Congratulations to Hannah Pfoutz Grieco!

I asked y’all to submit a pic with a body part that you love— and a few sentences why…This incredible Mom to 3, mega-half marathoner (soon to be marathoner) and super cool chick submitted this:

“It’s so easy to be frustrated, trying to lose the baby weight.  But after baby #3 was born, I found a new love of running!  And for the first time in my life, I am starting to love my thighs.  These quads will carry me through my first marathon this October!” 

CONGRATS HANNAH!

And here’s another reminder of what the goods are inside the beach bag!

Your “Toes in the Sand Basket” includes:

Trio of Parrano Cheeses–  Parrano Originale:  I love the smooth, creamy finish.  This cheese lasted about 11 seconds before it was totally inhaled.   Hollandse Chevre:  Um, hello buttery delish!  Put this on a cracker with some Pâté and OMG! Melkbus 149: This is my favorite of the three and totes melt-in-your-mouth decadence.  Ridiculously good.

Simply Balanced Apple Slices: These freeze dried fruits have the crunch factor that I crave!  Super healthy and a great substitute for chips—and this snack won’t wreck your bikini diet!

Neutragena Ultra Sheer Body Mist – A girl’s got to protect her skin!  This is the best protection against UVA-aging and UVB-burning rays in a spray that’s super light and isn’t greasy.  Plus, it’s sweatproof and is easy to apply….

Gleam Body Radiance:  Developed by superstar makeup artist Melanie Mills who headed up the makeup department for Dancing With the Stars….Now she’s bottled her beautiful bronze for the masses—and it’s incredible.  Adding a little “gleam” to your sun kissed bod never looked so good!

O.N.E. Coconut water:  Low in calories, naturally fat- and cholesterol free, more potassium than four bananas, and super hydrating— coconut water is loaded with benefits. It’s also a great thirst quencher when you’re lounging in the sand!

Beach Accessories- Towel, Frisbee, oversized beach hat: Gotta have a Frisbee on the beach to show off that gorg bod!  When you’re ready to relax, sport an oversized, stylish hat on your lush beach towel.

Cameron Diaz’s The Body Book:  One of my favorite actresses, Cameron Diaz, tells an inspiring personal story backed by science about the mind/body connection.  A must-have beach read!

Guenoc Cabernet: One of my fave big reds! Hints of vanilla and black cherry make this a perfect pairing with Parrano cheeses…or, turn it into a pitcher of delish Sangria with fresh fruit.

I was pretty stoked when the folks from Parrano Cheese contacted me about being part of a select group of foodie bloggers to take part in their delish giveaway!  We were given themes to participate in Parrano’s Picnic Campaign— I chose to put together a “Toes in the Sand Basket” now that I’ve got my bikini body back, y’all!   Check out the yummy compilation– from wine and cheese to the most perfect bronzer on the planet and some inspiration from the gorgeous Cammy Diaz.  I consider this a LOVE MY BODY BAG…this is all about embracing our inner goddess and feeling good about what we’re putting in our bodies (delish low carb Parrano cheese!) and on our bodies– (hello sunscreen!)

So, how do you win?

I want to know: What body part do you love and what do you do for yourself to feel beautiful inside and out?   So often we focus on what we want to change– our thighs, our stretch marks, our blotchy skin tone…instead of relishing in our gorgeously flawed selves.  Email me a selfie with a sign that says “I LOVE MY (*blank*)” and a couple sentences about what you do to feel beatiful!  Send submissions to: parker at whatsonparkersplate.com.

Deadline to enter is Wednesday, June 18th at 12:00am EST.

Winner will be announced Wednesday,  June 25th at 12pm EST.

Your “Toes in the Sand Basket” includes:

Trio of Parrano Cheeses—  Parrano Originale:  I love the smooth, creamy finish.  This cheese lasted about 11 seconds before it was totally inhaled.   Hollandse Chevre:  Um, hello buttery delish!  Put this on a cracker with some Pâté and OMG! Melkbus 149: This is my favorite of the three and totes melt-in-your-mouth decadence.  Ridiculously good.

Simply Balanced Apple Slices: These freeze dried fruits have the crunch factor that I crave!  Super healthy and a great substitute for chips—and this snack won’t wreck your bikini diet!

Neutragena Ultra Sheer Body Mist – A girl’s got to protect her skin!  This is the best protection against UVA-aging and UVB-burning rays in a spray that’s super light and isn’t greasy.  Plus, it’s sweatproof and is easy to apply….

Gleam Body Radiance:  Developed by superstar makeup artist Melanie Mills who headed up the makeup department for Dancing With the Stars….Now she’s bottled her beautiful bronze for the masses—and it’s incredible.  Adding a little “gleam” to your sun kissed bod never looked so good!

O.N.E. Coconut water:  Low in calories, naturally fat- and cholesterol free, more potassium than four bananas, and super hydrating— coconut water is loaded with benefits. It’s also a great thirst quencher when you’re lounging in the sand!

Beach Accessories- Towel, Frisbee, oversized beach hat: Gotta have a Frisbee on the beach to show off that gorg bod!  When you’re ready to relax, sport an oversized, stylish hat on your lush beach towel.

Cameron Diaz’s The Body Book:  One of my favorite actresses, Cameron Diaz, tells an inspiring personal story backed by science about the mind/body connection.  A must-have beach read!

Guenoc Cabernet: One of my fave big reds! Hints of vanilla and black cherry make this a perfect pairing with Parrano cheeses…or, turn it into a pitcher of delish Sangria with fresh fruit.

**Disclaimer: As a blogger chosen to participate in this contest, I was provided with Parrano products and $100 to choose items for my basket.  The basket items were chosen by me and not suggested by anyone else.  I was not given any additional compensation to participate in this contest.

Happy Memorial Day weekend, y’all!  Time to fire up the grill and throw back a cocktail (or three!)

Here are some of my all-time favorite ‘kick-off to summer’ recipes….

Fresh Mozzarella, Basil and Watermelon Skewers

 Marinated Flank Steak

Jalapeno Poppers

These poppers are hotties.

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Tarragon Butter Sauce

Low Carb Margarita

Parker’s Skinny Margarita

 Mardi Gras Wings

 Guilt-Free Lemon Cheesecake

Guilt free, sugar free….and did I mention DELISH on a plate??

Low carbers, look away now….This is majah dangerous, y’all!

I wanted to make a special dessert for my favorite camera dude and his awesome wife….She said she likes desserts you can warm up and put ice cream on.  This is chocolate-y, creamy, blueberry yum in a pie plate.  Carb overload?  Fuh-gettaboutit.  Just get your butt to the gym in the morning. It’s worth it!

And on a sentimental note, the filling is my Grandma Ronnie’s recipe– the crumb topping is my Grandma Parker’s recipe!  Best combo of Grandma legacies!

I don’t know about y’all, but this little Gordita overdid it with the booze and cheese lastnight. Copious amounts of cheese, guacamole, margaritas and more cheese– and more tequila.  Someone may have even put some bacon on her taco, just sayin’.

So, this morning, I made the most refreshing pineapple coconut detox (non)cocktail.  I mixed 2 cups of fresh pineapple with a few Tb of coconut cream– that yummy, thick cream that you find at the top of a can of coconut milk when you open it up.  (Not the coconut milk in the carton– you have to get the full fat cans of the good stuff. Thai Kitchen is my favorite brand.)  Put that in a food processor or blender and chill it— DIVINE.  Feeling no bueno about that Cinco de Mayo bender?  This is the best Seis de Mayo detox drink ever.  (Although Malibu rum might be a nice addition, but that’s just me being an enabler….)

This recipe puts the TENDER in chicken tenders.  It’s so easy, y’all.  In my cooking experience, it’s all about using a combo of butter and oil in a grill pan with the right timing.

One of the most common mistakes people make when cooking chicken on the stove top is putting it into the pan wet.  You will never get a good sear on any meat if it’s wet.  As soon as you take the chicken out of the package, dry it off on paper towels.  I season both sides with steak seasoning and a sprinkling of paprika.

Heat up a grill pan on medium/high heat and make sure your butter is “melty and bubbly” when you put your chicken in the pan.  I have 2 of these Circulon 12″ grill pans and use them almost every night.  They are awesome!!!

Those ridges make beautiful sear marks!

Once you put your chicken in the grill pan, take the Beatles advice and just “let it be.”  For 7 minutes, DO NOT TOUCH IT.  Let it get a good sear– put your timer on and after 7 minutes, flip it. Then DO NOT TOUCH IT for another 7 minutes.  Turn the heat off, let it rest for 5 minutes and dig in.  It’s tender, tender, tender!!  I love the Sriracha mayo– you can make it even spicier by adding more of the hot stuff.

Feast your eyes on that picture, lovelies.  Hot, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate-y, Kahlua-y, yumyum.

I may, just may have broken my low carb diet for a piece.  Or three.

I didn’t think it could get any better than my Bourbon Banana Bread.  It did.

You’re welcome.