Nothing is more essential in your wardrobe than a good pair of jeans. I haven't worn distressed (formally called ripped jeans lol) since high school. Since then I bought my first pair a couple years ago and they are still my favorite! Old Navy jeans are super comfortable come in a number of different washes, here's my post on their grey ones. They come in mint color, so be sure to check out my post on how to Style Mint Pants. They claim their jeans are "New Stay-White denim technology repels stains & spills so your jeans stay white, no matter how messy the day gets."





I am always on the hunt for cool new ways to wear denim and wanted to share a couple looks of how you can wear them dressed up with heels or dressed down with (rose gold) sneakers. Below are links to similar shirts that will give you that effortless, but put together look. All the jewelry are from Kendra Scott, my favorite jewelry designer. On my nails I'm wearing the new Zoya nude color April. Check out my post on my favorite summer nail polish colors and on how to stop your sunglasses from falling off your face.

Are you wearing white jeans this summer?

Had another great weekend, Friday I went out to dinner with my father. Saturday I did a day trip to Baltimore to walk around the harbor and see the aquarium. I haven't done that in years and really enjoyed it and got to touch a jelly fish. In the evening I hit up some rooftop bars with a friend. Sunday I spent the afternoon with my mother.

Last winter I read the cookbook The Forest Feast  and saw this yellow salad recipe which I couldn't wait to try but had to wait until summer to find yellow beets. Beets are high in folate and have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties as well as lutein for eye health. Yellow beets need to be eaten immediately after cutting because they oxidize and turn black within hours. To prevent this discoloration you can try squeezing some lemon juice on it.

I think it's a great recipe to bring to a potluck brunch (which my friend had last weekend). You don't have to follow recipe exactly and I added some chopped gruyere cheese to it.  I couldn't find yellow cucumbers so I just used a regular one, but next to everything else in the salad it looked very green so I hid them at the bottom. I omitted the raisins to cut down on calories. For the dressing, I just added some white balsamic vinegar and pepper.

  Ingredients:

1 yellow bell pepper

1 can chickpeas

1 cup yellow tomatoes

1 yellow beet

1 lemon cucumber

½ cup corn

1 ts lemon zest

½ cup golden raisins (optional)

2 oz Gruyere cheese  (optional)

Directions: 
Rinse the beets and cut off the stalks then cook the beets in boiling water for 30 minutes. Next rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Once the beets have cooled, peel the skin off. Then chop the beets and mix with all the other ingredients and add dressing of your choice. 


Recipe source: The Forest Feast by Erin Gleeson

I went kayaking this weekend which was so much fun! I've only done it once before in Cabo and just never thought to try again until a friend invited me. I'm thinking about getting a season pass for it now! I also stopped in the LOFT this weekend as they were having one of their sales and loved all the bright colors. I picked up the Riviera shorts in bright red. They have a 6 inch inseam and I really liked the longer length. They also have the shorts in an elephant print, how cute is that! The Ottoman wrap skirt reminded of those Zara skirts that were so popular 3 years ago. The LOFT also has some nice jumpers and white dresses. Definitely check it out when you have a chance. What are your recent purchases from the LOFT?

Ice Cream in Barcelona

If you're watching your waist line but still want a scoop of ice cream, try out these diet friendly brands.

Halo Top Lemon Cake
half cup is one serving and has 60 calories, calories from fat 18, sugar 4g, protein 6g

They use stevia and erythritol to sweeten it and let me tell you it tastes delicious! The lemon cake flavor tastes like a lemon bar or ice cream cake. You could make an ice cream sandwich with it by putting it between waffles. Or use it to make a milkshake or root beer float with Zevia soda or put a scoop in your iced tea. You can find it at Whole Foods.

Trader Joe's Soy Creamy Mini Vanilla Sandwiches
90 calories, calories from fat 15, sugar 8, protein 2g

These are a little smaller than regular ice cream sandwiches but you would never guess they were vegan, they taste like milk cream.

Mini Mint Ice Cream Mouthfuls
2 sandwiches is a serving and is 120 calories, calories from fat 45, sugar 10g, protein 2g

These are oreo cookies with mint ice cream in between them.  They are so incredibly delicious!
















While not ice cream, I've talked about how much I love Trader Joe's macarons. They're much more affordable than going to a macaron shop and low in calories. In the fall they have pumpkin macarons and this summer they have mango flavored macarons. I have to say the mango flavor is very strong and natural.

Trader Joe's Mango Macarons
3 macarons is a serving, 100 calories, calories from fat 35, sugar 14g, protein 2 g

















Related Posts:
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Who wants ice cream?!
6 Healthy Popsicle Recipes

Two summers ago I was on a popsicle kick trying out new recipes every week but slacked off last summer. Well I've decided to pick it up again because it's such a refreshing low calorie treat. Have you noticed that strawberries lose some of their rich flavor after you put it in the fridge? I made these popsicles with the strawberries as soon as I brought them home from the grocery store. You also want to use freshly cut watermelon. The combination of the two flavors create a spectacular taste!

Ingredients
Directions

1. Blend all ingredients in a blender. Taste to adjust sweetness.
2. Freeze for 6 hours or overnight.

Makes 6 popsicles


Related Posts:
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Watermelon Kiwi Popsicles
Balsamic Strawberry Popsicles

I read the New York Times bestseller book and couldn't wait to see the movie last weekend starring British actors Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke from Game of Thrones. The movie really did the book justice! A few spoilers here if you read the book, otherwise it won't matter. Will's sister isn't in the movie but she wasn't missed. Will's father isn't seen having an affair. At the racetrack you don't see Will being kidnapped by a bunch of drunk men for fun. lol Oddly enough they don't say where their vacation is to, it's an unnamed country. It's not mentioned in the movie that Louisa's grandfather is housebound which is another reason she's stuck there. You might recognize that actor as Bates from Downton Abbey. Louisa's boyfriend Patrick was Neville Longbottom from Harry Potter.

While reading the book I truly got invested in the characters and learned some touching, heartbreaking lessons. I finished the book in 3 days because I couldn't put it down. This was one of those books that I wish could wipe from mind so I could have the pleasure of reading it again for the first time. 

The book takes place in the British countryside with Lou, a small town girl caught between dead-end jobs and Will, a high-profile, successful man who becomes wheelchair bound following an accident. Will has decided his life is not worth living until Lou is hired for six months to be his new caretaker. They are two people who wouldn't have met and who didn't like each other at first. But Lou was determined to prove to Will that life is worth living as they embark on a series of adventures together while Will shows Lou that her life is too boring and encourages her to chase her ambitions and not settle. Neither of them realize how much they are going to change the other. The writing was amazing, the characters are real and the emotions the book makes you go through are incredibly moving. Here's my favorite quote from the book:





After You (Me Before You #2) 
Last year the author released the sequel to the book. If you loved the first book like I did, you wanted to know what happened to Lou afterward. Unfortunately, I have to say I didn't like it as much as the first book, isn't that what usually happens with sequels? But definitely check out the movie Me Before You. I took my mom to see the movie and afterwards she said she couldn't stop thinking about it. Here's an article from the author explaining the differences from the book and the movie.

Have you seen the movie? Did you like it?

I love making lists from to-do lists, seasonal bucket lists, vacation bucket lists, blogging goals, style goals and grocery lists.  You can see my previous summer bucket lists here and here. At the beginning of the year, I posted my list of goals which included some fitness goals. This summer I decided to do something a bit different and create a fitness bucket list to help keep me motivated and to create a sense of accomplishment when I’ve achieved them. I’ve set up a few new challenges this season to mix things up for my body. The first half of this year I pretty much had the same routine rotating between Orangetheory with at-home fitness dvds, but at least no two classes at Orangetheory are the same.

This summer I signed up for Dancetrance 3x a week which is so much fun! See I used to do Zumba, but didn’t always like or know many of the songs. Dancetrance is a cardio dance class set to popular pop and rap songs. As an avid Dancing with the Stars watcher, I think it’s fun to learn all these dance moves and feel like a backup dancer in a Beyonce video!  I’m adding some barre classes to the mix as well. My company offers on-site yoga classes so I'm doing that once a week as well. On the weekends, I have some hikes and bike rides planned. I bought an exercise ball and have set a goal to do crunches on it daily.  Just getting it out the box and pumping it full of air was the hardest part. lol

I also want to exercise my feet since I’m always having off and on foot pain. I heard that just walking barefoot on the beach is one of the best exercises you can do for your feet to strengthen them. I also made an appointment for a foot massage/reflexology and acupressure. I've been getting facials every other month but neglecting my feet.

Since I know weight loss is 80% diet I’ve made a commitment to drinking the Glowing Green Smoothie every day this summer as a snack. I’ve got a few recipe variations so it won’t always be the same. I really like the GGS because I make it in batches of 3 and it stays fresh in my fridge over those days. I’m making an effort to eat salad for dinner and this week I’m doing one of my favorite arugula salad recipes. I plan on making my own salad dressing soon using this Cilantro Lime Dressing. I bought a water infusion bottle and have started brewing fruit infused water. I started making popsicles again, here's a list of my favorite recipes. This week I'm eating my Chunky Monkey Overnight Oats.

I’m also exercising my brain as I signed up for Toastmasters.  It's an organization that has been around 90 years and in 135 countries around the world that helps you develop public speaking and leadership skills through bi-weekly practice at their meetings.  I thought it would be a great way to boost my communication skills, meet new people and gain more confidence.

Do you have a fitness bucket list? Have you done Toastmasters?

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