Polka Dots and Bright Colors

Polka Dots and Bright Colors

I am always a huge fan of bright colors especially when they come in the form of fun skirts that I can not only wear out and about, but also to work.

 Skirt - VS | Top - H&M | Heels - Target
















What are some of your favorite bright colors to wear?

Recipe Swap Tuesday ~ Cheesy Zucchini

Recipe Swap Tuesday ~ Cheesy Zucchini

I've never been a huge fan of lasagna, but I stumbled upon this easy recipe for a healthier version and tweaked it a bit and ended up loving it.



Now, I'm not a fan of jar sauce and make a homemade pot of sauce almost every week. However, for a quick and easy recipe I decided to use jar sauce as I wasn't going to make a whole pot of sauce just for this recipe, and it worked great.

Ingredients

2 large squash/zucchini, chopped
Extra lean ground turkey
1 jar of sauce
1 bag of shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese









Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Heat ground turkey on the stove top until fully cooked
Chop zucchini
Spray a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray
Put a layer of the zucchini down in the dish, then pour the ground turkey on top, add the sauce and another layer of zucchini. Sprinkle the cheese on top and bake at 350 for about 1/2 an hour




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Link-up Rules:

1. Follow Emily and myself on GFC and Bloglovin
2. Link up your favorite recipes or food related posts
3. Grab our Recipe Swap button and link back to both of our blogs
4. Be sure to visit other blogs and find new recipes!



Maybe Brunettes Have More Fun

Maybe Brunettes Have More Fun

How are we already in the last week of July?! Summer is hands down my favorite season, and it's already half over.... not cool.... not cool at all. Time needs to sloooooow down!


Thursday, I drove through a monsoon to get to my hair appointment. When I got there sopping wet, my stylist offered me a glass of wine and let me tell you...I have never enjoyed a glass of pinot more. Afterwards, I emerged from the salon to the return of sunshine and with much darker hair. As much as I love it when my hair is blonde, it's so hard to keep up with touching up my roots and it fries my hair. So, I decided it was time to give my locks a break for a bit and went brunette again with some caramel highlights.

Friday was happy hour with my fav co-workers, and I was a bad blogger and didn't take a single picture.... womp-womp.

Saturday, I headed downtown for a bit for a friend's going away party who's moving to St. Thomas. Just a tad bit jealous she's heading off to a beautiful island, you know... just a little.

Sunday was a chill outside and play some pool volleyball kind of a day. Love those kind of days!

How was your weekend? Hope you're out there enjoying every bit of summer!

Joining Leeann and Kimberlee for Monday Morning Gossip

and

Biana for Weekending


and

Lisa and Bella for Weekend Recap

My Best Decision for Summer

My Best Decision for Summer

I practically live in a bathing suit this time of year, if it's the weekend you can find me by the pool or on the beach. But being in a bathing suit means I need to keep myself hairless, and shaving = unsitely razor burn...ugh. I was over it. Over shaving every day, over the razor burn, just done! After speaking with some of my friends who had laser hair removal in certain areas, I decided it was time to eliminate said hair once and for all.




I found a groupon for a med spa in the area and paid significantly less than a normal package of 6 treatments, and I couldn't be happier with the results. My biggest advice is if you're looking to get any type of laser hair removal treatment done, look for a groupon/living social deal. I see so many of them each month, and you should never pay full price!




I had 6 treatments that were spaced 6 weeks apart, so I started last fall and had my last treatment in the spring just in time for bathing suit season. I know the first question everyone will ask is did it hurt, and my answer is yes... but just a little. It's honestly not that bad, it's like a little zap on each hair follicle. Most of them you don't feel much, but every once in a while it hurt a little more. Was it worth it? Oh yes! I love not worrying about shaving *down there* anymore and I no longer deal with razor burn.

Have you gotten any laser hair removal? If so, how did you like the outcome?

Fun Prints

Fun Prints

I've been on such a huge stripes kick lately, that I decided to venture out and try a fun animal print. Since it's a combination of neutral colors, I wanted to add some fun accessories that would add a some pops of color.


Dress - H&M | Sandals and Bag - Tory Burch









Perfect outfit for Sunday Brunch with friends, and spending the afternoon downtown. How do you like to dress up animal print?

Recipe Swap Tuesday ~ Guacamole

Recipe Swap Tuesday ~ Guacamole

One of my favorite snacks is fresh guacamole, and it's super easy to make and enjoy at home. Perfect for movie nights or entertaining.




In a small mixing bowl combine:

2 avocados that have been peeled, pitted, and mashed

1/2 of a small sweet onion, minced

1/4 cup of diced tomatoes

3 tsp. fresh lime juice

1 tsp. garlic salt

Chill for 30 minutes, then serve with tortilla chips




**********************************************

Link-up Rules:

1. Follow Emily and myself on GFC and Bloglovin
2. Link up your favorite recipes or food related posts
3. Grab our Recipe Swap button and link back to both of our blogs
4. Be sure to visit other blogs and find new recipes!





Blate, Shopping, and Brunching Weekend

Blate, Shopping, and Brunching Weekend

And another fabulous weekend bites the dust....



FridayEmily and I had a blate with Bella and Deborah at Downtown Disney. We enjoyed getting to know each other over some wine and Italian food. So much fun meeting some more fellow bloggers.




Saturday was spent lazing around the pool before going to dinner and doing a little shopping. I took advantage of the 7 for $26 panties and $5 lotion at VS and picked up some cute new items at H&M. Always love a good deal!



Sunday-Funday was spent downtown celebrating a friend's b-day over a yummy brunch and bar hopping around the beautiful lake with great friends. So sad to see such a great weekend come to an end....


Joining Leeann and Kimberlee for Monday Morning Gossip

and

Biana for Weekending


and

Lisa and Bella for Weekend Recap

Hey Friday Hey!

Hey Friday Hey!

Oh hey there Friday, nice to see you again!

1.) Looking forward to a girls night blate with EmilyBella, and Deborah and some yummy Italian food tonight while Bella is still in town for work.




2.) Signed up for my first Barre3 class next week, and I'm not sure if I'm nervous or excited...







3.) I've absolutely had it with the excess shine/oil slick look that my face loves to sport especially this time of year. I've been on the hunt for a primer that'll actually last past lunch time, and I'd like to try out Benefit's POREfessional Agent Zero Shine. I loved POREfessional, but it didn't have the lasting power I need, so I'm hoping this new product will do the job.

You can find it here


4.) I am still so surprised at how emotional I got watching the Re2pect video in honor of Derek Jeter who is retiring after this year *tear*. I was always an Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera fan (huge fan!), but I also just loved the core four of Andy, Mariano, Derek, and Jorge and Derek is the last one to retire. It's the end of an era :(


Even if you're not a Yankees fan, this video will move you



5.) Another b-day celebration this weekend, but no beer cakes being made this time. Instead, I'm looking forward to brunch on the lake with half priced mimosas, beautiful views, and amazing friends.




Linking up today with Lauren for High Five on Friday. Hop on over and join us! Happy Friday!

Retro Chic

Retro Chic

One of my favorite things about the summer season is all the pretty colorful dresses. Fortunately, I live in Florida and wear dresses and bright colors year round, but most people only venture into the fun colorful section of their closet during the warmer months.

In comes eshakti, a website full of beautiful women's skirts and dresses for all occasions. {They're currently having a summer sale for 35% off their entire site... check it out!}



I love how retro-chic their dresses are, and they all look so classy and comfy. The best part is that each dress can be altered to your liking such as length, neckline, sleeve style, etc... so essentially each dress is custom made for you. 




How effortlessly pretty is that dress? 









Which beautiful dress is your favorite on their website?


**I was sent this dress as a sample, but all opinions are completely my own**

More Tory Burch Love

More Tory Burch Love

If you can't stop thinking about it, don't stop working for it.... and that's exactly what I did.


Last summer, I picked up the Thora sandals from TB as my b-day gift even though I had my heart set on the Millers. As much as I love my Thoras, I couldn't stop thinking about how much I still wanted a pair of the beautiful Millers too. So, I finally splurged and picked up these in Tiger Lily since they were on a great sale and I couldn't be happier with them.



They add a great pop of color when wearing black or neutrals, and they're perfect for summer. Plus, I can't get over how beautiful even the packaging is, gorgeous!




Recipe Swap ~ Chicken Ranch Pasta

Recipe Swap ~ Chicken Ranch Pasta

I've tried really hard to cut back on my pasta intake, and have been doing amazing..... that is until I decided to make Chicken Ranch Pasta this week.



Ingredients

Penne pasta
1 tbsp. of butter
1 tbsp. of flour
1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning
2 cups of skim milk
1 cup of shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
Diced up reduced fat or reduced sodium bacon
2 cups of cooked chicken, diced




Directions

Boil pasta for 12 minutes over high or medium high heat, drain and set aside
Cook bacon and chicken, set aside
Melt butter and add flour and stir for 1 minute
Slowly whisk in milk and continue cooking until it thickens
Add ranch and cheese, stir until it melts
Add chicken, bacon, and pasta and combine





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Link-up Rules:

1. Follow Emily and myself on GFC and Bloglovin
2. Link up your favorite recipes or food related posts
3. Grab our Recipe Swap button and link back to both of our blogs
4. Be sure to visit other blogs and find new recipes!







Summer = Baseball & Pool Parties

Summer = Baseball & Pool Parties

Nothing says summer to me more than America's favorite pastime and of course pool parties and that's exactly how I spent my weekend.



I went to my first minor league game of the season on Thursday night and enjoyed $1 beers while listening to one of my favorite summer sounds: the crack of the bat when it hits the ball.



Friday means happy hour and happy hour means yummy drinks. It had been too long since I had a martini, so I quickly fixed that. Afterwards, I got to work on a beer cake for a friend's birthday. Yes - his favorite beer is PBR, so I paired it with blue streamers and a pretty red bow for the "cake topper". 



Then it was time for some birthday shenanigans.... grilling, drinks, and splashing around in the pool made it a perfect Saturday.


Joining Leeann and Kimberlee for Monday Morning Gossip

and

Biana for Weekending


and

Lisa and Bella for Weekend Recap

Effortless Summer Hair

Effortless Summer Hair

Nothing is more of a buzzkill in the summer than spending lots of time on doing your hair for it to only frizz up Mia Thermopolis style pre-makeover. So, instead sometimes I'd rather just let my hair air-dry naturally with the help of some Bumble and Bumble surf spray.




It also works great after a long day at the beach or the pool when you just want to go out and don't have time to deal with blowing out your hair.








After a long day on the beach and on a friend's boat, it was nice to shower quickly and head right out the door for some dinner and drinks without having to fuss with my hair. 

Stripes and Tanlines

Stripes and Tanlines

I know I've been on a huge stripes kick lately, but I just can't get enough!

Dress - ON | Necklace - Express | Sandals - Tory Burch | Sunglasses - Marc Jacobs












Tuesday's Recipe Swap ~ Shepards Pie

Tuesday's Recipe Swap ~ Shepards Pie

One of my favorite feel good meals is Shepard's Pie. It's easy to throw together on a week night, and it has your protein, starch, and your veggies. Oh and it's all around YUM!



Ingredients

Extra lean ground turkey 
Skim milk
1 can of 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
1 can of no salt added corn
1 packet of instant mashed potatoes
Worcestershire sauce
Black pepper
Adobo




Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Brown the turkey
Cook the potatoes (I am not a fan of instant mashed potatoes, but who has time to peel, chop, and boil real potatoes on a week night? Not this girl!) according to the directions on the box, set aside
Add the soup to the turkey once cooked, and then fill the can up 1/2 way with milk and combine
Add some Worcestershire sauce and pepper and cook until it bubbles
Transfer meat mixture into a greased casserole dish and then pour in the corn, and then layer the mashed potatoes on top.
Sprinkle the top with some adobo and cook at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until it bubbles.









**********************************************

Link-up Rules:

1. Follow Emily and myself on GFC and Bloglovin
2. Link up your favorite recipes or food related posts
3. Grab our Recipe Swap button and link back to both of our blogs
4. Be sure to visit other blogs and find new recipes!