LESS Goals

I set way too many goals for March:

Declutter at least one item a day.

Read a daily entry from a devotional book (on top of my usual Bible reading).

Research every day for our trip.

Do yoga every day.

The last one was actually good for my mental health. The rest got a little bit onerous. In and of themselves, they were not bad goals, but together, they all added up to equal more stress. I found myself rushing around a lot of nights after work trying to check off my list of daily goals, so this month, I set less, and I made goals for the month, not the day:

1) Swim two laps at least one a week.

2) Increase my healthy fat intake at least a certain amount (on the way to the goal my running nutritionist set for me).

3) Declutter and donate the big brown box by the end of the month.

I also quit some things:

I quit trying to read and listen to my daily Bible passages. Maybe that is a bad thing, but I did not believe I was getting much more out of listening to the passages than reading them, and trying to get the audio recordings finished each morning delayed my readings of the next passages, so I quit. I did keep up reading my devotional book. I appreciated it for bite-sized theological nuggets. My husband and I also read a daily devotional together in the morning. Maybe it's not "enough," but it's something.

I quit researching for our trip. At this point, I have found more things to do that we will have time to do, and it really is not my trip anyway. It is my husband's.

I quit tracking wind speed and direction in my running log. The Apple fitness app doesn't give it to me, which means I needed to open up the weather app each day to find it. Wind is an interesting stat, but not one I really look at that much. In fact, now that I think of it, I don't often look back at the weather information either. I mostly look back at my paces. Maybe I want to scrap weather tracking all together. That is food for thought for the future.

I told myself I could quit decluttering, but I still had that big, brown box. To be honest, decluttering also felt like either a conviction or a compulsion, maybe both. While I kept doing it, I had to look harder and harder for things to discard or donate. On the flip side, I found myself wanting to buy new and shiny things. Not the point, Sarah!

I kept up with the yoga, but after completing the Amanda Elle (n.d.). playlist through which I was working, I had to look harder for the shorter types of practice I like to do after work. That means yoga, too, started to become work. Good things take time and effort, but I really need to decide which ones are worth my time, and which ones aren't. Isn't that part of the purpose of LESS? To have more time for what matters?

So here I sit at the end of another month. We did donate that box, so we have that many less things in my house. I dropped some goals. I dropped some habits. What's left? What of what's left still matters? That is what I'm still on a quest to find out (with lots of prayers and questioning and discussions with my husband)!

Reference:

Elle, A. (n.d.). 5 minute yoga [Playlist]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGSleEMpW_U&list=PL9EBPDA6SCdYgxjSGj_50ls7utbpQrDUL

The More of Less Report (April)

(I generated this photo with Canva AI.)

Here's the tea on my journey towards less:

January: Less scrolling: Did I scroll less this month? Yes. No. After Lent, I always want to "catch up." That led to spending three hours and six minutes on Instagram alone. My time the following weeks was less, but still more than it was when I was off social media. My attention span has also been poor. (Is that the screen time, or me?) I didn't have the focus to get into my books as much, so when I wanted a little dopamine "snack," I popped open Instagram, or occasionally Pinterest. I did keep Facebook off my phone, so that's something....

February: Less picking: I continue to try to take a little better care of my skin. Sometimes, I am less obsessive about it than others. Really, I just need to keep myself and my hands busy!

March: Less hunger (judgment): My hunger really did abate some about a month post marathon, so maybe it really was recovery hunger. As I increased training again, though, I noticed some of it coming back. While I am definitely not eating as much as during heavy marathon training, I do need quite a bit of fuel, and my hunger tells me that.

If I want to run, and run fast, I need to eat, and I probably need to eat more. That is kind of counterintuitive when it seems everyone around me is trying to "cut back," but in this case, more is less risk of injury and overtraining, as well as less crankiness. 

--

We donated the big brown box. I think that marks the end of my intentional decluttering phase-for now. I do want to be more mindful about what I bring into the house. Maybe I will follow the "one in, one out" rule? We will see. I am sure I/we could get rid of more, but for now, this is the stage of less at which we are.

The Post-Run Spiral

(This art was AI generated through Canva.)

People like to ask me if I experience the "runner's high." [It's debated if the feelings of euphoria some people experience during, or immediately after running are due to the release of endorphins while running or due to the release of endocannabinoids after running, but that is besides the point here (Linden, n.d.).] Yes, sometimes. After a particularly good race, I may feel elated, and perhaps a little euphoric, but that is not every day. Most days, if I feel good after a run, it is in terms of experiencing a short burst of dopamine, and therefore an increase in goal-directed activities (Villarreal, 2021). I come home and I want to clean, or write, or do something. But then, often, the inverse starts to happen. I start to spiral.

What does the spiral look like? I start to lose focus and direction. I diddle-daddle. I find myself speaking aloud to try to motivate myself to stretch, shower, and refuel. The longer I delay, the worse it gets. Sometimes, after I eat, I feel better, but sometimes my energy still crashes and I just want to lay around for the rest of the day (TFoucht, 2020). That is not that great when days consist of responsibilities other than running.

Then there is the anxiety. Sometimes, that anxiety spikes, and abates. Other times, it seems to linger. And sometimes even after I sleep [if I sleep well-sometimes a long run spikes cortisol that keeps me tired, but wired (Rutberg, 2026)], I still wake up feeling depressed and/or stressed, often with a sense of dread and/or foreboding. It is not great.

Apparently these experiences are not abnormal. After completing a long-run, decision-making becomes harder (Motor-Ad6248, 2026). Hunger may or may not be present, so refueling can be a chore. Delayed, or inadequate post-run nutrition leaves the brain depleted of glycogen, which it needs to function (Forzoni, n.d.). Dehydration and low blood sugar can also lead to anxiety (Anonymouse, 2016). And when adrenaline and other exercise induced chemical wear off, there can be that dip in mood (Middleton, 2025). Some people just seem to feel this more acutely than others (Always-Woozy, 2022; CoolHandLuke9000, 2006; The Lorax, 2021). Apparently I am "some people."

So what's a girl who likes running to do? Keep working on the before-, during-, and after-run nutrition and hydration, for one (The PsychPlusTeam, 2024). For two, find other sources of joy and happiness. Three, anticipate that the post-run spiral might happen and do things to anticipate it and its effects [eg preparing food (MotorAd-6248,2026), planning for a lower-energy day), etc.]. I still like running, but it's not always enjoyable or fun. As with marriage, I am about bringing awareness to the full experience of what I do, to the "real life" of it, because I think that is part of what makes the beautiful moments even more worth savoring and celebrating.

References:

Always-Woozy. [Always-Woozy]. (2022). Post long run depression. [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/running/comments/yj6ua3/post_long_run_depression/

Anonymouse79. [Anonymouse79]. (2016). Dehydration and/or low blood sugar tend to spike my anxiety. You don’t say how far you’re running, but after a [Comment on the online forum post Anxiety after longer runs?] Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/running/comments/94rfk8/anxiety_after_longer_runs/

CoolHandLuke9000. [CoolHandLuke9000]. (2006). Depression after long runs. [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/running/comments/59258h/depression_after_long_runs/

Forzoni, F. (n.d.). Why you feel drained after long runs & how to fix it. Pretty strong coaching. https://www.prettystrongcoaching.com/blog/post-run-recovery-female-runners.

Linden, D. (n.d.). The truth behind 'runner's high' and other mental benefits of running. John Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-truth-behind-runners-high-and-other-mental-benefits-of-running

The Lorax. (2021, March 28). Does anyone feel depressed after long runs? [Online forum post]. Let's Run. https://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=10504536

Mahan, B. [Host]. (2021, January 30). Exercise as part of the ADHD treatment plan with Gabriel Villarreal, LMHC [Audio podcast episode]. In ADHD essentials. 

Middleton, A. (2025, September 29). Dodgy tummy, nausea and flu-like symptoms-experts explain how you can avoid feeling so rubbish post-run. Stylist. https://www.stylist.co.uk/fitness-health/workouts/nausea-headaches-feeling-rubbish-run/1021748

Motor-Ad6248. [Motor-Ad6248]. (2026). Post-run hunger as a training variable: appetite spikes and decision-making after runs. [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/running/comments/1qmyhpd/postrun_hunger_as_a_training_variable_appetite/?solution=efd9dfc862c9963cefd9dfc862c9963c&js_challenge=1&token=bbbe4bf1c9a2b5160829c4be34da5861527ca0c6006d84b38db3657b31fa08b3

The PsychPlus Team. (2024, August 30). Why am I depressed after working out? Understanding depression after exercise. PsychPlus. https://psychplus.com/blog/why-am-i-depressed-after-working-out-understanding-depression-after-exercise/

Rutberg, J. (2026, March 4). Why can't I sleep after a hard workout or race? Train right. https://trainright.com/cant-sleep-hard-workout-race/

TFoucht. [TFoucht]. (2020). Post-run crash. [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/running/comments/j7d2yn/postrun_crash/

What We Cooked and Ate (Week 16)

I've been wanting to try someone else's meal plan for a while, and this week I did (or pretty close to it). The meal plan, in an e-mail from Fit Foodie Finds, promised five meals with an hour of prep: 

Healthy banana muffin bread 

Overnight oats 

PF Chang's lettuce wraps

Mexican (lentil) skillet 

Sheet pan chicken fajitas 

While I can't speak to the time it took to prep all of these meals, (as I didn't do it all at once and I didn't make the lettuce wraps at all), I can say that I enjoyed accomplishing this goal and making the meal plan into my own this week's eats:

Chocolate protein overnight oats (Fit Foodie Finds)

Cottage cheese egg bake (The Real Food Dietitians)

Deviled egg dip (This Healthy Table)

Lemon oregano chicken (The Girl on Bloor)-I added olive oil and skipped the garlic.

Mexican (lentil) skillet (Adapted from Fit Foodie Finds)

Seriously soft sourdough pretzels (The Perfect Loaf)

Sheet pan chicken fajitas (Fit Foodie Finds)

Sourdough discard blueberry bagels (This Jess Cooks)

Sourdough tortillas (Farmhouse on Boone)

Noteworthy Repeats:

Big-batch Instant Pot white beans (Epicurious)

Chickpea "tuna" salad (Drugstore Divas)

Homemade ranch dressing (with Greek yogurt) (It Starts With Protein)

Freezer Pull-Outs:

Five-minute chicken gravy (Fixed on Fresh)

Healthy banana muffin bread (Fit Foodie Finds)

Seeded PB oat energy balls (The Dietitian Runner)

Sourdough banana muffin bread (The Pioneer Woman)

Mexican Lentil Casserole (Or How I Converted a Skillet Recipe to Instant Pot)

I actually made a recipe conversion that worked, and since that rarely happens, I am writing to tell about it. (My husband tells me to make recipes the way they are written the first time, and then tweak them. I don't often take his advice, not because it's not good or accurate, but because I rarely want to put in the time, effort, or money to make recipes as written.) In this case, I had made the recipe before, mostly as written, but I wanted to make it again as part of a meal plan suggested in an e-mail. That recipe was the Mexican ground beef skillet from Fit Foodie Finds (Funke, 2026). What did I change about the recipe? Well, a lot. Here is the original ingredient list:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 medium yellow onion, minced
2 large bell peppers, diced
1 lb. 85% ground beef
3 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons green chiles
15 oz. canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup quick-cooking brown rice, quick-cooking white rice works too!
1.5 cups beef broth, any kind
1/2 cup Mexican shredded cheddar cheese

First of all, I did not have ground beef, but I had lots of lentils. I read that I could substitute one cup of lentils for one cup of ground beef (Prakash, 2020), so I swapped that out. I didn't have green chiles, so I swapped the tomato sauce and green chiles out for an equivalent amount of mild salsa/picante sauce. I didn't have black beans and did not want to buy more of those, either (the name of this recipe game was to use things up), so I substituted another cup of lentils. That was probably more than I needed (as one cup of lentils yields about two-and-a-half cups of cooked lentils, more than the one-and-three-quarters to two cups of black beans in a can), but oh well. I did not have quick-cooking brown rice, but I had regular, so I substituted that. I lacked beef broth and nope, wasn't going to buy it, so used a combination of chicken broth and water. I had the cheese, but that was for later.

I would need to cook the lentils, as well as the rice. I usually cook rice in the Instant Pot, and after success with the Instant Pot black beans and rice from Cozy Peach Kitchen in our capsule meal plan, I felt fairly certain that I could convert this recipe to Instant Pot as well (Reeser ,2026). Part of the appeal of the Instant Pot is convenience, so I skipped the olive oil and the step of sautéing the vegetables and just threw everything into the pot. I read that lentils require two cups of water per cup (Vora, 2021), and I knew from my favorite brown rice recipe that it takes one cup of water per cup (Stone, 2025). That lead me to a grand total of five cups of water. Lentils only take 10 minutes maximum to cook in the Instant Pot (Vora), but I knew brown rice needs longer (Stone). The black beans and rice took 28 minutes to cook, so I settled on 22 minutes cook time, with a natural release, and let the pot do it's thing. After all was said and done, I stirred the mixture to distribute the ingredients, divided the servings up into meal prep containers and topped with cheese for later reheating. The result was surprisingly delicious: a one dish meal, hearty, with layers of flavor, and good for us to boot!

So if you want the recipe written out my way, here it is. Layer in the Instant pot in this order [I learned that order matters from the black beans and rice recipe (Reeser, 2026)]:

1 T minced garlic
1/2 onion, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
2 c brown lentils, rinsed
1 c brown rice, rinsed
3/4 c salsa
3 T taco seasoning [I did use Fit Foodie Find's recipe (Richter, 2024).]
5 c water and or broth.

Cook 22 minutes. Natural release pressure. Stir to incorporate ingredients. Top with cheese and/or sour cream and other desired condiments to serve.

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Readers, tell me: Am I crazy to basically remake a recipe like this? Or am I creative? As I said, all my conversions often result in a mess of dinner, but by God's blessing, this one didn't!

References:

Funke, L. (2026, January 29). Mexican ground beef skillet. Fit foodie finds. https://fitfoodiefinds.com/mexican-ground-beef-skillet-recipe/#wprm-recipe-container-81394

Prakash, S. (2020, October 20). This is how to substitute lentils for ground beef. The kitchn. https://www.thekitchn.com/this-is-how-to-substitute-lentils-for-ground-beef-250272

Reeser, C. (2026, March 11). Instant Pot black beans and rice. Cozy peach kitchen. https://cozypeachkitchen.com/instant-pot-brown-rice-and-black-beans/#recipe

Richter, E. (2024, February 14). Homemade taco seasoning. Fit foodie finds. https://fitfoodiefinds.com/homemade-taco-seasoning/

Stone, R. (2025, January 15). How to cook brown rice. Add a pinch. https://addapinch.com/instant-pot-brown-rice-recipe/

Vora, N. (2021, November 29). How to cook lentils in the Instant Pot. Rainbow plant life. https://rainbowplantlife.com/how-to-cook-lentils-in-the-instant-pot/#wprm-recipe-container-5596

A Letter to Friends Who Don't Share My Faith

Dear Friend,

I have something to say that might come as a surprise to you: You don't have to believe for me to be okay. Yes, you heard me right. You don't have to share my faith for me to be okay. Do I want you to share my faith? Do I pray for your salvation? Yes. But your belief or lack thereof does not effect my salvation.

You see, my friend. Christ died for all. His substitutionary atonement is sufficient to cover all of my sin and reconcile me to him. My salvation depends not on my proselytizing you or winning you to salvation, but on His finished work.

Sure, your lack of faith may cause me distress. I want to share eternity with you! My connection with Christ does not depend on your salvation, though. It depends on the presence of the Holy Spirit, which God the Father gifted me at the moment of my conversion.

What do I see as my job, then? I want to share the truth with you in love (Ephesian 4:15). I want to, with God's help, live out a faithful life before you. I want to allow God to comfort me when my heart hurts because you don't believe.

What don't I want to do? Take out my distress on you. Make you think that you have to believe to somehow pacify me or up my accolades in the kingdom. My faith is my faith. If you choose to believe on Jesus for salvation, your faith will be your faith. 

Our friendship, I believe, is because Christ put us in each other's paths. Will it be for your salvation? I sure hope so. But if it isn't, I still value you. I believe that you are a unique creation of God, saved or unsaved, and I want you in my life.

Inspired by:

Chef Kibby. (Host). (2025, February 12). Escaping the distress cycle. (No. 5) [Audio podcast]. In Hungry for connection. https://chefkibby.com/podcast/episode-05-escaping-the-distress-cycle

What We Cooked and Ate (Week 15)

This Week's Eats:

Homemade granola (Fit Foodie Finds)

Sourdough banana muffin bread (The Pioneer Woman)

Noteworthy Repeats:

Big-batch Instant Pot white beans (Epicurious)

Chickpea "tuna" salad (Drugstore Divas)

Homemade ranch dressing (with Greek yogurt) (It Starts With Protein)

Freezer Pull-Outs:

Applesauce sourdough muffins (Venison for Dinner)

Five-minute chicken gravy (Fixed on Fresh)

Lentil bolognese (Gimme Some Oven)

Seeded PB oat energy balls (The Dietitian Runner)

Shredded chicken (365 Days of Crockpot)

Simple sourdough applesauce muffins with applesauce (Food Over Comfort)