Hurricane Kitchen

Parenting Advice

2012-01-25T10:00:00.000-06:00

By Natalie

Here are some great ideas that people have shared with me lately about raising their kids:

Put your older baby to bed awake so that he can learn to soothe himself to sleep.
Put your toddler to bed at the same time each night, and he can stay up as long as he want in his room reading books
Put 2 layers of waterproof sheets and flat sheets in the crib. In the middle of the night if he gets one set wet, all you have to do is pull the top layer off.
Potty train all day and ALL NIGHT. Don't put a pull-up on them at night, go ahead and get waterproof sheets.
Set up allowances that your child gets $5 per week for helping around the house. With that $5 they have to put $2 into savings, $1 they have to give to charity or tithe, $2 they can spend. I love the idea of teaching giving and saving so early!
How to get going on cloth diapers:

Unbroken

2012-01-23T10:00:00.000-06:00

By Natalie

I recently read Unbroken and it was one of those books that I wished everyone was reading. I wanted to talk about this book the entire time that I was reading it. Micah got sick of giving him the play by play. The book is nonfiction, but does not have a nonfiction feel at all. It took the author, Laura Hildebrand, seven years to complete this book. You can clearly tell that she went into great detail and her research is superb.

For my generation, I felt like I was learning an entirely different side of history. When growing up, I felt like my history classes focused greatly on the Nazis during World War II, and not so much the Japanese. We would cover Pearl Harbor, but I couldn't figure out why the Japanese were in the war in the first place. This book explains that horrors that the Japanese inflicted on innocent people. But, Americans are not entirely innocent, considering Hiroshima.

When I first began reading this book, I thought that everyone should read it. I couldn't wait to pass it along to my mom, my granny, Micah, well anyone. The beginning details his running career and training for the Olympic trials. I thought this part of the book was inspiring. Louis Zamperini was rebel and getting into all sorts of trouble until he discovered running. He almost beat the 4 minute mile. Oh, to be that fast, what a dream.

The next part of the book details his career in the Army Air Force in Hawaii. I was shocked to learn the number of causalities from malfunctioning planes. You were taking your life in your own hands when you went up in the air. The planes were poorly built. It was like flying a lead balloon.

Then comes his struggle of being lost at sea in the Pacific ocean. This is a tale of great strength and the will to live. I still feel like everyone should read this book at this point.

The part of the story where he is in the POW camps is harrowing. It is a tale of great misery and cruelty on human life. This was very hard to read. Now, I'm thinking my dad should read it. Granny and mom couldn't handle it.

This is one of those books I wanted to stay up all night researching Louis Zamperini's life. I wanted more. I went to work quizzing people if they had heard of Louis Zamperini's story. He's a remarkable man. I highly recommend this book, especially to those who grew up during that time.

Honey

2012-01-20T10:00:00.001-06:00

By Natalie

Hello, my name is Natalie and I'm addicted to honey. I want it on EVERYTHING. I make a smoothie every week day, and I've started adding honey to that. Then I'll have a bowl of Chex cereal and drizzle honey over it. When I get home from work I want to make a parfait with plain yogurt, granola, raisins, and you guessed it, HONEY.

One night for dinner, we had Honey Glazed Salmon. It's a really complicated recipe, you drizzle honey on the salmon and then grill it. Done and done.

One night Micah made me a snack, which was honey on a tortilla. I caught him making himself one the other day.

Help me out, what else can I add honey to?

NYC

2012-01-18T10:00:00.000-06:00

By Natalie

Shannon and I have been a few times to NYC together, and have always had a blast. This time was no exception. We stayed with April on the upper east side. Thank you April! Since we both have been we didn't have much on the agenda. So, I came up with a new agenda, CUPCAKES. Here you can find a detailed list of all the cupcakes we tried.

We spent time touring the city, and staying far away from crowds. The few times that we ventured into the crowds was NUTS. I do not advise visiting NYC after Christmas, especially if you are a first time visitor. The city was bursting at the seams with tourists.

We went to Canal Street, which is always an adventure. Thank goodness for Shannon's personal shopper, Monica. We tell her what we are looking for, and she leads us around to the back shops. Canal street was pretty particular about selling knock-off Louie's. They only had high end ones that run $200-300. Hello, I'd rather have a real purse for that price. We settled on Tory Burchs, I also scored some ear muffs. The ear muffs were the best purchase of the trip.

We attempted shopping at Macy's which was wall to wall people. I wonder how much merchandise walks out the door. Once you make it past the first floor, its much better. There's a line for the escalators, a line for the bathroom, fitting room, and checking out, forget about it. Shannon had the bright idea to go and see the light show on Saks 5th Avenue. Big mistake. The people were so thick you couldn't move. And the light show was a pretty big disappointment. We enjoyed the snowflakes much more a few years ago.

We had the chance to visit the 9/11 Memorial, although we had to lie our way in there. We did plan WAY ahead. I'm talking October, we signed up online for passes. The only day available was New Year's Eve. We had tickets, but didn't want to go then. So, we made it happen. The 9/11 memorial wasn't what I expected. I'd like to go back when they have the museum open.

We spent some time in Central Park, which is one of our favorite things to do. Except, this time it was full of people. We still were able to take some good photos.

For NYE Shannon went out with April to a club and did a very New York thing. Since I was pregnant and couldn't enjoy and drinks I stayed home and rested. You have no idea how tired I was. Although, people were impressed with my ability to stay up so late, and march all over the city.

For my birthday, Shannon treated me to Cafeteria. It's was really good, I recommend the mac n' cheese. We were treated a little poorly and were skipped over a few times for a table. I think this was because we didn't buy drinks at the bar when we first arrived. Hello, I'm pregnant! No drinks for me. Often times people couldn't tell that I was pregnant because of my coat and scarf. I got the stink eye a lot from waiters and bartenders because I wasn't drinking.

One of Shannon's favorite places in New York is Serendipity. She likes to get fries and a Frozen Hot Chocolate. We got a Frozen Hot Chocolate to share, and it was delicious. We were told over the phone that the wait would be 5 hours, so we marched over there to put our name down. Once we arrived, the wait was only an hour and half. We put our name down, spent some time at Bloomingdale's. We then waited about 20 more minutes, and we were in! Serendipity is worth the wait. They take reservations so call ahead or go during a non-peak hour.

The weather was really nice, and we only had one cold day (my birthday!). I'm not sure when I will every be able to go back but, I hope it's sooner than later!

a belated Merry Christmas

2012-01-16T10:00:00.000-06:00

By Natalie

I hope you enjoyed your holiday with your family! We had a great time visiting with our family and traveling around Texas.

For Christmas eve eve we enjoyed Gumbo! My favorite!

Every Christmas eve we go to candlelight service and come home to chicken enchiladas. After dinner we open presents with the extended family. This year the adults elected to have a Chinese Christmas. There were some great gifts for the girls apple TV, Chi hair dryer, Vera Bradley bags, and a Coach purse! I won the Vera Bradley bags, hooray!

This is the annual Christmas picture of the cousins. Here are all the grandkids with 2 great-grand kids. Next year, there will be 3 great-grand kids!!!

Christmas day is a little bit more relaxed. In the morning we open presents from my immediate family. Micah bought me an awesome Michael Kors watch, it's too big. So, I still haven't had a chance to wear it yet! We have a smaller traditional Christmas lunch and then Micah and I hop in the car and head to his parents' house. There we have a traditional Christmas dinner. We also open presents with the Kemps. I got a beautiful Fossil purse.

The Kemps minus Sean & Jen!

Me and Molly B, my MIL's labradoodle.

One of the cutest babies ever!

Big brother, Hudson, loving on lil' sister Harper.

I'm so thankful for my family and all of the wonderful presents. My family is so generous. Thank you! Christmas went by pretty quickly. Before I knew it, it was time to hop on a plane to NYC with Shannon!

What Will It Bee?

2011-12-05T10:00:00.000-06:00

By Natalie

I saw these invitations on Etsy and HAD to have them. My cousin Katy made me a beautiful cake. It was perfect. I LOVED IT!

Everyone gathered around as I sliced the cake to reveal pink or blue icing. I envisioned Micah and I slicing it together like a wedding cake. He told me I'm a little too weird for him.

Awww, It's a boy!

Isn't the bee on top so cute? Katy made it with fondant.

Here's the bee crew. They bought me the surprise shirt in Canton, and they all coordinated their bee outfits. Right down to baby Harper.

Here's the lovely bee girls!

After the party, we promptly drove over to Macy's and bought some cute BOY clothes. And my MIL when on a shopping spree and bought home so many cute outfits.

20 Weeks- It's a boy!

2011-12-04T19:39:00.000-06:00

By Natalie

We had our 20 week appointment on Friday, December 2nd. The 20 week appointment was awesome! I've only had one sonogram at 8 weeks, and at that point the baby looks like a little bean. It was completely obvious that it was a boy. He was NOT shy at all. The sonographer assured us that she was 100% sure and to go paint the nursery. Everything else looks great, 2 kidneys, 4 chambers of the heart, and good looking brain. The baby weighs 13 oz, right on schedule for 20 weeks 2 days.

Now, we just need to choose a name. I'm open to suggestions. I haven't a clue.

Pumpkin Lasagna

2011-11-23T10:00:00.000-06:00

By Natalie

I found this recipe on Food Lush, and Caitlin found it in Real Simple magazine. It's really delicious. As with all recipes I changed it up just a bit. I took this dish to work, and the ladies really enjoyed it. It's really creamy, and the pumpkin is not overpowering at all.

Pumpkin Lasagna

1 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
onion powder
1 bag of frozen spinach*
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 cups of heavy cream
1 cups (6 ounces) grated Parmesan
1 1/2 18- to 24-ounce packages refrigerated cheese ravioli

Heat oven to 400° F.
In a large skillet, over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the spinach and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes. Season with 1 teaspoon of the salt, 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper, and the nutmeg.
In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, cream, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, and the remaining salt and pepper.
Place a layer of ravioli in greased 8x8 baking dish. Top with half of the spinach mixture and almost half the pumpkin mixture. Top with another layer of ravioli. Repeat with the remaining spinach mixture and all but 1 cup of the pumpkin mixture. Top with the remaining ravioli, pumpkin mixture, and Parmesan. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more.

*I originally used fresh spinach and then it didn't look like enough, so I added some frozen spinach to the mix. You can use fresh spinach, you just might want to use 2 bunches.

18 Weeks- Boy or Girl

2011-11-21T13:00:00.000-06:00

Baby is the size of a large tomato this week. Baby turned 18 weeks on Wednesday, November 16th.

Pumpkins in the fire place is an idea I stole from Pinterest.

I looked up some old wives' tales to see if it is a boy or girl.

Heart rate- heart rate was over 140 BPM, so it's a girl.
Key test- If you pick up a key at the largest part, it's a boy. Who picks up a key at the narrow part anyways?
Mayan Tale- Mother's age + year of conception= 29 + 2011= 2040, even number means it's going to be a girl.
Acne- If you have acne during pregnancy it's a girl. Unfortunately I have acne.
Cravings- I want salt. Therefore I'm having a boy.
History of parents' kids- I'm a first born, I'll have what my mom had starting off with her second child, which is a boy. I'm having a boy.
Legs- I have tree trunks for legs, therefore I'm having a boy.
Chinese Calendar- Says its a boy
Dreams- Dreams show the opposite of what you are having. Therefore I'm having a boy.
Side you rest on- I prefer to rest on my left side, which equals a boy.
Hands- I show my hands with my palms up, so I'm having a girl.
Dad's weight gain- He hasn't gained any weight. We are having a boy.
Morning sickness- No morning sickness means it's a boy!
Breast test- Left is bigger, therefore a girl it will be.
Hands are dry- Mine are cracking. So it's going to be a boy.
Nose- My nose is staying the same, therefore I'm having a girl.
Baby Name- I can think of a girl name, but not a boy. So I'm going to have a girl.

It's a boy: 10
It's a girl: 7

We shall see on December 2nd! I CAN'T WAIT!

Crockpot Tuesdays

2011-11-16T10:00:00.001-06:00

By Natalie

My sad little crock pot has been pretty busy. I use the crock pot at least once a week. Here's what I've been cooking lately.....

I posted on Food Lush about Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup

Low Fat cheesy chicken from Crockpot Moms on Facebook

I tweaked this recipe because I couldn't find all the ingredients. Pour a can of broccoli and cheese soup, 2 chicken breasts (I used frozen ones), and 1 can of cream of chicken soup. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. When I got home I boiled up some noodles, and then poured the cheesy chicken mixture on top.

BBQ porkloin is another one of my favorites to cook up. It's so easy. It's my go-to when I'm feeding a large crowd.

I also made Taco Soup which is one of my cold weather favorites. We've made this in my family for years, but not necessarily in the crock pot. This is really a recipe that you don't need to cook all day. It usually takes me about 20 minutes to make anyways when I'm not using the crock pot.

When I cooked it in the crock pot, my only problem was that it was a little bit greasy. You can solve this problem by browning the meat before hand or skimming off the grease before serving it.

Taco Soup

1/2 pound of hamburger meat
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can of corn (drained and rinsed)
1 can of green chiles
1/2 a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing
1/2 a packet of Taco Seasoning
Optional: shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips

Brown the meat. Drain fat.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot. Add a little bit of water if looks to thick. Bring to a boil, and then let simmer 10-15 minutes.
Garnish with sour cream, shredded cheese, and tortilla chips.

Casper

2011-11-14T10:00:00.001-06:00

By Natalie

Micah had a bachelor party to attend in Houston, and I tagged along for the ride. This worked in my favor because I got to hang out with Shannon. When I arrived on Friday evening, I was a little worried she would want to go out. I had originally told her that I was going to arrive at 10-11, and when I showed up at her door at 9:30......Instead she needed help making Martha Stewart's no sew ghost costume. Except we totally had to sew, and there was lots of math involved. Don't you think it turned out cute?! I'm a toga goddess. This was a spare costume I had in my closet. It has never been worn, and it fit. Golden!

I went down to College Station on Saturday, but that's all that I'll mention. I had a glorious time with Brandi and Shannon. It felt a little bit like a fish camp reunion because we were at Nick's tailgate most of the time. And we went saw Laura on the ramps at Kyle, and she shared some good news with us.

When Micah picked me up on Sunday he brought this luxurious "cupcake" with him. It was very tasty, and might as well've been called a mini-cake. Because it was HUGE.

On actual Halloween, we handed out candy for the first time since we've lived here. Usually we go over to the Gilmores, but Bryan was out of town. Barley spent the entire night thinking he was getting visitors. Poor puppy.

How did you spend Halloween?

The Blathering Recap

2011-11-09T10:00:00.004-06:00

By Natalie

Jennie wanted me to go to the Blathering. It was only $35 and in Austin so bit the bullet and signed up. I wasn't sure what to expect. I felt pretty good knowing that I would know several people through book club, and if all else failed I could just hang on to Jennie's arm.

On Friday, I took a half day and rode down with Julie. She is my kind of driver, she never stops. That's my rule in my car, except usually Micah needs to make a stop.

We walked in to a beautifully decorated room, and we got these adorable name tags. I felt a little overwhelmed by all the eyes on me when I walked in. It was great to meet so many people....finally!

The above 2 photos were taken by Kristie

After Jonna and I were worn out, we headed over to Natalie's house, our gracious host. Natalie's house is really awesome, and her backyard is an oasis. But, before we made it to Natalie's we had to make a pit stop at Whataburger. Jonna had never been there before!

Saturday morning, some crazy pants people went on a 6 mile run. I attempted to sleep in with little success.

Jonna and I got moving and met up with the ladies at the Gypsy Picnic. The picnic was really fun! I tried Torchy's Tacos and a HUGE do-nut. I couldn't even finish the do-nut. I tried some waffle fries and they were sub par. They were $4 and after my astute calculations I found each fry to cost about 50 cents. NOT WORTH IT.

Jonna & Jennie

Christina chowing down!

After the picnic, we walked all the way to the capitol building for the book fair. I will take full responsibility, it was my idea to walk there. This was such a bad idea. My foot swelled up to one fat sausage. I thought I was going to have to perform surgery to get my sandal off. The book fair was a total bust. I thought it would be this giant room of tables with books and some authors. It wasn't like that at all. In fact the most interesting that happened was we saw this total hoochie pulling a Britney Spears. Not cool. We took a cab back to Jonna's car.

Being pregnant, I was hungry. We made our way over to Home Slice. We ran into some of the Blathering gang, but they were on their way out. Linnea was just arriving so she had a slice with us at the bar. She's preggo too, and very close to my due date. That brings the total to 4 pregnant people in our book club!!! After sufficiently being stuffed we went back to Natalie's for a little lie down. I contemplated not showering, but my feet were just too black.

For dinner, the organizers planned a fabulous dinner at Z Tejas. When I pulled up, I realized that I had already been there before. I went for my friend, Brandi's bachlorette party. She's also pregnant (2 weeks behind me!).

Taken by Jess (Me, Jennie, Jess, and Kristie)

Jennie and Kate

The dinner was really delicious, although I wasn't that hungry. I enjoyed the chocolate pie best.

I looked lovingly at the margaritas too. There was queso too! At dinner I sat with Elsha, Jen, Jonna, Kate, Jennie, Kristie, and Carissa. I mingled with Sarah, Jess, Elizabeth, Christina, and Erica. I wish I had mingled a little more. I feel like there were a few people that I didn't get to talk to at all. Jonna and I were pretty tired after dinner (it ended at 11!), and went back to Natalie's to catch some z's. Jonna also had a butt crack of dawn flight.

On Sunday, we met up at the Blathering living room for the last time for breakfast. I tried to chat with a few people that I hadn't met yet. I was so happy to see that Julie was there. I forgot to arrange a meet up with her to take me back to Dallas. Oops!

This was a great girl's weekend with some very lovely people! Check out the Blathering website for much more eloquent recaps, and the Flickr group for pictures. I didn't take too many pictures!

Berry Trifle

2011-11-07T10:00:00.002-06:00

By Natalie

During an especially busy week, I needed to make a dessert that would be ready in 10 minutes. My co-worker had just the recipe. This is so easy, and a crowd pleaser. I made the trifle and took it over to Jennie's and my co-worker made it the next day and brought it to work for a birthday celebration. Micah pretty much demolished what was left over.

Berry Trifle

1 package of frozen angel food cake (Sarah Lee is preferred)
1 family size box of instant vanilla pudding
1 can of sweet and condensed milk
1 package of frozen berries
cool whip
Nuts for garnish (I used walnuts)

Cut angel food cake into 1 inch cubes. Layer half of the angel food cake on the bottom of the trifle bowl.
Place half of the frozen berries on top of the angel food cake.
Mix the vanilla pudding with 2 cups of milk and 1 can of sweet and condensed milk. Pour half of the pudding mixture into trifle bowl.
Layer again-angel food cake, berries, then pudding.
Top with as much cool whip as you desire and sprinkle nuts on top

Natalie's tips: I couldn't find Sarah Lee frozen angel food cake so I used one already made in the bakery section of the grocery store. If the berries have lots of ice deposits on them, place in a strainer and run them under hot water. Blot dry with a paper towel. If you can't find family size pudding, use 1 cup of milk and 1 can of sweet and condensed milk.

Decorating in my dreams

2011-10-20T13:00:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

On Sunday, I took a luxurious nap. When I woke up I had a great idea for a nursery, if it's a girl. This is just a rough sketch. I like the idea of red & white. This would be the accent wall that the crib would be on.

The bedding could be something along this color scheme with a white crib skirt. I'm thinking white furniture.

This was the other idea I had with a pink accent wall. The color is hard to see in this picture.

If it's a boy, then Micah wants turtles. You have to understand Micah's love for turtles. He can spot turtles anywhere. I joined Pinterest to find some ideas! Here's what I found.

I consider myself pretty lucky. My mom is VERY creative and VERY talented. When I showed her these sketches, she liked the tree one best. Then I told her that Micah wants turtles; she said she draws really cute turtles. PERFECT. Granny and Mom sew too!

What are your ideas? What do you like best?

Chicken Posole and Pumpkin Chip Cookies

2011-10-19T14:00:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

This weekend we fell off the wagon big time. On Saturday, I had Whataburger AND Taco Bueno. Micah had Whataburger AND Chick-fil-a. On Sunday, I was determined to eat at home. Except we had no food.

I checked my google reader and found the Chicken Posole recipe from Eat at Home. I had almost every ingredient except carrots. Her recipes are always HUGE; she has a large family. Be sure to half them! I tweaked her recipe just a bit.

Chicken Posole

2 frozen chicken breasts
1 can of hominy (if you don't have hominy, use corn)
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of jalapeno salsa (you can find this in the Hispanic foods, if you can't look for chopped chiles)
3-4 carrots, sliced & peeled
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of chili powder
salt & pepper

Add all ingredients to crockpot and stir to combine. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

I served it over rice, I do not recommend this. You can serve it with tortilla chips. Sour cream and avocado would probably be good on top too. Since I did not have any carrots, I used frozen ones. This was a sad choice. Real carrots are much better!

For dessert we had Eat at Home's pumpkin chip cookies. Remember how I said to half every recipe? You'll want to half this one for sure. I made about 4 cookie sheets worth. Our co-workers are going to love us. Having a double oven really came in handy!

What's your favorite fall dessert?

Run For the Son 5K, 10K

2011-10-18T10:00:00.001-05:00

By Natalie

This weekend Micah ran a 10K and I ran the 5K. My doctor brought up exercising at the 8 week appointment and said that I'm clear to do anything that I want. He said it would be fine to run. I haven't been running very much. I wanted to make it out of the first trimester before I got back into it. The first trimester I did yoga three times a week, and some swimming on occasion.

Micah is training for the White Rock half marathon on December 4th. This was his first official week of training. The training schedule called for 3 mile runs on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I thought this was a bit bizarre. I thought he would run a 4 or 5 miler on Wednesday. But, come race day he had no problem!

Neither one of us wanted to wake up and go to the race. At least we finished! I finished my 5K 31:38, and Micah finished his 10K in 1:02:25. Micah wanted to finish in under an hour. He was disappointed with his time, but I think I slowed him down the first loop. The 10K course was just the 5K course twice.

Before the race I had Chex cereal. After I crossed the finish line I had an orange. They were offering yogurt and breakfast burritos, which did not sound very good. When I got home I made us eggs sandwiches with a cup of hot mango tea.

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

2011-10-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

As I grow older, I find myself becoming more and more like my parents. It's like we are related or something.

When I was growing up my dad would over estimate A LOT. He would say that he's turning 50 when he's only 45. He loves to round up. I found this pretty annoying, why wouldn't he just say how old he is? I understand it's hard being old and sometimes your forget EXACTLY how old your are. For most of a year I thought I was 27. Good thing I had Jennie to remind me that I was only 26. And this year when someone asks me how old I am, I say, "I'm going to be 30 in December." Why can't I just relish being 29 for a few more months? Ask dad how far away something is and he'll overestimate by an hour. This is SO me. Micah would ask me how far away Austin is, and the distance would get longer by an hour every time he asked.

My dad loves to dance. He'll start snapping his fingers and dancing around the kitchen at a drop of a hat. He's not gifted with dance, and I'm not either. But, we sure try. If I watch So You Think You Can Dance, I'm leaping and spinning all around my living room.

My rule following comes from my dad. I follow the rules, and so does Micah. This is one area we can agree. Although sometimes I get a streak of my mom in me, and want to cut some corners and break the rules.

Y'all remember that personality test, Meyers & Briggs? My dad loves Meyers & Briggs. He'll say this is my "E" coming out, or I have a "J." I always thought we were both the same (ESTJ). We have a little extrovert where mom and Jordan have the "I." Anyone else in 2011 still live by Meyers & Briggs?

I'm like my mom in many ways. We have the same smile. We look so much alike except she has blond hair. She'll tell anyone that I look like my dad. What do you think?

Sometimes when I'm talking, I think I sound just like my mom. Not that I'm saying what my mom says, but my pitch and tone. A little bit creepy.

At work, I have to draw silly pictures a lot. I'm such a visual learner, so I assume all my students are too! My co-workers like my drawings, and I think this is hilarious. Compared to my mom I'm terrible at drawing.

My entire family is pretty avid readers. My mom and I's ability to tune everyone (SPOUSES!) out is a pretty nice trick while reading. I remember growing up I would have to put my hand on her book and say, "MOM!" to get her attention. Micah has to do this all the time, except he doesn't say, "Mom" more like "HELLO ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?!"

My mom is a special educator. I taught special education for 3 years, and then went back and got my masters. Now I'm a Speech Language Pathologist and work with students with special needs. Funny how things turn out, especially when my degree is in psychology.

I can't wait to see what my child will take from the both of us. Will the baby be a mixture or strictly like Micah? I hope my child gets my organizational skills, humor (I'M THE FUNNY ONE), and studiousness. From Micah I hope they take his smarts and attention to detail, but my ability to finish a task!

This is me at 13.5 weeks. Baby is around the size of a peach. Don't mind my extra wrinkly shorts.

Roasted Tomato Pasta

2011-10-12T18:34:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

I'm shopping in Central Market on Monday. I give Micah a ring.

Me: Can you make me some mozzarella this week? I need it by Wednesday.
Micah: Sure.
Me: Are you sure? Because I can buy the mozzarella right now for $3.80.
Micah: I'm sure.

Well, guess what? Wednesday comes and there is no mozzarella to be found. I will cut him some slack because he has been telling all his friends face to face our news on Monday and Tuesday night.

Since we didn't have any fresh mozzarella balls. I used shredded instead. I found the Penne with Roasted Tomatoes and Mozzarella recipe from Foodie Bride. Because of my brain not working and my lack of ingredients I had to modify this recipe. It's really easy and comes together in about 25 minutes.

Roasted Tomato Pasta

Pint of cherry tomatoes
olive oil
1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil
1 clove of garlic
1/2 lb of pasta, I used rotini
1/4 cup starchy water
shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 400.
Slice tomatoes in half and place in a small baking dish. Sprinkle with olive oil and fresh basil. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes.
Bring a water to boil and add pasta. Cook pasta to desired doneness, reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water. Then strain pasta.
Add a little bit of pasta water to the pasta. This will prevent sticky pasta.
Smash tomatoes up a bit, then poor entire contents of baking dish on top of the pasta. Add a bit more starchy water if necessary.
Garnish with shredded mozzarella.

This recipe can also be transformed by pouring the roasted tomatoes over navy beans!

BIG NEWS

2011-10-11T19:19:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

I have been waiting for almost 13 weeks to tell everyone...I'M PREGNANT! This is such a hard secret to keep!!

I had a doctor's appointment at 4:00 on Friday, October 7th. We heard the heartbeat and were so thankful. Then we packed our bags and drove to Katy to tell his folks!

I've been feeling fine. I want to eat everything and am pretty tired. Micah says this is nothing new, I'm always tired and hungry. I haven't been sick, and hopefully I won't since I've made it out of the first trimester.

We are so excited and I can't wait until April to meet the little guy/gal!

Corn and Avocado Quinoa Salad

2011-10-05T14:00:00.001-05:00

By Natalie

Have you jumped on the quinoa band wagon? I think it's pretty good if you add lots of spices and veggies. It can be bland if you try to eat it like rice. It is a great source of protein. I found Toasted Quinoa Corn and Avocado Salad on Ezra Pound Cake.

Let's get real, I don't have time to sit around and toast quinoa. I just boiled it like I normally do with all the spices.

Also, I don't have time to shuck corn and cut all the corn off the cob. I just go the easy route and use frozen corn. That I always have on hand. I just zapped it in the microwave for 30 seconds before I added it to the salad.

What's your opinion about cilantro and parsley? It's usually pretty cheap, but I don't like to waste my money on these herbs. When I buy them, I use about 1/8th of the bunch and the rest goes bad. So, I usually omit it from the recipe.

A few years ago you would've never seen me eat an avocado. Now I love them. I really like guacamole too. Wholly guacamole is one of my favorites. I don't eat guacamole at restaurants too often because it usually has GIANT crunchy onions. <shiver>

P.S. Do not forget to rinse the quinoa before you eat it! You will need a super fine mesh strainer.

Orzo Salad

2011-10-03T15:00:00.002-05:00

By Natalie

This Orzo Salad has everything in it except the kitchen sink. Ezra Pound Cake suggests adding in pepperoni, cucumber, olives, red bell pepper, and basil. I added all of these additions except olives.

I goofed at the store and forgot to buy ditalini pasta AND navy beans. I made some substitutions, and everything turned out all right. I used orzo instead of ditalini and black beans instead of navy beans.

This pasta stays fresh for a few days. I had it for a few lunches.

Breakfast for Dinner

2011-09-28T15:30:00.001-05:00

By Natalie

I was not in the mood to cook, and bacon sounded really good. I decided to make breakfast for dinner. I'm a BIG fan of breakfast. I could eat a bowl of cereal 3 times a day. Right now, I show restraint and just eat cereal twice a day.
The cinnamon rolls are from a can. Gasp! They were so gooey and sticky. Say what you will, but cinnamon rolls from a can are delicious.

I poured most of the bacon grease out and just left a little bit to cook the eggs in. Micah was overjoyed with this plan. He LOVES bacon and especially eggs cooked in BACON.

What's your go to meal when you don't want to cook?

Indian Chicken

2011-09-26T16:00:00.004-05:00

By Natalie

In Boston, we went to an Indian restaurant with the most delicious sauce. I wanted to eat the sauce with a spoon! I think I made something similar with this tomato-yogurt sauce. Micah said that it doesn't taste like the sauce at all. What does he know?

The day before I made zucchini pasta and had so many vegetables that I saved some to serve as a side with this Indian dish. I poured some of the sauce on the veggies to tie it all together. I also served naan. Bread is so good.

I used boil-a-bag rice as a short cut. I boiled the rice in chicken broth and one clove of garlic (minced). I'm unable to cook rice without making a huge mess. I pretty much only have boil-a-bag rice on hand.

You can find the recipe for Indian chicken here from Foodie Bride.

Mini Eggplant Pizzas

2011-09-23T19:08:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

I found this recipe on Food Lush, the site that I write for on Fridays. I was a little bit leary about this recipe, because I don't like eggplant. I'm trying to be brave, so I thought I would try it.

And, I'm happy to report they turned out great! Cheese always makes things taste great.

I do need to remember to cook eggplant earlier in the week. I do all my shopping on Monday, and waiting 5 days to eat it, is a bit too long. Nonetheless, it still turned out great. Now, to convince Micah to taste some. He told me I'm supposed to make his pizzas on naan that we had leftover from last night.

Here's how I made it:

1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
handful of basil
Italian seasoning
mozzarella

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Slice eggplant into horizontal 1/2 inch- 1 inch slices.
Place eggplant on cookie sheet, brush olive oil and sprinkle salt on eggplant. Cook for 6 minutes, turn and cook for another 6 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat tomato sauce in small sauce pan. Add 1 tsp of Italian seasoning and handful of chopped basil. Cook on low heat until eggplant is done.
Add sauce and sprinkle cheese on cooked eggplant.
Cook about 3 minutes until cheese is melted.

Quick Lunch: Sweet Potato Tacos

2011-08-26T14:00:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

This is one of my go to lunches, when I've reached the bottom of the fridge. Or if I have left over rice from the night before. You can get pretty creative with this recipe. I use what I have one hand. This recipe is based on the Whole Life Nutrition's Black Bean and Yam wraps. Whole Life Nutrition is a great resource for gluten free and vegan recipes.

Sweet Potato Tacos
1 sweet potato
1 can of black beans
1 avocado
lettuce or spinach
tortillas
salsa
sour cream
shredded cheese
Cook sweet potato at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes depending on size. Meanwhile cook black beans. Heat tortilla in microwave for 10 minutes. Once potato is ready, spread on tortilla. Then add black beans, and top with salsa, spinach, shredded cheese, avocado, and sour cream.

*If you have time, Spanish rice is a nice addition. I prefer Rice a Roni's Spanish rice with Rotel.

Black and White Angel Food Cake

2011-08-25T14:00:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

On Friday night Micah made chocolate ice cream. This recipe is awesome, and a lot of work. That's why I make Micah in charge of the ice cream making. The recipe calls for EIGHT egg yolks, then you end up with all of these egg whites. I started searching for something to make besides a giant omelet, and stumbled across a Black and White Angel Food Cake recipe.

I've never made Angel Food Cake before. This isn't a dessert I usually crave. I thought this recipe was perfect because it had cocoa in it. I was missing a few of the ingredients cream of tartar (it's at school so we can make play dough) and cake flour. I subbed the cream of tartar for white vinegar. I used regular flour instead of cake flour, and it worked out! I decided not to make the vanilla bean whipped cream, because I was going to serve the cake with ice cream. I was so happy to have my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. Otherwise my arm would've fallen off beating 12 egg whites into stiff peaks. This recipe is fat free!

Stir Fry

2011-08-24T16:00:00.001-05:00

By Natalie

Some of the quickest meals I've made are either pasta or stir fry. You can find the recipe for Ginger-Scented Corn and Asparagus Stir Fry here. I used boil a bag rice and frozen corn to cut down the prep time. I omitted the tofu and green onions, I wasn't feeling that adventurous. I like using fresh veggies, it makes me feel healthier. I also added some frozen green beans that I had lying around. That's the great thing about stir fry, it's very versatile. You can add any veggies you have on hand. This stir fry was unique in that it used asparagus and corn. It was very tasty!

My Favorite Summer Drink: Basil Lemonade

2011-08-23T15:00:00.002-05:00

By Natalie

While perusing my google reader I came across Basil Lemonade from Love and Olive Oil. This sounded very refreshing, and I have unlimited supply of basil. The drought is pretty bad here, and our grass is fried. But, the basil plant and rosemary are trucking along. I was happy to find another way to use basil!

I changed the recipe a little bit. I felt it was a little bit too sweet, and added more water.

Basil Lemonade
1/8 c of sugar
2 lemons
handful of basil

Make simple syrup by combining an 1/8 of cup of sugar and 1 cup of water in the microwave, and heat until the sugar is dissolved. About 1 minute. Meanwhile, squeeze 2 lemons in a pitcher and add the basil. Then muddle the basil and lemon juice. Once the simple syrup has cooled add to the lemon juice basil mixture. Add another cup or 2 of water and refrigerate. Serve over ice.

Black Bean Burgers

2011-08-22T15:00:00.001-05:00

By Natalie

This was my first time to make Spicy Mango Black Bean burgers. I just dipped my toe in a little by making them half black bean and half turkey burgers. They were a lot of work. First, I had to make the mango salsa. Then blend up the black beans and salsa.

Next, add all this to the ground turkey. They were so sticky! I think this is my fault because I omitted half of the black beans. I already had half a can of black beans in the fridge, and didn't want to open another can! I shaped the patties and then froze them for 10 minutes.

Then Micah and I had a cook off. I didn't think they would stay together on the grill. Micah managed all right. He sprayed down the grill with cooking spray. I cooked mine on the stove! They both turned out well. They were not Micah's favorite.

For lunch the next day I had a patty in a tortilla. The tortilla went well with the avocado sauce.

Spotlight Ingredient: Spinach

2011-08-18T15:00:00.001-05:00

By Natalie

I bought this giant box of spinach. It was only a $1 more for the GIANT box, and you get double the spinach. Problem is there is only two of us. How are we going to eat it all?!

For breakfast I made spinach and mozzarella cheese omelets. (photo credit: myrecipes.com)

For dinner I made spinach and tomato pasta with a spinach side salad. I garnished the salad with strawberries and almonds. Just call me Popeye today!

What are your favorite spinach recipes?

Baked Ziti with Summer Veggies

2011-08-17T21:10:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

I'm back to school! This week is full of training, which is not so fun. I'm ready for the kids, which is the fun part. Not sitting in a chair for 8 hours listening to people drone on and on. That's one of the reasons I work with kids, it's always changing and I'm always moving!

After training I hit up Central Market. I usually make a grocery store run on Mondays, but I'm just now getting to the grocery store trip. Monday we went out for restaurant week to Parigi on Oak Lawn. It was okay, I'm not sure I'll be returning. The dinner took forever (3 hours!). There was only 1 cook for the entire restaurant. On Tuesday, we celebrated Katy's birthday at Carinos. Poor dear made her own Hello Kitty cupcakes. She sent some home with us. SCORE!

Tonight I made Baked Ziti with Summer Veggies. It was pretty easy, and delicious. Go ahead and be liberal with the Chachere's and S & P. Micah wanted a little more red pepper flakes. I also didn't measure the mozzarella, I just put enough until it looks good!

Lobstah

2011-08-10T10:00:00.003-05:00

By Natalie

Like the crazy person that I am, I went to 2 grocery stores today. I stopped at Central Market to get my produce and fish/meats. Then stopped off at Target to get the other stuff that is very overpriced at Central Market. I also found some dishes on clearance. The plates were only 88 cents. Cute, huh? I really can't be trusted at Target.

Lunch
I saw Jonna's recipe for beans and tomatoes this morning and decided to make it straight away. It's really delicious, although I might have gone too heavy on the garlic. I was happy to use basil from my garden. Surprisingly my basil plant is growing leaps and bounds despite the drought.

Dinner

At Central Market they had lobster tails on sale for $6.99. I've never made this before, and they are a little tricky to get into. I used these links found here and here for advice. They were pretty delicious but that's mostly due to the butter. I made mashers as a side and a fresh salad with strawberries and almonds.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

2011-08-09T16:37:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

Sometimes you just feel like a traditional breakfast. Like the best wife that I am, I made bacon, eggs, and pancakes. The pancakes were a little dicey, because I ran out of milk, and then noticed that I didn't have enough Bisquik. Oops, I should have just halved the recipe in the first place. What's your favorite breakfast food?

Later that night we went to the Ranger game with my parents. My parents were on the smile cam at the ball park. So exciting! It wasn't too hot at the game, just 100 degrees. It cooled down to about 99, and there was a breeze going. Michael Young had 2000 hits at the game. The Rangers ended up winning but only after we left the game. I guess we were bad luck!

Who Are You?

2011-08-06T16:53:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

Micah was on the trail by sunrise, and his plan was to ride 80 miles today. I thought he was crazy. I didn't even hear him leave this morning. If you know Micah, you know this is a miracle in itself that he was awake. He LOVES to sleep. The plan was for me to ride 20-30 miles with him today. I woke up a little bit before 8, quickly got ready and met him on the trail. The timing worked out perfectly, we couldn't have planned it better. As soon as I pulled into the parking lot, Micah and Erik were riding in. Micah's plan was to ride 35 miles, then come back in for a water stop to refill. Erik headed home and then I started riding with Micah.

My knee felt sore the minute I got on the bike. It didn't end up hurting me too much during the ride (thankfully!). I couldn't catch a breath during the ride. This is how I felt on the run yesterday. I'm not used to feeling this way. It was a tough 25 miles, I just wanted to pull over and die under a tree. I wish November would hurry up and get here.

After we finished 25 miles, I left Micah to refuel, and then he headed out for another lap. All in all he completed 83.3 MILES! Can you believe it? I'm so incredibly proud of the progress he's made this year. He's lost 40 pounds and waking up at dawn to ride. Who is this man and what have you done with my husband? I'm overjoyed with the transformation!

He's going to do awesome on Hotter N' Hell on the 27th!

Running through the Summer

2011-08-05T10:30:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

I'll be captain obvious here, but it's hot. It's miserable. No one wants to go outside. I'm sitting inside with the curtains drawn and the fan going at high speed.

I went running at 8:15 this is the earliest I could make it happen. Every step felt like murder. It felt like I was sucking in fire. And it was only 85 degrees out. I'm not conditioned to this heat. I haven't spent many days this summer pounding the pavement. I ran/walked 3 miles at a pathetic pace of 11 min/mile.

What do you do to get through this heat? How do you motivate yourself to take another step?

Carrots N' Cake showed me this awesome site. Atlinks.com tracks all of the races you've ever done. It's really cool! You can even check out your friends' races. It's there that I saw that I've had a pace of 8:37/mile for a 5K back in 2006. I need to get back there. I need to kick that 10 min/mile pace to the curb.

Stuffed Cheddar Bacon Burgers

2011-08-04T16:05:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

Last night I made hamburgers, and these were not your average burgers. No ma'am. They were stuffed with cheddar AND BACON. Yummy! We cooked them on the green egg and they were full of charcoal flavor. As sides we had zucchini and new potatoes. I sprinkled the veggies with Chachere's and a little bit of butter. I wrapped the veggies in separate foil packets. The potatoes stayed on the grill for about 20 minutes, turn them after 10 minutes. The zucchini was on for about 7-10 minutes.

For dessert, I had TWO iced coffees. Micah had left over coffee from the morning. He stores his coffee in a super special thermos, and the coffee is still hot 8 hours later. I poured the coffee over ice and added hazel nut creamer and Kahlua. So, delicious.

Go figure, I couldn't go to sleep. Micah and I stayed up and watched Sons of Anarchy. I like this show, but Jax's character annoys me a bit. He's either aggressively hugging his "brothers" or aggressively kissing women. If he's not doing those things, then he's swaggering around the hospital. I really dislike his swagger.

Work Out
Nada. I made an executive decision and took the day off.

Jambalaya and Hurricanes

2011-07-30T16:25:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

I haven't set foot in New Orleans since '03. I'm ready to go back, but I will NOT be trying a hand grenade. Those babies are lethal.

Dinner

I made Mel's Kitchen Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya. It was very tasty. Feel free to have a heavy hand with applying the Chachere's. After it was done cooking, I added the rice and let it sit together for about 30 minutes. This made the the jambalaya pretty creamy. Like Mel says in her post there are many different types of jambalaya. This one isn't very tomato-ey. If you love tomatoes, I think it would be fine if you add another can of Rotel.

I had to make a Hurricane to go with it. There are many, many recipes out there for hurricanes. I just searched until I found one that I had all the ingredients. This is more of a summer hurricane. Here's the recipe I used:

1 oz of Orange Liqeur
1 oz of Bacardi Rum
1/2 cup of pineapple juice
1/2 cup of apple juice
1 tbsp of lime juice
slice of pineapple for garnish

The whole time I was making this drink, "Here I am, Rock You Like a Hurricane" kept playing in my head. Too bad that's all the words I know......

Workout
I didn't wake up in time to go for a run. But, if you want to go for a run in these parts you'd have to wake up at 6 AM. That's for the birds. I decided to do Wii Fit yoga. The Wii was pretty dismayed that I hadn't been on in 177 days.

I'm not that keen about the Wii Fit yoga. I wish the program would suggest modifications. That's what yoga is all about, doing poses at YOUR level. Also, it's pretty hard to have zen moments during this work out. I wish it had salutations or flows.

Lemon Chicken and Quinoa Salad

2011-07-28T20:18:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

We arrived home from Maui at 5:00 AM on Wednesday morning on little sleep and extremely jet lagged. Micah got some sleep on the plane, I felt like I slept for about 10 minutes. It's a loooong flight and my foot was as fat as a sausage.

Nonetheless we had a hard time going to sleep last night. We probably went to sleep around 2 AM. I woke up this morning at 8:20. Quickly changed into my yoga gear for my class that starts at 8:30. Luckily my gym is so close, and takes about a minute to get there.

After yoga I went to Target for some grocery shopping and then later I went to Sprouts to get produce and meat. I'm really making life hard by going to 2 grocery stores in one day.

Work Out
Two weeks ago my knee became very sore after my yoga class. I don't think it was my yoga class, but maybe the running that I did the days before. I've been taking it easy for 2 weeks. So sad. I ran 2 miles on the beach and felt pretty good. This morning when I woke up I felt a little sore, which is probably due in part to the flight. Yoga is so awesome for stretching! The instructor always asks if anyone is hurting before she starts the class. I told her about my knee, and she checked in frequently with me during class. It was great. I'm feeling good now!

Dinner

I made Lemon Chicken and Quinoa Salad. It was really flavorful. I doubled the lemon (on accident). I put 2 tbsp lemon juice in the pot to boil, and then added 2 more tbsp after the quinoa was cooked. It was pretty tasty this way! Quinoa didn't photograph well, it's tastier than it looks!

Since I'm still missing Maui I made a skinny pina colada, which is actually not that skinny. It is about 140 calories, but I made a double batch. It was a little strong to me, so I added more pineapple juice. I bought the coconut water at Sprouts. They have several different kinds. I've had coconut water out of a real coconut, and did not like it AT ALL. But, this was actually tasty.

Currently Coveting at the Limited

2011-07-16T13:34:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

I went to Collin Creek mall in Plano. That mall is sliding down hill at a very rapid pace. The Ann Taylor Loft and Gap have closed down and been replaced with no name stores. I went into the Limited not expecting much. But, everything at the Limited is 40% off. I wanted so many things, but I showed restraint! The Limited is my secret weapon sometimes for finding cocktail dresses on sale. Except, I have no need for a cocktail dress at the moment.

I want this dress

and this ruffle tank

Oh, and this top is nice too! I wouldn't tuck it in....

Harry Potter

2011-07-16T09:01:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

Mom came over early to help me finish painting the inside of the game room. Glad I have her around to paint doors. Doors are super tricky!

She's glad that I have her around, because I've fed her lunch 3 days this week. I packed us a picnic lunch with delicious sandwiches, green apple, chips, and Dove Promises. We headed up to the theater one and half hours early to wait in line for Harry Potter. I bought the tickets online a few days ago, but I needed to pick them up at the box office. We arrive at 12:30 and there really wasn't a line. I can't believe it! I thought it was going to be packed! We go to Barnes & Noble and eat our lunch then head back over to the theater at 1:00. We wait outside of the theater in the AC for about 30 minutes. We watch all the boring "First Look" previews and commercials. Except mom fell in love with the new dolphin movie that has a prosthesis. The previews are about to start and the projector turns off and the lights come on. We wait around 11 minutes, and then they give us free passes. After a few more minutes they parade us over to the 3D movie, and finally we get to watch the movie. The movies was great. I'm sad the series is over, and Voldermort is dead! Hooray!

Mom and Dad recently received a Big Green Egg. Soon everyone will in the family will have one. Mom wanted to make a brisket, and Dad was in charge of inviting everyone over. We had brisket, salad, new potatoes, and corn on the cob. For dessert Katy made snickerdoodle blonde brownies (they are as good as they sound) and peanut butter cup cookies (equally amazing). Micah brought over some key lime pie ice cream. We left the ice cream over at mom's house, now we won't be in charge of eating it all.

I got to see sweet baby Harper. She was mesmerized by her new lady bug shoes. Scott didn't even realize she was in the car because she was quiet and staring at her shoes.

Mom picked figs from her yard. She was braver than us all and tasted one right off the ground! What should she make with the fresh figs?

Mom and Dad's dogs:

Ace, fearful of thunder, and great at posing for pictures.

Dax, I could only catch the tail end! He has a helicopter tail.

Barley has some company this weekend. His dear friend Drago came over. He loves Drago. Barley looks so vicious when he's playing with Drago. I've never seen his teeth come out like that!

Painting at the Break of Dawn and Brisket Tacos

2011-07-14T22:50:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

I awoke at 6:09 AM without an alarm clock, and put in my contacts. I changed into my painting clothes, and went outside and started painting the 2nd coat and the door. The sun was coming up as I was starting to paint. Painting doors is tough, especially for a terrible painter like myself.

When I had finished painting I was washing the paint brushes and rollers in the backyard, and Micah comes tearing out of the house. He thought a pipe had burst. I guess he didn't even realize I was already out of bed painting the house like a mad woman.

Work Out
I met Brandi at LA Fitness for yoga class. We worked on our hips. My legs are sore, and my knee is killing me. When I went to class my right knee was hurting me a little bit. But, now my left knee is aching. Not good.

Dinner
I took a co-worker some brisket tacos and was planning on taking her key lime pie ice cream. I prepared the ice cream, and was about to pour it into the ice cream maker when I realized that the insert was not frozen. Micah and I do not want to eat all this ice cream by ourselves!

Gilmore's Brisket Tacos

2 lb roast
4 chicken bullion cubes
1 jar of pepperocinis with juice
1 packet of dry Italian dressing seasoning
2 cups of water
1 roughly chopped onion
tortillas
mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese

Put all of the ingredients through onion in your crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over warm tortillas and sprinkle cheese on top. They are delicious!

Spinach Tomato Pasta Shells

2011-07-13T22:10:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

Tonight I made Spinach Tomato Pasta Shells. Of course I could not get the sauce to thicken. When you add the 1/2 c of chicken broth, I would scale back to 1/4 c or eliminate it all together. I even added about 9 oz of spinach, 4 more oz than the recipe required. The recipe was really easy, I'm just terrible with sauces!
Micah insisted that I pose the food this way:

Work Out
Yesterday, Micah comes home and announces I can not go running there is a heat advisory going on until Thursday morning. So, I go to the gym and run 5 miles on the treadmill at a 9:30/mile pace. Even though I can get pretty bored on the treadmill yesterday wasn't so bad. Finally there was something good on the TV, Friday Night Lights. I think it was the pilot episode, all the characters looked so young.

Today, Micah rode 10 miles on his bike and then set off to run 2.5 miles. Hmmm, isn't there still a heat advisory going on?! I tell him to wait for me, and we go running together. We take it pretty easy, because it is super hot. I ran about a 10 minute mile.

After my run, I thought I deserved this tasty treat (Summit Maibock & grape tomatoes):

To-Do List

My to-do list is shaping up nicely thanks in large part to my parents. I don't know what I would do without them. My mom came over early and helped me paint our latest renovations that took place in April. We had a 3 pane sliding glass door in the game room, we took that out and put in one door. You can't even tell! We got the first coat put on, and in the process almost died of heat stroke. I caulked some nail holes, and the 2nd coat will cover those up. I supplied us with smoothies for our hard work. I also gave mom left overs from last night for lunch. She literally licked the plate!

2 Meals 1 Sauce

2011-07-12T18:36:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

On Monday, I made Tilapia Puxa Vida from Baked Bree. The sauce was so fresh.

First you chop some onions, jalapeno, and roasted red peppers in the food processor. Can you believe it? I actually used onions!

Then sautee the veggies with garlic, 1 can of roasted tomatoes, and 1/2 can of coconut milk. Then pour the tomato mixture over the tilapia and place in the oven.

I cooked it for 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes. I cooked it at a higher temperature than Baked Bree recommended. I'm impatient.

Side note: I finally found out the secret to Road House's baked potatoes. Road House has the best salty potatoes. First, I always microwave my potatoes for 3-4 minutes. I sprayed Pam on the outside of the potato then rolled it in kosher salt. Wrap them in foil. Then put them in the oven at 400 degrees for 1 hour. Do you have any baked potato secrets?

The recipe made so much sauce, that I refrigerated it and used it today. This was even after I halved the recipe. I flew by the seat of my pants for this recipe today. I boiled some egg noodles that I had lying around in the pantry. I sauteed some chicken breasts that I sprinkled with s & p, and Tony's. I reheated the sauce, assembled it all together, and sprinkled some Parmesan cheese on top. It was really simple, and will be great reheated.

Mundane Monday

2011-07-11T17:16:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

Yesterday I told Micah, "Tomorrow you have to go to work, and I have to get massage." He glared at me, and the lady next to us laughed. My massage got canceled, I guess that's what I get for rubbing it in. Today I made a billion trips to 1,000 different stores. Okay, I'm exaggerating but that's what it felt like.

First I went to PetCo and bought dog food. I decided to switch it up because our 114 lb beast has suddenly become picky.

Then to Target to buy some groceries. I don't buy meat at Target, it's disgusting.

Came home and unloaded groceries.

Stop off at the vet to return a Furminator. It's a hair brush. It costs $50. Barley does not deserve a $50 hair brush. Micah bought it, and he's crazy.

Drive to Plano to Charming Charlie's to buy flip flops for Just Expressive's flip flop exchange.

Then to the 2nd grocery store of the day, Central Market. This is where I buy my meat. I love buying my meat from the butchers at Central Market. They are so friendly. I must always go at 3:46 to avoid the crowd.

Came home and unloaded groceries.

Final stop, the liquor store. We've need vodka for awhile. I need it to top off my homemade vanilla extract. 1 liter of vodka was $34 and 1.75 liters of vodka was $36. You do the math, you would get the giant bottle too? Right? And as an added bonus the clerk gave me a piece of chocolate.

Today, I also finished up Season 1 of Swamp People. I know, I should be ashamed of myself. But, I've learned so many things from that show. Like, overalls are still in, cajuns are the worst dancers on the planet, and what "tree shaker" means. If your front tooth is missing don't worry about it. You now have a special slot for cigarettes. Now, I really wish my Granny would make me some gumbo.

As a special treat, Micah came home for lunch and brought me Jimmy John's. I love their veggie sandwich. The avocado spread is delish!

Healthy Living Tips

2011-07-07T20:34:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

1. Take cokes out of your diet. Take them out of your diet for a week and see what happens. A friend of mine said that his doctor told him, "If you have to choose between a diet Dr Pepper or a beer, you choose the beer." His liver had become fatty because of the sodas he was drinking. My doctor said he has seen a correlation with his patients and MS and diet soda.

2. Don't eat out. Whatever you currently eat out, try to cut that in half. It's almost impossible to eat healthy when you eat at restaurants. These restaurants are sly. I ordered a portobello burger at Cheesecake Factory thinking I was being semi-healthy, and it was 1100 calories. Umm, might as well of had a bacon cheese burger.

3. Don't buy temptation foods. It is so easy to say "no" one time at the grocery store than to say "no" over and over at your house. I would stand in front of the pantry all day long snacking, so I try to just have healthy choices on hand. Don't get me wrong, I have chocolate and cheddar bunnies as my go to snack. I just limit the quantities.

4. Get a buddy. For the 7 years that Micah and I have been together, he rarely worked out with me. I'm so thrilled that we can work out together now. We keep each other honest. We encourage each other and play devils advocate. When I don't want to work out, he makes me. And vice versa.

5. Pack your lunch. I work in a school setting, so I really don't have the option to go out. You save money and you save calories by not eating out. Sometimes this is a very difficult habit to break. If you eat out 5 days a week, try to shave it down to 3. Just try and cut back the best you can. Pack a sandwich, or have frozen lunches at the office. Make extra when you cook dinner. After we finish eating dinner, I pack the left overs into portable lunches. Feel like you are left out of socializing? Get a group together to make lunches together. When I worked in Houston some teachers set up a lunch rotation. Each teacher would be in charge of preparing lunch 1 day a week. You'll need to keep this group small to not feel overwhelmed.

6. Bribe yourself. Set a long term goal, and go for it. Micah's motivator was a beer festival in September in Colorado. If he lost 30 pounds he gets to go to GABF, and he made it! Long term goals, don't work for you? Make a short term goal. "When I run 3 miles I get to buy $135 shoes." "When I work out 3 times a week, I get an ice cream cone on Friday." You know what motivates you. Take a picture, write it down, and put it on the fridge to remind you!

7. Broadcast it. Get the news out there that you are making changes, losing weight, and working out. When you spread that news, people will ask you about your progress. This is a great checks and balance. Sometimes when I run I think about how excited I'm going to be to tell FB or Twitter that I ran "this many miles" or I did it in "this amount of time." It keeps me motivated to not disappoint my friends and family.

8. Set a work out goal. I do really well when I know what I'm working for. I set up a training schedule, and I treat it like the gospel. Right now Micah is working towards Hotter N' Hell 100, this keeps him motivated to ride. He made a schedule and put it in his iPhone. I set up a weekly schedule that I stick to. For example, Mondays-long run, Tuesdays-spin class, Wednesdays-swim & strength train, Thursday-yoga, Friday-off, Saturday-long ride, Sunday-off. Write down your schedule, and schedule outings with friends around this.

Make it that simple. Convince yourself you want to change, and you will. People can change all the time. Just look at Micah, he's down 40 pounds since January.

Ice Cream Debacle

2011-07-06T17:44:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

For 4th of July weekend my parents planned a family reunion at the river in New Braunfels. They rented 2 awesome houses for all of us. The view:

At one point we had 32 people to feed on Saturday night. I had high hopes of serving chocolate ice cream, key lime pie ice cream, and strawberry basil sorbet.

A few Christmases ago my fabulous Aunt B gave every family a cuisinart ice cream maker. Micah and I use ours all the time. I told everyone to bring there ice cream makers to the river. I had dreams of having 3 ice cream makers going at one time. Once we arrived around 5:00 PM on Saturday, I put the ice maker inserts into the fridge so they could freeze up.

Wake up the next morning, and they aren't frozen. Check all day long and they still aren't frozen. I'm so disappointed. I blame the fridge. I've never had this problem at home. My second cousin, Tandy had joked about bringing a hand crank ice cream maker. She thought it would be fun for the kids. I thought she was crazy! Turns out I'm so glad she brought the hand crank. She made vanilla ice cream and they cranked it out in about 30 minutes, everyone took a turn. This vanilla had raw eggs!

Nobody could wait to lick the ice cream blades.

Later in the evening the ice cream inserts had still NOT frozen, so we hand cranked the chocolate ice cream. Micah had spent HOURS making this custard. It's rocket science to make this recipe. It takes 16 egg yolks since he made a double batch! The kids took turns hand cranking it out, and it was amazing. We even had macadamia nuts for toppings.

We are a bunch of savages, and had to stick our fingers in the ice cream right away!

Thank goodness for Tandy and the old fashioned hand crank ice cream maker from the 60s.

Man Love

2011-07-02T10:13:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

When Micah and Gilmore get together they giggle. They crack each other up until they cry, and are usually full of mischief. Last night was no exception. I invited myself out on a boys' night to the Ranger game. Our tickets were up in the third deck. I never sat in my designated seat the entire night. After the second inning Gilmore had the genius idea to move down to the first deck. He chose section 10. Little did we know that section 10 was guarded by the ball park Nazi, Dewayne. Dewayne has served the ball park for over 8 years. We had no idea what we were up against.

We try to casually sit down in section 10 and in no less than 30 seconds, Dewayne is all over us. He asks us for our tickets. We explain that our tickets are in section 325. He says, "Well next time spend the $65 if you want better seats." Gilmore begs to stay gesturing over the completely empty section. Dewayne kills us with kindness by saying, "please. Please. Please." We move.

We journey over to first base far from Dewayne, and have no problem sneaking in over there. We have a great view of Dewayne, the great ball park enforcer. Many people try to get into section 10 but no one lasts more than 1 minute. He's on to the interlopers like white on rice. Gilmore deems section 10 the "chasity belt of the ball park." I don't think I watched the game at all, I was too entertained by section 10. Side note: Rangers won.

Gilmore, Zach, and Micah come up with the plan to simply write with a sharpie "section 10" on our ticket. Surely we'll get in that way. Zach signs his by Nolan Ryan. Micah signs his Ron Washington. Gilmore ponders that we'd had more of a chance sitting next to Nolan Ryan than getting into section 10.

At the bottom of the 8th inning we decide that we are going to try and sneak over to section 10 again with our "official" tickets. We make it over there and low and behold they are letting just anyone get in section 10. What happened? Apparently they let people sit there for the post-game fireworks. What a let down, I was ready to see Gilmore and Dewayne go head to head. A ball park employee informs Micah that they knew no one bought tickets to section 10 and that's why Dewayne was on high alert.

Micah and I leave for the night, and meanwhile Gilmore makes a new best friend. Gilmore & Dewayne:

Roasted Asparagus and Tomato Pasta

2011-06-30T19:34:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

This pasta dish is so versatile and easy. Micah went back for seconds. I ate the rest right out of the pot. You can add any type of veggies that you want to roast. Micah doesn't particularly enjoy asparagus. Next time I might add broccoli. I couldn't find any argula like the original recipe called for and I didn't have any dried herbes de Provence. Tony Chachere's is my go to spice.

Roasted Asparagus and Tomato Penne with Goat Cheese
Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
1/2 lb of pasta
12 asparagus spears (or however many meet your fancy)
24 grape tomatoes or 12 cherry tomatoes
s & p
2 tbsp of lemon juice (1 lemon)
1 tsp of Tony Chachere's
1 tbsp of Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp of honey
EVOO
1/2 c of crumbled feta

Set oven to 400.
Heat a large pot of boiling water, and add pasta. Once pasta comes to a boil, salt to taste. Cook pasta, and drain. Set aside.
While pasta is cooking, put asparagus and tomatoes on a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle cracked pepper and sea salt over veggies. Then drizzle oil. Toss to coat. Cook asparagus for 6 minutes, then set aside. Continue cooking tomatoes for 4 more minutes. Set all veggies aside and let them cool for 10 minutes. Then slice to bite sized pieces.
In a small bowl mix the lemon juice through honey ingredients with a whisk. Then slowly add 2 tbsps of EVOO.
Combine the veggies, pasta, and sauce in a bowl. Then add the feta.

Penne a la Vodka

2011-06-29T07:47:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

Yesterday my dad and I went out for lunch at On the Border. I love it! I had cheese enchiladas, and I just won't think about how many calories were in that dish. Then we headed over to Irving to see the Genghis Kahn exhibit. I was the navigator. I thought my dad said 333 Macarthur, but he really said 3333. So, we got a little lost, but we eventually found it. We also discovered that Irving is a little shady. The Genghis Kahn exhibit was okay, there was even a mummy. The most interesting thing we saw were these Mongolians khoomei (throat singing). It is the most bizarre thing to witness. I kept looking around to see where the sounds were coming from, because there is no way that a human was capable to make those noises. The 2 performers were very handy on the fiddle and lute.

Workout
I have found the key to success. I will not eat a meal before I go to spin class. Yesterday, I ate half of a cliff bar. I felt really energetic during spin class. I also was sweating buckets. After class, I ran half of a mile until yoga class started. Since my muscles were already warmed up I thought yoga would be fun. So, I went to yoga class and Micah came back and picked me up in an hour.

Dinner
That means that I didn't start cooking dinner until 9:00. Who deserves a medal? This girl. I made Sandra Lee's Penne a la Vodka. It is really easy to make, and was very tasty. I suppose it would be difficult not to be good when it includes bacon and heavy whipping cream. I can count the number of times I've bought bacon on one hand, and this week I'm making 2 meals with bacon. I'm going to fatten us up!

Mean Black Crows and Halibut

2011-06-28T07:48:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

Dinner
I made macadamia crusted halibut with a pineapple salsa. I took the recipe from Sandra Lee's cookbook. This was my first time to cook halibut, and the meat is so white. I tis not fishy. It was pretty expensive, $23 per pound. I only bought half a pound. I'm not sure if it was so expensive because I was shopping at Central Market or what. And, macadamia nuts are not cheap. The pineapple salsa was good even without onions and cilantro. I didn't have any cilantro, so I used basil instead.

Workout
I waited until 8:00 PM to go for a run to let it get "cool." Ha! It never cools down in Texas in the summer. I ran 5 miles, but I moved at a snail's pace. I was about half a mile from home, when a crow started to chase me. I was running and I would hear "caw-caw." I thought hmmm that's strange that crow sounds awfully close. When I got to the corner it started dive bombing me. I crossed the street screaming and almost threw myself down in the road. The crow was still after me. I decided to run down the middle of the street to get away from the street. The crow came after me one more time, then finally left me alone. I strongly dislike birds.

A few years ago, Micah and I were driving along the road in Houston and a black crow was doing the same thing to a man running down the street. We felt so bad for him, because he was going to go home and tell his family a crow chased him and no one was going to believe him. I felt bad that we couldn't help him verify his story.

Be careful out there.

Grilled Cheese, Book Club, and a New Dress

2011-06-27T10:55:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

Lunch
We were down to nothing in our fridge. Anyone else find relief in using all their food at the end of the week? I really take the "kids are starving in Africa" to a whole new level, just ask my co-workers. With just the bare essentials we made a 3 cheese grilled cheese (provolone, Monterrey jack cheese, and SHREDDED cheddar cheese). It was really delicious, and oh, so cheesy. I had a side of Campbell's bean & bacon soup. It's okay, you can call my trashy for eating that. Micah does. Here's a recipe to make home-made bean & bacon soup.

Book Club
Our book this month was Water For Elephants. We ventured over to Irving to watch the movie at the dollar theater. It didn't have stadium seating, and you could feel the bar in the seat. I felt like we were slumming it a bit. The movie was good even a second time. Afterward, we went to Vito's Italian restaurant, and it was a little gangster. One of the patron's had some choice words tattooed on his knuckles. I'll give you a hint, it's a 4 letter word, and it starts with an "f". I felt like he was cussing me out while I was eating my dinner. Also, the service was terrible. What totally made up for it was the company. It's such a treat to hang out with Jennie, Erica, Julie, Julia, Jennifer, Mel, and my mom. Can't wait to see everyone in July. I wish we all lived closer, instead of spread out over the metroplex.

New Dress
Last week my mom and I worked on making me a dress. Well, I cut it out, and she put it all together. She's the best. Isn't the dress just darling?

Farmer's Market Sandwich

2011-06-26T11:25:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

I saw this recipe in Cooking Light, and it looked delicious. I had a sandwich with eggplant on it in Boston, and it was good. I was willing to give eggplant another try. When I told Micah what we were going to have, and he was ready to head to Chick-Fil-A. I told him I would cut the eggplant thinly. I used my mandoline for the 2nd time, hooray. I cut the zucchini and eggplant thinner than the recipe required and cooked the veggies in a grill basket. I was excited to use my rosemary from my garden. I did not bother with onions (of course!) and added sliced avocado. We had homemade guacamole and chips as a side. By homemade, I mean I mashed avocado with Pace Picante sauce.

For lunch, I met Jennie at her mom's house in Plano. Her dad is in town from California, and it was great to see him. But, the star of the meet up was Kyle. Isn't he just precious? So cute, and very well mannered. Did I mention, he's also a genius?

Oh, and let's not forget Cody, Peggy's 11 year old sheltie. He's so docile compared to Barley. Probably as hairy as Barley though!

Later that night, I met up with Christine to see X-Men. I really liked the cartoon when I was growing up, and have seen all the movies. I was glad Christine was fine with seeing this movie! Afterward, we went to Snuffers, and enjoyed their legendary cheese fries. These cheese fries made me long for Dixie Chicken's cheese fries in College Station. Good thing football season is just around the corner. I also enjoyed two margaritas, yummy!

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream and Spiced Carrot Muffins

2011-06-24T21:27:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

For lunch we went to Cheese Cake Factory and I enjoyed a delicious portobello mushroom burger. The fries were excellent. We didn't get any cheese cake, sad day.

I made Key Lime Pie Ice Cream. I had extra key limes from making a key lime pie for Father's Day. This ice cream is pretty tangy. I added some crushed graham crackers as a topping. There are quite a few recipes out there, I chose the one that didn't require cooking and waiting around for it to cool. I thought about skipping the step of refrigerating, but I think it made a huge difference. It allowed the ice cream to get really creamy before I put it in the ice cream maker. You should definitely try it, especially if you like squeezing 1 pound of tiny key limes.

My best gal pal, Jennie is trying a vegan experiment this summer. I wanted to help her out a little, so I decided to make her some muffins. I was perusing The Happy Herbivore cookbook and decided to make Spiced Carrot muffins (the link is to the cupcakes, which are very similar to the muffins). This was the recipe in which I had everything on hand. The great thing about making vegan muffins is you an eat as much batter at you want! These are really tasty and moist. I didn't have any ground cloves, so I just subbed with pumpkin pie spice. I want to try the Chocolate Zucchini muffins next.

Saucer Party

2011-06-24T09:18:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

Yesterday we celebrated Micah's 2nd plate at the Flying Saucer. You have to drink 200 different beers to get a plate. His 2nd plate took about 3 years, whereas his first plate took 9 months. Flying Saucer gives you a party once you drink 200 beers, and you get $100 bar tab. Woo-hoo!

Here's Micah's plate that they'll hang up:

Here's the happy couple!

My favorite red shoes!

Patterns and Peaches

2011-06-22T20:38:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

I spent the day hanging out with my mom and dad. I cut out my dress, and my mom started sewing on it. It'll be done soon, with much bribery and convincing. Don't I have the best mommy?

Work Out
At 9:00 AM they have the Aquatics class at my pool, and they close down all lap swimming. Must get there before 9:00! My pool is um, very interesting. The elderly think the lap pool is a place where you just lounge about and hang out at one end of the pool, or hang on the lane ropes. I'm losing my patience very quickly with this pool congregation. I swam an easy 500 meters, and then did a little strength training. I won't even go into the elderly nudity that I've had to endure in the locker room. I need my eyes washed out with alcohol, and my brain erased.

Dinner
Skillet Pork Chops Saute with Peaches from Cooking Light
I didn't have any white wine, so I subbed Micah's home brew. I had a little bit of trouble getting the sauce to reduce. This is no surprise, I'm terrible with sauces. I also didn't add any shallots, just a little onion powder instead.

Pot Pie

2011-06-21T22:12:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

I have quite the to-do list going for the summer. Soon I'll be down to all the things I don't want to do. Today I tackled washing all the curtains in my house, and I cleaned out the last closet. Don't stress out though, I got plenty of relaxing time in too. I watched Blue Valentine, which was very depressing. Michelle Williams from Dawson's Creek was in it, and she was pretty revealing. I do not recommend it.

Work Out
Micah and I went to spin class. Today was tough. I wonder if there will be a day when spin class feels easy? After spin, Micah and I hit the pavement. I ran 3 miles without walking, hooray! I felt great during my run, except for the gnats. When I got back I had at least 5 gnats stuck to the sweat on my neck. Disgusting. I was a minute under my goal time, it's okay I'll get better. It's still 95 degrees at 8:15 PM.

Dinner
I slaved over this vegetable pot pie. Details coming Friday! For now a picture will have to do.

Seafood Mondays

2011-06-20T20:45:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

By 9:30 AM I had made smoothies, had a cup of coffee, folded 3 loads of laundry, did the dishes, unloaded the dishwasher, and ran 5 miles. I needed a nap by 10:00.

We eat seafood on Mondays, because this is grocery store day. I took a trip to Central Market this afternoon, and it was crowded. What's the deal? I was hoping to do my shopping in peace. The seafood counter took forever, and I gave up completely at the deli counter. At least my check out was quick.

I finished The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver. I started this book yesterday, and was instantly sucked in. It's a really easy read, although I feel like it lost some steam near the end. The main character is lovable, and you root for her the whole time.

Workout
Today I ran 5 miles, and my pace was just pitiful. It was really windy, but you need the wind or else you would melt. I made it, but felt pretty terrible the rest of the afternoon.

Dinner
We made Pioneer Woman's Spicy Orange Garlic Shrimp. I accompanied this with rice and broccoli. Micah & I enjoyed this dish. I only added 1/4 tsp of cayenne, Micah wilts when things are too hot.

In my house, we fill our wine glasses to the brim. To hell with dignity.

photo credit: Amazon.com & me

Father's Day Dinner

2011-06-20T16:31:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

I made dinner and dessert for my Dad. It was delicious!

Barley is a good boy waiting for a piece of chicken!

Micah cooked this beer can chicken on the Big Green Egg at 225 degrees for about 2 hours. It was very flavorful and juicy.

One of my Dad's all time favorites is potato salad. He loves to eat it with gumbo or on top of pretty much anything. I on the other hand strongly dislike it. I made myself a side of mashers.

I got this recipe from Elly Says Opa. Notice Key Lime Pie is not green. Yellow Key Lime pie is the real deal. I waited until just before serving before I add the heavy whipping cream.

I served cinnamon ice cream alongside the Key Lime pie. If you like drinking the milk after you've had Cinnamon Toast cereal, this is the ice cream for you. I added 1 tbsp of cinnamon, which is a tad too much. I think next time I'll try 2-3 tsp. I used the vanilla ice cream starters from Williams-Sonoma.

Mushrooms and Long Bike Rides

2011-06-19T21:43:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

Saturday is the day we do our long rides. We are training to ride in the Hotter n' Hell in August. Which distance we'll do is to be determined at a later date. Long ride to me means 24 miles, and long ride to Micah means 50. The plan was to start at the trail head at Hillcrest & 635. Then ride the 6 miles to White Rock Lake and then the 9 miles around the lake, and come back. The trail out to White Rock is nice and not too crowded, there are no lights or stops. The trail around the lake is a bit more crowded, especially on the weekends. Next week we need to get to the trail by 7:00 AM to avoid the heat and crowds. I think it is the most crowded from 8-10 AM.

Micah planned on doing the route twice. In actuality, I rode 26.75 and Micah rode 51.5 miles. I am so proud of Micah! This is the furthest he's gone. It was pretty hot when he returned, and the wind didn't let up much. It is always pretty windy around the lake.

Dinner
Pork Chops Smothered in Mushrooms

Barley is always by my side when I'm cooking. He's the best at catching food that falls on the floor.

Wal-Mart
For some crazy reason I went to Wal-Mart not once, but twice. I knew I was taking a risk going on a Saturday, but I needed some things for our Father's Day dinner. First off, I could barely push the cart around the store. Why do I always get the bum cart? Second, when I went to check out they had ONE checker working. I went up to said checker and informed him, he's the only one working and everyone else has left. He found someone to open up another register. And wouldn't ya know, the person in front of me wrote a check?! She had been standing in line for about 10 minutes, couldn't she have written it out while standing in line?

The second trip consisted of the same thing. No one to check you out. After we finally got checked out, Micah said, "quick let's get out of here as fast as we can." I took this mean to start running with our hands in the air screaming, "I hate this place."

I'm sticking with Central Market. Although I did go there on a Saturday, and that place is crowded. You can't even maneuver in the produce, and I didn't have a cart. I bought my chicken and bee-lined it to the cash registers. No more grocery store trips for me....until Monday.

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T09:49:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

My Dad taught me to drive stick. He took me over to the high school parking lot, and said I have to make it up this hill, then I can drive around town. I made it up that hill.

He taught me about finances. On weekend mornings, I would help him balance the checkbook and write checks to pay the bills. He encouraged me to start a mutual fund at 16 with my high school job. He taught me to be a saver, and for this I'm truly grateful. You won't find me out running up credit cards. He tries to teach anyone who will listen about saving money and living debt free. His financial hero is Dave Ramsey.

My Dad taught me that its okay to dance around your kitchen even if you have no rhythm. I get up and dance around the living room all the time. Micah thinks I'm crazy. But, I get it from dad. So You Think You Can Dance also turns me into a leaping and spinning fool.

I don't know the words to any songs. I just make them up as a I go along, my dad taught me that this is okay. My mom on the other hand knows all the words to songs.

In my family, my Dad and I are the "brown heads." The "brown heads" follow the rules and don't get into trouble. We are the type that watch the "blonde heads" jump off of waterfalls, while we stay behind the fence that says, "DO NOT ENTER." In our world, "rules are rules."

When I think of my Dad, I can't help but think of his most common phrases growing up. It makes me laugh and laugh.
"Cats kill dead animals."
"You are burning the candle at both ends. You are hurting your spleen. You are going to get mononucleosis."
"Nothing good happens after midnight."

My Dad is one of the most loyal people you'll ever meet. He helps people. He is honest. I'm glad he's my Dad.

Fantastic Friday

2011-06-18T12:46:00.000-05:00

Here are the top 10 reasons why Friday rocked:

1. I got a WHITE iphone 4.

2. My engagement ring and wedding band came in the mail. I sent them off to be cleaned and replated. They look amazing, just like the first day that I got them. Best of all, I only had to pay to have them shipped 1 way.

3. I got to eat lunch with my bestie, Jennie. We ventured down to Oak Cliff and went to BEE's Enchiladaeria. I think they are a little over confident in the name of their establishment. But, Jennie is trying out a vegan experiment, and this place really caters to that!

4. I did not have to work out. I haven't really been killing it this week, but I always enjoy a day off. It was Micah's day off too. We had to rest up for our long Saturday bike ride.

5. Micah worked from home, and only had to work a half day.

6. Then we took a nap. It was wonderful.

7. We finished season 3 of Breaking Bad. This show has been a little slow this season, and as usual Jessie is the downfall of Walt. (I really dislike the name Jessie for a boy).

8. I finished "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn."

9. I did not have to drive to Wylie to feed my parents' dogs.

10. My parents brought me Key Lime Jalapeno jelly. Doesn't that sound interesting?

Dinner

Steak and Edamame Salad with Maibock home brew.
This was not our favorite. If I make it again, I'm going to eliminate the condiments. And simply toss them in some soy sauce, vinegar, and ginger.

Bike Ride from Hell, Watermelon, and Bell Peppers

2011-06-15T21:03:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

Workouts
I swam 500 meters this morning, which only takes about 10 minutes. Not much of a work out, and I was planning on running afterward. But, I forgot my tennis shoes!

When Micah came home he had the genius plan to ride our bikes over to my parents which is about 16 miles away. The plan was to ride there, feed the dogs, and then ride back. When we were 1.25 miles away from home, I got a flat tire. We changed it without much of a problem. When we were at mile 13 a buzzing insect flew into my helmet. I was shaking my head trying to get the bug out. Then I took of my helmet to shake him out and my sunglasses flew off in the road. I pulled over to go get my sunglasses, just as a car ran them over. The ride to my parents isn't really meant for bikers, lots of traffic. Once we arrived at my parents, we abandoned the bike ride, and took my parents' car home. Only problem was the car was on EMPTY, below the E. I didn't think we were going to make it back home. And we had no money, no shoes, and no license to stop and get gas. At least we had our road IDs!

Watermelon Fest
I actually do not like watermelon. But, I hijacked some watermelon from the Gilmore's on Sunday. I really wanted to try Watermelon Jalapeno pops, but forget to get a jalapeno at Sprouts. So, I made these other treats instead. Micah has already had 3 glasses of the limeade. I decided to add a splash of vodka, which makes it extra yummy!
Watermelon Limeade

Watermelon Lime Sorbet

Dinner
Stuffed Bell Peppers

Orzo and Lemons

2011-06-14T21:07:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

Snacks
I made Tuscan Lemon muffins. They are very tasty. When you bake them, be careful not to over cook. They will be really light in color. I increased some of the amounts to make them extra moist. I had 2 right as they came out of the oven.

Dinner
I made Orzo Salad with Zucchini and Feta. I changed this recipe up quite a bit. While you are boiling the pasta, I sliced 2 zucchinis into half moons and placed them in foil. I covered the zucchini with Chachere's and butter, and cooked for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Then made the sauce 3 tbsp of EVOO, 3 tbsp of rice wine vinegar, 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper, s & p in a small bowl. Set aside. I halved some cherry tomatoes. Once the pasta is finished run under cold water. Then add the tomatoes, feta, sauce, and cooked zucchini to the pasta. S & P to taste.

Work-Out
I felt like crap all day, and was really dreading spin class. I contemplated not going, but Micah made me. About 30 minutes into the class I thought I was going to throw-up, but I kept going. At the end of class I felt great. I know that working out always makes me feel much better about life, but sometimes it is really hard to get the motivation to get up and go. After spin, I had enough energy to run 2 miles!

Dinner for the Week of June 13th-17th

2011-06-13T19:47:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

Monday
Panko Crusted Salmon
I skipped the step where I sauteed it in a pan before putting it in the oven. I just smeared mustard and piled on the panko and stuck it in the oven. Very easy, and takes around 10 minutes! We had baked potatoes as a side.

Tuesday

Orzo Salad with Zucchini and Feta
I try to make something light on Tuesdays because we have spin class.

Wednesday
Carribean Stuffed Peppers
This recipe is taken from the Big Green Egg cookbook. Micah & I don't love stuffed bell peppers but wanted to try this recipe out. I bought Jerk seasoning in the spice section. I bought my red bell peppers at Sprouts for a great price. I'm going to use ground turkey instead of ground beef.

Thursday

Edamame Salad with Crisp Steak Bits
I had some extra flank steak in the fridge that I've been meaning to use. This seems like an interesting combination. Certainly high in protein.

Friday
Pork Chops with Mushrooms, Dill, and Sour Cream Sauce
A few months ago I bought some dill in the produce section. Then I planted it in a small planter. I'm excited to use fresh dill that I've kept alive!

Miserable Monday

2011-06-13T16:14:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

Today I woke up at 7:30. The latest I've slept this summer vacation is 8:00. Wow. I'm ready for some days to sleep in.

I went to Wylie and fed my mom's dogs. Driving over there is getting on my last nerve. I'm making Micah go over there this evening.

Then I went to the dermatologist to get my skin checked. I had to have 2 moles biopsied. At least it was mostly painless. But, who wants to get shots and stabbed on a Monday?

Then I drove to Carrollton to pick up my Granny. We went and visited my cousin Katy, who is on her 7th day in the hospital. She's hoping to get released on Tuesday. It will probably be Wednesday. Poor dear.

Made my grocery list using GroceryIQ.

Came home and called insurance companies. Let me tell you, that was really fun. I had to call and get a refund, please tell me why they didn't notice they had $222 of mine? Why did I have to call and request it? Bastards.

Then I paid $53.80 for my vehicle registration.

Now, I need to go to the grocery store, but I just don't know if I can manage it.

Busy Busy Thursday

2011-06-09T21:35:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

The day was moving along just fine, until I dropped my iPhone on my hardwood floors. Here's the result:

It's still working, but I'm a little afraid that I'm going to cut my finger on the screen.

I went to a yoga class this morning. We worked on shoulders, which was convenient since mine has been feeling a little stiff.

I drove mom to the airport and then met up with these lovely ladies (Sarah, Christy & baby Anna, Jess & Caroline) and Hayden at Su Vino.

Su Vino has a special place in my heart because of their almond champagne. Delicious! I got to hold baby Anna, and she's just so cute!

After wine tasting at noon, I jetted over to UT Southwestern to visit my cousin Katy. She's in the hospital for the next 10 days getting her antibodies exchanged. I made a stop at Whataburger and had a grilled cheese AND fries. I can't even tell you the last time I went to a fast food restaurant. I feel pretty guilty.

After all of my driving over the metroplex, I came home and made Pork Chops with a Blueberry sauce.

Then I had to have a glass of wine since the recipe required wine.

For dessert, I had mixed berries sorbet. It is so creamy, and was worth staying up late last night to make.

Oh, and Barley is peeved at me. I am trying to treat his continuous ear infections. He does not like it AT ALL.

Packing for your Tri

2011-06-08T07:37:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

When packing the night before a triathlon it can be pretty overwhelming. There are so many things you need. Pack the night before, don't leave it until the morning of.

Tri Suit- mine is from the 80's but it was free! They'll run you about $100+. Some people just wear bike shorts and a dry fit top. I wish my suit had pockets.
Sunscreen
Bike pump
Body Glide
Race numbers
Swim

goggles
swim cap
towel
flip-flops

Bike

Bike
Repair kit (CO2 pump, CO2 cartridges, tube)
Helmet
Bike shoes
Clif bar
Cereal bar
Clif bloks
Kleenex
Camel Bak
Gatorade bottle
Sunglasses
Gloves

shoes
socks
race belt
fuel belt (gatorade, water, bloks, pretzels)
hat

Afterward

change of clothes
rice cakes
extra towel

Goals for Play Tri International Distance

2011-06-04T07:21:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

This time tomorrow I'll be in the water. Eek!

Swim: max 45 minutes, I'm really hoping for 33 minutes, but I want to allow some time to get lost. The course looks like it would be easy to lose time swimming all over the place.

Bike: 90 minutes, I'd like to keep a constant speed of 16-17 mph

Run: 62 minutes, 10 min/mile

Total time: 3:17

I've been thinking about this race non-stop the past few days. I'm trying to use positive visualization. I'm imagining long steady strokes in the water, staying at a constant speed. Having strong legs on the bike, and smiling during the run.

I'm not going to win by any stretch of the imagination, so I'm going to take my time in the transition, and catch my breath. After spin class, we cool down, and I usually feel really good on the run.

The course is 2 loops on the bike and 2 loops on the run. It will be nice to see my friends and family supporting me at least 4 times during the race.

My mantras: "Strong mind." "Legs, legs, legs." "You trained hard, and gave up so much, time to perform."

*The pictures are from the Buffalo Springs Lake triathlon near Lubbock, TX in 2009. I did the sprint distance.

Sweet tooth

2011-05-30T20:30:00.000-05:00

By Natalie

I think I was having a bit of a sweet tooth this past week. I saw strawberry basil sorbet in my feed this week. I promptly printed it out, ran out to the garden to pick some basil and whipped up this sorbet. It is delish!

I made grapefruit margaritas on many occasions over Memorial Day weekend. It has been my drink of choice lately. I had left over basil simple syrup from the sorbet. If you don't have simple syrup, or don't want to make it, just add some sugar. Don't worry, if you don't feel like squeezing grapefruits, just buy a jug of grapefruit juice.

Today I made a pecan pie, which is a belated birthday pie for Micah's 30th. He wanted me to wait until he was finished training for all of his race events. Micah loves the bourbon flavor.

I found blackberries at sprouts for 77 cents. 77 CENTS! So I decided to make these buttermilk berry muffins. For some reason this recipe only makes 9 muffins. Go figure. I'm not smart enough at math to add 1/3 to the recipe.

Photo Credit: Foodnetwork.com

Open Water Swim

2011-05-29T09:34:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Micah and I went to Eagle Mountain Lake. I've been putting off swimming in open water my entire training. I was pretty nervous, and it wasn't even race day. The water was so cold. I probably spent about 10 minutes whining and just standing knee deep in the water on the boat ramp. I couldn't make myself get in. Then I decided to climb on an extra spidery ladder and go into the water that way. I eventually made it in the water, after much prodding from Micah. I decided to swim out a little bit in the cove, but I was pretty nervous. I didn't want to get hit by a boat that wasn't expecting a swimmer. It is Memorial day weekend after all. I swam a little bit and even put my head in the water for all the strokes. I was pretty proud of myself. I did better than I've ever did with putting my head in the water. I was pretty anxious but I got through it. Because of my anxiety I'm going to have to be sure to swim at a normal pace, and not wear myself out. I felt like I was swimming at little bit too fast.

I have a plan now for next Sunday. I'm going to get in the water before the race, have a freak out moment, and then I'm hoping I'll be much better. In the past races I've always hung back so that I don't get kicked in the face at the start. I think I'm going to stay closer to people so that I don't have to spot as much. I'll just follow the crowd.

Oh, dear I hope I don't drown.

Deep Thoughts during Spin Class

2011-05-26T21:04:00.000-05:00

Why am I not in yoga class right now rolling around on the floor?
This instructor is brutal, he doesn't even let us take a break at the end of each song
This instructor did the Iron Man last weekend, I'm NOT an Iron Man
45 minutes more to go, I'm going to die
I'm really hungry.
Ewwww, who farted?!
43 more minutes to go.
This instructor could be handsome for an older man, but he has no personality.
Ahhh the yoga class is downward facing dog, I love downward facing dog. Why am I not in the yoga class?
Maybe no one will notice if I just take a nap here on the bike.
1 more song, then I get to go....run
Legs, legs, legs!!!!!!!
Damn you, man for making me do 1 more sprint song.
Finally cool down, I can at least ace the stretching part.

What we are eating this week

2011-05-23T19:26:00.000-05:00

Monday:
BBQ pork loin, quick and easy!

Tuesday:
Sandra Lee's Creole Shrimp Stroganoff

Wednesday:
Home-made pizza

Thursday:
Chicken Pot Pie

Friday:
Turkey Pitas

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-07T10:28:00.000-05:00

I have so much admiration for my mom. She has a myriad of talents. She can sew, cook, remodel homes, paint, has a green thumb, etc. The list goes on and on. When I was growing up most of my clothes were home-made. I loved my one of a kind clothes. She would make me dresses for high school dances that my friends loved. If you need something painted, she'll paint you a picture. Most of the paintings in my house are painted by my mom. If you need all of your wood paneling taken off your walls, she'll bring the hammer. If you need someone to support you, she'll defend you to the end.

She is a very caring person, especially for her students. I entered into the field of education because of her love for teaching. She taught me that you can teach anyone no matter the disability. She would give the shirt off her back if her students needed it. She's generous with her time to help students.

My mom loves her family, and would do anything for them. She's selfless and spends her free time organizing a family get together or doing her mom's "honey-do" list. If anyone needs anything, she helps them, and expects nothing in return.

She's one of the smartest people I know, and will always help you spell a word or proof-read essays. She's a worthy opponent on Words With Friends. She loves books, and passed this on to me. My love of books came from watching my mom read in her spare time. We would take trips to the library during the summer time, and make lists of the books we read over the summer.

When we were growing up she was tough on us to be the best that we can be. She cooked many nights of the week, and tried to serve healthy dinners. She would refrain from serving too much red meat. She cooked for so many years without onions because I hated them. When we were growing up, I was only allowed to watch an hour of TV per day. We didn't even have cable until I moved out of the house! She taught me that it's not okay to wear jeans to church. These are important values that I hope to pass on to my family.

She's not afraid to be silly, and very adventurous. She'll jump off waterfalls in Hawaii, while Dad & I watch on. She doesn't like to follow rules, which is the opposite of me! She likes to play with her nieces and nephews.

My mom raised me to be an independent woman just like she is. Thank you mom for shaping me into the person that I am today. I love you!

Menu for April 18th-22nd

2011-04-18T19:26:00.000-05:00

I'm only cooking 3 days this week. Hooray! Here's the plan for this week:

Monday

Blackened Tilapia Baja Tacos

Tip: Wash your hands after making the jalapeno sauce! I didn't and thought the sauce was so spicy, then added plain yogurt to cool it off. When in fact it wasn't that spicy at all. I thought the jalapeno sauce would make a great dressing too.

Tuesday (Meatless day!)

Minted Squash-Orzo Salad

I'm looking forward to using mint from my garden.

Wednesday

Sweet and Spicy Turkey Pitas

This recipe was in the Thanksgiving edition in Food Network Magazine. I'm not sure what kind of turkey I'm going to use, since I don't have left over turkey from thanksgiving. I ended up buying some turkey cutlets, which I've never cooked with before. The picture looks like it has avocado in it, but the recipe doesn't call for it. I might put some avocado in it that I have left over from Monday.

Thursday

Meeting the gang at Babe's for Muster. It's going to be quite the challenge to find something without meat there!

Friday

Heading to Katy to be with Micah's parents

Photo Credit: cookinglight.com, foodnetwork.com, and babeschicken.com

Work Out Summary April 10th-16th

2011-04-18T19:12:00.000-05:00

You can find what I did last week here. This week, I felt much better about life. The training program gave me 2 days off, which was awesome!

Sunday-Ran 60 minutes, 6 miles

Monday-Rest

Tuesday-Swam 24 laps for 26 minutes, Ran 30 minutes, 3 miles

Wednesday-Biked 50 minutes for 10 miles, Ran 25 minutes, 2.7 miles

Thursday-I had an after school program, so I took this day off instead of having Friday off

Friday-Swam 24 laps for 26 minutes, Biked 30 minutes for 8 miles inside

Saturday-Swam 33 laps in 34:24 minutes, Bike 46 minutes, 12.33 miles outside

Totals:

Time: 5.5 hours

Bike: 30 miles

Run: 11.7 miles

Swim: 81 laps

On Saturday, as I was loading up my bike into the truck, I noticed that Micah had installed Aero bars. I'm so excited. It was a complete surprise. He got them for our anniversary which is not until May 24th. He also got me another bike computer. I go through bike computers like candy!

My ears are hurting me today, which I think is due to the wind and swimming. It has been so windy here! I've had to change some of my bike workouts to avoid the wind.

In between swimming and biking yesterday, I saw my family. Isn't Hudson adorable?

Menu for April 11th-15th

2011-04-11T18:52:00.000-05:00

Here's the plan for this week:

Monday

Spicy Tortilla Soup with Shrimp and Avocado

Sometimes I have a hard time finding hominy at Central Market. If you can't find hominy, just interchange it with corn. Be sure to take out the seeds of the chiles in adobo sauce. Those things are spicy.

Tuesday (Meatless day!)

Cheesy Baked Pasta with Spinach and Artichokes

I always forget to thaw the spinach!

Wednesday

Italian Meatball Subs from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

I've made this dish before, and I froze the extra meatballs. Micah really loves subs!

Thursday

Chicken & Cheesy Rice Casserole from Eat At Home

I will probably cook my chicken that night in a skillet, shred, then throw in the casserole.

Friday

Ginger Marinated Pork Tenderloin from Elly Says Opa!

I'll serve this along side some mashers. MMMM, mashed potatoes.

Photo Credit: realsimple.com and cookinglight.com

Workout Summary April 3rd-9th

2011-04-10T15:25:00.000-05:00

Sunday: Swim date to improve my technique, 45 minutes
Monday: A DAY OFF, PRAISE JESUS!
Tuesday: Spin class (1 hour, Instructor said it is only 12 miles), Ran on treadmill (30 minutes, 3 miles)
Wednesday: Swim (24 laps, 35 minutes), Run (45 minutes, 4.5 miles)
Thursday: Swim (32 laps, 40 minutes)
Friday: Run (25 minutes, 2.5 miles)
Saturday: Swim (33 laps, 35 minutes)

Totals:
Time: 5.25 hours
Swim: 89 laps, 2.53 miles
Run: 10 miles
Bike: 12 miles

Y'all I'm tired. I'm feeling pretty beat down with my workouts. I didn't feel stellar one time this week, except in the pool on Saturday. Everything was really hard this week. Spin class is giving me major problems when sitting in extended position. Padded bike shorts did not help. I'm going to skip next week, and ride outside instead.

I'm doubting my ability to do an Olympic distance. Mostly because I'm terrified of the open water swim. Also, I'm not enjoying the training. It's getting to be too much with a full time job. Maybe I'll do the sprint distance on June 5th instead.

What we ate last week April 4th-8th

2011-04-09T08:36:00.000-05:00

Here's what we ate this week. I didn't plan very well, because we had Chinese food 2 days in a row. Oops!

Monday: I went to Central Market to do my weekly grocery shopping. I can't remember what I ate, but Micah went to the Ranger game. He was a good boy and packed a sandwich to eat on the way to the game! So proud of him and his efforts to cut back on eating out.

Tuesday: I went to Wal-Mart by my house for the household essentials that you can't afford at Central Market. Forgot my list, but thought I did pretty well with remembering.

We had Beef Broccoli Stir Fry from Cooking Light. I omitted the sherry, and just used beef stock. I also didn't use green onions, and used frozen broccoli. It turned out great, and Micah and I ate it for lunch the next day.

Wednesday: I went to Wal-Mart by my work, and bought all the things I forgot on my list. I also had to buy hoisin sauce because I had used it all the night before. I invited Mom over, because Dad is out of town for the next 10 days! Since I know she loves Chinese, I made the 2nd Chinese dish of the week, Cooking Light's Chicken Fried Rice.

It felt like deja vu from the night before. The first steps are pretty much identical. For some reason this dish was a little sweet. I'm guessing it's the lime juice. It wasn't my favorite, and the rice wasn't really fried. Good thing, Micah saved this dinner by buying egg rolls on his way home from work. Nevertheless, I had Chinese for the 4th meal in a row, and ate it for lunch the next day!

Thursday: Thankfully, I did not have to go the grocery store! We ate pork chops that I sauteed in a skillet along with stuffed zucchini. This zucchini was good, but too much work for me. I ate the left over stuffing the next day for lunch. The stuffing would have made a delicious breakfast scramble after adding an egg. I only used 1 zucchini, because Micah really doesn't like zucchini.

Friday: I invited Mom over for dinner for slow cooker pesto spinach lasagna. This lasagna only needs to cook for 6 hours on low or 4 hours on high, so someone really needs to be home to turn it on. I ended up only cooking it for 4.5 hours on high. I was a little bit unsure of mixing pesto and red spaghetti sauce, but it was really yummy. The recipe didn't call for any seasonings, and it didn't need any. I sent Mom home with some left overs.

Photo Credit: Cookinglight.com

Austin's Cap 10K

2011-03-29T21:22:00.000-05:00

This weekend Jennie and I headed down to Austin to run the Cap 10K.

To get ready for the race I decided to go for a run on Wednesday. I set out to run 2, 3 mile loops. The first loop I was behind in my time, and was feeling a little beat down that I wasn't running fast enough. On the second loop I abandoned all plans of running the loop and decided that I would just finish out the 60 minutes. That's what my training scheduled called for anyways. I get home, and realized that I ran 3.4 miles on the first loop, and actually made great time! After it was all said and done I ran 6.4 miles in 60 minutes. Hooray!

On Saturday night I had a Shiner, Sangria, and a yummy grilled cheese from Max's Wine Bar. Not to mention the cupcakes we had as a 11:00 PM snack. Jennie bought us Hey, Cupcake. (She's the best!) They were even delicious the next day. This is the dinner of champions before a race.

On Sunday, we wanted to get there early because there were 28,000 people running the race! This race is said to be the largest race in the state. I was so cold while we waited, but I warmed right up after I started moving. The race was rolling hills, but I felt great on the hills. Much better than I felt doing the Cowtown 1/2. I think that my spin class is helping with hills. The race went by fast because I was so focused on weaving through all the thousands of people. This race was well supported, I've never seen so many water stations. I made great time, and even had energy to sprint the finish. It was most excellent having a down hill on the way to the finish line.

I was so glad that I got to hear Florence & The Machine's "The Dog Days are Over" as I headed over the finish line. I rocked that song.

Thanks so much to Natalie for letting us stay in your lovely home!

Menu for March 28th- April 1st

2011-03-28T21:02:00.000-05:00

I can't believe April will be here on Friday! Everyone is super excited about spring coming, but I know what's in store for Texas. 90+temps already. I'm not looking forward to the heat. Thank goodness for a cold front that blew in on Sunday.

Monday

Chips and Fish
Mmmmm, fried food. This is Alton Brown's recipe from Food Network. Micah adores Alton Brown. I'm not sure if I'm going to use Safflower oil. The internet says we can substitute canola oil. I plan on making Micah in charge. Hot oil and I really don't mix. I like to start small fires. I used my mandolin to make the fries, I'm not sure what a v-slicer is. Anyone have any ideas?

Tuesday

Cheese Stuffed Pork Chops

I never buy bone in pork chops. I hate bones in meat. I'm just weird that way. I'll probably sub spinach for the escarole.

Wednesday

Szechuan Chicken
From Jonniker over at Food Lush

Thursday

Spicy Peanut Chicken over Rice
I bought Naan to accompany this Indian dish. Hooray! Naan is so good!

Friday (Meatless day!)

Mini Farfalle with Roasted Peppers, Onions, Feta & Mint
Excited to use basil and mint from my garden.

Photo Credit: Foodnetwork.com, Marthastewart.com, & Cookinglight.com

Menu for March 21st-25th

2011-03-19T19:08:00.000-05:00

Back to work I go. Boo! Here's what we're having next week:

Monday

Blackened Tilapia Baja Tacos
Tilapia is certainly not Micah's favorite fish. He calls it a bottom feeder. Since we aren't a big fish family, I'm getting a little tired of rotating between shrimp and salmon each Monday. This recipe is pulled from my favorite cooking magazine, Cooking Light!

Tuesday

Tamarind Pork with Pineapple-Ginger Chutney from Cooking Light. I usually have pineapple and ginger on hand because of the smoothies I make every morning. I'm a little bit concerned about finding tamarind paste. Surely, Central Market will have it. I will probably cut this recipe in half, and just make a 1 lb pork loin.

Wednesday
Brisket Tacos
6 lb roast
4 chicken bullion cubes
1 jar of pepperocinis with juice
1 packet of dry Italian dressing seasoning
2 cups of water
1 roughly chopped onion
tortillas
mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese

Put all of this in your crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours. Serve over warm tortillas and sprinkle cheese on top.

Thursday (Meatless day!)
Lemon and Chive Spaghetti with Farmers' Market Veggies
I saw this recipe last summer on Rachel Ray's daytime show. This pasta is not your typical pasta. It's very fresh and light!

Friday

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Oh, and I'll certainly be using boneless chicken breasts. You won't ever see me cooking chicken thighs. I strongly dislike chicken on the bone. I know, I'm strange. The last time I made these, didn't bother with the mung bean sprouts, scallions, sesame seeds, or wonton wrappers. I wish that Foodnetwork had posted the nutritional value. I guarantee that these are way lower in calories than Cheesecake Factory's Lettuce Wrap which sit at about 1,025 calories.

Photo Credit: Rachelray.com, Foodnetwork.com and Cookinglight.com

Gym Rat

2011-03-16T14:44:00.000-05:00

We recently joined LA Fitness. I went to the gym for this "FREE" fitness assessment. I thought they were going to talk about cool things about the gym that I wouldn't of found out on my own, and then give me my height and weight.

This bozo told me that I need to lose 7 lbs. My weight is in the normal range for my height. So, he can shove it. I will agree that I can firm up in some areas, but I am not a dummy, and I can work the machines all by myself thank you.

This meat head had no idea about what it takes for training for a triathlon. I told him that given my training schedule, I really can't squeeze in another hour per week to work on strength. And I have to prioritize what I'm willing to pay for. If he was a swim instructor, I would've signed up right then and there. But, the dummy suggested that on T/TH I do all three events (swimming, biking, and running) at one time. That way I can focus on strength training (NOT MY PASSION) on M/W/F. Then I visually wrote out what my training schedule looked like per week. He still did not understand that I want to prioritize, and strength training is not a priority.

When he was really leaning hard on me to get a personal trainer he said, "Well, we can all participate in triathlons, but we can't all compete." Listen a-hole, let me know when you've even worked outside of your gym, let alone PARTICIPATE in a triathlon.

If he crosses my path at the gym, he's getting the bird.

Menu for March 14th-18th

2011-03-13T19:29:00.000-05:00

Hooray for spring break! Here's what's on the menu while I'm home. I'm sure I'm going to do some baking too!

Here's the plan for this week:

Monday
Cinnamon Pecan Crusted Salmon This recipe is so easy, and really delicious. Super easy clean up too!

Tuesday

Quiche from Cooking Light
This is my go to recipe when I'm entertaining for brunch. This quiche is very moist because of the cottage cheese.

Wednesday

Out-n-In California Burger
Who doesn't love a delicious burger? The rumors are still flying that we will get an In-n-Out burger in Dallas! Micah can't wait.

Thursday (Meatless day!)

Minted Squash-Orzo Salad
I'm not sure what I'm going to serve as sides. I need something hearty so that Micah won't be aware we are going meatless today.

Friday

Apple Almond Chicken Salad with Homemade Mayonnaise
These look fantastic. I'll have to be sure to get some croissants. Croissants are totally worth the extra calories!

Photo Credit: Foodnetwork.com and Cookinglight.com

To Tri or Not to Tri?

2011-03-10T17:09:00.000-06:00

I completed my first half marathon on Sunday, February 27th, and have mixed emotions about my performance. I'm really happy to be done with training. I was really looking forward to doing something other than running. Last week, I went to a yoga class, spin class, and swam a few laps. Variety is awesome!

I've been mulling over what to train for next. I feel that I do much better with a goal in mind, so that I don't lose motivation to work out. I was thinking about trying an olympic triathlon next. But, then I saw that the swim distance is 1500 meters (1 mile!). I'm just not sure if I can do that! The bike distance (24 miles) and run (10K) I can manage. But the swim is freaking me out. I feel comfortable enough in a lap pool, but get me out in open water and that is a completely different story!

I've completed 3 different sprint triathlons, and thought that an olympic tri would be a good in between step. In the past I usually hold my head up during the open water. I know, crazy. Every time I put my head in the water, I panic because I can't see. There is a Playtri on June 5th. I actually did the sprint distance in 2009, and I thought the race was poorly run, so that's also holding me back.

I googled around for some training schedules, and let me tell you, they are a doozie. I'm not sure if I'm ready to make that time commitment quite yet. Is it typical for week 1 to swim the entire distance and run the entire distance in one day? Seems like that would be something to work towards. Do you know of any good training schedules that are more gradual?

Does anyone want to be my swim coach? I saw this program at SMU for $289 that said it would alleviate the fear of swimming in open water, and that I would feel confident on race day. Does anyone know of any other programs?

It sure sounds like I have quite a few excuses not to. Go ahead talk me into it. Or better yet, say you'll do it with me!

Menu for March 7th-11th

2011-03-06T13:59:00.000-06:00

Here's the plan for this week:

Monday

Cedar Plank Salmon

soak your cedar plank over night
salt and pepper the salmon
cook on the grill for 30 minutes
sides: rice & salad

Tuesday
Pork Chops with mushrooms, dill, and sour cream sauce
From Ella Says Opa!

Wednesday
Fajitas
I use John Soules' frozen beef and serve spanish rice and pinto beans as sides.

Thursday (Meatless day!)

Vegetable Korma
(I'm not sure about the potatoes in this dish....)

Friday

Chicken Parmesan

Photo Credit: Foodnetwork.com and Myrecipes.com

Tropcial Sherbet

2011-02-21T17:06:00.000-06:00

I received my Cooking Light magazine last week, and there were so many great recipes. I found this one particularly appealing.

I made a one slight change. I couldn't find any papayas at Sprouts so I had to use a mango instead. Also, I tried to run it through a sieve and it was slow going so I abandoned that step all together. There wasn't really anything gritty to separate out. Maybe if I had used papaya this would've been a different story.

I put the mixture in my ice cream maker for 20 minutes. It's finished when it looks much thicker and slushy.

Serve with a slice of papaya or in my case mango!

Book Review: Room & The Condition

2011-02-20T10:45:00.000-06:00

During my trip to Boston I finished 2 books. It was a really long plane ride.

Room by Emma Donoghue
This book is told from the point of view of a 5 year old boy who is trapped in a room with his mother. The boy has never been outside of the room. It is imporant that the story is told from the point of view of a 5 year old so that the story doesn't become too depressingly sad. His innocence makes the story bearable. Once you look at the table of contents you know that the story is going to end up all right. And that justice will be served. It's interesting the sensory deprivation that the boy experiences, which resembles some of the sensory problems that children with autism can have. I highly recommend that you read this novel.

The Condition by Jennifer Haigh
This novel is about a dysfunctional family, and if they would've communicated with each other they could've solved many of their problems. The little girl has Turner's Syndrome, and it's refreshing to see how she copes with her condition to be independent and ultimately fall in love. The other 2 boys are pitted against each other. One is a screw up and the other is the golden child. As this family enters adulthood and the parents age, you watch them work out their problems, and come to some sort of balanced family. I felt like the majority of the story was really told well, but the author had some trouble wrapping up the end. I enjoyed reading this book while in Boston, because the story was set in Boston. I wish that we had made time to head over to Emerson Pond, it sounds beautiful!

Eating in Boston

2011-02-15T21:51:00.000-06:00

I ventured up to visit Micah in Boston, since he was going to be there for about 2 weeks. This is my second visit to Boston in winter, not such a smart time to visit! Micah was working in Billerica (in Boston it's pronounced Bill-rick-uh). Here's some of the places we ate, since pretty much the only thing to do in Boston is EAT!

On Friday, we narrowly made it out of the airport, got a little lost, and then decided to hit the suburbs. Micah is much more familiar with the burbs then Boston proper. We had dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant, Cafe Luigi. I had pasta primavera and Micah had chicken parmigiana (which was a really huge portion). I treated myself to a glass of Riesling and stuffed mushrooms.

Saturday afternoon we met Lucy for lunch in Boston and ate at a quaint sandwich shop, Cafe Vanille. I had a veggie wrap which had eggplant in it with a side of tomato soup. At first Micah was put off because of the eggplant, but he thought it was great and ate half of it!

For dinner, we walked all over Boston and ended up at Kashmir an Indian food restaurant. It was delicious! I have probably only had Indian food about 4 times total, and the naan here was excellent. I want to drink the naan dipping sauce. Micah had kebabs and I had rice with veggies. After dinner, we went next door to Johnny Cupcakes, I was really looking forward to a cupcake. Imagine my shock and despair when we realized it was a t-shirt shop. Talk about false advertising.

On Sunday, we ate at Pedro's which serves a Latin cusine. I didn't have high hopes for eating Mexican type food out of Texas, but it was really good. I had shrimp quesadillas, which were fabulous. They had this dressing (cilantro, oil, lemon, and garlic) that they put on top of the rice, and it was so good we asked the waiter how to make it. As sides they had yucca and plantains, which were a treat instead of plain old rice and beans.

Obviously we missed out on the Italian food in the North End, and we didn't even make it to Mike's Pastry. The purpose of this trip was to spend time together instead of being ultra touristy. I had a great time!

Shenanigans

2011-02-14T21:52:00.000-06:00

Last Sunday I dropped Micah (Boston bound) and my Dad (Utah bound) off at DFW. I decided to stay with my Mom while the men were out of town. Sounded like a great idea, except well, we are a disaster together....

On Monday, Mom let Barley out in the backyard to play with the other dogs. The backyard was very muddy. Barley attempts to come back in the house, but he is so muddy there is just no way. I get on my rain boots and am going to wash him outside, but there are no hoses hooked up. And I would have to traipse him back through the mud to get inside. Mom keeps insisting that we put him in her shower and wash him off. But, how are we going to carry a muddy 116 lb dog across the house? Well, I come up with the brilliant idea to put him in a tote. We lift sweet Barley into the tote, and then push him around the house. I'm laughing so hard I can barely pull the tote. We get Barley into the bathroom, I hose him down and he's good as new.

Tuesday we behave ourselves.

Wednesday we are very productive during our snow day! We make Nutella Cookies, do Yoga, stop by the library, and Mom hangs 2 of my new blinds.

Thursday morning, Mom tells me the story of her thinking that there was a baby chick?? in the garage, so she scoops it up and is trying to put it in a bowl in the house when it comes to. It wasn't a baby chick at all but a little tiny bird. Mom and I spend 15 minutes screaming and waving around a sheet (Mom) and a leopard print scarf (me) trying to get the bird to go outside. The bird would fly near the door, feel the wintery cold and come right back into the warm house. Once we had thoroughly worn out the bird Mom was able to throw a sheet on top of it and put it outside. Why she ever thought there was a baby chick in the garage is beyond me.

Thursday evening I'm heating up the oil to put some pork chops in. I guess I let the oil get a little too hot, because when I poured the pork chops in along with the marinade that they were marinating in, a three foot flame erupted. One of us was calmly reaching down to get a lid to put out the fire (me), while another was running around the house screaming (Mom). Barley was looking perplexed with all of the very loud smoke detectors going off. I couldn't even reach down to get the lid, and the fire went out all on its own. So really it was nothing major at all. Thank goodness I didn't torch the place.

Friday morning I'm heading out to go to Boston, and Mom is graciously helping me load the car. I'm backing out of the driveway and hear scraping noises. Hmmm, maybe left over ice in the driveway? I get out and inspect the front of the car. Nothing amiss. Get back in car, reverse. I hear noises again. Then alarm bells start ringing. Mom put the suitcase behind the car but not in the trunk. Therefore I have just run over my beautiful new PURPLE suitcase. The sadness.

Well we survived one week. Let's see what week 2 brings. Dad catches a flight out tomorrow morning, and Micah & Dad don't return until Thursday. Pray for us.

Two Book Reviews: The Girl Who... & Three Cups of Tea

2011-02-05T17:44:00.000-06:00

Here's what I've been up to while I've been snowed in for the past 4 days......

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

I ended up having lots of reading time due to the weather and managed to read The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest in less than a week, and watched two of the movies in the trilogy. When reading the The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, you find yourself wading through about a 100 Swedish names. So, you think you can skip over a few of them, but later on down the road, you have no idea which character they are referring to. It become especially confusing when you have 2 bad guys named Niedermann and Nieminen. At one point I thought that I should take out a scrap of paper and take notes on who is who. I find that was Stieg Larsson really needed was a strong editor! Larsson goes into unnecessary detail after unnecessary detail. He spent about 3 pages talking about a janitor's background when he could have cut to the chase in about 2 sentences. The movie handled this nicely by not having this character at all!

Why was The Section going to such trouble to cover up all their crimes? The people who were involved in the crimes were about to die, and Gullberg killed himself anyways, so why go to any trouble? Clinton and Gullberg could have taken all the blame and said that they were in charge of putting Salander away. Let the old geezers die and let them take all the heat.

Then we get to the part of the trial, blah blah, just because they were able to discredit Teleborian, that doesn't mean Salander didn't commit a crime (aggrevated assault).

So, in sum read it if you are snowed in for 4 days and have nothing better to do. Otherwise watch the movie, it is much better as far as editing goes. I still have qualms with the movie because where is the hunky Blomkvist? And why isn't Lisbeth shorter and more petite? I'm just guessing they have limited Swedish actors to chose from.

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time

This novel was actually quite good. I wouldn't rush out and buy it, but as an educator I found it heartwarming. The novel is about Greg Mortenson who attempted to hike K2 unsuccessfully, and the Balti people rescued him from the mountain. Mortenson made tremendous sacrifices to help educate these mountain people. If we think we have it bad being snowed in for 4 days, I can only imagine what these rural villages go through. They do not even have roads to make it out of the mountains to get supplies. Mortenson helped build a bridge to make this easier. He worked night shifts as a nurse, and slept in his car to save money to return to Pakistan and help. He was helping the Pakistan people before 9/11, and continued to help the Pakistani and Afghani people after 9/11. He feels that educating is the key to the war on terror. If the village and rural people have a chance to see their choices then they would not feel that they have to join the Telban. Mortenson is a great hero for caring about people who Americans do not care about, and educating women who would have never had the chance to attend school. He works non-stop for others with little pay ($25,000!).

Kicking the Winter Blues

2011-02-02T14:46:00.000-06:00

On the first snow day here's what you should do....

Sleep-in and don't get dressed. Stay in your pajamas all day.
Make pecan and chocolate chip pancakes.
Watch Keeping Up with the Kardashians on netflix until you are completely brainwashed and think that the Kardashian sisters are actually good people.
Since you are brainwashed, start watching Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami. Tell Micah how the Kardashian sisters are actually pretty smart business people. Watch Micah roll his eyes at you.
Don't bother going outside, it's too cold and you might slip and fall on the ice.
Find as many people as you can to play Words With Friends on the iPhone. Try to win all games.

On day 2 of snow day here's what you should do to combat cabin fever:

Sleep in, maybe the day will go by faster.
Open the blinds to let some light in, so you don't fall into a depression.
Take a shower and put on some make-up. The bags under my eyes was scaring my puppy.
Check the The Weather Channel app every half hour, to determine the warmest hour that a 6 mile run could happen. No hour is warm enough, a steady 19 degrees today!
Work-out on the Wii Fit since you can't go running in 19 degree weather, and you'll fall on the icy sidewalks.
Keep your day scheduled with 3 meals, instead of snacking all day long. You aren't hungry, just bored. Hide your various stashes of chocolate.
Clean out closets.
Clean your colon by drinking 3 cups of coffee.
Check your e-mail, Twitter, and Facebook at least every 15 minutes.
Consider scrapbooking, but its too big of a mess to get out since you'll be returning to work tomorrow.
Contemplate how happy you aren't at work with rolling black-outs and crying 3 and 4-year-olds.
Put on real shoes for the first time in 2 days, and take pictures of the ice. Watch Barley get frisky in the snow.

Katy's Cakes

2011-01-26T17:00:00.000-06:00

My cousin Katy is terrific at making cakes and other baked goods. She recently (within the past few years) has been fattening up our family with her delicious treats. She's a nurse by day and a baker at night in Rockwall, TX. She is very detail-oriented. When I see her cakes, I think there is no way that I could sit and make 50 fondant umbrellas. Our family thinks she fabulous and fully supports launching Katy into her own bakery business. Anyone have any ideas how we can make this happen?

Hudson's baby shower umbrella cupcakes

Nicole's 30th birthday party

Hudson's 1st birthday party

Hudson's 2nd birthday party

Harper's umbrella cake

Confessions

2011-01-26T15:32:00.000-06:00

Here's a sneak peak into my secret life in the kitchen....

I rarely measure seasonings. Back in the day when we had cable, I would watch Rachel Ray (sometimes on mute) and marvel at how she never measured. She would just pour it into her hand and eyeball it. I want to be a cook like that. When the seasoning is spicy, I will measure. I've been burned before!
When using dry spices, I don't feel the need to clean my measuring spoons. Sometimes I just wipe them clean with a paper towel. I'm lazy.
I hate onions. I'm getting better with this. I will eat onions if they are completely softened. If I don't think they'll have enough time to soften up then I'll use onion powder.
Cumin is my arch enemy. I gave cumin numerous tries, and it just tastes really strong to me. I can't figure out if my cumin is just terrible, or that I'm extremely aversive to it. But, I'm going to try it again. I got cumin from Penzey spices as a gift, hopefully I'll just love it!
I make a smoothie every morning. I've gotten this down to an art and can make it in around 3 minutes. (6 frozen strawberries + 1 banana + 1/2 c plain yogurt + 1/2 c 100% apple juice + 1 cup of pineapple)
I'm not good at baking, because it requires precision & accuracy. See #1 why this is a problem for me. I am great at making muffins.
I'm reckless in the kitchen. Recipe calls for thyme, I don't have it, I use rosemary. The recipe calls for Swiss, I don't have any, I use Mozzarella. I just substitute on a whim. Generally this turns out okay!

What are your kitchen secrets?

The Bad, Good, and the Great

2011-01-17T11:35:00.000-06:00

The Bad

On Saturday, I set out to run 8 miles in the misty rain. This was the first time I'd ever even attempted to run 8 miles. I'd been a little bit nervous about it all week. I ate a Clif bar, drank a little bit of water and was on my way. At about mile 2, my stomach was reeling. I decided to turn around and run home. I can't remember the last time that I'd just given up and turned around. I started walking towards home wishing for a miracle port-a-potty. After awhile, I stopped and sat on the curb to see if that would make me feel better. I could feel the color draining out of my face. I got up, and started walking again. Then I ran the rest of the way home, and felt much better once I reached home. I felt pretty defeated, but decided I would try again on Sunday.

The Good

I didn't go running until about 11 on Sunday afternoon. I have found that I run better in the evenings and midday. It gives me enough time to consume calories. I set out with a strong mind, and 1 Clif Block Shot. The plan was to run a 5 mile loop passing by my house, and then another 3 mile loop. I would stop and take a drink at my house. I had set a water bottle out at the curb. I didn't feel very tired during the run. After 5 miles, I felt refreshed enough for the quick 3 mile run. I was proud of my time, and finished in 1:19:03. My goal was 1:20:00. As I'm increasing my mileage my pace is staying the same. I'm trying to stay under 10 minute miles. Next weekend, I'm slated to run 10 miles! We shall see!

The Great

Today, I was scheduled to run a 3 mile run. I had coffee and Chex cereal before my run. I love that 3 miles feels easy. I wouldn't categorize myself as a runner, and to finally be able to say that 3 miles is easy is a big personal achievement. I took Barley on my run, and he slows me down a bit. I ran 3 miles in 27:56. I think without him, I would've been able to do it in 27. I even had some juice left in me to sprint the last block.

How could you say no to this face?

I've been running since 2006, and I never thought that I would be able to run over 3 miles. For the past several years, I would stop at 3 and never set any goals beyond that. Jennie inspired me to run my first 10K in November. Then she roped me in to sign up for my very first 1/2 marathon at the end of February! Thank you Jennie, for inspiring me to do things I never thought that I could.

Chicken Pot Pie

2011-01-14T21:54:00.000-06:00

My friend Christine passed this recipe along to me, and it has been a mainstay in my kitchen ever since. She claims that it is pretty low-cal. I eat it because it is delicious! It has a pretty quick prep time, especially if you already have cooked chicken on hand. Micah's only complaint is that he wishes it had crust on the bottom too.

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (sliced into bite sized pieces)
1 bag (12 oz) Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers frozen mixed
vegetables
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/4 cups fat-free (skim) milk
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
1 Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust (from 15-oz box), softened as
directed on box

Heat oven to 375*F.
Salt, pepper, and sprinkle poultry seasoning on chicken. Pam your skillet. Cook chicken in skillet for 5-7 minutes on medium heat. Set aside.
Cook and drain vegetables as directed on bag.
In 2-quart saucepan, mix flour, salt, poultry seasoning, pepper and milk with wire whisk until blended. Stir in onion. Cook over medium heat 4 to 6 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened.
Stir in soup and sour cream. Add chicken and cooked vegetables; mix well. Cook, stirring frequently, until thoroughly heated. Pour into ungreased 2-quart round casserole. Unroll pie crust; place over hot filling. Seal edge and flute as desired. Cut slits in several places in crust.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown and mixture is bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Breakfast of Champions

2011-01-09T21:15:00.000-06:00

This weekend we had company and I made Blueberry Muffins with an Orange Glaze, I got the recipe from Eat at Home. They are fantastic!

Tips: Use fresh squeezed orange juice, and make the glaze right before you are ready to put it on the muffins.

On Saturday morning, I made breakfast casserole. This is a very popular recipe amongst my friends and family.

Recipe:
2 cans of crescent rolls
1 package of cream cheese (room temperature)
1 package of Jimmy Dean sausage
6 eggs (slightly beaten)
shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Lay 1 can of the crescent rolls in the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Spread cream cheese on top of the crescent roll. I usually use about 1/2 of the box of cream cheese, add as much or as little as you like! Cook the Jimmy Dean sausage in a pan, drain. Then put the sausage on top of the cream cheese. Scramble 6 eggs, and place them on top of the sausage. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top. Then roll out the 2nd can of crescent rolls and place on top. Cook for 11-13 minutes, follow the directions on the crescent roll package.

Christmas Tree Dip

2011-01-06T19:42:00.000-06:00

I know, I know you've already put away your tree, and you are completely over Christmas. BUT, I wanted to share this dip with you. Maybe you can revamp it for St. Patty's day. Shamrocks, anyone? My cousin, Nicole, got this idea from Kraft and made it before our Christmas Eve dinner.

Ingredients:
1 box of cream cheese at room temperature
2 boxes of Wholly Guacamole
Ritz Crackers
1 tomato for garnish

Cut cream cheese diagonally in half to make 2 triangles. Place the 2 triangles of cream cheese between 2 sheets of Saran Wrap.

Shape the cream cheese into a triangle.

Spread Wholly Guacamole on top of cream cheese and garnish with chopped tomatoes.

Add 2 Ritz crackers for the trunk.

Serve with tortilla chips and crackers!

Santa Brought us Cookbooks

2011-01-03T19:46:00.000-06:00

This year Micah received more cookbooks than me. Is this a sign that he's going to be the cook, and I'm going to be the lazy one this year?

I received:
Clean Food from Jennie for my birthday

Micah received: (see if you recognize a theme)
Smoke & Spice

Dr. BBQ's Big Time Barbeque Cookbook

Big Green Egg Cookbook

What cookbooks did Santa bring you?

Photo credit: Amazon.com

New Year's Eve Dinner Party

2011-01-01T10:41:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my blog, and to my very first post. I'm just going to dive right in.

On NYE, instead of going out we decided to host a small gathering with Jennie, Mike, Mike's parents, and my parents. We had a terrific time, especially because I won at Uno TWO times.

Here's what our tables looked like:

Don't laugh at the uneven heights of the tables, instead direct your attention to the beautiful dishes.

Our Menu:

Appetizer:
Baked Brie adapted from Foodie Bride
I decided to omit the onions, and I used plum jelly in one of the baked bries, and plain jane for the other. I used plum jelly because that's what I had on hand. It was delish!

Starter:
Roasted Tomato Basil Soup from Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Cooking
This soup was so easy to make, and I'm going to say that it isn't that bad for you either. It only had 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream, which isn't too bad split amongst 8 people.

Main Course:

Prime Rib cooked on the Green Egg
Baked Potatoes
Green Beans

Beverages:
Iced Tea
Homebrew (Spice Beer, IPA, and Stout)
Champagne
Mimosas