Most people get excited for cooking during the Fall and Winter, but I’m here to say I really love cooking in the Summer. I think Summer foods/recipes are very underrated. I love all of the bright and fresh ingredients often used in Summer recipes. Below are some of my favorite Summer dinner ideas (that I honestly tend to make year-round).
This is a recipe I have recently started incorporating into our “go-to” meals. It’s the type of salad that feels unhealthy but is actually healthy and satisfying. I don’t follow the recipe exactly. I mostly use the recipe for the chicken marinade then toss it together with romaine, blue cheese crumbles, corn, sunflower seeds, and blue cheese dressing.
I know this recipe might sound a bit strange but you’re just going to have to trust me when I say it’s delicious. We’ve had it on it’s own but it would also make the perfect side for a BBQ get together.
This ceviche and tostada recipe is a match made in heaven. For the tostadas, I like to squeeze some lime juice and sprinkle salt on them immediately after they come out of the oven.
I don’t know about you, but I have been finding that a lot of new swimsuits this season seem to be unflattering. I scoured the internet to find the best swimsuits for 2021 that will flatter all sorts of body types. These swimsuits also range in price to fit almost any budget.
I used to be one of those people that never wore a graphic tee. I don’t know how I did it before, because graphic tees have become a staple of my casual summer wardrobe. When I have those days when I want to be comfortable but don’t know what to wear I reach for a graphic tee, jeans, and some flats. I specifically like graphic tees because they add an element of fun and personality to an otherwise boring outfit. Below are some of the cutest graphic tees for the season.
I’m one of those people that genuinely loves having a salad for a meal. I know some people cringe at the thought of having a salad as a meal and that’s probably because it’s not a filling or exciting salad. Over the last few years I’ve realized there are a few key components that make a salad filling and satisfying enough to have as a meal.
Crunchy Lettuce
I know there are certainly better for you greens than romaine, BUT I love the satisfying crunch of Romaine Lettuce. There is something about the crunch of a lettuce that makes it feel more filling. If you want to make it more nutritionally dense then you can mix in kale or spinach.
Extra Vegetable
I like to add an extra vegetable (something other than lettuce) to make the salad more nutritional and to add an extra flavor. For this particular salad I added edamame.
Protein
Protein is obviously a key component to making a salad filling. In the case of the salad above, I used salmon. You can certainly make the protein vegetarian or vegan.
Something Crunchy
Like I said before, there is something about a crunch factor that makes a salad feel more filling and less boring to eat. This can come in many forms including croutons, a crunchy vegetable, or in this case I used dried ramens noodles.
Something Creamy
This one took me a long time to realize it is an important component to a great salad. When I think of salads I definitely don’t think of a “creamy” salad. However, there is something about a creamy factor that makes it almost feel indulgent and not “healthy”. You can add something creamy by adding cheese, a creamy dressing, or in this case I used avocado.
Dressing
I will never been that person that doesn’t believe in salad dressing. I find that the people who don’t believe in salad dressing don’t like it because it “ruins” something healthy. THIS IS A LIE. Not all salad dressings are created equal. While I still buy some store-bought dressings (blue cheese) I generally find homemade dressings to be easy to make, better for you, and better tasting. The salad dressing you buy in a store are usually made of poor quality oils and questionable ingredients.
The Sephora sale is in full swing and officially open to all Beauty Insiders. If you are not a Beauty Insider, you can sign up for free here. Below are the sale details.
Photo From Sephora.com
I’m typically not one to shop the Sephora sale, but this year I had a few things on my wish list. I don’t have any logical reason why I’ve never shopped the sale. Makeup typically doesn’t go on sale as often as other things do, so 10-20% off might not sound like a great savings but it is for makeup. The sale is a great time to stock up on favorites and maybe try something new. My wedding is in July and I’m doing my own makeup so it’s the perfect excuse to shop the sale. Below is everything I bought from the sale.
Spring is here and that means it is time to start Spring cleaning. I’ve compiled a basic list below as a guide to Spring cleaning.
When you clean the inside of your refrigerator I suggest waiting until the day before you do a grocery store run, that way you have less items to remove while cleaning.
I have “Wash Shower Curtain” listed under the bathroom sections; this is only applicable to certain types of shower curtains. Some shower curtains may shrink so make sure to read the label on yours before washing it.
Under the Laundry section, I have “clean washer using clean washer setting”; that will only be for washing machines that have that setting. If yours does not, you can probably do some research on how to clean the inside.
If you have a sofa with cushion covers that can zip off, you might want to consider washing them. Make sure you do research on the material before washing it. I recommend letting it dry naturally rather than putting it in a dryer.
You might be confused by “clean vents”; if you’ve never looked at your vents before I suggest you do because they are probably pretty dusty.
Something I chose not to include on the list is cleaning stair banisters, interior of cars, and outdoor living spaces. I don’t feel this is necessary but you might want to sanitize them.
Late last June my husband and I got a call from our wedding venue informing us that we need to postpone or cancel our wedding. After a VERY stressful week we postponed the wedding, re-booked our vendors, and notified our guests. To say the least, it was not an enjoyable experience and it left me dreading planning again. Over the last couple of weeks I have (hesitantly) started planning my wedding again. Below are some tips on how to approach planning your wedding again.
Reach out to your vendors.
Confirm with your vendors that they have your wedding date on their calendar. This may sounds depressing, but many companies have faced hardship and have gone out of business so it’s nice to just reach out and hear from them and make sure they are still in business. This is also a great time to confirm the deposit your have paid, the balance owed, and the due date of the balance.
Discuss current guidelines with your venue and vendors.
The world is changing on a daily basis so maybe this seems like a waste of time, but it will help set your expectations. My venue furloughed their staff so I asked them if everyone has been hired back on, what their schedule is, and what guidelines they have in place for events. It’s important to get details about the guidelines so you can relay that to your guest- will they have to wear masks, stay six feet apart, will dancing be allowed?
Create a new checklist.
I’ve been using the Knot to plan my wedding; when I changed my wedding date it automatically changed the checklist deadlines to reflect the new wedding date. Now is the time to go through everything you already checked off and make sure you don’t have to do it again. For example, I unfortunately ordered wedding favors prior to postponing my wedding (they would have expired so I gave them away after postponing) so I have to add that to my list again.
Determine if you are going to send invitations again.
Wedding invitations are pricey and I know a lot of brides that sent postponement notifications plan to just remind their guests to RSVP. I decided to send my invitations again. Luckily, Minted still has the design for my original invites so all I have to do is change the date. In the event that your original design is no longer available, now is a good time to start looking for another design.
The pandemic got all of us thinking about what our pantry staples are. If you had asked me a year ago what mine are, I’m not sure I could have answered because I never really thought about it before. Pantry staples are going to be different for everyone depending on your dietary needs and preferences. For me what makes something a staple is because it falls into one of the following categories: I use it all the time, it’s a great option in the event I can’t get my hands on fresh food, or it’s versatile. Below are my pantry staples.
Quinoa- I know not everyone likes quinoa but I like making casseroles with it and topping salads with it. It’s a great shelf stable option for iron and protein.
Rice- I’m not particular about what type of rice I have on hand as long as I have some form of rice. These days it’s Basmati Rice. I’m good at planning entrees for dinner ever night but I never seem to plan sides to go with dinner so I like keeping rice on hand in the event that I don’t have anything else to serve with dinner.
Arborio Rice- It’s unlikely that this is a staple for most people but my husband and I LOVE risotto so for us it is essential. I like that I can make all types of risotto with it so it doesn’t feel repetitive but I’m still using it regularly.
Black Olives- We’re huge olive lovers in this house and while canned olives are not my favorite, I still love them. We snack on these and I use them to top salads with. It can be hard to find shelf stable healthy snack options so I like to keep olives on hand at all times.
Pasta- I usually have multiple types of pasta on hand but I ALWAYS have Trader Joe’s Brown Rice and Quinoa pasta. This is a slightly healthier pasta option. Given that I cannot go a week without pasta, it’s important for me to reach for healthier options.
Canned Tuna- I know some people find canned tuna repulsive, I happen to love it. For the same reasons I like to have quinoa on hand, I like to have canned tuna on hand as a shelf stable protein option.
Cento Tomatoes- When it comes to canned tomatoes I only buy Cento. If you haven’t tried it then you probably don’t understand why. If you have tried it then you understand that it’s just the best. I use canned tomato for all sorts of things, but this primarily gets used for pasta sauce.
Oats- I love having oats on hand for breakfast when I don’t have anything fresh. I also like having it to make over night oats if I know I’m going to be busy in the morning.
Sugar- I’m hugely into baking so basic baking items are essential to me. I always have granulated and brown sugar on hand.
Yeast- We all know everyone got into making bread when lockdown happened. We don’t eat a lot of white bread but when we do I make it because nothing else compares to store bought bread.
Flour- This one seems so obvious that I don’t feel the need to even explain it. I will say, I always use King Arthur Flour because I find that it’s the best quality for store bought flour.
Illy Coffee- I’m not a coffee drinker but my husband is and I don’t want to live with a coffee drinker that has not had their coffee.
