Friday, May 27, 2016

FriYAY! YAY! YAY!

Who's excited for the long holiday weekend? The unofficial start to summer. I certainly am and we have a weekend full of no plans! May not sound like fun to some, but it's a ton of fun for us! We are having a staycation and planning to visit all of our favorite spots around town, and hopefully enjoy a day or two of great weather before it turns rainy. I'm linking up today for FriYAY with Oh Hey Friday and Five on Friday!




one | Thirst Quenching
Now that it's really getting hot out I've been obsessed with a morning or lunchtime smoothie! My go to combo is banana, raspberries and blueberries with a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter. I usually do my smoothies in my Magic Bullet and add a little water, but recently I started adding V8 Splash Diet Tropical Blend, and it took my smoothie to the next level! Do you have any go-to smoothie recipes?

two | Memorial Day Side Dish
With the holiday weekend already here, I wanted to share with you an awesome side that we enjoyed on our beach vacation. It's so easy and delicious and would be a great addition to any backyard BBQ! This recipe came from my aunt, so I'm not sure exactly the origin, but enjoy!

Mediterranean Quinoa* Salad
*this can be made with orzo

3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 clove garlic, chopped
S & P
1/4 cup EVOO
1 cup quinoa (or orzo)
2 cups red and yellow grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 cup pitted kalamata olives
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 pickled cherry peppers, diced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 English cucumber, diced
Feta

Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, oregano, garlic and S&P in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil until emulsified. Let sit at room temperature. Rinse the quinoa. Combine the quinoa, 2 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in saucepan, bring to boil and cook until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, fluff with fork and let sit for 5 minutes to cool. Add the tomatoes, olives, green onions, cherry peppers, red onions, cucumbers and dressing. Toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours before serving. Sprinkle with feta before serving.

three | Can't Stop the Feeling
Just a little happiness for your Friday! Came across this daddy/daughter duo dancing to Justin Timberlake's  new song "Can't Stop the Feeling" and it's adorable. Check out the video  here!

I'm keeping it short and sweet this Friday! What are your plans for the weekend? Having a staycation or jetting off? Either way, enjoy the extra time with family and friends!

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Beachin' It


We're back from an amazing week vacation on Holden Beach, NC. If you've never been to Holden you should definitely add it to your list! It's 95% residential and rental homes with a very small commercial area which I love the most. Having grown up in a beach community that thrives on commercial establishments, it was nice to spend the week really removed and leaving behind the feeling of "having" to go somewhere. There really is nothing like taking time for yourself to relax, rejuvenate and renew, and what better way than to do it at the beach! 

This year was special as it was the first year our family [of 2!] and my sister's family went in together for a beautiful house right on the water. There is no other way to do a beach vacation than staying where you have your own walkway to the water. The weather was hit or miss, but we managed to spend almost every day either at the beach or pool. And as I like to say if you can't enjoy the beach while it's cloudy or rainy than you really aren't a beach person! Rain or shine for me and I'm still happy to be a) away on vacation and b) away on vacation!

I went into the week with only one goal, and that was to read, read, read! I managed to get through two books during the first half of the week. I would definitely recommend both books! The first was  The Summer of Good Intentions by Wendy Francis. For whatever reason this book made me boohoo cry! It was based around a family vacation house, love, life and relationships. It was such a great, quick summer read!! The second book I read was  The Glass Kitchen by Linda Frances Lee. This book was based around 3 sisters with a love for food and of course a little love story. Another great read!



If you've stuck with me until now you'll notice I literally took zero pictures the entire week or otherwise I'd be sharing! Next time I'll make sure to document better!

Until next time... Happy Tuesday!