The Power of Positivity

After reading the Zen and Art of Happiness, I'm trying to make a conscious effort to be happy. That may sound silly but it's so easy to get upset and frustrated when things go wrong. Instead of looking at events as either "good events" or "bad/unlucky events", I'm trying to look at events as neutral events. Whether or not I am happy or have a good day is based on how I react to these neutral events. Even really seemingly-unlucky events can be positive.

Prime example happened the other day! I was planning to go on a run on an outdoor trail. I mapped the trail and the distance of my run and was super excited about exercising. When I got to the trail, I found out it was completely flooded! And let me tell you by "completely flooded" I mean 2 feet of water (picture above for your personal enjoyment!). Instead of being frustrated or going home angry, I decided to make the best of the situation. The park had an open area leading up to the trailhead that wasn't flooded. I decided to run around the open area for the same amount of time that I had planned to run. I'm sure that I looked ridiculous running around this field, but I was super happy. After warming up, I really enjoyed my run. The fact that the trail was flooded seemed like the outcome was decided for me: I was going home and not working out. BUT! I made the best of the situation and had a really good work out! It's really hard to not sweat the small stuff, but it really will lead to an overall happier life. I challenge you to make an effort to be more consciousness about choosing happiness and letting go of the rest.

Thanks for reading!

Amazon Smile

Have you heard about Amazon Smile? It's a program run by Amazon that donates 0.5% of the price of your purchase on Amazon to the charity of your picking. You have to specifically opt for this program by entering "www.smile.amazon.com" instead of going to the main Amazon page. The rest is the exact same and has all the regular Amazon product. I love seeing companies being more charitable! Remember to go to smile.amazon.com next time you're shopping on Amazon!

Thanks for reading!

Image from www.smile.amazon.com

Easy Dinner: Pesto Chicken with Veggies Recipe

 
I'm all about healthy and delicious dinners, especially ones that don't take a long time to make. I love this pesto chicken recipe and make it frequently. I also just discovered this delicious veggie dish which I will be adding to my regular rotation of meals. The pesto chicken is adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes and the veggie dish is adapted from Simple Vegan Blog. I love both of them for creating these amazing recipes! I added a warm roll because who doesn't love rolls?! The whole wheat frozen rolls are super great because you pop them in the oven for 8 minutes and they are warm and taste heavenly! You can work on both these recipes at the same time to condense the total prep time!

Chicken
Total time: 20 mins
Prep time: 8 mins
Serving: 6 pieces

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts
6 oz of pesto
1 tablespoon of basil
2 large tomatoes
1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese (buying the bag of shredded mozzarella makes things a lot easier!)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice each chicken breasts to make 2 thinner pieces of chicken by cutting it across (not down the middle).
3. Spread pesto evenly on each piece of chicken. Drizzle the basil on top of the pesto.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts (I like to cut through a piece of the thickest piece after 20 minutes just to make sure it's fully cooked!)
5. After the chicken is about done cooking, add 2 thick slices of tomato on each piece of chicken and top with mozzarella.
6. Bake for another minute and then serve!

Veggies
Total time: 40 mins
Prep time: 20 mins
Serving: 6

Ingredients:
2 green peppers
1 zucchini
1/2 bag of baby carrots
1 white onion
1 sweet potato
1 tbsp thyme
1 tbsp all-spice
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Boil the sweet potato in a pot of water as you prep the other veggies.
3. Chop the green peppers, zucchini, carrots, and onion. Add to a bowl and mix together the spices and the olive oil.
4. The sweet potato won't be completely cooked but it'll be soft enough to cut through. Chop the sweet potatoe and add to the mix of veggies.
5. Place the veggies in a cooking dish and bake for 20 minutes.

Thanks for reading!

Inspiration Station: Super Woman

I just read this awesome interview on The Every Girl about Dr. Valencia Walker, a neonatologist and clinical professor at UCLA School of Medicine. It was super inspirational and talked about how Dr. Walker got to where she is today. Her passion really shines through in the article and it reminded me about how tough yet rewarding medicine can be! Definitely a must-read for anyone in the health professions field!

Thanks for reading!

Real Simple Magazine

I love a good read. Reading all day, prefereably outside in a comfy chair/hammock, would be the dream. However when I don't have time to read a whole book, I like to read a chapter before bed. Sometime I can only get through a few pages before falling asleep. When I only want to read a few pages, I love reading Real Simple! It's the most amazing magazine I've found.

 
 
Real Simple is a magazine targeted towards woman, to make life a little easier, with tips and tricks from make up to housekeeping to financial advice. I love it because it's funny and extremely insightful, yet a light read. Within the first few pages, you'll find a "Simple List" with 5 silly statistics relating to the month, that you can whip out at a dinner part. They have another section called "Little Helpers" with 4 gadgets to make your day-to-day life simpler. The "Modern Manners" column has advice for hard situation and really genius solutions! There's always one page with a passage to help you relax or meditate. The fashion section always has well-priced staples that you can wear to work or out to dinner. (Side note: I hate magazines with over-priced clothes, and Real Simple ALWAYS does a good job of having at least half the items under $100.) Lastly there are always delicious recipes at the end. Plus, parenting advice, the work & money section, and super interesting articles.

This is by no means sponsored!! I just really love this magazine, and all my friends who've read my copies are hooked as well! I mean, how could you pass up the inspirational quotes on the spine?! See more of my inspiration obsession here! Read more about Real Simple or subscribe to the magazine!

Have you read Real Simple? What's your favorite magazine? Comment below!

Thanks for reading!