Happy Thursday! I am so excited for the weekend, who’s with me? I LOVE the 4th of July! I mean come on, who doesn’t love to celebrate our beautiful country and sweet freedom by dressing up in flag themed apparel, eating red white and blue themed everything and spending time with friends and family at your closest beach/lake/pool/backyard? AND you get a day off from work? Hallelujah, America you sure are beautiful.

Robert and I have spent the last few “Fourths” with my family either at my grandparent’s beach house in North Carolina or my aunt and uncle’s in Florida. Both are two of my very favorite places, but it was high time we spent an Independence Day here in Hilton Head.  My sister had to work since she took off for our Chicago trip a few weeks ago, but my parents agreed to come here for the weekend and are getting in tonight, I can’t wait! Next year my goal will definitely be to have all of us together somewhere sandy!

 

I can’t wait to spend time with my parents, and I am almost equally as excited about the gift my mother is bringing… my very own herb pots!  I love to cook with fresh herbs but have never had a lot of luck growing my own on our little back patio. Unfortunately I didn’t inherit a green thumb (or even a green pinkie) from my mother or grandfather who are both avid gardeners. My sweet mama must have finally gotten sick of listening to me complain about the price of fresh herbs because a few months ago she started two big pots full of a variety of herbs for me. Best Gift Ever! I can’t wait to smell them, use them and hopefully not kill them. Fingers crossed! It gets hot down here on the South Carolina coast and I am not always the best at remembering to water….

 

Second to extra Renly cuddles and waking up an hour later, my favorite thing about having the summer off is no lunchbox. During the school year, to save money and remain mindful, I pack my own lunch for work every day and it gets really, really monotonous. I eat a lot of kale salads and a lot of apple slices and string cheese. And by a lot I mean I eat that every day, literally. I’ve gotten very good at cooking just enough dinner to feed two people so the rare occasion I get to bring leftovers for lunch is a special treat. Sometimes by Friday I’m out of salad and end up eating oatmeal at my desk. My lunch game during the school year is pretty sad so lets not dwell on that. Instead we’ll focus on the beauty of actually cooking lunch during the summer time…hooray!

 

It’s so nice to have access to my kitchen during the day, I haven’t eaten a single kale salad for lunch since June, not one! I have eaten a few apple slices and string cheeses but that’s neither here nor there. Just because I can cook elaborate lunches during the summer doesn’t mean I always have the time or desire to. This week I was craving something light but with plenty of protein to get me through the afternoon. I was also inspired by a beautiful bag of baby sweet peppers at the grocery store. I walk by those adorably bright, cheery bags of orange, red and yellow every week and think to myself””, “Someday, I am going to have a reason to buy you”. Well, the day finally came and I think they are going to be making an appearance in my shopping cart a lot more often from now on.

 

These little poppers make a great, light lunch. I love tuna but don’t usually eat it since Robert isn’t a fan and I hate to force its lovely smell on my co-workers during the school year. Reason 217 why summer break is great: You can eat all the stinky foods you want to at home without judgment If tuna isn’t really your bag, you could easily sub pulled chicken and these would be equally as tasty. In fact, if you need a last minute 4th of July cookout dish, I would use chicken in place of the tuna and barbeque sauce in place of the mayo for a delicious appetizer…yummy! You could even be extra patriotic and only use the red peppers

I hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July! Spend some time with your loved ones and near a body of water if at all possible! Unless you are on the coast of North Carolina near all those shark attacks… in that case I suggest you enjoy your holiday from the safety of the sand. Happy holiday weekend!

Sweet Pepper Tuna Poppers

Ingredients:

1 Can Tuna packed in water

4-5 Mini Sweet Peppers

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil Mayonnaise

1/2 a Lemon

Pinch of dill

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425. Drain tuna and transfer to small bowl. Mix thoroughly with mayonnaise, juice of 1/2 a lemon, dill and salt and pepper to taste.

2. Slice Peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds and and stems. Place pepper halves on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Scoop tuna filling into pepper shells and bake for 20-25 minutes until peppers begin to blister and tuna is slightly browned. Sprinkle with fresh herbs and enjoy!