Sunday, December 30, 2012

Goodbye 2012

I find it interesting how many of my friends can't wait for 2012 to be over and 2013 to start. I have to admit that I do not really want this year to end. I have had an amazing year. We woke up in our brand new house for the first time on January 1, 2012. One month later I started a new job (so in love with my company and my job but that will have to be a post for another day). A month later we had the most amazing wedding with friends and family all around us to celebrate. Our action packed honeymoon in Costa Rica was a blast and we even had time to relax. In June we added Maggie Moose to the family (I'll do a post on her one of these days) and since then we've taken some great trips and made lots of memories.

While I am looking forward to everything that will happen in 2013 I am sad to see 2012 end. I tried to do monthly goals for 2012 and while I didn't do everything I completed most of my goals.

January: Get the house unpacked and settled (still putting up pictures and slowly doing some DIY projects)
February: Run the Rock and Roll half marathon (Done)
March: Love my wedding and new marriage (DONE!!!!)
April: Plant, and try not to kill, some flowers for spring (We've had a bamboo since April and only a few stalks have dies)
May: Try boxing (didn't do this but started running and doing boot camp more)
June: Complete a personal goal I have wanted to do for a while (details to come later) (We got Maggie!!!)
July: Reconnect with 5 friends that I have lost touch with over the years (I was bad about this but did take time with people around me)
August: Spend lots of time at the pool/beach relaxing (This I didn't do but I spent lots of time outside walking the dog)
September: Complete 3 Pinterest projects (I have done half a dozen or so pinterest projects in 2012)
October: Keep up with sleep during a busy work month (I survived)
November: Volunteer for an organization I have never worked with (Didn't do this :-( )
December: Read 2 classic books (I love reading on my kindle app on the iphone and now my ipad and I have been reading a lot)


Tomorrow I'm going to write out my goals for 2013 and put them out there so that all of you can keep me accountable. What are your goals/resolutions for 2013?


Creamy Cauliflower Soup

I've been seeing quite a few cauliflower based recipes on Pinterest so last week at the grocery store I decided I would make one of them and bought a head of cauliflower. I do NOT like cauliflower raw or steamed but I I keep hearing how it can be a healthy option for a lot of comfort foods. So finally tonight I had time to search Pinterest for some recipes. I found a few that sounded easy (minimal prep and time required) and took the basic ideas and started my experiment.

First I found everything that would probably taste good that needed to be used:
~1 head of cauliflower
~leftover turkey from Christmas (didn't have many spices and was cooked in the slowcooker)
~boiled red potatoes
~garlic (cause who doesn't like garlic)

Then I pulled out some add-ins that should make it all work:
~Chicken Broth
~Paprika
~thyme
~Salt and pepper
~Garlic powder
~Olive oil
~ Apple Ginger Cider, a glass of wine would work (ok this is really for drinking because I will occasionally enjoy a drink while cooking dinner)

Nothing was measured because I was making it up as I was going so I would say add as much of each item that you personally like. Other veggies that I would include in the pre-blender cooking (this will make sense in a little bit) would be carrots, celery, peppers, onions, stuff like that.

Sauté the garlic and any veggies that would need it (onions, carrots, celery) until soft then add chopped cauliflower and boiled potatoes. Continue to cook these all together for about 10 minutes. Add Chicken Broth (I did about 4 cups) and spices. Cook all together for a few minutes to let everything mix.

Put all items from pot into blender (a big food processor would be nice to use as well) and blend until smooth. I did have to do this in 2 portions since my blender is not that big. Return to pot on stove and add extras. I added turkey and bacon. I let it all simmer for another 10 minutes or so and serve with crackers or bread. Hubby and I both liked it and I plan to make it again. I would like to make it as healthy as I can so check back for updates. As it is, the recipe is dairy, gluten, nut, fish, soy, peanut, egg, and shellfish free. I didn't plan on that but it worked out nicely.

If you have any ideas on cutting out the potato to make it healthier but keeping it creamy please let me know. Also if you find something to add that makes it even better please share!

Have a wonderful night!