Who doesn’t love a nice relaxing weekend? I know I do! Weekends were made for brunching with friends, trips to the local coffee shop, and family cookouts in the backyard. After a long, hectic work week, there’s no better way to unwind than going with the flow of casual weekend hangouts and meet ups. With Summer in full swing and the heat creeping up everywhere, finding the perfect fit that matches the casualness and ease of the weekend is crucial. You should never stress over what to wear on casual weekends while relaxing and a classic, timeless piece is essential to your wardrobe so you can spend more time worrying about what kind of mimosa to order instead (I love Pineapple Mimosas!).
The essential piece that I always have in my Summer wardrobe is the T-Shirt Dress. It is so easy to wear that you’ll probably want to buy one in every color…just like me. The newest shirt dress that I added to my collection is this Printed Polo Shirtdress by Tommy Hilfiger Plus, which was created exclusively for Macy’s! This dress is a hybrid of a shirt dress and a classic Tommy Hilfiger polo shirt for an effortless look. The tiny polka dot print is super chic. My favorite part of this style, aside from how fashionable this silhouette is, is how great it looks when other layers are added. A denim jacket and this dress make the perfect combination, whether worn as a jacket or tied around your waist to accentuate your curves. This look was made to be worn during any and all of your casual weekend plans with friends and family this summer. #TommyHilfiger
Printed Polo Shirt Dress by Tommy Hilfiger Plus, only available at Macy’s
Anything that comes in mint is usually my favorite: ice cream, gum, shakes, etc! This recipe uses Matcha Muscle’s Pea Protein powder to create a healthier and delicious mint & matcha protein shake to enjoy anytime!
1. Pour Light coconut milk into ice cube trays and freeze for at least 4 hours.
2. Place half of the cubes in a blender. Add all of the remaining ingredients except for the cacao nibs and blend together. If mixture is too runny, add more Coconut milk ice cubes.
3. Pour into a glass and top with cacao nibs!
Serving size: 1 shake
I’m a big fan peanut butter cups, so I had to recreate these Coconut-Matcha filled versions with my Matcha Muscle “Culinary Matcha!” These are made using a mini cupcake tin for bite sized cups that are easy to enjoy!
1. Place parchment cups in mini cupcake tin.
2. Slowly melt 1/2 of the chocolate in a small sauce pan over low heat. Watch closely so the chocolate doesn’t burn. Stir until completely melted and remove from heat.
3. Scoop chocolate into each cup evenly then place tin in freezer for 10 minutes, or until chocolate is completely hardened.
4. Place Shredded Coconut in a blender or food processor and mix for several minutes, pausing every minute to stir, until Coconut becomes smooth. This process makes “Coconut Butter.”
5. Mix Coconut butter, Matcha and Honey together. Scoop about a teaspoon of the mixture over the chocolate base layer.
6. Slowly heat up remaining 1/2 of the chocolate on low. Cover each cup with chocolate. Top with a sprinkle of sea salt and place in refrigerator until cool.
7. Enjoy!
Serving Size: About 6 mini cups
It’s the beginning of June and the temperatures are already creeping up to nearly 100 degrees here in Arizona. Yes, it’s THAT hot already! Temperatures like that only means one thing: Maxi Sundress Season! Sundresses are the one summer staple piece that I can’t get enough of every year and the styling options are endless! They look cute, are extremely comfortable and can be worn to just about every summer occasion imaginable.
Sundresses can be dressed up with some cute, casual heels or dressed down with trendy flat sandals. The accessory options are endless when it comes to sundresses. You can pair your dress with a sun hat, some chic sunglasses, dangly earrings and a trendy straw bag to really make your whole outfit complete! My favorite part of sundresses, however, is the wide selection of floral prints that really make each dress unique.
As a woman with curves, the biggest challenge is to find Maxi Sundresses that are not only flattering to my shape, but also have these fun, floral prints! From my experience over the last few years, the selection and quality of sundress options that are made to fit us curvy women has not been that great. The main issue that I’ve found is a lack of appealing floral prints.
Luckily, I came across a few styles that not only flatter my curves, but also come in the cutest floral prints by partnering with Fox and Royal and City Chic that are available at Macy’s. Their dresses incorporate playful prints and chic silhouettes that are designed for the confident, curvy woman who has a passion for style! From young, fun and flirty to bold, sexy and glam, Fox and Royal and City Chic have a wide selection of Floral Maxi Dresses for us curvy ladies to rock this summer. It’s safe to say that Macy’s Plus is becoming my new go-to destination for new and exciting fashion pieces to fit my curves and my style. #MacysPlus
Checkout a couple of my favorite styles below! I kept it simple by matching each dress with some casual, strappy heels. Both dresses are extremely comfortable, accentuate my waist and have the cutest floral prints that I could wear any day of the week!
Christmas tends to be a favorite Holiday for most people…unless of course you work in retail like I do. Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas! But the extra long hours, hectic-ness of the Holidays, and inability to take vacation at this time of the year can really put a damper on things.
As you probably know by now, cooking, baking and drinking coffee are just a few of the things I enjoy on a regular basis. What you might not know about me is even though I have never been a cigarette or cannabis smoker, I have occasionally enjoyed smoking hookah. It all started in college at a local coffee and hookah shop on campus that my friend and I would frequent quite often. What I had enjoyed most was the different combination of flavors and mastering the art of “blowing O’s” with the smoke. Of course as any good parent would, my mom would always remind me of how much worse smoking hookah was than even smoking a cigarette. Ultimately, I wasn’t enjoying the hookah for the hazardous chemicals and nicotine in the “shisha” or flavored tobacco. I was in it for the flavor and smoke blowing tricks.
It’s hard being a woman, especially at this day and age. We’re expected to look well put together at all times. Our hair should always be done, makeup on point, outfit looking fly, and so on. Cleavage is no exception! As a woman with natural assets, wearing a bra isn’t an option, it’s a daily requirement. Every woman wants her girls to sit up right, defying gravity and looking perky. Unfortunately, without any enhancements, this is not possible alone.
It’s back! The founders of the Arizona Taco Festival are partnering with The Camby, a luxury lifestyle urban hotel, to throw an exciting event on National Guacamole Day, September 16th, 2017, called Rock The Guac. This is the second time that this event is taking place. Last years event was amazing, so I can only imagine how much bigger this years will be at The Camby. The event will pit (pun intended!) more than 12 of the Valley’s top chefs against each other in a friendly culinary battle while providing a festive way for guacamole fans to “rock out with their guac out.” This fiesta also marks the final countdown until the Arizona Taco Festival at Salt River Fields on October 14-15, 2017.
I’ve always been a fan of monthly subscription services. You sign up for a product or category that you love and every month, a box arrives to your doorstep with a new product to try! Genius! Probably the most well-known monthly subscription boxes would have to be for makeup or clothing, but I’ve found one that tops them all: Winc, a personalized wine club and winery offering an online membership experience for monthly wine delivery!
