Ava and I spent the day together and went to the beach, it was lovely!

I am linking up with the WIAW crew to share with you a day of eats from Monday with my toddler around all day!

My morning started off WAY later then usual. After a weekend of less sleep Ava slept until 8am and I slept until 730am. This is totally rare but I loved it. It’s probably the latest I slept in a year. I started my morning with water and a little bit of coffee before realizing my stomach was grumbling. I quickly made 2 eggs with sauteed spinach & olive oil and a piece of whole grain toast (toast not pictured)

We took Cooper for a 25 minute walk and came home to quickly get ready for the beach. I made a Chocolate Shakeology with a banana and peanut butter to take with me in the car for a mid morning snack. I knew once we were at the beach I would be chasing Ava around so it would be tough to sit down and eat a snack.

It was a gorgeous day to be at the beach. There were barely any clouds and the water was crystal clear. Ava and I had fun playing in the sand and water for a couple of hours.

It was right around noon when Ava was getting tired so we headed to the showers to rinse off (there was about 2 lbs of sand in Ava’s hair. She thought it was funny to dump sand on her own head and there is definitely still some in there because it was nearly impossible to get it all out.

Lunch came around 1230. I had a big salad kale, cabbage, broccoli & brussel sprouts with avocado, tomatoes & grilled chicken plus some balsamic dressing. It was delicious and easy to throw together. I also snacked on some pumpkin seeds & cranberries.

Ava napped for quite a while and I managed to get a bunch of computer work done, plus laundry, a workout & a shower. I consider that to be productivity at its best. I wish I snapped a picture of myself after the workout because sweat was falling off my chin and my elbows. Kinda gross but kinda bad A$$.

I refueled after my workout with a greek yogurt plus a cup of blueberries and a random 1/2 sweet potato with butter!

Marc told me he wanted burgers for dinner and I was feeling him on that one. It was 90 degrees out so I didn’t want to turn the oven on. While I made dinner I snacked on some cucumbers.

I decided to do a burger lettuce wrap with another 1/2 sweet potato and lots of yellow squash sautéed in olive oil. This was the juiciest burger I’ve had all summer and I’m so glad I could taste all the flavors. The bun usually takes some of that away!

Because I love night time snacks I filled up 2 bowls… one with fresh peaches and the other with honey nut cheerios.

YUM! I thank Ava for making me buy cheerios, they are a great crunchy snack.

This was a great day of food for me and it was all fresh, clean & simple eats!

What is your go to night time snack? I love popcorn!

Have you ever tried a burger in a lettuce wrap? It’s so tasty, I highly recommend it!

Are you ever looking for an easy, healthy lunch or dinner idea? My go to family summer meal is BBQ pulled chicken.  Click on that link for a simple recipe!

It is SO yummy and goes perfectly with some cold cole slaw. You can even toss it over a large salad for more veggies.

This batch was made by my mom so it was a double win for me!! Make sure to choose a BBQ sauce that does not have ADDED SUGAR. Whole foods sells some great BBQ sauces.

Also for the cole slaw dressing. Try making it at home, that way you can control the ingredients and again that unwanted sugar. Here is a SIMPLE & EASY recipe for Homemade Cole Slaw Dressing.

What is your go to summer meal?

If you have never had strawberries in a salad before, PLEASE try it. The sweetness of the strawberries goes great with the salty gorgonzola cheese, yum!!!

Strawberry & Avocado Tossed Salad with Gorgonzola Cheese

Ingredients:

• sliced strawberries
• about 4 cups spring mix salad blend
• 1/2 avocado, cut into chunks
• 1/2 cucumber sliced
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 container of grape tomatoes
• 1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese
• balsamic dressing your choice (drizzled over the top)

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl toss together and serve! (serves about 2) Simple & Easy!!

(this salad picture is without the dressing) Over the salad we had some Olive OIl & Herbed chicken thighs. It was so light, healthy, & tasty!

Do you have any favorite salad combos?? Please share!