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International Random Acts of Kindness Week: February 9 – 15, 2015

Feb8

kindness mark twain

International Random Acts of Kindness Week is February 9-15, 2015.  Spread your love and kindness this week to help make your community and our world a better place!

We all have a desire to make a difference in this world, and we have an endless amount of opportunities to do that every day.  Every small act of kindness we perform has the potential to make a huge difference in someone’s life.  So each day this week, step out of your comfort zone and make that extra effort to perform an act of kindness and put a smile on someone’s face.  It will make you feel great as well.  Kindness is a win-win for everyone!

For Acts of kindness ideas, visit the Random Acts of Kindness website.

If you’re feeling up for an extra challenge, please join me in the 2015 February Acts of Kindness challenge, and spread your love and kindness every day in February to help make the world a better place!  Together, we can make this world a little brighter! 🙂

Feel free to share your kindness ideas and stories in the comments below to help inspire the rest of us!

Roasted Autumn Vegetables

Nov22

Here is another dish that has made it onto my Thanksgiving menu.  It is delicious and contains only “real food” ingredients.

Roasted Autumn Vegetables with Cranberries

November 7, 2013 159 crop

Ingredients:

1 medium butternut squash

1 large onion

1 cup broccoli

1 red pepper

4 Tablespoons olive oil

Himalayan Pink Salt (or Fine Sea Salt)

4 Tablespoons dried cranberries

Feta cheese to top

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Peel, halve, and remove seeds from squash and cut them into large chunks.  Peel onion and cut into large chunks.  Chop broccoli into large chunks.  Slice red peppers.  Toss vegetables into the olive oil, season with salt and pepper to taste.

November 7, 2013 156 crop

Bake on a parchment or waxed paper-lined baking sheet for about 30 minutes.

November 7, 2013 157 crop

When vegetables are well caramelized, top with cranberries and Feta.  Enjoy!

November 7, 2013 168 crop

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Roasted Autumn Vegetables

Cook time: 

Total time: 

Ingredients
  • 1 medium butternut squash
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 cup broccoli
  • 1 red pepper
  • 4 Tablespoons olive oil
  • Himalayan Pink Salt (or Fine Sea Salt)
  • 4 Tablespoons dried cranberries
  • Feta cheese to top
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel, halve, and remove seeds from squash and cut them into large chunks. Peel onion and cut into large chunks. Chop broccoli into large chunks. Slice red peppers. Toss vegetables into the olive oil, season with salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Bake on a parchment or waxed paper-lined baking sheet for about 30 minutes.
  3. When vegetables are well caramelized, top with cranberries and Feta. Enjoy!

 

The “Thank You” Game

Nov21

feeling-gratitude

One of the books that has had the greatest influence on my life so far is the book “Life Makeovers” by Cheryl Richardson.  This book is broken up into 52 weeks.  Each week focuses on a specific topic and gives advice and tips on ways to improve your life in that area.

I have followed along with this book each week for the past 6 years, and my favorite piece of advice in the book comes from this week before Thanksgiving, Week 47.  The title of Week 47 is called The “Thank You” Game.  Cheryl suggests thanking one person a day for the next week.  It can be a teacher, bus driver, librarian, friend, spouse, child, a parent, postal worker, doctor, etc.  It can be anyone you come into contact with regularly that you would like to thank.  You can thank them by simply writing an unexpected note or e-mail, or by attaching a small gift like a box of chocolates or flowers or anything they might like.

I love this exercise because it is being done out of sincere gratitude, not obligation.  The recipient is usually not expecting anything, so they are usually very appreciative of the gesture.  It is a win-win situation on both sides.  We all love to feel appreciated, and it’s a great feeling to know your small gesture brightened someone’s day.

I am hoping to thank the following people during the next 7 days:  each of my daughters’ teachers, the bus driver, my husband and children, my mom & dad, the librarians at our local library, and the attendant at our local recycle center.  Help me spread the gratitude and love this week by playing along with Cheryl Richardson’s “Thank You” game!