wildfollower

wild faith. tasty food.

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How I’m Training in 2023

The beginning of the year is always one of my favorite times of the year. I love all the possibility that rolls in with the new year and that “clean slate” feeling you get when the calendar flips over to a fresh date. Buutttt I live in Illinois, so that magic of the New Year disappears about as quickly as it arrives. Reality usually slaps the ultra-optimism out of me around two weeks into January. Once the Christmas lights have disappeared, it’s bone-chillingly cold, and the ground is covered in dirty snow, the magic is gone. BUT! For a moment there, it feels like anything could happen.  So I thought I’d capitalize on that surge of New Year’s motivation while I’ve still got it and ... read more

PB&J Protein Oats

380 calories - 37g protein - 7g fat - 46 carbs Laverne & Shirley. Batman & Robin. Peanut Butter & Jelly. Some duos were just destined for each other. The latter of that duo is the inspiration for this DELICIOUS oatmeal bowl that I have unashamedly eaten nearly every day for the last month. Seriously, it's so good that sometimes I'll eat it for lunch if I skip it for breakfast...because I miss it. Is it weird to miss an oatmeal bowl? Probably. Let's move on! Weird or not, this oatmeal bowl is legit. It's everything a good breakfast should be. Packed with protein, thick, creamy, and comforting. It uses simple ingredients and can be thrown together in under ten minutes. ... read more

How to Make a New Year’s Resolution That Actually Sticks

Around this time each year, I get this strong desire to buy a new journal or a new planner, even though I don't need one. My husband will tell you - I have about 1,000 of them and they're all half-filled. But each year, I can't escape the desire for a new planner for the new person I'm going to be. I can't bear the idea of using an old planner that is tied to the failures of last year's old me.  The cycle is always the same. The new, pretty planner brings a quick burst of motivation that lasts for a little while. I’ll get a new pen and some stickers.  I’ll outline all my hopes and dreams. I’ll make an action plan and decorate it artfully. I’ll finally feel like I can do the ... read more

Prepare for Launch 🚀

Hello, you beautiful people! I’m so stoked. This blog has been a dream of mine for a good three years now, and the journey to get to this post has been marked by lots of trial and error, lots of falling and even more getting back up. I’ve battled a lot of fear, comparison, and self-doubt to get this blog up and running. But the fact that we’ve gotten here - to an official launch - is so exciting.  It’s taken me a while to finally get here, to the starting line. There have been a lot of things I needed to work out before officially lining up this race. In the last five years, God has torn down, rebuilt, planted and grown a lot within me. The journey is far from over, but now I ... read more

Avocado Smash Burger with Plantain Hash

This post is inspired, in part, by the lunch I just scarfed down about .63 seconds ago. I have a tendency to fall into the same ol' same ol' pattern of lunches. I've been eating this chicken-feta-veggie-chickpea pasta concoction for the last two weeks and today I was feeling like switching up the flow. I was also starting to feel a little hanger coming on and needed to whip up something quick. That is how this little bebe was born: This lunch had me like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taD2YOx47fQ I would like to try it a second time! And I will, because it was so easy to make. My laziness today had me pulling out all my small kitchen appliances. So I used my air-fryer for ... read more

Stupidly Easy Chicken Tinga

I have a bad habit of burning out new things. Whenever I find a new song I like, I'll play only that song on a loop until I get totally sick of it. This week it's Hulvey's "Cold Water". I must have listened to it about 1,000 times since I found it a few days ago and now it's reaching burned-out status. I went for a run the other night and listened to it on a loop the entire time. Last week I did the same thing "The One With The Presidential Freestyle" off of Marty's new album. I'm on a solid streak of burning out a song a week! I do this same thing with recipes. I've been on a Chicken Tinga kick for the last two weeks. I have eaten it almost every day for either lunch or dinner, and I ... read more