Oops, I’m a little late in posting this. I took pretty much the last two weeks of December off from attending events and even blogging (we all need a break every now and then). I’m slowly emerging back to the real world, so please accept my apologies on being a few days late! Here are some cool things I did in December:

Upside Down Tea Party – Virgin Hotel Chicago

Upside Down Tea Party– I always love a good afternoon tea party, but add in boozy tea cocktails, and I’m definitely there! The Virgin Hotel Chicago has a fun twist on this British tradition by including an awesome list of cocktails made with tea (in addition to a great selection of loose leaf tea if you don’t want to go the boozy route in the afternoon, but why would you want to do that??). My fantastic cocktail of choice was made with Grey Goose vodka, Martini Bianco vermouth, muddled strawberry, lemon and earl grey tea. It was so unique, light and refreshing and I can easily see getting carried away with these cocktails cause they go down quick! Pair them with the yummiest little finger sandwiches, the blueberry-lemon scone with the most amazing ginger preserves as well as fun mini desserts and you can call it the best afternoon ever. I surely did!

Green River Chicago

GreenRiver– The highly anticipated GreenRiver restaurant and bar opened in Streeterville in the late summer of 2015 and has been a huge hit since. The beautiful restaurant with a wrap-around terrace with unbelievable city and lake views is a great spot if you find yourself in the area or looking for something new. With a well renowned mixology program, beautifully presented and delicious dishes, it’s definitely worth trying out. The menu changes frequently, so even if I list some of my favorites, there is a high probability it won’t even be on the menu when you actually go in. What I do love about this menu though is that there has been a lot of thought put into each dish with the pairing of various flavors and unique textures. Take for example the citrus dessert (pictured) which was so imaginative and unexpected. Each bite was something new and different, which made the experience of eating, taken to a whole new level. I will look forward to trying out GreenRiver at different times, especially based on what seasonal items are available and to see what new vegetarian menu items make an appearance.

Meli Cafe Chicago

Meli Cafe– If I had to pick, I can easily say that brunch is one of my favorite meals. The only problem with brunch is narrowing down what to get when there are so many great options (and brunch tends to be so veggie friendly, you know I’m always struggling with the all important decision). Then you go to a place like Meli Cafe which has literally an entire book of options, and I’ve just easily added an extra hour to brunch because I can’t decide what to get. And, that’s exactly what happened when my cousin Anish and I went to Meli Cafe on Christmas Eve. We sat and stared at the menu, re-reading it, flipping through it, flipping back through it and then just staring again as we literally were dumbfounded at how we could not make a decision on what to order! After the poor waitress came by for the umpteenth time, we finally put in an order for the ghost pepper omelet (made with egg whites) and the banana nutella crepes. This is what happens when us vegetarian folk actually have options on a menu!! Ha ha. At any rate, the food was so delicious and I’m telling you those nutella crepes have some kind of magic ingredient because they were absolutely addicting. I literally woke up yesterday thinking about them. Great, now those crepes are going to be on my mind. Guess I know where I’m going for brunch this weekend!

Yoga Six – Gold Coast

Yoga Six– I definitely need to stay on top of my workouts with all this fun indulging I do. As you know, I’ve become and avid spin class addict in the last year. But, to even out all those great cardio workouts, I’m getting back into the groove with yoga. I’ve recently discovered Yoga Six which has been the perfect complement to help stretch out all my sore muscles from spinning. What I love about Yoga Six is that there are so many different types of classes available; everything from boot camp to hot yoga to meditation and stretching. No matter what your fitness level or prior yoga experience, there is definitely something for everyone. There are also locations around Chicago in Lincoln Park, Gold Coast and the South Loop, so it’s accessible for many people. Check it out if you are looking for a way to mix up your workouts or just try something new. I know you will like it.

AMC Block 37 Vegetarian Dining

AMC Theater at Block 37– Who doesn’t love dinner and a movie?  And when you combine the two at one spot with comfortable reclining seats, it’s kind of like the best thing ever (it’s actually called Recline and Dine). The newly opened AMC movie theater at Block 37 is seriously my new favorite place. You can watch a movie, order freshly made food from the in-house restaurant and a waiter will bring your food whenever you want. It’s unlike any experience I have had before. Watching movies at the theater has just been taken to a whole new level! What I also loved was that most of the menu can be made vegetarian and they can customize whatever you want. I had the chance to get a behind the scenes peek into the kitchen while they made a special vegetarian sushi roll for me, as well as try out the delicious quinoa veggie burger and a vegetarian quinoa bowl with roasted asparagus, tomato, toasted almonds, feta cheese, lemon vinaigrette and fresh basil. Totally blown away at the quality of food and I am now so spoiled that I’m going to expect a reclining seat and freshly served meal with every movie I watch. I hope this is not a problem! #princess

Please Note: While I was invited to these events, all opinions are my own.