Tasty Tidbits

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! It's been a very busy week for us, full of fun, family & friends. This pic was from Christmas night, when we got home & exchanged presents while watching The Santa Clause. It was a nice way to end a wonderful day.

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Peach yogurt with Chewy Cherry Granola
• Panettone
• Smitten Kitchen's Chocolate Swirl Buns - These were easy to make & delicious. Super chocolately, perfect for a special Christmas morning breakfast.
• Pancakes
• Overnight oats with peanut butter & coconut
• Bananas

Lunches

• Leftovers
• Sandwiches
• Vegetable Wedgie (like a stromboli/sandwich mix)
• Tomato soup
• Grapefruit, oranges & clementines

Dinners

Saturday:
Out to eat at Mangia Mangia

• Beet Salad
• Vegetable Pizza (shared with mom)
• Peanut Butter Bombe

Sunday: 
Christmas celebration with friends of the family - dinner at their house

• Vegetable Strata
• Steamed broccoli
• Green Salad
• Mint Parfaits + cookies

Monday:
Christmas dinner with Mom & Pops

• Broccoli Soup
• Linguini with garlic & oil
• Green Salad

Tuesday:
Christmas dinner at grandparents

• Summer's Roasted Red Pepper Hummus with carrots, cauliflower & broccoli (my contribution)
• Tofu
• Sweet potatoes
• Mashed Potatoes & vegetarian gravy
• Macaroni & Cheese
• Vegetarian stuffing
• Cranberry sauce
• Nut roll

Wednesday:
Christmas dinner with Pittsburgh family

• Homemade pasta with tomato sauce
• Green Salad

Thursday:  
Visiting my college roomie/bestie

• Pizza - gluten free crust topped with garlic-tomato sauce, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, avocado & spinach

Friday:

• Chipotle Salad Bowl!!!!

Treats

• Cookies & more cookies

Tasty Tidbits

Here's a peek at what my view is on a Thursday night. Double-wide stand with lots of music.

We're preparing Christmasy music for the upcoming services. Christmas Eve Candlelight Service is my favorite one of the year. I'm usually forcing my eyes to stay open by the time it starts at 10:30pm (a bit past my bedtime...I like my sleep!). Once the service starts, though, I get wrapped up in everything & suddenly it's Christmas.

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Strawberry yogurt with Chewy Cherry Granola
• Bulgur Porridge with blueberries
• Blueberry Whole Wheat Pancakes
• Bananas & crunchy peanut butter

Lunches

• Leftovers
• Cooking Light's Zucchini Bread
• Sandwiches
• Basil Lime White Bean Hummus with carrots & pretzels
• Grapefruit & oranges

Dinners

Saturday:

• Gnocchi with roasted broccoli in a walnut vinaigrette
• Green Salad

Sunday: 

• Fresh Tomato Basil Soup
• Grilled Cheese
• Bean Salad

Monday:

• Mega Salad: Baby greens topped with tempeh pan-seared with lemon juice & garlic, carrots, red onion, kiwi, dried cherries, & honey roasted sliced almonds, all tossed in Mama Pea's Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette

Tuesday:

• Angela's Smoky BBQ Chili - This was delicious! It's nice & thick, just how I like my chili. The addition of bbq sauce was a nice twist on traditional chili.
• AllRecipes Whole Wheat Honey Bread

Wednesday:

• Eggplant burgers
• Pan-seared Brussels sprouts
• Turnip Gratin

Thursday:  

• Eating Well's Creamy Avocado & White Bean Wraps - I'll be making these again for sure! They were quick to make, especially since I made the slaw the night before. I loved the creamy & crunchy texture combination.

Friday:

• Cooking Light's Butternut Squash & Smoky Black Bean Salad - If I could have a salad like this for dinner every night I'd be super happy. Cutting up the squash took some time, but the rest of the salad came together easily.

Treats

• Cookies & more cookies
• Trader Joe's Sipping Chocolate

Back to Nature

It had been way too long between trips to the family cabin. Until last weekend, we hadn't been up since Labor Day. Luckily, we'll be back again in a month!

We took 2 hikes, both to find overlooks that none of us had been to before. Dad saw the rock outcroppings from down on the main road & wanted to find them to see if the views were good.

I love the combination of hiking on the dirt road, paths, & blazing our own trails. It was fun venturing through the trees & jumping over rocks.

Things were pretty muddy, but that didn't stop us.

A few trees were down across the path. It wasn't hard to find each other through the brush, though. Since it's hunting season, we were all wearing orange vests for safety. It's always funny to look at us in our hunter orange when none of us actually hunt.

The sky was crystal clear on top of the mountain.

When we reached the first vista, we realized it wasn't so clear in the valley. Still, it's beautiful to see the hills & valleys covered in the thin fog.

Mom & I wore our earbands. It wasn't super cold, but when the breeze came along, the chill went right through us.

The guys just had hats on. And carried walking sticks. :-)

Along the way we passed several stands for hunters. This one was on the ground, but we saw a few that were mounted up in trees. Dad thought this one was pretty cozy.

Everything was moss covered. Did you know that moss only grows a few inches per year? It took a long time for some of the large rocks we saw to be covered.

We found it! From this overlook, we were able to see the road to the cabin of a family friend. The next day, we actually saw the cabin. These rocks were massive & the crevices between them dropped straight down for hundreds of feet.

We had such a great time exploring & breathing in the fresh air. I can't wait to go back. It's so relaxing & calming to be away from everything & outside. Hiking is one of my favorite forms of exercise. I just wish we had more opportunities to go.