FriYAY Catch Up!

It’s FriYAYYYYY!

Let’s catch up on this past week, huh?

Did you know I was in Vegas last weekend celebrating with my little bachelorette, Betsy?! This was my first time in Vegas and unfortunately I got hit with a nasty cold on Friday (the day I got there) but I sucked it up and had an AWESOME time! I only lost $10. I’m too frugal to play anything but the penny slots! Hit a button, lose money, hit a button, lose money, etc. It was 114º F or something crazy like that while we were there but it was a dry heat so it didn’t feel so bad, especially when we were in the pool all day. 🙂

Betsy Melanie

Considering the heat, and the fact that I didn’t feel well, my appetite was way off. I managed to have two bigger meals over the weekend though at the hotel’s buffet. This is far from a pretty food photo but the food was really good! Check out my breakfast plate. It included: a fluffy pancake with a caramel buttery banana syrup, lots of bacon, fruit, pastries (took one bite and decided I could do better) and a crab leg! Yom yom yom.

Buffet Las Vegas

I’m one of those people who has a realllllly hard time sleeping in no matter how late I stay up. Vegas is two hours ahead of MN, so can you guess what time I was awake on both Saturday and Sunday? Ok, I’ll tell ya…6:15 am. Lucky me, right? On Sunday morning, I knew no one else would be up for a while, so I got up, pumped, walked to breakfast (above), and then took a long stroll on the strip. I didn’t get to all of the hotels on the strip because there are a lot, but I made it to quite a few! My favorite was the Paris hotel and the Wynn. I was reliving my Paris trip like crazy. I definitely want to go back to Vegas again when it is a little cooler and spend more time looking at all of the hotels. They are beautiful.

I managed to pump, eat breakfast, walk the strip, and go to the pool all before the other girls woke up. Do I wish I could have slept in a bit longer? Of course. But since I couldn’t, I’m glad I made the most of being awake!

Paris Hotel Las Vegas

Such a fun weekend with the girls and so many more fun wedding festivities to come! Love you bride-to-be!!

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I feel like I have been getting so spoiled lately. Applegate and Sir Kensington’s hooked me up with major swag (giveaway winner announced at the bottom of this post!), and recently, Steve’s Paleo Goods sent me a SUPER awesome goodie bag!

Steve's PaleoGoods

Steve's Paleogoods

steve's paleo goods

Steve’s Paleo Goods makes on-the-go clean eating snacks and OMG I am impressed. In the kit he sent to me was the paleo sampler which includes:

  • Apple PaleoKit
  • Ketchup
  • Cinnamon PaleoKrunch Cereal
  • Original PaleoKrunch Bar
  • Grass-Fed PaleoJerky (2.5oz)
  • PaleoJerky
  • Dried Strawberries

So far I’ve sampled the apple paleokit and the dried strawberries and holy cow you guys, this stuff is good.

I’m so inspired by this guy. If you have a second, read his story: https://www.stevespaleogoods.com/the-first-paleokit-s/1834.htm We need more people like this in our world! Thanks for the delicious samples, Steve!!!

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Switching gears….can you believe it’s the 4th of July weekend already?! I just don’t understand how that is possible already. We are having a fairly low-key weekend full of lots of family and relaxation. I need it. Ever since Bode has started daycare we have all been sick, so pretty much the whole entire month of June. Oh well.

Check out this fun and festive food post I put together a couple of years ago:

Independence Day Food!

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(UPDATED July 14th)

FINAL new giveaway winner announced because my 2nd winner never responded either! This is it folks.

The new winner of the Applegate and Sir Kensington’s giveaway is:

NATE E.!

Send me an email at beautifullynutty@gmail.com by tomorrow, July 15th! CONGRATS!!

Happy 4th of July to you all! What are your plans for the weekend?

I’m definitely hooking up with Katie today for Friday Favs!

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Happy 4th of July Weekend!

Well hi ya’ll!

I am celebrating over here because yesterday was my Friday and I am now off of work for the weekend! Hooray for vacation!

I just wanted to wish you all a happy fourth of July weekend. I hope you are able to kick back with family and friends, eat some delicious food, share some laughs, and maybe even catch some fireworks as we celebrate the independence of our country.

I’m including a link to a a whole bunch of insanely good-looking patriotic food items that I put together lsat year. Feel free to check them out:

10 Independence Day Recipes

patriotic salad

There may be one in there that would make the perfect contribution to your weekend get-together.

Anyway, Happy 4th of July my friends! Catch up with you soon!

xoxo

Continue Reading Happy 4th of July Weekend!

10 Independence Day Recipes

Tomorrow is Independence Day. How are you celebrating?!

The majority of Americans will be celebrating with family, friends, fireworks, and a barbecue. Still running around trying to decide what to bring to the festivities? Look no further.

I took the liberty (ha!) of cruising through Pinterest looking for patriotic food finds. I compiled a list of ten fun recipes that you can make to help you and yours celebrate the day. The recipes range from nutritious to not-so-nutritious, some gluten-free and some not. It’s okay to enjoy a treat! Remember all in moderation!

People are so gosh darn creative it’s amazing. It puts me to shame. 😉 I wish I could take credit for these recipes but I most certainly cannot, so if you want to view the recipe, click on the image and it will bring you to the creator’s website and recipe.

ENJOY!

 1. Red White and Blueberry Popsicles

RWB

2. Red White and Blue Sangria

RWB 2

3. Celebration Pretzel Sticks

RWB 3

4. Chocolate Covered Strawberries

RWB 4

5. S’mores On a Stick

RWB 5

6. Blueberry Strawberry Jicama Salsa 

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7. Patriotic Rose Cake (If you want to get fancy and really impress your friends!)

rwb 7

8. Hot Off the Grill Cupcakes (this one’s obviously not going with the red, white, and blue theme but it’s so adorable I just had to throw it in!)

rwb 8

9. Patriotic Salad

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10. Strawberry Pretzel Jello Salad

rwb 10

Kudos to all of these recipe creators! They definitely got my mouth watering! Happy celebrating!

How are you planning to celebrate?! 

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