Wordless Wednesday

USC vs College of Charleston Soccer Game

The fam after the game

The current Beebe Gamecocks

The Help & Redefining the Southern Belle

A few weeks ago we had a Girl's Night at the Movies and saw The Help.  It was sooo good and definitely 'theater worthy'  {does anyone else rate their movies: not worth it, Redbox worthy, and theater worthy??}
We had such a fun group of friends go and it was so fun to see all my Pinewood soccer friends :)

I read about 2/3rds of the book before grad school started and got a feel for the characters and the jist of the story.  

Miss Hilly--loved her outfits and perfectly poofed hair...hated her attitude!

Loved Skeeter, Minny, and Aibaline's characters

This movie got me thinking about the South...it's the only place I've ever lived and all I've ever know.  This article: Redefining the Southern Belle is so cute, especially if you're from the South!

ps where can I get that hat?!

~Southern women know how to bake a funeral casserole and why you should. Southern women know how to make other women feel pretty. Southern women like men and allow them to stay men. Southern women are not afraid to dance. Southern women know you can’t outrun your past, that manners count, and that your mother deserves a phone call every Sunday {or for me everyday}. Southern women can say more with a cut of their eyes than a whole debate club’s worth of speeches.

~Southern women listen and we talk and we laugh without apology.

Spot on.

Operation Stock the Freezer

I'm going to be traveling 2 days a week this Fall for my practicum.  {the jury is still out on where I'll be...but I'm crossing my fingers for a hospital in Greenville} So I decided I needed to get ahead of the ballgame on some meal planning/making. Many freezer meals are made with pasta {aka not GF} or pretty unhealthy {which doesn't help with the calorie counting} The solution I found was '1 Month of Make Ahead Meals'...basically the idea is to make and freeze 5 building block main ingredients and from those you can make 20 different recipes.  I'll have to admit a few are a few weird ones I won't make, but the majority of the recipes look pretty good--Spanish Rice with Shrimp, Pork&Avocado Tacos, Brunswick Stew, Lemon Chicken Frittata, Pork Fried Rice and Spinach&Pepper Calzones,  just to name a few.  I couldn't find the article or recipes online but they're in Rachael Ray's September magazine article '1 Month of Make Ahead Meals'
This is what I started with at 11:30am

And after a few hours of cooking this is was the final spread

tomato sauce, chopped chicken, pepper&onions, butternut squash,
pulled pork, and rice pilaf

SUCCESS!

Monday's Meals

This weekend was operation clean and organize. I especially needed to clean out the freezer in attempt to make room for Rachael Ray's '20 Dinners in 1 Day' challenge from her September magazine.  {I'll let yall know how it goes...the idea is to make 5 building block ingredients then you can make 20 recipes from those plus a few fresh ingredients}
So I tried to pick recipes using up what we had left in the freezer, here's what I came up with:
Coconut Shrimp with Fiery Mango Sauce

{I've made this before--it's delish but a little more time consuming that my normal weeknight meal, hence why I'm making it first week of class aka the least busy week of the year}

Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas

{This is a new one for me, but it's a Gina which usually means good and healthy so it's a win/win}

Lemon Broccoli Chicken

{I found this on my new favorite blog Elizabeth Ann's Recipe Box I can't wait to try it and many of her recipes!}

Banana Oatmeal Bites

{These are new too..but look like a good breakfast/sweet bite}

Blessings

The other day I saw this awesome quote and LOVED the message.  Come to find out my best friend Victoria, sang the song at a concert this summer.   When I listened I got chill bumps---she has a beautiful voice and knowing the hard years she's been through makes it sound so much sweeter. 

free printable can be found here

I will be printing this out and framing it.  I defiantly need to be reminded of this message daily!

First Day of 18th Grade

Thursday was my LAST first day of school!  {weird.  I won't know what to do when I'm not in school}

It's hard to end Summer and get into the school mentality...but Fall also brings jeans, boots, and football so it's a compromise. 

Robert's first day as a Gamecock!

The night before school started I proposed to Robert: I would drive him to class across campus if he agreed to a first day of school picture. We had a deal :)

Here's to my last year of grad school! 

Favorite Recipe- Thai Style Pork Stew

{I should be blogging about my awesome trip to NY today..but I'm doing laundry and cleaning so no photos are ready yet...and really what's a blog post without photos?}

But I found this Favorite Recipe post  and decided to link up!
This recipe is a random Cooking Light one I found and has become a favorite!  It currently holds the #1 spot on my sister's menu ranking board at her house.  And if you've ever met Nancy or tasted her cooking you'd know that's an accomplishment!

• Ingredients
• Stew:
• 2 pounds boned pork loin, cut into 4 pieces
• 2 cups (1 x 1/4-inch) julienne-cut red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice or white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• Remaining ingredients:
• 6 cups hot cooked basmati rice
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 2 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts
• 8 lime wedges

Preparation

• To prepare stew, trim fat from pork. Place pork and next 5 ingredients (pork through garlic) in an electric slow cooker. Cover with lid, and cook on low-heat setting for 8 hours. Remove pork from slow cooker, and coarsely chop. Add peanut butter to liquid in slow cooker; stir well. Stir in pork.
• Combine stew and rice in a large bowl. Top each serving with onions and peanuts; serve with lime wedges.
• Recipe and pic via
• *I usually cut up the bell pepper at night so in the morning I can throw all the rest in the crock pot before I go to class. 

Enjoy!