One of the cities we are highlighting in our Destination Collection is Nashville. Why did we choose this city? While it's not one of the main cities you think of when you consider the hottest US cities, we think Nashville will surprise you with trendy hotspots, good vibes, yummy food, and kind people.
Southern Food: Did someone say grits? We love elevated dishes of unpretentious southern classics. For a unique experience, check out Husk.
Music: Come on, who doesn't love a little country music! There is pretty much live music happening 24/7.
Shopping: Trendy pop up shops and boutiques filled with great finds. Our recommendation Agathos Athleisure. This female owned small business stocks ethical activewear including SoloSol Movement. Shop their curated collections online or catch them popping up all over town.
Whiskey: If you love whiskey, then sip some of the best in this southern city.
Volunteers: It is said that Tennessee is the state with the most volunteers with Nashville being a high concentration.
Christmas Eve: This southern city was founded in Christmas Eve in 1779. How festive is that!
Shopping: Trendy pop up shops and boutiques filled with great finds. Our recommendation Agathos Athleisure. This female owned small business stocks ethical activewear including SoloSol Movement. Shop their curated collections online or catch them popping up all over town.
Chill Vibes: A city filled with kind people and despite the vibrancy, Nashville is surprisingly chill. Kick back, relax and listen to some good music.
We love any excuse for a yummy cocktail and Halloween provides the perfect opportunity to treat yourself and guests to festive spooky libations. Check out four unique and delicious recipes that we recommend to take your season up a notch.
Hard Cider Pumpkin Float
Ice cream float, adult style. This indulgent drink is made with hard cider ale and pumpkin gelato (drooling). You could also make this as an alcohol free version.
Recipe Here: Dine & Dish
Black Widow Cocktail
This cocktail may bite back a little, but it sure is refreshing. To make this delectable potion, you’ll need: 2 oz. blackberry juice, 1 oz. simple syrup and 1 oz. vodka and ice. Fill a highball glass with ice, add ingredients, stir and serve.
Recipe Here: DIY Network
Dark & Stormy Punch
We are in love with the spooktacular lychee & cherry eyeballs. Plus, you can't go wrong with ginger, lime and rum. This drink is refreshing and spirited.
Recipe Here: Food & Wine
Black Magic
Hands down this is the most spectacular drink. It is dark and mysterious and magical. Created with black vodka, lime juice and magic dust, this recipe is easy to make (once you find the ingredients) and filled with spookiness.
Recipe Here Elle Talk
The first city we are highlighting in our Destination Collection is Austin. Why did we choose this city? Austin is not like any other Texas city you might imagine, no tumbleweeds, no cowboy boots, no country music and no big hair. Instead, Austin is full of trendy hotspots, live music of all genres, yummy food trucks, and vast rolling hills.
Austin Food Trucks: You can pretty much find a food truck on every corner. Two of our favorites: The Mighty Cone- delicious tortilla meals in a cone, an Austin classic. Micklethwait Craft Meats- Texas BBQ at its best, try the brisket, you won't be disappointed and they offer FREE BEER!
Music: Music in Austin ranges from folk to country to ethnic to rap and reggae. Our favorite spots are the Continental Club Gallery a small intimate space for chill and sultry music. Also check out the Historic Scoot Inn, one of the best small, outdoor venues.
Shopping: You cannot visit Austin without walking South Congress or SoCo as it is called by locals. You will find great restaurants, bars, food trucks, and cute, locally-owned shops. A must see is the iconic Allens Boots for aisles and aisles of western footwear.
Wineries: If you love wine, and who doesn't? The wineries of the Texas hill country are a must do. Drive the hilly, winding roads west of Austin to many wineries including a favorite, Bell Springs Winery.
Hiking and Swimming Holes: It is surprising to people that you can find beautiful hikes and cool spring-fed swimming holes all around Austin. The biggest gem, Hamilton Pool, be advised it gets so crowded in the summer that advanced reservations are required. You can also rent a SUP and paddle down to Barton Springs, this spring-fed water is a refreshing 68 degrees year round with beautiful clear-blue water. Finally, the Greenbelt has amazing hiking and even rock climbing. During the rainy season, swimming holes pop-up all around the Greenbelt.
Check out these 5 Instagram accounts we are loving right now!
1. @murdoc305
Pablo Milian is seriously strong and looks amazing in SoloSol Movement Men's Legend Pant. You can catch him taking pics and spreading love all over Miami with his beautiful girlfriend @highonyoga He defies gravity and makes us do a double take with his fearless poses.
2. @highonyoga
Christina is gorgeous! She has a beautiful, strong practice and there is an elegant ease to her photos. Her energetic personality shines through and we love that she share not only inspirational words but also bits of her life.
3. @artsyblue
Creative and Flexible, Marissa inspires us with her never ending unique photos floating from the sky. Her photos are fun and fresh and exciting!
4. @yogiangi
Could she be any cuter? Angela is an absolutely adorable, incredibly flexible 15 year old registered yoga teacher. Her page is filled with bendy poses from the city and beaches of San Diego to her world travels.
5. @khat.mandu
This tropical babe lives in our favorite place, Bali! She is a fierce, fit, flexible goddess who inspires us with her variety of workouts and exiting locations. Her words are authentic and the details in her photos are perfection!
We love hearing about the latest and greatest to keep you looking and feeling your best. Check out these 5 top trends to kick off your new year.
You can find this detoxing agent in powder and pill form. The main benefit is it pulls toxins from your body. Other benefits include; helps hangovers, alleviates gas, filters water and gets rid of mold. Our favorite benefit and the reason we started using it is, it whitens teeth. Add a little bit of activated charcoal to your tooth brush and whiten away. (Be careful, it can make a mess).
Native to Africa and Asia, this powder is made from the leaves of one of the most nutrient rich plants in the world. With a spinach-like flavor, it is packed with protein (all 9 essential amino acids), fiber, iron, vitamins A, K, and E, calcium and antioxidants. In addition to all of the nutritional value, there are skin, digestion, stress relief benefits and more.
This one is for your furry, four-legged friends. As people pay more attention to what's in their food, they are also paying more attention to whats in their pets food. Big brands are adding higher quality formulas and new brands are popping up with shops that specialize in healthy custom made meals for your best friend. Try making your pets food and you can share ingredients. Boil chicken and veggies for your dog and turn it into a chicken noodle soup for yourself.
This vibrant Pantone Color of the Year is both calming (with blue) and energizing (with red). We all know that colors can have an effect on the brain so this is the perfect color for a balanced year. Ultra violet purple is also the color of the highest frequenceies so it's time to raise your vibration. (maybe this is the year we will all achieve enlightenment).
A good nights sleep is always on trend. But what has changed is the way we achieve it. Research has pushed technology into the bedding world with things like astronaut based Phase Change Material (PCM) technology that helps keep you cool while you sleep and gadgets and apps that track your nightly movement and REM sleep. A good night's sleep allows you to function better during the day, so don't neglect your sleep environment.
Jungle Goddess Smoothie
There are so many food trends that are prevalent in today’s world, it’s hard to keep track, know what’s worth it, and what will be forgotten about a year from now. However, there is one trend I definitely think is here to stay, and that is the green smoothie. Looking back over the years, the evolution of my personal green smoothie has been quite the journey. It began as a small handful of baby spinach was wearily added to my usual concoction of frozen berries and yogurt. Once I had that under my belt, I slowly began to discover the beauty of using banana to thicken the smoothie and add creaminess, and I also began adding healthy fats, like a spoonful of almond butter, peanut butter, or coconut. From there, I became even more adventurous and started adding different “superfoods” such as hemp seeds, chia seeds, flax oil and maca powder. I learned many lessons along my “green smoothie journey,” and have some tips and tricks for creating that perfect smoothie every time:
For this Green Jungle Goddess Smoothie, I stayed true to my advice and covered all of my bases I talk about above. Not only is this smoothie delicious in all of its tropical vibes, but it packs killer nutrition, too. Fresh ginger is a very power inflammation-fighter and fresh mint is good for your skin and digestive system. You get a healthy serving of both fruit and veggies, which contain all kinds of goodies such fiber, iron, folate, vitamin C, and vitamin K, among others. Hemp seeds contain a good dose of protein and the coconut milk covers your bases for weight-loss aiding healthy fats.
To make this smoothie over-the-top good for you, consider adding the spirulina powder. It is one of the highest quality and most bioavailable sources of plant-based protein and iron on the planet, and contains crucial b-vitamins like thiamin and riboflavin. And as an added bonus, it gives the smoothie the most insane green color!
Try out this delicious green smoothie and see if this is something you want to add to your daily routine! This smoothie can easily be a blueprint for what you have on hand! You could swap out pineapple for mango or almond milk for coconut milk. Throw in some chia seeds if you have them lying around or a handful of pumpkin seeds for an extra dose of magnesium.
Whatever you do, enjoy this smoothie in your SoloSol Jungle Goddess Yoga Pants, dreaming of palm trees, waves, and sunshine!
Guest Blog by Elizabeth Lim, Holistic Health Chef and Beach Babe
To see more of her recipes and meal delivery, check out her site Kale & Coconuts