[thankful]

Looking back on last week, I'm feeling extra thankful today. I've gotten to spend some quality time with family and friends in some of my favorite places. I don't like to use the word 'blessed', but i'm feeling that way right now. But I'm just going to stick with thankful. Here's a snapshot into what I mean.

Me at Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Fortunately for me, my house in TN is only 30 minutes away from the park.

Generic Thanksgiving picture. The turkey burnt on the outside but the actual meat was delicious. We had ham, turkey, cranberry sauce, mac'n'cheese, mashed potatoes, black beans, brussel sprouts and asparagus. Soooo good. 

Generic Thanksgiving family picture at my house. 

Me at Douglas lake. The clay i'm standing on is underwater during the summer, but they control the dam so the water level is low in the winter. It's nice to feel that small. 

All in all, I had an amazing Thanksgiving week and am having another great one this week. Hope you all are too!

"i have decided to stick with love. hate is too great a burden to bear."

- martin luther king, jr. 

[holiday gift guide: for him]

Just as I promised, I have an affordable [under $50] gift guide for those men in your life. Now, this can be your brother, boyfriend, dad, grandpa, etc.; there's something for everyone. Hopefully this is helpful and for those of you going out, good luck on Black Friday!!!

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"there's some people in this world who you can just love and love and love, no matter what."

- john green

[turkey chili]

Winter is definitely soup and chili season, but also weight gain season. In an effort to enjoy all those delicious foods but not gain the weight, I'm taking on some of my favorite meals and trying a healthy twist on them. I've got a whole 'clean eating' board on Pinterest, to pull ideas from. This one is basically my spin on this Turkey Chili recipe I found. 

The process is actually really simple, only taking a little over an hour to have this dish ready to serve and eat! I made it on a sauce pan, because I don't have a crock pot or slow cooker, but that would probably work too. Here's a step-by-step look at the process. 

My ingredients: I bought the turkey specifically for this, but surprisingly I had the rest in my kitchen! I used 1 can of kidney beans, 2 cans of diced tomatoes (next time I plan to use fresh tomatoes), 1 onion, 6 cloves of garlic, 1 green bell pepper, some oregano, chili powder, and cayenne pepper.

Step 1: Sauté the chopped garlic and onions. 

Step 2: Add meat til it browns, then add the rest of the ingredients and stir. 

Step 3: Stir every 10-15 minutes for an hour and voila! It's ready!

Printable version:

Enjoy!

"the desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. the desire to reach hearts is wise."
- maya angelou