recipe: quinoa banana bread

Ingredients:

1 C oatmeal

1 C oat flour

1/4 C quinoa

4 bananas

1/2 C brown sugar

2 T coconut oil

2 T ground flaxseed

1 C coconut milk

1 tsp baking soda

**I added a sprinkle of cinnamon on top just for a little extra some-somethin'

Directions:

Boil quinoa in 1/2 cup water for 10- 15 minutes to get 1 cup cooked quinoa

Blend 3 bananas till pureed

Mix together cooked quinoa, oat flour, dry oats, coconut oil, brown sugar banana puree, ground flax and baking soda. Add coconut milk and beat for a few minutes

Put mixture into baking dish and top with oats, Cut up one banana and add on top with oats. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes till baked

For original recipe, click HERE.

juggling act

I loved drawing houses growing up. Big, multi-windowed, proportionally and structurally incorrect houses. Some would have flowers planted in the front while others would have a white picket fence. This house would have Christmas lights strung from the roof lines while that house would have a pool in the backyard (complete with a pool boy, obviously). I had days where I could draw for hours and days where I couldn't draw the doorknob on a door if my life depended on it. 

Creativity is strange and annoying and beautiful. I get spurts of ideas and designs one second and the next I can't even sit down and form a sentence for this blog. With the addition of Styled With Strength in my life, I feel as though my existence revolves and depends around creativity. Work, SWS, this blog. I'm thinking about joining the circus and performing a juggling act. 

I have been struggling with trying to always have the "creative light" turned on. All day, everyday. Is it mentally possible? Who knows. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and hopefully the world keeps turning. 

"Anxiety is part of creativity, the need to get something out, the need to be rid of something or to get in touch with something within." 

- David Duchovny 

The time I almost bought a Christmas tree in October

I woke up the other morning to this: 

I immediately wanted to go out and buy a Christmas tree, hang up the stockings, and pop some cookies in the oven, but my dream was quickly squashed as I looked at my phone and saw it was October 24th. Be patient, young grasshopper. 

I had already planned a run at the park that day and thought "if I bundle up, I'll be fine." I put together the most hideous combination of warm clothes and said a prayer in the car that Stacey and Clinton would be far, FAR away from Denver that morning. Throw on an oversized sweatshirt here and slip on the ugliest hat ever there and you have a hot looking mess of a runner. 

Side note: I DO wear my seat belt! I took this picture just before getting out of the car. 

My 7.5 mile planned run quickly, and do I mean quickly, turned in to a freezing 2.5 miles. I thought North Face gloves were suppose to keep your fingers warm, not just leave you thinking "do I even have fingers anymore?". 

It probably was no help that I didn't wear clothes that covered my legs either. Get it together, Carrie. 

I will never understand the things we think are picture worthy. Water? Trees? Snow? I guess I frankly don't care because hiiiii, this picture is pretty. 

Look! It's like I never left! 

Ok, sleepy time for this girl. 

Have a great weekend readers!

stretching to grow

Stretching, bending, reaching. 

Miles, distance, time zones. 

Moving from MN to CO was most definitely a stretching to grow time in my life. It brought out new fears and worries in me that I didn't even know were there.

Living by myself. 

Forcing myself to crawl out of my comfort zone and meet people. 

E-mailing my new church to seek out ways to get more involved. 

Starting a new job.

Living in a city where the skin color is not just white.
Getting use to a million (or so it seems) cars on the road at a time (and testing my road rage abilities).

Distance can either be a positive or negative thing. When it comes to the relationships in my life, I have learned to bend and twist to make these relationships work. They have bloomed tremendously since me being here because I have worked at them. Yes, worked. Some think that relationships should come naturally and that working at them means that something is wrong. I disagree. When have you ever not worked at something and had it be successful? Being in another state has shown me that friendships, ones that are real and mature and stable, mean more to me than the Venti Skinny Vanilla Latte I am sipping on now (yes, it's most certainly a "Venti" kind of day).

We have to continually stretch ourselves. Minds, bodies, hearts, to open up and welcome whatever it may be in to our lives. You never know what He has planned for you. You can be as organized as you want but soon enough you have to realize that your planning is useless as your story has been written, published, and already sitting on the shelf. It is your job to wake up every day and turn another page. Not only turn it, but live it. If you are constantly finding yourself looking forward to the happy ending, you are missing the in betweens. The moments that teach us to love harder and laugh more and to stop stressing over split ends.

"You can't reach for anything new if your hands are full of yesterday's junk."
- Louise Smith

words

"Carrie, you know what I said earlier about how you have changed? I meant it. I am so proud of you, daughter". 

- Dad

recipe: fall chopped salad

Fall Chopped Salad

Ingredients:

6 to 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce

2 medium pears, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped pecans
8 slices thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
4-6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
Poppy Seed Salad Dressing (I like T. Marzetti)
Balsamic Vinaigrette (I like Newman’s Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette)

Directions:

On a large platter, combine the lettuce, pears, cranberries, pecans, bacon and feta cheese. Drizzle generously with poppy seed dressing, followed by some of the balsamic vinaigrette. (I would estimate that I used about a cup of dressing: 70 percent poppy seed dressing and 30 percent balsamic vinaigrette) 

For original recipe, click HERE.

weekly-gram

A picture walk of my week: dreams, curling irons, & candy

When you wake up each morning overwhelmed with happiness because you are taking risks and reaching for your dream, nothing can bring your mood down. Not even your blow dryer callin' it quits half way through it's job. Sigh. If you have not yet signed up for Styled With Strength and want to join in on this party we are having, email us at : styledwithstrength@gmail.com

& you wonder why I love running at the park 

The number of times I have walked in my room & jumped thinking this is a person is embarrassing. This week the number increased by 2

Worked out 5 days and was happy 5 days. Funny how that happens...

It was a chilly day on Wednesday which was the perfect setting for a lit candle, a warm bed, & my laptop to write (or type?) on (or with?)

Jillian Michaels sure knows how to make 30 minutes seem like an eternity

Adulthood

Blessed to have a job that allows me to use this guy more

Because sometimes you just need to curl your hair for the heck of it

Long runs keep me sane, clear my head, & make me sore. Perfect trifecta?

Afternoon snack (every afternoon). Not sure if it is keeping the doctor away but I'll keep testing it out

Shout out to Ms. George for getting up and at em this week!

 Oh darn! You mean on my flight home I have no one to ask me useless things that we both know we don't really care about?

 Last night as I was waiting to board my plane, all I could think was, "Sir, why is that on your finger?" Eye candy it was. Another sigh.

A more thought provoking, heart wrenching, tear jerking post coming in a couple days. Ok, so maybe just the first of those three. 

weekly-gram

A picture walk of my week: writing, snowflakes, & ballet

My friend Amber asked if I would shoot at her wedding (to capture images alongside the professional photographer) next summer. This means move over books, my camera (of which I bought almost a year ago) manual is moving in. 

Blog writing necessities: coffee, candles, laptop, & my notes.

First snowfall.

Tweet, tweet. Follow my work on Twitter: @TeamSpeedUSA. The girl who handles our Social Media is pretty legit. Or so I've heard. 

Isn't nature crazy beautiful?

I have learned my lesson of keeping the toilet lid down while getting ready as this is what can happen when it's up. Chick problems.

Chilly morning laziness.

Best purchase of my week: Mumford & Sons CD.

Channeled my inner ballerina on Wednesday.

Sweater weather, nothing better. 

Conquered downtown Friday night with my lovelies.

Side note: Sydnee (middle) has recently started working at Team Speed (my work) & I can't say enough about this girl. So grateful we both moved to Denver & even more grateful for the friendship that we have formed. 

Stopped to take a quick picture beneath the lights.

Side note: I met Ashley the week after I moved here. Again, grateful for another friendship that has made me feel right at home. 

Reason #57 of why I love this city. 

If Sydnee isn't a rockstar as is, she shows up at work this morning with Starbucks. Which, if you didn't know, makes working on 4 hours of sleep so much easier. 

This little package showed up minutes ago from Carli. A book, highlighter, bookmark, & card. Pinch me as I think my life is too good, too blessed, too perfect to be true.

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My girl Carli and I are starting an email group! We will be distributing weekly emails to help motivate everyone to live fit, happy and healthy lives! And we don’t just mean in the Gym or Kitchen! No - we believe that for one to maintain a truly healthy lifestyle it goes deeper than Cardio and Carrots! You will receive everything from Daily Devotionals, to Healthy Recipes, to Motivational Quotes that are sure to get your butt off the couch and to the gym!

Our hope is to create a community of woman who will lift one another up to bigger, better, and healthier things! 

If you’re (or know anyone who is) interested, please FB message or email us your email address at styledwithstrength@gmail.com by Sunday, October 7th! The first email will be sent out on Monday morning.

being found

The house was nestled in a cul-de-sac & was the one that I came home to the day I was born. I lived in that pale yellow house for 16 years. In those years, I found my fair share of hiding places. Both under the roof & out beneath the trees. When you play hide & seek, you have this giddiness that comes over you & that I'm going to pee my pants I'm so nervous feeling. Your heart starts racing & you long to defeat the seeker, yet you are always found. 

On the weekends my brothers would come home from college, I would hide on those Sundays. I was hiding from the fact that I didn't want them to leave. I figured that hiding from them would somehow make their car not start. Their tires not turn. Yet every time, I was found. Reflecting back, I realize that's what I always wanted. I wanted to be found because it meant that I got more time with them to say goodbye. More time to pretend that I was their strong little sister who didn't care that they were leaving. No, I didn't care that we were all growing up & that one day we were not going to all live under the same roof of that pale yellow house. 

As you grow older, you often don't notice when the game has started. You long to hide in your safe place because you don't want the reality of life to find you. The reality of bills, pressures, homework, relationships, work, routines. 

We hide behind our intellect.  

We hide behind our responsibilities.

We hide behind our comfort zones. 

We hide behind our siblings. 

We hide behind our personalities.

We listen to the voices that tell us what we should be, instead of tuning in & listening to who we are. 

We are made up of multiple layers. The first layer being what we are on the outside. Skin. You can put as much makeup as you want on it, but it all stops there. Pretty, sparkly makeup does not seep through your skin & in to your heart. Emily Freeman, author of Graceful, said it so well:

"Dead people have all that stuff too. There's something else that makes you alive".

 So you keep digging deeper. You run in to those things that remind you of where you come from. You discover that you have your dads sense of humor. You enjoy making friends just as much as you enjoy seeing your current friendships grow. You worry about things that one should simply not worry about. You think about the future & have a panic attack. You know that 2 scoops of ice cream is always going to be better than 1. 

You keep going & arrive at the layer that makes you understand yourself. You see why you are you & no one else. You see what motivates you. What your fears & dreams are. What scares & excites you. You are reminded why you are YOU & not a spinning image of the person next to you. 

Think to yourself & consider the ways you have been hiding & why you are hiding. We all know that the best part about hiding is being found. So seek out the ones who are hiding & let them be found.