add the milk and the vanilla extract to the mixer and MIX! Pour it into the pan and ready to bake for about 40 minutes!

Final Stop: The Tres Leches

• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• One 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
• One 12-ounce can evaporated milk

Grab the measuring cup and add the ingredients into the bowl. Use the mixer to create the liquid spread. Before adding the icing, grab a fork to poke holes into the Tres Leches, so the spread soaks in easily before icing it.

Last Touch: The Cherries

Add the cherries with enough space to cut the dish into squares, or however you would like to cut. In a medium pan, I usually count it as 4×4, so it would be 16 cherries total- like this one.

Ready to eat and share with everyone, or maybe all just for you!

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White House Rules

Our goal for this trip was to visit the WHITE HOUSE! And it was very much accomplished. Here’s how:

• A couple of months prior, exactly three months, but 21 days in advance from our trip, we filled out a form to our congress representative to visit the White House.
• We understood it was on a first come, first serve basis, so we needed to act fast. We maximized our options and scheduled one ourselves for the two of us. Luckily, we both got the email but only visited once.
• Until we received confirmation was when we knew we were allowed to tour the House.
• I followed these rules as well, just so we were extra prepared when the trip came.
• Other tip: If you tend to use the bathroom a lot, I would use it before entering the White House. It’s a self-guided tour but no access to the restroom until you’re out. In that case, you wouldn’t be able to enter as quickly.

Photography is allowed, so we took advantage. It was a nice tour but we were only able to see a small portion of what the actual House has to offer. According to the map they provided us, we only saw a quarter of the house.

Foodies in DC

Even though we had a chance to visit the White House twice in the four days we visited Washington DC, we chose to only go once. Maybe in a more sporadic time frame we’ll visit again, just to revisit our nation’s capital.

In the meantime, here’s some foodie adventures. We were recommended Union Market because we aimed for the “local” style of traveling. We walked to it and realized it was a pretty long walk. But totally worth it!

I absolutely love wall art, especially when the message is beautiful. The Union Market was relatively large. It had multiple small stands of different kinds of foods, which made it easy to explore what your taste buds were feeling that day. We sat outside to eat for a nice breeze.

We walked around to burn some Union Market calories and stumbled upon our next snack stop.

Next up: District Taco

Much needed Mexican food! Before our late night adventure, we needed to have a snack, or meal, in our tummies. District Taco hit the right spot. 10/10 recommend!

A small comparison is the way Salsa Fiesta has their restaurant set up in Miami, Florida.

Late Nights with Jossy

I love reunions! Jossy became a great friend to us both and we’ve kept in touch ever since. She’s from Virginia, so I have no doubt she knew the area well.

We chose to do a St. Patrick’s Day Bar Crawl with her group of friends. It was a much needed local move. We got to visit the best bars in DC and adventure together. Emily and I even bought some cute headbands to dress the theme!

Overall, it was such a good trip! We enjoyed it very much and I would love to go back and live like a local again.

Thank you a million, Jossy, for showing us a piece of your home!

See you next time!

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My friend, Emily, and I had such a blast looking at the little animals and wondering just how many there are. It’s how of thousands of animals with over 50 species being represented.

Touristy Things

We also had the opportunity to tour the CNN Headquarters in Atlanta. Exploring the tv room, where the anchors present and how everything is run was amazing. Seeing the behind the scenes really puts it into perspective since we usually just see what’s in front of the tv screen.

Georgia is such a nice state. They still experience all seasons and I absolutely love that. It was a short trip but we had a blast!

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Boy, did I judge HARD. I visited Dallas for a seminar a couple of weeks ago and it changed my whole perspective on the city! As my friend picked me up, I noticed the buildings were all a nice red brick, there were plenty of plants for shade and that abstract view of flowers… it was all so beautiful and perfectly placed. It felt like we were looking at Dallas during the fall season- so many colors!

We were told Yolk was the place to be for brunch. It was no Yolk that the recommended place was great before we met up with the rest of the group. I had the nutty monkey cakes which were sweet peanut butter-layered pancakes with banana slices and chocolate chips. Have you gotten hungry yet? It gets better! My friend had the chicken n’ waffles, that had crispy fried boneless chicken breast, sausage gravy, sunny side up egg and warm syrup on waffles.

Can you tell I love food yet? Ready for some more?

We went to Nodding Donkey and I loved the vibe. It was the country style I needed before leaving Texas, because who goes to Texas without doing or eating something country related?

Penne Pomodoro was also pretty good. It was an Italian style location and the pasta was amazing! My friend said it was the hang out spot for students on a casual day. I asked for the gnocchi with Alfredo sauce and parmesan cheese, which added flavor. Can you tell I love cheese?

It’s not all about food. The Southern Methodist University campus is large and nice. I was excited to drive around and explore a bit since I had never visited a campus in Dallas before. Thanks to the friend we were staying with and her mom, we were able to get some insights on the campus. They absolutely love the atmosphere, the people and all the opportunities it has given them.

I absolutely looove food and exploring new places, especially those I underestimated! Have you ever thought of a place you didn’t want to return to but did anyways and loved it? I’d love to hear about it!

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What’s better than food? Burning calories to eat again! And maybe some exercise after vacation to help repeat the process.

It was four people on the trip and I’d say that’s a good amount to travel with. All the car rental, place to stay, exploring the town is so much easier. Especially if everyone wants to do something different! That’s where it gets challenging but we definitely overcome it each trip.

Cheers to Foodies in Tennessee! …and adventure.

The foodie journey is long but the burning calories part feels longer. We’re constantly walking when we travel because we know we can eat more and exercise more than we probably do at home. Terrible to think that way but it’s a start!

Hiking in Converse, aka Chucks

We started our adventure in the Short Springs State Natural Area. Man, Mother Nature is beautiful. It’s located in Coffee County, which is up to a two-hour drive from Nashville. It’s a public park and you know what the best part is? They allow dogs! The hike was recommended because there was a waterfall where everyone took their photos. Thank goodness I brought leggings and converse, also known as chucks… because I probably wouldn’t have survived otherwise. Tip: I should’ve brought sneakers but you know how I feel about traveling with closed-toed shoes… not my thing.

As a hidden gem, Short Springs was incredible. If you love the outdoors, like I do, I think it’s worth the hike… even in bleached white shoes. The area is becoming increasingly popular because of its variety of trails and waterfalls. I would say it took us about a round trip of two to three hours to hike, take photos and relax around the 420-acres.

Creative Names: Arnold Palmer Edition

I’m not sure of how many calories I lost, but time for food! We drove a little more south to explore the area and ended up in Barrel House BBQ. It was very country-like for me and the first time I was introduced to Arnold Palmer, the drink. If you thought that was a man, me too… I mean he is but back on topic. It’s a mix of sweet tea and lemonade. People are getting extra creative with naming foods and beverages nowadays.

It looked like a little shack and it was a little crowded inside. I had a grilled cheese and an ARNOLD PALMER! WOO! I have this thing that I only eat what the restaurant or area specialize in. For example: if you go to a taco place, you’re not going to eat a rib-eye steak. Or at least I wouldn’t. It was actually pretty delicious. And the fries… one of my go-to snacks. SO good!

We were so full, we needed a nap. But time for the next adventure! These houses are so cute too. Just look at the aesthetic of that photo, thanks Giselle.

Golden Hour

We walked around Bicentennial Capitol Park once we got back. There was a cute farmer’s market in town and I loved the positive messages they left on their boards. Of course, we couldn’t resist taking cute photos because we’re just young adults kids having fun.

Guess what we found!!! King of Pops!!! Yum!

Look how amazing the park’s details look during golden hour. It’s incredible that our history can shine so bright and teach us. We should be curious.

For the Taco Lovers

Of course, we’re traveling, so we always need new foods. Our taste buds are getting sensitive with the same type of meals but we’re back at it again. Next up: tacos!

Bartaco was neat and unexpected. There were SO many cheap options and I felt like eating every little taco. They were so cute and tiny but very tasty!

First thing’s first! The host sits your group down and you grab a menu sheet from the table. You gather how many of what type of foods you want and place the order. It’s similar to how we order at Cien Montaditos, a cute sandwich restaurant in Miami, Florida, if you’ve been. Be careful with some, they may be spicy!

If you order a variety like we did, you’ll have your taste buds tingling. It was also a snack for us since we would still adventure around before the day’s end.

Art in Nashville

At some points in our trip, we’d find wall art to compliment the city. It was nice being a tourist until you had to be one of those to wait in line for your picture with everyone staring at your every move. Regardless of that, you’re making memories with your friends! Explore and take all the photos you want!

The Music City

Everywhere we walked, there was some type of statue or musical instrument around. It’s what helps make Nashville the Music City and of course, Elvis Presley. The man, the myth, the legend…

The Country Music Hall of Fame Museum helped us understand a little more of the history. It has developed multiple platforms to involve all kinds of audiences from the world. As an unrivaled cultural treasure, it has made a tremendous impact on country but also the music offers from its legends. RCA Studio B has thrived in its presence and has introduced artists like Dolly Parton and Elvis Presley, just to name a few.

We walked around the museum, admiring all the artifacts and reading all about the music. So much has changed since then. Isn’t it crazy how much the physical appearance of anything music related has developed with it? From records to cd’s to everything digital. Our world is beautiful.

This guitar in particular has a little staircase behind it to explore the inside. You get to see yourself in a real life HUGE guitar. SO cool!

RCA Studio B is a part of the Hall of Fame itself. It’s where the recording artist would make their music happen. Here’s a corner of what the room looked like and some popular songs posted.

Foodies Aren’t Even Ready

Here’s a recap from some of the other places we ate at:

Acme Feed & Seed

Where the locals go!! It’s a hole in the wall with live music. We were sat on the second floor in these small picnic looking tables. It felt like a Chinese-Country vibe… quite interesting. Everything was so flavorful. We definitely need ones of these restaurants back home!

Pinewood Social

Although we weren’t able to bowl in their alley, we did eat their food. *wink wink* Pinewood Social is a space created for social gatherings or casual coffee meetings. The prices were reasonable, especially since they had more than just food to offer. Once you entered, there was a large bar island and booths surrounding it before the bowling alley. They also offered karaoke some nights. I would consider it as a mix of Earls and Root & Bone, classy but chill vibes.

Desano Pizza

Peg Leg Porker

This relatively small restaurant is 100% family owned and operated. It’s voted #1 bbq in Nashville and I completely attest to it.

The restaurant feels like it’s in an alley, or at least when we did it felt that way. We had dinner there and it was extremely dark out. Once we entered, it was a type of service like at the Publix deli– you go in, order, pick your ticket number and wait with your number to be called. But the key is looking for seats before the ordering process because it gets packed quick!!

With a glimpse of adventure and SOO much food, welcome to Nashville, Tennessee! You’re ready… or even more than ready!

XOXO, Mel

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