Hi everyone!

I hope you had a wonderful 4th / possible long weekend! I have been off work the past few days and have been enjoying the extra time with a mix of relaxing / getting random other things done.

In full disclosure I completely wrote and scheduled this post in advance / before my time off so I can’t comment too much on how the weekend went at the time of writing! 🙂  Will be back to my regular work week tomorrow (Thursday).

Whether you are enjoying some extra vacation time this week or have more of a typical week, I hope this July Eats Roundup post inspires you to seek out satisfying, tasty eating experiences all throughout the week!

Some recent meals + snacks from the past couple of weeks! 

First things first, one of my favorite meals as of late! Salmon (frozen wild-caught salmon from Costco) seasoned with curry powder, salt + pepper. Plenty of delicious roasted veg (tri-color bell peppers, red onion, zucchini). Coconut rice made with mostly white rice and also a little black rice mixed in (hence the purple color!). I had 3 small random bags of rice in my pantry that I needed to use up and was excited about how well the black rice addition turned out.

To make my usual coconut rice, simply add 1 can coconut milk, 1 can rice, ~2/3 can water, and a decent dash of salt to a pot and then cook the rice as you normally would. I recommend white rice (or a white/black rice blend), not brown, for this recipe.

I used to use brown or wild rice basically all the time. Now I am also all about the white rice from time to time! While brown rice is more nutrient-dense, I trust that my body gets plenty of quality whole grains throughout the week – in other words, not everything in my life needs to be brown/whole-grain/etc. Sometimes the white rice is where it’s at as far as flavor goes! Pursuing taste and satisfaction as a primary goal, NOT an afterthought, will get you a long way in terms of meeting your nutrition needs!

A couple weeks back I met my friend Jenna at this amazing cafe we found in Fort Wayne (halfway between where the two of us live). We ate outside on their spacious patio and I was SUCH a fan! I had this tasty grain bowl with a poached egg along with an iced latte. Would definitely make a return visit in the future!

Weekend lunchtime smoothie with frozen strawbs + blueberries, hefty dollop of PB, a couple dates, a scoop of vanilla protein powder, some chia seeds, and enough almond milk to blend. Served with a side of my new favorite peanut butter granola that I can’t get enough of! You probably have all the ingredients on hand to run and make a batch asap!

Delish Fattoush salad with the best mint dressing and homemade pita chips eaten outside. Some summertime flavors at its finest!

Some chocolate muffins I made randomly to have on hand for an extra snack option one week. I chose these because I was looking for a muffin to make with ingredients that I already had on hand and who doesn’t like a chocolate muffin?? Although the first batch that I made I forgot to add the almond milk so ended up making them again the next day because they were so dry. Oops. Lol.

I am a huge fan of hearty muffins and homemade energy bites/bars as snack options because they are especially tasty + satisfying to me, have multiple macronutrients so meet my general snack nutrition needs (i.e, not just eating a carb like chips or an apple, but combining macronutrients), and can be made in advance / even frozen for later!

Veggie curry with fresh mango and salted cashews. Served over quinoa. I used a combination of broccoli, bell peppers, peas, carrot, onion, and a mix of other peppers for flavor/additional spice. I use this recipe as a base/for inspiration with a few modifications/making it up as I go along!

A fresh strawberry cake that I made for my mom’s birthday. I have used the Sally’s Baking Addiction recipe the past few times, and LOVE the frosting, but may try a different recipe in the future for the actual cake base!

Other summertime fruity dessert recipes that look good –> sweet peach thyme shortcakes, tart cherry pie bars, strawberry vanilla crisp.

Loving this chicken salad that I made! I cooked then chicken breasts in my InstantPot then shredded/let cool. A blend of yogurt, grapes, celery, toasted pecans, red onion, and salt + pepper + garlic powder for seasoning. So good and satisfying. Eaten alongside some fresh sourdough smothered with plenty of salted butter!

Large dinner salad with shredded carrot + chopped cucumber + mint dressing that I prepared for our small group dinner one evening. I liked the varied texture with the shredded carrot/chopped cucumber!

Morning oats with a drizzle of agave syrup + plenty of peanut butter + fresh fruit. I love sitting down for breakfast as part of my morning routine!

Summer veggie mix of sautéed yellow onion, red bell pepper, garlic, zucchini, corn, and plenty of salt, pepper, thyme, + rosemary. Served over quinoa and topped with goat cheese and a sunny side up egg!

Fruit pizza with a sugar cookie crust, cream cheese frosting, and strawberries + blueberries for topping.

Frittata w/ sweet potato, yellow onion, corn, jalapeño, and shredded cheddar. Served with homemade biscuits w/ honey! Usual dinner side salad on the side. (Lately has been greens with chopped cucumber + cherry tomato, drizzled with dark balsamic vinaigrette).

Lastly, more pasta salad for lunches! Arugula + pasta noodle base, topped with steamed broccoli, fresh bell pepper + cherry tomato, feta, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt + pepper + crushed red pepper flakes. I have been so into cherry tomatoes lately with how flavorful they are tasting! Usually I eat a handful when I take them out of the fridge to make dinner salads because they that good!

Other {unpictured} foods/meals I’ve been into lately:

–> Lunchtime wraps w/ hummus, cheddar cheese, cucumber, bell pepper, + arugula
–> Organic salsa from Costco w/ tortilla chips (loving this salsa!!)
–> Morning iced coffee w/ chocolate date-sweetened cashew milk
–> Coconut cacao bars eaten daily for afternoon snacks!!!

Everyday Enjoyment:

Sleeping somewhat better: You may know from previous posts that I have been sleeping rather horrifically the past few months. THANKFULLY things have gotten a bit better! Still not amazing but more workable for sure. I’ll take what I can get! SO grateful to have nights where I am sleeping significantly better and not feeling totally derailed physically the next day.

New planner: Loving my new Day Designer Planner! I have use these for at least 5+ years at this point and am a huge fan. I like that there is a lot of space for both writing in my daily schedule and writing out my various life/work to-dos for each day. I am a paper planner person all the way! (Probably not surprising to you if you know me! 🙂 ).

Current & upcoming time off: I haven’t taken much time off of my private practice work this year so am grateful for the current time off and upcoming time off in August. In early August we will be visiting Alec’s side of the family in Iowa and then in late August we are going to Holland, Michigan, for a night and then backcountry camping for a few days at Nordhouse Dunes on Lake Michigan.

How did you spend the 4th?
Are you a paper or digital planner person?
What foods have you been into lately??