Best Hidden Date Night Spots in Denver

I love Red Robin and Chili’s more than the next gal, but when you’re traveling and looking for a unique spot, you want something authentic and memorable. I’ve lived in Denver long enough to find the most amazing spots hidden in plain sight – And been desperate enough to try anywhere if that means making my babysitter time worthwhile, ha!

5. 740 Front – 740 Front St, Louisville, CO 80027 – $$

Built in 1904 this Louisville saloon restaurant has a lot of history with many stories to tell. But their greatest story is their phenomenal food. Known for their incredible seafood and steak, there are many amazing items to choose from so even the pickiest of eaters will find something they’ll adore. Their drinks are artfully handcrafted and their staff exudes sophistication. This is the perfect spot for a fancy night out for an anniversary, birthday, etc.

4. Ocean Prime – 1465 Larimer Street Denver, CO 80202 – $$$$

One of the best meals I’ve ever eaten was eaten here. Their food is incredible, their drinks are unique and dreamy, but their location is gorgeous. Right in downtown Denver you get an amazing view of Larimer Square that’s always lit up and always lively. This place is amazing if you’re looking for a classy dinner to impress and celebrate with a loved one. Try their lobster mac n’ cheese, seriously drool worthy.

3. EAT! Food and Drink – 520 Zang St N, Broomfield, CO 80021 – $

Love this place. It is tucked into a cute little strip mall but packs a big punch. Amazing food, along with gluten-free options, patio seating while sipping on a cold, refreshing cocktail, and pleasing conversations are only a few of the amazing qualities this place has to offer. The owner creates unique and thoughtful menu items that make it a place to try and remember!

2. Jack’s & Steamers – 8565 Five Parks Dr #100, Arvada, CO 80005 – $

Owned by a former Olympic skier, Jack and his wife, Athan, own this incredible restaurant and created a training kitchen in order to support and employ people with developmental disabilities. Their kindness is not the only amazing thing they offer – Their unique and delicious menu keeps locals and travelers coming back time after time.

1. Aspen Lodge Bar and Grill – 8125 W 94th Ave, Westminster, CO 80021 – $$

Literally, my number one favorite place to eat in Colorado. We’ve been coming for 6 years now and it’s become a tradition to take family and friends every-time they’re in town. Owned by Turkish native, Mesut, his restaurant is like a scene out of a Christmas lodge, but in the background, there is always Iron Maiden playing. An eclectic restaurant with American/Turkish foods will leave you full and happy. You’ll never experience anything quite like it anywhere else – When you come make sure to order his Mesut Burger (a traditional burger with a Turkish twist!) and his award winning Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich! Best place in Denver!

Homemade Air Fryer Paleo Calzones

This quarantine sure has given everyone a ton of time to experiment and try new things. And after eating the same things over and over and over I decided to try something new with my favorite Chebe Mixes. I created a paleo calzone that’s PACKED full of flavor and is insanely filling.

Starting with the Focaccia Mix, I followed the boxed instructions and created two pizza rounds (Chebe also has a pizza mix but I decided to try the Focaccia mix incase it’d make the calzone a little fluffier!)

Obviously they’re not very round but oh well 😉

I stuffed that sucker FULL and once completed I carefully folded the dough in half and tightly pressed down to release any extra air trapped inside to avoid bubbles and a sauce explosion 😉

After pinching the edges to keep all those goodies in I cranked up my airfryer to 350* and cooked for only 6 minutes.. Yeah.. 6 MINUTES y’all. It came out crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside.

It ain’t pretty but man it’s good!

Because we eat paleo we don’t add cheese but never felt like it was lacking because of the gooey-ness of the dough!

Not sure how to do this timing wise in an actual oven but we’ve been using our air fryer WAY more than anything else so we’ve found that this is a quick and delicious way to prepare a healthy meal when the pizza cravings hit!

🤙

EAT! Food and Drink

Again.. Y’all KNOW I love local places that have paleo/gluten free options and I found one that’s literally 8 minutes down the road. A new hip spot called EAT! It’s in the lively shopping centers across from Flatirons Mall seated on the edge of Broomfield.

When you first walk in, you’re greeted by an industrial rustic vibe and friendly staff! The menu is full of classic brunch foods with unique twists, but don’t be fooled because they also provide health conscience items to meet your dietary needs!

They had amazing sweet potato fries and were able to provide us with gluten-free options for our burgers! *They had three different GF bread options, how awesome is that?!

Their drink menu also included some very unique recipes that were delicious additions to our brunch! (They grew the mint in house and used it for their drink infusions.. I love that!)

As amazing as the food and people were at the restaurant (Talking about you David and Alex!) the thing that really stood out to me was their amazing kid’s menu. It doubled as an activity booklet that used a PENNY as the writing utensil.. How eco-friendly is that! No waste, no chemicals.. Just a penny. I love it and I am hooked on that idea!

We’ll absolutely be back again – The hospitality and atmosphere makes you feel as though you’re in a hip downtown eatery but it’s in our own backyard and it’s super kid friendly! Thanks EAT!

(I was compensated for this post, all opinions are my own.)

Sun Basket Meal Delivery

Disclosure: The links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Bear in mind that I link this company because of my genuine belief in their service and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases!

Y’all already know my insane obsession with eating paleo – But now that I’ve had my twins it’s becoming increasingly harder to stay on track when I am busy tending to my home and my three little princes.

But, I need to make sure I also tend to myself so that I’ve got enough energy and strength for my kids, so I decided to begin a meal delivery service to give myself a little break AND help stay on my health track! I’ve tried several companies before but none of them could quite give me the paleo options that my family needed.

That’s when I found Sun Basket and it seemed as though it was made for me. They locally source all of their meats, all of their packaging materials (Besides the ice packs) are completely recyclable and they have many different diet accommodations!

Soon I’ll be posting all about our new delicious paleo recipes that I would’ve probably never thought of because I’d have to hunt the aisles for ingredients and take the time to prep (Which I don’t have at all) so be on the lookout for delicious recipes and pictures SOON.

I loved them so much I actually began a partnership with them! So NOW I’m able to give my readers $80 OFF their first 3 orders! That’s $80 off incredible, nutritious foods that makes life easier. Treat yourself y’all – Try it here!

(I was compensated for this post, all opinions are my own!)

Venturing Into A New World of Health

Disclosure: The links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Bear in mind that I link this company and their services because of my genuine belief in their program and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases!

Throughout my health journey these past six years I’ve had many people approach me and ask, “How do you do it?” or “Where do I start?”. I’ve always had the answer when it came to the way I ate. Wholesome foods, natural foods – Meats, fruits, and vegetables! Easy enough right?

Well, when I realized that my food advice wasn’t enough it took me a long time (Til now, honestly!) to realize that it’s really not that easy. Knowing what to ingredients to use and what “meal plan” to follow is a great first step – But the biggest part of weight loss / beginning a healthier lifestyle starts with a persons psychological mindset when it comes to food.

Everyone has a different relationship with food. I used to have a very toxic relationship with it where I was incredibly negative towards my body and starved myself. But when I began to realize what wholesome foods really did for me I started to see it in a new way. And from that blossomed a beautiful respect and love that made transitioning into exercise and healthy long-term habits that much easier.

Now – I am one week away from having my twins.. And it’s been an incredibly long and exhausting pregnancy. Unfortunately, I have not been nourishing my body the way I should’ve been or exercising which I had promised myself I would.

BUT.. I am very proud of myself for creating two little sweet boys and want to reward myself with getting back on track – Not just for weight loss but also for energy and confidence. I already know the foods I need to keep my body strong but where I know I’ll need an extra pair of hands (Because I’ll literally have none with twins) is my recommitment, which is why I’ve decided to start this journey with Noom.

You may have seen their commercials and thought, “Oh – Another diet / weight loss fad.” But they actually touch on exactly everything I had mentioned above. They’re not just about losing the weight, they’re trying to help each unique individual understand their needs to develop those healthy food relationships and habits with psychological encouragement.

They keep you on track, quickly answer any and all questions that arise, and give you the information you need to grow and move achieve your goals! You get paired with the right expert whose picked based on your personality and destination and they’re with you for the long haul! So you get real human interaction with a person you build a foundation and relationship with. I love that aspect.

I’m really excited to officially become partners with this company because I genuinely believe wholeheartedly in their psychology-based program and mission. You can start this journey with me and join their proven-lasting program right now with their two week trial*.

Noom – It’s a smarter way to lose weight!

*After the trial, it is $149 for a six month subscription. Which is less than $1/day!

(I was compensated for this post – All opinions are my own!)

Sprout Kids Kitchen Helper

Sprout Kids is an amazing American made, eco-friendly kid’s furniture company. Their environmentally conscious culture makes their business so easy to support and love!

They’re about to release their new Kitchen Helper and it looks amazing. And before pre-order opens, they’re doing a Giveaway!!

If you haven’t entered yet, you can still enter the Giveaway any time this week by going to the Sprout Kitchen Helper page and click “Get on the List” so you are the first to know when pre-order is live.  This will enter you in the giveaway.  The winner will be announced next Tuesday right before pre-order is opened.

Good Luck y’all!

Paleo Chicken Noodle Soup

My Hubby and I are mega sick with something.. Our coughing has been so bad it’s nearly impossible to sleep at night. So I ran to the grocery store today to grab some ingredients to make some homemade paleo chicken noodle soup..

And well, it turned out INCREDIBLE and has already helped the inflammation in our throats. Try it out if you’re looking for a healthy alternative to a classic cold remedy!

Try it for yourself and tell me if it helped you at all with an illness or if you made any changes! xoxo

Air Fried Paleo Wings

Y’all – Just got my new air fryer for Christmas and it’s AMAZING. You can throw nearly anything in there and cook it health-ily in half the time! Our first experiment was with chicken wings and OMG they were the best tasting wings I’ve ever had.. (Not to toot my own horn 😉 )

We bought the Cooks 2.5L Air Fryer from JCPenney for $49.99 and it works fantastic!

I wish I could add more photos and details to this post but it’s literally just that easy that it only takes a few paragraphs! We made two batches: Half BBQ and half buffalo. In each bowl we threw our wings in that we had bought from Sprouts then seasoned them with salt, pepper and cajun seasoning then topped them with paleo-friendly sauces!

I set our air fryer to 360°F, placed the wings in the basket evenly and cooked them for 15 minutes. It could fit about 7-8 wings and we had 15 so it worked out perfect for each batch. We removed them from the basket and they were cooked completely through! The skin was incredibly crispy and flavorful (Without the need of deep frying!)

We’re officially hooked and already trying to figure out what ELSE we could make with it! We are running back to the store today to grab some more wings so we can make some for some friends coming over for the Cowboys Playoff game and I cannot wait for someone else to try them out!

What are some recipes you love to make in the air fryer? Would love some more paleo suggestions!

Dinosaur Birthday Party

Like a ton of other little kids his age Hudson is obsessed with dinosaurs. So it was a definite theme for his 3rd birthday! We decided to do it at the WOW! Children’s Museum in Lafayette, CO – It’s small enough where we won’t be overwhelmed but the kids can still have tons to do and it’s large enough for us to hold all of our close friends and family. 🙂

Their prices were great for a 2 hour session (This was my first time doing an “outside of the house” party so I was excited it was affordable 😉 ) and they helped so much with the set up! Y’all know how thrifty I am so I decided to ask around my local Facebook Mom groups and found ALL of my dinosaur decorations for FREE. I was pretty proud considering it turned out looking uh-mazing! 

The room was large enough for 20 people with space to spare and there TONS of tables for food, gifts, cake, etc.

• 

Sprouts Farmers Market has the best catering platters!!! I grabbed 6: A veggie tray, a fruit tray, a sandwich tray, a dessert tray and a breakfast tray. They were all amazing, affordable for how much you got and they were a HIT. Anyone with any kind of food restrictions had plenty to eat which is obviously important to us as paleo eaters!

One of my favorite parts of this party planning was getting him a custom cake made by a local baker.. She does some AMAZING work and I’m SO happy I trusted her to make his cake! She made Hudson an AWESOME dinosaur cake and he LOVED it (Then she made this preggo Mama an INCREDIBLE carrot cake and omg it was gone in minutes haha!)

Hudson’s looking at this picture right now and really wants it.. haha!

Her bakery is located in Broomfield, CO and has the CUTEST name! The Book Tree Bakery! Contact her if you’re ever looking for any baked goods – You’ll be amazed ❥

At the end of the party we passed out little goody bags with different dinosaurs printed on them and each kid/adult got their own healthy snacks to take home – And my favorites, of course! SunRype Fruit Strips and Made in Nature snacks!

Everyone had such a blast and most importantly so did my little three year old! Highly recommend ALL of these places and goodies to anyone hosting a birthday party in the Colorado area! (Or anywhere else 😉 )

(I was compensated for some of the aspects of this post, but all opinions are my own!)

Paleo Green Chili

It’s falllllllllllll! In excitement decided to reshare this amazing green chili recipe I created last year since the weather is cooling down ❥

Was recently asked what my favorite paleo meal is. I would say 100% it’s my homemade green chili and gluten-free rolls.. Try them for yourself!

Simplykaraliz’ Paleo Green Chili

• 1 lbs of Shredded Pork or Any meat of your choice (Mine was leftovers from Crockpot Pork I made)
• 7 Hatch Green Chilis
• 2 1/2 cups Organic Chicken Stock
• 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
• 1/2 Yellow Onion, diced
• Juice from 1 lime
• 4 tbsp Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1/2 Cilantro, half bunch
• 1 can of diced green chilies
• Handful / Or 1 Full Jalapeño
• 2 tbsp Cumin
• 1 tbsp Paprika
• 1 tbsp Black Pepper
• 1 tbsp Sea Salt

1. In a large pot, melt your coconut oil and add your diced onions and minced garlic. Cook until your onions are brown.
2. Add the cumin, paprika and black pepper to the mixture and combine.
3. Add your chicken broth and meat, bring to a boil.
4. Turn the heat to low and allow to simmer.
5. Cut up your chilis and peppers (if applicable) and throw into pan. Cook them until blackened.
6. Put chilis, jalapeños, juice from your lime and cilantro into the blender to desired consistency (I like mine smooth but a little bit chunky)
7. Add your blend and your can of diced green chilis to the pot and allow to simmer for 1 hour.

(Anymore time will make it really dry, can add more broth at any point if needed)

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Chebe Bread – Rolls

• Chebe Focaccia Bread Mix
• 2 Eggs
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 4 tbsp Almond Milk

Follow directions on the box – However, if you want the rolls: Oil a muffin pan and place pieces of the batter in the bottom of each muffin tin and spread till it fills the bottom. And bake for 25 minutes at 375°F.