My life alternates between salads and dessert. I am currently in a salad phase. My fridge is stocked with an array of beautiful colors, fresh ingredients, and it brings me joy. Next week may be a dessert week, one can never tell. For this reason, I must always be prepared with a fully stocked pantry. Enough flour, sugar, and butter to make 10 pies. Really, one must always be prepared, but unfortunately this is a concept I struggle with daily. I have the inability to be prepared, unless it involves butter, sugar, and beer. Then, for some reason, I am always prepared. I am the neighbor who you can reliably count on for an extra cup of milk, or 1/4 cup of sugar. A pint of beer or two. 

In the kitchen, I am prepared. In life, a little less. I do insane things like forget to pack water and snacks on hikes. I often forget to eat. I plan multi day trips into the wilderness, and never intend to bring a map. There has been a few unprepared trips, which have led to one too many uncomfortable nights spent lying awake on a park bench. I once decided to buy a puppy, and I really didn't plan for that either.

My life is full of unpreparedness, many uncertainties, and a few irrational decisions. It has all seemed to work out, although I believe it stresses Mr. H to no end. He is a very patient man, indeed. Undoubtedly, I find myself becoming a little irrational and unprepared these days. I spent last week reorganizing the house, scrubbing the patio, labeling shelves, sorting pens. I believe this to be a coping mechanism to deal with my feelings of uncertainty. Yesterday, I watched the Rum Diaries, a brilliant movie I might add. It has and now left me longing for tropical beaches and undiscovered land. I can't explain the itch, but I've had it for as long as I can remember. The feeling that I always need to be moving. Not forward, nor backward, just somewhere else, le sigh.

Brent loves his job to pieces, for this reason, we will stay put. I also love my job to pieces but am quite fortunate in that my work can travel with me, and has the ability to become significantly more exciting in a foreign land. In the meantime, I will eat healthily, make beautiful salads, and take care of my puppy. I will try to become a little more prepared in life. I will promise to clean out the lint drier because I realize it has the potential to burn down the house. I will also stop placing items in front of the heater vent because this too could also burn down the house. 

In a life filled with unpreparedness, it is a blessing to live above a grocery store. I remind myself of this often, especially when the desire to move somewhere different creeps up. People often ask me how I come up with the recipes on my blog, and what inspires me to make each recipe. Honestly, I wake up in the morning, pick an ingredient that inspires me that day, and go from there. This morning it was strawberries and salad. I decided on some soft buttery spinach, creamy avocado, crunchy almonds, with a sweet citrus dressing. It was a beautiful salad, one that I will gladly create again. 

STRAWBERRY AND AVOCADO SALAD RECIPE

makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

4 cups baby spinach

1 avocado, diced

2 cups strawberries, halved

2 - 3 shallots, sliced

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lime juice

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp salt

cracked pepper

1/4 cup sliced almonds

In a large serving bowl, add the spinach and top with avocado, strawberries, and shallots.

In a small jar with a lid, combine the olive oil, lime juice, sugar, mustard, salt, and pepper. Cover and shake.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad, and sprinkle on the almonds.