We'll just jump right into the good stuff. This past Saturday I spent 2 sunny hours and 6 quick-paced miles just walking and dreaming. Tiny homes and minimalism, living abroad and traveling, food styling, being able to work remotely, adventure. It's good to dream. It's life-giving, and it makes my brain and my heart light up. It's easy to get caught up in the daily grind of corporate work, budgets, and adult responsibilities, especially because it hasn't been an easy several years.
My husband and I are celebrating our 5th anniversary this week! In that time frame we've been through several moves, several job changes, and several unfortunate car incidents, none of which were our fault. (The most recent of which was just a few weeks ago, in which my husband's car was totaled when he got rear ended on the highway.) We've also endured several scary years of health uncertainty (mine) and more budget meals that I can count (thank you, zillions of supplements). It's easy to think about all of that and feel discouraged and stuck, and in reality, sometimes I do. But the truth is, we're not.
Who knows what the future holds. (if it's anything like the past 5 years, it will change drastically every couple of months.) But I do know that I'm grateful for how far my health has come, for a steady job that I enjoy with the most amazing team, for the opportunity to work with inspiring brands and create health and wellness content online, and of course, to be sharing it all with my husband, who is constantly doing dishes and putting up with me taking food photos in the middle of our living room. (Sorry to get all gushy on you right there.) I've been listening to a podcast lately and it's been filling me with encouragement, softening my heart, and reminding me to enjoy the journey!
Why share all of this? To remind you to dream. To remind myself to dream. Part of me wants to just pack up and move abroad and travel the world and figure it out as we go. The logical part of me says that would be foolish and short-sighted, but we only get one life to live, right? So why not live out of a backpack and fill my days with adventure and experiences?? (And daily gelato, of course.) There's so much world to see!
In reality, the most probable of all the dreams right now is the tiny home. We have applied to live in a tiny home community here in southern CA and are just waiting to hear if we got in. If we did, then it's looking like we'll probably make the move in the next few months! That would have huge implications on my kitchen space and meal prep routine, for obvious reasons, but we can cross that bridge when we come to it. (I see the potential for a lot more no-cook in my future!) So stay tuned.
Despite all this dreaming, I still managed to get some meal prep done, so let me share that with you too!
Breakfast: Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie // You know I always try to sneak some veggies into my smoothies. Okay really it's not sneaking because there's usually more veg than fruit. This week I have some steamed and frozen cauliflower, yellow squash, and sweet potato. I'll be using my usual Equip protein powder ("wholedailylife" for 15% off!) and loading up on spices like cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, and nutmeg!
Lunch: No-Cook Plate + Zupa // Honeycrisp apples have arrived!! Naturally I snatched up a few to have with my cucumbers, avocado, and carrots on this week's no-cook plate. (Packed in Stasher bags, as usual.) Protein will be a DNX bar, and of course, I also brought my daily Zupa soup. As always, you can get 20% off of your Zupa order + free shipping with the code "wholedailylife" at checkout!
Dinner: Meatballs + Butternut + Kale // I pretty much kept this as simple as it could be. I sautéed the kale and roasted the butternut in Fatworks ghee ("wholedailylife" for 20% off!) until tender. (Added cinnamon to the butternut too!) For the meatballs, I followed my basic meatball recipe. I used ground beef with liver mixed in, which I LOVE the flavor of and purchase pre-mixed from Da-Le Ranch here in San Diego! I've also made my own mix, but this is so much easier!
Alright folks, that's enough for this evening. I hope you enjoyed my rambles, and I'll see you back here next week!
-Tracey