300 Days of Sunshine

This recipe is actually from my What To Eat When You're Pregnant cookbook, but it is delicious even for non-preggos!  Acorn squash is a great high-fiber food and there is also a lot of protein, potassium, calcium and vitamins in this dish.  Plus, the fall flavors like apples, squash, and nutmeg can't be beat!  I used some fresh apples off the tree.  Enjoy! All the yummy ingredients Roasting the apples and squash Yum! Roast Pork Tenderloin with Apples, Squash, and Golden Raisins Ingredients: Pork Tenderloin Dijon mustard Salt and pepper Onion powder Garlic powder Olive oil One acorn squash, peeled and chopped 2 firm apples, cored and chopped 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 1 tablespoon golden raisins (I added about 2-3 tablespoons) 1 tablespoon water Directions: 1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking dish with foil. 2.  Rub the por...

Happy fall!  This is my absolute favorite season.  I'm ready to trade in my flip flops and sundresses for boots and sweaters, and I am so excited about Pumpkin Spice, fresh apples, and candy corn!  I scored some yummy-licious pumpkin cookies from a coffee shop when we were traveling in Moab and I can't wait to try this  Apple Cinnamon Muffin  recipe from my favorite blogger. The hubby and I took a road trip to northern Utah last weekend for a little Babymoon (last trip before the baby!) and his final Xterra triathlon of the year.  We traveled through Durango, Ouray, Grand Junction, Ogden and Salt Lake City, followed by a night in Moab on our way back to New Mexico.  The fall colors in western Colorado were gorgeous!  We did some light hiking along the way and it was the perfect time of year to be outside.   ba·by·moon ˈbābēˌmo͞on/ noun informal a relaxing or romantic vacation taken by parents-to-be before their ...

With Labor Day behind us and football season in full swing, summer is coming to a close.  I can feel a difference in the air, especially in the mornings, and we are already seeing some leaves changing around our neighborhood.  Between traveling, hosting guests, and preparing for the baby's arrival, this summer just flew by!  I didn't have a chance to get outdoors as much as I had planned, but I hope to get up into the mountains more in the next few weeks as we welcome the fall colors. Before Labor Day weekend I went on my only camping trip of the summer with a group of friends to a quiet, wooded spot outside of Truchas.  It was wonderful to get away from the city for a night, relax around the fire, and gaze at the stars on a clear night.  Besides being outdoors, the best part of camping is getting away from the constant to-do lists and housework! Home away from home Watching the sunset Nothing beats the smell of a campfire Labor Day wee...

August has been such a fun and busy month in the Southwest!  The weather is beautiful (and much more bearable than June and July) and we have welcomed three groups of visitors to our home.  My inlaws were here at the beginning of the month and had the opportunity to see our new house for the first time, help us get the baby's nursery ready, and watch Jaycob race in a triathlon.  The following weekend was a blast when both my brother and sister and their fiances made the trip to visit us for a rare "siblings weekend" before their upcoming weddings.  And last weekend my two best friends from college, who were both bridesmaids in my wedding a few years ago, took some time off for a Southwest getaway.  Their trip coincided with Santa Fe's famous "Indian Market," the city's largest annual art festival. We always have so much fun entertaining guests and taking them to all our favorite Santa Fe spots!  This is one of the best cities in the U.S. for culture, a...

Third trimester is here!  Baby Girl is the size of an eggplant and weighs 2.5 pounds.  Her lungs have surfactant, she opens and closes her eyes, and she brings her little hands to her mouth.  She is moving around like crazy and practicing her gymnastics routines (inspired by Simone and Ali, of course)!  She can hear my voice and we have started reading to her every night.  We are completing our last session of the Childbirth Education class this week and I had one meeting with my doula.  I am definitely in "nesting mode" as I pick out furniture for the nursery, work on knitting and crocheting my baby blankets, finish projects around the house, and fill Baby's closet with clothes and blankets.  With 11 weeks to go, we are on the home stretch!  I, however, am in no rush for Baby to arrive.  I love being pregnant, carrying my baby throughout the day, sharing my body with her, keeping her safe from the world, feeling her little kicks and stretc...

Happy August!  Between hosting visitors, beginning our childbirth education classes, and cheering on Jaycob in his many triathlons, it's a busy month in our household!  Here are a few tidbits about life lately... 1)  We celebrated our pooch's 5th birthday last week!  I can't believe she's already five (and that she sometimes still acts like she's two)!  Having a dog brings so much joy to our house every day and I can't imagine life without her.  I am really eager to see how she adapts to having a little (human) sister in a few months. Kua with her new giraffe toy 2)  The long-awaited "8th Harry Potter book" is finally here!  I just started it this week.  Unlike J.K. Rowling's other books, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child  is written as a script for the play that debuted in London earlier this summer (and that my mom and sister were fortunate enough to see on stage at the Palace Theater in London!).  I look ...