Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July!  I love this holiday, so many BBQ's, outdoor fun, and tons of great food. 

It's been such a great weekend so far so let me recap what we have been up to for the past 2 days. 

Saturday morning I woke up to the ideal running conditions.  It couldn't have been better, so I enjoyed all 6 miles of my run. 

When I got back, I whipped up a very patriotic bowl of banana oats. 

Whipped Banana Oats with Berries, Vanilla Chobani and Granola 

Beautiful grapefruit and strawberries

I ran lots of errands all morning and when I got back, I realized Toly took the camera with him to Atlantic City for the day.  He planned an impromptu trip with his dad yesterday so I was on my own.  I went over to Jen's later for a lovely girls night where we enjoyed wine on her deck, a very tasty vegetable soup that I made, and some delicious bread pudding.  Unfortunately, I have nothing to show for it because she couldn't find her camera and I was without.  Oh well, it was a wonderful time even if you do have to imagine it. 

This morning, Toly and I slept in a little and woke up for Sunday Morning Breakfast. 

Pancakes today! 

Banana Raspberry Pancakes

I topped mine with a little Raspberry Chobani, Dark Chocolate Almond Butter and Granola. 

Today, we had plans with Toly's family for a picnic and BBQ at the lake. 

I contributed to the food with a very tasty fruit bruchetta

And you are never going to believe this but I BAKED something and they were OUT OF THIS WORLD good! 

Vegan Coconut Bars

Adapted from this recipe 

I'm not gonna lie, I had a few mishaps while preparing these and my kitchen was a complete mess (I have issues when it comes to baking), but in the end, they were probably one of the best things I have ever baked.  

We arrived at the lake before noon and went straight to the beach. 

It was hot and crowded but it was the closest we have gotten to a beach all summer and I'll take it! 

We didn't last very long in the heat and headed back to camp for some food and drink. 

Mama P floored me when she pulled this out of the cooler and asked me if I wanted any Kombucha! 

She made it herself!!  What?  Seriously, I've been paying my entire paycheck on a few bottles of this stuff a week and my wonderful MIL makes her own!  How awesome is that! 

It tasted great!  Just like the one you buy in the store. 

Toly and his dad were in charge of the meat, naturally. 

"Sashlik" (Kaebobs) 

Burgers and Salmon (Veggie Burger was all mine!)

My plate

Also enjoyed corn on the cob and tons of watermelon.  Mmmm, perfect BBQ food! 

Everything was great.  It's always such a blast hanging out with Toly's family. 

 His Aunt Tanya (who reads my blog everyday, Hi Tanya!) 

My father in law really seemed to like Tanya's hat and thought he looked much better in it. 

What a ham!  

What a fantastic 4th of July.  Now, we're just hanging out and getting ready to watch Entourage later.  Tomorrow is another weekend day!  Plans include, early morning run and Zumba class, Pool, and some more grilling.  The fun never ends! :) 

Hope you all had an incredible 4th of July!