like anybody else, i had become uninspired for dinner. i usually find a few dishes and rotate them, add some, take some away, etc. i needed a new recipe that wouldn't cost me a fortune, would be filling, healthy, and one that isn't similar to others. something new, fresh, and springy, if you will! 

i searched pinterest for "salmon rice bowl" .. and it didn't deliver.. i didn't want a typical salmon rice asain inspired dinner... i also wanted my salmon to be cooked.. not raw. ;)
i decided to make a bit extra, so cody or i could have it for lunch the next day! adjust servings to your desire. this quick DELICIOUS dinner could be yours tonight, only took me about 30 mins start to finish.

1. go ahead and steam/stove top your rice, that will take the longest.... i opted for the "quick rice" setting on my steamer and used the little cup to measure out how much rice. two cups rice/two cups water.
2. season 2 salmon fillets with fresh ground pepper on both sides, with a bit of extra virgin olive oil to prevent sticking, cook low + slow until a nice pink color, do not over cook.. *we used the grill, however, not mandatory. cook times will vary depending on size of your salmon fillets!
3. heat up black beans and corn with some fresh ground pepper
4. while those things are cooking/heating up, remove kale from stems, lightly chop, rinse, set aside about 2 cups.
5. grab your ripe avocado, obvi remove the pit, slice long ways *as pictured, or diced. whatever your little heart desires, you do you boo!
6. remove salmon from grill, shred with fork while still hot.
7. plate your dish. make sure you add equal parts of everything. which means, you make it look pretty and so you can see how much you're adding-- each main ingredient (rice, kale, corn, beans) should take up 1/4th of the bowl. this is to ensure balance. 
8. add your toppings- avocado, feta cheese, salmon, dressing, cracked pepper.
9. mix your bowl well while the hot ingredients are still hot so that the kale "cooks" a bit, and isn't so tough! 
10. eat, drink, and enjoy.

there you have it folks, i feel as if i just knocked it out of the park with this one + it was so so so easy.
get creative, make it your own! add or take away, make it fun.. whenever cody feels full, and loves something i cook up, i take note, pat myself on the back, and make it again for the next month or so once a week.. LOL. this dinner is so nutrious and on the healthier side and is perfect for a spring or summer day because its light + yet super filling! 

i just had to share it, let me know if you try it by hashtagging #ilovesalmonricebowls , because i just know you will. ;)

xoxo

a few months after we purchased our first home, we began showing every little inch to whoever visited, + proudly so! aka, having everyone look into all rooms and even in the tiniest of spaces... but more importantly, the recently finished attic space converted to bonus room/bedroom's closets... in one of those closets we could see a beautiful, perfectly red, wonderful looking, all of my dreams right before my eyes, of a chimney! i then quickly noticed how it runs directly through the center of our home, which is the kitchen. the oh so glorious kitchen...

first things first... a little about our kitchen... its a wee bit on the small side, with no windows; however, it's just so stinking cute that i easily overlooked that when we purchased the home. its been well maintained, updated, and you can tell the previous family took great care of it. the orginal footprint of the house was built in 1942 + the kitchen had a window with the sink under it. however, down the road, a few additions had been added to the home. one, is a den off the kitchen. this den was added right behind where the window was. they took the window out, and replaced it with uppers in the kitchen and moved the sink cady cornered to the left of where it was. its a litte bittersweet because while this change granted me more storage, i lost NATURAL light. i lost a window! (so so sad). i hold windows so near and dear to my heart. i love a window, especially in the heart of a home. natural light instantly lifts my mood and makes any space 10x better and cleaner.

SO, this space to me has always been not "my style", yes; its wonderful the way it is + in fact, completely fine the way it is for most people, even for me! but i needed more. i needed to make it more "me"... i needed something different for me to be completely in love with working in the kitchen... when i found that brick, i instantly knew i wanted it exposed for the world to see.. okay... just me pretty much, but i'm sure you all love it too when you see it pop up on your feed.. and if you don't love it, close your eyes and don't keep reading cause now i'll be explaing the process WITH pictures ;)

here is a picture from the first time we walked through with our realtor! i took this with my iphone, so please excuse the quality.. see? the space isn't terrible, actually super sweet; simple and clean. behind this cabinet and tv is the chimney! we didn't know this when we purchased the home.. so we did *like* how it was before. there nothing wrong with it, by any means...

also, please don't be like us, wear goggles and maybe even a mask. the dust was thick and intense! anyway, we will be finishing the drywall, sanding it, and painting it white to match the rest of the kitchen. i love how crisp white looks against brick! we will be adding trim to the top, removing the metal framing to the right of the brick.  we will not be adding base board, just finishing trim then adding the tile around the vent on the floor.. we added  the vent beause we have a wood stove, and that vent will come in handy in winter!  

we are still so excited with how this has turned out so far and i can't freaking wait to add some wooden floating shelves. I am ready for my kitchen to be back in 100% function mode, and not a work in progress mode! after those little things are completed, i will complete the kitchen by painting the walls white, and priming all the cabinets then painting those a soft light grey! but all that information with that part of the kitchen reno will come a litte bit later down the road!

i love updating our home, and making it ours! most people would think that this house doesn't need much updating or changes, but hey, cody and i like making things our own, and doing projects together! so we will continually add special touches, and renovate little things here and there. plus, it'll help us out in the long run for resale!


xoxo

cody and i had the pleasure of heading to Albemarble NC to visit our soon to be in-law's fam! we were so excited to spend some time with the morton's and all their four legged friends. they were the absolute sweetests hosts, with that southern hospitality at every corner + we sure can't wait to venture back down and visit some more! 
before rory and caroline's engagement party at Dennis Vineyard, the morton's had asked me to grab a few photos of their sweet family + although it was cold, and it only took us about 15 minutes or less to grab these stunning images! maybe it's cause their such a cute family? probably.. 
i hope you all enjoy these photos as much as i enjoyed taking them. :)
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sunday was full of beauty, even though it was a bit rainy + cloudy... i do love me some cloudy days, though. i had the best afternoon with my sweet, talented, beautiful friend, justine. she's literally incredible. not only is she all of those things, but she's one of my very best friends! i've enjoyed having her pour into my life the past five years. we've both grown so much since we first met. i love who was, is, and is becoming. she loves with everything she's got, + she always is so encourging. she builds me up, and points me to jesus. if you're interested in becoming her friend too, which i'm sure you WISH you were if you aren't already, go check out her blog and follow her on insta! you won't regret it! her ideas and creativity is mesmerizing.

so, we started our date at Grit Coffee and caught up for a couple of hours, (if you love coffee and breakfast, GO! talk about yum) which was then followed by walking around downtown, looking for cute little places to take a few pictures!


fun fact: we met on a BLIND DATE at chipotle through a mutual friend who insisted we'd become best friends. (thanks for that cassandra, if you're reading this) and boy was she right!

i'm pretty close with the owners of charlee luck; my sister, whitley, and her husband, james and his brother, chris, run this amazing brand located in charlottesville, va. aka, the heart and soul of virginia. they believe in celebrating the good times while looking good! i do believe their brand accomplishes just that. if you've never worn a signature charlee tee or performance polo, you're really missing out... you can purchase the button ups, polos, pullovers, hats, AND MORE directly on their website www.charleeluck.com. OH! you'll also notice a cute furry friend in these pics, i do believe he is the most handsome, photogenic dog you'll ever see.. ;) maybe i'm a little biased. my husband, cody, got in on the fun and decided to grace the camera with his presence as well!! i also tend to think he's pretty handsome, too. well you can be the judge! :)


i hope you enjoy all their pretty faces and sweet grins!