Hello friends! Sorry I missed last week for Feel Good Friday 8, but I figured we were all busy with families, shopping, relaxing, soaking in the onset of the Christmas season. I know I spent the time off decorating and making our house feel festive, spending time with my little family, and even binging on a little Netflix & Prime. I typically read at night, but I took a few nights off and just enjoyed movies and shows with the family. After a relaxing break though, it’s time to focus on wellness and doing things that serve myself and my community again. Today I’ve got an inspirational movie, a journaling exercise for the end of the year, a healthy recipe, and more! Let’s head into the last month of this entire decade feeling great and ready to tackle a new one! (This blog uses affiliate links.)
Healthy Holiday Recipe: I actually shared the link to these muffins in my Christmas tour on Tuesday but it’s so good that I wanted to reshare it. I try to avoid eating too much flour and bread as well as dairy because I notice how much better I feel when I do. However, I loooooove holiday baking so much! It’s just such a tradition around here. My mother always makes loads of cookies, and it’s just not christmas in our home without the smell of baked goods. I found this flourless gingerbread muffin recipe last weekend and my family loved them! They stay really soft and fluffy and taste utterly amazing. It’s a great way for me to get my house smelling like Christmas and scratching my baking itch. They could also be frosted to be more like cupcakes if you wanted.
Book Donations: I have to be honest. I always have the best intentions when it comes to doing good deed, but sometimes I just run out of time. The other day I was doing some Christmas shopping in Barnes & Noble and when I was checking out, the clerk asked if I would like to donate a book to a child in need. I took the easy opportunity to be charitable, Wilder pointed to a dinosaur book so that’s what we donated. I left thinking how wonderful it was that Barnes & Noble had a program that made giving to children in need so easy and I wish more stores had opportunities like that at checkout, aside from just money. I loved that we were able to select a book on our own, which made it more personal for me. Last year, Barnes & Noble donated 1.2 million books! Click here to read about the program, but I encourage you to shop there for your loved ones, and take advantage of this program.
New Podcast: Have you ever heard Trent Shelton speak? He is SO FREAKING INSPIRING. I have heard him speak on a couple of podcasts, and his story and passion move and motivate me. The Hollis Co is starting their own podcast network and Trent is the inaugural show! It literally launched just this week, and I can’t wait to check out the first episode. I know it is going to be filled with applicable wisdom.
Must-See Movie: The day after Thanksgiving, Chris and I had a much needed date night at home and snuggled in with a movie. We have a hard time agreeing on movies sometimes, and I was in the mood for something light and uplifting. He was in the mood for espionage, but luckily said he’d watch whatever I wanted because he just wanted to watch with me. Smart man. I selected Brittany Runs a Marathon on Amazon Prime, and oh my gosh, did I love it! The comedian Jillian Bell portrays Brittany Forgler, an out of shape underachieving party girl who has made a mess of her life. With the encouragement of a neighbor, she joins a running group and crazily decides to run the NYC marathon. I am not going to tell you what happens, but I will tell you this film is based on a true story which makes it even more inspiring. If Brittany can get her act together, then we can all do a little better, too. Check out the trailer below.
Decade in Review Journaling: I have recently gotten into Marie Forleo’s work and am so excited to dive into her book with my book club in January. The other day I listened to her latest podcast episode which was part one of a three part series dedicated to the decade in review. It’s only about 10 minutes long and in it she provides journaling prompts to help you review the last ten years so you can go into the next ten ready to conquer the world. Or get close. 😉 This week, we were to write down all the things we were proud of that we had accomplished over the last decade and pick which was most important and why. Also, we had to write down what were the hard lessons we learned and which was the most important and why as well. I highly encourage you to check out this episode of her podcast (or it can be found on MarieTV), and give it a whirl. Here’s a little peek at my own, and I tell you what- after writing down what I was proud of, I felt really good about myself. And yes, my handwriting is disappointingly messy.
That’s it for this week’s Feel Good Friday! I hope you have picked up something today that you can take into your life and make it even 1% better. Wishing you all a happy weekend!