Pumpkin Muffins on a Rainy Day!

It's finally raining today, and I LOVE it! Normally I am more of a warm weather kind of girl, but its been so hot I am ready for some fall weather. In honor of the cooler temperatures I am going to be posting a recipe I made recently for amazing pumpkin muffins! Personally, I am not a pumpkin fan, but my hubby loves all things pumpkin! This recipe is somewhat healthier because you use greek yogurt instead of butter! ( I think the yogurt actually makes them really moist!) Aso, I used coconut oil instead of vegetable, and they really turned out great!

Pumpkin Muffin Recipe:

Prep Time: 15 mins  Cooking Time: 18-20 Minutes
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 can 100% pure pumpkin
2 large eggs lightly beaten
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup lowfat Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray mini muffin tins with cooking spray. Mix flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt in large bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together pumpkin, eggs,coconut oil, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Combine wet and dry ingredients until just blended. Spoon batter into muffin tins. Bake for 18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Transfer muffins to rack to cool.  Makes about 15 Muffins

 Remember, don't worry if you make a mess...in the words of Julia Child, "If your alone in the kitchen, whoooo is going to see?"

I hope you enjoy!!

Say Thank You Today!

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” - William Arthur Ward 

          I don’t know about you but I love getting cards in the mail, especially thank you cards. When someone tells you that they are thankful for you and appreciate something you did for them it is one of the best feelings in the world! I have never seen anyone write more thank you cards than my husband. His mom taught him to write thank you cards for everything, and this is one lesson that stuck! One thing I have noticed is that not only do people love receiving his card, but he loves sending them. To let someone know that you appreciate and love them is a blessing to you as well. It helps you to focus on the positive about that person and forget the negative. So now, because of my husband, I write a lot thank you cards . :)

Alright, so I know it’s just the beginning of October and it’s not yet time for Thanksgiving, but today want to write about thankfulness. Just like with thinking positive thoughts you have to be thankful on purpose! It’s unfortunately my natural tendency to think critical thoughts instead of thankful thoughts.  However, I have noticed that the more I practice saying what I am thankful for out loud the more I do it naturally. My husband has many great qualities but one thing that he is amazing at is being thankful. Not only is he thankful, but he says it out loud. For example, almost every time my husband walks through our front door he says, “I love our home!” I used to laugh at him because it seemed kind of silly to say that every single time, but then I started saying it, and now I say it almost every time I walk in our front door!  My love for our home seems to grow every day, and I believe it’s because I have said I love it out loud so much, and even though there are nicer and bigger homes out there I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else!

Thankfulness helps fight off discontentment. When we spend our time comparing ourselves to others, like what kind of job they have and what they drive, where they live, and so on, discontentment is soon to follow.  As soon as you start wanting what other people have you stop wanting what you have. When you are purposely thankful you don’t have time to want what others have, because you are too busy appreciating what you have! Thankfulness helps you to take your eyes off of the negative things going on in your life, and helps to focus your mind and heart on all the wonderful blessings you have. Thankfulness brings joy to your heart!

As you can see I have learned a lot from my thankful husband. I want to dedicate this post to him, and use it as an opportunity to tell him that I am ridiculously thankful for him! Thank you for being such an amazing husband, and always loving me and supporting me. Thank you for always making me laugh until I cry. Thank you for just being that man of God that you are! I am so thankful that God brought us together at the perfect time. I am most thankful for you. 

Tell someone how thankful you are for them today!

 1 Thessalonians 5:18 ”Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

"It's not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness."                   - Charles Spurgeon

Tortilla Pizza!

     This post is for my friend Nikki. She asked me to post some easy and quick dinners. One of my favorite things to make for dinner after a long day of doing hair and talking (listening) to a whole lot of people, and  I don't have a lot of time or energy is pizza on a tortilla. It only takes about 15 minutes and its sooooo yummy!
Not only is it easy and delicious but the possiblities are endless!
Don't worry Nikki next time I will post my favorite crock pot chicken recipes! Hope you try making your own tortilla pizzas!
  
BBQ Chicken Pizza on a Tortilla

Ingredients:
- Tortilla (I like to use whole wheat)
- Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce (You can use your favorite sauce, but this is the BEST!)
- Mozzerella Cheese
- Chicken (Its easy to buy a rotisserie chicken and just shred or use some crock pot shredded chicken)
- Onion
- Cilantro (My hubby is not a fan but I love it!)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Put the Bbq sauce on and then throw the rest of the ingredients on there! You can sprinkle some oregano on top for some extra flavor.
- Put it directly onto the oven rack (So it gets nice and crispy)
- Let it cook for 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on it and if you like it extra crispy let it go a little longer. 
Slice it up and enjoy!! You save so many calories using the tortilla you can eat the whole thing if you want!

I didn't use cilantro on this one because it was for Garrison. :)

Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza on a Tortilla

This is definitly one of my favorite pizzas! It so delicious!
Ingredients:
- Tortilla
- Olive Oil
- Minced Garlic
- Mozzerella Cheese
- Gorganzola Cheese
- Sliced Bosc Pear
- Shallots
 Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Put olive oil on the tortilla ( Just enough for a light layer)
- Sprinkle minced garlic
- Then put the two kinds of cheese
- Cover with the sliced pear
- Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes. After its done put the shallots on top and enjoy!!


 It was so good I started eating it before I could take a picture!
Like I said the possibilities are endless! You could do something super easy like cheese and pepperoni with some pasta sauce.  Just have fun!

Think On Purpose

"Watch your thoughts for they become words. Watch your words for they become actions. Watch your actions for they become  habits. Watch your habits, for they become your character. And watch your character, for it becomes your destiny! What we think we become."                                             Margaret Thatcher in the movie, “The Iron Lady”

Do you ever think about what you are thinking about? Sounds confusing, I know!  Often during the day I will catch my mind wandering to some random thought. A single little thought that seems harmless. That one thought will then ever so subtly take over my mind, and then 30 minutes later I am dwelling on some negative thought and feeling sad, angry, or completely confused. What I have been learning lately is that a lot of times my negative feelings come from negative thoughts. Negative thoughts that I didn't even realize I was entertaining in my mind!

The title of my blog is "Think Happy Thoughts Today", (partially because I am a fan of the movie Hook) mainly because I am realizing, more and more, the power of my thought life. I believe that most of what we feel comes from our thoughts. I catch myself saying, "I cant help the way I feel!". I am beginning to see that I can help the way I feel. We cannot control most things in this world, and there is bad news all around us every day. However, the good news is we can control our thoughts and attitudes! Our thoughts are directly linked to our feelings. Thoughts come first and then flood in the feelings. So be careful what you let wander into your brain!

"Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." Phil. 4:8

Our thoughts not only control our emotions, but they are the starting point to all of our actions. As the quote from the Margret Thatcher's character in "The Iron Lady" says, "What we think we become." Now that can be a scary thought! :) So, my goal is to take control of my thoughts and to think positive thoughts on purpose. To be intentional about my thoughts and not let them run wild in my mind. My hope is that you will be encouraged to do the same!

"...take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Cor. 10:5