Fashion Friday Feature: Fourth of July Festivities

Personally, I'm not one to buy themed or holiday clothing.  I prefer to spend my money on pieces that can be worn all season.  But that doesn't mean I don't like to look festive when holidays come around.  Instead, I take pieces that are versatile and put them together to make a "holiday look," like the one featured this week in our Fashion Friday Feature.

This patriotic outfit inspired by the Fourth of July can take you to any casual party, outdoors or in, as well as to watching fireworks or just hanging out with friends in the backyard.

5 Healthy Snack Recipes and Ideas for Families on the Go

My family members are big snackers.  They would prefer to eat a bag of cheese crackers instead of the healthy meals I cook for them.  So, having wholesome and delicious snack choices that are quick to grab and easy to take on the go are important to have on hand.  Over the years, I've compiled a list of our favorite easy snack recipes, which I've listed below.

One of our favorite healthy snacks is Energy Bites.  My girls do competitive gymnastics, so I feel good about sending these to fuel their bodies during practice.  I also love to eat them for a quick energy boost and to fight those mid-day hunger cravings.  Because they are easy to make and last a long time in the freezer, I make a big batch and we grab them when we need a healthy snack option.

I adapted this recipe from Princess Pinky Girl.  My daughters usually help me make these energy bites, and it is fun and quick.  Now they can pretty much make them themselves.

Chocolate Chip Energy Bites

1.  Heat 1 cup of Almond Butter (or your favorite nut butter) with 1/2 cup of honey in the microwave for 30-60 seconds, until you are able to easily mix the two ingredients together.

2.  In a medium-sized bowl, combine 3 cups of oats with the almond butter/honey mixture and stir.

3.  Add 1/3 cup of mini chocolate chips and stir again.  Refrigerate the mixture for an hour or more.

4.  Roll the mixture into balls, then place back into the refrigerator or the freezer in an airtight container.  Enjoy!

Favorite Easy Snacks

Peanut Butter Granola
Greek Yogurt with Fruit and a special ingredient
Apples, nut butter, and chocolate
Pumpkin Spice Cookie Dough Dip with apples or graham crackers
Energy Bites (recipe above)

Follow us on Pinterest, as we add to our Healthy Snacks board regularly.

For quick and easy meal preparation, read about my experience with Home Chef or check out this recipe for a White Chicken Chili in the Instant Pot.

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Fashion Friday Feature: Casual Summer BBQ

There's nothing better, in my opinion, than comfortable summer clothing.  But style does not have to be sacrificed to achieve that relaxed feeling.  This week, in our Fashion Friday Feature, we are showcasing an outfit that can be worn to any casual summer event, including a bar-b-que.  These pieces are versatile and can be mixed and matched with other items in your wardrobe as well.

A summer BBQ should be fun and not a place to stress over what you are wearing.  It's simple to look stylish and be comfortable when you put together easy pieces like these.

Striped Tank

This striped tank by Madewell is a summer staple.  I own this tank in white; it is stylish, comfortable and, best of all, lightweight, but not see-thru!  I'd like to have this tank in every color, including this striped version.  I love anything with stripes.

Scalloped Hem Shorts

How cute are these scalloped hem shorts?  I love the army green color, which can coordinate with so many other colors.  They are a neutral short, but the scalloped detail makes them special. 

Gladiator Sandals

These gladiator sandals are cute and this brand is notoriously comfortable.  The gladiator style adds a pop of a cool funky vibe to this ensemble. 

Woven Tote Bag

Straw and woven bags are hot this summer, and this one is unique and pretty.  It could be used as either a purse or beach bag or both! 

Pops of Color: Red Bracelet and Earrings

Adding a pop of color with accessories is a perfect way to jazz up an otherwise neutral outfit.  Red pairs perfectly with black and white, as well as the army green shorts.  This beaded bracelet is a pretty accent piece in red, and these Kendra Scott earrings are beautiful (and come in a variety of colors, including red), as her jewelry always is.


Click on the pieces below for more details:

I am naming this outfit "Casual Summer BBQ," but where I live, in the south, they call an event when someone grills outside, a "cook-out."   Where I am from, we use the term bar-b-que.  What do you call it?

For more style inspiration, check out other Fashion Friday Features: At the Beach or Pool and A Sunday Brunch Outfit.

We're hosting a #CuratingTheGoodLife Summer Instagram Challenge and would love for you to join us!  It's such fun to connect on Instagram and share new ideas.  Details can be found in this post.

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#CuratingTheGoodLIfe Instagram Challenge

We are very excited here at Living Young and Healthy to announce that we are hosting an Instagram Challenge with our founder, Leigh Hines from HinesSightBlog!

Instagram has become a go-to resource for people to connect with friends, to follow bloggers and influencers, and to gain new knowledge and insight.  Instagram Stories are also so much fun.  I love "getting to know" people by watching their stories.  And I learn a lot; from recipe ideas to fitness tips to fun activities to do with my children, Instagram can be a wealth of information.  If you are on Instagram, we would love to connect with you.  We are @LivingYoungHealthy and @HinesSightBlog.

#CuratingTheGoodLife

Now, on to the challenge.  It's a weekly challenge about how we go about curating a good life for ourselves.  Each week, there will be a new theme. To participate, all you have to do is post a photo or video to your feed or story that relates to the weekly subject.  Use the hashtag #CuratingTheGoodLife and tag both @LivingYoungHealthy and @HinesSightBlog so that we see it and can share our favorites.  It's that easy!

We've already planned out the weekly themes, and the graphic below explains them.  We hope you will join in the fun so that we can get to know you and also learn new ways to curate the good life for ourselves!

Will you play along and share your ideas for #curatingthegoodlife?  We can't wait to see what you post!

For more ways to curate the good life, check out our Friday Fashion Features and Healthy Living posts. 

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Stylish and Fashionable Reading Glasses for Any Woman

It's a fact of life that as we age, our eyesight changes.  Most people start to have difficulty seeing clearly at close distances.  Luckily, an easy fix is a pair of stylish and pretty reading glasses.  I've rounded up a collection of fashionable eyewear at every price point that will make any woman feel confident and attractive.