Party Time!

I hope everyone had a nice Fourth of July! Ours was relaxing. We didn't do much since we were still exhausted from parties on Saturday and Sunday night, but we did manage to see some of our local fireworks from our front yard (after Nick played a round of golf with his friends). We also hung out with my parents for a while and did a lot of wedding talk. I'm already stressed, but also extremely excited.

Check out our garden! That's a lot of butternut squash, cantaloupe and spinach. I hope it all turns out. It's definitely thriving in this hot and rainy summer weather.


I really think the true reason Nick and I have parties is so we have an excuse to get our house and yard in tip-top shape.


These pictures don't do our yard much justice, but it looked amazing, and I have to give Nick all the credit! He kicked butt getting the yard together.



And of course there is no party in Columbus without an OSU cornhole set. Is cornhole a mid-western thing? It may be, but look it up, it's fun.



If you've ever thrown a party before, you know that it's always better to have too much food and drinks, as apposed to not enough. Just like last year, we were way overstocked, but this will definitely not go to waste.....

MARGARITA!!

Our friend is a bartender and he created this by mixing a standard margarita mix (which already included tequila...) with more tequila and about a half liter of Sprite. It was a huge hit, FYI.

I stuck to my new favorite beer; Bud Light Golden Wheat. Of course, after Saturday night I think I'll be taking a break from this drink for a while. Ugh.



We had the food catered, and many of my friends and family also brought some sides. We had pulled pork, roasted chicken, coleslaw, watermelon salad, pasta salad, and a relish tray with hummus. I made baked beans and brownies (no, not bean brownies, although those taste really good too!).

Like the big loser I am, I went around and took pictures of people's plates that were loaded with half veggies/fruit like the new USDA guidelines suggest. Here are some examples in case you were wondering how it's done during a summertime cookout (I was very lenient, obviously);

Half plate with beans and raw veggies.

Half plate with beans, coleslaw, and zucchini (in the pasta salad).

Half plate with raw veggies, coleslaw, zucchini and beans.

And what about Nick's plate? He looks guilty....

Well, he may not have had half of his plate filled with veggies/fruit, but his sandwich was a classic summertime creation; whole wheat bun, pulled pork and coleslaw. Now that's how it's done!

Random picture of my cousin and me.

And evidence that I am truly a "green" girl, I made everyone put their name on their cups so they would only use one. This worked well.



The party went on pretty late as we sat by the fire in our new fire pit. This fire pit was perfect and we are hoping to use it more throughout the year. I roasted about four marshmallows....so tasty.

QUESTION: Did everyone have a nice Fourth??

Happy Fourth?

I know it's June 30th, but really quick.....where did 2011 go!? Just think, in 2.5 seconds it will be the 4th of July. That's how fast time goes by lately. I feel like I was just making new year's resolutions.

Speaking of resolutions, who is still going strong? I am, for the most part, but I'm still working on a few things:


1) Not eating as much at night. I'm eating less, but I'm still eating more than I should (calories, that is). With my increased intake of beer during the summer (often one-half or one 12-ounce beer) it's more difficult to control the mindless nighttime snacking. But in reality, nothing I put in my mouth is mindless, which is what helps keep me successful in eating healthy and staying slender.


2) Decreasing my caffeine intake. I'm down to only 300 mg caffeine per day (the max you should consume is about 400mg) . My goal is to get down to 200 mg, but I never want to stop drinking coffee (read this article about coffee and Alzheimers), I'll just add more decaf and less regular.


3) Stop nagging as much. I'm really working hard on this one. Nick and I have been under some stress lately (as I'm sure most people have), some good, some not so good, and I tend to get more snappy during these times. I'm really trying to just stop, breathe and react with love.




What are you doing to celebrate July 4th?

Grilling?


In our part of town, the Fourth of July starts today, actually. I don't work today, but will be working Friday and Saturday. Then on Saturday night Nick and I are having our party. On Monday, the actual fourth, Nick and I will relax (clean!) and watch the fireworks at night.

I have been telling my clients that they don't need to deprive themselves at summer cookouts, but I do believe there is an appropriate way to fill your plate;

Source: ChooseMyPlate.gov

I found this (below) in my photos from last year. Yikes. I surely didn't practice what I preach (there is a burger under that cheese and tomato)! But hey, I did include a nice slice of tomato on there. One-quarter of a cup, it counts for something, right?! I think that was my first plate, actually. I took a day off from eating plenty of fruits and veggies, and I'll probably do it again on Saturday. I do know I'll have some veggies and dip, fruit and baked beans (with Beano), so those have to count for something!

Random Tips for the Fourth

- Don't forget to be food safe! Here are ten great summer grilling food safety tools to get you ready for grilling season.


- If you are looking for some great 4th of July recipes, check out AllRecipes.com's 4th of July recipes


- Looking for some pointers on making your holiday plate a bit healthier? Check out this article with helpful tips form dietitian Ellie Krieger.


- My tip is to make friends with the fruit tray, and eat your beans. Yum.



QUESTION: What will you do this holiday? What's your favorite cookout food? I love baked beans and bratwursts.

Our First Party Was a Hit!

How was everyone's Fourth of July?! Nick and I had our first party and I have to say it was quite a success. We spent the entire day getting together all the last minute details, such as putting up this lovely blue canopy, which was meant to provide shade. Hmmm...didn't really do much in my opinion.





Last week we purchased some patio furniture, which we love. We'll be painting the chairs soon just to spruce them up a bit.




At a party with people in the age group of 17-35, cornhole is a must. I dominate at this game. Has everyone heard of this? Or is this just a midwest thing?



I didn't take many pictures, I guess I was too busy drinking, making guests happy, and mingling (we had about 27 guests). I was glad I got this picture though, with me in the middle, my friend Renee on the left, and my mom on the right. This was pretty early so I was more into the whole picture thing at this point.



Renee is my friend from high school and college. There is only one word to describe Renee and that's HILARIOUS. She bought us this cheese cutting board, with some cheese and crackers for our party. You see what the fruit is on the cutting board? It's an artichoke. When we were in high school we had to bring cans in for the canned food drive and I brought in three cans of artichokes. I had no idea they were about 4 times as expensive as most canned goods, I just knew I didn't like them so I figured I'd grab them and give them away (sorry mom!). Our teacher, Mrs. Leonard, completely yelled at me and said, "ARTICHOKES?! Why would you bring ARTICHOKES to a canned food drive?! It's an acquired taste!"
Oops. I mean, why not?! It's a canned food drive!! Who says I can't bring artichokes?! Needless to say, I love artichokes now, and I would never give them away!




I only took pictures of the pretty foods, such as this giant tray of fruit. It was so fresh and delicious. My aunt made a lemon yogurt dipping sauce for the fruit and it was the perfect combination.



And of course my watermelon salsa! It was a hit (especially for the bugs, ewww).



I filled my plate with a cheeseburger and pulled chicken. I wasn't in the mood for beans (I didn't have Beano at my service) and I was just craving some protein!




The best food creation was made by our friend Pat Dappen. She made this amazing sheet cake and used blueberries, raspberries, and vanilla icing for the stars and stripes. Yes, this cake tasted just as good as it looked. Maybe even better!



Late night, after all the adults were gone (hehe) we sat around the fire and had a few good laughs, and drinks. We made S'mores and we got in a heated conversation as to which way is best to roast a marshmallow. I was pretty much the only person who didn't say "BURN IT TO A CRISP!". I'm sorry but I don't like burning my marhsmallows (if I can help it)! What about you?

We all got a kick out of teaching Smita, one of my good friends from school, how to make a S'more. She had never had one before so we had to make her first experience spectacular! I think she liked it. I mean, how can you not like a S'more?!

Oh yeah, my parent's new dog Scarlet showed up too. What a cutie.

Overall the party was a blast. I drank too much and ate too much, but I had a great time with my family, friends, and neighbors. Nick and I look forward to doing this again next year.

GIVEAWAY WINNERS!

Sassy of Agapi Mou

and

Ally of Sweet and Savory

CONGRATS!

Coming Up

I'm leaving for Pittsburgh today because tomorrow at 12pm I start my first day of training. I'll be sleeping in a hotel this entire week, and then I'll come home for the weekend, only to go back to Pittsburgh the following week (I'll be doing this for eight weeks!). I think next week we get to start staying in condos instead of hotels, and I'm fairly sure I'll be getting a roommate. It's sort of like college again! Similar to college, I'm anticipating being very busy so I may be taking a short blog break, but who knows. I may or may not be posting while I'm there, it depends on how much free time I get. Tomorrow I hope to post a recap of my pre-Pittsburgh food preparation for the week. You can see what a psycho RD does for her boyfriend when she goes out of town.....

Thanks for reading everyone! Have a great week :)