Have A Bite Of...

Taco Stuffed Peppers

Nothing like the stuffed peppers of the 80's, I swear!

Easy, healthy, and flavorful. Did I mention E-A-S-Y? 

These babies are a dream come true on hectic weeknights!

Ingredients:

3 peppers, any color

1 tbs avocado oil

1/2 lb lean ground turkey (or beef)

2 tbs diced onion

1/2 cup water

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 tbs taco seasoning (more or less to preference)

Optional: Cheese

Toppings:

Corn, fresh or frozen

Fresh tomatoes, diced

Black olives, sliced

Green onions, sliced

Yumm sauce

Sour cream

Salsa

1) Wash peppers, slice in half, and remove stem/seeds. Place in baking dish, cut side up, and bake at 400 for 8 minutes*.

2) While the peppers are cooking, heat the avocado oil in a medium skillet and brown the meat. Add diced onion, sauté for an additional 2 minutes. Stir in water, cooked quinoa, and taco seasoning and simmer until liquid has reduced. 

3) Spoon the meat and quinoa mixture into the peppers, top with cheese if desired, and place back in the oven for another 10 minutes.

4) Serve warm with any combination of toppings. My favorites are corn, tomatoes, olives, green onions, and Cafe Yumm sauce. 

*This dish will reheat beautifully if the peppers are not overcooked. 8 minutes of pre-baking will result in al dente peppers. Add another 2 minutes to the pre-baking time if you like softer peppers or are not planning for leftovers.

Life Update:

We've stumbled our way into a functioning routine, which is a huge relief after the chaos of the newborn months. I've actually done grocery shopping and Costco with both kids (and no backup), Little Miss is tolerating car rides, and Jr is handling sharing Mama a little better. Sleep is still a precious commodity - naps are short, two night feedings qualifies as a great night, and sometimes the kids sleep in until 7am. 

Little Miss is growing (mostly) steadily and her personality is really starting to show. We're still fighting reflux at times, but things are getting better on the whole. She has learned to roll from back to tummy, started on solid foods, is starting to enjoy bath time, and loves playing peekaboo.

Grumpy snuggles.

Squash!

Houston, we have a roller.

Jr is a talking, dancing, singing machine. He's constantly picking up new words and parroting everything which, after months of focusing on his language skills, is an absolute delight. He knows all of his letters, is always looking for ways to be a helper, and has been determined to start doing things on his own/in his own way. Watching him gleefully run towards big kid independence is equal parts exhausting and amazing.

My grocery assistant was pretty thrilled with our cucumber selection.

I. Love. Christmas.

Finally making progress on the nursery artwork!

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures."

Thornton Wilder

Not With A Drizzle, But With A Bang

Spring weather has finally arrived in the Boise area, putting us in the 70s for most of the next week! To celebrate the nice weather, we had a few friends over for a Korean-style BBQ and evening around the fire pit (which was our first time using it despite the fact that we've been here over a year!). One couple brought their 9 month old retriever mix and Jake was in play date heaven! Zoe couldn't have cared less - so long as no one touched her tennis balls.

Other than that, it was a low key week in our neck of the woods. We found a piece of art that will tie our bathroom redo together and I'm almost finished with the design board for it. More to come on that project soon! Oh, and I finally have an official start date for my upcoming transfer: 38 days and counting!

"It can be said of optimism that while sometimes mistaken, it is never sadly mistaken."
Robert Brault

A Knot in the Rope

Life continues, with yet more stressful changes heading my way at the office. We'll have to wait and see if my feeble mind will survive them...

After a few months of plotting, we managed to complete our first painting project! I adore cool, crisp palettes, so deciding on a grey that would mesh with our current "builder beige" color scheme proved rather challenging. My questionable photography skills don't do the color justice - it looks phenomenal in person.

I don't think I've ever been this excited about laundry!

Weekend Snapshots:

"If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error."
John Kenneth Galbraith

Domestic Ponderings

I've been contemplating a lot of decor related items (love Pinterest!) and am slowly making plans for the new house. I originally thought that I would have a good idea of what I wanted to do decor-wise by the time we moved in, but I've discovered that I enjoy taking my time on these decisions. In lieu of any real verdicts, I'll share some of the items that have made the short list:

via

I like this idea for our entryway, but would make the birds smaller and the background a bit more rough and abstract. Also I would stretch it across at least two, if not three, canvases.

via

I'm obsessing over modifying a version of this bench for the foot of our bed. It won't be quite as rustic and the corners/edges will be purposely rounded as I am incredibly talented at finding the sharp edges of furniture at two in the morning.

(my own creation)

I adore quotes laid out in this fashion; above is a rough idea of how I may try to incorporate this particular one into our home. I grew up with this verse and it holds a lot of meaning for me, despite its extreme overuse in recent years.

via

I'm in love with this idea for a pergola. The side pieces would add just a bit more privacy for the deck while still creating an airy, open feeling.

via

I'm already drafting up a design inspired by the idea of a glass top console table that doubles as a desk. It will be about half as wide as the one in the photo since it will be used on the small wall between the entry and the dining room.

Obsession of the week: Christina Perri - A Thousand Years
I have a weakness for just about everything from Christina Perri, but this song is my current favorite (despite the fact that it was used as Bella and Edward's wedding song in Breaking Dawn).

Weekend Wanderings

Last week was rather busy, with appointments taking up unexpectedly large portions of my time, but the weekend was delightfully low-key. We hit up a flea market on Saturday morning, where I scored an awesome sliver plated swan. This purchase was understandably puzzling to Chris. I suppose that the sudden necessity of a silver swan does beg the question, "Why would you ever need a swan?" but it should only be asked once you have molded your features into a suitably dramatic look of disbelief. My husband has perfected this look.

Ta-da!! Even Chris admitted that my swan cleaned up nicely.

I'm not usually the type of person that buys and displays bric-a-brac, but I've been warming to the idea of adding a few rather whimsical pieces to our decor. We're in the final stage of the home-buying process and my goal, once we move, is to start decorating in a way that makes our home look pulled together and complete. Our housing situation has been in a somewhat constant state of flux - always temporary - so I've held off on the details that would complete our decor. This swan marks a change in that way of thinking!

Sunday saw us heading to church (I think we've finally found one that suits us!) and then to the park just outside of our soon-to-be new neighborhood. I neglected to take pictures while we were there since it was a balmy 35 degrees outside. My hands stayed in my pockets and, despite gloves, were still freezing. The park was lovely, with well-kept trails and nicely appointed overlooks of the valley and river.

That smile stayed firmly in place for the entire trip to the park.

Yellow tulips to brighten my day. I'm married to a pretty sweet guy.

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."  - Marcel Proust