I hope y'all had a wonderful Christmas! It was quite a special time here since it was Joy's first Christmas. Everyone always says when you have children you see Christmas through their eyes, but Joy is still a smidge young to truly appreciate Christmas. She's honestly more excited about a ceiling fan than presents, but I still saw Christmas through a different lens. I thought much more about Mary and what it truly must have been like for her to labor in a stable and willingly say yes to carrying the Savior of the world in her womb. It's been a humbling Christmas season to say the least and putting together this Fruits of the Spirit series for the 3rd year in a row has been really special! This is the final post (until next year!) and make sure to check out the previous posts on love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and goodness if you missed them!

Below you will find some delicious recipes that embody faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Faithfulness recipes are your tried and true, never fail recipes that come out perfect every time. Gentleness recipes include ingredients that are gentle or helpful with digestion and self-control recipes.... you guessed it, they're indulgent and require a smidge of self-control to not devour the whole recipe. Enjoy!

It's my sincere hope and prayer that you've been blessed by this series (I certainly have!) and thank you so much to all the amazing dietitians who shared their recipes to make this series possible. Wishing you all a peaceful, prosperous and intentional 2019!

Thank you to everyone who is following along in this series! Although I do it every year, I still love the timing of the different fruits- especially how kindness and goodness fall right before Christmas. The recipes for kindness are exactly what you might be thinking- different recipes that are great for gifting. These are literally the perfect last minute gift since you don't have to worry about online shipping deadlines ;). Goodness recipes are your ultimate comfort food recipes. Of course, comfort food means something different to everyone, but my dietitian friends have contributed their favorites and I'm sure you'll find one or two or five that you'll love!

Stay tuned for the 4th and final post after Christmas that will feature the final fruits, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Wishing you the merriest and most blessed Christmas! <3 Shannon

I've been eagerly anticipating this series the past few months! I started it in 2016 when I was in a particularly tumultuous season of life and was doing all I could to focus on the good, even during the particularly hard times. Life will always be a stretch of valleys and mountaintops and without one, we couldn't fully appreciate the other. Making an intentional decision, especially during the holidays, to focus on positive qualities can make a world of difference. I can't think of better qualities than the Fruits of the Spirit- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

​First up in the series is love and joy! Below you will find recipes that embody love and joy, specifically heart shaped-recipes or heart healthy recipes and some of the brightest recipes you can find that are sure to bring some joy to your plate! And a huge thank you to the dietitian friends of mine who were so kind to let me feature their recipes!

​The below recipes are sure to make your heart happy for more reasons than one!

​​This particular fruit of the spirit is especially meaningful since we named our daughter Joy earlier this year. If you'd like to know more about how we chose her name, make sure to check out her birth story! The below recipes are bright, cheery and guaranteed to put a smile on your face!

Thank you again to all those who have supported this series the past couple years. Whether you shared a recipe, shared this post or just scrolled through the recipes, I appreciate your involvement on such a meaningful collection of posts! Wishing you all an incredibly blessed December and stay tuned for peace and patience recipes coming your way soon. <3 Shannon