Disclosure: I have partnered with Hungryroot to review their products on my Instagram grid and Stories.  This post is not a part of that partnership, but I wanted to share it with my blog audience as well.  Use code MISSMUSTARDSEED40 to get 40% off your first Hungryroot order, which is the biggest discount currently available! There is a personal project I’ve been working on behind the scenes for a few months.  In January, I went to my primary care physician for a yearly check-up and to follow up on a few lingering issues.  The issue at the top of my list was my heart.  I had been experiencing arrhythmia for a couple of years, but it was becoming more noticeable and intense at times.  My heart rate was often pretty high and racing at unusual times.  After brushing it off for a couple of years, it was time to look

We are just in one of those seasons of life when things are really busy.  I’m sure so many of you can relate.  You get a few months in a row when evenings and weekends are generally quiet and then you hit a stretch when there is something happening every single day.  Jeff has a meeting at church, the boys have climb team practice, I have a women’s event or a planning committee meeting, Jeff has a men’s thing, we have small group, Marshall has a 7th-grade boy’s hangout, the kids have tubing with the youth group…  It’s all good stuff and fun stuff, but it’s meant that we’re either eating early or late.   So, meal prep on the weekends has been key and a big part of that is making soup jars.  I cook one or two big pots of soup (usually a double recipe) and portion it out

Back in January, I started taking pictures of what I was eating through the day…mostly breakfast, lunch, and some snacks, and sharing it on my Instagram Stories.  I didn’t plan to continue doing it, but I’ve received so many comments from people who have found it inspiring and encouraging, so I’ve kept sharing.  As a side benefit, it’s helped hold me accountable, too.  I want to eat healthy, pretty meals that I’m proud to share. I have been making some progress in the weight loss department, but being sick has slowed down my weekly workouts.  I hope to get back to them consistently when I get back from my trip to Florida next week (to have a mini creative retreat with Shaunna.)  I haven’t been following any consistent plan, but have been trying to eat whole foods, more protein, healthy fats, and lower carbs.  I also try to “eat my

Both Jeff and I are big soup fans.  I discovered my love of soups when our family went on winter retreats to Beatenberg, Switzerland and they would serve the most delicious pureed soups with dinner every night.  (This sounds fancy, but I grew up in Germany when my dad was stationed there in the military.) Now that we’re in the thick of winter and I’m working on eating healthier, soup makes a great dinner as well as leftovers for lunches and busy evenings.  We’ve been pairing it with a salad, skipping the crackers and bread. One of our favorites (and Marshall loves it, too) is this creamy potato soup.  I found the basic recipe in the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook (the red checkered one), but we all found it to be a bit bland, so I added some white wine, celery, garlic, and other seasonings.  It’s still a mild