New Year....New Devotion!

     Last January I set a New Year's Resolution to do a devotion every morning.  I wanted to  start small so that I could form the habit of making myself read and pray each morning.  A great friend and coworker of mine gave all of the third grade teachers a copy of this devotional.  This was clearly God's will!  I absolutely loved this devotion every morning.  I really felt like God was speaking to me every single morning.  If you haven't read this...you need to.

You can find a copy of Jesus Calling at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. It can also be ordered through itunes.

You can find a copy of this devotion at Barnes and Noble  and Amazon.  It can also be ordered through itunes.

         I wanted to continue a devotion this year, so  I scanned Barnes and Noble looking for my new devotion.  Growing up Catholic we didn't use the Bible during the church service.  Recently, Devin and I have loved our involvement in Grace Church.  Listening to sermons at our new non denominational church I have found that I need to get more into the Bible.  Therefore, I wanted to get a daily devotion that was still pretty short but had more reference to the Bible and stories from it.  I stumbled upon The 365 Most Important Bible Passages for women.  It was just what I needed.   It gives a quick story directly from the Bible, and then helps you understand it and connect it to your life. So far I love it.  It is never too late to start a devotion if you feel lead to.  No matter if it is Dec. 24th or Jan. 28th....it is always great to start. Does anyone else have other christian devotions they would recommend? 

My Beets Obsession!

      Growing up, beets were the mushy and gross side I stayed away from on holidays. After eating my first beet and goat cheese salad at The Lazy Goat, a wonderful resteraunt in Greenville, South Carolina, my eyes have been opened to the wonderful world of beets! I was inspired to make my own salad similar after the heavenly one at The Lazy Goat.

      My husband, Devin, and I made our own version of the salad with spinach, beets and  we used mozzarella cheese instead of goat cheese. This salad was tasty, but I didn't know it's potential. After perusing through Whole Foods, I found a 4oz pack of goat cheese for $2.50...score!!!! I bought the goat cheese and came home to make the wonderful salad with goat cheese this time.  In the salad I used about 1 oz of goat cheese, 1/4 of a beet (boil for 20 minutes and then peel off the skin and dice).  I also added about 1/4 of a cup of crushed walnuts. I pretty much followed this recipe for whole foods, but used a large beet and spinach.   http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/roasted-beet-and-goat-cheese-salad-sherry-walnut-vinaigrette
Words cannot describe how the great cheese mixes together and blends with the spinach, beets , and walnuts.  
    


       We had about half of a beet left over after making the salad for Devin and me. We put the beets in the fridge and ate them as a side the next night. I doubted it at first, but beets are just as good plain and cold.
      After talking with some friends about my new obsession with beets, little did I know that they would introduce me to a new way to cook them. Tonight I took their advice and peeled the beet and diced it. I also halved a few baby carrots to go with it.  I threw in some olive oil and spices(rosemary, oregano, basil, thyme are a few options). I cooked them at 400 degrees for 20 minutes ... Oh man! So delicious.

Convenient, Tasty,and Filling Oatmeal Delight!

             I have seen a few posts and magazine articles about overnight oatmeal and my mother n law has made it with whey protein.  I began to search for a way to make it where it wasn't so expensive.    I found a few different recipes off of pinterest and came up with a concoction of my own. 

Ingredients:
Steel cut oats
 ( I used the prepackaged but later found it cheaper ridiculously cheap in the bins at Whole Foods )
milk
walnuts
peanut Butter
frozen Fruit
honey
greek yogurt
mashed bananas(optional)

I put about 3-4 cups of steel cut oatmeal in a big bowl that I will keep in the fridge all week.I added a handful of chopped walnuts.  Next, I addedabout 1 tablespoon of peanut butter.  I combined about 3/4 cup of Vanilla Bean Yogurt( that was in my fridge)  and a drizzle of honey.  I set out the frozen rasberitries, blueberries, and strawberries mixture to thaw a little and put some in there too.  Lastly, I drizzled a little honey in there.  I poured about twice the amount full of milk as the entire mixture combined. Overnight, the oatmeal will soak up the milk and it will get dry if you don't put a lot of it.   When you spoon it out, you don't get all of this milk.  It wil be delicious and filling!



I mixed everything together well and set it in the fridge overnight.  The great thing about this, is that I will leave it in the fridge all week for my husband and I to have for breakfast.  It is delicious, healthy and ready made breakfast.  What else could you ask for?

Happy Tracking with Livestrong!

  

I have read and heard about this site Livestrong.com. It seemed neat, but recently I have begun to investigate it some on my own. I downloaded the calorie tracker and have been amazed at how user friendly it is. I have never actually counted my calories and thought I would give it a try. I am on my first few days and am loving it. I love how you can track water and exercise as well.  I have found that just  tracking the calories has made me think twice about picking here and there. For example, I was making chocolate covered ritz sandwiches. Wanting to eat a ritz here or there seemed nice until I remembered I would have to track the minor picking and realized it wasn't worth it.
      I do think more about what I am eating when tracking the calories; however, I have found that it also gives me liberty to eat some things that I would usually think wouldn't be such a good idea.  For example, I track my breakfast, lunch and dinner.  After putting in the calories...I realize hey I have 200 calories left so I can indulge in a favorite sweet like a Skinny Cow Nutty Buddy (only 90 calories).  Then I still haven't used them all.  I also always feel a little guilty about eating anything that isn't great for me.  Tracking the calories has taken the restrain off and given me a little relief for these things. I think hey if I have stuck well and have enough calories left then I deserve it and don't feel guilty.  Don't get me wrong...this may not be helpful for everyone....but I am loving it.  You can just download the livestrong app or use the livestrong site (both free).    I would love to hear of any other great websites others have found similar to this one.
Happy Tracking....isnt it great to be able to say that.