Spicy and Smoky Tomato Chickpeas with Quinoa (makes 4 servings) 1 cup quinoa 2 cups water 3/4 cup diced red onion 2 tsp minced garlic 1 & 1/4 cups lite canned coconut milk (shake well; I recommend getting the organic version!) 1/4 cup + 2 T tomato paste 2 tsp smoked paprika 1/2 tsp chipotle chili pepper spice 1 tsp salt 2 cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed chopped parsley 1. To make the quinoa: Add the water to a pot and bring to a boil. Immediately add the quinoa, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit covered for 5 more minutes. Fluff with fork ..read more

I absolute love this muffin recipe for big bakery style blueberry muffins. This recipe comes with a sweet streusel topping that brings these up a notch in flavor and charm. Matt and I have made them twice over the last week. They don't last long because they are that good. You'll definitely want to brew a big pot of fresh coffee to go with these. Enjoy! ♡ Bakery Style Blueberry Muffins with Sugar Streusel Topping ♡ (yield 9 large muffins) Ingredients: 1 large egg 1/2 cup milk (I use unsweetened almond milk) 1/4 cup oil (I used coconut oil) 1 tsp vanilla 1 & 3/4 cup all purpose flour 1/2 c ..read more

This past fall I got to shoot a really lovely wedding at the Palisades Country Club here in Charlotte, North Carolina. This was the first wedding I have shot in a very long time so I was a little bit nervous. But it turned out to be a really fun night. I absolutely love some of these images. They came out so beautiful. I think I did pretty good for being a little rusty. It was a beautiful October evening full of love and romance and only a small group of very close family and friends. I really love the brides simple yet elegant wedding gown and her bouquet is basically my dream bouquet as it h ..read more

These delicious pecan pie bars are amazing. I won’t say healthy but rather rich and decadent. My husband gave them a 10/10. Basically the traditional pecan pie in bar form. A good option to bring to a small party. You'll need a big glass of milk with these super sweet treats! Pecan Pie Bars makes 9 bars (vegan, gluten free) Crust: 2 cups almond flour 2 Tbsp coconut flour 1/4 cup maple syrup 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted 1 tsp vanilla 1/4 tsp salt Pecan Filling: 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted 1/4 cup maple syrup 2/3 cup coconut sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1/4 tsp salt 1 Tbsp non dairy milk 1 & ½ cups r ..read more

Two years ago I created this cozy recipe for PSL and it’s one of my favorite fall and winter drinks. I made it up on a whim and it turned out incredible. We are expecting winter weather this weekend in North Carolina so I'm definitely going to whip this up on Sunday morning as it's snowing. Super excited. I had a blast styling and photographing these images with one of my new Replica Surfaces boards. I highly recommend this company. The products are top quality. I have a bunch of their photography back drop boards but this one is a new one I just added to my home collection. I really needed so ..read more

My husband Matt and I recently teamed up together to do a portrait session with one of our favorite clients: The Abdel-Baky's. We have done their family photos 5 or 6 times now. They are so fun to work with and we always get lovely photos! We walked all around downtown Raleigh, North Carolina to see what would catch our eye. The weather was absolutely beautiful that evening. We ended up taking some fun shots around Moore Square, Fayetteville St. / the Capital building, historic City Market, and at this really colorful painted art wall. The photos are awesome. I like the variety and color pops ..read more

I have had a strong craving for homemade strawberry shortcake lately so Matt and I went to a local farm last weekend and hand picked some home grown Carolina strawberries to go with dessert. It was so fun! The weather was perfect and the berries were juicy as can be. I made a YouTube video below of some of the highlights from our day including the shortcake I made which turned out incredible. The amazing farm that we picked strawberries at was called Lineberger's Farm in Dallas, North Carolina which is just outside of Charlotte. It's been a family run farm since the 1920's. The property is g ..read more

My current favorite chocolate chip cookies! Love them! They are so easy to make, one bowl, and are a great healthier cookie recipe. I also love eating the batter - it's super hard not to! ONE BOWL ALMOND BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES - Vegan & GF (makes 15 cookies) 1 cup almond flour 1 cup oats (gluten free if you need to) 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp sea salt 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp almond butter (not salted) 6 Tbsp maple syrup 1 & 1/2 tsp vanilla 2 Tbsp non-dairy milk (or water) 2/3 cup non-dairy chocolate chips (I like Enjoy Life brand) 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with ..read more

♡ CREAMY & SMOKY RED LENTILS ♡ (Gluten Free, Vegan, Whole Food Plant Based) INGREDIENTS: 1 cup diced yellow onion 3 medium carrots, cut into ¼ inch slices 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup red lentils 6 T tomato paste 2 T smoked paprika 1/2 T chipoltle chili powder 1 tsp dry mustard or 1-2 T dijon mustard 1 & ½ tsp sea salt ¼ tsp black pepper 1 cup canned “lite” coconut milk, well shaken (the lite version gives it a nice creamy texture with NO coconut flavor!) DIRECTIONS: 1. Add onions, carrots, garlic and 1 cup of water to a large pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8 mi ..read more

♡ NO-BAKE CHOCOLATEY BROWNIES ♡ (Gluten Free, Vegan, Whole Food Plant Based) ¼ cup macadamia nuts 2 cups pitted dates (I always use a scale to measure dates: 2 cups pitted dates = 350g) ¼ tsp sea salt 1 tsp vanilla 1 cup cacao powder Optional toppings: walnuts and shredded coconut Add everything (except toppings) to a high speed blender. Process for about 1 minutes until all of the ingredients come together and form a big ball of dough. Add brownie mixture to a parchment lined square baking dish and press down until mixture is about a 1/2 inch thick. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour. When you a ..read more