Best Salad EVER + Some Fashion News

Ok, let’s zip right through the mid-morning snack, because I have some exciting food & news to share!

Mid-morning, I cured my tummy grumbles with a BlueBran VitaTop, which I heated in the microwave for about 25 seconds.  It was scrumptious!  Cody was obviously too sleepy to attempt to eat this one — I think he’s still tired out from his overnight adventure from this weekend! 😉

While out running some errands, I also grabbed a little iced coffee pick-me-up. (Still no Splenda – HOLLA!) 😀

Lunch

Salads are delicious, and I could probably eat them everyday if it wasn’t for the mere fact that I hate making them.  Normally, my favorite saying is “salads always taste better when someone else makes them” — but that is sooooo not the case today!

First things first, I love fruit in my salads.  Adding the sweet, sometimes tart flavors to an otherwise crisp, veggie-filled bowl totally does it for me.  For some people, such as the hubby, the thought of any fruit in salad (even dried cranberries – he’s nuts) makes him gag.  Well not me!

One of my favorite restaurants, Panera Bread, carries a seasonal Strawberry Poppyseed & Chicken Salad that totally rocks my socks, and I decided it was time to try a little re-creation at home.  (It is sweltering hot in this house right now, so anything remotely warm was out of the question, and just thinking about a cool, crisp, sweet salad literally had my mouth salivating.)

Courtney’s Berry-Tastic Poppyseed & Chicken Salad

Using some romaine as a base, I filled my salad with fresh Farmers Market strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, grilled chicken, crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese, & a tbsp of homemade honey poppyseed dressing.  The poppyseed dressing was super simple and easy to make:

Honey Poppyseed Dressing

1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

1/6 cup honey

1/8 cup lemon juice

1 tbsp poppyseeds

Mix all together – shake well before using.

On the side, I also enjoyed some Livin’ Spoonful crackers.

All on my new placemats I picked up today!  They were only $1.00 each and I was really in need of something a little more summery! 8)

Lunch was an all-star today – hands down!

Fashion Friday – How Are YOU a Fashionista??

So as I mentioned earlier, I had some thoughts this morning while running and I’m really excited to see where this will go…

As you know, every Friday is “Fashion Friday” here at STSL, and my topics have ranged anywhere from wardrobe basics, to color matching, to skin care.  While it’s super fun to share all of my different ideas of fashion and beauty, I think it would be every MORE FUN to see what all of YOU think!

So, here’s the big idea:

We are ALL a fashionista in some form or another.  There is no mold to try to fill, no boundaries, no limits.  The only common factor that I have here is that being a fashionista means you are completely comfortable, confident, and feeling like your most fabulous self.

So perhaps you feel most fashionista-like when you’re wearing that sexy LBD out on date night?  Maybe it’s when you’re sporting your fave pair of heels.  Maybe it’s when you’re in your favorite pair of jeans & a t-shirt, or quite possibly, your comfy pj’s while lounging on the couch?  Could it be when you put on that new lip gloss you just bought?  Or maybe it’s showing off those strong, toned arms in your fave workout gear…

Whatever it is, I want to know – How Are YOU A Fashionista????

So here’s how it will work:

1. Think about what it is that makes you feel like the most fabulous fashionista that you are. 🙂
2. Email me @ sweettoothcourtney@gmail.com with your answer.
3. If you want, feel free to send along a picture of yourself or whatever it is you’d like to share, along with your response.
4. On Friday, I will devote my “Fashion Friday” post to all of you fabulous fashionistas out there, with a compilation of everyone’s answers.  Then, we can all see what makes us all our most fabulous selves!

There is absolutely NO judging here, so don’t be afraid to submit your answer!  We are all strong, confident, beautiful women here, and we should proud of who we are!

The deadline to submit your response will be Thursday, July 1st at 2pm.

I’m really hoping that we’ll get some takers on here, so spread the word!!  This could end up being one really fun post!

Love  you all! 😀