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Drool-Worthy “Must Try” Recipes

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Good morning! I realized that my attempts of getting any sort of “link up” post series going have not really worked… To date, I’ve only done 3!

Currently I’m Crushing On…
Currently I’m Crushing on…{Pt 2}
Currently I’m Crushing On… {Pt III}

And, not all of them even have link ups. Fail.

But! Today I have something different for you- a bunch of recipes I want to try and think you might be interested in trying as well. So, I’m a little selfish with this post since I want a way to keep track of all the “must try” recipes I’ve been sending to RM 😉 These all seem like quick and easy, light, perfect summer recipes- I hope you’ll try some!

  • Caprese Zoodles– Sherri always posts the most delicious recipes and this one looked to be no exception. I actually made it over the weekend and WOW- so easy and so delicious. RM and I were big fans and, to quote him, “you need to print that so we can add it to the rotation”. Well done, Sherri 😉
  • Kale Pesto Zoodles– Continuing with the “zoodle” theme, this recipe from The Almond Eater looks SO good, as do most of her recipes (I’ve literally tried at least 3 and have sent a handful more to RM to try at some point).
  • Caprese Party Skewers– Stemming off from the Caprese Zoodle dish (can you tell I miss Italy?!), Athena posted a delicious, quick and easy party app. Doesn’t really get much better than tomatoes, mozzarella and basil in the summer, right?!
  • The Best 3 Protein Smoothie Recipes– Confession: I love smoothies but hate to make them. However, these look easy and don’t have a ton of ingredients, so maybe I’ll be motivated to try one?
  • No Added Sugar Banana Bread– These days I RARELY cook with any sort of grain flour (not because I’m against it, but moreso because I’ve found other recipes that use ingredients like almond meal or coconut flour instead, which tends to be a little easier to digest), but this recipe looks like something I would like to try. I’m trying to cut back on sugar where I can, and cooking with naturally sweet bananas is a great way to do that!
  • Best Ever Salsa– I love salsa and this looks and sounds amazing- and easy to whip up!
  • Customizable Nut Butter Protein Balls– What I love about this post is that it gives you freedom to “customize” your nut balls. I love my Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal balls, but am always looking for ways to mix it up and try new ones.
  • Vegan Chocolate Cherry Granola Bars– I’m a big fan of making my own bars, granola, muffins, breads, etc. when I can, but sometimes the ingredients list is just too long and too much of a hassle. Luckily, this one has only 7 ingredients and looks super easy to make!

Your turn! Have you found any good recipes lately? What’s a summer dish you love to make? I’d love for you to link a drool-worthy recipe in the links below- I’m always looking to add to my list!

Italy Recap Part 2: Pienza {including stops in Montepulciano & Siena}

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In case you missed my Rome recap, you can find it here: Rome. Today i want to share the second portion of our trip, which was spent in Pienza. Grab a coffee (or a glass of vino), and settle in- it’s a long, picture-filled recap!

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On Monday, we packed up and headed out in this bad boy:

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Poor RM- he was the only one who felt comfortable enough to drive this beast on the windy roads of the Tuscany region (and he knew how to drive a standard!). It wasn’t the most ideal vehicle to have due to the size of it vs. the size of the roads, but we made it work! He handled it very well, too, so that helped.

Anyway, before this trip I thought Tuscany was a specific place to visit like Rome or Florence, but in fact it’s a region to visit and you go there to visit all the little towns within the region. We absolutely loved Pienza as it had a super cute city center and was relatively close to other charming/picturesque towns. It was about 2.5 hours from Rome.

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We stayed at Tenuta Santo Pietro, which was about 6KM from the city center, for our 4 night Pienza part of the trip. I loved the B&B for so many reasons! Here’s a bit about it from their site:

Nestled in the heart of the rolling Tuscan countryside, Tenuta Santo Pietro
is a tranquil oasis comprised of a twelve bedroom inn that dates back to the 13th century, and a 72 acre working farm. Vineyards and olive trees spread through rolling hills rising to a small valley. A stay at Santo Pietro is one of the best ways to enjoy all that Tuscany has to offer.

They serve wine from their vineyard, olive oil from their trees and vegetables from their garden- pretty awesome, right?! The service was impeccable and we all felt really at home while we were their. The rooms, grounds, food, wine, pool, etc. made for such a great stay!

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Italy Recap Part 1: Rome

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Hi friends! I feel like the start of my Italy vacation recap posts is long overdue. I can’t figure out if it’s because I don’t want to believe it’s over yet or because I have so much to share and don’t know how I want to do it. Whatever the reason, I’ve decided to make the plunge into my recaps today. I’ll preface this post by saying that I had very little (read: NOTHING) to do with the planning of this trip so I can’t really tell you why we went to the places we went and why we stayed at the particular places we did while at each location. It was solely RM’s brother and sister who worked with the travel agent to determine where we’d be going and where we’d be staying and I think they did a really great job! I loved each location for different reasons. They used Donna Franca tours, who specialize in Italian vacations, if you’re looking to have help planning your next vacation to Italy.

Boston–> Roma

Our flight wasn’t until 10:45pm on Thursday night (wayyyy past my bedtime!), so we decided to just go to the airport really early and eat dinner/have drinks before that.

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The flight was smooth and I think I was able to get about 3 hours of sleep 😉 We arrived in Rome around noon and luckily had car service to the apartment we rented. It was fun staying in an apartment for the first part of the trip because we were able to get comfortable and feel a sense of home.

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Little Things To Make A Busy Schedule A Little Easier

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Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Ziploc® brand. All thoughts and opinions expressed below are my own—I’ve always been a big fan of Ziploc® brand products!

How often do we hear people say “I’m so busy!” All the time, right? While I am actively working on trying to avoid saying that phrase, and instead updating people on various things I’m working on, it doesn’t change the fact that I AM busy! Working full time, doing my own workouts, teaching and subbing classes, writing posts to keep this blog active, spending time with RM and my family and friends…it’s sometimes a wonder how I have time to sleep! Or better yet, get anything done. I’m sure lots of you are nodding along in agreement, right? And, those of you who are moms and who have kids and a family to take care of on top of yourself have EVEN MORE on your plate. If you’re like me, you’re probably looking for ways to make your everyday activities, chores, jobs, etc. a little easier, right?

So, when Ziploc® brand reached out to me to see if I’d like to test out their new Easy Open Tab bags, I jumped at the chance. Not only do I love all Ziploc® brand products, but I am always looking for ways to make the simple activity of packing my various lunch baggies a little easier and a little quicker. These new Ziploc® brand bags with Easy Open Tabs have all of the standard Ziploc® brand bag features we already know and love, but with an added tab making them easier to grip and open.

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For me, there are a few weekly and daily things I do to make my life a little easier and although they vary, they all revolve around one thing: PREP WORK! It may be a pain to do, but prepping for busy days/weeks is really a life saver. Here are some ways I prep to alleviate a little stress throughout the week:

  • Keep my apartment clean and organized, that way I know where everything is and feel calm when I’m there (is it just me or does clutter stress anyone else out?!)
  • I now prep my meals and freeze excess baked goods in Ziploc® brand bags with Easy Open Tabs and Ziploc® brand containers to take out during my busiest weeks
  • I like to pack my breakfast/lunch/snacks the night before so I just have to worry about waking up and getting dressed and heading out the door in the morning
  • Pack up my gym bag the night before
  • Pre-schedule my blog posts so I don’t have to worry about finding time to blog during the week

Ok, back to the Ziploc® brand bags with Easy Open Tabs. After testing them out, I was amazed by how well they work! These new bags are good if you’re in a rush and short on hands (which moms usually are these days!). The new Easy Open Tabs on these bags, are great since one edge is higher than the other, making them very easy to pull apart.

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I’m Back! {catch-up notes}

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Hi everyone! I’m back from an incredible 12 day trip throughout Italy! Did you enjoy the guest posts during my time away? I loved reading them! In case you missed them, here they are:

Guest Post: A Healthy Twist On Entertaining
Guest Post: 7 Tips to Help Your Strength Training Journey
Guest Post: How to Trust an Unexpected Journey
Guest Post: RM’s Review of the “Whole30″ Program
Guest Post: Back on the Running Wagon

Thanks again to everyone who contributed! And, I loved all of your comments on RM’s guest post- looks like I’m going to have to get him to write another one 😉

I have a number of recap posts to get together for you, but due to the craziness that comes along with getting back into the swing of things (and drafting some sponsored posts), they may not be up as soon as I would like. Hopefully you all follow me on Instagram and Facebook and were able to see some pics throughout my trip (revisiting them makes me want to go back!).

In the meantime, I wanted to share some happenings you may be interested in:

  • New Balance is hosting their next Girls Night Out event next Thursday, June 11th. I’m hoping to make it for some of the event, but I’ve already committed to running the JPMorgan Corporate Challenge which is on the same night 😦 If you’re interested in the NBGNO event, I suggest signing up now since they fill up quickly! The events are always so much fun and this one sounds great since it’s got a run OR a booty and arm workout, which will obviously be followed by cocktails and snacks!
  • B/Spoke is opening a “Pop-Up” location on the Cape this summer- how awesome, right?! It’s in Falmouth and they have a sale on packages- check here for more information.
  • I’ll be at the Lululemon Prudential Store location on SATURDAY from 3-4pm as a “window model”, which means I’ll be on display working out in their store front window for an hour- if you’re in the Boston area, I’d love to see your familiar faces 🙂

I think that’s it for now- hope all of you are well!