Saying for the Day (or Decade?)

My co-worker reminded me of a wonderful quote that I think we all need to be reminded of from time to time:

 

"It's not about what you own,

it's about what you value."

-- unknown author

 

I hope we all are able to focus on what we value most today.

 

Have a wonderful Thursday.

Project Inspiration

 

So I have these jars.

Cute right?

They are sampler jars of jam from Knotts Berry Farm (super yummy jam if you've never had it). I just love them. They are so precious, but theres just one problem..

 

I dont know what to do with them :(

 

To understand the scale of these tiny jars, here's a picture of them with a Gala Apple:

 

 

If you were in possession of these cute, little jars, what would you do with them??

Fall is Here!

I don't know about you, but fall is exciting to me. It's such a wonderful time to reflect on God's beautiful creation as the seasons change and a variety of colors spread across the landscape. The air starts to get a little crisper and if you live in the Northwest, it starts to rain more frequently. I don't know about you, but I love the smell of rain-- and the sound is so relaxing.



via Verizon Mobile

It's also that time of year when you reach for your warm beverage and hold it close (if you've never done this, you really need to try it. It makes your warm beverage that much better). Chai lattes, pumpkin spice, hot cocoa.. yum!

Let me know what your fall favorites are!

Also, if you're feeling the fall check out this blog called OneYoungLove. She has a special fall give-away!!!

Happy Fall <3

Idea #13: Pumpkin White Hot Chocolate

So I found this recipe on Home and Hearth and thought it was worth a share. I don't know about you but nothing quite gets me excited for fall like pumpkins. Anything pumpkin and my ears start to perk up and I'm intrigued.

So it's not surprising that as I fumble along through pinterest (yes, a guilty pleasure), I'm stopping and pinning everything pumpkin. I even made a board called "pumpkin"...

Enough about pinterest..

This recipe looks delightful and it surprisingly doesn't even look that bad for you (can you say a guilt-free dessert/beverage?!) I even wonder, to make it a little more guilt free if you tried it with dark chocolate instead of white.

Let me know if you give it a try! I'll most likely be making one this weekend :o)

from Home and Hearth

Idea #12: BBQ Chicken Tacos

Last night we (my boyfriend and I) were planning on having burgers for dinner. When we got home from work, we realized that the beef was still in the freezer. If you're like us, you're ready for dinner and looking for something quick, and not having the meat defrosted puts a damper on that. We took this opportunity to look at what was waiting to be eaten in the fridge and pantry.. left overs, sandwiches, cereal, etc.

 

I discovered 2 defrosted chicken breasts just waiting to be cooked. I took this opportunity to be a little adventureous. If you know me, at least lately, I've been glued to recipes, especially new ones, and feeling a little lost in the imagination of cooking. I've been nervous to experiment with mixing ingredients together on the account of "what if it tastes aweful and we're stuck with eating the rest of it for dinner" -- a little negative, I know.

 

We'll last night was different. I decided to have a little fun and hope for the best..

 

Here are some other ingredients I tossed in:

 

1/2 green pepper

1/2 red onion

1 lime

1/4 cup cilantro (guestimate)

1/3 cup BBQ sauce (of your choice)

 

I started by adding about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and the diced red onion to a skillet on medium heat. While I was waiting for the oil mixture to heat up, I sliced the chicken breasts into about 1/2 inch strips (so that they were easy to put into tacos AND cooked faster). I added the chicken to the skillet and squeezed the juice from the lime on top. Once the chicken was browned on both sides (about 7 or so minutes), I added the diced green peppers, cilantro, and BBQ sauce to the chicken mixture. Once added, I covered the skillet until the mixture was boiling. I then reduced the heat to low for another 5 minutes.

 

While this was wrapping up, i gathered together some toppings. I diced a small tomato, chopped up some lettuce and pulled out some cheese. We also heated up our tortillas by wrapping them in a damp paper towel individually and microwaving them for about 20 seconds.

 

And that it!! I think it turned out fantastic and my boyfriend even told me that it was really good.. even without me asking :o)

 

Let me know if you give this a try and let me know how yours turns out!!

Happy Tuesday!

Idea #11: Sweet Potato Hummus

I love reading Kayla Danelle's blog! I'm always either inspired, learn something new, and/or find something interesting to think about. I think her blog was my first real inspiration for things Paleo and got my wheels turning. I'm also LOVING the book that she suggested.. more on that later.

Today she posted about her weekend and linked to some of her older posts of recipes that she had found. I'm totally going to give them a try but one in particular I'm going to have to try tonight! It originates from SpoonForkBacon.com called Sweet Potato Hummus! Something tells me I'm going to love it!!

I'll let you know what I think and maybe even have some pictures to follow!

Eating Clean

Let's face it.. eating healthy isn't always fun. It can also be very time consuming; especially when what's quick is a drive through (sometimes that's even too long). But once you've consumed that very delicous food, it sets in and you feel gross. At least I do if I'm honest with myself.



A couple months ago I started doing some research about the "Paleo Diet". The concept seems great and very inspiring. I've even been trying to cut out the processed sugars and some carbs -- full Paleo would be a huge jump for me. My problem is that eating plain chicken and veggies is boring. I like to spice things up, but when it comes down to dinner time and I'm staring at my defrosted chicken thinking "what am I going to do with you"....

nothing seems to inspire me at that moment.

Today I was checking out a tweet from Heath Magazine (@goodhealth). I clicked on the link and found 8 ways to boost flavor! I know the ideas are simple but they can be the starting point to something better.. and a great source of inspiration.

What are some of your inspirational ingredients or go to spices and herbs?

Staying Cool

Today (here in Salem) it will be over 100 degrees! In my apartment we have no air conditioning so staying cool is a problem. Here are some ideas to think about for today (and tomorrow):

• Homemade Popsicles (try this recipe from Craft Berry Brush)
• Ice Cream
• Swimming in a pool
• Coast (or beach for those of you in Cali)
• White Water Rafting
• Floating a river
• Water skiing

There's a short list to help get you thinking!
Happy Thursday!

Idea #10: E-reader Sleeve!

So this last Christmas, I got a Nook Simple Touch as a present. I was so very excited about it (and am still excited about it) but I wanted to make sure I had a super cute cover for it. I looked online at pre-made ones and none of them were super exciting or said "This is Lindsay". Being the crafty one, I decided to look for the perfect pattern and fabric!

Almost 8 months later... still no e-reader sleeve or cover :(.

This last weekend, however, I took the Sleep in Your Own Bed Retreat with Sweet Treasures which meant that I would need a pattern. It was time to get serious and find a pattern! Looking through pinterest (one of the greatest inspirational sites ever-- also EXTREMELY addicting) I found this pattern from Birdiful Stitches! It was relatively easy to follow and I got the whole project done in one day!

Here's the finished product:

 

I hope you feel inspired for your next project!

Idea #9: My Hero

I stumbled across Beth's wonderful reminder today on her blog Epiphany. She was talking about who our hero really is. You can read her story here, which I highly recommend.

It's funny how when we feel like there is something missing in our lives, we look everywhere else to find what we can do or use to fill it; it can be a person, thing, or even a hobby. But the reality is, God wants us to be apart of Him. I challenge all of you (including myself) to spend more time in His Word this week getting to know your hero better.

Let me know how your week goes!