This project came from my curiosity to see how often we (Will and I) repeat meals, how often we eat out, and the types of things we eat. I already post monthly (on my Flavors of the Month posts) about the dishes and restaurants that were special but all the other things I eat should get some love. And maybe some of you are strangely curious too.

So, I took (or tried to remember to take) a photo of my dinner every night in January. Now you’ll know what a lifestyle and food blogger REALLY eats!

What I Ate in a Month

Here’s the play by play and I’ll give some notes after the list!

• 1, Wed: Homemade Khao Soi
• 2, Thurs: Leftover Homemade Khao Soi
• 3, Fri: Frozen DiGiorgnio’s Pizza – The second day back to work in the new year and we were not ready. Quick trip to the grocery store resulted in this.
• 4, Sat: Homemade Salad with Whatever Was in the Fridge – Spinach with grilled chicken, brie, and steamed beets
• 5, Sun: HEB Meal Simple Salmon

• 6, Mon: Homemade Beef Bourguinon
• 7, Tues: Work Holiday Party Buffet – It included guacamole, a mac and cheese bar, a cheese plate with some delicious truffled gouda, and bread pudding.
• 8, Wed: Dinner at Happy Chicks – I attended a class from 6-9 pm, so I grabbed this quick dinner after work.
• 9, Thurs: Moroccan Chickpea and Carrot Tangine
• 10, Fri: Raclette Night at Antonelli’s – All the info is in this post

• 11, Sat: Dinner at China Family Restaurant
• 12, Sun: Homemade Korean Beef with Mushrooms and Rice
• 13, Mon: Homemade Coconut Curry Meatball with Rice
• 14, Tues: Homemade Arugula Salad with Fennel Grilled Beef, Steamed Beets, and Brie
• 15, Wed: Homemade Grilled Chicken and Kale Salad

• 16, Thurs: Homemade Black Beans and Rice with Leftover Grilled Chicken and Kale Salad
• 17, Fri: Takeout Dinner from The Soup Peddler (Grilled Cheese and Soup) – We were going to go out to eat but Will was sick.
• 18, Sat: Dinner at Vaquero Taquero
• 19, Sun: Homemade Lamb Steak with Steamed Spinach
• 20, Mon: Leftover Lamb Steak with Steamed Spinach and Roasted Carrots, Cauliflower, and Sweet Potato

• 21, Tues: Homemade Poblano Chili
• 22, Wed: Leftover Chili
• 23, Thurs: Homemade Chicken with Orzo and Artichokes
• 24, Fri: Dinner at District Kitchen
• 25, Sat: Homemade Chickpea and Broccoli Yellow Curry

• 26, Sun: Leftover Curry with Steamed Bok Choy and Sauteed Mushrooms
• 27, Mon: Homemade Caesar Broccoli with Beef Steaks
• 28, Tues: Media Tasting at Last Straw – vegan appetizers and a cocktail
• 29, Wed: Homemade Cod with Orzo and Asparagus
• 30, Thurs: Media Tasting at East Austin Hotel
• 31, Fri: Dinner at Odd Duck

Details/Notes About What I Ate and Our Routine

First, I was bad at taking photos of any dinner that was not one from the cookbook or eating out and those were usually the times Will made dinner. Haha.

Cooking at Home and Leftovers

Other than starting my cook through a cookbook challenge, we didn’t try to eat a particular way, i.e. more meals at home or more vegetables. This is how we usually eat! Though I will say, it has been YEARS since I got a frozen pizza from the grocery store, so it’s funny that happened. 

We meal plan and grocery shop for the week on Sundays. This year, Will and I have been trying to split up nights we cook so that I share more of the cooking responsibilities. Cooking through a cookbook and using a cookbook with easy recipes is really helping with that. Plus, we can try different recipes. Months prior to this would not have had this much variety in recipes. We would usually have a rotation of spaghetti, steak, steamed vegetables, and quick salads.

We try not to eat leftovers more than once. If we double a recipe, it’s usually enough for one more meal, so that we’re not eating the same thing more than two nights in a row.  

Eating Out

We usually cook dinner Sunday through Thursday nights and eat out Friday and/or Saturday nights. (There were five times I ate out on a weeknight and Will made dinner at home. I typically eat out an average of three weeknights in a month for media tastings and/or friend outings.) After a long day at work, I just want to eat, relax, and get ready for the next work day, so being a homebody during the week (and spending as much time with Will and Kaira as possible) is ideal. 

We do sometimes eat out for lunch on the weekends, so we don’t only eat out once or twice a week. (For weekday lunches, I eat in my work cafeteria and Will usually brings leftovers for lunch.) See this month’s Flavors of the Month post for more information about the meals we ate out.

Here’s the quick breakdown of my month of dinners:

• Dinners Out: 10/31 meals
• Homemade Dinners: 19/31 meals
• Semi-Homemade Dinners (i.e. frozen or HEB Meal Simple): 2/31 meals
• Leftovers for Dinner: 4/31 meals
• Cookbook Recipes: 10/31 meals

What Do You Think?

Does that satisfy your curiosity?! Our meals seem really exciting because of the cookbook, and seeing our month of dinners like this makes me feel like such an adult. HA! You can tell a lot from someone’s routine, values, and point in life by what they eat for dinner. Most of my meals in college and right after college were chicken nuggets, steamed broccoli, and mac-and-cheese. In my mid-20s, I went out to eat a lot with friends and dates.

Want to eat more at home? Here are three quick tips.

• Choose easier and faster recipes. Recipes with fewer than 10 ingredients, one-pot or slow-cooker recipes, and recipes that take less than an hour make cooking at home much easier.
• Cook from a cookbook or a blog to meal plan from one source. Every week, I’m picking out three recipes from the cookbook I want to make. I try to find similarities in ingredients, so I don’t have excess.
• Meal plan, then grocery shop once. We do it all on Sunday, so that we’re set for the week. This gives us a solid plan and prevents last-minute grocery trips after work or an unexpected meal out.

How do you eat? (Food bloggers – you should try this project and send me a link to your post!) Do you repeat the same recipes every week? What are your go-to dishes? Do you want to cook at home more, and how do you do it?

The post A Month of Dinners: What a Blogger Eats appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

My first blog posts were very “emo.” I’ve blogged since junior high, though it was mostly a journal of what was going on in my life and SO MANY FEELINGS from my teenage self. I continued that through to college, and being a public relations major, blogging came along with the skills I needed to develop. It slowly evolved from a download of my feelings to things I was learning and my travels.

While the first blog post here went up in 2009, I didn’t start posting regularly until 2012, encouraged by Twitter friends and the Bloggers in Sin City Conference. I think that’s around the time this URL came into existence also. That means FIVE YEARS of constant blogging in my spare time, especially in the last two or three years when I kicked it up a notch. Countless experiences shared, opportunities taken, conferences and media events attended, and friends made. All because I wanted to create a digital scrapbook of my life and share my tips with others.

Some days I wanted to quit because it is time-consuming, I wasn’t sure if there was any value to it, and figuring out how to make the website function properly was stressful. (I’m sure a lot of bloggers have felt this way!) Sometimes I’m still hearing the “hello?” echo on the internet. Somewhere along the way, this blog went from something I do in my spare time to me accepting that “I am a blogger.” I recognized its importance to me and committed to the work. It helps that people are more accepting of the role also. I created and grew this blog, and I’m proud of it. That’s when you know you’re passionate about something. Writing posts and creating content takes a lot of time and effort, but I’m so thankful to have this little space on the internet.

I’m also glad you’re here. Whether you’ve been reading from the beginning or randomly found this post, I hope this blog inspires you to live a fearless life and find things that captivate you. THANK YOU for being a part of it.

Blogger Q&A

Now for the fun part! Here are some answers to my most frequently asked questions.

1. What does Fearless Captivations mean? How did you come up with it?

Way back when I came up with my blog name, I didn’t think too much about long-term branding or how long the name is. (HA!) Fearless has always been an important word to me. It’s a mindset and goal inspiring me to go beyond my comfort zone. I made up Captivations because I loved the word captivated. Together it means being unashamed and proud of the things you’re passionate about in life and striving for your best life, whatever that looks like for you.

2. Do you blog full-time?

Nope! My full-time job is in hospitality marketing. I blog (write, take photos, edit photos, market, etc.) in my free time on weeknights and weekends! It’s almost like a second full-time job. I’ve thought blogging full-time would be way too stressful for me (no steady paycheck and healthcare) but the positives of working for myself are enticing.

3. Do you eat a lot of free food? How much do you spend eating out?

My bank account would love it if there was more free food. I go to maybe one or two complimentary tastings a month (it is usually noted that it was free) and the rest of the time I enjoy eating out on my own dime. Thankfully, I have a lot of foodies in my life, so I never have trouble finding an eating companion. (Eating companions are great for trying more food!)

4. Do you make money from your blog?

No. With the costs of maintaining a website and creating content (eating out, throwing parties, etc.), I probably lose money! I’m very picky with any paid partnerships that are offered, I don’t pitch brands often, and I don’t like the look of display ads on my blog. Making money is a goal, but for now, the primary goal is providing content that is inspiring and helpful.

5. Where do you find inspiration for your posts?

Everywhere! From restaurants I go to, places I travel, my life and habits, and things I care about. For better or worse, being a lifestyle blog allows me to write about a wide range of subjects. My blog focuses on food, travel, and celebrations/parties, but I’ve also written about life, creativity, adventure, and wellness. I think the blog is a continuous, slow evolution of what I experience and learn, and that’s a great thing!

6. How do you organize your blog content?

I have an editorial calendar with blog posts planned out about five months in advance and eight to ten posts per month, so I know what posts I need to be preparing. The calendar is flexible, so sometimes the content moves around (or in other words, I run out of time to prepare it properly) but it’s very helpful to keep on track. It also moves around if an opportunity with a brand pops up or if I’m inspired to write something. I’m usually drafting up to 10 posts at one time.

7. How long does it take to publish a blog post?

At the least, one to two hours and at the most, I would guess up to six hours. To me, publishing a blog post means writing the post, taking the photos, editing the photos, putting the post together on the back-end of the site, meticulously copyediting the post, and then promoting the post after publishing. I’ve never timed the process before but I think the average time is about three hours per post.

8. What’s in the future of Fearless Captivations?

Bigger and better things, of course! There will always be content related to food, travel, and celebrations. That means trying new restaurants, traveling to new places, and throwing parties. While I’ll continue to have recommendation lists and tips, I also want to share more stories.

9. What are your dream brands to partner with?

Any brand that I use regularly or would use regularly. I don’t have specific brands in mind. I could see me partnering with workout studios in Austin, food brands (especially organic foods), or travel destinations and companies. So, if there are any companies that want to sponsor my round-the-world trip, I’m all ears!

10. What is your favorite content to post?

Is this like asking which child is your favorite? I think it’s easy to determine the level of enthusiasm and passion when you read a post from any blog. That’s why I strive to post things I love. Travel posts usually take the most time and research but they also usually involve a fun trip. Party posts involve a lot of planning too but those posts are the results of gathering friends for a fun time. My monthly Captivations posts seem to be my most energized posts lately. So, yes, they are all my favorite posts.

Here’s to many more years of blogging!

Have more questions? Leave me a comment below or send me a message!

P.S. Want to know the truth about bloggers and blog content? Check out this post.

P.P.S. I still feel this way about social media.

Keep up with me elsewhere! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Bloglovin’. You can also subscribe to the exclusive email list.

The post Happy 5th Blog Anniversary + Blogger Q&A appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

From dining at incredible restaurants to trying rare ingredients, many foodies have some sort of “to-do” wish list in the back of their minds. Bucket lists or life lists, whatever you prefer to call it, are a great way to keep track of life goals and fun way to live your best life. There are so many incredible restaurants in the world and talented chefs behind those restaurants. And can you imagine the numerous dishes that could be made and shared? I love that there are so many different cuisines to discover and foodie cities to visit.

I was thinking about what would be on my foodie bucket list and was curious to hear what my favorite foodies had to say. So, I asked! Below, my foodie and blogger friends, who are world travelers with fun foodie experiences under their belt, share some of their biggest food-related aspirations, including restaurants, chefs, and cities they want to visit, and dishes they want to make. I loved all of their responses!

Yulia, blogger of The Foodie Miles

As a food and travel blogger, I have a never-ending list of places I dream of visiting and foods I would love to try. Where do I even start?

Let’s begin with Italy, a country that has been on my wish list for the past several years. My biggest dream is to spend several months traveling from region to region and learning how to make pasta from scratch, bake Naples-style pizza, visit a cheese farm, and learn basic Italian. So far, the only word I know is “Allora!” Master of None clearly was an inspiration.

Next on my list is my home country of Russia. I started traveling when I was a poor student who couldn’t afford a cup of coffee, let alone eating out on a regular basis. I would love to spend some time in Russia learning more about its rich food culture. Russian cuisine is on the rise now with many talented chefs reimagining traditional dishes and ingredients. In particular, I would love to try the tasting menu at Moscow’s White Rabbit that was named one of the 50 best restaurants in the world in 2017.

Finally, I would love to have a dinner at one of Europe’s Michelin-starred restaurants. This year, during a trip to Singapore, I had my first ever Michelin-starred meal, and it was the cheapest in the world too. I paid exactly $2 for my chicken rice. (Picture below!) But I would still love to enjoy a fancy dinner with a dozen different courses in one of European capitals.

Kelsey, blogger of So Much Life Blog

I feel pretty lucky to call Austin my home. We have so many talented chefs and fantastic restaurants right here! Of course, I’d love to plan foodie trips to Montreal, New Orleans, Tokyo, or NYC; but I know that while I’m here in Austin, I always have plenty of restaurants that are waiting to be explored right outside my front door. One of the things that fascinate me most about Austin’s food scene is how diverse it is for a city this size. Compared to Chicago, Houston, or LA, we’re a small city, but you can still find incredible sushi, ramen, BBQ, coffee shops, Thai food, cupcakes, Mexican, farm-to-table…you name it.

Jessica, blogger of The Dishstance

I am getting ready to head to Asia for a few months on October 1st. I have been before but only for a few days, and this time I have a new mission. I want to learn about the street food and edible culture in each location I visit. This means I want to do as the locals do and eat as the locals eat. With rumors circulating about the ban on street food in Thailand, I am determined to get there and learn as much as I can in case the ban does stick. This photo (below) is from my last visit to Bangkok in 2013, and you can see the variety of items served on the grill at a single stall! It’s important to note that this food isn’t just for the tourists, it is for the locals too. I was only there for 36 hours, so I tried as much as I could, most of the time just pointing at what I wanted and not really having any idea what I was eating – this time I will be more inquisitive. Of course, I want to try the familiar things like som tom, pad ka pow, and larb moo, but I have been reading about all the most exotic things you can find on the streets and I am curious to see if I will actually be able to eat fried spiders, live shrimp and octopus, scorpions, red ant eggs, and more! I can’t wait to share my findings on my blog and Instagram, it’s going to be an epic trip!

Dan, foodie friend

One word: Ortolan. For those of us of a certain age, there are a few celebrities responsible for the modern renaissance of foodies. Alton Brown made food entertaining and taught us the science of cooking. Emeril brought passion. And Anthony Bourdain made it cool. Bourdain seems like a mediocre chef, but his way with words makes him my personal modern Hemingway.

So, in the first chapter of his book Medium Raw, he described a secret, illegal dinner of an ortolan. Because of its legality and expense, I doubt I will ever eat it. So that makes it a prime candidate for food Holy Grail all by itself. But it’s how he described the act that has caused it to be seared into my brain.

Here are the technical details: Ortolan is an endangered little bird that has been a class treat of French cuisine for centuries. The birds are fatted up and then drowned in a brandy called Armagnac. (Let’s be honest, I am interested in eating anything where the preparation involves being drowned in brandy.) They are then roasted whole.  You then eat it whole in one bite while covering your head with a napkin, to hide your decadence from God, as the French say.

Eating a bird whole is not normally something I am into. However, Bourdain’s description makes an impression. The napkin traps the aromas all around your head. Once you bite into it, hot fat gushes out of the bird. (Apparently the fat has a taste of hazelnut. I would buy hazelnut fat in a heartbeat.) The bones crunch and scratch, mixing a little bit of your blood with the whole thing. The ortolan explodes in your mouth with a rush of flesh and flavor.

It sounds like a unique and delicious experience. The New York Times said that a single ortolan goes for $187 on the black market. A little pricey, but life is short. Maybe I’ll go to France and see if I can commit some crimes…

Caitlin, blogger of Big World, Small Girl

My biggest foodie aspiration would be to drink with the brewers at Band of Bohemia in Chicago, the first and only Michelin Rated brewpub in the world. This brewpub is accomplishing quite the feat; infusing culinary flavors into beers while pairing them with delicious plates takes twice the genius.

Change is good at Band of Bohemia. The brewpub is always experimenting with innovative flavors and styles so no matter when you visit you can always expect a unique, creative lineup.  Currently, some of the beers on tap at Band of Bohemia include a Guava Pink Peppercorn Rye and the Midnight in Kyoto, a black ale brewed with Cherry Blossoms and Green Tea (yay caffeine!). The weather and snow have always kept me from traveling to Chicago, but now the city’s at the top of my list!

Sharon, blogger of StreetSmart Kitchen

You know what travel means?

Taking a break, relaxing, sightseeing, meeting new people, learning a different culture, eating local food, and doing stuff you don’t normally do in your own town such as cliff jumping, mountain biking, or rock climbing on a gigantic vertical rock located in the middle of the ocean wearing a bathing suit and rock climbing shoes only. The list goes on. Oh yeah! I am 100% with you on all that fun stuff. I am especially fond of the eating part during travel. And sometimes I go a little out of the way to recreate my favorite local dishes after my trips are over. It could be a Caribbean-style Corn on The Cob which I absolutely loved when I was in Key West, Florida; three Authentic Mexican Salsa that I learned on a 3-week cross-country trip in Mexico; an Authentic Thai Vegetable Soup that I simply couldn’t get enough of during a cooking class I took in Chiang Mai, Thailand, etc.

I find that reverse engineering certain dishes I had from my trip, it brings back good memories, including the flavors from the places I visited. I love sharing that part of the experience with my readers through recipes. One day, I’d LOVE to go to Europe and experience true French and Italian cooking and bring back a few recipes from small restaurants owned by local families. It’s a dream, a dream that’s worth pursuing…

Kaylin, blogger of Enticing Healthy Eating

There aren’t many restaurants in the world that I just have to visit. I’m far more interested in those special moments where one can make a unique or difficult-to-craft food. A few of the foods I have on my “must make” list are sourdough bread, crescent rolls, sweet potato gnocchi, sous vide steak, and sauerkraut. I’m also interested in the idea of making homemade kombucha! Clearly, I like those foods which need the help of fermentation or bacteria to come to fruition. I’d say near the top of my foodie aspiration list, though, is to go on a salmon fishing expedition somewhere in the Northwest with the opportunity to also cook and eat the salmon that I catch. That and going on a truffle hunting expedition with those truffle-hunting pigs!

Shayda, blogger of Dine with Shayda

I was born into an American-Iranian family. My father is a first-generation Iranian, who moved to America during the revolution in the ’70s and later met my mother, a sweet southern lady from Texas. I’ve grown up my whole life enjoying my father’s cooking, learning to perfect his dishes, and indulging in the special spices and flavors of the middle east. But one thing that I have yet to do is to take a trip with my dad to his homeland. Iran is rich in native ingredients ranging from pistachios, saffron, pomegranates, and grapes. The Persian Empire is known for being one of the most, if not most, powerful empires in the history of the world, and with that came a rich culture of food. I dream of visiting the markets, picking out spices in the spice shops, and spending time with family soaking up the culture and the food of my ancestors. Some of my favorite dishes to eat, that I would love to try directly from the source, are koobideh kebab, which is a mixture of ground meat usually beef or lamb, seasoned with minced onion, salt, and pepper. It sounds simple, but the taste is addicting. Another dish that I aspire to perfect is a side dish, called Tadeeg. It’s essentially the burnt underparts of rice in a pan, but when Persians do it, they mix the right amount of spice, including saffron, and lots of butter to make a crispy staple in Persian cooking. I know there are places to get my fix of this cuisine, but to me, nothing would beat a trip to Iran to enjoy it first-hand!

Anita, blogger of Fearless Captivations

Of course, I couldn’t end this post without sharing a part of my ever-growing foodie bucket list.

Restaurants
Restaurant critics’ opinions of the world’s best restaurants change from year to year but I hope I’m always seeking to discover what makes these restaurants stand out and experience as many as possible. I would love to dine at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York because I believe in its mission of conscious dining. I’m still curious about dining at Per Se, Daniel, Alinea, and The French Laundry, some of the most notable, expensive, and hard-to-get-into restaurants in the U.S.

Dishes / Ingredients / Drinks
I’ve been intrigued about Pliny the Elder, an award-winning double IPA by Russian River Brewing Company in California since I heard about it and it is only distributed to a few places. I’ve made a plethora of desserts (Pavlova, macarons, baklava, and creme brulee are some of my favorites) but I don’t want to stop there! Bread pudding, Danish pastries, and Black Forest Cake are on my list. I also want to learn to make Kanom Sai Sai, an amazing coconut dessert I loved in Thailand, think about frequently, and haven’t found here.

Food Travel / Experiences
It would be so interesting to forage with Chef Rene Redzepi of award-winning restaurant Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark, and I would at least want to go eat at his restaurant. He closed the restaurant in February 2017 and will be opening a 2.0 version soon. Foodie travels are my favorite! I would love to visit Mexico City for the tacos, indulge in the best sushi in Japan, and go on a croissant-tasting tour in France. Now that I have a deeper curiosity for my culture, I would love to return to Guangzhou and Hong Kong to taste the most authentic dishes, like eating dim sum at Yan Toh Heen or an egg tart at Tai Cheong Bakery.

Austin
As Kelsey mentioned, Austin is an incredible foodie city and my Austin bucket list is never done because new places open up each month. I’m always on the mission to visit every brewery in town and I have about two left to visit before new ones open. At the top of my Austin restaurant bucket list are Otoko and Kyoten. Maybe I’ll cross those off before the year ends?

Your turn! What’s on your foodie bucket list? I would love to hear it in the comments below!

P.S. Curious about how to travel like a foodie? Check out this post.

Keep up with my foodie adventures! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Bloglovin’. You can also subscribe to the exclusive email list.

The post Foodie Bucket List: Aspirations for Restaurants, Dishes, and Experiences appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

You might have seen these sweet potato crostinis featured in my Holiday Brunch and our New Years’ Day Brunch. They have been such a crowd-pleaser that I brought them back for our food blogger appetizer party.

I’ve met so many talented and kind food bloggers in Austin this past year, so I wanted to host a get-together to eat their food get to know them better. We all prepared appetizers to share with each other and today, with all our readers!

I’ve enjoyed making this sweet potato crostini recipe for friends. This recipe requires a watchful eye but once you become consistent with your sweet potato slices and learn the temperament of your oven, you’ll find this is a versatile appetizer recipe perfect for any gathering.

The trickiest and best part of this recipe is the sweet potato. I love sweet potatoes. They are better for you than regular potatoes, and they taste good! While crostinis are usually topped bread or cracker, using sweet potato as your crostini adds flavor and depth to your bite-size appetizer. The sweet potato slices are tricky because the thickness of the slices dictates your cook time. I prefer a crispy and firm crostini, so I recommend 1/8 of an inch. It also ensures the crostini doesn’t overpower the flavors of your toppings.

Speaking of toppings, you can do this so many ways! It first depends on what kind of cheese you prefer, and soft goat cheese, feta, and blue cheese are my recommendations. Pictured in this post I have:

• Herb Goat cheese with smoked salmon, cucumber, red onion, fresh dill, black pepper, and squeeze of lemon
• Goat cheese with honey toasted pecans, bacon, fresh thyme, and black pepper
• Feta with cherry tomato, curly parsley, mint, olive oil, red onion, squeeze of lemon, and salt

My recommended essential toppings would be a sticky bottom (spreadable cheese), fresh herbs, and a crack of black pepper.

You could also try these topping combinations:

• Goat cheese with smoked salmon, red onion, fresh dill, black pepper, and capers
• Blue cheese with walnuts, fresh rosemary leaves, and honey
• Goat cheese with pear, honey, and fresh thyme
• Feta with cranberries, red pepper flakes, sage, and honey
• Goat cheese with prosciutto, honey, caramelized fig, and fresh basil

Doesn’t the appetizer spread from our blogger party look delicious?

Be sure to check out the recipes and features from my food blogger friends!

• Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms by Sharon of DelishPlan
• Roasted Cauliflower and Sweet Potatoes Potatoes with Lemon Yogurt Sauce by Kaylin of Enticing Healthy Eating
• Strawberry Caprese Skewers with Balsamic Vinegar and Berry Mint skewers with Whipped Cream by Amy of Sushi in the ATX

I also want to tell you all about a.k.a mixology, an Austin company created by my friend Alicia. She mixed these delicious Strawberry Lemonade cocktails for us and they were incredibly refreshing and beautiful! Alicia creates clarified juices and kinds of vinegar that are perfect as drink mixers or in cooking. For our cocktail, she used her clarified strawberry and clarified lemon juices. You can find a.k.a mixology at the farmers’ market in Austin. Visit at Lakeline on Saturdays from 9am-1pm and Mueller on Sundays from 10am-2pm.

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Topping Combinations:

• Herb Goat cheese with smoked salmon, cucumber, red onion, fresh dill, black pepper, and squeeze of lemon
• Goat cheese with honey toasted pecans, bacon, fresh thyme, and black pepper
• Feta with cherry tomato, curly parsley, mint, olive oil, red onion, squeeze of lemon, and salt
• Goat cheese with smoked salmon, red onion, fresh dill, black pepper, and capers
• Blue cheese with walnuts, fresh rosemary leaves, and honey
• Goat cheese with pear, honey, and fresh thyme
• Feta with cranberries, red pepper flakes, sage, and honey
• Goat cheese with prosciutto, honey, caramelized fig, and fresh basil

Keep up with me elsewhere! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Bloglovin’. You can also subscribe to the exclusive email list.

The post Sweet Potato Crostini appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

Disclosure: Sky Candy provided a complimentary aerial class party for us. Yippee! All opinions are my own.

Have you ever been mesmerized by the performers at the circus or Cirque du Soleil show? You watch them with equal parts fear, anticipation, and amazement at the daring and graceful acrobatic stunts. If you’re like me, you leave wanting to join the circus immediately.

The skills of the performers aren’t acquired overnight, of course, but taking classes at Sky Candy can put you in the right direction or at least, put a little adventure in your life. I gathered some of my blogger friends for an aerials party to see what Sky Candy is all about!

Aerial Class for Bachelorette Party

Sky Candy is an aerial and circus arts studio open since 2010. For ladies or bachelorette parties looking for a unique group activity, I recommend checking out Sky Candy. No experience is necessary and don’t worry, you won’t be doing anything dangerous during your first class! The ideal size of a private party is six people but they can accommodate larger groups by having additional instructors on hand.

Sky Candy is located at Springdale General in East Austin. The complex has a sushi restaurant, coffee shop, bar, and multiple gift shops. It’s also a short distance from additional restaurants and bars.

Preparing for Class

The most important part of preparing for class is to wear the appropriate outfit. Wear workout leggings and close-fitting tops that cover your underarms. The backs of your knees and your underarms will be rubbing the equipment, so you want to dress comfortably. Do not wear any jewelry. You may also want to bring a water bottle for during class.

What to Expect in an Aerial Class

For our class, we started with stretching exercises to prepare for the moves we would do. Then, our fabulous instructor showed us each skill and we took turns trying it out. We tried the silks and the lyra (hoop). All of the skills weren’t necessarily hard, but we did use muscles we usually don’t use. We got to do spins, flip upside down, and learn about balance.

Book Your Event

To book your party, see the party options on the website, and email frontdesk@skycandyaustin.com with your details on date, time, and group size.

Address: 1023 Springdale Road Bldg 8A, Austin, TX 78721

Available for: private events and parties, classes, private classes, workshops, shows

Website: https://www.skycandyaustin.com

All photos thanks to Yvan! Thank you to my friends Kelsey, Caitlin, Kate, Amy, and Nicole for joining me in the class!

P.S. Looking for more suggestions for a bachelorette party or girls weekend? Check out these posts:

• Ultimate Austin Bachelorette Party or Girls Weekend Guide
• Best Austin Restaurants for a Bachelorette Party
• Ultimate Austin Bachelorette Party Itinerary
• 10 Fun Austin Bachelorette Party Activities

The post Aerial Class at Sky Candy in Austin, Texas appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

Special offer for your party at the end of this post.

My friend Kate put together a fabulous wig party at Coco Coquette for some of our blogger friends. It was a fun night of trying on wigs and getting dolled up. Picking out a wig and wearing it on a night of festivities is perfect for a bachelorette party or girls weekend.

We first all went into the wig room to learn about the process of finding our “spirit wig” from Allyson, the host, owner, and wig expert. We were encouraged to let our inhibitions go and let our alter ego have a little fun. We looked at all the beautiful wigs and were so excited about the possibilities! Would we go natural or fantasy?

Then we went in two at a time to try on three different wigs. I tried two natural wigs before my purple wig said, “I’m yours!” What do you think?

After we found our spirit wigs, we got glammed up with fake eyelashes and makeup. I got some sparkly eyelashes and flashy eyeshadow to match my wig.

After everyone was ready, it was photo time! You bet we took lots of photos.

We had a Magbooth Photobooth (for photo strips and gifs) as an addition to the party and it was a good way to commemorate the event.

Kate also put together an incredible gift bag of goodies for us. THANK YOU to all the sponsors for making this party so much fun!

What do you think about our wigs?

Check out this video of our party by Coco Coquette:

Ready to throw your own wig party? Mention this post and get one complimentary pair of lashes for the guest of honor! Visit the Coco Coquette website here.

Want more Austin bachelorette party ideas?

• See this Ultimate Bachelorette Party Guide
• Throw axes at Urban Axes
• Have a planting party at Succulent Native
• Get ideas for fun Austin party favors

The post How to Host a Fabulous Wig Party at Coco Coquette appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

Earlier this year I went to a restaurant recommended by a popular food blogger and I ended up strongly disliking the food. I left that experience bummed that I had spent $24 on an awful meal, gave an awful experience to a friend that had joined me, and believed this blogger’s raving comments. I began thinking about the way we consume media and trust recommendations. From my experience working with bloggers and being a blogger, here’s some truth.

• Bloggers will rarely post about something they didn’t like, especially if the experience was complimentary.
• Lots of photos are staged to make an image or experience more appealing.
• Bloggers give their recount of their dining experience, which has a hundred different factors, including mood, eating companions, amount of alcohol consumed, and how much they paid for it.
• Bloggers are individuals with their own particular tastes, palettes, likes, dislikes, desires, background and education. You are bound to have similarities and differences with them.

I don’t mean to crack your rose-colored glasses! Yes, there are many bloggers who have become experts in subjects because of their constant exposure, involvement, and education with the subject. They are still entitled to their own opinions and content. As with anything in life, have a bit of skepticism and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Blogging is not all a ploy to take your money.

As a blogger, I write about my experience in hopes that you will find the same joy I had when you experience it for yourself. I map out my path to where I found joy. I list the sights I saw on my trip, I tell you about the things I ate at a restaurant, and I show you how I decorated a space for a party. There are a million factors between my experience and yours. Who I am (personality, desires, how I see and understand things), my goals, and the people I interact with are some of those factors. You won’t have the exact experience I did, though it may be very similar, but you can find your own joy in your own unique experience.

This is why a DIY you try to replicate won’t always turn out exactly like the photo you’re working from, hence Pinterest fails. This is why you may visit a buzz-worthy restaurant and find you didn’t enjoy the same dishes. This is why your travel experience will always differ from a companion’s even if you both follow a blogger’s recommendations. Bloggers are merely guides. We give recommendations about life, travel and food. Then, you take that guidance and make an experience your own. On Fearless Captivations, I hope to inspire adventurous living, in whatever shape or form it comes. I’ll post ideas and inspiration, but it’s up to you to take the information to bring joy to your life.

What’s your experience with bloggers? Who or what post has inspired you lately?

If you’re a brand, check out this post about how to engage with bloggers to grow your business on my marketing-focused blog.

Photo by Death to Stock Photo

The post The Truth About Bloggers and Blog Content appeared first on Fearless Captivations.

ESPN published a very heart-breaking story about a girl named Madison Holleran yesterday. She was a very loved, beautiful college track star, struggling with depression, though it didn’t get to an official prognosis. Nineteen-year-old Madison jumped off the ninth level of a parking garage on Jan. 17, 2014.

While I think what she was feeling was deeper than pressure from social media, the story centered around the evidence that the ideal personas and edited versions of our lives that we present on social media are affecting us in possibly negative ways. As we absorb the information shared by others, we feel the pressure to make our lives look cool and picture-perfect. The internal negativity that develops can affect how and what we think about ourselves and others, what we think about our worth, and how we think we SHOULD be. We forget that it’s ok to NOT be ok, that we don’t have to live perfect lives, and that our worth isn’t dependent on how many likes we get on an Instagram photo. We forget that it’s ok to share feelings of sadness and struggle. We think admitting those feelings are disappointing and shameful.

Similarly, we lose a certain closeness with the people in our lives. We think watching their lives from afar and liking a photo or writing a comment replaces a phone call or face-to-face meeting. We forget to reach out to the people we care about to make extra sure they know how we feel and that we are there for them no matter what. We let social media be an excuse to not check in with people.

Social media is filled with filters and a lot of people use them. I use them! I rarely post about feelings other than happiness and excitement. I make sure my photos are as good as I can filter them before I post. I spell-check several times. I think twice about whether or not I should post something. Sure, this is a true representation of who I am (optimistic and cautious), but I don’t talk much about the struggles. I don’t talk about my struggles – from traffic and thoughts about my career to what makes me cry – at the risk of sounding petty, vulnerable, pessimistic, or self-righteous.

Social media is only a tool that tries to improve our lives. Behind social media’s filters, we are all humans trying our best to live our best lives.

What do we do about this?

Let’s be easier on ourselves.

My life isn’t perfect and I know yours isn’t either. So, can we be a little easier on ourselves? Could we think twice when we judge our own worth against what we see on social media? Can we be sure to connect with the people we care about in real life as much as we connect online?

Let’s make sure our social feeds make us feel good.

I’m all for inspiration and accountability, but there’s a certain point when seeing someone’s post makes you think negatively instead of positively. If you’re starting to feel bad about yourself and when it triggers you, it’s time to clean your feed.

Let’s live offline.

The internet has a lot of pros. We find opportunities, inspiration, and connection there. But we can’t let how we’ll be perceived online to be what dictates how we live offline. Are you doing something only so you can show it online? What if you lived a day where nothing you did would be shown online? How would you live differently? Taking breaks from social media gives us perspective and rest.

Let’s foster community.

The best thing about social media is the community. I’ve met so many friends through it! Now, how do we make real, authentic connections with social media? Maybe it’s comments and messages that turn into real-life outings and conversations.

What are some ways you use social media for good?

You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Bloglovin’. You can also subscribe to the exclusive email list.

The post Authenticity Behind Social Media’s Filters appeared first on Fearless Captivations.