The beauty of Fall. . . . .

Back to school, crisp air, sweat shirt, tall boots, colorful leaves that are falling, a warm bonfire, everything pumpkin, honey crisp apples, squash and so much more screams FALL. 

I sometimes feel this is when God is working even harder creating this world with so much beauty.  This fall I have seen both amazing sunsets and sun rises, even a field full of fog. Then there is the constant view of colorful trees.  You just do not get to see this beauty any other time of the year. 

I love fall time traditions. Heading out for pumpkins, decorating the front porch, baking pumpkin seeds, making soup. This is one of my favorite times of the year to get in the kitchen and get creative! Last weekend I made a simple squash side dish. 

Baked Simple Squash 

1 Squash
1 small apple
Cinnamon 
Coconut oil 


Peel Squash with a vegetable peeler (or knife) or cut into approx. 1 inch squares. Then Cut your apple into small cubes (leave the peel on the apple).  Transfer to a large, rimmed baking sheet. Toss with coconut oil, cinnamon and spread out in a single layer. Roast, tossing occasionally, until just tender and golden brown, bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until squash is tender. 

Enjoy~

What brings you JOY?

In this blog I focus on being active, recipes, and workouts. Overall living a healthy lifestyle. I really want to bring more to you and it just hit me! I plan to be sharing more of my travel adventures. Travel is a big part of who I am. When I am traveling I enjoy taking in all the new places and experiences. I am in the present moment and most of the time unplugged yet recharging myself.  For me personally living a healthy lifestyle and enjoying this journey called LIFE. It is way more than recipes and workouts. It is really asking myself "What brings me joy?" That my friends is why I will be sharing many more actual moments! You may not enjoy traveling. Maybe you have a different passion, yet I hope we can connect on the agreement of the desire to live our dreams not just to dream them. 

When was the last time you asked yourself "What brings me JOY?"

Last week was my 15th Wedding Anniversary and I surprised my husband with a 5 day trip to Colorado. This is new for us. We typically travel to warm beach style destinations. However I have been wanting to take him to Colorado for a few years. I knew the fall time would be EPIC! 

When planning this trip I wanted to enjoy QUALITY time, being completely active, new foods and of course Wine!  Mission Accomplished. 

I have been traveling since high school but it was my honeymoon 15 years ago when I absolutely fell in love with going to new places. There is so much to see and enjoy. Most of my trips are warm tropical weather destinations.  Two of my top favorites are Negril Jamaica and the stunning island of St.Lucia. 

I had been to Colorado twice, once in high school and once in college. I have never forgotten the beauty of this state. I also knew there were so many more areas I have not enjoyed. 

With mountains everywhere hiking is a must. A great way to get a workout in, take in the views and enjoy some fresh air. 

 Mountain biking was TOP on our to do list. With no Mountains in Minnesota this is something we had never done. What a workout! You could really feel the elevation. There are many biking tours you can join with a group or you can do what we did and that was just renting bikes and letting the bike shop suggest where to bike.  This was out of my Comfort ZONE but in the end I had a blast. I thought going down the mountain was harder than up.

 We also rented a Jeep for a day and headed to Storm Mountain just outside Estes Park. Took a few stops to enjoy more hiking, a little rock climbing and a picnic at 10,000 feet above sea level. 

The Red Rock amphitheater is a fun place for concerts however we went for a hike and s stair workout. The views here were incredible. 

In our family we have a rule, we only eat at a restaurants where you cannot back home. We use a app. on our phones called YELP to help us find the most unique places. We found a little Indian restuarant off the beaten path in Estes Park. Locals and visitors were loving this place. I also just let the waiter pick my dinner. Worked in my favor, delish and fresh. We are still talking about this meal. 

Remember to take a moment and ask yourself "What brings me joy?"

www.destinationvacationtravel.com

I have been on a kick . . .

It is amazing how comforting soup can be! Soups that are made from veggies and beans are full of nutrition! For those picky eaters you can hide a few veggies that they might not eat alone.  

Last winter I made a cauliflower soup but was missing a kick! Today I made the same soup but added extra veggies and bacon pieces. That was the missing flavor I was looking for. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. You can always make a double batch and freeze the extras. 

Cauliflower Veggie & Bacon Soup

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 head cauliflower chopped roughly
• 2 c. organic milk
• 1 head fresh broccoli
• 1-2 cups chopped carrots
• 4 cups. organic vegetable broth
• 1 lb. Cooked - cut into pieces BACON!! 
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat olive oil, onion, garlic and cauliflower until cauliflower softens. Then add Milk and broth. Cook 5-10min.  to a slight boil.  Then turn down to med. heat. Use a Immersion hand blender to puree the cauliflower (I love to leave some cauliflower pieces).  Then add Broccoli, Carrots and bring to a low boil until they are soft. Last add Bacon. 

Salt and Pepper to taste and I love fresh Parmesan Cheese on top! 

Enjoy~

You know it is fall when . . .

........There is Turkey Chili simmering in the Kitchen. 

I do not know what it is with this meal but September comes and so does the chili. Maybe because it brings me back to Saturday mornings as a kid. 

Whenever I make chili I make it like a meal prep. I always make a double sometimes a triple batch an freeze for a later time! This is such a easy thing to do and it feels so good to be prepared. 

Turkey Chili

• 1 lb cooked ground turkey 
• Chopped Yellow Onion
• Salt and pepper to taste 
• 2 cans diced tomatoes & 1 can low sodium tomato sauce
• Garlic Powder (to your liking, I like a lot)
• 1 can organic Black Beans & 1 can organic Chili Beans
• Chlil powder 
• 1 small can low sodium tomato paste
• Chopped red and green peppers


Mix all together in pan on stove top and heat. Enjoy with Greek Yogurt on top!

TIP: Remember the fall is a beautiful time to get out and be active! So enjoy~

Not Perfect!

I must confess I try and I try to be a better blogger. I have some much to share yet it is hard to some time sit down and put it all into words. Thank you for being patience with my blogging skills. However if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you will notice I am way more consistent with a quick photo! I will not give up at this because I know I have so much to give. 

So much of our Journey is about personal development. Many of us start with having the desire to loose weight and feel good about ourselves each day then it all becomes so much more. For me yes I started with wanting to end my yo-yo dieting cycle and it turned into wanting to be a better friend, wife, mother and wanting to share this new found passion. 

"Life is a journey. You find yourself to reach the top of one Mountain only to find another mountian there waiting to climb"

As a woman we try to do it all yet it is the complete wrong way of going about our days. We also over use the word busy it is almost like it is our way to brag or has a status.  

This last Thursday night while talking with my husband just before bed, he asked me why I am so stressed out, because I got so much done that day? I replied "It was just so much, yes I got a ton done but the list goes on and on. However the kids played so nice today"  He replied "Well then you need to focus on that and be grateful for that!"  WOW can I say he was so right?  This has had me really thinking! 

We need to stop trying to be SUPER WOMAN and focus on what is important. Creating a list of our 3 top things that need to get done each day could be way more beneficial. Then find Gratitude in it all. As I have been taught by one of my beautiful mentors Lori Harder, it is being in constant Gratitude that brings us in the present moment. 

So I guess my point of this post is . . . 

1. We cannot and will never be perfect at the things we do, even if I love blogging and sharing with you. I may not be consistent and perfect and that is ok.
2. We must remove the word "BUSY" from our vocabulary and just find constant daily Gratitude in our lives. 
3. When planning our day focus on the 3 most important things that need to be completed. Know the rest will fall into place. 

Thank you as my friend and follower to my blog for understanding my passion yet being patience with my not always writing a blog. Fall is near and with that brings a routine to life, I hope you will be hearing from me more soon! 

I would love to hear form you, feel free to comment your feels about being perfect, being too busy and always feeling the stress of a to-do list! 

Summer time Salads . . ..

I love how summer arrives and so does salad season. 

I remember as a teen thought a salad was Iceberg lettuce, shredded cheese, croutons, turkey sandwich meat and a ton or ranch dressing. Never feeling very full.  Now Salads are so different! I fill my bowl full of so many colorful and nutritious ingredients.

My Salad for lunch today was

Chopped Kale, Brussels Sprouts, & Cabbage

Then added Beets, Hard Boiled Eggs, Avocado and

topped with Cilantro Avocado Dressing.

Today's salad is a reminder that there is so much more than Iceberg lettuce!

A few greens to try . . .

Kale

Cabbage

Spring Mix

Romaine

Spinach

Broccoli Rabe

Collard Greens

Next time when at the farmers markets or your grocery store take a little time to find a new green to try next in your salads. 

Whats your favorite Salad? 

A few of my favorite things . . . .

I wanted to start sharing a "few of my FAVORITE things"

This past Christmas my girlfriend and I exchanged gifts but we exchanged our "FAVORITE" things.

I remember having so much fun thinking of my favorites, really putting thought into her gift. 

My gifts from her ranged from Franks Red hot, Tea, a Big Basket and so much more. 

This gave me the thought I need to share with the things I love! 

BEETS, they have become a recent LOVE! Beets on a bed of Kale is delish. 

 SPIN CLASS, I tried it a few years ago and then took a break, I recently went back and remembered how much I loved to spin! Now I try to attend once per week. I love getting on the bike and someone else kicking my butt.

For almost 4 years my super foods nutritional supplements! I will not live a day with out this. This is my favorite combo.

Bolthouse Dressing! This a yogurt based dressing, I love it for salads and I use it as a dip. 

I am excited to be sharing