Adventure is Calling

Husband shared this video with me the other day, and I just can't stop watching. The amazing beauty of this world is so breathtaking, and I am so grateful to be able to enjoy the vast creation of our God.

Adventure Is Calling from Shane Black on Vimeo.

Having spent the last week battling a cold, trying to do too much while under the weather, and living with my kitchen in shambles {pictures soon!}, I am acutely aware of the amazing people in my life. 

I am so very grateful for an understanding husband who didn't make me sleep in the guest room despite my hourly coughing fits in the middle of the night, who asked repeatedly if there was anything he could do, who brought me tissues and hot tea, who stayed home from work yesterday so I wouldn't be exposed to paint fumes while the painters finished our kitchen, and who rubbed my back as I slept in fitful bursts on the couch.

I am also grateful for my sweet, caring mother who cheerfully takes on even the most insignificant task as meaningful to someone else. Over the last week she has helped me hang wallpaper in our built-in book shelves and organize the mess of our guest room closets {pre-death's door cold}, spray painted the kitchen hardware when I was feeling puny, swept my kitchen floor, and found and purchased the most perfect piece of furniture that I've been searching for for our second bedroom {details to come!}. 

I am grateful for a boss and co-workers who are understanding and caring, and for being able to genuinely have fun at work.

I am grateful for blue skies, changing leaves and cool breezes, for spending the afternoon wrapped up in a warm blanket on the front porch and having my husband bring me hot tea. 

And most of all, despite it's difficulties past, present and future, I am grateful for this season of my life.

What are your grateful for today?

xoxo

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Meal Planning: November 4th - 8th

1 / 2/ 3

Since our kitchen was a bit destroyed from having the painters over on Saturday, I opted for some simple recipes for the week, things that I could make simultaneously. Here's this week's menu of clean, paleo meals:

breakfast:

I made a frittata version of this breakfast lasagna - layer diced sweet potatoes, caramelized onions, wilted spinach (I omitted the mushrooms), cooked breakfast sausage (I used chicken) in a baking dish. Whisk together 12 eggs, spices and the coconut milk from the original recipe and pour into the baking dish. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the eggs are set. I reheat mine in the toaster oven in the mornings and pair with half an apple or a slice of this bread if I'm being less strict. You could also top with some avocado!

lunch:

Since I've had a cold since last Thursday, no-noodle chicken soup (recipe from 'It Starts with Food') sounded like a great alternative to my usual lunch salad. Carrots, celery and broccoli with chicken and salty, savory spices? Yes, please.

dinners:

Gremolata mushroom beef stew - this recipe is not only delicious, it is really easy to make in advance since most of the cooking is done in the oven. It's great for meal planning because you can put it in the oven and work on something else (like chicken soup) while it's cooking.

Paleo spaghetti with spaghetti squash noodles - no real recipe here, just your standard spaghetti, paelo-ified. I used grass-fed ground beef, garlic & onions, organic sugar-free tomato basil sauce from the local farmers market, and diced zucchini. Serve over spaghetti squash 'noodles' - simply cut the squash in half length-wise and scoop out all the seeds. Bake face-down at 375 on a baking sheet for about 45 minutes. Remove and drizzle with some olive oil, then bake about 10 more minutes. Scoop out the 'noodles' with a fork! I store the spaghetti and the noodles separately until it's time to reheat. Then I reheat it together in a skillet with a touch of olive oil or ghee. (Also, this is a good version using meatballs.)

snacks:
I cheated a bit on this one and picked up some gluten-free, dairy-free chia seed muffins at the farmers market. Not strict paleo since there is some sugar in them, so judge if you must, but I'm okay with it this week. Having to remove everything from our kitchen cabinets + a serious head cold = no baking for me this week.

Paleo pumpkin granola - again not strict since it uses honey, but you can easily omit that if you wish. I've been having some trouble eating eggs on my early mornings when I eat breakfast at 6:30, so I've been allowing myself some grass-fed, organic Greek yogurt. This granola is perfect alone, with a splash of almond milk, or even atop some yogurt. 

Here's to a week of making up for all that Halloween candy clean eating!

xoxo

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Whirlwind

{via}

The last week and a half seems to have simply flown by. Between working extra shifts (my boss is under the weather), trying to meet a presentation deadline, deciding to paint our kitchen cabinets, and coming down with a cold myself, I feel like I lived in a blur for the last ten days. Halloween came and went, and we had zero trick or treaters. Which honestly, was probably for the best as I would have easily scared them away in my current cough/runny nose/congestion-induced stupor. Ha!

Hope you all had a lovely week, a fun-filled Halloween, and a beautiful fall weekend. 

xoxo

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{P}Inspirations

From my closet to my garden to my living room, here are a few of my favorite images as of late...

 {all can be found on my Pinterest pages}

xoxo

Lately, Around Here...

birthdays, lunch with sweet families, trail races, puppy dog cuddles, birthday carrot cake, black coffee, spiced tea & cool afternoons reading on the porch...

This has been a busy and slightly stressful week, if we're being honest, but one that is definitely going out with a bang. Yesterday was husband's birthday, so today we are headed up to the mountains for a weekend getaway. I've packed up three days worth of good food {complete with a couple of birthday treats}, lots of firewood and warm clothes, and a couple good books. We are looking forward to cold mornings with hot coffee, watching the sunrise on the side of the mountain, reading by the campfire in the afternoons, the beautiful colors of fall that can only be fully enjoyed in the midst of nature.

{Poor Sambo had his dewclaw removed but is now back to his normal adventurous self}

Wishing you a wonderful weekend.

xoxo

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Casual

Old Navy top, Gap leggings, Target scarf, Loft necklace, Michael Kors watch & bag, Tommy Hilfiger booties, vintage bracelets, Essie Chincilly polish

There's nothing really special about this outfit, except that I recently discovered Old Navy petites online. Despite my love of all things Banana Republic, I never really shop at Old Navy because honestly, the clothes just don't fit well. Since my discovery however, things have changed. And while I already own the perfect worn-in chambray, this light-weight pop-over was just too good to pass up.

xoxo

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Meal Planning: October 14-18th

1 / 2 / 3 

This week our meals are pretty simple, since we are {hopefully} leaving Thursday afternoon for our annual camping trip {the government shutdown has currently caused a change in plans}. That being said, I decided to keep lunch simple and only make one thing in advance for dinners. I did, however, complete all the prep work for a second dish in the event that we don't leave town Thursday afternoon. 

 

Here is what our week of paleo meals looks like:

Breakfast

Egg scrambles with miscellaneous veggies {zucchini, mixed greens, maybe potatoes, spinach, etc}

Lunches

Crunchy kale salad or mixed greens with baked chicken and paleo ranch or leftover chicken, kale & wild rice soup

{This soup was a runner up for lunch and will probably appear in the meal list next week or so}

Dinners

Spaghetti with zucchini and sqoodles {spaghetti squash "noodles} adapted from this recipe or Paleo chicken alfredo with zoodles {zucchini "noodles"}

Snacks

Peeled and sliced carrots and celery with sunbutter or sunny cranberry trail mix

This banana bread sounded perfect for an afternoon snack and to take camping with us. I haven't made it yet, but plan on doing it either for the trip or just for the weekend.

On Sunday afternoon I did the prep work for salads and snacks and baked chicken for lunches while the spaghetti was cooking. I also baked the spaghetti squash,  shredded zucchini noodles and diced the chicken for the alfredo. And there you have it!

xoxo

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Color Crush: Burgundy

While I usually lean towards emeralds and sapphires during the fall, this season it seems as though all my favorite items are deep crimson. From sweaters to scarves, I've picked up some great items for the season that will pair quite well with my current fall wardrobe.

floral scarf

leather tote

two tone jumper

baroque print skirt

western boots

fabric flats

xoxo

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Doubled Up

The weather is starting to get cooler around these parts, and I am itching for days of layering. Shirts, scarves, boots, light jackets, please. So when I awoke to a crisp breeze this past Sunday morning, I decided a bit of layering was in order.

Levi's chambray, Target blouse and skinnies, Nine West pumps {old}, vintage pearls, Michael Kors watch

Happy Tuesday.

xoxo

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Birthday Celebrations

{sweet flowers from husband, GF chocolate cake that husband made!}

Today is my birthday and the beginning of my favorite time of year. Our October {and early November!} schedule is packed full of adventures, outings and dinners with friends. The mornings are cool enough to require a light sweater, and the leaves are starting to turn colors.

Since we had this past weekend to ourselves, husband took me to some of my favorite places in Athens as a birthday treat. We started early with breakfast at Mama's Boy and then headed over to check out the Athens Farmers Market. The produce was beautiful, the bread smelled amazing, and we stumbled upon some delicious smelling coffee made via hand pour while we were talking about switching to the hand pour method*. Kismet, I tell ya. We were also able to meet and talk to the owner of B&G Stables, a local farm producing grass-fed beef and humanely raised pork.

{bleary-eyed before my coffee, egg scramble with spinach/tomato/goat cheese + cheese grits + salted spring mix}

{farmer's market favorites: delicious coffees, lovely blooms, vibrant veggies}
 

We finished off the morning with a quick trip to Trader Joe's** for some weekly supplies and some pumpkins {naturally}, followed by a stop at the apple orchard. We filled our buckets with Jonagolds, Cameos and Fujis fresh from Blue Ridge, Georgia, and I happened upon some fresh herbs that I need for herbal cold and flu remedies {more on that soon!}.

We spent out afternoon at home, cleaning and organizing, ate GF chocolate cake that husband made, went for an afternoon walk, and watched Parenthood on the couch. It was the perfect way to spend a birthday. Funny how different our celebrations were ten years ago, ha! Hope you had a wonderful weekend! Here's to a great week!

xoxo

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*Side note, hand pour is how they make coffee in Panama. Locals don't have electricity or electric coffee pots or even french presses. And the coffee we drank in Panama, and brought back with us, is hands down the best I've ever had.

**I actually enjoy grocery shopping. Filling my cart and subsequently my fridge with whole, healthy foods for the week just makes me feel good.

Fall

My favorite time of year is finally here - changing leaves, cool breezes, and pumpkins galore. You don't have to go far to overhear the accolades of fall. It seems like most of us delight in this time of year. And in an effort to soak up as much as possible, husband and I already have a pretty great fall wishlist.

1  Running in our favorite trail race of the season

2  Find an apple orchard for apple picking and tasting {and apple-pie making}

3  Our birthday camping trip to Standing Indian Mountain - daytime campfires, morning hikes, sleeping under the stars, and watching the sunrise on the side of the mountain with my best friend

4  Visit a pumpkin patch and carve/paint/decorate pumpkins for the front porch

5  Host a backyard bonfire for our friends, complete with paleo hot chocolate

6  Drink spiced apple cider and talk on the front porch in the evenings
7  Have some of my oldest and dearest friends {and their new littles} over for dinner for birthday celebrations and general merrymaking.

What are your favorite fall activities?

xoxo

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Meal Planning: 9/30 thru 10/5

 muffins / bars / chili

 While the idea of meal planning seems to be everywhere these days, it's definitely nothing new to a paleo household. I'd even say it's critical for eating clean on a daily basis. I often get questions about what my daily meals look like, so I'm hoping this will help. Each Sunday, husband and I spend a few hours in the kitchen making a huge mess preparing food for the week - typically one or two dinners, something for lunch, and either a breakfast dish or a snack. Here's what we cooked {and are eating} this week:

Breakfast

Nom Nom Paleo's prosciutto-wrapped mini frittata muffins

I used sliced ham instead of prosciutto, fresh chopped kale instead of spinach, diced green onions instead of sauteed onions, and omitted the mushrooms. I've also recently become obsessed with roasted garlic, so I used that instead of its raw counterpart.

Pair a muffin {or two} with a handful of almonds or cashews, half a grapefruit, or some breakfast sausage. Delicious and portable!

Lunch

Left-over spaghetti squash and meatballs from the weekend {a good sauce is key for this dish} OR mix green salad with oven-baked chicken and homemade paleo ranch OR sweet potato, bacon and egg salad {also a good breakfast option} with a mix green salad.

Dinners

Nom Nom Paleo's thai curry chicken with asian cauliflower fried rice. I made a few edits here too, using whatever veggies I had on hand, which happened to be carrots and broccoli for the curry. I also left out the bacon for the rice since we were eating it with the curry and omitted mushrooms {not big mushroom fans over here} and the Red Boat Fish sauce because I can't find it at the store. This dish will feed us two nights and maybe one of us for lunch.

 

Health-Bent's pumpkin chili with avocado cream. I'm a sucker for anything pumpkin, and this is one of our all time favorite chili recipes. We add diced butternut squash into the mix for more texture and some extra veggieness. The avocado cream is delicious, but if you don't have time to make it, no worries. The chili is great on its own. Plus, it freezes well and makes for good leftovers!

Snacks

I saw this recipe for GF homemade cereal bars the other day and decided to give it a shot. I plan on making a blueberry version of these tomorrow during my off day to use for snacks or for breakfast. {I leave the house by 6:30am most mornings, so I usually opt for grab and go foods.} Not stirct paleo, but most treats aren't.

We made the curry & rice and egg muffins on Sunday and also baked chicken for salads and cut up veggies for snacks. Tuesday I plan on making the cereal bars and the pumpkin chili. And that's how we do it!

Happy paleo planning.

xoxo

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Week Ending

{via}

I think it's safe to say that fall is well on its way, with crisp cool mornings and evenings occurring almost daily. I couldn't be happier. This is by far my favorite time of year.

This weekend will be pretty calm since husband is working Saturday, but we've been making lots of plans for the month of October. What are you doing this weekend?

I will be...

- trying out some new paleo recipes {I went on a pinning spree the other day}. this one looks particularly good

- making a few extra meals to fill our new freezer {more on that later!}

- attending a wedding shower for one of my childhood friends

- hopefully going to meet baby Brooks {so. cute.}

- perusing the antique store for the perfect mid-century sideboard

Happy weekend!

xoxo

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Black & Blue

Target blouse & pants, LuLu Townsend heels via DSW, Anthropologie necklace, vintage bracelets, Michael Kors bag

Although I own a fair amount of blue clothing, this top has quickly become a favorite. The flowy silhouette, contrast piping, and uneven hemline make the solid royal blue {a favorite of mine} even more interesting. Added bonus -- it pairs equally well with black skinnies and flared jeans, making it versatile enough for both work and play.

xoxo

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