Products I'm Loving in 2016 Part 21 + Giveaway
July 29, 2016

Products I'm Loving in 2016 Part 21 + Giveaway

1. Dezzal Dresses I am so excited to share with you these amazing dresses from Dezzal! They have such a huge selection and I had a hard time picking just a few dresses to try! I was looking for dresses that are adorable and long enough to wear at work or church. I found three that I absolutely loved and am thrilled with them.

What to Do, Where to Stay, What to Eat in Petoskey, Michigan
July 28, 2016

What to Do, Where to Stay, What to Eat in Petoskey, Michigan

We recently took a few day trip up to Petoskey, Michigan with my husband, sister, almost 2 year old daughter and I. We had a great time and loved exploring the town. Before coming, I was not sure what to expect as it seemed like it may be a very small town but I was wrong. Petoskey has a ton to do and is a good sized town.

All Time Favorite Products Part 4 + Giveaway
July 27, 2016

All Time Favorite Products Part 4 + Giveaway

1. Soybu Clothing I have been a fan of Soybu clothing for years because of the comfort and quality of the clothing. Everything is super soft and I can wear it anywhere. The Monroe dress that I received is nice because it has a looser fit which I typically do not wear but like it. In fact, I wore it today at work and it was so comfortable all day long.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Popsicles
July 26, 2016

Chocolate Peanut Butter Popsicles

These Chocolate Peanut Butter Popsicles are  topped with drizzled chocolate and peanuts and are simple to make with only 6 ingredients! I love making homemade popsicles . They can be made very healthy or can be made indulgent. I like having the ability to know what is in them and to control how much sugar is in them especially. I love making smoothie popsicles where you just freeze a healthy smoothie in a popsicle mold. My daughter loves these and thinks that she is getting ice cream.

How to Pamper Your Pets
July 25, 2016

How to Pamper Your Pets

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. # MyPetMyStar #CollectiveBias We love our dogs so much! Everyone said that once we had our daughter, we would not care about our dogs and that is not true. Our mini dachshunds Ava and Jaxen are still a huge part of our family and we love them very much. We have had both dogs since they were puppies and they are now 5 and 6 years old. They deserve star treatment and we try to do the things that they love often! People laugh when they see our dogs because they are unusually active for dachshunds. It is not unusual for people to take videos of Jaxen running with me or guests to enjoy watching Ava swim laps in my parent's pond for 1/2 an hour straight. We do all that we can to love and pamper our dogs and today, I am going to share just how we do it.

Products I'm Loving in 2016 Part 20 + Giveaway
July 22, 2016

Products I'm Loving in 2016 Part 20 + Giveaway

1. HelloFresh I love meal delivery services because it provides my husband and I a fun date night experience. I had only tried the meals for two before from HelloFresh but now that we have another eater in our house, I tried the family box which feeds 4. I found that it fed 4 very generously. We were sent a pasta and Italian sausage meal. I brought this meal to a family member who had recently had surgery and she liked it very much!

Products I'm Loving in 2016 Part 19 + Giveaway
July 21, 2016

Products I'm Loving in 2016 Part 19 + Giveaway

1. Babiators Sunglasses When Babiators contacted us to send a sample of their sunglasses, I had to say yes because they are my favorite! Adalyn has been wearing these for about a year now and they are my favorite because they fit her little head well, are adorable and do not break. They have flexible rubber frames and are impact and shatter resistant.

5 Fun Fitness Ideas for Summer
July 20, 2016

5 Fun Fitness Ideas for Summer

This blog post has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Pure Protein. All opinions are mine alone. #KeepOnTrack #CollectiveBias I absolutely love to exercise and be active. I do not feel as good when I am not which gives me motivation to stay active daily. I do not do any crazy marathon running or anything like that but, I keep it simple with fun things that my family and I enjoy doing. In the winter, exercise is often confined to my treadmill which is boring but it works. During the summer months, there are so many more options to stay active. These are my family and I's favorite ways to stay active this summer.

Avocado Grilled Corn Tomato Salad
July 19, 2016

Avocado Grilled Corn Tomato Salad

Avocado Grilled Corn Tomato Salad makes the perfect flavorful appetizer or side dish for any party and is tangy with a homemade lime dressing! Summer days and nights are packed full of events and I wouldn't have it any other way. When we are not traveling or at my parent's farm, we are most likely out doing something else. We are lucky to have two parks in our city- one with a splash pad and one with a pool. We love alternating between the two often.

My Morning Routine that Makes Me Productive
July 18, 2016

My Morning Routine that Makes Me Productive

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MyBoldMoments #CollectiveBias I am a morning person and always have been. The morning is definitely my most productive and favorite part of the day. I hop out of bed and am ready to go first thing in the morning. I know that a lot of people are not morning people (including my husband) so if you are trying to become more of a morning person, I want to share my tips and tricks for a productive morning routine that gets you energized and ready for the day. I like to live life boldly and this morning routine is what works for me. 5:30-6:15 AM- Wake up- I do not use an alarm clock. Either my 2 mini dachshunds who sleep in bed with us wake me up, my husband's phone alarm if it is a school day or my almost 2 year old daughter often wakes me up. A lot of times though, I will just get up on my own. Right when I get up, I let the dogs out and feed them. Meanwhile, I go to t

All Time Favorite Products Part 3 + Giveaway
July 15, 2016

All Time Favorite Products Part 3 + Giveaway

1. Pretzel Crisps I have been a fan of Pretzel Crisps for years now! They are the perfect snack and are tasty eaten plain or with hummus. My favorite flavors are the honey mustard and onion and buffalo wing when I want to eat them plain. If I want them with some kind of dip, then I like the sesame and everything pretzels the best. **Keep reading for a That's It bar giveaway!

All Time Favorite Products Part 2 + Giveaway
July 14, 2016

All Time Favorite Products Part 2 + Giveaway

1. Swanson Health Products I love shopping at Swanson's because they have lots of great deals on my favorite products. I stocked up on my favorite sesame oil (which is a must-have for Asian-style cooking), my favorite tea- Yogi Green Tea Kombucha in regular and decaf, my favorite lip balm- Burt's Bees and more. I wanted to try Bragg's apple cider vinegar for awhile and finally got to do so. It is awesome made into a vinaigrette. I also chose a couple of ginger teas for when my stomach is upset. I got all of this plus popcorn and another bottle of the sesame seed oil for just $50. That is a good deal for all of these name brand health products. *Keep reading for a Swanson Health Products gift card giveaway and an exotic fruit box from Melissa's Product

Blue Cheese Chopped Summer Salad
July 13, 2016

Blue Cheese Chopped Summer Salad

Blue Cheese Chopped Summer Salad is packed full of flavor and is the perfect salad for summer. Filled with crunchy red cabbage, creamy blue cheese and bacon, you won't be able to have just one bowl. Yesterday after work, I went to pickup Adalyn from my mom's house since she watches her a few days a week for me. She told me that she wanted me to try a bite of this salad. I went into the kitchen to see the most ginormous bowl of pasta salad that I had ever seen!

What to Eat When You Have No Time to Cook + Giveaway
July 12, 2016

What to Eat When You Have No Time to Cook + Giveaway

Looking at our calendars for the next 2 weeks, we only have 1 day where we do not have plans. The summer especially is very busy and I would not have it any other way. The problem with that is that that being busy often leaves little time for cooking. I like to eat nutritious foods and therefore, sometimes have to think of creative ways to make sure that we eat healthy even when we have no time. **Keep reading for an 80Fresh giveaway!

Grilled Rainbow Fruit and Vegetable Kebabs
July 11, 2016

Grilled Rainbow Fruit and Vegetable Kebabs

Grilled Rainbow Fruit and Vegetable Kebabs are a quick and simple side dish that are packed with nutrients and are customizable with any produce you have on hand! I am obsessed with all things produce right now! Produce is at its best here in Michigan and all of my favorite fruits and vegetables are in season, flavorful and affordable. I love it! Dinner each night pretty much consists of something on the grill or a huge salad loaded with vegetables. This is my favorite time of year for food.

How We Use Yogurt in Our Cooking
July 08, 2016

How We Use Yogurt in Our Cooking

Banana Split Overnight Oats I have always been a big fan of yogurt. When Greek yogurt became popular, I jumped right on that bandwagon and haven't looked back. I love how thick and creamy it is. When my daughter was old enough to eat real food, she started loving yogurt as well. She is 21 months old and calls yogurt "O". She asks for it all the time and it is a food that I feel good giving her.

7 Tips to Keep Your Toddler Healthy
July 07, 2016

7 Tips to Keep Your Toddler Healthy

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. # BeeYuckFree  #CollectiveBias As a mom and dietitian, health is a very important topic in my life. I spend all day at my day job talking about health and nutrition. My other job, my blog, is mostly health related. And for fun, I read health and food magazines and blogs. My life revolves around health! My daughter is almost two years old and her health is super important to me. Luckily, she is a good eater and *knock on the wood* rarely gets sick. She was breastfed for the first 18 months of her life which I think helps contribute to her staying healthy. Since she started eating solids, I try to give her healthy foods in order to help keep her immune system strong.

What To Do, Where To Stay, What to Eat in Traverse City Part Two
July 06, 2016

What To Do, Where To Stay, What to Eat in Traverse City Part Two

You can read about the first part of our trip to Traverse City here.  Traverse City is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever seen and I highly recommend visiting there! I can’t wait to return. On our third day in Traverse City, we had our favorite meal of the trip: breakfast at Reflect Bistro which was located right in our hotel Cambria Hotel and Suites. It was incredible and we are still talking about it. Adalyn’s meal was amazing: bananas foster French toast which was perfectly crispy yet chewy and was made with sourdough bread. I ordered the Italian benedict and Troy ordered the lobster benedict. Both were truly amazing and all of three of these items helped to make this meal the favorite on our trip. All three meals came with fresh blueberries and strawberries which I loved for a sweet, healthy side. We had the urge to go shopping a bit so we headed to the local mall in Traverse City. I went a little crazy because we kept finding great deals. Adal