Kristen Woolsey

BBQ Chicken & Sweet Potato Bowls

This is a new recipe for us, but I am so happy to include it in our regular rotation after making it. It's very simple to put together, and it's absolutely delicious. This bowl is made up of sweet potatoes, air fried chicken, slaw, pickles, avocado and pepitas. Unfortunately, the avocado we had was hard as rock, and our grocery store was out of pepitas. Next time I will make sure to add those things because I think it'd be a nice touch. I also do not care for mayo based slaw, so I switched that up for our dinner. It's just a cabbage slaw mix, white wine vinegar, and a little lemon juice.

Highly recommend the Kinder's chicken rub and their gold bbq sauce - chef's kiss!

Copycat Chipotle Bowls

No recipe here, just build your bowl just like you do when you go through the line at Chipotle! We make cilantro lime rice by squeezing lime juice and adding cilantro to our rice.

Greek Chicken Bowls

I could eat this every night! The base is rice, and we add grilled chicken, tzatziki sauce, chick peas (you could do hummus), a tomato cucumber salad, and some marinated olives. OH, and don't forget the feta! Serve together with some toasted pita, and you've got a very filling meal. We make our tzatziki sauce with non fat greek yogurt which amps up the protein.

Burger Bowls

Recipe Here

We LOVE this recipe and have been making it almost weekly for a year. It's perfect for when you are craving a burger but don't want a heavy meal. You can make the sauce with greek yogurt instead of mayo to add more protein. We also like to use Primal Kitchen ketchup in the sauce because it cuts down on the sugar.

Here's the bowl plates we use almost every day!
What are you making this week?

-Kristen

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Four Bowls For Dinner This Week

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Unfortunately, I've neglected to do any book reviews for months so I have quite the list to share...and that overwhelms me. I'm going to play with the layout with this post versus how I normally do Recent Reads.

★★★ 3 Star Reads - Just Okay!

This Summer Will Be Different by Carly Fortune - I remember SO little about this.

Night Road by Kristin Hannah - Soap Opera-y but still a page turner.

Forever Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid - The grief starts right in chapter one.

The Outsiders by SE Hinton - This was one of those books I felt like I was 'supposed' to read.

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister - Started off SO strong. Ended up being fine.

A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young - I do like Adrienne's writing. But, I cannot remember reading this at all...

The Lost World by Michael Crichton - Didn't love this like I loved the first book.

Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano - The first few books are all five stars for me, so I was kinda bummed this one didn't hit the same.

Ready or Not by Cara Bastone - Cute but I should have known pregnancy tropes aren't my jam.

The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight - Some of this was really strong, but mostly it dragged. I found it frustrating when we started following random side characters.

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeny - So this hooked me, but it becomes absolutely OUTLANDISH. Completely unbelievable and silly.

★★★★ 4 Star Reads - Pretty Good!

Kindred by Octavia Butler - Really cool as Octavia Butler is (was maybe?) one of the few Black science fiction writers. Neat concept, but I remember the ending just being okay.

The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin - Really interesting memoir about a cul-de-sac housewife turned inmate

The Crash by Freida McFadden - Gosh this lady can make me turn the page!

The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle - I'm trying to read more classics, and I really enjoyed this adventure.

The Favorites by Lyne Fargo - Loved the subject matter, as I loved figure skating in the 90s! (Watching...not skating myself) I'd say if you liked Daisy Jones you'll like this too.

The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami - REALLY wild premise, one that isn't that far off from a potential future.

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall - This was really good, just sad.

Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez - If you don't mind instalove, you might be okay with this. It's also quite sad as the main character is caring for her mother who has dementia. Very realistic, which might be a downer for some.

Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins - This was really good, and is the book I'm reading in the picture above! I feel like it was written to be a movie, so I have a feeling I'll enjoy watching it rather than reading it more.

The Maid's Secret by Nita Prose - The first 2 books are solid 5 stars for me, so I was a little sad this was only a 4 for me. But it's still good and worth reading! Love Molly and all her people.

Things You Save In A Fire by Katherine Center - I just love Katherine Center's books!

★★★★★ 5 Star Reads - Highly Recommend

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton - I have always wanted to read this and I'm so glad I did! It's fantastic. I appreciate the difference between the book and the movie. Love both.

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger - Loved this adventure of these kids in the 30's. Coming of Age is one of my favorite genres.

Shop These Books

-Kristen

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Recent Reads #41

Monday, May 12, 2025

1. Watching: Andor

There has been a lot of Star Wars in our house recently! Blake and I had so much fun going to see Revenge of the Sith in theaters for the 20th anniversary re-release. We love going to the movies anyway, but it was a cool experience to go see this movie together. My friends and I talked about it for months when it came out while I was in High School.

But, also, we've really really been enjoying the second season of Andor on Disney+! It's such a complex show and I find myself on the edge of my seat every week. They've been released in increments of 3 episodes each week, and I can't imagine the finale of it all next week!

2. Oura Ring

This was a 'treat yo 'self' kind of purchase, but I have had my eye on an Oura ring for the longest time! It's a smart ring that senses all kinds of health metrics. I'm very interested in working on my health, and I hope that this helps me. It's arriving today, so I can't wait to get it all set up and I hope to do a more in depth review as I wear it. You can get the last version for a LOT cheaper, the main difference is that the newer series are much thinner.

3. Reading: A Great Big Beautiful Life

I was trying to explain to Blake how there are some authors are just automatic downloads for me. I went with Youtube. You have all kinds of subscriptions, but when your favorite Youtuber posts, that's the video you watch first. 😂 Emily Henry is like that for me. If she releases a book, I know I'm going to read it! I finished her brand new book A Great Big Beautiful Life this week. I'd love to hear your thoughts if you've read it. I'll be honest, it wasn't my favorite of hers. It jumps back in time, which is different for her books. I didn't love that secondary story line. But, I still enjoyed the book - Emily Henry just writes in a way that is enjoyable to read. Her descriptions are just so good.

4. Wearing: J Crew Factory Floral Dress

This dress might be my favorite purchase of the whole year! (See photo above!) J Crew dresses are my weakness, I have like 30. This one fits so well, and I just love the colors. If you have kids, there are coordinating pieces too - how precious is that?

I got a haircut this week, so I'm feeling like a new woman! Thick hair is a blessing I'm not complaining about, but GOSH it's so heavy and becomes very uncomfortable. Not only do the ends look better, but she also thinned it out for me and I can't believe how much hair was on the floor to sweep up.

5. Buying: All the things.

I feel like Amazon is coming by our house multiple times a day these days! It's the season of graduation parties, and what seems like all the anniversaries. Plus, we are planning a picnic with our congregation and I've purchased a few things for that including an outdoor ladder toss game.

And, since we've got a Disney trip coming up - I've bought a couple of things to get ready! Including body glitter (hahaha) and Mickey sunglasses. I made shirts from my mom and sister, and I'm working on one for myself.

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-Kristen

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Friday Five | 5-9-25

Friday, May 9, 2025

May Overview:

I'm calling May my month to get it together. Now that we are back from vacation, and we are looking ahead toward Summer - I need May to set myself up for success. Hence, this goal list! We have a few things scheduled for the weekends in May, but nothing crazy. My Etsy shop is on vacation mode still and I'm not planning to open it for the month. I've also canceled what I can and moved things around so I have a lighter plate. It's hard to say 'no' but I'm reminding myself that saying no to some things makes room to say yes to others.

Goal #1 - Limit Social Media Usage

I can't believe how much time I spend scrolling each day. Mostly, it's just out of habit. It's truly not great for me mentally, because the algorithms end up showing me so much negative content. I love videos of creative people singing and dancing, or funny videos of animals and kids. So, I'll see some of that, and then it switches up and I end up seeing sad videos of neglected animals, or arguing/confrontational people. Not to mention just the time waster that social media is.

I went ahead an deleted a couple of apps from my phone, and set a timer for Instagram. Any reduction in usage I will consider a win.

Goal #2 - Workout 30 Minutes a Day

This is a goal I'm taking very seriously. I can do a whole post on my physical goals in the future. This month I wanted to commit to a 30 minute strength training workout each day this month. I've found that my preference is to stack a few Apple Fitness workouts that target different areas, mixing things up. I'm loving the Core workouts - they are so effective. I'd like to keep running in my workout schedule, but the priority is strength training. So, 30 minutes is the minimum, but ideally I'll also work in a walk on most days.

Goal #3 - Eliminate 2 Expenses

I'm sure most people experience this, but I've noticed how quickly you can go blind to expenses creeping in to your budget. We are planning on doing some bigger trips at the end of the year and I think I'd like to eliminate 2 of our bigger unnecessary expenses in preparation.

One being our dog groomer. It's been awesome to have the help with grooming the pugs, but I simply can't justify how expensive it is. I mainly like the help with trimming nails. The pugs absolutely hate it! But, I am capable, so it makes sense to eliminate this luxury. I'm not saying our groomer isn't worth the price, but it's already expensive and then adding tip makes it kind of ridiculous.

The 2nd thing I'm thinking I'll move on from is my Hand and Stone membership. It's awesome to have a massage or facial each month, but it's definitely not necessary. I justify it because I don't get my hair or nails done, this is the one thing I did to pamper myself. In addition to the relaxing element, I was having neck and shoulder muscle issues because I was sleeping with the wrong pillow. New pillow acquired, and I'm working on strengthening those muscles. On top of all of that, my favorite massage therapist took a leave of absence. My membership is on pause, so might as well go ahead and cancel and put $100/month back in my pocket.

The goal is to remove just 2 expenses, but I feel like it might snowball into others.

Let me know what you are working on this month! What are you saying 'no' to, to make room for yeses?

-Kristen

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May Goals

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

While on vacation, we hired a local photographer to take some fresh family photos. It was fun to get dressed up! We spent about an hour walking around Apalach taking pictures with various combinations of my parents, sister's family, my brother and his wife, and of course Blake and I.

I'm sure it was hard to wrangle all ten of us, but the photos turned out so nice!

What I wore:

-Kristen

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Family Photos in Apalachicola

Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Recently, my family spent a week at St. George Island during my nephew's spring break. It was an awesome week, and everyone enjoyed themselves immensely.

We stayed in a house on the bay, which was so much fun. The dock was great to hang out on, and we rented kayaks for the week so we all took turns going on adventures. The house also had a pool - so we honestly didn't even need to leave. But, of course we spent a few days at the beach on the gulf too.

Things We Brought or Bought For the Beach:

-Kristen

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A Week At The Beach

MegaBabe

This all started with a hunt for an aluminum free deodorant. I tried one or two before I found the Megababe Smoothie Deo, and fell in love. This is a coconut lime scent, and it really works. I might have to reapply if I'm doing some serious working out. Plus, the difference in the puffiness of my armpits is very noticeable - I had no idea antiperspirant was causing that.

That led me to want to try some other Megababe products. I'm obsessed! There is the Thigh Rescue anti-chaff stick which is awesome for running (or dress wearing). And I recently started using the roll on Apres Shave gel which prevents ingrowns and helps with razor burn. I think it really makes a difference.

Muse Apothecary

Ya'll. This scent is out of this world! It smells like vacation. I have the Cabana hand soap and room spray in our half bathroom. But, the Sea Salt scent is just as wonderful and I have that in our guest bathroom. I never want to run out!

I purchased these through Grove Co. and right now they are offering the room spray as a free gift.

Elastic Apple Watch Band

I have struggled with watch bands forever. My wrists are just really small, so I find that bands rarely adjust properly. This totally solves that for me! It's elastic, and just the right amount of stretch. Plus, the checkerboard pattern is so fun!

New Barstools!

Blake and I have been discussing new bar stools for a year or more. When we moved in to our current place, we bought some cool, but cheap bar stools just to have a place to sit. The look was great, but the comfort was not. We knew we wanted to upgrade, but we could not agree on what we wanted. Well, we found the perfect ones at West Elm but they were like $600 per stool, and just could not justify that.

Anyway, long story long, we ended up finally agreeing on these! I had a gift card and we waited for a sale and were able to get these stools for a palatable price. They fit our space perfectly, and are SO much more comfortable.

And because we were worried about stains, I bought this stain repellent spray and it works awesome.

Mop Vacuum Combo

GAME CHANGER. I bought this Bissell Crosswave and have been floored (pun intended) with the results. It's awesome! It vacuums and mops at the same time. You would not believe what the dirty water looks like when you are done. Love, love, love this thing.

The only con is that you have to really clean it out when you are finished. Dirt and water are obviously not the best combo. But, it doesn't take too long and the results are worth that extra clean up.

The cleaning solution that comes with it is really good, but I've also used regular ole Pinesol in it and that works too.

Beach Chair

We recently spent a week at the beach, and my sister in law had this chair. I was so jealous of her being able to read upside down - I immediately ordered one for myself! It's comfy, and the face hole thing is just genius.

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-Kristen

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Random Recent Purchases

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

I knew for this milestone anniversary, I wanted to take some fresh photos! My friend Tiffany was able to fit us into her schedule and we took advantage of the last 'cool' weather day. We took the short trip up to Thomasville Ga on a Sunday and essentially had the whole town to ourselves.

I just love how these turned out and how much fun we had taking them. I can't choose a favorite, but that's not a bad problem to have.

My Sweater | My Boots