What Is Your Happy Place?

Yesterday was the first big snow of the season here in Omaha, and it was kind of a big deal. 

Nope, actually it was all anyone could talk about! The lines at the grocery store were extremely long, as everyone prepped for Winter Storm Dion to unleash his “fury.” Rumors swirled of the potential accumulation amount, and I heard everything from 4 inches to 2 feet. For your information, the final total was a whopping 3 inches. 

Given the fact that this storm was all anyone could talk about for 5 days, I was actually shocked at how poorly the roads were plowed. Perhaps the plows on the East Coast are just better?

I was able to make it to the gym to meet my good friend Becca for my Winter Wonderland circuit workout, and then I opted to avoid the slick roads for the remainder of the day. I holed up in the kitchen until dinner time, cooking up a warm, cozy meal, as well as a fun breakfast option for the blog. As I looked outside at the beautiful snowy landscape, I couldn’t help but feel very peaceful.

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Since I had nowhere to go, I didn’t feel rushed and  decided to simply enjoy my time in the kitchen, listening to a Pandora country music station, as I buzzed around the kitchen. A couple hours later, I decided to throw on a classic Christmas movie to play in the background, Love Actually.

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Once again, I forgot how much I love this movie – definitely put me in the holiday spirit! It might have helped that I was testing out a recipe for the blog: Egg Nog French Toast with a Cranberry Strawberry Compote.  Continue Reading →

Kitchen Adventures: Houseguests Must Work For Food!

In case last Wednesday’s post didn’t show you, I LOVE having houseguests. Anytime we have visitors, I go crazy in the kitchen baking delicious items like donuts and scones.

After living in apartments for years, it’s fun playing host in a REAL house. And, I take my duties very, very seriously. I even offer up Cole as a cuddle buddy for my guests.

Life is "Ruff"

Life is “Ruff”

He doesn’t seem to mind his “extra duties.”

Anyway, I mentioned on Wednesday that my friend Molly would be staying with us this week. What I didn’t mention is that Molly happens to be a very talented photographer and offered to help me out with improving my food photography. In case you didn’t notice, there’s a lot of room for improvement in that area!

Unfortunately, Molly’s camera needed to charge last night, so she’ll be teaching me a few things on today’s hike…but that didn’t mean I let her get off easy!

She was pretty excited to learn that I would be making her my “famous” Cheesy Spaghetti Squash and Cucumber Tomato Summer Salad for dinner last night. But, I wasn’t about to let her get off easy and sit on the couch with Cole as I worked away. Nope, since both were recipes for the blog, I put her to work taking pictures of me cooking in the kitchen.

Three guesses on who took this pic. Hint? Not me!

Three guesses on who took this pic. Hint? Not me!

Houseguests must work for food!

Relaxing and taking in the Hudson Valley...this won't last too long, Molly!

Relaxing and taking in the Hudson Valley…this won’t last too long, Molly!

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A Trip to the Mediterranean and Bucket Lists

I’ve got big plans scheduled for next weekend (more on that later), so this weekend was full of rest and relaxation. Whenever we can, if we know we have big plans coming up, we purposely try to keep it low-key for the week leading up to the big plans.

Our weekend included an early morning hike up a nearby mountain.

The bugs and humidity were so worth it once we saw this view!

The bugs and humidity were so worth it once we saw this view!

And a “trip to the Mediterranean” through a meal cooked up on Saturday night. The meal included homemade hummus, tzatziki sauce, baked pita chips, a Greek salad and smothered chicken. I promised the BF we’d be transferred to the Mediterranean, and I feel like I delivered!

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Here are the abridged recipes I used to make this meal. I highly recommend that you give them a try, because everything was delicious!

Feast fit for the Greek Gods

Feast fit for the Greek Gods

  • Pita Chips: Cut pitas into 8ths, sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper, bake at 400 for 15 to 20 minutes
  • Hummus: Blend together 1 can chickpeas, 1/4 cup liquid from can, 1 tbsp tahini, 2 garlic cloves, 5 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp olive oil and salt to taste
  • Tzatziki: Mix together 1 cup greek yogurt, 2 tbsp fresh chopped dill, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 finely chopped cucumber, 1/2 lemon, 1 tsp lemon zest and top with olive oil and mint for flavor
  • Greek Salad: Chopped romaine, feta cheese, kalamata olives, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers; dressing = 10 tbsp olive oil, juice from a lemon, 1 tsp red wine, 2 cloves minced garlic and oregano
  • Mediterranean Smothered Chicken: From my girl, Kristen at Iowa Girl Eats (sans pasta)

However, instead of talking about food and fitness, today I’d like to talk about goals and bucket lists. Why am I getting so deep, you may ask? Well, because, my friends, next weekend we’re headed to my hometown, Omaha, to celebrate my 30th birthday!

And, like any milestone birthday, turning 30 makes you think a little deeper (which I don’t often do!) about what you’ve achieved in life so far and what you’d like to do next… (settle in with your lunch folks, this one’s a lengthy post!)

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