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Floradise

An Illinois lifestyle blog by Marette Flora

Phoenix Eats: Flower Child, Delux, Chompie’s

Besides seeing my friends and family, I make sure to eat from as many local restaurants as I can when I visit Phoenix. I am so thankful to have been able to revisit old favorites on our January trip to Arizona. Planning a trip to Phoenix? I'm sharing my meals at three spots, plus linking older posts about local restaurants. Hope it inspires you to visit one of these places and gives you an idea ... Read more

Fiesta Bowl Parade 2017

I thought I wanted to sell our Phoenix condo, but visiting for the holidays reminded me how great the neighborhood is and how much I love it. One reason it's so fun: It's in the middle of the action, including pretty much all the major parade routes. We took in the Fiesta Bowl Parade the weekend after Christmas and were reminded about things that make Arizona so great.   First, it ... Read more

Phoenix Eats: Pure Sushi

One of the best parts about visiting my old Phoenix neighborhood is seeing it grow from when we lived there. It was already becoming a dining hot spot when we moved to Chicago in 2015, and even more change has come about since then. One of the newest restaurants I've tried is Pure Sushi at the Colony development near Seventh Street and Missouri in Phoenix. It's next to the Herb Box and Stock and ... Read more

Phoenix Eats: Reyes de la Torta, Flower Child, Stock & Stable

Besides seeing my friends and family, the best part about being back in Phoenix for a few days was eating at places I love. I wasn't able to visit all of my favorites, but I did have some excellent meals last weekend. Here's what I ate at three great local Phoenix restaurants: Reyes de la Torta: It's a no-frills mom-and-pop Mexican food location. Most (if not all) the servers speak Spanish and ... Read more

Marathon Training, Week 6

Training for my first marathon was a struggle this week. The Super Bowl, having a friend in town, a Ragnar team meeting and overall fatigue were my excuses to not stick to my schedule this week. My goal was to practice yoga consistently, but that didn't happen. I am only human, and all I can do is try harder next week. I'm joining the Training for Tuesday Link Up (via Tracy and Alyssa) this week ... Read more

Yogi Bridal Shower Brunch at Postino

My yoga-teacher training friends and I went to brunch at Postino to celebrate my marriage to Graham. Our time together is always full of laughs, love and, this time, mimosas!I loved my brunch dress. I found it at Marshalls for $10! You can't go wrong with a farm scramble at brunch.Afterward we walked across the street to Churn for some ice cream made of all-natural ingredients. Few things are ... Read more

Sunday Night Lunar Flow at the Clarendon Hotel

The supermoon is a time to reconnect to intentions set in the beginning of the year. It's time to hold myself accountable by asking, what steps have I taken to move closer to my goals? These thoughts were my motivations during yoga class Sunday night. Lunar Flow was invigorating — just what I needed to end a week and start a new one. And as a yoga teacher I was inspired by Mary Canisales' powerful ... Read more

My First Taste of Green New American Vegetarian

Friday's rain put me in the mood for a bowl of chili. I scoured the Internet for restaurants where I could get a bowl of vegetarian chili in central Phoenix. The winner was Green New American Vegetarian, which is on my drive home from work.The charming little eatery serves all sorts of vegan dishes. I satisfied my chili craving and got an order of fried noodles. This slightly odd pairing was just ... Read more

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