Vacation Week and Food Review

What a fabulous week off!!!  While we were a little sad not to be on the beaches of Cabo, I think everyone should take a staycation when they need a little break, too.  We managed to get a lot of random things done - cleaned out the garage a bit, Greg spent an entire day smoking pork shoulder, I did a little cleaning out of our closets, cleaned a few over stuffed drawers, and rearranged our pots/pans so everything kind of fits.  I still have a long list of other things I'd like to accomplish (potty-training, some yard work, putting away outdoor furniture, and a few more drawers/closets that need organizing) but I feel good about what I was able to accomplish :)

In addition to spending a few days in Canada, we also:

Made breakfast!  A lot!  There is nothing like whipping up some pumpkin pancakes, bacon and eggs and enjoying several cups of coffee over a lingering meal.

I left the boys at home so I could enjoy meeting/holding baby Emmett and visiting with Becca!  He is perfect and they are now an adorable and happy family of four! 

Greg chopped down a tree that he has been detesting ever since we moved in :)  And Ben watched.

We went on a few walks:

We went to the park.

We picked up some flowers and brought them to Grandma at work.  And we got a balloon for being such a good boy.

We played trucks.

We had Myles (and family) over for dinner:

I think this was the week before last, but Lisa came up and we made cookies:

The boys watched a few Steeler games (while I escaped to yoga classes) :)

And we OBVIOUSLY cooked and drank wine :)

I'm trying to get a little better about using up what might be leftover in the fridge from another meal.  The book I'm reading suggested throwing any about to go bad vegetables or cheese on top of a flatbread, cracking an egg on top and making a pizza, or throwing the vegetables into a pot with some chicken stock and making soup, or sauteeing it all up and making a scramble of some kind (all strategies I plan to try in the upcoming weeks).  But when we returned from Canada and wanted to make something, I was SO pleased to discover that I had everything leftover that was needed to make Pan-Seared Chicken with Bulgur. 

Since we were away on vacation we didn't do much of a meal plan, but this is a bit of what we cooked up last week:

The Tilapia over rice was great with vegetables was pretty good.  Jade rice is something new to me - and I liked it.

The turkey meatballs over linguine was great, although it's hard to beat the Italian meatballs you can buy frozen from Costco.  (So easy)!  But I've been wanting to incorporate turkey instead of beef once in awhile and this was a delicious way to do it. 

The cuban sandwiches with kale/plantain salad were amazing - my only critique would be to use a panini press instead of using oil in a pan to get the bread crispy.  We made a variation of this with smoked pork this past weekend and it was much less greasy using the panini press.

I made Lagered Turkey Soup (which I had thought was LAYERED Turkey Soup the first several times I made it) and it was great.  I could eat this chili every week.

No meal planning for the next couple weeks because Greg's mom arrives on Tuesday and I'll be happily handing over the kitchen to her!  (I'll be her sous chef) :)

7 Years

On Friday October 10th, Greg and I celebrated 7 years of marriage!  (Woah).  Each time we celebrate an anniversary I am reminded just how far we have come and how much our lives have changed since we met each other.

Greg and I met and fell in love under the easiest of circumstances: easy, low-stress jobs with zero outside-of-work responsibilities, living rent-free (me) or close to rent-free (him), having entirely disposable incomes with only a few places we wanted to spend it (bars! clothes! casinos), and our main focus was always on each other.  

Over the past 7 years of marriage our lives have changed so much.  Our priorities have shifted drastically and our responsibilities have increased about a zillion percent.  It can be challenging at times to remember to focus on (and have patience with) one another like we used to because we now have so many other things requiring our attention.  But as we grow and change and learn about ourselves and one another I'm reminded that this really is what marriage is all about.  Having that other person to rely on (which we do, tremendously, in all aspects of life).  To appreciate the little, small things we do for one another each and every day.  And to learn to keep our eyes focused on our family and our goals we have set for it.

I do understand very much when people tell you that marriage takes work - and I feel lucky and happy and satisfied that I'm with the person who (more than) deserves this effort and who I love to live, laugh, eat, drink, and parent with :)

With both of us feeling pretty proud of our 7 year accomplishment, we wanted to celebrate in our favorite way:

FOOD AND WINE!

We FINALLY got the chance to eat at Staple & Fancy, which immediately became our favorite restaurant and favorite meal EVER.

At the urging of others we have talked to who have dined here, we opted for the family-style kitchen prepared menu and were blown away by the four courses presented to us.

I'm sure I'm remembering some of this menu incorrectly or incompletely, but this is a taste of what we had:

• figs and house-made lemon ricotta
• fried oysters with chipolte aioli
• beef tartar
• blackened octopus with avocado cream and radishes
• wedge salad with buttermilk ranch dressing
• charcuterie
• butternut squash soup with hazelnuts
• ravioli stuffed with goat cheese and hazelnut cream
• rib eye with a wine reduction sauce with chantrelle mushrooms and brussels sprouts
• dense chocolate cake with mocha icecream and a salted caramel sauce

HOLLA.  When we left, I declared that we will now embark on an Ethan Stowell restaurant tour over the next few years.  Next up, Red Cow or Mkt. for my birthday.  :)

CHEERS to Greg for being a great spouse for 7 years.  I love you!

Whistler 2014

Due to a somewhat last minute cancellation (or, as we keep reminding ourselves, postponement) of our Cabo trip, we found ourselves with a week off from work and ZERO plans.  We brainstormed to come up with somewhere to go for a short getaway, and landed on Whistler!  We both had been before but never had been together, plus we figured it would be a perfect place to hang out for a few days with Ben.

On Monday morning, we got on the road a little before 10.  The drive up was GORGEOUS - sunny and beautiful.  We stopped briefly in Vancouver for lunch and then continued on our way.  Ben was a complete angel, too - happily watching Frozen, singing songs, and pointing out every.single.truck.and.bus.and.motorcycle he saw on the road.

When we arrived, we took a stroll around the village until our room was ready, and found an amazing park that we assume they added for the Olympics a few yeas back.  Definitely made several trips there throughout our time in the village.

After unpacking and relaxing a bit, Ben STILL hadn't napped all day.  I have had a growing fear that he is starting to phase out his nap all together and figured we would just roll with it, but when he requested his stroller (something he NEVER wants) around 5:30 pm, and then proceeded to pass out in it at 6:30 pm, my concerns are no more.  He DEFINITELY needs a nap during the day if we want him to last much past dinner time.

However, this time it worked out great!  Greg and I were able to pour some wine in our travel wine tumblers (an amazing and perfectly timed early birthday present from Hilary), do a little shopping, and enjoy our evening "alone".

Ben being a REALLY good boy.

Needless to say, it was a very early night for all of us.

On Tuesday morning, Greg went for a run while I checked Yelp for the best breakfast spot.  We ended up at Elements Urban Tapas and had one of the most amazing breakfasts EVER.

Ben is on a bacon kick (great), and ate an entire side of bacon (that could have been an entree) by himself.

Greg and I split a Crab Benedict...

And a ham and brie stuffed french toast.  OMYUM.

The rest of our morning we walked in loops (and ran and jumped and climbed on all of the benches) around the village checking out menus at all of the restaurants for later in the evening (it really is all about the food for us) and took pictures :)

That evening, we walked the trail to the base of Blackcomb and ate sushi for dinner and enjoyed beautiful sights all along the way.

And after dinner (and another stop for a pitcher of beer), we came home and Ben and I enjoyed a bubble bath in the big jetted tub :)  I definitely stopped at LUSH and picked up some fresh face masks, a hair mask and a few bath bombs. 

The next morning we grabbed crepes (and a smoothie) and played at the park one last time and then packed up and checked out.

Throwing rocks in the water.

The drive back home felt much quicker.  (Isn't that always the case)?  We enjoyed the views and the stopped at the World of Science in Vancouver to play for a few hours and have lunch.

And Ben slept ALL the way home from Vancouver :)  

Whistler was great!  We learned a few things:

1) Going to Whistler during the off season is amazing - no crowds and no waiting for a table at restaurants.

2) The village is also DEAD - i.e. several restaurants and the gondola were closed, which was a bit of a bummer.  

3) Whenever possible, we now need to get Ben his own bed.  As nice as it was to snuggle, it was quite irritating getting kicked all night long!

Now are back and happy to be home enjoying the last few days of our time off!  It was so nice to disconnect, relax, and not worry about anything - trying to keep that going through the weekend.  My biggest "task" now is trying not to eat this entire box of cookies I brought home at once.