21 Days of Gratitude

I love reading social media in November. Everyone does the 30 days of being Thankful challenges, and every day they post their gratitude for something or someone.  I love how so many focus on sharing every day, it is like we are one with the universe.

For me, it wasn't until I lost my job recently when I realized how ungrateful I have been. Yeah, sure I was thankful for the house and my car and my job.  I was thankful for my husband and kids. I was into a routine, get up, go to work, come home, take care of the family, and repeat.  I was too busy to think about my gratitude. Don't get me wrong,

I would take a moment on Thanksgiving or maybe while reading a message on Facebook and think, "yeah I have it good."

But it really goes so much deeper than the stuff at surface value.

Gratitude is deep, you have to really dig deep into your soul to find the root causes that bring joy in your life. And when I lost my job, I had to dig deep, otherwise I would be focusing on the things I lost and worrying about the future.

Not to say I don't have worries and haven't felt extreme sadness, because I have...but sitting here dwelling on what I lost, isn't how you bounce back. I can't give up...I have kids and a family.

So every day for a month, I gave thanks for 10 things in my life that I was grateful for. Things that bring me joy and happiness.  Then I decided to pass it on, because that too brings me joy.

For 21 Days in November  - leading up to Thanksgiving - I am hosting a FREE event that focuses on gratitude. I will be helping you dig deep to find that joy in your heart and soul, so by the end of the 21 days your eyes are open to all of the beauty that surrounds you every single day.

So please join my event, its not too late...you will be grateful that you did.

Taco Tuesday Rice

We just love Taco Tuesday in our house.  I always try to mix it up a bit with different side dishes to keep it interesting.  I don't typically buy the prepackaged mixes from the grocery store because they are loaded with sodium and sugars - two things I try to keep at a minimum. 

This week we tried a simple Mexican rice side dish. It was deeeeelishhhhh!  I also liked that it had fresh veggies mixed in and my kids loved it too.

Ingredients:

4 cups cooked (unseasoned) brown rice or whole grain rice

1 teaspoon coconut oil

½ medium onion, diced

1 medium tomato, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

½ teaspoon cumin

¼ paprika

dash or more (your choice on how hot you want it) cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

chopped cilantro, optional

Directions:

 Cook rice according to package directions. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  When hot, add the onions, tomatoes and sauté until just tender, about 2-3 minutes.  Add garlic and sauté for another minute.  

Add the tomato paste, cumin, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper.  Stir to evenly coat the vegetables.  Add the cooked rice, stir, and cook for 1 minute or until heated through. Mix in cilantro before you serve.