It's All Good

This Christmas, my mother got me a copy of a cookbook I've had my eye on since I saw it at a bookstore in London: It's All Good by Gwyneth Paltrow.

Now, I know some people are skeptical about any cookbook by an actress. What do they know about eating healthy, right? Well, this one is a good one. It's chalk full of healthy recipes and gorgeous pictures of her *gasp* without make-up on. There's one thing I know: if you don't eat well, you cannot look that good. If you fill your body with crap, you skin and hair will look accordingly. 

I've been scrambling to try as many of the recipes as possible since I go back to work on Monday and won't have as much free time. Last night, we had a belated Christmas with my brother-in-law and his girlfriend ~ they were unable to make the Christmas in Phoenix ~ and I made the Grilled Salmon with Grilled Lemon Vinaigrette and the Grilled Asparagus + Portobellos with Shallot + Soy Dressing (I substituted an extra pinch of salt instead of the soy sauce). Holy cow, you guys, those were both ridiculously good. For lunch today, I made the Lentil Salad with Mustard + Tomatoes, which was very tasty,  and I currently have a big pot of the Chicken Soup with Kale + Carrots bubbling on my stove.

This cookbook has been a great way to get back to eating lighter after being with family because, let's be honest, stereotypical families eat nothing but rich food during the holidays. My in-laws are no exception: lots of heavy meals and snacks in between. Her recipes are light but comforting at the same time, and it's helping our stomachs lighten up a little and not feel so sluggish.  

Icepocolypse

Unlike the wrongly predicted winter weather in November, December's winter storm lived up to the hype. The ice started to come down Thursday, and I didn't return to work until Tuesday (my poor husband had to go back Monday, driving on the ice). The ice didn't melt until later the next week. It was pretty crazy. I had an interesting drive home Thursday night. 

I awoke Wednesday morning to a winter wonderland outside my window. 

View out our front door.

Looking down our street.

Our poor, confused tree. Fall or winter?

See all that white stuff? Looks like snow, right? Nope! All ice. At the peak of accumulation ~ it was still icing when I took the above pictures ~ we had roughly 3 - 4 inches of solid ice on the ground. Needless to say, we stayed home for a few days. Our animals were completely okay with that. 

Mulligan may not realize he is a 60 pound dog. Big baby. 

So, what do you do when you're iced in for 4 days? We caught up with housework, spent some quality time with our animals, caught up on all of our recorded shows, watched Christmas movies, and I cooked. A lot. 

Welsh cakes, banana bread, and beef stew. My husband was living large. 

By Sunday, we decided to be brave and venture out. We went sightseeing around town to check out our cute square and gorgeous Victorian houses in the ice. We then went home and took a walk/slide around the neighborhood with our stir-crazy dogs. We then cleared our driveway and walkway. I assumed I was going back to work the next day, but only my husband and his school district had to do that. I got to stay home one more time to finish catching up on sleep and finish deep cleaning the house. 

Even though the next couple of weeks of school were a little crazy while we tried to play catch-up, it was totally worth it. It was like we got a mini fall break 2 weeks before our winter break. Even though we have to make up those days in the spring, I'm still so glad it happened. We needed those days off to recoup. Thank you Texas and your crazy weather. 

How Green Was My Valley

After we returned from London, we had one more day in and around Cardiff before going to West Wales. My grandparents, husband, and I decided to go slightly north and hang out around my Grampy's old haunts around the Brecon Beacons ~ he lived in the area as a child. I will always wistfully wish that I, too, had grown up there because, my friends, it is the most gorgeous countryside I have ever seen in my life.

My grandparents on our walk.

And, before anyone asks, no, these photos have not been altered in any way, shape, or form. It is really that green, and it was really that bright and sunny (unusual for the UK, I know). 

We parked at the trail head and we decide to take a walk next to the stream.

Past a few waterfalls. 

Until we reached the top. 

And the waterfall, with local students climbing underneath it for a class (I wish I had a class like that in school!).

On the way down, we continued to marvel at the beauty all around us. 

And talked about how fortunate people were to live around this unspoiled beauty. 

And were thankful that it was returned to its original splendor after generations of coal mining, at one point, turned the mountainside black. 

It was humbling to think of my grandfather's family living here. They may not have had much: picking edible berries off the mountainside to make a little bit of extra money, illegally fishing in these waters for food, but they still felt blessed. It makes you think about what we hold most dear nowadays. It makes me re-assess what I value most. 

After our leisurely stroll through the mountainside, we stopped in Brecon on our way back to Cardiff where I bought ingredients for dinner. Once back at the house, I made a tasty meal from my find at the market: sea bass, new potatoes, and green beans, all in season! 

After dinner, we met up with three of my cousins and their partners for a drink. I hadn't seen them for 10 years! That's right, 10. Thank God for Facebook, am I right? It was great catching up with them, and I was glad my husband was finally able to meet them. Now he only has a few more to meet before he has met all of the cousins in the UK. It was a great way to end our portion of the trip in south Wales. 

Summer Livin'

Since I usually don't have much free time during the school year, I decided that I'm going to try all of the delicious-looking recipes that I've been meaning to try for...oh, a year. You know the ones: those that you pinned on Pinterest and marked in your cookbooks for "later?" Those. My husband has been making fun of me because "every meal looks like something out of a restaurant," but I consider that a compliment. And, let's be honest, he totally loves being the taste tester.

I've been so busy trying out all of my fancy new recipes and packing for our move - less than two weeks! - that I've neglected to even download my vacation photos onto my computer. For me, that's a big deal. I'm usually done with that within a day of being home. I'm a total picture person. Pictures will soon come, promise. I just have to download them. And edit them. And pick a select few for the blog, so I don't just throw hundreds on here and photo assault everyone. I promise, a vacation recap is in the works!

I've been making sure my poor herbs will survive this heat long enough for them to make the move with us. You know it's transitioning from "toasty" to "Sahara Desert" when my plants need to be watered twice a day instead of once, and I still worry about them shriveling up and dying, especially my basil. If anyone has any advice on how to better do this, I'm all ears. Until we get into our new place, there is very limited shade, and it's a tiny balcony on the second floor. I've been loving using my fresh herbs in my new recipes. I just want to make sure they stay delicious and not call it quits on me. Hang in there, herbs. We're almost there!