...On Love Languages {& Tasty Tuesday!}.

When we were dating, we read the this book together so we could learn how to love each other better.

Oh, how amazing this knowledge has been to our first year of marriage.  Learning each others' love languages as well as our own has really enhanced our relationship.  The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman is a book that we would recommend everyone to read.

If you're not into reading, at the very least, take this quiz so you have an idea.  But, I will tell you that the quiz is not exactly helpful in teaching us how to pursue each other in love; so if you want to learn how to apply this knowledge - then read the book!  I promise you, it's worth it.

But here are our love languages:

Husband:
     1.  Words of Affirmation
     2.  Acts of Service

Wife:  
     1.  Quality Time
     2.  Physical Touch

These results were of no surprise to us, either.  They're obvious in the ways we act towards each other and in the ways we even complain to each other.  Knowing husband's love language has really helped me understand him better.

It makes sense why he is in the best mood after being encouraged and when I am doing things for him, and not necessarily with him.  He sees those things as a way I am loving him.  He feels loved when I make him dinner, do his laundry, leave him a note, and compliment him on his muscles (ha!).

And it's no wonder I always want to be with him, snuggling and spending time doing things with him.  That's how I feel loved.

It turns out, the way we receive love is also how we tend to show love.  But when husband is busy doing something for me (because that's how we receives love), I don't receive it as well because I'd rather be spending time with him.  This caused a lot of tension and confusion at first, until we started to really understand how to love each other better.

Constantly seeking to learn how to love my husband better is good for us.  I know it's good for him, because it makes him feel loved, but it's also good for me - because I want to see him well loved.  It's been awesome.  And although there are many times when we tend to forget and expect the other to understand us fully, those times are going to be fewer as we continue to learn each other more.  I just know it.  We're nowhere near perfect, believe me, but we're pursuing each other daily and we trust that we will forever.  It's going to keep getting better, we just know it.

So one way I try to love husband better, through acts of service, is to cook for him because he sure does love to eat.

Last week, I made this granola for him.  He ate an entire mason jar of it the first night we had it.  Then he had it on his yogurt for breakfast, and then on a salad for lunch.  Then he asked me to bring it along for our 2.5 hour car ride...this guy LOVED it.  And that made me happy.

But since it's Tuesday, and I know you want a recipe, I'm going to share with you this amazing granola recipe.  Enjoy!

***Note, I doubled this recipe, so the pictures do not accurately show the portion size.***

Homemade Granola

What You'll Need:

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup honey

4 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

1 cup mixed raw nuts (I used chopped walnuts, sunflower seeds, and sliced almonds)

1/2 cup dried fruit (I used apricots, craisins, and raisins)

1/2 cup wheat germ (optional) 

A pinch of salt

1.  Set oven to 350*.  In a small sauce pan, warm the honey and coconut oil on the stove.

2.  In a large bowl, add the rolled oats, shredded coconut, raw nuts and wheat germ (if using).

3.  Pour warm honey and oil over dry ingredients in the bowl.

4.  Mix well and feel free to use your hands!  Add a pinch of salt to taste.

5.  Spread mixture onto a large baking sheet (or two if you doubled it like me!).

6.  Bake for 10 minutes or until top layer is golden brown.  Mix the granola around and bake for another 5-10 minutes.  Continue to bake and check every few minutes, mixing granola until granola is completely toasted throughout.  Keep an eye on it!

7.  Once done, mix in the dried fruit and let cool.

8.  Once cooled, store in an airtight container and enjoy on your yogurt, salad, in your cereal, or just plain!  Beware, it goes faster than you think.

This is day 16 of the series "31 Days on becoming a new wife."  I hope you'll journey with me as I reflect on my first year as a Mrs!  Click on the button to see a list of the rest of the posts.

<<  On Girl/Boy Time

In Sickness and in Health  >>