Over the weekend, my husband finally graduated from medical school. We are all so proud of him, and all he will accomplish in his upcoming career as an anesthesiologist after finishing his residency.

However, as much as I’m sure yall love seeing pictures of my lovely family, I know what you really want to see. Party pictures! The closest thing I could find for ideas on Pinterest were a few pins on nursing graduation parties, but not many for medical school graduation parties I liked. Add to that the fact that the school colors are green and gold (really people? Who chose this color palette?) and I was faced with a tough challenge. However, add in the color gray, a chevron print theme, and the ever popular burlap ribbon, and I had myself a party. Here’s some pictures from the main event:

Since Jason is going into anesthesia, I wanted something fun for decor that would be a nod to his specialty. We both love old things, so I came up with the idea of hunting down vintage anesthesia medication ads from old medical journals. I also found some great books from the 1930′s and 1940′s, and an old German anesthesia tin from the early 1900′s. All together it made for a really unique set of items that I was thrilled to surprise my husband with. He was so excited about it, and looking forward to using them in his office one day!

Here are the details, left to right, top to bottom:
1. One of the great vintage ads I found through a website online here. I literally found THE MOST amazing things on here, and they have ads for many different specialties! I’m going to buy some for myself also from the pharmacy section (since I teach at a school of pharmacy).

2. An old ad for AC-Demerol, which conveniently enough matched the party colors. Also from the website mentioned above. You can see part of the centerpiece- I used white hydrangeas, sunflowers, and a few other random flowers in arrangements throughout the house and outside.

3. The candy bar, featuring my husband’s favorite candies in the school colors, put inside of medical supply jars. I was especially fond of the pretzel sticks in the tongue depressor jar

4. The gift bags to fill with candy, which were just Kraft bags from Target in the party section. I bought stickers on-line at zazzle.com when they were on sale, and picked a style that matched the party invitations and gray color pretty well. The chalkboard container they are in (which instructed guests to “fill a bag” was one I found at TJ Maxx for only $12. Score!

5. My cheesecake tartlets with a chocolate and almond topping. Delicious.

6. Container matching the favor bag holder that we used for utensils, topped with a burlap bow. Also from TJ Maxx, also only $12.

7. Adorable graduation banner from Etsy that I borrowed from a friend. (Thanks Casey!) Don’t be ashamed to recycle cute things from generous friends. There are really only so many cute graduation decorations in the world. Let’s not waste opportunities for practicality!

8. My beverage containers from Target with chalkboard labels. Great idea, but poor execution as the condensation from cold drinks make the chalk hard to read. Maybe use lukewarm drinks and fill the glasses with ice instead next time?

9. Mason jars (from Amazon- great price!) with gray paper straws (also from Amazon) on a Threshold tray (from Target) topped with limes and lemons to match school colors.

10. The vintage anesthesia tin I mentioned earlier, along with the textbooks I found on Ebay.

11. Okay, this was amazing. This is a feature from an EXCEPTIONALLY old newspaper from 1896 celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first public anesthesia demonstration. My husband was so excited about this, and already put it back in its protective wrapper. So neat!

12. More party decor, and my lemon cream cheese cupcakes (because I apparently can’t miss the chance to color coordinate desserts with party decor). But seriously, they were delicious. Recipe for icing here.

I think that’s everything. Comments? Questions? Share below!!

Are you a pizza lover like me? Or really any kind of doughy, carb loaded bread? If so, you probably know and love CPK just like I do…though I must admit I love their salads too! Luckily for those of you that love CPK, they’ve got a new way you can save some “dough.” Ba hahaha…ok pun intended but seriously, if you frequent their restaurant, you should definitely sign up to earn rewards!

CPK recently launched a new, easy-to-use mobile app and guest loyalty program called Pizza Dough Rewards.  The program offers guests $5 of rewards for every $100 spent towards their next dining experience.  Members receive insider benefits based on the frequency and spending during each visit. Guests can sign up for free by downloading the Pizza Dough Mobile App for the iPhone and Android. The app is designed for guests to register in the program, check in at the restaurant and check reward/account balances.  Guests can also receive a card in any California Pizza Kitchen restaurant or register online.

Pizza Dough Rewards points can be saved until they expire or guests can socially gift them to one of their “social friends” at any point during the 90 day period after the first purchase has been made.  The program was put in place to encourage interaction and engagement with guests through a social and simple experience. Bonus! Anyone that signs up for Pizza Dough Rewards receives a free small plate (no purchase necessary).

**Double your Pizza Dough through July 14! During CPK’s Thank You Card promotion, earn $10 in Pizza Dough for every $100 spent!**

I went to both Walmart and Publix this week. Praise the Lord for having time to do so and a relatively low key weekend to rest because the next month or so is about to go on warp speed between 2 weddings, a beach weekend, and going out of town to multiple other places. Exciting things but nonetheless things that take away from being at home and having time to grocery shop freely on the weekend and other such errands.

I went to Publix to grab things we needed that were on sale. For the most part, I got snacks for the hubs and our small group. I realized we needed sun block so I was excited to spot a $2/1 PX Green Advantage Buy flyer coupon for the Hawaiian Tropic and a $1/1 hang tag on the bottle. After the 2 coupons, it was only $4.99 so I can’t complain considering it was such late notice to find a sale. The Crest was on sale 2/$4, there was a $.50/1 coupon that doubled to a $1 off, and a Publix.com cell phone coupon I paired with it so I scooped it up  for a pretty sweet deal.

The Totino’s pizzas were on sale 10/$10 and had a $.40/1 coupon that doubled to $.80 off making it only $.20! The hubs will be happy about that one. I also had coupons for the BOGO Smart Balance Spread and the Whole Fruit Sorbet so all in all the only thing I bought that wasn’t on sale was the hot dog buns. I’m pretty sure the hubs wouldn’t allow me to buy BOGO hot dogs for him without the buns though…let’s be real!

Overall, I spent $27.14 on groceries at Publix, and saved $25.84! I’ll take it.

At Walmart, I got fruits and veggies for healthy eating that were cheaper than buying them at Publix. I’ve heard that Mrs. Dash’s seasoning are good for being sodium free, so I picked up a couple. Does anyone use these seasonings regularly? If so, which ones are your favorites? The beans & whole wheat elbow macaroni are for my Cleanse Soup I made yesterday morning. I spent $24.14 on groceries at Walmart so my grand total for groceries for the week was $51.28!

Many of you have been interested in the cleanse I posted about a few weeks back so I thought I’d show you the “Extremely Healthy Fat Burning Soup” recipe. I’ve made it a few times already and I must tell you it makes A LOT. Usually I’ll make it and split with a friend doing the cleanse with me or you can freeze half of it for later if you want.

I’m sticking loosely to the cleanse this week to get beach body ready and pairing it with lots of Pure Barre, of course. The hubs and I are super excited to be going down to a friend’s beach place this weekend for Memorial Day. I’m pretty sure if Eric had a nickel for every time I said “I’m so excited for the beach!” he’d be a rich man by now.

Believe it or not, there is macaroni in this recipe….who would’ve thought, right?! I’ve used regular macaroni as it called for in the past but when I made it this morning, I decided to switch it up and be Clean Eating friendly by getting whole wheat macaroni noodles instead. This recipe does involve a lot of chopping and dicing of veggies so I usually cut up the veggies the night before and then get the soup together the next day so it doesn’t take a large chunk out of my afternoon.

Here’s what he cleanse booklet has to say about this soup, “This soup is intended as a supplement to your diet. It can be eaten any time of the day and virtually in unlimited quantities. It is cholesterol free and virtually fat free.” Recipe yields 16 servings at 1 cup each and has 158 cals per serving.

Fat Burning Soup:

Ingredients:

• 2 cans Great Northern Beans
• 1 T olive oil
• 1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 c onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 c carrots, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 c celery, chopped
• 3 c diced peeled fresh tomatoes or 1 lb canned tomatoes diced
• 1 t sage
• 1 t dried thyme
• 1/2 t dried oregano
• 2 t pepper or to taste
• 1 bay leaf, crumbled
• 4 c cooked whole wheat elbow macaroni

Directions:

• Drain beans and reserve liquid. Drain beans.
• Heat oil in a large stock pot. Add mushrooms, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic &  sauté for 5 mins.
• Add tomatoes, sage, thyme, oregano, pepper, and bay leaf
• Cover & cook over med heat 20 mins. Cook macaroni according to package directions in unsalted water. Drain.
• Combine reserved bean liquid with water to make 4 cups.
• Add liquid, beans, and cooked macaroni to vegetables.
• Bring to a boil; cover & simmer until soup is heated through. Stir occasionally.

I would encourage you to add any other seasonings you think may be good to it. Just play with the seasonings and see what you like best. I really like how filling this soup is! If you’re looking for more recipes like this, check out eMeals and they’ll plan your menus, recipes, and grocery list for you!

Other Recipes You May Like:

Southwestern Quinoa

Go Green Juice

Love Your Body Juice

Clean Eating Thai Lime Chicken

Do any of you have any protein bars that you just can’t live without? The only ones I’ve felt good about buying so far have been the Larabar ones because they have all natural ingredients in them like fruits and I can pronounce everything on the label. My favorite? The coconut one. So good!

Since I saw Hungry Girl has new ones that sound delicious, I thought I’d give them a try though while they’re free. If you want to try them out, you can too! Request two free Hungry Girls Quest Protein Bars. I hope they taste as good as they sound!

BIRMINGHAM, listen up! We’re getting a Nordstrom’s Rack! I first fell in love with Nordstrom’s Rack over a year ago in Tampa when we visited my sister-in-law in Tampa. Every time we made a trip to Tampa, I coerced Janelle into going with me and every time but once I’ve found something I couldn’t walk out of the store without. So, when we got invited to the pre-opening bash for our local Nordstom’s Rack, I was beyond excited.

Nordstrom’s Rack is a store with a men’s, women’s, baby, makeup, shoes, and accessories section. There is something there for everyone!

Katie, Erin, & I when we first got to Nordstom’s Rack

 I’m her blog momma, she’s my decorating momma.

 This hot little number was originally $50…marked down and clearanced to $19.97! Score. Thanks to Jess for finding it!

 We may have both bought this shirt…and for $18.97, who can say no?!

 One of Jess’ finds.

Strike a pose!

 Clearly I didn’t find too many items like this in my dressing room

Done and done. Bag ‘em up.

Shopping and sipping on sparkling wine…what else could we have wanted?

I saved $105.15 on this shopping trip! You guys have to go check out your nearest Nordstom’s Rack! For Birmingham folks, this store opens THURSDAY, May 16 and is by the Target on 280. To see more details and photos from our fun shopping adventure, check out Katie’s blog post about it!

I know you’re probably thinking “Woah, that’s a lot of guacamole!” and, yes, my friends it is! I love some guac and when it goes BOGO with a $1.50/1 & $1/1 coupons available on it, you best believe I’m stocking up on it. I got each package for around $.50 after BOGO sale and coupon! They were out of it at my 2 Publix stores last week so I had to get rain checks on that and my 4 pack of tuna.

I had 8 printable coupons in tow with me for this trip including guacamole coupons, a coupon for $1.50/2 Oreos (that were already on sale) and a $1.50/1 gallon of milk when you buy 2 Oreos….holla!, a $1.50/1 Weight Watchers ice cream coupon, as well as a coupon for $1/1 Alexia frozen item.

I only bought 1 item this week that wasn’t on sale or I didn’t have a coupon for: bananas! And I’m pretty happy about that. I got pre-sliced deli turkey, salmon, tuna, and ground turkey, toilet paper, and produce. The hubs is working the first half of the week during dinner time and we have two events (First time to the Birmingham Barons new baseball stadium & a pre-grand-opening party at Nordstrom’s Rack!) this week so I’m not cooking too much. All I’m making is this No Fail Salmon and our Asian Turkey Slaw Wraps.

How are you all doing on your grocery budget?

Summer Niiiiiights!!!! (Note you should be singing the song from Grease out loud right now.) Sonic is offering Half-Priced Shakes after 8 p.m. now through the end of summer. YES!!!! Sounds like the perfect chilly treat for our hot & humid summer nights in the South.

Thanks, My Frugal Adventures!

I am blessed to call this woman of God my mother. My momma gave me a love for all things Southern…sweet tea, being a Godly lady, church on Sundays and always offering a helping hand. My mom is the most selfless person I know when it comes to helping others. If I call her and tell her I’m hosting a little get together she offers to bake something for it, she’ll drop everything at the drop of a hat to bring me a key when I’ve locked myself out of my car & condo (what? that doesn’t happen to you?), she prays for me, she listens, and she loves me much more than I deserve.

Even though we can be very different, I know that she’s always one of my biggest fans and she has fiercely taught me the love of family. I am so blessed by my parents and sister and from the bottom of my heart want to wish my mom a very HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

And, a very special first Mother’s Day for my blogging partner Jessica! See her and her precious one below. I love these two and am so thankful to have them in my life. I hope all of our fabulous readers out there enjoy Mother’s Day and time with family. xoxoxo

As you guys know I am really shooting for doing Clean Eating about 80% of the time. In a flurry of wild pinning, I found this awesome Thai Lime Chicken recipe from Clean Eating Magazine. For all the Birmingham locals, if you’ve been to Surin West, you also think that anything THAI means DELICIOUS! Surin is one of the hubs’ and I’s favorite date night spots. If you have any to-die for and still moderately easy at east Thai recipes, please post them in the comments below. I’m always looking to try something new!

I put this recipe on Instagram weeks ago and promised to share it and I’m finally getting around to it. (If you aren’t following me on Instagram yet, what are you waiting for?) This is an extremely busy season in life for us here on the blog right now as you may realize from following us there and here on the blog. Jessica’s hubs is graduating from medical school, they bought a new house, my hubs is still getting his master’s and working full time, my sister graduates on Saturday and is getting married this year, and there’s a few work transitions going on for me as well. So….that explains a little bit about where our heads have been the past few weeks.

But….enough about us, let’s get you what you want. This AWESOME Thai Lime Chicken. This chicken really soaks up the flavor and has a great crunch to it from the ground up peanuts. I just used my new Ninja (which I LOVE for smoothies and such) to chop up the peanuts and it worked like a charm. This recipe is only 4 ingredients so it’s super simple to prep and get on the table in a hurry.

Clean Eating Thai Lime Chicken

Print recipe

• Print with main photo
• Print text only

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup unsalted dry roast peanuts
• 1.5 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1.5 teaspoons ginger
• .75lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 lime

Directions

Step 1

Preheat over to 375.

Step 2

In a blender or food processor, grind peanuts until fine.

Step 3

Combine peanuts, garlic powder and ginger in a small bowl.

Step 4

Place chicken on a cookie sheet and squeeze juice from lime all over chicken.

Step 5

Roll chicken in peanut mixture until well coated.

Step 6

Bake chicken in oven for 25 minutes or until no longer pink in center.