Oh hi, friends!
Do you know what today is? It’s my half birthday 
I am now officially 23.5 years young. And, I can honestly say that this year has been the best of my life thus far. My mom has always told me that it was between the ages of 21 and 25 is when she truly “found herself,” and I feel like that’s what I’m experiencing as well. Over this past year I’ve found myself becoming more:
- confident
- independent
- unafraid of taking risks
- and SO excited for the future.
Here’s to another 6 months…!
girls’ night.
Yesterday I got to spend time with my long lost best friend Nicki. Homegirl and I haven’t seen each other in months, so it was great to finally catch up on our lives.
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[Both photos taken around Halloween last year]
We spent about an hour thrift store shopping, which is pretty much Nicki’s M.O. I came away with some cute finds! (Be sure to look out for them on my Diary of a Bargainista photo album).
We spent the rest of the evening doing what we’ve done since high school: rent a movie and eat good food 
On the agenda was Letters to Juliet, which was just okay.
It doesn’t take much to impress me when it comes to chick-flicks, but the chemistry between the main characters was just so…vanilla. Still cute, though.
And on the menu?
Portobello & Sundried Tomato Gnocchi (yields 2-4 servings)
Nicki suggested we try to find whole wheat gnocchi, which I didn’t even know existed. When we came across it in the grocery store, I nearly died! The best part? It’s made with sweet potatoes.
We didn’t have a recipe in mind, so I decided to play chef. The result? Well, I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but I’d say this dish was quite restaurant-worthy.
ingredients:
- 1 package (16oz) regular or whole wheat gnocchi
- 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes (***We actually used this sundried tomato sauce, which was great because the oil it was packed in added a ton of flavor***)
- 1/2 large onion, sliced
- 8oz baby Portobello mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 tbsp jarred minced garlic (or 2-3 gloves)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
directions:
- Begin by filling a large pot with water and set to bring to a boil.
- Sautee the onion with 1 tbsp olive oil on medium-low heat.
- When the onion starts getting translucent (8 minutes or so), add the mushrooms and garlic.
- After another 5-6 minutes, add sundried tomatoes and spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off heat.
- When the water comes to a boil, salt the water and add gnocchi.
- Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the gnocchi begin rising to the top of the water.
- Drain gnocchi, add directly to the vegetable mixture.
- Add another drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, and combine everything.
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Then, dig in!
Top with some parmesan cheese for a dish that you’d easily pay $20 for at a restaurant.
I seriously can’t get over how tasty this was. YUM!!
dessert.
To add to the indulgent evening, I made myself an easy dessert out of these Van’s French Toast Sticks I saw on sale at the grocery store.
Impulse buys aren’t all that bad 
I had a sheet of the French toast topped with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and sprinkles.
All in all it was a fun and delicious night!
reflect.
I’ll leave you with an excerpt from this morning’s devotional, which, was actually what reminded me that it was my half birthday. I found this to be incredibly comforting, so I wanted to share it with you.
There is no safety like that which comes of dwelling near to God. For his best beloved the Lord can find no surer or safer place. O Lord, let me always abide under thy shadow, close to thy wounded side. Nearer and nearer would I come to thee, i would abide there forever.
What a covering is that which the Lord gives to his chosen! Not a fair roof shall cover him, nor a bomb-proof casement, nor even an angel’s wing, but Jehovah himself. Nothing can come at us when we are thus covered. This covering the Lord will grant us all day long, however long the day. Lord, let me abide this day consciously beneath this canopy of love, this pavilion of sovereign power. - Spurgeon
xoxo G
- What has been your favorite age thus far?
- What was the last “restaurant-worthy” meal you made?
Yay for a girls night! I just found whole wheat gnocchi in my grocery store too!!!
I’ve been wanting to see Letters to Juliet, it can’t be as bad as Leap Year! That movie was totally horrible. Anywho, happy half-birthday 
My favorite age has been 25 (so far)..I believe your mom is right, you DO find yourself when you are in that age range! Have a fun Saturday!
I love ladies nights!! That’s what my friend and I call them. They’re so fun!! Especially when you catch up with people you haven’t seen in a while. That gnocchi recipe looks really good. I wrote it down so I will probably be making it this week
Can’t wait to try it!! I love that feeling when you’ve made something really amazing too!
Happy half!
Honestly, since turning 30 in July, I think it’s already starting out my BEST YEAR! I’m in the best shape of my life, married to my best friend and Hunk of a Hubby, have great friends and an amazing family and have such a positive outlook on life! I remember a few months back actually *anticipating* turning 30:) There are so many things I want to do in life and I feel I finally am confident and motivated to do them! It’s a great feeling:)
Those french toast sticks look great! I used to love making my own french toast but I am cutting out dairy and meat to see if it makes me feel more energetic!
Happy half bday, btw! That’s amazing that you are feeling like you are finding yourself and truly growing as a person. Yay!
Have a wonderful Saturday!!
thank you for that reflection. i admire your dedication to your faith - and i think its key to the road to health and happiness.
That may be the most amazeball dessert I have ever seen! I only liked Letters to Juliet because it took place in Italy
em says
happy half birthday, its mine as well, 27.5
loving the blog, only stumbled on it the other day tho!
beautiful beautiful devotion girl! thanks so much for posting it!
Danielle says
Happy Half Birthday!
That gnocchi looks great!
Rell says
It’s my half-birthday too! 23.5 for me. I found your blog through MissyMaintains. Love your creativity and honesty. also way to go girl, candy corn as a mix in! love it!
Happy half birthday! I think my best age is right now! (20). I feel comfortable with myself and am the happiest I’ve ever been.
dessert looks scrumptious. however, i just went out and bought the coconut macadamia combo quaker granola bar thing, per your rave reviews. what would be something de.lish to pair it with?
I just bough some gnocchi last week and was wondering what I want to do with it! I love this recipe!
The gnocci looks yummy. I actually almost bought the whole wheat gnocci the other day, and I thought it was so cool that it was made with sweet potato. I don’t totally love the white gnocci though, so I held back. Can you tell a difference between the two?
Vans waffles with icecream! You always think of the best combo’s. I saw Letters to Juliet yesterday too and I agree it was just okay, the previews made it look much better!!
Happy half birthday!
I think 19 was my favourite year, but this year is shaping up to be pretty amazing as well.
That gnocci recipe looks so good! That is definitely something I would order at a restaurant!
I stumbled across that exact same gnocci at World Market. Super cheap and soooo good!
Happy half-bday! Love the sprinkles on the french toast. In my world, sprinkles make the day even better
Great you’re “finding” yourself.
Gnocchi is so good.. sooo filling but sooooooo good! I love sweet potato anything so I’m sure I’d like this too= add veg and cheese to just about anything and I’m game lol
I wish someone would have warned me about age 21-25! Yikes! I’ve always wanted to try gnocchi!
steph says
Sprinkles are so much fun!! I love 23 (not as fun as 22 because you can no longer throw the Nixon hand signs, but oh well…) Happy half birthday.
Happy Half Birthday! Where did you find the whole whear gnocci and french toast?? Those look delish!!
Maggie says
I just made this- it was great! I’ve never had or made anything with gnocchi before but I loved it!