When we first moved to Charlotte, sometimes I felt like there wasn't much going on. It always takes a little while to find your favorite places and feel like you know your way around, which is why two years later I'm finally putting this post together. I figure there's no time like the present, even if movers are coming to pack us up today as we get ready to move across the country!

The truth is that there is a ton of great food, coffee, cocktails, and craft beer in Charlotte. After twenty-five months I've narrowed down a not-so-short list of my favorites, which will make it clear why I'm leaving the Queen City at least ten pounds heavier than when I arrived.

Coffee:

• Not Just Coffee (7th Street Public Market and Atherton are my favorite locations)
• Hex Coffee
• Smelly Cat (for the cortaditos)

Food and Drink:

• Kindred (in Davidson but worth the drive)
• Sabor Latin Street Grill ($1 tacos on Tuesday and the greatest nachos ever)
• Zen Fusion (for tapas happy hour Friday and Saturday)
• Customshop (everything is good)
• Bakersfield (get the cheese dip)
• Fahrenheit (the food is okay and the drinks are expensive but the view is great) 
• Basil Thai Cuisine (they have this seafood soup that is absolutely amazing)
• Soul Gastrolounge (go early or you're going to wait 2 hours for a table)
• Lang Van (awesome hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese place)
• Bad Daddy's (great burgers) and/or JJ's Red Hots (great hot dogs)
• Sea Level (best oysters I've had in a long time and a fabulous cocktail list--the corn fritters are amazing too)

Things to Do: 

• Take a SkillPop class
• Walk along the Rail Trail
• #instabeerupclt (last Thursday of each month, search the hashtag on FB or Instagram)
• Bring a picnic to Romare Bearden Park
• Hang out at a brewery (see favorites below)
• Food Truck Friday (bring a lawn chair and a little patience)
• Visit Paper Skyscraper and try not to buy everything
• Hike to the top of Crowder's Mountain

Breweries: 

• Sycamore Brewing
• Wooden Robot
• Lenny Boy Brewing Co. (makes great kombucha)
• NoDa Brewing Co. 

If you live here or have visited, do you have any to add to the list? I'd love to hear your favorite spots (for future visits, of course)!

With Rob traveling all summer, I've gotten super lazy in the kitchen--most nights I just eat bunless hot dogs (super exciting) or open a can of tuna or, worse, order some really unhealthy takeout. Then, on Friday mornings when Rob is home, I have no groceries, so we go out for most meals. It's not a great pattern.

So when Terra's Kitchen reached out to me about doing a post together, I was pretty excited. I never knew how I felt about the whole recipe/grocery-delivery idea, but at this time in my life it sounded like exactly what I needed. And on top of offering gluten-free and vegetarian meals, they had Paleo options too; which sealed the deal for me.

I created an account, picked my meals, and set a delivery date. Just a few days later my Terra's Kitchen vessel arrived and I was really impressed by how organized the whole thing was--it has a little door you open up and cooled shelves with all your groceries. Everything comes individually packaged--even the recipes! I had it delivered on Thursday so that when Rob came home Friday we would have a whole weekend of meals already planned for us.

Things I've eaten (so far) this week:

• Southwestern Steak + Sweet Potato Bowl (pictured in this post--the meat was grass-fed and organic!)
• Tilapia Salad with Arugula and Apples (such an unusual but delicious combination)
• Grilled Chicken with Radish Apple Salad (I'm a sucker for anything topped with goat cheese)

I feel like I'm a pretty good cook and do lots of creative things in the kitchen, but sometimes I just get burnt out. I love having these recipes and being challenged to try new things (like use lime zest in my salad dressing--delicious). So often I just rotate the same two or three basic recipes, so it was really nice having three or four new ones that are still quick (30 minutes or less!), easy, and healthy, but also a little more exciting. And I didn't think having the groceries delivered and pre-packaged would make much a difference, but it totally does--it makes cooking feel exciting!

I'm definitely going to be ordering more meals once we get settled in California! If you want to try Terra's Kitchen for yourself, use the code ITALIAN30 for $30 off your first order--and let me know which recipes you pick! 

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Terra's Kitchen. The opinions and text are all mine.

Happy Friday! Now that my cookbook giveaway is over (if you won we'll be mailing your copies out soon!), I'm back to posting links every other week or so. Enjoy!

To Read: 

• This is such an interesting grammar "rule" that I have literally never thought about. I love reading stuff like this about language.
• Rush Limbaugh warns that federally paid "lesbian farmers" could invade your town. Hilarious.
• Waiting for Cancer. This piece really spoke to me, especially as I approach the six month mark of my last checkups.

To Watch: 

• Who's billy goat is this? My friend Raquel sent me this video and we laughed so hard about it.
• I've been really enjoying this makeup YouTube channel lately.
• I could listen to Rose Leslie talk all day.

Wish List:

• I mean, who doesn't need a $500 sweater?
• I'm thinking about adding some high-top Converse to my shoe collection, but how do I keep white ones clean?
• Speaking of shoes, it's bootie season! I'm all about these cute ones, especially with a price under $100.
• Can I have this watch please? 

--

Rob will be home tonight and this weekend we're going to be running around getting ready for the move! It's coming up fast and I have a lot of feelings. Until then, though, I'm just taking a deep breath and enjoying our last week in North Carolina.

This post contains affiliate links.