Peach and Black Bean Loaded Quinoa

May 31, 2012 By 1 Comment

This recipe was shared with me a few weeks ago but we’ve been in a rut of eating out or falling back on quick, frozen fixes. Yuck! Especially when so many delicious fruits and veggies are finally in season. I am determined to get back on track and hope to also start hitting our local farmer’s market on Saturday to keep our kitchen stocked with wholesome, real food.

Black Bean and Quinoa with Bowl with Peach Salsa (via the a Couple Cooks blog)

What I love about this recipe is how filling it is. I paired it with salmon (for me) and chicken (for Mike) and I could barely finish my salmon. The quinoa in itself is filling, but the beans and peaches add another whole dimension that really makes this a standalone dish. I could however also see myself adding some seasoned and broiled tofu in the future–for those “I am really hungry” nights.

Overall, I give this dish an A+. I am actually sad to have a lunch meeting today because this would’ve been an amazing noon-time fix. Oh well, at least I know what’s for dinner again!

What are your favorite quinoa dishes?

Side note…I don’t sing the praises enough of the Rosle Multi Chopper, one of our all time favorite wedding presents. It makes prepping recipes like this SO simple. Throw in the onions, pepper and cilantro–and with just a few pulls, everything is diced to perfection. No tears. No random chunks. Everyone who sees me prep with this chopper declares it a must-have within 30 seconds. I love it! Worth every single penny, and then some.

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Welcome Summer: Colorado Camping Trip

May 30, 2012 By 1 Comment

Mike did a ton of prep to plan the perfect Memorial Day camping weekend to kick off summer in Colorado. We hope to fit in a lot more camping trips than last summer and I can’t wait. Going without a shower or running water isn’t always easy as a female, but I love being away from technology and in touch with the amazing state we call home. Many campgrounds, just under two hours from our home near downtown Denver, allow us to be worlds away with no cell service, sleeping under a sky full of stars every night. Life is good in Colorado.

In addition to a nice three mile Saturday afternoon hike (chronicled by the pictures above….yes, my husband is wearing an Indiana Jones hat and holding a knife in his mouth), we hiked our second fourteener on Sunday. Colorado has approx. 53 fourteener peaks total, meaning the summit is above 14,000 feet. Not all are accessible to novice or intermediate hikers and climbers but we plan to climb as many of the class one and two peaks as possible.

On Sunday Mt. Bierstadt was in our sights and we set out just before 8am, which is actually a pretty late start. The trek was about eight miles round trip which doesn’t sound like much, but much past 12,000 feet and catching your breath becomes very difficult. Hiking and scrambling at that altitude is a real test of your endurance and mental strength. When we were at the top I had to battle a minor panic attack after looking over the edge…there was absolutely nothing off the one side of the peak between us and a 14,000 foot fall. Scary.

Unfortunately (and kind of my luck) we asked someone to take our picture at the top and didn’t check to see if it worked because of how cold and windy conditions were at the summit. I wanted to get the heck down. In short, the guy apparently didn’t know how to use a point-and-shoot digital camera and we have no proof of being at the top. But trust me, we made it. And, the best part? Kona did all 3,000 feet/eight miles with us too! He is turning out to be quite the mountain pup.

How will you get outdoors this summer?

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Marriage: Year One

May 29, 2012 By 1 Comment

Credit: Zorn Photography (http://www.zornphoto.com/)

Today, May 29, we celebrate our one year wedding anniversary. In this year we’ve celebrated so much…our vows, the purchase of our first home together, the births of another niece and nephew, Mike’s graduate school graduation–blessings have been pouring in from every angle.

Like any couple, especially one that marks nine years together tomorrow (we celebrated May 30th as our dating anniversary for many years) there are up’s and down’s. Anyone who says life is perfect 365 days a year is not being honest with themselves. We have arguments over petty things and moments where we take one another for granted. But with every year we love each other a little deeper, and create our family life the way we want it to be…the way it works for us and no one else.

As husband and wife we love being together but also love our independence. We have our passions together and separately. We cheer each other on, never ask for the other person to change, and continuously check in to make sure we’re staying on the same page, shifting course when needed. We love each other but know a healthy marriage that can stand up to tough tests needs constant attention, nurturing and honesty.

If words could express my happiness in being married to Mike, this blog post would go on and on. I have never been more comfortable in my own skin, even on days when I am not acting my best. As I said on May 29, 2011, in front of 160+ people…Mike loves me for who I am. All of it. No questions asked.

Happy anniversary babe. I cannot wait to experience what else the world has in store for us.

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Intrigued by Colombia

May 26, 2012 By 1 Comment

Colombia used to only conger up images of drug lords, kidnappings and violence. Yet if you keep up on the travel beat you’ll know that times having changed, and Colombia’s idyllic beaches and lush forests are ripe for discovery. It is, by all accounts, now safe to add Colombia back to your travel bucket lists.

I am not sure what we’ll be able to swing in 2013 but I am really needing a new stamp in my passport. It has been so long since Mike and I have traveled abroad and we’re both feeling it. Peru and Argentina are two locations we’ve tossed out most recently, but here and there I keep coming across things on Colombia…how gorgeous it is, how protected it still is from throngs of tourists, how amazingly kind and welcoming the people are…I am intrigued.

I mean, with a beach like this, how could you not start researching flights?

 

Do you know anyone who has traveled to Colombia?

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Friday’s Pin of the Week: Gone Camping

May 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Source: sunset.com via Sunset on Pinterest

 

Our camping setup will look nothing like this (I’ve actually just been informed of the shower – or lack of – situation and questionable “toilet” options). But despite my panic of where I will wash up in the morning I am insanely excited to go off the grid and unplug this Memorial Day weekend. If my phone happens to work, I am giving it to Mike so that all temptations to check in and stay connected are hindered by him making fun of my Facebook addiction.

Our actual one year wedding anniversary is on Tuesday because of the leap year, but this entire weekend holds a very special place in our hearts. While enjoying our gorgeous state I’ll also be able to sit back and quietly reflect on what an amazing weekend Memorial Day weekend of 2011 was for our friends and family.

Into the Rocky Mountains we go!

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Time Flies…

May 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

…when you are the busiest you’ve been in recent memory.

I miss my blog. But the last week(s) was insanely hectic and something had to give. Because I never found time to schedule posts out ahead of time, I have been 100% MIA.

I know how the blogosphere works. When you start posting less and less frequently, readers jump ship and move on. Rightfully so. But if you can just have a little patience with me I promise I’ll be back in full force soon. In the meantime, here is what has kept me running in circles…

  • Lots of exciting projects at work
  • Mike’s graduate school graduation party
  • Parents and grandparents in town to celebrate Mike’s huge accomplishment
  • Travel for work (this upcoming week)
  • Jury duty (Monday. BOO)
  • Gardening
  • Volunteering with Colfax Community Network
  • IMPACT Denver leadership class project for Mile High United Way
  • Mad Men and Real Housewives
  • The gym (not letting that slip!)

Fellow bloggers, I beg of you to tell me. How do you keep up and find inspiration when you are literally moving 1,000 miles per hour for weeks on end? I’d love your advice and insight into any experiences you can share! Thank you so very much!

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Wordless Wednesday: Proud

May 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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Friday’s Pin of the Week: Perspective

May 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

It wasn’t the worst of weeks. It wasn’t the best of weeks. It was somewhere in between – throwing out some tough moments that were balanced with moments that brought a lot of joy.

On Tuesday, I was particularly grateful when a coworker, telling a story of her own stress about moving, kids, etc., made the comment that was something along the lines of…”but these are all just first world problems.” Meaning, she wasn’t trying to figure out how to get clean water to her kids or wondering where they would sleep at night. Moving to a new home, having access to wonderful doctors for a kid battling ear problems, being busy with a great job — stressful yes, but what lucky reasons to be stressed when you take a step back.

Life, in the “first world,” isn’t always easy, but it is a pretty spectacular place to be if you can get out of your own way just long enough to be grateful. Truly and honestly grateful.

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New Blog Crush and Thursday Ramblings

May 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I read a lot of blogs but it takes some sort of unknown “pull” for me really connect to a blog, so much so that it becomes part of my nightly reading routine. Therefore, when I do stumble across one that is unfamiliar but truly great, I get extra excited (in that sort of dorky blogger kind of way).

I am betting that you’re going to feel the same about Eat Sleep Cuddle. Cute name yes, but her kick ass content is why I think you’ll add her to your RSS feed.

Her tone of voice is honest and witty. Her posts are helpful, resourceful and beautiful. Put it this way, I never wanted to make a raw kale and brussels sprout salad until reading this post, and I am debating whether or not to skip my nightly dessert routine for the icky Apple Cider Vinegar tea that could have my skin glowing by morning.

But are you asking yourself, “so what?” What is Alexis getting at with this random Thursday post?

I guess the underlying driver for this post is that every night as I comb through my trusty blogroll I am inspired, humbled and to be perfectly honest, pretty intimidated by all the talent out there. Let’s get real for a moment, Lex & Learn is not the start of a business venture, so I don’t have fancy photo editing software or other sparkly add-on’s that make certain blogs simply spectacular. But that doesn’t stop me from going on and on, day after day, and I’ll take all the direction and inspiration I get can from the likes of “those” top, TOP bloggers any chance I can get.

And, thank you. Thank you to my mom, friends, coworkers, family members…to everyone who stops by from time to time. I blog for you. I blog for me. It’s a release in a creative format that doesn’t involve glue, scrapbooking or trips to Hobby Lobby (all things I love in theory but cringe around in reality). I believe that blogging is a way to savor memories and hold yourself accountable for tomorrow’s biggest dreams and goals.

I love the little Lex & Learn world I’ve built and am seriously grateful to have some wonderful supporters who follow along.

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Shoe Heaven

May 9, 2012 By 1 Comment

Zara offers online shopping. To date, I’ve been tempted but have kept my credit card safely tucked away. Until now (I predict). I can’t take the credit for discovering these gems. Per the usual, Vmac + Cheese is all over what is HOT and posted about these designs days ago.

Welcome to shoe heaven…right this way.

If I could pick one, it would be the flats. No wait, the color block wedges. Or the pumps? I really love the bright bottom on those pumps. Zara ~ you’re teasing this girl on a budget!!

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