I run an exercise group on Facebook and this month I decided to do something a little different. This month we are showing gratitude. Every day I post a challenge with an inspiring message. I am loving them all! If anybody would like to join our monthly challenge, pm me on Facebook and I will add you to our group!
This month my family and I are also doing a grateful pumpkin! I bought a really large pumpkin and every morning we take turns writing something we’re thankful for on it! It is interesting what the Girls write, SBean said mother earth LOL and HBear said electricity for our lights 😂. Every morning I get a little teary eyed as we write our daily gratitude on our pumpkin.
I hate making lists of things I’m thankful for because there are SO many that I know I will forget one! However, in keeping with the spirit I would like to make a short list of some of the things I am thankful for!
First and foremost I am thankful for the health of my family. My eyes are welling up just typing this. There’s so many people out there that don’t have this luxury, good health. I am also so very thankful for our healthcare system. My heart hurts for all those people in other countries that have to pay so much in healthcare that their lives are destroyed because of it. I can’t imagine having the added stress of payment when someone I love is sick. I am so incredibly lucky and so very very grateful.
I am so very grateful to live close to my Dad. Also, the time that I had with my Mom. Yes, we lost her way too soon but I had 35 years with her and other people aren’t as lucky. I am thankful. I am also lucky enough to have an older Brother and a younger Sister. 2 people that will always have my back no matter what. 2 people that I love unconditionally. I am so fortunate to have those 2 in my life. They have brought me their amazing significant others and my 3 beautiful nieces whom I adore. I am so grateful.
I am grateful for the amazing relationship I have with my Husband. He is my best friend. He loves me on my bad days and on my good days… Equally. He is a total partner in all aspects of my life. I can’t imagine doing this without him. I am also thankful that he gave me my incredible Mother and Father-in-law. It wasn’t enough just to give me all of his love but he gave me his parents too! He also gave me an incredible new Sister and Brother which led to my beautiful Niece and handsome Nephew.
Every single day I count my blessings that I have 2 healthy, smart, compassionate, funny, talented, and beautiful daughters. They are my entire world. I am eternally grateful for their presence in my life. They have changed me in ways I never thought possible. They have made me appreciate the small things and taught me how to love in a way that is so all encompassing that sometimes when they are sleeping, I can’t breathe because I miss them so much. Ha! I remember when HBear was a baby and I wanted to wake her up when she slept just to hold her. At least now I know… When they’re sleeping, never ever wake them up! 😂😂
And lastly, I am thankful for the roof over my head. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that Ninja & I would build my dream home. It was only because we had so much help from our families that we were able to make our dream a reality. I used to wish that I lived in Penticton and now I do! I have met so many amazing people here that have been through some of my darkest times with me. I am also thankful for the home I had as a child where I met my best friends, people that I still cherish to this very day. The home I grew up in was filled with love, laughter, sometimes anger 😂, and a place you were comfortable being completely yourself. That’s what I want in our home too. A place you can always come home too, a place you can always be yourself in, a place of no judgment, and a place filled with love. I am so eternally grateful 💛.
Dinners have been different since the Girls are back in school/dance. Especially on the weeks that I work! I have to find fast dinners but they still have to be hearty and healthy enough to maintain our busy lifestyle! Because I love cooking, I enjoy the process. It’s very difficult for me to throw something in a crockpot or pull something out from the freezer but this recipe is the bomb! You can make it ahead and freeze it or you can make it in the morning and let it marinate over the course of the day and then throw it on a sheet pan and have a delicious dinner ready to go in less than 30 minutes! The Girls loved it and honestly Ninja asks for fajitas all the time because they’re one of his favourites so he was easy to please 😂. If you’re in a crunch for time, meal planning is always the way to go! Don’t forget this dinner next time you’re making your weekly schedule!
I have decided on my week off schedule that I can prepare make ahead dinners such as the chicken fajitas and I can also bake muffins for breakfast! My neighbour gave me a giant zucchini so I shredded it up and made 3 different types of muffins! These zucchini oatmeal muffins were so so so good! I couldn’t believe how moist they were! This might be one of my favourite muffins… Ever! Although, the zucchini banana muffins give them a run for their money but that recipe will be coming out later so stay tuned! 😊
Make Ahead Chicken Fajitas
3 chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 yellow or orange bell pepper, cut into strips
Place chicken, onions and bell peppers into a freezer bag.
Add remaining ingredients to bag. Remove as much air as possible from bag and seal tightly. Knead bag to mix ingredients. Label and then lay flat in freezer to freeze or if using later that day, laydown in fridge.
Remove bag from freezer and let sit overnight in refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 400.
Pour contents of bag onto a pan.
Serve with warm tortillas and your favourite toppings.
Zucchini Oatmeal Muffins
1 cup shredded zucchini
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
½ cup quick or old fashioned oats
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin liners (I used jumbo muffin tins).
In a medium bowl, stir together the zucchini, brown sugar, sugar, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, add the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir until well combined.
Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredeints and stir until well combined.
Scoop the batter into the muffin pan, filling each cup 2/3 of the way full.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove muffins from the pan and allow to cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
