friday faves

Hello, hello, and Happy Friday!

Why is it that the only years I get a flu shot are the ones I get sick within the next two weeks of getting the shot??

Last year I didn’t get a flu shot, and I didn’t get sick. The year before that, I got a flu shot and I got sick.

This year, got the flu shot last week, and I yesterday I woke up with a sore throat, coughs, aches and pains and tired and grouchy. GRRR. What’s a self-care enthusiast to do?

That’s why I’ve been triple dosing on this immune booster, and why I ordered another batch of this homeopathic remedy we preached about back in my health food magazine designing days. And yes mom, I’m washing my hands.

But instead of boring you with my cold and flu symptoms, I’m gonna get right to the Friday Faves point, and then snuggle up in my bed and hit the hay to dream of reaching for last Friday’s burger lunch at SLC’s Lucky 13 instead of reaching for another tissue to blow my snotty nose.

So let’s do this, and start clicking away.

continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello, hello, and hip hop Happy Friday!

Why I referred to hip hop I have no idea, but just like Brittney Spears, there I go again.

Today I’m feeling all the tenseness that comes with anticipation of travel, to-do lists, and keeping everything afloat begin to release from that nagging crag between my shoulder blades. Long-time projects are coming to fruition, work travel is nearly over for the rest of the year, and good news has been traveling fast.

I know it isn’t November yet, but I feel I should be acknowledging my gratitude to life no matter what time of year it is.

That’s why this week I am thankful for:continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hey, hey, hey! Happy Friday!

The sights of fall are settling in. The drizzling rain has kept the sun from shining all week, the farmers markets are winding down, we had our first mountain snowfall, the back-biting of the mid-term elections is in full-swing, and I seriously need to get busy prepping my garden for next year because a freeze is in the forecast.

Ah fall, I love ya.

And just like clockwork, as the leaves begin to turn the baking bug bites me in a big way. I am totally craving comfort food, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, getting into the kitchen, and never wanting to leave.

As part my work of creating habits that stick, I’m making it a point to cook just for fun, not just for the blog. I love cooking, but when your passion is your work, keeping the creative juices flowing is a challenge. But this time of year, it always inspires me again.

continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello and happy Friday!

I’ve whipped my change-of-seasons cold thanks to generous doses of my favorite cold-fighting weapons: mega doses of these Vitamin C-loaded fizzy drink tablets, this once a day OTC medicine, and most importantly, my man’s recipe for matzo ball chicken soup with my homemade broth.

Take that you whipper-sniffer, you.

I nearly stepped in it this week. Literally. My cold appeared the first day of touring the lush, green, only-manure-fertilized fields of two of the organic dairy farms that supply milk to Stonyfield for their organic yogurt. It was not only lovely in Vermont, it was fascinating.

I love farm tours. I love petting cows and nuzzling the babies, like the baby below who was born just hours before we arrived.

I love learning where our food comes from. I love quizzing the farmers for tips to make my own vegetable beds better producers and learning that no matter what the scale of farming  you do.

And what I learned is it all starts with the health and quality of the soil.

I’ll be sharing more about the farm tour and what I learned in a later post, but what I will say now is I came home with a renewed appreciation for farmers, and a commitment to eating more organic when I can.continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello and happy Friday!

I’ve been proofing and re-proofing every date, every word, and every letter in the 2019 Jan-Dec Nourished Planner so in my mind I’ve already moved on to next year. (and for those of you who’ve asked the pre-sale for the 2019 planner starts Oct.1, more info to come.)

But today it’s official. It’s the last day of summer which means tomorrow we officially welcome in fall. See? I CAN do math. Wow.

Not that you’d know it by the weather around here in Utah. It’s been hot hot hot. So hot the leaves are changing but look so bleh because they haven’t had the cold snap to get those sugars juicing the pretty colors.

Indian summer. Welcome to it.

It’s just one reason I’m looking forward to leaving for Vermont tomorrow. I’ve always heard it’s so amazingly gorgeous in the fall so I am ready to hunker down and cozy up and learn a thing or two about the area. I’ll be sharing on the Instastories so if you’re curious, follow along there.

So once I get back I’ll be taking advantage of all the fall produce (and make ALL the stuffed peppers) before those cold snaps hit. Real good real food. I’m in.

In case you missed them this week, I shared:

• This one-pot chicken dinner that feeds four under $10 (plus a good cause to go along with it!)
• And these no-bake cookies that are the gateway recipe for beginner cooks that veteran cooks still love too.
• And sign up for my email list because I’m going to be doing some email only giveaways you’re gonna want to be part of for sure.

But enough about me. It’s time to dig into all those frigging Friday Faves. LET’S DO THIS!continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Happy Friday FoodieCrush friends!

Are you finally accepting summer has seen it’s swan song and settling into the fall routine?

I know. Me neither. But…

Fall is probably my favorite season of all.

I love to cocoon. There’s a crispness in the air with the changing of the leaves and the musty smell is somehow totally soothing. Not to mention the up-tick of energy as we all pick up our pace, because could it be?  Yes, the holiday season is right around the corner.

Fall gives me the craving to get in the kitchen with all the slow cooker recipes and do all the baking — Smudge baked up these salted chocolate chip cookies again and they are THE BOMB-diggity!

Those cookies have given me sustenance because there’s been a lot going on around here, like:continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello hello and happy Friday!

At least I think it’s a happy Friday since I’m making this mac and shrimp salad for my 3-day weekend sampling. But sometimes when I look around me I wonder if other people are thinking the same thing.

Case in point: I was checking out at the grocery store the other day with a young checker I see there every so often. She’s very good at her job, always asks if I found everything okay, and is very precise and official. But there’s something I notice she’s missing, something important not only in customer service, but important in every day living.

See, the thing she’s missing is a smile. I’ve never seen her smile. It’s not like she’s rude or dismissive, she’s just a little stern and a little serious. Not to say that being serious about your job isn’t a good thing, but wouldn’t it be even better if you added a little happiness to it too?

One of the games that I play with myself is smiling at people I don’t know. I purposely walk around with a smile on my face to see if it lights other people up. And so, I did the same thing with my serious young checker.

That day it was my mission to get her to crack a smile. continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Helllllooo there, and Happy Friday!

Oh.my.retrograde. GRRRRR.

I know you’re as tired of me waxing on about Mercury in retrograde as I certainly am, but this week…THIS WEEK…!! Oh honey, FoodieCrush got hit hard! And I’m not alone, even Newsweek is griping about it.

Please forgive me if you had a rough time accessing the site this past week. The site was up, then down, then up again, and we were doing our best to herd off the internet numbskulls who were pinging the site for no reason except to mess with it and my peace of mind. Those guys can just go suck it, because it was all of you who pulled us through. Thank you, thank you to all of you who alerted us to the issues and said it’s okay, and dang! I’m just glad you’re still here :)

But guess what? Only 1 more day of Mercury in retrograde and then WE ARE FREE and you won’t have to hear me whine about it anymore. Until next year.

Monday is about to deliver the new normal. My Ali Smudge is headed back to school (high school?? WTF?) and that means big mama (me) will be back in my routine too. While I don’t want to see summer go, I am totally ready for some normalcy around here.

But, wait, what? Normalcy? That’s pretty much laughable because what is really ever normal? That, my friends, is what I would call boredom. And this girl ain’t got no time to get bored.

This weekend I’m hoping to soak up some sun at the pool, live up those cooler summer nights with dinner on the deck with friends, and brace myself for what’s lurking around the corner. Because I don’t know what it is yet, but I know it’s comin’.

And before you ask, the tomato and zucchini tart recipe at the top of this post is an oldie but a goodie, and was made and shared by @bluehousekitchendc on Instagram. If you make one of my recipes, I’d love to see it! Take a pic and email it to me, or tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrush or #foodiecrusheats.

BTW, thank YOU ALL so much for your kind wishes and emails from last week’s Friday Faves post. We all truly appreciate your positive thoughts. XO

But enough of all this, let’s dig into this week’s list of Friday Faves. Enjoy my friendlies!continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello, hello, and happy Friday!

I’m writing to you from the comfort of one of my best friends homes in Los Angeles. I’m sitting on her bodacious patio, staring at the twinkle lights shimmering over the pool as she slumbers in her bed. It early evening still, yet she’s wiped out. It was an active day for her that would be looked at by others as a normal one.

My friend has stage 4 breast cancer. So many things are different now.

But all in all, things are good. She’s super positive, tenacious, and ready for the fight. Good thing she’s a researcher because if anyone can figure out a plan, she can. Plus, she has a perfectly shaped head that thanks to my husband’s deft shaving hand and my determined ways of persuasion is now perfectly shaved and she is totally rocking it.

So why am I sharing all of this? As a reminder to:

• Get your boobies checked. Schedule your mammogram today. Her cancer appeared and shot to stage 4 in just 8 months since her last mammogram. Make the appointment.
• Find joy every day. This has been my friend’s mantra. Let the little things go. Enjoy life. Travel. Make it all count.
• Spend time with those you love and don’t waste time on those who don’t. Call your mom. Visit your best friend from college who you haven’t seen in 10 years. Snuggle with your kids, your mate, and your pets. Make the moments you spend with them count.

I’m not sharing any of this to get your sympathy, or as she says, to “play the C card”. I’m only sharing it to remind you and myself,  that we all hold the keys to our own happiness in the palms of our own hands and in the beliefs of our own minds.

To my sister, thank you to the moon and back for picking up my slack, and to my mama, I love you and I’ll be home to hold your cheeks still soon. xoxoxo

Now it’s time to dig into this week’s list of Friday Faves, so let’s get started!continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello! It’s Friday my friends. Happy. Happy. Happy.

One good thing from this week is I harvested my first tomato. The first of only 3 ripe frigging tomatoes from the one plant I planted because this year I am on a tomato farming strike. Apparently even one plant has proven a tomato farmer I am not. But a sandwich maker I AM! And it was time to savor that one ‘mater on a BLT.

That was the upside of the week.

The downside of the week? Well, there were a few.

Do things in your world seem to be misbehaving? Like even more than normal? Where people are a little less patient and a bit more short tempered? Or maybe you’ve had issues with your computer not behaving, your phone apps acting all wonky, and maybe even your cable TV or internet bleeping in and out of service?

Guess what folks? We are at the beginning of three hot weeks of Mercury in Retrograde.

I’m not one to totally engage in astrology or outer world mumbo jumbo, but Mercury in Retrograde is something I FULLY BELIEVE IN! It affects communication and electronics and basically makes things inexplicably go haywire. I’ve already had major computer issues, picked a fight for no reason with my daughter and my husband, had an unfortunate family emergency, and my whole head physically feels heavier like my brain is being weighing dowwwwwwn, almost like I’m under water.

Beam me up Scotty! I don’t wanna go down!

This is a brief explanation of how Mercury in Retrograde works and what it affects and some good tips for how to not become embroiled in the drama that you could unwittingly become involved in. (I especially like their suggestion of focusing on “RE”-things like reevaluate, renew, reunite rather than starting something new.)

So if you’re feeling a little off, or that super important email didn’t go through, or your car died at the front of the car wash line, don’t think it’s just you. It’s likely all of us being affected by the moon and the stars which calls for a lot more patience and kindness.

But then, what day doesn’t????

Reset and Recharge With This FREE Guide

I’m fast realizing summer is nearly over and soon lazy Sunday barbecues will turn into super-focused Sunday meal prep for the week. That’s why I’m eager to make the most of the few weeks left.

I had so many grand plans written out on my Nourished Planner bucket list and I’ve yet to cross so many of them off my list. But instead of getting down on myself for not making time for myself and my goals, I’m simply reassessing and refocusing on what’s important.

There’s still time to capitalize on my natural summer rhythm. And you can too.

Download this FREE Summer Rhythms Guide to help create space and set boundaries and create balance to reach your goals by simply following your own natural rhythms.

Let’s keep summer sizzling with this week’s list of Friday Faves. Enjoy!continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello, hello and happy Friday!

What do you know. Even with all the crazy things going on in world events, life continues and Friday is still showing up each week so things must be good!

Last weekend was a total teenage success. We celebrated Ali Smudge’s 14th birthday at our friends cabin with eleven 14-year-old girls and everyone (including my husband and I) survived.

Beauty barging, stand-up paddle boarding, hammocking (they tried to replicate this!), too much food—including the peach caprese salad above (do you want to see the recipe in a new post?) put-your-guests-to-work DIY foil dinners, and this birthday cake pie—plus lots of card games, were all part of the party.

Speaking of stand-up paddle boards, I had a ton of people ask me on Instagram and last week’s Friday Faves (and at the lake) about our inflatable paddle board/kayak hybrid and so here’s the link.

This week has been one of total catch up. I’ve had to let a few things slide so I can get ahead on a few other projects like finalizing the design of next year’s edition of our Nourished Planner, editing food photos for my favorite client, and getting future blog post recipes photographed, edited, and written.

This podcast totally made me rethink my to-do list and what rally is the difference between urgent and important. After listening to it, I’ve discovered my priorities were totally misguided, and basically backward. So this week, I took a new approach. It’s put me a bit behind on posting on the blog, but in the end I’ll be so much further ahead. And damn, that feels good!

These past few weeks of summer between July 4th and our state holiday of July 24 (Utah’s Pioneer Day aka Pie and Beer Day for us heathens) always seem to languish. Everything is simply slower—including our brains. People are on vacation. Nobody’s really checking in. It could be the heat. It could the summer malaise. Or it could simply be too much ice cream.

So when I went through my list of sites for this week’s Friday Faves (I use this reader to keep tabs on them all) I was totally surprised by how much good stuff came out on the worldwide web. So much I simply can’t share it all here, it’s just too much! Luckily there’s always next week :) .

So let’s dig right on into it, and click the links that make up the goodness in this week’s Friday Faves.continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello and Happy Friday friends!

What a fun week it’s been, filled with ALL the 4th of July festivity-ness, because there’s nothing like breaking the work week up with a holiday to make things go a little smoother. Bookend-ed vacation days for the win!

I hope your 4th of July was safe and so well spent. Our day consisted of pool time, golfing, and relaxing with friends. We also got some good laughs at the daring individuals who entered the belly flop competition of whom we were certainly not one even though we totally qualify #buddhabellies. As usual, the fireworks did not disappoint, because when has a fireworks display EVER disappointed this girl?

So much good food was to be had, especially if you were the winner of this contest. Or maybe not so much food is a better thing????!!!

Thanks to my still-a-punk-rocker-rockin’-dude of a husband, The Clash crashed the Country Club as any non-conformist would do on the 4th of July. My embroidered pink flowered floppy hat and preppy striped swimsuit made up for his bad boy ways.

But then we had a scene straight from Invasion of the Body Snatchers because who the heck stole my baby girl and replaced her with this 6-foot-tall leggy beauty in her dreamy clout goggles ala Kurt Cobain’s penchant for them…and punk hits the country club once again!! But still, she’s rocking my world because she’s simply growing up, and it’s honestly a little crazy to see in action. But she sure knows how to float that gold glitter-filled tube in style IMHO. p.s. get 20% off the tube when you enter SPARKLER at checkout.

This holiday you guys went crazy on the blog making the classics like my mom’s Best Potato Salad recipe, my Classic Macaroni Salad with this Grilled Corn Salad with Tomato and Avocado.

For our firecrackin’ dinner at home, I made my husband’s new favorite Creamy Dilled Red Potato Salad, a new Instant Pot Rib recipe coming your way next week, grilled corn on the cob with all the flavored butters, and a new bean salad recipe I have been craving to make homemade for at least five years and is another recipe coming your way.

Earlier in the week I baked my dad his favorite Four Berry Pie but totally missed the boat on making star cut-outs instead of what looks to be half moons above? What was I thinking??? Obviously I wasn’t. So I added some stars to my pie anyway (nothing a little photoshop can’t help :) )

Summer is in full swing, and I have to say, all the foodie things are looking good, gooder, and goodest here on the blog!continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello friends and cheers to a Happy Friday!

So while the kids have been out of school for a few weeks, and my dahlias have already gone through their first bloom, and my ONE FRIGGING tomato plant is already infested with aphids and is likely going to die, yesterday was actually the first day of summer.

So happy summer everyone!!

This past week has been a whirlwind. I keep telling myself, “Just get through this week and then things will slow down…” and then it’s the next week and my wheels are still spinning but I’m not making much headway. I need to read this again.

I Love a Good Staycation

While I may feel stuck in second gear, at least this past week has been full of amazing family time with my sister and her fam here for a summer visit, Father’s Day, plus my dad’s birthday and a staycation for all of us in Park City, UT where the highlights included:

• An amazing dinner at the always unique Savor the Summit. We were lucky this year to score seats at the High West Distillery table which left us all wondering if we would ever eat again. Don’t miss me and my fam at the :03 second mark of this video :)

And that was only the beginning…

• A ride on the alpine slide, and new to me, the alpine coaster that my Ali Smudge rode when she was in a photo shoot for Park City Mountain Resort’s summer activities ad campaign SIX YEARS AGO! Where has time gone???!
• Amazing lox and bagel platters plus beet root hummus avocado toast from my very favorite place to eat in Park City/Deer Valley.
• A raucous round of my very favorite board game for a group. If you don’t have it, you need it!!
• Plus drinks and a few rounds of pool for my pool-shark 13-year-old niece at this swanky spot, faking it ’til we make it.
• And if you’re ever in Park City, don’t you dare miss the lobster rolls here. So dang good!

And, if you’re in Salt Lake City this week, don’t miss out on the Utah Arts Festival now through Sunday (we saw Gomez in concert last night !!!) and be sure to check out this totally Instagrammable pop up experience, Hall of Breakfast.

And if you aren’t in SLC, check out my Instagram InstaStories and live vicariously through me :)

Instagram Disney Giveaway!

Speaking of the ‘gram, did you see the huge Disneyland Giveaway going on over on my feed? Hop over and enter to get your Disneyland vacation started, because who doesn’t love a dose of Mickey??!!

Your FoodieCrush Recipe Faves

This week I shared recipes for my go-to chicken marinade and a pasta salad you’ll want to make all summer long.

Here’s a few things you guys made from FoodieCrush this week, too:

• One of your favorite FoodieCrush summer salads made gorgeous by @sarajane421
• Another fave FC summer salad, this time with chickpeas made by @victoria_pezverde
• And these popular chipotle shrimp bowls made by @lorisholota

If you make something from the blog, share it on Instagram with the hashtag #foodiecrush or #foodiecrusheats for an opp for me to re-share.

But enough about me, let’s dig into this week’s Friday Faves!

Whoa! I wonder if people really do this in the video below??!!! (at least it’s a nice feature for my fave Skinnytaste cookbook.)

Chris Pratt’s wise words…can we love him any more than we already do??!

One of my goals this year is to be on time, and I know I need be better at #5.

I’ve been reading this book and finding some actual value in it,

sooo…

I’m considering doing what he did, too. I wonder if I’m disciplined enough to make it happen.

How to use your mind to change your health. Totally good advice.

Love this excerpt: “I’ve decided I’d rather be authentically awkward than exhaustedly charming,” from: I’m way cooler on the internet than I am in person, and it gives me anxiety.

What??!! Instagram TV! This could get interesting…

Summer TV is the worst, so I’m ready for the next season of this show. Killer line up this year!

The year of the pivot, and actually making one. I like the sound of this.

and…

Totally listening to this Will.I.Am podcast thanks to her rec. Oprah, you rule.

and…

Listening in: How meditation and mindfulness can add more REAL love and happiness to your life.

These scones make me want to bake more scones. Imagine that !

This burger with that mayo should be this girl’s dinner.

This rosé sangria all summer long.

These pork chops got me ready for grillin’!

Instant Pot hummus. Get it.

And, this Instant Pot Hawaiian chicken. Alooooohhhaaa!

Liking this twist on Shepherd’s Pie, a lot.

This pizza is totally adorable.

And if you’re making Lobster Rolls at home, here you go. 

Since I haven’t yet done my summer bucket list, I can at least start a FUN summer project list. Good ideas here. 

and…

21 simple things to do when you’re bored instead of surfing the internet.

I really like the casual relaxed vibe going on with this list of summer wardrobe essentials.

How to get flights for free. I love these types of tips. Now, if I’d ever use them…

These pants would be perfect for traveling in. Or lounging. Or going out. Hell, for everything!

I’m looking for some good, retro, rock ‘n roll band tshirts, but not heavy metal dumb ones. Anyone have ideas on where to find besides Urban Outfitters?

This top makes me feel like a teenager again. MWAAA!

My sister got herself this jacket over the weekend and like any sister would, I want to steal it from her!

Luckily, I have this one I recently purchased that I like just as much. So there!

And that’s all she wrote! Have a great weekend and stay safe friends.

As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There are affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.  

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Hello and happy Friday with a hole in the middle my friends!

Who else is raising their hands high with praise for breezing through this 4-day work week? Woo-to-the-hoo and whoop-di-doo!

But even more than just a day off from the old grind, Memorial Day was a heartfelt reminder to thank the veterans present and past, and those currently serving to protect our land and liberties here in the good old U.S.A. and abroad. And there is truly nothing I look forward to more on Memorial Day than waving to the veterans who stand in uniform and decorate the overpass at the entrance to my neighborhood with a row of American flags and then salute to each and every passerby. They never forget, and neither will I.

This week was the first week of no-school daze for my Ali Smudge, and as a sprouting teenager she did what most teens do best: She stayed up too late and slept in to make up for it. I’m in full agreement that teens do need more sleep and that school should start at 8:30 am, so I let it slide for a few days.

But my girl needs money to pay for her cracked iPhone screen andsummer spending cash, so I put her to work helping me out in the office. She’s up for it, I need the help, and this article thinks kids should work, too.

So, what was her first task? Scanning my Smith’s grocery receipts into my accounting software so my accountant can get busy with keeping me flush and organized. This is the accounting software I use. It makes it incredibly easy to track every expense by taking a quick photo with my phone and then entering the info right there as I stand in the store, or pump my gas, or like I am now, having my Girl Friday do it for me.

Oh jeez. Can we still say Girl Friday or is that not PC? How about Girl Friday Faves?? :) Because she is that for sure. continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello and Happy 3-Day Weekend Friday!

I know I say it all the time, but this time I AM TOTALLY SERIOUS! What in the heck happened to the last six months?? HOW CAN IT POSSIBLY BE MEMORIAL DAY ALREADY???? I mean, I’m never one to turn down a holiday weekend, and I always think time goes by so fast, but literally, it has!

Last weekend we had some of my man’s family over for a pre-Memorial Day celebration on my dearly departed father-in-laws birthday. It turned into a Memorial Day BBQ dry-run with some of our favorite stand-by BBQ recipes making their summer debut:

• My mom’s Shrimp and Macaroni Salad, pictured above and my husband’s favorite pasta salad ever
• BBQ Baby Back Pork Ribs with my man’s secret for succulent ribs every single time
• My favorite BBQ Baked Beans, the side dish that perfumes the whole house with the scent of my childhood summers
• A tomato and corn salad that will be hitting the blog next week (so good!)

I’m not sure what this weekend’s cooking adventures will entail but I do know one thing, next week we’ll be starting our summer because my Ali Smudge is D.O.N.E. with school for the year and I just got a summer FoodieCrush helper. For the first week or so anyway :)

I swear it feels like she just barely started 8th grade last week. Talk about time flying by! How did my chubby little bald baby until she was two years old turn into a nearly 6-foot tall, drink of kind, smart, compassionate, natural-red-headed-beach-wavey-locks-that-makes-every-woman-stop-her-in-the-grocery-store-to-comment-on-her-hair gorgeousness who I am so ridiculously proud of??!

No more middle school for my little Smudge, she’s on to high school and then it’s only four years and she’ll be off to college and then what in the heck am I going to do with myself?

Looks like I gotta ramp up my golf game because the LPGA just might need me to compete on tour.continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello and Happy Friday!

The countdown is on! For my Smudge (I wonder how much longer my almost 14-year-old is going to allow me to call her that?) that means only 2 more Monday’s ’til schools out for summer and her 14th birthday at the beginning of June where this birthday cake will most likely be making its annual appearance.

For me, the culmination of my countdown is a mere 24 hours away. Today I am at a food blogging conference and I am more than happy that is being held locally because once it’s over, I.am.done! This weekend winds up a flurry of April travel that has kept me on my toes and ever-in-motion playing adventurer/entrepreneur/mom-wife-daughter-friend and juggler-of-all-the-things. And while I love the opportunity to travel, I am SO EXCITED to be home, to plant my flowers and garden, go on day-dates with my man, cook for fun, cheer at all the basketball and soccer games, work on my golf game (beware LPGA, HERE I COME!), and just sit and be me.

Am I the only one who is perfectly content to be a homebody?

Once I’ve caught up on a few things here at home, you won’t just find me toiling away in the garden—although that would be nice. Instead, I’ll be getting busy on a number of things here on the blog and other projects I have in the pipeline, too.

Here’s a preview of just a few thing you’ll be seeing more of soon:

FoodieCrush redesign relaunch: I’m working with my web expert on a little blog retrofitting to make FoodieCrush a better experience for all of us. Faster load times, better navigation, and some fun new features will be coming your way hopefully within the next month. We won’t be overhauling the site, just making a few improvements, so if you have any suggestions of what you’d like to see (especially if there is something that bugs you about the site or makes things difficult) PLEASE EMAIL ME! heidi@foodiecrush.com

NEW! Weekly Meal Plans + Grocery Shopping Lists: Last week (somewhat of a whim) I sent out a weekly meal plan to my email list. The idea was to create a meal plan featuring recipes of my own and from some of my favorite food blogs that can be prepped, cooked, and stretched to extend throughout the week, helping you save time and money. The favorable response was overwhelming and I’m thrilled you guys liked it! So now, it looks like it will be becoming a regular weekly thing (Saturdays seemed to be the day of the week most wanted to receive it.)

Sign up for my email list here to have my totally FREE weekly meal plan and grocery shopping lists delivered to your inbox each week. If you are already a subscriber to my email list, you will receive it automatically.

Nourished Planner 2019: Alexa and I are well underway to creating next year’s version of pretty much what I call my third arm –> our printed Nourished Planner, with some new additions we can’t wait to reveal. All of it is coming soon. But until then, we have a few copies of the 2018 edition still available at 50% off right now.

FoodieCrush community survey results: Thank you, thank you to everyone who participated in the survey a few weeks ago. I’m compiling all the data and will be sending out an email to share it all with you very soon, as well as letting you know who the giveaway winner is! If you didn’t take the survey yet, your voice still counts and I’d love to know what you think when you take the survey here.

And that’s a tidbit of what’s happening around here.

What Went Up This Week…

This week’s culinary creations included:

• These chipotle shrimp rice bowls have been a favorite for Smudge’s school lunches twice this week. She even chose them over leftover pizza! The recipe comes from my friend Mary’s awesome brand new cookbook, which is filled with recipes for quick, easy, and make-ahead breakfasts and lunches. And definitely make sure you check out Mary’s food blog
• The Kitchen Gadget Wedding Gifts You’ll Actually Love to Use Every Day avoid wedding shopping or registering anxiety by cutting to the chase with my all-time favorite cooking gadgets.
• And if you subscribe to my email list, you received yesterday’s email with my fave recipes, gifts, and more to ready you for Mother’s Day. You can check it out here, and subscribe to my email list to get more exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox, including my NEW + FREE weekly meal plan and grocery list!
• Also! I created this ultimate guide to Mother’s Day Brunch a few years ago, but the recipe links from some of my favorite food bloggers still hit the spot today!

And on that note, let’s get on with this week’s Friday Faves!

continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello and Happy Friday Faves!

This week has been to and fro and back again with travel from Salt Lake City to Minneapolis to meet up with my Nourished Planner partner Alexis to work on content for the 2019 edition of the Nourished Planner (yes! aready!!!) and then off to Cinncinati where I met up with Kroger executives and the Kroger Influencer Council (hey! that’s me!) to learn about new products you’ll be seeing in Kroger stores and marketing ideas and input from us cooks in the kitchen and our community like you. So if there’s anything you’d like me to share with those at Kroger, just let me know and I’ll get your message to them.

And now, today, I am home and so happy to be back with my little family and  our pups, and am relishing in the fact that my work travel days are suspended ’til after Labor Day, and man, does that feel good!!! Don’t get me wrong, there’s so much value I get from trips with my partnered brands and fellow influencers, but knowing I will be home and can dig into work and family and my garden (!) is really thrilling for me. Do you travel for work? What are your secrets to managing it all? Email me and tell me because we can all use all the help we can get.

Speaking of travel, it was a few weeks ago when I was working on this travel-centric list of Friday Faves that I discovered today is the 7th birthday for Friday Faves. And so, I asked you to send in a few of your faves to share here too. Thanks so much for the vivacious response and I’m sharing some of them straight from you below.

So on that note, get your clicking finger ready and get ready to bookmark, because we are digging in and get favoriting this Friday!

continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves & Your Favorite Things