we eat homemade, from scratch most days of the week – with the exception of our date night & weekly meal at my in-law’s – so we appreciate a thoughtful meal made at home. it’s always more enjoyable to have a handful of resources that inspire you to cook up something great in the kitchen!
a friend on instagram recently asked me to share my favorite cookbooks with you. i’ve shared my favorite resources a handful of times, but we’ve recently added a few new titles to our rotation! here are a few of our favorite cookbooks that include affordable, easy & delicious meal ideas!
1. simply in season: this is our cooking bible. we love that this cookbook is divided by season (spring, summer, etc.), which makes cooking with garden-grown produce so much easier! there are only a handful of ingredients per recipe so it isn’t complicated or overwhelming. when i am in need of a hearty, simple, affordable & delicious meal, i pick up this cookbook!
2. feeding the whole family: i love that this cookbook offers tons of healthy recipes that the entire family will enjoy. lots of the recipes include bulk bin ingredients, which keep costs low. also, there are tips for cooking with the little ones! this is such a great cookbook for families.
3. clean eats: this cookbook was gifted to me & i love it. since starting weight watchers, i have been searching for “clean” meals to serve at dinnertime & this one is perfect for just that. some of the recipes are involved & expensive, but i have found lots of meal ideas perfect for those busy week nights!
i’ve recently been collecting my favorite online recipes & writing them down in my recipe box (from here). i know that one day our little ones will want to cook something their mama made & the idea of searching my pinterest board just isn’t quite as cozy, ha!
what are some of your favorite cookbooks? please share!
love,
natalie
i’m currently reading (for the second time) & really loving free by mark scandrette. this book questions our preconceived notions of how we spend our money & time & allows us to ask ourselves just how those resources could be spent in areas that matter the most.
along with our church body, we are challenging ourselves to dig deep & define who we are as individuals, what we care about as a family unit, how best to spend our money (even when the temptation to spend is truly endless!) & how to rearrange our schedules so that we’re able to create margin for rest & service.
this book is, once again, fueling great conversation among our family & providing a clearer image of what we hope for our future. i firmly believe that we cannot shape the future that we hope for unless we have these big conversations as a family.
without these conversations & reminders about how we spend our time & money, luke & i would find ourselves trying to simply “keep up.” during the holiday season, when the promise of having that thing will change you or make you more likable, it’s especially important.
here are some takeaways from our family conversations on money & time:
– we appreciate extra income for travel & home projects & are content to work more in order to fuel those interests.
– we enjoy working alongside one another & hope to make some future career shifts that facilitate this.
– we don’t so much care about new cars or a fancy home. we feel best in our fixer upper home & farm with no car payments.
– we want to have children, but our hope is that we can free up one parent to just work part-time to tend to the needs of future babies.
– we enjoy community & the activities it brings, but we would like to set aside & protect one afternoon for self-care/family-care & rest.
i hope these thoughts inspire you to set aside a day & talk about your goals! grab free from amazon & use it as your guide if you’d like. it’s proven to be the perfect resource to really engage as a family in these key life areas.
do you have conversations about money & time as a family? please share!
love,
natalie
hi, friends!
grab a cup of coffee & sit with me for a bit. i want to share an update on my weight loss journey with you!
earlier this year, when my grandpa passed away, i felt a sudden shift in my habits & in my thinking. my grandpa lived life to the fullest & up until his diagnosis, he lived an incredibly healthy life. for the first time, after his death, i was struck with just how short our lives truly are & the weight of our every day choices. it was during this time that i recognized a great need to make a big, lasting change.
last year i shared my whole30 journey & my 20 lb. weight loss {you can read my blog post here}. i was able to maintain this weight loss up until october, just before the holiday season when bread & dairy became too great a temptation, but then throughout the months, i gained it all back.
i absolutely loved how i felt on whole30, but it was not a sustainable lifestyle for our family. during our european travels this summer, we discovered just how much we truly enjoy the culture of good bread & fine cheeses. after our return from europe, luke began baking artisanal bread & i knew this would soon become part of our family’s food culture.
throughout the summer months once we returned from our travels, i started recording my meals & calorie intake on the app, my fitness pal. i ate in moderation, not eliminating any food group entirely, & chose my indulgences carefully. i also continued to exercise 4-5 times per week. slowly, the weight began to come off once again.
inspired by our european travels, i picked up the book, french women don’t get fat, & read it cover to cover. this book helped me seek out the balance of eating well & living well.
dear ones, if i am being completely honest, weight loss is by far the most challenging area of my life. i use food as a way to cope when life gets busy or i am unable to control my surroundings.
each day is an opportunity for growth, but i am thankful to share that i have lost 23 lb. i have also joined the weight watchers program & attend their weekly meetings for support. i have about 17 more pounds to lose before i feel like i have met my first goal.
like i’ve shared, this story is not finished. it’s full of ups & downs, valleys & hills. it’s a well-worn path full of wrong turns & it’s by far the most challenging journey i’ve experienced yet. i’ll continue sharing bits of my weight loss journey on instagram at #nataliegetsfit if you’d like to follow along!
i’d love to know how you’re making your health a priority right now. please share your weight loss journey or any healthy habits in the comments below!
thank you so much for reading. i hope this serves as a bit of encouragement to you & a reminder that you are indeed not alone. xo.
love,
natalie