Wednesday, May 28, 2014

our weekend in (food) photos

enjoyed reading this over the weekend.  drool.

on friday, while our kids were at a middle school dance, a few of the parents went to the yard house for dinner and drinks.  i had my most favorite crunchy tuna salad. we sampled the beer and laughed for 3 hours.  no worries, we had a designated driver picking up the kids.  in fact, they beat us home.

saturday, bobby made pancakes for breakfast from our school's new cookbook.  i love these fundraisers that help share recipes.  the pancakes were delicious and devoured.

we did some things around the house and then bobby and i went back to yard house for lunch.  we are just discovering how good the food is here.  i had the turkey burger for lunch.

we hung out with my parents - no food was consumed - and then went home to hang out and watch lost.

sunday morning bobby made crepes from the cookbook, another excellent recipe from one of our excellent teachers.  we went to church and to andrew's baseball game. (forgot to take a picture of the nachos.)

then we went to my sister's house to see the updates.  she had a nice spread to munch on while we visited.

for dinner... menchie's.

monday was a nice, quiet day.

bobby and i went to target and trader joe's to get a few things for a bbq.

i made a pineapple pico de gallo for our hawaiian dogs (minus the macadamia nuts).


then we went to the park to meet up with my family.  we grilled our turkey dogs, bacon wrapped hot dogs and 3 different kinds of sausages.  never a lack of choices for us.

my dog was heavy on the salsa, light on the turkey dog.  a nice salad and some chips to round off the plate.

and after all that, when we got home on sunday evening, sofia says "i'm hungry." never fails.  so her wish came true and bobby took her to mcdonald's (gasp).  not something we do very often.  but hey, the girl gotta to eat, right?

maybe not the healthiest weekend but we enjoyed every bite.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

2014 weekly menu | week 22

fruit salad with greek yogurt. i added granola and honey after the photo was taken.
summer is definitely in the air.  jordan is done with school and starting water polo. the kids have just a few weeks left. we are planning our vacation, playing baseball at the park, spending more time outdoors and waiting for the pool to be warm enough to get in.

this change of season always gets me excited about our change of menu.  eating from our garden, grilling, and lovely fresh fruit.  making jam, popsicles and ice cream. looking forward to all of it.

weekend eats
saturday: leftovers
sunday: frozen yogurt from menchie's - i know, healthy
monday: hot dogs, chips and salad at the park

making this week
tuesday: tuna burgers, grilled corn
wednesday: orange chicken and rice
thursday: honey mustard pork tenderloin, roasted potatoes, salad
friday: pizza (chicken pesto)

here's another resource when i am menu planning.

cookinglight.com
i subscribe to the magazine and love the website.  i can look things up by ingredients, or type of dish i'm looking for. there are some creative ideas for making quick menus and using seasonal ingredients.  i love the tutorials and videos as well.

check out this weeknight meal planner.

enjoy!

Friday, May 23, 2014

inspired by | do it anyway

for those that don't know, notre dame is a catholic high school.  they start every school day and every school meeting with a prayer.  sometimes it helps set the tone of the meeting, sometimes it's informative, and sometimes it gets you thinking.

the last 2 meetings i've attended - one for band boosters and one for the mother's guild, this was the opening prayer.  and man, did it touch my heart.

etsy print found here.
this was inspired by the paradoxical commandments but mother teresa made these words powerful.

what this means to me: it reminds me to live an honest and authentic life regardless of criticism, jealousy, cruelty, ignorance, justice, or judgement.  it helps me let go of negativity.  it's a statement that goodness and kindness and happiness and forgiveness is what i want to give and receive. that what really matters is that it is right for me and my family first.

have a great weekend.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

our weekend in photos | eco and strawberry festivals

our annual end of the year festival took place on friday under windy conditions and hot temps.  that comes with the territory, literally.

months were dedicated to planning this end of the year festival that culminated our year long theme of ecology.  parent volunteers, teachers, students, staff and eco friendly vendors came together to teach and learn about the earth and those that live on it.

watching the kids perform is a highlight.  they sang and recited poems particular to their "ology".
sofia was in the climatologist group.  so they sang "raindrops keep falling on my head" and recited a poem about the wind.

andrew was in the hydrologist group, so they sang "what do you do with a water waster?".

there were hikes through the chumash trails, native plant lectures, advocacy presentations and demonstrations on weather, bubbles, recycling, and geodes.  the decorations were all recycled from various events throughout the year, as well as from the art room and recycle bin.  it was an educational and fun afternoon at our lovely school.

saturday was my first day sleeping in and not putting on my running shoes.  man it felt good.  we stayed in our pi's and did house things.

i got some time to get organized on my project life album.

after dinner we had menchie's.  having just the five of us together on a weekend for a meal is getting to be a rare thing.  we've been scattered at different events for so long.  it felt great to just hang out at home and enjoy a treat.

sunday sofia and i went to oxnard for the strawberry festival.  i'd never been so it was an experience i was excited for.  my only complaint was having to pay to get in and then having to pay to do anything; games, crafts, food.  i didn't bring enough cash to do everything we wanted to do.

but we had strawberry smoothies, frozen strawberry lemonade, and just plain strawberries.

i passed on the strawberry wine, and wanted to try the strawberry popcorn but forgot.

lunch was corn dogs, what else?

andrew had a baseball game in the afternoon, jordan had his last confirmation class and then we went to my parents' house for dinner to celebrate some may birthdays...

with ice cream chocolate chip cookie desserts.

looking forward to more relaxing weekends ahead.

Monday, May 19, 2014

2014 weekly menu | week 21

the best thing i ate this week was a strawberry smoothie at the strawberry festival.
things are really slowing down around here.  i went to yoga this morning for the first time in weeks.  and what that means is that i drove to school to drop off the kids and drove out to go to the y!  no stopping in the parking lot and dealing with questions or issues. no running home to get something done. no running.

75 minutes of stretching, peaceful, mindful, intentional slowing down. that always helps to put me in the right state of mind for the week.

weekend eats
saturday: spaghetti and meat sauce - leftovers
sunday: pizza, chicken and salad to celebrate andrew and my nephew's birthdays

making this week
monday: chicken tostadas
tuesday: tuna (turkey for the kids) burgers, oven fries
wednesday: roasted tomato basil soup, grilled cheese
thursday: chicken baked with tomato and artichokes, salad
friday: pizza

this week jordan has finals - yikes!  then he is on summer vacation.  i have my last pto meeting.  the usual baseball games and school activities. but so much nicer now that the hard part is behind us.

i want to start linking to some of my favorite foodie sites every week.  the first one will come as no surprise as i have links to her recipes almost every week.

skinnytaste
i've been following her blog for years now and it is my go-to site for new recipes.  i have tried many and not one has been disappointing.  all weight watcher friendly or just healthy if that's not your thing.  lots of delicious photos and the recipes are easy to follow.  and i love that she's coming out with a cookbook photographed by one of my favorite food photographers, penny de los santos.

some of my favorite recipes:

enjoy your week!

Friday, May 16, 2014

our weekend in photos | marathons and mother's day


our weekend started on friday at heritage day at cha.  the kids create museums about the countries that they are from and give oral presentations to the class and parents.  and then we celebrate with food - always a fun thing.

sofia presented on mexico with a keynote complete with pictures, facts and an audio file of my dad saying hello to the class from his radio program, such a cool bonus.  he's done that for each of the kids for this project.

after lunch we got in the car with my parents and headed up to solvang.

my sister-in-law and friend from school.
we checked in to the hotel and went to the expo to get our packets.  the wind at this point was rough not a good omen for the race. then we joined the training group for dinner pizza, pasta and garlic bread.  and finally everyone headed to the rooms to get some rest.  wake up time was 4:45am.
all of my stuff ready to go.  a pre-race energy drink, gel for during the race and a recovery drink for after the race.  my breakfast was the alt bar.  magnets to put on my ankle that's been hurting lately.  and my bib, t-shirt and hat.  it's a lot of gear to remember.  in the end i forgot my sunglasses and flip flops but i would survive without them.

pictures of the group waiting for the bus.  we maintained a large group this year.  usually we start out big and only a few make it to the actual race.  but we had committed members this time.

at the starting line we were joined by the walkers - yes they walk/ran the 13.1 miles and they were awesome.


minutes before the start.  i was nervous, excited and ready to run.

the first five miles of this race, on this particular day were torture.  maybe it was the warmer weather or the stress of the last few months catching up to me.  but my legs did not want to move.  i felt every ache, i needed to use the potty (i didn't for the entire race because it would have cost me 20 minutes of waiting in line.) i struggled physically and emotionally. i thought many times - i will never do this again.  and then i reached the tough hill at mile 6. i climb the corkscrew, huffing and puffing, having to walk, ready for it to be over. i reach the top and as if it were the first time i had done this race, i was taken away by the view.  and just like that, a burst of energy (most likely from the gels) kicks in and i know i can do it.

so i ran.  for 7 more miles.  still not really loving it. still suffering. and still having doubts.  but determined to finish strong.


i turned into the final stretch and saw my parents and sofia cheering me on.  closer to the finish line i saw sergio and my teammates yelling out my name.  and i ran faster.  i crossed the finish line at 2:25, 13 minutes slower than my best time 3 years ago. it's disappointing to work so hard for 16 weeks only to have a "bad" run on race day.  honestly, once i crossed the finish line i let go of all of the negative feelings and i embraced the joy of finishing my fourth half marathon!

i got my medal and snacks, drank my recovery drink and met up with the group who were coming in. and then the pain started in my foot.  in compensating for one side of my ankle i put pressure on the other side and it was in pain.  i couldn't get my shoes off fast enough.  i was limping and uncomfortable.  i should have gone back to the room to ice and lay off it.  but instead we went wine tasting.

there was a music festival and wine tasting in the park.  we got wine glasses and bellied up to the bar, along with hundreds of other people. we tried reds, whites and beer.

and then i went back to the room to shower, ice my ankle and sleep.

the boys arrived in the afternoon and we went to dinner with some of the group at the cold spring tavern.  this is such a cool spot. it was an old stagecoach stop in the 1800's.

3 well behaved kids.

and one cold beer.

and chocolate cheesecake to celebrate his 12th birthday.

then off to bed for the night.

on sunday my ankle was in bad shape. i was icing, taking advil and using the biofreeze that came in our recovering pack.  it all helped, for a moment and then it hurt again.

so we went across the street for mother's day breakfast and met my family.

sitting outside, eating french toast and breakfast wraps, talking about our race experience.  getting to know debbie.  just enjoying this awesome town was a great way to celebrate mother's day.

 it was amazing seeing debbie cross the finish line.  she did awesome and i'm happy that she stuck with it and completed the race.  and maybe wants to do it again?

getting to spend time with my mom who i adore.  she is such a huge support for me.

and then it was time for the long car ride home.  feeling content.  feeling accomplished. feeling happy.  with my kids, my hubby and my medal. and a bag of ice.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

currently | may 2014


wishing i was updating my photo album.

icing my ankle and feeling a lot better. my limp is less noticeable.

needing to mop my floors - good lord they are dirty.

anticipating news of a baby being born - come on chicken nugget.

watching the last few episodes of breaking bad. i forgot how intense that show is.

admitting that i am watching dancing with the stars.  great cast this season.

loving the show parts unknown on cnn. i'm all about food and stories - just without all the danger, murder and drugs.

wrapping up the last few commitments at cha and the last meetings at notre dame.

wondering what i will do with all of my free time next year - yeah right.

can't believe that jordan will finish his freshman year in one week!

thinking about how fast the next three years will go... ok crying.

admiring him for jumping right into pre-season water polo - he's committed.

adding to my list of books to read. it's not getting any shorter.

waiting on that massage.

planning a few things to do/see/eat before the kids get out of school.

knowing i won't have enough time to do it all.

dreaming about our summer vacation.

reminding myself to be honest and brave.

Monday, May 12, 2014

2014 weekly menu | week 20

handmade corn tortillas from olvera street
this is that magical week where i am supposed to be on a high from running 13.1 on saturday, relaxing and eating whatever i want.  in reality i am injured, tired beyond belief, preparing for a festival at school on friday and catching up on a lot of things to do.

and eating whatever i want!

weekend eats
saturday: dinner at cold springs tavern
sunday: pizza

making this week
monday: sweet sesame noodles with chicken
tuesday: spaghetti and turkey meatballs
wednesday: chicken tortilla soup
thursday: open faced salmon & avocado blt's
friday: eat out

as part of my recovery i'm also supposed to get a massage this week.  that's on the top of my to-do list.

have a great week.

Friday, May 9, 2014

12 things as he turns 12


andrew turns 12 tomorrow, here are some cool facts about our boy

1. he goes by many names - goozy, monkey boy, grillito, mr. bun buns, aj and andoo.

2. recently he has been researching jokes - funny jokes and is working on a routine.  he even wrote a script for him and i to do in front of the family.  stand-up comedy may be his calling.

3. he loves his sister and admires his brother. with all his heart.

4. he also loves his hair and is always in need of a haircut.  getting that done when he gets back. it may be the deciding factor for high school.  short hair may not work for him.

5. he gets up easily in the mornings on school days and early on the weekend.  he likes his quiet time before everyone else gets up.

6. 3 obsessions: legos, video games, and star wars.

7. he will follow in his father's footsteps and start a role playing game with his friends. can you say nerd?

8. he is so smart, and takes such care with his school work, when he's not totally absent minded about it.  his favorite subject is social studies and has been fascinated with war and ancient civilizations.  can you say nerd?

9. he has the best one liners.  "like steak on a grill." "i don't know about you but i have a life to live." "sometimes the smallest mistake can be your biggest problem."

10. he is moving into adolescence.  some changes are obvious and some are not. but we will have another teenager in our house soon.

11. he plays baseball from his heart.  he's not the best hitter or outfielder.  but he never misses a practice, he listens to his coaches and he tries hard.  what more could you ask for?

12. he is a sweetheart, a comedian, a deep thinker, a true friend, a compassionate boy, a
believer, and an amazing son.

i love you goozy and can't wait to celebrate with you!
mom