Whether you’re in the mood to celebrate America’s Independence Day or just the fact that you’re (hopefully) getting a day off, here are some fun, festive ideas, photos, and links to get you in the mood – From too cute for words patriotic pieces to creative recipes that are as pretty as they are delicious

I don’t know about you, but I’ve basically been
addicted to cherries all summer. So #1 on my 4th of July list of must have’s is going to be a cherry pie! Women’s Healthy shares their easy cherry pie recipe from
Top Chef Just Desserts winner Chris Hanmer
here. He even uses almond flour so if you substitute the puff pastry for a gluten-free version or alternative, the pie will be gluten-free!
Just because it’s a holiday doesn’t mean you need to throw your healthy eating lifestyle out the window. Why not indulge in heavenly but healthy holiday fare? FitSugar’s
Healthy Red, White, and Blue Recipes to Salute the Fourth includes everything from fancy blueberry pancake breakfasts to gourmet beet & goat cheese salads for lunch to rich lemon berry trifles for dessert. And best of all? These are all healthier versions!
WhoWhatWear rounded up all the best star & striped adorned looks from celebrities to celebrate – Check out their
Fashion Scene: Stars And Stripes for some fabulous inspiration.
Rather than load up on once-a-year decorations for your house or apartment that you’ll only break out on the 4th of July, why not invest in some beautiful, well-made red, white & blue home decor pieces that you can keep our year around? Apartment Therapy is here to help with their piece –
Not Just for the 4th: Red, White & Blue Goods You’ll Use Year-Round.
Will the 4th mean grilling for you and your family or friends? Check out these healthy burger recipes and plan for a delicious but not overly indulgent holiday –
Guilt-Free Burger Recipes.
And in not so shocking news,
stripes are my favorite part about dressing for the 4th of July! 🙂 But I am a
fan of stars as well so check out the festive pieces below that I put together to celebrate the holiday.
Or you could create an easy DIY crown to wear for the day – fairy princess style! 🙂 If you’ve got a garden or can pick up some fresh blooms try WhoWhatWear’s
Beauty DIY: Floral Crown.
And what treat will I be making for myself for this mid-week holiday? Since I have tomorrow off I’ll be trying out Gena from
Choosing Raw‘s unbelievable looking new recipe for
Blueberry Ginger Ice Cream. Raw, vegan, amazing. I’m so excited I might not be able to wait until Wednesday night and might just try adding a splash of protein powder and calling it breakfast! 🙂
Want another idea for an all-American tasty treat? Try FitSugar’s Vegan Apple Pie Milkshake to get in the mood originally from
Spork Foods. This dairy-free milkshakes looks like the perfect 4th of July treat!
Have yourselves a fabulous Fourth of July – enjoy the food, sunshine, and festivities!
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July 3, 2012 | Categories: Fashion, Fitness, Food | Tags: 10 Day Style Challenge, 4th of July, 4th of july recipes, All-American, All-American Fashion, All-American Style, almond flour, American fashion, American Flag, American Street Style, and Blue Recipes to Salute the Fourth, Apartment decor, Apartment Therapy, Apple Pie, Apple pie treat, Asos Fashion Finder, Asos.com, Beauty DIY, Beauty DIY: Floral Crown, Beauty Do It Yourself, beet & goat cheese salad, Blueberry Ginger Ice Cream, blueberry pancakes, Boys, Celebrity fashion, Cherries, Cherry Galette with Lemon Zest, cherry pie, Choosing Raw, Chris Hanmer, Cindy Crawford, D&G Stars, Decor, DIY, Do It Yourself, Dolce & Gabbana, Dsquared Spring 2012, Dsquared², easy cherry pie, Erin Wasson, fairy princess, Fashion, Fashion Challenge, Festive home decore, Fitness, FitSugar, Flag, flag bikini, flag dress, Flag-print dress, Floral crown, Flower crown, Food, Forth of July, Freckles In April, fresh produce, Gena Hamshaw, gluten free pie, Gluten-free, gluten-free recipe, guilt free burger recipes, healthy 4th of july recipes, healthy burgers, healthy dish, healthy grill recipes, healthy grilling, healthy holiday fare, healthy recipes, Healthy Red, Here's How To Get Stylishly Star-Spangled For The Fourth, holiday recipes, Home dec, If You Like Stripes & You Know It Clap Your Hands, Independence Day, inspiration, Karlie Kloss, Katie Holmes, LA bloogger, lemon berry trifles, Lily Aldridge, Lindsey Wixson, Menswear, Model fashion, Model Street, Modelinia, Models, motivation, Not Just for the 4th: Red, patriotic, patriotic advertisments, Patriotic American Fashion, Patriotic Beachware, Patriotic Bikini, patriotic editorials, Patriotic fashion, Patriotic food, patriotic style, Patriotism, Rachel Bilson, raw ice cream, raw protein powder, raw recipes, Red White & Blue, red white & blue food, Rihanna, Sarah Jessica Parker, Self, Self Magazine, Self.com, Shop the Look, Spork Foods, Star scarf, Star Spangled, stars, stars & Stripes, Stars and Stripes, Striped dresses, Striped top, Stripes, summer produce, Sun Warrior Protein Powder, Top Chef Just Desserts, Vegan Apple Pie Milkshake, vegan blog, Vegan blogger, vegan ice cream, vegan milkshake, vegan protein powder, Vegan recipes, veganism, Victoria's Secret models, White, White & Blue Goods You'll Use Year-Round, WhoWhatWear, Women's Health, Women's Health Magazine, YumSugar, Zoe Saldana | Leave a comment
Fashion:

Need a project for this weekend? I present – DIY Studded Sneakers – from Honestly… WTF? If you’d pick Vans or Chucks over ballet flats on any given day, this is the Do It Yourself project of your dreams. Trust me.
If you’ve in the mood for fabulous summer fashions check out this season’s Resort Collections – Chanel Resort 2013, Oscar de la Renta Resort 2013, and the rest of the 2013 Resort Collections – From Rachel Zoe, Marc Jacobs, and Michael Kors to Stella McCartney, Preen, and L’Wren Scott.
I’m the first one to admit that I’m completely incapable of doing my hair. I pull it back into a simple bun 95% of the time, work or play. This however is a totally doable updo, even for the hairstyling-challenged. A Cup Of Jo’s Three Twisted Buns. Simple and adorable.
Interested in seeing how the experts handle their daily makeup & hair routines? Check out how frequent Looks of the Week contributor Sincerely Jules gets herself camera ready with her post Make-Up Wear, and what the famous LA blonde Cheyenne Meets Chanel does to maintain her lovely locks.

If you love fashion as much as I do, you’ve probably found yourself wondering how to revamp your wardrobe each season without going broke. Gets some tips and ideas from the experts, read IFB’s How Not To Go Into Debt Over Personal Styling and Refinery 29’s How JUST Accessories Can Transform An Outfit.
http://galadarling.com/article/carousel-why-french-women-dont-burn-out#
Health/Fitness:

Does the cost of classes and workouts affect your motivation to try them? Well MCLV is here to save your checkbook:
Are you a fan of eggs? Well eggs aren’t just for breakfast – Healthy Lunch and Dinner Recipes. Also check out Prevention’s Best Eggs: Organic, Free-Range, or Conventional?

I’m a huge fan of quinoa, it’s a healthier & more nutritious alternative to rice and it’s satisfying, versatile, and – ta da – gluten-free. This is a great article whether you’re a newbie who wants to give it a try or a veteran like me who wants to spice up your recipe repertoire – 10 New Ways to Eat Quinoa – This satisfying superfood is more versatile than you think!
Need some motivation to get off your couch? Read this: The 13-Year-Old Who Held the Women’s Marathon World Record.
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June 18, 2012 | Categories: Fashion, Fitness, Food, Links You'll Love | Tags: 2013 Resort Collections, 3.1 Phillip Lim, A Cup Of Joe, accessories, Affordable shopping, At home Barre workouts, At-home fitness, Ballet barre, Barre, Barre workouts, blogger hair routine, blogger makeup routine, blogger style, Bun, camera ready makeup, Chair workout, Chanel Resort 2013, cheap workout, Cheyenne Meets Chanel, cruise wear, Daily Make Up, DIY Studded Sneakers, Do It Yourself, egg recipes, Eggs, eggs for lunch, Fabsugar, FitSugar, Free-Range Eggs, fvacation style, hair products, hair routine, hairstyles, healthy lunch, healthy meals, healthy recipes, Honestly... WTF, How just accessories can transform an outfit, How Not To Go Into Debt Over Personal Styling, IFB, Independent Fashion Bloggers, inexpensive workouts, Julie Sarinana, L'Wren Scott, Lanvin, Los Angeles Fashion, Make-Up Bag, Makeup routine, marathon world record, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Marc Jacobs, Maureen Mancuso, Michael Kors, Organic eggs, Oscar de la Renta Resort 2013, Preen, quick & easy recipes, quick lunches, quinoa recipes, Rachel Zoe, Refinery 29, Resort Collection, Resort wear, revamping your wardrobe for less, running a marathon, Self, Self Magazine, Self.com, Shape, Shape Magazine, shape quinoa, Sincerely Jules, Stella McCartney, StyleCaster, Summer style, superfoods, three twisted buns, Updo, vacation clothes, vacation fashion, Vegan recipes, veganism, Vegetarian recipes, vegetarianism | 2 Comments
Before we get down to the Friday Links, I want to remind everyone to submit an entry for the Spring 2012 MCLV Giveaway! It’s easy to enter, just pick one of the four ways to enter listed in the Giveaway post, and you could win a $50 gift certificate to Bloomingdale’s. Just tell me what you’re looking forward to for Spring…
Good luck!
Health/Fitness:
Do you like to have a cup of coffee before your morning workout? Read Christopher Williams’s article on the Robb Wolf blog Caffeine & Performance about the relationship between physical performance and your daily caffeine consumption.

Need some new ideas for healthy breakfasts? OhSheGlows has the goods, from desserty goodness like Chocolate Cake Batter Overnight Oats (OH YUM) to fresh Spring produce filled Blueberry Vanilla Banana Soft Serve Overnight Oats.
Have you tried nutritional yeast yet? Personally I like to use it instead of cheese as a topping when I cook and love it in vegan cheese sauces, but it has even more uses. Interested in learning more? Check out One Green Planet’s Nutritional Yeast: Health Benefits, Tips & Recipes.
With the new Reebok backing, CrossFit is becoming even more mainstream. Are you interested in learning how CrossFit style workouts can potentially improve your health and tone your body? (You can even see my experiences here: Do you… CrossFit? My Personal CrossFit & How To Survive A CrossFit Meet)

Don’t have time for a full HIIT or Tabata cardio workout? Still hit the gym, jumping rope is a phenomenal workout and only takes minutes! Check out Jackie Warner’s 5 Favorite Jump Rope Moves from FitSugar.
Fashion:

Not sure what bag to invest in for Spring? FabSugar and Refinery 29 both have a gorgeous list of options for you – from Phillip Lim and Diane Von Furstenberg to Club Monaco and Zara.
Brave enough to try printed pants for Spring? Mama’s A Rolling Stone has done the leg work for you – Top Buys: Printed Jeans. Need some more convincing? See how Olivia Palermo and Jessica Alba make this trend work oh-so-well for them.
I found Refinery 29’s 29 of Fashion’s Biggest Mysteries, Solved! pretty interesting to read. From reality show myths debunked to background on prints, fashion insiders and brands.

In the mood for some more DIY? Check out this super easy & stylish decoupage tray from Refinery 29.
While I’ve never seen The Rachel Zoe Project, I do have to say that I love Rachel’s styling for clients as well as her personal style. Check out FabSugar’s segment: In Dress Distress? Rachel Zoe Answers Your Most Frequently Asked Styling Questions.
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March 23, 2012 | Categories: Fashion, Fitness, Food | Tags: Banana Soft Serve, Caffeine & Performace, Carrots 'n' Cake, chocolate cake overnight oats, Christopher Williams (a.k.a. Squatchy), Club Monaco, CrossFit, CrossFit Amped Gym, CrossFit FAQ, Diane Von Furstenberg, DIY: decoupage tray, Do It Yourself, Everything You Need To Know About CrossFit, Fabsugar, Fashion mysteries, FitSugar, Floral pants, Frugal Fashionista, Giveaway, Glamour, HIIT, Holly Would If She Could, Interval Training, Jackie Warner, Jessica Alba, Julip Made, jumping rope, Mama's A Rolling Stone, Nooch, Nutritional Yeast, OhSheGlows, Olivia Palermo, One Green Planet, Paleo, Phillip Lim, primal eating, printed jeans, Rachel Zoe, Reebok, Refinery 29, Refinery29, Robb Wolf, Robert Sax, Self Magazine, Spring handbags, Stylist tips, Tabata, The Rachel Zoe Project, Vegan overnight oats, vegan parfait, Zara | 4 Comments