Shhh! I may have actually...

enjoyed going to a basketball game.

It a well known fact I do not really enjoy basketball. It's the Canadian in me... although we did invent the sport. Well last night may have proved me wrong. We went to the LSU vs. Mizzou game. It was fun to watch while I ate some chicken fingers (I deserved those after teaching 2 hours of Zumba earlier in the day then volunteering for 3 hours).

Maybe I just enjoyed it because we won. I thought the Missouri basketball team was supposed to be good...

 

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What fills my time

I am glad I like to read. Why? Because this semester I feel like life is filled with reading.

Research Methods for my thesis

Motor Learning & Development for class

Program Evaluation for class

more Motor Development for the class I TA

then this happened...

Another booked arrived in the mail yesterday! Social research methods for my program evaluation class. My reading list on my to-do list is never ending. Not that I mind. I figure I may as well learn something while I am in grad school.

I woke up this morning thinking I only have one chapter to read... then I realized I had class last night and now have 2 more chapters to read in motor learning. Life is tricky that way!

 

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Huevos rancheros

Who does not love Mexican food? Who does not love healthy Mexican food? Who does not love healthy, simple Mexican food? Who does not love healthy, simple Mexican food that includes poaches eggs?

I could go on forever about this dish. 

You should just trust me and make it this one.

ingredients:

1 tortilla, cut into quarters

1c grated carrot

1 can black beans, warmed with some minced onion

salsa of your choice

1 avocado, diced

1c queso fresco, cubed

2T green onion

4 poached eggs

Layer ingredients of your choosing on 2 pieces of tortilla. You really could include anything from your refrigerator that needs to be used. We love adding graded carrot as it is healthy, colorful, and flavorful. Poach eggs in gently boiling water, remove and place on top.

Serves 2... perfect for a Saturday night at home.

Knitting thoughts

Knitting is many things to me. A way to give someone a gift that is handmade. A diet strategy: my hands are busy so I do not snack. A way to feel productive while watching my fave shows.

We ran into friends on Friday night who we have not seen in seven months! Why do I know it has been that long? Well, I was shocked to see she is 7 months pregnant. They want to be surprised so they are not going to find out what they are having. I love to make gifts for new babies so I went straight to Pinterest for some inspiration since the gift must be gender neutral.

Maybe a baby blanket in gender neutral colors? A bunny outfit? Okay, the coffee cup cozies may be for me.

I think I may go for the blanket in a chunky knit! These color schemes may be the perfect inspiration!

I love learning, teaching, research, and healthy living... but knitting brings balance. Just a little balance is a good thing.

Weekly motivation

Need some weekly motivation? Me too!

source

InstaFriday

Thank goodness its Friday! Its been a busy week (even though Monday was a holiday) and I have been on the go all day, everyday with class, teaching, volunteering, reading, and keeping life organized. Here's a photo recap of the week:

1. Is that ice on our windshield? Yup... it got to -1C this week!

2. Newest breakfast obsession = protein pancakes. I have no clue why I waited so long to make these. They are healthy, quick & delicious!

3. Casi cielo in a cafe misto has been my "go to" at SB lately.

4. A little mint & emerald inspiration from Nordstrom.

5. Does that red arrow mean we are getting a legit Lululemon in Baton Rouge?!?

6. Pink for a little girl on the way! This pattern is so simple and cute. P.S. Our friends are expecting, not us.

7. Navy & white.

8. Remember that mint obsession at Lululemon? Yup! Purchased the swifty tech LS!

9. The cauliflower couscous I mentioned. Yum!

10. B brought me a cafe misto the other day at school, exactly how I like it!

11. "Run faster than fast stink"... seriously. That's what my socks said. Not me.

12. Just a quick moment to relax outside on campus on a beautiful day. I started my first class in the business school this week. I think it will be challenging but a great addition to my education.

This weekend: maybe some work, lots of school reading, Zumba choreography, work on a publication & my thesis, oh and grocery shopping! Have a great weekend!

I share because...

 ... I care. I was always taught it is nice to share.  Pinterest helps us with meal planning every week. How many people out there have never made a recipe from their recipe board? Not this girl! I will not take the credit for any of these creations (just a link back to the original) but because we loved all of these so much I thought you may too. There is no reason to change or adapt a good thing.

huevos rancheros - because who does not love poached eggs with everything

cauliflower couscous - delicious and disappeared very quickly

cheesy quinoa - we added broccoli for an extra veggie

We have been on a big veggie kick since all of our trips over the semester break. I feel like they fill us up with healthy nutrients and delicious flavors. And my "meat and potatoes" guy has not complained once! Actually he loves all the vegetarian recipes I show him. BTW - are eggs vegetarian? 

Now go grab your cheese grater and a head of cauliflower and make some "couscous". I promise it will not disappoint!

Carrots, beans & kale

We love our veggies, but I cannot take the credit for this recipe. My brother-in-law thought this one up for Christmas dinner but it was so good we had to make it again... and share it with you!

Carrots, beans & kale:

3 carrots, chopped

2 cans low sodium green beans, drained (the best way to get green beans in the middle of winter!)

1 head of kale, torn into pieces

1T evoo

Preheat oven to 350. Heat evoo in skillet, add carrots and cook until slightly softened. Add kale to carrots and cook for about 2 minutes. Mix all three veggies in roasting dish and roast for approximately 30. Really, its just to heat everything through since everything is cooked.

This was a great accompaniment to turkey on Christmas day but we recently served it with teriyaki salmon and that was a great combo too!

This dish screams winter to me!

Mint & inkwell

Lululemon, you never cease to amaze me! Seriously! I am obsessed with everything in that comes in mint or inkwell...

wunder unders in mint - skinny will pant in inkwell - reflect pullover in mint - free to be bra in inkwell

I'll have one of each please! Now we just need more than a showroom where I live so I can have access to all of these great colors through the R&D program!

A view with no words

InstaFriday

To keep with the theme of the week, here are my fave instas from Mexico!

1. Cherish this moment, you do not see me in a hat very often. I got it at J.Crew in the summer for $5. 2013 might be the year I starting protecting my head. 

2. Kicking butt at tile rummy... we played so many times!

3. Grilled cactus on chips. Yum!

4. The view from our hotel balcony. I miss it!

 5. Beautiful doors downtown.

6. Check out my new "raybans" I got on the beach in Mismaloya! They were less than $10.

7. Don't feed the bears... unless you are in Mexico, then they like bread.

8. Can you see my parents waving from the beach in front of our condo?

Bye PV. See you again soon.

This weekend: class prep, reading, and some other fun stuff on our never ending to-do list! Oh, and another baby sweater to finish by adding buttons. Have a good weekend!

We bought a zoo!

Kidding!

But we did go to the zoo near Puerto Vallarta... it is actually at Mismaloya. Here are some of my fave shots (yes, I took tons of photos!):

The Zoo!

Food to feed the animals, it is encouraged! The bag included carrots, bread, pellets, corn & peanuts.

snakes

In case you were unsure what each animal would enjoy eating...

ostrich

tigers

feeding a llama

zebras

The horses loved carrots!

As did the giraffe!

Here he is from above!

The tiger and leopard loved to play together!

Birds...

goats who liked peanuts...

tucans...

eagles...

feeding my monkey friend...

and the long horned sheep...

...and don't forget to feed to bears too! They really seemed to enjoy the bread!

 Check out the cute striped piglet!

The End.

Wow that was a ton of photos... and only a small portion of what I took at the zoo. According to my parents they have made some big improvements to the zoo in the past few years. I highly recommend going if you are in the area. It is only a quick & cheap bus ride from downtown PV. And don't forget to wander down to the Mismaloya beach after... I loved the coconut shrimp and my new "Raybans" for less than $10!

Malecon

The Malecon in Puerto Vallarta has been upgraded in the past few years. They moved the bus route up a couple streets, made the waterfront car free, added more lights, and a new fishing pier! Check it out:

 Along the new Malecon! I could walk down here and people watch for hours.

A quick stop by Andale's... wait is that Alice hanging from the ceiling... and a guy riding a donkey? Love the atmosphere at this place... though I am I significantly younger that most who frequent this bar.

The new pier!

Remember, everything that is built in Mexico is done mostly by hand. They are starting to use more technology and large machinery but mostly just hard work by the locals. We are so appreciative of all the work they have done downtown to make the area for enjoyable and safe for tourists.

A food tour of PVR

I took enough pictures in Puerto Vallarta to blog for about 2 weeks... even though I was only gone 9 days. Instead of breaking down everything we did/saw/ate chronologically, I thought categorizing the photos would be better. Today's choice: food! Don't worry, this is not all I ate. We tend to make breakfast and lunch at home then go out for dinner... though we did make a great garlic shrimp pasta one night! 

Here is all of our fave places in PV and what I ate:

 Victor's Cafe at Marina Vallarta: 

We love the mango and strawberry margaritas, guacamole, and chips with salsa.

 Ernesto's Good Grub:

This place is hard to find and in a small residential neighborhood. You would never think to go in unless you walked by on a Thursday - all you can eat rib night! Everyone else loves the ribs, I am obsessed with the tortilla soup... filled to the brim with goodness! Though I do like a tiny bit a rib meat if someone is willing to share. B said they were the best ribs he has ever had! I made two trips to Ernesto's on my trip!

 La Dolce Vita on the Malecon:

We love any and every pizza! This place is run by Italians so it is legit.

 Chappy's Sports Bar at Marina Vallarta:

This shrimp burrito kicked my butt. I only ate half. We watched the NFC championship game at this sports bar while cheering on Notre Dame.

 Victor again....

This time for coconut shrimp (I am obsessed) and a mini Victor's special (pina colada and kahlua).

 Pipi's:

This place is downtown a few blocks up from the Malecon. The 5 of us shared 2 bowls of guacamole made at the table and 2 fajitas but each had a huge margarita. There was lots of food to go around!

Mr. Cream at Marina Vallarta:

I had grilled cactus with scrambled eggs and chips! Sooooooo good! Have you ever tried cactus before? I love it!

Yarita Bakery downtown:

One of the best places in town for baked goods.I loved the coconut pie!

We have never been disappointed with a meal in Puerto Vallarta. The food and service is always amazing. For food at "home" we love to go to the grocery store for tortillas, fruit, salsa, chips and other necessities. We also like the fresh fish markets for seafood caught daily!

Oh how I miss PV already! Can we go back yet?

I still have updates on the zoo, the view & the new Malecon!