Broccoli Butternut Mac 'n Cheese and Lemon-Mushroom Kale with Sweet Bits

"Don't you realize? The next time you see sky, it'll be over another town. The next time you take a test, it'll be in some other school. Our parents, they want the best of stuff for us. But right now, they got to do what's right for them. Because it's their time. Their time! Up there! Down here, it's our time. It's our time down here. That's all over the second we ride up Troy's bucket. " -Mikey: The Goonies 

Kale and Butternut Squash 

Mulling over the wise words of good 'ole Mikey made me start thinking... It is hard to find time to do things you love somewhere in between work, friends, exercise, eating, and sleeping. 

What works great for me is that I love many of those things, so I normally do have a place for "my time down here."

Broccoli Butternut Mac 'n Cheese

But recently I've been stretching myself thin and pushing every level of my time to the max. Somewhere between only getting 5 hours asleep over Mardi Gras, running 2 hours and 35 minutes to complete 16 miles, trying to think of creative blogging recipes and spending quality time with friends from college, Memphis and home i found that "my" time was getting very convoluted. my run wasn't as enjoyable, I was antsy around my friends, I coasted through the work week and haven't posted a blog or cooked anything in over a week. So what is the remedy? 

Things in life that i know i need to be happy:

1. sleep

2. good food (probably a hefty dose of chocolate in there)

3. exercise 

4. and close relationships with friends and family.

Quinoa Tri-Colored Pasta

However, it is not physically possible to be wonder woman (even though   often i think I am). Sometimes we lose our wallets, sometimes we slip up and eat pizza, sometimes we miss a run and sometimes we go for the quick fix of superficial "Troy-like" compliments rather than spending time with true friends. It is hard to realize, but no one likes people that do everything right all the time. We have to slip up sometimes so that we can find those people who are willing to be locked in an ice cream freezer, willing to set booty traps, willing to seek out treasure,willing dance with an octopus and most importantly willing to admit with pride they are a Goonie.   

Lemon Mushroom Kale with Sweet Bits

So I am trying to figure out which things I'm ready to send up in Troy's bucket and which things I'm going to deem as my treasures. And that is exactly what I'm ready to spend this journey of the Lenten season seeking out. Finding out where "down here is" and what "treasures" I need to have in order to make me happy. 

So far my tummy is very happy with these delicious recipes.
Click For Recipe:
Broccoli Butternut Mac 'n Cheese 

**Butternut Broccoli Mac 'n Cheese inspiration from www.ohsheglows.com