Gluten Free Spinach Balls

Not to be confused with Schweddy Balls. These are very different. And so good. We switched up Friendsgiving this year to be a mix of appetizers, drinks, and desserts, instead of a traditional sit-down turkey dinner. 

I was looking for a warm appetizer to balance out the offerings. A friend of mine gave me her recipe a couple years ago and Friendsgiving seemed like the perfect time to give these another whirl. These babies are loaded with flavor, can be made gluten free, and are generally a crowd-pleaser. What's not to love?!

Laura's Spinach Balls

2-10 oz. pkgs. chopped frozen spinach

2 c. Chef Jeff Gluten Free Seasoned Panko flakes (from Whole Foods)

1 onion, finely chopped

6 beaten eggs

3/4 c. butter or margarine

1 c. parmesan cheese

1 tbsp. garlic powder or salt (adjust to taste)

1/2 tsp. thyme

2 tsp. pepper

Thaw spinach, squeeze dry (with paper towels).  Mix all ingredients together.  Form balls and freeze on cookie sheet.  Place in plastic bag when frozen.  Bake frozen about 20 minutes (flip halfway through) at 350 degrees.  Makes 80 to 90 one inchballs.

If you aren't concerned about gluten, you can use any kind of bread crumbs. Stick a toothpick in each one and serve warm.

Enjoy!

xoxo,
Alex

A Fresh Coat of Paint

It was a busy fall around here! If you've followed #YoungHomeMakeover on Insta, you know. We were trying to wrap up a million things outside so when winter hit, we could focus on inside fixing. Well, the snow it last week so let's recap what we did this fall!

First up, our little house got a Beach House facelift. They boys did an amazing job! The stucco, the trim, the garage door - everything got a fresh coat of paint.

The boys painted, I took selfies. Naturally.

So serious.

 

I'm obessed. It looks amazing. It's miraculous what a coat of paint can do to transform a home. To celebrate, we headed to Butcher & The Boar to refuel. Yum.

I'm thrilled we tackled this project this fall. What a difference it made on the house! More updates to follow soon.

xoxo,

Alex

Invest In Girls - Give to the Max Day 2014

Happy Give to the Max Day! Please consider supporting the Center for Girls' Leadership (CGL) today!

At the CGL, we truly believe that in order to increase female leadership across all aspects of society, we need to invest in girls.

Three years ago, I took a leap and helped start the CGL. It has changed my life in the most profound ways. Through our programs, we are teaching girls valuable leadership skills and encouraging them to be confident young women. We inspire girls today to lead tomorrow. Your contributions help make that possible by covering the costs of planning and conducting our workshops.

Will you join me in supporting the CGL?

It’s easy to do. Just head to our giving page (https://givemn.org/organization/Center-For-Girls-Leadership), or use the widget below and make a donation. And if you know people who are passionate about investing in girls, please feel free to forward this post to them! Thank you!

Together, let’s invest in girls!

xoxo,

Alex

P.S. Don’t forget to give the CGL a shoutout on social media (facebook & twitter) by using #InvestInGirls!

Daily Thankful.

[source]

Two years ago during November, I started devoting space in my journal to record the different things I was thankful for. Last year, I decided to move my gratitude journal to instagram using the hashtag #dailythankful. Sometimes it's the little things like a good meal and sometimes it's the big things like spending time with my mama. But either way, it's fun to take a moment and share what I'm thankful for. 

I want to see what you are thankful for! Follow me on instagram, use hashtag #dailythankful, and you never know what might happen! I feel like it might just be time for another Life.Law.Luck giveaway...

As my friend Kelly says, we should be giving thanks all year long but November is a great place to start.

xoxo,

Alex

Hello, November.

If there ever was an autumn for me to fall back, this one has been it. One friend described it as my time to return "back to center." And it definitely has.

The end of summer brought much needed career changes. I took a major leap of faith and quit my job in August. Best decision ever. And yet, it was pretty scary but totally necessary to save my soul. K was super supportive, as always. Luckily, I stumbled upon a fantastic opportunity and for the first time in my life, I love my job.

In August, I also began teaching a class on Nonprofit Organizations at my law school. While I have been presenting and conducting workshops for a long time, this is the first time I've developed an ongoing curriculum. Probably the biggest challenge of my life but I'm learning a ton every day. It's always better to challenge yourself than to be bored.

At the end of September, K and I celebrated our first anniversary. Marriage is a funny thing. It's full of highs and lows and laughs and apologies and snuggles and dreams. For us, relationship-building is a priority and our weekly date nights and Saturdates are the highlight of my week.

Our schedules finally freed us up to tackle some big home projects this fall. I need to post an update but you can follow our fixer-upper adventures on instagram at #younghomemakeover. We're almost done with our outdoor prep work and this fall/winter we'll be starting to transform the ugly basement for once and for all!

Anyway, lots happening over here. Here's more of what I'm currently up to:

READING // Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World, Kristen Gillibrand's new book, Daring Greatly, A Whole New Engineer (for work), and a Gabriel Allon novel. 

LISTENING TO // Shake It Off...obviously.

ANTICIPATING // The HOLIDAYS!! I simply can't wait for Friendsgiving, Christmas, New Year's...Absolutely the best time of the year and it's happening now!

THINKING ABOUT // Wanderlust. We have a couple upcoming trips planned and I am pumped to be traveling again.

EATING // Breakfast cookies. I'm hooked. I'll post a recipe soon!

WATCHING // Brooklyn Nine Nine, The League, How to Get Away With Murder, Chicago Fire & PD, football, and hockey...

PLANNING // Our holiday cards...don't judge. I'm pretty excited about them this year!

WEARING // Lou & Grey Ponte Leggings. I mean, I have been living in these on the weekends this fall. I just love them.

LEARNING // Calligraphy! I took a class and now I'm literally obsessed. Need some inspiration? Check out my Lettering pinterest board. 

LOVING // K. Yeah, I know, totes cheesy. But he's been my rock the last couple months. 

WORKING ON // Fixin' up our house! Our basement remodel starts this week. I've been dreaming of this day forever. Well, for the last five years at least.

THANKFUL // For so much. But especially this time of the year.

xoxo,

Alex