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!