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July 6, 2015

4th of July Weekend Adventures

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Hello my friends! I hope you all had great weekends – and for my American readers, great long weekends for the 4th of July holiday! (Also – how about that Women’s World Cup?! 🙂 ) We watched the fireworks from a friend’s roof deck in Adams Morgan this year. Beautiful as always – my camera phone didn’t do it justice.

washington dc 4th of july fireworks

4th of July washington dc

As for the rest of the long weekend, Matt and I spent it socializing, which is always my favorite way to spend a weekend. 🙂 I had a ton of friends in town because on Friday my good friend Lara from high school got married!

lara jim wedding

Loved seeing my girls again! The wedding was gorgeous and so was the bride, and it was wonderful to be a part of their special day. <3 I was too busy dancing and celebrating to get any photos – thank you to my friend Melissa for sharing these!

lara jim wedding 2015 va

On the fitness front over the long weekend, I was feeling in need of a break so I kept things pretty low key and enjoyed sleeping in/the holiday festivities! I took Saturday completely off and on Sunday afternoon Matt and I just did a short HIIT workout with weights in our basement. On Friday, though, we got in a nice run together! I had taken Thursday off, too, so I was feeling strong and energized.

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3.25 speedy, hilly miles. Felt good!

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As for some food highlights for the weekend, the folks at Tessemae’s All Natural sent me some of their salad dressing to sample for a sponsored review, so we had fun testing them out. On the 4th, Matt and I went over to my parent’s place for lunch and brought them along for a little taste test.

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I normally steer clear of bottled salad dressings because the ingredient lists are a hot mess (full of additives, things I can’t pronounce, sugar, cheap oils, etc.), but I was intrigued when Tessemae’s reached out because their products are not the norm. Tessemae’s dressings are all real food – no weird additives on their ingredient lists at all – and they are gluten-free, sugar free (as in no added sugar – not any weird fake sugars), vegan, and non-GMO, too. I also like that they weren’t packed with salt – just enough for flavor.

They sent me 4 dressings (which also work as marinades) to sample – Green Goddess (an olive oil based vinaigrette), Soy Ginger, and Ranch and Caesar, which are two of their newest dressings. I was surprised to find they are vegan and made with coconut milk – how creative! Just an FYI that they are meant to be kept in the fridge but will harden a bit, so you’ll want to pop them in a warm water bath for a couple minutes to soften them up again quickly while you’re making your salad. 🙂

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Matt loves the Green Goddess dressing, my mom’s favorite was the Ranch (she said “I will totally buy this”), and my favorite is the Caesar! Delicious – and I really like that it’s not something I’d normally throw together myself at home. I enjoyed some of the Caesar on my salad along with one of my mom’s delicious ham and cheese omelettes – and some unpictured fruit.

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I’ve been rocking the dressings for my salads at home a lot lately, too. Yum. The ranch and caesar are both really good with kale, in case you were curious. 🙂

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As for the soy ginger, Matt and I thought it would make a good marinade, so we marinated some chicken in it on Saturday before throwing it on the grill. 

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So good! This would make an awesome sauce on an Asian dish or stir fry, too.

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Tessemae’s made an appearance at a BBQ we went to last night at our friends Tom and Janice’s place as well! We brought a big salad with the Green Goddess dressing for everyone to enjoy with it.

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Delicious spread! I love summer. 🙂

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Anyway, final verdict, in case you couldn’t tell, is clearly two thumbs up! I will absolutely continue to buy Tessemae’s dressings now that I know they are awesome. I still love my homemade vinaigrettes, but for the Caesar and Ranch options and for bringing to friend’s places/parties, these are perfect! Thank you again to Tessemae’s for the opportunity to try them out for this sponsored review. They have a TON of dressings beyond the four we were sent to try, which you can see (along with their ingredient lists) on their website. They are available online as well as at Whole Foods, Kroger, Safeway, The Fresh Market, and Costco. I’m looking forward to trying some of the other products soon!

Have a great day, my friends! Which city’s fireworks did you watch? 🙂

- anne
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21 comments
  • Elizabeth Beil
    July 6, 2015 · 8:56AM:
    I love a good dressing! One you can use for a marinate and a dressing for a salad is always good in my book :). We watched the fireworks in my small hometown this year. For a small town they lasted 30 minutes and had one of the biggest finishes I have ever seen!
    Reply
    • Anne
      July 6, 2015 · 1:14PM:
      Small town ones are awesome - just as beautiful without the massive crowds!
      Reply
  • Lara July 6, 2015 · 8:57AM:
    Love love love!!! Thank you so much for coming...and after-partying! It was the best day!
    Reply
    • Anne
      July 6, 2015 · 9:09AM:
      Yay! Can't wait to see all the photos from Ben and Taylor! !! Xoxo
      Reply
  • Ellen @ My Uncommon Everyday
    July 6, 2015 · 9:04AM:
    It seems SO simple, but I haven't quite perfected homemade dressing. Mine usually taste too oily and lack real flavor, so I love that there are some healthier bottled options. I'll definitely check these out! Looks like you had a wonderful weekend!
    Reply
  • Shel@PeachyPalate
    July 6, 2015 · 9:24AM:
    I'd be the same, always make my own dressings. Finding a dressing made with cold pressed organic extra virgin olive oil is near impossible in Ireland...I'd go as far as saying it is actually impossible!!!
    Reply
  • Anna July 6, 2015 · 9:41AM:
    I watched DC's, too!!! Didn't they look extra cool this year because of the clouds?
    Reply
    • Anne
      July 6, 2015 · 1:13PM:
      Yeah, definitely! We were worried they would block them... glad they didn't. :)
      Reply
  • Debbie
    July 6, 2015 · 10:06AM:
    I don't really like salad dressings for the same reasons as you and usually make my own. I'll definitely check these out. Have a great week!
    Reply
  • Erin @ Her Heartland Soul
    July 6, 2015 · 10:11AM:
    That dip sounds yummy! And what a beautiful wedding! I'm glad you had a good 4th!
    Reply
  • Dana | fresh simple five
    July 6, 2015 · 11:07AM:
    It's so hard to find a good ranch that's not loaded with weird stuff! I'll be keeping my eyes open for this one at the store.
    Reply
  • Alex @ get big, go to work
    July 6, 2015 · 1:25PM:
    We actually didn't watch fireworks this year! Kind of lame I guess but it was also nice to have a relaxing weekend. Those dressings sound very interesting - definitely intriguing. I will have to see if I can find them in our local WF.
    Reply
  • Laura @ This Runner's Recipes
    July 6, 2015 · 2:06PM:
    We didn't watch any fireworks this year - instead we went hiking! Those dressings sound good - I like how there's no weird ingredients in them!
    Reply
  • Amanda @ Slimplify Life
    July 6, 2015 · 2:11PM:
    I watched from a rooftop in Rosslyn! Your pics are better than mine - mine look like white and red blobs. Maybe even cotton balls if you turn the phone the right way. Fail.
    Reply
  • Mary
    July 6, 2015 · 4:39PM:
    I love the green goddess dressing! I should try the ranch, I usually love ranch dressing but don't buy it thinking I'm being healthy.... hahah I watched the fireworks in Chatsworth, CA! My friends live there, so we watched the town's fireworks show, and then set off our own fireworks :) so fun!
    Reply
  • Erin July 6, 2015 · 9:31PM:
    The soy ginger one is gluten free too?
    Reply
    • Anne
      July 7, 2015 · 9:28AM:
      Yep! They use GF soy sauce.
      Reply
  • Claire
    July 6, 2015 · 9:47PM:
    My husband and I live in Durham, NC and we love to watch the Durham Bulls' post-game fireworks! The game was sold out this year so we watched from the top of a nearby parking garage downtown! So much fun and a beautiful night :)
    Reply
    • Anne
      July 7, 2015 · 9:29AM:
      Aw - say hello to Chapel Hill for me! I miss it!
      Reply
  • Roadrunner July 7, 2015 · 6:32AM:
    Sounds like a great holiday weekend, with a great vantage point for the fireworks! Just hope the Metro wasn't too jammed on the way home!
    Reply
    • Anne
      July 7, 2015 · 9:29AM:
      We drove, which was easier than we thought it would be!
      Reply
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anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
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I’m Anne, a Registered Dietitian and mother. I've been blogging since 2009 and love showing others that eating nutritious foods and staying active can actually be fun rather than overwhelming!

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