joy

While I was in Mass this evening, I was reflecting on the difference between joy and happiness after receiving communion. I am happy with my life now. I really like my job and find a great deal of fulfillment with my work. I like where I live, the trips I get to take, the friends I get to see. My family is healthy and I get to visit and communicate with them often. I really have nothing to complain about. However when I was in Mass, kneeling after receiving His Body and Blood, I couldn't think of the last time I was truly joyful, truly filled with a sense of wonder and awe. I realized that the last long stretch of time that I truly felt joyful was in college when I was extremely involved with my college campus ministry group. Sure, I was crazy stressed at certain points and I may not have been happy with everything that came my way, but I experienced true moments of Joy brought by God, whether in a Bible study, on a retreat, in Adoration or teaching at Sunday school. There have been fleeting times since, but I think I lost track of joy and what joy truly was to cultivate and appreciate it. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, and as this super reliable website says, " The "fruit" is the product of the Holy Spirit's cultivation of character in a heart." Joy doesn't come from worldly things, from accomplishments, achievements and the things we acquire. Joy is a gift that comes from cultivating something within our hearts. Joy comes from God within ourselves, not from outside sources. Over the past few weeks, I'm been realizing more and more of my need and desire to come back to the heart of it all, to the heart of worship, to the heart of Jesus, and it is then, when I come back to Him, that I will find my joy.

Fall in Love

"Nothing is more practical than finding God, than falling in Love in a quite absolute, final way.

What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything,

It will decide what will get you out of the bed in the morning, what you do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, whom you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.

Fall in Love, stay in love, and it will decide everything."

---Pedro Arrupe, S.J.

Recipe: Sauteed Shrimp over Lemon Quinoa

January Goal Progress for Nutrition!

I made myself plan out meals for the week in a very real and structured way. I know that I never have time for breakfast and that some days I have to pack a lunch that doesn't need to be refridgerated, so I made sure I planned specific meals for that.

 

I also picked a new recipe to try (thank you Pinterest!) I love seafood, so this shrimp recipe is light and packed with flavor, lots of veggies and yummy quinoa! I used frozen, pre-cooked shrimp instead of uncooked to save on time and roma tomatoes instead of sundried. I added a litttttlllee too much lemon juice (whoops...didn't measure) so it was very lemony, but still delicious!

 

 

The recipe is from The Kitchn

 

Saucy Sautéed Shrimp over Lemon Quinoa

Serves 2 to 4

1 cup golden quinoa ( I just used whatever quinoa I had at home)
Olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 cup full-bodied white wine, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped Italian parsley leaves, divided
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 small red onion or 2 large shallots, minced
1/2 bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, finely sliced (I used roma tomatoes!)
1 pound fresh small pink shrimp (I used frozen, pre-cooked shrimp!)
Rinse the quinoa thoroughly under running water. In a 2-quart (or larger) saucepan, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Add the drained quinoa and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the salt, the lemon juice (about 3 tablespoons), 1/4 cup white wine, and 1 1/2 cups water.
Bring to a boil, then cover and lower the heat. Simmer for covered for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Let stand covered for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff the quinoa. Stir in the lemon zest and half of the minced parsley.
While the quinoa is cooking, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over low heat in a deep heavy skillet. Add the garlic, red onion or shallot, bell pepper, and tomatoes. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until the garlic and tomatoes are soft and fragrant. Do not let the garlic burn or get crispy; let it cook slowly in the butter. Turn the heat to medium and add the second tablespoon of butter and the remaining 2/3 cup white wine. Whisk constantly and bring the wine to a simmer. Cook until slightly reduced and shiny. Turn the heat to its lowest setting and keep the sauce warm while you cook the shrimp.
Pat the shrimp dry and season with salt and pepper. In a separate large skillet or wok, heat the remaining tablespoon of butter over high heat and sear the shrimp quickly until cooked — about 1 to 2 minutes. Add to the pan with the vegetables and sauce and toss with the remaining parsley. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
Serve immediate, topping the lemon quinoa with shrimp and its sauce.

Happy Eats!

Not Alone Series: A Day in the Life

I've always loved reading this series hosted by Jen and Morgan but up until now I have never been a contributor! With new goals this year of posting on my blog more regularly, I really want to commit to this series and the wonderful ladies who contribute!

Let's get back in the swing by sharing what our typical day is like! Tell us however you like, minute by minute or a blurb about your day! Be sure to answer these questions: 

- What is your favorite part of your day?

- What is your least favorite part of your day?

- Are you making any changes to your daily routine now that the new year has begun?

Morning:

My typical morning happens really fast, mostly because I would rather avoid city traffic and get to work early than enjoy a leisurely morning. I usually am up between 6:30 and 7:00 a.m. unless I need to be at a school extra early. The colder it gets, the more difficult it gets to get out of bed, mainly because my room is FREEZING. Our house is about 100 years old, so it doesn't heat particularly well, plus my room is rather large and doesn't heat as fast as other spaces in the house. Once I make it out of bed, its dress, make-up/hair, make tea, pack lunch, grab breakfast, bundle up (for now) and head out the door to figure out where I parked my car (yay city living!). Even though I live and work in the city, I still drive to work because I spend a lot of my time visiting different schools around town. Luckily, my commute to my office is only about 15 minutes, so I am usually in the office between 8:00 and 8:30. Once I'm in, I check emails, read the news and drink my tea to start off the day!

Day:

I work as a research assistant in the Department of Children and Adolescent Psychology at a children's hospital, so my job entails a variety of tasks. When I'm not in the office working with data and documents, I am out at a couple of different schools working on two projects implementing mental health initiatives in urban public schools. It takes about 10 minutes in person to describe my projects, so that is a post for another day!

Afternoon/Evening:

Once I leave work, I'm usually home by 5 p.m. I typically don't run errands during the week because I park my car (street parking) around 5 p.m. and I don't want to lose my spot! So evenings have typically been spent at home with my 5 roommates (yep, 5), watching TV, cooking, sometimes going to the gym and just hanging out. There are a few young adult events in my area that I want to join, but haven't gotten around to yet, so hopefully that will change soon! Occasionally we venture into the city for fun city things, but typically week nights are pretty chill. Shower, dinner, TV, read and then off to bed by 10:30/11:00 p.m.!

What is your favorite part of your day?

I really love the people I work with, so my favorite part of my day is usually mid-morning coffee or lunch where we can all catch up and exchange ideas! The same goes for at home. Anytime all the roommates get together to do something (aka hang out in the kitchen or watch a movie) is always the best.

 What is your least favorite part of your day?

Getting out of bed. It. Is. So. Cold.

 Are you making any changes to your daily routine now that the new year has begun?

I am trying to more consistently read a daily devotional in the morning and hit the gym/exercise after work. Also, like Jen said in her post, I'm trying to eliminate screen time before bed (main culprit: Netflix....)

I'm so excited to really dive into this series and get to know more people in this wonderful community!