NEW RECIPES

I've been trying a lot of new recipes since I started meal planning. I wanted to share a few that I've tried the past couple weeks. These are my real pictures of how they all turned out! I hate when the pinterest picture (or whatever other site you use to find recipes) looks like perfection and then it doesn't come out at all like that! =) 

Find this recipe here

I was so excited to find this recipe. I love having coffee in the morning but I like it sweet and creamy. Like half coffee, half cream kinda coffee. But I am trying to cut out sugar. This was super easy and fast to make and smelled soooooo good. Even after adding it to the coffee it still smelled so sweet and delicious. Then I tasted it and I was a little disappointed. It didn't taste nearly as strong as it smelled. It kind of just tasted like watered down coffee and not very sweet at all. BUT I am going to try again with regular milk instead of almond to make it thicker and add a little more of the spice and honey to sweeten. I'm not giving up yet. For all you normal coffee drinkers out there, this recipe may work just fine for you. It's a nice alternative (with way less ingredients) to store bought creamer.

Find this recipe here

 So this picture is actually my husband's plate. After I made his plate I couldn't get another big piece of leaf like that so I ate mine like a salad. I have yet to find good wrap leafs! Anyways... not going to lie. I was a little worried about this as I was cooking. There's a couple different asian seasonings and everything was just making a weird smell to me as it was cooking. But this was delicious! Definitely going in the meal plan rotation. I maaaay have used a teensy more sriracha than necessary. I love sriracha and spiciness but my husband can't handle too much. His mouth was on fire...but he still finished it. 

Find this recipe here

This meal is not paleo since it includes beans and corn. And a meatless meal was something different for us. But this is another good one! I really liked it but not sure how often it will make the rotation since the husband wasn't as much of a fan. He finished it but only after dousing it with a ton more cheese. He's not a big veggie (especially onion and pepper) lover and that's mostly what is in this. He actually really likes spaghetti squash (when I make it as spaghetti anyway) though. This basically just sautéed onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno layered with black beans, corn, and the spaghetti squash. The only hard part to this was actually cutting the squash! 

Let me know if you try any of these and how you like them.

DIY MAKEUP DRAWER

My husband regularly makes fun of me for being a "hoarder". It's hard for me to throw away any type of container (pickle jars, tissue boxes, etc) because my mind instantly thinks of different things I could do with it. As a teacher I know that paper towel rolls, toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, and all other sorts of "trash" can be turned into a masterpiece in 7 year old hands. If I had the storage space, there would most definitely be a hoard of these things piled up somewhere. 

This "hoarding" of mine has come in handy around the house. Those strong twist ties that come around appliance cords are kept in a drawer and are excellent for all my different opened paleo flour bags. I have several Crystal Light-like containers housing pens, markers, etc. Which is much more organized than them floating around in a drawer somewhere. Pickle jars and other glass containers are excellent for storing homemade paleo condiments or the coffee creamer I'm going to whip up tonight. 

To me this is just practical and logical. I don't over-hoard. My need to have things tidy and organized outweigh my need or ability to upcycle every piece of "trash". I figured I'd share my latest trash DIY with y'all. With the beauty subscription products I've been receiving I wanted a way to separate it all and still have it easily accessible. So I made this makeup drawer organizer!

It's a little ghetto fabulous cause I used tape to tape the boxes to the side to keep them from sliding around every time the drawer is pushed shut. But it works perfectly for what I need! I only have 1 drawer in my bathroom vanity and it is very, very shallow. I had not been able to find any of the trays and organizers you can buy in the store that were short enough. So I pulled out a couple handy, empty tissue boxes and got to cutting. 

First, I taped the turquoise tissue paper to the bottom and sides of the drawer. This is simply because its my favorite color and it makes me happy to see a bright pop of color when I open it. I put one of the tissue boxes down into the drawer and marked where I would need to cut so the drawer could still close. Once I had my different "trays" I taped them all together and then to the sides of the drawer to prevent sliding. And voila...simple as that. Perfect solution to the shallow drawer that wasn't able to be used for much before. And it only took maybe 10 minutes.

Even my sweet hubby has to admit eventually that "trash" can come in pretty handy.

MEAL PLANNING

I have always been pretty good about cooking. With the exception of the weekends, we typically have always eaten at home. Then came the busyness (*that word always looks so wrong to me*) of this past summer. With 2 weeks of being gone on vacation, and the following weeks spending late nights working on the house, and then moving....I got off track. And for some reason, I never quite got back on it. These last few months have been the most I've not cooked in our entire marriage. 

A couple weeks ago, I started writing out a meal plan. I figured maybe if I wrote it down then I'd be better about actually doing it. I got a cute little calendar with notes on each page, perfect for writing out the grocery list. That Saturday I sat down to write the first 2 weeks of plans. 

5 1/2 hours later I was done.

5 1/2!! There has got to be an easier way! Some of that time was spent finding recipes (I think a lot of the problem with not getting back on track with cooking is because I am sick of just meat and veggies all the time) and then writing the things I needed for each recipe, and then organizing all that into a grocery list. It's time to make the next 2 weeks menu, and I am planning on working a little each night on it so it doesn't eat so much of one day! Although specific recipes usually cause us to spend more than usual at the grocery store, it has been fun cooking and trying new recipes.

And it has worked so far! I've cooked every night this last week and even cooked the whole weekend! I think it definitely keeps me from backing out when there's already a plan. Written in stone guys. =)

How many of you make a meal plan? Have you found a more efficient way? What are some recipes I should include (preferably PALEO)?

RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR WITH A GRATEFUL HEART

Well another year has passed and a new one is underway. This time of year is one of my favorite. Still coming off from the magic of December and into the freshness of new beginnings and endless possibilities, people seem fulfilled, refreshed, and determined to be the best that they can be. 

As the world is solidifying resolutions, vowing to change and better themselves, and looking to the future, I find myself looking back. I find myself reflecting on the past year and the overwhelming amount of gratitude I feel. There's no other version of my life I could imagine that would be better than the one I have now. 

Are there things I want to better myself at? Of course. I want to journal/write/craft/read more. I want to lose weight/be healthier/take care of my body better like anyone else. Are there things my heart desires? Yes. A baby. Being more faithful to in-depth bible study and strengthening my relationship with Christ.


Those are all good things. Setting goals, striving towards being the best me that I can be- it's a great thing. It's important. But it's also important to recognize and reflect on the ways that God has provided for, cared for, and blessed me already in this life. 

As I reflect on my life, I feel gratitude for God's unending love and grace. In all the ways I fail  Him, in all the ways I need to better myself spiritually- He never gives up on me. Never stops loving me. He continues to shower me with blessing after blessing. 

I think about another year I got to spend with my husband. I swear I fall more in love with that man everyday. Not even 5 years ago, I would have never been able to tell you that we would end up together much less be where we are now. Today, people comment all the time about how amazing our relationship seems and how in love we seem. Do we have a perfect marriage? Obviously not. Do we fight? Of course. Is it amazing anyway? I think so. The years I've spent as his wife have been the best of my life. And that's just another example of God's grace and blessings. He was able to take something very broken and make it amazing.

I think about another year I spent at my job. I love my job almost as much as I love my husband. And that's saying a lot! I love getting to be even a small part of these kid's life if only for a short time. My prayer is that in someway I get to make an impact in their life. I love getting to spend my day teaching and being creative with my kids. I love that I get to work in a Christian environment in a ministry that is passionate about teaching kids about God.

I could go on and on about everything I am grateful for in my life. Maybe the life I have seems boring to some. Maybe they see nothing special. But it's mine and I love it. I challenge you, in this time of determination and goal-making, not to forget to take a moment to thank God for what IS.

Here's to ringing in the new year with a grateful heart and accomplishing all those goals in 2015!