Salads | All That Glitters

I cannot tell you how excited I am for the 4th of July weekend. I think of it as the epitome of summer: being around good food and good company, with a vibe of casual laziness in the air that’s completely acceptable. Personally, that’s how I intend to enjoy the festivities.

It’s going to be low-key on my end with a pretty consistent relaxation theme happening over the next 4 days. There will be lots of time on the beach with a good book in hand and I’m very much looking forward to a cocktail, followed by plenty of time on the couch sifting through my Netflix queue. There’s also been a jewelry project that I’ve been wanting to make that’s been sitting on my desk for 2 weeks now that I am resolving to finally finish.

I expect it to be very busy around town all weekend – people out and about enjoying the sunshine, fireworks, and all the holiday sales, so once the necessary celebrations are over and I’ve gotten my vitamin-D fix, I plan to hibernate a bit. To further enhance my lazy/relaxation themed plans, I’m taking some time off from blogging, so this will be my last post for the week.

Wherever you find yourself and whatever find yourself doing this holiday weekend – play safe and play happy.

Everything I’m lovin’ right now involves all things 4th of July. This week’s list was curated with a nod toward all things nostalgic to summer holidays. I’ll see you next week! xx

here’s what i’m lovin’ right now

|| Homemade Honey Peach Frozen Yogurt / Recipe Here.||

||BCBGeneration Bright Red Multicolor Print Open-Back Romper.||

||Cost Plus’ Retro Popcorn Maker.||

||Helen Kaminki’s Provence 12 Raffia Straw Hat. Expensive, but fab!||

||Oprah.com’s 11 Ways to Have Your Best Summer Yet. ||

||Grilled Lemon Chicken, Berries, and Feta Salad with Homemade Poppy Seed Dressing //

Full recipe here. ||

||Straw Studios Straw Woven Tote.||

|| This stunning villa in Oia, Santorini just made my bucket list.||

||Paradise Inspired Cocktails (with an umbrella, of course).||

*click photos for image sources.

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A goal of mine has been to stop the bad (and expensive) habit of buying my lunch most days of the week. While I eat pretty healthily overall, I find that when I bring my own mid-day meals, I’m eating better portions and healthier options more consistently.

Not to sound like a complete infomercial, but I have found the perfect solution to transporting meals on the go that I just had to share with you! As the perfect Christmas gift (that I didn’t know I even needed) from last year, the Sachi Market Tote has made taking my lunch to work a stylish breeze. This insulated tote conveniently folds down when not in use, so much so that when I first opened this gift, I thought it was a make-up bag. The insulation keeps food or beverages placed inside hot or cold longer, which means if I forget to put my food in the fridge once I get to work, ideally everything should be a-okay.

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What I think we often forget about when taking our own lunches to work, is the flexibility to customize meals however we choose. While I’m one of those strange people who actually like salads, they can become pretty mundane after a while (paging: caesar salad). I’ve been experimenting recently with easy and yummy ways to invigorate the classic salad and I’ve gotten lots of satisfaction with simply adding berries to mine. (In general, my rule is fruit and nuts do wonders to enliven any salad).

So, the aim of today’s post? One, part of the fun when making the “responsible decision” to take your lunch to work is that it should be functional and stylish, insert referenced tote here. And two, change it up! Eating the same thing everyday is not only totally boring, but unnecessary. In my experience, if I don’t change it up, I’ll happen to glance at the café menu at work posted online daily and say “Ooh, they’re serving mac and cheese today!? Well, I can save what I brought for lunch today and eat it tomorrow…” (Somehow I justify this, don’t judge.)

So, let’s do lunch! My new favorite, super delicious, and easy to make salad if you’re in the market for a quick suggestion?

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