WIAW: Best of the Week

I’m finally back, guys! And before I get into today’s WIAW post, I want to express my sorrow for the devastation in Oklahoma. Natural disasters can be incredibly hard to deal with, since they are so random and there’s no one to blame. It’s easy to feel helpless in the face of nature (I know I did last summer as my hometown faced the most destructive fire in state history) but I know that the people affected by the tornado appreciate all the support and love we can give them.

I’m finally all moved back home and getting into the swing of summer. Though right now it doesn’t feel quite like summer since I’m in an online geography class that I need in order to graduate early but luckily, after a few more weeks of studying and note-taking, I can say goodbye to school stuff for the rest of the summer. However, I am getting really excited to finally start my weather internship on Monday! Last summer’s internship at a different station wasn’t quite what I was expecting it to be (yet still a good experience) but since this summer’s will be in the actual field I want to pursue within broadcast journalism, I’m sure it’ll be even better.

With my busy weekend, I didn’t have much time to snap many pictures but I still wanted to do a WIAW so I’m going to be taking a different approach this week. This week’s WIAW will be focused on the best things I’ve seen/eaten/etc. over the past few days!

Best Summer Fun Under $20

I. Need. This.

Kid at heart over here, but I love summer water toys. When I was a lot younger, we had Super Soaker Twister (way better than regular Twister) and a Slip N Slide and I loved those things. I’ve always dreamed of living somewhere that was warm year-round so I could have a real pool in my yard. My sister and I have even tried convincing our parents to get one 0f those huge inflatable water bouncy houses but let’s be real, those things are crazy expensive and way too big for our now-tiny backyard. But this waterslide from Target is $19.99 and would definitely fit behind the house. Plus it’s even better than the regular Slip N Slide because it’s got room for 3 people to slide at once. I may actually just end up buying this soon… #noshame

Best Raw Meal…EVER!

Raw kelp noodle pad Thai from my favorite vegan restaurant.

One perk of moving out of my apartment over the weekend? Getting to go to my fave restaurant, Tasty Harmony, one last time until the school year starts again. I love this place because it’s mostly vegan (surprisingly rare to find in Colorado…other than Native Foods in Boulder which I have yet to try…) and the menu is seasonal so there’s always something new to try. And I’ve tried something new almost every time I’ve gone, and I’ve loved it all, including the samples I stole off my parents’ and sister’s plates. This time, one of the new dishes was a raw pad Thai, made with my favorite kelp noodles. I couldn’t not get it, so I did and I was pleasantly surprised. The kelp noodles were perfectly crunchy, the veggies were fresh and the sauce was amazing. I wish I could have a bottle of just the sauce to take home and use on my kelp noodle dishes because it was just that good!

Best Splurge (aka Non-Vegan Meal)

After our vegan feast, we decided to hit up a mostly non-vegan (still veg though) favorite, Gelazzi. Gelato has always been my favorite frozen dessert and Gelazzi was my favorite gelato place ever. Sadly, it closed down in the fall and my whole family was upset because it was so good. But this weekend, my dad texted me when he and my mom were out and said he saw the doors were open again. I just had to see it for myself, so we decided to check it out after dinner. I ended up getting an old favorite I hadn’t had in probably 2 years, the birthday cake gelato. Most of their flavors, other than the fruit ones, aren’t vegan as they’re made with milk (but are still a lot healthier than dairy ice cream) but I wasn’t feeling the fruit flavors and decided to go for a small of the birthday cake. OMG, heaven in a cup. It tastes like vanilla frosting and is just ridiculously good. So sorry to let down the vegan police, but I just had to have it again.

Best Weird Target Find

Uhhhhhh…

This was in the clothes section so I know it’s meant to be a bodysuit, but it looks like the ugliest one piece swimsuit ever! I just had to take a picture because…um…who would buy this thing? Target, I love you but sometimes you have the weirdest clothes.

Best Repeat Meal

Reunited with the (good) Whole Foods salad bar.

You knew this had to happen. I am obsessed with the Whole Foods salad bar and I had to get it again once I got back home to the good salad bar. They had all my favorites (curry tofu, marinated artichoke hearts, sweet potato salad) and I was happy. Expect to see a similar photo many more times this summer.

Best Item for the Baby I Don’t Have

I’m a sucker for cute cartoon animals and patriotic accessories.

I’m not exactly sure I even want kids, but if I ever did have one, I’d be obsessed with dressing him/her in cute baby clothes. Like this adorable 4th of July themed hippo bib. Just. So. Cute.

What’s your favorite outdoor summer item? What have you ‘splurged’ on lately (food or otherwise?)

Spring Cravings

Hi girls! Are you all pumped that it’s finally the weekend? I actually can’t believe how quickly this week flew by for me, no complaints here though. I’ve only got 6 more weeks of classes left til it’s officially my summer and with this amazing weather (it’s supposed to be 80 degrees by Monday!), I almost feel like it already is summer. Oh well, it’ll come around soon enough. For now, I’m embracing spring and all the things it has me craving, from fashion to food to beauty.

This is going on my birthday wishlist for sure!

I mentioned in my last post how much I love designer bags, specifically Coach purses. I haven’t browsed their website in quite a while, so when I checked back in, I immediately fell in love with quite a few of their new spring offerings. But I really love this tote, it’s just so spring-y and makes me happy. Too bad it’s almost $300…I’ll just wait til it goes on eBay for much less money like I did with all my other purses.

I realize this looks kinda gross, but it's so good!

I’ve been making more of an effort lately to get out of food ruts. I’m not sure why, maybe because I’ve had to go more than a week without peanut flour, aka my obsession and major source of protein, or maybe because the warm weather has me wanting different flavors, but either way, it’s been a good adventure. I threw together this wrap on a whim the other night and I was pleasantly surprised at how amazing it turned out. I mashed some pinto beans with a little nooch (it’s definitely growing on me), spread a brown rice tortilla with a dollop of avocado hummus (my current fave) and threw some spinach in there with the beans. Ummmm yeah, so it sounds really weird, but it’s actually delicious, trust me. And simple too, which I love.

Repeat picture, but I haven't worn the shorts yet so I don't have a pic of them on me.

Anyone else into the colored shorts trend? Yes, it seems a little weird, but I really love it! In fact, one of my purchases of spring break was a pair of bright pink twill shorts from Abercrombie & Fitch. Pink is my favorite color, and I just thought these were a fun shade. I could have bought the light pink pair, but I was feeling bold. Go big or go home, right? Luckily, I have plenty of things to pair with these new shorts and I’m excited to wear them.  Hopefully, these will not be my last bold-colored pair of shorts; I’m really wanting a pair of orange twill ones from Hollister or maybe their turquoise dyed denim ones.

Self-tanner with sunscreen built in? Sign me up!

Here’s a secret–I use self-tanning lotion. I’m a fairly pale girl naturally but I like to boost my color in a safe way during the spring and summer. I will admit that I do lay out during the summer to get a real tan, and I know it isn’t the safest, but I do apply sunscreen. My go-to tanning product is Jergen’s Natural Glow because it’s easy to apply and isn’t streaky. Now they have tanning lotion with sunscreen built in, which I think is really smart. You can get a faux tan while also keeping your skin safe. Win win!

Lemonade sweetened with stevia--what a concept!

When I was younger, I used to really love lemonade. When I became more health-conscious, I switched over to Crystal Light lemonade packets, which were decent and came in a lot of varieties, but let’s face it, they aren’t the healthiest because of their artificial sweeteners. While on one of my rare trips to the dining hall store near me to buy some gum, I happened to spot this zero calorie lemonade. I assumed it probably had aspartame in it and was going to pass on it when I noticed that it’s actually sweetened with stevia. A healthy no-calorie lemonade? Yes please! I bought it and tried it out–it has kind of a weird lime-y aftertaste, but it’s actually pretty decent. I’m still on the hunt for single cans of Zevia though–I haven’t had a diet soda or soda of any kind in a couple of years because they aren’t the best for you, but I’d be down for trying a stevia-sweetened soda. My Whole Foods has 6 packs of Zevia, but I don’t want to drop $4 or 5 on it in case I don’t love it.

Friday's outfit: navy cardi (AE), floral square scarf (AE), light grey tank (A&F), denim shorts (A&F Kids).

I really love square scarves! I only have two right now, but I think they’re more versatile and easier to wear than traditional long scarves. American Eagle is my favorite place to buy scarves, and it’s actually where I bought both of mine. Right now, they don’t have any square scarves, but they have quite a few really cute loop scarves, which I might end up buying. I love wearing necklaces, but scarves are a good way to mix it up.

What are you ‘craving’ right now? Have you eaten anything weird but good lately?