Nine Favorite Things.

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Thanks for joining me for another Nine Favorite Things post!

Nine Favorite Things | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

{my favorite berries from this ice cream cake}

Hey, hi!! Happy last Sunday of June. I’m honestly just in shock that we are already coming up on July 4th, but the time is here! I’m spending the day getting ready for a fun shoot tomorrow. Then Tuesday and Wednesday are going to be spent working to get ahead on content before the family trip to Mexico! We leave super early Thursday morning, so I have lots to do before then. We will be spending the 4th of July in Mexico, so I’m excited for the warm nights and to make plenty of fun tequila cocktails for the fam!

Speaking of the 4th of July, I’m sharing a few recipes below that would be perfect for celebrating our lively American holiday, but I’ll also be sharing my big yearly round-up next Sunday. If any of you are planning ahead, here is last year’s post!

So what are you guys up to for the 4th? I’m excited to actually have some plans this year, as last year I spent the 4th home alone, working on the cookbook manuscript. It was totally worth it though because I am SO excited about the book, but I’m happy to be doing something a little more fun and exciting this year! Also, thanks so much for everyone who left suggestions on what to see and do in Puerto Vallarta. It’s going to be a great trip!

Coming up this week I have some fun summer recipes and am totally ending the week with a fruity dessert…and more ice cream. What? Hey, every summer day needs ice cream. DUH.

Have a great Sunday everyone…here are my nine favorite things this week!

1. Instagram? Can we talk about it for a quick minute? I have a very love hate relationship with it. For years instagram has been my go-to social media platform and my very favorite to use both personally and for my business. It’s still my favorite, but recently I’ve been feeling so much pressure to post only the BEST photos. I was scrolling through my feed the other day and came across this honest and beyond inspiring post from Design Love Fest, that I thought I would share. The algorithm that instagram recently put out totally got into my head and I’m now so conscious about what I share, whereas before I would just share what I was loving at that exact moment. Lately it’s been a bit more calculated and I’m over it. I’ve made a pact with myself to stop over thinking my Instagram posts and just go back to the way I used to be, posting fun, spontaneous, silly posts, and to stop stressing over them! Anyone with me? If you follow along on the Half Baked Harvest Instagram account you’ve definitely already seen a bit of this…especially in my stories! Hello to Friday night happy dances and smashing ice cream. #sorrynotsorry. What are your thoughts on Instagram? Do you love it (hate it) as much a me?

2. Some of the cutest one piece swimsuits for under $100? Count me in! We all need at least one good one piece in our rotation of bikinis if you ask me!

3. The 6 most popular recipes on the blog this week.

–> Spicy Maple Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Smoky Bacon Corn

–> Frozen Peanut Butter Cup Pie

–> Greek Roasted Cauliflower Burgers with Pan Fried Feta and Tomato Olive Salsa

–> Frozen Watermelon Rosé Sangria Slushies

–> Strawberry Cornmeal Cake with Buttermilk Glaze

–> Garden Fresh Herb, Olive, and Parmesan Pasta with Pistachio Breadcrumbs’

4. A few links I am lovin’.

–> eating these 5 foods will take years off of your face…YESSSS. I eat them all regularly. whoop. whoop.

–> the most stunning vaulted ceilings on Pinterest…high ceilings are my favorite, and these are so pretty.

–> 5 ways to get more collagen into your diet and why you should…loved this. Bone broth here I come!

–> the skills standing between you and your dream job…love a good career post!

–> Kelly LeVeque’s new book, Body Love…cannot wait to read this. I follow Kelly on Insta and she has the best outlook on healthy eating.

–> 4 sweet recipes healthy enough to be called breakfast…count me in.

5. New videos:

–> Garden Greens Goddess Pizza…one of the best summer pizzas!

–> Salmon Souvlaki Bowls…so much goodness happening in these bowls + a lot of FETA. Yes, please!

6. How cute are these breakfast nooks? The first photo is my favorite. What is yours?! ps. I’ve always wanted a cute breakfast nook…some day!

7. I’ve done a ton of new projects for my friends at Crate and Barrel lately. They’re all summer inspired entertaining posts. OH how I LOVE working on these more lifestyle type posts. They’re so fun for me because not only do I get to develop recipes, but I also get to plan parties, arrange tablescapes, and just have fun creatively. Here are a few of my favorite most recent posts.

–> an effortless summer lobster boil…possibly one of my favorite parties yet. So summery and perfect.

–>blackberry lavender ice cream…YUMM. One of the creamiest ice creams ever, and the flavor combo is on point.

–> a garden inspired brunch…words really cannot describe how much I love this. Brunch + Gardens = my cup of tea.

–> a bathroom refresh…I did this in the spring, but it works great for a summer bathroom update too!

8. 4th of July Style Finds:

–> this fun blue star dress.

–> this laid back red, white, and blue tee.

–> these denim cut offs.

–> this red, white, and blue one piece bathing suit.

–> this straw pom pom bag.

9. This week’s dinners:

Monday: Quinoa Crusted Baked Three-Cheese Zucchini and Eggplant Parmesan