April has been a huge month for me so far and it’s still got two weeks to go! Therefore, I figured I’d break it down so far and let you know what’s been going on lately and what I’m currently crushing on.

The weather has been top notch since this past weekend and I’m obsessed. When you’re used to 40º days nine months out of the year in Chicago, when it hits 50º and beyond, there’s only one thing you can do: rejoice. Followed by walking endless miles around the city and taking in every square inch of sunshine.

In the past few weeks, I stopped working out and then last week got back into it and HARD CORE (no pun intended for photo below). If you haven’t taken a hint from my social media yet, I’ve given up coffee for my overall wellness. Last month I was drinking far too much cold brew and because it has more caffeine than regular coffee, I was constantly buzzed to the extreme. After a bit, I became addicted which was bound to happen. However, it was taking a long-term affect on my wellness and I was drinking less water than I should have been. This resulted in constantly feeling dehydrated and dizzy in my workout classes (hens why I took a break).

Then one Monday (three weeks ago now) I just stopped it. I was sick shortly after so going without coffee then was pretty easy. Now, I’ve been drinking kombucha and iced tea A TON. For now, I think I won’t be having coffee for quite a while since I have such an addictive personality, especially when it comes to food/beverages. But I feel MUCH better working out now, WAY MORE hydrated and in general FANTASTIC. Thankfully!

Aside from drinking GT’s Gingerade Kombucha on the reg, I’m also trying to get more into matcha. I already love it as a coffee alternative before when I did drink coffee but when I spotted Rebbl’s super herb elixir Matcha Latté last week I flipped. The ingredients are simple, clean and superfood filled. If you ever spot it in a store near you, check it and drink it ASAP. I blended some of it into a smoothie and was blown away.

On Saturday night, I got the chance to reunite with May as we headed out to Chicago’s opening of Smack Shack – a casual seafood joint in Chicago’s West Loop offering lobster rolls, oysters and the biggest shrimp I’ve seen in my life. It was my first time having really good oysters and first time eating them off of ice sculptures… yes, eating oysters off of ice sculptures happened. It was such an experience as a foodie in the city and I’m happy we got to attend!

After the event, we headed east to Cindy’s Rooftop on Michigan Avenue. I have been wanting to go here for AGES… well okay maybe last summer. But we managed to get right in and it wasn’t as crowded as we thought (around 9:30p.m. on a Saturday night). I ended up getting the “Reanimator” mocktail with blueberry juice, activated charcoal, lime and ginger. I was in heaven. If any of you have had activated charcoal lemonade, this tasted exactly like that. If you haven’t, it’s pretty much black lemonade with supposedly amazing benefits. Check it out!

P.s. Cindy’s has a cocktail with kombucha, gin and rosé. The dream cocktail. May ordered that one and it was tasty for sure. You better believe I snapped that.

The next day (yesterday) I stopped into The Winchester yesterday with my friend and barre instructor, Allison, to catch up and of course I devoured this avocado toast with hazelnuts, chili flakes and a fried egg. The bread was unbelievable, thick and deceivingly filling. The best part though was that the egg white of the fried egg was cooked. Biggest pet peeve when restaurants let it remain runny! I’m so picky.

The aesthetic of The Winchester reminds me of 90% of the spots May and I went into in NYC.

When I chat about my favorites of the month, it’s hard not to include some new favorites alongside the old ones (like kombucha). As of lately, I’ve been trying really hard to get back into my vitamin game. At the beginning of the year I was taking B-12 which is extremely important for those who eat a primarily plant-based diet. The problem was I was taking a higher dosage than the average and it wasn’t making me feel my best. So I stopped.

Then, these little gummy guys came into my life and I was forever changed! SmartyPants are a women’s gummy multi-vitamin (they also have men’s and pre-natal) that don’t have artificial flavorings, colors or preservatives. They use organic cane sugar rather than funky artificial sweeteners and the colorings come from vegetable concentrates! Pretty darn cool if ya ask me. I love eating them a few times a week since they pack in Vitamin A, C, B-12 and a ton of other goodies.

If you ever loved Dots candy or gummy candy in general – I mean who doesn’t? – you’ll love these. I’m giving a jar away to one reader/follower so head over to my Instagram to learn more about that!

Last but not least, Pilates ProWorks Chicago. My new favorite workout that I recommend to all of you in the city! Even if you’re not in Chicago, you NEED to try Pilates with the reformer machines. I like to think of it as a harder version of barre but more fun because you’re using a machine and it somewhat feels like you’re on a playground?

That’s all I’ve got for now but expect to see more goodies at the end of the month. I love sharing with you guys what I’m loving in the health and wellness world and most importantly, in Chicago. To see all of this and more, follow me on Snapchat too! @addiemartan

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