One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta with Spinach and Sweet Sausage

January 13, 2015February 16, 20153 Comments

A RECIPE! I promise I’m gonna try ya’ll. Last year was full of transition. This year shouldn’t be unless God wants to send the bearded, huggable, Jesus loving man I always ask for, and there would be no arguments there! Therefore I should be able to establish some writing, posting, taking pictures of food (oh wait, I never stopped doing that) patterns. Kinda sorta made this dish up for last night’s dinner, and it was a hit! The roommates loved it, it’s pretty healthy for a creamy pasta dish, it was REALLY filling, and it was EASY! I see a new obsession coming with one pot concoctions.

One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta with Spinach and Sweet Sausage

Servings: 6-8
Time: less than an hour
Difficulty: easy
Print

Inspired by: this recipe, but I changed it/added to it LOTS

Calories per serving: 427 for 8 servings / 570 for 6 servings (via MyFitnessPal)

Ingredients (in order of usage):

1 tablespoon of olive oil
4 teaspoons of refrigerated minced garlic (or 8 cloves of garlic minced)
2 packages of chicken apple sausage, sliced
2 tablespoons light butter (I used light I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter)
salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, italian seasoning
1 lb pasta (I used Barilla Campanelle, but you can use any)
4 cups of chicken broth (I used chicken bouillon or chicken base + water to make my chicken broth)
2 cups of skim milk
1/2 cup reduced fat parmesan (this kind, not the fancy kind, it blends better into sauces)
1 10oz bag of spinach

Directions:

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a big stock pot (you’ll need it to be high for when you add the spinach). Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add sliced sausage and saute until browning on the edges. Add all seasonings to taste, probably a teaspoon of each is what I did if I had to guess, maybe a little more for the salt and italian seasoning and a little less of the pepper. Add butter and stir until melted. Add pasta and let it get coated in the yummy stuff. Add milk and broth. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Boil for a couple of minutes then reduce heat to medium low. Should be softly bubbling just at the surface. Stir frequently and let simmer for 18-20 minutes or until pasta reaches desired al dente consistency and sauce is thickening. Add parmesan and stir until combined. Add spinach and stir until wilted and combined. DONE! Dinner in 30 minutes.

*How about a MyFitnessPal recipe calculating tip! It’s SO easy to put recipes into MyFitnessPal to figure out calories/track them. If you find a recipe anywhere online, you can actually put the link into MFP from the web or from the app. From the web: on your dashboard page click food, then recipes, then copy and paste the link into recipie importer. You can take away the ingredients you aren’t using, change ingredients like 2% milk to skim milk, and add ones you are, change serving size, etc. From the app: click more, my recipes and foods, the add symbol in the top right corner, then add from the web. You can do the same adding and changing from the app. You can also start from scratch in both and make your own recipe. In the app you can even scan the barcode of the exact ingredients you are using. Just make sure for all ingredients you select the correct portion size, like for pasta in this one I had to select whole container. IT’S SO EASY!

Hello, 2015!

January 10, 2015July 22, 20155 Comments

Well, it’s only January 10th, but FINALLY posting my 2015 goals. If I didn’t want to make them pretty, have them on a printout to post important places that was pretty, and do a 2014 recap post, I could have posted these LONG ago. But it’s still closer to January 1st than January 31st so we’ll call it a success.

A quick look at last year’s goals:

Take accountability deeper. (HAPPENED)
Pay attention to food intake. (So-so, but really started to happen towards the end of the year via MyFitnessPal)
Work out more. (DID NOT happen)
Read more – blogs and books. (Meh, sorta sometimes but not really)
Connect more: A. In person, initiate hang outs with friends, text, call, respond more, and put away my phone when I’m with people. B. In the world wide web. Comment on blogs I read regularly. Be active in blog forums. Make blog friend connections. (HAPPENED)
Write more – blogging and journal. (Did not happen)
Spend time with Jesus and don’t stop. (HAPPENED, few rough patches but always went back)
Pray for my friends, family, and future (job, husband, calling, dreams, etc). (HAPPENED)
Wear makeup more regularly. (DEFINITELY HAPPENED, thanks Ipsy)
Buy less. (Hard to say, but did manage to save this year, so maybe? Def bought less nail polish)
Tithe more. (HAPPENED, needs more consistency, but for sure happened)
Live UP so I can be thankful for the living IN that increases more and more and be more motivated and prepared to live OUT. (Happened, but ALWAYS room for improvement)
I prefer even numbers, but if 13 is good enough for Taylor Swift, it’s good enough for me! Believe that I have enough of God’s grace and the ability to call on the Holy Spirit to make this (being trained to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live a more self-controlled, upright, and godly life) happen (In some areas for sure saw growth in this)

As I mentioned in the Goodbye, 2014 post, IT WAS A GREAT YEAR! And I’m full of confidence that 2015 will be too.

I’ve never done a word, or words, for the year, but I saw some friends doing it and REALLY loved the idea. Ya’ll know I’m NEVER good at being concise, so obviously I couldn’t narrow it down to just one word. My words for this year are FIGHT and LOVE. At first glance the two may seen to be opposites, but for me they aren’t at all.

FIGHT – I want to passionately fight for myself and along with the Holy Spirit for my best life. Not some American dream best life, but a really believing Jesus is better and the better way to live, life that glorifies that Lord, life. I want to fight to live a holy and pure life in every was possible. I want to fight against my human nature, the flesh, like never before. This involves many things, but the biggest for this year is replacing habitual sin with a healthy stress relieving outlet that has proven to be the most effective thing (along with regular intimate time with Jesus) for me consistently resisting temptation- working out. Allow me to add a little note and say, this isn’t about rules or law or legalism or shoulds or shouldn’ts. This is about seeing the evidence in my own life that choosing to live a life that glorifies God, isn’t captive to sin, and fights to be pure is genuinely a more life-giving and better way to live. FIGHT!

LOVE – My human nature can be a B-word ya’ll. Living with roommates for the first time in four years is refining me like WHOA! At my worst I’m mean, selfish, caddy, snappy, and the list goes on. I want to REALLY strive to love the people I really do love, way better. I also want to love the people I don’t love (yet), my neighbors. God’s put me in this place for this time and I haven’t even met most of my dang neighbors! I also want to love my coworkers well, my friends well, my family well, and my gospel family well. LOVE!

I want to fight to love and I want to love to fight!

1. Forgive others and myself quickly. The struggle to harbor bitterness towards others and myself when they/I mess up, like all humans do, is REAL. (love and fight)

2. React less, think more. There is a beast inside me called snappiness and it is vicious (especially before coffee, when tired after work, and well, often). (love and fight)

3. Read more. Finish the books I’ve started. Attempt She Reads Truth Bible in a year plan. Read the blogs I follow more regularly. (fight)

4. Resist, fight, flee from temptation like never before by being dedicated to cardio as a healthy outlet. From calendar journaling over the last two years I have been able to see there is a major connection for me between working out and resisting temptation and habitual sin. The one time in the last two years they I most consistently resisted some sins that entangle me was when I was in a boot camp. Bring on the intense cardio! (FIGHT)

5. Be more loving and kind (to my roommates, my friends, my family, and my neighbors). (love)

6. Write more and learn to write at home and not need to be somewhere else. (fight)

7. Make wise choices with money. Tithe consistently. Save monthly. Buy less. (love and fight?)

8. Give away time, resources, and talents more liberally. Feed people, share with people, bake for people, and more. (love)

AND this year, I also copied my friend Megan, and added a goal for each month that are more specific ways to achieve my big goals. I love lists ya’ll. And I’m motivated by goals.

January: Workout every day in January and beyond, goal – 66 days, not counting exclusion days. Exclusion(s): work + church Wednesdays and travelling days (for a wedding I’m making cakes for). Finish Let’s All Be Brave by Annie Downs.

February: No drinking any sugar or artificial sugar. Exclusion(s): occasional hot cocoa on cold nights with roommates and pink coffee on Valentines Day. Finish Love Does by Bob Goff.

March: Bring neighbors and landlord baked goods. Clean out closet. Finish I Want God by Lisa Whittle.

April: Call a grandparent every Sunday. Finish 1000 Gifts. Make 32 things birthday list. Finish Make It Happen by Laura Casey.

May: Do 32 things (TBD, but for sure plant things, FINALLY make my fairy garden, and load a Starbucks card to gift Instagram followers with coffee). Finish A Million Little Ways by Emily Freeman.

June: Invite a different family from church to dinner every Thursday.

July: Make ice cream in my barely used ice cream maker every Saturday.

August: Write coworkers notes with a new school year survival happy.

September: Memorize a chapter of scripture to cling to for November and the holidays.

October: Bring neighbors and landlord pumpkin bread. Buy a stranger coffee every Monday at Starbucks (favorite month deserves a little cheer spreading!).

November: Master a new baked good and TBD (hard month so will need extra).

December: Send Christmas cards. Bring neighbors cookies.

Goodbye, 2014

January 6, 2015July 22, 2015Leave a comment

Of course I want to write about my 2015 goals (that’s coming next, possibly even today) and the hopefulness of a new year to live, but I couldn’t let 2014 go without some reflection. It was a year full of transition and new things, full of growth, and full of beauty. It ended with my all time favorite New Year’s Eve I’ve ever had. Fancy food, sparkly clothes, beautiful friends, sparkly beverages in fancy glasses, a photo booth, packs and packs of sparklers, and a sleepover. At our New Year’s Eve sleepover with the lights out, in our pjs, and laying on our floor beds (aka air mattresses, but floor beds sounds more Gossip Girl-esque fancy), we took turns verbally reflecting on 2014 and spoke our focus(es) for 2015 out loud. My short summary for 2014 was it was my best year yet and every year continues to get better.

Two days later I had to get out of the house to get my 2015 goals on paper and had a moment where I knew with every fiber of my being that 2015 was going to be another best year yet. Spoiler alert: One of my 2015 goals is to work out, like for real. I joined the gym three days before the new year and had been every day since (at the time four, now eight!). The rain, a little soreness in my legs, my cozy bed, more episodes of Gossip Girl to be watched, and my tummy ache all gave pretty convincing arguments to stay in. Once I got the the gym, more cars being there than I’d seen yet also argued for me to go back home. But I didn’t. Once upon a time going into a crowded gym would have terrified me. But I went. Then I took myself on a lunch/afternoon reading/writing date to McAlister’s during lunch rush hour. As I sat in a booth by myself with my books and journals and pens, excited and happy as can be, I realized that I would have never done that, or gone to a crowded gym by myself, a couple of years ago.

Jesus changes everything. There is nothing more empowering that to realize you’re not who you once were and though you could name a million things you want to work on, you like who you are now enough to confidently walk into a crowded gym by yourself or take yourself on a lunch date during lunch rush hour. The more I accept and embrace Jesus’s love for me, the more loving myself feels natural. No self help book or makeover could do that for me, only Jesus’s unconditional, relentless, scandalous love for me could. That is why every year since Jesus has captivated my love and affection continues to be the best year yet despite bad days, messy days, hard days, and giving up days. So before I post about my goals, hopes, and dreams for a new year, I want to remember and recap the great year that just ended.

2014 Things:

I went three months without a car and had to learn to depend on people and let people help me
I jumped on the Downton Abbey train, binge watched, made cute tea sandwiches while I watched, and then realized I could never binge watch a full hour long show with no commercials again and quit Downton Abbey.
I watched Frozen more times that I can even count and meant to write a series of blog posts called “Life Lessons From Frozen” but never finished them.
I wore my hair in the shape of a heart for Valentine’s day (and will probably do it again this year).
I saw a vehicle two cars in front of me try to shoot at another vehicle.
In January I notified the job I had worked at for three years that also happened to come with an apartment that I would no longer be working there as of May.
I freaked out a lot about not knowing what job I was going to have in May or where I was going to live or who I was going to live with.
I watched God answer tons of prayers for my fellow coworkers who were also leaving and myself about jobs and places to live.
I baked a lot of cookies and cupcakes for a lot of different things.
I got to pray with a sweet girl named Jasmynn as she decided that following Jesus was the best way to live her life.
I said goodbye to a job and season of life that I loved where I got the mentor some of the most amazing girls I’ve ever met and watch them grow because I knew God was telling me that it was time to move on.

I started a new job and moved into a HOUSE!
I turned 31 and had a magical fairy garden birthday party involving fairy snacks and watching Hook on a big sheet stapled to my house in the backyard.
I said “see you later” to people who had truly become my family and some of my best friends (my fellow RDs) as we all parted ways.
I watched God answer my prayers for roommates who would be like a family and provide accountability in unexpected ways (and get to live with two friends I’ve know for 10 and 12 years!).
I fell even more in love with my church family.
I liked a guy and he kind of maybe sometimes liked me back and we sort of went on dates that weren’t really dates and then I got confused and decided I liked being single more than being confused.
I experienced beautiful, deep, loving accountability.
I came back to Jesus a lot.
I learned more about living on mission and for the Gospel.
I met two new friends who are now my besties and I can’t imagine life without them.
I was a jerk, a lot.
I learned a lot about myself from living with people for the first time in 5ish years, and it was and continues to be a messy and refining journey.
I stopped being afraid of selfies.
I started wearing makeup semi-regularly as opposed to only on special occasions.
My nail polish collection traveled to the 300s and I finally stopped buying so much nail polish.
I got 5 new tattoos (current total is 9).
I had a freakish 3 day sickness where my lips and fingers turned blue.
I braved church on Father’s Day for the first time since I lost my dad.
I finally learned how to save money.
I started a college girls’ group with my roommate and aforementioned new besties to love on and invest in a younger generation of women.
I hosted a Welcome Autumn Party to ring in the first day of fall.
I acquired a really awesome firepit thanks to my brother and with my roommates created an amazing backyard space.
I had a lot of dinner dates, coffee dates, and girls’ nights with all the amazing ladies in my life.
I had another magical October 14th, one of the best yet.
I got asked to be in a fashion show (and chickened out).
I survived another November, my hard month.
I got to spend Christmas with another friend’s amazing family.
I WENT TO HARRY POTTER WORLD and took myself on my first real vacation as an adult.

I realized way more days than I didn’t that I love my life even with the hard stuff, even though I screw up, even though I’m single, I LOVE MY LIFE! I love my life because though I still stray from my Savior, I always go back. Though I still am a sinful mess, I don’t live in a pit of self-condemnation and shame anymore. I’m free. My life is abundantly full, the hard days make me aware of my need for my Savior, and that makes life beautiful.

Cheers to you 2014. You were a great year!

Thankful Thursday (Week 3)

November 20, 2014July 22, 20151 Comment

It’s Friday eve! Being crazy and attempting some more of this consistency with weekly thankfuls recap again (week 1 here, week 2 here). What has you feeling warm fuzzy thankfulness?

November 13th:

61. cold weather (I really love it!)

62. leggings

63. warm tortillas

64. a swanky new coffee tumbler

65. CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS (and the warm fuzzies they give me)

November 14th:

66. a solo three hour road trip for maximum car singing time

67. Total Woman U (our meeting tonight, our mission, the team aka my family, our goals and dreams, etc)

68. hugs

69. the Holy Spirit

70. that my phone didn’t die when I dropped I in my soup at dinner.

November 15th:

71. chapstick

72. joggers (trendy name for baggy but somehow cute-ish sweat pants)

73. meeting people who really live for the gospel by doing things like uprooting their comfortable lives to live on mission in an area most people would be fearful of

74. blueberry scones

75. being with non-pretentious amazing friends while encountering pretentious hipsters.

November 16th:

76. hearing Myles Manuel pray for his future adopted sister and brother at children’s church this morning

77. Hazel cuddles

78. help from my roommate in the kitchen for the Thanksgiving dinner for our college girls (as well as company from her and her sister while I did my least favorite chore – hanging clothes)

79. hosting a house full of people (14!)

80. that so many of the college girls we get to hang out with came to Arise this morning and to our Thanksgiving dinner tonight

November 17th:

81. my red coat

82. She Reads Truth

83. an understanding boss

84. therapeutic tears

85. heated car seats

November 18th:

(Note: November 18th was the anniversary of my dad’s death. I wanted to attempt to be extra thankful on a hard day.)

86. the texts, facebook messages, and prayers of so many friends

87. an amazing department who understands that grief is worthy of a sick day too

88. hot cocoa with peppermint marshmallows (PINK HOT COCOA)

89. a cozy sweatshirt

90. friends who make me plan a dinner to celebrate my dad at the place he always wanted to go when he came to visit me in Clinton, MargaritERs (yep, that’s how he said it)

91. how my dad selflessly took care of so many people

92. that my dad gave his life to Jesus and prayed for me and my brother everyday

93. that my dad taught me to save money (even though I just recently put it into practice) and avoid credit cards (I’d be terrible at them)

94. that my dad never gave up on people

95. that I never stop missing my dad regardless of the years that pass by without him

November 19th:

96. pumpkin donut muffins

97. blogging mojo

98. the warm fuzzies writing provides

99. my new tiny bow necklace, Wednesday nights (Missional community AND friend Nashville watching)

100. unexpected happy mail

Creamy Kale Dip

November 19, 2014July 22, 2015Leave a comment

A few “fun” facts:

1. It’s been so long since I’ve posted a recipe, I had to go in search of the last recipe I posted to remember how I format recipe posts.

2. (insert dramatic pause with gasps and lots of exaggerated dot dot dots)…

This is the first recipe I’ve posted in 2014…

… (we needed some dramatic extra dot dot dots here)

… IT’S NOVEMBER! And not just November, but November 19th. What the heck?! I AM SORRY!

3. The last time I even kind of posted a recipe was on September 20th, 2013. Even then, it was just linking to one of my recipes posted somewhere else.

4. The last real recipe I posted was on July 13th, 2013.

5. That was 1 year and 4 months ago. That was 495 days ago. That was 70 weeks ago. (Who knew the internet had a date calculator to insert dramatic unnecessary facts.) That was several job interviews, another job, another house, hundreds of cupcakes, over a thousand cookies, way too many pictures of food, unimaginable pounds of butter and cartons of eggs, and a feature article in a food magazine ago.

6. This is a food blog. Apparently food blog is a loose term and doesn’t always include food. Or anything. Oops.

I AM SO SORRY! I know I don’t have to apologize to you, but I’m apologizing to me too! I have 16 posts saved in my drafts that I never finished and 500 pictures saved on my phone and on clouds that I never used. Let’s call 2014 the year of transition and the year that I got lost. It was a GREAT year, I hope to write more about just how great it was. But it was busy year. A busy busy busy year. A year where I prided myself on not following other people’s rules, loved myself more than I ever have, and loved my life more than I ever have. But it was also a year where I felt like blogging had too many rules I thought I had to follow and therefore not enough time to make perfect posts to fit into perfect rules. Not the right backgrounds, not the right lighting, not healthy enough, not decadent enough, not unique enough, too wordy, not enough words, too shallow, too deep, too broad, not broad enough, and so on.

Today, I just want a recipe. And so I’m going to.

If you’re a post college grad (aka old enough to want to contribute) but still the younger generation in your family like me (aka still the niece/nephew, granddaughter/grandson, daughter/son, etc. and not one of the matriarchs/patriarchs of the family), it’s likely all of the staple holiday dishes are claimed with white knuckles and when you ask what you can bring they tell you ice, cups, or canned cranberry sauce. I declare that instead of getting our own white knuckles in a passionate speech about how you’re an adult now and want to contribute too (maybe I’m the only one who has such speeches prepared), just bring that ice or those cups, and some non-claimed dish to knock their socks off and do all the talking for you (no speeches required).

If they assign you cranberry sauce, make your own dang homemade cranberry sauce (I’ve been using this recipe for years, and now it’s MY claimed staple). Bring a seemingly fancy secretly easy fall side dish they’ve never thought of (like pumpkin spiced roasted butternut squash or spicy roasted brussel sprouts with cranberries and toasted pecans). Bake a fall flavored dessert that’s not pie (I’m bringing pumpkin cobbler this year and giving you a pumpkin spice trifle recipe soon). And my favorite idea, MAKE THE APPS! Appetizers, not to be confused with applications. Appetizers are frequently forgotten for holiday feasts, especially Thanksgiving. But what a great idea! Instead of everyone having to sneak bites of turkey behind Mr. Protector of the Turkey’s back while waiting for the Mr. and Mrs. Always Late, be the Miss Thanksgiving Hero with your apps!

Creamy Kale Dip

Servings: LOTS
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: EASY
Print

INGREDIENTS (IN ORDER OF USAGE):

1 16 oz bag chopped kale
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons minced garlic (the kind in a jar), divided
1 cup fat free mayo (It exists! Kraft brand with a red cap. If you are a mayo snob, it’s in a recipe mixed with other things and is not the main star, so just try it, or go for full fat if you must.)
1 cup fat free plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1/2 cup reduced fat parmesan cheese (the kind you shake on pizza)
3 green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons hot sauce

DIRECTIONS:

Saute kale in two batches. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of garlic, distribute around pan, then add half of the kale. Saute for about 3-5 minutes tossing it with tongs until all the leaves are turning a bright green color. Don’t overcook! You just want to bring out the brightness of the kale and infuse it with the garlic and olive oil. Set first batch aside on a baking sheet lined with paper towels and repeat with remaining oil, 1 more teaspoon of garlic, and the rest of the kale. Put the second batch on another baking sheet lined with paper towels to dry.

Mix mayo, greek yogurt, sour cream, parmesan, last teaspoon of garlic, seasonings, and spices together in a large bowl. Set aside. With more paper towels, squeeze out any excess natural waters from the kale. Use a food processor (or a good knife and elbow grease) to chop the kale up finely. Mix finely chopped kale with creamy mixture. Add liquid hot sauce to taste, probably about 2 teaspoons to give it a good kick. Let chill for at least an hour. Hollow out a bread bowl to serve it in for extra fun flare. Serve with carrot chips, celery, bell pepper sticks, crackers, or bread cubes.

Note: I made this for a friend gathering with girls and guys, and everyone loved it and didn’t believe it was healthy!

Thankful Thursday (Week 2)

November 14, 2014July 22, 2015Leave a comment

Happy almost Friday! Just attempting some consistency and my weekly thankfuls recap again (week 1 here). What has you feeling warm fuzzy thankfulness?

November 6th:

26. the big truck in front of me on the way to work this morning that stirred up a magical trail of leaves to flutter in front of me all the way to Hinds

27. technology like myfitnesspal and pedometer apps that make making healthier choices seem less overwhelming

28. project starfish

29. 105.1’s 24/7 Christmas music

30. realizing in my blogging absence somehow my page views crossed the 200,000 mark (WHAT?!).

November 7th:

31. gold glitter pointy toe flats that cost $9

32. crisp air

33. that I live in the real life version of Stars’ Hollow

34. the ability to fight lies

35. a cozy bed

November 8th:

36. new dangly earrings

37. NEW FLOORS

38. house groceries being finished until after thanksgiving

39. cutest picture with Hazel Taylor ever

40. Harry Potter themed birthday parties

November 9th:

41. how free I feel to weep on Sundays with my gospel family

42. that bath and body works makes candles that smell like hugging attractive men (mahogany teakwood, sparkling icicles, black tie, sweater weather, flannel, etc) AND that they are 2 for $22 right now

43. a roommate teamwork productive afternoon getting our house back together after renovations,

44. crockpots (and the best/easiest potato soup recipe ever)

45. God giving me a prayer inspired by the message today to pray through these not so easy grief days and holiday days of missing my dad. “I pray that I would stay in my pain and grief, standing in your glory, clinging to the faith and hope that you are better, instead of running to and back to temptations that entangle, numb, and hide the pain.”

November 10th:

46. the cure for most ailments and aches being rest and the luxury of having a job that comes with sick time to partake of healing rest (made my back mad at me, no biggie, it’s feeling better now)

47. clean sheets

48. dinner at the table

49. Tyler Florence (he is a beautiful man to watch cook)

50. planning holiday party/meal food offerings

November 11th:

51. new mercies

52. friends I can reach out to about ugly temptations who never judge but rise up to pray and fight with me

53. positive responses to a cheesy work thanksgiving brunch idea/email

54. an accountability group that’s so life giving that even when I think I don’t want to go or talk because I’m too emotional and having a heavy grief day, I still go because we love each other in our messes so much that I can talk and cry and they love and give and ask the right questions that make me feel loved and never judged

55. for the patience of amazing roommates who handle my moods and ocd tendencies way more graciously than I deserve!

Side note: I’m quite thankful that so many of my thankfuls are about the amazing people in my life. Today was an unexpectedly emotionally hard day grief day (that I’m actually also thankful for) and precisely the reason why I needed to establish a pattern of focusing on giving thanks for big things, small things, deep things, and silly things.

November 12th:

56. how beautiful Clinton Raymond road is on my drive to and from work

57. recipe creativity success

58. memories

59. that googling deskercise produced lots of ideas that have now left me a little sore

60. cvs clearance nail polish

Thankful Thursday (Week 1)

November 6, 2014July 22, 2015Leave a comment

Remember that time I used to post things on my blog? Oops.

Hey y’all, my long lost blog and the few people who didn’t give up on me and still read my words. I could say a bunch of things about the lack of posting and make promises I probably can’t keep, but I won’t. I’m just gonna say…

Hey. I missed you. How are you? Let’s be friends again.

Also, remember that time I posted this post about thankfulness last January and had big dreams of being intentionally thankful all year? For the most part that didn’t happen guys. I will say that “project” helped me focus on positivity vs. negativity, which is a total victory to celebrate. BUT, as far as intentionally taking time to be consistently thoughtfully thankful for things big and small, it didn’t happen.

It’s November, so naturally people are on the thankful bandwagon again. At first, I resisted. But, I decided I don’t want to miss an opportunity to be intentionally thankful for a month even if it’s trendy, cliche, or cheesy. Who the heck cares?! Taking time to shift how we think about life and add positivity is good for us whether it’s a bandwagon thing or not. My “make your own rules” mentality tries to skip bandwagons sometimes, but sometimes, it’s also just called pride. November is a hard month for me, my hardest (anniversary of my Dad’s death + holiday season without him). I started to post ALL of this, and my catching up for the days I resisted, on Facebook. But something about it felt more flashy than genuine and less like an accountability effort to actually do it and more about showing off my list making skills.

Therefore, today I’m sharing my catching up list and my goals with you guys. Somehow this feels more genuine and I’m okay with that. My goal is five thankfuls a day. I will be writing them in my journal and possibly posting them on Facebook most days. Why Facebook? Well, I like sharing and think social media if used correctly (not as a crutch, not as an isolation tool, not as false sense of community/community substitute, not as an addiction, and not to compare or be mean) can make our community richer and help spur one another one. I also might post them as a weekly round up here. Maybe I’ll steal the clever and catchy Thankful Thursday. Maybe. Regardless of where I share, or if I share, or if I skip a few days or a week, my goal isn’t to check it off my to do list, though I do love a good check mark. My goal is to preach positivity to myself in a month that comes with some pain and heartache. My goal is to be thankful for deep things and shallow things, big things and small things, fun things, silly things, growth things, hard things, ALL THE THINGS! Join me if you wish, but if anytime is a time to intentionally give thanks, November kind of easily sets itself up for that in America, but for me personally, my November needs this. And now, let’s catch up!

November 1st:

1. new tattoos/tattoo viewing crew

2. the Babalu burger

3. the coolest temperatures of fall so far

4. Mallory and how pleasant and fun she makes getting new tattoos

5. a working heater

November 2nd:

6. a church family that serves together

7. being in dirty “work clothes” at McAlisters amongst lots of “church clothes”

8. cast iron skillets

9. cheap apple season

10. our growing group of college girls

November 3rd:

11. caramel brulee lattes

12. red cups at Starbucks

13. meal planning

14. days of the week notepads

15. a fun night with my roommates

November 4th:

16. colorful fountain pens

17. my new lunch box

18. Dollar General lunch breaks (it’s the only store I’m not scared to go in in Raymond and I actually love it)

19. texts from my best friend

20. my amazing DNA group

November 5th:

21. breakfast meetings at Chick-Fil-A

22. work encouragement/purpose

23. #fireworkpeople

24. seeing Arise Church traditions form (2nd Halloween party and 2nd Rake it to the Streets just happened and super pumped about our 2nd Thanksgiving dinner for people in our community)

25. looking temptation in the face and saying no, you don’t win today!

Meal Planning 101: Week 53 and Fresh at Five Week 2

June 17, 2014July 22, 20151 Comment

Decided to put my meal plan and Farmers’ Market update in one! I use things I buy from the market in my meal planning, so it made sense. 🙂 I’ll note what things I bought at the market or what things you can buy at the market.

Monday:

Leftover crockpot roast, veggies (take advantage of local fresh veggies from the market), rice, and gravy

Tuesday:

French dip sandwiches (using leftover pot roast) with roasted squash and zucchini (can be purchased at the market)

Wednesday:

I’m hosting Missional Community this week! We’ll be having a taco bar with several ingredients from the market!

Thursday:

Grilled salmon, grilled corn on the cob, and grilled stuffed peppers (peppers can be purchased at the market)

Friday:

Salmon mango salsa tacos, spicy black beans, mango salsa avocado salad, and baked tortilla chips

Saturday:

Leftovers

Sunday:

Buffalo chicken wrap and roasted sweet potato wedges

Extras:

Lunches – tuna salad

Baking – summer bread puddings

Every Tuesday (weather permitting) on Jefferson Street in Clinton, MS!

This week’s vendors are:

Love’s Hawaiian Shaved Ice and Snacks – shaved ice
Chuck Jones – blueberries
Smoothie King – smoothie samples
Eat Cities – sauces and rubs
Kazery Farm –
T & R Dairy Farm – hormone free beef, milk, artisan cheeses, cheese spreads
Lee Lee’s Garden – plants and seedlings
Dad’s Disappearing Salsa – salsa and dip mixes
Amber Farms – tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, eggplant
Mississippi Cold Drip – Iced coffee, iced chai, coffee and chai concentrate
Simple Woods and Produce
Kasia’s Kitchen – sweet tea and lemonade
Benet Luchion – botanicals
Boyd Farms – squash, zucchini, peppers, eggs, tomatoes
Grumpy Dave’s Kettle Corn – kettle corn, caramel corn, local honey
Lilee’s Gourmet Bakery – baked goods
LaRose Freshest Produce – kale, squash, zucchini
Pickled Pickin’s – pickled things, salsa
The High Heeled Hippie – cherry tomatoes, red, white, and gold potatoes, baby squash, mint and other herbs, beets and carrots

This week’s fun extras are:

Live music by violinist Redin Spann
Canning demonstration by the MSU Extension Service
Cooking demonstration using market ingredients by Marsha Barham, former Viking Cooking School Director
Tote giveaway to Friends of the Market
Best of Sweet Tea with a Flavorful Twist competition

Follow the Mainstreet Clinton Facebook page for more info!

Meal Planning 101: Week 52

June 11, 2014July 23, 2015Leave a comment

Okay so I’m officially really late posting this, but I had to post it anyway because I actually did it and it’s week 52! I’ve officially given you a years worth of meal plans. It took me more than a year to get there, but I’ll call that a mile stone. I had a fight with some freakish sickness that the doctor never figured out Thursday-Friday and was still weak through Monday. As a result, everything was a bit hectic, and this was late!

I actually made that crockpot meal last night, but ended up having friends come in town. I was scared I didn’t have enough to feed all 5 of us! So we went out to eat. Therefore everything is getting bumped down so you’ll see that grilled things meal on next weeks too. The meal plan with adjustments is as follows: