My Favorite Shrimp and Berry Salad Recipe

Recently on my Instagram (follow me @_thepinkchickadee), I shared a preview of my LITERAL favorite salad recipe EVER (!!!!!) on my stories. This salad is … my Shrimp & Berry salad! I have created this salad recipe on my own after being inspired by a delicious shrimp and berry salad that I had while on vacation in Dewey Beach, Delaware last summer (here). Needless to say, I have made this salad on MULTIPLE occasions after initially crafting this recipe of my own post-Dewey Beach vacation. Now, I am here to share it with y’all!

I will note that this Shrimp & Berry salad is literally the salad for salad haters. It is sweet with a bit of a savory kick which is something that I LOVE! Personally, while I love a good salad on occasion, it’s hard for me to imagine eating and enjoying salads on a regular basis. SO, this Shrimp & Berry salad of mine is something that truly unlike most salads makes me want to come back for MORE time and time and time again!

While this Shrimp & Berry salad recipe is listed the way it is below, some potential additions/substitutions include: salmon/chicken/chick peas in lieu of shrimp, blackberries in addition to/in lieu of blueberries or raspberries, and crumbled feta cheese in lieu of crumble goat cheese. A delicious addition to this salad would be walnuts or pecans for an extra dosage of protein and a bit of a crunch, too. To keep the sweetness of this salad going strong, I highly suggest using a rather sweet, strawberry-based vinaigrette just as in this recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pack of defrosted shrimp (peeled & deveined)
  • 1 pack of blueberries
  • 1 pack of raspberries
  • 1 container of goat cheese crumbles
  • 1 pack of spring salad mix
  • Blush Wine Vinaigrette (I use Brianna’s Home Style!)
  • Spices for shrimp rub (I use garlic, paprika, basil, parsley, cayenne, oregano, salt, & pepper!)

Directions:

  1. Mix shrimp in with the spice rub
  2. Cook shrimp to your liking (I usually air fry, but you can easily pan fry, bake with butter in the oven, grill, etc.)
  3. While the shrimp is cooking, prepare the rest of your ingredients, including washing the blueberries and raspberries and spring mix
  4. Add spring mix, blueberries, and raspberries to a salad bowl. Add in the goat cheese crumbles
  5. When complete, add your newly cooked shrimp into the salad
  6. Top the salad off with your Blush Wine Vinaigrette
  7. Enjoy!

Note: Salad stays good and can easily be kept cool for 2-3 days! It is SOOOO good you will finish it really fast 🙂

I hope you try and enjoy, too! If you do, then PLEASE let me know how it goes!!!

XOXO – Katie <3

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The Perks of Meal Prep During the Holidays

In recent times, I have found myself LOVING meal prep (I also write about it and rave about it, too, more here)! Not only is meal prep more affordable in the long run, but it also allows me to cook things in bigger batches at the same time as opposed to every single night. With my busy busy busy schedule ESPECIALLY with what is to come during the holiday season, meal prep helps me to have structure and maintain a *somewhat* of a healthy lifestyle during a not-so-healthy mainstream time of the year.

To be frankly honest, I am writing this post on the Sunday evening of Thanksgiving weekend. Having taken off the Wednesday-Sunday of Thanksgiving week, I am so happy to have had a break. However, I am still SOOO tired after the fun weekend filled with joy, family, and LOTS of food. I also find myself sitting on the couch after a few hours of meal prep for the upcoming week. I have recently added in breakfast to my meal prep circuit, which I know will work WONDERS for me (thanks to my bestie Shivani on this one!!!). However tired I JUST may be, I am so grateful for the joys of meal prep even during this busy holiday season. In fact, I am so thankful to have decided to meal prep more often than not during these busy times.

My holiday season schedule is literally jam-packed. Not only do I have a holiday party, event, dinner, celebratory trip (CONGRATS to my bestie Alanna on this one!!!), or activity planned more nights than not, I also have as most Americans do my 9-5 job that I LOVE which keeps me going during the days. Not only am I working the hustle and attending joyful holiday festivities which I LOVE, I am also busy prepping for Christmas with family and friends – think all things Christmas presents (from buying to wrapping), cooking dishes for gatherings, and baking cookies. My story is nonetheless like most Americans during this time of year. If you have seen A Bad Moms Christmas movie, then you PROBABLY know what I am talking about! The holidays can be a CRAZZZYYY time for everyone. Not to mention the fact that I am a LITERAL sucker for ALLLL things Christmas meaning that I go out most nights to enjoy it in my wonderful city, too!

I HAVE to say that I am oh so excited for the upcoming events and ongoings within my own life this holiday season. This 2023 year has been such a special year for me. 2023 has been filled with lots of self love, growth, and much more both personally and professionally. I feel so grateful for 2023 and what lessons this year has taught me, too. I am ALSO thankful to have incredible friends and family members and coworkers who support and empower me regularly, each of them are incredible human beings that I am lucky to have as apart of my life and support system (you all know who you are <3). And, guess what?! CRAZY ENOUGH, meal prep has helped me practice giving myself grace and to be more thankful for what I currently have.

Furthermore, I am OH SO GRATEFUL, THANKFUL, and BLESSED to have discovered the joys of meal prepping during this 2023 year. Meal prep allows me to focus on a healthy eating lifestyle that works for me. Personally, I am someone that believes that healthy eating is a lifestyle choice and NOT a diet and, rather, should be something that works for every individual person as opposed to a collective group of people (enough to be said here for today!). And, meal prepping allows me to simply get away from my always flashy phone and simply focus on the joys of cooking and be one within my own kitchen. I live for the hustle, *just* in case you haven’t noticed (!!!!), and find myself getting into the hustle more often than not. Especially during the holidays, I find myself with plans and/or commitments more often than not, SO meal prep allows me to cook on my OWN schedule and enjoy a delicious, healthy, and home-cooked meal while hustling.

Meal prep is something that I am thankful, grateful, and blessed to have found joy in this year. Specifically this holiday season, meal prep is literally a LIFESAVER. Some of the many dishes I plan to make this holiday season include: skillet gnocchi in Trader Joe’s Vodka sauce (aka my FAVORITE!), breakfast tacos with scrambled eggs and black beans and MORE, honey chipotle shrimp salad, and a Caprese salad wreath!!! There’s SO much to be thankful for this time of year (and every time of year for that matter!) and meal prep is just one of those things!

XOXO – Katie <3

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Do You Meal Prep?

Do you meal prep? Up until recently, I didn’t meal prep! However, as I got busier and busier in my week-to-week life, meal prep has been the way for me to go. Yet, since the pandemic winded down, it took me time (and lots of money spent on takeout – whoops!) to realize that meal prep was what worked for me (and my wallet!).

Throwing it back to my middle and high school years, I spent many nights out both during the week and on the weekends dining out. My Dad specifically would take me to his favorite restaurants in the adorable Arlington neighborhood of Shirlington as well as alongside Alexandria’s historic King Street in Northern Virginia and found cooking to be something that wasn’t a desire within his regular routine. My Mom would take me to places in the same neighborhoods alongside local restaurants nearby us in Lorton and Fairfax Station. We also enjoyed takeout A LOT (Chinese, Taco Bell, Chipotle, the likes). I learned that I enjoy the experience of eating out – the environment, the not having to cook, the interaction with my family members outside of the house while enjoying a good meal, and the many many many memories made. Dining out held and still holds a special place in my heart.

As I got into my post-graduate world, I learned that I will “all of a sudden” crave Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Chinese food, or Chipotle. AND, I would cave into those cravings on a regular basis, whether or not I bought groceries to make a home-cooked meal that night. I spent wayyyy too much money on food and my body started to feel the affects of eating out more than I should. I started to feel tired, stressed, and rundown way more often than not. The week after my 24th Birthday, I was eating out every meal. My friends and family were generous enough to treat me to Birthday dinners all throughout the week which I am SO SO SO grateful for. I also spent my 24th Birthday in the gorgeous town of Edenton, North Carolina (here) with Papa and my dog Rosie, so I went from a weekend filled with dining out to a week filled with dinners and lunches out on the town to bring in 24. That week was such a special week for me in 2023, and I am so blessed to have enjoyed that with those that I love. However, at the same time, I was SO SO SO tired and knew I needed to make a change with how I cooked and planned my meals.

The Sunday after my Birthday week, I got in the kitchen and I meal prepped my first-ever meal in a LOONGGG while. It felt AMAZING to be in the kitchen again. I finally *confessions* cleaned all the dishes from the week prior that I had been too tired to take on and enjoyed the experience of cooking a nice meal. I had a second to simply get off my phone, laptop, and the hustle and bustle of the world and enjoy the moment. And, at the end of the cooking process, I had a nice and delicious meal to enjoy. At the same time, I felt SO MUCH MORE awake and better when I’d gotten the chance to appreciate what was right in front of me. In that moment, moving forward, I just knew that I needed to meal prep a part of my regular routine more often than not. Realistically speaking, summer travel and, well, travel in general can make meal prep a bit tricky. I learned this fact when it came to Summer travel. On the same token, I noticed that meal prep made summer travel easier and more affordable. I found that I felt better, more awake, and healthier when I meal prepped (whether home or not). My wallet has been really grateful with meal prep, as well, as I am able to focus on some new-to-me savings goals, budget accordingly for upcoming travel, and place a greater emphasis on travel and activities both near and far on my bucket list.

I used to simply DREADDD cooking in general and felt as if it was something that I HAD to do every night. My work weeks and weeks in general are busy busy busy. 2-3+ nights a week after work, I have something going on outside of my house – whether it be networking, a happy hour, or dinner with a friend/family member, or a even a special interest group meetup. With starting events for the Ignite Young Professionals Program cohort that I am excitedly apart of (here) this month, my Fall 2023 season and seasons moving forward will likely be busy busy busy on both the weekends and weeknights, which can get STRESSFUL. While I am excited for the upcoming busy professional (and personal!) seasons, I also need to stay well-fueled and eat well. When I went to Isle of Palms, South Carolina for a week in June and stayed with my best friend Hannah alongside some of our best friends and her Mom alongside some of her best friends, I learned the value of healthy eating and was SO inspired by Hannah, her Mom, and her friends. Needless to say, the amazing women (Hannah included!!!) I vacationed with at Isle of Palms were such a pivot for me in starting my own healthy eating journey which for me involved MORE meal prep and LESS eating out.

My new ritual is to go grocery shopping on a late Sunday afternoon or early in the week (depending on travel), buy what I need, and then spend the evening cooking for the upcoming week while sipping on a glass of wine. I can ALSO practice mindfulness while grocery shopping and meal prepping, too! I have also gotten into smoothies during the week, which helps me to feel fueled during my usual afternoon slump. I went to Trader Joe’s on a recent early September Sunday and found myself enjoying being inside the grocery store and the shopping experience while only focusing on what I needed for the week rather than intensively planning in my head what I want for that week and then wasting food within the long run. Not to mention the sole fact that I can enjoy and see and get inspired what what’s in-season when I shop at the grocery store in-person as opposed to using Instacart.

In the past, I used to meal plan using Hello Fresh, however, in recent times, I have found it to not be useful for me. I found myself *surprise* wasting more and more food and money (woof!). BUT, while I am not a Hello Fresh customer anymore, one thing I LOVE about Hello Fresh, is their brilliant marketing strategy to aim to transform the perspective of home-cooked meals to be as good as takeout. Hello Fresh meals are super good despite being a bit pricey and not the best move for me AND tastes just as good as (if not better) than takeout. I have found Hello Fresh’s marketing strategy to be what I use when meal prepping – I want my food to taste just as good BUT better than takeout. And, well, I have found this to be true and a fun part of putting my meal prep into (what feels like) takeout cartons for the week.

Moreover, meal prep has allowed me to enjoy the moment and be more mindful while appreciating and healthier lifestyle for both my body and wallet. I am more than excited to be continuing my new habit of meal prep and continue my goal to practice mindfulness more regularly. At the end of the day, I want to feel good both physically and mentally, which meal prep allows me to do. Do you meal prep? I have learned to LOVE it and hope you will if it works for you, too!

XOXO – Katie <3

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Weekly Menu Round-Up: April 11-15

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve last done a Weekly Menu here on the blog, so here we go! If you follow me on Instagram (follow me @_thepinkchickadee), then you probably see what I cook in the kitchen via my Weekly Menu’s on my Instagram Stories. I definitely feel like the last time I did a Weekly Menu, it created via my HelloFresh subscription. Well, y’all, I have CANCELLED – yes, cancelled – my HelloFresh subscription. Why?! It was a lot of money for a lot of meals that I wasn’t eating given my lifestyle and time-consuming. So, now, let’s get into this week’s menu!

Meal 1: Roasted Chili Line Cod. I found this recipe online (https://fashionablefoods.com/2014/06/27/2014618roasted-chili-lime-cod/) and am SO excited to try it. It not only looks Uber-healthy but also Uber-delicious. So, I will be serving this healthy and delicious-looking creation with roasted broccoli and cauliflower and couscous.

Meal 2: Kale Caesar Salad with Air Fryer Shrimp, Roasted Chickpeas, Cherry Tomatoes, and Croutons. This recipe is actually based off of one I tried when subscribing to HelloFresh and I loved it so so much that I wanted to create my own, more affordable version! I’ve always been a sucker for kale salads too and my local Food Lion grocery store sells a HUGE head of kale for about $1.00. So, I am going to be serving this recipe with soup of all things – haha – if I feel the need to add something on the side though.

Meal 3: Honey Garlic Shrimp with Brown Rice & Roasted Broccoli. I found this recipe (https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/quick-healthy-dinner-20-minute-honey-garlic-shrimp/) for Honey Garlic Shrimp when I saw that my local Food Lion grocery store was having a sale on the shrimp that I like. This recipe consists of soy sauce and honey, so it’s a bit of an Asian fusion dish (which I LOVE!!!!).

With Easter coming up, I am SO excited to be able to celebrate with my family. My Mom is putting together a beautiful Easter celebration meal and we plan to dye eggs just like during my childhood years. Here’s to a great week with LOTS of blessings!!

XOXO – Katie <3

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Weekly Menu Round-Up: March 14-18

Another week, another weekly menu!! These past few weeks, I have been using HelloFresh. While I LOVE the meals via HelloFresh, it has taken a toll on my budget and has added up a lot. At the same time, I miss being able to cook the meals that I’ve cooked and wanted to cook on my own without my fridge being overtaken by HelloFresh. SO, I am trying a few weeks without HelloFresh to get a feel for it. Overtime though, I may use HelloFresh from time to time. This week will be a busy week, but it will also allow me to whip up some meals on my own!

Meal 1: Baked Rainbow Trout with Lemon, Black Pepper, and Garlic and Roasted Broccoli and Buttery Cauliflower Rice. The other day at my local Giant grocery store, I found some Rainbow Trout filets on sale, so I picked them up! I figured I would whip up a Rainbow Trout recipe and loved this one (linked here) that I found via a simple Google search. I’m excited to try it and serve it with some healthy side dishes aka my favorite roasted broccoli and cauliflower rice for a healthy, yet delish recipe!!

Meal 2: Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup & Garlic Naan Pepperoni Flatbread Pizza. This past January, I tried Progresso’s newer release of dry Chicken Noodle soup and LOVED it! So, I am going to whip it up again in the Crockpot and serve it with some Garlic Naan Pepperoni Flatbread pizza, as Monday (March 14) is Pi Day *Math majors like myself rejoice!!*.

Meal 3: Healthy Shrimp Salad topped with an Avocado and Buttered Parmesan Rainbow Pasta. I found this delicious-looking Healthy Shrimp Salad (linked here!) via Pinterest and KNEW that I had to try it. I am also oh so excited to be able to serve this salad with buttered parmesan Rainbow pasta noodles (a childhood favorite of mine!), as well.

While a shorter weekly menu, it has definitely become more realistic of what my weekly menus now look like. I am excited to try some healthy recipes that are both budget-friendly AND delicious!

XOXO – Katie <3

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Weekly Menu Round-Up: March 7-11

This week’s menu has some healthy yet delicious additions to it! The majority of this upcoming week’s menu includes contents of my 9th HelloFresh box. If you follow me on Instagram (follow me @_thepinkchickadee!), then you know that I regularly share my HelloFresh meals on my Instagram stories. This past week, I switched my HelloFresh subscription to 3 meals a week as opposed to my initial 4 meals a week, given my current lifestyle. At the same time, this upcoming week is also the week of my Papa’s Birthday – this FRIDAY!!! – and I cannot wait to celebrate with him and enjoy some great meals along the way, too.

Some pretty delicious Avocado Toast topped with Feta, Tomatoes, & Smoked Salmon at Bluestone Lane Cafe in Foggy Bottom, Washington, DC this weekend!!

Meal 1: Greek Goddess Bulgur Bowls with Chickpeas, Harissa Hummus, & Cucumber Feta Salad. This Mediterranean dish looks so healthy, yet so delicious. I’m a BIG fan of Cava – aka the Mediterranean ultra-healthy version of Chipotle – that I DO NOT go to enough. So, this recipe most definitely feels like a vegetarian version of a Cava bowl (I usually get mine with Braised Lamb AND the Harissa Hummus which is included in this dish!!!). I have ALSO recently been really into snacking on hummus and pita here and there, given the fact that my local grocery store has deliciously-made garlic pita chips. That all being said, I can’t wait to try this dish!

Meal 2: Creamy Mac & Cheese. A simple, yet easy lunch dish and add-on to any HelloFresh meal via the HelloFresh market. I’m super excited to be able to try HelloFresh’s variation of Mac & cheese! Enough said.

Meal 3: Warm Buttered Shrimp Rolls with Creamy Lemon Slaw and Seasoned Potato Wedges. A few weeks ago, I had an amazing HelloFresh dish just like this one, but with tempura shrimp rather than warm buttered shrimp. This dish is getting compared to lobster rolls – a Maine staple dish that I LOVE having every time I go up there for family reunions. So, I am oh so excited to be able to eat this dish, too!

Meal 4: Shrimp and Roasted Chickpea Caesar salad with Grape Tomatoes & Garlicky Croutons. Funny story, I ALWAYS have loved adding shrimp to my Caesar salad, when given as a protein option for the salad! So, when I saw that a basic Caesar salad was a meal choice with shrimp, grape tomatoes, and roasted chick peas, I could NOT resist trying it!! I will be serving this dish with some garlic bread – HelloFresh has some pretty great garlic bread, too.

Meal 5: Cauliflower Crust Boboli Pizza. Although not apart of my HelloFresh box this coming week, I have ALWAYS been a big big big fan of the Boboli pizza crust brand. Since I just noticed that Boboli offers a Cauliflower pizza crust option while at the grocery store the other day, I knew that I NEEDED to try it! So, I am going to try it this week and serve some good olde cauliflower crusted pizza with some Caesar salad.

Here’s to a great week for us ALL!

XOXO – Katie <3

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Weekly Menu Round-Up: February 14-20

Another week, another weekly menu – YAY! I’ve been LOVING how much y’all love my weekly menus, too. This past week, I received my fourth HelloFresh box (read my blog post on my 4 weeks with HelloFresh experience here) with my first-ever reward inside of it which was …. a mini cheesecake that was OH SO GOOD! If you follow me on Instagram (@_thepinkchickadee), then you know that I post the recipes that I cook AND the final results of each HelloFresh meal that I make on my stories. This little Instagram Story time of mine in the kitchen has been nothing but a blast for me AND has allowed me to share the results of each and every single one of my weekly menus – one of which is now listed below!

Meal 1: Creamy Dreamy Mushroom Cavatappi with Scallions and Parmesan. This dish low-key reminds me of the Pesto Cavatappi at Noodles & Company aka one of my favorite dishes sold there and my go to order! Initially, when selecting my menu for this coming week, I was hesitant to choose this dish, well, until I saw it again in a different light and maybe just maybe craving Noodles & Company while I was at it. I will be serving this creation probably with a Caesar salad aka my favorite salad – haha!

Meal 2: One-Pan Black Bean & Poblano Quesadillas with Lemon Crema. The moment that I saw that this recipe was in the Hall of Fame of HelloFresh recipes, I just knew that I had to try it! It appears to be a super easy yet super delicious comfort food AND probably something that I will eat ALLL of before I head to bed the day I make it. ALSO, I feel like this will be a great The Bachelor Monday recipe, too, which is PERFECT because I get my HelloFresh boxes EVERY Monday. I am pretty sure that I will top this recipe off with none other than some sliced avocados.

Meal 3: Shawarma Chickpea Lettuce Wraps with Israeli Salad, Pistachios, & Lemon Garlic Yogurt and Creamy Tomato Soup. A few weeks ago, Papa and I had a Middle Eastern chickpea rice bowl with salmon. Personally, I was shocked when I handed Papa this week’s recipes in a stack to look through and that was the one that he chose (he isn’t the most adventurous eater, but I am seriously the exact opposite of him – in fact, Middle Eastern and Indian and Chinese cuisines are probably my absolute favorites in the world along with pizza!) and we both LOVED it. So, when I saw this gorgeous food creation pop up in my options for this week’s menu, I could not pass it up. At the same time, I cannot wait to see how the Creamy Tomato Soup balances it all out.

Meal 4: Shrimp & Honey Miso Broccoli Donburi with Sweet Potato, Scallion Rice, & Eggs. My recipes that feel like the healthier version of Asian takeout dishes are seriously some of my HelloFresh favorites! So, I am so so so excited for this lovely creation and to make a fun rice dish yet again! Seriously y’all, HelloFresh legitimately has some of the best twists on rice and I seriously won’t cook rice from the grocery store anymore – haha!

Meal 5: Pesto Caprese Sandwiches with an Almond-Studded Green Salad. I got this lunch dish in my HelloFresh box a few weeks ago AND have been craving it ever since my last box. Not only am I craving the sandwich, BUT I am also craving that gorgeously delicious and healthy salad, too.

Meal 6: Vanilla Delight Cheesecakes & Chocolate Lava Cakes. Not really a meal BUT it is a great Valentine’s Day treat for me and my Papa – who, I am by the way spending Valentine’s Day with this year!

Here’s to another great week with some pretty great meals. Also, it’s the week of Valentine’s Day, SO here is your public service announcement to treat yourself to a delicious meal and something sweet too – you deserve it!

XOXO – Katie <3

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Four Weeks of HelloFresh

Four times the charm, I guess! This week marks *surprise* my fifth week of HelloFresh. So, that being said, I have four weeks to reflect on of being a proud HelloFresh subscriber. Each day, I post on my Instagram stories my cooking experiences with HelloFresh (follow me @_thepinkchickadee!). In case you’re wondering, I have the 4 meals a week plan with 2 servings PLUS I order some staples for lunch, such as their sandwiches, salads, and fun little toasts, too via the HelloFresh market. My new favorite staple is their oat latte’s which are PERFECT for a healthy pick me up during the work day FULL of hustling. Now, let’s get into my four weeks of HelloFresh reflection!

*Disclaimer: Now, before I get into the meat of this post, it is in NO way being sponsored by Hello Fresh.*

*Disclaimer: Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase through one of my links, then I will receive a small commission. This commission is at no extra cost to you. Additionally, this post is not sponsored, and all opinions are my own.*

How do you get free Hello Fresh meals? Get $120 off your first Hello Fresh box(es) when your order using this link: https://www.hellofresh.com/pages/share?c=HS-7N1HD4BXO&utm_campaign=clipboard&utm_couponvalue=120&utm_invitername=Kate&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=raf-share

So, initially, when I started HelloFresh I was hesitant. I have ALWAYS BEEN a sucker for selecting my own meals based on my weekly cravings. Usually, my weekly cravings were 9 times out of 10 food items that are SO bad for me. That being said, I was so worried I would miss out on my cravings and perhaps have some FOMO. One of the main reasons I started HelloFresh was to begin the process of clean and healthier eating AND have the sheer convenience of my meals sent right to my door perfectly portioned for dinner for me and Papa and/or dinner for myself and lunch the next day. I have to say, though, HelloFresh has BLOWN me away! ALLLL of my hesitations have seriously been silly little worries in the scheme of it all.

When creating my weekly menus pre-my HelloFresh days, I used to take HOURS of overthinking and stressing just to create a simple weekly menu. If you know me, then you know that I am a major PLANNER and spend HOURS obsessing and planning over everything. However, with HelloFresh, I can be a lot less obsessive and a bit compulsive and simply stick to four great meals each week pre-prepped and all complete with some amazing recipes to try, too. Needless to say, my life has been made so much easier, as I just log onto the HelloFresh app, select what I want, and make sure that everything is in my set grocery budget for the week. ALSO, the more boxes you order, the more rewards you get too. My best friends Hannah and Alanna and I have each been ordering HelloFresh weekly in our respective households and we chat about it ALL THE TIME. Hannah and I both got a mini cheesecake as a reward for our fourth box aka the box with the first reward inside. Not to mention, my grocery store trips are made SO MUCH easier AND y’all know I love a good Giant and Food Lion run, too! Moreover, my life has been mad SO MUCH EASIER ever since starting HelloFresh.

A few weeks ago when I had just started using HelloFresh, my best guy friend Wyatt came over and said “I can tell you’re much happier since starting HelloFresh”. He knew that because I’m someone who really takes advantage of the highlight reel that social media is. I mean, if you follow me on social media, then you never really see me go through the emotions. It’s SO SO SO easy to simply share the highlights in our lives on social media. But, through it all, I was struggling with what I ate, where it came from, and it was all taking a tool on my emotional and physical health. BUT, HelloFresh has really helped me be my best self and has made myself feel oh so much better both emotionally and physically.

Now, above all else, you MAY just be wondering whether or not I will continue to use HelloFresh moving forward. For me, it is a most definite YES! The food is easy and fun to cook ALSO cooking is a GREAT mental break from this so called thing known as life – haha!!! – and I feel a lot better physically and mentally since getting it. My life has been so much more simplified and I feel a lot better overall since becoming a regular HelloFresh user. 11/10 for sure!!!

XOXO – Katie <3

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Weekly Menu Round-Up: January 31-February 4

New week, new weekly menu! I’ve recently noticed that y’all have loved following along with my weekly menus and it makes me happy, too. They’re so much fun to post about and share what I make on my Instagram stories, too (follow me @_thepinkchickadee!). When getting into this week’s menu, I want to paraphrase something: things NEVER go as planned. This past week, I did not make my menu according to plan AND that is OKAY! My week did not go as expected – I had some mental struggles and that is all normal and okay. Just a reminder to y’all! Now, let’s get cooking, with HelloFresh of course 🙂

Meal 1: One-Pan Trattoria Tortellini Bake. Initially, I was going to bake this last week, BUT plans changed and that is okay. I am excited to try this recipe, as it feels like a delicious and simple yet comforting food staple. ALSO, it takes only 25 minutes to bake and my excitement is over the moon. Just like last week’s plan, I am going to serve this pasta deliciousness with Caesar salad.

Meal 2: Middle Eastern Salmon & Chickpea Bowls with Spiced Basmati Rice & Garlicky White Sauce. Very very very excited for this creation. I have always loved Middle Eastern cuisine and fell in love with it when I went to Bulgaria and Greece in June/July 2017 and frequented a Middle Eastern local joint right by Meredith College while in Raleigh during my college days. While I have yet to try salmon in a Middle Eastern cuisine dish, I am SO SO SO excited to be able to!

Meal 3: Sun-Dried Tomato Spaghetti with Fresh Herbs, Almonds, and Parmesan. This dish feels SO unique yet SO healthy and delicious at the same time. Very few times have I had a pasta dish with a nut of any kind in it and every time I do, it is AMAZING! I am oh so excited to try another pasta dish with nuts in it, especially right in my own kitchen. I will probably pair this dish with a salad of sorts, BUT knowing me: Caesar salad!

Meal 4: Sizzlin’ Hoisin Shrimp with Ginger Scallion Rice and Roasted Green Beans. Ever since I started using HelloFresh regularly, I have started to cook Asian cuisines at home. Let me tell y’all, the Asian dishes that I have whipped up in my own kitchen thanks to HelloFresh have been my favorites! My mouth is ALREADY watering from looking at photos and HelloFresh’s Instagram posts about this dish!

Meal 5: Charred Tomato & Ricotta Toasts with Walnuts, Chili Flakes, & Balsamic Glaze. While easy and simple, I am so so so excited to be able to try this dish. It comes with two servings, meaning I get two lunches out of it. And, y’all I am over the moon excited to try this dish out!

Meal 6: Shrimp & Mushroom Po’boys with Boardwalk Fries. While at college, I went to this pub regularly that was located right across the street from my apartment. Every time I went, I ALWAYS ordered the Shrimp Po’boy with French fries. AHHHH, y’all, I am CRAVING it right as I write this! Enough said.

This week’s menu excites me so so so much. Here’s to another great week for me and YOU!

XOXO – Katie <3

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Weekly Menu Round-Up: January 24-30

On the daily – well, at least when I cook – I post on Instagram (follow my @_thepinkchickadee) the meals that I cook on my stories. About two weeks ago, I got my first-ever Hello Fresh box and have been LOVING it ever since I started. Just like last week’s menu, this week’s menu is ALL things Hello Fresh (read last week’s menu here!). Now, let’s get into the menu!!

Meal 1: Steakhouse Mushroom Salad. This is a vegetarian salad dish that is notoriously for its great pairing with steak. Although I am mostly on a pescatarian diet (I eat other meats on occasion), I am very excited about this veggie packed salad and will be pairing it with foil baked shrimp and Air Fryer baked potatoes along with sea salt and melted butter. I am most definitely making this recipe into my own meal that screams Katie, but without the steak (though, I will say that I eat steak on very rare occasions)!

Meal 2: One Pan Trattoria Tortellini Bake. I have always loved a good pasta bake; I mean, who doesn’t?! The best part about this pasta bake is that the tortellini is made from a wheat base and is portioned to only two servings, so I get that pasta greatness and deliciousness but within moderation. I plan to serve this delicious creation with a Giant grocery store-branded Caesar salad that I tried and LOVED last week.

Meal 3: Crunchy Curried Chickpea Bowls. This dish reminds me of a veggie bowl at Cava but make it home cooked! Personally, I have always loved Cava – it is healthy and low calorie compared to the rest of the takeout world’s dishes yet it’s still just as great as the rest of the takeout world. I usually get a side of naan when I go to Cava, so I plan to eat this Cave-Like veggie bowl with toasted garlic naan.

Meal 4: Trout in Dijon Sauce with Balsamic Greens, Walnuts and Grapes PLUS Garlic Bread. This dish feels fancy restaurant good but healthy and well-balanced. Initially, this dish had pork as its protein, but I was able to swap it out for trout which I am *VERY* excited about! I am always down to try a delicious-looking seafood dish like this one and I am super excited to do so.

Meal 5: Proscuitto Caprese Sandwiches with Pesto Mayo. I LOVED getting to try the Pesto Caprese Sandwiches with Almond-Studded Green Salad last week (I am STILL craving that salad!), so I am super excited to get to try this similar variation of last week’s dish. Just like last week’s sandwiches, they are also on a ciabatta roll, which I think is perfect for Caprese-like sandwiches. Through it all, I am able to get a simple taste of Italy (I studied abroad in Tuscany in June 2018) while at home and probably working while I eat it!

Meal 6: Garlic Bread & Sweet Kale Salad. My Mom always bought and served the sweet kale salad from Costco and I LOVE it. So, I am excited to try Hello Fresh’s Sweet Kale Salad, too. Needless to say, I am ALWAYS looking for a delicious Sweet Kale Salad to try! Sweet Kale Salads are healthy, sweet, and delicious in all different ways. I plan to serve it with crab cakes, since I love how it balances out the sweetness of the salad.

Here’s to another great week with even greater meals!!

XOXO – Katie <3

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