Living Intentionally - A Blueprint for Self-Improvement

Ok, so I know it's been 6 months since my last post. I hate to use the whole "life is busy" excuse... But really. Life has been INSANE.

Here is a quick recap of what I've been up to:

• I trained for and ran my first half marathon. :) I've been posting on my company blog since January about my training, so feel free to go on over there and check it out.
• WE BOUGHT A CABIN. With Mr. G's sister and brother-in-law. In Northern Minnesota. On a lake! A dream I didn't even know I had has been realized.

And here are a couple photos to catch you up:

Now that I have accomplished two large bucket list items (one completely unexpected, one seemingly impossible) in the course of 6 months, I'm left with a bit of a void to fill. Not that I'm not incredibly happy and grateful, because I am, but I crave forward motion. I prefer having a goal to pursue at all times, and being between goals leaves me feeling directionless. However, it's these times that can be the most rewarding because I'm constantly seeking, absorbing, and reflecting.

I've been gathering a lot of inspiration lately from several sources (work, church, training, Pinterest, this blogger), and everything is pointing me to the realization that I have a desire to live more intentionally. By this, I mean that I want to live a fulfilling, inspiring and faith-driven life by attempting to become the best possible version of myself. My hope is to bring a larger purpose and theme to my life by accomplishing a lot of really small things - or just doing them better. The thing is, I fully expect not to succeed at this, but that's not the point. The point is to try. The point is to set a higher standard for myself and do my best to uphold it. Here are some quotes supporting my point:

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."
-- John Bingham

"Glory lies in the attempt to reach one's goal and not in reaching it."
-- Mahatma Gandhi

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."
-- C.S. Lewis

"To possess high ideas and to attain somewhat unto them."
-- Alpha Gamma Delta Purpose

I decided to come up with a list of things to strive toward on a regular basis in order to make me happier, healthier, less selfish, more compassionate, more productive, and an overall better person. Here goes...

Steps To A Better Me

Every Year:

• Travel somewhere new - near or far
• Volunteer at least once
• Donate 3 times per year to causes/charities outside of tithing
• Finish a book every 3 months

Every Month:

• Have 1 "media-free night" - no phone, TV, internet, etc.
• Try 1 new cooking recipe
• Try 1 new cupcake/baking recipe
• Have 1 or 2 date nights with Mr. G
• Do 1 random act of kindness for someone
• Drink no more than 2 sodas
• Explore somewhere local
• Work remote from a coffee shop one Friday
• BLOG
• Attempt 1 new DIY project every other month
• Buy something (can be small!) once every other month that makes me feel pretty or confident

Every Week:

• Exercise 3 days/week
• Do 1 selfless act for Mr. G
• Say a long prayer for everyone I love
• Bible study with Mr. G 

Every Day:

• Get 6+ hours of sleep
• Practive positivity
• Pray
• Read my Bible - except on Saturdays :)

Whenever Possible:

• Join a women's lifegroup at church
• Write and submit a piece for publication
• Run a 5K in less than 30 minutes.
• Run a half marathon in 2:15
• Run a full marathon
• Clean out closet and donate clothes
• Drink more water
• Drink more wine :)
• Go on a global missions trip with my church
• Put a sincere effort into initating and maintaining friendships
• Sign up for baking and/or cake decorating classes
• Sign up for graphic design classes (through work possibly?)
• COMPLAIN LESS and be thankful more

What do you think of my list? What would you put on yours?

<3 Mrs. G

Kale Chips + Surgery Update

So I've been wanting to try kale for some time, but I could never figure out what to do with it. I knew it was lettuce's more nutritional but slightly less appetizing cousin; it has a reputation of being bitter and chewy. I've heard of it being used in salad, but that didn't really excite me. And then, thanks to Pinterest, I discovered kale chips!

I actually pinned a couple different recipes on my {food love} board, but the one I went with is from the Lululemon blog. Lululemon is a Canadian company that sells super cute workout clothes (I got one of their energy bras for my birthday and I'm so excited to wear it!). Their blog is also pretty cool, and this particular post contained some helpful tips on how to prepare kale and bring out more of its flavor.

Here is the link to the recipe. The only thing I did differently was add some sesame seeds (an ingredient in the other recipe I looked at). Other than that, just beware of oversalting! Here are some pics of my finished kale chips:

In other news, Mr. G is in surgery right now for his back and hopefully will be finished soon. He is having a spinal decompression for a herniated disc in his lower back. It's a minimally invasive surgery with moderately low risk, so we're hoping to go home today - pain free. :) Keep us in your thoughts and prayers, please. Especially Mr. G - he has handled all of this very well, but he is so active that I know it's been hard on him to feel so immobile. He can't wait to start running with me, and I can't wait to have him back!

<3 Mrs. G

Happy Valentines Day!

Life Update

Hello everyone,

Sorry for the gap between posts; we've had a LOT going on in life as of late, which is part of what I'll be discussing in this post.

Picked up my bib on Saturday :)

To start with me, I've been continuing my training runs and officially signed up for both the half marathon and a St. Patrick's Day 7K, so there's no turning back now! I'm still determined, but unfortunately my legs aren't keeping up quite as well... I have shin splints that refuse to go away, and they are beginning to hinder my progress. It's very frustrating, especially since I've been following all the right steps. You can read more about my training here.

In other news, Mr. G's back pain progressed to the point that he finally went in to find out what's wrong. Turns out he has a herniated disc in his back that is quite large and will take a really long time to heal unless he gets it surgically removed. After prayer and careful thought, Mr. G decided to go through with surgery instead of waiting up to a year for a full recovery, and I fully support his decision. His surgery is on next Tuesday, the 21st. He should be in and out within the same day and starting to feel better immediately, which is wonderful. Still, he'll be facing several weeks of recovery (during which I will be doing pretty much everything), so all prayers are much appreciated.

In the meantime, we have a nice Valentines Day dinner planned for Tuesday and fun birthday plans for me next weekend. :) I promise I'll post my kale recipe soon - as well as my Super Bowl creations!

What are your V-Day plans?

<3 Mrs. G

Fresh Mozzarella Pizza

Here's another Pinterest recipe I made this week: fresh mozzarella pizza. It was supposed to be a tomato & basil pizza, but I forgot the tomatoes and I used spinach leaves instead of basil leaves (although I sprinkled dried basil on top). This pizza was AMAZING, even without the tomatoes on it, and it isn't that unhealthy. It would be even healthier if I had made the pizza dough myself using whole wheat flour (a project for when I have my stand mixer) and the pizza sauce from fresh tomatoes.

Here's the recipe on Pinterest. This served as more of an inspiration for my pizza rather than an exact guide, especially since the guy is clearly a pro and several notches above my skill level. I have always wanted to make a homemade pizza, so I looked to him for ingredients and spices to include. Next time I'll go all out and make everything from scratch. :)

Here are the ingredients I used:

Pizza dough, pizza sauce, fresh mozzarella, spinach, onions, basil, minced garlic, parmesan cheese

As for directions, I just followed the instructions on the pizza dough. Basically, you roll out the pizza dough and stick in the oven by itself for 5 minutes. While the dough is setting, cut the fresh mozzarella (and tomato) into slices. If you want to add onion, dice that as well. Take the dough out of the oven and spread 1/2 cup pizza sauce on it. Then add the mozzarella, tomato and spinach, and sprinkle your spices and parmesan cheese on top. Stick the pizza in the oven for 6-10 minutes or until the crust is golden brown (mine took about 8 minutes). That's it; you're done! So easy, and so delicious.

My next recipe is a healthy one - baked kale chips!

<3 Mrs. G

P.S. I made the pizza again with tomatoes, and it was even better!

Ham & Egg Cups + the World's Best Wheat Cookies?

Hi everyone,

This is the first of several recipes I'm trying this week and next courtesy of Pinterest. The other two I'm trying are kale chips and tomato basil pizza.

Today's recipe, however, is ham & egg cups. Or at least that's what I call them; I don't think they actually have a name... Here's the link to the recipe. It's super easy to make, it only takes about 10 minutes, and it's a delicious source of protein and veggies! I used chopped green onions and shredded cheese on top of mine. Here's how they turned out:

Another recipe I made last night is an oldie but goodie with a little modification. Remember my world's best sugar cookies? Well I attempted to make the the world's best wheat sugar cookies using mostly whole wheat flour in place of bleached (part of our effort to eat only whole grains). That combined with my vanilla buttercream frosting made the cookies taste like sugary, buttered wheat bread. They're not bad, but they're no world's best. Whole wheat flour is dense and dry. I've heard that mixing it with bleached flour and/or adding more liquid ingredients can help, but I'm not convinced I'll try it again. If you have any tips or success stories, please share!

In other news, my shin splints are still not healed, so my half marathon training is on hold a little bit longer... Nevertheless, here are my most recent marathon-related posts. Another one will be up on Friday! Hopefully I'll be running again by then.

<3 Mrs. G

Spinach Dip Recipe & KitchenAid Mixer Debate

Hello everyone,

I figured it was time for me to share my spinach dip recipe since I make it basically every week - especially around the holidays. It's also been a favorite of mine, Mr. G's, and pretty much all of our friends for the past few months. It's really simple to make, and it tastes SO GOOD. I originally got the recipe from my Betty Crocker Cookbook app, but I tweaked it a little and my version is actually healthier. Here it is:

Creamy Spinach Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 box (9 oz.) frozen chopped spinach (preferably Green Giant)
• 1 8 oz. container sour cream (I use fat-free and actually prefer the taste)
• 1 cup mayonnaise (again, I use light)
• 1/2 tsp celery salt
• 1/2 tsp dried dill weed
• 1/4 tsp onion salt
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped yellow onions

To make it, first cook the spinach according to the package directions (I usually boil on the stove). Then mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, cover it and let it sit in the fridge for about an hour. That's it! You're done.

Now I need some advice...

I want to buy a KitchenAid stand mixer for my birthday in February, but I'm torn between getting a tilt-head or a bowl-lift. Both of the ones I'm looking at are similar in price, so basically I'm choosing between power and convenience... Here are the two I'm down to (I would get either in silver):

Tilt-head: KitchenAid Artisan series (5-quart glass bowl, 325 watts)

Bowl-lift: KitchenAid Professional series (5.5-quart bowl, 575 watts)

Stand mixer owners/aficionados - let me know your thoughts. I'm leaning toward the Artisan, but I'm not 100% sold.

Thanks!

<3 Mrs. G