Happy July everyone! Can you believe we are more than half-way through 2016. That is just mind-blowing to me. But that just means we are one step close to my summer vacay, one step closer to my Adam's birthday and one step closer to Christmas!

Today, I am dreaming about those careless days of summer and what I would be doing if I had all the vacation days in the world. Because let's be honest, summer isn't what it used to be.

Remember being in college when you had 3+ months off (besides that perfect internship) and you could go to the beach at 2pm on a Tuesday? Those were the days. Now, it's all summertime in the city. Denver isn't a bad city to do summer in, but it doesn't compare to those Malibu beach days of my good ole' college years.

Adam and I are escaping the 90+ degree heat of Denver in a few weeks to zip away to Lake Tahoe. Land of 80 degree days and 60 degree nights. Tons of sunshine, boat rides, paddle-boards and cocktails. Lake Tahoe holds a special place in my heart because I've been going since I was 8 years old and have missed maybe 3 years ever. It's my escape from life.

It's one of my favorite places in the world.


If you need to find the PERFECT place to find your favorite place, I suggest going here --> The biggest list of getaways you will find!

This year we're heading up with a bunch of family for a little weekend reunion. I'm more than excited. The countdown on my phone says 19 DAYS until we go. Hallelujah. Let's do this.

In preparation for my beach trip and all the beach trips you hopefully have planned, I created a little checklist for ya. These are the five necessities for any great beach vacay.

1. Something to blast the jams. If you don't have a Bose or the like, I suggest you get one! Here is the Bose one I have and its amazing! Might I suggest putting Hailee Steinfeld on your playlist? 
2. Delicious cocktails are a must. Need I say more? What is better than cool water, hot sun and a cold cocktail. This is my heaven. 
3. Sunscreen. I used to think it was cool to fry my body, be tan and look good. Now, skin cancer, sun spots, wrinkles and all the horrible stuff that comes with sun is on my mind. You can enjoy the hot sun without having it on your bod. This hat from Nordstrom is my favorite or this one! 
4. Friends. Duh. I LOVE sand volleyball more than anything! It's so fun! 
5. A great magazine or a great book. I'm reading People Magazine (duh) and the newest Elin Hilderbrand book, Here's to Us. It's so good. I'm obsessed with her.

It's 72 degrees, the sun is shining and I was craving a bomb salad. My favorite type of salad is one with 1000 veggies, a great dressing and some spicy chicken. This recipe is SO easy... so easy in fact that Adam and I have made it three times in the past week. Don't judge.

I hope you are all enjoying the spring weather, or I at least hope you're not still getting inches and inches of snow. Come on Mother Nature! It's time for summer salads, summer drinks and sunshine!

Ingredients:
Salad

• Lettuce
• Red onion
• Tomatos
• Green Bell Peppers
• Avocado
• Cucumber 
• Chicken, cut into pieces
• And literally any other veggie you can find

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup plain almond milk
• 4 teaspoons ground flaxseed
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• dab of honey
• 1 small garlic clove
• pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

How to make: 

1. For the salad, clean and cut up all veggies. I love a chopped salad, so I chop everything including my lettuce. 
2. For the chicken, thaw, cut into chunks, sprinkle with salt, pepper and chili powder. Salute in a large pan for about 10-12 minutes, flipping occasionally. 
3. For the dressing, throw everything in a blender and blend until desired thickness. I added a titch more milk to thin it out. I let the dressing sit for about an hour in the fridge to let it all blend together.