Weekly Menu

Monday:  Labor Day Fun!
Tuesday:  Couscus with mushrooms, zuchinni, craisins, slivered almonds, and avocados.  And zuchinni muffins.
Wednesday:  Delicios Beet Salad with zuchinni muffins.
Thursday:  Happy Birthday Mitch.  I am sure we will go out.
Friday:  Salt Lake Pasta Salad!
Saturday:  Leftovers
Sunday:  Shelley's mushroom pork tenderloin with brocolli and cocnut rice.

Happy Wednesday.

Weekly Menu

Sunday:  Homemade Pizza, Corn Salad, Homemade Peach Mango Ice Cream, & Beet Cake (Beet Cake is the best in the summer)
Monday:  Grilled Vegetables, Rice Pilaf, & Chicken Apple Sausages
Tuesday:  Beet Salad
Wednesday:  Tortellini with Vodka Sauce & Spinach Salad
Thursday:  Breakfast for dinner (Whole Wheat Pancakes)
Friday:   SMU Football Game
Saturday:  Day 1 of Mitch's Birthday week, which means we will 99% go out

Peach Mango Sour Cream Homemade Ice Cream

Ingredients:
4 Cups Sugar
4 Fresh Cups of Peaches & Mangoes (You can also use Raspberries)
1 Pint Sour Cream (I use fat free!!)
6 Eggs
6 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 can evaporated milk (large) chilled in refrigerator
1 pint half and half (I use skim milk or 1%)
1 pint whipping cream

Directions:
Take 2 cups of sugar and add to the fruit until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
Add other 2 cups of sugar to sour cream and stir until dissolved and smooth.
Combine 6 eggs with 5 teaspoons vanilla and beat with fork.
Add eggs to the sour cream mixture.
Combine with half and half and cream. Add chilled canned milk.

Pour into freezer—Make 4 quarts so use ¼ of recipe for your Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker.

Weekly Menu

(Disclaimer:  Posting out weekly menu incentives me to actually cook, not that I always follow through.  But my goal is to not be eating cereal and pb&j sandwiches on a daily basis.)

Sunday:  Leftovers!  ("Baby" Wheat Pasta with Vegetables, Cowboy Salsa, Wheat Biscuts (they failed miserably) & Fruit)
Monday:  We go out for FHE because we are awesome
Tuesday:  Beet Salad
Wednesday:  Tort. Vegetable Pasta with Vodka Sauce
Thursday:  Breakfast Burriots with Yam Fries
Friday:  Pizza & Salad
Saturday:  Let's be honest, we will probably go out again or have pancakes (I teach dance on the side to fund our addiction to good food and going out to eat)

Happy Monday!

Weekly Menu

Sunday:  Wild Rice Salad with Avocados, Zucchini, & Squash
Monday:  FHE...Torchy's Tacos
Tuesday:  Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas with Corn & Avocados
Wednesday:  Whole Wheat Pancakes with Honeydew Melon & Strawberries
Thursday:  Chicken Apples Sausages with Zucchini & Squash
Friday:  Leftovers

The Best & Worst of Dallas

We have officially been in Dallas for an entire month (Mitch has been here almost two months) and we are beginning to love Dallas.  Here is what I have discovered so far, the best, the worst, and everything else in between.

The Worst:
1.  It's so hot here.  I thought DC was hot, but it's different here.  I think it's hotter.  The high on Thursday without humidity is 104.  Awesome.
2.  There are stores every where called "Condom Sense", does that make anyone else nervous? (It's also slightly humorous.)
3.  The traffic.  There is horrible traffic here.  Who would have thought?

The In-Between:
1.  We live in an apartment building.  One day we will no longer be apartment dwellers.  One day.
2.  Everyone in our building is either a "hipster" or has big hair and wears "bejeweled" jeans.  (Not that either of these are bad, but maybe not totally our style.)
3.  We live on the edge of the ghetto.
4.  Dallas is a large city, but so different than DC or NY.  The city just goes on forever and ever.

The Best:
1.  There are parks everywhere, beautiful parks.
2.  It's green.  I was expecting Dallas to be really similar to El Paso (not that El Paso is bad), but I thought Dallas would be a desert.  It's not.  Right now there are beautiful dark pink and purple flowers blooming everywhere, they must love the heat.
3.  The Food.  Yep, it's delicious.  And there is everything in the world here.  Every chain your heart ever desired (except Noodles & Company, but there is a Potbellys), along with unique delicious restaurants.  And the tacos.  So many varieties and all equally delicious.
4.  White Rock Lake and the Arboretum.  This might be my favorite part of Dallas.  It's a beautiful lake right in the middle of the city perfect to run or bike around.
5.  We live about two minutes away from a Sonic, I have a slight addiction to the Happy Hour, $1.13 Large Diet Cokes with Lime, their ice is amazing.
6.  The Katy Trail.  My favorite place to run.  It's a 7 mile (round trip) trail and there is water along the trail and even ice cold water.
7.  Highland Park.  It's amazing.  I have never seen anything like it.  Most beautiful houses, lawns, and parks I have ever seen.  In fact there is a house there that Mitch and I though was a church.  No joke, it's that beautiful.
8.  The Lily Pads.  The largest lily pads I have ever seen.
9.  Did I mention that we live next door to a grocery store and target, super convenient.
10.  We have covered parking and don't have to pay for it.  It's a miracle.
11.  You don't have to pay to park here.  Pretty amazing.
12.  The Dallas Art Museum.  It's free, right downtown near the freeway and has some truly remarkable pieces.

Overall, I think Dallas is slowly winning us over.  I miss (more than I would have thought) running in DC on the Mount Vernon Trail past all the moments with my running partner Beth.  And I always miss the majestic mountains in Utah.  They hold a very special place in my heart.  But Dallas is good.

Happy Friday.

Falling Water

A friend recommended to me to go to Falling Water, located outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, before we left.  And it was absolutely stunning, worth the entire three hour drive.  This might be one of my favorite things we did while in DC.  I was completely amazed at the beauty of the home.  

Nauvoo & Canada

A few months ago (April) Mitch and I went to Nauvoo to see the Sacred Grove and Joseph Smith's home.  It was a remarkable experience.  After a quick visit to Nauvoo we went to see Niagara Falls.  It was amazing and so incredibly cold.  We stayed in Niagara Falls for the night and headed up to Toronto to visit my cousin Adam.  We went to this fabulous market in Toronto and we had the best spaghetti sauce in the entire world.   It was red sauce mixed with pesto and I wish I had more.

Mitch at the Sacred Grove

Me in the Sacred Grove

Niagara Falla, view from our hotel room

Weekly Menu

Sunday:  Shrimp Pineapple Tacos with Black Bean/Corn/Basil Salad with Peach/Mango Homemade Ice Cream and Zucchini Brownies
Monday:  FHE - Leftovers or go out
Tuesday:  Zucchini Waffles with Strawberries and Turkey Bacon
Wednesday:  Spinach/Tomato/Pea Pasta
Thursday:  Homemade Pizza with Spinach Salad
Friday:  Fly to Utah!!

Zucchini Brownie Recipe:
2 Cups Zucchini Finely Shredded
2 Cups Wheat Flour
1/2 Cup Cocoa
1/2-3/4 Cup Applesauce
1 1/2 Tea Soda
1 Tea Salt
2 Tea Vanilla
1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips (optional)
1 Tea Flax Seed (Optional)

Directions:
1.  Mix zucchini, applesauce and vanilla
2.  Add dry ingredients
3.  Add chocolate chips (the batter will be thick!)
4.  Bake in a 9x13 glass pan for 30 minutes at 350 Degrees

Spring in DC

Spring might be my favorite season in DC.  I love the Cherry Blossoms and just walking around outside.  I kind of became obsessed with the Cherry Blossoms and went almost every day to see them when they were blooming.  Lucky for me I could ride/run during lunch and after work.   Beth and I also ran the Cherry Blossom 10 miler which was the perfect race for Spring in DC.

This is always the first tree to bloom.  It's right by my work.

Lunch time walk around the Capitol.

Run around the Tidal Basin.
Can you see the Washington in the background?

Tidal Basin and MLK.

Waiting for class I took this picture.  It's the last of the blossoms.

Backyard at work.  My work is really an amazing place.

Mitch and I on my way to work.

 If you can't tell I am obsessed with the Cherry Blossoms.

New York

We went to New York over Easter to visit Abby and Jason, it was the perfect trip.  I could go there a thousand times over and over again and still love every single moment.  We basically ate the entire time, what we do best in New York.  We also spent most of our time in Brooklyn, which I loved.  Just to name a few, we went to the Meatball Shop, the Donut Shop, Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery for Banana Cream Pudding (I think it's better than Magnolia's), Ample Hills Creamery, and Ippudo Noodle Bar.  WE LOVE to EAT!

Eating at the Meatball Shop in Brooklyn, I love the pesto and chicken!  

We Love BROOKLYN.

Ippudo Noodle Bar.  It was delicious.

Mitch is handsome.  Can you see the Statue of Liberty?
I love the Staten Island Ferry.  

We went to see Once and both loved it.

I heart Detroit

I finally made it to Detroit with Emily to see Sarah.  It was the perfect trip, just a little too short.  I can't wait to go back and explore some more.  Detroit is an amazing city and I am fascinated by the history.  Thank you so much Sarah & Co. for a perfect trip!

Puerto Rico

We went to Puerto Rico at the end of January and it was fabulous.  We went with some friends and totally enjoyed ourselves.  It was totally last minute and it totally exceeded my expectations.

We went hiking in the jungle.
It rained almost the entire time.  It as so much fun.

We went to the island Vieques and found a fabulous beach.

That little boat behind us is a boat and a plane.  Basically one of the coolest things I have ever seen.
 It flew right over us and landed in the water and then took off a few hours later.

Kevin, Bree, Mitch, Bobby, & Danielle

We went kayaking in the Bioluminescent Bay one night and the water was amazing.
It was bright blue!

This was the van that took us to the Bioluminescent Bay
and I thought we were going to die on the drive there.
Not joking one bit.

 Thank you to the Harrington's and Ahlstrom's for a wonderful trip.

January Randomness

January went by in a blink.   

During the middle of January we went with some of Mitch's classmates skiing at Snowshoe Mountain in West Virginia.  Totally different skiing from the west (super icy!), but it was so much fun!

It snowed 7 inches the day before we got there!  Lucky us.

Emily and I went to Inauguration in January and I failed to take any good pictures.  It was pretty amazing to attend an Inauguration, but it was SUPER freezing and we couldn't get on the metro when it ended, so we walked home!  Thank goodness we only live 5 miles away.

We were really far away.

 January also brought some fabulous weather,
I was even able to ride my bike a few times to work.  

I love my work, I am really going to miss it starting in Mary.

 And how could I forget Mary Kate.  She is the absolute cutest.

Christmas away from home.

Before going home at the end of December we tried to celebrate a little around the city.  We:

1.  Went to see the White House Christmas Tree and the Capitol Christmas Tree.
2.  Went to see A Christmas Carol at Ford's Theater.  (This is one of my favorite things I have done in DC).
3. Went to breakfast at Old Ebbitts Grill.
4.  Made Gingerbread Men (Mary Kate tried to eat them, she is the cutest).
5.  Went to the Botanical Gardens to see the Christmas display.
6.  Made gingerbread houses with Mitch's classmates.  As you can see below, we've got serious talent.
7.  Discovered the perfect Christmas store (it's actually called The Christmas Store!) in Old Town Alexandria, the ornaments are amazing.

Miss Mary Kate.  i am slightly obsessed

Mitch and the Botanical Gardens

Our award winning gingerbread houses

The White House Christmas Tree

The Christmas Store in Old Town

Claire and Mary Kate

Three Fabulous Years

The Perfect Christmas Tree

We celebrated our third wedding anniversary on November 24th by buying the world's smallest Christmas tree for our tiny apartment and driving home from New York.  It was perfect.  I love Mitch with all my heart and I have no idea how I would survive without him.  He makes me better every single day.

Thanksgiving

So, I am obviously a little behind on my blogging, but Thanksgiving was so fun that I wanted to make sure not to forget it!

Macy's Day Parade

We went to New York to visit Abby and Jason for Thanksgiving and I fulfilled one of my life long goals/dreams to attend the Macy's Day Parade and let me tell you it was seriously fabulous.  The floats were huge and I was so glad we were able to go!

We went a little crazy on Thanksgiving and cooked everything in Abby's perfectly (but slightly small) Brooklyn apartment.  We made rolls (Shelley's of course) with homemade jam, stuffing (my absolute favorite part), yams, potatoes, salad (my second favorite dish), cranberry cake, and we bought a turkey (least favorite part).  It was perfect.

Cooking - Me, Abby, and Mitch (in a flannel of course)

Our delicious food

We also braved the crowds and went Black Friday shopping at Target, let me give everyone a little piece of advice...NEVER take Mitch Black Friday Shopping, he lasts less than a minute.  We got new sheets for a fabulous price (I hope everyone thinks it's hilarious that we bought sheets - for the second year in a row).

The Meatball Shop

The day after Thanksgiving we went into the city and ate at the Meatball Shop, went to see Starry Starry Night (one of Mitch's favorites), went to see the Spider Exhibit at the Natural History Museum (slightly scary, but so awesome), saw Lincoln, and of course stuffed our faces with Levain cookies.  It was a perfect day.

It was just one of those days...

Do you ever have those days when...

You wake up at 8:18 am and you are supposed to leave your house at 8:16 am?
You sprint to the metro, start sweating, sprint to work, keep on sweating, and then cool down too fast and stay cold at work all day?
You are in a constant losing battle with excel?  (Excel:  2000,  Sarah:  0)
You pretend to be a tax person (can't even think of the right word), then realize you made a mistake on your 941s?  Your co-worker swears and all you can do is laugh at how ridiculous the entire situation is??
Your lunch is nasty and you paid $10?  Not that this matters, but it kind of does...
You eat 10 peanut m&m's?  (When you are supposed to have none.)
You don't brush your hair until 3:45 pm, even though you work in a professional office?
Don't put on make-up again?
Wear purple pants, hot pink shoes, and a bright blue jacket because all you want to be is comfortable?
Your class is at the complete opposite side of campus?
You drink two diet cokes in one day instead of zero?


And then you realize....

You are overly grateful for your best friend that lives across the country in Colorado and just listens when you call, even though all you can do is keep on complaining?
You go to class and you are overly inspired and realize that none of it really matters?
You go to an exercise class (with a billion skinny undergrads) and you are proud of the fact that you are stronger than almost all of them?
Sit down with a good friend at the end of the day and remember how good your life really is?
See your husband and feel happiness?

That was my day yesterday.  Often I just have to take a step back and realize that it's all going to be ok. And that "I am enough".

Watch here.