Photo: Sunshine Winters Photography

My dog (Denali), is no spring chicken anymore. Actually, he’s not a chicken at all, he’s a teacup (haha) chihuahua that is now 14 years old.

For starters, I don’t know how I’ve kept something alive for 14 years, but that’s besides the point.

The point is, Denali is my buddy, and it’s a sad fact of life that he’s aging, so it’s more important than ever to take better care of him. The first thing is making sure he’s eating a healthy diet, and one that is catered specifically to his breed and his age, that’s why he is on Purina® Pro Plan® Bright Mind® Adult 7+, which is specifically for dogs over 7 years of age.

Kind of like human nutrition labels, the ingredients you read first are the ones more prevalent in the food and Bright Mind is high-quality protein, including chicken as the very first ingredient. No difficult words that are hard to pronounce or bad for the little guy.

I’ll be fully transparent here – sometimes I get lazy (or cheap) and buy Denali whatever’s at the closest grocery store or what’s on sale, but this is the second time I’ve had him on this diet and his mental alertness, sharpness and all around energy is just through the roof. Having seen him react so well to this just within 30 days, has me committed to keeping him on this plan moving forward.

I did learn one trick to transitioning your dog to new food, which is actually explained on the back of the package, and that’s to slowly transition the new food over a course of 7-10 days, and not just all of a sudden. I think that was what I did wrong last time, but he isn’t a big fan of immediate change, so this definitely helped him adjust and keep eating regular portions.

The other thing I make sure is that he remains as active as possible. I always say for myself that a body in motion stays in motion, and that’s also true with our animals. That’s actually one of the benefits of living The Millennium Kirby because there is a huge pet park right at our complex that he can run around in. (Granted, he’s pretty old, so he doesn’t do a lot of actual running, but he loves the space and the sunlight, so it’s perfect.)

Anyone else out there have an aging dog that is a huge member of your family?

*This post was part of The Blonde Side’s involvement with being a Women’s Health Magazine Action Hero, but the content is true and my opinions only.*

Photo: WrittenReality.com

You guys, I recently made this Super Easy Baked Burrito Casserole and it was way better than I had expected.

I got the recipe from WrittenReality.com (you definitely need to check out all her recipes she shares!) and wanted to share the recipe with you below (note, this is her recipe, I am just sharing it for you enjoyment):

BAKED BURRITO CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS

1 pound of ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1 pack of taco seasoning

1 can refried beans

1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1/2 cup sour cream

1 pack large flour tortillas

2 1/2 cups of shredded Mexican blend cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, cook the ground beef and onion until the beef is no longer pink and drain.

Add the taco seasoning and refried beans and heat through.

In a separate bowl, blend the mushroom soup with the sour cream. Then spread half of the soup mixture in the bottom of a baking dish.

Add a layer of 3 flour tortillas to the top of the soup mixture. You will need to cut or tear the tortillas and overlap them.

Spread on a layer of the ground beef mixture and top with about a cup of cheese.

Repeat all of these layers and top with the remaining cheese.

Bake in a 9 x 13 baking dish for about 20 minutes until cheese is nicely melted. Enjoy!

The baked burrito casserole comes out nice and creamy and I like to serve it with chips and salsa to give the feel of the Tex Mex restaurant around our own dinner table. This one is such a super easy casserole recipe that is sure to be one of your family favorites, too.

I love living at The Millennium Kirby thanks to the massive kitchen and space to entertain friends – because cooking for one is never fun. Thanks to Written Reality for this great recipe I came across via Pinterest. I love her stuff! 

Here’s our latest YouTube 5 Things Houston series – be sure to subscribe to The Blonde Side’s YouTube Channel to stay up to date!

Here are the 5 Things we think you should check out in April – there’s so much to explore in the great city of Houston, but these 5 places/events go our vote.

Check out the video below and thanks to Uproar.Design for the video work!

#1 Of course, we gotta get some workouts in this month with all the brunches, booze and summer around the corner. I realize Orangetheory Fitness isn’t new, but I personally have never checked it out. They have a ton of locations – something like 10 in Houston – and even Erin Andrews hit up a class during Super Bowl week. And guess what – your first class is free. So I’ll be doing at least one of these classes this month – hopefully I’ll get hooked. I’m sure my abs would welcome that change with big open, bulging arms.

#2: Astros Baseball – DUH. For those who don’t know, a job with the Astros back in 2006 is what actually brought me to Houston. I used to think air-conditioned baseball was the devil disguised in a sport’s uniform, but I totally get it now. But what I love about Astros baseball in April is that the season is just starting off, so the excitement is definitely there, plus, there’s a chance you may catch a game with the roof open and that is just a glorious Houston day – TRUST ME.

#3: Visit to Lost Pines – So technically this isn’t in Houston, but it’s a quick and beautiful 2-hour drive from Houston and well worth making our Top 5 list for April for many reasons. But if I only have time to give you one reason to visit Lost Pines, it’s for the golf.

I went here last month and have always driven right past it on my many trips to Austin, but I won’t be skipping this spot anymore.

#4: Eight Row Flint: Frose – Filming on location at Eight Row Flint, the obsession with frose is still alive and well in Houston, thankfully. 

#5: 4-Person Golf Scramble at Pearland Golf Club – I’m taking my golfing talents (haha) to Pearland on April 18^th for a 4-person scramble benefiting the Women’s Center of Brazoria County. It’s $50 person, you can buy mulligans (the only way I participate in golf tournaments these days) and there is cold beer for purchase to help drown your backswing problems. It’s super fun and for a good cause and this is where I take my lessons, so come hang out with me. It’s a weekday, so just call in sick, you have my permission!

I love living at The Millennium Kirby because of all there is to do in Houston and all so close. These are just five of our top things to check out – stay tuned for much more! (Hair and makeup for this video courtesy of the super talented Andrea Simmons with FaceForward.)

The Blonde Side at the 2016 Shell Houston Open

This weekend marks one of my favorite Houston events each year – the Shell Houston Open.

Aside from my favorite part of the event – the caddy races on hole #16, there are obviously a lot of other cool things about SHO, and even some new things, like the fan enhancements.

Here are just a few additions fans can expect to see at the 2017 SHO, the ones I think are the best, obviously!

Shell Houston Open 9-Hole Social Media Challenge: Patrons can participate in a fun social media challenge by completing a scorecard of different social media activations, like selfies, twitter questions and other fun photo opportunities located around holes 18, 17 and 16. Completed and returned scorecards result in free prizes Thursday through Sunday.

Regions Bank Greenskeeper Venue: Now presented by Regions Bank, the Greenskeeper located on No. 17 green features an open-air skybox. Food and beverages are included with ticket purchase.

Academy Sports + Outdoors Hole-in-One Challenge: Open throughout the tournament, fans are welcome to attempt a 50-yard chip shot for exciting prizes on The First Tee® of Greater Houston short course.

Hendrick’s Party Deck at 16: Get close to the action and excitement on 16. Guest will enjoy a cash bar, tables, and excellent views. Presented by William Grants & Sons, the deck is attached to public grandstands that offer additional seating options on the course’s famous par 3 hole.

Craft Beer Corner: Located by the No. 17 green, visitors can enjoy a wide selection of local Houston beers.

Click here to see the full list of fan enhancements for this year.

SHO is just another Houston event I’ve come to know and love and it’s one reason I have stayed committed to living in Houston at The Millennium Kirby.

Beignets in Houston (photo courtesy: Toulouse)

Do I need to say more?

In case you still need some enticement, Toulouse Cafe and Bar is a cute little spot, located outside the Galleria, in the new River Oaks Shopping District and it is one of my favorite new brunch spots (spoiler alert: top reasons listed in the headline of this post!).

Here they offer half price rosé, which pairs perfectly with an order of beignets. This Paris-like spot has been open for almost a year now – so it’s time to check it out if you haven’t already. Plus, you’ll love their amazing and spacious patio with retractable screens to help with Houston’s notoriously inconsistent weather – you know the kind, where we experience all four seasons in just one week. Yay!

Note that brunch is only Sat and Sun starting at 11a-330pm or perhaps until the rosé runs out. Which can totally happen by the way, especially if I’m there.

Toulouse creates a warm Parisian feel throughout the establishment, and weather permitting, the expansive patio is the perfect place to partake in brunch where you can start (or finish) with beignets, grab a half-priced bottle of rosé (you guys seriously had me at hello), Orange French Toast, Eggs Florentine, or about 20 other delicious options to choose from.

This cute little brunch spot is just another restaurant located within 10-15 minutes from my home at The Millennium Kirby, so don’t be surprised if you run into me here. I blame the half-priced bottles of rosé!