Hi friends! Happy Friday! Quick alert: Summer Shape Up plan goes out this afternoon! I’ll be posting the workouts here on the blog each Sunday but if you want everything in advance + the meal ideas, get on the list here!! I can’t wait to do this with you all!

What’s going on this weekend? How was the week?

Ours was a great one. We got back from Vegas late on Sunday and hopped into the adventures of the week. The girls have been taking a kickboxing class with some friends – they love it!!- and we met up with some friends at the pool, lit fireworks in the front yard for 4th of July, I took the girls on a nails and movie date, and we have been getting ready for visitors today. The Pilot’s sis, mom, dad, and our niece and nephew are visiting for the long weekend and we can’t wait for some Tucson adventures with them.

Friday Faves and Vegas Recap

Before the standard Friday Faves post, I wanted to share some Vegas adventures! We met up with Betsy and Jeremy (our San Diego besties and travel buddies) last weekend and had the best time shopping, gambling, people-watching, and eating all of the ridiculous food. It was our 5th trip to Vegas together (!) and we wanted to try a new hotel. We typically love the Venetian and Bellagio, but decided to stay at the Wynn and were NOT disappointed. It’s definitely our new place. I wish I would have snapped a pic of our room with the panoramic view. Everything was recently renovated, the rooms and property were gorgeous, and the service and food were excellent. Highly recommend it if you’re planning a trip to Vegas anytime soon.

Also wanted to mention here that I booked the trip using our AMEX platinum card, which has SO many benefits. We get free access to multiple airport lounges (clutch when traveling with the kids) and also get resort credit, late checkout, and room upgrades when available. It’s by far my favorite credit card, especially for hotels and travel.

Friday afternoon, the Pilot and I walked around the Strip and into the Caesar’s Forums shops, then stopped for appetizers and iced tea at True Food. It was that tricky point of the day when you don’t want a full lunch to ruin your dinner, but definitely want a little snack to hold you over. True Food was perfect! We had dinner reservations that night at the Mirage, which is where we met up with Betsy and Jeremy.

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Hi friends! Happy Friday! I hope you’ve had a wonderful week. Ours was a bit of a whirlwind. We headed back from dance competition Nationals

(we stayed at the Scott, which has super cute decor and a pool that the girls LOVE)

straight into fun with friends who visited from Florida for the week,

straight into VEGAS, BABY.

The Pilot and I are hopping on a plane to meet up with our friends Betsy and Jeremy in one of our fave spots. If you have any new Vegas recs, please send them our way!! We will absolutely be shopping (a lot), gambling (a little), and eating all of the amazing Vegas food.

Caviar spread going down in 3….2….

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Sharing a recipe for the best dairy-free broccoli salad. This is the perfect side dish for dinners, delicious leftovers for lunch, and an awesome healthy summer BBQ or potluck side dish.

Hey friends! How’s the day going so far? We’re back in town after a trip to Phoenix for Nationals, and have a mountain of laundry + have some virtual 1:1 appointments.

For today’s post, I thought I’d share a summer side dish recipe! Whenever we have friends over during the summer, finding recipes for the *fun* stuff like appetizers and desserts is always super easy. I always like to make sure we have some kind of salad or vegetable, and am always looking for new favorites. Mia recently shared her favorite broccoli salad recipe with me and I knew I had to post it here on the blog! It lasted about 15 minutes in our house.

I accidentally found out that the girls love raw broccoli when we were low on groceries and I was running out of options while packing their lunch + snacks for school. I’ll typically roast broccoli with dinner and they tend to be pretty meh about it. I needed one more spot to fill in their lunch bento boxes, so I added some raw chopped broccoli. When I picked them up, they both said how much they loved the broccoli in their lunch, and I’ve been adding it ever since. This broccoli salad was a HUGE hit in our house – we each had a bowl and it was gone.

Broccoli salad is a great source of fiber and vitamins. It’s also dairy-free, and includes blanched broccoli, which still has a crunch, but can be easier to digest than raw. You simply mix all of the ingredients into a bowl and enjoy! It’s also a versatile recipe; feel free to customize it as you like. You can swap out the almonds for another type of nut, or use a different type of dried fruit (like dried cranberries or raisins) instead of the dates. Just make sure that you don’t skip the celery seed, as it gives it a unique flavor and crunch.

The best dairy-free broccoli salad

Ingredients

1 head of broccoli (or a 12 oz bag of pre cut florets)

Avocado oil mayo (Chosen foods, Sir Kensington or homemade. I like to make my own, or order Sir Kensington from Thrive Market)

Maple syrup (or honey) for a little bit of sweetness

Celery seed – don’t omit this ingredient!

Salt & pepper, to taste

On

Hi friends! Happy Friday! What’s going on this weekend? We’re off to Liv’s dance Nationals competition (so excited) and spending the rest of the weekend hanging out with friends. Our dance team has worked so hard all year, so I’m absolutely looking forward to seeing the dances one more time and celebrating the end of such a wonderful season. I’d love to hear what you have going on!

It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party! This is where I share some of my favorite finds from the week and around the web. I always love to hear about your faves, too, so please shout out something you’re loving in the comments section below.

Friday Faves

Staycation at Tanque Verde Ranch

Last weekend, we had a little Father’s Day staycation at Tanque Verde Ranch. Last time we stayed on property, I was pregnant with P! We’ve gone back many times to enjoy their Saturday night Cowboy Cookout. I highly recommend it if you’re visiting Tucson! We wanted to stay for the weekend and take advantage of the extra activities, like horseback riding, archery, and fishing.

The girls shocked the instructor with their perfect archery form:

(all of the practice with P’s toy bow and arrow has really paid off, let me tell ya)

and after archery, we headed to Barnyard for dinner before seeing a family of javelinas right outside our hotel casita! Fun trivia: a group of javelina is called a squadron.

Saturday morning, we were up bright and early for horseback riding. The girls take lessons, but the Pilot and I hadn’t been on a horse in years. (We always joke that we’re a little bit j

Sharing tips on how to create a home gym on a budget and what equipment you really need.

Hi friends! Hope you’re enjoying the day so far and that all of my dad friends had a happy Father’s Day!

For this post, I wanted to chat about how to set up a home gym and what equipment you need, especially since many of us are still working out at home, or you might be considering creating a home gym on a budget.

Home gyms are getting even more popular since the pandemic started and there are SO MANY benefits to having your own gym at home. One of my favorite parts is that there’s zero commute time, and if the kids are home, I can just get in a workout while they play or watch a show.

Creating a home gym can be a bit challenging if you have a limited budget (some gym technology and gear is pricey!) but there are ways you can create a home gym that works for your needs without breaking the bank. You can also customize it based on what you like to do and what products you think you really need.

Before I get started, I just want to emphasize the fact that you don’t need fancy or expensive equipment to get in a great workout. All you need to get an awesome workout is a plan, sneakers that fit you, and motivation. Anything else is just a bonus.

How To Create A Home Gym On A Budget:

Take advantage of what you already have and create a wish list for future items

Create a list or spreadsheet with the items you currently have and prioritize the ones you have your eye on.

Create a budget and estimate expenses

Determine a total spending budget and after doing some searching online, you can estimate how much your total gym set-up will cost.

Invest in multi-tasking tools at first

An example of this is if you’re looking for strength training equipment, find something that you can use for multiple things (like dumbbells) and is versatile, before expanding into different products in the same theme (like barbells, kettlebells, etc.)

Create a dedicated workout space

This can be a full room in your house, a garage, an office corner, whatever you have the room to use. If you don’t have a dedicated space, you could even store your workout items in a closet in a large bin. If space is an issue, focus on the items that don’t take up a ton of room (like resistance bands, jump rope, small Pilates ball, etc.)

Buy secondhand equipment

I usually get lucky on Facebook marketplace, or when you hear about gyms closing or relocating, they’re often looking to sell their equipment (if they didn’t lease it).

Choose equipment you will actually use!

This one seems obvious but don’t purchase anything you won’t be excited to use in your routine. 🙂 A spin bike makes a lovely clothing rack but would be a waste of money.

Here are some of my top home gym essentials!

Home Gym Essentials

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