Currently Craving...

Holiday cookouts are calling. Here's what I hope to be wearing for the fireworks on Saturday:

Longchamp Le Pliage medium tote in palm green.

Red, White & Blue is overrated. Pink & green never goes out of style :))

Lilly Shauna Tunic Dress




Stephen Bonanno Palm Beach 

Red, White & Skinny

If you're like me, the excitement of 4th of July weekend comes along with scary thoughts: Bikini + booze + lots of yummy food = not so pretty picture. Here are a few delicious food & drink recipes I adore to make your weekend at the lake worry-free.

This first one, I got from my girl Lisa of Hungry Girl. I love her books and website, and now she has her own cooking show! I tried this out last night when we had people over for a cookout, and it was a big hit!!!

Grilled Juicy Fruit Kebabs & Dip 

PER SERVING (1/4th of recipe, 1 kebab with about 3 tbsp. dip): 135 calories, 0.5g fat, 17mg sodium, 30.5g carbs, 3g fiber, 23g sugars, 4.5g protein -- PointsPlus® value 1*
Never grilled fruit before? This is a great way to try it out. And if you're an old pro in the field of fruit grilling, you'll still love this recipe. (It has DIP. Yay!)

Ingredients: 
Dip 
6 oz. fat-free plain Greek yogurt (like Fage Total 0%)
1 tbsp. granulated white sugar
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. vanilla extract
Kebabs
1 cup 1-inch pineapple chunks (about 1/4th of a pineapple)
1 cup 1-inch mango chunks (about 1 mango)
1 cup 1-inch peach or nectarine chunks (about 2 peaches or nectarines)
1 cup 1-inch banana chunks (about 1 large banana)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Directions:
If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for about 20 minutes to prevent burning. (You'll need 4 skewers.)

Combine all ingredients for dip in a bowl. Mix until thoroughly blended and smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Skewer the fruit chunks alternately onto 4 skewers, packing the pieces together tightly. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bring a grill (or grill pan) sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat. Add skewers, cover, and cook until fruit chunks are slightly blackened and caramelized, about 3 minutes per side. If using a grill pan, work in batches, removing pan from heat between batches to re-spray. (Don't worry if the lid used for covering isn't a perfect fit!)

Serve dip with grilled fruit and chew!
MAKES 4 SERVINGS


*I made the dip and it was super good, but to save a little time and money, I might just buy light vanilla yogurt next time (lower calorie counts too!).




Island Chicken Sandwich


Just a little creation my boyfriend came up with that is oh-so-delicioso and won't break your diet!


2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
2- 1/2 in. rings of fresh pineapple
Caribbean Jerk marinade
2 slices reduced fat mozzarella cheese
Lettuce
2 Lite Wheat buns (80-100 cal each)


*I like to poke holes in the chicken breast with a fork, bathe them with marinade them in a tubberware container & let marinate overnight. Yummy, juicy, flavorful grilled chicken the next day!


Skinnygirl Margarita con-coc-tails


My roommates and I basically stalked Bethenny Frankel (of Real Housewives of New York and now Bethenny Getting Married/ Bethenny Ever After) our whole Junior and Senior years of college. So you can imagine my excitement the first time I spotted the famous "Skinnygirl Margarita" by Bethenny on the shelves of my local Liquor Barn. It was a little stronger/ more tequila-y than I had expected, but tastes pretty good for how low-cal it is and all of my friends love the taste.


I love to play around with low calorie ingredients to make frozen drinks, mixed drinks and smoothies. Here are a few good things I've tried:


- 1 cup Skinnygirl Margarita mixed in a blender with 1/2 packet of Crystal Light drink mix flavor (I like the kind you can get at Target in a strawberry banana flavor), 1/2 cup frozen strawberries and 2 cups ice
- 1 cup Skinnygirl Margarita, 1/2 cup Bud Light Lime,  1/2 cup frozen fruit of choice, 2cups ice
- Light screwdriver: Trop50 orange juice mixed with vodka
- Taste the Rainbow: 1 bottle of Diet Mountain Dew, pour out to top of label. Add 1 1/2 packets Cool Aid drink mix ( I like to mix flavors) shake well and be careful, it fizzes when you add the Cool Aid. Serve over ice in tacky Solo cups, a college favorite returns for a weekend of fun in the sun :)


Hope everyone has something fun planned for the holiday weekend. What are your favorite grill/drink recipes?




Miss  B

Gulf Shores Shopping & Yard Sale Finds

 Hi friends! My boyfriend and I just returned from a relaxing vacation with his family, so I wanted to share a few pics. I hope everyone has a chance to visit the beautiful beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama at least once. The sand is so much prettier and softer than most beaches I have been to and the atmosphere is very relaxing. Not to mention the cute little boutiques and beachy restaurants. 


We spent one day at Sawgrass Landing, which has many interesting and unique shops (mostly boutique-type). We ate lunch at the original Oyster House there, which was my favorite meal of the trip, and then stopped by "The Little Zoo that Could". How cute!!!

 The kids have worn us old people out after a night of go-carting, mini golf and sky-coastering.

 Jeff's niece Jenna had a good time riding the rides and even helped me drive the go cart.

After dinner, we listened to live music on the boardwalk. 

 My favorite part of the trip, of course, was hitting the boutiques and the outlet mall on the way home. What was supposed to be a short stop ended up being a 4-hour detour, forcing us to eat Chinese dinner in the food court and putting us on the 10-hour road home around 8 pm. Needless to say, the boyfriend was not a happy camper driving home. I say the new Lilly accessories were worth it :)

 Miss B can't wait to use the coozie for my early morning Diet Cokes in the classroom!


Well, we got home from the trip early Saturday morning and after a quick nap in the car, I was restless to get out and do some more shopping. So, I decided to hit some yard sales with the 10 dollars cash left over in my wallet. 

 Found this cute old hat box from a sweet little lady for $1. I'll be using this to store all my summer scarves that have taken over my closet!

 Found this great set of antique plates from the same sweet little old lady. 
I'm not quite sure what the original purpose of this is, but it caught my eye and I just had to have it for my new living room decor.

All this plus a great wicker nightstand that matches my shabby chic decor for under $10. I was glad I stopped, summer Saturday morning bargain-hunting always puts me in a good mood. Keep your eye out, and you never know what kind of treasures you might find! 


What is the most exciting bargain you've ever found?


Happy Hunting,


Miss B