Things Loved Lately- July

Here are some things I was crushing on in July (but still love today!).

Trader Joe's Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

I picked up some of this milk on a trip to TJ's because we were out of our normal brand. We've noticed that the vanilla taste is much stronger and the milk is creamy and rich tasting.

Trader Joe's Garlic & Herb Pizza Dough

This makes having homemade pizza more exciting in my opinion.  The crust is full of delicious herbs and spices and can be made into breadsticks or rolls as well as pizza crust.

Stok Cold Brewed Ice Coffee

Cold brew seems to be the 'thing' now in iced coffee but it can get expensive if you're always ordering it out at a coffee shop.   I found this brand in the supermarket in the refrigerated section.  It's got a strong, smooth taste and a less expensive option.

IPhone Silicone Kick Stand

I found a little kick stand for my phone at a store in Jim Thorpe, PA.  It's lightweight and portable and comes in handy whenever I need my phone to stand upright. Lately I've been using it to do Barre3 workouts online.

What have you been crushing on lately?

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{Project 52} Weeks 22 - 28

 22|52 Summer

 23|52 Fun

 24|52 Father

 25|52 Hot

 26|52 Silhouette

 27|52 Messy

28|52 Water

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{Recipe} Easy Bean Burgers - Vegan and Oil Free

Lately I've been experimenting with homemade veggie burgers.  I like knowing exactly what's in them and keeping the ingredients as healthy as possible while not sacrificing taste.

These Easy Bean Burgers could also be called Pantry Burgers because they can be made almost completely out of things from your pantry.  You could whip these up on a busy weeknight because you probably have all of the ingredients on hand.  Meatless Monday or any day of the week.

 Let's get to the recipe, shall we?

Easy Bean Burgers:

{makes about 7 burgers}

1-2 cans of beans (I prefer 2 cans and one of them should be kidney beans for their 'meatier' texture)

1 cup dried oats (use gluten free oats if needed)

1 cup cooked brown rice

1/4-1/2 cup sauce of choice (salsa, tomato sauce, ketchup or a combo of them all)

Seasonings: garlic powder, onion powder, organic no-salt seasoning, salt & pepper

 Start by rinsing and draining the beans well (until no more bubbles appear on the beans).

Put the beans in a bowl and mash with a potato masher (you can also use a food processor but just be careful not to over process--you want some chunks).  Add the oats, rice and sauce(s). I used a combo of salsa, tomato sauce and ketchup.  Stir to combine.   Add seasonings, I used about 1 teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, organic no-salt seasoning, salt & pepper. Stir in the seasonings.

Use your hands to form about 7 patties, you could get more or less depending on how big you make them. Cover the patties and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes or more (this helps them firm up).

 I cooked mine on the panini press but they can be grilled, fried or baked as well. If you bake them, use a Silpat liner on your baking sheet or parchment paper to keep the burgers from sticking.

 The panini press kind of smushed my burgers and they turned out a bit flat but still flavorful.

I also cooked some in a skillet on the stove and they kept their burger shape better. Through trial and error, my favorite way to cook them is on our electric skillet. I still haven't tried the grill though. #summerfail Cook about 6 minutes per side being careful when flipping them, they are fragile and can fall apart.

 I had my burger on toasted Ezekial bread since we didn't have any hamburger buns.

Add your favorite toppings and enjoy!  They are also really good cold the next day in a salad or sandwich.

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Linking up:
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Cooking and Crafting with J & J

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{Travel} Practice College Drop Off

The high school years are definitely flying by and before we know it, we'll be dropping Miss High School off at college (sniff sniff). 

 We all got a little taste of what it will be like when she participated in a weeklong summer business "camp".

On drop off day we did our first real college tour with her (not counting the ones she tagged along for of her sister's).  

 This was where she'd be staying for a week with a bunch of strangers.

 The college campus was quite pretty and not too big.

 After the tour we went back to her dorm so she could unpack and set up her room a little.

 If you're interested in the program she participated in, you can check it out here.  From their website:

"Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week (PFEW) is a one-of-a-kind summer program that offers in-coming high school juniors and seniors a unique and challenging opportunity to see what it is like to run their own business. 

Participants will make up an "imaginary" management team where they will learn first-hand about the Free Enterprise System. Their task - turn their failing company into a financial success! They will develop their own marketing strategies, design a website and in essence, make all of the decisions that are demanded of real life company executives. All work and no fun--NO WAY! PFEW provides students with a chance like no other - to experience what it is like to live on a college campus."

 Gotta love those non air conditioned college dorms! We were able to take her out for a quick lunch before the introduction presentation began.  We were instructed to say our goodbyes before the presentation because they'd be leaving directly from there to begin their assignment.

It brought back memories of dropping off our oldest at college but thankfully this was only for a week, not four years!  To console ourselves we stopped for dinner and a little sightseeing on the way home.  This was my bruschetta appetizer (it should have been my dinner!).

 We also stopped at this scenic overlook called Bald Eagle Mountain Overlook.

We were the only people there so we had the view to ourselves.   It was a 3+ hour drive so we had to get back home but we knew we wanted to explore more of the area on our next visit. To be continued...

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