Hike NC - Crowders Mountain

Whenever people ask me where I'm originally from they always seem so surprised when I respond "Orlando, Florida." The next question is undoubtedly "Woah! What brought you to Charlotte?" Well, the answer is...I love the mountains. In fact, I fell deeply in love with North Carolina mountains in college and even spent a summer as a camp counselor in the wilderness. And some of my very favorite hobbies include camping (the more primitive the better), hiking, rock climbing, rafting and more. Anyway, when I graduated from University of Florida I landed a sales job that offered 21 locations that I could choose from and although I had never even been to Charlotte I picked the city because of the proximity to the mountains. I figured I'd only stay for a few years but then, well, I met a boy. 

That was a long-winded introduction to my favorite closest hiking spot -- Crowders Mountain State Park! Most of our hiking is done in the Blue Ridge Mountains about two hours away but when we're feeling antsy to get outdoors we head straight to Crowders Mountain which lucky for us in our backyard about 30 minutes away.

The kiddos still aren't old enough to make the trek so Matt, Charlie and I recently sneaked away for a quick day hike. The leaves in Charlotte are just beginning to change color and the weather was unseasonably warm which made our trip pretty much perfect. 

Hiking is Charlie's happy place too and carried his doggy pack (of water and a tennis ball) up and down the mountain like a champ in his hiking boots.

There are so many things to love about Crowders Mountain State Park, but my favorite is the 25- mile views of the surrounding piedmont from the peak! You can choose between an easy or challenging hike to get to the top of the mountain and for this journey we decided to take the easy route. Only once, six years ago, we chose the challenging hike. It was definitely strenuous at times but it was worth it when we arrived to the peak...and Matt proposed.

In addition to multiple hiking trails, Crowders also offers a nine-acre lake for fishing or canoeing. We picnicked here after our hike and relaxed before returning home! 

I was invited to participate in Hike NC! by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and received compensation for my participation. All opinions are my own. Hike NC! is an initiative aimed to make hiking an easier, more approachable experience for North Carolinians across the state. Hike NC! is the next step in BCBSNC's Get Outside North Carolina (GO NC!) community program, which was created in 2012 to encourage North Carolinians to get outside and get active. Visit gohikenc.com to find a hike near you.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! I am SO excited for the spooky festivities tonight. Our neighborhood throws the most spectacular party and I am beyond excited for the kiddos to trick-or-treat this year! In honor of Halloween, today I'm showcasing our pumpkin carving party!

Happy Halloween!

See previous pumpkin carving parties here.

Sausage, Bean & Kale Soup

Matt recently requested a "healthy" soup for dinner. I did a little research, presented some options and together we landed on a kale soup! Honestly I wasn't that excited about it at first but since Matt was all about it I decided to go with it. Spoiler alert - it was fabulous, which means I needed to share it!

Kale White Bean and Sausage Soup
Recipe from Cooking Classy

Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
12 oz beef Kielbasa Sausage, sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots (about 3)
1 1/3 cups chopped yellow onion (1 medium)
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 (14.5 oz cans) low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper, to taste
6 oz kale, thick ribs removed, chopped (about 1 1/2 bunches. 5 oz if using pre-cut)
2 (14.5 oz) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Shredded parmesan cheese, for serving

*I recommend doubling the recipe and freezing for later!

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until slightly browned, tossing occasionally, about 5 minutes. Remove sausage, while leaving oil in pan, and drain sausage on a plate lined with paper towels and set aside. Return pot with oil to medium heat, add carrots, onion, and celery and saute 3 minutes (while scraping bottom of pan to get the browned bits), add garlic and saute 1 minute longer. Stir in chicken broth, water, parsley, rosemary, oregano and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and allow to gently boil 10 minutes. Add kale and allow to boil 10 minutes longer until kale and veggies are tender. Stir in cooked sausage and cannellini beans (you can add more broth at this point to thin if desired). Serve warm, top each serving with parmesan cheese.