We got home late on Sunday from Savannah, which meant my weekly food prep wasn’t happening. Being the extremely flexible, easy going gal that I am (Ok, Ok, that I’m tryyyyying to be), I figured I’d take care of it all during nap time on Monday. Well, yesterday after the gym Hailey and I ended up at the farmers market, listless. Chaos ensued.

I’m not just talking about Hailey running around shoving handfuls of cherry tomatoes and blackberries in her mouth, though that did happen. I’m talking about ME shoving beautiful produce in my basket willy nilly, without a plan.

$28 worth of freshness

I know what you are thinking. Shopping without a list?! Woah guuurl, you cray!

Ha, kidding, but I always go in with a plan, so when I came home with all this beautiful food, I immediately got to work on a plan to eat it all before any of it went bad.

Even the eggplant. What the heck do I do with an eggplant?

The answer is grill it. The answer is always to grill.

Monday- Grilled steak, grilled marinated vegetables (zucchini, squash, onions and green beans) and sweet potatoes

Tuesday- Grilled salmon, massaged kale salad and sliced tomatoes

Wednesday- Grilled chicken wraps, grilled corn and roasted broccoli

Thursday- Chicken and bean bake with grilled eggplant

Friday- friends in town/grill out

Breakfasts- eggs, toast, avocado, berries, yogurt

Lunch- tuna salad wraps, veggie wraps, salad, leftovers

Clearly I’m all about the grill now that I know how to use it myself.

After nap, we headed to Whole Foods. I figured why not; we had to be in Charlotte to pick up Koda anyway!

Per usual, Hailey snacked while I shopped.

We packed the cooler, grabbed Koda and headed home. Unfortunately we hit traffic, but Hailey found ways to entertain herself. I cracked up when I glanced up to check on her and found this-

Back home, we unloaded the goodies.

I really am enjoying the quinoa pasta!

Don’t fool yourself into thinking marketing to kids doesn’t work. We bought the ravioli ONLY because H was so excited about Elmo.

Also, ORGANIC marinara at Whole Foods is only $3!! It usually runs double that at Harris Teeter, so I stocked up.

Wild Keta salmon was on sale for $9.99/lb

And a new item to try- brown rice tortillas!

Between the farmers market ($28) and Whole Foods ($98), our total grocery bill was roughly $126. It’s a little higher than usual, but I’m aiming on spending a little more on groceries to curb our weekend eating out. We’ll see how it goes!

Overall, I feel great that I was able to piece together the week backwards, but look forward to getting back to meal planning first next weekend!

Are you a loyal list user or do you wing it?

This past weekend we were in Savannah for a wedding for Rebecca, a friend I’ve had since middle school. I was so grateful that David’s parents offered to come with us for the weekend to watch Hailey! Hailey loved hanging out with Grandpa (GaPa) and Mema (MaMoo).

We arrived in the afternoon, got settled in and immediately walked to the river front. The breeze off the river made it an enjoyable temperature. So much so that we opted for dinner outside.

We scored some prime real estate at the Chart House on River Street and indulged in a delicious dinner of jambalaya.

I must have said a million times how wonderful it felt outside. I was prepared for hot, sticky humidity and instead the weather was gorgeous.

We opted to stay in a bed and breakfast in the heart of Savannah for the weekend, which ended up being MUCH more reasonably priced than a hotel and included 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, kitchen and living space. Plus we had breakfast provided in the mornings and tea in the afternoons.

Saturday morning we wandered over to Forsyth Park.

I chose a bed and breakfast with close proximity to the large, gorgeous park mostly so we could walk over and let Hailey play.

But I won’t pretend the Saturday morning farmers market had nothing to do with my choice.

The farmers market is relatively small, but has an unbelievable selection of unique produce, most of it organic, and other fun finds, like bison! We sampled and mingled our way through it twice.

I almost brought the stevia plant home with me so I could steep a leaf with my tea, but luckily I was distracted by an adorable baby goat… that I also considered hiding in my purse and taking with me.

Instead, we all spent time playing on the jungle gym and left empty handed.

Being that the wedding was for a friend that I’ve had through middle school, high school AND college, it was a giant gathering of friends in Savannah. I grabbed lunch with my closest buddies, Kristin, Alexis and Michelle, back down by the River at Huey’s.

After a little time spent wandering River Street, it was time to get ready for the wedding.

The Catholic wedding was gorgeous and the bishop performing the service was witty and entertaining. I’ve decided my new favorite part of the ceremony isn’t when the groom first sees the bride, but instead when the preacher (priest, bishop, whoever) announces the couple for the FIRST time as Mr. and Mrs. so-and-so and everyone cheers and the couple beams. It’s magical and always makes me squeeze David’s hand in happiness.

The reception was held at Savannah Station and was gorgeous!

The best part was getting to catch up with friends.

I hadn’t seen many of them in so long, but feeling like no time at all had passed.

Though, I guess 11 years have gone by since high school. Crazy. Everyone still seems the same, and I mean that in the most wonderful way.

Becca and Greg danced their first dance to You Are The Best Thing. Don’t you just love hearing first dance song choices? It’s always my first question about a wedding.

Then we chowed down.

The food was great and fueled us for a night of dancing and catching up with good friends. It was such a wonderful night.

Sunday we thanked Mema and Grandpa for helping us out for the weekend

then tagged along with them to Lake Keowee, which made for a late arrival home. The weekend sort of outshined Father’s Day. Though I felt fortunate I got to hug my awesome dad-in-law on the day and talk to my amazing dad and brother (his FIRST Father’s Day!) for a bit on the phone, I felt bad I wasn’t able to shower David with the day he deserves for being a more incredible dad to Hailey than I ever could have imagined. We did cards and surprised him with an updated frame for his desk…

and lots and lots of hugs and kisses. I hope he knows how much we appreciate what an incredible dad he is and how much his girls love him (Koda, too )!

Phew, I guess this recap has gotten long enough for today, huh? I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Where is your favorite wedding location you’ve ever been to?

I’m a big fan of Savannah, though a wedding I attended in Colorado ranks pretty high up there, too!

I don’t do many sponsored reviews anymore because I don’t usually enjoy reading them on other blogs. The best advice I ever got was to write a blog that I’d want to read, so that’s turned into a lot of me saying no over and over. However, when something I’m genuinely interested in trying comes along, I’m going to say yes.

Like Bestowed. I’m sure you’ve seen it floating around the internets, but if you haven’t, Bestowed is a monthly service that delivers a package of healthy nutrition and lifestyle samples (some of them are BIG samples) to your door for $19 a month. Being that I love trying to products, but don’t like committing to buying a large amount if I’m not sure I like it, I was game.

Bestowed sent me a free box to try out, but no other compensation. All opinions are my own. So what showed up?

I was pretty impressed with the number of goods they fit in there.  Some I recognized, like the Happy Baby puree pouch and the Green & Black organic chocolate bar, but others were new.

I wasted no time trying things out and categorizing them into the good, the ok and the just plain bad.

The good included the Happy Baby pouch (Hailey downed it), the Hemp Hearts (I’ve bought those myself to sprinkle on salads and am a fan), the Arrowhead Mills oatmeal (it never hurts to have an extra package around), the KIND granola and the Black & Green chocolate bar (sized perfectly for a purse!). But my FAVORITE sample was the fig bar.

The Nature’s Bakery Fig Bar tasted like a heartier fig newton, but healthier. I had full intentions of sharing with Hailey, but downed them both while she napped. You snooze, you lose, kid.

The OK included the $25 gift card to iTrain online. Neat in theory, but I don’t usually use online videos and if I do, there are a ton for free on youtube. Also in the OK category was the Teriyaki Chicken Jerky. The flavor was really great, but between the texture and idea of it being chicken, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was eating a dog treat.

The bad was pretty bad. I believe in promoting what you love instead of bashing what you hate, but since it was a sample to review, I feel like I have to give my two cents.

This EBOOST fizzy drink mix started off ok, I mean, it was fizzy and that’s fun. It’s also full of green tea and vitamins, but I just couldn’t do it. After a few sips, the aftertaste set in and I couldn’t handle. I actually had to go rinse my mouth out. I’m sorry.

I thought Bestowed was a lot of fun! I won’t be signing up with my own money because I really enjoy perusing the aisles of stores and finding my own new things to try, but if you’re into sampling new products and don’t get a kick out of wandering the aisles like I do, you should totally check it out! You can use the code 5OFFBSTOWED01 to get $5 off your first order or…

Leave a comment telling me your favorite NEW product (health, beauty, wellness, etc) that you’ve tried lately for a chance to win a free Bestowed box for yourself!

Contest ends Sunday night and I’ll post the winner on Monday. (US only, sorry guys!)

My best friend is obsessed with Pure Barre. She, like so many others, swear by it. Some even call it cult-like, so clearly I was ridiculously excited when I heard Pure Barre was coming to Birkdale Village in Huntersville.

I dropped by with Hailey a few weeks ago to peak inside and drop the not-so-subtle hint that I wish they had childcare.

Since they don’t have childcare, I wasn’t sure when I’d get to try it out. However, David worked from home on Tuesday, so I skipped out during nap time to try their noon class.

What to wear – I wore cropped yoga pants and a workout top with built-in bra. There isn’t any high impact jumping around, so a heavy duty sports bra isn’t necessary. During class, participants wear socks, not shoes, so I brought a plain pair of socks with me and decided to skip paying $15 for the fancy ‘sticky-socks’ the studio sells. I found my socks to do just fine for most of the class, with an exception of a few moves I found myself sliding around for.

The equipment – a pair of light weights (very light weights- 2 lbs) were provided, along with a resistance cord, ball and mat. I got a little cocky when I saw the light weights. I shouldn’t have.

The moves – I’m not sure what I expected. Well, yes I did. I expected ballet class. It’s nothing like ballet class. The entire class centers around small, repetitive movements with little to no weights. That description makes it sound easy, but let me assure you, it isn’t. We started with abs and I after 5 minutes I feared I wouldn’t make it through the class. It’s hard to put my finger on exactly what it was that made it so challenging, but I imagine the isolated movements, the number of reps and the focus on squeezing individual muscles made it unlike any workout I’ve ever done.

Arms lasted all of 5 or so minutes, but it burned. Today I still can feel it in my triceps. A lot of class is done in the middle of the floor, but as the name would suggest, we also spent some time at the bar. Squatting and flexing and ‘tucking’ my way through class made my muscles tremble. By the end, I couldn’t keep my legs from vibrating when trying to straighten them.

There is a learning curve, though. The famous ‘tucking’ that Pure Barre is known for takes some time to learn. It took some sincere focus and positioning trial and error for me to do moves correctly so I could feel my muscles working.

The Pros –

• The music is upbeat and the energy is rocking. Katie did a great job of keeping us all focused and engaged.
• It’s exciting. The studio vibe works for me. Whether yoga or Pure Barre, I get really excited to go to a studio over the gym.
• It works! Leaving class, my muscles felt fatigued. The next day I could feel it in my triceps, my thighs and my lower butt. You know, the part of the butt that connects to the leg. Who doesn’t want to tighten and tone that area?!
• You don’t get drenched in sweat. At least I didn’t. Since I often go run errands after workouts, I liked that.

The Cons -

• It is EXPENSIVE. To drop in for one class is $23.00. A package of 10 classes is $200. A month unlimited is $225 (unless you sign up as a new member and take advantage of their 1 month unlimited for $100 that they are offering now). That’s some serious money.
• No childcare. This one is huge for me. Maybe when Hailey starts her school program in the fall I’d be able to do it, but for now, I refuse to pay for a sitter to watch her to only go and pay more to take a class.
• I think it would be really difficult to do during pregnancy without some serious modifications. I know people will argue with me on this one, and that’s fine, I may be wrong, but almost the entire class incorporates your abs. There are straight forward bicycle crunches and plenty of ab engagement at the bar, which is great, but I think it would be difficult with a pregnant belly. (I’m not pregnant, but have friends that are that asked what I thought.)

Overview -

I won’t pretend I didn’t love it; I did. If a year of unlimited classes and childcare dropped onto my doorstep, I’d go 5 days a week. The low impact, sore muscles and upbeat vibe was right up my alley. I thought about ordering one of their DVDs, but I know myself enough to know that I won’t stick to it at home. So I guess for now, I’ll just be an admirer from afar!

Have you ever tried a Pure Barre class or something similar?
What did you think?

Food elitism is a serious affliction in our society today.

I’m totally kidding, but it is something I’ve noticed a lot lately.

I don’t think it necessarily comes from malice, but more so from people with a passion for health, quality food and a strong belief in the way they choose to eat.

Oh hey there, fancy breakfast.

Have I been guilty of this? Probably. I’m sorry. Perhaps my passion for real food has made me share why all the garbage in a processed slice of plastic-wrapped cheese will keep them from feeling their best (I’m sorry Jenny ).

But food shaming is no way to spread information or to create a good change towards healthier eating for our society.

Grocery store sushi (I know David just cringed).

I’m not immune from feeling the other side either. Just as I strongly believe in eating whole, unprocessed food as much as possible, there are others who feel just as strongly, if not more so, about not eating animals, or grains, or dairy.

Took my first Pure Barre class yesterday! Tell you more about it soon!

I’ve been told I’m destroying my child’s health by giving her cow’s milk. I’ve been told that gluten will make me sick and fat. I’ve been told that eating beef is cruel and will wreck havoc on my cholesterol.

Then what the heck is left to eat?!

Delicious combo of farmers market tomato, cucumber, fresh basil, feta, balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

And clearly I need to clean my camera lens.

I’ve said it before, but health is so personal and we are all starting from different points. Finding your own healthy means a lot of trial and error and finding the balance that leaves YOU feeling fueled and satisfied. Feelings of shame and guilt don’t help anyone along in their journey.

I’m against food shaming, food snobbery and saying ‘ewwww’ when someone else is eating something you don’t like, healthy or not.

I’m all for sharing information, personal stories and recipes that you love. I love reading about what works for someone and why, whether it floats my boat or not.

But nobody actually learns anything from a food snob. I know I don’t. When someone looks down on me for eating chips, it makes me want to shove them all in my mouth and grin at them from with my crumb-laden smile.

Chowing down on chips, salsa and cheese last night.

I’m going to continue to share what works for me and why. That has evolved over time and maybe it will evolve from where I am now. If you’re reading my blog at all, then you must have some interest in health (or maybe just put up with my rambling to see cute pictures of Hailey?). And as people with an interest in personal health, our collective mission should be to educate and inspire, not to food-shame.

After all, we shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously anyways.

Hydrating face masks at Susan’s Arbonne party last night.

Thanks for hosting WIAW, Jenn

Have you ever felt shamed for eating something?

I could have easily titled this ‘How to Grocery Shop like a Crazy Person’ because I realize my affection for grocery shopping goes beyond what is normal. And taking a toddler along with me to three different locations might qualify as borderline insanity. But it’s sort of my thing, so here’s how we manage it.

Preparation is key. After you write your list, gather the necessary supplies.

Choose the time of day when your toddler is usually the happiest.  Even if your child just ate, pack snacks.

Yes, the snack cup is empty and being used only for prop purposes. We were out of snacks- that’s why we were going grocery shopping!

When hitting up three different locations, always start with the farmers market. Produce is freshest and cheapest here so load up on as much of your list as possible.

Let your child run free. Set them up with a game of seeing how many rocks they can get in a basket before you check out.

The answer is 36 when gathered 2 at a time.

Back in the car within 15 minutes and on to store numero dos, The Meat House.

Again, risk letting your child run free, as this should be a quick stop as well. Go in knowing what you need to maximize speed, as there are many short shelves with breakable jars. Also, maximize the samples.

Only shop places with samples.

Return to car, put meat in cooler and drive to final location. Check list before you leave the car to plan exactly which aisles you need to hit.

Apologize to toddler for having to strap her into the cart. Make up for it by distracting her with a snack.

And a necklace. Shopping at a place like Target means there are plenty of props ready to help you out: toys, necklaces, Easter eggs (only seasonally). Just remember to drop them back off in the $1 bin section before checking out. They won’t give a darn about that toy once they’re home.

Check out and let your child receive a sticker from the cashier. Unless they are out, like they were yesterday. Then run for the car before meltdown occurs.

Once home, let the toddler sample the goods.

This gives you time to unload, put up and high five yourself for being a super mom. There might even be time for a solo celebratory dance party, but keep that to yourself.

Shopping with kids- any tips to share?

I’m so glad it’s Monday. What a weird thing to say, huh? Well, this weekend, particularly Sunday was rough on me. It started Friday when my throat started hurting. A summer cold? That’s odd.

Saturday morning it felt a little worse. We stayed around the house, bummed and tried a new recipe for protein pancakes.

It’s a keeper.

When Hailey woke up from her nap around 2, I couldn’t stand to waste such a gorgeous day. So I sucked it up and we headed out on the lake!

It was our first real summer boat outing, complete with sunscreen and bathing suits.

And swimming!

It was Hailey’s first dip in the lake. Though hesitant at first, she quickly warmed up and enjoyed “swimming” (being pushed back and forth) between David and me.

We were having such a good time we opted to stay on the lake and try a new place for dinner.

The Blue Parrot is new to the area. They don’t have many slips for boats, which makes me hesitant to give away our new awesome secret spot, but I must admit, we loved it!

The atmosphere is lively, the staff is friendly and the music was almost all Jimmy Buffett. David was in heaven. Hailey loved it, too, and David helped her ‘twirl’ to the tunes.

The food was excellent.

But unfortunately by this time I was starting to fade. I felt achy and my throat was killing me. We scooted home afterwards and crashed on the couch.

I woke up at 3:45am, unable to swallow and barely able to breathe. I HURT. I wasn’t able to go back to sleep, so Koda kept me company on the couch until 10:00am came and I made my way to MinuteClinic.

Confirmed. Strep throat.

I’m all for natural remedies, but this called for meds. And lots of couch time.

Yesterday consisted of the following-

• 6, yes SIX, episodes of Friday Night Lights
• 4 Segments of TED talks on food and nutrition
• 3 Sailing videos
• 2 naps
• 2 bowls of hot and sour soup
• I bowl of rice with salsa
• 1/2 a pint of coconut ice cream

David had to work and without family nearby I gave in and called a sitter to help me out for 2 hours. I regret nothing.

Luckily after a day of meds and a good night’s sleep, I’m feeling much better. I have no clue how I contracted strep, but I’m just praying David and Hailey don’t get it!

Have you ever had strep?

Where did I leave off? Ah, yes, delicious Regina Pizza! After that, our walking tour wasn’t even close to over. We kept walking, away from North End and towards the water front.

I have a love affair with water and was giddy to see the harbor and the sailboats. We still had ground to cover, so we moved on quickly through the amazing waterfront architecture of a hotel (I think).

Isn’t is gorgeous? It made me feel so tiny. Keeping on, we wandered through Faneiul Hall and Quincy Market.

It was a lively scene of tourists and street performers, which were entertaining to watch.

By then my feet were really starting to feel the distance and we were all parched, so we sought refuge by the water at the Barking Crab.

This place was cool! The scene was lively and I enjoyed watching the partygoers while chugging my water, trying to rehydrate.

90 degrees in the city is no joke. After a round of waters, we headed back towards Back Bay, winding through the park again.

I want these flowers in my yard. They look like they belong in The Lorax.

We stopped along the way to see the bombing memorial.

Reading the messages of love and strength on the running shoes gave me chills. The memorial was crowded and it was surreal to imagine what had transpired here only a few weeks ago. The Boston Strong messages everywhere were inspiring and gave me a sense of pride for a city I hadn’t, until then, even visited.

We stopped for one more refreshment, food truck style. I’m not sure if I was that thirsty or if the raspberry iced tea I ordered really was the best thing I’d ever had in my life.

We finally reached the girls’ apartment after what I am certain was at least a 7 mile walk. We all plopped down, put our feet up and relished in the air-condition.

I may or may not have dozed off for a few minutes, but then it was time to shower. We all cleaned up and headed back to the waterfront, this time in a cab!

We intended to go on the rooftop at Legal Harborside, but the line wrapped around the building.

Instead we grabbed sangria and stood at the bar, looking out on the water.

The sides of the restaurant were all open and it was by far the prettiest view we’d had yet.

The evening was perfect and I wish we could have stayed all night, but we had reservations down the street at Empire, a sushi restaurant. We walked the half mile or so, and I immediately regretted wearing heels.

Soon enough we arrived at Empire and I loved the swanky indoor décor. If only I had my real camera! We were also starving and wasted no time ordering appetizers. We split shrimp dumplings and I ordered hot and sour soup.

I consider myself a hot and sour soup connoisseur, and this bowl of soup blew me away! It was incredible!!! Highly recommend it. The sushi was pretty delicious, too.

Dinner was over around 10pm and I could feel myself fading fast. Still, we made it out to Tia’s, a bar on the water, where I lasted a whole 30 minutes or so before we decided to head home, where I promptly zonked out.

I was glad to feel well rested in the morning, because Alexis took me on a duck tour!

I’m a huge history nerd and loved hearing the facts and stories of Boston as we quacked our way around the city. There is (obviously) so much history to Boston and hearing stories from the revolution through where John Kerry lives was a lot of fun. Almost as fun as getting to drive the duck in the Charles River.

Yup, Alexis and I waited our turn while all the 5 year olds drove, then finally, we got the glory! Quack quack!

At the end of the tour it was almost time for me to head to the airport, but I couldn’t leave without doing the one thing I had my heart set on. Eating and lobster roll.

We decided on the Atlantic Fish Co because it was close to her apartment. The Forum restaurant, right next to it, was where the second bomb went off. They are currently rebuilding the restaurant. The mailbox out front is the one that was all over the news. Again, surreal.

We started off with an oyster sampler. 3 different types of oysters. I showed my southern roots by looking for the saltines, but Alexis helped me out by doctoring them up and showing me how to slurp it right from the shell. Delicious! I really could eat seafood everyday.

Finally, the main event…

Sooooooo GOOD!

The lobster was lightly dressed and tasted fresh on the soft roll. I demolished every crumb of my half.

After lunch, Alexis drove me to the airport with a happy belly full of lobster. The weekend in Boston was everything I hoped it could have been. I felt like we saw and did so much in 2 days and spending time with my friends is always a great time. Still, once on the plane, I couldn’t wait to get home to David and Hailey, who I must brag on for having a fun and busy daddy daughter weekend while I was away.

Thank goodness for google hangouts on the phone

If you could take a girls trip anywhere for a weekend, where would you go?

Welcome to another edition of Munchkin Meals!

Hailey is 20 months old now and is all toddler. This means she has her likes and dislikes when it comes to everything. Fortunately, I feel like her eating is still pretty good, but I know that is subjective.

For this round of Munchkin Meals I wanted to show you what goes on Hailey’s plate and what is still left on it at the end to give you an idea of how much she eats at any given meal. Let’s get started…

Before - Organic blueberries, free-range chicken, avocado, sharp cheddar, organic broccoli, organic carrots and organic cauliflower (from a frozen bag) sautéed in teriyaki

After

Before – Frozen organic peas, honey goat cheese, free range chicken, strawberries from our porch

After

She then loaded up the remaining peas and chicken into the cup and begged to eat out of her chair. I obliged.

Before – avocado, organic brown rice and lentils, organic zucchini sautéed in Kerrygold butter and a splash of soy sauce

After

Before – organic banana. Every morning. Always.

After

Before – scrambled free range eggs with organic salsa, nitrite-free bacon and watermelon

After (the girl has NOT been feeling the eggs lately)

Before – grape tomatoes, quinoa and diced cucumber mixed in this dip, bean and lentil sprouts

After

Before – mashed avocado on pita bread, grape tomatoes, organic frozen blueberries

After

As you can see, sometimes she cleans her plate and other times she only eats a few bites. I don’t stress about and just keep offering her healthy foods. She eats when she is hungry. If she cleans her plate, I offer her more until she is full.

Sometimes I will hold fruit for dessert. If she gets into a pattern where she only will eat the fruit and not the rest of her meal, then I hold off on it for a few days straight. I believe this helps her reset her internal sweet tooth. When she is happily chomping down on avocado, chicken and broccoli again, then I’ll reintroduce the fruit. It’s working for us!

Now it’s your turn- please share what your kids are eating!

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Nothing new. Egg for breakfast.

NEW! Udi’s gluten-free millet chia bread.

I wasn’t crazy about the long list of ingredients, but I didn’t see any of the known bad guys (Partially hydrogenated oils, corn syrup, etc). I LOVED how this tasted soft, like real bread. Impressed.

Nothing new. Morning gym ritual.

NEW! David came and did it with me. We had to work to get through this superset workout from Julie. Then David taught me to run longer by monitoring my heart rate. I might have just had a break through!

Nothing new. Come home starving and snack.

And make lunch.

NEW! Brianna Real French Vinaigrette dressing is really good! I have a hard time breaking away from my Newman’s Balsamic, but wanted to switch things up. Loved the flavor, the list of real ingredients and the fact that it didn’t have any sugar.

NEW! I decided to grab this Sunny Creek Farm Crunchy Mix from the produce section at Harris Teeter. They taste like sprouts, so I’m not smitten with the flavor, but loved the protein and crunch they added to my salad.

Nothing new. A LOVE Grown hot oats snack with chia. Some call it breakfast. I called it a snack.

NEW! We found a fun way to fill the afternoon. We hit up the spray grounds at Birkdale.

Nothing new. None of the kids got in the fountain. Instead they ran around and climbed on us.

Nothing new. Beer (Corona Light) with David as we sat in the driveway letting Hailey soak up the last of the sunlight before bed. It’s summertime, baby!

Nothing New. Burrito bowls for dinner!

Nothing new. As always, thanks to Jenn for hosting the WIAW link up.

NEW! Munchkin Meals link up TOMORROW! Post about your kids meals and then come over and link up, share and get some new ideas yourself. I’m focusing on a before and after to show you how much of Hailey’s food is making it down the hatch.

NEW! We need a new series. After going through a Game of Thrones withdrawal (NO SPOILERS!!! We are only on Season 2), we tried the Sopranos and The Wire. Can’t get into either.

Any TV series recommendations?