Happy Easter!

Source: bing.com via Gail Ann on Pinterest

spring break is here!

Can you tell I'm just a tad bit excited that Spring Break is finally here???  This morning is the first time where I feel like I can actually breathe.  Life has been going non-stop.  This past week we had the privilege of going to a conference at our church.  It was Thursday and Friday evening and all day Saturday.  We got so much out of it, SO much, but the whole time I was just so tired and ready for life to slow down.  I learned so much and the first thing that I wanted to do was share it with you.  The one huge thing that I love about my blog is encouraging others, sharing my faith, and journaling what I'm going through.  So I'm not going to keep it all to myself!  

On Saturday we chose three different workshops to go to, and my first one was yoga.  This was really interesting to me because I was curious to see how they were going to incorporate worshiping our God in yoga.  I loved every second of it.  Just slowing down, listening to my breath, stretching out teeny tiny areas in my body, and just praying to God the entire time.  It was beyond soothing.  The next workshop I went to was on rest, and that's what I want to share with you today!

"Are you tired?  Worn out?  Burned out...?  Come to me.  Get away with Me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest.  Walk with Me an work with Me-watch how I do it.  Learn from me the unforced rhythms of grace.  I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.  Keep company with Me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Matthew 11-28-30 MSG

As I began reading this passage in the workshop I could hear myself saying "yes, yes, yes".  Are you tired- YES.  Are you worn out- YES.  Are you burned out- YES.  

Our culture is a culture or "doers".  Even in the church there is a culture that doesn't encourage rest, but DOING.  Resting is a spiritual act, a form of worship, a declaration of trust, an assertion that God cares, an affirmation that we are valued and loved for who we are and not for what we do.  

As I was thinking back on my notes and outline from this workshop two big things stood out to me:

1) Resting is an act of worship, where I find my identity in Christ and rest in who I am in Christ.

2) Why is it so hard for me to rest?  Why do I think that I always need to DO?

Our speaker asked us "what's the rush?"  He then went on to share how he got his masters in 15 years and had four beautiful children in the course of that time.  I'm in my masters and want kids so badly, and feel like there is such a pull between what I think everyone expects me to do and what the big picture is.  I realized that so many of my choices and actions are because I think that it makes me look good in others' eyes.  If I do something against the grain then I will be a failure.  If I take a semester off then I'll be a failure.  If I get pregnant before finishing school then I'm weak.  These are my perceptions and what keeps me from resting.  Sometimes I am convicted of looking at people and thinking they're not doing enough, wow.  I'm slowly learning that I need to value what God thinks of me over what other people think of Me, put life into perspective, and live my life for God not others.  

Whew!  That was really therapeutic.  This is a daily struggle but I'm definitely working through this.  

To help life slow down a bit I'm going to Utah with a close friend.  I'm so excited!  We plan on fully relaxing as much as possible, and my suit case is filled with so many workout and lounge clothes-I'm just in heaven.  Whenever I travel it is not relaxing as much as I hope it will be, so this trip is something I'm really looking forward to.  We're going to hike, run, read, and just hang out.  

I hope you all have a beautiful and restful Monday!

pesto quinoa with tomatoes and kale

Before I dive into this delicious recipe can I just say "HAPPY SPRING BREAK!!!!"  I definitely needed and am excited for a break.  Two whole weeks off work.  I still have so much homework to do, but it is nice to have only one thing to tackle.  I plan on fully basking on as much relaxation as possible.  But, of course being me, we're up early Saturday morning for a church conference.  That's okay, it's well worth it.  

Moving on...

When the Mr. works late, sometimes I get really excited because it means I can make whatever I want for dinner :)  (Unless we already had a meal planned, and then I make it and box up all the leftovers for him.) I bought brussell sprouts specifically because I knew he was going to not be home for dinner one night, and then I looked in my pantry and fridge to see what I could come up with.  The results were divine, and I loved them hot that night and cold for lunch.  

Pesto Quinoa with Tomatoes and Kale 

First, grab the following:

2-3 c. kale, destemmed and roughly chopped

2 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 c. quinoa, rinsed

1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 c. pesto (plus more if you'd like)

brussell sprouts

First, I sliced my brussell sprouts in half and placed them on a foil-lined pan (it makes dishes that much easier).

Then, I drizzled olive oil (about 1 T.) over them and sprinkled salt and pepper on top.

They got put in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  At 10 minutes I stirred them up and placed them back in. 

While those are in the oven cook your quinoa.  (Sorry, I completely forgot to take a picture.)  Place 1 cup water and 1/2 cup quinoa in a sauce pan, bring to a boil, then put the lid on and turn down the heat to medium-low, and do not touch for 12-15 minutes!

For the kale I heated a large pan over medium-high heat, added 1/2 T. olive oil, and then added my kale.  To the kale I added my garlic.

Then I added 1 cup of water to the kale, stirred, and covered it with a lid.  The kale will be done when it is nice and wilted, about 5-8 minutes.  

While the kale cooked I chopped up my tomatoes and fluffed the quinoa once it was done.  These were placed in a large bowl like so:

The kale was added to the bowl next along with the pesto.  For the pesto I had some leftover homemade pesto in the fridge that I used.  I promise that I have to post our pesto recipe.  I used a secret ingredient (rainbow chard)-and it was seriously the best pesto I have ever had.  You can, of course, use just store bought pesto as well.

Everything got a nice stir....

And by the time the quinoa mixture was all done, so were the brussell sprouts.  Dinner was completely done in 30 minutes!  That is my kind of meal filled with lots of protein and greens!  

Grab a fork and enjoy!