I love sitting down to a big, hot breakfast of eggs and bacon, but on hectic mornings during the week, I much prefer a quick smoothie. I use a variety of frozen fruit and always include some spinach, a banana, and a spoonful of coconut oil.

The other day I read a brochure sent to me by Canada Maple Syrup that included a smoothie recipe similar to the one I use every day, but with a bit of pure maple syrup. Intriguing! As you may know, Canadian maple syrup is 100% natural and a great (Paleo-friendly!) alternative to sugar. I had never thought about it before, but since Canadian maple syrup is a pure and all natural source of carbohydrates, it would make a great addition to your next post-workout snack. I gave their recipe a try, subbing a few ingredients to make my recipe Paleo. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 large banana
• 1/4 cup Canadian maple syrup
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• several handfuls of fresh spinach

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients in a blender (I usually do the banana and spinach before anything frozen goes in).
2. Blend (I use the puree setting on my blender) until all ingredients are well-incorporated. Pour into glasses and enjoy!

This post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC.

Rob and I headed to Asheville, North Carolina for the first time on Saturday. It was so fun to go somewhere new together--we parked the car and just explored downtown all afternoon. We visited a couple different breweries, ate some delicious food, found a cool little coffee shop, had a cocktail at a really charming 20s-inspired bar, and finally went to the Jimmy Eat World concert that had brought us there in the first place.

Parts of Asheville reminded me a lot of Roanoke, and other parts of it reminded me a lot of Minneapolis. Needless to say, we'll probably be back again soon for that very reason. I've been giving North Carolina a bit of a hard time lately, but there's a lot to get into around here.

Here's where we went:

• Lexington Avenue Brewery for drinks, brussels sprouts + pork belly, beet gnocchi with bacon + goat cheese, and truffled pommes frites.
• High Five Coffee Bar for one regular cup of coffee and one almond milk cappuccino.
• Lex 18 for a sidecar and a French 75.
• Wicked Weed Brewing for a hard cider, some beers, the charcuterie, house-made potato chips, and a burger without the bun.

While Rob and I were in Roanoke last weekend, my friend Erin came over for an afternoon of Halloween crafts and wine! She and I went to college together and have barely had a chance to catch up since she moved back to the United States from Wales this past year, so it was really nice hanging out with her. 

With Halloween right around the corner, I wanted to do something easy and fun with pumpkins that didn't involve carving them, so I set us up with some glue, glitter, spray paint, and jewels. I don't usually make time for any crafty projects, and every time I do, I'm always amazed by how fun it can be to get creative and try something new. It really does make for a terrific friend date, so grab a girlfriend this weekend, pour a couple glasses of wine, and glitter yourself a little pumpkin!

The only downside to this method of decorating pumpkins is that you don't get to roast the seeds after you're done! But it was really fast and super easy to clean up, so I think it's perfect for a last-minute Halloween idea. I'm sharing detailed steps and instructions today on The La Crema Blog, so head over there next to make your own!

This post is brought to you in partnership with La Crema.

Photos by Sarah Gatrell of Photo + Love.