thankful thursday: august 8th

today, i'm thankful...

that even though God's ways are not our ways and things don't always makes sense...

i am thankful that i can trust that He has a plan.

so much of my crazy roller coaster of a life hasn't made sense to me, and i don't always see His plan, but what a comfort to know that HE HAS ONE.

He hasn't forgotten me.

He loves me and wants what's best for me, even if it isn't the way i imagined it would be.

i read this quote the other day on a blog, and it really hit home for me.

"God doesn’t give us anything we can’t handle, although I’m often sure that he is over-confident in me. Life is all about how we react to the change of plans. It’s a constant choice to react with hope and faith."

isn't that the truth? how do i react when His plans don't match up with the ones i made in my head? of course i would love to know what His plans are for me, but today i'm just thankful for the fact that He has a plan for me. just need to keep taking things one step at a time.

i don't know what the future holds, but i know WHO holds the future. and for that, i'm thankful.

tuesday treat: spinach & artichoke dip

today's treat is:

yum yum!

a few years ago, when the hubby and i were living in iowa and he was going to school and i was working, we got into the habit of having a frozen pizza every sunday night for dinner. it was cheap and easy :) one of our favorite ones that we tried was the "california pizza kitchen" sicilian pizza. YUM. they started selling it as a combo with some spinach and artichoke dip and a pita bread to bake with the pizza for an appetizer, and let me tell you - it was DELISH!!

(here's what it looks like:)

sadly they don't sell that combo anymore (not that i have seen anyway!!) but we still love that sicilian pizza! my friend shanti made this dip for me during our year in the bahamas and i liked it so much i have been using her recipe to make our own appetizer of spinach and artichoke dip! we eat it with tortilla chips. it's so yummy i wanted to share!

SPINACH & ARTICHOKE DIP
(recipe from my friend shanti)

1/2 cup greek yogurt
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mozzerella cheese
2 tsp garlic powder
1 package of spinach (shanti used frozen, i've always used fresh)
1 can artichoke hearts (either quartered, or halved that you cut up yourself)

it is so simple to make!

step one:

gather your ingredients, drain your artichokes, and chop your spinach

step two:

place all ingredients in a bowl

step three:

mix everything well

step four:

scoop everything into a square baking dish

step five:

bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes (until cheesy is a little bubbly)

step six:

try not to eat it all yourself! ;)

it goes great with chips, or pita, or little slices of toasted bread.

ENJOY! :)