There were A LOT of favorites to highlight from June including that we got a puppy!!! So let’s just jump right in.
We rescued a pup!
Meet Bruno. Part Beagle and (we think) part Lab/Shepard, we rescued him from a shelter a week ago and he has been the the sweetest puppy ever since!
Although the potty training has been a challenge, after what seemed like too many accidents, I think we are on a good path to having him trained. I also have to say we are seriously blessed because he sleeps through the night (fingers crossed) and is already crate trained (sigh). If you want to see more of him and his playful personality, you can follow along on Instagram @brunothebeagador to see what he is up to.
Favorite Food & Trader Joe’s Finds
Trader Joe’s continues to deliver with their genius and “on trend” creations, including this amazing ready to top organic wood-fired pizza crust aka the best pre-made pizza crust I’ve ever had!
It’s imported from Italy which is why it’s probably so good and has pretty minimal ingredients that you can actually recognize (huge win).
This crust is the real deal. Since I’m not gluten intolerant, I’m going to have a good pizza crust once in a while because I love it too much and gluten-free pizza just doesn’t do it for me.
My favorite way to prepare it:
3 Cheese White Mushroom & Arugula Pizza
Recipe:
- 1 cup of white mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup of baby arugula
- 2 tablespoons (roughly) of mascrapone cheese
- 1/3 cup (roughly) of crumbled goat cheese
- Several pieces of shaved Parmesan cheese
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) and seat salt for seasoning
- Fried egg (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
- Place frozen pizza crust on a wire rack over a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes
- While pizza is cooking, add mushrooms to a medium heat pan with a teaspoon of oil and pinch of sea salt and cook until they shrink about half in size. Remove from heat.
- Add baby arugula to a bowl and toss with EVOO and a pinch of sea salt. Set aside.
- Remove pizza from oven once its has browned a little. Add a layer of mascarpone cheese, sautéed mushrooms, and crumbled goat cheese (in that order) and then turn broiler on and broil pizza for a few minutes on high (450-500 F) until nice and crispy on top, watching carefully so that it doesn’t burn.
- Remove pizza from oven and top with arugula and freshly shaved Parmesan cheese and serve.
- Optional: add a fried egg on top.
Favorite summer drink – homemade Margaritas
Summertime means the perfect time for some margaritas! I finally made my own fresh lime juice margaritas and I don’t think I’d ever go back to a pre-mix after trying these.
Made with just 4 ingredients, these Spicy Fresh Lime Juice Margaritas are so refreshing and have become my new go-to light summer drink
Recipe:
Makes 2 margaritas
- Juice of 3 limes and 1 lemon
- 1 ounce of filtered water
- 2 ounces (shots) of tequila infused with habanero or jalapeño peppers, (I used Tanteo Habanero Tequila )
- 1 tablespoon of honey or agave syrup
Directions:
- Add all ingredients to a mixer or blender and mix/shake well.
- Serve on ice with salt rimmed glasses (I used pink salt).
Now back to Trader Joe’s…
These Handmade Flour Tortillas are perfect for fajitas to compliment those margaritas and are next on the list of my favorites from June.
Similar to the pizza crust, I don’t eat these on a regular basis but when I want a good soft flour tortilla, this one tastes so fresh and doesn’t have any weird preservatives or trans fats. My favorite is to grill chicken, peppers and onions with a fajita seasoning and some avocado oil and then serve on these with guacamole and plain whole milk Greek yogurt.
Seasonal Produce
June would not be complete without some seasonal produce. It’s the official start of the farmer’s markets in Boston and also strawberry season.
Although strawberry season is coming to an end, other produce I am loving recently is local corn, beets, romaine, bok choy, cherries and blueberries. Here is a great Seasonal Food Guide to follow to see what is in season each month in your area.
I recommend buying your local produce from farmer’s that don’t spray their crops. And just because it doesn’t say organic doesn’t automatically mean they spray. Always ask in case you are not sure. We went to check out a new local farm near our house and they were not certified organic but were in the process of being certified.
Whole Milk Yogurt
If you have been following me on Instagram lately, you probably have seen me post about whole milk yogurt and how I have been eating it instead of non-fat. The simple reason for this is because the fat in whole milk helps keep me full longer. And eating fat does not make us fat. Fat just has more calories than protein and carbs (9 vs 4 calories per gram) which can add up if you eat too much of it. Another reason to eat full vs non-fat, is that fat can actually delay absorption of sugar (which milk contains in the form of lactose) and in turn, helps prevent blood sugar from rising.
More about why you may want to make the switch from fat-free/low-fat to full fat: 5 reasons to start eating full fat dairy according to science.
With summer in full swing, I’ve been adding fresh fruit to my whole milk yogurt (cherries, blueberries, strawberries). Siggi’s Whole Milk Yogurt with a Touch of Honey has been my go-to since its not too sweet as it only contains about 5 grams of sugar per serving. Plus, the full fat makes the yogurt less tangy and taste better.
Favorite Workouts
I always like to switch things up with my workouts each month so I don’t get bored. Here are the highlight from some of my favorite workouts this past month.
Barry’s Bootcamp classes (killer cardio & strength workout)
Barry’s never gets easier. Although I’ve been before, I took a break from Barry’s since ClassPass has been making it very difficult to get into a class and now their classes are like 19 points each–ridiculous!! Since I had a free class from their opening at Back Bay, I took full advantage and used it this is month. I love their Arms and Abs class. I find their lower body classes to be real tough given that half of the class focuses on treadmill work.
Lots of running & won my first 5k!
My husband and I signed up for a 5K that included a race with your dog and I came in first place (sans dog) and won lots of free dog stuff! This may be part of the reason why we ended up getting a dog. It was a small race, but even small victories should be celebrated.
Went for a 5 mile hike around the Reservoir
We have a gorgeous reservoir nearby and took full advantage of going for a nice hike around and got some beautiful pictures while there. I find walking/hiking to be such a great form of movement or exercise especially when the surroundings are so beautiful, you focus less on how your body is feeling or if it is getting tired and more on whats around you.
Strength Circuits
I love creating my own strength circuits, its a great way to workout when I am bored of running and don’t want to work out for longer than half an hour. The key is to take as little rest as possible in between each move. Here is one I tried and loved this month. The workout video is up on my IG stories.
Full Body Strength Circuit:
Complete two rounds of each circuit using a set of medium-to-heavy weights
Good reads & Podcasts
Reads:
Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer
- June was all about mental health awareness with the passing of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain. I highly recommend this book for anyone going through a tough time in their lives or just dealing with some stress and anxiety.
Podcasts:
If you like these favorite posts, I send them once a month to my subscribers and will never include things that are sponsored. Also, curious to know what your favorite thing about June was, comment below.
Happy July! We are off to a hot start…bring on the heat!
xoxo
Marisa
