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Hi Everyone! The past two weeks have been busy for us, but definitely the good kind of busy. We celebrated Easter with some of my favorite food from Celebrations, including a new recipe for a vegetable tart that you can find below. If you haven't seen the videos of Easton finding eggs, it is on my Instagram stories and you don't want to miss it!
Last week I did a Facebook live sharing a new Chocolate Shake recipe that helped nourish me during my most recent flare up. I also shared a new Instant Pot recipe for Thai Coconut Soup. Ryan also recently launched a new app called Tap Bio! Go check it out on my Instagram, I am so excited to be able to share this with you guys. It will make sharing all my recipes, cooking videos and everything else so much easier! This week Ryan and I took a trip to Nashville to visit some friends. I planned this trip for something to look forward to while I was dealing with my flare up. Scroll down to see some of the food we ate and all the cute babies!
New Instant Pot recipe for you! Have you ever had Tom Kha Gai? It is a Thai coconut chicken soup and it’s one of my favorites. Click here for the full recipe.
Asher was really excited to be dyeing eggs for Easter!
I can’t even fathom coming here one day and finding her grave empty.
I’m so grateful that Christ’s was though, because it means I get to be with her again, one day.
If I’m honest, I’m not always that positive about everything. My hope is daily mixed with a crisis of faith, of sorts. Processing the unfairness of it all.
The green grass and flower buds sprouting up everywhere, signifying new life. The headstones around hers reading of long, full lives; while hers so was so wrongfully short. Or even just that I’m sitting here, in a cemetery, scrubbing the dirt off of the stone with a toothbrush so her name isn’t covered up.
Or quite honestly – that He revives and heals – but He didn’t heal or revive for us.
Even though we’re only 10 minutes away from the cemetery, I only visit Aila’s grave a couple of times a year. There’s not a single day (or minute of a day for that matter) that I don’t think about her, so visiting doesn’t do much for me. I go occasionally, like today, when I feel something in me telling me to go, or on Christmas and Mother’s Day, when I wish she was here most. It felt good to be here today though, and just remember her and work through all of the emotions.
If you’re working through the intricacies of celebrating new life that this holiday and season bring while also grieving, just know I’m right there with you. ♥️
Well only 2 of us made it to church, naps were all off schedule, and only 3 of us got dressed on Sunday, so this will have to be as good as we get for a family photo! It was the perfect day though. Also if you haven’t watched Easton doing his egg hunt yet in my Instagram stories go watch. ?
I hope you all had a great Easter! Show me what you made using #celebrationscookbook!
I drank this Chocolate Paleo Protein Shake will Vital Proteins daily during my flare up! See below for the Facebook live.
Incase you missed my Facebook Live last Tuesday where I made the Chocolate Paleo Protein Shake from above you can rewatch it here.
**Proud Wife Alert!**
A few years ago, I expressed my frustration to my husband Ryan that I couldn’t send you all where I wanted you to go on IG – ie recipes, my tour dates, cooking videos, special sales on my books etc. I asked him to create something for me and Linkin Profile App was born.
He passed it off to a friend when he went to work for Apple a couple of years ago, and they grew it into something even bigger – and even more helpful for followers.
Ryan recently left his job to be closer to home and to rejoin the team, and today they launched @tap.bio . I’m so excited for you all to see it and hear your thoughts on it!! It’s going to be so much easier for you to benefit from all of recipes and resources I provide for you now!
Go take a look on my Instagram! What do you think?
New recipe on the blog! I made this rustic Spring Vegetable Tart for Easter and sharing the recipe for you all!
The creamy asparagus soup from my Celebrations cookbook is dairy-free and one of my favorite comfort soups. You can sub in broccoli or artichokes too!
I’ll put this super easy Salmon Sheet Pan with Roasted Veggies on the blog next week!
Grateful for friends like Jen Hatmaker that live all over the country, but end up at the same events in different parts of the country!
When I was laying in bed for the months of February and March, I tried to keep my focus on the future. I cleared my schedule of any work obligations just to be safe, but started planning vacations or dinners for a couple of months out. I wanted to have something to look forward to, and work towards getting better for. I also committed to saying yes to more things that would be life giving to me and no some of the things I usually say yes to out of guilt, but leave me feeling depleted.
So when @msrachelhollis invited me to come last minute to Rise Weekend, I said yes and booked a ticket.
Seeing friends was just a bonus and so what my heart needed after the loneliness of being bedridden. Not to mention the LA sun, inspiring talks at from @letsrise.co, and a night in a hotel alone with blackout drapes and no baby/toddler alarm clocks!!
Missed this munchkin
See Kezia's nursery details here
Sister time ♥️
Bar Taco – I ♥️ you.
Everything but 2 things on the menu was naturally gluten-free and they offer lettuce wraps for tortillas. And the 2 plantain menu items we got were unreal good.
I cried kissing these babies, their big sister, and mama bye today as we head home after having slumber parties for the past 4 days.
These itty bitty humans are a reminder that’s it’s ok to hope, and they taught me how to pray again when they were in their mama’s tummy. But that’s a much longer story, for another time. ♥️