My {Random} Friday Thoughts...

This post is very RANDOM. Just things in my phone's camera roll on what's going on in my mind today... 

Today's daily green smoothie: spinach, lemon, ginger, chia seeds, mango, strawberry 

Yum

Fun and easy idea I came across for a summer party, picnic, or just snacking in the house. Fill with hummus, chicken salad, etc. 

This weekend's DIY project:

Cookware:

I'm grateful for my GreenPan set that was given to us from my maternal grandmother. It was our wedding gift (and not the set that we registered for...) 

Little did I know, cookware can be toxic to your food. Luckily, my grandmother watched QVC a lot and learned about the benefits of these... haha. She was always "on the more natural side of things" herself as my mom recalls. My grandmother died last Spring from a tragic accident. A woman hit my grandmother with her car as she was crossing the road. I was in Nashville, TN on a girl's trip with my two best friends when it happened. My heart still hurts for her but I do little things that make me think of her like wearing her crazy looking vintage jewelry and, more importantly, cooking with our safer cookware that she bought us :) 

I'm now looking into the dangerous effects of toxic (mainstream) cookware and happy I am already ahead of the game!

(FYI: I've seen them now being sold in Taget! Complete sets and individual pieces!) 

GreenPan even made my favorite blogger's Food Babe's Healthy Holiday Gift Guide a while back! You know how much I love the Food Babe...

What I'd like to cook more with: cast iron for my non toxic cookware collection. Back to the basics, people! 

(Still looking into this... but I heard that using cast iron is beneficial so much so that it actually adds iron to your food during the cooking process. Anyone else know anything about this?) 

Makes you wonder what toxic, "non stick" Teflon cookware adds to your food during the cooking process...

What I have my eye on for Ava.

New at Janie&Jack:

What I'd like to make for Mark. My hubby is rhubarb obsessed :) 

Where I am going on Sunday with my mother:

We went last year and I thought I was dropped into the middle of a crazy hippie fest... kind of like how I felt the first time I shopped at a Whole Foods. haha. 
(But now, Whole Foods is like Toys R Us for me.)

*Siiiiiide note: For my fellow Whole Foods shoppers... Don't you appreciate when you ask one of their employees about a product or if they have a recommendation how they are always have a wealth of knowledge?! Example, I asked a WF employee where the non GMO corn taco shells were and they WALKED me straight to them and then told me how organic/non GMO blue corn shells(and chips) taste the same(and cost the same) as yellow corn but have more naturally occurring antioxidants. So you get a little more bang for your buck. SOLD! Now I buy blue taco shells and chips that are right next to the yellow ones...
  *NOTE: If it isn't organic/non GMO corn, then you're probably just eating blue food dye on GMO corn so be careful*
...Not to bash other beloved grocery stores but the most I ever get in other places is which isle it is on.


Back to my hippie expo....I mean, my NEW LIFE EXPO! ;) 
At the time, I felt kind of out of place but had an open mind.

Now, since I've learned a lot more about holistic health and all things natural, I CANNOT WAIT to go back!!!!!!

 Looking forward to the lectures.  We learned a lot from those last time. 

On Saturday morning, Mark is golfing and then hopefully after that we will head over to the beach. I also have one of my best friends in town that I look forward to seeing this weekend. 

Have a happy weekend! 

TGIF 

XO

Christina 

Snapshots of the Weekend {Date Night + Riverwalk Jazz Brunch}

Hope everyone had a great weekend. 

Congrats to the Seattle Seahawks! 

(I am a college football girl myself so the NFL really does nothing for me. But since I just felt the amazing feeling of being National Champions when my Seminoles won, I get understand the excitement of the Seahawks fans.) 

Hooray. 

Anyways...

 On Friday, I drove to Miami to surprise my grandparents with a 5 hour house deep clean while my mother in law watched Ava for the day. Thank you, Debbie!

 Since my grandmother's back surgery which didn't help one bit for her chronic back pain, she has never been able to clean the way she did for her whole life. My grandmother was always a stay at home mom and cleaned her house unlike anyone I know. (Actually, Mark's grandmother in North Dakota cleans like her as well.) I am talking "eat off the floors" type of clean. 

So, since my grandfather refuses to "have a stranger come in a clean" and he claims he cleans just fine.... 

I thought I'd go in and try my best to give him a break and clean like my grandmother.

Needless to say, I came home and was happy to relax the rest of the night with my red wine. 

Mark works SUPER late on the last day of the month - every month. People in sales know what I am talking about... 

So I basically did that ^ by myself. 

The next morning while Mark slept in (usually he is the one that gets up before me and gives Ava her bottle at 8, walks the dog, and makes breakfast.) 

I knew he was exhausted so I did all that :)

I made us waffles with bananas and cinnamon. They were delishhh! Ava approved. 

When Ava and Mark went down for a nap, I got some sun by the pool...

Sorry, I had to. 

That night my mom came over as Ava was being put to bed so that Mark and I could go out for a date night. 

Mark took me to this tiny little sushi place in Mizer Park {Boca Raton, FL for my non-locals}

It was delicious! We sat on their little patio and could hear the live music from across the street at Jazziz  Nightlife. 

So after dinner, we headed over there to relax with some cocktails and music. They also had 3 large humidors for a ton of cigars which was great for Mark. He enjoys the occasional cigar with drinks. 

We opted to sit outside as usual. 

Inside. 

This woman...

made me want Ava to learn the violin. She was amazing. She told me that she started playing when she was 7. 

On Sunday morning around 11 we headed over to Las Olas for the Riverwalk Jazz Brunch. I am so happy that my friend AJ reminded me about it. I always remember these jazz bunches the day after they happen! They are the 1st Sunday of every month from 11AM-2PM. 

Basically, people show up and set up camp for the free live music. You bring your blankets, chairs, food, mimosas :) 

etc. and have a gorgeous, relaxing Sunday afternoon with your friends. There are multiple bands so you hear music wherever you get a spot. 

Thanks, AJ! 

He is also the one who created these homemade, super fancy dancy desserts for all of us. We had extras so he made friends and handed them out to our neighbors. We already know they will setting up camp next to our spot next month for these delicious almond baskets (They told us... ha ) 

They had raspberry sorbet, vanilla ice cream, whip cream,  and mixed berries to top it all. I am drooling thinking about them. If you come out next month, these will make your day. (Sorry AJ, I just volunteered you to make these every month.) 

^That is CALLAHAN WALTERS ^ refusing to be in my picture. LAME. 

Zach and Nicole joined us :) 

Cal eventually came around... Cheese!  (I've known him sine Kindergarten so I can tease him) 

AJ, Me, Cal, Griffin 

We got in around 4 from the jazz brunch and since Ava had just gone down for her 2nd nap, we also took a nap... 

Well, 3 hours later Mark and I woke up and realized that we overslept and our daughter was STILL asleep. 

(It almost scares me to think about even having another child because my daughter has been a rockstar sleeper since she was about 7 weeks old. The girl can sleep and I love it because so can I... If we had another child, I feel like my luck would run out, they would be up all night, and be horrible nappers. We may just  stick to Ava and spoil her rotten... 

:) 

So after a late dinner for Ava, we played with Ava's princess castle that my friend Chelsea bought her when she tuned 1 while Mark made us Mahi sliders for dinner. He blended mango and cilantro together to top them  - delicious. 

And now Ava is asleep for the night and we are on the porch. We are on our rocking chairs, enjoying our cocktails, Mark is smoking a cigar and working from his laptop, and I am blogging away and planning a bachelorette party weekend in Charleston, SC for my friend Sarah. Can't wait until March! I've never been to Charleston. 

How was your weekend? 

Hope you had a great one. 

Also, don't forget...

National Signing Day is Wednesday! WooHoo! 

Florida State University: 

"Five-star wide receivers Malachi Dupre (River Ridge, La./John Curtis) and Ermon Lane (Homestead, Fla.), five-star defensive lineman Malik McDowell (Southfield, Mich.), four-star offensive tackle Roderick Johnson (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood Central) and four-star defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (Virginia Beach, Va./Ocean Lakes) are some of the top uncommitted prospects who could end up signing with the Noles. On top of that, FSU could flip four-star athlete Javon Harrison (Lakeland, Fla./Kathleen) from a long-standing pledge to Virginia Tech."

(JC Shurburtt | 247Sports)

XO

Christina