Happy Independence Day

4th of July

Tomorrow is Independence Day! This calls for sunshine, barbecues, and fireworks! How my family celebrates Independence Day is pretty typical. We have a barbecue at my grandmother's cabin which sits on a fishing lake. We light off fireworks, swim, eat, and all in all enjoy each other's company. In this post, I will tell you all about how I celebrate the the Fourth of July. Including awesome recipes for food/drinks I'll make, what I pack in my beach bag, a playlist to listen to, and what's going in my cooler. 

When it comes to food, it's no secret that my family delivers. However, healthy eating and my family barbecues aren't even in the same galaxy. This year, I'll be expecting at least 7 different potato salads, 6 different flavors of ribs, and enough desserts to feed the US military. Celebrations with an array of food, like this, are hard on a girl who's trying to slim down this summer. Therefore, this year I'll be making Fruit Kabobs! If you think this sounds simple then...you're absolutely right. I've never been much of a Betty Crocker in the kitchen therefore when it comes to cooking or baking I'm always taking the easy way out.

For this recipe you'll need:

• 1 pack of fresh strawberries
• 1 pack of fresh blueberries 
• 1 bag of large marshmellows
• 1 pack of kabob sticks (there should be a pack of 12 or 24 depending on how large you want to go)

The steps to this recipe are fairly simple. Arrange the strawberries, blueberries, and marshmellows on the kabob sticks to look like the American flag. THE END!!! Your kabob sticks should turn out like this:

When it comes to drinks, I'm planning on making some amazing punch for myself for when I don't feel like drinking beer anymore. I decided to go for a non alcoholic punch because I'm always up for sharing and some of my family members don't like alcohol. Here's the recipe for some Tropical Rainbow Punch.

• 4 cups of diet Ginger Ale
• 4 cups of pineapple and orange juice drink
• 3 cups of rainbow sherbet (optional)

I know ice cream melts like crazy so in punch I will probably decide to leave the sherbet out. But basically all you need to do is combine the ginger ale and the juice in a large pitcher and add ice! You're punch should look like this: 

The lake is a perfect setting for swimming, barbecues and family time. When it comes to hanging out down there, I have a tendency to be over ambitious in my packing. I pack my running shoes to go job around the lake, but let's be real. I'll probably just end up frying laying on the beach with no motivation to run. Lately, I've been getting better at only packing the necessities which has really helped to lighten the load. Here's what I put in my beach bag.

• My swim suit and towel (duh. You're going to the lake!)
• Sunglasses (again...Duh.) 
• Tanning lotion (it really does help! Also, it has a little bit of protection so you're not completely blocking out the sun rays or burning your skin). 
• Tumbler (I picked up a cheap tumbler from Walmart so I didn't have to use one of my expensive water bottles to drink out of. Walmart has some cute summer designs too!)
• Hair ties and bobby pins (girl's best friend. fo real). 
• Baseball cap (this is the best way for me to cover up my nasty post lake swimming hair. Not to mention, it protects my face from the sun!)
• Change of clothes (just in case!)

I feel like lake and beach time screams country music. (Or maybe that's just my taste in music). Here's my Independence Day playlist! 

As I conclude this post, please remember to drink responsibly. Have fun, but don't drink and drive! Happy Fourth of July everyone! Let's celebrate this awesome country we're living in!!!