Friday Favorites

Good morning cupcakes!

I thought I would use this Friday Favorites to post about some of my favorite memories and favorite foods!

Here are the link ups for today's post: Momfessionals , A Little Bit of Everything , Grace and Love , A. Liz Adventures ,  & September F A R M . If you get a chance, check out their blogs! Each one is cute and unique. 

#1 I can't even begin to describe how much this guy means to me. A little about us... we met in 6th grade and were friends throughout high school. Now fast forward through college and we have been together for over two years. I am currently finishing up my master's degree in clinical mental health counseling in Indiana. He moved to Charlotte, NC at the end of May. This picture was from his grandparents' anniversary celebration with his cousin's daughter. I just love babies and little kids! My dream job is to counsel children using art and play therapy.

#2 Muddin'! This was a blast! It was cold and rainy out, but this is a memory I will never forget. I even drove the stick shift! Whoop!

#3 This is one of my favorite meals. If you like spicy stuff, then this meal is for you! I took spicy chicken sausage and cooked it in coconut oil. I added sliced zucchini and cooked it until the sausage was cooked and the zucchini was starting to get soft. I added salt, pepper, onion powder, and tomato paste!

#4 One of my favorite meals while I was completing my first Whole30 was this delicious chicken salad. It has carrots, celery, apples, chicken, and Whole30 homemade mayo. If you want the recipe just follow this link: Whole30 approved Chicken Salad.

#5 Stuffed Peppers are always a go to of mine if I want to switch up my meal prep a little bit. These are so easy to make and taste great as leftovers. I haven't posted this recipe yet, so if you want my spin on stuffed peppers just let me know and I will make a post about it!

#6 Crowder's Mountain was my favorite place during my Charlotte visit this summer. The view at the top is amazing. I couldn't get enough of it. I am making another trip to Charlotte next Friday during my Fall break, and I keep telling my boyfriend that we have to go back. The pictures I captured while I was at the top of the mountain are some of my favorite pictures ever! (His hammock was so close to the edge and the bottom of the hammock was at the top of my head!)

 #7 Trader Joes! Need I say more? This is one of my favorite places to grocery shop. I do not have one in the city I am currently in so it kind of sucks! I love the atmosphere of this place along with all the friendly staff. I love that the groceries are affordable too. I love their cashew butter and plantain chips.

#8 This colorful breakfast! I rolled up my paleo banana pancakes to look like crepes and added homemade almond butter and berries. I need to make this again! Here is the link to the banana pancake recipe I like to use: Paleo Banana Pancakes or here is another one I like to use: Coconut Flour Paleo Pancakes.

Here is a picture of the banana pancakes cooking.

#9 My undergraduate graduation from Purdue University. This day was so special to me. My family (mom, dad, and two younger sisters) and Cory came to my graduation. It was a beautiful spring day. It was also very special to me because I completed my undergrad (psychology) in three years with distinguished honors.

My youngest sister is on the left and her name is Darian. My other younger sister is on the right (she is 13 months younger than me) and her name is Blake. It's funny because some people say we all three look so much alike. We are all close to the same height too! I've had quite a few people tell me that I look younger than Blake. Once one person even thought I was the youngest out of all three of us.

#10- Chicken pepper nachos! I used ingredients from my local farmers' market to make this batch of pepper nachos and they turned out fantastic. I need to make these again as well. I love how colorful and flavorful these peppers turn out. They are also very easy and do not take much time to make.

#11- These garlic oven potatoes were to die for! Again, these ingredients were from the local farmers' market. If you want more information about the chicken pepper nachos or the garlic oven potatoes, you can read this post: Farmers' Market.



#13 Black Bean Brownies! These gooey- brownies are my current obsession. Here is the recipe: Black Bean Brownies . I like to portion these out ahead of time so that I do not eat them all at once (definitely could happen! haha). I portion out a few days worth and put the rest in the freezer until I want them. This is a good idea if you are trying to watch what you eat or trying to keep your portions in check.

#14 I made a surprise trip to see Cory over fourth of July weekend. I rode to Charlotte with his parents and he had no clue I was coming! It was the best thing in the entire world! Seeing his face when I jumped out of the truck was priceless. His mom and I video taped the whole thing and I love to rewatch it. This picture was take at Ocean Isle Beach where we stayed for the holiday weekend. Cory's great aunt has a beach house there.

#15 This picture was taken on my senior year spring break (while I was at Purdue). This is one of my closest friends and her name is Emily. We are so much alike it is sometimes scary! I went to Sanibel Island with her and her parents. This vacation was so nice and relaxing. Emily and I worked out together almost every day. One morning we went for a beach run and ended up in another town. I have so many memories from this vacation. <3

#16 This picture was taken after Cory and I complete the 4 mile Galloping Gobbler on Thanksgiving morning. Cory was sweet enough to run this race with me. He did great and pushed himself so much. He even trained for it. I was so proud of him (he doesn't really like running). I wish I could still run long distances because I loved the runners high I would get from running outside, but my knees cannot take it anymore.

#17 I love sister bonding time! I wish I had more pictures of all of us sisters. I need to be better about taking pictures. Anyways, my sisters and I are all very close. I can't imagine growing up with anyone else. This picture was taken in our barn (my parents' house) where we keep our horses. There is never a dull moment when the three of us our together.

Well, that sums up some of my favorite meals and memories. I thought it would be nice for my readers to learn a little bit more about my life. I hope you enjoy this post and comment below if you have any questions, suggestions, etc. I love hearing from my readers!

xoxo

Later Taters

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away."