Flying High

Colorado

This title could mean a handful of things for the state of Colorado. And yes, I know you’re thinking of that completely obvious one. However, Colorado is also known for having the highest mean altitude in all of the states. Also it is home of our Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs! 
I remember the first time that I ever went to Colorado was for a lacrosse tournament in Vail. Not only did we have to train differently and harder to be used to the elevation but I also thought it was amusing that all of our teammates bought shirts that said “I played lacrosse high… (And on the back) in the Rocky Mountains.” We thought we are so cool and definitely rocked them with pride all the way home to Pennsylvania. Oh how simplistic high school was. :) 

I now return to Colorado almost a decade or more later to visit one of my good childhood friends that lives in the capital of Colorado, Denver.

My trip had a very interesting start... before I even landed in Denver. First, I was delayed 2 1/2 hours (however they kept delaying it in 15 minute increments so we kept thinking we are going to board shortly). So I decided to make myself comfortable and I sat next to these random people and started some casual conversation. Before we even boarded the plane, we nicknamed ourselves the “The southwest club” aka the new breakfast club. We shared drink tickets, we save each other seats and we shared many laughs. This made our delay and plane ride seem way shorter than the 14 hour travel time. The coolest part about it was we ranged from ages 25 to 75!  So I encourage you next time you are traveling or out somewhere, make sure you unplug yourself and actually engage in conversation around you, you never know who you’re going to meet!

Moving on, once I landed in Denver, I was ready to explore! Denver is nicknamed as the mile high city. Since it’s elevation is 1 mile above sea level! This is how our cookie got its name. I completely fell in love Denver from it’s natural beauty to everything being walking accessible to it being so dog friendly! ​

Places I ventured to in CO

• Hiked in Boulder, CO up flatiron — this was a beautiful short but challenging 2.5 mile hike. Just when you think you're in great shape, go to Colorado and you feel like you can’t breathe 500 feet into your hike. Elevation really does get to you!!! However, It was completely worth it since the views were incredible from the top. I highly recommend this hike for something short but a spectacular view! 

• Prosper Oats— you would think that living in a mainline area there would be more açai bowl places around here, am I right!?!!  There is so very few so whenever I travel I tend to locate the nearest place so I can get my fulfillment! Prosper oats was amazing and I made Elise take me there every single morning! You choose your base (oats, yogurt, acai) and then your sweetener and toppings! I HIGHLY recommend their PB & B bowl. 
• Eagles bar - Larimer beer hall — This was an awesome experience since in case you didn’t already know that THE BIRDS won the Super Bowl… Since I visited once in January I was able to watch the play off game at an Eagles affiliate bar in downtown Denver! If you're a Philly fan, I suggest you to check this out next time you are in the city! 

• Avanti — This bar has an awesome atmosphere! There’s is a trendy upstairs with really tasty drinks and reasonably priced wines. It also has a downstairs with different food venues for you to choose from! It is very similar to a food truck vibe! It’s an awesome concept and should definitely be on your list for your night out in the city! 

So on to the cookie...

So if you’ve ever been to Colorado -- it is breathtakingly beautiful as it surrounded by so many mountains. When I was coming up with what to put in the cookie, I thought about what I normally take with me as I go on hikes. I think a very common snack to munch on is either granola bars, granola itself or trail mix. So I wanted to use some local companies that I could use to come up with some what of a granola cookie.

Two main ingredients in our cookie.. 

• Cinnamon almond butter for PB Love Co. This Almond Butter is INCREDIBLE!!!!! I could have just eaten the jar and been happy! It is a 100% real food product and since Jessica rose baked goods are made with mostly organic product this was right up my alley! The founders of this company live in Denver themselves! Read and look at their website to read more about their amazing products! 
• Vanilla GLUTEN FREE Granola from Udi's. What I love about Udi's is that it can be enjoyed by mostly everyone! It Is egg free, dairy free and GLUTEN free! This company is locate in Boulder, CO! 

Now... introducing the
MILE HIGH COOKIE

GLUTEN FREE, Almond Butter, vanilla granola, chocolate chip cookie! 

So not only did Elise show me around all of Denver ... she’s actually such a good friend that she even walked through a park with a plate of cookies just to get the perfect cookie picture with a Mountain View. You don’t understand how awkward it is walking with a plate of cookies as everyone is exercising and running past you...

But hey... it's a pretty cool picture... get it.. CO ;)

Thanks for reading and continuing to follow me throughout my journey to create a cookie for each state! 
​If you have any ideas or places you want me to visit, email me! 
​I would love to add you to my adventure! 
​
xo 

Jessica Rose