Hello everyone! I hope your week is going well so far.

Two weekends ago we were able to make it up to Tahquamenon Falls to enjoy some fall colors and time outside. I was feeling a little unsure about the trip with the colder weather and rain that was forecasted all weekend (of course just a few days prior to our trip it was 70s and sunny there!). However, I’m really glad we ended up going!

The bulk of the rain was overnight, so wasn’t too bad. As my dad likes to say, “There is no such thing as bad weather… only bad clothing decisions!!” So I was sure to pack ALL the cold weather gear, perfect for staying warm while camping outside in the 40-degree rainy/drizzly weather.

It was a quick trip! Saturday we went on a long hike (between the upper and lower falls). We also went up to Whitefish Point, went to an absolutely delicious restaurant for dinner (more details later in post), and watched the Michigan game from our car/tent.

Time continues to fly by (at least from my perspective!)… we are already over halfway into October and it feels like the holidays are fast approaching! I am trying to slow down and focus on each day/week at a time… enjoying the things to be grateful for each day instead of constantly looking ahead OR overly looking at the negatives!

Delicious eats from the past few weeks… October edition!

I really enjoyed this fall harvest salad that I made for lunches. Mixed greens topped w/ roasted sweet potatoes, chopped honeycrisp apple, toasted/crumbled pecans, dried cherries, roasted chickpeas, and a tasty maple tahini dressing. For the chickpeas, I drizzled them with a bit of olive oil + maple syrup, sprinkled on some cinnamon, and roasted them in the oven until crispy!

Prepping said chickpeas + sweet potatoes, as well as my absolute fave pumpkin chocolate chip muffins! So good for an afternoon snack or with coffee in the morning.

Have you given my quinoa & veggie bowl w/ pumpkin sage hummus a try?? We have been thoroughly enjoying this for dinner throughout the month! It would also be fabulous with grilled or baked chicken or salmon!

On our way to the U.P., we stopped in Mackinaw City for a quick dinner before getting to our campsite. We split this delish sandwich with turkey, dried cherries, tomato, spinach, walnuts, provolone, cheddar, and a honey mayo. The size of the sandwich was really good for the price, and left us both feeling full and satisfied!

Night #2 we went to The Inn near Tahquamenon Falls after a full day of hiking. I was honestly blown away by how good the food was!! Alec got this insane mac and cheese dish with brisket and luckily he let me have some of it, too. It was definitely multiple meals worth, but sadly we couldn’t really enjoy the leftovers with our camping situation! What a missed opportunity…

I had a southern-style bean soup w/ cornbread, which was also delicious, and a huge garden salad that we split.

Other actual camping food included (pre-made at home) steel-cut oats w/ peanut butter + apple, cheese + crackers, trail mix, more apples, store-bought and homemade bars, and plenty of dark chocolate. We kept things extra simple to avoid having to bring our cooking gear and also since we weren’t sure what the weather would end up being like! This worked out well since it was decently raining in the mornings so we could easily enjoy our already-ready oatmeal in the car.

The day after our weekend away I made a big pot of chili for us to eat all week long! I used the recipe in the Run Fast Eat Slow cookbook, which I really liked and would make again. Plenty of ground beef, beans, veggies (carrot + bell pepper + onion + kale), and warm/smokey spices! Favorite cornbread w/ butter + honey and basic green salad on the side.

We had this for two nights (three for Alec) and still have leftovers for two more nights in the freezer! I’m trying to continually have something frozen/easy to thaw for a quick dinner since some days aren’t a “leftovers night” and I don’t have time to cook, so this is becoming a good option/strategy for me.

My favorite take lately on my usual breakfast has been overnight oats topped w/ agave + peanut butter + chopped honeycrisp + cinnamon. Normally I switch to warm steel-cut oatmeal by this time of year, but I am still really feeling the cold overnight!

Especially with the apple and peanut butter. Supremely satisfying.

We had a dill pickle soup on special at Juicy for a couple of weeks and I was surprised by how much I loved it!! I don’t even like dill pickles. (Or so I thought??) It was meant to be served warm but I loved having it cold as part of my dinner for a few nights!!

I loved this scrambled egg combo I came up with. Scrambled eggs w/ sautéed butternut + red bell pepper + yellow onion, kale, and shredded parmesan. Served with my favorite roasted potatoes (seasoned w/ salt + pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes). We had it again in frittata form the next week!

Vegan mac n’ cheese with steamed broccoli + peas. So creamy and so good! I always buy an organic, unfortified nutritional yeast to use, since I try to avoid fortified foods (generally don’t have good/healthy versions of the vitamins/minerals, so end up doing more harm than good in my opinion).

A big salad I made for our small group featuring tri-color bell peppers, radishes, and a homemade Greek dressing.

Although I didn’t end up going to small group (Alec brought the salad) since I was so tired / not feeling the best! In case you think my dinners are always exciting, this night was a simple dinner of canned soup and leftover cornbread! Not going to small group was a last minute decision and I was like… what the heck am I going to eat?? I really wanted the cornbread since that sounded good and also didn’t want anything that would require much/any effort to throw together. I found a can of Amy’s lentil soup from the depths of our pantry (it was definitely several years old but not yet expired, lol) and it surprisingly hit the spot! Comforting and simple was what was needed.

A few treats to round things out… one Saturday a few weeks ago I felt like making some granola (a tahini chai version I love to make) and some Monster cookie bars for our church lunch.

Favorite chocolate peanut butter cups I made for dessert when friends came over one night. Dinner was pasta w/ sun-dried tomato pesto + roasted veggies, plus salad.

Homemade Snickers bars! So tasty.

What is your favorite Halloween candy?? My go-to is always peanut M&Ms!

Everyday Enjoyment:

Early-morning walks: We have had an ongoing/annoying situation with our neighbor disturbing our sleep, so one thing we have done to help ourselves manage this is getting up earlier. I am typically more of a 6am person but lately the switch has been to 5:30am. I was initially annoyed by this (the neighbor situation is still frustrating and I don’t like feeling like I have to get up at this time), but we are going on a short walk right away in the morning together which is now such a nice part of the day! I used to not see Alec much until the evening so it is nice to have this time together at the beginning of the day as well.

Currently reading: Enjoying The Women in the Castle a lot (almost done yet feeling really unsure of where it is ultimately going / how it is going to end!), and also finishing up Soul-Deep Beauty. Also still reading Self-Made Man with Alec and currently have Heaven on pause till I finish my library book.

Michigan football: 7-0! Sparty this weekend!! If we lose I may shrivel up into a ball of discouragement and despair and struggle to re-acclimate to normal life.

Fall colors from the U.P. a couple weeks ago. It is just about peak colors here in Ann Arbor — planning to go on a fall color drive on Sunday to enjoy the local colors more!

Favorite Halloween candy?? (1) peanut M&Ms, (2) regular M&Ms, (3) Almond Joys
Worst Halloween candy?? I don’t think they are the worst, but I think Kit Kats are highly overrated. (!) 
Any good books or movies you would recommend?? I am always in need! 

Have a great week!