Inspirational quotes are more than words. Words that breathe inspiration are meant for ignition. Think of inspiring words as a spark to fan into flame creativity, imagination, and to achieve a passion that is truly yours to go after. It’s amazing what a little bit of encouragement can do for our souls. See if any of these 10 inspirational quotes get you going.
Why words matter
When we’re inspired, fear and doubt are exchanged for excitement and clarity. Our minds imagine, emotions flutter, and at times our bodies react. Things happen when the right combination of words speaks to us. We are all unique people, motivated by a variety of different things. Finding what combination of words motivates you is often key to understanding more about who God made you to be.
Some of the most powerful words are the simplest words, like ‘Thank You’ or ‘Good job’. How does it make you feel when you hear, “Keep up the good work!” or “I believe in you”? What about “You’re really smart”, or “You’re full of creativity”? One of my favorites is “I appreciate you.” What about “I understand.”?
When you find a great quote, don’t keep it to yourself, share it on your social platforms or it to others. Words go a long way. I put together a list of some of my top 10 inspirational quotes from Holley Gerth, Laihal Gitty Akita, Harry S. Truman, Kat Cole, J Stanfield, Steven Covey, Bob Goff, Charles Dickens, Napoleon Hill, Dr. Andy Badwin, and Christy Troy. May these words inspire you or someone you know.
My top 10 inspirational quotes:
1 – Your dream is a gift God gives you. What you make of it is your gift to Him. – Holley Gerth
2 – Every great achievement is the story of a flaming heart. – Harry S. Truman
3 – Focus on things that are small enough to change, but big enough to matter. – Kat Cole
4 – I cannot do all the good that the world needs. But the world needs all the good that I can do. – J. Stanfield
5 – Live out of your imagination, not your history. – Stephen Covey
6 – Most of us don’t need more instructions; we simply need someone who believes in us. – Bob Goff
7 – No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of others. – Charles Dickens
8 – The oak sleeps in the acorn. The bird waits in the egg, and in the highest vision of the soul, a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of reality. – Napoleon Hill
9 – We’re here to make trails, not to follow ones. – Christy Troy
10 – When someone tells you it can’t be done, it’s more a reflection of their limitations, not yours. – Dr. Andy Baldwin
In closing
Words go a long way. A few words of encouragement or inspirational quotes can definitely change the course of life and open doors we didn’t even know were there. Brighten someone’s day by speaking into their goals; heighten your day by fueling your dreams.
Don’t know how to start? Here’s a post to spark your tinder: Gotta Start Somewhere. Check it out!
There is something about molasses cookies that I crave. When I grew up, every Christmas my grandma would bake molasses cookies. Her cookies were about the size of a silver dollar and so addicting! My grandma would always have them neatly packed in a wax paper-lined cookie tin. The cookies would literally melt in your mouth. As I grew older and found out she’d use grease from the meal before, I thought about making a healthier kind of molasses cookie, a gluten-free molasses cookie recipe!
There is nothing more fun, and sticky, than messing around in the kitchen with molasses. I wanted a cookie but was having trouble figuring out an egg substitute. Since eggs are a trigger for my body, it’s been a challenge coming up with an egg substitute that works for the particular recipe you’re working on. When you have a specialty diet, you have to be creative and experimental. So that’s what I did and discovered molasses and peanut butter marry well together. The gluten-free molasses cookie recipe was born! I can now say egg-free too.
Molasses Benefits
Molasses was first around in 1582, some say 1600. In other words, it’s been around. There are many health benefits to molasses. On some mornings I will actually drizzle molasses on my peanut butter toast just to get the added molasses advantage.
A little touch of molasses has a big nutrition punch! What exactly is in blackstrap molasses? You’ll find it is a source of iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6, potassium, copper, and selenium (antioxidant). Needless to say, blackstrap molasses is good for your red blood cells due to its iron content; and because of its potassium volume, it also helps lowers blood pressure. Get this! In case you missed it, blackstrap molasses contains calcium which we all know is good for our bones. And because it contains B6, blackstrap molasses can fight off stress. Blackstrap molasses may even help us folks who have Crohn’s disease and colitis. These are just a few benefits that it has. More benefits can be found here.
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What kind of molasses to buy?
To get these great benefits from molasses, you must get blackstrap molasses. Light molasses and Dark are not the same as Black. Blackstrap is the darkest type of molasses and it is the most concentrated form, hence, it has the most health benefits. After all, molasses is sugar. From what I understand it’s the leftover juice from sugar cane after they crush it to get sugar crystals. They boil it, then boil it again, and then again.
*Warning, if you eat too much of this dark syrup, you’ll probably get diarrhea. Know your limits.
Peanut butter has been around since only 1904. It was introduced at the St. Louis World’s Fair. It was used as a protein source for World War I and World War II.
Not only is peanut butter a good source of protein, but it also contains omega-3 fats. It is a good source of vitamin E, vitamin B6, manganese, and magnesium. Believe it or not, it also has copper in it!
Peanut butter is good for your heart; it can help reduce the risk of diabetes, and it even has some anticancer properties.
What kind to buy?
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The best kind of peanut butter to buy is organic. Organic peanut butter doesn’t have any added trans fats, sugars, or other hydrogenated oils. When those extra things are added to peanut butter, there are no health benefits; in fact, it’s the opposite. Hydrogenated oils increase omega-6s, and when you get too much of a good thing (omega-6) it makes it bad for your body and may cause weight gain along with inflammation which could trigger all sorts of digestive issues. Yikes!
Spend the extra money and buy organic! Organic peanut butter is simply organic peanuts and salt. Please read the labels on your peanut butter, it makes a huge difference. I like Costco brand, Kirkland Organic Peanut Butter. Plus, I store my peanut butter in the refrigerator.
The gluten-free molasses cookie recipe awaits!
What happens when you put molasses and peanut butter together? Talk about a B6 and magnesium powerhouse! The flavors work and complement each other. Your mind might be saying “Ew”, but your taste buds beg to differ.
Because my diet is limited, I made these cookies with gluten-free flour. They are also egg-free, soy-free, and dairy-free. They do contain peanuts. Baking egg-free can be tricky. One great substitute for eggs is…you guessed it…peanut butter!
1/2cupCoconut oil (solid form)You can use shortening as a substitute.
1/2 cupSugarWhite grandular or Organic Sugar Cane works
3 tbspBlackstrap Molasses
3tbspCoconut MilkYou can substitute any kind of milk alternative
3tbspOrganic Peanut ButterHeaping tablespoons, you can try it with Almond Butter or even Tahini.
1cupGluten-free flourHeaping cup of Gluten-free flour
1 tspBaking Soda
1/4tspCloves
1/4tspGinger
1/2 tspCinnamon
1/4tspSalt (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 and prepare the cookie sheet with a sheet of parchment paper on top.
Mix coconut oil, sugar, peanut butter, and coconut milk.
Add blackstrap molasses and mix.
In a seperate bowl stir flour, baking soda, and spices.
Gradually combine dry ingredients to wet with mixer. The dough will be thick. If it looks dry add a splash of coconut milk, if it looks wet add a tbsp of gluten-free flour.
Chill dough for 1 hour.
In a small bowl, put in 1/2 cup of sugar.
Make small 1 -1 1/4 inch balls and roll them in the sugar. Place them on the cookie sheet an inch or so apart.
Gently push the bottom of a fork into the cookie so it makes small groves.
Put the cookie sheet into the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.
Let cookies cool for 10 minutes.
For an added bonus mix 2 tbsp peanut butter with 1/2 tsp of coconut oil and 2 tbsp of powder sugar. Put in the microwave for 20 seconds then stir, put it back in the microwave for another 15 seconds and stir. Then put a dollup on top of the baked cookie…kind of like a frosting.
Notes
The calories and price of the cookies are an educated guess.
I hope you enjoy this tasty nutrition-packed gluten-free molasses cookie recipe. Happy baking!
Be sure to check out my other sweet treats!
All are gluten-free and dairy-free. Simple and delicious.
Let’s get this straight: stress management is a skill. Managing stress is something we learn either subconsciously or consciously. In some ways, how we manage stress is a form of protection. Stress management can either be healthy or unhealthy; it’s a matter of what we have learned. We’ve all heard that stress kills; friends, this is real. Let’s choose wisely in how we manage stress. You’ve got a lot of living to do; it’s time to hone in on healthy stress management techniques. We’ll talk about 5 of my favorite stress management tips to get you started today!
Stress management is a form of protection?
Stress eating, smoking, drinking, excessive exercising, scrolling, shopping, harming one’s body, are all forms of stress management that were learned at some point in life to calm the anxiety, worry, trauma, wounds, or events. That’s a mouthful, and that is what is going on every day around us! We grab whatever we can to numb the pain that targets pleasure points like taste buds, eye-candy, touch, anything that can raise endorphins higher than the cortisol levels. I think it’s safe to say, we’ve all been there. It breaks my heart that some of us are still there. But we don’t have to be, and there is a way out.
Control is what we seek. There is no shame in that. As naive children, when stressful situations arose, we subconsciously learned how to protect ourselves. Lashing out in anger, running away, crying, narcissism, or silencing ourselves are some subconscious ways of protection that kids use. Moreover, we likely learned other harmful techniques from influencers in our lives. The world says kids are resilient; the world is wrong. Do you know what resilient means? It means to recover quickly from difficult situations. Adults can’t even do this, and kids can? These deep wounds that kids/adults experience are profound, and they resurface from time to time, revealing all the ugliness. We have the ability to change all that!
Let’s learn some healthy ways to manage stress that can make a big difference in our lives and in our children’s lives. Kids learn from watching us. These techniques I’m about to tell you are simple things with a big impact. And no, it’s not expensive. Any age group can do these things. The hard part is breaking free from the conditioning you learned years ago, a few months ago, or even last week. We’ll talk about that in a little bit.
Fix it, please!
Here’s a small personal story to get you started. Years ago, I accidentally deleted my entire website. Yeah, ‘File Not Found’ stared at me in the eyes. My stress level went from zero to a hundred in a matter of milliseconds. Worry settled in, and in a matter of 60 seconds, anxiety took residency.
Furthermore, because I did my own website work, I couldn’t just call a web person and say, “Fix it, please!” All this hard work…GONE. The “undo” button or back arrow was pointless in this case. I tried it. Do you ever have times like these? When you ask yourself, “Why did I just do that? Did that happen?” Wishing there was an “undo” button?
It’s funny when these stressful mistakes occur, and we believe for a split second, maybe it will go away and fix itself if we just close our eyes. Tell me I’m not the only one who thinks this.
Hubby? Are you awake?
Above all, what really put the icing on the cake was that this website disaster occurred right before bed. Like sleep was going to happen! My brain was fried. Knuckles locked. Fingertips deaden. The courage to push the keys on my keyboard was in deep jeopardy. As a result, when I did find the strength to push buttons, I immediately checked my backup… it wasn’t working! My ears got hot and my gut started to cramp.
My husband was sleeping already…not that he knows anything about websites…but I needed someone by my side to listen to my predicament. When we “vent,” it’s like we release the problem from our minds. Perhaps the listener can relate to how to approach the subject. Talking it out with someone is very helpful.
When no one is there
Since my husband was sleeping, I didn’t want to disturb him; he has enough sleeping issues as it is. With no one available, I folded my hands and closed my eyes tight, “God, I’m freaking out. I made a mistake and I’m not sure how to fix it. Please help me dig deep and figure this out.” And then I prayed again. What I love about Him, is that He is always awake and available.
After giving it to God, I needed to do something else for a minute. All I wanted to do was escape, to get out of the room, away from the keyboard. In the black of the night, I slid on my slippers, grabbed a towel, and walked outside. The dark sky was peppered with pinhole lights. It was a welcoming reminder of how small my problem was and how big the world is. “Was anyone else in their backyard stressing out like me?” Probably.
As I folded my towel into a neat square, I anticipated sitting on it to just be. The shadowy trees surrounded me, but not in an intimidating way. No bugs, no noises, just stillness. I watched my breath let go. The quietness blanketed my shoulders. The earthy air filled my nose. I felt a peace embrace my soul. At that moment, God was telling me all was going to be okay.
Selective Perspective
The value of this stressful night revealed to me the power of perspective. If I didn’t get stressed out, then I wouldn’t have prayed, I wouldn’t have felt the nudge to go outside, I wouldn’t have encountered nature in its nightly glory, and I wouldn’t have experienced the healing powers of my backyard.
According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, spending even just five minutes around trees or in green spaces, like your backyard, helps lower blood pressure, reduces stress, improves mood, instills focus, accelerates healing, increases energy, and improves sleep.* And you wonder why I craved to get outside…
The article goes on to say, “Numerous studies show that… simply sitting looking at the trees reduces stress-related hormones.” Nature can heal and soothe the soul. Going outside isn’t just for kids to play in, but for us to pray in. You’re going to want to check out my post on Nature Quotes: the power of the outdoors.
Focus on the calm
Consequently, I know this is hard, but when you encounter a stressful situation, I challenge you to pause for a few minutes. To not reach for that quick fix of ice cream, smoke, or anger outburst. But to think, for just a second, about who you are, how you want to react, and to immediately ask Jesus for help. Do not let the Enemy have a foothold on you; he will rob, lie, and destroy. Jesus will rescue, protect, and lead you to the way everlasting. Period.
Let me remind you that God made you, He made your body, how it functions, and He knows how to manage stress healthily. Call on Him immediately, pause and listen, love yourself, and pray again. In doing so; you will gain a better perspective of the issue and will respond more wisely.
After a good 30 minutes, I wasn’t worried anymore. Whether I had to start from scratch or come up with a different solution, it was going to be alright. That night in my backyard, I stood up, shook my towel out, and walked back inside. My feet slid out of my slippers, and I went to bed. I actually slept.
5 Healthy Stress Management Tips
#1 Talk it out. Talk with a friend, family member, and/or Jesus.
#2 Pray without ceasing. Pray. Pray some more. Most importantly, pray in Jesus’ Name.
#3 Go outside and take a breather. Get outside! God made the outdoors. He’s out there waiting for you. Get by some trees and just be. Go in the rain, snow, day, or night, I promise you it will help.
#4 Rest to be your best. Take a nap or go for a walk.
#5 Repeat. Do this all again and again until it comes naturally when ugly stress visits. Retrain your brain.
My takeaway
The next morning, after a good night’s sleep, I got up extremely early to mend my mishap. With a well-rested body and mind, I was diligent in figuring this out. Hence, venturing into the back end of my website was scary but I succeeded and found an older backup. Thank the Lord! Later that day I took a long walk amongst the trees while being grateful for my state of being.
How to break free from the conditioning? As I said, this can be hard, but it’s 100% doable. Discipline yourself to go through the 5 steps above, retrain your brain to do these things. First and foremost, ask Jesus. He knows you better than you know yourself. Go to Him. Pray and ask how to do it. You may be surprised at how simple yet powerful it is.
Before you go, check out these other great posts on stress.
My top 10 quotes on challenges are peppered with encouragement, hope, and motivation. There is nothing so comforting to the soul than encouraging words. Quotes and inspirational sayings, young and old, impact our mental health. I’m sure you have infamous words of knowledge with hopes of being passed down through generations. I encourage you to bring light into people’s darkness with those sacred statements and with ones that got you through.
Word of caution!
This blog post is about quotes and how to face challenges, but before I share my favorite top 10, I offer a word of caution to your tongue. If you are not speaking kind words that are helpful and encouraging to the receiver, then SHUT IT, not just for their sake, but more so for yours!
Words and even quotes from the living and deceased can be destructive and lead you to believe numerous lies about yourself. Words go both ways, and the way we interrupt them can either help us rise or make us fall terribly onto a slippery slope leading to stress or away from our identity.
Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. Proverbs 15:4 (Bible, NIV)
Sticks and stones may break my bones but words shall never hurt me. This lyric was to help those who were being bullied. It’s unclear who said it, but it was recorded in March 1862. Boy did they have this wrong. Words do hurt a lot longer than a bruise from a stick. If only our hearts healed as quickly as a shiner to the eye.
Unfortunately, the most (not all) hurtful words come from people we love or respect. I’m sorry if you have experienced this. Remember hurt people, hurt other people. They have their own issues and, unfortunately, are taking it out on you. It’s unfair. There is no question. With that said, do not believe them. They don’t know you as God knows you. Instead, go to the Book of Truth to hear the truth about you.
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
It’s time to destroy those meaningless words people speak and to plant words of purpose into your heart and soul.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
Top 10 Quotes on Challenges
1. Look less at the mountain and more at the first step. For the first step can be harder than the whole journey.” – Christy Troy
2.We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons. – Jim Rohn
3. The best way to recover from rejection is to make someone feel accepted. – Christy Troy
4. The secret of change is to focus all your energy NOT on fighting the old, but on building the new. – Socrates
5.If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward. – Martin Luther King Jr.
6. Challenges are what make life interesting, and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. – Joshua J. Marine
7. Our ability to handle life’s challenges is a measure of our strength of character. – Les Brown
8. Decisions are easy when values are clear. – Unknown
9. To shine your brightest light is to be who you truly are. – Roy Bennett
10.Don’t be afraid to fail. Be afraid not to try. – Michael Jordon
The Bible is not that scary
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There are no better words than what is in the Bible. The Book may be intimidating but it is the most liberating. It’s hard to know where to start. And it’s easy for me to tell you to start wherever. Personally, I started with shorter books like James, Ephesians, Galatians, Philippians, and 1 Peter.
It’s also good to look in the Concordance at the back of the Bible and look up a word you may be struggling with, for instance, “love”, and then look up the verses that pertain to that particular topic. Most importantly, be sure to read the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. So good! As for what version of the Bible? I personally like the NIV Study Bible.
Wrapping it up
Thank you God, for your Word, for it is filled with words to live by, with genuine love, protection, power, and instruction. Help us to have the desire to read and to do what we’ve read. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Remember, it’s words that form us, not sticks and stones. Keep shining your light. I believe in you. Seek the words you need to hear to help you move forward. Here are some printables to help you along!
Hold on to your apron for this amazing gluten-free no-bake cookie recipe with coconut! It’s one of the healthiest cookies for school lunches and after-school snacks! They taste so good, you wouldn’t even know it. These are easy to make and are gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and soy-free. Learn the benefits of coconut, peanut butter, and more!
Cookies are one of my absolute favorite foods. So when I had to change my diet to gluten-free, you better believe I got a little depressed! Let’s face it, gluten-free cookies are not the same as chewy gluten-filled cookies. We gluten-free consumers need to work with what we’ve got!
What does gluten even do in cookies?
What gluten does for cookies is that it helps hold things together. There have been countless attempts to make the perfect gluten-free cookie. Problems arise when it crumbles in your hand and clumps up your mouth, along with an occasional crumb going down the wrong pipe. It boils down to the flour. Gluten-free flour can be tricky. In my kitchen, we have done a lot of experimenting! However, in this gluten-free no-bake cookie recipe with coconut, there is zero flour.
Easy Peasy Making
This is probably my favorite gluten-free savory cookie. On a hot summer day, the oven stays off. What I love about no-bake cookies is that you can easily make them camping or in a hotel room. These decadent cookies melt in your mouth and feel sinful to eat, but they aren’t!
Peanut butter has been around since 1904. It was introduced at the St. Louis World’s Fair. It was used as a protein source in World War I and World War II.
Not only is peanut butter a good source of protein, but it also contains omega-3 fats. It is a good source of vitamin E, vitamin B6, manganese, and magnesium. Believe it or not, it also contains copper!
Peanut butter is good for your heart; it can help reduce the risk of diabetes, and it even has some anticancer properties.
Where to buy peanut butter
Get it on Amazon
The best kind of peanut butter to buy is organic. Organic peanut butter doesn’t have any added trans fats, sugars, or other hydrogenated oils. When those extra things are added to peanut butter, there are NO health benefits; in fact, it’s the opposite. Hydrogenated oils increase omega-6s, and when you get too much of a good thing (omega-6), it makes it bad for your body and may cause weight gain along with inflammation. Yikes!
Spend the extra money and buy organic! Organic peanut butter is simply organic peanuts and salt. Please read the labels on your peanut butter; it makes a huge difference. I personally like the Costco brand, Kirkland Organic Peanut Butter. Plus, I store my peanut butter in the refrigerator.
What’s up with Coconut?
Coconut is so incredibly healthy for you. These cookies have coconut oil, coconut milk, and organic shredded coconut. Coconut oil may be 90% saturated fat, but it has the highest content of lauric acid, which, in a twisted way, can help improve the level of lipids traveling through the blood. That means it is likely to reduce the risk of heart disease! That sounds pretty technical, but again, too much of a good thing can backfire, so pace yourself with coconut products.
15 Benefits of Coconut
1. It helps prevent heart disease and high blood pressure.
2. It can help treat Alzheimer’s.
3. It BE good for the old liver.
4. Reduces Inflammation and Arthritis
5. It’s antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral! Works well on cuts and skin issues.
6. Improves energy
7. It helps the gut heal by destroying bad bacteria and that nasty Candida (yeast overgrowth).
8. Prevents Osteoporosis by helping to increase the absorption of calcium and magnesium.
9. It’s Anti-aging. Now we’re talkin’!
10. It helps balance hormones naturally. Now we’re talkin’!
11. Thickens hair and helps with dandruff. It’s a natural
hair conditioner.
12. It helps improve sleep when consumed every day.
13. It can help with environmental allergies if you rub the inside of your nose with it.
14. Speeds up the healing of sunburn.
15. It’s an amazing oil to make homemade popcorn with. Just sub coconut oil in place of your other oil. Yum!
When buying coconut oil, get the Virgin, Unrefined. We get our coconut oil from Costco. If you don’t have a Costco Membership, no problem! You can get it on Amazon. I highly recommend this product.
Let’s get to the gluten-free no-bake cookie recipe with coconut!
Get all your ingredients out and ready to go. This goes kind of quickly!
Size a sheet of parchment paper or wax paper over a cookie sheet.
With a food processor or handheld pulser, process the oats with a few good pluses. This makes the oats easier to chew and digest. If you like the oats whole, skip this step.
In a saucepan, turn heat to medium and add the coconut oil.
Slowly add the maple syrup, honey, coconut milk, and peanut butter. Using a whisk, stir the mixture.
Add the peanut butter and continue to whisk. Then add the cocoa. Keep whisking!
Bring to a slow boil for 3 minutes, then remove from heat.
Stir in the oats.
Add the shredded coconut.
Using a spoon, scoop mixture onto the cookie sheet to desired size, cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator.
After at least 60 minutes, remove and put cookies in a baggie for storage in the frig. Or, simply enjoy your amazing no-bake cookies!
Notes
Calories are an educational guess, this depends on how large you make your cookies. I based the calories on a cookie the size of the palm of a hand or 3-inch diameter. If you want to cool the cookies faster, put them in the freezer for about 30 – 40 minutes.Store cookies in the frig. for up to 10 days. NOTE: I experimented with organic sugar cane instead of syrup and honey, and it didn’t work for me. While in the saucepan it became frothy and gave the cookies a grainy texture and burnt-like taste.
All in all
This gluten-free no-bake cookie recipe with coconut is a perfect 3:00 pm snack at work, after school, or even for breakfast. I’ve been known to eat one after a workout; it’s healthy, full of protein, and has just the right amount of carbs and benefits from coconut. Note: I have not tried these with almond butter or cashew butter, but I’m sure they would work beautifully. Enjoy!
Be sure to check out my other sweet treats!
All are gluten-free and dairy-free. Simple and delicious.
