The Importance of Personal Development

October 7, 2017June 4, 201816 Comments

I’m a big reader.

In grad school, I read 28384782939 books about Arkansas political history. After grad school, I gifted myself a year of free books through Book of the Month Club.

But sometimes I need more than fiction to keep me motivated.

Enter personal development books.

I’m kind of sad to admit that I use to think personal development books were for people with “problems.”

Newsflash former self: we all have problems. Things we wish were different. Better. Sometimes we need a new perspective.

My latest personal development is The Miracle Morning. And a little JoAnna Gaines for good measure.

So far I love it. The whole concept seems right up my alley. I can’t wait to see what comes of it.

What are your personal development favorites? What should I read next?

Friday Favorites

October 6, 2017Leave a comment

Quick story: Yesterday, I ate 89 percent of a bag of grain free granola.

It was delicious. But it was also the most sugar I’ve had in 35 days.

My. Head. Hurt. Like. A. Boss.

The Whole30 is no joke. It changes your life. It teaches you to notice how your body reacts to things.

Just because it’s grain free and Paleo and all that jazz, doesn’t make sugar any less powerful of a dragon.

The thing about Food Freedom is it allows you the grace to acknowledge the habit (eating a whole bag before lunch) and revise (more veggies and water and good stuff).

Do the Whole30 program. Change your life. It only takes 30 days. You can do it.

Now for the favorites.

Loving all of the Simple Mills products. I get mine through Thrive Market. The Sun-dried Tomato and Basil Almond crackers are delicious. And I enjoy them with this lettuce wrapped burger from a hamburger supper. Yep. Good.
This awesome cake on Food Network’s Facebook page.
I’ve always wanted to do this, but I haven’t yet. Maybe I will now.
This awesome list of Friends episodes I must rewatch immediately.
Teas can heal all things. I’m a true believer in peppermint tea to combat upset tummy issues.
This new innovative eye makeup remover.

Asian Chicken Soup

October 5, 2017October 2, 2017Leave a comment

This soup is a serious nod to Nom Nom Paleo’s Chinese Chicken and Bok Choy Soup in the Whole30 cookbook.

Sometimes I stand in my kitchen and look aimlessly around the room and hope I generate a delicious idea. And sometimes I need a nudge in some direction.

This nudge came from her Asian inspired soup.

It’s cooling down here. And it happened to be a little rainy the evening I made it. But all the stars aligned to create this goodness.

So thank you Nom Nom Paleo for the inspiration.

What you need:

Four chicken breasts
Garlic powder
Ginger powder
One carrot, cut in half moons
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
1 packet of baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 cup bok choy, roughly chopped
6 cups chicken bone broth
1 big spoonful of Red Boat’s Fish Sauce
1 big spoonful coconut aminos
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a skillet in the stove to medium heat to cook the chicken. Season the chicken liberally with ginger and garlic powder. Sauté until chicken is cooked completely. Set aside.

Heat a large pot on medium high heat. Add coconut oil with the carrot and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Let cook until onions start turning translucent, about 7 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and season with a little more salt and pepper. Cook about 3 minutes. Pour in chicken broth (I used broth made from my big fancy dinner chicken)and add bok choy, coconut aminos and fish sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

Right before serving, dice up the chicken and add to the pot. Cook 5 more minutes to combine all the flavors.

Serve and enjoy.

This soup is definitely a favorite of ours. And I’ll have to make it again and again. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Italian Style Chicken with Cauliflower Rice

October 4, 2017October 1, 2017Leave a comment

I am all about easy of preparation. So one pot meals are a lovely thing in our house.

And this chicken is no exception. It packs major flavor thanks to the roasted garlic sauce from Thrive Market and the bone-in, skin-on chicken hindquarters from my favorite farmers market.

What I love about this dish is how easy it is. It’s the easiest, fancy-looking thing I made during our recent Whole30. Brad was so impressed by it, and it literally had 3-4 ingredients.

What you need:

Two chicken hindquarters (that’s the thigh and leg together), bone-in and skin-on
Coconut Oil
Whole30 compliant marinara sauce (I used this one from Thrive Market.)
A combo of Italian Seasoning, Garlic Powder, Sea Salt and Pepper
A bag of cauliflower rice

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

In an oven safe pot with a lid, heat up the coconut oil to medium high heat. Season the chicken with the combo of seasonings listed above.

Please chicken pieces skin side down so it gets golden brown and full of flavor. Don’t move the chicken for at least five minutes. Turn the chicken and sear the other side for 2-3 minutes.

Add tomato sauce to the hot pan. Watch out for splatters. Make sure the chicken is covered in the sauce. Add a pinch of Italian seasoning over the top.

Cover the chicken with a lid, and put the chicken in the oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the lid and cook the chicken an additional 30 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked.

While the chicken cooks, throw your bag of frozen cauliflower rice into a skillet on the stove. Cook on medium heat until it is defrosted, about 5-7 minutes, and all the water has cooked out. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Keep warm until chicken is fully cooked.

Serve chicken with sauce over the bed of cauliflower rice, and enjoy.

Cultivating Gratitude

October 3, 2017October 1, 2017Leave a comment

I’ve started keeping a gratitude journal to help keep me focused on the goodness in every day.

Sometimes it is hard to think past all the things going wrong, and focus on all the things going right. The downward mental spiral can be difficult to turn off.

But this little journal has turned things around for me. Every morning and every evening I sit down and focus on what I’m thankful for or what good has come my way.

The journal has prompts to help you get your thoughts in order. And it doesn’t take up much time at all.

It looks like this. You complete the top section every morning, and the gray section every evening. There is a quote at the top of every day to get you in the right frame of mind. And I’ve come to love this little ritual. It’s something I look forward to every day.

So if you are looking for a way to cultivate gratitude, I highly suggest this. If you have a stressful job, I highly suggest this. If you are naturally more gloomy, I highly suggest this. You won’t believe how much good you can come up with until you are forced to focus on it. Get your Five Minute Journal here.

Disclaimer: This is not an ad. I was not paid to write this. I just really love this product, and think everyone needs one.