My 10 Favorite Pinterest Recipes.

     I feel like trying a random recipe from Pinterest is the definition of the phrase "You win some, you lose some." You just never quite know what you're going to get with a Pinterest recipe! I've had some of the worst cooking and baking fails of my life from pins that looked enticing. So why do I keep using my recipe boards for so much of my cooking? Because for every fail, there's been a lot more recipe wins! I've found some of my favorite recipes of all time from pins. Pinterest is also really convenient! I have a large cookbook collection, but nothing beats pulling up a recipe on your phone.

     To save you the hassle of possibly trying a recipe that's no-good, I've rounded up 10 of my favorite Pinterest recipes, with direct links to each pin so you can save them for yourself! A bit about my cooking habits: I love rice based dishes (which you'll see evidenced here!), and I love spicy food. I'm trying to get better about eating more vegetables... but that's a work in progress. Many of these recipes below can be made meatless though! 

    1. Quick and Easy Black Bean and Rice Burritos - This is the Pinterest recipe that I make the most often! If you read my Midweek Ramblings posts where I give a "Recipe of the week," you've definitely heard me reference this a lot. These burritos are super easy to make and a very affordable (and tasty) vegetarian meal! I love making a cheesy burrito for dinner, and I add in hot sauce since I like spicy food. Then the next few days for lunch at work I bring the beans, corn and rice mixture to heat up!

    2. Light and Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup - A great winter soup! It's also just as good without the chicken if you want a vegetarian version. I add a lot of red pepper flakes to it since I like spice.

    3. Italian Herb Meatballs - BEST Italian meatballs ever. Seriously- I think they taste better than a lot of restaurant meatballs. This is my favorite thing to make when I have company for dinner! I accompany the meatballs with a homemade spicy Arrabiata sauce from a cookbook of mine and penne pasta.

    4. Italian Roasted Potatoes - I don't make these as often as some of the other recipes here, but they are delicious! A great side dish to make for a fancier dinner. FYI - the recipe does make a pretty large portion, so I recommend making this is you have company over.

    5. Salsa Verde Chicken Pasta - This is a fun and spicy take on mac n cheese! Personally I prefer this without chicken. 

    6. Korean Beef Rice Bowls - After the burrito recipe above, this is the Pinterest recipe that I make the most often! I was able to buy the Gochujang sauce that the recipe requests at my local grocery store in the ethnic food section.

    7. Chicken Teriyaki Meatballs - This is a totally different type of meatballs than the recipe above, but these are really good, and fairly easy to make!

    8. Garlic Honey Ginger Glazed Salmon - In all honesty, I find fish kind of intimidating to cook and most seafood recipes to be hard to make for just one person (since I live alone), but when I do make it I cook salmon using this recipe! It's very easy and absolutely delicious. 

    9. Banana Cinnamon Muffins - I make muffins regularly. Homemade tastes so much better than store bought, and they're so simple to make! In addition to being a tasty breakfast item, I love baking muffins for road trips or work snacks. Banana muffins are a great way to add some fruit to your day and these are my favorite banana muffins.

    10. Cinnamon Apple Muffins - When I don't make banana muffins, I love making apple muffins! Especially in this season with apples from a local orchard. This is another simple fruit muffin recipe.


     Now here's my request from you! If you enjoyed this blog post, would you leave me a comment below with a link or two to some of your favorite Pinterest recipes? I'm always looking for more to try, and we can keep this going!! I can write a future blog post in a few months after I've tried the ones y'all leave me. 😊



     God Bless,


     xoxo Annaliese
   

Midweek Ramblings.

   {Here's Delilah and I saying goodbye to my mom this weekend! She was here in Virginia visiting for a couple weeks, and we had a great time. Follow me on social media @miss_alk}

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Ramblings:

• Morning radio life: For the last week, I've been filling in on the morning show at the radio station that I work for! It's been a blast and great learning experience, but a huge schedule change. I've been getting done with work for the day around noon or earlier! That left me full afternoons to myself, which I wasn't used to having. I've tried to make the most of this week and do fun things with the new free time! Last week my mom and I went apple picking one afternoon, and on Monday I went to a new-to-me winery, and enjoyed a glass of wine and a good book. While I am excited to be able to sleep a few hours later again, I'll miss the free afternoons and morning radio fun for sure. 
• Cleaning tactics: My apartment has gotten really cluttered over the past few weeks, and bringing home Delilah, the new feline member of my family has only intensified that! Normally I do heavy cleaning on weekends, but I've been really busy for a lot recent ones. My new cleaning strategy is to try and do general straightening up each day, and also one larger chore. If I break it down into one every weekday, it should be easier to keep things cleaner. I'll update on how that'll go!
• Buzzfeed article of week: This Buzzfeed article about crazy things people did in the mid-2000s is hilarious!! If you love early 2000s pop culture like I do, you must check this out for a good laugh.

Weekend recaps:

• Last weekend: I had a monthly service project with friends from my church and other local churches on Saturday morning! A group of us meets to do service in the community on the first Saturday of each month, and it's always a great time, and so wonderful to see how it blesses those that we serve. My mom and I went to see the movie A Star is Born on Saturday afternoon- not my favorite movie of all time or anything but it was very well done. I am glad I saw it on the big screen! Sunday I went to church and then hung by the pool in the afternoon, as it was still so warm out here in Virginia.
• This weekend: No big plans, but I'm really excited to catch up on sleep after over a week filling in on the morning show! I have company visiting for the next two weekends, so it's kind of nice to have a Saturday and Sunday looking pretty free right now. I love a spontaneous weekend every now and then (as long as it's not every weekend)!

Purchases:

• I'm doing a four week shopping fast during this month to save up for holiday shopping and other things in the coming months! 😊

Wishlist:

• Last winter I got into leopard print sweaters, and this one is adorable!
• I had a pair of black cage heels in college that I loved and totally wore out. I think I might need a new pair.
• This is a cute basic long sleeved top that is a great deal and comes in many colors.  
• This bold dress is definitely an investment piece, but it's the type of thing that would be perfect in your closet for years!
• Dare I say that J. Crew's outerwear actually makes me excited for winter? They've brought back this coat style in new colors!

Recipe of the week: T's Maple Vanilla Apple Pie Filling from AllRecipes. I made a homemade apple pie last night, with apples from a visit to the local orchard last week! I decided to go *all homemade* and also make the pie crust myself... that turned out as a work in progress! I really liked the apple filling recipe that I used though- love how it includes maple! A nice tribute to last fall in Vermont.

Song of the week: Sicko Mode by Travis Scott ft. Drake. While I can't say I'm the biggest fan of Travis Scott as a person (or Kylie Jenner for that matter), I like a lot of the songs from his new album!! My local urban station has been playing this song a lot and I really like it (the edited version). 

On the blog this week:

• SNS Nails FAQ: Everything to Know About Dip Powder Nails.
• Two BIG Life Updates! (And One Smaller Update). 
• Fall Blues.

     God Bless,

      xoxo Annaliese

Fall Blues.

     Good morning! I'm excited to share this fall outfit with you today. A lot of people think that pink is my favorite color because I wear a lot of it, but my favorite color has actually always been blue! I think that an all-blue outfit is a great fall fashion choice, and I love the items I'm wearing today.

Photography by my mom 😊

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Southern Belle in Training!

Sweater c/o // Coat c/o // Jeans // Shoes {similar} // Purse // Earrings {old, similar here} // Lipstick // 

      I wasn't sure what to think of cut-out sweaters when the trend first became really popular a few seasons ago, but then I got my first one and I loved it! I'm really excited to keep wearing the blue sweater in today's post. I love the pretty pearl embellishments on the shoulders! This is a great sweater to throw on during the weekends when you want to keep your outfit simple, but also look cute and trendy.

     I also love this blue suede jacket! Over the last few years, I've developed a real affinity for fall and winter coats (living in Vermont last year just fueled that!). Wearing a jacket in a pretty color is such a great way to brighten up any sort of basic fall or winter outfit. The coat that I'm wearing in today's post isn't warm enough for cold winters, but it makes an ideal fall or spring jacket! This coat has a suede-like feel to it, and when I wear it I find myself thinking of the song lyrics "Put on my blue suede shoes, and I boarded the plane" from the song Walking in Memphis! I just have to change shoes for coat. 😊

    For the last few days I have been exhausted, but I think for two good reasons! You might have seen in yesterday's blog post that last week my family grew by four paws, and I welcomed home a new pet cat! It has been such a joy to finally have a pet, but it's also been a lot of work and a change to my schedule. The first night that she was home, she cried all night. She's doing a bit better now, but still meowing somewhat in the middle of the night. Today is also day five out of six for me of filling in on the morning show at the radio station that I work for, and I'm still adjusting with the really early morning wake-up time. It is my dream to someday do morning radio for my career, but I know if that day ever comes it'll be a huge schedule adjustment. I feel like I'm going to spend the later part of this week just SLEEPING - ha! 

     I promise I'll be a little more chatty in tomorrow's Midweek Ramblings post, and on Thursday I have a fun lifestyle blog post planned! 

      God Bless,

      xoxo Annaliese 

Two BIG Life Updates! (And One Smaller Update.)

     It's been quite awhile since I've sat down to update about some big things in my life here on the blog! And I definitely have things to share today, three separate things to be exact! Without further ado, let's get all caught up. The photos to go along with this post are from a special shoot with Kate, one of my blog photographers! I intended to share these a few weeks ago, right after I hit my six month mark of living in Virginia. You'll see by reading below why I waited to share them until now!

Photography by Kate Greer

{Both my dress and heels are from consignment stores! 😊}

     Life Update #1: I'm NOT moving!

   You might be a bit confused reading the above line. "You're not moving? I didn't know you were supposed to be moving? I thought you loved Charlottesville!" I absolutely do love Charlottesville- hence why I am thrilled to finally announce that I'm NOT moving! 

     Here's the backstory: in late August, I found out that my company expressed serious interest in transferring me me to another radio station that they own (not in Charlottesville). If the job transfer had gone though, I would've had to both move out of this area, and also leave my current position and station. I was absolutely in shock to get this news. Since I moved to Virginia in March, I have been so happy in both my work and personal life! This is a place that I hope to live in for awhile. I couldn't fathom that my time here could be ending after just six months, and to keep things brief for the sake of the blog, I can tell you that I spent most of the month of September feeling absolutely down and devastated. I tried to put a smile on my face each day at work and still do my job well, but in the evenings and on weekends, a lot of tears were cried.

     After a lot of investigating with this other career opportunity, praying fervently and seeking God's guidance, and many conversations with family and friends, I made the decision not to accept the transfer. This was very scary for me to do, as I didn't know what the outcome would be. But I felt God's peace strongly in making my decision! As of now I am still working in my current position (and still loving it!). I hope that nothing work-related has to change anytime soon... but if it does, I know that God will provide and that I made the right decision to keep living in a place I love. I waited to share the photos in today's blog post until I had made my final decision to stay in Charlottesville for now, despite whatever that holds for my career. 

     Life Update #2: I joined a gym!

     The one downside of my life since I moved to Virginia is that I've been in a huge fitness rut. I was a member of a gym last year in Vermont, and actually having to drive somewhere to workout (and being surrounded by motivated gym-goers) was encouraging to me, and made me want to go often. Most weeks last year I went to the gym three times, and sometimes more if my schedule allowed!

     My apartment here in Virginia had a gym on-site, so I didn't join a gym for the first six months here to save money. Unfortunately, I found my apartment gym to be small, dark, and not at all motivating. At the start of summer I'd force myself to go workout, but I never enjoyed it. I also tried at-home workout videos this summer, but I just couldn't focus on them in my apartment, as it isn't the best environment to work out. By the end of summer, I started feeling very out of shape and just all around "bleh."

     This weekend I finally pulled the trigger and joined a gym in Charlottesville! Yes, it is a monthly expense to add to my budget, but I know that it's an investment in myself. This gym offers a nice mix of group classes that are included in the membership rate, and since I've realized that I work better with other people around, I'm very excited to take advantage of these. My goal to start is to get back to going three times a week, and then hopefully raise it to four or five days! 

     Life Update #3: A new family member!

     This is the happiest update in this post! Six days ago, I adopted a sweet cat that I named Delilah.

     I had a wonderful cat growing up, but unfortunately in high school I became very allergic to her and all other cats. Instead of the traditional allergy symptoms like sneezing and runny eyes, my cat allergies came out in the form of hives all over my body, so it was pretty serious. I couldn't spend much time with my cat in her last year of life. Anyways, over the last year I've been in a few homes that have had cats and I noticed I didn't get hives anymore. I got retested for cat allergies this summer, and the test results were negative! I've never been allergic to dogs and I'd love to get a dog, but they require too much work to fit my lifestyle at this time. 

    I'd been toying with getting a cat since my allergy tests a couple months ago, but I also wasn't really doing anything to make it happen. My mom arrived to visit me a couple weeks ago, and she'd only been in Charlottesville a few days before she went out to start looking at local kitties up for adoption! She found Delilah at a local pet store that housed a few rescue cats, and then I went to meet her and fell in love!

     We think that Delilah is part Ragdoll and Snowshoe- her face looks like a Snowshoe but she has the body and temperament of a Ragdoll. She is about a year and a half old. Delilah is very affectionate and if she's near you, she wants to be touching you or licking you! She is still getting settled into her new living environment, but I love having her around. I'm going to try not to be one of those pet owners that overshares about their animal, but I think I will write a separate blog post soon with more info about Delilah and how I knew I was ready for a pet. 😊Below is a picture from the night my mom and I picked her up to bring her home!

     Okay- I think that's enough life updates for one post! Bottom line- I'm staying here in Charlottesville, and very excited about all that is to come with being here, especially having Delilah and getting to enjoy my new gym.


     Thanks so much for reading today! Hope your week is off to a good start.



      God Bless,



      xoxo Annaliese

SNS Nails FAQ: Everything To Know About Dip Powder Nails.

     Confession time: I've been a nail biter since before I can remember. Seriously... pretty much since the time I first grew nails as a toddler, I've been biting and picking at them. It's a lifelong habit that I've tried so hard to break throughout the years. I'd always painted my nails regularly growing up, but I'd always pick or bite the polish off, which was terrible!When I got my first full-time job last year, I decided to start treating myself to regular manicures as a way to hopefully combat my habit. I figured that spending money on my nails would prevent me from getting at them.

     After a year of frequent gel manicures, I had my first SNS ("Dip Nails") manicure this past spring, and this immediately became my favorite nail treatment ever! I'm sharing today about my experiences with SNS, how it's helped my nail biting, how it compares to gel, if I think it's worth the cost, and more!