Approaching 30

August 4, 2014.Reading time 6 minutes.

family, surprise party, birthday, chicago, summer

Do you know how hard it is to write a recap of a weekend you aren’t ready to let go of yet? Hard. Chicago had everything going for it this weekend. Great food, perfect weather, a music festival that keeps hundreds of thousands in Grant Park so you can enjoy the rest of the city crowd-free and a […]

Currently I’m…

July 30, 2014.Reading time 6 minutes.

grilled shrimp with chimichurri, parsley, cilantro pesto, marinated shrimp recipe, herb pesto,

In the middle of a full-on middle school crush with The Mindy Project. It’s been about 4 years since I had sophisticated TV equipment so I’m on technology overload as of late. How did I go so long without this show in my life and why can’t all OB/GYNs be that funny? Finding it hard to concentrate […]

Tabbouleh Salad and Sangria

July 27, 2014.Reading time 5 minutes.

tabbouleh salad, bulgur wheat salad, Mediterranean salad, cucumber tomato and bulgur salad, recipes, summer, greek

Before I share with you a super easy salad recipe that goes great with blazing hot weather, I want to give you a quick rundown of some observations from the weekend. Bridge runs are for the birds On Saturday mornings, we like to take Finn down to a park along Sarasota Bay where he can play […]

Lessons in layer cake

July 23, 2014.Reading time 9 minutes.

birthday layer cake, ombre layer cake, white birthday cake, buttercream icing, blue ombre layer cake, birthday, holiday, baking,

Some of you may remember when I made my first attempt at an ombré cake back in March for my Mom’s birthday. It wasn’t a complete flop but I rushed through it, failing to execute the preschool-mastered skill of color order. Yes, it still tasted good and fit in with the whole St. Patrick’s day theme […]

Summer meal planning

July 20, 2014.Reading time 3 minutes.

black bean burgers, cooking light, summer recipes, sriracha aioli, burger recipes,

Oh hey there. Me again. I’ve been meaning to share our meal plan this week with you but apparently I can only get my stuff together to make one of them happen at a time. Now don’t assume I’m a super planner who writes down her weekday meals every Sunday or anything. I want to be that […]

Running in a humid climate

July 16, 2014.Reading time 7 minutes.

rock n roll half marathon chicago, running, running in humid climates, races, running in the heat.

Hey remember when I used to run outside? I don’t. OK so I do remember it, but I also remember it being much more enjoyable. I was back in Illinois a few weeks ago and got a chance to run on the trail near my parents house. The weather was perfect. I could actually breathe. […]

Cornbread Cake Crumble

July 14, 2014.Reading time 5 minutes.

Man I love subject lines chock full of alliteration. Can you blame me? It perfectly sums up what this recipe is; a mix of cornbread, cake and an awesome crumble on top. And as much as I love alliteration, I love cornbread even more. Just don’t tell my good friend almond butter. I’m not sure love even […]

Buffalo Turkey Flatbread

July 10, 2014.Reading time 3 minutes.

I don’t like to toot my own horn but over the years I’ve learned to make a pretty mean turkey burger. Toot. Toot. And so on my weekly (ok maybe more than weekly) Target trip I bought a pound of ground turkey with plans of making burgers. But then I saw this recipe from Little Leopard Book using […]

Dunk tanks and Explosives

July 8, 2014.Reading time 2 minutes.

owen's 8th birthday, golden birthday, red white and blue themed party, fourth of july birthday party ideas, water sports, dunk tank, firework birthday party, boy birthday party ideas, cotton candy

This weekend I flew home to celebrate my nephew’s 8th birthday, complete with a mix of water sports, explosives and cotton candy. I know what you’re thinking. What else could a bunch of 8 year-old boys want, right? Right. I can take little to no credit for the party or the details because my sister handled […]

Classic Greek Salad

July 3, 2014.Reading time 2 minutes.

When it comes to the salad game, I’m pretty traditional. Most days, I settle for a classic mixed greens salad with cucumber, tomato and a balsamic vinaigrette of some sort and I never get tired of it. Every once in a while though, a girl needs to mix things up. So now that Greece is […]