Best Summer Dinner Ever.

It's not hard to impress a girl like me on a Summer night after a long day at work. I typically yearn for a cocktail (if I'm going out to dinner) & some fresh fare after a hot day, but on this particular night, I was satisfied beyond my expectations...

Perhaps it was the company. I met up with two of my dearest, most genuine, wonderful friends at Crush and I ordered a Blueberry Vodka/Soda to warm my palate. I enjoyed some wonderful conversation, ignoring the menu in favor of a catch-up session on life. When I did take a glance at the menu, I was immediately drawn to the "Summer" Salad. Heirloom Tomatoes, Fresh Corn, Avocado, Burrata Cheese, Micro Greens & Balsamic Vinegar.... Yes please! I have had yet to try a garden fresh tomato this summer that really made me realize that it is "Tomato Season", so I was intrigued. I was first torn between this plate and a run of the mill Spring Mix salad, but opted for the Summer Salad, and boy am I happy I did!

The girls and I split the "Luca" Pizza along with our salad choices, which is equally delicious (how could it not be delicious with Chicken, Pesto & Artichoke Hearts?!), but the salad was the shining star of the meal. The corn and burrata cheese (a softer, more delicate version of mozzarella) really balanced out the acidity of the tomatoes, which were AWESOME. Avocado is naturally amazing with anything, but all of the ingredients worked together beautifully. I was in love... With a salad. It wouldn't be the first time :)

The best thing about all of this is that I can make a salad like this at home, and I'm absolutely planning on doing so. I am loving finding such inspirational Summer activities/foods/clothing all around me and applying these things to my life! Here's to a great work week and making it to the Farmer's Market for some of these ingredients ASAP!

Light & Tasty Summer Garden Salad and Random Funnies

I've been doing a lot of garden salads with dinner lately, and I've really mastered what is probably my favorite salad ever, with ultimate credit going to a dressing mix I've created...

The salad itself is pretty basic:

6-8 Green Leaf Lettuce Leaves (or Romaine)
1/2 Medium Heirloom Tomato
1/8 of a Large Red Onion
1/4 of a Medium Avocado
1 Light String Cheese, cut into small chunks
3 Slices Light Salami, cut into small strips

Basically, I chop all of the veggies & cheese, and I slice the salami and microwave it for 30 seconds until crispy.

Then, the best part happens!

Dressing:

1 1/2 Tablespoons Trader Joe's (or Annie's) Goddess Dressing
1 1/2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

Mix equal parts of the two above ingredients together and you get a ton of dressing without all of the calories. The Goddess dressing that I have is 120 calories for 2 Tablespoons. The mixture above is a generous amount to dress the entire salad and serves 2 people.

Sorry I don't have a pretty picture. I always eat the salad too fast to take photo ops. Yum, yum, yum! You know it's good when your non-veggie fan BF says, "Nice salad, Babe!"

Another thing I wanted to do today was share some things that make me smile, even when I'm having a crummy day:

Dogs giving high fives

Babies wearing sunglasses

Going shopping after an 11 Hour Work Day and finding $140 Designer Capris for $50 (pardon the poor imagery)

Going to Group Pilates 3 times, memorizing the moves, and being able to do it at home! BUT, still knowing I will never be able to do this:

And last, but certainly not least, this video (Bryce and I spent about an hour one night watching Baby dancing videos and came across this gem) - 

I like to keep in light with my salads and my mood during the Summer Time :)

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Let's Do Something AMAZING

Well, the things that we choose to do may not always be "amazing" by all definitions, but that's all about perception anyway, right? I'm trying to view things in bolder colors and appreciate all of the time I have at my disposal these days (as you may have noticed from previous posts, or perhaps a lack of posts!). 

So, how do you do "amazing" things, you ask? Well, you take advantage of time and see the beauty in whatever it is that you decide to do.

For me, lately, it's been the little things like taking a 15 minute walk 1-2 times a day on the breaks I'm supposed to take, but usually ignore due to a heavy workload. That may seem like a small thing to do, but it really helps to clear my mind and let my eyes rest after staring at two screens and typing for entirely too long. 

While the walks are nice, I generally was neglecting the fact that MOVING is therapeutic. By moving, I mean working out. After some VERY long work weeks, and frankly putting too much of myself into my job, I was making excuses not to go to the gym or MOVE. Since the walks have started to take place, I've been much more willing to drive my tired bum to the gym to fire up the cylinders for a good hour or two. It feels good to move. It feels "amazing". :)

I've also noticed that the time I spend with my loved ones is not always time well spent. For example, while my boyfriend and I live together, we don't always DO things together. After this last weekend of family fun, kicking his ass in Rummy (twice), taking mountain walks, having nice talks and going boating together on Monday, I really felt closer to him and to us. 

I had the same feeling of closeness with my two best friends after a night of drinking wine and truly catching up last week. It's so important to have time with your friends outside of a public place, fearing judgement, or an accidental bout of emotion, over being open and honest. I love them so much and I was so thankful for having that uncensored time with them to realize again that I know them and they know me on a deeper level than few other people in this whole world. 

I found that it is easy to think that being around someone is enough, but what you do, and whether you making it "Amazing", even if it's just a perception, really makes all the difference.

As far as Meals & Steals, I've gotten some great ones lately, like a Navy Vera Wang Dress from Kohl's for $48, which was well-received when I wore it to a wedding:

I've also found a new love in Trident's Salmon Burgers from Costco (thanks to Don & Karen for the tip!). I cooked them in the oven last night, squeezed some fresh lemon juice onto them once they were cooked, and served them on an Earthgrains Thin Bun (I used a Whole Wheat larger bun for the bf) with lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado & pickles. I also served them with some cooked zucchini & low-cal coleslaw (mixed 1 Tablespoon Coleslaw Dressing from Litehouse with 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar, poured onto about 2 cups of slaw and incorporated). SO good. Even, "Amazing" perhaps. Also, and most importantly, the boyfriend approved and the meal was very healthy. Each patty has 150 calories, 20 grams of Protein & only 2-3 grams of Carbohydrates. Here's a really bad picture I took with my phone after it was almost gone:

I hope that all of you are finding ways to make life AMAZING. Feel free to talk about how you've been doing things to spice up your life lately. I'd love to hear all about it <3