KALE CRANBERRY SWEET POTATO SALAD

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Sometimes enough is enough and you just got to put the mini eggs down. Or the cream eggs. Or the Reese's peanut butter eggs. I know them being on sale doesn't really help things, but there comes a time when you just can't continue having chocolate for meals. And I hope you know I'm preaching 100% to myself here. But maybe some of you are experiencing chocolate overload too. Well today's salad will help curb that craving (hopefully) and will fill your tummy up with deliciousness. 

Kale is massaged and then quickly pan fried to make it not so intense kale-y....

Sweet potatoes and yams are roasted to bring out natural sweetness.

And pecans and cranberries are added just because.

|   KALE CRANBERRY SWEET POTATO SALAD   |

Ingredients:

2-3 Sweet potatoes/yams

1 tsp Paprika

3 tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 bunch of Kale

Juice from half a lemon

Handful of cranberries

Handful of pecans

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Wash and peel potatoes and yams then cut into 1/2-1 inch pieces. Place in bowl and toss with paprika, 1/4 tsp of kosher salt and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Lay out on baking tray and bake for 40-45 minutes making sure to flip 20 minutes in.

3. Wash and de-stem kale leaves. Tear into strips then place in salad bowl. Drizzle 2 tbsp of olive oil, 1/4 tsp of kosher salt and lemon juice over the kale. With both hands, massage the kale for 3-5 minutes, until the kale is wilted and soft. If the kale is still too intense for you, cook for two minutes on a skillet over medium heat.

4. Add roasted potatoes to the kale and sprinkle cranberries and pecans on top.

5. Enjoy!

Not only is this salad delicious, it's also bright and beautiful...double win. AND if you eat a salad for dinner, you'll entitle yourself to mini eggs for dessert.

xo,

s.s.♥︎.

HE HAS RISEN

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HE

HAS

RISEN.

How those three words changed everything. 

I can't imagine how the disciples and those who loved Jesus felt for those two long dark days following the crucifixion.

Shock.

Regrets.

Agony.

Tears.

Silence.

Hysterics.

Pain.

Mourning.

Everything was lost.

Dreams were shattered.

Hope seemed to have slipped away right through their fingers.

The candle was snuffed out.

or so it seemed...

Darkness fell. His friends scattered, hope seemed lost - But heaven just started counting to three.

-Bob Goff

Very early on that Sunday morning oh so many years ago, some women went to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body in spices that they had prepared. But they arrived at an empty tomb. The stone had been rolled away. And then they were greeted with the greatest news that was ever spoken...

"Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; HE HAS RISEN!"

-Luke 24:5-6

Our Lord had done it. Death had no sting. Death had no power. Love had won. Christ had overcome.

Love - 1  | Death- 0

HE

HAS

RISEN. 

Majestic, the album, on iTunes: http://c.karijobe.com/0m0 Kari on Facebook: http://c.karijobe.com/0m2 Kari on Twitter: http://c.karijobe.com/0m3 Kari on Instagram: http://c.karijobe.com/0m4 Kari on YouTube: http://c.karijobe.com/0m6 Kari's website: http://c.karijobe.com/0m5 Music video by Kari Jobe performing Forever. (C) 2014 KAJE, LLC. under exclusive license to Sparrow Records

xoxo,

s.s.♥︎.

GOOD FRIDAY

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When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 

|   Romans 5:6-8 NLT   |

I just wanted to send some Good Friday love to all of you. Good Friday represents the biggest sacrifice ever made to mankind. God loves us so much that he sent his one and only son, Jesus to come to earth and sacrifice his own life so that we may have life and life to the fullest. It doesn't matter who you are, where you come from, or what you do. God loves you. 

✝ = ♥

xo,

s.s.♥.

CLASSIC BANANA BREAD

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I could eat a few things for days on days. Galaxy bars. Peanut butter rolo blizzards. Mangos. Baked brie. Oh and banana bread.

Yes, put me on a deserted island with a life time supply of banana bread and I'd be one happy girl. I've been searching for a great classic banana bread recipe for awhile. Classic to me means no nuts, no extra spices and no chocolate...just bananas in this banana bread. Now don't get me wrong, I like nuts and spices and chocolate in my banana bread. I just didn't want them in this banana bread. 

Now this banana bread takes a wee bit longer than a normal banana bread. Ripe bananas are heated up then strained to extract juices. Banana juices are reduced over heat. Banana is sliced then placed along the top of the bread. Sugar is sprinkled on top. This banana bread is a labour of love. You should make it for someone you love....or someone you don't love because they need love too :)

|  CLASSIC BANANA BREAD  |

Ingredients needed:

1 3/4 cups of flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

6 large ripe bananas

1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted then cooled a bit)

2 large eggs

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp sugar

Directions:

1. Pre-heat over to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan with a bit of butter (be sure to get the sides!)

2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Give it a little stir then set aside.

3. Place 5 bananas in a microwave safe bowl, cover in saran wrap and then make a few slices in the plastic to allow steam to vent out. Microwave on high for about five minutes (until bananas have released their juices).

4. Place bananas in a mesh strainer over a bowl and stir until juices have been strained into the bowl (about 10 minutes). Place bananas in a bowl and transfer liquid to a pan over medium-high heat and cook until juices have been reduced to 1/4 cup (about five minutes). Then remove pan from heat. Add reduced banana juice to the bowl of bananas and mash together. Add brown sugar, vanilla, eggs, melted butter and give it a good whisk. 

5. Slowly add in dry ingredients to the banana mixture. Fold with a spatula until combined. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan.

6. Slice the sixth banana and then place along edges of the batter. Sprinkle with sugar and then cook for about 60 minutes (until toothpick comes out clear, you know the drill!) Once out of the oven, let it sit for 15 minutes in the pan. 

7. ENJOY!!!

Recipe slightly adapted from annie's eats (originally from cook's illustrated)

Enjoy this classic banana bread :)

xo,

s.s.♥︎.

MY RUNNING JOURNEY

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I was in the middle of writing a running update for ya when I realized I have never shared how I started running in the first place.

The truth is, I haven't always been a runner.

Ok, so you know those super fit families? The ones who go for hikes all the time, where the father and daughter go running around Elk Lake once a week?

Ya, that was not my family at all.

Being Italian and all, I was put into soccer at a young age but I stopped around 13 because soccer = way too much running. I switched over to baseball and mastered running the short distance to 1st base. I played baseball until grade 12 and then didn't exercise for a good solid two years...yikes.

I always believed that I couldn't run, that running just wasn't for me, that I wasn't the running type and I was content with that.

Until a few years later where I actually just started running and realized it wasn't as bad as I thought it was.

I started out by running with a few friends running around Rithet's Bog. I honestly had to walk every 500m or so but I kept at it and gradually, the running intervals grew longer and longer until I didn't have to walk at all. I started running on my own and oh my goodness, I actually started to enjoy it. 

Now don't get me wrong, I haven't reached some nirvana-esque relationship with running. There are days when I hate it (especially when it's cold and rainy outside) and it's hard to psych myself into going out the door, there are days when the last thing I want to do is go for a run BUT the days when I believed I just couldn't do it, the days when I believed I just wasn't a runner are completely gone.

I'm a runner. 

Sorry if this is sounding like an infomercial but I just want to encourage those of you who are starting out running or haven't started yet...you can do it! One step at a time, one lap at a time. You got this.

stay gold,

s.s.♥︎,