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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My First Week of Hello Fresh!

On my Instagram (follow along @_thepinkchickadee), I have been sharing my ratings and meals via Hello Fresh. Last week was my first-ever week of Hello Fresh – a subscription service that brings healthy meals for every type of diet right to your doorstep. While I do know that Hello Fresh is not for everybody or every budget, I have personally really enjoyed it along with its several customization options and several ways for me to cook in my kitchen like never before. So, today, I am going to be sharing my experiences with my first-ever week of Hello Fresh!

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

*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.*

Hello Fresh offers several different plans for for 2+ meals/week and with 2-4 servings (I think – I know 2 servings is the smallest offered) and including ALL diets, including vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, and all the meats. You can select your dieting preferences upon creating your account. At the same time, Hello Fresh also offers add-on’s each week, ranging from lunch staples like soup, sandwiches, salads, oatmeal, and even Oat Latte’s. The best part?! The meals and add-on’s vary week per week AND you get to choose which meals and add on’s (if any) you would like. You can also skip a box each week or donate one if you’re going out of town. Personally, I went with 4 meals/week for 2 servings along with a few add-on’s and it solidifies all of my at-home food intake for the week.

When I first opened my Hello Fresh package, I was in AWE! The packaging is beautiful AND the packaging is all done within a sustainable manner. My favorite part was opening up my box to beautifully put together and visually-appealing recipes for each of the 4 meals that I chose. Each meal is arranged with its own special packaging and labelled accordingly. And, everything is contained well with a HUGE ice pack to keep it all cool until its arrival at your home. Overall, I can truly say that Hello Fresh’s packaging was the icing on the top of the cake!

As I got into the meat of the week being the cooking, I found their recipes to be beautifully put together – both visually and directionally. I was able to successfully cook all of my meals and be a bit more adventurous than my usual dump and go sheet pan recipes. Cooking has been a stress relief for me, too. BUT, when it came to the end product aka the meals, I was WOWed! I felt as if I was eating takeout, but thinking much more consciously health-wise and wayyy more delicious.

Personally, I am now HOOKED on the Hello Fresh train and don’t plan to get off of it anytime soon. I am really excited to continue to use it over the next few weeks and potentially months. While it does come at a hefty price tag, the convenience of getting the majority of my groceries delivered right to my doorstep while maintaining healthy eating habits is golden for me and worth the price tag.

XOXO – Katie <3

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Weekly Menu Round-Up: January 17-21

I haven’t done a weekly menu in a while, so I feel that it is time for another! Coincidentally, this is the first time that I am crafting a weekly menu based off of the meals that I get via Hello Fresh. Just last week, I had my first week of Hello Fresh (I get my box every Monday and order 4 meals for 2 people/week in case you’re wondering!) and for the foreseen future will continue to keep my subscription going strong. This week’s menu includes mostly Hello Fresh meals with menu items curated surrounding them. Now, let’s get our taste buds craving something yummy!!

Meal 1: Frijoles Fresca Bowls with Tomato and Pepper Jack. I am REALLY excited about this meal! It is noted as a Hall of Fame recipe on Hello Fresh, and I am super excited to try it. Essentially, to me, it feels like a healthier version of a Chipotle’s vegetarian version of their burrito bowls aka my staple order there. Along with my vegetarian burrito bowl, I ALWAYS order chips at Chipotle to use the bowl as its dip. So, I am doing the same with this recipe using Wegman’s-branded tortilla chips.

Meal 2: Blackened Salmon Penne with Charred Poblano and Monterey Jack Cheese. This is a recipe that I would have NEVER thought to have made this on my own and even think of such a delicious sounding meal! So, when I saw this magnificent creation, I knew that I needed to try it. I will probably serve this pasta on its own or with some leftover tortilla chips.

Meal 3: Creamy Ricotta Tomato Ravioli with Kale and Lemony Tuscan Sauce. I have always LOVED pasta, so whenever I see a vegetarian pasta recipe pop up as a potential meal for me on Hello Fresh, then I WILL 9 times out of 10 add it to my meal plan. What I LOVE about this recipe is that I get ALLLL the benefits of a delicious pasta dish, but with NONE of the health-wise guilt that typical pasta dishes bring me. I plan to serve this dish with a side salad, too!

Meal 4: Mustard Soy Salmon with Pickled Scallions, Ginger Rice, and Zesty Carrots. Personally, salmon has always been one of my all-time favorite fishes. I am, in fact, a HUGE fish fan, but salmon is a very very dear favorite of mine. So, this recipe was a must-try for me. It added that Asian cuisine feel to me, but with all of the benefits of a healthy meal.

Meal 5: Pesto Caprese Sandwiches with Almond-Studded Green Salad. Ever since I studied abroad in Tuscany, Italy, I have missed enjoying Caprese sandwiches in general, as it was indeed a staple of my diet then. I LOVE that this recipe gives all of the healthy benefits with a simple taste of Italy right here in Northern Virginia, especially with the side salad that it comes with.

Meal 6: Grilled Cheese with Truffle Butter and Wegman’s’ freshly made Chicken Noodle Soup or Tomato Bisque. A comfort food at its finest – enough said!

This week’s menu has me super uber-excited. Here’s to eating healthy AND enjoying what I eat, too!

XOXO – Katie <3

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2 Years of The Pink Chickadee!

2 years a blogger! It’s oh so crazy how time flies since starting a blog. It, indeed, feels like yesterday when I was sitting in my apartment with all of my friends waiting for my site’s first-ever blog post (check that out here!) to launch. I had a launch party for The Pink Chickadee when it launched in my sweet college apartment right before the pandemic hit (read more about that here!) with some of my many college friends. Some of my best memories have come from creating my sweet spot here on the Internet and I’m ALWAYS grateful that I am able to share my story with y’all here.

When starting my platform, I knew that I wanted to start a blog months before in the Fall of 2019. It was the Fall 2019 semester aka my Junior year of college. Being in North Carolina then, so many people are in committed relationships by the time they reach their Junior year of college or even in their Senior year of college. Needless to say, many many people were in relationships then that are some of my good friends, classmates, and others within my college community and North Carolina area. I, then, became pretty discouraged by it all, as a single woman in what I felt was a couple’s world. It was then that I had actually realized that I wanted something for me and only me. And, that is how The Pink Chickadee was born.

Since starting The Pink Chickadee, I have made countless connections and even friends with several fellow influencers, small business owners, and Lilly Pulitzer lovers alike. I have been able to work with brands, including Panera Bread, Peet’s Coffee, Ouges, and Glitter and Daisies. I was accepted to become a Shop LTK influencer and have since enjoyed sharing all of my favorite finds on that fun platform, too. I have seriously found such an incredible community within the blogging world! At the same time, I have made the big move from Raleigh, North Carolina to the nation’s capital of Washington, DC and currently reside in the Virginia suburbs. I graduated from college with a Bachelor’s degree and a triple minor with Honors. I have started a brand-new full-time job at a great company in the Washington, DC area that I have been at for 6 months. I have adopted a Shepherd-Chihuahua mix – a rescue pup- out of ALL the breeds named Rosie. And, through it all, I have shopped WAYYYY too many Lilly Pulitzer sales, drank a TON of coffee, and enjoyed many nights getting to create the amazing community on my corner of the internet. That all being said, I am OH SO grateful to be able to write here and share my story with y’all here at The Pink Chickadee!

From 2 years and onwards, I look forward to many more years here at The Pink Chickadee!!

XOXO – Katie <3

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My Blogging Highlights of 2021 + Favorite Outfit from Each Month! 

Oh what fun this past year of 2021 was! 2021 was my first full year as a blogger. I witnessed many changes in my life – graduation from college, a move to the nation’s capital, postgraduate employment in the corporate world while primarily working remotely, and becoming a Dog Mom to Rosie. Through it all, my platform here at The Pink Chickadee has kept me going strong. Today on the blog, I am going to be sharing some of my blogger highlights PLUS my favorite outfit from each month of the year.

My Blogging Highlights

  • Recoding my site *multiple* times
  • Becoming a member of RewardStyle!
  • Shooting content in 7 different states: Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Washington DC, Virginia, and Maryland
  • Becoming a member of Influenster!
  • Collaborations with several different brands (16 to be exact!): Panera Bread, Ouges, Peet’s Coffee, Glitter & Daisies, Sangria Senorial, Sidral Mundet, Eos, Larace, Fanci, Flipz, Advil, Cassie’s Designs, Born to be Sassy Boutique, Mapiful, completelyBare, and Good Molecules
  • Collaborations with many fellow influencers, such as my good friends Holly of Glitter & Daisies, Lindsay of Sunshine and Stair Climbs, Hayleigh of The Up and Coming School Counselor, and Sly of Sly the Stylist sharing our favorite secondhand finds, Lilly Pulitzer finds, or Target finds!
  • Giveaways that includes Lilly Pulitzer gift cards, Target gift cards, and Starbucks gift cards
  • Shot content regularly with the help of my best friends Hannah and Wyatt along with my Papa
  • Conducted my first-ever Blogger Reader Survey!

My Favorite Outfit From Each Month!

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Here’s to making MANY MANY MANY more memories in 2022 and beyond!

XOXO – Katie <3

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Weekly Menu Round-Up: October 18-22

Another week, another weekly menu! My week’s have gotten pretty busy since the most recent holiday weekend – Columbus Day weekend. However, I am still brewing some things in the kitchen to enjoy some home-cooked specialties. This week, I am not making as much in the kitchen, but I am still enjoying a few recipes here and there. Let’s get cooking!

Meal 1:

In recent times, Progresso has whipped up a new dry formula for Crockpot soups and I have been eager to try! So, I am going to be whipping up that soup recipe, myself. I am trying their chicken noodle soup formula, but not adding any chicken to it. To enjoy this soup, I will be baking some biscuits Pillsbury style and sautéing some kale.

Meal 2:

About a month ago, I stocked up on Fall products at Trader Joe’s. Now, I am oh so excited to whip up some wheat spaghetti with Trader Joe’s Autumn Harvest Pasta Sauce and add in some white wine and mussels. I will be topping off this meal with some Texas toast and kale Caesar salad!

Meal 3:

Last but not least, I will be enjoying some egg cups with broccoli and spinach within them. They’re most definitely a delicious and easy recipe to make. I’m excited to enjoy them all this week.

Here’s to an exciting week in the kitchen!

XOXO – Katie <3

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How I Manage Blogging While Working Full Time

If you’re a blogger, then you know that there is much more work that goes into having a blog than what meets the common eye. Even if you’re not a blogger, then now you know this fact. Blogging is a lot and it’s a great side hustle of mine. Indeed, some folks blog full-time such as Kate from Lonestar Southern – a favorite of mine over the years. However, many of us bloggers do work full time jobs like myself and may not have a desire to pursue it full time. Today, I will be sharing how I manage blogging while working full time!

How I Manage Blogging While Working Full Time

  • Separating my “creative brain” and my “working brain” – This is something that I will admit that I work on everyday. One of the ways that I can be most successful with my blog is to separate what I like to call my working brain aka the brain and mindset that I put on when I am at my full time job and my creative brain or the mindset that I utilize for thinking creatively on this platform. In doing so, I am able to put my mind into a mode that is all in and focused on the task that I am performing and the objectives that I am striving to achieve, whatever it may be for. Being able to compartmentalize both of these mindsets has helped me to be successful in both my full time job and here on The Pink Chickadee.
  • Working 9 to 5 – *queues Dolly Parton!* Working the 9 to 5 lifestyle is definitely the way that we all are going for the most part when working full time. When working my full time job, I aim for 8-5 actually to be the hours that I focus solely on work and only work-related matters. During those hours, I specifically do not post on my blogging platforms, whether it be the actual blog or social media accounts. However, if I get off work early, then I may post a little bit earlier. Not posting on social media from 8-5 helps me to truly focus on my work and only my work. Moreover, it allows me to separate both of my commitments and prioritize things at different times.
  • Side Hustle Hours – The other week, I was listening to a podcast from Thrive – a company that solely focuses on empowering bloggers and their successes – featuring entrepreneur and a stationary-loving queen Erin Condren. In her interview, Condren stated that a lot of the time many of us with side hustles have to emphasize the focus on our creative thinkings during the weekends and at night time. As annoying and sometimes disappointing as that may sound to some, the focus on our full time jobs during the typical workday is vital to our successes, even within our side hustles, including our blogs!

The blogging world is a fun and exciting world filled with many commitments. But, so does the full time job world! The full time job world is just as fun and exciting and it allows us to fulfill our passions in other disciplines, too. The balance between blogging and working full-time is a challenge and something that I work on everyday in each, but it is so rewarding in the end.

XOXO – Katie <3

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Weekly Menu Round-Up: July 26-30

I haven’t done a weekly menu in what feels like AGES!!! However, since my summer vacation is now almost over, it’s time to get back into a weekly menu groove. This week’s menu is all about eating well while maintaining a healthy lifestyle and eating high calorie foods in moderation. Now, let’s get into it.

Meal-Prepped Lunch

This week, I am starting to meal prep lunches for the entire week. To kick off my first week at my new job, I will be having an Italian Couscous Salad (minus the salami) using this recipe from Chelsea’s Messy Apron. As someone who LOVES couscous and caprese salad, this meal prep recipe is such an excitement for me to try!

Meal 1

My first meal of the week will be air fryer beer battered cod with a roasted beet and goat cheese salad. The salad will be made with a Spring salad mix which I purchased at my local Food Lion, and I will be roasting the beets before putting them into the salad with some crumbled goat cheese, too.

Meal 2

One of my all-time favorite recipes and the first big girl recipe that I ever made is Tuscan Butter Salmon. Initially, I discovered this gem of a recipe from Delish on Facebook about 3 years ago. Nowadays, I have memorized the recipe for myself and have LOVED enjoying it myself! I will be serving Tuscan Butter salmon atop of some brown rice and with Caesar salad.

Meal 3

If you know me, then you know I LOVE some sautéed kale! I will be making some sautéed kale and keeping this recipe pretty simple by serving it with Alfredo gnocchi using Alfredo sauce from my local Food Lion.

Meal 4

My Dad is coming into town to visit me this weekend, so I will be whipping him up a special meal! Recently, I purchased an Instant Pot and have LOVED using it to make sautéed mushrooms via the sauté function. It is healthy, yet delicious. I will be serving my favorite sautéed mushrooms with some Air Fryer tilapia and some of my favorite spices atop of it all along with my step mom’s amazing signature baked Mac & cheese recipe.

Meal 5

Waffles!!!!

Here’s to a great first week!

XOXO – Katie <3

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Weekly Menu Round-Up: April 19-23

It’s crazy to think that I have one month left until graduation! I will also have about one month left in my sweet little apartment here in Raleigh. Keeping all of this in mind, I want to go out with a bang in my kitchen and make as many memories as I can before moving up to Washington, DC. So, here we go with this week’s menu.

Monday

Growing up, my mother made these amazing roasted potato wedges. Luckily for my childhood craving’s satisfaction, I found a similar recipe from I am Baker and will be trying it. To go with it, I will be whipping up some air fryer cod filets – courtesy of my Papa’s classic staple in his own kitchen!

Tuesday

Recently, I have been OBSESSED with my Ninja air fryer. Seafood has, indeed, been a favorite of mine to make in it, too. So, I will be making some air fryer salmon and serving it with some cheesy scalloped potatoes that I adored enjoying at my friend’s house for Easter using a recipe also from I am Baker. Additionally, I will be whipping up some good olde roasted asparagus.

Wednesday

Just like Tuesday, I will also be making some salmon *yet again* in the air fryer. This time, however, I will be serving my salmon with some roasted sweet peppers and some couscous.

Thursday & Friday

This Thursday, I will be getting my second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine *cue the confetti!!!!*. In order to give myself some grace and recovery time, I made the decision to stock up on some soups – most notably, chicken noodle soup and clam chowder. That way, I can remain strong and protected against this virus.

While my time at Meredith is coming to an end, I still want to enjoy some great pleasures and memories in my kitchen. That way, I can look back at this time and these years with a great big smile.

XOXO – Katie <3

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