C'est le Brie

Hormone-Balancing Maca Peanut Butter Protein Power Bites for Endometriosis

Published on August 26, 2024March 31, 2025 by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

I’ve struggled with endometriosis and hormone imbalances for years. I’ve read every book and blog and article on endometriosis I can get my hands on, searching for ways to help with my symptoms. I can tell you from experience that endometriosis will not disappear just because you change your diet, but I will say that diet can help minimize symptoms, which is super important! I try to keep these protein power bites on hands at all times because I immediately notice them helping with my digestion the second I eat one. My digestion is a rollercoaster every month and I try my best to maintain a balanced diet filled with tons of protein, vegetables and fiber. It’s hard though! But these protein bites help to fill in those gaps on days when I don’t feel like cooking every meal. I love having one in the morning with my coffee, or in the afternoon for tea time!

HORMONE-BALANCING INGREDIENTS

If you’ve never heard of maca, it’s a root that you can buy in powdered form and add to smoothies, baked goods, and of course, these protein bites! You can find it on Amazon here. I recommend organic! Maca is known for it’s potential to assist in balancing hormones, particularly estrogen. Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent condition, so balancing estrogen is essential. Personally, I have high estrogen, or “estrogen dominance”, and I truly believe this is why I struggle with endometriosis. Maca is also known to potentially help with fertility, menopausal symptoms and libido too. It even helps with stress management, energy and mood. It’s an incredible tool for women with hormonal issues. I urge you to do your own research and learn more about this amazing root!

Another issue for women with endometriosis is maintaining healthy digestion. With our hormones being all over the place, it’s a struggle to manage digestion and regularity. The flax meal in these bites help to regulate digestion and aids in fiber intake. Flax meal is also known to help balance estrogen too! It’s a win-win!

Chia seeds are filled with Omega-3 fatty acids, when are super helpful with inflammation. When I’m having a flare-up with endometriosis, I try to focus on anti-inflammatory foods. Eating these protein bites consistently helps to ward off those flare-ups by combatting inflammation. Chia seeds also have tons of antioxidants, which help to ward off cancer and protect our cells!

I also added cinnamon, which is also known for it’s anti-inflammatory properties! Cinnamon helps calm digestion too.

And let’s not forget the oats! Oats are heart-healthy, fiber-filled, and help to stabilize blood sugar levels, which ultimately helps to balance hormones!

Here is the full recipe for these super tasty bites! I’ve even gotten my husband addicted to these. They are the perfect protein boost at any time of day. Sometimes I’ll leave out the maca for a more peanut-butter forward flavor. You can also roll these in hemp seeds as the last step, for extra nutritional value. Or even add dark chocolate chips! Unfortunately, I have high iron due to some of my hormonal issues, so I have to be careful with certain ingredients.

I hope you love these as much as I do! Maca is an interesting flavor that is somewhat earthy and nutty. It can be quite a dominating flavor and may take some getting used to. I recommend trying these with and without the maca to see the difference! They are both delicious and will help balance hormones.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Let me know if you try these out!

❤ Myles Katherine

INGREDIENTS:

(makes about 12 protein bites)

1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup flax seed meal
1/2 cup organic peanut butter
1/4 cup maple syrup or honey ( I prefer maple syrup!)
3 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp maca powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet.
Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix together. If the dough is too dry or crumbly, just add more maple syrup or honey, 1 tsp at a time. It really all depends on the consistency of your peanut butter!
Roll into 1-inch balls using your hands and place on the baking sheet. Makes about 12 protein bites.
Place in the freezer for at least an hour. Once set (just so they don’t stick together in the ziploc bag), you can put them in a freezer ziploc bag and pull one out whenever you’d like! You can also keep them in the fridge if you’d prefer, but I like to store them in the freezer so they last longer.
Enjoy!

Review of the 3 Hour Food & Wine Tour in Porto, Portugal with Viator! – The Best Tours to Take in Portugal

Published on August 21, 2024July 6, 2025 by C'est le Brie3 Comments

To be honest, I didn’t know a whole lot about Portugal before our trip. What I did know was that it was going to be absolutely beautiful and that we would be drinking a lot of Port wine. I also knew that it was one of the easier countries to move to from the US, if I ever get that urge to flee off to Europe. That was enough to convince me to plan a trip! I booked our flights and hotels with Booking.com and didn’t look back! To calm my nerves though, I decided to book a couple of tours during our trip so that we weren’t left trying to figure everything out on our own in a country we knew very little about. For our first full day in Porto, I booked a 3 hour food & wine tour through Viator. I’m so incredibly glad we did because it was the perfect way to get acquainted with the city of Porto. Our tour guide, Cristina, walked us past stunning landmarks and filled us in on the history and the culture of Porto. It really helped us get our bearings for the layout of the city and got us excited about the rest of our time in Porto. Cristina was extremely engaging and even sent our group a personalized email at the end of the tour with all of her recommendations for the city. I’ve pretty much decided that I want to take a food & wine tour at the beginning of every trip now because we learned so much! Plus, who doesn’t want to be handed tons of local snacks and drinks that are guaranteed to be tasty! It really took a lot of the guesswork out of traveling, which is nice when you’re exhausted and jet-lagged upon arrival in a new place.

Our first stop was Confeitaria Imperio, a cute pastry and tea shop located on the Rua de Santa Catarina ((St. Catherine Street). It’s a great street for walking and shopping if you’re looking for a pedestrian street with lots of restaurants and people-watching! We tried the delicious pasteis de nata (cream pastries) that Portugal is known for, and our tour guide told us to try them with cinnamon which was a game-changer! I could eat these all day long. We were offered tea or espresso to go alongside them as well. Our guide filled us in on the history of green wine, AKA Vinho Verde, and how the Portugese women used to get away with drinking this “green tea” back in the day when women weren’t supposed to drink alcohol. It’s insane to me that women had to deal with that, but that’s a blog post for another day!

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Our next stop was a quick walk through the Mercado do Bolhão, a famous marketplace in Porto known for selling tons of fresh produce, cured meats, local cheeses, tinned fish and lots of other things! You should definitely visit this market if you’re in Porto! Cristina told us all about the history of codfish and why the Portugese use it in so many recipes! We then walked to A Favorita do Bolhão, a small local wine shop and grocery store. We were given the option for white, red or green wine. Nearly everyone tried the green wine, of course, since it’s one of Portugal’s specialties. It was delightfully effervescent, bright and tangy. It was quite a bit like a blend of white wine and champagne.

(our cute tour guide, Cristina, and her assistant ^^^)

We then continued our walk to a local bar called A Provinciana where we tried the Super Bock, the best-selling beer in Portugal, alongside a bifana sandwich. Bifana are traditional Portuguese sandwiches made with sliced pork and a tasty white wine and garlic sauce. It reminded me of a sloppy joe! We also sampled codfish fritters and learned a bit more about the types of liqueurs that the Portugese like to enjoy.

Cristina walked us through the famous and stunning Sao Bento train station and shared a bit of history about Porto.

Finally, it was off to the final stop of the tour to try Port, Lado Wines by Avepod. We got to sample all three styles of Port, the white, the ruby and the tawny. My husband, Chris, and I both like the tawny the best, but they were all delicious. We were even allowed to pour a little extra in each of our glasses at the end if we wanted! I’m absolutely obsessed with Port wine now. It’s like wine, but sweeter and stronger! It’s filled with flavor and nice to sip on before or after a meal. The tour was from about 3-6pm so afterwards we had plenty of time to stroll along the river back to our hotel and grab some more Port wine along the way!

I just loved every minute of the tour because I’m typically the planner/leader on every trip. I finally was given the opportunity to relax and allow the tour guide to lead the way. I didn’t have to pull up apple maps or google the best place to get a beer. I definitely intend to use these types of tours to my advantage in the future. Plus, we got to meet a few Swifties in our tour group that were also planning on going to Lisbon to the Eras tour later that week, just like us!

If you’re interested in signing up for the same tour with Viator, you can find it here. Or if you’re traveling elsewhere, you can check out our Viator shop to see what other tours we recommend around the world! I also posted a YouTube video about our Food & Wine tour with Viator here!

If you’re looking for hotel recommendations in Portugal, make sure to check out our blog post here.

I hope this post gets you excited about your trip to Portugal! We had an absolute blast. We also went on a full day trip to the Douro Valley with Viator too. You can read the full blog post about that tour here!

Have a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

❤ Myles Katherine

#commissionsearned

Refreshing Elderflower Chia Seed Pudding with Turkish Honey and Raspberries

Published on August 12, 2024March 31, 2025 by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

Chia seeds are high in fiber, protein, calcium, antioxidants, and so much more. They are amazingly delicious and are the spotlight of my new favorite breakfast/dessert. When soaked in almond milk (or any type of milk/liquid) for just 30 minutes Chia seeds expand to create a natural pudding consistency to which you can add honey, brown sugar, and fruit (like pomegranate seeds, strawberries, raspberries etc.). Lately, I’ve been getting the Chai Chia Pot with Pomegranate Seeds from Pret a Manger once a week for a delightful breakfast, until I decided to buy the ingredients and make my own homemade batch of Chia seed pudding this past weekend.

I adapted it from a recipe I found on Pinterest

I tripled the original recipe to make sure I had plenty of leftovers for the next several days and I also added fruit, brown sugar and honey:

Ingredients for the pudding (4 servings):

3/4 cup of almond or oat milk (I used vanilla flavored almond milk)
1 can of coconut milk
6 tablespoons of chia seeds

Additional Flavors and Sweetening:

Elderflower Syrup
Turkish Honey or Maple Syrup (I always like honey in the Spring/Summer and Maple Syrup in Fall/Winter)
Light Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Strawberries
1/2 cup Raspberries

Directions:

I have a large Mason Jar cocktail shaker that I combined the almond milk, coconut milk, and Chia seeds into. I also added a tablespoon of honey and a tablespoon of the Elderflower Syrup into the jar before putting the lid on it and shaking it for a minute.
Let the mixture sit in the fridge for thirty minutes (or longer)
When the mixture has become solid (similar to a tapioca consistency) mix 1 teaspoon of brown sugar into each serving and top with whatever fruits you desire or are in season!
Enjoy!

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The Best Restaurants in Portland, Oregon – A Foodie Haven

Published on August 9, 2024 by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

I just got back from visiting my sister in Portland, Oregon and felt the urge to share some of the lovely meals and desserts we experienced over the course of five days. So here is my list of odd and spectacular foodie places to experience in PDX!

Screen Door – The Mother of All Brunches

Brunching is a huge deal in Portland. There are multiple episodes on Portlandia centered around brunching and the show features some of the best brunch restaurants around, including Screen Door. My sister and I are both avid brunchers always seeking both sweet and savory foods. I feel like it’s way too common that popular places are overrated, and I was nervous that Screen Door would not live up to my expectations. But indeed I was proven wrong and indulged in the most delicious brunch a girl could dream of. There were five of us dining and we all ordered different things which resulted in our table becoming a smorgasbord of an insane amount of food. We ordered basically everything: Eggs Benedict, Chicken and Waffles, Cathead Chicken and Biscuit Sandwich, Praline Bacon, Cheddar Grits, and Bananas Foster French Toast. Also keep in mind that each dish could easily feed three people until they are full. The Chicken and Waffles alone features three steak-sized fried chicken slabs on top of a ginormous waffle. It was glorious. And made us delightfully miserable for the rest of the day.

There was quite a long wait for Screen Door, but it just so happens that right next door is the perfect coffee shop to wander into while trying to waste time and which happens to be our next recommendation.

Kopi Coffee House – Best Coffee House

This is the coffee house every cafe should aspire to be. Its decor and ambiance is asian-inspired and tranquil, it has signature lattes as well as the classics, and features delicious breakfast sandwiches. I got the Crème Brûlée Latte that the barista caramelized with a torch in front of me. Perfection, right? So go and check it out!

Pip’s Original Donuts – The Best Bite-Sized Donuts in the Universe

If you wanna skip the VooDoo Donuts line, and stand in another line, albeit, a much shorter one, check out Pip’s Original. Grab yourself a dozen of Honey, Sea Salt and Nutella doughnuts and a yummy Chai drink before spending your day exploring the city!

Cascade Brewing – The Best Brewery in Portlandia

You have to go to at least one brewery when in Portland, and Cascade Brewing has a diverse beer menu as well as upscale bar food. It also has a great open patio where you can sip on as many beers as you like and just hang out in Portland and eat yummy pretzels.

Yataimura Maru – The Best Asian Cuisine

I don’t think I had ever truly had authentic Japanese food before coming to Maru on Division St. in Portland. The restaurant seems to transport you to Japan and allows you to soak up the culture. It has the most incredible Ramen dishes I have ever tasted and their Teriyaki Chicken is definitely worth a try as well. Definitely make sure to save room for dessert. We ordered the Red Bean Ice Cream and Mochi as well as the Tempura Banana with Vanilla Ice Cream— we may have gone a little bit overboard!

Rimsky-Korsakoffee House – Best Dessert House with a Thrill and a Really Creepy Bathroom

This is one of the most “Portland” places you could possibly go, it’s located on a dark street, in a creepy, creaky old house and serves dessert and coffee late until midnight. My sister hadn’t originally planned to take us here, but we decided to go after spending a long day hiking at Mount Hood and exploring the Timberline Lodge. We were just getting back to the city and the house seems like the set of a scary movie.

It has dark lighting and is decorated with candles and creepy puppets and wallpaper. My sister warned us of the enchanted trickery that the house is famous for, so we kept out eyes and ears open. Our waiter was extremely nice and had an intensely dry sense of humor that matched the spooky vibe of the house perfectly. We ordered a variety of the desserts they offer (the Banana Split was to die for!) and sat back and observed the eclectic frills and mischief.

The most alarming thing I have to admit is the bathroom. It is by far the creepiest room due to the most terrifying man-doll I have ever seen in my life. Even after we covered his face with a napkin, I made my mom wait for me right outside the bathroom door. I was more than certain he was going to start turning his head to stare at me or start whispering in my ear. He didn’t though, thank goodness!

Even More Amazing Places:

Salt & Straw – The Best Ice Cream in the World

Nothing I say about Salt & Straw will actually do this place justice. It is simply magic. And simply the best Ice Cream ever. Make sure to get a waffle cone, sample as many flavors as you desire, buy some merchandise, and enjoy uninterrupted happiness. Seriously, the line is worth the wait and you will not regret coming here!

See See Motorcycles Coffee – Best Merchandise and Portland Vibe

Its a dream coffee shop for motorcycle enthusiasts and has super cute clothes and decadent hot chocolate, I wish I could bring it back to the East Coast with me.

So now I recommend that everyone go to Portland and try these awesome places for yourselves! ❤

A Weekend of the Best DC Restaurants

Published on August 4, 2024March 31, 2025 by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

My sister and I don’t get to see each other often, but when we do we always make it a point to try out some new restaurants together. In March, I flew to DC to photograph a Saturday wedding in Charlottesville. I stayed with Natalie in Arlington while I was there and we went to some of the tastiest restaurants I’ve ever been to. Literally everywhere we went was amazing.

Best Beer Garden | Courthaus Social in Arlington, Va

After a long plane flight into DC, I was ready for a drink. My sister suggested this place since it was within walking distance of her apartment. After dealing with endless rain in Portland, I just needed a restaurant with an outside patio and alcohol. This was the perfect place. We ordered a giant pretzel and a few different happy hour items. We people-watched and took way too many photos of our food and ourselves. If you’re looking for beer, a fun atmosphere and delicious happy hour plates, go here.

Best Thai Food | Sawatdee in Arlington, Va

Also within walking distance of my sister’s apartment, we weren’t sure what to expect. However, this thai food was delicious. Perfectly fresh vegetable rolls and a tasty pad thai. Also with an outdoor patio and refreshing drinks. Definitely recommend if you’re looking for Thai Food in Arlington.

Best Happy Hour | Thunder Burger Bar in Georgetown, Va

We kind of accidentally stumbled upon Thunder Burger Bar. I had read an article online that it has amazing burgers, but we were just on the look out for some appetizers and a happy hour drink (yet again). We both ordered margaritas and an assortment of items off of the happy hour menu. Everything was delicious, the only problem was that we had tons of leftover food to eat for later! And that’s not really a problem. 🙂 Next time I’ll have to try a burger!

Best Cupcakes | Georgetown Cupcakes in Georgetown, Va

We always make it a point to get cupcakes when my sister and I are together. Georgetown is our go-to. They have festive flavors and amazing icing. While I wouldn’t say these are the best cupcakes I’ve ever had, it’s always an experience going there. The line is usually pretty long so it’s a nice time to just enjoy the hustle and bustle of Georgetown.

Best Brunch | Bearnaise in Washington, DC

SO GOOD. It’s a little off the beaten path, but totally worth it. We were worried that it would be packed with people on a Saturday but we didn’t even have to wait in line! It has a lovely French vibe and the food is incredible. The Eggs Benedict was perfect, and the Croque Monsieur was one of the best I’ve had in the US. I thoroughly enjoyed this brunch spot. It was quiet and bright, the perfect brunch vibe.

Best Coffee | Le Pain Quotidien in Arlington, Va

We ended up going here twice because we loved it so much. While it is a chain restaurant, it’s one of the best chain restaurants I’ve ever experienced. Everything was impeccable, from the coffee to the Belgian Waffles. A bit on the pricey side, so I’m glad I don’t have one of these in my neighborhood, I’d go there all the time! I ended up going home with some of their Speculoos spread, yum!

Best Italian | Il Porto Ristorante in Alexandria, Va

I love Italian food. I was looking forward to this meal from the second I arrived in DC. Sometimes you just need a good glass of red wine and a pasta dish. Il Porto Ristorante did not disappoint. Incredible service, food and dessert. The atmosphere was perfect with the stone walls and dim lighting. Definitely on the fancy side, but I would go here again in a heartbeat. Everything was incredibly fresh and full of flavor. My sister said it was the best lasagna she’s ever had!

Best Ramen | Momofuku in Washington, DC

Hands down my new favorite restaurant in DC. I love ramen and any kind of asian-fusion food, so this place was a dream. My dad had never tried ramen or pork buns or any sort of dish like these (crazy, I know), but he loved it! The pork buns melt in your mouth, the ramen is about as tasty as ramen can get and I love that it’s encouraged to share food here. Plus, the simple fact that Milk Bar is attached makes it the ideal restaurant. We got here right before the crowd so we didn’t have to wait in line, but I’d definitely recommend getting here early.

Best Dessert | Milk Bar in Washington, DC

OMG. If I could go here every day I would. Cereal & milk flavored ice cream, confetti cake truffles (my all time favorite dessert now) and crack pie. TRY ALL OF IT. My only regret is that I couldn’t stuff more in my face.

Let us know if you’ve tried any of these restaurants and what you thought of them!