Home made pizza and babies!

Last night we made homemade pizza… crust and all.

It was pretty tasty. Mine had all kinds of things on it, like mushrooms and fresh mozzarella cheese. Hubby’s was a boring cheese and pepperoni.

 

Lilly helped make the pizza by laying right in front of the ovens and guarding the food while it baked. Unfortunately, she did not get to have a slice as she get’s too many treats as is, and is starting to put on a bit of extra wait. Dog parent FAIL

After dinner, I met a little cutie.

He’s name is Ian and his has some bright blue eyes!

He wants to be just like dad when he grows up.

And this may be my favorite picture by far from the whole shoot. The face says it all!

Hope you all have a great Tuesday!!!!

Z

Project 366: Week 2

Day 8 was Grocery day. I actually made a list and shopped from it. To make things better, I made everything I planned to and didn’t run to the grocery store for anything all week. Day 9 was my first encounter with a Green Monster. It was okay. I might have putt a little too much peanut butter in it.

Day 10 was Chicken Burrito Bar night. I tried to make this a bit healthier and it turned out delish according to husband and awful according to me. I usually flavor the chicken with a tomato salsa and season the beans more. Day 11 was the first snow storm of 2012. It was an awesome day to sit at home, sip tea and work away.

Day 12: Hubs took the day off and we headed out to the mountains for a Thursday of snowboarding. Keystone had just gotten fresh snow, it was about 38 degrees and no one on the slopes. It was pretty close to heaven.

On Day 13 I decided that I wanted to make some creme brulee. It turned out amazing! Finally Day 14. Mammoth home opener and the retirement of Brian Langtry’s #6 jersey. How ironic that our team wins by 6 points?!

Summer Cooking

 

Hi all! Meet Carol from Everyday Delights, she is fantastic and you all need to go make friends with her.

Hi everyone!  I'm Carol from Everyday Delights, a loyal reader of Zara's blog! I live in Seattle and love to cook!  I especially love cooking in the summer because of all the fresh produce our local farmers markets have to offer.  All the dishes are so much lighter, but just as delicious as heavy winter recipes.   Here are some of my staples for summer cooking! Fresh Corn Salad

I have to credit my best friend Bynn for having this one.  We recently had a friend's dinner where she made this fantastic salad.  And its so easy to make!  There is an abundance of fresh corn at the Farmer's Markets now and this is going to be a staple on our dinner table for the next few months!  She also threw in some halved cherry tomatoes which was great!

image: Food Network

Greek Panzanella salad I am half Italian (my grandfather immigrated from Italy through Ellis Island) so carbs are a staple in my cooking (its in my genes!).  I actually don't eat a lot of meat, but bring on the carbs!  This dish is a great way to use that leftover bread (no one likes throwing away food!) and also get healthy veggies in your diet!

image: House Beautiful

Tom Douglas' Rub With Love Salmon

As I said above, I don't eat a lot of meat (I'm not a vegetarian, just not a huge fan of meat) but salmon is a different story!  I love it!  Here in the Pacific Northwest, we are lucky to have great fresh salmon and we sure eat a lot of it!  Here in Seattle, one of our well known chefs is Tom Douglas.  He has a string of fabulous restaurants, has been on the Food Network and Top Chef and is a great addition to our restaurant scene!

He also makes these fantastic rubs called "Rub With Love" and his salmon one is my favorite!  I use it almost every time I cook salmon and never get sick of it!

image: Tom Douglas

 

I hope you've enjoyed reading about my favorite recipes and if you try them I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!  Thank you again to the lovely Zara for letting me guest blog as well!

Thank you Carol for being here today, and sharing these with us. I know I’m going to be trying all of the above!

Wine out of a bottle

 

I’ve been missing this past week, and I’m sorry. I missed the blog world and all you wonderful folks out there. As some of you know, I started a new job this past week… it kept me pretty busy, but I’m loving being there.

So this weekend, I tried to catch up on life around the house, and seeing my hubby. I ended up accomplishing almost nothing.

I want to share what we had for dinner tonight, because this was the first dinner in the last five years that I took my time cooking and not having to worry about getting it over with so I can do homework or get to bed in order to wake up for class.

This was dinner!

Fresh made burgers from scratch. And I mean from scratch, I literally ground the beef myself. Grilled asparagus marinated in balsamic vinegar. AND mussels with homemade sauce.

YUP!

I did all of it. I also might or might not have drank wine straight from the bottle as I cooked.

Classy! I know.

The asparagus turned out fantastic. The burger was even better, granted I ended up not eating the bun, since I couldn’t bite into the whole thing. My mouth = not big enough.

The mussels = fantastic. I never made them before, and the recipe I used was super easy to follow and made them taste ahhh-mazing. To top it off, you use the ingredients that you boil the mussels in to make the sauce that goes with it.

   

Buttery, garlicy deliciousness with tomato and claim juice cocktail.

And don’t forget white wine in there. Drinking out of the bottle is also necessary to make this sauce perfect.

YUM.

Sometime this week I’ll show you exactly how to make these!

For now, I’m heading to bed so that I can get up and go to the gym at 6 am before I have to go to work.

30 Days of Photography – Day 7

 

Here is my update for the 30 Day Photography Challenge. Lori over at Happy Chaos life inspired got this thing going, and my friend Kristen over at Asymmetrical Joy let me know about it.

Day 7: Fruit

I’ve been up since 6 AM today, and you know what?! I kind of like it. I love sleeping in, but today I’ve just been productive or so I think. I think I’m going to try and get up at 6 tomorrow too. Maybe my day will be just as productive.

As for the picture today… well I couldn’t make up my mind as to what I really liked. It started out with this:

but the lighting was all goofy. I guess I really shouldn’t wait until 7 PM to try and take a picture.

So then I moved my Granny Smith apple to the stones, because I’m an artist and I thought the contrast would be nice. I think it sort of failed. But I figured it was better then being hidden by the green grass and stupid lighting.

Then I took a bite out of my apple, and a light bulb went off. Again because I believe myself to be an artist I figured what’s more artsy then a picture of an apple with a bite in it?!

And then I had the brilliant idea to document how I eat my apples for you. Reconsidered this silly idea once I realized how much effort it would take to take a picture after every bite.

Hope you all had a wonderful Tuesday!

30 Day Photo Challenge – Day 4

 

Here is my update for the 30 Day Photography Challenge. Lori over at Happy Chaos life inspired got this thing going, and my friend Kristen over at Asymmetrical Joy let me know about it.

Day 4: Something Green

Today, Husband and I stayed in bed until 10 ish. Yum, we just slept in. Then talked. Then snuggled a bit. Then talked some more, and finally decided that it was time to get out of bed, because out tummies were seriously complaining.

We went and got ice cream for breakfast. Let me tell ya!!! Best breakfast EVER!

We drove around the new developments looking for house inspirations. Toll Brothers has got to be our favorite when it comes to semi-custom homes.

We’re sort of in love with this exterior:

Simply because it looks like a “freaking castle… and I want to live in a castle” these are my 27 year old husbands words.

We actually went driving around because we were looking for a particular wrap around deck that I had seen a year or so ago from Capital Pacific when my parents were looking for their house. It was to die for with two fire places and built in outdoor kitchen/grilling area. BUT the house had sold, and we were not about to be the weirdos knocking on strangers doors asking to see their deck.

After our little adventure we got some cleaning and organizing done in the basement, and honestly it looks like a bigger mess then what I started with. I also had the brilliant idea to vacuum the concrete… don’t judge, I have no clue what I was thinking. BUT nothing blew up, which is a good sign.

Then we all went out to dinner for my brother-in-laws second birthday celebration. We had some sea food at Red Lobster. It made me wish I was back down in Texas or up in Boston where they really know how to cook their seafood.

Then we had some carrot cake and I finally got a chance to take a picture of something green. So here is my Day 4 picture or the 30 Day Photography Challenge!!!

I’m happy to report that the carrot cake was yummy! It satisfied my rare sweet tooth perfectly. Now, I’m heading to bed, where I will rest my tired little eyes until I have to wake up and head to the gym for Body Pump… then work.

Happy Saturday night, or if you are reading this in the morning HAPPY SUNDAY!

30 Day Photo Challenge Day 2

 

Here is my update for the 30 Day Photography Challenge. Lori over at Happy Chaos life inspired got this thing going, and my friend Kristen over at Asymmetrical Joy let me know about it.

Today’s topic was What You Wore Today.

I had a meeting at Children’s this morning so I decided that I would actually put on slacks and look somewhat presentable.

I took this picture after I got home, I’m barefoot with no makeup and my badge still on my clothes, but it was the only decent one I could get. I wanted to play around with the light a bit, and my camera is actually set on super exposed for the lighting, otherwise the white balance was making the picture highly underexposed. I love playing around with my camera settings, and being able to shoot in full manual mode. Even the focus of this photo was set on manual due to the overexposure and light in the background.

I’m currently starving so I’m going to go find something to eat. I also have no clue what to make for dinner. Any suggestions?!

Ginger Glaze Mahi Mahi

This was a random recipe I decided to try out tonight, and my God it was actually pretty good. Let me start off by saying the ONLY reason I bought Mahi Mahi was because it was on a ridiculous sale at my local Sunflower Market. I’m talking $3.77 a pound!!!! So I bought two pounds, for some reason they gave me four pounds which I didn’t notice until I pulled it out of the fridge today.

ANYways! The Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi turned out way better then I thought, it was actually edible. I usually don’t like fish that is fishy in smell and taste… I don’t know if you know what I mean but it sort of tastes salty without any salt. However the glaze really helped and it went pretty well with the mashed potatoes, it would have been better with just white Jasmine rice.

  The best part about this recipe was that it was super easy, fast and I had everything it required at home.
You will need:

• 3 tbsp of Honey
• 3 tbsp of soy sauce
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 4 medium or 6 smaller filets of Mahi Mahi

And here is what you do:
1. In a shallow glass bowl/dish mix the honey, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, ginger and olive oil together.
2. Stick the Mahi Mahi filets in the dish and marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat,
4. Get the fish out of the refrigerator and get ready to fry them, make sure to hang on to the marinade
5. Fry the fish for 6 minutes on each side, and another 4 on each after that
6. Remove fish and set aside.
7. Pour reserved marinade into skillet and heat the mixture until it reduces to a glaze.
8. Spoon the glaze over the fish and serve

DONE! Now just ENJOY!

Hawaiian Chicken Burgers… Holy YUM

 

A few weeks ago, as I was reading one of my favorite blogs, I came across the Hawaiian Chicken Burger recipe. It looked AH-mazing and I had to try it.

I recreated it, and let me tell ya… it was AWESOME. And just because I am awesome, I am going to share my recreation process.

You are going to jump for joy when you realize how SIMPLE this is!

Here is what you need:

1. Two medium chicken breasts (Cut into two pieces, and then tenderize into patties)
2. Pineapple (De-skin is that what you do to a pineapple?! Cut 4 slices of about a quarter inch thickness and remove the middle)
3. Red Onion (Cut four slices of about a quarter inch thickness)
4. Swiss Cheese (Four sandwich slices)
5. Teriyaki sauce (I prefer the Tokyo Joe’s homemade Spicy-aki)

Sorry for my lack of kitchen speak. I really have no clue if a pineapple is peeled or de-skinned or what the process is called, bottom line you don’t want any of the hard outside poky skin on. 

Start of by beating the crap out of the chicken with a tenderizer and forming into a round patty shape. Then smother them in your favorite teriyaki sauce and let them sit, while you gather the rest of the ingredients. 

  Cut up the pineapple and the onion, and grab the Swiss cheese.

You also want to grab the jar of teriyaki sauce!

Get the grill going and get ready to grill up the best chicken burgers of your life.

Stick the chicken on the grill first, and let it cook for a few minutes or so. Then add on the pineapple and the red onion. Rub some more teriyaki sauce on the chicken, the pineapple and the onion. Grill everything until it’s done.

Once the chicken is done, stick the Swiss cheese on the chicken and let it melt for a few seconds. Get your burger buns ready, pile on the chicken, the pineapple and the onion.

Most importantly ENJOY!!!

Let me know what you think of this!!!

A Month of Goals – May Edition

 

In April, I started setting mini-goals to accomplish throughout the month that will help me in my journey of a healthier, happier and overall more positive life.

My goals included sleeping for 8 hours a day, cutting out soda and junk food, exercising daily and regularly, writing more, planning and cooking meals at home, reading at least 2 books, and organizing my closet. While, I didn’t get to all of them, I feel that I’ve made some progress.

Successes:

pic via

I’ve cut out all soda and fruit juice consumption from my diet. I can tell you that I crave Dr. Pepper, especially when the Mister sits in front of me with a big glass of it, but I’ve been super good about avoiding all soda. I have seen a difference in my energy level, as well as my weight. I’ve lost a solid 5 pounds in the month, and I am attributing a good portion to the lack of soda in my diet.

  pic via

I’ve tried to be good about going to bed early and getting up on time with 8 hours of sleep under my belt. On most nights, about 80%, I did get my 8 hours of sleep. There were a few days here and there that I had to stay up doing homework and studying, as well as a few days where I stayed up with the Mister just because.

I sure felt the difference between getting 8 hours of sleep compared to my usual 5 to 6 hours of sleep. So this will be going on my goals for May… get 8 hours of sleep daily, no excuses.

pic via

I’ve been super good about going to the gym, Body Pump classes, and working out at home. I had a few bad days due to my knee, but I got down to the gym at least 3 times a week. The 25 Days of Fitness was also fantastic and really kept me motivated and accountable. I also, read a ton about nutrition and exercise and increased my knowledge and obsession. Next up is clean eating!!!

Failures:

This list is a bit longer. I defiantly did not cook as much as I would have liked to, and we indulged in take out and fast food, less then usual but some non the less. My closet was completely ignored, and I’m still living in two pairs of jeans, handful of t-shirts and gym clothes. It was quite a disaster when both of my jeans were dirty… not a good day in the this household!

I also put my reading goal on hold due to the amount of homework and studying being forced upon me by Chemistry. BUT… today was my last class… Monday is my final… so this is the last push before I can read whatever the heck I’d like

May is going to be a big month!!!

Not only am I done with school but I have had several exciting opportunities come my way, including a research project that I get to work on on my own, with the Anxiety Clinical Director as my Supervisor. This is super exciting because the study is regarding eating disorders and anxiety. When the research is analyzed and papers published my name will be on them, which means I will be armed with an admissions ticket to almost any PhD program in my field. WOO!

Aside from this bit of news, here are my goals that I will be working on this month!

1. Drink more water
2. Eat at least 2 servings of fruits and 2 servings of veggies a day
3. Drink protein, and take my vitamins daily
4. Sleep 8 hours a day
5. Cut out fast food. All of it. No excuses.
6. Catch up on my reading
7. Organize my closet

For now I am going to stick to these lovely 7 goals, which should be pretty easy without the extra worry of school!

Time to head to the hospital! I’ll be back later for the link up with Lindsey at Mr. and Mrs. Smith regarding the weight loss challenge.

I have someone I’d like y’all to meet

 

I’d like to introduce you all to the knee that hates me.

  Knee meet everyone, everyone meet my jerk of a knee.

Yesterday, I forgot to take my knee brace with me to the gym. And when I left the gym it was feeling fantastic. However, after the short drive home getting out of my car was a bit of a problem. Now, walking and getting up the stairs is a problem. I hate my knee… and have officially given in to going to see my doctor about it. I’m trying to get an appointment after my final, and hopefully get this stupid thing fixed. I feel so useless hobbling around everywhere. I pretty much look pathetic and to prove my point, I got a good chuckle out of my brother. 

Aside from the knee, I had an awesome breakfast.

Greek yogurt, with half a banana, three strawberries and some granola. It really hit the spot, and since I hadn’t really had a real breakfast in a while it was fantastic… my tummy agreed.

I also pulled out my DSLR for this shots and wonder why I don’t use it more often. I know it’s easier to carry around the point and shoot, but the picture quality is no where near what it should be. Once my graduation is affirmed and I have a C in my class I will be getting the 50mm 1.4f lens which will make things even better.

I’m also thinking of investing in a new camera bag, I want one that wraps around the shoulder or some other more convenient way to carry around my Rebel and lenses.

I was thinking something like this… does anyone have one of these or any other choices of camera bags that will work better then a standard shoulder bag?

Tuesday Travels – Cruisin’ Away Part II

 

Last Tuesday I told you all about the fantastic excursions we did while on our Anniversary Cruise in the Western Caribbean. You can read all about them here, and while you read that keep in mind that there were a ton of other excursions that you could choose, such as diving in a submarine, or going to the Sting Ray Cove in Cayman, or even visiting a Rum Cake Factory in Jamaica. Since we only had enough time in each port for two dive we chose to dive.

In Part 2 of our cruise adventure I’d like to tell you a little bit more about what you can expect on the ship. It really was very different from what we had in mind, and exceeded our expectations by leaps and bounds.

I never got a picture of our stateroom, but it looked something like this. We had a balcony room which I’d highly recommend if you have scuba gear with you that needs to be spread out to dry, otherwise an inside cabin (which are much cheaper) is fine since you end up spending very little time in the room.

Our room attended was also amazing and I wish I had brought along more cash to give him extra tips. Our room was always made and ready to go. I felt that if we stepped out of the room even for half an hour we’d come back to our clothes folded, the bed maid and anything extra removed from the room. Not to mention we kept coming back to these babies:

      

 

The only complaint I had about our room was that the shower was TINY, and if you tried to shave your legs you encountered a bit of a problem. But I can’t really complain since we were in the middle of an ocean and had the ability to have hot water to shower with.

The room service was also excellent and you could order food at almost any time of the day and night. Of course tips were always welcomed by the room staff, so again I wish our travel agent had told us to bring more in cash with us.

Speaking of room service and food… the food was AH-Mazing, way better then some of the expensive restaurants we had dined at. Every night we had a more formal dinner, with two nights of black-tie dinners. You also had your choice of several buffets you could go to for breakfast, lunch, dinner and anything in between.

At the first formal dinner, I wore my wedding dress

      

And this is what we had, lobster ravioli for me and pot roast for Donald. Both were fantastic, and we both wish we had some wine to go with it, but since we were diving the very next morning we strained ourselves from putting alcohol into our system.

 

The last formal dinner, with my parents.

At our last dinner with our server, Guro who was fantastic. We also got a Royal Caribbean cook book.  

 

The buffets had a tone of food, and always fun decorations with fruits and veggies to go along with it.

 

There was also a ton to do on the ship while out at sea. On our first full day at sea we explored the upper decks were you could find the pools, hot tubs, gym, spa, recreation room, several bars and lounges. There was also an ice skating rink, a theater, and a movie viewing room.

There was lots of drinking and some karaoke singing

 

     

There was also some laying out by the pool and enjoying the sunshine

Not only this, but the ship was HUGE!! And it was constantly being cleaned.

This is the Royal Promenade where you could shop, eat, hang out and so on.

Over all, this was one of the best vacations we’ve ever been on, and one that was very affordable, even with a balcony room. 

This picture pretty much sums it all up.

OH… and we got to witness one of the most beautiful sunrises in the world.