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Avocado Strawberry Caprese Salad

July 4, 2016 • 31 Comments

This fresh and delicious Avocado Strawberry Caprese Salad is sure to be a hit all spring and summer long.

There are many things I excel at in the house, but laundry is not one of them. Luckily God blessed me with a husband who doesn’t mind helping wash, dry and fold from time to time. I should point out he is the exclusive washer, dryer and assembler of our bed sheets. Praise. The. Lord.

Making the bed is another one of those things I do not excel at. What takes me 15 minutes easily takes him five. It’s always a sweet gift to climb into bed after my man has fitted it with fresh sheets.

There is something about the experience and sensation of freshness that is, to me, absolutely ethereal.

Flowers fresh from the garden. Corn fresh from the harvest. Strawberries just picked from the field. Fresh is definitely best. But do you know what’s even more wonderful than fresh bed sheets, flowers, corn and strawberries?

The promise that when the sun rises and we wake up in the morning, we get a fresh, new day. Every day.

All throughout scripture, God promises His children the gift of new, fresh life. As believers we can rejoice knowing that one day Christ will come back for us and make all things new (Revelation 21:5). But until that day we can trust that He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).

It’s called sanctification, or, the process of being made holy — a process which Jesus set in motion the day He sacrificed himself on a cross for our sin. Jesus came so that we could have new life and have it in abundance (John 10:10). His mercies are truly new for us each morning, and every day He is working to make us more and more like Him as we follow Him.Read More

5 Ideas for Community Building {+ Some Scrumptious Espresso Waffles}

June 30, 2016 • 21 Comments

Ever wanted to go deeper in community or grow closer to the people God’s placed in your life? Today we’re talking about ideas for community building — one of which includes hosting brunch with a new recipe for Espresso Waffles!

This weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to host a group of women for brunch. One of my favorite things in the entire world is to make food for people (and then eat it with them), so I was more than happy to have them over. But part of me was a little nervous, too. What if I fail with this new waffle recipe? What if they don’t like what I make? What if the house isn’t clean enough? I asked myself.

That’s when I remembered the words of my fellow friend and writer Sue Donaldson, who recently wrote a post on imperfect hospitality. “There’s more community in failure than success,” Sue writes. And what a truth that is! Think about it: if community is about a bunch of imperfect humans getting together, why should it be perfect? Why should we expect everything to go 100% according to plan. Perfection is not community. Real life — now that’s community!

Perfection is not community. Real life — now that’s community!

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Once I remembered that community ≠ perfection, I was able to take a deep breathe and fully enjoy myself once my guests arrived. Can I just say what a gift it is to just sit around the table and eat waffles/sip coffee with dear sisters in Christ?

Whether talking about life over brunch or saying, “How are you?” to the stranger who’s bagging your groceries, community is such a precious gift. It’s how we were meant to live. It’s where life happens. And I think it’s something we need to start investing more time in.

If you’re sitting here reading this today and you’re interested in doing some community building where God has you at this moment in time, here are five ideas to help get you started:

Host a Brunch
Copy me and invite a few girlfriends over for a weekend brunch. (I even have your menu covered with a recipe for tasty Espresso Waffles below, featuring Gourmesso coffee.) Nervous about cooking? Check out this article from the blog archives on how to be less anxious in the kitchen.

Join a Small Group
If you’re not in a small group, I would highly encourage you to consider finding one through your local church. Being in a small group helps us grow in our faith and gives us an opportunity to make new friends and serve others.

Go For a Walk (And Leave Your Phone at Home!)
When you go for a walk, do you ever interact with the people around you? Do you look them in the eye? Acknowledge their existence? Here’s another question for you: What if you actually tried starting up a conversation with one of those people? It doesn’t have to be a long or deep conversation, but say hi and try to make a connection. Who knows … you might just make their day or learn something.Read More

Why Prayer Is Not Just for Ourselves

June 27, 2016 • 20 Comments

This weekend my husband took an impromptu roadtrip with one of his friends to Tennessee, so that meant you know what: Lots of God time, girltalk, playing with the puppy, Netflix, chocolate, ice cream and a few glasses of wine here and there. I missed my man like crazy, but I also got to relax and spend a few days doing absolutely nothing. It was glorious.

During my moments with God and in His word I spent nearly an hour in Romans, focusing particularly on Romans 1. It’s a passage I’ve read a thousand times, but for some reason, this time I got stuck on Romans 1:9. Paul writes: “God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son.”

I know God uses people and life events to speak to us, but I find that more often than not if I want to hear directly from the Lord, it’s best to open my Bible. When I think about spending time in God’s word this way, it never feels like a chore or something to check off a daily to-do list. Because I know that each day spent in scripture is a day to receive fresh perspective and truth from my Father.Read More

Grilled Mediterranean Salad

June 23, 2016 • 4 Comments

Take your tastebuds on an exotic trip with this veggie-packed Grilled Mediterranean Salad.

I have a bonus recipe for you guys this week — a summertime favorite of mine that’s sure to nourish both your body and soul.

You want to know to know something crazy? Before this year, I had never grilled an eggplant or zucchini. Say whaaaaaat. So where did I get the idea? Two months ago when it was finally time to start grilling again, I spotted grilled cantaloupe on Pinterest. I did a double take I almost didn’t believe it. I’d never thought to put cantaloupe on the grill, and it made me wonder what else I could grill, too.

If you follow this blog frequently, you know Mr. MLS and I love our eggplant (and apparently our puppy loves it, too, seeing that he interrupted my photo shoot several times to give it a sniff). We like to use it in this Skillet Lasagna recipe, Chicken Curry Soup, Healthy Mac and Cheese, and more.Read More

Three Truths to Remember When You're Starting Over

June 22, 2016 • 8 Comments

Last November I broke a record for the longest amount of time spent staring at the clothes in my closet, trying to pick an outfit for the first day of my new job in Des Moines. Because let’s be real: moving to a new place and starting over can be ridiculously nerve-wracking.

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After graduating college in Indiana and starting our lives together in Minneapolis, my husband’s job had brought us to Iowa. Almost overnight we moved from the Land of 10,000 Lakes to the “Fields of Opportunity,” as the Hawkeye state dubs itself. That meant this swimmer girl was now going to be surrounded by land instead of water — one of the many sacrifices I made to go where we felt God was calling us to be.

I’ll never forget the moment I found out we were going to be starting over again in another new state. I was taking a late lunch break one afternoon when I heard my phone buzzing on the counter. It was Alex calling.

“Hey love, so I have some exciting news for the both of us,” he said. “Why don’t you pick a place for dinner and I’ll meet you there when I get off work.”

None of our favorite spots in the Twin Cities were close to his work, but there was a French restaurant nearby I’d been wanting to try that served as a good alternative.

“Get whatever you want,” Alex told me as I scanned the menu.

Within minutes the wine, French onion soup and shrimp cocktail I ordered were already at the table and I dove right in. Fact: French onion soup at a French restaurant is better than any other soup. Unless you’re making this recipe at home, which is a close second or tie for first.

Alex had been doing well at work so I figured he would tell me he got a promotion within their local office. I figured it was going to predictable good news. I figured wrong. Because the next thing he said was:

“They want me to work at their Des Moines office.”

He went on to explain what a great opportunity the new position was and how exciting this adventure could be for us. It’s a good thing the food and wine had already arrived because it helped distract me from the reality of what was happening. We were possibly going to have to move. To a place we didn’t know a thing about. To a place where we had no family or friends. To a place where we were outsiders. Again.

In that moment I prayed: Lord Jesus, if this is what you have for us, take away any anxiety I might have. Bring clarity. Bring peace. May it be abundantly clear that this is the next chapter in our story.

Almost immediately I felt a calming wave wash over me.

“OK,” I said. “If this is where you think God is calling us, I will follow wherever you want to go. Certainly we need to pray about it, but I’m in. Let’s go check it out.”

Two days later we were in Des Moines to scope out our new city. And within a month we sold our house and moved to our new apartment.

I can’t tell you what I wore to my first day at my new job, but I can tell you this: I felt completely at ease. Maybe it’s because this wasn’t my first time moving to a new state. Maybe it’s because this was my third job out of college. But I think it was more so a gift from the Lord.

Prior to our move I had a lot of fears. I worried I wouldn’t be good at my new job. I worried we wouldn’t find a church. I worried we wouldn’t make friends.

Something wonderful happened when, instead of dwelling on my fears, I asked God to replace the worry with a fresh perspective. I asked him to give me the eyes to see and ears to hear what I needed to to adjust well to my new surroundings.

Through prayer, God revealed to me three truths that helped me make a smooth transition. If you’re in a season of life where you have to start over, or if you find yourself there someday, my hope is these three things will ease any fears you may have.

Three truths to remember when you’re starting over.

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Here’s three truths to remember when you’re starting over:

You are exactly where God wants you to be, and he will take care of you.
The Bible tells us that the Lord’s plans for his children are good — not plans for disaster (Jeremiah 29:11) We also know from Matthew 6:8 that God knows exactly what we need even before we ask him. If God has called you to something new, trust that He will see you through and provide your every need.Read More

Chinese Orange Cauliflower Bites

June 20, 2016 • 26 Comments

This twist on a Chinese classic is a creative way to sneak more vegetables into your diet. Not only are these orange cauliflower bites healthy, but they taste just as good as the restaurant chicken version — husband approved!

You guys, I’m having a moment. An I-want-to-throw-my-smartphone-off-a-cliff moment. I get that smartphones are cool and they help us stay connected to people, but really, what I want more than anything else right now is to put my phone under the tire of my car and crush it the next time I back out.

Why? Because I am sick and tired of the distraction and wasted time that smartphones cause. Not just in my life, but in all of our lives. OK, rant over. Thanks for letting me vent.

But in all seriousness, can we agree the world might be a better place if we learned to put our phones aside a little bit more?

I remember life before smartphones. I especially remember dating before smartphones, and oh, how glorious those days were. Time with my love was never interrupted by notifications. The only time we looked at our phone was to see what time it was. Our attention was fully devoted to being present and in the moment with each other. It’s no surprise to me that most of the memories I have from our relationship are from when we started dating. Because that was life before smartphones. Life before distraction became the norm.