friday senses

powder for breakfast.

It's spring! It's Friday!! Woohoo!

Here's a peek at our week.

seeing: blue skies. melting snow. lots and lots of sunshine! spring is here (although I know winter is going to surprise us just a few more times this next month....)

presenting: I gave a presentation in school this week about healthy habits in early adulthood. I found THIS talk on dieting absolutely fascinating--check it out for sure.

schooling: Two weeks ago was midterms! I've made it halfway! These next few weeks are going to get crazy.....and I'm trying not to get nervous with all the papers/papers/papers/tests that will be happening. One day at a time, right?

playing: we've been up on the mountain every chance we get these past few weeks--ski season is just about over.

celebrating: Robby celebrates a birthday this weekend! I was with him when he turned 22.....and now he's an old old man. Can't wait to party.

dreaming: I won't lie.....I'm dreaming about summer.

reminiscing: We have been in this house now for a little over a year......crazy! It has gone by so fast ....yet also feels like forever.
reading: go back and read the comments from last weeks beauty post (HERE). I have the smartest readers in all the land! Can't wait to try some of the tips.

looking/feeling awesome: stuck in powder. laughing and flailing as robby takes my picture.

instagramming: I'm no longer posting your "How We Weekend" photos here on the blog--but keep tagging away and come follow the @howweweekend account for a chance to be featured there!
(new here? tag your weekend adventures #howweweekend on instagram so we can all see what you are up to!)

wishing: as soon as we are done in the snow, I need the trails to dry up so we can get the bikes out!

eating: quick and easy.....that's my motto these days. 

 

Burrito Bowl

I have posted exactly 1274 versions of burrito bowls on this blog....here is the latest favorite:

-brown rice

-quinoa

-black beans

pickled cabbage (cabbage and your favorite vinegar (white, white wine, red wine, apple cider...etc). Eat it right away or let it sit for a few days in the fridge. )

-roasted sweet potatoes (I always roast LOTS of sweet potatoes so I can throw them into whatever throughout the week)

-avocado

-sour cream

-lime

-cilantro

Happy Weekend!

over the weekend

it started with one tiny flake. 

 a few more, here and there, sprinkling from the sky.

slowly, so slowly, fluttering from the clouds.

we kept peeking out the windows, fingers crossed for more. 

and then....

the clouds opened! they spilled over, painting our world white. 

and it just kept falling

and falling

and 

f

   a

      l

         l

            i

               n

                   g

lucky us.

I headed to the mountain on Friday to decompress after the week's papers! and tests! and lectures! and late nights! (my brain hurt.) The fresh air and fluffy snow was exactly what I needed.

I shared a lift with two guys who where visiting from Australia. They praised our mountains and snow and reminded me (in their thick Australian accents) how lucky I was to call this place home--"so spoiled you are here!" I remind myself of this every single day......we ARE so lucky. We never ever thought we'd call Utah home, but I'm so happy for the trails and mountains that make this place perfect for us.

We headed up with the whole crew on Saturday and braved the blizzard for the best ski day we've had all year. I think every single prayer for snow was answered, in just a few hours on this very mountain.

After our cold day we snuggled on the couch in jammies and cheered on Team USA in the Olympics.

(the fun had to come to an end for a lonnnnng night of math....best way to end the day.....right?)

It was perfect soup weather, and this is THE best soup to make when you are feeling exceptionally lazy and really don't want to cook. It only takes a few minutes of prep work--and it's always a family favorite around here.

Chicken Chile Verde Soup

-1 onion, diced

-3/4 cup roasted green chilies, diced (our awesome friends grew pounds and pounds and pounds of green chilies last year. Ali and I spent an evening late summer roasting and dicing. I pulled these from my freezer and they made me miss summer just a little bit...)

-4 cloves garlic, minced

-2 chicken breasts

-4 cups prepared black beans

-4 cups chicken stock

-1 tsp cumin

-1 tsp ground coriander

-1/2 tsp dried oregano

-1/4 tsp nutmeg

-pinch of red pepper flakes

-salt and pepper

-juice of one lime

In a large pot, saute onions, chilies, and a pinch of salt in olive oil for 5-6 minutes until tender. Add in red pepper flakes and garlic, and cook for a few more minutes. Remove pot from heat, and add onions, chilies, and garlic into a blender with 1 cup of chicken stock. Blend until smooth. 

Pour into pot and return to heat. Add in chicken breasts, remaining broth, beans, and spices. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until chicken is done. (I like to simmer on low for a few hours--the flavors have time to mingle and the chicken will easily fall apart. Salt and pepper to taste and stir in the lime juice. 

Top with all your favorites--avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips, cilantro, pepper jack cheese and an extra squeeze of lime.

enjoy!

blogged 1 year ago: lower the beet juice

blogged 2 years ago: homemade almond milk

blogged 3 years ago: individual chocolate pudding cakes

friday senses

a peek at our week

wishing: for snow!! I have finally fallen completely in love with winter, and it hasn't snowed in weeks. We've been up skiing on the weekends and loving every second......but we really do need a good storm so we can keep this up......

 

feeling: happy! it's my birthday tomorrow......the big 3-1. You guys, thirties are so much better than twenties, I can't wait for this new year.

schooling: I didn't realize how much I missed school until these last few weeks! Learning, reading, highlighting, quizzing.......I love it. We'll see how I feel in a few weeks though.....I have two tests and a paper due next week......gulp.

just-a-little-bit-dreading: writing my English paper this weekend. It's been years and years and years since I had to write a paper about a topic I didn't choose.......and it's....hard. Wish me luck.

flipping through: my sis-in-law gave me this Williams Sonoma Slow Cooker Cookbook . It is not your typical "open a can and dump it in" slow cooker recipe book--the recipes are fresh and full of flavors. I'm anxious to try these recipes out--I'll let you know what I find.

wondering: I'm working on another organic post (remember THIS ONE a few years ago?) I want to cover a few more areas--do you have any questions about eating organic? Ask them here (or leave your advice-the more the merrier) and I will see if I can include it in my post.

flashing back: My homemade yogurt recipe is making the rounds on the Internet right now, and I think I need to make another batch with our milk from down the road. 

Step by step on how to make yogurt (in your crockpot!) HERE

watching: I saw this quick video on the food industry the other day and found it very informative--you should take a look. We hear about these topics so often, but this breaks it down and makes it very easy to understand. 3 Lies about Food You're Used to Hearing and Might Even Believe:
Check it out HERE

asking: do you meal plan? I have always been terrible at it....what are your secrets? I need to be better organized in the kitchen with my busy schedule right now. Help me out!

snacking: What are your favorite portable (and healthy) snacks--either homemade or purchased? I'm looking for some ideas to add to my usuals to keep me alert and awake the days I'm at the school all day. Can I tell you one of my favorites? Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Larabars.  I've made a few different "bars" before (Mexican Chocolate, Peanut Butter), but if I don't have time to make anything, these Larabars are my favorite.

juicing: the juicer is still working full time. Lately for me, the stronger the juice, the better. This concoction is KALE-Y. Probably not for beginning juicers, unless you just love kale. Kale has a pretty strong flavor, and it also adds a texture to juice--a little bit thicker than most.

*saute your kale pulp and eat it with a fried egg!
*want this juice a bit sweeter? add an apple
*not sure about kale yet? start out with 1-2 pieces and build up

Kale and Carrot Juice
5 pieces of kale

5 carrots

1 lemon, peeled

1" piece of ginger

What are you juicing this week?
(see my giant juice post HERE)

Happy Weekend!

friday senses

a peek at our week.

running: in deep deep snow--the trail is still piled high. It's slow going, but it feels so good to get moving even if it's just a few miles.

dating: last weekend we went on our traditional Christmas date. The kids requested Bombay House just like last year, and then we headed to the store to shop for each other...peeking around corners and racks to make sure no one sees.

liking: I just really loved this photo of her doing art in her their room.

hearing: my kids are sooooooo loud. singing dancing laughing and just yelling. how are such tiny people so noisy? nonstop and well into the night. just too excited for Christmas.....and I've stopped fighting them. I just close their bedroom door and let them fall asleep on their own in a pile of legos......great parenting right there.

 

anticipating: last day of school for the year today!!

driving: I drove an hour in a blizzard to go to Trader Joes for some fun things for our Christmas feast. I just love that store and never ever go down that far.....but it was well worth the drive.

wishing: for snow! it snowed all around us yesterday, but most of ours has melted and it's just brown and sloppy around here. bring on the big fluffy flakes for Christmas!

decorating: sugar cookies. every Christmas my sister and brother and I decorated sugar cookies. My kids love doing the same each year.

playing: in the snow. I am so excited for this winter--we will head to the mountain as often as we can. I haven't been snowboarding in over 10 years......so when Ali and Monica took me out I was a bit LOT rusty. I mean, your feet are strapped to a board sailing down the mountain on snow. So yes, my tailbone is still sore and my ego is still bruised. I'm determined to practice practice practice so I can eventually keep up with these two.

teaching: this was our kids' first time ever skiing......it was a long day for all of us. 

see her face at the end of the day? yep.

I found myself often giving the "when you fall down you have to get back up again" speech. It's hard to see our kids frustrated, but we also think it's so important to push our kids--take them out of their comfort zone.....and speeding down the mountain unsure of how to stop.....was DEFINITELY out of their comfort zone. But at the end of the day they were already talking about next time....it's going to be a good winter.

shopping: done done done. I have a few groceries I will pick up on Monday but other than that it feels so good to be done. Thanks internet shopping and UPS man.

juicing: juice by morning, cookies by night. that's how it's going these days.

this juice tastes so good, and pomegranates and cranberries are everywhere right now.

Winter Red Juice

arils from 1/2 pomegranate

1 cup cranberries

3 carrots

1" piece of ginger

Happy Weekend!

blogged 1 year ago: Christmasy Things

blogged 2 years ago: pomegranate 

blogged 3 years ago: Christmas Letters