WIAW: AKA Why I'm Not a Food Blogger

What I Ate Wednesday (WIAW) - yes, you read that right! This ain't no food blog, but this week I'm letting you into the wild world of my pantry, which will reveal:
1) How much I love snackies
and
2) Why I'm not a food blogger

I recently heard that the average American has more than $200 worth of food in the pantry at any given time. $200? That's my entire monthly meal budget! I decided to do a little social experiment - how long can I last without going to the grocery?

The goal is simple: clean out my fridge, freezer and pantry. 

Each day I last is worth $6, because that's about how much I spend on groceries each week. I haven't been to the grocery for two weeks since I was out of town, except to buy celery, eggs and kale. I figured this was the perfect time to dig into my reserves (looking at you frozen broccoli) to see what I could come up with.

There are some caveats:

1. I don't want this to be misconstrued as a weight loss challenge, so if I get to the point where I have a little food left but can't make enough for the day, the challenge is over. :) 

2. The huge stash of Perfect Bars that I bought on Black Friday is off limits. I want to make those babies last as long as possible for days when I don't have time to make breakfast. 

I was raised in a house with five kids and a revolving door. 

My parents never knew who would be in our house, which meant a packed pantry and tons of leftovers. Building a hearty pantry is in my nature! But: no excuses. It's time to eat like a champion.

So far, I'm three days in to the challenge and things are getting interesting.

I've got a stockpile of oats right now, so my days are starting with: Rolled oats with cinnamon, chia seeds, almonds, peanut butter and frozen berries. Alongside my coffee, of course.

After that I had the Hummusapien's Snickdoodle Smoothie, which I made from slightly freezer burned bananas, dairy-free milk, peanut butter, chia, vanilla and cinnamon. (Forgot to take a pic of it. Told you I'm not a food blogger!)

I'd normally have a morning snack, but with my smoothie I wasn't hungry until lunch.

At lunch I said Hallelujah! for the kale I'd purchased and then topped it with nutritional yeast, quinoa, broccoli, corn, almonds and olive oil. It was amazing.

I discovered celery in my fridge and raisins in my pantry - both of which I'd forgotten. They make an obvious team for my mid-afternoon snack: ants on a log! 

My second afternoon snack was trail mix leftover from my trip to Bloomington last week and a sparkling Dasani (have you had these yet? I love them). 

For dinner, I had eggs and sourdough bread with grass-fed butter, alongside a kale salad. The eggs completely fell apart and reminding me why I'm not normally a WIAW poster.

So, I'm three days in. I'll let you know how long I make it!

And all you WIAW girls out there - keep doing what you're doing! You impress me!

currently...

Reading: The Cuckoo's Calling and Free Fall to Fly. I always think I don't like to read two books at once, but then I always do it. Maybe it's kind of my jam?

Thinking: A lot about urban farming. It consumes my computer time when I'm not at work. I'm ob.sess.ed. with it. Any urban farmers out there reading? I'd love to hear about how you got into it. 

Listening: To my cousin's playlist, which includes one of my current faves - The Barr Brothers. I emailed her yesterday desperate for new tunes - I'm so tired of my same old Spotify playlists. Do you ever get claustrophobic when you listen to the same stuff over and over? Sometimes it makes me feel panicked: must.change.song.now! 

Watching: Not too great at this one, but working my way through Parenthood. I'm not caught up so don't tell me anything. I sort of love it because it's so real and I sort of hate it because it's so real. It's a little hard for me to watch, but it's also beautiful. 

Planning: For a lot right now. Spring travel with Chris (so many weddings this year!), how to launch my life coaching practice (wahoo!), a new philanthropic endeavor (more to come, here!) and a few other irons in the fire. I love planning and I love having exciting things on the horizon.

Loving: This year. Is it too soon to say 2015 is a great year? Yes. It's too soon. So how about: this month. January isn't normally my favorite, but this month has been a happy one. Sometimes I want life to slow down because this season is so sweet and then sometimes I just want to speed up because I can't wait to see what's in store. 

What are you currently up to? Tell me below!

This post was inspired by Sometimes Sweet's "Currently" post. if you liked it, read hers and link to all of the others in the comments. 

life lately: the good stuff

I've been back and forth between the Midwest and Atlanta for work lately and I keep finding myself stumbling upon some really great things. I thought I'd share a little bit of the good stuff from life lately. Because who doesn't like getting in on the good stuff?

In Atlanta 

Friending: A new Thursday tradition - weekly dinners with our crew that goes to church together on Sundays. We BYOD and meet upstairs at my brothers house. It's a great, free way to get together. And something to look forward to each week! 

Moving: Fast Twitch at the Forum. An insanely hard class and an awesome way to start my Saturday. You will be sore :)

Outsiding: I started volunteering at Truly Living Well gardens on Sundays after church. It's a great way to feel one with the earth, give back to Atlanta and chat with friends. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't therapeutic. 

Wearing: Newton running shoes from Highland Runners. They make me feel like I have tiny trampolines on my feet!

Brunching: At Sun in My Belly with friends. I hadn't eaten there in a few months and man, I forgot how good that place is. Sunny happiness! 

In Chicago

Eating: At Protein Bar as many times as my schedule allowed. I love this place and just wish so badly they'd come to Atlanta. Who else would sign my petition? #WrigleyPeeledSmoothieOMG

Moving: At my girl Sara's spin class at Go Cycle Studios and Katie's yoga class at Core Power Yoga. I feel so proud of my BFFs for both instructing classes! 

Replenishing: With smoothies from Peeled Juice Bar. I tried one with nut butter, banana and oatmeal. It was so money. 

In Indiana

Eating: Dinner with my parents. Fresh broccoli, sourdough bread and steak wrapped in bacon. Nope, I don't normally eat this well. Yep, I loved it!

Snacking (is that the same as eating?): Bare Fruit cinnamon apple chips from Bloomingfoods. Crunchy, sweet and tasty for an afternoon snack.

Sipping: A mint almond milk latte from the Runcible Spoon. Heck. Yes. 

In the sky:

Eating: Perfect Bars for the perfect breakfast on the go. I love these things so much. 

Reading: "Popular" by Tindell Baldwin. It's written for high school girls and is a really beautiful story of redemption. It's great if you have daughters and don't know how to approach the high school years (I would guess!).

Happy Friday!

{decisions}

Over the last few years, I've poured a lot of love into this blog and it's grown in a really cool way. My favorite emails to get are from readers asking about how to overcome heartbreak, navigate your 20s and figure out who you are. I love reading them and being reminded that we're really not all that different and we can make this world better by supporting one another wholly and fully. I love sipping my coffee and replying - envisioning you doing the same as you write me - more like friends over coffee than strangers over the internet.

Ever since I got back from Africa, I've had a stirring inside me constantly reminding me that I want more. In a completely honest moment, I'll admit I've found myself jealous of my friends who are content with desk jobs. I wish I could be satisfied by life at a desk, because there are a lot of jobs and a pretty secure path when you want to sit at a desk.

But, I am not one of those people. I need to connect with other humans a lot. I'm an ENFJ and my E shines through like a lighthouse in a storm - it guides me to exactly where I need to go and is impossible to ignore. 

I've spent the last year soul searching - trying to figure out how I can satisfy this part of my heart and still stay in my desk job. Because I love my job and coworkers and I like to think that you can have a little bit of everything if you're willing to move around enough puzzle pieces. 

I care a lot about women who are struggling in seasons of life - with balance, body image, relationships and finding joy. I also care a lot about healthy eating, Jesus and finding our places in this world. After a ton of prayer and counsel from friends and family, I've decided that the best way to pursue these things right now is to obtain a certification in life coaching. 

I started my first course with Coach Approach Ministries last week and am already so excited. I'm learning a lot and already feel lit up by the knowledge. I cannot wait to continue through more courses this year. 

So what does this mean for my blog? Not much will change right now. I hope the knowledge I gain will propel my blog for the better and will help me to connect with people better. Eventually, I will offer one-on-one coaching and possibly group sessions. 

I just keep thinking about Isaiah 55:12, "For you will go out in joy and be led forth in peace..." Because this decision was made in joy - it is something I really want to do and am excited about, but I was anxious about choosing the right next step. The minute I enrolled, though, I was filed with peace. So often the things we want to do - our passions and the things that light us up - are the things we are meant to do. We were created intentionally and our desires mean something. 

So today I present to you, with joy, the next step of my journey :)