My Dream Backyard

This is definitely an ode to Pinterest! I'm officially obsessed with looking at all of the food, clothes, fitness tips, DIY, interior/exterior design ideas, and on and on that can be found on Pinterest.  Sometimes a blessing- new easy recipe ideas and sometimes just a fantasy.  Today, I choose fantasy.... My Dream Backyard, built by millions of "Pinners" online everywhere:

First, let me paint the scene... A large roaming yard with flowers and trees providing shade and exclusion from the world.  I would of course be growing a garden full of herbs, pumpkins, lettuce, zucchini, cantaloupe, carrots, tomatoes, green beans, blueberries, oranges and strawberries.
Next of course, would be comfort.  I love the pictured club house (top for the kids, bottom lounge for the adults).  Tree swings are also essential.  And don't for get the fire for cooking and warming up!

Ambiance is also key!  I love DIY mason jar lanterns and of course speakers for music!

However, the hardest decision would be location, I'm torn between cape cod and the Rocky Mountains.  But, this is a fantasy, so I pick a backyard nestled between the two!

 What would be your perfect backyard???? [Comments Welcomed]

Butternut Squash, Spinach, Goat Cheese Polenta Pizza!

If I can make something so decadent, then you can too!

Butternut Squash, Spinach, Goat Cheese Polenta Pizza (serves 2 for lunch)
Ingredients
Olive oil
Garlic Salt
Butternut Squash (1 c. peeled & cubed)
Red onion (1/4 c. finely chopped)
Sage (6 leaves)
Rosemary (2 large sprigs)
Spinach (1 c. uncooked)
Goat Cheese (8 dollops)
Polenta (8- 1/2 in circles)

Drizzle olive oil and garlic salt in a pan
Add Butternut Squash, red onions, sage, & rosemary-  cook until butternut squash is browned on all sides, put to the side
Drizzle more olive oil in the pan
Add Polenta on one side of the pan & spinach on the other- brown Polenta on both sides, and cook spinach thoroughly
Lastly assemble- Polenta, Goat cheese, spinach, butternut squash, onion, rosemary, & sage into mini pizzas!

This is my personal recipe, I encourage creativity and using any ingredients you want!

What would you say to the president of the United States: Interesting News Article of the Week

This story hits home as The Sink in Boulder, CO was one of my favorite hang outs in college.  I dig that fact that Obama stopped by!  With that said, what would you say to the President of the United States of America in 30 seconds?

Click the Pic

I honestly have no clue what I'd say.  But, from the sound of the responses in the article, Obama was asking about their futures.  If he asked about mine, I'd say I want to be an entrepreneur in a creative realm (bakery, wedding planning, or new technology).  Thinking about your future is inspiring.  Take small steps today that your future self with thank you for!

The Best Diet is the One You Will Follow

We undoubtedly are sicker than any previous generation. Yet, our medical technology continues to become more advanced. How can this possibly be? I blame lifestyle: poor diet and lack of exercise. More than ever, people should be focusing on diets because of the health benefits rather than just the aspiration to be thin. So I ask myself constantly, what should I be eating? There are so many unique (and often extreme) lifestyle diets that catch my attention because of their health benefit claims. Two of the most interesting ones are definitely the Vegan & Paleo Diets.

The Vegan Diet

I recently watched a documentary called Forks over Knives, and I have never been more convinced that people should eat less meat & animal products. The reason? The documentary showcases many studies proving that a whole-food, plant-based diet can prevent and even reverse many degenerative diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even several forms of cancer. Let me first start by saying that Trader Joe’s is my go to place for dairy- free & meat-free alternatives! You can’t go wrong! I would definitely suggest Soy Yogurt, Coconut Milk, Egg Substitute, Dairy-Free Mozzarella, Soy Chorizo, Veggie Burgers as a great way to eat more vegan-isque. Of course you would also want to eat lots of fruits, vegetables & whole grains.

Additional Benefits to eating like a Vegan:

• To be more environmentally friendly: a significant amount of pollution comes from animal waste, factory farms, and to transport the meat and animal- products to consumers. 
• To object inhumane treatment of animals: Often times animals are squished together in disgusting living environments and are killed in even more obscene ways. Just watch the documentary called Food Inc. 

Famous Vegans include Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Plato, & Sir Issac Newton!

The Paleo Diet

Archeological and anthropological data indicate our pre-agricultural ancestors were largely free from modern afflictions of Westernized cultures including obesity, cancer, cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases. So the theory states that if we eat more like our ancestors, than we can be just as healthy. This means only strictly eating meat (grass-fed/ hormone-free), fish, fowl(bird), vegetables, fruits, roots, tubers(potatoes) and nuts. On the flip-side one should not eat grains, legumes (peas, soybeans, peanuts) and dairy.

Benefits to eating like Cavemen:

• In theory, less susceptible to cancer, coronary heart disease, diabetes, and many other modern-day diseases. 
• Allergen absence, milk and wheat are among the eight foods that account for 90 percent of food allergic reactions 
• Energy- decrease in highs and lows from insulin and sugar spikes 
• Weight Control 

"Flex-iterian"

Both diets have benefits and down-falls, thus I think I couldn’t whole-heartedly suggest either in it's entirely. Rather I’d suggest people to live in balance.

Luckily Both sides agree that:

• It is healthy to eat fruits and vegetables
• Animals should be treated humanely (with enough space, social contact with their own kind, fed food that doesn’t cause digestive distress, and not abused) 
• Organic, sustainable agriculture is far better than conventional agriculture (environmental impact and nutritional quality) 
• Encouraging moderate intake of healthful fats (Omega-3 and monosaturated fats) 
• Trans-fats, refined sugar, refined vegetable oils, and refined flour are to be avoided

Conclusion: The real enemy is the Standard American Diet: Fast-food- Factory-farmed meat cooked in vegetable oil, and served with genetically modified, pesticide-laced, refined soy/corn/wheat concoctions, with a tub of carbonated high fructose corn-syrup.

Moo-ving cows: Oddest News Story of the Week

Moo-ving cows from Conundrum a challenge for U.S. Forest Service

Click to Read

Christ Like Love

Speaking of PB&J, my church in Colorado, Flatiron's Community Church, has my favorite sermon about marraige in a series called Peanut Butter & Jelly!!!

 Ephesians 5
    22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
     25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing[b] her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”[c] 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
 
 Men, if you read the above scripture, it does not mean you are the “boss.” Rather these words should be sobering, you should feel the responsibility.  Marriage is a parable to the way that Christ loves the church, that’s heavy. It’s the calling for men to be Spiritual Leaders over their wives, servant leadership, protectors (emotional, spiritual, and physical).  And wives should respect their husbands.

Every couple should have a Christ honoring  marriage modeled like this.  The best thing about the bible is it present a better way to live you life and it works!

The Skinny PB&J

Strawberry or Blueberry Chobani Greek Yogurt + Valencia Peanut Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds = The Skinny, Healthy, Delicious PB&J.  A heaven sent breakfast!  A typical 6-ounce serving of Greek yogurt contains 15 to 20 grams of protein, the amount in 2 to 3 ounces of lean meat! Valencia PB doesn't contain any additional sugar or salt, but taste great mixed with the yogurt.  The additional flaxseed is a powerful plant food known to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, & diabetes. This is because flaxseed contains Omega-3 essential fatty acids ("the good fat"), Lignans, which has antioxidant qualities, & fiber!

 

The Key to Being Valuable, The 3G Mindset

A resounding 96 percent of employers say they would prefer to “hire, promote, pay and retain” people with a particular mindset over a desired skill set. And 98 percent of employers thought it more likely that a person with the right mindset could easily develop the right skill set if they had to, rather than the other way around.

Global: This is the big picture perspective. It is your ability to lift your eyes out of the weeds, look at the world and understand the ripple effect of your actions.
Good: This is the sensitivity to people and awareness of and the inkling to do good for others around you.
Grit: This is the intestinal fortitude, that uncommon tenacity, intensity, resilience in everything that you do.

Take the test!

The average total score is 900, and the average for each G is 300.

My Results:
Global: 414
Good: 377
Grit: 439
Totaling: 1230

Communication Is Essential!

Relationships (of any kind)

One of my favorite things to ask people are two questions:

1.       “What was your high this week?”

2.       “What was your low this week?”

It’s my way of making a conscious effort to engage with a person on a very intimate level.  These two simple questions can give you insight into what makes a person tick, what makes them happy, what really bums them out.  It’s powerful information that helps develop a relationship because typically immediately after I ask these two questions, I receive the same in return.  Which inevitably sparks my own self reflection of the past week.  Although it is important to remind yourself to focus on the positive and think of ways to overcome the negative.

On a more Romantic Note….

I came across a blog called Today's Letters.

Which displays the same notions of asking questions in order to express needs & wants:

1. How did you feel loved this past week?

2. What does your upcoming week look like?

3. How would you feel most loved & encouraged in the days ahead?

4. How can I pray for you this week?

  

Definitely a model to uphold when in a serious relationship, because just as many things in life, too often things go wrong due to poor/ lack of communication (I can put my own testimony on this as a Project Manager!).

Five Love Languages

Lastly, my boyfriend read a book called The 5 Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman. As my reading list is growing by the day (Hunger Games, The Pact, Bible in a Year, etc.) I decided to just get the run down from him. 

According to Dr. Chapman, a primary way of expressing and interpreting love is through the five love languages.  By identifying what love languages you and your significant other need, it can be a powerful way to know how to effectively express your love for one another.  And not so suprising, people are usually drawn to those who speak a different love language.

Find out your Love Languages, take the assessment here.

Welcome!

Welcome!

I spent about 2 whole days trying what to decide to call this blog. The reason this was so difficult was because I couldn’t categorize this adventure of a blog that I hope it to become. Rather than name the blog after content, I decided to name it after quality. Blandiloquently: In a pleasant, flattering manner of speech. Flattering was a carefully selected adjective as I want to showcase a collection of ideas, events, or products that I have come to know and love! I plan to (and by no means am I limiting myself to) writing about Fitness, Fashion, Food, Event Planning, DIY, Christianity, Health, Design, Technology, Relationships, Career, Education, and anything else my little heart can get its hands on!

I hope you Enjoy!