{green smoothie recipe // with Target}

This post was sponsored by Target.

Is it just me, or has summer not slowed down life one bit? I feel like I am busier than ever at a time of the year that used to be reserved for days upon days of beachside lounging. (I’m obviously referring to back in high school before real life started, when summertime meant your most important decisions were picking out a swimsuit.) Busy days mean I end up staying up a lot later than usual, so I try to grab as much sleep in the morning as possible—which means I have to streamline my morning routine. 

The biggest time-saver routine I started a few months ago is using my Sunday afternoons to spend about 15 to 20 minutes prepping ready-to-go smoothie packs for the week. I pick up all the fresh ingredients I need for a morning smoothie from Target and pre-package them into quart-sized Ziploc bags, and then toss them in the freezer. The only prep I do each weekday morning is to throw the contents of the Ziploc into our Vitamix and transfer it to a plastic to-go cup! It’s actually shocking how quickly I can whip up a delicious smoothie for breakfast! Here’s my go-to green smoothie recipe:

Green Smoothie X (serves 2)

2 handfuls of spinach or kale (Or both! Because why not?)

2 tablespoons blueberries (about 10 blueberries)

1 banana

2 dates (these are for sweetness, so feel free to add agave nectar or stevia or whatever sweetener you prefer)

1 heaping tablespoon chia seeds

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I like a little spice in my smoothie; if you can't hang with spicy, then I would leave this out)

1 scoop Vega One natural-flavor protein powder

16-oz cups coconut water (the amount you put in will depend on how liquidy you prefer your smoothie)

Instructions: Simply freeze all the ingredients except the coconut water and protein powder in a quart-sized Ziploc bag. In the morning, just toss the contents of the bag in the blender, top with protein powder and coconut water, blend well, transfer to a to-go cup, and proceed to get after your day!

What time-saving tricks do you have for a summer on the run? 

What’s your #TargetRun?

{Quick Grilled Appetizer with Target}

This post is sponsored by Target.

Between weddings, birthday parties and general summer get-togethers (and even a few Palm Springs trips) my summer weekends are almost booked solid.  And that means I don’t have a ton of time to be prancing around my kitchen making 3 hour long dishes for visiting guests or to bring to a BBQ so I am always on the lookout for easy yet impressive recipes.   While out for drinks with a friend a few weeks back, we had this amazing appetizer of char-grilled watermelon and burrata topped with a simple yet spicy jalapeño vinaigrette on a bed of arugula.  The flavors were light and fresh while still being interesting beyond the normal (aka boring) summer salad, plus there was a hefty amount of cheese included so that’s not hurting anybody!

On a Target run last week, I decided to grab all the necessary ingredients to try to copycat the dish for some visiting friends.  I switched out the burrata for fresh mozzarella balls.  I had fully intended to put the dish on a bed of arugula, but completely forgot to add it in the rush of getting the house, myself and the dish ready before guests arrived.  For the jalapeño vinaigrette, I finely chopped half a jalapeño and let it “steep” in extra virgin olive oil for about 20 minutes then drained the oil to drizzle on top of the finished dish along with some smoked Maldon sea salt.

The best part about this dish is by far the grilled watermelon so make sure to save this part for right before your guests arrive.  The crisp fresh flavor of the watermelon is intact, but heightened by the slight warmth and smoke flavor from the grill.  If you don’t want to fire up the grill just for a simple dish you, can you use a cast iron griddle pan like this to achieve the same effect.

Do you have an easy go-to summer dish that can be picked up and assembled at a moment’s notice? 

What’s on your #TargetRun?

{Poolside Essentials with Target}

This post is sponsored by Target.

Well guys- this past weekend marks the official start of summer, so hopefully your closet is filled with an arsenal of bikinis and the beach bag is sitting by your front door ready to roll!   Whether it’s a random 90 degree day in February or the normal scorching LA summer days, I would consider myself an expert at packing a poolside bag to stay cool in the heat year round.  Before our impromptu stay at The Parker Palm Springs last weekend, I made sure to re-stock all my favorite summer essentials on a quick Target run.  If you are like me, you go to Target for some toothpaste, black out and wake up 20 minutes later with a cart filled with goodies.   This trip was no exception; I went in with a small list of items to pick up like sunscreen and some green juice, but I completely blacked out upon entering and bought a new set of sheets and a side table I plan to spray paint white (this one to be exact!) in addition to all my favorite poolside essentials. 

Here’s what I stock in my pool bag:

1.     Sunscreen: I burn in about 2 minutes flat.  Coola is one of my favorite brands of sunscreen- mostly because it smells delicious, but it can get a bit pricey so I was SUPER happy to see Target’s got a budget friendly version by them calledBare for the summer.

2.     Pacifica Coconut Face Wipes- I keep these in my purse regularly –they’re super refreshing for those moments when you have basically sweat half your make up off and need to reset.

3.     Suja juice- Target carries two of my fave Suja juices- this one is like a spicy lavender lemonade and it only has 10 calories.

4.     EOS mini lotion – this is hands down the best shape for a space-saving purse sized lotion and equally important to its size is that it smells delicious.

5.     Frozen Green Grapes- there is no better snack than crisp frozen green grapes to graze on while you work on your tan.

6.     Travel Pack of Roasted Almonds- good to fend off getting hangry.

7.     Starbucks Doubleshots- because #COFFEE.

8.     Misc Make up bag stuff: travel advil, mini altoids, Caudalie facial spray, tinted lip balm, mini perfume rollerball, alligator clip

9.     Portable charger- Instagram can really suck your battery. It’s a problem.

Do you have any fave poolside essentials (besides obviously a delicious margarita)?!

What’s your #TargetRun?