Chicken Taco Sweet Potatoes.

I love trying new recipes and I recently stumbled upon a blog with great recipes. I tried one and was pleasantly surprised at how it turned out! Healthy food (mostly vegetables) is usually not at the top of my list, but this recipe was healthy and tasty. Apparently (according to the blog I found) sweet potatoes are high in fiber, Vitamin A & C, are a good source of potassium, low in fat, and are known to improve blood sugar regulation. I guess you could say it was a "secret" win. I love sweet potatoes and was interested in pairing them with Mexican food.This recipe is easy and you can adapt it any way you like to fit your taste buds!

Chicken Taco Sweet Potatoes

{adapted from Anna Jane Myree}

Serves 2

2 medium sweet potatoes

6 oz boneless skinless chicken breast

2 TBS Low-Sodium taco seasoning (You could also use fajita seasoning)

2-3 TBS salsa

2 tsp olive oil

Shredded cheddar cheese

Butter, salt, and pepper

black beans

Optional Ingredients

sliced onions

green bell peppers, julienned

sour cream

guacamole

fresh cilantro leaves

hot sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and wrap sweet potatoes in foil.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until tender. (You can also poke holes into the sweet potatoes and cook them in the microwave for 4-5 minutes)

In a skillet drizzled with 2 tsp. olive oil, cook the chicken breast on medium heat, 

about 3 minutes each side or until fully cooked. 

Remove from heat and shred with a fork or using a knife and cutting board.

Return chicken to skillet  and add seasoning, 1 TBS water and 2-3 TBS salsa 

(add onions and peppers if using). Sautee for a few minutes.  

Once the potatoes have baked, slice open, mash with fork, and top each with 1 tsp. butter, 2 TBS cheese, salt and pepper. Microwave for about 45 seconds, or bake in the oven 

just until the cheese melts. 

To finish, top each potato with some of the chicken taco mixture, beans, 

and whatever other toppings you want. Enjoy!

Because this recipe serves two, there is enough extra for a second meal if you're cooking for one!

Be encouraged.

Life has been a little crazy (but good) since returning to school. It has been so nice to reunite with old friends and get re-adjusted back into college life. I can already tell that God has His hand on this school year and already is and will continue to work mightily. I pray that the habits I cultivated this summer of boldly approaching His throne of grace daily will continue as my schedule begins to fill with assignments due, tests to be studied for, clinical hours to be observed, and fun times to be had. I am only halfway through the second week of school and have realized how much I need to say, "Give me Jesus" everyday. Navigating through His Word and seeking to understand it more in order to be a better reflection of Him is so, so important in this season of life. I pray that I would be encouraged this year by His faithfulness and love and learn to be an encourager of the same. I pray that when I grow weary, I would turn immediately to Christ and be filled with His deep, unexplainable joy! My whole-hearted desire is to know and be known by the One who is fully enough for me!

I don't know what these next few weeks will look like as far as regular postings, as I am figuring out my school, observation, and work schedules. Hopefully, I'll find a rhythm and be able to post some fun things for you! I hope you'll be patient and stick around as I navigate this new season :)

Weekly Truth:
"But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made this Sovereign LORD my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do."
-Psalm 73:28

Printable Scripture Cards.

Hello, friends!
This is my last week at home before starting my junior year of college. (That's so crazy that I am a junior in college now!) I have been learning so much this summer about myself and God and His purpose for me. In order to keep my mind focused on Christ while I am at school and just in general, I thought I would place some verses in the places I spend a lot of time (car, agenda, etc.). I made this printable that you can print out and cut apart. You could also place the cards on top of some scrapbook paper for some added pizazz! Hopefully, you can find some of these verses helpful and good reminders to be a reflection of Christ!

// Faithfulness Breeds Faithfulness //

Just right-click on the image, save it to your computer, and print! :)

Recipe Share: Saltine Cracker Toffee.

Since I've posted a few days late this week, I thought I would still share a new recipe. This one is so good and almost IS addicting, so be cautious! Saltine Cracker Toffee is so easy to make and so delicious (it also makes a great gift for friends and family at Christmas). Enough with the talking and lets get to the recipe! I hope you'll make it and share it with your friends :)

Join me next week for a new post and a fun printable!

Weekly Truth:
"The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms." -Deuteronomy 33:27

Just Sit Back & Relax.

Some days life can get busy and you need to take a moment to breathe. The new school year is quickly approaching and already seems as if it will be full of things to do. In an effort to provide myself with some comfort and relaxation in the midst of new schedules and assignments and other activities, I thought I would make a list of things that are calming and help me unwind. Hopefully, you can find some of these tips helpful if you are in a busy season.

Baths //
I love to take a bath every once in a while. I usually will go to Lush and pick out a bath bomb that smells good and then fill up my tub, light a candle, and read a good book or watch a relaxing show while I take a bath. My favorite time to take a bath is at Christmas break because I am free of school work until new classes start in January and I don't feel rushed.

Showers before bed //
I am a morning shower-er by habit (and it seems to work out best for my hair and face too). I love waking up and feeling fresh after a shower, but sometimes you just need to have two showers in a day! This summer I have discovered that taking a shower before bed every so often is very relaxing. I love the scent of my rose shampoo on my hair as I go to sleep and the warm water is quiet and relaxing as I get ready for bed.

Baking //
Baking is very therapeutic for me. It's so nice to just be quiet and mix together various ingredients that turn into something delicious. If you're not a scratch baker, even mixing together a box mix is calming. The other morning I turned on some Hawaiian music and ocean sounds, lit a candle, and made coconut chocolate chip scones. It was so nice to enjoy that quiet moment while it rained outside.

A cup of tea and a good story //
If you know me at all, you know my absolute favorite author is Robin Jones Gunn. Anything she writes is wonderful! I am reading through the Glenbrooke series for the 3rd or 4th time and they are still as good as the first time I read them. Reading those books makes me wish Glenbrooke was a real place and that I could be sitting in a comfy chair by a fireplace in a cottage reading a RJG book. Each time I read her books I feel compelled to make a cup of tea and find a cozy spot to sit and enjoy it in. This is one of my favorite things to do and makes me feel relaxed.

Arranging flowers //
If I weren't going to be a teacher after I graduate, I would be a florist or the owner of a B&B. (Who knows...maybe I still will be ;) ). I've always loved flowers and arranging them is fun and relaxing. If I need to be cheered up, I'll probably buy a group of different flowers and arrange them in a bouquet in my favorite little polka-dot pitcher or a mason jar. I recently made 3 arrangements for my mom's birthday and that was so fun. (a little picture is below) If you need a little cheer in your home, buy some flowers and get to it!

A truth that I find comforting and calming is found in Psalm 91:2. It says,
"This I declare about the LORD: 
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; 
he is my God, and I trust him."
I love that we can come and rest in Christ. He is the place where we can go where we are always safe and can fully relax and unwind. He is so good and so sovereign. What a blessing it is to sit at His feet and worship Him and study His Word! I'm so thankful that He is my place of refuge.

I hope you enjoyed this post and will join me next week for another post! Sorry for my posts being a few days off this week. Look for a recipe post tomorrow!

Step into the darkness.

I have been enjoying these last few weeks of summer before I head back into a new school year. God has really been working this summer and showing me who I am in Him and how I can better live my life according to His purpose and to recognize Him in everything. I've mentioned before how much I love reading anything written by Robin Jones Gunn and I just finished "Christy and Todd: The College Years" and the first book in "The Married Years" (which was wonderful!). The thing I love most about Robin's writings is that she intertwines God and scriptures so exquisitely into her books. It really provokes my thoughts about faith and God and is sort of like a mini-Bible study. The first book when Christy and Todd are married is focused on remaining faithful in Christ and trusting that He is present in every situation. I really enjoyed all of the scripture passages that went along with this book, which led to many quality devotion times with God. These times also provided me with hope and joy for the upcoming school year. I know that I can depend on God for every little thing and that He always provides for me. I love the passage in Exodus 20:21 where Moses has just received the 10 commandments and the people were still doubting that God would take care of them. The part that I love is when it says, "As the people stood in the distance, Moses approached the dark cloud where God was." Moses stepped out into the darkness not knowing where he would go or what would happen, but he trusted God. The lesson I gleaned from this passage was to not be afraid to step out in to the "darkness" and to trust that God is ALWAYS there and ALWAYS has a plan and purpose for us.

My hope and prayer for you and me is that we would boldly trust Christ and step out into the darkness. Whether you are heading back to school, starting a new job, or embarking on a new and unknown journey, you can rest in the fact that God is with you. He will never forsake you and provides for every need. When we don't know what is next, we can have confidence that God is waiting there for us in the midst of the unknown darkness.

"To the King and His Kingdom. To His mysterious ways and His perfect timing!" -RJG

Be blessed this week, dear children of God!

Recipe Share Thursday: Cheesy Chicken Roll-Ups.

Hello friends! Today is the first in a series of recipe sharing posts. I love to cook and bake and finding new recipes that are delicious is even more fun! I recently shared a banana muffin recipe (not part of this series) that I found on Pinterest and I hope you get a chance to make it. The first recipe I want to share if from my favorite vlogger, Rachel Earls. She recently made this recipe for her husband and I thought it looked good so I decided to make it for my family! It was super easy and relatively quick to make for a weeknight dinner. I made a little graphic with the recipe on it if you want to print it or have something cuter to follow than plain text when making it. Without further ado...here is the recipe for Cheesy Chicken Roll-Ups!

Cheesy Chicken Roll-Ups
Servings: 4-8 servings (It made 2 per each person)
Prep & Cook Time: 1 hour
Temp: 350 F

Ingredients:
6 oz cooked chicken breast, shredded
1 can crescent rolls
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Directions:
Mix together milk, soup and cheese -- set aside. Separate crescent rolls into 8 triangles. Spread about 1/3 cup of soup mixture in bottom of 9x13 dish. Top the large part of the crescent triangle with the shredded chicken. Top each crescent roll with 1/2 TBS of soup mixture. Roll crescent rolls up and place in dish (2 rows of 4). Pour remaining soup mixture over crescent rolls. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

This dish pairs well with green beans as a side. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family did and have a wonderful weekend! (Also if you are looking for a good movie to watch this weekend, "The Hunters" on Netflix is good! It's a modern-day treasure hunting movie about a family looking for fairytale artifacts around the globe. It's a Hallmark movie, which are usually good!)

Pursuing God Everyday.

God loves it when we seek Him out in everything. Whether we’re walking the dog, doing the dishes, cleaning the bathroom, chopping vegetables, searching for a parking spot, conversing with friends, or even taking a shower, we can choose to sweetly converse with and worship Christ. For a while I thought that prayer had a certain posture, one that was rigid and stiff. But the reality I found was that we can come to God with our petitions and praises anytime. Alongside this freedom to call out to Christ in the midst of anything, He asks to meet with us in private. 

Matthew 6:6 says, “But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” 

Personally, I have found that I can hear the Lord speaking best when I am quiet and alone with Him away from all distractions. The place I have found in my house where I can be with Christ and go unbothered is in my closet on the floor. All I take with me is my Bible and prayer journal. This is the place where I can pour out my heart’s desires to Christ and my petitions to know what His Will is for me. I recommend that everyone find a spot to meet God and consistently meet Him there. Sometimes our schedules become busy and we have to find alternate ways to meet Christ. I’ve come up with 5 ways that you can converse daily with Christ and hopefully they can inspire you to meet Christ more frequently. (In a Bible study I am following, I learned that faithfulness breeds faithfulness. God is always faithful to meet us and if we are faithful to meet Him he will fill us with His love that will in turn spill out onto others!)

While you walk.

I love to listen to sermons when I walk with my dog. It is a time that I am by myself aside from waving “hello” to the maintenance people or neighbors on their porches. It gives me a chance to listen to the teaching of God’s Word, to pray for our world and the neighbors whose houses I am walking past.

While you shower.

Worshiping, thinking, and praying in the shower are THE best. You are definitely by yourself in there and can just be quiet while you worship the One True King. Just turn on the Pandora Hillsong radio, jump in the shower, and begin to worship and pray!

While you eat.

Of course you pray before you eat, but you can also spend this time reflecting on God’s goodness. I really enjoy eating my breakfast in a quiet place by myself when I am at home. It is nice to sit and be still while getting some nourishment for the day. I have a little spiral-bound 3x5 card thing that I have written verses on that stuck out to me and that is nice to go through while I am eating breakfast.

When you relax.

Sometimes life gets busy and you have to do something nice for yourself. Get your nails done or paint them yourself, take a bath, read a good book, play the piano, bake something wonderful! I love those moments of quietness where I can just talk to God and listen to what He has to tell me.

When you run errands.

Running errands can be tedious sometimes, but choosing to focus on Christ and what He has blessed you with makes things a lot better. And driving is more fun with worship music!

I hope you enjoyed this little list of ways to worship and pursue God daily. I pray that you will be able to incorporate some of these ideas into your everyday schedule or maybe be inspired to find a different way to pursue Christ everyday.

I would like to begin a new thing where I share a recipe I have tried recently every Thursday. This will most likely be inconsistent with school starting soon, but I hope to share a recipe every Thursday until that happens! Join me next week for another post and have an AWESOME day!

Top 5 Right Now.

Book: “Christy & Todd: the College Years” by Robin Jones Gunn

I have never been much of a reader (as in it isn’t my go to hobby or thing to do during my down time), but when I was in middle school my sister read the Sierra Jensen series by the same author and I became interested. I couldn’t get into that series (and I still haven’t read it haha), but I found the Christy Miller series, written by the same author, while shopping at a Lifeway in Kansas City. I immediately became enthralled with the series and connected with the characters. I have read the entire series at least 4 times over. I have also read the Katie Weldon series (Christy’s best friend), the Glenbrooke series, and the Sisterchick series. Needless to say, Robin Jones Gunn is my all time favorite author and is just as wonderful in person as she is on paper. I love how she intertwines faith and day-to-day struggles of the Christian teen turned adult into her whimsical love stories. Her Christmas novellas are wonderfully romantic as well. Basically anything she writes is great! Go check her out J

Recipe: Banana Pecan Crunch Muffins from Spend with Pennies

I made these muffins this evening because we had 3 overripe bananas (perfect for baking) and I didn’t want to waste them. Now I am rather picky when it comes to breads, muffins, and cookies. I never seem to find just the right recipe that turns out perfectly the first time, but this time was different! These muffins were soooo good and easy to make! I tell ya… baking is my love language. The muffins had the perfect amount of sweetness paired with the delicious crunchy, brown sugary, buttery, oat-y, nutty topping. I’d say they are perfect partners in crime…like Lucy and Ethel or chocolate and peanut butter or whatever you want to put together. I’ll be making this recipe again and again. It's perfect for bible studies or morning breakfasts on the go!

Activity: Walking my dog around the neighborhood and counting my steps!

Did she just say walking? That’s probably what you’re asking yourself, but yes… it’s true. (Truer than when my sister says that running is fun….now, I know that’s a lie! Ha) I like to get in my exercise by going for a power walk around my neighborhood (I try to get in close to 2 miles each time). I love seeing how each neighbor has decorated their porch in an effort to make it their own. My favorite porch has a red bench, two yellow chairs, two blue chairs, colorful pillows, a chippy yellow trunk, old white shutters and cute little flowers & plants. It’s the perfect combo of bright colors and vintage-ness. Meg Duerksen would be proud.

Blog: There is a toss-up for this category. I love my friend Caroline’s “Caroline’s Corner” blog, but I also get a kick out of reading Meg Duerksen’s “Whatever” blog and Shannan Martin’s “Shannan Martin Writes” blog. They are so funny and always have something funny to share or cute to share. Read Shannan’s “Kicking Consumerism in the Teeth” for a good laugh and DIY garland idea and Caroline's blog for fun DIY projects and tips!

Instagram Account: Life Lived Beautifully @lifelivedbeautifully  Her blog (LINK)

Gretchen Saffles has to be one of the sweetest women on this earth. She radiates such joy and is rooted in biblical truth. Her pictures of flowers and Scripture are so wonderful and always make my day. She is a true inspiration! She also recently filmed a video Bible study on the book of Ruth. (I believe you can watch it via Facebook)

Weekly Truth:

“Oh, that you would burst form the heavens and come down!... For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!” 

Isaiah 64:1, 4 (NLT)

I love these verse and how joy-filled they are! Imagine a heart so fixated on Christ that it is just begging for God to burst through the clouds and reveal his Glory. Oftentimes I have an image of what I think God looks like in my mind, but I know it is nothing compared to His actual beauty and splendor. I love the part that says He works for those who wait for Him. That thought of waiting on Christ in full submission to the will He has set out for us and His working on our behalf is awesome! I pray for myself and each one of you that we can experience God in a new way that allows us to fall deeper into a loving relationship with Him! 

There’s my top 5 & Truth for the week! Let me know what you’re enjoying this week by leaving me a comment. I would love to hear from you! Join me next week for another post and remember to love God & love people!

Easy DIY Rustic Bow Frame.

I guess this will be the summer of DIY projects! I love looking at all of the fun ideas on Pinterest and seeing if I can recreate them. For a few years I’ve really liked those cute, rustic-looking frames with the burlap bows on them. You can buy them lots of places, but I never feel like spending 15 plus dollars for one. So I finally made one for myself! I bought a 4x6 wooden frame in the craft section of Walmart (you could use one you already have that you don’t use anymore or just needs an update) and some brown wax paint and cream-colored chalk paint. According to many websites, you’re supposed to use chalk paint first and then layer the wax over it… but that’s not how I wanted mine. Here’s the how-to on making this fun frame!

The “ingredients” for this project: chalk paint, wax paint, paint brush (I used a sponge brush and old cloth), frame, and newspaper.

First, lay out some newspaper to keep your work area paint-free. Then remove the backing and glass from the frame and paint the top, sides, and inside edges of the frame with the brown wax paint. Remember to paint WITH the grain of the wood, not against it. My frame looked as if I had stained it (which was cool and a good ideas for another project).

Next, take an old cloth and dip it in the chalk paint and begin to rub it onto the frame with the grain again. Your frame should begin to look vintage like mine did! If you want more of a rustic look, you could rub some of the white paint off with sandpaper or something else that is rough.

Finally, add a bow of your choice to the top of the frame with hot glue. I chose to use burlap because I thought it complimented the frame well.

After everything is dry, add you favorite picture and enjoy your new frame! You can mix it up with any color of paint and/or ribbon to match your style.

Weekly Truth:

“Yes, indeed – God is my salvation. I trust, I won’t be afraid. God – yes God! – is my strength and song, best of all, my salvation! Joyfully you’ll pull up buckets of water from the walls of salvation. And as you do it, you’ll say, ‘Give thanks to God. Call out his name. Ask him anything! Shout to the nations, tell them what he’s done, spread the news of his great reputation!’”

-Isaiah 12:2-4 (MSG)

I love the focus of this passage being joyful in trusting the Lord! We don’t have to be afraid of anything because God is always THE constant in every situation. My favorite part is that we can “call out his name.” I love that we can audibly call on the name of Jesus and He will listen to our cries for help, our shouts of joy because of His great works, and even our simplest or most complex thoughts! He is so exquisite in His creation and intricate in how He created us to live in communication with Him. God is so great! I pray that you find encouragement and joy this week in knowing that you can call on the name of the Lord wherever you are. You are so dearly loved and cherished!

I hope you enjoyed this post and will join me again next week!