Paleo Clam Chowder Recipe

So, I have a few new favorite things to do regarding recipes:

• find Paleo recipes and try them
• take recipes and attempt to make them Paleo

(Notice a trend there?)  As you've probably seen in very recent posts - since I don't have many posts to begin with - I love PaleOMG. Juli is hilarious and really knows her way around the kitchen. I guarantee that if you cook any of her (Paleo!) recipes, you will be a happy person. 

I'm trying to focus on becoming more and more Paleo. To learn more about Paleo, or "primal" eating, check out Mark's Daily Apple. And don't get too sucked in to surfing his site, as I often do. Make sure to come back here and check out my super awesome yummy easy one-pot Paleo Clam Chowder!!!

It's A Great Day to Be Alive!

Well, I fell off the face of the Earth for a bit.  Not by choice - I contracted some weird virus and had to go to the hospital from Dec. 3 - 8. I had never been admitted to the hospital before, minus being born, of course. All in all, it was NOT a fun experience. I must say though, I was impressed with the staff. I felt very cared for the entire time I was there. So, that part was a plus.

Marcos and I celebrate two anniversaries. Anniversary #1 is December 1st.  On Dec. 1st (Saturday), we spent the day staining our pool deck (NOT to celebrate, mind you!).  Then we went out to dinner (this is the celebration part).  I noticed at dinner that the lymph node just under my left jaw was swollen. I mentally noted to take it easy the next day to avoid a cold or any other kind of sickness.  I do a pretty nice job of paying attention to my body's signs, and so I don't usually get sick.

'Tis the Season!

So cliche... but... I love this time of year. I love Thanksgiving - food, football, more food.  I love Christmas - cheerful moods, songs you can't help but sing along with, family traditions.  I just put out most of our Christmas decorations; we still need to buy a tree and hang the lights outside.  We're thisclose from being Christmas-ready.

Let's give you a glimpse into my Wednesday night.  Hubby is at soccer practice, so I get to do whatever I feel like. Which means I have Newsies playing in the background, and I'm sipping a glass of wine and eating some of my new favorite recipe: blueberry & chocolate chip bread.  I'm too lazy to go all the way to Whole Foods to buy Pure Pumpkin, so I use grated zucchini/squash instead (organic, always). Between the sugar rush and my love for Disney, I am one happy lady.

There is a method to the madness

I like to talk about things that make me happy, because if they make me happy, maybe they'll make you happy, too.  Maybe not - but that's the beautiful part of life. The trial and error, and discovery of what works for you. But one thing that makes me happy is when people actually use photos in their blogs. Expect more visual stimulation from now on. Sorry for the lack thereof in previous posts. :)

People are constantly on the search for newer and better and bigger and whatnot. Which is great, keep it up! However, too many people are looking for that quick fix that will produce a dramatic change instantly.  Unfortunately, that's not usually the case.

And while you can't take some magic pill or have a fairy godmother snap her fingers and change your life for you, continuously working towards a goal yields some excellent characteristics as a result.  Of course, there's that "woohoo!" feeling of achieving your goal.  It's a much more extreme feeling when a lot of effort was put into it.  Easy tasks don't gain much appreciation.  And because these changes don't happen instantaneously, you learn a lot more along the way.

So We Meet Again

Whoa. Fast forward a few years!  I've decided to remove all previous posts and start anew.  I'm married now, to the most amazing man I could have asked for.  He's my ideal match.  And life is good. All in all, life has changed a lot, but at the same time, not that much.

To cover some of the major life changes: got married, bought a house, changed jobs (for the better!). These seem like major life changes, but the most amazing part is... they just felt right. And because they felt right, they didn't feel like big changes. The fear that you might expect isn't there... and instead of a scary, hesitant step forward, you experience a natural transition to this new place. But don't get me wrong - it's not like you are numb while making these changes! There is an awesome adrenaline rush as a side effect.  And who doesn't love a good adrenaline rush?!