Pages

Zucchini Noodle + Pesto Chicken Bowl Recipe


I'm a few days behind on this recipe.. you've gotta forgive my foggy brain, please!

This recipe was actually whipped up mainly by the HUBS, so I can't take full credit.

Thanks, boo!

It was EASY, flavorful & healthy.
PLUS, you can definitely tweak it to your tasty or modify the ingredients depending on what you have at home.

Ingredients:

Zucchini (spiralized)
Chicken Breast (cooked & shredded)
Pesto Sauce
Mushrooms (sautéed)
Sun Dried Tomatoes
Garlic (minced)
Himalayan Salt + Fresh Pepper

First of all, we spiralized 2 large zucchinis.
Which fed both of us 3 times each.
You could definitely do a quick sauté & season on these, but we decided to go raw with ours & let the topping warm the "noodles!"

We also used two (large) boiled then shredded chicken breasts, which was the perfect amount for two zucchinis.

Sorry this is how I measure.. or don't measure.
It's mostly guesstimating!

In a pan, we sautéed sliced mushrooms with the minced garlic & then added in sun dried tomatoes. The sun dried tomatoes we had were stored in olive oil so we squeezed them out a bit so they weren't saturated!

Then, we tossed in the shredded chicken & coated everything in pesto sauce!

Top off with some red pepper flakes if you like a little SPICE!

This was awesome night one.. & even better as leftovers!

Give it a try & if you make any tweaks, let me know.

I bet some artichoke hearts or sautéed spinach would be AWESOME in here too!
Go crazy.


Growing Ghoens: Week 24 Bump-Date


It's our week 24 bump date & we're officially SIX months into this pregnancy, y'all!
_______________________________________

We kicked things off during week 24 on a video chat with momma's business partners.


Then we dove into work!

We made LOTS of videos this week for some gals (fellow mommas mostly!) who are ready to dive into coaching to serve their families while they help others.

How cool is our job!?

I get to be home with YOU one day, while supporting our family financially, because we're helping women be healthy & start businesses that make a positive impact on other people!!

#BLESSED


Otherwise, this week was full of breakfast food, some exercise (I missed 2 of 7 days), outdoor time & a fun day with family. Your Aunt Tecia & cousin Olivia came to see us from Georgia. ALL 9 of us girls got together for dinner (for THREE hours at Chick Fil A.. HA) to catch up & LAUGH!!

They even got to feel you a couple of times!!

Besides that, we had some mega heartburn, continued insomnia & achy hips/pelvic area.

Ofcourse there are not my favorite symptoms during pregnancy.. but they're awesome, in a way.

It's amazing to me how I haven't really changed my routine much at all, but my body continues to change all on it's own for YOU on a weekly basis.

And these symptoms are just a natural part of that process.

Anyone who thinks our bodies as women aren't MADE & equipped for childbirth is cray.

I was literally MADE to be your momma, baby bear!




On Tuesday we met with a midwife & really liked her.

She encouraged us to pursue a natural birth if that's what we really wanted & explained how she specifically would support us. She told us that the best ways to prepare for your arrival are to learn + practice breathing techniques daily & to research how the female body functions during labor so that I understand the process once we're in it.

I loved something that she said.
"ELIMINATE fear"

She told us not to listen to people's negative/horror stories.
There's truly nothing to fear in birth.
YES, it's going to be the hardest thing I've ever done.
And there will be pain.
But that my hardest experience in life is going to reward me..
..with my GREATEST gift!!

She is SO right..
_______________________________________

Momma's special friend, Hollen, hit her due date this week.
So we decided to take her dinner to make things easier while they wait for their baby boy to arrive. I hope you two will be pals while we live here!!

We are truly so blessed to have such wonderful friends, baby girl.
They love you & pray for you often!


Over the weekend, we got to go sit by our neighbor's pool & do some reading.

Look how much mommy's body is changing!
We're going to need a maternity bathing suit STAT. Check out my belly button.. and widening hips!

Making room for you, little cantaloupe <3 font="" nbsp="">


Your Aunt Uli, Uncle Jeff & cousin Aspen showered you with some special gifts this week too. You even got some cute newborn hand-me-downs you'll get to wear in a few months! Hopefully, we'll get to visit with them again soon.

Your nursery is beginning to feel more & more like YOUR room rather than just A room. It's such a special place in our home now!!


That's it for now, I think.

Next time I post our weekly bump date it's going to be MARCH.. & before we know it, JUNE will be here!!

We're ready for you, babe.
Well, almost.
You keep growing healthy & strong in there.
Take your time.
And come when the time is right.
But we can't wait to smooch you!!


Leaning on His Promises & Healing after Miscarriage: Part Two, Loss, Grief & His Faithfulness

Last week I started a "mini blogging series" called Leaning on His Promises & Healing after Miscarriage.

If you missed the first post, be sure to read it first here.

My hope in sharing this experience was to encourage or comfort even ONE. And I cannot tell you how overwhelming the response was last week from part one. I want to thank all of my readers for the sweet messages, comments & prayers.

Your encouragement & support means more than you know.
And I'm so grateful that God is turning this hurt into something beautiful.. an opportunity to love on other women who are waiting or hurting.

Beauty from Ashes.

To each gal who reached out to share their own personal struggles & hurts with me - you've been on my heart & in my prayers!

So here is part two of this story.. Loss, Grief & His Faithfulness.

And this one is going to be long, friends.
Because I'm going to share it all.
_________________________________________

Gosh, I felt like I was rocking pregnancy so far.
Working out daily, eating well & taking care of my mind.

My symptoms were pretty typical.
Extreme fatigue. Raging hormones. SUPER tender breasts.

But they seemed very manageable compared to some of my other expectant friends (including my sweet older sister who was ALMOST due with her first baby after 9+ months of AWFUL sickness).

I was just happy all the time.
Happy to be growing a little baby finally.

We read our weekly updates, started taking photos with fruit that matched the size of our growing peanut, I ordered my first pregnancy book (Supernatural Childbirth) & soaked up every moment of this precious little secret.

Here was our 8 week photo from August 6th holding a blueberry on our way out for date night.

We were BEYOND excited for our first doctor appointment on August 16th, which was my sister's due date!!

In the middle of week 8, I was getting ready for my weekly discipleship group. This is a SMALL group, made up of 4 women total, where we meet weekly to discuss our bible reading, challenge each other spiritually, work on scripture memorization & pray together.

At the time we were TTC, we had been reading through the book of Numbers (using the app "First 5" as a devotional guide). Oh my GOSH how that book spoke to me in our season of WAITING. I truly believe that I was in a season in the wilderness while I waited on the Lord & started really being obedient. Not matter what "season" you're in of family, I totally recommend this study! It was incredibly convicting & powerful!

Before church that evening, I started spotting.
I texted my good friend Hollen, who I referred to previously as my "womb mate" since we were only 4 weeks apart, & told her what was happening. I thought it might be nice to share this burden with a friend before we both walked into our bible study that night. I had of course told Nate, but he is forever the optimist & didn't think twice about it.

That night, one of the gals in our group asked specifically during prayer time if we were still trying to conceive. With a heavy heart full of the unknown still to come, I said it was definitely an ongoing prayer request.

I got up, went to the bathroom & wiped away tears while I prayed in the stall.

When I woke up Thursday morning, I was more than spotting.
And I had started cramping some.

I called the OBGYN & spoke to a nurse in triage to let her know what was happening. She said to monitor things for the rest of the day, mentioning that this could be bleeding from intimacy, etc. She also encouraged me to call back later if things got any worse, so they could see me before the weekend.

I spent the morning in bed. Crying. Praying. Reading. Praying. Crying.

If you follow me on FB, you might remember some of these posts about not feeling well.

It's like my spirit knew something was wrong & had begun grieving.

When I spoke to Nate in the middle of the day, he was so positive still.
So I reached out to Hollen & shared my greatest fear.. losing this baby.
She said she would be praying for me. And I knew she meant it.

As the day went on, I began to bleed more and more. I called the OBGYN again and they scheduled an appointment for us first thing the next morning.

I remember being in the bathroom on the floor & literally crying out to God telling Him how sad I was, but declaring His power & telling Him I trusted Him.

That night in bed, Hollen walked through my bedroom door.
I began sobbing instantly.
We cried & prayed together.
What a friend we have in Jesus to send people into our lives like that, right?!? He knows EXACTLY what we need!

Thank you again, Lord!!

The next morning we went to the doctor & immediately were taken into an ultrasound room after I gave my urine sample.

I remember as I walked back looking at all the pregnant mommas & thinking there was still hope. And that I WOULD be here for a happy appointment one day.. whether that was today or down the road.

The technician pulled up an image of our little peanut. My heart was beating out of my chest & I was shaking. But, I found out that my heart was the only heart beating in my body. She told me that giving this news was the hardest part of her job & gave us tissues.

Alone in the room, we cried.
I wanted so badly to leave, but we still had to see the Doctor.

I held it together the best I could for our talk with Dr. W & then to give my medical history afterwards to the nurse. He gave us our "options" moving forward & some advice for our next steps with trying again.

We decided to avoid procedures or medications & complete this miscarriage naturally from home. 

I sobbed most of the way home, in my closet while I texted a couple of my friends & even during my workout. Yes, I NEEDED to feel something else besides that pain.. & exercise truly is just as much for my mind as it is my body.

Nate decided we should tell my parents since they are close by & called my dad. Within an hour, they popped over with donuts & flowers, but really just to sit with us for a moment. I was so saddened to tell them in the same day that they were grandparents for a season, but weren't any longer. I asked that they would keep this information private from our family because I didn't want to damper this season of waiting for my niece to be born. Gosh, I didn't even want to tell them, since they were waiting for such a special day.. to be a Mimi & Papa.
But I'm glad now that we did.

Saturday & Sunday were the hardest days of my life.
I had no clue how brutal it would be physically.
I also had no clue how hard it would be emotionally.

I wouldn't have made it through without Nate. He was my ROCK & took such wonderful care of me.

Holding me in between what seemed to be contractions & the most intense cramps of my life. Keeping me fed. Praying for me. Holding me each time I cried.

Sweet heart, thank you for how you loved & served me through that time.


Sunday night rolled around & we received some other hard, heart-breaking news. My grandfather had suddenly passed away.

Gosh, I couldn't believe it.
"God, how could You allow this right now?"

As broken as my heart was, I thought of my father.
And I thought of my nearly due sister who would be ready to introduce my grandfather soon to his first great-grandbaby.
My heart ached for them..

The very few friends we had shared these couple of days with loved on us, even from across the country. Sending flowers & lifting us up in prayer.


I honestly wasn't sure the next week how to start moving forward.

I knew I had to continue to take care of myself physically.
But I knew I had to lean into the Lord spiritually & begin healing mentally/emotionally.

As unstable as life seemed in those moments. I still felt like God's presence was SO unwavering. I was reminded of the poem "footprints." About the man who walked the beach with a second set of footprints beside him.

I was reminded that God was walking every step with us.
He was the whole time. And He wasn't going anywhere.

I KNEW that if I could look down at the "road" I had been walking the past few days, that there would be two sets of footprints.

.. peace.
Somehow. I felt peace.

The playlist I had begun creating during pregnancy took on a WHOLE new meaning.
(I'll post it below.)

I remember sitting in my office on the floor playing each song on repeat.
Weeping while I sang the words directly to the Lord.

Music is SO powerful.
It gave me the words to speak to the Father when I felt like I had none.

It reminded me of His character & faithfulness.
It strengthened my spirit.

I added to my journal that I had begun during TTC/pregnancy.
(part of which I shared with you last week - the scripture verses)


He is a good FATHER.
He is our PROVIDER.
He is a HEALER.
He is our COMFORT.
He is our REFUGE.
He is our PROTECTOR.
He is a FRIEND.
He is our HELP.
He is our LIGHT.
Here is our PEACE.
He is our HOPE.
He is our SALVATION.

I read it over. And over. And over.

And I spoke to Him as if He were physically in the room with me.

"Your promises are true. You have proven Yourself. I can trust you. I am called to trust You."

August was the most brutal month of our marriage (going on 7 years).
We also found out about 10 days after our loss that Nate had a type of skin cancer that ended up being light-treated & then surgically removed. Praise Jesus, it was found during a visit to look at another spot on his body, that it wasn't melanoma & he is 100% OKAY now!!

 Babe, you're such a trooper & had the best attitude the whole time!

August was also a BEAUTIFUL month though that we can now celebrate.
My sweet niece, Finley, was born.
God used her to literally breathe LIFE into our family again.
What a gift you are, sweet girl!!

As much as we felt like the "punches" just kept coming at times, neither of us ever felt closer to the Lord than we did then.

It was like He pulled us, His children & heirs, into His lap & covered us in His love. I don't think words will ever fully explain our experience. And they certainly cannot fully explain God's greatness. What kind of God would He be if mere words could describe Him?

But I praise Him for who He is & how He worked in our lives through such a hard time.

I thank Him for the opportunity to love others now through our pain.
To empathize with those who have endure greater struggles.
To pray for those in a season of wait or unknown.

 Only one thing in this life is certain.


God, You are faithful.

We don't deserve You & the hope You give through salvation.
And yet, You offer Yourself, forgiveness & Your greatest promises to us.
Freely.
Only requiring our surrender & a heart of repentance.

_________________________________________

Today, I stop here.

And I think there will only be one last part to this series..
About trying again & our current pregnancy.

Thank you again for reading.
Please know you're welcome to share this.

This is no longer just our story to share.
It's a testimony of the Lord.

Here is the link to my playlist on youtube that you are welcome to listen to! I hope it speaks to your heart the way it has & still does to mine!

(Click HERE for part three of this blog series)


A Peek BACK to Inspire Others: #TransformationTuesday


These aren't the best quality photos, but you get the gist.

The girl on the left partied hard. Drank too much. Was an emotional eater. Had out of whack priorities. Enjoyed the gym, but didn't go enough. And felt SUPER insecure.. even though you would have never known it.

The girl on the right (older & pregnant, actually) enjoys life. Indulges in moderation. Knows healthy ways to cope with emotions/stress. Has more direction in life. Exercises to celebrate her body rather than punishing it for bad choices. And is proud of the woman she is still becoming.

There are a handful of years in between these two photos, but the major differences are.. I put the Lord first, made taking care of myself a priority, grasped the concept of a healthy mind/body/spirit & started pursuing things I love.

I didn't have to hire a personal trainer or life coach (nothing wrong with either).. I simply acknowledged my short-comings, recognized the change I needed, surrounded myself with positive people & did the work.

It wasn't rocket science. I didn't smoke myself on a daily basis.

I made small, consistent changes starting with fitness & nutrition that began to transform myself from the inside-out.
Which, in turn, began to impact the people around me.

Taking care of yourself creates a ripple effect..
Why the heck wouldn't you want to be your best self & help others?


I'm so grateful I took the plunge to change my life a few years ago. Which is positively impacting my family even today..
I only look back now to inspire others to move forward!!


Want to know how I did it & get started too?
Email lindseykollar@yahoo.com to join one of my accountability groups. Next opportunity is the beginning of March so reach out soon!





Growing Ghoens: Week 23 Bump Date


It's our week 23 bump date & I can't believe how quickly time is F L Y I N G!

I feel like you must be growing like a weed because our bump is creeping up higher & higher towards my rib cage.

Some mornings when I lay on my back, your kicks seem SO high! I love our morning time together before the day gets started..

Not only did I get to watch you kick this week, but you're moving so much now that my belly sometimes looks like it's doing the wave.

I LOVE it!
I'll try to share a video here sometime..

Our heart is so full, sweet girl.

We were MAJORLY blessed this week by someone from our church {anonymously} who decided to surprise us with your stroller from our registry.

Wow, God is good!!

If you're reading this post, thank you SO much for your generosity & love for our family! This meant more than you know.


See that lamp in your room?

Well, your dad helped pick it out & assembled it after church on Sunday. We sat in your chair to talk about where we should put it.. imagining rocking you to sleep at night & not wanting it's light to hurt your little eyes when you look up at us.

As real as you are to you dad & I, we can't fully imagine what life is going to be like when you're here. You will be our greatest adventure & responsibility.

And we don't take that lightly!!


Tuesday was Valentine's Day, little one.

I joked that I was going to give you a little treat or two because it meant that we both got to eat some of the chocolate covered fruit I made your dad :)

Your papa teej (my daddy) actually sent this little box of snoopy chocolates for the two of us too! He sure does adore you..

What did you think of the steak dinner we whipped up for our date night in?

Your dad was so sweet & cooked our meat extra long to be safe. He doesn't know that we almost lost a tooth eating it.. but it didn't matter to me because I love that he thinks of keeping us safe!!



Wednesday was your MiMi's birthday (my mommy). We spent the day with her having lunch, shopping for wedding dresses (your Auntie Lou is getting married soon) & then talking about the book of Judges in our weekly discipleship group.

We chatted about whether or not you hear us talk about God or read the gospel.

I want nothing more than to plant seeds now that will hopefully blossom one day into a beautiful relationship between you & Christ, sweet girl!


 Check out these sweet "woolies" you got from your Aunt Ali this week!! Your little piggies are going to be comfy & cozy in these precious little booties.

Momma would have never met Ali if it weren't for our coaching businesses.
Her friendship has meant so much to me (I'll tell you about it one day) & I can't wait for her to come scoop you up & meet you. 


Other than that, it was a pretty normal week for us.
Lots of exercising, food (several treats + some new healthy recipes) & time with family.





 I'm having such a fun time in this new season of life connecting with other mommas & mommas to be..

..gaining wisdom from them, building new friendships, helping them get healthy & even showing them how this business we're a part of can change life for their families.

It's simply amazing how God is so at work in every aspect of our lives.

Giving us what we need at the right time & aligning our paths with the right people at the right time.

His hands are all over our family.
Protecting, providing, correcting & directing us.

We surrender you to Him & know there's no safer place to be!!

Here's to wrapping up month 5, baby bear!