Mini Muffin Madness

Over the break, my sister introduced me to this super easy muffin recipe that I tried out this week. Basically, there is one main ingredient and then you can experiment by using anything you want. So I have made two batches thus far and Pat and I are loving them! The best part about them is that they are SUPER healthy.... or let's just say that we can eat a bunch of them and not feel badly about ourselves. Basically, the main ingredient is whole wheat pancake mix from Trader Joe's. I use about two cups of this and then go crazy with all sorts of fresh ingredients.
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Our first batch were apple-banana-zucchini muffins. 

The ingredients we used included:

Apple sauce

A whole banana

A whole zucchini and a half

Greek yogurt

Fresh ginger

Cinnamon

Grapeseed oil (2 Tbs)

Rice milk (1/3 cup)

Agave
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Our second batch of mini muffins were Blueberry-Carrot-Ginger.

We experimented with:

Apple sauce

Blueberries

A whole carrot

Fresh ginger

Greek yogurt

Agave

Cinnamon

Vanilla Extract

Grapeseed oil (2 Tbs)

Rice milk (1/3 cup)

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They are delicious and relatively healthy. 

**NOTE TO SELF: Make these again!

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XO

It's that time of the year.

I can't believe 2012 is here already. Pat and I had a great time celebrating the holidays with family and friends and are sad that it is over. This past year went by so fast! I gained a new, extremely long, last name & I still feel like we just got engaged, which happened in 2010--jeez! Pat and I had fun coming up with our new year's resolutions for 2012 & we are going to hold each other accountable! God was so good to us during 2011 & we can't wait to see His plans for us this year.

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Here are some pictures from the holidays:

This is what happens when you pick out a tree with a Prius...

 Pat bringing the tree in

Our decorated tree!

Our first married Christmas morning

Bright & early Christmas morning before going over to the parents

We put up some lights on the porch to show some holiday spirit

The "Tallcott" girls on New Year's Eve

Christmas night at my mom's house

Hanging out with Bryden at the Spectrum

Bryden's second Christmas at his grandma's house

Mom and Pat being wacky waiting for the ball to drop

Lastly, our handsome nephew on our way home from the petting zoo in San Juan

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So this week, I started my last first week of my undergraduate career (assuming that I pass all of this semester's classes). I am in critical care and my preceptorship and I am super nervous and excited. Pat and I have so much going on this year. To name a few events: we have our one year anniversary (yay!), my graduation from nursing school, a potential job as an RN, my sister's wedding, some good friend's weddings, moving to New York, etc. This year is going to be very eventful! However, we will have to make sure we focus on the here and now and not get too caught up in the exciting events to come.

Overall, 2011 was magnificent mostly because of OUR MARRIAGE (& we still can't believe we are husband and wife!)....

(Picking up our marriage license)

(Gettin' hitched in Carlsbad, CA)

(Our traditional Thai wedding in Bangkok, Thailand)

...and we look forward to 2012!
XO

Christmas break project.

So I am currently, and have been, on Christmas break for about two weeks now. I thought that it was going to be relaxing; however, with family in town, gatherings, work, etc., it seems as though I have found things to fill the spaces in which school normally occupies. One huge event which has taken up most of my time was a project that my siblings and I took upon ourselves. My mom moved into an older house months ago with big plans of renovation. However, she has not had the time to redo any of the rooms. For her Christmas gift, we thought it would be nice if we took on the challenge of her downstairs guest bathroom. We started planning about a month in advance to make sure that the things that had to be ordered would be delivered on time. I think we took on a little more than we expected, considering that not one of us had any experience with complete demolition, plumbing, staining concrete floors, etc. However, many trips to random strangers homes for Craigslist purchases and plenty of Home Depot runs later, we overcame the ever-present challenges and the bathroom actually came along quite nicely. Here are some pictures of the old bathroom versus the new bathroom. Keep in mind that the bathroom is decades old!

Before:

After:

My mom was thrilled after weeks of being shunned from her own bathroom and relieved that one more room was checked off her list. Even though we were stressed at times, the remodel was totally worth it and we are all happy with the way it turned out.

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My baby nephew is here visiting with his parents (my sister and brother-in-law) and my mom and I were able to take him to the petting zoo. We played with bunnies and lamas, rode trains, and went on pony rides. He was adorable to watch with all of the animals. Here's a picture of him after the zoo on our way home--it wiped him out!

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2012 is almost here--Have a great end of the year!

XO

Almost back!

Wow, I  have been neglecting this thing. School and work are consuming my life and it is so hard to keep a healthy balance. I have finals tomorrow, so this is the last day of studying for the Fall semester! One more semester, set of finals, and an NCLEX exam later and I will officially be a registered nurse. WOW!

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My sister, brother in law, and nephew are coming home this coming Saturday and I am more than excited. My nephew looks like a little man now and it is so strange to see his features developing. 

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Pat and I have put up our Christmas lights, bought and decorated our tree, have walked and drove around looking at lights and are continuously blasting Christmas music in our home. Cheesy? We love the holidays. When I am free this week, I will update some pictures and explain our very strange/funny Christmas tree shopping experience. 

 (This isn't our tree--it's the huge tree at Fashion Island)

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Good luck with finals college people!

XO

Food creations.

Pat and I have been having a lot of fun in the kitchen lately. We have been trying out new recipes and getting creative with cooking styles. This past week we decided to experiment with a kombocha squash we bought a couple days prior. I had never cooked with this vegetable before so we looked up some recipes online for some guidance. Basically, we just roasted them in the oven with a marinade we mixed up and then poured the squash over a bed of steamed kale and onions. It actually turned out pretty good and I feel that we were surprisingly successful!

Last week, we also tried to make our own baked mac n cheese. We made the cheese sauce with fresh ingredients, added some kale to the mix, and topped it off with whole wheat bread crumbs. It was delicious and something I can definitely see us making again soon...especially because Pat thinks it was "real food". :)

Tonight, we celebrated taco Tuesday in style. We were debating on going out to get some cheap tacos somewhere but instead decided on making some with a quick stop at Traders to pick up some missing ingredients. Nothing special but the tofu tacos with kale, tomatoes, cheese, and avocado were super easy (obviously, there tacos) and we were really happy with our decision to stay in. YUM!

We're having so much fun in the kitchen--can't wait to see what we work up next!

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This past week, we also were able to celebrate my brothers 20th birthday. My brother, sister, soon-to-be brother in law, mom, grandma, Pat, and I all met together at my mom's house for a birthday brunch for Devon. We all brought food and feasted while talking, laughing, and watching football. I can't believe my little brother is already 20. It's crazy that his next birthday will be the big two-one! I adore him and am so proud of him for everything he has done. He is such a genuine person with a big, sweet heart. God has blessed me with the best brother in the world.

So during the birthday brunch, my sister, mom, and I were talking at the kitchen table and realized that the other room was pretty quite. We turn around to see Pat and Patrick asleep on the couch. We had to take a picture of the two sound sleepers--they're keepers!

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Just started my Rehab rotation this week and I think I'm going to like it. I can't believe we are already half way done with this semester. After this, I only have one more semester left for nursing school. CRAZY! I turn in my intent to graduate form tomorrow which is also so unreal. Boy, how two years fly by. Anyways, have a great week! Keep your heads up!

XO