This month was incredible — we soaked up summer, spent time in the mountains, and hosted an unforgettable week of kids camp at our church.
“I can’t remember all the times I tried to tell myself to hold on to these moments as they pass.”
Welcome to “Moments” on JoyFoodSunshine — my monthly pause from recipes to share the family highlights, favorite finds, and a few new recipes we loved this month.
Here are some highlights from July 2025.
Recipes I’m Making on Repeat
These are the recipes I kept making for my family this month:
Cottage cheese pancakes. My current favorite breakfast, especially paired with a green smoothie.
Brown butter chocolate chip cookies. Rich, toasty, and next-level delicious.
Homemade pizza dough & pizza sauce. We’ve brought back pizza nights and these two recipes are staples in our rotation.
Eclair cake. It was my husband’s birthday, and of course he picked eclair cake — real life photos with paper plates and candle holes included.
Things I’m Loving
Little discoveries and favorites from this summer:
- Oval serving platter with handles. I’m thrilled this style returned — perfect for serving salads or family-style dishes.
- Villa shorts. Comfortable, flattering, and the right length for everyday wear.
- Crochet top with a lightweight tank underneath. A go-to summer outfit that’s effortless and comfortable.
- Vitamix blender. We rely on smoothies during busy mornings and for quick breakfasts. Both higher-end and more budget-friendly models I’ve used perform wonderfully.
- Sheer glow foundation. A lightweight, well-blending foundation that’s become a summer favorite.
NEW July Recipes
New recipes I published this month:
- Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. Super creamy and minty without food coloring.
- Zucchini Cake. Moist, lightly spiced, and a delicious way to use summer zucchini.
- Couscous Salad. Quick to prepare and a perfect BBQ side.
- Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread. A great start to zucchini-baking season.
- Oat Flour Pancakes. A tasty gluten-free option using easy-to-make oat flour.
- Pear Pie. A sturdy, fruit-forward pie that’s not runny — ideal for pear season.
- Pear Crumble. A simple, cozy dessert — I was surprised I hadn’t shared pear recipes before now.
- How to Make a Lattice Crust. A detailed photo and video tutorial for a beautiful lattice pie crust.
- Whipped Goat Cheese Dip. The easiest, tastiest appetizer.
Snapshots
We took a last-minute getaway to Grand Teton National Park and had a blast. This was our third visit and it’s always one of our favorite trips. The highlight was renting a massive paddle board that fit all eight of us — we paddled around String Lake all day and loved every minute.
We hiked to Phelps Lake, a quieter spot where we practically had the lake to ourselves even in high season.
We also took the ferry across Jenny Lake and hiked to Observation Point — getting out of the heat and into the mountains felt restorative. This year has been busy, so we intentionally unplugged, paused sports and other obligations, and chose uninterrupted family time. It was exactly what we needed.
I’m enjoying slow summer mornings at home. I started teaching Zach to read and he’s taking to it so well. I’ve used The Reading Lesson book with all six of my kids — it’s been a reliable resource.
The kids decorated their bikes for our neighborhood 4th of July parade — such cuties.
Swim season wrapped up — we were sad to see it end because it was such a fun one.
Kids camp was the highlight of July. It’s my children’s favorite week of the summer, and this year was the best yet. Before we moved to Utah, my husband pastored a church in Illinois for seven years. Each summer that church’s youth group travels to help run our local kids camp — watching those teenagers serve with such faith and maturity is always moving.
This year felt especially meaningful: it was our first camp in the new building and we had more kids than ever sign up. I felt emotional seeing the Illinois team again and witnessing how God is working through our church community.
That’s a wrap on our July. I hope you had a wonderful month — I can’t believe August is already here. I’m equal parts excited and a little sad to see summer move on.