She Loves Michigan

Today is day 30 of Whole 30! I am going to be completely honest, I made it successfully through 24 days. I caved when I went out to eat to Red Lobster and couldn't resist the cheese biscuits. With that being said, I have decided to add a couple days to make up for my cheat days.  Anyways... While trying out new recipes during Whole 30, I tried 5 ingredients I had never used before that I fell in love with: 1.) Butternut Squash 2.) Canned Coconut Milk 3.) Ghee Butter 4.) Artichoke Hearts 5.) Avocado Oil Let's talk about each, shall we? 1.) BUTTERNUT SQUASH According to wholeliving.com , " ... butternut squash  delivers an ample dose of dietary fiber, making it an exceptionally heart-friendly choice. It provides significant amounts of potassium, important for bone health, and vitamin B6, essential for the proper functioning of both the nervous and immune systems."  Try this delicious BUTTERNUT SQUASH CHORIZO CHILI recipe I...

It's day 4 of my 10 day vacation from work and I am already feeling so refreshed! I am someone who loves to be outside and go on hikes and I finally had some free time this past Saturday to go on one! It's seriously been months since I've walked on any kind of trail and I was craving some nature!  Here are the 5 reasons why I chose Rosy Mound for my hike: 1.) LOCATION If you live in West Michigan, this hike is right in your backyard. If you live in another part of Michigan but may be planning a weekend trip to come to the westside, this would be an easy activity to get to! The trail itself is also in a wonderful location, taking you straight out to Lake Michigan. Distances from Michigan Cities according to Google Maps - Grand Rapids: 40 min // 39.0 miles - Holland: 25 min // 18.2 miles - Lansing: 1 hr 36 min // 104 miles - Traverse City:  2 hr 47 min // 172 miles - Detroit: 2 hr 54 min // 194 miles - Ann Arbor: 2 hr 32 min // 169 miles ...

It's finally 2018 and it's my wedding year! That means I am budgeting like crazy. With that being said, I only give myself $100 for groceries for 2 weeks at a time. If you do the math this is what it looks like: $100 / 14 (days) / 3 (meals) = $2.38! MEAL PLANNING WILL SAVE YOU SO MUCH MONEY AND IT CAN BE 10X HEALTHIER FOR YOU TOO! I am currently doing the Whole 30 program  and choosing recipes that are compliant with the program.  These are the steps I take when budgeting/meal planning for two weeks: 1.) Pick 4 -6 recipes you would like to make (by doing this, you start to accumulate tons of spices for other recipes). 2.) ALWAYS HAVE STAPLE FOODS ON YOUR GROCERY LIST (if you run out)! - Lemons - Olive/Avocado Oil - Eggs - Fresh Garlic - Salt/Pepper - Garlic Powder - Veggie - Fruit - Any kind of flour (I usually have almond flour) - Bulk package of protein (I buy the 2lb bag of wild caught salmon from Aldi for $7) - Starch (...