Nine Favorite Things.

June 23, 2024

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Hello from the south of France!

If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you know that I’ve spent this week in Cannes, France, for the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. This is my first time in Europe, and it was such an amazing trip! I’m sharing all of the details for the first part of my travels below.

Because I am traveling, I’m going to attempt not to make this post a mile long. It will be short and sweet for today but back to normal next week. I will say that I feel so lucky to have come to France for work. Did I ever imagine that I could be that girl traveling the world for work? No, not in a million years!

I am not the same girl I was at 16. I’m not even close to the girl I was 12 years ago when we first started Half Baked Harvest. I’ve grown so much, and in ways I just never thought possible for me. No one could have predicted I would be running my own business, let alone traveling to the South of France to talk about exactly how I did it! Pinch me moment!

Anyway, more on my trip below, but mostly so many photos.

I’m going to be traveling a lot over the next few months. Let me know what you find most exciting for me to share with you all, I love sharing!

I’m looking forward to getting home this week. I’ll be working on some new recipes ahead of my brother’s wedding, which is being held in Colorado in our studio space. I’ll also be making more travel plans for the weeks and months ahead. We have some exciting adventures and news coming very soon!

That’s all I have for today. Have a great week!

1. Things i’m loving, wanting, and excited to try.

shopping…the new Studio McGee decor at Target. Such a cute collection.

everything in my cart (low)…this is the cutest Anna October x J.Crew sheer sweater-dress.

listening to…Beauty Deep Dive: Celebrity Secrets, Undetectable Procedures, Aging Standards & Best of Products with Gloss Angeles. Listen to this if you just need something chill and fun to listen to and get ahead of summer beauty trends. Also, Toxic Fitness Culture and Moving from External to Internal Validation with Grace Beverley. Saving this for the plane!

dreaming of going to…the Indonesian Island of Sumba. The Nihi Sumba resort looks magical. All the horses have me sold.

loving…the Shopbop Summer sale.

shopping…the Aritzia sale. Loving this Babaton prosper jean skirt. The sale ends today, so shop now!

wanting…every single bag on H&M right now. So many cute options.

everything in my cart (beauty)…ordering these alpha beta exfoliating body treatment wipes.

reading…Summer Reading List.

watching…Abby Champion’s Guide to Face Rollers, Acupressure, and Model-On-The-Go Makeup.

ordering…an Anti Blue Light Laptop Screen Protector, Eye Protection Anti Glare Matte Computer Screen Cover. I love working outside when I can, but the screen glare always makes it hard. The blue light protector is an added bonus!

everything in my cart (high)…very into this Prada Interlock Knit One-piece Swimsuit. I love a one piece with an open back.

This is such a cute lace vest from Sea, but I do equally love this affordable embroidered blouse from Mango. Both are super cute!

summer travel…a Luxe Mexican Resort Right on a Mangrove-Dotted Beach. The Etéreo, Auberge Resorts Collection looks like a cute spot!

shopping…sneakers! Into these Gola sneakers (I think the yellow is fun) and these Puma palermo women’s sneaker.

2. The Best Peach Recipes.

Iced Peach Lemonade Matcha Latte

Easy Ginger Blackberry Peach Cobbler

Peach Burrata Parmesan Crostini with Hot Honey

Hot Bacon Tomato Peach Goat Cheese Salad

Blackberry Peach Galette

Peach Burrata Crostini with Burst Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette

10 Minute Gooey Vanilla Peach Mug Cake

Tomato, Peach, and Burrata Salad

Nonnie’s 5 Ingredient Peach Dump

Peaches and Cream Pretzel Pie

3. Summer Outdoor Entertaining.

Amazon outdoor

4. The First Half of France.

First off, I came to France with our advertising agency, Raptive. We’ve worked with Raptive for many, many years (and through several name changes). They’ve been our longest partnership, and the partnership that’s really brought us the most value through the years.

Raptive runs the advertisements you see on the website. They do their best to present you with only ads that resonate most with you and your lifestyle. They’ve been amazing partners, and I’m honored to be here in France with them.

They brought me here to speak on building a brand through human connection and the importance of building a strong community. If you’re not familiar with Cannes Lions, it’s one of the biggest media conferences in the world. Pretty much every media company is here. As are many recognizable creatives such as Jay Shetty, Gabrielle Union, Jessica Alba, and Elon Musk.

My longtime friend, Cait Harvey (and also a stylist who works with Sydney Lopez) was my partner in crime for this trip. We left LA on Sunday and arrived in Nice, France on Monday afternoon. It was a long trip with a handful of stressful situations. But we made it — and even better, our bags made it too! Of course, we needed all our cute outfits for the south of France.

Once we got to the hotel I went out for a little walk to move my legs (water and movement while you travel is the secret). Then we got dressed for dinner. We’re staying at the Chateau St. Martin in Vence, France. It’s about 50 minutes outside of Cannes, which we are actually finding kind of nice. It’s been good to be away from the chaos of Cannes, as there are a lot of people here. Plus, they brought the Olympic torch through the city on Tuesday. This was super cool, but brought even more people in to Cannes!

We went to dinner at the cutest little restaurant, Le Tilleul, in the legendary village of Saint Paul de Vence. It was beautiful, and the menu was delicious Mediterranean cuisine. We ordered the fried goat cheese salad, which came with the yummiest phyllo dough wrapped around the cheese in a honey vinaigrette. Then, greens, figs, tomatoes, etc., were also tossed in the honey vinaigrette. Delish. For our entrées, we had the sea bass and ravioli. Both dishes were wonderful!

We walked around the cute village, got espressos, and then headed back to the hotel for the night.

The following morning I was up early, did my morning workout, then went to have hair and makeup done for the day ahead. The first day of Cannes I lead a group session and spoke about creating and building our brand through human connection. We then did a short Q&A about how our advertising company, Raptive, supports their creators. And then we did something fun – I ran through how I put together a cheeseboard. It went really well. I honestly love speaking about business and sharing how we built ours, as it’s kind of unique.

Following my session, I had a few brand meetings to attend. We grabbed some small bites and drinks, walked around, and then had dinner. Dinner was at Mood in Cannes. I’m not sure it’s very well known, but everything we ordered was very good!

Dinner ran late until about 10:30 p.m. Then Cait and I grabbed a Taxi to head back to our hotel. It’s about a 45-50-minute drive, depending on traffic, but we didn’t mind. I think we both slept most of the way!

Once I showered, I finished up some work, called my parents, and went to bed.

Wednesday, I woke up again pretty early, did my workout, and then did my hair and makeup before heading into Cannes for the day. Wednesday was a big Q&A. I love a Q&A, so I was really looking forward to this day! And even cooler, I found out once I arrived that I would be speaking alongside Gabrielle Union. Yet another pinch-me moment.

The Q&A could not have gone better, and I really enjoyed all of the questions and thoughtful conversations.

Following the event, I had two brand meetings and was done for the day around six. We headed back to the hotel around seven. I did all the things to prep for bed (work, shower, work, call mom), ate at the restaurant, and went to bed. The one thing about Cannes? It’s going to tire you out at the end of the day!

It’s been the most wonderful trip so far, despite not having the best weather. The weather was perfection on Monday night and all day Tuesday, but Wednesday and today are very rainy.

There will be more to come on the last couple of days of the trip next week. But this is really the bulk of it, as we’re headed home in the morning. One more day in France!

5. Something fun! What Easy Dinners Do You Make After a Long Day?

As soon as I see the season’s peaches at the market, I love to make my Tomato, Peach, and Burrata Salad. And this Lemon Parmesan Sesame Salad really is my go-to all year round. I love a great bowl, and this one is so yummy – Honey Lime Chili Chicken Bowls. And then, of course, there’s tacos, always tacos. Right now, Sheet Pan Chipotle Steak Tacos with Mango Salsa.

related reading: What Easy Dinners Do You Make After a Long Day? Read the comments for new ideas.