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Independence Day Weekend
Happy Independence Day Weekend!
Still recovering from the 4th of July festivities?! I hope you were able to celebrate the special day with friends, food and fireworks! I thoroughly enjoyed a day off of work and celebrated by sleeping in an extra 3 glorious hours :)
My family’s Independence Day weekend included a healthy dose of sunshine on one of my favorite west coast beaches. Balboa, baby! I adore the ferris wheel, the Balboa ferry and the peninsula lined with (over-priced) cute condos. We spent a couple hours walking along the boardwalk and through the beach-y neighborhoods, shopping for our dream home.
I think I was the only girl on the boardwalk not wearing high-waisted shorts and a crop top. How on earth this trend continues to catch on while it makes your butt look unnaturally long is beyond me. #sundress4life ;)
Coffees next to the ferris wheel is Balboa beach tradition.
We started the beach day walking from one pier to the other. American flags were everywhere! Newport residents did not disappoint with the patriotism. After over an hour of walking (and sweating), we were ready to set up camp on the sand and do absolutely nothing.
This girl needed to add some sunlight back into my skin (and work on the eternal sports bra/spandex tan lines!)
I made one unhealthy mistake…..insufficient sunscreen. Damn, I’ve never had major sunburns. My SoCal skin usually welcomes the rays with an olive tone….but three years in the snowy mountains have turned my skin pale and I guess its reunion with the beach sun was a little too harsh! Aloe Vera is my BFF right now.
Unfortunately the beach is overwhelmingly crowded, especially on a holiday weekend. We pinicked lunch with some healthy sandwiches and fruit and decided to hop on a ferry to walk on the other side of the island.
Showering after a sandy sweaty day at the beach = best showers ever. To be clean again! And the night ended with a Pineapple Rum Slushie.
Tomorrow morning I set out for my Sunday Long Run! My favorite workout of the week :)
Due to a ridiculously busy schedule last week I had to postpone a few blog posts that I wanted to share but be ready for a pineapple-y recipe on the blog Monday morning!
Better than a restaurant…
We made it to Friday again! *coffee cup clink* It’s also Food Truck Friday (the office will have 4 food trucks come for lunch) and Frizzy Hair Friday (I wore my natural “curls” to work today. No, you do not get a selfie of that hot mess going on.)
The weekend is hours away. My “grown-up” plans? Shopping for the new apartment! Assuming everything goes smoothly, I sign a lease to my apartment for senior year with two of my best girl friends this weekend. Since I’ve been doing the on-campus housing thing for three years, it’s time to invest in some furniture like mattress, dresser, desk….you know, the essentials.
I can’t wait to get to the non-essentials and have taken to Pinterest to plan my new digs:
In the middle of our shopping we will no doubt stop for lunch. But you know what’s better than a restaurant in my personal (though very reliable) opinion? A picnic. Seriously. Packing your own snacks is a healthier route and opens up so many options. Last weekend I picnicked with my mom’s best friend from high school and her daughters. We usually meet up for dinner at Panera or Olive Garden so the outdoor, sit-on-the-ground, pack-a-cooler play date was fun. We had the little league baseball games going on in the background which made it extra cute J
Summer produce makes it so dang eeeeasy to fill a cooler with all sorts of juicy colors.
Cherries, Grapes, Strawberries. We topped a bed of mixed greens with strawberry slices, almond slivers, chicken, cucumber, bell peppers. *If you pack a salad on a picnic, bring the bottle of dressing itself. Avoid a soggy salad that’s been sitting in dressing too long.
Plus something crunchy, so we opted for Quaker POP chips.
Other crunchy sides:
-
Handful of almonds, pistachios or other unsalted nuts
- Whole Wheat Pretzels
- Whole Grain Crackers
This is similar to the lunch cooler we bring to work everyday.
Restaurants are great for socializing but I’d rather be outside (assuming the weather isn’t in the triple digits, which are coming next week!)
On an unrelated note…
Anybody else watching the new season of Big Brother? YIKES. I watch the ridiculous reality show every summer and usually love it. There are always a few likable players to root for (Um Jordan and Jeff?!) but this season…..oh my. I’m embarrassed for the contestants. They’re too obnoxious to handle, I don’t know if I’ll make it through the whole season. (I say that now, but ask me what I think in a month. It hooks me every time.)
Guilty pleasure I guess!
Fresh 4th of July Dessert!
4th of July means a Friday off of work to celebrate. If you’re making a festive and patriotic menu (nothing like a theme party, right!?) then you’ve probably taken to Pinterest to plan. Red, White, & Blue Overload!
I contemplated dipped & decorated pretzel rods, a berry cobbler, and a parfait before deciding on cute fruit skewers. Who doesn’t love shish kabobs! (I actually just like the word “shish kabob.” SHISH KABOB. Okay I’m done.)
This dessert is easy breezy because it takes 4 ingredients, minimal time & effort, and the skewers keep the portion control in check. Light, fresh, and beauuuuutiful if I say so myself.
Strawberry slices and whole blueberries are interupted with fat chunks of Angel Food cake. Angel Food cake mixes require only water. Can’t get much simpler than that. I set out a dish of light whip cream for dipping.
I like the simplicity and summery quality to this dessert.
Last year I brought you Light Cherry Berry “Pies” which I can’t wait to recreate now that cherries are back in the produce section. Loooooove me some summer fruits! I used to say without a doubt that peaches were my favorite summer fruit. Then it became a close tie with strawberries. Now I’m hooked on cherries…grapes…apricots…pineapple. I CAN’T CHOOSE. Luckily, I don’t have too. :)
