Life

Gluten-Free Friendly Restaurant Round-Up

March 21, 2019

Hey y’all! For those of you who don’t know, I have to eat gluten free. Five years ago, we found out about my gluten allergy. About three years ago, I saw a doctor who completely changed my life and finally diagnosed me allergic to gluten AND yeast. Seemingly simple diagnosis, right? Except growing up 15+ years ago, doctors only diagnosed Celiac Disease. I had an allergy, so all the blood-work they knew to do always came back “negative.” This left me for years undiagnosed, frustrated, and hurt by so many doctors turning me away. I would literally come in with lists of “weird things that happen to me”… and they would all count me out. I started to believe I was crazy. But nope. Just allergic to things. By the time I was diagnosed, my brain was swollen, I had yeast growth all over my back, and I couldn’t remember anything. Like, legit I thought I had Alzheimer’s at 22.

All that to say, I had to make a drastic change when I found out about my allergies. And for someone who’s ideal date is a fun new restaurant and a cupcake afterward… this sucked. It sucked BIG TIME. I have spent the last five years discovering restaurants that are tasty AND gluten free friendly. There are so many options, and I wanted to share some of my faves with you!

HG Sply Co.: In the heart of Dallas, this one remains one of my all-time favorite restaurants. We used to go almost every single week when we lived just down the road from it.
Mi Cocina: Fajitas are almost ALWAYS a go for GF! Just ask for corn tortillas!
Mesero’s at Legacy West: They have quite a few options for you and are INCREDIBLY accommodating to allergies. We love Mesero’s! I usually order the brisket tacos or Carne Asada (+ corn tortillas for my own fajitas!)
Del Frisco’s: Arguably the MOST accommodating incredible restaurant we’ve been to for allergies. They even have allergy free bread (dairy free, gluten free, corn free!). This is of course a very nice steakhouse… and it costs that. But it’s our favorite fancy date night spot.
True Food Kitchen: THE BEST. We love True Food! I get their Spaghetti Squash Casserole or Teriyaki Quinoa Bowl. But… you pretty much can’t go wrong with anything on this menu.
Fireside Pies: Favorite GF pizza place!! The burrata pizza pie has my whole heart.
Chipotle: Okay okay, yes. This is on the list because it’s one of my best fast food options. There are a ton of GF options! I do a bowl with brown rice + carnitas or steak usually!
Freshii: This place is SO DELISH and …well… fresh. But seriously. I feel healthy when I leave here. I always order the Bamboo Bowl! It’s a green curry sauce. Oh my word… I want this now after typing it out.
Butcher Board: This one is in downtown Mckinney! It’s tasty BBQ. I order their bowl (aka… a salad haha) with the Lemonette Dressing. I have tried it with pulled pork and brisket, and the pulled pork is my favorite thus far! Their potato salad is also out of this world.
Mod Market Eatery: This is a not quite fast food but not quite nice type of restaurant. They have a great pizza, but my favorite thing they make is an incredible sweet potato hash!
Up Inspired: This is in Frisco, and is one of Paul’s and my favorite places to go. I love breakfast! I order a Hash Bowl or the Acai Bowl with GF Granola from here usually. They also have gf biscuits and gravy called Biscuits and Groovy… and it’s amazing!
Tupelo Honey: SO.GOOD. I order the Sweet Tea Brined Chicken! And… Their drinks are equally as amazing.
PeiWei: Another “fast food” fave. They just expanded their gluten free options ten-fold, and I about lost my mind! The cauliflower fried rice is so good, and the ginger chicken and broccoli!
In-n-Out: Yup it’s on my list! I love In-n-Out (haters gonna hate, Whataburger ain’t that great). I love that I can eat a burger (protein style- without a bun!) and fries with a shake… and I don’t feel like I might die. The calorie counts aren’t atrocious and the grease is almost non-existent. If I want a true fast food fix… In-n-Out is it.
Patina on the Green: Another Downtown McKinney favorite! These sandwiches are THE BEST. I order their ham and peach jalapeño jam sandwich. This sandwich also happened to be my #1 craving during pregnancy.

Spring Break in the SUN Packing List

March 13, 2019

Hey hey cuties! Can you believe it’s Spring Break time?! What I wouldn’t give for a margarita on a beach right now. Paul and I went to our first all-inclusive EVER back in October and it was amazing. We went to Finest by Excellence Resorts and for real had the time of our lives. It was so nice, the service and people were incredible, and I still can’t believe how cheap we went for. (Going off-season helps, but even still, their prices were impressive!)

Our opinion as first time all-inclusive goers… do it. It’s worth it. The ease of knowing everything is paid for and that we aren’t having to watch what we spend (because we already saved up and paid for it all) played such a huge part into feeling like we were truly on vacation. Not a care in the world! Paul ate 3 rib-eyes one night just because he could, the drinks and smoothies and coconuts were bottomless, and the coffee shop had all the coffee I could ever ask for (and ice cream!). I don’t know if we can ever travel a different way now that we’ve experienced the all-inclusive life.

Two weeks ago I shared our ski trip for all of you spring breaking in the snow. Today, I am sharing my beach trip packing list! From my current favorite swimmies to the sunscreen I have been testing, I have it all for ya.

Albion Fit Swimwear: My current favorite line of swimmies! They are so pretty AND durable. They are really worth every penny. Here are some of my faves.

I also have this jumpsuit (Here are the joggers in the same material and print, too!).

Fawn Design Weekender Bag: Yep, my favorite backpack now makes a weekender duffle bag. It’s beautiful and you need it!

Just the bag, here.

The Travel Bundle, here.

Coola SPF Skincare

For the Sand- Tee shirt dresses and rubber slip-ons!

For the Day/Spa/Casual Entertainment- Simple but tropical!

Dinner and Evening Entertainment- Simple and elegant!

Hats

More from Finest

Life Hacks to Feel Less Cluttered & Flustered (ALL THE TIME)

March 7, 2019

Whether you’re a student trying to get a million projects done, a mom just trying to eat at a normal hour of the day, or a CEO running a business like a boss (literally…), it’s really easy to feel like a clustered mess. I once had a British boss who called this a cluster…f. And though I won’t type that out, there are certainly days I sure feel exactly. like. that.

It’s a good week. Shoot, a good day, if I can make it through feeling like my head is on straight, I didn’t forget anything, and I crossed off my entire to-do list. If I am not careful and intentional with every moment of my day, I can quickly find myself saying, “I feel like a chicken with her head cut off just trying to make it.” It’s taken a long time, a few jobs, and a lot of clustered days to get to a spot that I feel like I am really doing it all with a whole lot less of a “just makin’ it” attitude.

God intended for you to live a quiet and peaceful life. It’s how He designed us to live. It’s what He had in mind for us before sin ever even originated. A perfect picture of the lives God intended for us to live can be seen in Isaiah 32:15-20 . But, dang, we do a good job running from quiet and peaceful lives in the “fertile land.” We live busy, flustered, crazy lives to keep up with the chaos that is our world. Our jobs can rule our days, if we aren’t careful or set healthy boundaries. Our relationships can dictate our mood and perspective. Our finances can control our sense of security. Our fears of the unknown can hinder us in the present.

So, truly this has been a few year long journey of saying “no”, being intentional with my “yes”, living an organized and clutter-free lifestyle, and a life of healthy boundaries and expectations. I have quit jobs that didn’t allow for me to have these things, distanced relationships, and became far more respectful to MYSELF and my hours each day by trial and error.

Here are some of my life hacks and habits to hopefully help you, mom/student/boss/athlete/wife/hard-worker, to achieve a less clustered lifestyle.

Slow start every morning WITH breakfast. I know, it sounds wild. But wake up at least an hour and a half before you have to leave the house. *GASP!* This gives you ample amount of time to do a quiet time, pray/journal, drink a cup of coffee (or two…), shower and feel put together, steam your clothes you have for the day (!!!), do your make-up well, leave on time, and not have to race the clock to get where you’re going on time. These are ALL THINGS that will make you feel put together, confident, and at-ease to start the day with. I really believe that how the first hour of your day begins will dictate how hard you have to work to feel at peace the rest of your day. It’s not to say a rough start makes the rest of your day a loss. Of course not! But, it does make it easier to approach the rest of your day with grace and a sound mind.
Have food in your fridge ready for every meal, just in case! We keep a tupperware of chicken all week long to have for my lunches and dinners (if need be). Crockpot that chicken on Sunday night or Monday morning, and you’re set. We have healthy food like veggie cakes and salad mixes for me to pair with the chicken, VOILA! Easy, healthy, and no time at all because we prepped for it. We always have waffles or french toast in the waiting for Knox, pasta at all times, bananas, apple sauce pouches, and protein packs for quick and easy meals. He also eats the chicken and veggie cakes for lunch almost every day. This is so helpful to keep us on schedule each day with naps and work without having to start working on meals 30 minutes before it’s actually time to eat.
WORKOUT. I made a goal to make it to a class at my gym at LEAST 3 x’s a week at the start of 2019 and I have stuck to it! Really, I make it 4 or 5 times a week, but 3 is my minimum for classes. My gym also gives us up to 3 hours of childcare with our membership, so it gives me such good “me time” to focus, think, dream (all my best ideas come either in the shower or during a workout), and I feel like a better version of me afterward. Paul and I both are just better people when we workout, and we both know it.
Write out absolutely everything you have to do for the next day the night before as you’re winding down. I usually do it as I lay in bed. It takes just a few seconds, but it feels like a mental “hanging of my hat” for the day. And, it helps me feel like I know what I need to do the next. I write out my day, including quiet time and gym, and then put the tasks I need to do. I then go back to that note on my phone all throughout the day to delete tasks I wrote out. By the end of the day, my note SHOULD be blank to write out my next day of things. If it’s not blank, that task goes to the top for the next day.
Time with my husband. If you’re not married, this is applicable to friends/boyfriend/family. You need healthy time with the people you love. It’s just a fact. TURN OFF ALL “TO-DO’S”! I feel “off” when I don’t get to sit and talk with my husband regularly. I get cranky and short with him. This was a problem long before we even had a kid. We are just hard workers who could literally work from sun up to sun down without hardly a glance up if we aren’t careful. We could easily be on our computers typing until midnight rather than talking and connecting. We are very intentional with this because we need to be, for our mental health and our relationship’s health.
Grocery List: We keep a pretty simple grocery list week to week, you can see it here. But having the list makes Monday restocks EASY PEEZY. Sometimes, if we need to, we do our haul on Sunday after church. But most weeks I know Monday is for groceries, whether I go or Paul does.
5 Wins EVERY SINGLE DAY. At dinner, we ask one another what 5 wins were for the day, and you can say 1 loss or frustration. We get to build up one another, celebrate each other, and help troubleshoot frustrations together.

Ski Trip to Angel Fire, NM

February 28, 2019

Happy Thursday, friends!! I am so excited to share all the ins and outs of our trip to Angel Fire last week, from where we stayed, what we ate, what we wore, and how you can book an amazing home in the mountains, too!

Paul and I both have been skiing and snowboarding before, so we were pumped to get back on the slopes. However, it’d been a heck of a long time since we had last done it… so we were hopeful to say the least that this would go well. I am pleased to say we both did really well, though we both each had a pretty good wipeout each. But hey, one wipeout each? We will take it! Angel Fire obviously has the usual Ski School, though, if you need to take a morning class before hitting the slopes. I would not suggest going a first time without Ski School.

We drove to Angel Fire, which about a 9.5 hour drive from North Texas. Growing up, people always went on Spring Break trips to Angel Fire from the San Antonio area, so though I had never been I knew it’s a great spot! The drive sorta scared me… but it actually was the EASIEST drive ever. It flew by, to be honest. There was zero traffic and it really was so easy.

Paul booked us a home for our 5 year anniversary trip with Resort Properties of Angel Fire. They provided us an incredible home right on the ski slope, and it was just stunning. I shared in my stories a tour of our home within minutes of getting inside of it because I couldn’t handle how beautiful it was. Resort Properties has dozens of homes to pick from to stay in for your vacation to Angel Fire. Imagine like an Air Bnb for all things Angel Fire- that’s what they do! They have everything from condos at the base at very reasonable prices to entire homes like what we booked. Our home, Blue Aspen #1, sat on the green slope Heading Home, which worked out perfectly because it was our slope we stayed on the entire time we were there. (It was the easiest way down the mountain… lol.) We would literally do a few times down and then pull off to our place for lunch. It was perfect!

For our food, we set up with HelloFresh a delivery to our home for all our dinners. I am SO GLAD we did this. It was like having restaurant-worthy food each night without the price tag, and we had fun nights in each evening by the fire. Our home was so high up the mountain that driving down for dinner each night would have been tough with the snow storm that came while we were there AND the -27 degree temps… CRAZY RIGHT?! Also, with our food allergies and wanting to stick to a budget on our trip, we didn’t know what we would actually be able to eat in the village. However, I will say that I was blown away by the little bitty grocery store they have in the village! I had very low expectations… but they had an amazing gluten free selection and carried a bunch of the brands I buy at my nice grocery stores at home. Also, the prices weren’t as insane as most resort stores are. We bought all of our lunch stuff here when we first arrived to the village.

(You can follow the link to HelloFresh above with a personal discount that will give you 6 meals on me!)

For our ski gear, Saint Bernard sponsored the majority of Paul’s and my stuff. I seriously LOVED my coat and can’t wait to wear it again. It was so well-priced ($189 vs. $250+ for anything else!) and it. is. so. cute. Paul already had a down North Face coat, but got his pants, beanie, and snowboard boots from the shop! I have linked below everything we wore!

We can’t wait to go back. I no joke cried twice watching dads teaching their sons how to ski haha. I can’t wait to come back with Knoxy one day! I will say one con of our entire trip was that I had pretty gnarly altitude sickness the entire trip. I didn’t prepare well, because to avoid stopping a million times on the drive there… I didn’t drink hardly anything. Mistake #1. Second, upon arriving, I didn’t replenish as I should have (despite the warnings from our amazing hosts that I should drink tons of water to avoid getting sick.) I also think I caught some kind of a bug because I then had the stomach flu for three days upon arriving back home, so I think I had a very unfortunate combination of problems while there. However, even still with altitude sickness, I had such a blast. I can’t wait to go back and redeem the trip a little bit by being better hydrated. But, seriously, I can’t suggest Angel Fire enough. It’s small and quaint and FAR BETTER PRICED than anything in Colorado. And did I mention it is beautiful?

Happy booking, friends! I hope you book and have an amazing spring break or summer trip!

Managing Expectations: Valentine’s Day

February 7, 2019

Okay okay, so I think I have made it pretty clear… I friggn’ love Valentine’s Day. I love pink and red, I love chocolate, I love flowers, I love love, I love cute romantic music (like, here, on my Valentine’s Day playlist!), I love celebrating love, I love showing love to my closest friends, I love decorating for Valentine’s Day…

I mean, for real. I love it all.

I am not a fool, though, and I know Valentine’s Day is hard for some. I have been there. I know what it’s like to hate Valentine’s Day. Maybe it’s your first one since a hard break-up. The first since somebody close to you passed away. Another year that you turned down a date because it didn’t “feel right.” Another year you’re dating somebody just for the heck of it, because on paper it looks good, but you just can’t find the real feelings for them regardless of all the reasons you’ve come up with that you SHOULD be madly in love with them. (That one is so freaking real for my story. And, take it from me, that was more painful than it was fun.) The first year you don’t have a date. Whatever it may be, I know it can feel like a spotlight is on your life every year when February 14th comes around, reminding you your life perhaps doesn’t look like you wanted it to or thought it would.

I had year after year of Valentine’s Days where I had dreamed up this spectacular, surprise Valentine sweeping me off my feet, bringing flowers to school for me, leaving me a surprise on the hood of my car only to come out of nowhere serenading me to my favorite love song… It’s fine, I am not a hopeless romantic at all… And year after year I was disappointed, because my expectations didn’t match the reality of my day. Either things fell flat or the person I wanted to show me affection totally didn’t return it. But had I come into the day with gratitude for the love I had in my life, which was an immense amount, I wouldn’t have found myself feeling lonely or less-than by the end of another February 14th solely because something spectacularly romantic didn’t happen to me that I had dreamed up in my head. You feel me?

But, here’s the funniest part of it all. Y’all, I have had the hopeless romantic, movie scene things happen to me and they all, despite meeting every fantasy daydream of mine, didn’t satisfy. I am not kidding you, a boy once wrote a song for me and played it on a piano at school after math class for me. I didn’t even realize in the moment what was happening- I for real thought it was a friend sharing a song with me that he had written… but not for me. And what should have ended with a huge smooch in my movie scene moment actually left me feeling “bleh” and a little guilty that I didn’t feel fireworks for this incredibly kind guy and his romantic gesture. Another year, a guy made a mum for homecoming for me with his mom, and I ignored his phone calls because I was scared he was in fact making me a mum and I didn’t want to deal with telling him I wasn’t into him like that… I woke up to a beautiful massive mum on my porch that morning that I later found out he left at 4 AM for me. Ugh, I was the worst. I wish I could go back to 16 year old Hannah and handle a whole bunch of things differently. But, alas, we can’t do that. But, no joke, I think about these things from time to time and want to vomit at myself a little. O_o Another year on Valentine’s Day, a boy bought me candy and a stuffed animal, and he wrote me a letter about why he thought I was great. And, once again, I was appreciative… but nothing. No sparks. Again, I left just feeling guilty.

Now flip it, while dating my now husband, our first Valentine’s Day was a joke. It ended in tears and a huge fight. Then, the next day I showed up to roses on my desk at work… but they weren’t from Paul. And, our fight escalated exponentially… as you can imagine. Y’all, you can’t make these things up. And once again, Valentine’s Day wasn’t this grand event and I felt disappointed. And again, that was with my NOW HUSBAND. Even the guy I was going to end up with left me feeling disappointed on Valentine’s Day when we were just 3 months into dating when it’s supposed to be magical and overly romantic… right?

So my point?? No matter what comes your way, Valentine’s Day could be disappointing or, perhaps, surprising to say the least. Or, it can really be the best day ever. But what changes that outcome? Your attitude and perspective. Not the perfect date or perfect boyfriend or romantic gesture from your spouse. I want to challenge you as this holiday approaches. No matter what your “relationship status” may be, I hope you set some expectations, but that they are expectations for yourself- not ones you put on others. Expect to enter into the day with gratitude and to bless the mess out of everyone you love. Send texts to each friend and family member in your life to express how they love you well. Send words of encouragement, gift people in line at Starbucks with a free coffee, deliver flowers to a friend at work who has had a tough season. Whatever it is, you can manage your expectations and use your “hopeless romantic” desire in a way that loves others well. This applies to you whether you’re single, dating, engaged, or married.

As a wife, I will not expect my husband to be anything he’s not on Valentine’s Day. If he isn’t a hopeless romantic all other 364 days of the year, he’s not going to be on Valentine’s Day. He will show me he loves me in ways that he wants to (and, he always does now… and he’s really good at it!). And, regardless of what love may be shown or romantic things may or may not be done for me on February 14th, I know without a doubt that I get to use the day to meet my own expectations of loving others. Does this make sense?

And here is my final encouragement to you, wherever you’re at and whatever life stage you find yourself in: You have a God who loves you so deeply. And, shocker, He loves you way better and more faithfully than even the best husbands or boyfriends. I mean it. I am not just saying “Hallmark-Worthy” things to make you feel a little better about a holiday. I am telling you, God loved you first and it’s because of that GREATEST love we have even a glimpse at His love through the gift of relationships. Our friendships and romantic relationships are literally just a tiny glimpse at the vast love our God has for us.

“So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:

They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.

None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.” Romans 8: 31-39 (The MSG)

No matter what comes your way, you have a God who loves you immensely. Exactly as you are, broken and -perhaps- a little jaded. He loves you.

Happy Valentine’s Day, sweet friends. Know you’re loved today (and every day).

xoxo,

Han