Exciting News!!!!

Remember how I told you we had bought some pepper plants......?????? PEPPERS ARE ACTUALLY STARTING TO GROW!!!! I just found them while I was watering the plants. I'm soooooo excited! Take a look at these beauties!

Aren't they beautiful! I can't wait til they are big enough to eat! I also can't wait until I can have an actual garden! I never thought I'd be the gardening type, but there is something about growing your own food that really appeals to me. Its really satisfying to be able to pick a few basil leaves and add them to whatever I'm making, I'm sure it will be the same with the peppers. This was definitely a happy Monday moment for me! I hope you all found something happy about your Monday too!

A couple of my favorite summer things!

 My first favorite summer thing is cucumber water. You wouldn't think putting a few slices of cucumber in a pitcher of water would really do much, but it really does. It is so refreshing! The veggies leave just a hint of cucumber taste that really make plain boring water a little more refreshing. You really could go crazy with "flavoring" your water, add a little lemon juice, mint, and or stevia leaf with the cucumbers and you'd have a completely different taste. If you have trouble drinking your 8 glasses a day, you should really try this. Its helped me, plus if one of the cucumber slices ends up in your glass, its like a little snack after you finish your water :)                                    
               

My second favorite summer thing would probably have be black bean salad. It doesn't require cooking of any kind, which is fantastic when its 95 degrees with no breeze and you don't have air conditioning! Every time I make it it's a little different, because I just use what I have on hand. I always have a can of black beans(washed and drained), a can of corn (drained), a Tomato, an onion, olive oil, and salt and pepper. If thats all I have on hand thats all that gets added. And its delicious. Sometimes I add all or a few of the following: avocado, lemon juice, cilantro, jalapeño, green bell pepper, dill weed, instead of oil I'll use a little Italian dressing. Really you can't go wrong. Its simple and easy, perfect for summer. Pair it with some tortilla chips or eat it plain and you've got lunch. It also goes well with tacos, enchiladas, pasta, or salad. I think you should try it out, you'll love it!




There are other things I love about summer time, but they will have to wait for another post! Have a good weekend!