The Pulse: July 2014

Dessert: Fourth of July Jell-o Flag

Treat yourself this holiday by cutting into this easy-to-make red, white, and blueberry cake. (Tip: Use CoolWhip Lite instead of regular CoolWhip for the frosting—with ten calories per spoonful, it’s quite possibly the sweetest scale-friendly icing out there.)

What You’ll Need:

2 cups of large strawberries
1 cup blueberries
2 large boxes (4.3 ounces) of strawberry Jell-o
1 container of CoolWhip Lite
13-by-9 inch pan

Recipe:

1. Make Jell-o following the directions on back of box. Pour into 13-by-9 inch pan; let set in refrigerator.

2. Top set Jell-o with layer of CoolWhip Lite.

3. Rinse blueberries and pat dry; assemble as “stars” in upper left hand corner of flag.

4. Rinse strawberries and pat dry. Cut in half and place slices horizontally as “stripes” across flag.

5. Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve. 

Book Bit

Tired of entering the traditional, run-of-the-mill 5K, 10K, and marathon races? The Runner’s Bucket List: 200 Races to Run Before You Die ($13; bn.com) should help re-stoke your fun-loving, adventurous spirit. Ever tried eating a dozen donuts or chugging down a few beers over the course of five miles? From running a race naked to dressing up in a gorilla costume—here’s looking at you, Austin Gorilla Run—runner and traveler Denise Malan has compiled a list of some of the greatest, craziest, most unique and memorable races you can find in America. All you have to do to earn bragging rights is sign up and run. 

1spangle (verb):

to decorate or cover something with many small, shiny objectsor ornamentations.

(Ex. The star-spangled banner.)

Merriam-Webster 

Patriotic Fitness Products

Keep your cool while showing off our flag’s colors this summer.

This polymer-crystal filled scarf (Kafka’s Kool tie; $11; rei.com) slowly releases water to keep your neck cool throughout those 100-degree-plus afternoons.

These CoolMax running socks are designed to show off the American flag as well as ward off tennis-shoe friction and blisters. (U.S. Flag CoolMax Socks; $12; raceready.com) 

Patriotic Playlist

Songs on life, love, freedom, and the country we all call home to get you in the celebratory spirit. 

American Girl – Carrie Underwood
Home – Dierks Bentley
Free – Zac Brown Band
Same Love – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Americano – Lady Gaga
Firework – Katy Perry
Brave – Sara Bareilles
Prayer for the Road – Eli Young Band
Fly Over States – Jason Aldean
Wavin’ Flag – K’naan