The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. I had to go back and update that statement after my husband saw me announce that it was my favorite holiday, at which point I was reminded that it's his favorite holiday. He pointed out that that I also "really love St Patrick's Day and Halloween, remember?" and it was strongly suggested that I not claim this one as my own because it's his. Men, jeeze.
The high temperature forecast called for a poolside BBQ, meaning of course we were all to bring food. It's easy to let health slide on long weekends and holidays because let's face it: booze (with the possible exception of red wine) just isn't healthy. There isn't anything in alcohol that makes your skin glow or fire up your metabolism. Still, I gave it my best shot to at least load up the cocktails with antioxidants and steer clear of sugar. I also decided to throw together some healthy but crowd pleasing munchies. After much deliberation, here's what I ended up with:
A mojito station with fresh fruit, agave + pure stevia, and mint
Homemade skinny margaritas
Cookie Dough Dip and Healthy Blondies, courtesy of my favorite dessert blogger ever, Chocolate Covered Katie (The boys were not told that this was vegan until after eating it. I can't begin to tell you how crazy people go over this dip, boys especially. Like for real. I've had so many requests for the recipe over the past 24 hours, it's just shocking! I'll share shortly.
Pico de Gallo and Mango Salsa
White Bean Hummus
Oh. And the Kale Salad. Disclosure: I did not actually make the Kale Salad, a friend of mine did but it was so good that I demanded the recipe and will be share it with you in the next couple of days. I've been thinking about it ever since, it is just.so.freaking.good.
Jessi and I got up early to see the parade and wander through Muscle Beach.
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After a morning of wandering around Venice and working on our hideous tan lines, we made our way to the pool party.
You could say we had a pretty good time.



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The night ended with a huge 4th of July Party: open bar, a DJ, a s'mores station, and breathtaking firework show so we sipped red wine, munched on snacks and watched fireworks explode over the palm trees and yachts.
I hope everyone had a safe and fun filled 4th of July, and don't feel guilty if you enjoyed it a little too much. Indulging once in a while isn't a bad thing if you jump back onto the horse :) Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

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