Guest Blog: Going with all your heart

After receiving an overwhelming response from brave and brilliant friends, here is the first of (hopefully) many guest blogs about lessons learned in our 20's.  

As I approach the end of my twenties I have actually put a lot of thought into where I came from and where I want to go. I have grown and matured more than my 19 year old self would have ever thought possible. There are a few lessons, that although were hard at the time, I will always hold in my heart.

Always be prepared. This doesn’t mean don’t be spontaneous. If you want to book a trip on a whim, go for it. It means, know your goals and work for them. Your dream life isn’t going to fall into your lap. You may not get everything you want but figure out what is important to you and work for it.  

Go with all your heart. Whether it’s a new job, a new relationship or travel, put your whole heart into it. You never know where an opportunity will come from or where life will lead you. Even if you fail or it doesn’t turn out the way you expected, you won’t regret putting yourself out there.

Whenever possible, make from scratch. Homemade is just better. Whether it’s food, knitting or home renovations, there is something special (and healthy) about homemade.  

Celebrate. I enjoy celebrating the little things. It makes me happy. From a promotion to the anniversary of a first kiss, just celebrate, because why not?

A huge thank you to this lovely and thoughtful contributor and friend.  Can you believe this is her first go at blogging?  Please leave her your comments, love and support or join the conversation @darbyvt #allyourheart.

I guess this is growing up! GRC Week 5

Maybe it's the getting-close-to-30 in me but has anyone else recently been slapped in the face with how much things can change in a matter of a year or two?  Granted, it's been almost seven years since I graduated university and almost five since I picked up and moved away from my university town but, lately, I've realized that my 23-year-old-self would be shocked and appalled to see my life now.  The strangest part- I'm completely ok with that!

I guess this is the feeling of being settled.  I've had a busy work week with a bit of travel and, although it's great to go away for a day or two and see friends in other cities, I always so look forward to coming home.  T and I used to celebrate everything by going out.  Payday Friday?  Payday Pizza!  Long day at work?  Let's go out to eat!  Thirsty?  We'll spend $75 at a pub down the street.  Lately, we've been able to enjoy being home a lot more.  Since I've been getting more into cooking and baking, I find it a lot of fun to go grocery shopping (big shout out to T for braving No Frills by himself on Saturday afternoon while I was at work), research recipes, read food blogs and spend time creating in the kitchen.  The weird thing?  Even meals I've been making for years have started to taste better.  It must be true that you can taste the love and passion that goes into making food.  

Since I was only home one night last week, we decided to have a date night in with dinner and hanging out.  Luckily, earlier in the week, our friend Meaghan had sent a NEW RECIPE!!! our way.  She and her bf (who happens to be T's bff) traveled to New Orleans last year (jealous!) and must have been missing that Southern flavour.  The GRC Week 5 recipe was Bourbon Street Chicken by Big Oven. 

Bourbon Street Chicken

I am all about one pan meals!  I liked making Bourbon Street Chicken because everything could be done in one large frying pan with very little mess and very few dishes afterwards.  A good weeknight meal.  You could even cook the chicken ahead of time then throw the sauce together with things in your fridge and pantry.  I added onions and peppers for a bit of flavour and color as well as a spoon full of chili sauce I had in the cupboard but followed the recipe exactly otherwise.  The end result was good!  I found it a bit saucy but next time I'll just put less sauce on my serving.  I've made similar-tasting stir-frys before.  This one just has a bit more of a ginger and spice kick to it.  We give it a 7/10 and would recommend it for a "what am I going to make tonight?  I have chicken and a bunch of things in the pantry" weeknight meal.  Thanks, Meaghan, for forwarding it our way :)

Please forward any recipe suggestions my way in the comment section below or follow me on Twitter @darby