Month: March 2022

What is Your Best?

What is Your Best?

Do your best. We hear this statement often. And what does it mean? Feeling you did your best should enable you to go to sleep at night feeling fulfilled and satisfied with the activities you engaged in that day. Wanting to do your best encourages you to put forth the effort needed to meet your goals. How do you define your best? The answer depends on your individual goals and gets harder to navigate the more you look outside yourself for the meaning.

Let it hurt, then let it heal

Let it hurt, then let it heal

Let it hurt, then let it heal.  There’s nothing wrong with feeling bad, with being unhappy, or with anger. When you have negative emotions feel them. Don’t push them away, don’t pretend they aren’t there. Acknowledge them, bring awareness to what you’re feeling, get curious 

For the People Who Think They Feel Too Much

For the People Who Think They Feel Too Much

You don’t need to apologize for how you feel, or for still being affected by something when you think you should be over it. If something affects you longer than others, it doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you. It simply means you care.

Don’t apologize for your ability to feel deeply. It’s a gift. The feelers are the people who change the world. The feelers become the doers. You can turn your feelings into action. Sometimes it’s uncomfortable. That discomfort provokes change. It prevents complacency. It fights injustice.

And it’s not just the sad things you feel. It’s the beautiful things too. The sunsets, the laughter, the crash of the ocean. You can sense the monumentality of moments. Sometimes it’s the sad, but it’s also the good you feel so strongly. It can be “a lot” but all the best things are. It’s always worth it.      

Chicken Mac & Cheese

Chicken Mac & Cheese

This is the best Mac and Cheese I’ve made, and I’ve made a lot of mac and cheese. I have been on a hunt for the perfect Mac and Cheese recipe. This one is amazing! I got the base of the dish from Joanna Gain’s blog and added a few things. It’s amazing. You cannot go wrong with Jo Jo’s dishes. Everything I have made from her is amazing. Enjoy!

Thoughts Are Not Facts

Thoughts Are Not Facts

How do you choose different thoughts when it’s so easy to listen to the anxiety producing ones? By rebutting them with facts. When your thoughts try to make you believe one thing, list all the facts that prove it wrong.

Candied Pecan, Cranberry, and Roasted Squash Salad

Candied Pecan, Cranberry, and Roasted Squash Salad

Ingredients:

  • Any type of lettuce you like, I used a spring mix
  • ½ red onion-chopped
  • 1 red pepper-chopped
  • 1 cucumber-chopped
  • Dried cranberries
  • Olive oil
  • Lemon
  • Salt

For the roasted squash:

  • Cubed squash or sweet potatoes
  • Cinnamon
  • Salt
  • Olive oil

For the candied pecans:

  • 2 cups pecan halves
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup lightly packed light brown sugar

 

Directions:

  1. cook roasted squash
  • Preheat oven to 350°F
  • Toss chopped squash with olive oil, cinnamon, and salt to taste
  • Roasted until crispy, about 40 minutes
  1. while squash is roasting, cook your pecans (This recipe is from Joanna Gains at Magnolia Table)
  • In a skillet, melt butter. Add brown sugar and stir until well combined
  • Add pecans and stir so they are completely coated in the sugar and butter mixture. Cook until toasted, about 8 minutes
  • Pour mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let cool. Break apart before using
  • Candied pecans can be stored in an airtight container up to 4 days.
  1. Put your salad together
  • Add lettuce, onion, red pepper, and cucumber together.
  • Since this salad has a lot of ingredients, I like to keep the dressing simple and drizzle olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt on the lettuce mixture as the dressing if you’re going to serve it right away. If not, I combine olive oil, lemon, and salt and leave it on the table for individuals to add as they prefer.
  • Top with roasted squash, dried cranberries, and candied pecans.