Romantic Summertime Picnic with OLD BAY

As we get ready for the baby to come in just a few short weeks, we've tried to take in everyone's advice on what to do before the baby arrives. One of the most popular suggestions? Spend more time together.

Since then, the hubby and I have been trying to be more intentional about making time for each other, whether that be a movie night or cooking a dish together.

On a particularly gorgeous afternoon last week, we decided to have a romantic little picnic together. It's sort of our go-to when it comes to beautiful days...even during our dating years, we'd head into Georgetown, pick up picnic essentials at a market, and picnic on the canal.

But these days, it's a bit harder to maneuver around, so we had a home cooked picnic in our own backyard. And because OLD BAY had sent over some of their seasoning, I was feeling extra inspired to incorporate into a few of the dishes! Here's what we made:

Deviled Eggs:
To be honest, I had never made these before, but I LOVE eating them. I thought using OLD BAY's seasoning would add a fun twist to the recipe we found online, and they turned out amazing! The hubby loved them.

Fresh Fruit:
I have been craving fruit extra hard this summer, so Shawn picked up an amazing watermelon and blueberries at the farmer's stand on his way home from work that week.

Zucchini Salad:
We're growing zucchinis in our garden this year, so I thought they'd be fun to incorporate into our picnic too! I sautéed up some zucchini squash and set it in the fridge so it'd be nice and cool for our picnic. I added a bit of OLD BAY seasoning to it for a little extra added kick!

Macarons:
I had gotten some macarons from Laduree a few days before, and with my recent sweet tooth, they made the perfect dessert for our backyard picnic date!

Popcorn:
As an ode to the hubby's family owning a movie theater, I thought it'd be fun to have popcorn for our picnic too! But since we are trying to be healthier for the baby, I made an all natural popcorn and added the OLD BAY to bring the flavors to life! (I got this trick from a restaurant near by work that does the same thing!)

A Simple Mocktail:
Since my usual picnic drink was off the table (aka wine), I made a fun mocktail for us. I just used a pear grapefruit soda, tonic, ice, and a sprig of lavender for aesthetics. I wanted to add some of the blueberries to this too, but totally forgot. (#pregnancybrain)

This summer, OLD BAY wants you to help us show how the D.C. area does #OLDBAYOurWay. #OLDBAYOurWay is a summer-long local contest for loyal fans in Baltimore and D.C. to show how they’re celebrating summer together with OLD BAY. Share your favorite moments of summer with OLD BAY on Instagram, using the hashtag #OLDBAYOurWay, for a chance to win a season’s supply of OLD BAY seasoning and swag! Find all the official rules here!

This post was done in partnership with OLD BAY. Be sure to follow along on their social channels (Instagram/Facebook) for the latest recipe ideas and ways to celebrate the summer!

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Bourbon Cocktail

We have a new Saturday night tradition over in the It's Julien household - cocktail crafting! This is pretty new for us, but we've taken quite a liking to it. I figured since we were making them ANYWAY, I'd share our first one with you!

Vault 93:
4 oz 1893 Pepsi (SO GOOD - this kind has Kola Nut Extract, Dark Brown Malt Flavor, A Touch of Aromatic Bitters, Sparkling Water & Real Sugar)
1.5 oz Bulleit Bourbon
A few dashes of orange bitters (we love these from this local company, Embitterment!)
Orange peel

Also - we just bought these SUPER pretty whiskey glasses and they're on sale at Design Within Reach!

My Favorite Green Smoothie Recipe

Ever since my journey to clean eating started last year, I've been living for green smoothies. We even bought a smoothie app to try 30 new ones one month! To my surprise, I actually started craving green smoothies! And after LOTS of trial and error, I developed my own recipe and wanted to share it with you!

Julien's Favorite Green Smoothie Recipe
5 large frozen strawberries
1 banana
1 cup of almond milk
2 handfuls of spinach
1 tablespoon of chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 scoop of Collagen Beauty Greens from Vital Proteins

Mix together in a NutriBullet. Pour into the cutest glass you own. Garnish with coconut shreds and a pink straw (a leftover from our wedding 3 years ago haha!) Grab the cutest marble tray you can find.  Finally post to Instagram to show everyone how healthy you are.

But guess what, friends? Healthy doesn't mean you're doomed to eat tasteless food. In fact, this smoothie is packed with awesome flavors - besides the obvious fruit, I added in a spoonful of coconut vanilla flavored protein powder because it adds such dimension to the drink. I hadn't tried protein powder before, but I'm always up for trying something new. So when Vital Proteins asked if I wanted to try their Collagen Beauty Greens, I couldn't say no! Plus, anything good enough for Jennifer Aniston is good enough for me!

And - I don't know about you - but my schedule is pretty hectic. Anything that can hit two birds with one stone is a winner in my book. The Collagen Beauty Greens protein powder not only stays with you through the morning, but it has a TON of beauty benefits. It enhances your skin's glow, elasticity, and smoothness...plus it prevents signs of aging. If that doesn't convince you, here are some more benefits of collagen:

1. Prevent the onset signs of aging – By increasing skin moisture levels, the onset of lines and wrinkles diminish.
2. Reverse the signs of aging – Not only does collagen prevent the signs of aging, it can actually reverse some signs of aging such as fine lines, deep wrinkles and reduced elasticity. A 2014 clinical study taking collagen peptides showed a significant improvement in skin elasticity and moisture.
3. Improve digestion – Two ways collagen helps digestion: 1) collagen supports hydrochloric acid production in our stomach, which makes digesting easier. 2) Collagen helps to repair the sensitive lining and infrastructure of our stomach, and small/large intestines. Improving digestion has also been known to improve skin issues such as acne, eczema and rosacea.
4. Strengthen hair and nails – Collagen protein is the foundation of your hair and nails. Loyal collagen consumers notice that their hair and nails grow faster, stronger and more luscious. This is often the first noticeable benefits of many from regular collagen intake.

For more yummy inspiration, be sure to check out their blog! And with only one week until Memorial Day weekend (and a fun trip to Orlando!), I'll be adding this to my smoothies on the daily. Because this suit isn't going to wear itself. ;) 

This post was sponsored by Vital Proteins. All opinions are my own. And my opinion is that the Vital Proteins' Collagen Beauty Greens are simply the best. :)

From the Farmer

Ever since starting my journey with clean eating last year, I’ve been a changed person. My energy levels are higher than ever, I actually CRAVE vegetables, and my skin has become so much more vibrant. Combined with working out, I’ve never felt better about myself.

But the holidays were rough on me. While I still stuck to the core of clean eating, I definitely indulged quite a bit. When it’s cold, out come the creamy mashed potatoes and crock pot mac and cheese. Old habits die hard…and to be honest, I was getting a bit bored of making the same 10 recipes over and over again…

When From the Farmer, a weekly farm-fresh delivery service reached out, I knew they’d be instrumental in helping my break out of my comfort foods rut. Even though you can go online to choose what veggies and fruits you want in your next bag, I wanted to try a little bit of everything they were offering! So in my bag, I got spinach, apples, beets (YES!), potatoes, apple cider (SCORE), oranges, lettuce, stir fry greens, brussels sprouts and sunchokes. Not only that, but they sent the sweetest welcome box with tons of goodies inside like locally made cookies, hand-packed granola (from my good friends over at Greenheart Organic!) and the tastiest jams!

I couldn’t wait to dive into the bag and start playing around with new recipes! Luckily for me, they send out a list of tasty recipes in their weekly emails that include the fruits and veggies of that week! I roasted up some beets with goat cheese and sautéed greens, drizzled some honey on my roasted brussel sprouts and ACTUALLY ate an apple a day (they were the best apples I’ve ever eaten, BTW.)

Aside from the regular delivery, you can do add-ons like fresh meat, eggs and other specialty produce! We ordered the Maple Sage Breakfast Sausage around New Year’s since we were having guests stay at our home and they were FLOORED with how tasty they were (I didn’t get to try any unfortunately since I’m vegetarian, but they smelled so good I almost caved!)

Another thing that really sets this service apart is their huge delivery area. I mean, they deliver ALL THE WAY out to the outskirts of Loudoun County! I don’t know of any other companies who do that.

If you want to try From the Farmer, you can get 20% off your first four deliveries! Just use code:
itsjulien2016

From the Farmer sent me four weeks of produce to try, but all opinions are my own.

Rustic Winter Salad

As the winter months drudge on, it gets harder and harder to pass on the carbs. Lately, all I want to do is curl up in a blanket, eat macaroni and cheese, and wear sweat pants all day. But alas, life doesn't exactly work that way So instead, I've been on the hunt to find and create really tasty healthier alternatives to comfort foods. 

This salad is one of my favorites to make any time of year, but especially in the winter. The mix of kale with beets and goat cheese is just magical. 

Ingredients:
2-3 medium-sized beets (opt for golden beets if you want to avoid the mess!)
Squirt of lemon juice
A few leaves of kale
Pomegranate seeds
Goat cheese
Olive oil

Instructions:
1. Boil the beets (if you're in a hurry) or roast them (my preference) if you have a good hour to spare (which I typically don't)
2. Massage 2-3 leafs of kale with olive oil and lemon juice. This step is a game changer. I never ate kale raw because the texture is SO rough, and maybe I'm late to the game, but massaging the kale for just a minute changes the kale completely. It's a beautiful thing.
3. Drain the beets, place onto kale, and add pomegranate seeds and goat cheese. Enjoy :)