Hailey Lee

Happy 4th Birthday to one of the most special little girls I have ever known, Hailey Lee!

I have had the pleasure of knowing this amazing and adorable little girl.

She constantly brightens my days!
Here are some of her adorable moments that makes my days brighter...

Her personality is unbeatable!

We love practicing funny faces!

 

She is getting pretty good at it, if I do say so myself.

I hope you have an AMAZING day beautiful girl!

I love you!

Chia Pudding

I don't know about you, but it feels like I've been hearing about Chia seeds constantly lately!
It kept reminding me of the Cha Cha Chia plants from the nineties.
But, eventually I started noticing all the benefits that were being talked about.

The more I often I saw things about them, the more I wanted to try them.
I finally caved and bought some this past weekend, hoping that I would like them.
 (they are by no means cheap)
I had seen a recipe on Pinterest, and the back of the bag for Chia pudding. Combining these and my own preferences I came up with this version.

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Chia Seeds

1 Cup Vanilla Almond Milk

1 Tablespoon Honey

1 Tablespoon (or so, to taste) Cinnamon

Directions: 

Mix together all ingredients and refrigerate for at least 2 to 3 hours.

So easy, right!

The longer you let it sit the thicker it becomes.

OK, OK, I know it doesn't look like the most appetizing thing in the world but it is!
It turned out absolutely delicious, If I do say so myself!
It's also good for you!

Falafel Pita Sandwhich

Mmmmm... excuse me while I finish chewing...

This was one of those random recipes that came to me while I was grocery shopping for this week. 

It was a pretty genius one, if I do say so myself.
And, of course simple.

Ingredients:

Directions:
Toast Pita, cut one side open.
Smear Greek Yogurt Dip inside one side of the Pita.
Fill with peas, tomatoes, and salad (of your choice).
Heat Falafels (3 pieces literally take one minute).
(I was weary of the precooked Falafel... but it was good.)
Cut in half and add to Pita sandwich.
That's it! Eat!

 

 I'm pretty proud of this one. It was surprisingly delicious! 

First Sounders Game!

Hello all! 

I had the awesome experience of attending my very first Seattle Sounders game on Saturday!

 I was graciously given some tickets for AMAZING seats (four rows up from the field)! 

It was so much fun! 

I went with a friend of mine, Karisa and we had a great time.

Unfortunately, they did not win.
Even with our very helpful coaching. 

By coaching, I do mean yelling at the from our seats along with the other thousands of fans there. Unbelievable right? All they had to do was listen.

Regardless, I can't wait to go again!

 

 

Garlic Spaghetti Noodles

 This week I'm trying to get creative with the food, or lack of, I bought at the grocery store.

I got home from the grocery store on Sunday, and sorta realized I didn't get a whole lot of food... 

Does that happen to other people? Or is it just me who can't grocery shop productively all the time?

 Anyway, I basically ended up with some fruit, oatmeal, popcorn (I have been obsessed with Trader Joe's White Cheddar popcorn), and pasta. 

Pasta is one of my main food groups. Right up there with bread. 

I never want to even think about those "no carb" diets, yuck. 

Anyway, realizing this I have been trying to think of a new way to make something to eat aside from Mac and Cheese (which is what I ate for lunch for the past two days). 

My recipe today I'll admit was inspired by Pinterest and all the spring pasta recipes I've been seeing. 

Forewarning: I didn't measure one thing in this so the amounts are really up to you and how much you would prefer, but I will guesstimate to be as helpful as possible.

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Spaghetti

(your normal amount, I never know how to measure pasta)

Rosemary

 (you can use fresh or dried, mine was dried )

Olive Oil

(about one tablespoon or so)

Fresh Garlic

(I used one clove. My mother raised me on it, so I favor it)

Cherry Tomatoes

(one handful or so)

Bread Crumbs

(I used Italian)

Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Boil Water, add a little bit of olive oil and salt. I also add a little bit of rosemary to the water.

Add pasta, stirring occasionally.

While the pasta cooks, heat up olive oil in small sauce pan.

Chop up garlic. It doesn't really matter into what size, it's entirely up to you. 

Cut tomatoes in half.

Chop up rosemary.

Add garlic to heated oil, and cook on medium low heat- my mom would be so proud.

Once the garlic begins to brown, add tomatoes and cook for a couple more minutes. 

Remove from heat (I just poured mine into the bowl I was going to use).

Add rosemary to the garlic sauce. 

When pasta is cooked, drain and add to bowl.

Stir pasta to mix in the garlic sauce. 

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. 

Enjoy!

 This was really delicious and full of flavor from just a few simple ingredients! 

This would go great with a glass of red wine, like most things...

The Troll!

The Fremont Troll is public art built under the bridge in the Fremont neighborhood. 

I had been told a couple times about "the troll" and to go see it when I get a chance, but had no idea what to expect. 

Last week I was out with a friend for dinner in that neighborhood and asked her if we could go see it. 

It is a HUGE stone statue!!!

 It was very cool and exciting to see. 

The first thing I wanted to do when we got there was of course climb it. That's a normal first reaction, right? I did just that! It was like being a kid at a playground, and I enjoyed it much more than was probably "normal" or "appropriate". Oh well! I'm a kid sometimes, and I like it! It just makes my life more fun.

Anyway... It is located on Troll Ave. N. and N. 36th St. under the 99 bridge. In it's had is a real VW Bug. It is 18 feet tall and is made of steel, wire, and concrete. 

The Troll is very impressive and I would recommended everyone that has the chance, go see it! It is much more exciting in person.  

Toasted Ravioli

I'm always saving recipes on Pinterest and lately I've been trying to make more of them so that they are actually useful. One of my favorite types of food is pasta, so I tend to eat quite a bit of it and am always pinning new ideas.  I found this recipe a while ago and just got around to trying it. It was so easy and delicious, just my kind of recipe.  It took a total of about 25 minutes including cooking time. 

Ingredients:

Frozen Raviolis 

Italian Bread Crumbs

1 Egg

1 Tbs Milk

Marinara Sauce
(I just used canned, but you can use any kind you'd prefer)

Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Grease baking sheet.

Whisk together egg and milk in a small bowl. 

Pour small amount (add more as needed) of bread crumbs on a small plate.

Dip Ravioli in egg mixture, then roll in bread crumbs, and place on baking sheet.

Repeat with as many raviolis as desired.

Place on center rack in oven.

Bake for about 15 minutes.

Remove from oven add Marinara sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

This was so GOOD! I will definitely be making this again, and again.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Spring Garden Time

It's that time of year. Spring!

 I actually like spring, in theory. 

In Albuquerque, NM there isn't much of a spring. It goes from winter to summer to winter again. Seattle has already shown more of a spring than I have ever known. 

The days are longer (so much longer already than anything I have ever had), warmer, and sunnier with some chilly winds. Making it the best weather for light jackets. My favorite! I LOVE jackets. 

Any who, my Aunt and Uncle are very into gardening, and since I'm living with them right now we have spent the past two weekends working on the garden. They have been perfect days for it. Warm without being too hot, which never happened in NM. 

Today was also a great weather day, so I spent some time in the back yard admiring all the newly planted plants and spring blossoms. 

I thought some of you might like to see some...

  

 

 

 

 

 Mmmmm.... I am obsessed with rosemary! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rooney was more interested in playing while we were outside, not taking pictures.

And, how do you say no to that face?

You don't. 

 

The cherry blossom trees are in bloom right now too! I will have to get some pictures of those to share as well.