Foodie Favs

Thanks to everything being in boxes, I have been a snacking machine lately. I mainly account it to the fact that we don't have dishes and snacks that don't require much prep. I try and focus on eating whole foods like apples, grapes, cucumbers, carrots, almonds and peanut butter as snacks. It is nice to enjoy the convenience of packaging sometimes. Anyways...here are some of my favorite go to items!

I am a sucker for seasonal snacks. If the packaging says limited edition there is a high chance that it will find it's way into my cart. The pecan pie flavor is delicious!!!

This flavor of Chobani reminds me of baked apples. Delicious!

These were an impulse buy last Trader Joes trip. I love anything coconut!!

This is one snack that I have not tried but am on the lookout for... I LOVE popchips and can only imagine this would be a chip version of sweet potato fries!

What are your favorite healthy snacks? 

Weekend Review: Saying Goodbye

This weekend is one that makes me thankful for a blog to document the wonderful memories we are making. Saying goodbye is always hard. It makes it harder being unsure what the future may hold for us over the next year. It is a mix of excitement and anxiety combined into one. However, I am trying to hold on to faith that everything happens for a reason and trying my best to put my trust in Him.

This weekend we focused on packing up our house and saying goodbye to Wilmington. Friday night Joe and I headed out for out last date night as Wilmington residents. We ate dinner at Sweet & Savory, one of our favorite local spots and it did not disappoint. The restaurant has amazing sandwiches which they serve with their delicious homemade bread and chips. They also have delicious desserts and pastries. On Friday nights they also feature local musicians and bands.

During dinner we enjoyed drinks and bluegrass. It was so much more than we expected and great way to unwind after a busy week.

After dinner we headed to dessert at our favorite ice cream shop in Wilmington Boombalites. When it comes to ice cream, this place has my heart. As a self proclaimed sweet lover I have tasted my share of ice cream and this shop is the best. They have flavors ranging from classic vanilla to chocolate mocha cream pie. Joe and I both enjoyed seasonal their ice cream featuring a smorgasbord of Halloween candy!

We most of Saturday packing and cleaning the house. We made several trips to Goodwill as we are really trying to cut down on our things on this move.

Saturday night we headed out for a dinner and movie with our good friends Jeff and Sophi. We enjoyed an delicious dinner at Hops Co. and headed to Starbucks for caffeine before the movie.  I am completely addicted to caffeine right now. I am hoping to back it down after the move!

We watched Captain Phillips which was a very moving movie. It drug on at some points but really pulled at my heart strings at the end!

Sunday we went to church and then headed out to one last lunch with out life group. We went to lunch at Oceanic. The weather was beautiful and the water was unusually calm. The pier at the Oceanic was just rebuilt this summer after being damaged a few years ago during a hurricane. It was a perfect way to say goodbye to Wilmington (at least as residents).  I am thankful that we only be a few hours away. I foresee many trips back to see family and friends especially during the summer. We will not be strangers this beautiful town anytime soon!

Here's to a quick work week!! 

Weekend Review: State Fair

This weekend was one that we have been looking forward to for a while! Back  at the beginning of summer  we made  plans with a group of our friends to head to the  state fair. The fair just opened Friday. We were excited to  see all the exhibits  and check out the food of course! Friday night we headed up toward Raleigh after work.  Once we got into town, we went out for Mexican at a local restaurant.  We spent the evening catching up over chips and salsa until late  in the night.

We hit the fairgrounds bright and early Saturday morning. It was nice to explore  for a few hours without having to fight crowds.   My favorite section was the flower exhibits. There was a great flower garden within the fairgrounds that was gorgeous.  The fall flowers, especially the mums, were so vibrant!

After a few hours of exploring everyone had worked up quite an appetite. We decided on BBQ and ribs.   My favorite is the corn on the cob.  We also got some ice cream from the NC State Creamery. This ice cream is one of the best I have ever had. We always make sure to stop by their booth every time we go to the state fair. Their flavors always range from plain vanilla to new flavors like chocolate cherry swirl. Joe and I split a bowl of Caramel Pecan Crunch that was delicious.  One food that we did not try was the “it” food at the fair this year, the Krispy Kreme sloppy joe. They took last year’s hit the  Krispy Kreme burger up (or down) a notch. Thankfully, we stayed away from the greasy mess and still had a great time exploring and learning all about why it great to be from NC.

Sunday  afternoon I headed to a luncheon celebrating Delta Zeta’s Founders Day.  I am an advisor for the UNCW chapter. It was wonderful to see how much the chapter has grown since I graduated 4 years ago.  I had a great  to catch up with other alums and reminisce about back in the day for a few hours.

That evening we took a break from packing boxes to go on a walk. It is getting colder at night which Charlie seems to love. Especially compared the 90 degree walks we went on this summer. I am going to miss our little neighborhood that we have called home now for two years terribly. However, I am finally getting excited about moving and all the new adventures ahead!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!
What’s your favorite fair food? My favorite is the NCSU ice cream, yum!

Fitness: October 13- 19

Since moving is right around the corner, meal panning has been substituted for clean out the freezer dinners. What is consistent is my gym time. Getting in exercise is a form of therapy to me. I can block out all the stress of moving and the unknown for an hour and focus on myself.

My focus when it comes to fitness and workouts

-Clean eats. It’s easy to justify an extra dessert here and there when your working out for an hour daily. But it triggers me for horrible sugar cravings later. I try to choose been working on choosing high-energy snacks without refined sugar like apples with almond butter.

-Be smart. I have had several aches and pains that have been bothering me lately. I know it’s not worth injuring myself and risking the fact that I could be out for activities if I push myself. I am going to take it day by day.

-A killer playlist. I love listening to Pandora for power songs and stations to help pump up my cardio sessions.

-Stretch and practice yoga. These are two things are I am constantly slacking on finding the time to complete. They really help keep my muscles strong, my flexibility intact, and my joints from hurting.

-Be prepared. I always have a gym bag packed and ready. That way I never have an excuse not to make it to the gym after work.

-Have fun!  I try to remember the reason I work out. It is to help with my both my mental and physical health. There is no reason to beat yourself up over it. Remember any workout is better than no workout.

Workouts

Sunday: Spin 

Monday: Weights & High Intensity Cardio

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: Spin

Thursday: Weights & High Intensity Cardio

Friday: Spin

Saturday: Weights

Weekend Review: October Edition

This weekend was a whirlwind! Let's rewind and go back to Friday.
Friday was a big day in the Morris home! Our house went on the market! We have owned our house for a little over 2 years and never expected to be moving so quickly. However, when Joe got an amazing job offer in Research Triangle Park it was too good not to consider! I quickly applied for jobs in the area and will be working in a nearby county. We will be moving to the Raleigh area at the end of the month.

Our First Home

We had Charlie nurtured Thursday so he spent the night at the veterinary office resting and recovering. After work Friday, I rushed over to pick up our pup. I was expecting to be brought a sedated pitiful version of our baby boy. However, he was already back to his normal tail wagging wiggly self when I picked him up! The doctor stopped by and said he was a very rambunctious boy and had spent the day checking out all the activity in the office. I got home and fed him dinner and then he crashed in our laps. For a five pound puppy, he sure has a lot of get up and go. But when he crashes he is out for the night! We are going to try and keep his cone (of shame) on  for a week until his stitches heal.

Charlie's Cone of Shame

The rest of Friday was spent on the couch catching up on our missed TV  shows from this week and cleaning the house for showings!

Saturday we headed up to the Raleigh area to look for apartments. After searching through recommendations and looking at around 10 apartments all around the area we finally found one to call home! It is a newer apartment complex built within the last 5 years which was big plus for me! The apartment features granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances which is nicer than our current home!

Charlie's ready to ride!

Fall decorations at our new apartment!

On the way home we stopped by the Farmers Market. I love that we are going to be so close to the State Farmers market and can shop for our produce and flowers straight from the growers. We enjoyed some seafood from the local restaurant and picked up some apples to bring home!

Delicious NC Seafood

Sunday morning we headed to church. Afterwards, we went to brunch at a local restaurant right down the road from our house Kornerstone Bistro.  I am going to miss being less than five minutes from delicious restaurants.

After lunch we headed to watch some of the football games at Kickback Jacks. Although NFL football is not completely my thing we were able to score a table outside and enjoy the beautiful fall weather! On our way home we stopped by Trader Joe's to pick up some essentials to tide us over until we move. According to Joe essentials include Halloween themed Joe-Joes!

Largest Soda by far!

Trader Joe's Fall Display

Do you have any unique grocery essentials?

How was your weekend?

Five on Friday

Today I'm linking up again for 5 on Friday! Here is a short summary of what I'm thankful for this week! 

1. Gym Time! I know this is going to come off a bit crazy but I am loving my new gym! I have missed cardio so much these few months an am happy to have the stair climber back in my life!

2. Fall Weather. I am loving that the temperature has finally started to drop in NC.  The leaves are slowly starting to change. I could spend hours watching Charlie chase the leaves in our neighborhood. I  can't wait to break out my boots soon!! 

3. Dresses. I have always love wearing dresses and skirts over pants. I have tried for years to make myself like pants an have 6+ unworn pairs of pants in my closet to prove it. Now I am finally embracing the fact that I am a skirt gal at heart! 

4. Halloween Candy. Halloween rivals Christmas for my favorite seasonal candy. Seasonal shaped Recees, mellocreme candy mix and flavored Oreos are all on the top of my list! There is a special pace in my heart for those tiny little candy pumpkins!

5.  Mug Cakes. I have recently discovered a wonderful recipe for mug cakes! This recipe has become my go to when I'm craving something sweet after dinner. It also fits perfectly within my macros which is a plus :)

Chocolate Peanut Mug Cake

 1 scoop Chocolate Protein Powder

1 Tbs Unsweetened Almond Milk

1 Tbs Water

1/4 tsp  Baking Powder

1 Tbs Almond Butter 

1 tsp Stevia 

Happy Friday Y'all!!

What's Been Going On & Workout Wednesday

Hello y'all! I apologize for the radio silence over the past week. It has been a whirlwind lately at our house.  A lot of big decisions and changes have been made in a short amount of time which has left my head spinning!  I am still in shock and hope to share more as the weeks move forward. After taking a break, I am hoping to get back into posting consistently and begin documenting this huge transition!  For now, please send prayers and positive thoughts our way! 

One thing that is helping with my anxiety of facing the unknown is keeping my workouts consistent! I thankfully joined a local gym to help keep up with my cardio. It also has the perks of a sauna which is one of my favorite things after a long day! I wanted to share a full body workout that consists of my favorite moves at the gym. The circuit makes the work go by quickly. 

How do you deal with uncertainty in your future?