spring dinners

This past week I made some yummy dinners for my roommate & our boys. I stocked up on spring veggies like green peppers, spinach, broccoli, corn, onions, tomatoes, zucchini & squash! whew!

Take a look at a few of my favorite, easy & affordable spring time healthy recipes. 

Tuesday night: Dinner made for my roommate Jenn, her fiance Matt and Nash. Green peppers stuffed with ground turkey, rice, and tomato sauce & side salad.

mmmm...the look delicious. I forgot to mention topped with cheese!

Wednesday night: Girls night in! Just Jenn & I. Spinach squares made with sauteed broccoli & onion, monterray jack & ricotta cheese. {A little new to the broiler, so we got a little burnt on top}

This recipe is great to make on Sunday and snack on throughout the week. SO GOOD!

Thursday night: Dinner for Nash & I. Kielbasa kebobs with veggies, corn & a side salad topped with avocado and homemade dressing.  

The zucchini & squash were my favorite addition. {Did you notice the piggy corn holders? :) }

And of course...dessert! Yellow cupcakes with butter cream icing {with a little hershey on top}

Let me know if you want any of these recipes, definitely worth a try! 

lessons from my dog...

My precious, sweet, kind-hearted, loving, gentle dog Brody reminds me everyday of those little hidden lessons that we all need to reminded of from time to time. Take a look at this sweet dog and be reminded too!

1. Be patient... patiently waiting on our ride to charlotte. 

2. Take the time to enjoy the sun... sunroof open on our ride home. 

3. Let simply things make you happy... just an old rope, haha. 

4. Enjoy nature... The tree outside my room, we love it!

5. Don't forget to smile... :-)

6. It's okay to be silly... He does this quite a bit :)

7. Take some time to smell the flowers... Our walks take twice as long due to all the stops. 

8. Be nice to the little guy... (This is Brody's brother Riggs, can you find him?)

10. Be adventurous and curious... Brody loved this waterfall.

11. Spread the love... Couldn't ask for a better dog. 

I may be a bit obsessed with this little guy, but he has brightened my world. Be reminded of the little things that mean the most. 

just do it.

 Strong is the new skinny. I usually do a random assortment of workouts when I step into the gym, but lately I've been encouraged to try a specific work out plan. Nash does his daily Crossfit workout which lists and shows videos of each exercise. Because this includes handstand push-ups, power cleans and chest-bar pull ups - I don't think I can handle that yet. But it has inspired me.

So for the ladies who want to get fit and aren't quite at the Crossfit level, try this new exercise plan I found on Daily Fitness Tip. This 6-day workout plan includes a lower-body workout, cardio plans and some arms-abs workouts too. I add my own workouts around this plan, but I guarantee you your legs will burn when you're finished. 

This is one of the exercises of the plan and if this doesn't inspire you, I don't know what will. Just do it.

I stumbled upon the fitness magazine website and signed up for the Daily Fit Tip, sign up here and you'll get an email once a day with different workouts, healthy recipes, target areas and more. I've already made about 10 recipes and have incorporated many of these exercises into my daily workout, and they rock. 

Now go get fit!

today, i am katniss.

I finally get to see The Hunger Games this evening @ 7:10, and I can't wait! Nash and I plan on ordering chinese food, watch the basketball games and then I will begin getting ready to be Katniss. {the main character of the book/movie, in case you haven't read - which you should.} Nash may be a little embarrassed to be seen with me in costume, but that's half the fun. 

 I have already french braided my hair down my back, I will most likely wear all black and boots and I just might have to create/buy a set of bow and arrows to take to the movie. I am way too influenced by this character, she definitely brings out my inner badass. Katniss is fearless, confident, intuitive, ruthless, intelligent & one step ahead of those trying to kill her. And I think Jennifer Lawrence is the perfect actress for Katniss' role. 

To those of you who have not read the trilogy, I highly recommend them. I convinced my boyfriend that he just might get into the first book and he is halfway through the second. I also loved the fact that many scenes of the movie were filmed in North Carolina, I feel like a part of the movie!

After reading these books I have been inspired to be a badass, like Katniss, obviously. So when I stumbled across a livingsocial deal for a 5k Obstacle Course Ninja Challenge I convinced Nash we should do this and we joked about being Katniss and Peta; I hope we survive!

Find out more about this Ninja Challenge here. 

Proceeds go to Triangle Area Red Cross.

long, country roads.

I spent my afternoon cruising around Chapel Hill near my parents house to explore some new roads. They were beautiful. Long country roads lined with barns, dogwoods and horses.

This beautiful pasture at sunset was a sight to see.  The horses were so calm & peaceful; I left feeling relaxed and happy.

Overall, a beautiful drive at sunset through Chapel Hill. I just love this time of year. 

family birthday bash

My big brother turned 25 today, and it feels weird. Although we've aged quite a bit, it still feels like we should be playing kickball, jail break & all those other weird inventive neighborhood games. {ie. baby tracy, lifeguard & those blindfolded tasting games where my brothers made me eat dogfood} --> patrick will understand these. 

Well, we made a day of it. I spent the morning running errands for my mom as she worked from home. I returned home with ingredients for a montauk seafood salad by barefoot contessa that my brother HAD to have & red tulips for my Nana. I love days like this. 

When Nana & Papa arrived we sat out on the deck to catch up a bit {she is now a substitute teacher & papa is a bag boy at a local golf course in Pinehurst...so proud!}. We snacked on some cheese & crackers, opened a few brewski's and enjoyed the sun. I was filled with happiness. 

 Papa was the grill master, A little surf 'n turf? YES PLEASE! During dinner my mom asked my grandparents what their favorite memory of my brother was as a baby; and lets just say we laughed most of dinner. My favorite story was the one my mom told - my brother was 2 and sobbed at the sight of a walnut. :)

We sang happy birthday and cut into Nana's coconut cake. 

A wonderful way to end a great night with family. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROTHER!

Feelin' crafty

Between my roommate's wedding approaching, finding a new place to live for school & having 3 days off from work per week; I am officially making a list of crafts and projects to start. 

I was really into art & photography in high school and simply lost touch as I navigated through college. It is time to reconnect with my artistic side. 

{of course, I have been inspired by pinterest}

1. Flower throw pillows, yeah!: My roommate already started on a few of these. A little time consuming but they turned out great! I can't wait to start. 

2. Simple wall art: Scrapbook paper, glue and paint. Easy as that. 

3. Tee-shirt scarfs: Reuse & Recycle. How natural & comfy & lovely. 

4. Cork Candles: With the amount of wine me & the boyfriend drink, these should be easy to create. A few jars & corks & wa-la. 

4. Mason Jar Shelf: I envision my make up brushes, Q-tips & cotton balls, nail polish supplies, etc. Or even craft supplies. I LOVE this idea. 

5. Vintage window frame: A great way to hang pictures with clothespins. I definitely need to hit a few flea markets or antique shops in the near future. 

and...6. Rope bowls: Can't you see this on top of your washer/dryer, on your bathroom counter, or even in your kitchen? Very rustic and such a cute little touch up. 

I am starting my crafting tomorrow, but which one should I start with?!

A Lovely Tuesday Surprise...

I woke up this morning at 5 am to a phone call from work telling me that our patient census was low at the hospital, so I had the entire day off. Given how my days at this place are back-breaking, exhausting and the days are entirely too long - I was happily relieved to have a warm Tuesday to spend with my mom and dog. 

This is how I felt. Relaxed, content and free!

Which means, one more day of work tomorrow then I get to spend my weekend with family {that I don't get to see as often as I'd like!}, my best friends and the lake!

This weekend you can find me on Lake Norman in Charlotte, NC. 

Watching the sunset and enjoying a few beers on Allie's deck. {what a view, right?}

To make this better, we will be soaking up the rays all day Saturday before our St. Patty's day festivities in downtown Charlotte. {Rich & Bennett's 12th Annual St. Patricks day Pub Crawl!}

And I can't wait. 

Easy like a Sunday morning

Happy Sunday morning everyone..

This Sunday morning I decided to let the boys sleep in {boyfriend+dog}, snuck out the door quietly and headed to the grocery store to make a creative and yummy surprise breakfast. It felt great to be up at 8 o'clock, out and about yet rolling at a slooow Sunday morning pace. 

I opened the blinds, turned on some Jack Johnson and started cooking the turkey bacon. Slowly but surely the boys stumbled down the hallway and into the kitchen. 

Todays menu: Sweet potato hash browns with onion and tomato, sunny side up egg on a whole wheat english muffin topped with sauteed tomatoes and avocado & a side of turkey bacon. 

It was a hit. 

Nash, Brody and I are planning to go get coffee at a little coffee shop, get in our workout and then head to the park to enjoy a little sun. Of course, watch a little basketball too. 

As for right now; we are slowly waking up, letting our bellies digest that yummy breakfast and are snuggled on the couch, watching the news and being lazy. 

 How are you spending your lovely and easy Sunday morning?

A comfy and quaint Inn

This past weekend Nash and I planned a fabulous road trip to Hilton Head Island. He found a great groupon deal for this quaint and comfy Inn and surprised me for our {late} Valentine's Day festivities.

Even though the weather didn't cooperate, we had a wonderful time. We headed straight for the beach to feel the sand on our feet, jumped and laughed in the 'not as cold as I thought' water and had a nice little walk on the beach before checking in. 

I had so much fun. Just doing this made me so happy, I was smiling for at least an hour. When we checked into the Inn, we found ourselves looking at each other and laughing at how lovely this place was! We explored our room, the beautiful courtyard garden and were surprised that the place offered free drinks from 5-7! {We had a blast with this one.}

Of course I went for the beer, and Mr. Classy went for a few glasses of red wine! We sat out in this courtyard, enjoyed the weather and then headed to putt-putt/arcade and split a pizza at a local joint. 

Day 2: Perfect for flying a kite

We spent the morning flying our kite, traveled to The Salty Dog Cafe for lunch and The Old Fort Pub for one of the most expensive and best dinners I think I've ever had. {Definitely recommend both places to everyone.}

Here a few more pictures to sum up our great, great weekend at our comfy and quaint inn.

 Hilton Head Island, 2012.

 The most fitting songs on the CD's we made for our trip would have to be Jack Johnson's 'Better together' and Kenny Loggins' 'Danny's song'. Im still smiling thinking about last weekend.