Mexican Night!

Ever since we moved from Arizona to Minnesota, we try to make Mexican food at least once a week. Maybe we miss the southwest or maybe we are just accustomed to culinary traditions of Phoenix. Either way, the smell of cilantro, jalapenos, and cumin in the kitchen immediately make our mouthes start to water. One of my all time favorite dishes to make on these nights is Tortilla Soup. The flavor is hard to beat and it surprisingly incredibly filling for a soup. Try making this one night to accompany your favorite Mexican entree. You won't be disappointed!

Tortilla Soup

1 tablespoon canola oil (We've been using this a lot more recently with all the talk of Omega 3's)
1 medium size jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 medium size yellow pepper (or 1 small yellow one and 1 small orange one), diced
1 medium onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 teaspoons cumin (depending on your taste preference)

*In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once oil is heated, add the above ingredients and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occaisionally

1 tablespoon tomato paste
5-6 cups of low sodium chicken stock (We like to make big batches of chicken stock and store it in the freezer. So much better than the canned variety. But we still go to the canned stuff in a pinch :) )
~1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into small chunks
~1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice

*Add tomato paste, stir well, and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Next add the chicken stock and cook for about 10 minutes on low heat with the lid on. Add the raw chicken to the soup, stir well, and then cover. Cook for another 10-15 minutes on low heat. Add the cilantro and the lime juice, cover, and cook for about 3 more minutes.

You can stop there and it will be really good. But to send it over the top...

Top the soup with a small dollop of sour cream, some chopped avocado pieces, and some tortilla strips that you can cut and bake in the oven with a little bit of salt on top until crispy.

Mmmm..I think I'll go for a second bowl now...

My Nutrition Soap Box

Anyone that knows the two of us, knows that we LOVE to travel. And since there is nothing better on a plane than a good book, my library card is invaluable. Recently, my favorite topic to read about is nutrition. I love being in shape but hours at the gym are to no avail if we come home and have trans fat, empty calories, and a complete lack of nutrient rich food. The more I read though, the more I want to get on my soap box and preach about what I’ve learned. So I have come up with my top 5 things I think everyone should know when it comes to what we eat every day.

1.) I think we forgot what a serving size is. Sure, some people look at labels and say “Hey, it’s only so many calories per serving. That’s great.” It may be great, but eat 2-3 servings at one sitting and you are getting 2-3x those calories. For the most part, a serving size for meat is 3-4 ounces. That is about the size of a deck of cards! I know that we have a tough time keeping within those portion sizes. I think the main thing to really be careful with is serving sizes of soda, snacks, and carbs. Watch those and you’ll be good.

2.) Mutligrain bread is not necessarily Whole Grain Bread. Bread is a staple in most of our diets. And if you are going to be eating bread, the best bread to eat is whole grain bread. The recommended daily allowance of grains is 5-8, with a minimum of 3 of those being whole grains. However, be careful when you snag a loaf of bread off the shelf. The first ingredient listed should ALWAYS be “Whole Grain” in some form. Next time you are at the grocery store, check out the ingredient list on some loaves marked “multi grain.” I was surprised to see how many had a first ingredient of “Enriched Flour.”

3.) The myth that eating healthy is too expensive is just plain false. I think this can go hand in hand with serving size. Our diets should include way more fruits and vegetables than anything we can buy off a shelf. One of the best tips when grocery shopping is to stay on the perimeter. The middle aisles are most likely the processed foods that we don’t need (and if you look at the ingredient list, you really don’t want). Buy what’s in season and you’ll be spending less on the fruits and vegetables. If the ones in seasons are not ones that you are a fan of, stock up on the frozen varieties. Also, eating less will cost you less. Eating a 16 ounce pack of cookies that cost you $2.00 will pack on the pounds a lot faster than a pound of apples at 99 cents a pound.

4.) The food pyramid still exists. Remember that pyramid that we all learned about as kids? The government still has recommended daily allowances because research has shown that those servings are best for our health. The pyramid may have changed by minor details over the years, the main idea still exists. Get your whole grains in, your fruits and vegetables next, and then round off your day with proteins in dairy, meat, and other non meat proteins. That small tip of the pyramid that is made up of fats is a small portion for a reason. I think that we tend to forget that and our pyramid, and our bodies, quickly becomes out of shape.

5.) Vitamins that are added to food are not better than the foods with vitamins already in them. There is a line in a commercial that says that grapes are “the original grape flavored food.” So many processed foods are “vitamin fortified.” However, the foods sitting on the shelf are not healthier than the good old real thing hanging out in the produce aisle. There is something to be said about eating something natural; something that came from the earth, not a lab.

"I'm Gonna Write a Letter..."

About 7 years ago, I was spending my summers working as a waitress in a small, local restaurant. I learned real fast that if I was planning on making any money at that job, I would have to master the art of customer service. Since then, customer service has played a major role in my professional life. I often joked that being a nurse is comparable to being a glorified waitress. Sure, my nursing career requires an amount of knowledge exponentially greater than my waitressing days, but the principals of customer service are very similar. I believe that doing everything within my capabilities to ensure that the customer (or patient) is satisfied is a high priority. Finding answers, spending time just listening, and apologies can go a long way for a frustrated customer.

All that being said, my latest gripe is with Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. We just spent a few days in Vegas visiting friends, shopping, and cheering on our March Madness brackets. We stayed with our friends Shane and Rachael at their new place in Panorama Towers (check it out- Amazing!) but made reservations at Planet Hollywood since our room would be free and we would receive some resort credits for staying there. The rooms are very nice (we’ve stayed there before, but never actually went up to our room this time around) but the check in process is downright unforgivable. We waited well over a half an hour to get to the front of the line. The “basement level” check in was crowded and completely inefficient. The lack of signage almost prevented people from getting into the casino in the first place. The cake topper, though, was getting accosted by Planet Hollywood employees for “free” show tickets and other Vegas goodies for doing a 90 minute tour of their new tower. If you unknowingly chose to do the tour and did not choose to buy, you were deemed as ignorant for making such a poor decision.

We have to been to Las Vegas several times and will continue to go in the future. However, we won’t be heading toward the red lights of Planet Hollywood and would suggest others to follow suit.

Ice Fishing!

We headed up to Lake Millie Lacs this past weekend to experience ice fishing for the first time. We went with one of the guys Eric works with, Brent, and his oh-so-sweet girlfriend Brenda. We had such a blast! There really wasn't any fish to be caught, but it was fun nonetheless. Our little cabin on the ice was 8x20 so we definitely got cozy. On Saturday night, the ice was cracking because of the change in temperature and we could hear it all night. It is so scary to feel the whole cabin shake when that happens!

We also got to experience snowmobiling for the first time. It is pretty crazy how fast you can go on those! If you ever get the chance to go riding though, HOLD ON TIGHT! We went over a little snow mound and I went flying across the ice. Only minor injuries though.

We can't wait to head up to Millie Lacs with Brent and Brenda again! Only, next time, let's find showers :)

Maui Christmas and Happy New Year!

We were lucky enough to be able to spend the holidays this year in Maui with some great friends and Eric's family. We absolutely LOVE it in Maui. We went to a amazing Christmas day service at Saint Theresa's in Kihei. If you ever get the opportunity to head to Maui, really try to get to a service there. The priest was so engaging and the band (Yes, band!) made it the best mass we've ever been to. And with a combined 33 years of Catholic schooling under our belts, we've seen our share of masses. New Year's was spent at Mulligan's (more of that to come) in Wailea. We had a blast and we all stayed up to see the fireworks over Grand Wailea.

We were blessed this year with just perfect weather. 80's and sunny every day is definitely something we could get used to. We spent plenty of days laying on the beach (Big Beach and Little Beach in Makena are some favorites), lounging by the pool (the just beautiful Fairmont Kea Lani- Thanks Aunt Pam!), snorkeling (check out Four Winds Maui), golfing (the boys got to play Kapalua's Plantation course!), and eating and drinking to our heart's content.

Food might be one of my favorite things ever and great food is even better. So when I experience great food, I want to tell the world. Maui has some great restaurants and, with everything so fresh, it is hard to narrow it down to a handful of top spots. That being said, here are some places in South Maui I would not only recommend, but will go back again and again:

Four Season's Ferraro's- Right in the middle of Wailea, we didn't dine for dinner, but had a few really great lunches there. A little overpriced, but portions big enough to split. Best Ahi Tuna sashimi I've ever had.
Mulligan's on the Blue- A little Irish pub on Wailea's Blue golf course. Since the time change is 5 hours from the east coast, Mulligan's opens up at 8 am on Sundays for the football games. And, yes, we were there at 8 am.
LuLu's- Pretty cool bar/restaurant in Kihei. The food was ok (except the "It's Baja, Dude" wrap-that was so good!) but the happy hour was killer. You can't beat $3.00 Mai Tai's.
Cafe @ La Plage- This spot in Kihei is a very casual panini place that we found just this year. Small, personal, and just delicious sandwiches.

We are back in the cold now, but here are some pictures from our tropical paradise :)

Oh Christmas Tree

We got our Christmas tree the day we got back from Ada and we love it! It is just the perfect tree. We decorated it on Sunday while we celebrated Thanksgiving Round 2. Our ornaments are a little lacking, but we accumulate a few more every year. We don't have a tree topper yet. We can't decide if we should go with an angel, a star, or something else. Any thoughts??

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are heading up to Ada, Minnesota to spend Thanksgiving with Eric's Mom's family. We are so excited to see all of them, since we haven't seen them since the wedding. Thanksgiving is my most favorite holiday. It always seemed to be the one holiday that everyone was together and then of course there is the FOOD! We are having a Thanksgiving dinner in Rochester on Sunday so I will get a chance to cook all of my favorites: Cranberry, apple, and sausage stuffing, candied pecan and pear salad, turkey (of course), mashed potatoes and gravy (my favorite!), and my mom's pumpkin bars!

Thanksgiving is such a great time to think about all we have to be thankful for. So here is my Top Five things I am thankful for this year:

1.) To have found and married the love of my life. There are no words to describe how blessed I feel. He is the single greatest thing that has ever happened to me and I am so lucky to have him.

2.) To have grown so close to my family. There is a week that goes by ( a day for that matter!) that I don't talk to them. My sisters (and my sister in law!) are the best that I could have asked for. I'm growing closer and closer to my brothers. My niece and nephews are little gifts from heaven. And I see more of my parents in me all the time.

3.) To have been welcomed into such a great, new family. I couldn't have asked for better in-laws. We are so lucky to have them close by (when they are in town!). One of my favorite stories is when Teri was over at the house when we first moved in and she cleaned all of the toilets in the house. Now THAT is a good mother in law :)

4.) To be in good health. We have had our little colds here and there, but we are so lucky to be healthy and living in a beautiful, warm home.

5.) To have the opportunities that we have and have had. The trips we've taken, the the friends we've made, and all the special memories we've made together. I recently read a book that said memories don't just happen, you have to actively make them. I can only hope for years of more memories being made :)

I hope you and your family and friends have a great Thanksgiving and remember what you are thankful for. It really makes the holiday that much better!

From Flip Flops to FREEZING!

Eric and I recently packed up our house in Phoenix and drove across the country. We are now officially settled in Rochester, Minnesota and it is quite the change! The main reason for our move was for Eric to start work as the controller for his dad's company, but we also wanted to be closer to family. We've been here for about 2 months now and are starting to get the hang of things. Eric grew up in this area but it is all new to me. We are having a blast taking in everything we can before it gets too cold to do anything that involves leaving the house! We've made it to a couple of Twin's games (including the tie breaker which was Awesome!), but have been staying down in Rochester for the most part to get everything ready for the winter. We've had snow already, turkeys galore, and are learning all of the challenges of living in a 100+ year old house. Here are a couple of pictures of our Minnesota life so far!

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Yeah Mon!

We are in Jamaica for the honeymoon and loving it so far. The humidity here is something else... wayyyy different than Phoenix. We wanted to say thanks to everyone that made our day what it was. We had such a good time and hope all of you did too. There are already a bunch of pictures going around and the photographer that night has some on his website at josefsamuel.com. Some of the posing is a little different for us midwesterners, but we think they turned out awesome. We miss you all and will see some of you when we get back to Phoenix, some of you when we head to Ohio to visit, and the rest of you when we head back to Rochester in August! Back to unlimited cocktails and sunshine! See you soon!

5, 4, 3, 2, 1!

The big day is just about here! We fly out of Phoenix today (Wednesday) and will be in town around 8 pm. We cannot wait to see you all there! The past year has flown by and hopefully everyone has a fun and safe time this weekend. See you soon!