The One with the Crunchy Granola

Today I am excited to post one of my recent recipe favoriets in honor of the Project 31's Share a Recipe. In case you didn't know, I'm quite the obsessed baker & home cook extraordinaire. :) I have a recipe blog chock full of sweet treats and savory dishes that have been created or tried and true by moi. You should totally check it out. :) 

Crunchy Almond Granola by Adorkable Recipes. 

I love granola--particularly the homemade variety. You can pick and choose the perfect ingredients for your granola, controlling the amount of sugar as you go. The potential mix-ins for granola are almost limitless--chocolate chips, raisins, dried cranberries, other dried fruits, almonds, walnuts, peanuts, et cetera. So good. 

I have made Peanut Butter Banana Granola and Pumpkin Granola many times and I love both recipes (especially the peanut butter one!) But alas, it was time for something new. I looked up gads of granola recipes, combined the elements of my favorites, and developed this crunchy mixture. 

It's perfect--chock full of nutrients from the oats, the almonds, the sunflower seeds and the flax seed. And the sugar level is relatively low. I cut a quarter cup of brown sugar out the recommended amount and this is still quite sweet.

I hope you enjoy!

Crunchy Almond Granola

recipe by adorkablerecipes.blogspot.com

yields: 8  cups

Ingredients

4 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup whole raw almonds

1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

2 Tbsp whole flax seed, ground

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup canola oil

1/4 cup honey 

2 tsp vanilla 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat (or neither!)

In an extra large bowl, stir together oats, almonds, coconut, sunflower seeds, flax seed, cinnamon, and salt. Combine completely. 

In a separate small bowl, stir together brown sugar, oil, honey and vanilla. Pour wet mixture onto the dry ingredients and use a large spoon to stir, stir, stir until thoroughly incorporated.

Spread the granola onto the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Stir gently. Bake another 10 minutes. Stir gently. If granola is not browning yet and seems to be extremely moist still, bake another 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Granola will still be slightly moist. Cool completely on the baking sheet. Granola will be perfectly cooked and crunchy!

Serve atop a dish of yogurt or straight from your hand to your mouth. Yum!

linked up with Project 31 on She Breathes Deeply.

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The One with the Beautiful Friend

I have a friend. A very good friend. She is loyal. She is faithful. She is loving. She is supportive. She is fun. She is a listener. She is beautiful. She loves Jesus. 

When I read the Project 31 prompt "Write a Blog to Encourage Another Beautiful Woman," I knew God was leading me to share these words with my friend, Brittney. 

Britt, thank you for being an example of what a good friend should be. I know I can always count on you to be there, and I am learning from you what a true friendship looks like. You have stuck by me through a lot, and I am eternally grateful. 

I want you to know I love you, and I pray for you often. God has a beautiful plan for your life, Britt. I have every confidence that He is working in you in a mighty way. He's taken you through ups and downs, and you've followed Him faithfully. I am excited to see what awaits you and Nick around the bend. Just keeping holding onto Jesus. He will carry you.

I am inspired by your perseverance. You show this strong quality in every aspect of your life--and it is truly an example to me and to many others. Hold on to that hope you have within you, knowing God is act work.

Thank you for being my friend. 

The One with the Letter of Love

The glory of God is a man fully alive. [St. Iranaeus]

A letter of thanks.

Dear Kevin, 

I think you know by now how wholly and passionately I love you. But, my husband, I truly believe without your incredible love for me, I wouldn't have the capacity for such a love. God has given you an enormous responsibility--to love me as Christ loved the Church. I can say with complete honesty that you are the greatest embodiment of Christ in my life.

Watching you become a man of God is such a privilege. You have such fire for His Word, such a passion for His people. Following you as you walk in faith toward a foreign land shows me your deepest heart--obedience to Christ no matter the cost. We may feel like Abraham and Sarah at times, but holding hands and seeking the voice of the Lord is all He has called us to. I never would have dreamed we would be on this journey. But it is true discipleship, and I would have it no other way.

Thank you for loving me. Just me. All of me. You accept my whole being without making exceptions or corrections, and you encourage me to do the same. You see the woman God created me to be, and you love me enough to walk alongside me as I journey to that wholeness. 

You have made my heart come fully alive. God sees and rejoices. 

Walking with you, 

Melanie

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Linked up with Day5 of Project 31.

The One with the Beauty Inspiration

I have so many beautiful friends. For real--these girls are drop dead gorgeous and their inner lives shine the same light. I am blessed. 

One woman who inspires beauty in my life is Brooke.

photo by studio bree.

I met this gorgeous girl when we moved in across the hall from each other our freshmen year of college. As soon as I saw her, I thought, "Oh my gosh, she's so pretty. I'm sure she'll be nice, but I can't imagine ever being friends with someone that beautiful." No kidding.

photo by studio bree.

But from that day on, Brooke proved me wrong. She was the most genuine person I had ever met. She laughed without embarrassment. She loved with her whole heart. She listened with her whole being. She prayed with the depths of her spirit. 

I was supremely blessed to get to spend an entire summer with this girl. We were the only two females on a traveling worship team of eight. We clung to each other. We laughed and cried. We talked late into the night--sharing dreams and secrets. I never could have survived those months without a real friend like Brooke.

(yes we both fit into this sweatshirt.)

Nearly five years have passed since that summer, and I still feel Brooke is a sister of mine. I am honored to have her in my life. Being around her makes anyone want to experience the joy of the Lord that pours of our her smile. She is constantly doing too many things, but you'll never hear her complaining. She works hard to be everything God wants her to be--and I have to say, she's doing an awfully good job. 

Thank you, Brookie, for loving me and showing me what true beauty really is. 

linked with Day 3 of Project31.

The One with that's Uniquely Me

I pray many of you were encouraged by the words Jesus has spoken into my life concerning the beauty of a woman. My heart's desire is to learn how to fully embrace the beauty God has created in my life and to help all women experience that same freedom.

Part of this process, I believe, is seeing who YOU really are--all of your quirks, your passions, your thoughts, your talents, your hobbies, your needs. Though many of us share some aspects of our personalities, each one of us have an almost-DNA-like conglomeration of qualities. We are beautifully unique.

What makes you uniquely you?

I'll start.

Hi! My name is Melanie, and I don't have to work very hard at keeping up with my "adorkable" title. Sure, I can be cute, but much of the time I evoke a response of "aww, well isn't that cute?" I have some serious quirks. Idiosyncrasies if you will.

My toilet paper must roll over the top.
My toothpaste should be squeezed evenly from the bottom.
I insist that water be turned off when not actually in use--such as while brushing my teeth.
I keep lists.
Scrap paper notepads are in drawers all over my house--desk, bathroom, bedroom.
I fold my underwear.
I stack my socks.
I bake for fun. And to relieve stress. (Though I'm not so sure it's the baking that relieves stress or the eating.)
I really can't stand more than 5 emails left unanswered in my inbox.
I can watch hours of tv at a time, but half an hour into any movie and I'm asleep. (Kevin thinks it's the "canned laughter" that keeps me engaged during tv.)
I like skim milk, natural peanut butter, homemade wheat bread, fresh cut vegetables, and granny smith apples.
I also like chocolate chip cookies, mint chocolate chip ice cream, fudge brownies, and 99% of other ice cream varieties.
I used to really not like cats.
Now I have two.
Our bed has a severe sink hole in the center. I'm a chronic snuggler.

Those are the random facts--that honestly don't matter a whole lot in the grand scheme of eternity. The rest of my life goes a little something like this:

I grew up learning about Jesus. Mom and Dad taught me Scripture memory verses at a very young age. They even have a video of my whipping off I John 5:11-12 as if it was to save to my life. (Funny thing--it pretty much was.) I was the first one to raise my hand in Sunday School class with the answer. (Yes, I'm still that kid. I'm a firstborn ok??) I loved singing Bible songs like "Jesus Loves Me," "Beloved," "Have Patience," Special Specialitiy," and every song my mom every led during our summers of Vacation Bible School.

My little sister and I fought all the time--most of it was blamed on me. The first born has to be the one responsible and the responsible one, right? But we also loved each other dearly. We'd rather spend hours playing Barbies or "house," or "school" by ourselves than with lots of friends. We became best friends as I went through high school. I'm so thankful for her.

My years in high school were fairly uneventful. I didn't do a whole lot with school friends--church and youth group was my life. I was on my youth group leadership team from 9th grade on and I loved every minute of it. (Foreshadowing, maybe?) I learned more and more about Scripture, I memorized more Bible verses, and I learned the true meaning of getting outside my comfort zone.

I graduated Salutatorian with a 4.0 GPA, was class speaker, and on Homecoming and Prom courts. I really don't know how those things happened. I was far from cool. I just pray it was because people were drawn to the Jesus in me.

I spent the next four years of my life meeting adulthood head on at one of the best universities--Spring Arbor. I learned how to live with people other than family. I learned the true meaning of stress. And how to deal with it. I learned what friendships are really made of. I learned how to think for myself--and how to not think I know I all. I learned so much about worshiping, and studying Scripture, and pretending to understand philosophy. (It's still beyond me and I was Philosophy/Religion major.) I learned what it meant to fall in love once and for all.

And all of those experiences are what have made me into who I am today. I'm not done changing. Becoming. But for now, I'm embracing who I am. I am Melanie. Wife of Kevin. Daughter of Karen and Danny. Sister of Ashley. Leader of teens. Lover of good books and hot tea and piano music. I will forever be a list maker, a family girl, a homebody, and a pursuer of no-nonsense relationships. I hope I will also love baking and hostessing--opening my door to anyone who will enter. I will continue to pursue the heart of God with as much passion as He has pursued me. I want each day of my life to matter in eternity.

Who are you?

Linked up with Day 2 of Project 31.

The One with the Beauty of a Woman

Jesus says, 

"I created you.

I had a plan and a purpose for you life even before you were a dream in your parents' subconscious. 

You are beautiful. 

You are wonderfully made.

I knit you together, stitch by stitch, placing every limb, every bone, every organ, exactly where I wanted them. 

I make no mistakes. 

When I was forming the land and the sea, 

the birds and the fish, 

the sun, moon, and stars, 

the animals and plants, 

I wanted to save the best for last.

I created man in my image, but I knew it was not good for him to live on his own. 

Though Adam knew no different, I knew he would not be complete without a counterpart. 

Together, the two would more perfectly display my qualities. 

He would be strong. 

She would be sensitive. 

He would rule with power. 

She would reign with grace.

They would fit perfectly together and, in my image and because of the capacity I gave them to love, they would be given the ability to create life. 

And so, I created you. 

As a woman, you came from man, because the two of you were made to be reliant and inseparable.

You were given my image, my glory. 

It is in you that I display my breathtaking beauty. 

You are the crown of creation. 

Only then did I say, 'It is very good.'

And yet you reject the very body I created. 

You look in the mirror and ignore all that is perfect and look only at what you wish to change. 

You see flaws. 

I see unique beauty. 

You complain. 

You believe the lies Satan whispers in your ear, telling you how ugly you are, how you are too fat or too skinny, or how you'd be better if only you had that jean size or that cup size or that hair color. 

And the more you listen to his deceit, the more difficult it becomes for you to hear my gentle voice. 

I weep when I see you degrade yourself. 

I am saddened when you don't trust my Truths. 

I make no mistakes. 

I made you wonderfully--exactly as I intended. 

What right does the creation have to question the wisdom the Creator? 

NONE! 

Believe me when I say I take great delight in you. 

I rejoice over YOU with singing.

Embrace my all surpassing love. 

Know it as yours and float in it."

And today, Dear Friends, I offer this prayer for each one who knows the lies all too well. 

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. 

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 

may have power, together with all the saints, 

to grasp how wide 

and long 

and high 

and deep is the love of Christ, 

and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—

that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

Ephesians 3:16-19

--Learning to embrace my beauty,

Melanie

This post was originally posted We Chase the Son (the devotional blog of my husband and me), and is also participating in Project 31 at She Breathes Deeply.