Rumor Has It

Rumor has it that good reader will no longer be existent as of July 1st.  Like many of my fellow bloggers, I too will be switching over to bloglovin. 

Be sure to click the button on the right side of my page to make sure you keep following me!

For tips and pointers for navigating through bloglovin' I found some links for all of you:

The Kimmie Chronicles

How to move your google readers over to bloglovin'

Bloglovin' Tutorial

Bloglovin' Tips

Replacing Google with Bloglovin'

Have a great Saturday!

xoxo

-mQs-

Summer of Something New Blogging Challenge Week 1: Reading

For those of you who also follow Southern Belle In Training are familiar with the six week long blogging challenge she, myself, and several other bloggers are doing this summer.  For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about I will give you the spark notes version. Every Friday myself and the other girls are each going to publish something new we did this week: ranging from a new book, a place we visited, a recipe we tried, etc.  The whole point is to encourage us to do something productive each week because we all know how quickly summer flies by.  For more details you can click here for the full description that was posted my Ms. ALK on Monday.

I have briefly mentioned this in a post earlier in June, but I thought that an appropriate topic to discuss for my first Summer of Something New post would be reading.  I never really enjoyed reading, but for some reason I have not been able to stop reading.  There are several reasons I think this is happening to me.  The first being that I can finally read books that I want to read, not something that is assigned to me.  This makes a huge difference because I am able to read at my own pace and not have to worry about extra work needing to be done while I read.  The second reason is that I am a Nanny this summer, and I need something to do while the children are playing on their own, watching TV, playing video games, etc.  Reading is the perfect thing to entertain me because I can still keep and eye on the children and reading always makes the time pass quicker when I am bored.   But don't get the wrong idea- I (unfortunately) don't get to read the whole day while the children entertain themselves. Although, that would be ideal that never happens.

At the start of the Summer, I created a 100 item Summer 2013 Bucket List.  I think doing this blogging challenge is certainly going to help motivate me accomplish some things and post about them from my list.  On this list I wrote that I wanted to read 5 books.  Well, in the past month I have read two.. and I am currently in the middle of my third book.

Books I have completed:

 This was the first book I completed this summer. I am a sucker for a good Nicholas Sparks book.  They are always just a good mindless read with a sappy story.

This was the second book I complete.  It was such a cute book. I highly reccomend it to any of you who are looking for a good summer read! I gave it to sQs to read once I was finished with it, and she has not been able to put it down since she started it.

Finally, the book that I am currently reading.  This one is much darker than the other two that I have read so far this summer.  It is much longer too.  It is definitely a touching emotional story.

xoxo

-mQs-

Workout clothing

Finding workout clothing can sometimes be difficult.  A lot of the clothing out there is far too pricey for what you get.  Sure, I love my nike running shorts.  But realistically, I can't afford all my exercise clothing to be Nike.  Recently, I have found that a good alternative is to check out the Active wear at Target.  They have a fairly large selection for reasonable prices.  

Capri Athletic Pants $21

I have a pair of these that are black and gray, I absolutely love them!

 Running Shorts $17 

These are very similar to Nike running shorts and a bit cheaper too. They come in a wide variety of bright fun colors.

Cardio Tank $14

This tank is great for working out, unlike most workout tops this one does not ride up while you are exercising.

Ribbed Tank $10

This tank is great. I love that it is ribbed and the material is not like your usual everyday wear rib tank.  It wicks the sweat away. 

Compression Racer back Bra $14

I have this bra in both black and gray.  It is definitely one of my favorites to wear while working out. I highly recommend it.

Seamless Bra 15

This sports bra is really comfortable.  I like to wear these with some of my tanks.  

Do any of you buy your active wear from Target?

xoxo

-mQs-

Hump Day Humor

I was looking online for a good quote to post for a Words of Wisdom Wednesday post when I cam across this.

I thought it was rather comical.  Who doesn't love a little mid week laugh! 

Tomorrow is Thursday, the weekend is almost here

xoxo

-mQs-

Happy June 21st

Happy First day of summer!

Five Things that remind me of summer:

 one: Fire Flies

 Two: Fresh fruit

 Three: Lemonade

 Four: Dewey Beach

Five: Fireworks

What is it that reminds you of Summer?
I'm off to the beach for the weekend I hope you all enjoy your first weekend of Summer!

xoxo

-mQs-

Blueberry Crepes

The recipe came from the Yoga Body Diet book.  These were pretty easy to make. Confession: I didn't make them my mom did, but she said they weren't a lot of work.  This recipe makes enough for seven people. For those of you who are watching what you eat, two crepes with berries is 201 calories.

Crepes:

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 1/2 cups of Soy Milk(we used 2 % milk)

2 egg whites

2 tablespoons Canola Oil

1/4 teaspoon Salt

Filling:

1 Cup of fresh berries (I recommend blueberries)

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons honey

1 cup reduced-fat ricotta cheese

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Directions: 

Place the flour, milk, egg whites, oil, and salt in a blender or food processor, and blend until a smooth batter forms.  There shouldn't be any lumps.  Cover the batter and refrigerate it for one hour.

Coat a pancake griddle with nonstick cooking spray.  Heat over medium to high heat.  Pour 1/4 of the batter into the griddle.  Spread the batter with the back of a large spoon.  Cook until the edges begin to brown and small bubbles form.  Flip the crepe to ensure that both sides are cooked. Transfer the crepe to a plate, and repeat using the remaining batter.

Place the berries in a small saucepan with the water. Cook over high heat until the berries start to break apart.  Remove from heat and cool for five minutes pros to stirring in one tablespoon of honey.  Set aside.  Combine the ricotta, remaining honey, and orange zest in a food processor.  Pulse until smooth.  Place one crepe on a flat surface.  Spread 1 full tablespoon of the ricotta filling in the center of the crepe. Roll into a cigar shape.  Top with 2 tablespoons of the cooked berries. Repeat for the remaining crepes.

Let me know how you like the crepes, if you decide to try out the recipe. 

xoxo

-mQs-

What's In My Beach Bag

Awhile back I had a post on what Beach Bag to buy for this summer. I finally decided to get a monogrammed canvas tote from Invite Cottage.  It is black and has my initials in bright pink.  I actually ordered my mom this same bag for Mother's Day, she loves it. 

Okay so here are most of the items that I put in my bag to go to the beach.  

A book, hair brush, sun glasses, cards, Vera Bradley beach towel,small cosmetic case, large cosmetic case, a hat, and a tumbler for water (not pictured).

 In this small Vera Bradley cosmetic bag I usually put my ipod, headphones, and phone.  It is lined so it keeps my electronics safe from the salt air, dampness, and rain that can all happen while at the beach. 

 In this large Vera Bradley make up case is where I keep all of my essentials.  

Hawaiian Tropic 30 SPF sun screen- this is my absolute favorite sunscreen it smells so good and most importantly protects my skin from the sun

Cetaphil- I use this SPF 50 on my face. My skin is ultra sensitive so it is hard for m to find sun screen for my face that doesn't irritate it. 

Aloe- You can never go to the beach without this.  In case a long day at the beach leaves you with a sunburn

Chap stick- I am obsessed with this.

Orange eos- I always wear this.

Yellow eos- This has SPF 15 so it keeps my lips from burning

Having short hair makes life at the beach difficult for this girl.  There is no such thing as a good hair day for me when it comes to spending time on the beach.  This is why I have hair ties, claw clips, bobby pins, and head bands.. all of these help keep my hair under control.

I hope you enjoyed seeing what I take to the beach!

xoxo

-mQs-

Anchors Away

Anchors are so simple but can have such meaning.  They are definitely a great summer symbol.  There are many different types of anchors making each one sort of unique.   The whole nautical thing certainly is a classic.

 I would love to be able to do this to my nails.

 This chair is adorable.

I wish I could draw anchors like these, but I think this a good display of the many anchors that exist.

 Lilly and anchors the perfect combination.

 Anchors, monograms, and a reusable cup such a great combination. Perfect to use at the beach.

jcrew anchor skirt.

xoxo

-mQs-

Food Addict

I am such a foodie.  This past weekend sQs and I went to Whole Foods to do our grocery shopping instead of going to our local Giant.  Let me tell you we were practically in heaven walking around this store.  Going to Whole Foods makes grocery shopping such an enjoyable experience. There are so many different types of foods, that it makes healthy eating easy. 

 There is a carry out market with tons of options:salads, pastas, soups, sandwiches, and so much more.

 You can buy pasta in bulk.  I love pasta so obviously I am a fan of this!  I think it would be cute to buy pasta like this and store it in a tall glass jar. 

 The produce is organized so neatly.  They way they display it, it's like they are just asking you to make guacamole and salsa! 

 There are lots of seafood options.  While we were shopping they brought out a HUGE fish and cut it up.  It looks kinda gross. 

 Instead of buying jars of honey, they have machines lined up with different types of honey.  These are the jars that you can fill up with the honey you want to buy.

 These are some of the items that you can buy in bulk. There was flour, rice, sugar, nuts,etc.

 This is all the different types of granola that can be bought in bulk.  I love granola in my yogurt! We bought the ginger snap granola.  I can't wait to try it.

This is a blurry picture, but anyways the selection of bars was huge.  I am a fan of kind bars and they had quite the selection of them! 

They had a huge selection of freshly baked breads.  We bought pita breads to dip in our hummus.

There were bunches of flowers for sale scattered all throughout the store.  These sunflowers were my favorite!

The variety of fruits and their displays were great!

There was a huge selection of baked goods, but since I am on a mission to continue with my clean eating we quickly passed through this section. 

Doing food shopping at a store like this inspires me to eat better and cook more, what inspires you?

xoxo

-mQs-

The Perfect Summer Dinner

Lately, I have been trying to eat healthier.  There is just something about summer that makes me crave healthy food, fruits, and veggies.  Tonight my mom and I cooked dinner together.  The meal of the night- fish tacos and broccoli slaw.  They were absolutely wonderful! 

sQs found the recipe on A Cup of Jo, and let me tell you it was such a good find!  

Fish Tacos and Cole Slaw Recipe

For The Slaw:

1/2 head of cabbage

2 grated carrots

2 tbsp. Fresh Parsley

2 tbsp. lemon juice

2 tbsp. creme fraiche

2 tbsp. Olive Oil

Pink of Kosher Salt

We changed the recipe a bit.  Instead of cabbage, carrots, and parsley we used a bag of Dole broccoli slaw.  Also, instead of creme fraiche we used sour cream.  It had a little too much lemon, so we added a little bit more sour cream.  

For The Fish:

1 lb. of sliced tilapia

1 egg whisked

1 cup of panko bread crumbs

1 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. oregano

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tbsp. Olive Oil

Tortillas 

Lime

( we forgot to add the lime, but it was still tasty without it)

How To Make Them: 

Coleslaw tasted best when it is marinated for awhile, so make sure you make this first!  Place the sliced cabbage, grated carrots, and chopped parsley in a medium to large sized bowl.  Or if you want to make it my way, then add the bag of Broccoli slaw to a bowl.  

Next combine lemon juice, sour cream, and olive oil with the Broccoli slaw.  Add a pinch of salt and then toss everything together.  Cover the bowl, and then refrigerate for at least thirty minutes or longer.

And now for the fish tacos! First preheat the oven to 425 F. Rinse the tilapia fillets and dry them.  Next, slice them into 2-3" long pieces and set them aside. Pour the whisked egg over the fish and make sure each piece of fish is covered in the egg.  Covering the fish makes sure that the panko completely covers the fish. 

In a Ziploc bag combine panko, paprika, thyme, oregano, cayenne pepper, salt, and oil. Place the egg- coated fish into the bag, seal it, and shake it so that the panko covers the fish.  It's better to place 2-3 pieces of fish into the bag at a time. 

After the fish is covered in panko, place the pieces of fish on a foil lined and greased sheet pan.  Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until the panko is golden brown.  

Wrap the Tortillas in foil and place them in the oven for 3-5 minutes to warm them up.  Feel free to serve with limes.

It goes great with a nice glass of white wine. 

Bon Appetit!

xoxo

-mQs-

Saturday's Shenanigans

Kacey Musgraves

 Eli Young Band

 Erich Church

Kenny Chesney

If you haven't guessed it by now, yes I went to the No Shoes Nation Tour in Philadelphia on Saturday. It was the best concert I have been to.  The whole day was a ton of fun.  My best friend, mIr, and I bought these tickets all the way back in December. 

My countdown had been going on for months now.

 I was expecting the day to be fun, but I definitely had more fun than I thought I would.  A lot of my friends from high school were there, so we all tailgated for several hours before the concert.  It was nice to see everyone again.  Not to be creepy, but there was definitely some good people watching on Saturday.  Let me tell you the outfits some of these people wore, were just so interesting to say the least.  

My friend from high school, cMs.

 You can't go to Philly without getting crab fries from Chickie and Pete's

The concert itself was awesome! We had the cheap tickets, sitting high up but it wasn't bad at all.  The performances were all amazing.  Kenny Chesney and Eric Church were my two favorites! 

Saturday was definitely the major kick off to Summer! I was also able to cross off

 #37 Go to a concert 

on my summer bucket list.

xoxo

mQs

p.s: I know I have been really bad about posting lately.  Starting this week  I promise to post daily!