Ah, the Fourth of July. Hot dogs on the grill. Potato salad – heavy on the mayonnaise. Parades. Way too much beer. Red, white, and blue cupcakes. And the reckless abuse of fireworks.

On a day that’s all about indulging, it’s nice to lighten it up… just a little bit. Not too much, of course. Hot dogs and potato salad taste delicious, but that bloated feeling afterwards? Not so delicious, that’s for sure. Convince your crew to make some of this grilled chicken instead. Why?

One serving of chicken, about the size of the palm of your hand, contains 22 grams of protein. One serving only has between 100 and 130 calories, with very, very few of those coming from fat. Chicken is also a great source of iron, a nutrient that women tend to be deficient in.

So clear a little spot on the grill for a chicken breast or two.

Fourth of July Grilled Chicken

You’ll need… Read More »

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My favorite holiday of the summer, the 4th of July, is just a few days away, which means a fun weekend full of spending time with friends and family and celebrating America’s Independence! And, since the 4th falls on a Monday, I’m also pretty excited about having an extra day off and the 3-day weekend!

Whether you’ll be spending your long weekend at the beach, a pool party, a family barbecue or partying with friends, I’ve got the perfect outfit for you! Show off your patriotic spirit in any of these cute outfits, all of which are less than $20!

Living in South Florida means I’ve seen my fair share of beach-goers. The beaches down here are filled with beautiful people with beautiful bodies and perfect tans. However, they aren’t always filled with people who are easy on the eyes. Nor is every beach day an episode of Baywatch. As summer approaches, more and more people are heading off to the beach to catch some rays and waves — which mean you’re going to do a lot of people watching. For better or worse.

Here are the 10 people you’ll definitely see at the beach this summer.

While Nautical inspired clothing is big every year around the 4th of July (I mean we all remember owning an Old Navy $5 flag shirt at some point or another) this year, Nautical is even more in style. From stripes to cherry colored bottoms, Navy blazers to white terry zip-ups, dressing yourself in the colors of our grand ol’ flag has never been easier! Not to mention navy, white and red, when paired together, are a fabulously flattering combination. Score!

Here are three summer outfits to take you plenty more places than just your family 4th of July BBQ- from the beach to brunch, shopping to a soiree…all whilst feeling tres nautical!

Nautical Beach
This bold bathing suit draws the eye up keeping it fun and flattering. I love the simple crispness of the white cover up and sandals on the beach- not to mention it TOTES matches your SPF!

Product Information: Bikini Tip- Old Navy, $15; Bikini Bottoms- Old Navy, $15; Coverup- Gap, $28.99; Headwrap- Forever 21, $4.80; Flip Flops- Target, $12.99. Read More »

Everyone’s got a morning after story (though I’m sure the girl who watched people get it on at a table in front of her wishes she didn’t) and we wanna hear yours! Send it over to us and we’ll post it – anonymously, of course – right here!]

The summer after I graduated from high school I was excited to finally be free from compulsory family vacays to celebrate the 4^th of July. So to celebrate both America’s and my own newfound independence, I went big, I went all out – I went to a house party.

It was the kind of party I look back fondly on in remembrance of high school days. There was cheap vodka, a backup keg, and plenty of top shelf liquor plucked from the generous hostesses’ parents liquor cabinet. The night started out innocently enough, with keg stands, red and blue shots (white didn’t work out the way we’d planned), and plenty of high schoolers bragging about just how wasted they were.

As a mature, soon-to-be-freshman, I was so over the same un-graduated attendees that had been plaguing house parties for the last 4 years of my life. As I lamented the lack of “real men” with my equally sophisticated best friends, the college guys showed up. Read More »

The Fourth of July is a holiday deeply rooted in its traditions. You hang out with friends and family (sometimes in costume…), you cook big slabs of meat on the grill, you wash those slabs of meat down with an icy cold (alcoholic) beverage, and you sit on a blanket in the middle of a street to watch pretty bombs explode overhead.

Ooooo!
Ahhhhh!

But no matter how many times you do it, as you walk back to your car – scratching those damn mosquito bites until you bleed- you always find yourself wishing you had prepared for the festivities a little better.

So, this year, CollegeCandy is gonna help you out. We’ve done all the preparing so you don’t have to. Print this sucker out before you go and you will be ready for your 4th of July celebration (and possibly another Y2K situation…what can we say? We like to be prepared).   Read More »

American Pride Doesn't Have to Look Like This

Fourth of July is here! Commence drinking, hot dogs, drinking, and singing “Bye Bye Miss American Pie” and maybe burning your hand on sparklers (which I don’t care how old I get, they will always be so freakin’ cool).

I’ve already given you recipes for the bbq you’ll be hitting, and now we have one more thing to tackle: the Fourth of July ‘fit.

You need to look somewhat festive (i.e. I don’t suggest your skull tank or vintage “I love Canada” tee) but you don’t want to look like a walking advertisement for the US of A. I’ve got you covered: from red, white and blue festive to festive without being decked in the colors of our homeland, you will look like those American Girls that all those foreign boys (and the Counting Crows) talk about. And you will be ready to pull a Miley and Party in the USA. Woot woot. Read More »

It’s unfortunate that a glorious holiday that is supposed to be about laying out on the beach, getting burnt, and winning hot dog eating contests has turned into something so ugly and so misunderstood. Sure the Fourth of July is a day to celebrate our independence as well as our American pride, but that doesn’t mean that it’s an excuse to desecrate the colors red, white, and blue in such a horrible fashion.

So in a striking contrast to the phenomenal fireworks display you’re going to see this weekend, we present to you American patriotism gone horribly wrong.

[Click on the photos to see appropriate (and awesome) examples of patriotism.]

Read More »

Happy (almost) Independence Day, people! It’s time to bust out the sparklers and consume massive amounts of grilled meat, all in the name of this here country.

While there are many things about America that are less than lovable – Nascar, the current economy, the fact that Heidi Montag makes millions of dollars – we live in a pretty awesome country. And most of us don’t really appreciate all that we’ve got, like free education, freedom of speech… and Miley Cyrus.

So I thought it was about time for all of us to take a moment to reflect on what we love most about being Americans. Get your American Pride on in the comments below.

Katherine – University of Delaware: I love being an American because you can experience completely different lifesyles without ever leaving the country’s borders. Yet whether you’re from the south, the midwest, or the coasts, you still share a common bond.

Sara C – Fordham: What do I love about being American? Being able to be a woman who can speak her mind if she so desires. Being able to go for a run in a sports bra and compression shorts on a hot summer day. And Ben & Jerry’s. God bless Chunky Monkey.

Kari – Florida State: I love being an American most when I’m milling around a bar at Happy Hour and I can yell “F**K YEA, AMERICA!” Which will spark warm sentiments of agreement from other bar patrons. Not much more American than profanity and self-promotion!

Ricki – University of Michigan: The fact that I can wear whatever I want in the summer.  Can you imagine a country where women can’t wear shorts?  Read More »