Marissa Mace

A home decor and lifestyle blog

Family Friendly Trip to Breckenridge

Our first family trip to Breckenridge, Colorado was one I will never forget. There are multiple reasons why Breckenridge is family friendly destination in the winter, even if you don’t ski.

We ended 2023 by visiting another Colorado mountain town. Our family loves to ski, but this trip was all about the Breckenridge food scene and family friendly activities. We spent three nights in Breckenridge – and I’m already dreaming of going back.

Here are some of my tips for planning your first family trip to Breckenridge:

Tip 1: Stay Close to Main Street

We are a family of four and have two kiddos – a four year old and a six year old. From experience, we know we getting in and out of cars and driving places does not make for super happy kids. One of the reasons our trip was so amazing was WHERE we stayed.

We stayed in a small condo right on Main Street (The Carlin). The room had bunk beds – which our kids were obsessed with! We had a balcony where we were able to sit and enjoy the views. But aside from the views, we were able to walk everyone from our condo.

The heart of Breckenridge is on Main Street. It is a very walkable town as long as you stay in the right location. But even if you stay just off of Main Street, there is a free trolley that has multiple stops and drop offs. But with two littles, we were able to walk to all the restaurants, stores and activities.

Tip 2: Go See the Troll

You can’t visit Breckenridge without visiting Isak Hearthstone – the Breckenridge Troll. Our kids are still talking about the Isak the troll.

Don’t let the word “hike” scare you. This was a beautiful walk between trees that took three minutes. It is flat and if you go in the winter, the snow is packed down perfectly. The troll is MASSIVE. Take tons of photos and videos when you get there.

Check out this Instagram reel of our “hike” to the troll!

But after you visit Isak, head the opposite direction on the Illinois Creek Trail and take a beginner friendly hike through the woods. It will loop you right around to the start. The entire loop takes about 45 minutes or less.

If you want to up your hiking game and see some wildlife, check out the Blue River Trail in Breckenridge. The trail starts off in an open meadow where we saw two moose! Then it leads to a wooded trail where we didn’t see wildlife, but did see their tracks in the snow.

The Blue River Trail is just over 3 miles in and out. This trail is my favorite I’ve ever done – the beauty of it is indescribable.

Tip 3: EAT, EAT, EAT!

Plan to break that diet if you are visiting Breckenridge. I had no idea it was a culinary hub and foodies dream. I’m gluten free and had no problem finding delicious food at all their restarts.

Favorite Breckenridge restaurants: Fatty’s Pizza, Hearthstone, Blue Stag Saloon, Tin Plate and Dynamite Cookies for dessert! Check out the story highlight on my Instagram for pictures and videos.

No matter the season, Breckenridge is extremely family friendly. Make sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel – a full Breckenridge recap coming your way soon!

New Wellness Journey and What I Changed

At 35, reality really sets in.

If we’ve been friends online for any amount of time, you know wellness is super important to me. I love sharing it, learning about it and living a healthy lifestyle. Over the last three years, I’ve shared by struggles and successes when it comes to my wellness journey. You all know I’m not a big fan of the scale but I’m a big fan of measuring my health by how I feel and how my clothes fit. But earlier this year, I was triggered to change my daily routine, change what I consume and change how I challenge my body.

Every year, for the last ten years, I’ve gone to get my annual physical. My weight is taken, my blood is drawn and the doctor asks if I have any concerns. For the last five years, I have been proactively seeking healthier choices. I eat balanced meals, I don’t eat junk food or processed food daily, I exercise 3-4 times a week – sometimes more (I do resistance training). But I had been stuck at the same weight and my A1C remained the same or increased. An A1C test a simple blood test that measures your average blood sugar levels over the past 3 months. This test is commonly used to diagnose prediabetes and diabetes.

My blood told me each time, I was prediabetic at 6.0.

So this past year, I went into my annual visit with my doctor and asked what I could do better to improve my A1C and lack of weight loss. His next two statements triggered me to make some wellness changes.

“You’re doing everything right. Keep doing what you are doing. Let’s also put you on diabetes medicine and a weight loss pill.”

Wait, what? That just didn’t sit well with me.

I rejected both. I did not ask for medicine. I asked the doctor if I could do something better in my daily habits. He again told me I was doing everything correctly and again offered me prescription drugs for weight loss.

I walked out of his office feeling like a failure. The only hope I had was that two months prior to this visit, I had completely cut carbs and sugar from my diet. It was a last ditch effort on my part to feel better and lose weight. It was a test for myself to see if cutting carbs was what my body needed me to do.

It seriously was a last ditch effort. Who wants to cut carbs? Who wants to cut sugar? Those are all the yummy foods! But I hadn’t done it before, so I gave it a try.

A day later, my AC1 blood test results came back. My A1C went from a 6.0 to a 5.4! Previously, my doctor had told me to have 30 grams of carbohydrates at each meal – since I was nearing prediabetes, that was the recommended amount they wanted me to consume.  I did the opposite, and my blood work showed my body does not do well with carbs.

This was a major reality check for me. I had to take my wellness into a new direction.

Going Low Carb, Sugar Free

If you’ve been following along on my Instagram, you’ve seen me posting cleaner alternative and low carbs recipes. Going low carb was fairly easy since I have been gluten free for almost five years now. It was eliminating sugar that was tough for me. I love sweets! I’ll take sweet over savory any day. But let me tell you, it gets easier! Once you start eliminating carbs and sugar, you stop craving them. Trust me, I was a skeptic of that last statement too. But, it is true. It’s like magic.

I found great alternatives and really yummy recipes. I have a full blog all about going low carb, sugar free that I’m working on. Can’t wait to share it!

Technically, I went keto for those two months as a reset. Now, I’m just super low carb and focusing more on proteins, rather than fat. I’m also eliminating unnecessary chemicals and gravitating toward clean foods and ingredients. Am I perfect? NOPE. But that’s okay. Perfect would not be sustainable for me.

What’s Next?

Needless to say, I won’t be going back to that doctor. But I will be monitoring my blood work to make sure I’m staying on track. Have I lost weight, a few pounds. But I’m also lifting weights. And, I’m not getting on the scale anymore. My pants fit me loose and jackets that didn’t zip before, are now a little loose. So, yeah, I’m losing body fat.

As part of my journey, I’ve started to wake up earlier. Get my workout in. Go for more walks. And… wait for it…. I’ve been secretly incorporating cold showers into my mornings. I know that sounds like I’ve gone crazy. The girl who is ALWAYS cold, is taking cold showers? YUP! I am. And I love them! The energy and mood boost I get each time is incredible. It’s still not easy, but I’m hooked. So much so, that I plan to start adding cold plunges to my routine.

So much to look forward to and to share with you all. But honestly, listen to your body. I am beyond glad I did not just take the pills my doctor wanted me to take. I stuck to my gut and I’ve never felt better.

Have questions? Ask away! I love sharing about wellness.

XO, Marissa

The Best Keto Broccoli Soup

I’m always looking for a low carb, keto-friendly meal. This soup is perfect for all my fellow cheese and keto lovers. It’s simple and delicious.

As I was cooking the soup, it was a gloomy, rainy day – naturally, I was craving a warm cozy soup for dinner. Other recipes call for flour and whole milk which are high in carbs and not gluten free.

It’s quite the process to find a good recipe for me. I need it to be low carb and gluten free. I’ve been gluten free for almost five years now and have it nailed down – but I’m still always searching for tasty low carb/keto options.

I started my low carb journey mid-2023 and it has made a world of difference for me. I feel better, my diabetes blood work is normal and as an added bonus, I’ve lost a little weight. It just works really well with my body!

After picking apart other recipes and made my own keto and gluten free broccoli cheese soup recipe. This keto broccoli cheese soup recipe will take you about 25 minutes to make. BONUS: it is kid approved!

I used my Caraway dutch oven to make the cheesy soup. I am absolutely obsessed with my Caraway cookware set. It’s non-toxic, nonstick and makes for easy clean up, too! Learn all about my obsession with Caraway in my recent blog post.

Here’s the ingredients you’ll need to make this creamy broccoli soup:

  • 1.5 tablespoons of butter
  • 1/2 chopped onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 3 cups of low sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cups of heavy cream
  • 4 cups of finely chopped broccoli
  • 1/2 teaspoon of paprika
  • 1 teaspoon of pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 4 cups of sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)

How to make:

  1. In a pot, melt your butter and sauté your chopped onions and garlic until translucent.
  2. Next, add your chicken broth, heavy cream and broccoli. Then add you paprika, pepper and salt and bring it to a boil. Once it is at a light boil, add your cheddar cheese little batches at a time so it can start blending in to the soup.
  3. Simmer for about 20 minutes to thicken the soup up. Once the soup is nice and creamy, it is ready to serve!

Yes, it is as simple as that! I’m not a fancy recipe gal – I like easy and delicious. I work full time so I make sure my recipes are family friendly and under 30-ish minutes.

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