All these changes.

While in Florida for Thanksgiving I got to spend some much needed time with my amazing sister, Jamie. She is genuine, insightful and so open with her heart. We are as alike as sisters can be and as different as sisters can be. During one of our deep conversations, she made mention of how much I have changed over the last five years and since meeting Matt.

As I think back over this time I have to agree whole heartedly. Over these years I have become a wife and a mother, my eye's have been opened to so much regarding the ways of the world, how we live and my faith. My heart's desire to seek and learn is being filled and I am eager to continue down this path.

Jamie (isn't she simply gorgeous??) and Eli in Ponce Inlet, FL.

So, one change that is always constant in our household is food, what and how we eat. This past year I have been privy to lots of new information on nutrition that is steering me down a new path in the kitchen. The movie, "Food Inc" revealed some interesting insight into the food industry. It contains a lot of information I was familiar with but putting it into a visual medium puts a whole new perspective on things. The book, The China Study, was an insightful read, focusing on the health benefits of reducing animal proteins in our diet. I also pick up "The Healing Herbs" by Michael Castleman every now and again for reference on the curative power of herbs, love it, as well as, Vive le Vegan by Dreena Burton. All of this has led us to a more veggie friendly lifestyle. We still eat meat/fish- probably once or twice a week for dinner, another two or three nights are vegetarian fare and the rest are usually vegan. We are really working on reducing our dairy consumption too. It is an adjustment (more for Matt and Luke) than myself but we are well on our way. Hooray to healthier living!

One of Matt's very favorite vegetarian dishes is this Goat Cheese and Arugula Pasta. Easy to make too so I thought I would share it.

Ingredients

• 5 1/2 ounces goat cheese
• 2 cups coarsely chopped arugula, stems included
• 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces penne pasta
• Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Crumble goat cheese into a large serving bowl. Add arugula, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper. Drain pasta, and toss with goat cheese mixture.