Oh, Vacation!

I know I normally get a post out first thing Monday morning, but guess what??  I completely forgot to get something together this weekend. I guess my brain is on vacation already!


I don't have any pictures from this weekend, but it was a GREAT one nonetheless! 


On Saturday my Aunt in Jackson hosted family BBQ so everyone could meet the family visiting from Holland.  It was so nice to get together with everyone that I haven't seen in ages.  We all keep up on Facebook, so that's nice, but there is nothing like seeing family face to face!  


BBQ + Family = 2 of my favorite things!


Yesterday morning I woke up before 5:30 with a very upset stomach {I think I enjoyed the BBQ a little too much - I seriously had 4-5 ribs and 2 chicken drumsticks}.  By 10:30 my stomach calmed down enough for me to run some errands.  Once I came home, I was in full cleaning mode!


I did a few loads of laundry, then I finally went through my wall closet, where I house all my pants and tried on EVERY SINGLE PAIR!  Now it is super organized by shorts, capris, jeans & dress pants.  I also have 2 shelves of pants to try on in a month or two.  They were just a bit snug to wear right now, but if I keep my weight loss up, I can fit into them soon!


This morning I woke up at 7, had breakfast, then headed for the GYM!!!  It's been a long time since I went there.  All my exercise lately has been walking and jogging on my own, but I want to get back into the habit of switching up my outside runs with some inside workouts.

Oh, fancy action shot!

 I was a bit excited and tried to do too many different things in one workout...walk/run, hills, sprints.  By 30 minutes in I was pooped, but I just kept walking.  Next time I am going to stick to one workout plan!

Not bad for my first time back!

 I packed small container of the following for a post workout snack:
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup frozen organic blueberries
1/2 packet of stevia

REFUEL!

It was the perfect snack since I had to head down the street to Costco.


I LOVE shopping at Costco when it is empty...I can just explore every aisle that I want to!


So now I am home, doing more laundry and about to get my lunch ready {leftover chicken wraps} - YUM!


**What's your favorite machine at the gym?**


**Do you have a go to post workout snack?**

Fly For Dessert?!?!

This evening Gary & I went to dinner at Mama & Papa's to meet and visit with some of the family from Papa's side, who were visiting from Holland!


It's always so cool meeting people from other countries....especially when they are related to you!


We joked about how everything restaurant, bar, etc. here in America is "World Famous," when my Dutch relatives knew nothing about these places!  American advertising at its finest!


Before dinner, Gary & I gave Papa his Father's Day gift {and made him do this silly pose}:

Besides my "World Famous" Strawberry Feta Salad {with homemade dressing} there was LOTS to eat!

I chowed down on some tri-tip and my salad {I added a few pieces of honeydew after this picture was taken}

Also, guess who got the short chair??  I felt like a kid again!

Now onto to fly vlaai dessert.  Vlaai {pronounced "fly" in English} is a Dutch pie or tart consisting of a pastry and filling {according to Wikipedia}.

What I really liked about it was that is wasn't so full of sugar like normal "American" pies.  I could taste the crust and the cherries inside without getting a sugar rush!!

So now when I tell people I've eaten "fly" they'll give me a weird look for a different reason than usual!

{Almost} Wordless Weekend

May is a BUSY month for my family!  Within 1 week, we celebrate Gary's Birthday, Mother's Day and my dad's birthday!  We typically meet on Mother's Day to celebrate all three.  Here's how we enjoyed our May Celebrations this year:

My Mama & Papa in their lovely garden!

Gary & I - mugging for the camera since 2000!

My Papa & My Hubby = a happy Mo!

By the koi pond

Love my Mama!

Bryant & his GF Laura - I knew I liked her when my mom asked her, "so your a vegetarian, but you drink margaritas?" and she just laughed it off.  Well played!

The Grill Meister reporting for duty!

Typical family gathering photo bomb!

Mama was spoiled!  Wine from B & Laura and a mani/pedi to come from Gary & I!

Yes, that is a card with 2 asses on it.  Yes, that was from my brother. You can decide who is Beavis & who is Butthead...

Papa and his Andre Reiu CD

My family drinks....don't judge.

Showing how I keep sane during family gatherings

Bryant, Mama, Papa & I - the original 4!  :)

***How was your weekend?  Do anything fun & exciting?***

{Almost} Wordless Weekend #2

We spent Saturday in the Bay Area for a birthday party and got to cuddle with our Godson...

...and each other!

I am LOVING this picture of me & my handsome hubby!

Sunday we took a journey into Costco and somehow didn't cry when we saw our total on the cash register.

My big find were these 2 bags of broccoli.  There are weeks where I am so ridiculously busy that I am more than willing to pay a little extra to have my veggies pre-chopped. 

Serves 16....or 2 VERY hungry adults!

I spent the rest of Sunday doing laundry, catching up on blog work and making 2 HUGE batches of roasted broccoli.

I am as ready as I can be for the week....what about you?

Can you believe it is the last week of March?!?!

{A Late} St. Patrick's Day Meal

Since we spent the actual St. Patrick's Day with Gary's family, I decided to make a traditional Corned Beef & Cabbage meal for us and my parents on Sunday evening.  One thing I love more than cooking is sharing it with my family & friends.

This is only the 2nd time I have made CB&C, so I am far from being an expert.  But if there's one thing I know, it's that cooking meat in beer in a crock pot will turn out to be a success 99% of the time!

~ First, I gathered my basic ingredients:

~ Add the CB to the crock pot and slowly pour the beer over

~ Add half of an onion, cut into 2 sections and a handful of garlic cloves

~ Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours

~With about an hour left, wash red potatoes {I figured about 2 per person, including lunch leftovers}

~ Cut potatoes into smaller pieces and add to a large pot with baby carrots. 

~ Take about 2 cups of liquid from crock pot to add to veggies {make sure to get some onion and garlic for an extra flavor boost}

~ With about 30 minutes left, add cabbage that has been cut into wedges to the veggie pot

~ Cook 20-30 minutes and serve!

We were soooo full from dinner.....

But there's ALWAYS room for dessert.....

Right????

Especially when the whipped cream had Bailey's in it!!

Saturday Recap - Will This Rain Ever End & Other Shenanigans

This is what the Central Valley has looked like most of the past 5 days....RAINY!!

We really need it considering the weather has been unusually warm for this time of year, but I am starting to feel like I need to break out my flannel shirts and rock out to Nirvana.

Friday night started and ended with dinner & a movie.  I made us a quick chicken avocado salad that we enjoyed while watching "Young Adult" with Carlize Theoron.  For some reason I thought it was a comedy, but it was pretty serious.  It was by the people that did "Juno" and I feel like the main character was almost a grown up version of Juno, and that did not really appeal to me.  After that, we were beyond tired and got into bed right about 10pm.

I slept until 7:40 Saturday morning, which was a pleasant surprise.  I was able to enjoy a cup of coffee while reading blogs and spending time on all my social media sites before cooking some almond meal pancakes for my breakfast.  After that I headed to the gym for some elliptical time.

It was my first time on an elliptical in some time and I feel I did really well.  After 35 minutes I did some upper body strength and ab work.

Then it was time to some home and get ready for dinner with some of Gary's family.  One of his aunts lives in Washington State, so whenever she comes to California, we all try to get together.  We met up at Golden Corral, a buffet style restaurant.  Overall, I was not too impressed.  Since changing the way we eat, Gary & I  rarely frequent buffets.  For the 2 of us we paid almost $30 and I came home hungry.  Yes, it was my choice to not eat that much, but all I could think when I got back in the food line was "what is REALLY in this food?"

That said, it was a WONDERFUL time out with our Irish family!!  And that is what was most important to Gary & I last night...reuniting with family that is so special to us.

After we got home, Gary was a great husband and danced in the rain with me for a minute or 2...I totally felt like I was in a Taylor Swift song!  HA HA HA

We weren't too tired, so we watched the Footloose remake.  I was honestly impressed...I went into it not expecting much, so maybe that is why it surpassed my expectations!  The original is still WAAAAY better!

All in all, it was a good St. Patrick's Day and I am hoping everyone out there had a fun and SAFE night!

An Open Letter to My Parents & A Recipe

Mama & Papa  {aka my parents},

This past Monday evening, I was cooking up this delicious meal of kale and chicken, when it hit me just how lucky I am that YOU are my parents.  Not because you bought me my cool cookware set, but, to put it simply, I LOVE kale.  And brussel sprouts.  And eggplant.  And sooo many other vegetables!

In my younger years, these were staple foods in our home, so it was never weird to me if we would have all 3 within a weeks span.  What was weird to me was when I would talk with a friend about what I had for dinner the night before and they would give me the strangest look and tell me how they didn't HAVE to eat that stuff.  Are you kidding me?!?!  I didn't have to either.  I wanted to.

Growing up in our family, there was not an option as to what was on our dinner plate.  There was no one to cook me a separate meal.  There was no one to tell me not to have any veggies if I didn't like how they looked.  The rule was "you need to try it once."  This rule even applied when I had a friend over.  You have made some of the people I love the most a cheerleader for eggplant or kale, but only because "they had to try it once."  The next time they were over they were hoping it would be their favorite new dish!

Not only did this shape my attitude of being open to try new foods, it also made me adventurous in the kitchen {you should see my knife throwing routine}.  Having the knowledge of how to cook a variety of vegetables made it easy for me to experiment with different flavors and spices.  I grew up in a house where I was able to help cook when I wanted.  Most of my good memories from the Milpitas house happened in the kitchen and around the dining table.

I can honestly say that whenever I make a new recipe and it is a hit my first thought is "Mama & Papa would LOVE this!"  You guys get me in a way that no one else ever will when it comes to how much joy it brings me to cook for the people I love.

Thank you for making me eat tomatoes {and bell peppers},

Maureen

PS- I still hate lima beans...you can't win 'em all!

In honor of my amazing parents, here is a simple, yet delicious recipe for Kale & Chicken.

Ingredients {for 4 servings}:
3 bunches of kale, leaves taken off the stem and tore into pieces and washed
S&P
Nutmeg
Chicken Breasts, browned on each side.

Directions:
Add half of the kale to large pot.
Add S&P as desired.
Add nutmeg {I use about 5 shakes}
Place chicken breasts on kale.
Add 2nd half of kale
Repeat with S&P and Nutmeg

Cover and cook on medium-high for about 30 minutes.

Enjoy {and if you have children, PLEASE make them try a few bites...they will thank you in the long run)!

Christmas Craziness

It's 2 days after Christmas and in the past 72 hours I have hosted 3 gatherings at my place.  One of them included my extremely cute, but extremely active {almost} 3 year old Godson.  I...AM...EXHAUSTED!!

Here's a glimpse into what my life has been like since December 24th.

My mom hosted Christmas Eve dinner and our annual watching of "It's a Wonderful Life."

Yummy Drinks

Yummy food!

Gary & I left for home at about 10pm, only to be back at her house {we live about 10 minutes away} by 8:30 the next morning for breakfast and PRESENTS!!

This year, we had to cut our Christmas spending budget {BOO!}, but we all still outdid ourselves {YAY!}.

I love all the different wrapping paper!

Mr. & Mrs. Sharkie Claus

My new bag for the gym

A popcorn maker!

He's a dork, but I love him!

Best movie of the year from the best brother ever

For my office at work!

Can someone explain to him how to wear this hat??

We love the Sharks!

Already read a little bit, and I am dying of laughter!

1st box

2nd box

3rd box!!

Awwww

A locket!

Can't forget the stockings!

Then it was back to our place around 1, so we could get ourselves ready and prepare dinner.  Since my mom hosts so many events, I like to help her out by hosting Christmas dinner.

The next day, we had what we refer to as the Annual Hoex-Reeves-McCann-Laino Christmas Dinner.  At some point between Christmas and NYE, we get together with my best friend and her family.  Before we were married {oh, the good old days}it was just the Hoex-Reeves Christmas Dinner.  It IS much more fun with our hubbies {and, more recently, our Godson}!

This was dessert...I will blog the recipe later this week!

Looking for Nemo in the pond

Friends for over 20 years!

The guys

"No touch!"

Our lovely moms!

Gary with B

Our dads

B is reading to Gary

Dinner was so good, there was nothing left on our plates

Dee & Papa

The Laino's

Clothes?  Next, please!

Opening our gift...a Cars throw blanket

Trying it out!!

The McCann's & The Laino's

Our 2nd gift to B....we might just love him BIGGER than the world!

Santa B...HO HO HO

The Hoex's and the Reeves!

Today we had some more of my family over to show them our place....it also helped us get rid of the Kahlua cake!  :)

Uncle Ron, Aunt Carol, Aunt Jo, Gary & me!

Like I said before, I am exhausted!  All I want to do is spend a day in my PJ's, relaxing on the couch with a good book or some movies.

I am hoping that by the weekend all of our Christmas stuff is put away, so I can focus on the new year.

Hoping you all had a Very Merry Christmas!!

***Who normally hosts all the gatherings in your family?***