Hello my friends! Before I get into today’s post, a quick note about a new sharing tool you’ll see in the icons at the end of my post – and hovering to the left as you scroll down.
That orange “Y” is a “Yum” button, which, if you click it, will save any of my recipes to Yummly, which is a cool new online and app-based tool for collecting your favorite recipes. Here’s my new Yummly recipe box, if you’d like to check it out, and happy Yumming! If you need some inspiration, here are a handful of my favorite recipes on the blog – feel free to click through and “yum” them! 🙂
- 5 Minute No Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars
- Perfect Microwave Banana Oatmeal
- Mexican Lasagna
- Flour Free Breakfast Pancake
- Almond Butter Banana Breakfast Bars
- Healthy Peanut Butter Power Cookies
Also, just a note since I’ve had some questions recently about printing my recipes – see that blue-green icon with the printer picture in the graphics above? If you click on that when you’re on a recipe page (again, you’ll find those icons at the end of every post and also floating to the left), it will give you the option to print the recipe post with only the text – you can click a button to eliminate any photos and save your printer ink. 🙂
Anyway – is anyone else obsessed with grilling right now? I love summer.
Matt and I made ourselves a grill feast earlier this week with some BBQ sauce-marinated chicken, asparagus, corn, and baked beans. The chicken took a little longer than we thought it would to cook (it was super thick and we had pulled it out of the freezer earlier that day), so we started with a veggie course.
And then moved on to the main event! Baked beans + chicken = such a great combo.
We had some leftover chicken so I turned into a big salad the next day for lunch with some kale, spinach, avocado, peppers, and 90 second brown rice (the best). I threw some Tessemae’s soy ginger dressing on top. Hit the spot!
Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, this was happening…
I KNOW… I just don’t have the heart to keep spraying her with the water bottle to keep her off the table! We do spray her when she gets up on our dining room table, but this is the breakfast table under her favorite window perches, so we feel bad. Whatever. I’m sure all the fur is building my immune system or something… 😉
I mean, really. She’s too cute to be mad at. 😉
Okay, enough cat pictures… what was I talking about? Oh yeah, food!
Here was a breakfast I had a couple times this week – a cottage cheese/plain Greek yogurt combo + berries + a little cereal (this was a mix of Kashi Heart to Heart and Nature’s Path Mesa Sunrise) + nuts (hidden under everything else). Hits the spot on these too hot for oatmeal days!
Outside of food, something fun I got into this week was getting to attend the media preview for a brand new store that’s opening this weekend at Tyson’s Corner Center in Virginia: Chelsea Collective! (Thank you to Vocalpoint and Chelsea Collective for the invitation to attend the event, and for sponsoring this write up!)
Chelsea Collective is a women’s fitness apparel boutique, and this is the first of its kind in the nation. It provides head-to-toe fitness apparel from a big variety of brands, including Lorna Jane, Brooks, Under Armour, NIKE, Saucony, Calia by Carrie Underwood, Zobha, Moving Comfort, ADIDAS, Sanuk, Alala, Splendid, and more. I loved that there were so many brands represented – and that a bunch were ones I hadn’t heard of before, or that I’d only seen online vs. in stores!
The store has a big focus on fusing fashion with fitness, and a lot of the items were ones that would be perfect to transition from your workout right to brunch afterward (my fave, as you know)! I was especially loving this cute Lorna Jane tank – might have to return on a less crowded day and pick it up!
We were able to bring a guest with us to the event, so I invited my blogger buddy Chelsea as my date. It only made sense considering the store is named after her and all. 😉
I also got to see a bunch of long lost local blogger buddies – and meet some new ones, too! I especially loved catching up with Ericka and Ashley, who I hadn’t seen in ages, and meeting Colleen, who I’ve been chatting with via Instagram for awhile now, and her friend Kara!
If you’re in the area, check out their grand opening party on August 8 and 9 for in-store styling demonstrations and complimentary services and refreshments. Also, the first 25 guests receive a gift! You’ll find the store on the 2nd floor of the mall, near Lucky Brand (and parking garage “E”).
The store is also right upstairs from the restaurant Seasons 52, where Chelsea and I headed for dinner after the event. I opted for a delicious Asian-inspired fish with a soy ginger sauce, black rice, and some veggies. It was amazing and I was pretty hungry, so not a bite was left on the plate!
Have a great day, friends! I’ll leave you guys with a few of my favorite articles/posts from around the internet lately. Enjoy!
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- “The Great Debate: Sugar vs. Artificial Sweeteners” — excellent, well researched article – couldn’t have said it better myself! via fellow dietitian/friend Rachael Hartley of Avocado a Day Nutrition
- “Why Blindly Following a Meal Plan Can Backfire” — amen. via fellow dietitian/friend Lauren Trocchio of Nutrition Unlocked
- “Don’t Define Your Diet By What You’re NOT Eating” — loved this, too. via Huffington Post Healthy Living
- “The Great Debate: Sugar vs. Artificial Sweeteners” — excellent, well researched article – couldn’t have said it better myself! via fellow dietitian/friend Rachael Hartley of Avocado a Day Nutrition
