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General Conference:  A semiannual gathering of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. During general conference weekend, Church members and others gather worldwide in a series of two-hour sessions to receive inspiration and instruction from Church leaders. Source. 

The messages that are shared are inspired and of God which we learn in D&C 1:38 when He says, “whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same”. I know that when the prophet, apostles, relief society president, and any other church leader stands at the pulpit at general conference, they are delivering the messages that God would share with us if He were here today. 

To help me prepare for the big weekend in April, today I’m going to start on #35 from my 101 in 1001 list. My goal is to read a general conference talk every day for the next month.  I specifically chose to read them instead of listen to them.  While I enjoy listening to general conference talks and still get a lot out of them, I can tell a difference in retention of the message and the spirit that is felt compared to reading it. My guess is that the difference is because when you are listening to it you can be thinking/doing 100 other things.  When you sit down and read a talk, you give it your full attention. 

I am excited to start this and share with you the things I learn along the way! 

Not Pregnant, just Whole30-ing

GUYS.

I have to apologize. If you have spent any time around me the past 26 days, I’ve talked nonstop about food. So much so I’m concerned people think I’m pregnant. (I’m not) But guess what? That seems to happen when you do something that is hard and you are actually following through with it! Here’s the deal, it’s been hard and I’ve had a lot of complaining moments. But when it comes down to it, I’m so dang proud of myself. In the past I’ve always been able to talk myself into giving up on a goal, whatever that goal was.  This is showing me that I’m strong and capable of following through on commitments to myself. And that I deserve that commitment!

Jake and I have less than a week left on the Whole30 and it’s been quite the experience.  I thought I’d share our top 5 favorite recipes we have found along the way! These recipes were so good that I would have eaten them even if I wasn’t doing the Whole30.  Try them out and let me know what you think!

Thai Curry Chicken -- We both love Thai curry but could live without Indian curry. I was excited when I found this recipe! We took a trip up to Whole Foods in Draper because I had received a gift card for Christmas from my sister-in-law. While we were there we found a green curry paste that didn’t have sugar! We cooked this up last night and it was DELISH. Jake and I decided we’d probably add some more curry paste (we did the full 2 T and could’ve handled more) and more coconut milk to get more sauce out of the recipe. We didn’t include the kabocha squash cause I had no idea what that was and Jake isn’t a big squash fan. We served over cauliflower rice (which was surprisingly good) and it was the perfect, filling meal. Def a repeat. 

 Pizza Spaghetti Pie -- Over the weekend Jake and I took a trip up to Idaho for my cousin’s mission farewell.  We decided to make this as our meal for the whole weekend. After that we are burnt out of the recipe, but up until we ate it 7 times in a row, it was a favorite! The squash tricks your mind into thinking you are eating cheesy lasagna/pizza concontion. It was super tasty. The hardest part of this recipe was finding sugar free pizza sauce and Italian sausage—luckily we found some at Whole Foods during our field trip. You can add anything you like on your pizza, we did olives and green peppers--both were great additions. (PS. Whole Foods is freaking expensive. No wonder they put it up in swanky Draper. ;) ) 

 Buffalo Ranch Stuffed Peppers -- These are fab. I wouldn’t change a thing. I found them the first time I did this and have made them while I wasn't on the Whole30. I’m not crafty so I've never carved out the pumpkin faces, but man. So good. 

 Balsamic Glazed Steak Rolls -- I mentioned in my last post that we have been having people over for Sunday dinners.  We made this recipe for his dad and stepmom. It was so tasty! The steak was a tad bit rare for our taste so we did have to cook it longer. For the glaze, I replaced the brown sugar with unsweetened apple sauce and I had to make our own Worcestershire sauce because they all have sugar. It turned out super yummy, just a lot of work. 

 Paleo Chick-Fil-A Nuggets -- Jake loves Chick-Fil-A nuggets. I know his order and it’s always the nuggets. (remember when he picked that for his last meal?) Well one night we were stressed and bugged with the restrictions so we decided to make this! It was fabulous. We added some cooked potatoes and sugar free ketchup (another Whole Foods find). Heaven. Although the tapioca flour did do a weird thing where it was stringy while cooking and afterward—I don’t know why, but it wasn’t enough to make them gross because it was still crispy. And they tasted pretty dang close to the real thing. Minus the yummy chocolate chip cookies. (you haven’t tried their cookies? Well you should. They are divine.)

Now a non-food related thing--I crossed something off my list last week! On campus we have a new building and it includes a bowling alley. Last Tuesday Jake and I went for a spontaneous game after class. It was so lovely and the perfect break from the stress of the semester. (Yes, I know it's only a month in.) The first game I got 98! 2 away from #11 on my 101 in 1001 list! So we paid another $2 for a second game.  I broke it!  I scored 115. The best I've ever done! It was a blast and I'm so grateful for the hunk who suggested the idea.

 

The old list

This weekend I had a friend ask me about my old 101 in 1001 list.  Apparently my desire to put my life in a stranger's hands intrigued her to the type of person I was. ;)  Anyway, to make things a tad bit simplier, and for a good laugh, here is my old list!  I've talked to Jake and we've talked about making one together but with school starting tomorrow that may be awhile.  Until then, maybe I'll see how many I can complete in the year and a half left.

101 in 1001||

{101 in 1001}

beginning date: August 15, 2013

ending date: May 12, 2016

bold italics = in the process of completing

strikethrough = completed

red = failed.

1. eat four exotic fruits

2. don't eat out for a month

3. attend a session of general conference

4. visit washington

5. fall in love

6. attend my 5 year high school reunion

7. find my signature lipstick

8. immortalize my name in wet cement

9. say yes for an entire day

10. graduate college

11. break 100 in bowling

12. take a pottery class

13. skinny dip in the ocean

14. kiss someone in a gazebo

15. write a letter to the 2 most influential people in your life at the moment

16. collect 50 quotes that inspire me

17. read all the books I currently own

18. record all 101 goals with pictures to create a memory book [2/101]

19. memorize 20 scriptures

20. pick strawberries/raspberries

21. plan a trip on magical-mystery-tours.com

22. keep a plant alive for all 1001 days

23. vote

24. rent a puppy for a day

25. read the entire bible

26. attend institute for a whole semester

27. ask for a guy’s number

28. pick my own pumpkin from a pumpkin patch

29. use money from completing tasks to go on a trip

30. visit 5 new states

31. personal

32. learn 10 new recipes

33. learn another language

34. write a letter to my future husband

35. read a general conference talk every day for a month

36. watch the sunrise and sunset with the same person on the same day

37. put $5 into a 101 in 1001 jar every time a task is completed

38. see a double feature

39. put together a piece of ikea furniture

40. find 5 hidden parks

41. fly a kite

42. hold a newborn baby

43. give out 2 copies of the book of mormon

44. build a fort and spend the night in it

45. reread the book of mormon

46. do baptisms in every utah temple

47. visit the spiral jetty

48. send flowers to someone anonymously

49. stretch every day for one month

50. make homemade candles

51. hike timp

52. be on the dean's list

53. learn to french braid

54. don't complain about anything for a week

55. finish a 1000 piece puzzle

56. visit a place that is iconic in the movies

57. get a passport

58. create a piece of art and hang it in my room 

59. reconnect with someone I've lost touch with

60. pay for someone's groceries

61. be seizure free

62. visit 5 museums [1/5]

63. keep a "my day in six words" journal for 30 days

64. attend a convert baptism

65. complete "50 questions that will free your mind" 

66. swim in a lake at midnight

67. make a 72 hour kit for the single life

68. go a whole weekend unplugged

69. have a birthday kiss

70. go to a Denver Broncos game

71. leave a 100% tip

72. camp at Havasupai

73. make a dramatic change to hair

74. become a true wolverine

75. purchase hunter boots

76. send a message in a bottle

77. fill up an entire coloring book

78. go on a motorcycle ride with a stranger

79. be able to play 25 hymns on the piano

80. go to wizarding world of harry potter

81. purchase a vacuum

82. go on a blind date

83. go on a hot air balloon ride

84. wear a different outfit every day for 30 days

85. figure out my career

86. 3 dates in one night

87. say good-bye to my baby brother when he leaves on his mission

88. buy a car (and keep it this time!)

89. write a letter to all four siblings and send

90. build a sand castle

91. go snowboarding

92. complete the whole 30 challenge

93. go one day without shoes

94. live somewhere random/unexpected for a summer

95. leave an inspiring note for a stranger in a book

96. attend & purchase fresh food at a farmers market

97. read all the books on my current list

98. go one month without facebook

99. plant a tree

100. have 3 stamps on new passport

101. write a new 101 in 1001 list