Life

I love life! Naturally - I love it when it's smooth sailing, but I'm learning to be grateful for the tough times as well because I am confident God will bring something good out of every challenge. 

{pic from last year working with my cousin on THIS project}

Perspective is so important. I could be down at the moment, but I'm praising God that I'm not! Totally out of my control, scary life situation going on at the moment-- He gives the strength to look forward. If you had told me the past wk's events would be today's reality this time last year - I would have told you you had the wrong address. I'm hesitant to share too much since this is a public blog, but let's just say it was an intense week. 

A friend read me this quote today (I think it's Corrie Ten Boone- paraphrased) and it is so uplifting! 

"Worry does not solve tomorrow's problems, it empties today of it's strength."

And, then this quote reminds me of one of my favorite phrases from the book of Isaiah: "Fear not - there is nothing to fear!" and then the rest of the verse goes on to say, 

"...for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My (victorious) right hand of rightness and justice." 

What are your favorite life quotes?

I threw together a spinach salad with organic tomatoes and purple cabbage to take to the office for lunch. :)



My sister bought me a treat - a kombucha drink! If it weren't for the price tag, I could definitely be addicted to these things! Kristen picked me out the multi-green flavor (can't imagine how in the world she knew I like greens . . . :P) This one had both spirulina and chlorella in it, too.

I went straight from work to a birthday party this evening. :) So fun!!! Um . . . yeah - this homemade chocolate cake was AMAZING!

For lunch today, a nutrition packed salad w/ an oil based dressing, apple slices w/ sun butter, and 2 carrots dipped in hummus made up the plate. :)

I worked out yesterday - slightly sore but not too bad :P A 3 mile run is the list for tomorrow! So, this post begs the question - What are you most grateful for in your life today? 

Peanut Butter Cups

This has got to be one of the most fun (and delicious!) recipes - ever! I'm a chocolate lover (what girl isn't?!) so this just seemed "natural". :P

I'm taking advantage of the fall season and using tons of pumpkin. :) Pumpkin is great because it's high in fiber and low in fat.

There's ground nutmeg for spice in this recipe. :) 

You're getting antibacterial properties with this that helps to fight against bad breath. Check your toothpaste - you might be surprised to see that nutmeg is sometimes used as an ingredient. Nutmeg can be effective in fighting the bad bacteria that can build up in the mouth as a result of an imbalanced gut! 

Filling the cups with the delicious peanut butter/pumpkin mixture!

Ingredients

2 cups dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup pumpkin
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

(be sure to have some mini muffin tins and papers on hand)

Directions

1. Melt the chocolate on low heat over the stove. Line the mini muffin tin papers w/ about 1 - 1/2 tsp of the melted chocolate. Be sure the "paint" the chocolate on the sides of the paper and giving it a sturdy base. 
2. Stick your chocolate muffin pan in the refrigerator to let the chocolate harder while you mix up the filling.
3. Taste the filling to be sure it's spiced to your liking.
4. Once chocolate is set, fill the middle w/ the pumpkin & peanut butter mixture - try to avoid the edges.
5. Remelt the left over chocolate if necessary and top the pumpkin mixture off.
6. Freeze until hard. 
7. Enjoy!

This recipe is supposed to yield 2 dozen but I got closer to 15 out of it. I guess it depends on what size you end up making them :-) They're yummy!!! 

{Recipe credit goes to Domestic Fit}

I am very happy with the end rsesult!!!! It's fun to make a traditional candy (Reeses peanut butter cups} into something just a little but healthier. :-)

And, since it's Friday - we have 3 winners for the So Delicious Dairy-Free coupons!!!!

Thanks everyone for participating in the So Delicious giveaway. :-) I hope you enjoy these peanut butter cups and have a great wk-end!

Simple Healthy Salads

I've been enjoying simple healthy salads over the last few days. :) All you need are a few lettuce leaves, some chopped red onion & some classic humus to replicate this one!

I mixed up some whole wheat pumpkin bread last night. First loaf of the year! It made a nice addition to today's lunch. :)

Kale smoothie for breakfast this morning! I ran 2.4 miles as my workout before this yummy treat. :)

Lunch date yesterday. :-) We were dining at a good ole fashioned, country cookin' place so there weren't many healthy options, but that was okay :P

I eat healthy most of the time (notice I didn't say all of the time :P) so it's not something I worry about when I can't. But, it was interesting to me how some of the worst things you could possibly eat were towards the top - price wise. I think my meal of the cheapest of all and it was one of the healthiest things available :P

Bean soup and a side salad make a delicious & nutritious supper!

Using up those killer of a deal mushrooms! If you're the grocery shopper for your household you'll faint to know that these were $1 for a huge pack. Yep, that's right!!! They're normally 5 or $6. Ahhh! Love it when I can enjoy healthy food for a great bargain!

{I love living on a farm!}

The day was overcast, a little rainy and then topped off with a dynamic sunset that made you stop and say "wow". I'm always amazed at how quickly beautiful sunsets disappear. If you don't look fast - you'll miss it! To me, it's a reminder to be grateful for the blessings in my life - today. Right here, now now.

Tomorrow is not a guarantee. Several of my friends were together in a car yesterday and were almost killed as they were pulling a trailer, it starting fish-tailing, and the driver lost control. The car rolled multiple times and several of my friends were thrown from the vehicle. If you could see a picture of the accident scene you would not believe that they all made it out alive. From the looks of the car, it's a miracle that everyone is going to be okay. They have some serious healing to do but they will be fine. So, I am praising God for His mercies today! I am sobered at the thought of how brief life is, but I am also encouraged because as scary as this situation was - God used it to prove Himself great. It is evidence that there is a God in heaven that sovereignly orchestrates everything for His glory and the good of His children.

~

Today is the last day to sign-up for the So Delicious giveaway! I will announce the winners tomorrow!!! See you then. :) 

How was your day? Do you have any favorite simple healthy salads recipes? 

Starting the Week

Welcome, October! I'm so glad you're here and can't wait to fully embrace the cool, crisp evenings you will undoubtedly present us with. I'm anticipating the trees releasing their glory and the sound of fallen leaves crunching beneath cute riding boots. And, just the thought of watching majestic sunsets painted in bright shades of orange, pink and yellow disappear beyond the tree tops while sipping some hot spiced tea makes me smile. Ahh, yes - I'm glad it's October. :)

I got up early this morning - a great way to start off one of my most favorite months! I hopped on the treadmill just after 6am (after devotions and prayer) running for 30 minutes and covering 3.4 miles.



I had class this morning after a delicious strawberry/spinach smoothie for breakfast {sorry, no photo!}, and then onto the day's work. :)

I threw together some "overnight" oats on my way out the door this morning because for some reason or another (even though I was up before 5:30) I was feeling the crunch for time. :P It make a delicious lunch alongside an apple and PB. :)

To make the oats, it's just 2 parts oats to 1 part water. From there you can add whatever you want! Maple syrup for sweetener, chopped bananas and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, etc)



For supper, I made a simple salad. Harris Teeter has a fantastic deal on mushrooms right now. Just $1 for a huge pack!

This picture is from last Friday night's supper. Homemade granola served on the side w/ wild salmon and a green salad. I have to do a recipe post on this granola for you guys soon. Amazing!!! It's my sister's recipe - simply out of this world and I think you would really like it.

I hope your week is off to a fantastic start!!! Please comment and let me know how you spent this first day of October and what was special about it. :) 

Lactose Free: So Delicious Giveaway

As promised, here is another exciting giveaway! So Delicious sent me 3 free product coupons to share with my readers. How sweet is that?! {See below for your chance to win}

I've know about the So Delicious company for a few years now and I have to say it was love at first bite. :) I'm trying to remember what I tasted first - it was probably the ice cream!

What I like most about the So Delicious company is that they're dairy free! This takes the worry out of wondering where the milk came from, how the cows were handled, pasteurization issues, etc. Plus, I seem to to just plain feel better when I eat natural ingredients versus cow's milk and refined sugar for a dessert. A win, win :)

I also want to point out that some of their products are certified gluten-free for those of you with gluten-intolerances. They are really big into the coconut ingredient, too, which I love!

So Delicious offers Dairy-Free:  

• Coconut milk yogurts
• Coconut milk "ice creams"
• Greek yogurts
• Coconut milk creamers
• Almond milk beverages
• Almond milk ice creams
• Almond yogurts
• They also have soy milk ice creams

I like to use the So Delicious cultured coconut milk as a thickener and probiotic source for my green smoothies. :) 

The giveaway starts now! I will select and announce THREE winners 1 wk from today (that's Fri, Oct 5)! Each selected winner will received one (1) So Delicious free product coupon valued at $11. What a treat! Literally. I can't wait to see which 3 of you will win! Ooh -- anticipation, anticipation. :-)

So Delicious is sponsoring this giveaway and the only request they have for entry requirements is that each participate either  Like the So Delicious on FB or follow them on Twitter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway I'm interested to know how if you have tried any of the So Delicious products before so comment and let know. :) Have a great weekend!

Homemade Lasagna for Dinner!

I hadn't made a homemade lasagna in what felt like forever until today! The perfect comfort food for a lovely fall day. :) I love how having friends over for dinner gives me the perfect excuse to make a special dish!

I prepped ahead yesterday by frying up the meat, making today a little easier. :-)

The layering station! I wanted to try something a bit different than the norm today so I used a beef/sausage combo as part of my meat mixture, going off this recipe as a guideline {click here}.

I doubled this recipe because the event this was for was quite the crowd! But, you can adjust the measurements to suit your needs, if you decide to try it. :)

I also made some light wheat rolls to go along side. Here they are gettin' ready to go in the oven!

The finished product! Light and fluffy, if I do say so myself. :) They're about 1/2 wheat flour & 1/2 white flour. If you're interested in the recipe, here's the link. Pretty much the only thing I changed was the white sugar for sucanat sugar.

I had a little extra dough on hand and had the brilliant idea of turning it into a pan of sweet rolls :P The filling consists of butter, cinnamon & honey w/ a shake of nutmeg and a few chopped pecans. Yum!

I had a nice green salad @ lunch topped w/ seasoned black beans a Bubbies pickle. :)

And, this was supper! I served the lasagna along side a large spinach/romaine salad and topped with lots of nutritious goodness: yellow bell pepper, sprouts & cherry tomatoes. Tried to get some color variety in there :P

Nothing quite like a bowl of candy corn to add the finishing touches to your decorations this time of year. :)

Dessert was freshly baked cookies (whole wheat & coconut sugar) w/ a scoop of chocolate and vanilla ice cream. Such a treat!

So, this evening's meal doesn't rank among the the healthiest I've ever made but I'm OK w/ that. :) Special occasions are just that - special. They're not everyday. It's what we do most of the time not occasionally that makes us up. I'm becoming convinced that the daily habits are life changing. After all, it's the little things that make up those big things - right?

It's a rest day for me workout wise. I'm sore from yesterday's squats & lunges. :P The guests just left, full & happy. The edifying conversation was stimulating and enjoyable for all. So thankful for good friends!

What are you thankful for today? Are you a lasagna lover, too? Comment and let me know!

Welcome Week

I feel refreshed and invigorated! Don't you just love those weekends that propel you into the coming week?! And, I'm so excited about this wonderful fall weather at the moment - you'd think I was a little girl at Christmas time! 

My day was kicked off bright and early w/ time with God, reading my Bible and prayer. My day seems to go much better when it's started right! After devotions, it was onto my workout before breakfast. I ran for 25 minutes and covered 2.8 miles. Getting better but still a ways to go. :) 

This pic is from Saturday's supper. It was so good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fresh lettuce leaves with carrot shavings, homemade BBQ chicken, and a zucchini/onion medley. 

There are still plenty of apples laying around here and it would be impossible to eat them all! With that in mind, all sorts delicious tempting desserts are being dish up. :P Apple crisp was a recent luxury- ah, yum!

Saturday I made a quadruple recipe of pumpkin muffins. I know that sounds like a lot, but I promise - they weren't all for me. :P A dear friend just had a baby and healthy food makes a great gift so I sent some to her. I also made some for my grandma, gave some more away to another friend and figured the rest would make quick & easy options for breakfasts this week.

Sunday evening we let our hair down and made pizzas. :)

I put mushrooms on my sandwich today, along w/ tomato, red onion and some organic leafy lettuce. Yum!

It was SO refreshing! One of the best lunches ever - I need to do this one again! This afternoon felt very productive; I always love it when I get that feeling. :-)

Once I got home from work, I was itching to go outside but made myself practice music, first. Not that I don't love music too (I absolutely do!), but the beautiful outdoor weather was calling my name today. :) Thankfully, I got to spend some time out on the farm right before dinner enjoying it! The temp here is perfecto!!! I know I would say I wish it was like this all the time, but then I probably wouldn't appreciate it so I'm glad for the variety the different seasons bring. :)

Supper this evening was delish! A bean soup with a side of freshly baked muffins. Thanks, Mom!

I've still a few things to finish up before I hit the sack in a couple of hrs so I'd better scoot. I hope you've all enjoyed a wonderful day!  See you soon. :) Stay tuned for another giveaway coming up soon (hopefully later this wk)!