Friday's Update: Weekly Highs & Lows

The weekend is here and that's definitely something to be thankful for!

This was the first week in a long time that I didn't feel exhausted (from traveling) despite having a seriously demanding week at work. Getting out of bed wasn't a challenge and I was able to keep up with my workload although I fell a bit behind with reading blogs.

One:

Trader Joe's has finally come to Central Florida and the herds have been flocking in. It took 15 minutes to get a parking spot but I finally got in and saw what all the hype was about. Everything is so cheap and I love all the stuff you can't find at our local grocery store including the famous "three buck chuck" (wine). I'll definitely be back for more of that $3 goodness!

Two: 

I wrote a meal plan for dinner this week and stuck to it.

Mon: Chicken & veggie stir-fry

Tues: Pork chops w/ carrots & zucchini

Wed: Shrimp & Chicken Southwest salad

Thurs: Chicken fajitas

We eat stir-frys and most of the other meals above on a regular basis but it was my first attempt at making Southwest salad and it was amazing! We even had enough to bring to work for lunch the next day. I'll be adding this to our ongoing meal plan.

Three:

I got invited to a friend's baby shower and thought this was a really cute idea to insert in the invitation. I've already purchased my book for baby Harper.

 

Four:

Yesterday was the anniversary of the passing of my college roommate and one of my best friends.  Cancer sucks! July 10th will always be a day of mourning for me. Miss you SLH!

Five:

I failed at making it to the gym this week but stuck to eating healthy breakfasts whether it was a boiled egg, low-carb shake or some fruit. With all the traveling, I've been seriously slacking at the gym and need to show my face tomorrow to get the ball rolling. No more traveling for a while so I can focus on my health/fitness, date nights with K, cleaning the house, healthy meals and catching up on everything else I've been neglecting.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Joining Lauren for H54F and Amanda for Friday's Favorites.

Summer Dresses & Accessories

Oh, hey looks who's blogging about summer again! This time I'm sharing some of my recent fashion finds and pretty summer dresses.

I've been to a ton of weddings and different events recently which means I've had to shop for new outfits & matching accessories at an affordable price. Admittedly, I'm no model and I really don't like posing for photos but these are some of my favorites for the year.

 Lily Rose Geometric Maxi Dress: similar, similar
 Patterned Stretch Long Skirt: similar, similar, similar

Hi-Lo Summer Dress: similar, similar

Blue Avenue Swing Dancer Dress: here

Trixxi Strapless Dress: similar, similar 

Target Printed Strapless Dress: similar, similar, similar

Accessories:

What's in my Beach Bag & Summer Favorites

It's no secret my ideal weekend is spent either lounging at the pool or hanging out at the beach. My pool/beach bag remains packed at all times and ready to grab when we head out on the weekends.

Hat ~ Sunglasses ~ Chapstick ~ Kleenex ~ Hand Sanitizer ~ Towel ~ Sunblock ~ Tanning Oil ~ Dry Oil ~ Sunblock for the face ~ Beer koozies ~ iPod Speakers ~ Snacks

Some other summer essentials that may not be able to fit in my bag:

Always remember to load up on sunblock and drink lots of water!

What's your summertime favorites?

Tuesday Recipe Swap: Pimento Cheese

This flavorful recipe is perfect to serve as a dip or use a spread for sandwiches and it only takes a few minutes to make. I found the recipe here and changed it up just a bit.

Ingredients:

2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup light mayonaise
1 4 oz. jar diced pimentos
1 8 oz. pack cream cheese, softened
1/3 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion flakes
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Ground black pepper to taste

What To Do:
1. Softened cream cheese in microwave for about 30 seconds

2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer on the lowest speed.

3. Ready to serve or refrigerate for later use.

Enjoy!

 

 1. Follow Kate and myself via GFC and Bloglovin. 

2. Link up your favorite recipes or food-related posts.

3. Grab our Recipe Swap button and link back to our blogs.

4th of July Weekend Celebrations

Hope everyone enjoyed the weekend (long weekend for those in the US).

I went on my first blate last week with Rebekah and Kate at The Wine Room. It was really nice meeting Rebekah and talking about bloggy stuff while sharing a cheese plate & some drinks. 

On Friday/4th of July, I went shopping for some festive outfits to wear to our friend's pool/BBQ party.

I made a berry trifle and then headed over to the party that afternoon. We had a great time with friends, fireworks and delicious food and drinks. We played some flip cup and the girls won, of course!

On Saturday, K and I went shopping for a new fridge and also ended up getting a new smart TV. We've been saving up for a while now and, with the 4th of July sales, we found some great deals at Best Buy that were too hard to pass up. We had a quick Thai lunch date & went home to play with our new toy.

On Sunday, K and I had brunch at home, cleaned and relaxed. It was just what the doctor ordered after many back-to-back hectic weekends.We grilled some BBQ ribs for dinner and watch some more Orange is the New Black.

How was your weekend?

Joining Molly for Funday Monday and Biana for Weekending.

Celebrating 4th of July in Style

I'm excited USA's Independence day falls on a Friday this year so we have a short work week.

I plan to celebrate the holiday at a pool party with friends, festive cocktails and good old fashioned BBQ-ing. Just as we did last year as seen here although somehow I showed up to the party wearing pink instead of red, white or blue. Party foul!

 

Everyone loves being patriotic and supporting their country in style whether it's for 4th of July or a World Cup game so here's some festive "stars and stripes" outfits and accessories.

Enjoy your 4th of July festivities tomorrow and be safe!

My Anti-Bucket List

Happy Wednesday!

Thankfully we have a short work week with the holiday on Friday.

You can catch me guest posting over at The Kay Times this week sharing my anti-bucket list aka things I never want to do in my lifetime!

I also posted my bucket list last year if you're interested in reading more.

Crock-Pot Chicken Cacciatore

I found this recipe for Chicken Cacciatore on SkinnyTaste.com and decided to change it up a bit. I cooked it up for Sunday dinner and it was super easy to whip together.

Ingredients:

3 to 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

1/2 large yellow onion

1 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp capers

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1/4 cup white cooking wine

1/3 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp olive oil

2 bay leaves

Salt & black pepper to taste

What To Do:

1. Spread olive oil on the bottom of the crock-pot and then add the peppers and onions, layering with chicken breasts.  Season chicken breasts with black pepper and other seasonings of your choice. I used Tony Chachere's creole seasoning. Finally sprinkle minced garlic over chicken and veggie mixture.

2. Pour the crushed tomatoes, white cooking wine and chicken stock into crock-pot and mix well. Finally add the bay leaves and capers.

3. Cover and cook on high for 3.5 hours (or low for 7 to 8 hours). Remove bay leaves and serve with pasta of your choice. I used whole wheat fettuccine.

Enjoy!

 

 1. Follow Kate and myself via GFC and Bloglovin. 

2. Link up your favorite recipes or food-related posts.

3. Grab our Recipe Swap button and link back to our blogs.

Company Vacay on St Pete Beach

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

I spent Thursday to Sunday out on FL's west coast for a company paid vacation. It was so much fun and I definitely have a hangover to prove it! There were about 500 employees/guests from around the world on the resort. We hung out at the beach and pool all day, had some yummy seafood dinners and, of course, late night drinks.

 

 

 

Selfies at the bar with the CEO is always good idea....

How was your weekend?

Joining Molly for Funday Monday and Biana for Weekending.

Summer Beach Daze

Happy Friday everyone! 

I'm off to the beach again this weekend. This time it's for a company vacation. One of the perks of my job is that they take us on different vacations so this year we're staying at a resort on St Pete Beach, FL for 3 nights. They have a bunch of activities and lunches/dinners planned. Although it might be somewhat hectic, I'm hoping to be able to relax a bit and just enjoy vacation mode.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! I'll catch you next week with a full update.