september lovin'

in case you missed it, here is a look back at september, as told by the blog...

 ^ i shared some thoughts on journaling and how it has played a role in my life.

^ i learned how to make my favorite biscuits from tupelo honey

  ^ i showed a peek at our kitchen progress.

 ^ i made a delicious caprese avocado salad, and then shared 6 ways to eat an avocado.

 ^ we finally got away for a little vacation and visited litchfield beach for a few days down.

^ we enjoyed perusing products from local artists at the indie craft parade.

  ^ i hosted a giveaway with the mint julep boutique

 ^ finally, we welcomed fall with the farm fresh fair at rabon creek.

enjoyed this month, and looking forward to october. fall is in full swing and the holidays are getting closer and closer!

i hope you have a wonderful weekend!

ohhhh, this week has kicked my tail. i started my clinical rotations in my dietetic internship a few weeks ago and i am still transitioning to the schedule. early mornings and late nights make for extremely long days. and the 50 minute commute certainly doesn't help things. while it's been a lot and there is so much information to learn and absorb, i tell you what - i am loving it. i honestly went into this rotation thinking i wouldn't like clinical work, but every day i get more and more excited to become a registered dietitian. which is a really good thing, considering i was totally questioning everything this time last year.

but finally, friday is here and i am so ready for it. the thing i look forward to most this weekend is sleep. oh, sleep ... i can't wait to hang out with you! ;) i stopped by my parents house after work yesterday to pick up a few things, and there was a bed ... just lying there, beckoning me. i figured a 30 minute power nap would do me some good, and of course 30 minutes turned into an hour in a half. whoops. my mom came home and had no idea i was even there until she walked in the room and there i was. sound asleep. i seriously felt like goldilocks - snuck into someone's house, then snuck into their bed for a little nap, before you get caught and woken up. although, i didn't eat their food, so i do have that going for me. ha.

i hope your weekend is full of rest, like i hope mine will be, too!

happy birthday, big sis!

my lovely older sister turned 26 this week. of course, i'm a few days late ... but that's really no surprise. we went out to eat sunday night to celebrate her and had the most lovely time as a family. she has a way of planning a 'birthday party' for herself every year and i think it is the cutest thing. i've always been one to downplay my birthday, and i never want a big party [or really a party of any sort]. lindsey on the other hand ... love her so much.

also, with as many pictures as i take, i was looking through my archives and still couldn't find one decent, recent picture. obviously i need to fix that. so here are a couple oldies but goodies. back when i had super long locks ... *sigh* ... i miss it sometimes.

anyhow, happy birthday lindsey! you are a light in my life and i love you so!

zucchini lasagna

i've just started teaching cooking classes once a month, and i am loving it! for my first class, i made this zucchini lasagna. for all those italian lovers, it's a great way to get your italian fix but to reduce calories and increase vegetable intake. why not have your cake and eat it too!?

anywho, i thought i would share the recipe here. hope you enjoy!

zucchini lasagna

serves: 8

ingredients:

• 6 medium zucchini
• 1 - 10 oz. package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tsp. dijon mustard
• 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tsp. dried basil
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 cup low fat cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 eggs
• salt and pepper

preheat the oven to 375 F. slice zucchini 1/8" thick, vertically. sprinkle with salt and set aside for 10 minutes. this step is very important as the salt pulls out the excess water in the zucchini. once the water rises to the top, blot dry. spay a pan with cooking spray and cook each "noodle" on medium heat for 1-2 minutes on each side.

combine the ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, and parmesan cheese in a bowl. add the dijon, egg, salt and pepper and mix. in a pan, cook the onion, pepper, and garlic until golden brown. add the spinach and cook until water is cooked out. remove from the stove top and place in a mixing bowl. 

spray a rectangular baking dish with cooking spray. layer the bottom of the top with crushed tomatoes, cheese sauce, and the veggie mixture. top with zucchini slices until the bottom of the pan is covered. continue this layering process until you run out of ingredients, ending with zucchini noodles on top. sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top layer of zucchini and cover with foil. bake at 375 F for 45 minutes. remove the foil and broil the dish for 5 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown.

remove from the oven and let sit 5-10 minutes before serving. 

a saturday at the farm fresh fair

i think it's pretty clear that i love festivals and fairs of any kind. you really can't beat local food and handmade goods, in my opinion. it's one of my favorite parts of greenville - i feel like we are bubbling at the seams with creatives of all types. i heard about this fair at rabon creek farms for the first time last year. when my friends told me they were heading out there last weekend, i jumped at the opportunity. i tried to get my husband to come, too, but i was lucky to get one festival out of him this month ;). 

 ^ such a sucker for vintage clothes!

 ^ my sweet friend catherine who was so excited about her new find

there were so many adorable booths and so much great food. anne and i snagged the last bit of brick oven pizza before they sold out, and catherine and kiley tried the fresh churned ice cream. they chose peach ... which makes no sense to me when there was chocolate available... but, whatever ;)

taking notes from australia

i recently stumbled across the blog design files and have fallen in love with all of the interiors posted. i especially love all the spaces under the 'australian homes' tab. let me tell you, those australians know how to do white with pops of color right. this is the look i'm loving right now, and with all of the renovations and decorating we have going on, i'm finding this site to be super inspiring.

i'd love to know, what interior style do you love?

--

all photos found from designfiles.net

litchfield beach

the husband and i finally got to take a little vacation ... just in the nick of time to catch the tail end of summer. we took a long weekend to get away and stayed at litchfield beach. honestly, i think i prefer the beach at this time of the year. it wasn't too hot, and it wasn't cool at all yet. the weather was perfect, even though the forecast predicted it would rain every single day we were there. figures, since it rained every day we were at the beach last year. then, to our surprise, we had a sunny day every day with just a few scattered showers! yeah!

 when i talk about how much i love the beach, what i'm really saying is that i love the sand. my top two fears include: tsunamis, and the ocean. i remember as a kid thinking my mom was crazy for never playing in the ocean with us. i also thought my cousin was crazy because she claimed that she 'doesn't swim in water where she can't see her feet.' but now i totally get it. scofield and i took a long walk on the beach, and on the way back we spotted a guy who had just caught a shark. a SHARK. it was a baby shark, but it was a SHARK. i mean, we have no idea what is swimming around with us. so no thanks, i'll stay on the sand.

 ^ also, i swear i just got my hair cut. how has it already grown so much!?

 ^ i'm telling you, this is the life. take me back!

 ^ my moon, my man.

 ^ i rarely eat fried food, but when i'm at the beach i throw all rules aside and indulge in fried fish and hush puppies. hush puppies are major guilty pleasures -  right up there with biscuits and doughnuts for me. with that said, i was so excited to go out to dinner and finally have some again. then, our food came out and i was so disappointed. there was virtually no flavor to them. they kind of tasted like a savory, but flavorless, fried doughnut hole. needless to say, we'll find another seafood restaurant next time. 

 ^ i love all the colorful oceanfront houses at the beach. it's so fun to walk the beach and dream about what it would be like to vacation in one.

 ^ this is as deep as i go into the water. i'm in just for a quick dip to get wet, and then i'm out!

litchfield, thank you for being so good to us. we had the best time!

welcoming fall with the mint julep boutique

i stepped outside for a run this week and was pleasantly met with 70 degree weather. fall is so near! it officially begins in less than a week, and i couldn't be more excited. much as i love summer, every time september comes around i am so tired of sweating everywhere i go in this south carolina heat.

one of my favorite parts of fall has always been fall fashion. i love sweaters, scarves, boots, and jeans. wearing dresses in fall has never been my strong suit, as i typically feel clueless when it comes to layering. but, when i stumbled upon this denim shift dress from the mint julep boutique, i immediately fell in love. it's perfect for this in-between phase when summer is ending and fall is just beginning. it's not too cold yet, so i don't have to figure out how to style it with tights or a winter coat ;).

so, to start this lovely season off right, i am hosting a giveaway for a $25 giftcard to mint julep boutique! just follow details below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

you can also win a $10 coupon for signing up on their emailing list, here. good luck! :)