Burnin' Up

 I wish that I could say I was burning up looking at this gorgeous sunset...but no.  I'm just burning up, with a fever!  Instead, I am burning up looking at this:

 

Oh yes, ladies and gentlemen.  My medicine of all medicines is Panera Bread's chicken noodle soup.  Not Campbell's or Progressive....delicious, fresh, hot, Panera chicken noodle  soup.  

So, on Friday I came down with a bug...and being a kindergarten teacher you are definitely bound to catch something throughout the year.  Well, the bug caught me and kept me down all weekend long.  When I got home from work on Friday my PJ's were my best friend and I stayed in them until Sunday morning!  

(True confession!  No shower, no changing, nada!...sorry)

I attempted to get up on Saturday to go look at bridesmaid dresses with a girlfriend and fellow bridesmaids, but I still had a fever, my head felt like it would fall right off every time I lifted it off the pillow, and I was completely out of it. My mother-in-law checked in on my Saturday and refilled my stock of Chicken Noodle Soup.  Sunday morning I was feeling a little bit better, but still had a fever.  Really?!?  I had to suck it up and help a friend out at the Bridal Bazaar and my hot shower definitely was what my body needed.  My flu has now turned into a cold, I have gone through a box of tissues in two days, and my throat is as dry as the Sahara Desert whenever I try to cough.  I attempted work today, but by the end of the day I was more miserable than when I got to work.  So...a sub was called, plans were typed, classroom was prepped, and m

 my PJ's are saying "hey buddy" again.

Well, enough of this sad, depressing, sickness talk and onto a great recipe to try out!

Last week I got the most wonderful surprise in the mail.  A free subscription to Real Simple magazine from my mom.  I am madly in love with this magazine! (Confession #2: I really need to get over my obsessions, "best friends", etc.  I think that I have a problem with all of my addictions!)  They had some great, simple, healthy recipes including one that used the slow cooker, so I just had to try it out.

 I tried out their Chicken Adobo with Bok Choy.  When Daniel heard about the Bok Choy his face looked a but like this...

 It was SO simple and took me less than 15 minutes to prepare in the morning before work.  In the bottom in onions, garlic, spices, apple cider vinegar, and soy sauce.  You place your chicken thighs on top of everything, sprinkle with a little bit of paprika, cover and cook for 6-8 hours. 

 I love walking into a house when the Crock Pot has been going all day.  Especially Thursday when I have work and then school until 7pm.  It is such a relief to know that dinner is all ready to go when I walk in the door...well almost.

I combined it with my favorite brown rice from Trader Joe's.  You cut a slit in the bag and microwave it for three minutes.  It turns out better that if I tried it on the stove.  So simple and adds to my theme of simplicity!
Right before you are ready to eat you add the bok choy on top of the chicken and mixture and let it wilt 5-10 minutes.  We ate ours over the brown rice with brussel sprouts on the side (well, my plate included them...Daniel still won't give them a try).

Delicious, SIMPLE....you must try it soon!

ROTW All Balled Up

So I have a new gadget that I got from my amazing husband from Christmas and I think that we are on the brink of marriage.  It blows my good processor out of the water and has fully replaced its place in my heart.  My food processor broke when I dropped the lid back in October and I'm pretty sure that I cried.  Daniel compared and saw that the Ninja worked just as well.  Since using it I have so many reasons why I love it.

1) There are three different size containers.
2) Each container comes with a fitting lid so that it can easily be stored in the fridge.
3) The blades drop right into the containers, so there is no hole like in the food processors.  When I am done, I just take the blade out and can either pour or store!
4) There is no mess because the blades drop right in and come right out.
5) It works on everything! 

I have used it for my chicken tortilla soup, homemade tahini, hummus, banana freeze, smoothies, and my lovely new Recipe of the Week:

Chocolate Coconut Dough Ball

I wish that I could claim this as my own creation, but I found it at Edible Perspective.  I gave it a try yesterday morning for a potluck with my bootcamp ladies at Fit2Wed.  I was a little hesitant because it looked too easy and I had never worked with dates before. 

12 dates

1 c. ground almonds

1-2 T. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 T. coconut oil

I first put the almond into the Ninja and ground until there was just little pieces left.  Then, I measured out a cup and set it aside.  Next, I pitted the dates and processed them in the Ninja.

Then, I added the almonds, cocoa powder, and coconut oil to the processed dates. 

The dough sticks together easily so you can easily mold balls out of the mixture.  Roll 12 balls, refrigerate, and enjoy!

They tasted delicious!  Each ingredient brings about a great flavor, and the cocoa can really be tasted so it's not like you're just eating dates.  The almonds provide a nice crunch, and they kind of remind me of a Larabar.  I am LOVING these and am so glad to find another "sweet" without the added sugar. 

I just had to show proof that these make me go crazy...I'm posting a very unpleasant picture but I was SO ready to eat them all up!

A Time to...

Us LaFuze's have been discussing a lot about the "season" of our lives right now.  Part of this is due to my new bible study that I am loving and the other is just because we haven't really sat back and thought about where our life is taking us.  It seems like everyone we know is moving this year :( or has major life moments coming.  However, we are simply...just simple.  Life is going though the usual routines: work, school, eat, sleep, work-out, etc.  Leave it to my husband to remind me that this is our time to dance!  Why?  Because we are fully satisfied with life!

Here is a peek at what I am doing in this season of my life:

Cook!

I LOVE ice cream and frozen yogurt is my ultimate addiction!  However, my waistline does not love this habit of mine so I am now in love with Banana Freeze.  This is SO easy, and I use my Ninja (my latest obsession) which makes it go by super fast.  All you need is:
1-2 frozen bananas (broken up into chunks)
2 T. almond milk (or milk of choice)

That's it!  You can experiment.  I have added cinnamon and vanilla before, and this time I used a little bit of almond butter.
 

Place all of your ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth.  When I would make this in my food processor it would take 3-5 minutes, and I would have to scrape the sides a couple of times.  With my Ninja it is done in 30 seconds.

Scoop into your bowl and enjoy!  The texture is close to frozen yogurt, and you would never believe that it is just bananas. It is such a healthy option for dessert.

Eat!
 

Oh yes...that it is Babycakes cupcake!  Last night we treated ourselves to dinner downtown and finished the night with cupcakes.  It was amazing and just what the doctor ordered.  But then again...anything is amazing with this guy!  I love Babycakes because of the cute outside patio area and the fun music at night.

Say Cheese!

Be Silly!

Strike a Pose!

Love!

Get Crafty!

I found this amazing website that compiles the cutest crafts and home projects from all other blogs.  U Create is my new favorite website and it is hard to pull myself away from it.  If only I had more time.  Colleen and I made these necklaces and they are so easy and cute.  I love to wear my creations proudly!

Now, there is always a time for....
Shopping
Working
Studying
Reading
Cleaning
Working Out
Running Errands......but I won't bore you with all of those nuances. 

Breathtaking

I was fortunate enough to escape for a couple of hours this past weekend and join a friend on a beautiful hike.  We went up to Torrey Pines, and it was absolutely breathtaking. 

How lucky we are to live in a beautiful city that is filled with beautiful landscapes from the beach to the mountains.  I LOVE hikes because they are the best "girl-talk" times.  No matter how much I love my husband, there is just something about yacking away with your girlfriends.When we got up to the top, it felt like a breath of fresh air.  Looking out into the ocean and seeing such amazing beauty kind of puts life in perspective.  It seemed as though all of the worries and stresses of life didn't exist when you are face to face with God's creation.  

So when you feel like life is too much, unbearable, or just too stressful...take a hike to this gorgeous landmark.  Take any worries of the day, week, year and leave it on the mountain!

We Never Win...

Until now!!!  This past weekend was Daniel's holiday party for work.  I know what you all are thinking...are you sure this wasn't back in December?!?!  Nope, it was definitely in January.  They always have their event after the holidays so that more employees can come and rates are cheaper.  The good part is that they always have a great raffle!  We actually won our camera two years ago at their party.

We got all dolled up and headed out.

 Sadly, the event was definitely missing some good music, entertainment, and more people.  We enjoyed the food, but all in all, it wasn't as special as it has been in the past.  I hate to be the Debby Downer, but it's the truth.

 We posed a little but, had some great conversations with fellow co-workers, and I reveled in the glory of winning our Fantasy Football league for Daniel.  I'm pretty sure it was just beginner's luck :)  The raffle started and we were loosing hope as each number was called that didn't match ours. 

 They got to the last prize...the grandest of them all....and sure enough our number got called!!!  We are now proud owners of a new TV!  Not too shabby, too.  We decided that the win definitely made up for the lack of social enjoyment. 

 We left as proud owners of a new TV, full tummies, and sleepy eyes.  Someone was just as excited about our prize as us...

Minnie has been laying on top of the box ever since we brought it home.  At first she was just in love with the wrapping paper, but now it is a little perch for her.  That is until tomorrow...when the box will open...and my husband will mount the TV in our house!

ROTW and my New Best Friend

Well, work has started back-up and the crazy schedule has resumed.  Actually it was a wonderful week and I came back to work feeling very refreshed and rejuvenated.  Talk to me in two more weeks....my grad classes start back up in a week :(  Doing the ROTW has truly motivated me to try new things, but I ended the week with absolutely no motivation to cook, clean, or be productive in any manner.

Luckily I had a craving for oats and the mindset to make things simple this week!  So, I started perusing through my new favorite cookbook: The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook.  I LOVE her recipes because they are moderately simple, very "clean", healthy, and the pictures entice me to try a lot of the recipes.  I picked out two recipes for our menu this week that use our Crock Pot (a.k.a. my New Best Friend!).  This porridge recipes called for a variety of grains and looked super simple, so I decided it was a must try for the week.  Plus, it would leave me with lots of leftovers which will make my morning breakfast routine very quick and simple.  (Simple is my new best friend, too!)

I couldn't find two of the ingredients so I substituted a little, but here you go!

Crock-Pot Porridge

1/2 c. wheat berries

1 1/2 c. steel-cut oats

1/2 c. brown rice

3/4 c. wheat germ

6 1/2 c. water (I used 3. cups almond milk and the rest water)

3/4 c. dried cranberries

2 T. vanilla

pinch nutmeg

Place all ingredients in a 3-quart crock-pot.  Stir to combine all ingredients.

Look at all of these grains!

Cover and set on the lowest heat.  Cook overnight.  Mine was set to cook for 10 hours.

I loved waking up the next morning with breakfast already to go!  I enjoyed mine with half of a banana and a teaspoon of apple butter.  It was surprisingly sweet even before the apple butter, and the mixture of oats and grains was excellent.  Also, it kept me full for hours!

Success of the Week

Happy Sunday!  I can't believe that my 2 week break is over and tomorrow work starts back up.  It seems that one thing that has been popping up over and over again is the power of positive thoughts.  Daniel always brings me back to earth when I start to ramble on and on about my daunting "to-do" things.  I get so wound up with every little thing I need to do or accomplish, and it is to easy to loose sight on what really matters in life.

I feel very blessed to have such an amazing husband who always reminds me that I am only human, not Super Woman (no matter how hard I try), and he helps me focus on the positive things in life.  I know that I don't like being around people who are consumed with negative thoughts.  It just sucks the life right out of you.  So, I am trying to look at the positive things in life, my successes, and things that I accomplished verses everything still left to do.

So..I want to try and find and share one success of the week.  This past week I was lucky enough to go and visit my grandma out in Arizona.  While there I definitely enjoyed the time to relax and veg out, but I always took up the opportunity to learn how to crochet.  For my birthday my grandma made me a beautiful afgan.  I love cute beanies, so we found a pattern, bought the perfect yarn, and crocheted away.

The finished product!

 It actually wasn't too hard once I figured out the different types of stitches.  I can't wait to make more!  Success was relaxing, bonding with my cute little grandma, and learning a new skill!

Minnie had to get in on the picture, too!

First Recipe of the Week!

 Welcome to my first ever Recipe of the Week (ROTW)!  I decided that I wanted to challenge myself a little bit with the blog and add more features.  However, my work and school load is a lot and I am trying to realize my limit.  I LOVE to cook and try new recipes, and I wanted to do a 30 day challenge.  30 days....30 recipes...and each week would contain a variety of meat, chicken, and vege dishes.  Reality sunk in and I didn't want to set myself up for failure, so I narrowed it down a ton and decided to try one new recipe a week.  I will eventually start adding more challenges :) 

The first ROTW is Maui Black Bean Soup from the Eat Clean Cookbook.  I absolutely love this cookbook!  This recipe look like a lighter version on black bean soup and packed a ton of veggies into it!  All of the veggies get blended together with the immersion blender, which creates a great texture.  The best part is Daniel has no idea how many veggies really are in here based on the finished product!

Maui Black Bean Soup

2 T. EVOO

2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped

1 fat carrot, peeled and chopped

1 small purple onion

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. dried cumin

1 t. dried oregeno

1 t. dried basil

1 t. chili powder

4 c. low-sodium chicken stock

2 cans black beans

1 can diced tomatoes

1 c. corn kernels

The star ingredients!

First, you chop up all of the veggies.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then add your veggies.  Saute until the onion becomes translucent. 

Veggies!!!

Add garlic and spices and cook another 2 minutes.

Add your stock, beans, and tomatoes and bring to a boil, then reduce heat.  Cover and let simmer about 20 minutes. 
Here is my favorite part: using a hand-held blender (I used my wonderful immersion blender) puree soup.  I left mine a little chunky for some texture.  Then, add your corn and simmer for about 5 minutes.

The finished product:

Delicious doesn't come close.

I enjoyed mine with a little bit of cheese and a dollop of greek yogurt.  It was DELICIOUS!  I loved all of the flavors.  It might replace my chicken tortilla soup as my go-to recipe. 

Enjoy!

Happy New Year!!!

 Well, 2011 is officially here!  I feel as though the older that I get the faster years fly by.  Daniel and I were talking about this past year and we concluded that 2010 was the "year of weddings"!  The year was filled with lots of traveling, many Mr. and Mrs., beautiful births, happy moments, growth, and many accomplishments.  I finished my first year of teaching, started grad school, and accomplished my goal of running my first marathon.  Daniel got a promotion and is being challenged more and more at work, and finally visited the east coast.   

The new year always brings up resolutions, which sadly is not a LaFuze thing.  We can't remember ever making one that we kept.  My friend Jessica with Fit2Wed was suggesting that we make New Year Intentions.  I like this much better because it feels more realistic and manageable.  One side note:  I love who I am and am not into making some huge change and turning into a "new Jamie".  On the other hand, what would life be like if you did not challenge yourself or decide where life should take you.  So, Daniel and I did come up with some intentions for 2011 that are realistic and motivating.

• Spend more time with each other.
• Save money for a New York anniversary get away.
• Relax more and dwell on the positive things in life.

Today we spent the day up in Julian in hopes seeing snow.  Sadly, there was only a few scraps of ice on the side of the road  :(

We started up at Lake Cuyamaca and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings.  It was so cold and my cheeks were rosy the whole time.  The brisk air was so refreshing, though.

Only in Julian will you see a miniature pony walking down the road carrying passengers.  I love quaint town and all of the little antique shops.

 Being in Julian always reminds me of being a kid.  We lived so close and would often go there for dinner or pick up a pie for dinner guests.  Julian pie is the best! :)

 We didn't get any pie, but we definitely partook in warm spiced apple cider.  It was legen-dary!

Happy New Years from the LaFuze's!