Something Tastey

Those of you who know me, know I am a produce nut. There is nothing I love more than a dinner that consists of 95% veggies, 5% other things. I love my vegetables! So, last night my husband and I were in the kitchen pondering on what to make for dinner. (This is a regular occurrence for the two of us). And I myself, was craving a hearty stir fry packed full of various veggies, but then realized we didn't have any. I was about ready to run to the store and grab all I needed. That was until, I opened the pantry and realized we had rows upon rows of veggies! Needless to say, I ended up using 100% THRIVE ingredients to make my delicious new Veggie Quinoa Bowl. And I did in fact, make an entire meal in merely 15 minutes. Jackson devoured about 4 bowls of this meal, so I decided it was definitely a  hit for us and want to share it with you!! So, here is my delicious new recipe. There are no particular measurements for this recipe, you get to add however much of whatever you want to  your bowl. You can add mushrooms, peas, chicken, or anything else you would like!

First, you want to grab all of the cans you are going to need. (Not pictured THRIVE freeze-dried green onions, and onions)

Next, bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil  then add 1 cup of THRIVE quinoa. Let simmer for about 13 minutes or until light and fluffy. As that is happening, you are going to start bringing those veggies back to life! Do this by combining the freeze-dried bell pepper, zucchini, and broccoli in a bowl, and covering them with water for about 3-5 minutes like so. (Both types of onions reconstitute in the same way.)

At the same time as this step, combine the freeze-dried corn, and carrots in a pot of boiling water for about 3-5 minutes as well.

Now that everything is re-hydrated, we are ready for the final step. Saute THRIVE onion and green onion in a little bit of olive oil until golden brown. Then add the remaining veggies into the pot along with the cooked quinoa. Crack a little bit of salt and pepper on there, add a splash of your favorite teriyaki or soy sauce, and you're ready to eat! I personally added Spicy Miso Teriyaki Sauce and Kikomon's Low-Sodium Soy Sauce.

*For those protein lovers, I recommend adding either THRIVE freeze-dried chicken into your bowl, or cooking a couple of eggs to throw in there.

YUM! I will definitely be making this simple dish again.

You can find all the ingredients needed for this recipe at: www.wewillthrive.shelfreliance.com

Hello 2013.

Hello 2013! It's a new year. And let me tell you, I have a good feeling about this year! I'm not sure why, but I have just had an amazing feeling about what is to come within the year of 2013. And I am excited to see what that might be!
With any new year comes new goals. In the past, I have been the WORST goal setter. I have been the type of person who gets really excited about starting fresh, making new goals, and reaching them. BUT I am also the type of person who writes the goal down, works on it for about a month or two, then fizzles out. Bad habit I guess. This year however, I've learned how I'm actually going to reach the goals I have set. I've had the wrong idea about goals all along! They aren't something you simply write down on a piece of paper and hope to achieve, they are something you have to install a plan for. Each goal, should have a specific plan on how you intend to reach it. That part right there was my missing link. For example one of my goals this year is to get fit and be active (I know, I know cliche). I am going to reach this goal by first, eating right. However, that's not my entire plan. I then have to break down that part as well. I am going to eat right by cutting out refined sugar, limiting my carb intake, and eating more fruits, veggies and lean proteins. I am also going to reach this goal by exercising. Again, break it down. I am going to do this by doing 30 minutes of cardio and 20 minutes of weight training at least 3 times a week.
I could keep breaking this goal down even more, but you get the idea. And let me tell you, this plan is working! (I will let you know if this is the plan that finally breaks my bad habit of not completing a goal.)
So that being said, this morning I woke up with the intent to work on said goal. I knew I wanted to have something quick, delicious and nutritious for breakfast. So what do I do? I break out my THRIVE! Today I was craving a smoothie. This smoothie was so delicious I wanted to share it with you all! So, here is the recipe and instructions on how to make my Peach-Berry smoothie.

First, I took out 3 cans of THRIVE fruit. Freeze-dried peaches, strawberries, and raspberries.

 
Side note: Freeze drying works by freezing the food with very low temperatures to remove the water and preserve the food. Since you're using cold, almost all of the nutrients are retained in the food. To "bring these foods back to life" you simply add water. Amazing isn't it? So it's quick, easy, and nutritious.

Next: I took a scoop of each fruit, put it in my blender, and poured some coconut water over the top of the fruit to rehydrate it. It looks a little something like this.

Next I added the rest of my ingredients. Organic low-fat plain yogurt, a scoop of vanilla rice protein, (any protein would work I just happen to be allergic to whey) and a little bit of blue agave. Hit "smoothie" on my blender and here is the finished product.

There you have it! My breakfast this morning. Stay tuned for more amazing recipes, and tips on how to incorporate healthy cooking into the new year. You can find ALL the ingredients needed by visiting my website at www.wewillthrive.shelfreliance.com

Peach-Berry Smoothie
(These are approximations because I often measure with my eye)
1/2 c. THRIVE peach slices
1/4 c. THRIVE strawberries
1/4 c. THRIVE raspberries
1 1/2 c. Coconut water
3 tbsp. plain low-fat yogurt
1 tsp. agave

Blend and enjoy!

Eternal Perspective

Holy smokes. Have I ever told you readers, how amazing my fiance Jackson is? Tonight was one of those nights where God pretty much smacked me in the face and made me realize how much I really need that boy.

So...tonight I was struggling. I've been struggling just a tad lately with all of the stresses that come with paying for your entire wedding out of pocket. Not to mention, my body/mood has been feeling like utter crap lately. (one of the fun little perks of being a girl.) I have really tried to push through all of this smog, but lately I haven't been the happiest camper. This week however, has been different. It all started on Sunday when Jackson bore his testimony in our singles ward about having faith. His testimony on the topic is SO strong and is truly inspirational. He sparked a flame in me to do better, and have more faith myself. I had an amazing sabbath day yesterday. However, when I woke up this morning it seems like I forgot all about how wonderful and spiritual my day was yesterday.

Jackson and I have been brainstorming about where to have our Honeymoon. We can't really afford a Honeymoon, but want to do something special together since this only happens one time in our lives. That being said, our options are very limited. Today at work Jackson found a pretty decent deal on a place in Lake Tahoe. I went ahead and looked at it myself, and found that it seemed like a blast. In that moment, I was so filled with joy and happiness thinking that I was going to be able to spend a few days with the man that I love. This thought however, was short lived. About an hour later, I started to get reallllllly freaked out thinking about the financial part of the situation. I thought to myself, "How in the world are we going to be able to do this? This is money we could be spending to start our lives together and be more secure." My mind started wandering, and I got freaked out over the material, money part of the idea. All this freaking out led to more negative thoughts. (i.e. why can't anyone help me pay for this wedding, why do other people have everything handed to them, poor me, waaahhhh life is so hard). This right here, is when Jackson jumped in. And boy, am I glad that he did.

I just got done telling Jackson I don't know if we should even take a Honeymoon due to the expenses, and maybe we should just stay in Salt Lake for a night. Jackson stopped me dead in my tracks. He started giving me the most amazing talk I think I have ever heard, and it went a little something like this.
He started by reminding me what he talked about on Sunday. Faith.  He then went on to explain that EVERYTHING in this world, is made up of atoms. Everything in this world, is materialistic. Everything in this world, Satan makes us think we want it or NEED it to be happy. This is simply not the case. We don't need ANY of it to be happy. Sure, having tons of money and lots of toys would make life a lot easier, but that is not where the true happiness is found. WHO CARES if we spend a little money on the Honeymoon. Who CARES if we don't have as much money as so-and-so. Who CARES if we aren't going to become a billionaire doctor someday. It simply does. not. matter. If we are looking at our lives from an Eternal perspective, none of that matters. We as creations of God, need to put ALL of our faith in God. No matter what the situation. If we truly have 100% faith, he will take care of us. Who are we to freak out, and get stressed over little problems (that are the size of a grain of sand in our eternal lives) when God has it under control? He is Alpha and Omega. He sets the course of our lives. The only things that matter in this life, are the relationships we build and the memories we create. That's all we get to take with us to the next life. All of our material possessions, our I-Phones, our cars, our money, our clothes, turns into dust and disappears forever. None of it matters. Jackson went on to say, he could be the happiest man alive with $1 or $1,000,000 to his name because he trusts God and has faith that he will go to a better place than earth after all of this is said and done. This life is just a test, just a split second. After it's all done, we are able to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ if we live our lives accordingly. If we truly have all the faith we can muster. It is not our place to question the way of God. Everything that happens to us is supposed to happen to us, at that very moment, for a reason. And it is our job in this life, to find that reason. To learn from it. Faith, is believing in things which are not seen which are true. And by golly, I felt with all my heart that what Jackson taught me tonight was one thousand percent true. Wow.

Needless to say, I left that conversation with a completely flipped perspective on the situation, AND with renewed faith in God. I feel like a huge bag of sand was lifted off my shoulders today. I really needed to get this message through my head. Lately, I've been praying that somehow I will learn to trust more in God and what he has planned for me personally. Tonight, I learned that lesson. I am going to bed spiritually edified, and really, truly, happy. It is now my goal to keep this feeling. When hard times come, I need to remember it's only a grain of sand in the Eternal scheme of things. :)

It is now 11:28pm, and I have decided Jackson and I ARE going on a Honeymoon. We will wash 100 cars if we have to, but somehow, someway, we will get there. We are doing this because we are going to build a memory to take with us to the next life. And that, right there, is priceless.

New month, new goals.

Alas. June is finally here, one of my favorite months of the year. Bring on the swimming, the barbeques, the camping, the late nights around the fire, the snow cones, the road trip, the weddings(yay!) and the fun time with your family and friends. I love summer. This month I am going to set some attainable goals for myself, for Jackson and I, and for my business. First and foremost, I am trying to finish the Book of Mormon by the end of this month. Very attainable. Going to do it. Second, I am going to set some AWESOME goals for Shelf Reliance. Jackson and I are trying to a win an all inclusive trip to Costa Rica by racking up a certain amount of points from various sales. We WILL be going to Costa Rica. Neither of us care what it takes, but it is a goal set in stone, and written down. We are hoping June will bring some awesome opportunities(which it already has). I'm excited to see what is in store.

About a month ago, I went to IKEA and bought myself a big black frame. This is the shell of what is soon to become my vision board. Sometime within the next couple of days, I am going to create an actual vision of my dreams and goals. Some are going to be later in life, some are going to be for the next year or two. I am going to take magazine/internet clips and pictures, and paint myself a picture of my goals. I am so excited to do this! A wise woman once told me the best way to reach your dreams, is to have them in front of you everyday. To actually SEE them in front of you, instead of just in your mind. I am a very visual person, so this kind of thing will work for me. I am going to put pictures of places I will travel, places I will live, service I will give, pets I want to own etc. I will put all of the pictures on my vision board, and place it by my bed, so that  I can wake up and remember what I am working towards. All of these dreams will be made possible if I just work my hardest with Shelf Reliance. Shelf Reliance IS providing a way for all of this to happen.You can do anything you set your mind to, if you just work hard along the way. :)

I am going to post a picture of my board as soon as I finish it. Until then, happy June!

The Power of Positivity (Part 2)

I'm going to be honest right now. Becoming completely dairy free has been a pain in the booty. It doesn't seem THAT hard, until you see someone eating that ice cream or having that cake. Ugh. It has definitely been a challenge. Sometimes, I think that I can handle just one small piece of cheesecake or one bite of cheese bread until about 30 minutes later when the pain hits me. And trust me, the pain is NOT worth that piece of cheesecake. My sister is always telling me "Megan you don't NEED that stuff. You need to learn some self control." Ha! Those of you who know me really well, know that sweets ARE MY OBSESSION. It's a horrible obsession but they are just too freakin tasty. Needless to say, I have never had a 'self control' when it comes to sweets.

Anyways....my point here is that I am now teaching myself to be disciplined. I can't have dairy. It's not a choice, it's a fact. Unless I want to be in pain constantly (which I don't). For the first little while, I would get really frustrated. Jackson and I would try to go to a Mexican restaurant and I would go down the menu saying "Can't have that, can't have that, hmm a burrito, oh wait, can't have that either." There is very little I can have in the Mexican food world anymore. Upsetting? Very much so. As all of you reading my blog know, I am working on my personal development. I was starting to notice how negative I was being with the non-dairy situation (which really doesn't sound like a big deal, but I was making it a HUGE deal).

Luckily, I was around my sister Nicole and friend Erik for a while during this time. They both don't eat dairy, and would make AMAZING meals without dairy! I was shocked. I didn't think it was possible to eat dairy free and have it taste amazing. Since I am trying to become a very positive person, I started to flip the situation around. Instead of having the negative thoughts about what I can't have, I started thinking about what I CAN have. And quite frankly, there is plenty I can still have, and pretty good substitutes for what I can't have. These past couple of weeks I have started to embrace the situation, and make the best out of it. I have been trying to look for the bright side of my situation. And guess what? It's working. For example, my little brother had a birthday this week and everyone was eating cake and ice cream. I knew this was going to happen, so I ran to Harmon's and picked up some Coconut Bliss. Coconut Bliss is the closest I'm going to get to ice cream. It's a non-dairy frozen treat make out of coconut and coconut milk. It's delicious! Doesn't really make me miss ice cream at all.  So while everyone enjoyed some cake and ice cream, I enjoyed some chocolate hazelnut Coconut Bliss. I made do. On another positive note, I am LOVING coconut and almond milk. I have never been a milk drinker but let me tell you, I can drink this stuff like it's nobody's business.

So, as you can see I have been having to make some adjustments. If you were to ask me now how I feel about being completely dairy-free I would tell you I am excited. I am excited to find out what recipes I can make dairy free, what new milks I can try, new cheese, all of the above. I said bye-bye to the negative Nancy who was pissed about being dairy free. Here's what I learned from the whole experience: Take your challenges and embrace them. Don't battle WITH your challenges, it only makes things a heck of a lot worse. Embrace your challenges and turn it into a game. Ask yourself, "Ok, what I am supposed to learn from this challenge? How can I better myself because of this?". Trust me. It will always work. There is always a lesson to be learned to BETTER yourself, and become a stronger person. So, take your challenges and run with them. :) Beat them to the punch.

The Power of Positivity (Part 1)

It's 11:36 and I'm not the LEAST bit tired. So I thought to myself, why not write a post for today? So here goes nothin'.

Today was a magnificent day. Today I got another confirmation that things always work out how they should. It has been a some-what stressful process...this whole planning a wedding on a shoe string (and by shoe string I mean a REALLY short shoe string). I have constantly been worried about how I am going to pay for my dress, Jackson's suit, the photographer, flowers, you name it! It just hasn't been the easiest task. Until about a week ago. As the days have gone by, blessings have been hitting me in the face ALMOST knocking me down. It seems like EVERY DAY some kind of charge falls off of my budget. Somebody knows somebody who just happens to be a seamstress. Or, who just happens to have a million strings of white lights. Trust me, I don't have any idea how this is happening. Ok wait back up.....I do. I know that God blesses us for doing what's right. He is very mindful of each of our specific situations and is eager to help us with everything. I've noticed through this process that He has been helping me every single day, and that to me is a sign of His support. I just can't believe it. It seems like when things are going our way, it is a lot easier to be happy and positive. However, when we are struggling or going through trials THAT is when it is most important to try and stay happy. I have learned a lot from my better half Jackson about looking on the bright side of things. Here is a big THANK YOU to him for that. I am becoming more and more aware and thankful for all the many blessings I do have. Cause let's face it, I have a lot. We all do.

On a different note, I had a very happy moment at the mall tonight. I was at the mall with my sister Briana and Jackson (who was currently in a different store than I was) when it FINALLY hit me that I am getting married. WOW. I am getting married!!!!! And in 7 1/2 weeks at that!!!!! I can't explain through this computer screen how filled with JOY I felt at that moment. Wow. I'm getting married. It's really happening. Not only is it happening, but I am getting married to my favorite person of all time. My soul mate. My best friend. My better half. My inspiration. My Jackson. I can't express my excitement for July 20th. Please come quick!

Okay, sorry for the ooey gooey tangent but I was just so unbelievably happy tonight in realizing what is going to happen in a matter of weeks. Back onto the topic of thankfulness and positivity. I can honestly say I have been making a conscious effort to try and stay positive. Granted, we all have those days where it seems like a big dark cloud is following us, but for the most part I have been doing pretty good! I have been going through some rough situations in the past couple of months, and it was SUPER important that I stayed positive through it all. Honestly, I have always had the tendency to freak out and be upset about situations, so this has been and IS a process. Lately though I have been noticing differences in my attitude. Good differences that is. :)

Positive thinking has to start the minute you wake up. This is where I started. Usually, I wake up around 9:00 thinking to myself "Ugh I am so tired, it's so early, I'm going to be tired for the rest of the day and not have energy to get stuff done."
-Hi. I'm Megan. And I am the perfect example of how NOT to start your day.
Really though, it has made a HUGE difference starting off the day on the RIGHT (not left) foot. I have been teaching myself how to start my day with positivity. I now wake up, wash my face, get dressed, and grab my planner. I write my entire day out to make sure I am making good use of my day. Because guess what? I am never going to get that day back again. If you start with the little things like training yourself to wake up in a good mood, and planning your day, the bigger stuff will be easier.

This post is getting a bit long, but there will be more to come on the topic later. :)

the start of something new.

Well, here you have it. Believe it or not, I am going to start blogging again. This time...with a different purpose. What's the purpose you might ask? To teach. To develop. To prepare. To inspire. To uplift. Not only for myself, but for anybody that happens to stumble upon my quaint little blog. 

Let me start out by asking, or stating the following:

Do you ever get the feeling that you are just going through the basic motions in your life? Or the feeling that you have way too much on your plate? (I'm not talking literally, but figuratively speaking.) 

Trust me, if anyone get's this feeling it's me. (19 years old, running my own business, getting married in 7 1/2 weeks AND paying for my whole wedding etc. etc...) When we feel like we have so much to do, and so little time it's hard to not get complacent with where we are in life. I get thoughts in my head that sound something like this.. 

"I mean come on, you can't expect me to do more than I am already doing..my load is full for a 19 year old." I know I know, it might seem crazy that I feel like I have a lot on my plate, but everyone is at a different point in their lives. That being said, the purpose of this blog is to make me realize, to make me think, and to make me see that I CAN be doing more than I am doing. That I WILL be doing more than I am doing. I am determined to improve myself, and help others with their personal development. 

I have never been a goal setter. If I have been, I am not very good at keeping up on my goals. This is the main quality about me that I want to tweak a little bit. I want to become someone who IS a goal setter. Who sets goals, keeps up on them regularly, and REACHES them. Goals are the key to success in every aspect of life. I became a Shelf Reliance consultant to be able to reach my ultimate goal of becoming completely self-reliant. I want to help others be prepared, save money, save meal prep time, and build their own home store. I also want to help those looking for some extra money OR a business opportunity to get started. I signed up because it is a business where you spend your time helping others become more self-reliant. I took on this challenge, and am currently still taking on this challenge, to be able to show myself and others that I CAN do hard things and that I WILL succeed in this business. Like I said before, I've never been one to take on anything 'extra' so this is a huge step into unfamiliar territory for me. I can't wait to see what the future holds and what God has in store for me on this new path I've chosen. It truly is in His hands. I am going to work my very hardest to become someone who REACHES their goals, and not just sets them.

So, here's to my new blog and some new changes soon to come. :)

Wish me luck!