my nemesis, dinner.

so here's the thing. dinner and i just don't really get along these days. you may have noticed from previous posts, but it's the last thing i want to do, or put any brain power into after getting home from work. the sad thing is that i actually like to cook. when i have the time (which seems to be rare these days) and can cook with little interruption (which is NEVER), i really enjoy creating a wonderfully delicious meal that i can sit down to with the man and maybe some friends, or other wanted company.

but these circumstances are few and far between lately, and my appetite for cooking (pun totally intended) has, well... diminished a little bit. okay, a lot. it's a little easier on days when i'm home and not rushing in the house at 6:15 and feeding hyde one thing, and then feeding beth something else, and then finding something for hank and i to eat. nevertheless, the energy to do it, just isn't always there. i'm sure most of you moms out there can relate.

well, needless to say, the fam still needs to get fed. and in an effort to fulfill their needs as well as maybe reignite that spark for making a good meal, i still try to cook. (i'm not saying i bust out a great meal every night friends, don't be misled), but i do try. my approach is just totally different now. i am constantly on the lookout for quick (and i mean QUICK), easy meals that aren't waffles or cold cereal - my there-is-just-no-way-i'm-cooking-tonight go to's. in fact, i'm usually looking for a good healthy meal that i can feel good about eating that also fits the fast and easy criteria.

so the other day i stumbled upon this little gem:



huevos rancheros as reinvented by ourbestbites.com (photo courtesy of them as well). 

OMG kids, it was so good, and really pretty easy and fast. like, 25 minutes from start to finish fast which i'm certain i can get down to 18 now that i've done it once and won't have to keep looking at the recipe. very low cal and incredibly flavorful which satisfies both the man and me. here is the link, for anyone interested: www.ourbestbites.com/juevosrancheros     oh, and vegetarian, but still so fulfilling!!!

you would think i'm getting paid for this post, but i assure you i am not. it was just.that.good.

i added chopped cilantro and sliced avocado on the top which added some calories, but it also added just the right amount of extra flavor to balance out the meal and give it that extra mexican feel. also, the salsa you make was about enough for 3 servings (in our case, anyway), so if you're planning to serve more than that, i would recommend doubling the recipe. so good you guys. SO.GOOD.

and for the record, i am always looking, so if you know of any other good recipes that are similarly fast, healthy, and easy to follow, please send them my way. i will owe you forever. ps: my sister is already off the hook - she sent a miniature cookbook's worth of awesome recipes some time ago that i've used a ton. to her, i'm forever indebted.

seriously, so good. must try.

oregon coast

as mentioned in a recent post, we made our way over the coast of oregon after the happy couple had left for mexico and we had a full day to entertain ourselves. we saw a few different parts of the coast, traveling a bit with the rest of the fam, and then hank and i split with our chillins and headed north a little ways on our own. we found this wonderful beach that i can't even tell you the name of, but it was awesome and was one of those we kind of just stumbled upon. there was no one - and i mean no one - else there. we could see the end of the earth in nearly all directions, and other than a small horse riding crew that got within 200 yards of us just to pass over the hill and back to the parking lot, the rest of the time we were all alone. we literally had the entire beach to ourselves to frolic around and play and squeal and laugh and scream as loud as we wished. the land was so flat - the sand was wet for a mile before we hit water, and even then we had to walk another mile before it would crash over our toes and onto our ankles. which made it perfect for the kids. hank was really wishing he had his skim board. my favorites from the day:



beth's first look at the ocean in her tiny little life. this was before we went our own way up north and found the other beach. after letting her take it in for a second, we walked out to the water, rolled up those little capris and let her put her toes in. 10 seconds later she was soaked in salt water. i'm pretty sure she was in heaven. which of course sent me in heaven. it was so fun to watch her face and just enjoy her wildness let go free here. she had the best time of all of us. wish we'd had 4 more hours of daylight...




from instagram at the first beach




as described - huge beach. just us.




yep, you better believe it. he ate sand all day. and he liked it. there was just no getting around it friends. much as one could try...




there's that sandy face again...




and not the only one, either.





after spending as long as we possibly could there, we picked up two clean outfits sized 4T and 6mos, and found a restaurant right on the water with incredible views to top off our evening. the kids were wiped and slept the whole way back to the hotel, and hank i talked about how glad we are that our kids (and both of them do) love water.

it was an impeccable day.

life lessons

lately, whenever beth cries about something - big or small, real or not real, legit or not - hank likes to use that opportunity to teach her some of life's greatest lessons. and THE TALK always begins with, "beth, sometimes in life..." and then follows with an ever insightful principle: "...we don't get what we want. and we just have to learn to be okay with that." or "sometimes in life, we fall down. and we have to pick ourselves up and get over it and keep going." or "beth, sometimes in life, we just can't pick up babies and throw them around like dolls. we don't treat people that way." to name a few...

could she care any less about these connecting moments between father and daughter? not really. is it mostly a sarcastic response? yep.

but i happen to love it. both for the humor factor and for the fact that it's a dad teaching his girl some of the most important things one could teach her. and i happen to be married to that dad, which makes it just brilliant.

now, ask me if we always live by his very clever and sagacious (i just wanted to type that word) words of wisdom and the answer would clearly be no. but hey, at least we're attempting to teach the right things... and trust me, hank rarely misses an opportunity. and i confess that i anxiously await to hear what particular lesson will come from as a result of the alligator tears, the turned out bottom lip (she has that one down PAT), and the sobs that usually hit a 9 on the 1-10 fake scale. because the "sometimes in life" lesson is usually as serious as those cries and it makes me laugh.

not to worry... most of the time, within minutes, we are back to dancing and playing and squealing again as though both the tears and the lesson never happened.





one of these days his wisdom will sink in. i'm just sure of it.