Happy National Drink Your Veggies Day! I’ll be celebrating with a green smoothie in NYC. I’m here for a few days to hang out with friends before heading  to Connecticut for last minute wedding preparations. I’ll be getting my ring cleaned and finalizing my wedding hair and makeup. There’s only three weeks until the big day!

Last week I shared a recipe for summer tomato orzo with a lemon kick. Thanks for all the sweet comments on it! I hope if you make it you absolutely love it.

I mentioned that there is a contest involved with this campaign. Twenty five bloggers created recipes using Naked Juice’s newest flavors. These recipes are now up for you to vote for your favorite on Facebook. Once you cast your vote on Facebook it pins the recipe on Pinterest. The blogger behind the winning recipe doesn’t win anything, it’s a random voter who pinned a recipe that wins a $250 gift basket. Sweet!

I would LOVE if you would vote for me! My recipe is the second from the left on the voting board which can be found here. It only takes a second. I’ll be crossing my fingers that you win!

Question of the Day: How do you drink your veggies?

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Naked via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Naked.

I’m excited to have my first guest post on my blog today! And it’s an extra special guest poster- it’s my Dad! (My cutie patootie nephew was not involved in this blog post, but I’m sure he supports it.) He recently went on a trip to Atlantic City and came home talking about how much fun it was. He just started using a digital camera and enjoyed getting to document his trip. When he was showing me the photos I told him it would make a great blog post and that he should write one. He always reads my blog and comments to me about my posts, and I was so excited that he wrote one. (And that he’s embracing technology!) I hope you guys enjoy!

Hello everyone! This is Don, Erin’s dad, sharing my two day getaway from PA with you. I traveled to Atlantic City Tuesday for a little time at the beach. I don’t gamble, but I do like to walk the boardwalk and shop.

By being there in the middle of the week I got a great room sale at the Showboat Casino. It was $22.96 for the night. (It goes for $200 in the summer!) The Showboat is in the North Boardwalk area. There are not many stores or things to do in that area, but you can get great deals on hotels. The Revel hotel next to the Showboat almost wasn’t built. It was under construction during the recession and as the company lost money the project got put on hold. The city actually had to bail out the hotel so that it could be completed.

The Tanger outlet stores which I shopped at are in mid City, between the Convention Center and Caesars on the Boardwalk. The Outlet Stores offer a wide variety of styles and selection. My favorite stores are the Izod and Columbia stores. Erin really likes J.Crew.

Atlantic City is currently renovating some of the area. Where the Sands Casino once stood there is now a large empty lot. The city turned it into a public park for artists to use as they wish.

Someone made a wooden pirate ship! It was warm and sunny and nice to be by the ocean. It was a great little getaway! 

Questions of the Day: Have you been to Atlantic City? What do you like to do while you are there?

As you guys may remember, I’m a huge Naked Juice fan. I love their juices and always look forward to trying out new flavors.

Their newest flavor is actually a vegetable and fruit juice Power Garden blend called Tomato Kick. There’s no added sugar (9 grams in the bottle) and it’s made up of tomatoes, red bell pepper, celery, carrot, orange, and a hint of lemon. Through Glam I was given the opportunity to create a recipe to share with you guys that is going to be entered in a Pinterest contest. Every time you vote for my recipe you’re entered to win some seriously cool prizes. The challenge was to use Naked’s new juice in a creative and fun way. I figured what was more creative than turning a drink into a pasta sauce? I’ll talk about that more at the end of this post. First I want to share with you the recipe!

When Josh and I first tasted Naked’s Tomato Kick we knew it would be a perfect accompaniment to pasta. The flavor was so rich and tasty. Josh and I had fun coming up with the recipe and gathering the ingredients that I then took over to Lily’s for some girl time cooking. I brought some back to Josh so he wouldn’t miss out on the fun. We created a Summer Tomato Orzo with a Lemon Kick. It is fabulous. Seriously, if you’re looking for an easy, healthy summer recipe that is going to knock your socks off you need to give this a try. We knew the recipe would be tasty before we made it but we had no idea how delicious it would be until we were all digging in. I will definitely be making more of this!

Summer Tomato Orzo with a Lemon Kick

Serves 4

• 1 and a half bottles of Naked’s Tomato Kick
• 1/2 small yellow onion
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/2 pound orzo pasta
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 tablespoons light cream
• Handful of basil (fresh is always preferred but I was out and used dry and it still turned out amazing)
• Lemon, for zest
• Handful of fresh parmesan, for garnish
• Salt and pepper, to taste

This recipe could not be easier which is one of the things I love most about it. You shouldn’t have to slave away for hours to be able to serve a good meal to your family. You start off by dicing the onion and pepper and sauteing with olive oil until they’re cooked but still a little crisp. You don’t want them to lose all of their crunch.

At the same time you want to be cooking a half a pound of orzo pasta. Since you’re cooking half the box (and it will then be simmering in a sauce on the stove) you only have to cook it for half the recommended time on the back of the box.

Mince the garlic.

And then you add the orzo, garlic, and Naked Tomato Kick juice to the onion and pepper. By adding it to the pan where you cooked the onions and peppers you ensure you’re keeping all the yummy flavors and juices. You want to simmer it all for ten minutes.

The sauce will start to thicken up by this point, and smell amazing. Add basil, salt, and pepper to taste. Then take the pasta off the heat and add the light cream. As you mix it thoroughly the sauce will take on a lighter, creamier color like in the picture above.

Using a microplane you want to zest the outside of the lemon.

Once you have plated the pasta use the lemon zest, fresh parm, and more basil as garnish. I promise this dish is one that will be sure to please your whole family. The fresh veggies pull out the veggies used in the Naked Juice and the spices give the pasta a warm and tangy flavor.

If you make this dish I would love to hear what you think of it. And if this sounds like a dish you would like to try I would love if you would vote for me in the Naked Pinterest Sweepstakes. It’s a different kind of contest where there are no prizes for the recipe winners, the prizes are given to those who vote and spread the word about the contest. (AKA you!) I thought it was a pretty cool idea and would love to see you guys win. For more info on the contest and directions on how to enter (and share my recipe) check back on my blog on Monday, June 17. I’ll have all the details for you in a new post then.

Question of the Day: What’s your favorite fruit or veggie to drink in juice form?

Power Garden is Naked Juice’s new veggie drink lineup with 1lb. of veggies in every bottle*.  With delicious flavors that only Naked could blend, Power Garden offers one of the easiest ways to get your daily servings of veggies and fruits, along with good sources of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Learn more at http://www.nakedjuice.com/veggiedrinks.  *weight of vegetables, prior to juicing

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Naked via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Naked.

I got to visit the Crayola Factory! Easton, PA is only a half an hour from where I grew up. Every time I would visit the area I’d want to visit Crayola headquarters. But because of one thing or another I never got to visit. With Josh and I moving to Omaha in just about a month (time is flying!) I really wanted to visit before we left. And Summer’s wedding was the perfect opportunity.

So on Sunday morning we headed to the land of crayons. They just recently completely redid their factory which was very exciting to see. This is not the actual factory where crayons are made but a four story interactive playground using crayons.

We obviously had to get pictures with the giant crayons.

There was more crayons in this place than I had ever seen before. It was so much fun to get to color.

We got to see how crayons are made. It’s interesting how similar the process still is to the original process used a hundred years ago.

The world of coloring has definitely changed since 100 years ago though. You can now color on iPads.

And then project your image onto a screen! I thought Josh’s cow was pretty awesome.

We had a lot of fun acting like big kids.

We may have been some of the only adults there without kids. You definitely don’t have to be a kid to enjoy all there is to do there.

Like play around on an interactive floor.

And make fun spin arts by melting crayons.

I loved getting to personalize our own crayons.

And make our own markers in a seriously cool machine.

We worked up an appetite during our hours in the factory and decided to head across the street to a cute little cafe for lunch. I got a pineapple and avocado salad.

While Josh got a cheese, tomato, pesto, and guacamole wrap.

We also split an amazing Spanish cornbread topped with cheese.

It was such a fun day. I feel so lucky to have gotten to spend such a beautiful day with Josh. I am so appreciative for how good of a time we have when we’re together, and that he loves being just as silly as I do. We’ve already talked about coming back to visit the Crayola Factory years in the future when we have kids of our own.

Question of the Day: What was your favorite crayon color growing up? I was a pink girl.

The gorgeous ceremony site. After a day of heavy downpours the night before, I was so happy to see the sun shining for the ceremony!

Summer looked so beautiful.

The ceremony was so touching. Sean’s brother read an adorable poem called I Like You. Summer and Sean also planted a tree and said the most beautiful vows. I cried.

Appetizers.

I loved all the fruit.

I love this so much.

Too cute.

The decorations are so beautiful.

I love this personalized guest book.

The Keep or Trade bags were such a hit. I got a harmonica and Josh got an antique pencil sharpener. I also loved drinking water out of a mason jar.

Being table three had a huge perk– we got food early! I love the mish mash of plates.

Best wedding food ever. I don’t even know everything that’s on here, but I know I ate it all.

Me with the beautiful bride. <3 We could not be more opposite, and that is exactly why we click.

My other best friends were also in attendance which made me sooo happy. I’ve missed Rachel and Megan so much.

Date shots. Megan and Mike. Aka too adorable for words.

Me and my soon-to-be husband.

Rachel and John. I don’t even know what to say about this picture except they are every bit as fun as they seem.

Summer had kites, croquet, bubbles, and board games out for guests to play with. When we discovered Cards Against Humanity our group decided to head over to the outdoor seating area to play.

That card game in the company of good friends is basically the best way to spend an evening. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.

I found a peony! And at some point Rachel braided my hair.

Dessert was fantastic. They had a marble cake with buttercream on the inside. I loved how it looked without the sides and tops frosted.

This was the biggest dessert bar I have ever seen.  There was a whole other table and a half not captured in this picture.

My dessert plate. I tried a few bites of everything, and then went and got a piece of wedding cake.

It was a perfect wedding in every possible way. It made me so happy to see these girls that have been with me through so much and that mean the world to me. Summer and Sean I wish you a lifetime of happiness together. <3

Question of the Day: How did you spend your weekend? Are you in the midst of wedding season too?

Today I have a fun little review to share with you guys. As you guys know, I’m a part of FitFluential. Being an ambassador is one of the things I’m most proud of as a blogger. I never knew the blog world could have such inspiring, accomplished, motivating, and friendly people all in one place working together to help each other achieve their goals. I have learned so much from them.

A while back I saw that FitFluential had partnered with ViewSPORT to create official workout wear. Viewsport’s fitness apparel features sweat activated technology that reveals a message when you work out. I loved the idea and thought the shirts were super cute. There’s all kinds of messages depending on what type of workouts you do and what you want to say to the world. I was really excited when I found out I would be given an opportunity to try one out for myself.

I’ve been wearing this tank for all sorts of workouts. Today it was Zumba. And oh man did I get sweaty! I requested the FitFluential tank in grey and love it. It is soft and it stays in place as I workout. I never once had to pull down the hem or adjust the strap. That’s a major win in my book.

The message on the back of the tank is #PROOF. I love this because I’m constantly hashtagging #proof on Twitter when sharing a recent workout. It was so cool to see the message appear as I worked out. It was also incredibly satisfying to actually see the hard work my body had done.

I would absolutely recommend these tops to others. I’ve already got my eye on a Be You Tiful shirt. Thanks so much to ViewSport for the opportunity to review this shirt. Josh and I are big fans of the show Shark Tank and after seeing ViewSport on the show we want Viewport to get so successful the sharks will regret not making them a better deal.

Question of the Day: Have you ever tried a View Sport top? Is the concept something you’re interested in?

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

I will be making a very important promise.

I will be wearing a big white dress.

I will be surrounded by loved ones.

I will be filled with butterflies.

I will be going on a special walk with my dad.

I will be eating cake and toasting to the future.

I will be getting down on the dance floor.

I will be starting a new chapter in my life.

I will be changing my last name.

I will be saying “I Do” to the man I love.

One month from today I will be getting married!

One month can’t come fast enough. <3

A recommendation I have is to always check the tags to see why it is priced the way it is. Some tags will say “if perfect” and then list what the original price would have been. If that’s the case I tend to skip it because it wasn’t accepted into a store so it’s not actually worth that price. I look for tags that say “last season” since let’s be real, seasonal styles really don’t change that much! Another tip I have is to shop in the middle of the week. T.J. Maxx clearances things in the beginning of the week so in the middle of the week you have first dibs on all the new mark downs and there’s less crowds since it’s not the weekend.

I found this C&C California sweater on sale from $118 to $15. I love off season deals.

This C&C California top and Paige shorts were both still full price for the store but still a great deal overall. The top was $19 and the shorts were $39. My only gripe with this T.J.Maxx shopping trip was the pricing of these shorts. I always go to the clearance section of a store first, and I found these really cute Jimmy Jimmy shorts on sale for $29, but they were too big on me. I figured they were such a good price I could get them tailored. But then when I was walking through the regular shorts section I noticed the same Jimmy Jimmy shorts in my size but not marked down yet. I took them both up to the register and asked if one forgot to get a clearance sticker put on it. The girl looked at them and explained they have different SKU numbers so they came in at different times. She had a manager check and the manager confirmed that even though they are identical shorts one came in before the other so she could not price match the shorts. I was pretty annoyed since I know from working at Macys we would have always price matched for the customer. $10 is a small write-off to the company in exchange for good customer service. Oh well, I just had to accept that’s not a priority to the company and move on. I still love their deals.

I got these two adorable Cynthia Steffe silk tanks. I love how they can be dressed up for work or dressed down with jeans. 

They were an amazing deal. $108 to $15? I’ll take them.

Blurry cell phone pic alert! Sorry, I wasn’t planning on staying overnight in State College so I didn’t bring my camera or computer. I’m typing this up from Josh’s Lenovo. I need a few more plain v-neck t-shirts and when I saw this $10 C&C California one I was sold. If only they would have had it in black too.

I LOVE the print on this Micheal Kors top. I have to have it taken in a little on the sides, but I figure for the $23 I paid it is well worth it.  

Probably the purchase I was most excited about was this Erin Fetherston dress. This was a pic I snapped on my last trip to T.J.Maxx. I was looking for a graduation dress and left empty handed because as much as I loved this dress I didn’t have time to alter it beforehand and it was too big. I had tried this dress on a few months prior in my size and fell in love with it but not with the $99 price tag. (The dress was originally $399.) When I came back graduation dress shopping it was marked down to $49 but was only available in a bigger size. When I came back yesterday and saw it was then marked down to $39 I knew I had to get it. I only need minor alterations and I am seriously in love with this dress. It’s an outfit contender for my friend Summer’s wedding this weekend.

And those were all of my awesome T.J.Maxx finds! Finding deals is like a sport to me. It’s so rewarding stretching your budget and not having to sacrifice quality or cuteness.

Questions of the Day: Did you like a post like this? I know it’s different for me, but it’s something I’m also passionate about. What’s the best deal you’ve gotten lately?

(Source)

I’ve had Divergent by Veronica Roth on my Pinterest book board for a long time. When I was a tween Pretties by Scott Westerfield was one of my favorite books. When I read Hunger Games it drew me back into the genre and made me want to read more dystopian novels. I stopped by my library on Saturday to pick up Divergent and actually couldn’t find it at first because the librarian was using it to type up her staff pick. I figured that was a pretty good sign. I figured I’d read it at a leisurely pace over the next couple of days as I sat down to read it. It was so good I was hooked by the first chapter, and suffice it to say the reading was not leisurely. I basically didn’t do anything for the rest of the day until I had finished the book.

Divergent follows Tris, a sixteen year old girl who is on the precipice of adulthood. In her future society, set in Chicago, each member of society belongs to a faction. Those factions each fulfill a need of society including intelligence, honesty, bravery, peace, and selflessness. Each child born into a faction is raised as a part of that faction until they turn sixteen and then chose their own path. Tris’s choice takes her on a path she never expected as everything she knows  about herself and her society threatens to fall apart. There’s an amaaazing romance and lots of action. It’s basically everything I look for in a book.

After I finished Divergent I pretty much had to start reading Insurgent immediately. Unfortunately my library’s copies were checked out. Josh saved the day with his Audible account. He let me download the audio book onto my phone. I basically walked around until I finished it (it was a 12 hour recording!) with my phone up to my ear. haha Okay so I sound crazy but the books were seriously that good.  Insurgent was just as good as Divergent. Unfortunately the third book in the triology, Allegiant, doesn’t come out until October. Ugh. Oh well, I’ll just have to find other awesome books to read in the meantime. And they’re making the series into movies! If you’re looking for a good summer read I 100% recommend Divergent.

Question of the Day: What’s your favorite types of books to read in the summer? I’d love recommendations!

And congrats to the Goddess Garden sunscreen winner Meredith from DareYouTo. Please email me your address at eringoneveggie @ gmail dot com so I can get your sunscreen shipped out.

Doesn’t everyone make heart shapes with their favorite protein bars?

If you haven’t guessed by now I’m talking about Quest Bars. My love for Quest Bars runs deep. They’ve been a staple for on the go snacks as I drive to Josh’s  or when I’m tiding myself over between meals at work. I love eating half of one after a Zumba class or for a late night snack while I’m catching up on some quality mindless but oh-so-addicting TV. (Bravo I’m looking at you.)

Quest was so sweet to send me a sampler pack of their bars to review with you guys. I was so excited because I already loved the cookie dough flavor. It’s the best protein bar I’ve ever tasted.  And as good as the taste is it’s the content of the bars that really sell me. Protein bars usually don’t have enough protein for the sugar they contain. As much as I love them I try to treat them as desserts more than a protein snack. With Quest Bars I can have my cake and eat it too. Their bars have around 20grams of protein and only 1 or 2 grams of sugar. They also contain around 70% of your dietary fiber and minimal carbs. The bars are sweetened with the use of sucralose and bulked up with protein through a whey protein blend. The end result is tasty, filling, and relatively guilt free!

These bars are so incredibly delicious, and come in so many flavors! Ones I didn’t think I would like, like peanut butter and jelly, ended up blowing my mind. Josh’s favorite is the chocolate brownie. The only ones I didn’t really enjoy as much were some of the ones that had sugar alcohols in them. The lemon bar had a taste that was too sweet/bitter for me.

These bars are a little pricey (my GNC charges $2.50 a bar) but so so worth it if you’re looking for a protein bar that actually delivers on getting you protein without loading you up on sugar. The ingredients list is very small and very clean.

And for one lucky reader you’ll be getting a sampler pack absolutely free! I’m giving away a sampler pack of Quest Bars. To enter to win you have four options:

1. Follow Quest on Twitter and leave a comment here letting me know that you did (Mandatory)

2. Follow Girl Gone Veggie on Twitter and leave a comment here letting me know that you did (Optional)

3. Tweet “I just entered to win a free pack of Quest Bars from @GirlGoneVeggie here: http://girlgoneveggie.com/the-quest-for-the-perfect-protein-bar-giveaway/ @questnutrition #giveaway” and leave a comment here letting me know that you did (Optional)

4. Leave a comment here letting me know which flavor of Quest Bars is your favorite or that you would most like to try (Optional)

The contest is open until Wednesday night at 11:59pm. I will announce the winner in Thursdays post.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.