In case you're been wondering all week, no, I did not go blonde, still a brunette. But the stylist did take off a few good inches so it feels "short" to me, but that's coming from a girl with extremely long hair to begin with. So I guess it isn't really "short", just healthy now π Although I did get a pang of regret when I left with the same natural color flowing through the breeze. Maybe next time, eh?
Something else I just can't get off my mind is the fact that it's going to be October next week!? Seriously? Where has the time gone? It's flying by, that's for sure! It was just August...right? Something I am looking forward to, October 31st marks the day that Hallmark switches over too 24/7 Christmas and holiday movies! O the joy! And that runs through to February and will be the only thing on my TV (besides the occasional CNN check). But I'm getting ahead of myself, we still have a few weeks! You have a ton of clicking, reading, and drooling, and pinning to do this week!
Happy Friday Finisher! Have a lovely weekend!
Monday:Β Chocolate Zucchini Pancakes With Blueberries
Tuesday:Β Recipe ReDux #23 6 Fall Gluten-Free Vegan Freezer Meals For Healthy Eating
Wednesday:Β Savory Pumpkin Hummus
Blog Posts and Links I loved this week:
Life, Mind, Body, Spirit:
+ 11 Everyday Phrases You'll Never Hear Successful People Say
Time to edit your vocabulary!
+ 20 Life Pleasures That Are Completely Underrated
Haha! These are so true!
+ The Daily Decision To Be Happy
What you decide, can make a difference!
+ Why We're Embracing The Anti-Hustle
You don't have to glorify busy!
+ The Impact Bias: How To Be Happy When Everything Goes Wrong
Because that is one of the hardest things!
+ How To Attract Good Luck: 4 Secrets Backed By Research
Oooo, what are they?
+ Time Management Is Only Making Our Busy Lives Worse
Very interesting, but accurate!
+ 9 Ways To Feel Good About Yourself Right Now
Instant good vibes!
+ 5 Reasons We Play The Blame Game
I think we all do this!
+ I Refuse To Tell My Son He's Perfect
No on is perfect.
+ Rock Bottom: 6 Ways I Was Awakened AfterΒ Having A Breakdown In My 20s
To the millennials.
+ 6 Ways To Be Happy When Others Succeed
Mmmhm....
+ Tell Me Your Story, Not Your Status
There is so much more to you!
+ Are You Listening To Your Soul?
It will keep nagging you until you do.
+ 8 Things To Do (And Not Do) When Things Go Wrong
Things will never go as planned.
+ 8 Life Lessons I Didn't Learn In School (And 5 I Did)
I like these, although I think some of the 5 from school for her, I learned outside.
Fitness:
+ Are You A Sedentary Athlete?
Even if you work out, but sit all day....
+ Countering Sad Athlete Syndrome
When you get in a rut and it's all too real.
+ The 5-Step Ladies' Guide To Conquering Your 1st Pull-Up
Ladies...you can do them, and should!
Even busy moms can fit it in!
+ 6 Drawbacks To Working In The Fitness, Blogging, & Freelance Industries
I definitely don't think it's for everyone.
Food:
+ 8 Tips For Scaling Down A Dinner Recipe
I do this...all the time!
+ How Safe Is The Newest "Natural" Sugar Substitute?
Ew...just stop. We have enough.
+ Why Are We Celebrating Gluten-Free Cheerios?
They ARE using contaminated oats, they ARE paying bloggers to praise them, they ARE NOT 100% safe for celiacs.
+ Why Are We Celebrating Gluten-Free Cheerios? - A Response To Gluten Dude's Post
And a response.
+ An Apple A Day Keeps The Free Radicals Away
And the "healthiest" apple is....
+ 8 Things To Consider When Buying A Slow Cooker
If you STILL don't own one...please buy one now!
+ How Safe If Your Ground Beef?
Ew....well at least I don't have to worry about this.
+ A Visual Guide To The 7 Major Types Of Canned Tomatoes
These are pantry staples!!!
Health:
+ A Cultural History Of The Fever
You shouldn't fear the fever!
+ How Uncertainty Fuels Anxiety
We all want to KNOW, that's why!
+ Gluten-Free Diet Has No Benefit For Children With Autism, Study Finds
I know everyone want "gluten-free" to be a cure-all for everything, but it's not. You may just see a benefit because you begin to learn how to eat better and more variety (if you do it right).
+ The Gluten-Free Diet Does Not Help Kids With Autism
And some more reading on the subject.
You're mind is connected to every cell in your body.
+ 5 Reasons I Tell My Patients It's OK To Eat Carbs
Good real carbs = healthy.
+ How To Eat Healthy Without Getting Bloated Like A Hot Air Balloon
Do all this...but still :/
Blogging, Social Media, Tech & Photography:
+ The 10 Best Food Photography Props To Improve Your Food Photos
I should try shooting with some utensils π I just don't have any cute ones!
+ Why I Think You Should Define Your Own Success
Because it's different for everyone.
+ 10 Ideas For Finding Blogging Inspiration
Write about controversy! That's a good one π
+ The Sick Truth Behind The "Wellness" Blog Craze
Anything but!
+ The Top 50 Most Popular Keywords For Fall Topics On Pinterest
Broccoli rice casserole? Um...okay...
+ Winning In Pinterest Search: Pinnability
Do you have it?
+ 6 Things Thriving Bloggers Do Everyday
Sounds good to me!
+ How To Find Motivation When You Hit A Blogging PlateauΒ
You can get your mojo back!
+ How To Stand Out When Everyone Is Doing The Same Thing As You Are
My goodness...yes! Be original...please!
Other:
These may or may not surprise you.
+ The Ultimate Guide To Realistic Minimalism
It doesn't mean you have to get rid of EVERYTHING!
+ I Don't Care What You Think Of My Baby's Pierced Ears
I got mine done in 4th grade? I think...
+ The 10 Smartest Things To Do With Your Money In College
To all my fellow academics π
+ The Smartest Ways To Network At A Party
For everyone you encounter!
Favorite Pins:
(Follow me on Pinterest β RebeccaGF666)
Spicy Red Wine Roasted Plum Oatmeal Chia Breakfast Muffins. What!? Creativity x1000!
Thai Yellow Curry with Chicken and Squash. Now I need some yellow curry paste!
Lentil Mint Fudge. That's right...lentils!
Vegan Banana Ice Cream Sandwiches. There is a special something in the ice cream π
Balsamic Tarragon Chicken Skillet. This is one perfect chicken dinner!
Double Chocolate Espresso Bliss Bites. No dates! Only amazing love!
Rich Cocoa Chia Smoothie Bowl. Maybe I will try a chia pudding...because this is beyond and actually looks satisfying
Roasted Carrot Lentil Salad with Tahini Dressing. Well because of tahini...duh!
A few things I loved about my week or am grateful for:
+ So I've been thinking of moving forward with a semi-new redesign for the blog. You all know I've never been happy with it, and it just continues to annoy me. But I'm still not sure how exactly I want it to look so it's hard to move forward when I don't know where to go with it and what exactly I want to be changed. My blog just doesn't feel right, doesn't feel "me". What do you guys think?
+ There is going to be some extremely fun baking going on in the coming weeks. I actually took this week off from cooking anything new (I feel like I'm burning myself out), but I did "redo" an old recipe that will be updated on the blog soon. But the fun baking projects have to do with pumpkin....ultimate pumpkin madness!
So tell me:
+ Are you a Hallmark holiday junkie like me?
+ What one thing you really want to bake or your favorite thing to bake this Fall?
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Stay connected: Facebook: Strength and Sunshine Twitter: @RebeccaGF666 Instagram: rebeccagf666 Pinterest: RebeccaGF666 Bloglovinβ: Strength and Sunshine
Christine
That float and that lentil salad though! Yum!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Right!?
Anjanette @MommaYoung
Thanks so much for sharing all these delicious recipes. You are my new happy place.
I know what you mean about the blog redesign. I am almost never happy with my design and if I didn't have to do blog work I would spend most of my time tinkering with it.
Love you blog, no matter what it looks like, it is what you put into it π
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Haha, yea! Thank you so much dear!!
Michelle
Lentil fudge - oh yes! Love all of the recipe links!
First - I think your blog needs some purple. This is the first place where I've ever seen a purple potato and so I always think purple when I think of your blog π
Second, I picked apples yesterday and made an apple crisp. Fall baking is my fave!
Last, I love your natural hair color. The way that I see it, at some point I will spend 40+ years (possibly) dying out grey an white - why start that cost so early? I'll have fun with my color in my 40s and 50s but enjoy my FREE color while I can!! Out of all of the colors in the world, the one which you came with will always compliment your skin color and tone more than anything from a box will.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Purple!? I love purple food, but that does not fit strength and SUNSHINE! Hahaha!
And that's what I've always said. I do love my color and when I am older and greying, I wouldn't dye it then either. But, I feel "bored". Need to do something "out there", I think.
Sam @ PancakeWarriors
We just did a little redesign and we are still trying to get the homepage the way we want it. I say if you aren't happy with the design, start experimenting with other things. If you ever need help, Dave has a way of helping you collect your thoughts on sites you like and finding ways to pull it together! Good luck π and the baking all week sounds fantastic! Can't wait to see what you come up with!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I may come seeking some help then! Thank you Sam! xoxo
Stephanie @ The Glamorous Gourmet
What a great post with so many great resources! Happy to have discovered your blog today ~ Cheers:)
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thanks Stephanie! Happy reading!
Jen
Thanks for linking my post! Lots of good reads in this post!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Sure thing Jen!
lindsay
cactus pear sorbet? Oh that loooks divine! and yay for haircuts! we need pics of your beautiful face and shorter hair
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Isn't!!! I got excited when I found that gem!
Haha, it's really not short π Hopefully I can grace you all my my face after that expo I'm going to next weekend! Photo overload!!!
Sharon @ What The Fork Food Blog
Thanks for sharing my ranch potatoes!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
They just sounds and look soooo good!
Candace
I can't believe how fast this year has flown by! I didn't realize Hallmark switched to holiday movies that early. Thanks for the tip :). It looks like some awesome links you've shared here. I'll definitely check some of them out!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Haha, seriously, the only "season" there is a reason to watch TV π
Lucie
Thank you so much for the feature Rebecca <3! I loved going through all your other picks as always π
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
You rock dear <3
Melanie
ibm so excited for Hallmark holiday movies!!!!! They are the best! π
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
They are my life!
Hannah
Whoa, that chestnut soup looks amazing! Have a great weekend, Rebecca π
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
It looks so comforting!
You too dear!
Heather@hungryforbalance
Oh you and your tons of great reads/links each week! I loved that one about the healthy living bloggers. So true, yet so sad. Yay for pumpkin love!
Have a great weekend!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I know right! It's terrible but true!
Pumpkin can make things better though π xoxo
Megan @ Skinny Fitlaicious
Wow! Had no idea about the GF Cheerios! I've seen a lot of popular bloggers promoting them. I'm not a big cereal person, but I kinda of wondered about this.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Yea, and those bloggers are not Celiac, so don't trust them!
Katie {mom's kitchen handbook}
So many good reads here this week, not sure where to begin. I do appreciate the backlash to"busy". Thanks for that.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
And you can banish the busy by taking some time to mindless read π
Sarah | Well and Full
Great roundup, Rebecca! I always love seeing what you're reading for the week π
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thanks dear! xoxo
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit
Have you ever even heard of a Northern Spy apple? Cuz I haven't :/ But there was a heck of a lot of crazy creativity in the pins this week! Like those muffins! And that secret ingredients ice cream sandwiches! And I've been telling you a bazillion times to try chocolate chia pudding but now you finally agree!? I see how it is π
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I want one...a soy apple...seems pretty clandestine π Secret agent APPLE!
Hey, hey...I still haven't done it yet, it just got maybe a bit more appealing π
(The zucchini secrets are going crazy this week!)
Farrah
hehehe, my definition of "short" hair is nowhere close to short either. π
Loving the finds in Life, Mind, Body, Spirit this week! π (+ hoorayyyy for slow cookers! <3 )
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Live long...LONG! π
I've been majorly crushing on my slow cooker AND crock pot π I have both π
Emily @ My Healthyish Life
I just bought a can of pumpkin so I (obviously) need to make something with that this weekend π Not sure if it'll be a snack/baked good or a main course. Have a great weekend!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Make some savory with one half and the other half use to bake!
rachel @ athletic avocado
I serioulsy get so excited for this link up every friday! Ilove looking at all the links while drinking some coffee π
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Haha, that is the purpose! Glad I can always provide the entertainment!
Michele @ paleorunningmomma
I really want to try chia pudding - I've been checking a few out on Pinterest and I'm sold! Also those red wine plum muffins - OMG!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I'm still not sold! I keep telling everyone I will do it....been saying that for over a year now....but I don't know!!!! But I bet when I finally do it, it will be one of those things that is amazing and I can't believe I was so turned off by it!
Jenn @ EngineerMommy
I'm also due for a haircut! π
And now I want to try your pumpkin hummus and those red wine muffins!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Muffins an hummus sounds like a good weekend project π