Summer Drink Series: Spiked Pomegranate-Mint Lemonade

Hello Darlings!

I love lemonade. It just screams summer. It is tart, sweet, and refreshing all at the same time, and add a splash of vodka and you’ve got a perfect drink for sipping during that picnic in the park! Last year’s Summer Drink Series featured Spiked Lavender Lemonade and Spiked Basil Lemonade (both of which I love and have made countless times!) so I’m adding to the list with Spiked Pomegranate-Mint Lemonade!

MARS Healthy Living: 3 Fun Ways to Exercise with Your Children

Hello Darlings!

As you might know from my Getting Started: Balance is Key post, I’ve been working with the MARS healthy living blog to spread the word that healthy living is for everyone and isn’t something that has to be restrictive or extremely difficult.

Exercise, along with diet, is a tool for that your children can utilize to grow up healthy and happy! Today, I’ve drawn on my experience as a children’s yoga instructor (and as a nanny on the cape during my time at Boston College) to share my take on fun ways to exercise with your kiddos during their summer break up on the MARS blog! I hope you pop over to check it out here: Three Fun Ways to Exercise with Your Children.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

What I Ate Wednesday: I’m Obsessed with Skoop (& Giveaway- Closed)

Hello Darlings!

I have been beyond exhausted lately. While I love what I’m doing, I definitely have a lot on my plate. So I’ve been trying everything in order to maintain my generally chipper self! Eating clean, (attempting) to get to bed before one, and adding bladderwrack to my diet to help boost my thyroid, (thyroid problems run in my family, another cause of exhaustion), have all helped a bit but sometimes I felt like I just needed a coffee. Wanting coffee is incredibly strange for me- generally I’m a tea person, caffeine and I just don’t get along.

And then my roomate-to-be at Blend Retreat next month (yay!) Madelyn from Moon Fitness saved the day. She works for this wonderful small company based in Boulder, Skoop. A superfood blend of 41 non-GMO, gluten-free, organic ingredients, chock full of antioxidants, probiotics, and adaptogenic herbs that help reduce inflammation, Skoop was an instant, natural energy boost that stayed steady throughout the day.  And 10% of every bag feeds a child in need! Yes, please.

Pan Fried Honey-Lime Chicken with Spicy Pineapple-Avocado Relish

Hello Darlings!

I love nights in with the girls. Mix great friends, good food, and a bottle of wine and you have the recipe for laughter! Last week I had a good girlfriend over (her pup, Sully, was the one who Snapchatted Tinkerbelle for her birthday) and I whipped up a fun chicken dish that just screamed summer!

Honey-Lime Chicken with Spicy Pineapple-Avocado Relish is both super easy and quick (especially if you are working from already cut pineapple) and is slightly reminiscent of Mexican dishes- adding a kick to dinner!

Cookbook Love: Paleo Smoothies

Hello Darlings!

Generally speaking I don’t adhere to the Paleo Diet- in my less-than-extensive knowledge of the diet it is just way too much meat for my flexitarian (read mostly-vegetarian) lifestyle. However, I do see how the gluten-free, dairy-free, and back-to-the-basics eating style could be helpful and healthy. So, when I was offered a review copy of Paleo Smoothies by Mariel Lewis (author of amazingpaleo.com) I accepted to dip my toes in the Paleo pool!

Summer Drink Series: Limoncello Martini

Hello Darlings!

Last year I started my Summer Drink Series on the Summer Solstice. This year in my new apartment (tour to come!) I may have gotten a bit over zealous when it came to the ‘summer’ portion of the series and I’m starting a month early. Whoops- who can blame me? Delicious cocktails on a roof deck are just fabulous!

I’m kicking things off with a very simple, very tasty, and VERY potent Limoncello Martini!

Meatless Monday: Savory Sweet Potato Hash

Hello Darlings!

I’ve mentioned a few times on here that I am not particularly a breakfast person. Don’t get me wrong I LOVE breakfast foods, but more often than not this night owl doesn’t feel like being bothered with actually cooking anything more than throwing spinach and eggs in a pan. However, now that I teach a few morning yoga classes I need something to fuel me up in the morning that will be quick, delicious and in this case, vegan!

Enter: a giant (for one person) batch of Savory Sweet Potato Hash that I can portion out over the week and eat with my eggs or on its own!

Decide To Drive AAOS & Auto Alliance: Distracted Driving

Hello Darlings!

I’m guilty- as I bet most of us are. I’m guilty of taking my eyes off the road, of looking at my phone to send a text or pick up a call, and to unwrapping a protein bar while driving. Those slight aberrations of attention can have disastrous consequences, both for ourselves and the citizens of the world we encounter.

Meatless Monday: Sweet Sunshine Jamaican Jerk Stuffed Avocados (& Giveaway!)

Hello Darlings!

You all know how big of a fan I am of Meatless Monday! From the beginning of Chickadee Says (what seems like ages ago!) I’ve created meat-free recipes to share. Eventually Meatless Mondays reached out and I became an official MM blogger (yay!) and for this week’s recipe I was able to work with an incredible range of sauces from Sweet Sunshine in partnership with the Meatless Monday team!

What I Ate Wednesday: I’m a Grazer

Hello Darlings!

So it has been what feels like forever since I’ve posted last! My life has been quite crazy partly do to the fact that I’m moving apartments! If anyone ever tells you that moving on your own (and without boxes) is a good idea- they are sorely mistaken. It is AWFUL- capital letters completely necessary. So, of course in true moving fashion my eating schedule and menu has been completely strange. Chinese takeout at 9pm because you can’t find any cooking utensils? Check. Strange picture quality because you have no idea where you put your DSLR? Double check.