101 Things in 1001 Days: #26 - Add 50 New Amazing Recipes to My Recipe Book

This is the best side dish for any BBQ or potluck. I wanted to serve a salad at our BBQ this past weekend but also wanted to keep things simple. By eliminating most of the normal salad ingredients I was able to not only save money but save prep time.

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Cherry Tomato & Cucumber Salad

by: paleomagonline.com

Ingredients 

(Dressing)

2 TBSP red wine vinegar
1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper

 

(Salad)

2 pints, halved cherry or grape tomatoes

1 cucumber
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 TBSP finely chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Whisk together dressing ingredients and set aside.
2. Toss to combine all ingredients.

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#26 - Add 50 new amazing recipes to my recipe book

32% Complete

Weekend Wrap-Up (7/25-7/27)

I cannot say for sure if I will be sharing a Weekend Wrap-Up after every weekend but lately we have been having so much fun. This weekend we were invited to a Wedding for one of Joe's fraternity brothers. We had such an amazing time dancing and catching up with old friends. Personally, I love weddings it gives everyone an excuse to take the time to dress up and step out of their everyday routine to celebrate the newly married couple while at the same time have an amazing night out with your best friends/family.

We knew Saturday night at the wedding was going to be an eventful evening so Friday night we kept it simple and BBQ'ed with the neighbors. I made two new Paleo recipes that are perfect for BBQs and I will be sharing this week so stay tuned!

Sunday we spent most of our day cleaning and organizing the house. Two sets of neighbors and the landlord are planing a gargle sale (or Tag Sale as they say in NY) at the end of summer. Currently, I spend any free moment organizing and finding stuff to sell or donate. To me a clean and organized house can do wonders for mental health and everyday attitude. On Saturday afternoon Joe and I went to a friends house to get ready and relax before the wedding reception. I started talking about how their apartment was always neat and tidy and how I would love to be more organized. She then quickly took me around their apartment to show me all her organization secrets and tricks. I was instantly inspired and might be sharing some before and after organization pictures while I get my house into shape. (That is if I am not too ashamed to share the before pictures!)

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Beauty Box 5 - July 2014

Beauty Box 5 is a monthly subscription box that delivers 5 sample sized beauty products right to your door. This subscription costs $12 a month and offers free shipping. I used a coupon code that saved me 100% on my first box. Unfortunately, the code is no longer valid but I will keep you posted if I can find another.

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Beauty Box 5 - July 2014

At first glance I was a little disappointed because this will be my third Revlon Bold Lacquer I have received. I am aware this is not Beauty Box 5's fault but I really think Revlon needs to rethink ways of getting their product out to the public. 

Items left to right:

Starlooks Lip liner - $12.00

 I have always been interested in trying the Starlooks brand. I also have not gotten into lip liner much so this will be interesting to try. Starlooks actually offers a subscription box themselves for $15 a month and sends out only Starlooks brand iems.

Body Drench Candy Licious Lips - $3.99

 This instantly brought me back to my childhood. I received the scent lime gumdrop and that is exactly what it smells like. This lip balm leaves no color on your lips but helps moisturize and repair. It has already made it's way into my purse. 

Anna Naturals Glowing Mama Walnut Face & Body Scrub - $10.99

 This product left me a little confused. I love body scrubs but I don't believe I would be able to really use and review this product/company because of how small of a sample I received. This would possibly be a one time use if I even have enough for my whole body and face.

HASK Argan Oil Intense Deep Conditioning Hair Treatment - $2.49

 My hair and scalp have been going crazy sense I have moved to the east coast so I will take any hair oils I can get my hands on. I am sad to say that my scalp has yet to recover from this past winter and needs all the TLC it can get.

Revlon Bold Lacquer Mascara - $7.99

I now have three of these bad boys and still have yet to try it! I guess you can say I am secretly boycotting it because it is all over YouTube and I keep getting them with every box. With that said I really need to suck it up and give this a try because I have heard it is amazing!

Total Value: $37.46

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Over all I was not thrilled with this box, there are other boxes that are only $10 a month and seem to offer better products or better sized products. I feel bad because I did receive this box free of charge but I have canceled my subscription. I feel that if I am going to be paying monthly (even if it's only $12) I want to be over the moon excited to receive the products every month and I don't feel as if this was the right fit for me. I will continue to try out new subscription boxes and let you know my findings.

Weekend Wrap-Up (7/18-7/20)

It was a busy busy weekend! On Friday our landlord surprised us with a fire-pit for the backyard. Of course we had to try it out right away. We enjoyed sitting by the fire for hours until we turned in for the night.

Saturday was our neighbor's birthday and she wanted to celebrate by taking a dinner cruise in New York City. We boarded the boat and spent four amazing hours eating, drinking, dancing, and enjoying the New York City skyline. 

I am still exhausted from the busy weekend but it was worth it. The cruise was something we will remember for years and is something I have always wanted to do.

Friday Favorites: My Favorite Wedding Photo

With our 3^rd Anniversary inching closer and closer I am starting to try to plan a low-key, wallet friendly celebration. During planning with our wedding memories flowing through my head I got distracted and began flipping through our wedding photos. This photo is one of my favorites because to me it has that touch of class. We hired our photographer Chris Schmauch because of his artistic flare. He is incredibly talented and is amazing to work with. It still brings a smile to my face every time I flip through the 1,000+ photos from our wedding!

Popsugar Must Have Box - July 2014

The Popsugar Mush Have Box is a subscription box that is $39.99 a month and includes full size items in the following categories:

Fashion

Beauty

Home

Fitness

& Food

You can pay month to month or purchase a multi-month plan that saves you some cash. For someone that has extra money in their pocket this box is a ton of fun. For me the monthly membership is a tad out of my price range. I did find a coupon code and received a hefty discount off of my first month which made it that much more enjoyable.

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This is the July 2014 Popsugar Must Have Box

Items left to right:

ACME Party Box Company Chevron Straws - $7

Dang Foods Toasted Coconut Chips - $3

Michael Stars Beach Hat - $48

Sun Bum Sunscreen and Lotion - $20

TKO Jump Rope with Soft Grip Handles - $13

French Bull Ziggy Salad Servers - $12

Special Extra:

Revlon Bold Lacquer Length & Volume Mascara

Total value: $103.00

Although I did receive my first box using a discount code I have decided not to continue my subscription. This box is chuck full of fun but in my eyes these items are not necessities. (Probably why they are so fun!) So sad to see you go Popsugar it's been a fun month!

If you want to get in on the excitement click here: POPSUGAR

Weekend Wrap-Up (7/11-7/13)

This weekend was packed full of fun. Friday night I returned home from work and started cooking dinner for Joe and our neighbors. In the middle chopping carrots I looked out my kitchen window to see the third town parade that has assembled on our street this year. Friday was the annual Firefighter's Parade and it was awesome to watch from the comfort of my own home.

After the parade and dishes Friday turned out to be an early night but a good start to the weekend. Saturday Joe and I cooked our standard eggs and turkey bacon to start the day. This is our go-to breakfast for Saturdays and Sundays. We love starting the day with hot breakfast and Joe brags that I make the best eggs around.

From there we took a trip with the neighbor to the recycling center to collect a huge $19.00 return from the cans and bottles that have been left at our house after BBQ's. We decided to return the money right where it came from and BBQ that night. Wanting to stray from the normal BBQ food we opted to enjoy cod, oysters, corn, asparagus, chicken, and steak for dinner. (This was all on sale!) We enjoyed a fun evening with both sets of neighbors that lasted well into the night.

To end the weekend all the neighbors were invited to a local Italian restaurant on Sunday to watch the World Cup. Not only did the owner open the restaurant just for us but everything including drinks were on the house. Although we didn't order more than one drink we did order half their menu. The food was amazing and it was the best way to round out the weekend.

Cheers to summer!!!

101 Things in 1001 Days: #26 - Add 50 New Amazing Recipes to My Recipe Book

In my opinion slow-cookers are the way to go. Easy prep, easy clean, and lets face it you just throw stuff in the pot. During the weekends you can catch me using my slow-cooker a lot but I am still not comfortable leaving it on all day while I am at work. With that said, take a Sunday and make life easier by making this recipe in your slow-cooker.

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Balsamic Braised Beef Short Ribs

By: joyfulhealthyeats.com

Ingredients

2 to 3 lbs. of bone-in beef short ribs 

1 tablespoon of coconut oil  

15 oz. can of tomato sauce 

1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar  

4 whole dried dates 

6 garlic cloves, smashed

Spice Blend: 

2 tablespoon of course sea salt 

1 tablespoon of dried rosemary  

1 tablespoon of dried sage 

1 tablespoon of garlic powder  

1 tablespoon of onion powder 

1 tablespoon of paprika  

1 teaspoon of black pepper 

Directions 

1. In a small bowl, mix together course sea salt, dried rosemary, dried sage, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and black pepper. 
2. Pat dry bone-in beef short ribs. Rub spice blend into both sides of the short ribs. 
3. Heat a large skillet to medium high heat. Add coconut oil to pan and sear the short ribs for 2-3 minutes per side or until slightly browned. 
4. Put the short ribs in a slow cooker with a tomato sauce, balsamic vinegar, whole dried dates, and smashed garlic cloves. 
5. Cook for 4-6 hours on low or until beef is tender.

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Honey Roasted Carrots

By: joyfulhealthyeats.com

Ingredients

2lbs. of carrots, peeled, halved, and halved lengthwise 

2 tablespoons of olive oil  

1 tablespoon of raw honey

 salt & pepper to taste {about 1/2 teaspoon of each}

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 400º.
2. Peel carrots. Cut off stems, cut the carrot in half creating a wide and narrow half. Then cut each half in half lengthwise.
3. Put all the cut carrots into a bowl and add olive oil, raw honey, salt and pepper to taste. {about 1/2 teaspoon of each}. Toss to coat all the carrots.
4. Spread carrots out on a baking sheet, making sure they are in a single layer and not stacked on each other.
5. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool.

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#26 - Add 50 new amazing recipes to my recipe book

30% Complete

101 Things in 1001 Days: #58 - Go to the Gym 100 Times

I really have no excuses... seriously, I don't. I have not even gotten back on track in July but starting next week I plan to, I swear!!! It's very difficult for me to hit the gym three times a week during summer, I would much rather head home with my husband and enjoy a home cooked meal in our backyard. With that said I should mention that I am getting an A in regards to my eating habits. For the past couple of weeks I have been cooking 90% of our meals and about 80% have been Paleo. Despite the fact that I have been neglecting the gym I feel amazing and better than I have felt in a while. This weekend my husband and I are planning on another long hike which will hopefully set the tone for the rest of the month!

#58 - Go to the gym 100 times

30% Complete

Let's Talk Weather

One of the biggest adjustments I had to make living here on the east coast has to be the weather. Most of the non-east coasters think this is the land of humidity and sweaty exhausted people. On any given day this can be true but we are certainly not the Caribbean. Yes, august is a month some people dread but the rest of the year I really can’t complain.

My first summer living in New York it was HUMID! Humid to the point that I gave up blow drying my hair all together. Last summer on the other hand surprised both Joe and I because we can barely remember a day when it was uncomfortably humid. (I’m thinking we just had a good year.) Even while in Aruba last September we experienced minimal humidity and that was a major bonus! Our great summer we had last year lead into a winter for the books. We received countless snow storms and had over two feet of snow in our backyard at any given time. (Secretly I loved it because the novelty of snow has not worn off yet.) Now entering my third summer in New York I am hoping to have an enjoyable summer forecast similar to last year. So far, the past two months have been staying around eighty degrees with minimal humidity. Some days feels as if we are entering some very humid times but then the rain comes and washes it all away. We have even had to bundle up at BBQs as the temperature is currently mirroring the west coast and cooling down significantly at night. So far so good, let’s hope this is the new trend of the east coast!