{isolation hydration | spicy pineapple mint margaritas}

I always love putting a spin on a classic margarita recipe. Combining different ingredients for a new flavor is so fascinating to me. Of course, I had to make this cocktail spicy because the mint and pineapple combo is so sweet! I love how the flavors all balance each other out :) You can find the IGTV for this recipe here on my IG, @jennrog. This was created for Cinco de Mayo originally!

 Which Isolation Hydration recipe is your favorite? You can find them all here!

Love Always,

{isolation hydration | spicy citrus margarita}

Isolation Hydration! This was the first cocktail I made in this series on IGTV and it was a hit - watch the video here on my Instagram @jennrog. The fresh fruit juice and kick from the jalapeno is a perfect combination on a classic margarita cocktail. Fresh ingredients make this the best but you can easily use store bought juice so you can whip this up quickly!

What's your favorite cocktail to make at home? Have you tried a new recipe during quarantine?

Love Always,

{isolation hydration | skinny cucumber lemonade}

Isolation Hydration!! The random IGTV series I made up where I share cocktails I've created and we make them together :) This one was a challenge from my gym in Key West, FYT aka Find Your Tribe. Jess and Michelle wanted me to make a skinny cocktail that was big on flavor and low in calories - challenge accomplished. You can find the video on my Instagram, @jennrog, here.

What other cocktail recipes do y'all want to see? Is there a favorite liquor in your house? Always open to suggestions - it's been fun creating these recipes during this weird time in our lives!

Love Always,

{netflix movies to cuddle up to this fall}

While I love living in an endless summer... there's nothing I love more than curling up on the sofa with a glass of red wine, lighting a fall candle (Sweater Weather from Bath & Body Works - the best), and cuddling under a soft blanket when it's cold outside.

Am I right? Or am I right?

Last night my sister and I began texting about cute movies we'd seen on Netflix. The new ones we wanted to see or had liked the most were all Original Netflix movies that came out this year! We texted back and forth about our favorites and we found ourselves scrolling through the search tab to find new ones we wanted to watch and sending each other ones we'd seen and recommended. My absolute favorite was Always Be My Maybe - Ali Wong is the best!

Now, these are mainly chick flick movies... that's what I prefer to watch to relax before bed. Scary movies get me too freaked out (Secret Obsession is the one thriller on this list - but that's because the main character was a Disney Channel actress back in the day haha) so I stick to romcom's! This list is random because they're mainly Netflix Original's but some were added because I loved the actor/actress (KJ Apa and Noah Centineo anyone?!).

Okay so now I need your input... I'm positive I'm missing some stellar movies because there's only so much searching you can do haha! Leave your favorite Netflix movie you've watched recently below - or add it to the checklist and share on Instagram! Happy snuggling up on that sofa, friends :)

Love Always,

{29 things i've learned in 29 years}

I absolutely love celebrating my birthday... it's an excuse to get all of my friends together and go do something fun! But for some reason this year I was kind of dreading it. My birthday truly snuck up on me and I began dreading the number twenty-nine.

White Crop Top ($13) // Pleated Pants ($15) // Straw Purse // RayBan Sunglasses // Palm Leaf Earrings // Bite Lipstick in Pastille

I'll probably look back on that previous statement and laugh at how silly that sounds. But 29 sounds old to me. I don't feel that age - I feel like I'm still 26 and have so much more to learn, see, do experience. I tried to think of ways that I could stop dreading this new age (and it's not because I'm afraid of eventually turning 30, for the record) and embrace the life I've been lucky to experience. With every passing year in my late 20's I've had pretty large life experiences happen: living alone, losing my dad, friendships ending, work experiences, heartbreak, falling in love, Kyle being deployed, etc. In fact, we've all had these huge life moments that come and go and we never look back on them to realize what we took away from those experiences.

So today, I'm going to celebrate 29 things that I've learned and taken away from my life. Big or small...

1. Having no polish on your nails is better than a chipped manicure - especially if you're presenting at a meeting.
2. Always wear sunscreen - after a skin cancer scare last year that left me with a big scar on my back I will never go a day without. I was always good about it but I now see a dermatologist every 3 months because some people are more prone (hello freckled arms)!
3. Don't be afraid to wear your heart on your sleeve. You will only wish you had said the things you didn't say.
4. Put lotion on your hands every night and it will help keep the thin skin on the tops of your hands looking young! (I learned this from my mom who just turned 60 and she has the hands of a 30 year old I swear)
5. Invest in good running shoes. Arch support does wonders for your knees.
6. Learn how to cook a really good meal that you can prepare in a pinch for company or to impress a date. Something with easy, simple ingredients instead of ordering take out.
7. Know the difference between there, their, and they're.
8. Allow yourself to fall in love deeply. Don't regret putting it all on the line because you never know what may come out of it. Be honest and open and learn to communicate. Kyle and I met on December 1st, a week later he asked me to go to Charleston with him alone and rent a boat for New Years. I said yes and my friends thought I was crazy - best decision I have ever made. We spent a week together and now we both admit that it's what solidified us.
9. Workout. Exercise. Run. Move your body!!
10. Listen to your parents. Ask them about their childhood, write down their stories, and soak in your family history. On that note, take photos with them. I have such few photos from the last couple of months my Dad was alive. Granted, it was hard to see him sick and frail but all the time I got to spend with him was still just as valuable - I wish I had more photos.
11. Send cards and notes - that's something I'm working on doing more. My good friend Elise sends little notes all the time and it instantly brightens my day.
12. Have one dress in your closet that you can put on no matter the day or season that makes you feel like you can take on the world.
13. Go to as many museums as you can and educate yourself on the different people and cultures that make up this world. Stop closing yourself off to what's happening around us.
14. If you have a dream, just do it. I always say "don't talk about it, be about it". I talked about starting a blog for years!! 5 years ago I finally did... crazy to think how far this little page has come.
15. Make time to read. Soak up all that knowledge and allow yourself to escape from reality.
16. Have an emergency savings account. Enough to cover your rent, student loans, and bills for a month minimum.
17. Travel. I never regret a single penny that I spent traveling by myself or with friends.
18. You will get your heart broken. I had an 8 year relationship end via a phone call on my lunch break. I've never felt pain like that - but cry, call your mom, cry more, and then move on. "A person who values you will never put themselves in a position to lose you." Heartbreak is God's way of opening up your life to something so much more.
19. Dance. Dance in the street. Dance in your bedroom. Dance because the pasta is delicious.
20. Take vitamins and take care of your gut health - you may not notice an immediate difference but when you get older (older than 29 haha) you'll feel and look younger always!
21. Cut back on the drinking. I'm not saying stop all together, I just mean you don't need to be drinking every single night like you're still in college... 
22. Learn to love time alone. Go to a movie and dinner by yourself. Treat yourself to a facial. Walk around the city for hours just watching people. Have a picnic with a good book. Just be at peace with yourself.
23. Tell your friends you love them. Most times they will be your family.
24. Stand up for yourself - I've let people walk all over me and it's something that I always look back on and regret. Life is way too damn short to have any regrets.
25. Let the toxic friendships go. Even if they aren't toxic; it takes two people to keep a friendship going. If the other person isn't taking time to talk to you, invest in your life, know what's going on... then it's one sided and you should be putting your energy towards people that are genuinely interested in you. Recognize when you're that person too.
26. Get out and enjoy nature more - it's so good for the soul.
27. Eat your vegetables. How silly does that sound? But after really learning to fuel my body with dense nutrition for the past year (thanks Isagenix!) I've seen how much more energy I can have after eating better constantly.
28. Teach yourself how to do basic things early on: wash & fold laundry, make pasta, change a tire, file your taxes, take public transportation, fold a fitted sheet, etc. These simple things will genuinely make your life easier.
29. Nobody can be you except for YOU. This is something I've had to really work on the past 2 weeks. Competition and comparison has been all around me and it put me in a funk. My friend Katie reminded me "only Jenn Rog can be Jenn Rog"... and only you can be you. Celebrate your differences.

Happy May, my friends :) I'd love to know the biggest life lesson you'd tell your younger self or want to remind yourself of now!! XOXO

White Crop Top ($13) // Pleated Pants ($15) // Straw Purse // RayBan Sunglasses // Palm Leaf Earrings // Bite Lipstick in Pastille

Love Always,

{my favorite healthy and easy snacks}

I have been promising this post for forever and I'm not gonna lie... it has been really hard to write! Mainly because I'm not a professional nutritionist [insert disclaimer here] and I attempted to count the calories and create nutrition facts/charts and that just didn't happen. This also made me realize that I'm just not the calorie counter type!! Do I look at labels? Yes, of course. Do I count calories? No, not really. I have too many other things going on in my life to create time for that. After looking at labels, and once upon a time when I created my "recipe" snacks, I know that they are all 100-175 calories - hence the quantities and small sizes in some photos. Weight of things like sweet potatoes and sizes of things like apples can also vary a calorie amount. SO take that with a grain of salt (or red pepper flake hehe).

So what do I do? I attempt to focus on whole foods, great flavors, and things that entertain me and keep me full! Yes, entertain me because food is fun ;) I believe in a balanced diet. I don't cut out carbs (tried it - made me feel worse), I limit my dairy intake, and I like to eat more veggies than I can name. 

I gave myself a $50 limit to spend on snacks at Trader Joe's so that I could show y'all affordable and easy recipes with foods that you can mix and match so you get more bang for your buck!! Think of it like buying a sweater... You don't want to wear it with one outfit right? Nope, you want to style it multiple ways. I feel the same way with my food. If I buy an avocado I don't want to use half and then let the other half go to waste (I know, bad example because that would neverrr happen), I want to use it in another snack!

The past year I have really kick-started my nutrition and flipped my life for the better. I implemented a work out plan, changed my diet with Isagenix (email me if you're curious!!), began eating better, and taught myself what to look for on a label to make food healthy. I'm 28 years old and just now beginning to catch on to how the balance thing works but better late than never right?!

Let's jump right in shall we? Not all of my snacks are photographed *not a professional* so I've made sure to list out and bold all of my ideas. Also, it should be noted that I eat 1-3 of these snacks a day. It's all dependent on my work schedule and if I work out or not! I never feel like I have to limit myself with these snacks because they're all whole and healthy balanced foods!

English Cucumbers and Garlic Hummus // I like the English cucumbers because they're more bite sized with smaller seeds you don't notice. You can use any type of hummus but I love the cool cucumber with the garlic flavor.

Carrots and Salsa + Greek Yogurt // Fun fact, I learned the carrot and salsa trick from Kyle's mom. It's apparently 0 points on Weight Watchers. I prefer to use the "carrot chips" but the price is normally higher - instead I slice these in half so they hold the dip better ;)

Baked Sweet Potato and Salsa + Greek Yogurt // Don't knock it until you try it!! Full of flavor and keeps you full for awhile - best before a high intensity workout! This combo surprisingly does really well combined in a tupperware. Just reheat for 30 seconds. If you're weird about the skin I would remove it before meal prepping after baking.

1 Medium Fuji Apple + 2 tbsp Vanilla Almond Butter // A classic combo! I'm partial to the vanilla flavored almond butter but any type would work. Almond butter is higher in calories than regular peanut butter but I'm a weirdo and don't like PB... (please don't attack me in the comments haha). Sometimes I split this snack in half and space it out during the day. Also, pro tip: if you like to pre-slice your apple, squeeze a little lemon juice or pineapple juice on them to keep the apples from turning brown.

5-7 Small to Medium Organic Strawberries and 1 Cheddar Cheese Stick // I have to portion my strawberries out otherwise I would eat the entire container :) I never slice them because the juice takes over the plastic baggie and it becomes a mess. Personal preference! Why 5-7? I tend to overindulge in fruit which has more sugar than my body likes (lesson learned from years of eating only fruit as a snack). I love to balance the fruit sweetness with these cheddar cheese sticks - low in fat, no fuss, no added BS.

1/2 Medium Fuji Apple and 3-5 Salami Slices // Very basic and simple but I'm obsessed with the sweet and salty combo (especially paired with a bubbly La Croix). I entertain myself by eating each separately or wrapping the salami around the apple slice and eating it like a roll-up. The Calabrese Salami is the cheapest and healthiest salami at TJ's by the way! It's again important for me to portion this out otherwise I would eat too many salami slices and that's wayyyy more sodium than I should be eating haha.

4 Cantaloupe slices, 2 Prosciutto pieces and 2 Tiger Figs // This is probably my fanciest snack... it doesn't require a lot of work though! I bought the cantaloupe pre-cut so that helps with prep time. Just grab a piece of meat, slice it in half and quickly roll it around the cantaloupe! The figs are optional to add. I find myself holding a fig in one hand and a roll-up in the other and taking a bite of each at the same time!

2 Prosciutto pieces, 2 Tiger Figs and a drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar // Basically the same but without the cantaloupe slice. I first discovered this combo on a cheese board platter! The balsamic helps cut the sweetness of the fig and the flavor of the prosciutto really kicks your taste buds into high gear! I cut the Tiger Figs into 8 pieces, rip the prosciutto up into 8 pieces and then pair them together before drizzling with Balsalmic. If you're packing this to go you can drizzle the balsamic right onto the inside of the fig slice or ditch it.

Add Laughing Cow Cheese to either snack idea above!

5 Olive and Fig Crackers, 1 Low-Fat Laughing Cow Cheese Wedge, 4 Salami Pieces // I love these crackers more than anything. They're super crunchy with a sweet and salty flavoring. A classic cheese and salami combo makes you feel like you have a mini cheese board at your desk during work!

5 Olive and Fig Crackers, 1 Low-Fat Laughing Cow Cheese Wedge, 1/2 cup of Tomatoes, 1/2 cup English Cucumbers // Lots of pieces for this "recipe" snack haha. It's all about the veggies and giving them some texture and crunch to be paired with! Because the veggies are so low calorie this snack definitely is a lot bigger than others.

English Cucumbers, Tahini, Tomatoes, and Sliced Salami // If I'm doing a low carb day I'll try to avoid snacking with crackers or crisp bread. I like to keep it simple and nibble on salami slices with a side of cucumbers and tomatoes tossed in tahini (made from sesame seeds - I thin it out by adding a tiny bit of olive oil and water). Add chili-lime seasoning or red pepper flakes on top!

Gluten Free Crisp Bread Recipes... the options and combinations are endless!

GF Crisp, Apple slices, Laughing Cow Cheese Wedge, Tiger Fig // Pairing cheese and fruit on these crunchy (but thick) crackers is my favorite combo.The fruit doesn't fall all over the place because it stays "glued" to the cracker with the cheese (that makes sense right?!)

GF Crisp, Avocado Slice, Red Pepper Flakes, Tahini Drizzle // A snack take on avocado toast! I keep it simple with straight forward avocado slices but you could add tomatoes or cucumbers. I like to drizzle tahini on top to give it a nutty kick (mix with olive oil and water to thin it out). Sometimes the cracker cracks and you lose your toppings - I have mashed my ingredients together to create a guac-like texture and that works really well.

"Adult Ham & Cheese" // Is it funny that I named this snack?? GF Crisp, Sliced Salami, Sliced Cheddar Cheese Stick, Tomato Slices - easy, straight forward, and simple! You could sub out the cheddar for Low-Fat Laughing Cow Cheese too!

GF Crisp, Laughing Cow Cheese Wedge and Sliced Strawberries // I got this idea from a strawberry cake that was served with honey whipped Ricotta. It was really sweet so I thought - why couldn't I create a snack that reminded me of that delicious dessert but with a more savory flavor? The cheese plus strawberry combo gives me life!

GF Crisp, Prosciutto slice, Laughing Cow Cheese Wedge // You've gotta use up that prosciutto package and the last of the cheese wedges!!

GF Crisp, Apple Slices, Prosciutto Slice, Avocado Slice // Are you catching on that any combination of the snacks above would work on this GF Crisp Bread!?

Baked Butternut Squash Zig-Zags with Chili-Lime Seasoning // My all time favorite Fall/Winter vegetable snack. I eat this like it's popcorn... I'm obsessed and this seasoning is so amazing that I put it on everything (delicious on cauliflower gnocchi as well). This photo is horrible because I ate half of the container before I realized the sun was setting and it got too dark to take a photo... and then TJ's ran out of zig zags and only had the butternut ribbons (which would also work for this snack). I tossed the whole container of squash in 1/2 tbsp of olive oil and layered it with a healthy coating of chili-lime. Baked on 375 for 40 minutes and checked it the entire time - I like mine a bit crispier. I'm not a big french fry fan but this shape reminds me of them... just better! They store well in tupperware but definitely get mushier - crisp them back up in a toaster oven or under the broiler.

Baked Sweet Potato Slices (cut into "chips") with Chili-Lime Seasoning // Another way to make a healthy french fry alternative. I love cutting my sweet potato into various shapes: chips, fries, "toast", you name it!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes (cut length-wise) with Cheddar Cheese Stick melted on top // If you cut the sweet potato from tip to tip you can create a long piece that almost acts like a piece of toast. Roast them so that they crisp up and then melt cheese on top. Instant cheese bread full of flavor!! You can still dip this in the salsa + greek yogurt combo for more full on flavor!

Okay that's all the snack ideas I have for y'all today - I hope you liked this post! If you try my snacks please tag me on IG (@jennrog) or shoot me an email! This health/fitness journey has been pretty awesome and I love sharing my progress and making y'all keep me accountable! Taking these photos was sure a labor of love (and a full Saturday of shooting haha) so I really hope that it will help y'all and give you some easy, yummy ideas :) I'm happy to answer any questions - just comment below so we can start a conversation! 

Love Always,

{on wednesday's we wear pink and drink babe rose}

Last weekend I had some of my DC girlfriends over to drink wine, hang out, and eat some yummy food! I've known all of these girls since college so whenever we get together it's a hoot - I never stop laughing!! Babe Rose sent me a bunch of their canned wine (so convenient and no worry about breaking glass!!) along with some amazing pink sweatshirts, shirts, hats, coozies, plates, cups, etc. so it was a no brainer that a party needed to happen! I'll take any excuse to host my friends and have them come over to finish off a great weekend! It was so hilarious to dress up in our swag and style all the pink. I think one of my favorite parts is seeing how differently each girl styled their clothes... Kaitlyn is super cool in her backwards hat and patchwork jeans and Alison looks like a celebrity with her felt hat and moto leggings! 

We hung out on my roof, told stories from the weekend, and just goofed off!! Once it started getting dark (and too cold) we brought all the food inside and polished everything off ;) don't let these photos fool you... we love our cheese boards! It was so easy to pick everything up because the wine was in cans and we could just tuck the 4-pack under our arms.

So what was on the menu with our tasty canned wine? Mini caprese bites, pigs in a blanket, gluten free chips and salsa + guacamole, fig and olive crisps, gluten free pretzels, and a cheese board to make any babe drool! The best part is assembling everything, baking the pigs in a blanket, and plating it all took around 30 minutes tops. I'm all about convenience here!! I bought all my groceries the day before and made sure I had a mix of finger foods for everyone. I also made a point to purchase vegetarian and gluten free options for my friends with allergies too!

The key to a good cheese board is layering your foods - start with placing the cheeses (I like to mix hard and soft cheese plus one sweet and one peppery), then add in fruit like grapes, lay out charcuterie, disperse nuts, and add any toppings like honey, pepper jelly, or jam in the holes next to the cheese it compliments!

This is probably more photos than I should have posted but I laugh every time I see them!! Having so many of my close friends live nearby is the best thing ever :) There's nothing better than making memories (how cheesy does that sound hehe) so it's special to have photographs of us just being ourselves!

Photography by Ashlee of Cobalt Chronicles

Love Always,