Traveling to New Jersey, Fall Farms, and The Weekly Meals!

But for now, I needed to get the latest recap blog posted; otherwise, it would run into Thanksgiving and end up longer than book three of the ACOTAR series. We are still in farm season mode over here! September through December are the best times to go. We love visiting all the apple orchards, pumpkin patches, and Christmas tree farms! A few weeks ago, we met up with our good friends at Windy Hill Orchard for apple cider donuts, fresh apples, warm apple cider, and a sprint through the apple orchards. It’s so fun watching the kids at this age love every minute of these outings.
And with all those donuts, it was time to run that sugar off through the fields. 
We drove up the road to head to my parents house for a backyard bbq. My mom and dad treated us with burgers, hot dogs, and the most delicious sides! It was so cute watching the kids play in the little sandbox and spy on the neighbors dog through the cracks. 
I’m still on my inflammatory diet, so I stuck to hard-boiled eggs, a burger patty, and some lettuce. It was hard to adapt at first, but without the stomach pains and finally feeling some relief in my joints, it’s been easier to stick to. Less pain > food.

Since changing up my diet, my son has been eating better too because I make our meals cohesive. For example, I’ll have cucumber, steak, potatoes, and raspberries, and he’ll have the same with added pita bread, applesauce, and yogurt. I’ve also switched to organic produce and products whenever I can.This recap will be filled with a lot of not-so-pretty meal pictures, but I wanted to share some ideas of what I’m eating for breakfast that have been helping me so far. I have two full months before my appointments with the gastroenterologist and rheumatologist, so I was advised to follow the FODMAP (as best as I can) as long as it’s helping with some stomach issues in the meantime.

One of my go-to breakfast right now are Purely Elizabeth Oats, a cup of frozen blueberries, water, cinnamon, and maple syrup.

Make sure to read my last recap post to stay up to date on my health journey. I explained it all there.

One of my favorite foods to prepare is this chicken salad. I’ve made it four times in the past two weeks, and I’m currently boiling chicken as I type this to make more. My husband and son love it too, so I don’t mind making extra since they’re also enjoying it.I boil organic chicken breasts in water with Greek seasoning, and once they’re cooked and cooled, I shred them with a fork. Then, I mix in Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Mayo and add more Greek seasoning and pepper until it’s perfectly seasoned!

RECIPE POST FOR CHICKEN SALAD

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My son is still on his waffle/pancake kick with peanut butter, chicken sausage, and our go-to elderberry smoothie! He’s a pretty picky eater, but at least he’s consistent with the things he likes. I don’t push too many new foods since he’s great about eating smoothies, chicken, rice, yogurt, and nut butter. I also sneak veggies into his muffins, smoothies, and other recipes whenever I can!The trees were at their peak a few weeks ago and it made our walks so beautiful! We picked out our favorite leaves for a fall turkey craft. A lot of people don’t think we get a pretty fall here in South Carolina, but it’s absolutely GORGEOUS—and it’s so spread out. Fall here starts in late mid October and lasts all the way through late November.
I’m still loving the Golden Oat Milk Lattes with Maple Syrup! I always look forward to it in the afternoons when I get the coffee cravings.  I made a quick plate to eat after a long fall walk on Sunday morning. I was heading to Front Porch Sundays with my friend and wanted something to fill me up before we shopped.

My plate had cucumbers with Arctic seasoning, lettuce cups with chicken salad, avocado, and sweet potato. It’s been easy to stick with this diet because I prep everything in advance. I make sure to always have my turkey burgers, potatoes, fruit, rice, chicken salad, cucumbers, and other approved foods in the fridge. 
If you live in Charlotte, you definitely need to check out Front Porch Sundays! It’s such a fun market filled with a trail of talented vendors. Located in South End, the market vendors sell clothing, fresh honey, crafts, woodwork, pastries, coffee, books, jewelry, flowers, teas, and so much more!

I stopped at a Kawaii Colors Shop, a vendor selling crayons shaped like construction equipment, animals, letters, numbers—you name it! I couldn’t resist buying some for my son, and I know they’ll make the perfect stocking stuffer. I plan to buy more for gifts as we get closer to Christmas. When I opened the box, I discovered a golden chair. At this market, they hide a golden chair with one vendor, and if you find it, you win a $75 gift card to spend at the market. How fun is that? 

I used the gift card at Honey & Hive since we go through so much honey throughout the year—especially during holiday baking! Plus, I love that it’s local.After shopping the market and browsing some stores around Southend, we headed down to Flower Child for lunch. I had just bought a super heavy marble charcuterie board from Anthropologie and carried it the entire way, so it felt like a workout!

It was tough not ordering my favorites from the menu at Flower Child, but I stuck with what makes me feel good. I had their chicken, ginger rice, and a side of sweet potatoes. For being as simple and bland as you can order, it was actually pretty good!

The crayons were a hit with my son! I’m so glad I bought them, and they were super affordable. We spent the rest of the afternoon making Thanksgiving turkeys with the leaves we found, all while watching the Eagles game. I thought the turkeys would be such a cute addition to our Thanksgiving table this year!
It’s mid-November, and we’re still going strong with the zinnias, dahlias, and—somehow—over 30 tomato plants producing tomatoes. Many of the seeds sprouted after the tomatoes dried out in the dirt from summer. With super cold weather on the way, I know this growing streak will come to an end soon, but I plan to plant some winter seeds in December.

Last spring, I had so many gorgeous ranunculus blooming alongside the dahlias. I plan to plant those in the garden beds in January. I usually buy them from Costco or online during Black Friday sales. Make sure to follow me on Instagram because I’ll share which ones I snag online during the sales—they’re always around $7 for a bag of 50 bulbs, which is such a great deal! I was able to produce so many beautiful bouquets throughout the summer.

Next summer, I might stick to herbs and flowers instead of tomatoes. They don’t grow as well here because of the nasty bugs we get, and I’d rather support the delicious heirlooms from the farmers market. I’m already dreaming of those juicy heirloom tomatoes with balsamic glaze!

Toddler Plate vs. Mom’s Plate:

He had pizza with cucumbers and apples, while mine was a chicken salad lettuce cup with cucumbers and roasted potatoes. True to toddler fashion, he decided he hates pizza again, so I had to toss it and swap it out for chicken sausage and a yogurt pouch instead.

Every morning, we stick to the same breakfast routine. I make myself a bowl of oats, and for my son, it’s a waffle with peanut butter and a smoothie. Breakfast is his favorite meal of the day, so I can always count on him eating it. We like to watch storytime (people reading books.) on the iPad and hang out together, especially on mornings before he heads off to school.

We’ve completely dropped naps, which might seem early since he’s just a little over 2 ½, but it’s been over two months since he last napped. Even if I put him down, he just doesn’t sleep. The trade-off? He sleeps like a rock at night! We put him down at 7:15 p.m., and he doesn’t wake up until 7:15 a.m. (knock on wood, he hasn’t woken up in the middle of the night in over a year!). He’s also not a grump during the day, so he doesn’t act like he needs it.

I talked to his pediatrician about skipping naps, and she said it’s perfectly fine as long as he’s getting enough sleep at night. If he wakes up earlier than usual or seems tired during the day, I can always try putting him down for a nap or let him fall asleep in the stroller during a walk. We spend most of our afternoons outside playing chalk, digging in the garden beds, and playing with his sports equipment. Another routine change that’s been a total game-changer is switching up the bath time routine. We used to do bath time after dinner, but by then, I was so tired from the day, and the whole dinner-bath-bedtime sequence started feeling exhausting and rushed.

Now, I’ve moved bath time to around 4 p.m. That late afternoon stretch, some people call it the “witching hour” was always tough because it’s that in-between time when I’m so tired and just can’t wait for Dad to get home so I can get a small break before dinner. Instead of battling through it, I use it for bath time. My son loves playing in the bath for about 30 minutes, so it’s much easier to give him that time then instead of trying to squeeze it in before bed. Also, you should see how many excavators and toy boats our bathtub is filled with. It’s the water version of his sandbox.

After bath, we come down for dinner, followed by some playtime, book reading, and then straight to bed. It’s such a small change, but it’s made a huge difference in helping me feel less exhausted at the end of the day.
Being outside is the only thing my son likes to do. I can’t wait for him to see his new sandbox on Christmas morning. Right now, he’s turned our horribly landscaped side of the house (never gets any sun to grow grass!) into his own personal sandbox. We went on an acorn hunt at the park earlier that afternoon, and he insisted on bringing them home to his construction site. Before I had my son, I didn’t think I could ever be a boy mom or be interested in “boy stuff” but now I’m completely obsessed along side with him. I can now name any construction vehicle, love helping him find sticks and rocks, and I keep contributing to his hot wheels and truck collection. Being a boy mom is now my favorite thing.

One of my favorite dinners lately has been roasted potatoes paired with my turkey burgers. 

As for my son, he’s finally eating grilled cheese, which has been helpful for dinner prep on some nights. I pair it with a protein and fruit on the side for his meal. To make sure he eats everything, I hold off on giving him his yogurt pouch and applesauce until he finishes the first course. Otherwise, he’d go straight for those and not touch anything else on his plate!

Anytime he knows Grandma is on her way, he grabs his binoculars and heads to the front window to wait for her. I can’t handle how cute that is! My mom is such a huge help, coming over once or sometimes even twice a week for a half day so I can catch up on blog writing or tackle housework. I feel so lucky to have her nearby!

Every Sunday night, I make a new batch of chicken salad and turkey burgers. Lately, I’ve had to make them more frequently since my husband loves them too! Buying organic potatoes has become really important to me, and surprisingly, my local grocery store offers them at a lower price than the non-organic ones.

Non-organic potatoes are often sprayed with sprout inhibitors, which prevent them from sprouting and rotting—some can even last up to a year looking fresh. Organic potatoes (and produce) are free of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and weed control chemicals. Over time, these chemicals are essentially toxins we put into our bodies, so now that my son is little, I’m taking extra precautions to buy more organic produce.

Not everything we eat or use will be organic, and that’s okay—making an effort where we can is still better than not trying at all. I’m not going to be the mom who says “no” to birthday party treats or classroom snacks, but I can do my best to control what I buy and provide at home. The key for me is to keep it low-pressure, so it doesn’t become a “big deal” in his mind.

Lately, I’ve been diving into research about the food we eat, especially with my health issues and reflecting on how I grew up. I’ve realized that the foods I consumed in excess—loaded with dyes, chemicals, fast food, candy, sugar, corn syrup, and aspartame—likely had long-term effects on my body. The abuse I unknowingly put it through over the years has caught up with me.

But here’s the good news: it’s never too late to treat your body with kindness. Making even small changes to prioritize better foods for my family and myself feels empowering and worthwhile. And what I’ve been finding is that organic produce has been affordable all depending on where you purchase it from. 
For the French Fry Lovers!

Here’s a simple and delicious way to make crispy fries that even my French-fry-loving toddler can’t resist. 

I love to toss Yukon potatoes in avocado oil or olive oil, sprinkle with a little seasoning (optional), and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. They come out golden and perfectly crispy! 

I make a big batch ahead of time, store them in the freezer, and then pop them back into the oven to crisp up.

We still use our air-fryer/oven combo that we got last year almost every single day, and it’s perfect for reheating or making these fries extra crispy. Definitely a game-changer in the kitchen when you have kids. I had a breakfast date with one of my favorites, Le Mak! She’s my favorite and literally got me through the market season. We still support her and buy her macarons almost every week! She makes the best in the Charlotte area adn they are gluten-free, dairy-free and dye-free! 

I had a decaf cappuccino with oat milk, bacon, eggs, and fruit.

I’ve been sharing a lot of toddler plates and my dinner plates (even when they’re repetitive), and I’ve received so many messages saying they’ve helped with food ideas for their kids. If my son is eating something well, I just keep giving it to him on repeat. If it works, stick with it!

Our flight on Thursday was delayed until late afternoon, so I used that extra time after my dentist appointment to bake some healthy zucchini oat bars for the family. After even more delays, we finally made it to the airport for our trip to New Jersey! I was so excited—not just because we were going to see family, but also because one of my best friends, Meighan, is having a baby boy! Many of you OG blog readers might remember her from years ago! All of our running and travel adventures together. We planned this trip around her baby shower so I pop by to celebrate her. I couldn’t wait to see her!
This little airplane-obsessed toddler was so ready to fly! I purposely didn’t feed him dinner, hoping he’d be hungry enough to eat a snack box on the flight to help pass the time. I’m not sure why I was worried about him being unhappy on the flight, but this kid thrived! He loved every minute of the airplane ride. His snackle box had multigrain crackers, The Good Crisp Chips, Annie’s Organic Cheddar Trail Mix, chocolate granola bars, organic fruit bites, and mini peanut butter crackers. It was a hit, and he stayed entertained the whole flight! I did a blog post on these snackle boxes and we are still going strong with using them! I even used mine for organizing my travel makeup, jewelry, and personal items during my trip to Europe. 
We were originally supposed to arrive in New Jersey around 4 p.m., but ended up getting there at 8 p.m. Keeping this little man awake for the hour-long drive to Kyle’s dad’s house was tough! He was so ready to pass out—and honestly, so was I!

I love being in New Jersey during the colder months. It reminds me so much of Iowa. That crips air, being surrounded by farmlands, country roads, and the stunning leaves. My son LOVED being outside the entire time playing on the tractor, rock hunting, and sprinting down the dirt roads. I think I need to sell this house and get some country land for the family. He was so excited to have a special treat of homemade waffles and blueberries when he came inside to warm up.

Later that afternoon, we headed to grab some groceries and stopped by Kyle’s dad’s mall to sneak up on them and see what they were up to. I grabbed an Earl Grey tea at the market there, and we walked around. My son was so happy to play on the mall’s dump truck!After the mall trip, we stopped by Tranquility Farms to run through the cornfields, play on the playground, and pick up some donuts for the donut lovers in the house. We visited this spot last year, and I loved it. I realized I never even blogged our trip from last year since I was running so many markets, but I may need to do a little blog post because the photos from that trip during fall peak were gorgeous! Let me know in the comments if you want me to share! 

I don’t know what it is about farms, but they’re my happy place. We’re always late on road trips because I insist on stopping at farms along the way, or if we’re traveling somewhere, I look for coffee shops and local farms to visit. Even though I couldn’t eat the donuts this time, I do remember how good they tasted!

Looking back at photos from last year, it’s so sad how much he’s growing up and tuning into a little boy and not a baby. He had the best time in New Jersey just running around and chasing the dog, Mayor! Kyle insisted we head out for a sunset walk because it’s the most gorgeous time of the day, and goodness, were we blessed with views only God could have drawn up. This was was enough to convince me (as if my heart hadn’t already decided) that we need a five year plan to move to the country. There’s nothing better. My heart is always calling for that country home with a front porch that you get to watch a sunset from, maybe some snow on Christmas, and little chickens running around everywhere. Roast me all you want in the comments, but a girl can dream.

On Saturday morning, we drove to Kyle’s sister’s house to see the cousins and hang out! It’s so cute seeing them all play together, but it’s also bittersweet how fast they’re growing up.We bribed them with cake pops and took the CUTEST and most framable photos on the front porch.
I loved that Meighan and her husband threw a co-ed and family-friendly shower with all of their friends and family! It was so fun being able to bring the boys along with me.How cute is this mama to be! I cannot wait to see her little boy!
We got back to Kyle’s dad’s house just in time for dinner! All my son wants me to do is draw construction and emergency vehicles. Luckily, the few art classes I took in high school and college paid off for motherhood. We do this during breakfast and dinner. It’s a great distraction and he actually eats his food.
On Sunday we headed to Tranquility farm again to meet up with the cousins and all of Kyle’s childhood best friends and their kids! It was so crazy to see everyone again, but as parents this time! We did lunch across the street at Pub 517 for steak and potatoes. 

We spent the rest of the evening hanging around the house watching football and watching the Eagles beat the Cowboys!

We headed to the airport early Monday morning to fly home. It was another smooth plane ride, and we made it home in the afternoon, just enough time for us to get home, unpack, and prep some food for the week! Oh, and the first thing I did when I got home was put my Christmas tree up…

I had to check the garden when I got back to see what was still growing, and shockingly, it was even bigger and better than when I left.I prepped ground turkey, roasted zucchini (found out that zucchini actually isn’t FODMAP-friendly after not feeling so great after eating it), cut up cucumber, fresh berries, homemade potato fries, and chicken salad for the week.

On Tuesday, I started painting my trim to see what it would look like. I used the color Accessible Beige, after seeing it all over TikTok, and honestly, after it dried and I’ve had a week to live with it, I LOVE IT! Kyle and I are going to finish painting the trim this weekend. It seriously adds so much more character to the house, and it’s warm!
We spent Sunday night putting ornaments on the Christmas tree. It’s official—I HAVE A CHRISTMAS LOVER!!! We did this for over an hour, and he was obsessed with doing it himself. Now, he’s constantly requesting a trip to Target to look at Christmas stuff. Tux and Leo also love Christmas time and cozying up next to the fireplace in the mornings.

More weekly meals! I also made and blogged our favorite maple sausage, egg, and sweet potato recipe!! 
On Thursday, it was pouring down rain, and we HAD to get out of the house before we went crazy. We stopped at my favorite, Rock Hill Coffee, for a decaf oatmilk cappuccino, and my son got a banana nut butter muffin. Speaking of which, I need to get my banana walnut muffin recipe up soon!

There’s something so cozy about a rainy day during the fall.

This kid and I spent a fun hour shopping around Target. They had 50% off Christmas stuff (already!!) and we bought 50 boxes of colored lights for the outside this year. I can’t believe we are doing colored lights, but it is so nostalgic for me because I loved the colors as a kid.

When we got home, we made some more fries to go with our homemade chicken nuggets!

My family LOVES dinner rolls, so I’ve been working on a sourdough dinner roll recipe for Thanksgiving this year, one that is so low maintenance! This one WAS IT!! I will have that recipe up THIS WEEK!
I made my son some sourdough discard pancakes for dinner. I used oat flour, discard, eggs, milk, and cinnamon! We’ve had the most beautiful foggy mornings with a stunning sunrise, and Saturday felt like a painting outside.

We started our day with some Almond Flour Pancakes and smoothies! I did a major deep clean and threw out a bunch of junk, organizing areas of the house all Saturday. In the afternoon, I made a gluten-free, vegan, no refined sugar-added apple pie to bring over to our friend’s house for dinner night! My friend also eats gluten-free, so I was excited to test out this new recipe before sharing it on the blog for Thanksgiving.They made THE BEST steak, green beans, potatoes, and salad. The food was so good! We love getting together so the kids can run around and tire themselves out.SO THE APPLE PIE WAS AMAZING!

For not having real butter, flour, or sugar, it still felt decadent. I’m so excited to share this recipe! It’s a perfect option for anyone looking for a allergy friendly and low sugar pie recipe. Even if you use regular crust or butter, the filling alone was amazing! We devoured it! You can also use this same crust recipe for pumpkin pie, which I’ll be doing on Thanksgiving. On Sunday, I put together a little toddler charcuterie board for lunch. It’s so funny how he eats food so much better when it’s laid out on a board like this instead of his regular plates. I think it’s the fun factor—he loves picking out little bites himself! It’s such a simple change, but it makes mealtime a lot more enjoyable for him (and for me too).

We headed out for ANOTHER Target trip. I needed new cleaning supplies and light hooks. After Target, we headed to Ilios to pick up his dinner, and then a quick trip to the park before heading home for bath time.
Look how cute these pajamas from Walmart are? Seriously do not sit on the kids clothes at Walmart. We get so many from there, and the basics are so affordable and perfect for messy kids.
After school yesterday, I made another lunch board before we headed outside to spend the rest of the afternoon.


I hope you guys have an amazing week! I’ll be back again tomorrow with a new Thanksgiving recipe! 🙂

Questions for you!

1. What are your Thanksgiving plans?
2. What is your favorite thing to meal prep throughout the week?
3. What is your favorite Thanksgiving dessert?