Transitions and Random-ness

I think it's safe to say I am at a time in my life where I am making a lot of changes. Marriage, stay at home mom full-time, with the exception of my salon job on Saturdays where I get to take out my creativity on unsuspecting clients... and this running thing. That has actually been a long time coming. I think I need to let ideas brew for awhile in my head before I take action, and possibly have a few failed attempts in between.

The running thing (I guess that's what I'm calling it) has been going great thus far. Next week I move on to week two of the program which will prove a little more challenging, and I'm ready for it. In all honesty, I've never made it this far in the consistency department, and I'm giving myself some credit for sticking with it this far.

It's not only the running that I'm transitioning into, but a healthy lifestyle in general. I have been researching healthy "eating styles" for what seems like forever, and have pretty much decided one thing: I'm not going to stick to any "one thing". I am not ever going to call myself a vegetarian or a vegan or whatever else because I don't feel like putting those limitations on myself. Once you make the "declaration" of what you "are", it becomes your limit, your confined box, in a sense. I want to focus on eating as healthy as possible MOST of the time, but still eat turkey on Thanksgiving without people questioning me, "Aren't you a vegetarian?" I want to make chicken marsala for Dave on his birthday or other special occasion without feeling like I'm cheating.

Speaking of chicken marsala, that is exactly what I made for Dave tonight for his post-birthday dinner, since we were at a wedding and out to eat with his grandma on his actual birthday. This is my absolute favorite dish to cook that I've come across, partly because it's one of the first so-called skilled dishes I made when I first started cooking, and party because it's Italian and fresh and yummy. Here are some preparation pictures of tonight's dinner:

I just love this idea of storing parsley, or any other herb. It keeps much more fresh than sitting in a bag in the fridge, and it's nice and dry when you want to chop it! Bonus!

This dish is just so fun to make with some music on in the background and a wine glass filled with water in one hand. Or filled with wine. Whatever floats your boat!

Dave and I had a nice little date night at home, the marsala turned out awesome, we played scrabble slam which is basically four letter scrabble with cards, and we had a great conversation. I think tonight was a nicer date night than the past few times we've actually gone out to a restaurant! Next time I'll make sure to take a picture of the finished dinner.  :)

The next transition was brought about in Dave and I's dinner conversation, about spiritual discipline and how we plan be creative in implementing it into our lives and keeping each other accountable. We plan to set goals and have disciplines that form habits that eventually becomes our pleasures. I am really looking forward to this transition, and I know it will be challenging in an awesome way! 

So, here are some significant transitions from the last four-ish months:

1. Marriage

2. Stay at home mom

3. Living with Dave

4. Perks that go along with marriage  ;)

5. Keeping house, running my own schedule

6. Starting running

7. Change in eating habits

8. Spiritual disciplines

I'm really enjoying all this change! I love growing and challenging myself, I love having a wonderful husband and son by my side through it all, I love tackling challenges that I thought I never had time for or could never do, such as running and changing my eating habits. I am not perfect by any means and definitely not where I would like to be yet, but I'm working toward that which is where you have to start! 

So before I sign off, I thought of an idea today that I think will help get my creative juices flowing as far as cooking vegetables are concerned. Does that seem random to you? Maybe it is. But it's still a great idea right? The biggest problem I have with vegetables is that no matter how much I love them, they get boring after a lifetime of eating them the same. exact. way. So, what I would like to do is pick one vegetable a week, and try cooking it a few different ways! Not necessarily cooking every time, but even just preparing. Vegetables don't always need to be cooked. (Captain obvious over here...) I think this would be a great way to get creative with vegetables and make it easier to incorporate them into every meal!

So for this week, the vegetable I'm going to pick is Kale. Why Kale? Well, it's chock-full of vitamins and antioxidants and one of the best darn leafy greens out there, not to mention bitter, chewy and tough. But I know there are ways to prepare it to where it's yummy, so I will attempt to do just that.

Wish me luck!

Lindsay