Spiralizer love.

I've been wanting a Spiralizer for awhile now, and we finally ordered one (this one from Paderno World Cuisine).  Since it arrived, I've literally spiralized everything we've eaten since!  Obsessed!  What a new, fun way to eat your produce.  Anything that makes healthy eating easier and more interesting is worth every penny in my book.

Here's my first time spiralizing carrots.  I made them into an uh-mazing raw salad that you'll see down below.

The first meal I made with the spiralizer though was this one that I found on the Whole30 Instagram feed a few weeks back.  It was so delicious that my chef/foodie husband actually raved about it, took a photo of it, and then practically licked his bowl.  Since he initially scoffed at "noodles" made of anything besides grains, I considered that a victory!

Zucchini Noodles with Avocado Cream Sauce (Serves 1)

recipe as follows from @whole30recipes

Avocado Cream Sauce:

• 1/2 avocado
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 2 tablespoons of coconut milk (make sure to read ingredients! I use Natural Value brand, which is canned)
• 2-3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1-2 cloves of finely chopped garlic (depending how much you want to ward off vampires)
• salt to taste

If you have a food processor, you can just put all of the ingredients except the zucchini into your food processor and blend until creamy!  Otherwise: In a bowl, mash the avocado with a fork. Add the lime juice, coconut milk, cilantro and garlic and combine until creamy. Finally add salt & pepper to taste.

For the zucchini:

Turn your zucchini into noodles either with a spiralizer or julienne peeler (I use a Paderno brand spiralizer). Sauté the zucchini in Whole 30-compliant oil for a few minutes until tender.

Toss the cooked zucchini in a bowl with the sauce until well-mixed, then enjoy immediately!

{My note: I didn't have lime or cilantro, so I used fresh lemon juice and basil leaves instead. It was awesome.}

~ ~ ~

What did I make next?

For breakfast this morning I cut the "zoodles" (as they're called in the spiralizer world) into smaller pieces after I spiralized them and combined them in a pan with sweet potato hash.  I tossed it and cooked it a few minutes longer just until the zucchini was slightly tender and then served it in a bowl with eggs fried in ghee.  Delish.

Last night I made spiralized sweet potato fries (apparently called "sweet patoodles") for my 4-year-old by tossing them with some avocado oil and sea salt and roasting them in the oven until crispy (400 degrees for about 20 minutes; I kept checking them and tossing them a little). After the first sweet, crispy, salty bite, my daughter said, "Can we have these curly fries every single day, Mommy?"  Why yes, yes we can.

And then for lunch, I created the perfect raw salad with my spiralizer, a salad I could honestly eat every single day.  Here's what it had:

• Spiralized raw carrots and zucchini
• 1/2 avocado, cut into chunks
• Shredded chicken
• Diced dried apricots
• Crispy pecans, chopped

I tossed it all in a bowl with my fingers and then drizzled some vinaigrette dressing on top (3:1 ratio of olive oil to apple cider vinegar, squirt of Dijon mustard, salt and pepper).  Then I added shredded basil leaves for a little zing.

It was seriously the best salad I've had in a long time.  There's just something about those curly raw "noodles" - being able to curl your fork around something in your bowl and taking a big, fluffy, crunchy bite. 

It feels decadent in some way, even though they're 100% veggies and super healthy for you.

Here are a few tips I've learned so far:

• Once you have your spiralizer out and ready, spiralize a bunch of items at once.  Put them in airtight containers and save for other meals later that day or week.
• If zucchini is too soft, it's more difficult to spiralize.  I cut mine in half and made each end flat and that helped a lot. 
• There are tons of spiralizer recipes out there - the blogger behind Inspiralized has become famous for her spiralizer recipes.  She even has a handy "how-to" page.
• Clean your spiralizer right after using it - trust me, it's better than letting the food crust on it and trying to clean it even 30 minutes later.  I have a sprayer on my kitchen sink and that works super well getting all the food particles off. And because there's no motor, you can put all parts in the sink and clean them off thoroughly.

So yeah, I'm totally sold!

If you're ready to try out the spiralizer, here's the one I got on Amazon:

Let me know what you decide to make with your spiralizer!

* This post contains Amazon associate links.  If you buy a spiralizer through this link I get a tiny commission.  Thank you!

Things I learned in yoga class.

For me, yoga has always been the perfect type of exercise for my body ~ its peaceful and slower pace still gives me a really challenging workout.  Kudos and much respect to all of you runners, but that will probably never be me.  It feels so great to get back into yoga again postpartum (and Pilates for the first time!).

Lately, I've been trying to ride my bike to our local yoga studio, and can I just tell you how freeing that is?   Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love babywearing and taking walks with my girls in the stroller, but when it's just me - with nothing attached and nothing to push - I almost feel naked.  In the best possible way. 

So the other day, I threw my water bottle and a good book into my bike basket, and my new flowery yoga pants and I got peddling.   I felt like a kid again flying down the side streets to the studio and chaining my bike to the closest pole.

For my first class back after having Norah, I chose a Yoga Basics class taught by an instructor with a voice that could lull you to sleep and sounded a lot like Ione Sky in Say Anything.  The class was slower paced and focused a lot on relaxation, twists, and really listening to our bodies.  At the end, she asked if anyone wanted a few drops of lavender oil on their towel.  My hand shot in the air.  It was heavenly.

As I look forward to this time each week, I've been thinking about all the great lessons yoga has taught me lately:

• Sweating is essential and just feels so good. I crave that time a few minutes after entering the lowly lit studio when my body starts to warm and any cares of the day start to release.
• Being upside down for a little while just makes the whole world a little clearer. 
• Our bodies are different everyday.
• When you look at other people {in class} and take your focus away, you fall.
• As my instructor said, "Your issues are in your tissues."   We carry emotional issues in our bodies and they can actually create physical symptoms.  Let it go.
• Creating emptiness in our lives allows for grace to seep in.
• You know that show Hoarders?  We do that inside our body too.  Again, let it go.
• "Slow and strong, slow and strong, slow and strong," - this is my new goal for how I want to live my life - slowly, with strength.  Slowly enough to capture the joy and small, beautiful moments, but not lazily...with intention.  In control, but surrendered.    And stronger - both emotionally and physically - everyday.

9 years.

Because 9 years ago on a rainy July day, we stood in front of our closest friends and family.  He told me I was "the most beautiful thing in his life."  And we agreed to walk with each other to the feet of Jesus.

Because we made our vows, and we know it's not easy, and we're not always loveable.

Because we know it's hard, hard work.

Because we've been through "better" - two beautiful babies, a successful business, a safe and comfortable home, wonderful friends and family.

Because we've been through "worse" - lack of money, growing apart, broken family relationships and friendships, marriages crumbling around us.

Because he promised to take care of me and hold my dreams gently in his hands,

and he has.

Because I knew that life with him would not be perfect or easy but a wonderful, wild adventure,

and it has been.

Because 9 years married - and still in love - is worth celebrating.

Today, I say to the love of my life, my best friend, "Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be." We've built a beautiful life together, babe.  Thank you for being on this journey with me.

She's four.

How has it possibly been four years?  Four years since I became a mama on a hot July day.  Four years of her joyful, spunky personality.

Four years of being stretched and challenged and sanctified in ways I could only imagine before I had children.  Four years of the hardest, and most rewarding, work I've ever done.

I'm not gonna lie, age 3 was more difficult for us than age 2.  But with it came so many moments of wonder as her imagination took flight.  I can't remember a day when she didn't make us stop in our tracks with one of her creative and insightful observations.

The other morning while playing with clay...

Luci Belle: "UGHHHHH!"
Me: "Take a deep breath.  Let's not get frustrated."
LB: "OK.  Because Jesus is in our house, right Mommy?"
Me: {kinda surprised but delighted} "Yes!  Where did you learn that?"
LB: "In my heart, remember?"

Happy four years, Luci Isabelle.  We're so thankful for your precious spirit-filled life!

She Reads Truth.

So happy to finally be doing my first She Reads Truth study - The Sermon on the Mount. Isn't the study pack beautiful? Hoping this will revive some of my Bible Study Fellowship lessons from Matthew this past spring - I'm pretty embarrassed by how much I had to unearth my Bible to start this study. But His mercies are new every morning, and I'm starting anew.

She Reads Truth is simply an online community of women studying God's Word together.  Their site provides a daily devotional (and they have an app coming soon to make it even easier!) plus beautiful quotes and scriptures to memorize on their Instagram feed.

Join me?  Click below.

Whole30 - I did it!

Well, yesterday was day 30 of my first Whole30!  I made it.  And miraculously, I made it without any cheats, minus an accidental teensy taste of honey on a coffee spoon.   Oh, I got really close though.  Like that time I almost downed an entire box of crackers while preparing my daughter's snack.  And when we had our first Sunday of homemade artisan pizza at Urban Acres and I just stared at it longingly while my friends devoured theirs.

But it was worth it.  I'm so glad I completed my first Whole30.  Even more than the physical benefits, I feel more in control of my desires and less controlled by food. 

I finished my Whole30 before we had a big dinner at our house last night and tried some potato salad and a bit of Mexican chocolate cake and fruit cobbler for dessert.  A few bites into the desserts, I couldn't take any more sweetness and didn't even finish it.  

This morning, I had my first coconut milk latté post-program and used only 4 drops of Stevia instead of the usual 12.  So I'd say that's progress!

Here are some other great things I experienced while on Whole30:

• I definitely lost a few pounds - probably around 5.  {Kinda wish it had been more, but I'm being gracious with myself and remembering I just had a baby 5 months ago.  Baby steps.}
• I learned to enjoy beverages unsweetened.  {I'll probably continue drinking coffee this way and just lightly sweetening my tea lattés.}
• As I mentioned before, I feel much less controlled by food, and cravings have greatly diminished.  Eating less fruit and enough healthy fats and proteins really helped with this.
• It was fun doing this with my husband and our close friend Amber.  I highly recommend doing the program with a close friend or someone who lives with you - makes it a ton easier!
• It was just a good thing to exercise more discipline.  I don't believe that we should live with our food choices highly restricted all the time, unless of course we have to for medical or health reasons.  God gave us a bounty of things to eat.  And the funny thing is that even though there are restrictions on Whole30, what we have to eat is still abundance.

These were the hardest things about it:

• No chocolate!  No smoothies!  No ice cream!
• I got really sick of berries with nut butter and coconut flakes.  But it was a good snack when I needed one.
• Having friends in town and not being able to drink wine with them or eat pizza.   It was a shift in thinking to realize I didn't have to be eating and drinking what they were eating and drinking to have fun.

Here are the favorite things I ate on Whole30:

First, cilantro mayo.  Wow, I never knew how super easy it is to make your own mayo!    I used it more like a sauce and added it on my eggs or meat just to give it a little zing.  You could also make your own chicken salad.  Having an immersion blender and a wide-mouth mason jar like the recipe says was perfect. If you don't like cilantro, just leave that part out!

Here's the recipe from this @whole30recipes Instagram post:

Cilantro Mayo

• 1 egg at room temp
• 1 cup of avocado oil or light olive oil
• 1 T vinegar, lemon juice, or lime juice
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t ground mustard
• 1/4 t garlic powder or minced garlic
• 1/2 c chopped cilantro

1. Crack egg in a wide mouth mason jar. (Perfect to store the mayo in)
2. Slowly add oil and let separate.
3. Add vinegar and seasonings.
4. Place immersion blender in the jar all the way to the bottom and mix until white and fluffy. Should only take 30 seconds or so.
5. Add cilantro and blend until roughly chopped.

 ~ ~ ~

This was my favorite snack on the program - apples sliced into rounds topped with homemade almond butter and unsweetened coconut flakes.  How many times have I had apples and nut butter?  But never sliced into rounds!  Something about it made it seem more special, like a chip.

Here are the two best dinners I had on Whole30...

First, Fried Plantains with Chipotle Lime Chicken & Chipotle Lime Slaw - unreal!  It was a little sweet, salty, creamy, so amazing.  Here's where I got the recipe.

The other amazing meal was PaleOMG's Pizza Spaghetti Pie.  Seriously so easy and perfect for right now when spaghetti squash is in season!

But mostly, we just kept it simple.  Here's my last Whole30 breakfast on day 30 - simply Applegate chicken apple sausages and 2 eggs fried in ghee.

What I'm going to do moving forward:

• Keep eating Whole30-ish.  I love how I've felt without grains, and I don't miss dairy or legumes in the least bit (except maybe peanut butter, but I can live without it).  So I'm going to move forward with a low glycemic diet concentrated on pastured meats, healthy fats, lots of veggies, and low glycemic fruits. 
• Definitely feel like I ate a lot of sweet potatoes on Whole30, because I could. I'll probably limit these a bit more.
• Get a Spiralizer!  I really need one of these.  Healthy, low carb noodles every day!
• Add back in my Vanilla Creme Stevia, but in smaller amounts.  I'm a little embarrassed to say I was putting about 12 drops in one single coconut milk latté.  But I'm not going to feel badly about using a few drops in my hot beverages if I want, and it doesn't affect my glycemic index.
• Start drinking Dandy Blend.  I've wanted to try it for awhile but it comes partly from grains, so I couldn't try it on Whole30.  But it's a great non-acidic and low glycemic coffee alternative that tons of people love, plus there are the health benefits of dandelion.
• Bake a lot less, only when I really want to, rather than being controlled by sweets cravings every single day.  If and when I bake, use dates and coconut palm sugar as much as possible.  I think I'll even try using dates in my coconut milk ice cream recipe next time instead of maple syrup.  Occasional (rather than several-times-weekly) gluten-free pancakes will probably be only lightly sweetened rather than slathered with syrup!
• Continue doing my weekly yoga - It's been a great complement to the Whole30 program.  And add in some Pilates online with Robin Long.  LOVE her website and perspective. 

So there you have it, folks.  I definitely see myself doing another Whole30 in the near future.  It's just so helpful to have a program to regain perspective and discipline when you need it.  And the community of folks doing Whole30 and sharing recipes makes it even better.  If you're considering doing it, I'd be happy to answer any questions or help in any way!

* This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Hello courage.

A dear friend from Oklahoma came to town for a short few hours visit, and we shared lunch across the big farm table.

"My heart is longing for deep community," I told her.  I poured it all out.  "I love people.  I need people.  Over the last few years, I've realized that although I'm still an introvert, I'm much more social than I ever realized.  And so many of our close friends have moved away or are moving away soon.  It seems we're just left here in this holding pattern, not knowing what comes next.  I often feel that so many of the gifts I know the Lord has given me are just not being put to good use.  I know and feel confident in my worth here with my children and husband, but I mean as a member of the body of Christ, as a friend, as a member of a community."

She put down her fork and, smiling with tears in her eyes, spoke words over me that I needed to hear more than anything:

"When you take flight it's like no other...and you will take flight in this next season with great courage.  The best is yet to be." 

My eyes brightened.  I sat up a little straighter.  "I feel hopeful," I said. 

"This is always how it feels right before everything opens up," she replied.  "Let hope arise and spring up from every place your feet tread."

A few days later, I received a package from her in the mail.  I opened it to unveil this beautiful "hello courage" piece of art and a note:

"You've felt in a cocoon at so many different times...but you're about to take flight with fresh courage and strengthening hope. When you spread your wings you release the most magnificent aroma of Christ.  Keep fighting from victory not for it.  There is no one like you!"

~ ~ ~

Sometimes, sometimes, sometimes we just need to hear what God thinks about us.  Scriptures say it, of course, but I'm talking something more personal.  And He often uses those close to us to communicate that.  What a sweet gift.

I'm reading the incredible book Love Does by Bob Goff right now and I'm reminded of the chapter where Bob says, "Words of encouragement have their own power.  And when they are said by the right people, they can change everything.  What I've found in following Jesus is that most of the time, when it comes to who says it, we each are the right people."

As I'm reading this book, my soul is stirring to live a bigger, more adventurous, more whimsical life.  Still a simple life, but one that is opened up for God to work even more.  It's a blog post for another day, but for now I'll keep reveling in this message from the Lord just for me. 

Because apparently, I'm about take flight.  I'll wait in expectation and polish off these dusty wings and get ready for the beauty that awaits.