Where To Eat In Greensboro

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Though I live in NYC now, I grew up in a (comparatively) small town in North Carolina.

Greensboro, NC is a beautiful, calm place to live with tons of gorgeous green trees, lovely lakes, sprawling suburbs, and...not that much to do, as far as cultural activities go. What we do have is lots of shopping (inside, outside, a mix of the two) and some pretty good food.

The produce in Greensboro, NC is much better than in Manhattan, not to mention much cheaper. And while North Carolina might have a lower restaurant density than Manhattan, there are still plenty of great dining options.

Here are some that I recommend!

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5 Reasons Why Being Single Is Awesome

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There are a lot of reasons why being in a relationship is great, but there are also a ton of reasons why being single is awesome!

Here are five to start.

1) Movie night is always what you want to watch night.

Captain America?

                             
HA. I'll have Tangled, please, and who cares that I'm not seven or under four feet tall?

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Ziegelmeier's: It's What's For Breakfast!

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Breakfast is my hands-down favorite meal of the day - so much that I often enjoy having breakfast for lunch and/or dinner, too!

I love finding new healthy food brands, especially small, family-owned brands, so I was thrilled to stumble upon Ziegelmeier's on Etsy!

The Oklahoma-based, family-run company makes really yummy (I can vouch for it) toasted pecan butter, glazed pecan poppers, and pecan-packed granola! It's run by a busy mom and a Desert Storm veteran dad -

- but I'm pretty sure their two kids help out, too. At the very least with the taste-testing. It's important work, someone has to do it!

I tried the Organic Chocolate Pecan Cranberry Granola and two kinds of pecan butter - a crunchy toasted pecan butter and a creamy toasted pecan butter!

The granola was delicious and the flavors worked together really well. It was perfectly sweet, but not too sweet, and the chocolate lent a delightful indulgence to the whole grain breakfast treat.

Unsurprisingly, given that they're the company's specialty, the toasted pecan butters steal the show. They're vegan, non-GMO, gluten-free, free of chemical additives, free of preservatives, paleo-friendly, made in small batches, and free of added oils.

There are no fillers to be found here, these nut butters are healthy pecans through and through!

Of the two, crunchy is my favorite because I love having different textures.

The pecan butter is delicious on anything - bread, cereal, the aforementioned granola, yogurt, muffins, sweet potatoes, etc. I would suggesting getting the quart size, because it's so delicious that you'll otherwise find the jar empty, a well-loved spoon by its side.

A spoonful of this pecan butter is such a yummy, creamy treat!



If you're feeling creative and/or have some spare time on your hands, check out their website for an extensive recipe database to please any pecan fan! Next on my to-make list are the Toasted Pecan Praline Bon Bons and Z's Toasted Pecan Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies. How great do both of those sound?

Follow Ziegelmeier's on Twitter and Facebook to stay up-to-date on latest developments, new products, and sales!

Have you tried pecan butter?

Do you prefer crunchy or creamy nut butter?

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Why Undergarments Complete A Look

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When we talk about perfecting a look, we tend to talk about things like the right shoe pairing, the right accessories, the right makeup, etc.

Often we neglect the most fundamental of things - no matter how great your outfit is, it's not going to be amazing if your undergarments aren't up-to-par! Undergarments are what take a good outfit to the next level - the Super-good level.

Since just wearing a superhero outfit isn't all that socially acceptable in most parts of the western world.

'But no one sees my undergarments - why do they matter?' That's a rookie mistake. There are so, so many reasons why undergarments are arguably one of the most important components of a great outfit!

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Women Entrepreneurs: An Interview with Liane Fitzgerald of Roy Swim

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As a 20-something woman forging an untraditional path professionally, it's always great to learn about other young women who are following their dreams and thriving!

I met Liane Fitzgerald, a hot new swimwear designer from Martha's Vineyard who's also a 20-something woman, at a photoshoot recently and she agreed to an interview for the blog!

Roy Swim is a small handmade swimwear company based out of Martha's Vineyard and New York City.  All bikinis are designed and handmade by Liane FitzGerald. Check them out on Instagram @roybikini

Read on for the who, what, when, and why of Liane actualizing her dream, as well as a great spring break special!

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Keeping It Simple with Detour Simple!

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How is it already the second half of February? Sometimes I really feel like a less impressive Rip Van Winkle - it seems like it was 2000 yesterday!

Then again, I was seven in 2000 and I'm 21 now and definitely have come a long way from my seven-year-old self...

I'm now a published children's book author, petite model, film/TV actress, ghostwriter, blogger, and Harvard grad, for starters. So that's a little different than second grade me.

I'm also several inches taller and don't have a bedtime.

But I'm not the only one with exciting new developments. Detour Bar is starting 2015 strong with a new line of three all-natural healthy nutrition bars hitting stores this month - Detour Simple!

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What Being Single On Valentine's Day Is Like

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Last Valentine's Day was my first (and only, thus far) time celebrating the holiday in a relationship and before that Valentine's Day was a family/commercial holiday, but pretty divorced from its romantic mainstream version for me.

Now that I know what it 'should' be like, however, I can enjoy the plight of the single girl on Valentine's Day.

You have those other single girl friends who expect you to empathize about their V Day loneliness.

Girl, can you go sob over there in the corner? I'm trying to read my book kthnx. 

The most exciting thing about your evening is when your Seamless order arrives #singleladyspecial

I've sustained a serious injury running to answer the door, it's seriously dangerous to get too excited. 

That was for the mail, not Seamless, but still.

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The Perfect End to a Spring Break Trip - Fun, Frugal, and Fabulous!

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I'm a year out from college and don't technically have a spring break anymore, nor do my friends, but it seems like a lot of people still choose to take a break around that time of year.

It makes sense, it's nice to break the year up into quarters with vacations to somewhere new and exciting - or old and comforting, like a trip home to see the family.

There's nothing quite like time with your family.

But whether you're still in college on an official spring break or just out of college on an unofficial (but way awesome) spring break, eventually the break ends and you have to get home.

Planes are pricey, trains are almost as pricey, buses tend to have a million unnecessary stops (well, I guess they're necessary for someone) and a car requires having, well, a car.

Tripda beats all! Basically, is that it's a matching platform that connects drivers with free seats in their cars with people heading the same way who (a) don't have a car, (b) don't want to drive, (c) want to save some money, or (d) want to win car sharing and be Eco Heroes.

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Recipe - Best Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER

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I know you're all groaning and rolling your eyes - another chocolate chip cookie recipe? Chocolate chip cookie recipes are about as welcome as dust bunnies or fridge magnets.

But I promise this one is different. 

These cookies not only taste so amazing that everyone I've shared them with instantly dubbed them their new favorite chocolate chip cookies, but they're made with heart-healthy coconut oil (awesome for your skin, too) and are 100% whole grain!

Without further ado, here is the recipe!

Best Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER

Makes 12 large cookies

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Going through a breakup over the holidays (in memes)

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Breaking up sucks.

Breaking up over the holidays (for me it was the Turkey dump, but the spirit counts) sucks a lot.

If you're going through what I went through earlier now, here's a meme breakdown of how to expect the stages of the breakup to go for you!

First, you're a little shocked and go about your days like:

                   

It's the holidays and everyone is happy, so it's confusing for something really sad to have just happened! Don't worry, if you give it a minute it'll sink in.

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10 Facts about New York City in the Winter

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I love winter.

Still, there's a point during the last few weeks of January and the first few weeks of February, somewhere around the third time you develop haircicles after an improper blow-dry, when the arctic chill isn't so cute anymore.

Here a 10 cold facts about New York City in the winter (though many apply to winter in cities in general, surely).

1. The wind makes the weirdest noises and it's always when you're home alone with the lights out.

2. Even brunch with the girls isn't tempting enough to leave bed for when it's -15 degrees out with a chill factor of ohgodno. 

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Recipe Review: Soft and Chewy Nutella White Chocolate Chip Cookies

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I often enjoy making up my own recipes, or starting with someone else's recipe as a baseline and turning it into something totally different. But sometimes other people's recipes are already perfect as they are!

Averie Cooks's Soft and Chewy Nutella White Chocolate Chip Cookies are perfect exactly as the recipe is written, so I resisted the temptation to make any alterations and was pleased by my decision to do so!

My results

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