The Best Way To Stay Cool This Summer! Summer Fun With Dr Pepper

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Dr Pepper®. The opinions and text are all mine. #PickYourPepper #Walmart

Summer is definitely here, friends! I’m trying to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible before it gets too dreadfully hot and humid here in southern Illinois. Luckily, there are lots of great picnicking areas and lakes available to us here in and around the Shawnee National Forest so we recently headed out to cool down!

I brought the sweetest summer essentials with me too – cold drinks, SPF, and my new 90s-inspired inflatable float :)

There’s nothing like floating in the lake or river while enjoying a cold drink and some fresh air. I always love to bring a big, floppy hat to protect my face and shoulders from excessive sun. Plus my ever-important sunscreen and my favorite shades - that’s about all I ever need to have a good time.

Dr Pepper sent me this float as part of their new Pick Your Pepper campaign with packaging that was made by millennials, for millennials, that I picked up at Walmart. It’s so unique and I was pleasantly surprised at how big the float was once inflated – it held me afloat in the water just fine! It was a little taller than me, so I could lay back and just float. I am excited to use this all summer and next year!

To claim your very own Dr Pepper Shaped Pool Float, or one of their other cute prizes, get the details below.

When you buy any Dr Pepper 6/15-8/15 this summer at Walmart, you can upload your receipt here to get the prize featured in my blog and/or other prizes like:

Spend $5, get a unicorn beverage holder inflatable

Spend $10, get a Walmart e--Gift Card worth $5

Spend $20, get a 6-pack can/bottle holder with ice pack

Spend $40, get a Dr Pepper bottle shaped pool float

I wound up getting almost everything for our day at the lake at my local Walmart! They have lots of cute summer items left, and some are even going on sale – get everything now before it’s gone.

I found everything from this tie dyed beach towel, which I absolutely LOVE, to my Dr Pepper, snacks, bowls to put the snacks into, summer-themed plastic cups, colorful straws, a cute sun hat, flip flops, and my new favorite summer clutch!!  

What are some of your favorite locations to visit during the summer to enjoy the outdoors? Do you tend to stay local, or do you like to drive a few hours to enjoy something even better? Leave a comment below and let me know – we are always on the lookout for travel suggestions!

Also, what are your favorite picnic day snacks to enjoy outside? I went for classic options, and everything paired well together. An ice cold drink always helps the temp cool from inside and out!

This day, we got the most perfect weather ever! A little on the warm side, but the slight, cool breeze really helped keep things feeling great – and luckily kept mosquitoes at bay! It had actually rained earlier in the day, but the clouds cleared just enough to allow us to enjoy the sunset (the best thing in the world to me!). The water was so calm this day.

Now, let’s talk lakeside fashion! I loved this Made You Look Sun Hat from Walmart! Each one of our local stores seems to have a bit of a different selection, so I tried to browse them all for the cutest summer accessories. I also found this pair of mint, crochet-like coverup shorts, near the selection of bathing suits. I also just HAD to grab these donut printed flip flops – after all, it’s summer, right now I’m saying, “I Donut Give A Care” to so many of life’s worries. This great weather is really doing me some good!!!

This "Made You Look" hat is so fun!

In order to offer chilled refreshments on a hot day, I bring a small bag of ice in my cooler, and simply set the drinks into a metal tray. I then dump ice into the tin. The cans chill in about 20 or so minutes, and it’s such a cute presentation! Speaking of presentation, I do love a cute food table display, so I brought out some cute items to the lake with us. I used three tins (one for drinks, one for chips, and one for cookies), two fish-shaped bowls for candies, a wooden box to elevate the drinks, and of course plates and napkins. No utensils were required

Love the three colored tassels on the clutch bag! How adorable for summer!!

Taking a few extra minutes to set up a cute refreshment table really makes a day at the lake even better!

Invite your friends and family out this summer, and connect with them! Create meaningful memories during your summer celebrations that will be cherished forever!

Vegan Strawberry, Peach, Spinach Smoothie Recipe

I found a great way to easily incorporate spinach into smoothies! It add a teeny tiny bit of extra texture to the smoothie, but does not alter the taste at all! 

Have you ever used frozen spinach before? While I would of course prefer to use fresh spinach every time, if you're simply using it in your smoothies, then frozen is a great option. I believe the frozen spinach in the bags is already steamed, and is so incredibly convenient to add a small bit into your smoothies! I love adding all of those awesome nutrients from the spinach!

I've been trying to reduce my meat and dairy intake lately, and up until now, my smoothie recipes would always include yogurt. It's of course 100% fine to add yogurt, this smoothie is amazing on its own, and does not even need it! 

1 Cup Frozen Strawberries

1 Cup Frozen Peaches

1/2 Cup Frozen Pineapples

1/2 Cup Frozen Spinach

1 1/2 Cups Nut Milk (I like combo of Macadamia Milk, Coconut Milk, and Hemp Milk)

1/2 C Pineapple Coconut Juice or Similar

1-2 Tbsp Agave Nectar

1/2 Cup Water

1.) In a blender that can handle frozen ingredients well, add your frozen ingredients, and then your liquid ingredients. 

2.) Blend on Smoothie Mode or Frozen Drink Mode for two rounds, Taste to make sure you're happy with the flavor.

3.) Serve in a cute glass, adorn with flowers and herbs from your garden, and a cute wooden spoon. Enjoy!

How To Add A Recipe Card To Squarespace Blog Posts

Are you a food blogger who is currently looking to add a Recipe Card into your blog posts? I've done lots of research and after finding only WordPress plugins and widgets, I have finally found a Squarespace-friendly way to incorporate printable, Pinterest-friendly recipe and instructions to your posts! This means your recipes will finally show the ingredients and instructions into a Rich Pin on Pinterest. 

This amazing Bread Pudding recipe can be found here!

SO excited to have finally found a way to create a Recipe Card that is optimized for Squarespace! I have been searching for months to find some way to code in a recipe card of my own, or even use a plugin. Every single one I've seen is for Wordpress, and I love Squarespace so much that I didn't want to have to switch over. I love the sleek design of my Squarespace template, and while a large portion of food bloggers do use Wordpress, I knew there was some way to stick with it! I am thrilled to share the Recipe Whiz! 

The Recipe Whiz is a no-frills form that you input your title, description, yield, prep and cook times, ingredients, and instructions! You are also able to put the Image link to one image of the food too. YAY! 

I originally found out about Recipe Whiz here, on the My Life As A Mummy blog, where she explained how it was perfect for Blogger Blogs, which it definitely is!

I would also recommend simply testing this out on one of your already-created recipe posts, since the info is already there for you, to copy and paste into the Recipe Card!

YOUR BLOG POSTS WILL FINALLY CONTAIN A PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD! (SEE BELOW)

YOUR POSTS LOOK GREAT ON PINTEREST - THEY FINALLY APPEAR AS A RICH PINS! (SEE BELOW)

1.) INPUT YOUR RECIPE INFORMATION

When you first visit The Recipe Whiz, the form below will be blank. Simply fill in the details of your recipe below, such as recipe title, cook and prep time, ingredients, and instructions.

At the very bottom of the form below, you will notice a box that says image. To get the direct image link, right click on any photo on your blog and select, Open Image In New Tab. It will open a new tab, and copy and paste that window's website address into this box.

After that, click "Get Microdata" and it will create some code for your Recipe Card.

ADD THE RECIPE CARD CODE TO YOUR BLOG POST

Grab that "Microdata" Coding in its entirety, and in a new or existing blog post, choose Add Code. Simply add this to a coding box on your squarespace post. Save and Publish, and you're done! In addition to the recipe card, I would still include all of this information in plain text, as well as lots of beautiful images. But, this definitely opens up a whole new world for use food and lifestyle bloggers who love using Squarespace! 

If you have any questions at all, please comment below and I'll get right back to you! Thank you SO much for reading through this tutorial, and feel free to drop a link to your blog posts that utilize this Recipe Card, below.

Organic Dessert Tortillas

An Amazing Avocado Party with Hass Avocados!! (Two Recipes Included)

This post was sponsored by the Hass Avocado Board as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own. #AvoParty #IC

I am trying to eat way more veggies these days, and creating unique recipes with avocados is an excellent way to do just that! Hass Avocados recently sent me a party kit, containing lots of fun recipes, and t-shirts to give to my friends. I know I always love learning a new recipe from someone, and admire those who love to share their food-related latents with the world. Avocado contributes nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, making it a good choice to help meet nutrient needs.

I recently had a few of my friends over to make them some of the most delicious recipes ever! We all love eating the freshest ingredients possible, and food definitely brings us together. I sent my guests home with t-shirts and also a few recipe cards - they raved about the food, and wanted to replicate some of these recipes at home. I also love the apron there sent me! So nice :)

Keep reading to learn how to make these vibrant, delicious recipes - both incorporating Hass Avocados in a delicious and thought-provoking way!

CHIPOTLE AVOCADO STUFFED CHERRY TOMATOES (ORIGINAL) RECIPE

Prep Time: 20 minutes / Cook Time: 0 minutes

Wow guests and after school snack lovers with these tasty little stuffed tomatoes that deliver a hint of spice. So versatile, fresh avocados can be used in any meal or dish. They can be used as a recipe substitute for bad fats, a way to add naturally good fats, a nutrient-dense fruit to add nutrient value, and as a vegan or vegetarian possible alternative to dairy products.

Ingredients 

14 large cherry or cocktail tomatoes (1 1/2-inch diameter)

1 fresh avocado*, halved, pitted and peeled

1/2 cup low fat Greek yogurt

2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped

2 tsp. lime juice

1/4 tsp. chipotle chili powder

1/8 tsp. salt

14 small cilantro leaves, for garnish

Instructions 

1.) Slice the tops off the tomatoes and scoop out seeds and pulp. Drain, cut side down on paper towels.

2.) In a blender, puree the avocado, Greek yogurt, cilantro lime juice, chipotle chili powder and salt until smooth and blended.

3.) Spoon or pipe avocado filing into centers of tomatoes.

4.) Garnish with cilantro leaves.

*Note: Large avocados are recommended for this recpe. A large avocado averages 8 ounces. If using smaller or larger size avocados, adjust the quantity accordingly.

AGUA FRESCA DE AGUACATE RECIPE

Prep Time: 5 -10 minutes 

Ingredients 

4 cups Honey dew melon, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 ripe Fresh Avocado, halved, peeled, pitted and sliced, reserve 4 slices for garnish

4 cups water

⅓ cup Fresh lime juice

¼ tsp. salt

Instructions 

1.) In a blender, add melon, avocado, water, lime juice and salt.

2.) Blend until smooth and frothy. Add sugar to taste if desired.

3.) Serve over ice.

Avocados contain naturally good monounsaturated fat and are cholesterol free. Naturally good fats are an important part of a healthy diet. See the fun shirts they sent us, below! According to a survey by Fresh Avocados - Love One Today®, over 75% of the fat in avocados is unsaturated (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats), making them a great substitute for foods high in saturated fat.

So versatile, fresh avocados can be used in any meal or dish. They can be used as a recipe substitute for bad fats, a way to add naturally good fats, a nutrient-dense fruit to add nutrient value, and as a vegan or vegetarian possible alternative to dairy products.

Hass Avocado Board Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hassavocados

Hass Avocado Board Twitter: https://twitter.com/HassAvocados

Has Avocado Board Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/hassavocados/

Hass Avocado Board Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loveonetoday/