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!

May Outfits Of The Day

I know it is now June, but I just realized I never published this post!

 Outfit one:

Yellow cardigan: Forver 21

Jeans: American Eagle

Boots: Clarks

Striped shirt: Marshalls

 Outfit Two:

Black v-neck: Gap

Purple tank: American Eagle

White shorts: American Eagle

Flip flops: Reef

 Outfit Three:

Black cardigan: Plato's Closet

Lace shirt: American Eagle

Jeans: American Eagle

Leopard print Gladiator sandals: American Eagle

 Outfit Four:

Blue and white striped dress:Ann Taylor LOFT

White cardigan: Target

Gray flip flops: Reef

 Outfit Five:

Peach shirt: Gap

Headband: Anthropologie

Jean Shorts: Forever 21

Flip Flops: Reef

Outfit Six:

Teal scarf

Gray long sleeve shirt: GAP

Cropped Yoga pants: Target

Flips flops: Sanuk

Outfit Seven:

Pink Scarf

Gray shirt: Plato's Closet

Black Leggings: American Eagle

Boots: Clarks

Outfit Eight:

Flip flops: jcrew

Green v-neck: Ralph Lauren

Jeans: American Eagle

Outfit Nine:

Yellow sweater: American Eagle

Polka Dot shirt: Forever 21

Jeans: American Eagle

Flip flops: Reef

Outfit Ten:

Striped Shirt: Plato's Closet

Jeans: American Eagle

Navy Toms

Outfit Eleven:

Leopard Headband

Blue v-neck: Forever 21

Yoga pants: Target

Outfit Twelve:

Scarf: jcrew

Gray shirt: Aerie

Jeans: American Eagle

Sperry Topsider shoes

Outfit Thirteen:

Blue shirt: Francesca's

White shorts: American Eagle

Gladiator sandals: American Eagle

xoxo

-mQs-

Summer Reading

This is the first summer, in I can't tell you how long, that I don't have any summer reading to do. It feels wonderful! I didn't used to enjoy reading, but lately I found it quite interesting.  I think I am enjoying reading more because I am able to read what I want, not something that is assigned to me.  It is my goal for the summer to read at least five books.  Last week I finished my first book of the summer, The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks.  I highly recommend it to any of you who are looking for a good read.  

So now that I have finished my book, I need something else to read.  I thought I would ask you all, my followers, to suggest some good summer reads. Ready, Set, Go!

xoxo

-mQs-