Delish!

As you can tell, I am especially into Whole Foods recipes at the moment! I have completed my menu for next week and could not be happier with the fresh, summery dishes I have chosen! Dont you just love this time of year?! This is what the Hansens will be savoring Tuesday night...

Pasta Primavera


And for dessert...

Grilled Fruit with Carmelized Orange Sauce

Friday Favorites

Today is a bitter-sweet ending to the week. Mostly because it will be the last day I am working the routine 8-5 shift. That's right, starting on Monday, my time sheet will say I started at 6AM!!! It's crazy, but I am super excited! I already have my new afternoon workout schedule planned and I can't wait:) And I am almost giddy about making next weeks dinner menu, as I will actually be able to surprise my Love with what's on the dinner table! I will admit, it will be lonely driving to work by myself:( But it's okay, this morning I am getting treated to coffee!

Alright, it's time for my favorites of the week!

*Thunder Storms ~ The weather has taken a turn on the cooler side this week and even brought in a fantastic thunder storm! Chris and I are suckers for a good lightning show. This may be the biggest thing we miss about Texas! A short while after getting home Wednesday night the clouds started rolling in and lightning was visible from a distance. Chris, in all his excitement, said we were driving to our favorite park to watch the storm come in. It was beyond beautiful and, well, a little romantic;)

*Great Vintage Pieces ~ Lately, I am a fanatic for one-of-a-kind pieces! This week I stumbled upon some awesome blogs, notably The Tattered House. It's a store in Roseville that sells beautiful vintage and antique items. I plan on checking it out this Saturday. Honestly, I've been eying this gorgeous dresser I found on their website gallery:) Cant wait!!

*Taken ~ Last night we rented it and all I can say is, "Go to Red Box today!". I thought it had the perfect combination of action, emotional draw and a good ending:)


*Cookies with a Twist ~ one of my favorite go-to recipes is the Oat, Fruit and Nut Cookies from the Better Homes and Garden's Cookbook Pink Limited Edition. They are so delicious and hearty, but we actually just ran out of dried fruit, so I opted to make them with just sliced almonds and top them with a piece of Ghirardelli dark chocolate. The hint of sweet was just enough to make them the perfect after dinner treat!


*Starbucks Reusable Cold Cup ~ I am in love with this thing! See, I'm a devoted "bring my own mug" kind of gal, but when the weather turns warm and my drink switches to an iced unsweetened green tea I'm right back to the ole' plastic cups:( To my great joy, we walked in a few weeks ago and came across two Starbucks employees who were getting ready to put them out on display for the morning. Noticing our enthusiasm, the nice girls let us buy them early because they said the cups usually sell out within a few hours! Thank you nice SB employees!! We are now the envy of many (even some baristas who didn't snag one) when we bust out our cold cups:)


Have a lovely weekend!

All in Good Health

I have decided that on Thursdays I am going to post a product, recipe, item or something of the sort that has to do with living healthier. I am so excited, as I am always on the lookout for new goodies and I love to share my finds! So here it is, my first "All in Good Health" post:)

As a kid, didn't you just love the sticky, sweet goodness of a fruit roll-up? The problem is their high sugar content and empty calories:( But, I have found a delicious alternative in fruit leathers! They are perfectly sweet and have no added sugar except what is found naturally in the fruit and best of all, they count as one serving of fruit! Chris loves these things and I have yet to come across a flavor I didn't like. My favorite brand is Stretch Island Fruit Co. Check out their website! They are a great company devoted to simple, healthy products.

My favorite flavor is Strawberry Pomegranate Sunshine!


And for a complete and nutritious snack, pair with a small handful of raw nuts!

Glorious Day

Ahh, I feel so refreshed today! I feel asleep on the couch last night at 8! It was such a good and relaxing night though:) I made the black bean burgers I posted last week. They were actually pretty good! The recipe calls for a dash of hot sauce, which gives them a very nice kick. Just one recommendation: don't burn the buns like I did! I toasted them and wasn't paying attention and they got a little "crispy". Whoops! Chris is too sweet and said they were still good and he even cleaned up:)

I had the weirdest dream last night...I was pregnant! I woke up in a little bit of a panic and looked at my tummy. I was definitely relieved to see that it was still flat! Why do you suppose we have crazy dreams like that? Hmm...

Also, after talking with a few people and continuing to pray about my work situation, I am feeling at peace with everything. Sometimes I forget that God's timing is better than my own and that through circumstances, good and difficult, He is building character and preparing us for what's ahead:)

And lastly, I love waking up to music and Chris is always changing my wake up song to various artists I love. The last few weeks it has been David Crowder:) I wanted to post the lyrics to the song I woke up to today. It is one of my favorites:)


Glorious Day

I'm so bored of little gods
While standing on the edge of
something large
While standing here, so close to You
We could be consumed
What a glorious day

I give up, I lay down
Rest my face upon this ground
Lift my eyes to Your sky
Rid my heart of all I hide

So sweet this surrender

CHORUS:
How great Your love for us
How great our love for You
That grace could cover us
How great Your love

How marvelous, how brilliantly
Luminous, You shine on me
And who can fail to give You awe
To fear You, God, so sovereign and strong

What a glorious day
What a wonderful day, today
What a glorious day
What a wonderful day, today
Glorious day

Deep Yearning

Have you ever felt like you were meant for something more than what you are doing? Like you have a gift or talent that desires to be nurtured to it's full potential?

Lately I have been very restless. Like I can't sit still because I just know I need to be doing something different. This all started because of a cupcake bakery near my house I just found out is for sale. Of course the last few days I can't stop thinking about it. And then there's my mother-in-law constantly telling me about her friends who want to pay me to make meal plans for them. And of course the personal training comes into play with friends and family. Basically, I have this whirlwind of thoughts in my head as I am dreaming about the numerous possibilities.

I have tried to think of the things that have made me most happy and here's what comes to mind: first and foremost is being a wife. There is not a single role I have had in my life that has given me more satisfaction than being the wife of my wonderful husband! Taking care of Chris' needs and finding ways to constantly make him feel loved is by far my favorite role. My desire to nurture has been in me since I was a little girl and I've always known I wanted to be a wife and mother. Secondly, helping others acheive health and fitness goals. I love that friends, family and others who are aware of my degree come to me for advice about exercise, nutrition and their general health! Last year I helped my Mom lose 30 lbs and it was such a great feeling to see how good she felt and to know that I helped her do that! And the last thing that comes to my mind is serving people through food. I get so much joy out of cooking for others, grocery shopping, finding healthy alternatives to recipes and having people over for meals.

So, where does that leave me? Several peole have told me to just do it! Just make some business cards and train or do meal planning etc., but that just seems so scary to me. I mean, don't you need a plan? Experience? The planner inside me tells me to make sure there is stability.

I fear that if the planner wins, I will be stuck at a job just because it pays the bills and I would never be okay with that! I have always been restless when I am not challenged and utilizing my strengths. Everyone who really knows me knows that I am incredibly passsionate about things I love. I should be doing something I am passionate about!

I'm sorry this post is so long and truly I am talking to myself here, but I just can't stand to not be doing something I was meant for. We were all made with a unique purpose and design and I believe we truly feel His pleasure when we are fulfilling that in our lives.

Mexican Chop Salad

Mexican Chopped Salad with Orange Crema

12 ounces jicama
12 ounces English cucumber
1 pound cantaloupe
1 pound watermelon
1 pound honeydew
4 ounces radishes, rinsed
2 cups each finely shredded red and green cabbage
1 cup seedless red grapes
1 firm-ripe avocado (8 to 10 oz.)
2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
3/4 cup roasted salted peanuts

Cut all fruit and veggie in small bite sized pieces and arrange on platter, drizzle jicima and avocado with lime juice. This recipe calls for honeydew melon and peanuts, I omit because honeydew is not my favorite and I like the freshness of all crunchy veggie. However I leave them as part of the recipe and you can adapt to your own personal taste.

For the Orange crema

1/4 cup plain non-fat yogurt
1/2 cup thawed frozen orange juice concentrate
1/2 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons grated lime peel or the zest of as many limes as it takes you to get ¼ cup of juice

Mix orange juice and yogurt until smooth, add the crema, lime juice and lime zest. mix until smooth and chill. Serve with chopped fruit and veggies.

This salad is fantastically refreshing and oh so delicious! Enjoy:)

On Sharing Meals

Can you believe it is already June?!? I am so excited!! I'm really looking forward to celebrating our one year with a hot air balloon ride in Napa! Let's just hope it doesn't get cancelled this time:)

Darrell's party was a blast! Many people showed up to taunt him about being 40, and of course to celebrate what a great guy he is! I'll post some of the MANY pics I took:)

Sunday was also a wonderful day. We may have a cramped apartment at the moment, but it is exceptionally clean and every stich of clothing is washed! I feel so accomplished.

So, I am realizing as I am about to tell you about our evening that we have been spending a lot of time with our families lately, but you have no idea how fabulous they are and how much fun we have with them. Chris and I are both only children (well, we both have much younger half-siblings that don't live nearby, although we love them very much!). But the point is, this is what we know and we just love hanging out with them!

Anyway, last night we went over to Jeannine and Darrell's for dinner and to spend time with Darrell's brother who flew in to surprise him for his birthday! We honestly had the most delectible dinner EVER!! First of all, we sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful Sacramento breeze! This may be one of my favorite things about living in Sacramento. It can be a 100 degree day and you will still need a little sweater in the evening! Anyway, they fed us an awesome meal of tri tip cooked perfectly medium rare, grilled onions (like candy!), an amazing Mexican chop salad (I will post this recipe for sure!), warm sourdough bread and my favorite red wine, Rombauers Cab...I had two glasses:) Everything was amazing and the weather and company were fantastic!! I know I talk about food a lot, but there is something about a good home-cooked meal that just brings people together!

I'm not sure where it is coming from, but I am full of energy this morning. Crazy for a Monday! I hope you too are enjoying this spectacular day!

Darrell and Dave with the "Old man" hat!


Precious Flannery!

The Hills

darrell with his little guy:)

Some kids from the youth group. They love Darrell!


Sweet glasses;)

The Marrieds:)

And karaoke...when the party really got started! Chris also got a great video of the ladies singing You're So Vain:)