"Good" Things

Vegan quinoa and sweet potato chili

Good things about this particular day. 

I woke up without an alarm, and before 9 a.m. A miracle for me.

There was a severe winter weather alert for our area due to freezing low temperatures and awful cold wind chills (unfortunate for my husband's first day of engineering school), and I didn't have to go anywhere as I worked Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the hospital.

Coconut-almond green beans

I felt motivated this morning. I didn't even pick up my iPad, which I often do to catch up on the latest 12-hour news and updates. I set to work on laundry and cooking. I first made one of my husband's favorites, coconut-almond green beans, a recipe I discovered in Melissa Joulwan's Well Fed paleo cookbook. I also placed ten or so sweet potatoes in the oven to bake for an hour. After they were cooked and cooled, I de-skinned, mashed, and added coconut oil and cinnamon (and/or pumpkin spice) to them. YUM! I also added all the necessary ingredients in a big pot for a new recipe, vegan quinoa and sweet potato chili (I added mushrooms) from Pacific Foods. At the same time, I started boiling ten eggs. When everything was cooking, I began cleaning up and slicing yellow, red, and orange sweet peppers. My favorite raw vegetable! Once all the above was completed and in the fridge/freezer, I started on an adapted turkey-cranberry meatball recipe from Well Fed 2. This time I used lean beef and added other ingredients as I didn't have orange juice, cream of tartar, or baking soda (I know, who doesn't have baking soda in their kitchen?). I made these once for a dinner party with friends. They were delicious. My husband almost had them gone before dinner commenced!

Italian beef + cranberry meatballs

I played music I love All. Day. Long.

Mashed sweet potatoes with coconut oil

I also received confirmation that the Canon 5D Mark II camera I purchased from photographer in Maine is being shipped today! YAY! I cannot tell you how excited I am to begin practicing with my camera. I even signed up for an online class teaching manual photography. I cannot wait.

Finally, as soon as my husband returns home from work/school, we are going to watch the final three episodes of season three of Homeland, our new favorite television show. 

In closing, I am sharing lyrics of a song I recently heard on a Christian radio station in my area. I think it's a beautiful song and echoes my most recent post about gratefulness. Having experienced significant loss in my life, something I deal with each and every day, I am ever-aware and ever-grateful for all that is "good" in this world and never hesitate to appreciate all the small things in life that make it so precious. 

“Good” by Dave Barnes

As the sun slowly rises above the river

I look out over all that God has made

Listen as the day starts to awaken

I thank God for things that never change

I can hear her laughing in the kitchen

And the sounds of little footsteps on the stairs

I’ve got all I’ll ever need: a wife, a home, a family

And I thank God for all those answered prayers

And it’s good

I got more than I ever thought I would

I can finally see how all the wrong turns and the heartaches

The lessons in the mistakes

Help me count these blessings like I should

And it’s so good

Every day’s a gift that I’ve been given

Every breath feels like a second chance

And everything I’ve done heaven has seen

And God just keeps on forgiving me, and I

Do my best to change what I can

And it’s so good

I got more than I ever thought I would

I can finally see how all the wrong turns and the heartaches

The lessons in the mistakes

Help me count these blessings like I should

And it’s good to know that I have been forgiven

Good to have her laying by my side

I’ve been given more than I deserve

For a past so full of bridges burned

I couldn’t make this better if I tried

And it’s so good

I got more than I ever thought I would

I can finally see how all the wrong turns and the heartaches

The lessons in the mistakes

Help me count these blessings like I should

And it’s so good