FireLake

To continue the restaurant week festivities, my coworkers and I went to FireLake in the Mall of America over our lunch hour.  FireLake is located in the new Radisson Blu hotel attached to the mall.  The hotel is very modern and visually stunning.  FireLake is also very modern and cool.  They have a fun menu - very Minnesotan comfort food. 

For restaurant week, FireLake offers soup, salad, sandwich, and dessert for $10 (for lunch).  I ordered the bison soup, Minnesota salad, and pork sandwich.  The dessert was interesting and not quite my taste - chocolate pudding cake with caramel, candied pecans, and a bit of chili spice baked in.  The soup was really tasty, I would totally order that again.  They also have chicken and white bean soup with pesto which was really good.  It was fun to look through the menu; I'm pretty sure I'd enjoy everything on it. 

128 Cafe

Restaurant week is in full swing!  My husband and I decided to try a new place this time - part of the fun of restaurant week.  As a recap, the beauty of restaurant week is that the restaurants who participate offer a special three course lunch or dinner at a deep discount.  You can get an appetizer, entree, and dessert for $15 at lunch time or $30 for dinner.  We chose 128 Cafe in St. Paul. 

I was a little concerned when we reviewed the drink menu and saw Miller High Life listed as the "champagne of beers".  I decided to forgive them.  It went up hill from there.

We both selected the mussels for our appetizer.  Delicious!  The portion was generous, the broth was coconut milk and other spices, and peppers and cilantro were sprinkled on top. 

For my main course, I decided to try the scallops which were served with hummus, chickpeas, spinach, and onions in a buttery sauce.  I had never had scallops before and these were wonderful.  They were cooked perfectly - not rubbery or gummy.  Very tender and moist. 

My husband had the ribs.  Now we've had some good ribs in our days and have really high standards.  These baby back ribs really were at the top of our list of good ribs.  The BBQ sauce had a nice kick and was quite smokey.  The ribs were served with equally fantastic baked beans and jalapeno corn bread. 

For dessert my husband had a chocolate mousse with caramel, whipped cream, and spiced peanuts. 

I had an apple tart with vanilla bean ice cream. 

Everything was really good; I would absolutely go back.  We were surprised to walk in and find that this restaurant is just a house.  Each room is a dining room so they actually have a decent amount of seating space.

You may have noticed by now that I think everything is "fantastic", "delicious", or "amazing".  I guess it's because I love food, it's one of few things that excite me in the winter, and I appreciate and am intrigued by creativity.  Or maybe it's because I really try hard to focus on the positives in life....hard as it is in the winter.

Marathon Sports Shoe Store

Take a look at these beauties!  Hopefully they will carry me to some PRs this year!!  Guess where I got them.  Marathon Sports in Minneapolis on 50th and Penn.  If you need new running shoes, I highly recommend this store.  Here is why I shop there:

• Friendly, extremely knowledgeable staff
• Exceptional service to help you find your next shoes
• Treadmill available for running in the shoes before committing to buying them
• Generous return policy if you bring the shoes home, run on a treadmill for a few miles, and decide they aren't working out
• 20% discount for returning customers which is huge when you are buying expensive shoes
• Running club if you are looking for running partners
• Wide variety of shoes to choose from
• Super cute running clothes and other accessories

Happy shopping and happy running!  

2014 Races!

Running is something I am extremely passionate about.  It causes me extreme joy and sometimes sorrow (when I'm injured and my training is interrupted).  I love everything about it though: 

• It's time spent outside
• It's exercise
• It's social or solitary
• You can do it pretty much anywhere
• It requires mental stamina and focus
• Only equipment required is shoes
• There's a variety of running workouts to do to keep it interesting- sprint, striders, intervals, long runs, etc.
• So many fun races to do!

I think what I love most about running though is the satisfaction of setting a goal, devising a training plan to achieve that goal, and the feeling of achieving it as you cross the finish line. I can't get enough of that high. 

The end of February is generally when I plan my races for the year and start running again.  I really hate running on a treadmill, but it's time to get started.  At least I start out slow and only have to do 1-3 miles on the treadmill.  I accelerate my mileage slowly to try and avoid injury and save my long runs for when the weather gets nice. 

Today is a special day.  I got my acceptance to the Garry Bjorklund half marathon in Duluth, MN.  It is definitely my favorite race as it combines three of my favorite things:  running, Duluth, and family.  No matter who in the family is running, we all gather in Duluth to cheer each other on and have fun! 

Since I got my acceptance, I can appropriately plan the rest of my races for the year.  Here's what I'm doing:

Medtronic 1 Mile in Mpls - May 8 (This is just one mile through downtown and a percentage of finishers get automatic entry into the 10 mile)
Delta Scholarship 5K - June 7 (The top male and female get a free flight!)
Garry Bjorklund half marathon - June 21 (half marathon along Lake Superior)
Torchlight 5K - July 23 (After the race stay and listen to a live band and drink beer)
Truman Days 5K - July 26 (My family puts on this race in our hometown so of course it's awesome)
Minnesota Mile - September 7 (I just love the mile races)
TC 10 Mile - October 5 (Run from Mpls to St. Paul and enjoy the awesome fans and fall colors)
Riverfront 5K - October 11 (Run from Boom Island Park across the Stonearch and back to the park)

I'll probably sprinkle some more into the mix, but these are my staples that I get excited about each year. 

I generally use this website to find races in the area.  www.runningintheusa.com Thankfully the Metro has a strong running culture so there's races going on every weekend.

Eat Street Social

Eat Street.  This term seems to be thrown around as commonly as "juicy lucy" in the Metro.  If you haven't been there, you've probably heard of it and know that some of the most esteemed foodie hangouts hail from Nicollet Avenue's Eat Street.  I used to ride the bus through this area every day when I was in grad school but never actually stopped there.  This morning my husband and I met my sister and her husband for church in Minneapolis and then went in search of a new place for brunch.  We ventured onto Eat Street and were actually looking for the Bad Waitress.  The Bad Waitress had too long of a wait so we decided to walk down the street and see what else we could find that served brunch.  We just happened upon Eat Street Social and we were all so glad. 

They have a very creative food menu, but I was very amused to see that their cocktail, wine, and beer lists were way longer than the food menu.  Apparently they don't have bartenders at ESS, they have mixologists.  As I perused the drink menu, I realized I had never even heard of most of the liqueurs and some of the spirits.  That piqued my interest and I just had to try one.  I had the bellini fizz (Bombay Sapphire, lemon, peach coulis, egg white, and sparkling wine) and my husband and sister each had a mimosa (orange juice, orange liqueur, orange bitters, champagne).  Amazing.

My brother-in-law and I ordered the eggs benedict (poached egg over brussels spouts, tomato, beans smothered in pork sauce all over baguette with hollandaise drizzled over top).  Oh my goodness.  I didn't eat the hollandaise or bread, but everything else was for sure the best benedict I've had.  My husband had the french toast which actually did leave a little something to be desired.  There wasn't quite enough sweetness to it.  Then my sister had an omelet with white chicken chili inside.  What I most appreciate about going out to eat is the creativity - putting foods together that I would never think to do at home.  We are all very excited to be there and look forward to going back. 

They also have tasty coffee!  They brew Dogwood coffee with the chemex method and also have a great Americano. 

Trader Joes

Grocery shopping.  I feel like this is a polarizing experience.  You either love it or you hate it.  I happen to love it.  I love the surprise of what new foods/brands are on the market, what sales are happening, and what produce is coming into season.  I especially love shopping at Trader Joe's.  It's a little grocery store with several locations in the metro.  They feature organic, hard to find foods at a very affordable price.  I love walking up and down the aisles to peruse and see what fun new foods I can try.  They also feature free samples of a drink and a food item each day.  Great way to boost sales for sure.  I was there today and picked up some of my favorite Trader Joe's staples.  I have to give a shout out to their chicken sausage - one link is only 140 calories and is packed with flavor!  It's great to eat on it's own, in soup, or in pasta sauce.  Way healthier than normal brats.

They also have a liquor store attached so I generally cruise through there after I get groceries.  They carry mostly wine and beer but have a small selection of liquor as well.  They carry one of my husband's favorite port wines...which only costs $6.99!!!

Homemade Frittata

I woke up with the inspiration to make an ultra healthy egg bake with my newly stocked fridge.  Thankfully I worked from home today in anticipation of the epic snowpocalypse so I had the time to whip it up.

Ingredients:

• Sweet potato
• Turkey sausage
• Spinach
• Onion
• Egg whites
• Tomato
• Seasoning:  rosemary and salt
• Avocado
• Pesto

1.  Cut up all the ingredients
2.  Line the pan with sweet potatoes - these serve as the "crust"
3.  Bake sweet potatoes for about 10 minutes to soften
4.  Mix sausage, spinach, onion, egg whites, tomato, and seasoning in the bowl
5.  Pour mixture over the sweet potatoes
6.  Bake for about 30 minutes longer at 350 degrees.
7.  Cut and serve with avocado slices and pesto drizzle on top

Sooooooo delicious.  Healthy fat, minimal carbs, no dairy, heavy on the veggies.  And you have leftovers.

Rare Steak & Sushi at the Grand Hotel

Time for another family happy hour!  This time my aunt chose Rare Steak & Sushi located in the Grand Hotel in downtown Minneapolis.  I was really excited for the happy hour deals here and they did not disappoint.  The menu lists house wines, beer, and rail cocktails for $3 which is the best deal I've seen.  They also have a few crafted martinis for $5.  They serve large flat breads and a variety of sushi rolls and other appetizers for $5 as well.  Considering the price, variety of the menu, and quality of the food, this was by far the best happy hour value I've found.  Happy hour runs until 6:30. 

We had a wonderful time chatting, eating, drinking, and watching the olympics.  I had the veggie platter, Mexican sushi roll, and shared the fried calamari with my husband.  Others ordered pot stickers, wings, pea pods, and sushi.  It was such a fun evening.  Discussion topics included:

• How awesome Jimmy Fallon is
• How underwhelming the Olympics are
• A discussion of whether Breaking Bad is better than Dexter
• Which is the best season of Dexter
• Ice Caves
• The next happy hour will be at Bar La Grassa
• How sucky the commutes to work are lately
• Whether Jimmy Fallon is better than Letterman - yes
• How good the food was
• Busy season is a bummer
• Relationshippy stuff
• That Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake are the best 
• We love that Jimmy Fallon and Will Smith did "the Carlton"
• How much we like our happy hour outings

We finished the evening with a night cap at one of my favorite high rise bars in the city.  My sister and brother-in-law's apartment :) Where there is always a white russian or manhattan on tap.  Love you guys!

Welch Village Ski Area

Skiing is one of my favorite activities.  I generally don't like winter or being cold, but this is one thing that I look forward to every January and February.  One of my favorite places to ski is Welch Village.  There are a bunch of slopes that range in difficulty from easy to expert/experienced.  They even have a back section that is only for expert/experienced skiers that boasts a few double black diamond runs due to a steep gradient and narrow run with a tight turn at the bottom.  I have been to Afton Mountain, Spirit Mountain, and Mount Kato and would consider Welch to be the most well-rounded, entertaining, and difficult mountain of these choices.

Yesterday my husband and I went there to enjoy the warmer weather and fresh snow.  The snow was a little bit more wet than I expected which made for an excellent opportunity to practice my control and steering on steep slopes.  My husband ended the day by creating his own slalom and I practiced trying to "color inside the lines" and follow his tracks.  I'm really glad we went.  The snow was more challenging than normal, but it was good practice and it was nice to be fairly warm all day.

My favorite things about Welch:

• Variety of slopes
• If you bring your half day lift ticket back within 4 hours, they give you a $5 gift card for next time
• If you bring your all day ticket back early, you get a $10 gift card for next time
• It's close to Meisville

Meisville is not home to many people or establishments, but it does boast the famous King's burgers.  King's Place is a little bar in Meisville right outside of Welch that does have AMAZING burgers.  This is the perfect place to end a day on the slopes.  They have several creative and interesting burgers to choose from.  My favorite is the pineapple, BBQ sauce, pepperjack cheese burger.  They also have fantastic waffle fries.  This bar is frequented by skiers and snow mobilers, so there is no need to look fancy there.  Most people come in snow gear and rock the helmet hair.

Much to our dismay, King's Place is closed on Mondays.  Boo.  My husband had the burger craving and once you set your mind on it, you have no choice but to satisfy it and eat a big juicy burger.  We went to House of Coates right off Hwy 52 which also has good burgers.  They are 1/2 pounders at a really good price, so that was a good consolation to King's Place being closed.  I decided to switch it up and get the BBQ ribs which were also good.  The service was amazing; somehow one waitress managed to serve the surprisingly busy establishment. 

I love small towns, they often have at least one random, unique claim to fame.

Ice Caves of Lake Superior

After leaving Duluth yesterday, we decided to check out these now famous ice caves on Lake Superior near Bayfield, WI.  We drove to Cornucopia, a small town close to the caves.  We were greeted by a loooooong line of people waiting for a shuttle to bring them to Myer's Beach.  The line wasn't moving very fast and the shuttle was really just a short bus, so we decided to try our luck at parking and walking to Myer's Beach.  We got fairly lucky; we probably walked about 3/4 mile to the beach.  Then the real journey began.  We joined the steady stream of people walking across the frozen Lake Superior to the ice caves that are traditionally only reachable by kayak.  We walked about a mile across the lake and finally reached the ice caves.

This is the first time in five years that it has been cold enough long enough (lucky us) for the lake to freeze so solidly that people can walk across to the caves.

They were spectacular from the outside, but from the inside, they were even more beautiful and impressive.  It was really funny - there were tons of people exploring the caves by sliding between the frozen waterfall and the frozen lake (there was about a foot clearance), slipping into and out of holes (basically looking like they were being birthed), and crouching into the caverns.  Pretty much reminiscent of Field of Dreams when the baseball players walk into and out of the corn field.

Here are some of my pictures: 

We did our fair share of exploring.  We slid around on our backs and stomachs to see the beautiful ice formations.  My husband's favorite was a place where you slide in between the waterfall streams, climb up on top of an ice platform, and then slide down into an ice room.  In a lot of these places, you have to be sure that you can lift yourself out of wherever you are sliding down into.   There are a lot of caves to explore, each one unique. 

It was just beautiful and fun to explore.  So different than anything we've ever seen and done.  And like most amazing things in nature, you really have to work for it.  Walking that far in the snow in boots and snow gear is tiring.  But so worth it. 

Duluth!

I love Duluth.  Even in the winter (when I'm not living there of course).  I love it not just because it's beautiful and there's so much to do, but it always brings back a flood of happy memories.  That's where I went to college, met my husband, and met some amazing friends.  My brothers live there so my husband and I try and go up a few times during the year to visit and enjoy the city.

We went up on Friday evening and started the festivities at the 7 West Tap House.  My brother is the manager of this bar and grill so we like to stop in, especially when he's working.  They have over 40 beers on tap so that's another reason to visit.  I had the Southern Tier Chocolate Milk Stout which was amazing. 

Next we went to Blackwater in the Greysolon building in downtown.  I just love this bar and we try and go every time we are in town.  They have fantastic, creative cocktails, sushi, and $5 pizzas after 9 pm.  It's a nice, upscale lounge and they had live music on Friday night.  My favorite cocktail there is the 5th Amendment with gin, prosecco, and St. Germain.  They also have a $7 long island ice tea which is such a good deal! Great hangout or date destination.

Saturday we had a loungy morning and watched the olympics.  Then we went skiing at Spirit Mountain.  It was really cold, but we wanted to go anyway.  I love skiing and haven't been able to go yet this year.  I love the speed and the challenge of keeping under control.  It had just snowed a couple inches and snowed while we were there so the snow conditions were PERFECT.  So much powder.  So much fun to jump and carve and whip through the snow.  Spirit has a good mix of runs - short and easy, long, steep, and twisty-turny. 

Saturday night was nice and relaxing.  Home-cooked meal, quality time with family, movie. 

Today after church we had breakfast at Uncle Louie's.   A Duluth original.  A Duluth staple.  A Duluth must-do.  It's a typical diner, but their food is really really good and relatively cheap.  My husband can never decide what to have here because it's all good so today he ordered the eggs benedict which comes with potatoes, a biscuit and gravy, french toast.  Goofball.  I did not feel a need to over indulge so I just had eggs and bacon and a few bites of hashbrowns.  They also have excellent coffee.  They have a small dining area and get BUSY.  I suggest getting their early and dressing warm, you may be waiting in line outside to get in.  Good news is that they have quick service and cycle people out pretty quickly.

We had dinner at the Duluth Grill which is also one of our favorites.  Organic, locally-sourced, creative, delicious food.  I highly recommend this as well.  It used to be an Embers and then the family ditched the franchise and created their own menu.  I am so glad.  It is always busy and clearly more of a hit with the Duluth crowd than Embers.  I had bison and wild rice stuffed peppers, tea, and cinnamon/chai sorbet.  My dinner was really good.  And the sorbet was such a fun surprise.  The main ingredients were roasted squash and coconut milk!!! They serve breakfast all day long so my husband went with the french toast.  Goofball.  We also brought home a piece of chocolate cake...the size of your head. 

It was such a great trip.  I look forward to going back in the summer.

Here are some of my other favorite things about Duluth:

• Scenic Cafe up the north shore - gourmet French cuisine
• Vanilla Bean cafe in Two Harbors
• Betty's Pies just north of Two Harbors
• Superior Shores Resort
• View at Enger Tower
• Canal Park - lakewalk
• Lighthouse/liftbridge
• The Suites Hotel (free breakfast)
• Radisson Hotel ( UMD alumni discount)
• Tycoons and the Rathskeller in the basement - good drinks and live music
• Minnesota Wine Exchange - featuring only MN wines
• Va Bene Italian restaurant
• Amazing Grace cafe - coffee and breakfast burritos
• Smokehaus for amazing sandwiches
• Positively 3rd Street Bakery 
• Campus!
• Hartley nature area and Rock Hill at Campus
• Seven Bridges Drive

Yes, these are just a few of my favorite things.

Brix Coffee House

So obviously I have jumped head first into this coffee thing.  Every weekend I try and visit a new coffee shop.  Not really to find my favorite one in the hopes of going there all the time, but just to see what everyone else is brewing and how they are doing it.  New atmosphere, new flavors, new techniques.  And lucky for me, coffee is similar to beer and wine.  There are seasonal flavors!!!  So that means I can do the rotation again in a different season and try new flavors and iced coffee!

This past Sunday morning, I decided to try the coffee at Brix in Woodbury.  I had been there before for crepes (they make gluten-free crepes!) and now wanted to check out the coffee scene.  I tried the steamed cold press and that was delicious.  I have heard before that if you make cold press and then heat it up, you extract the most flavor from the bean and it tends to be a lot better than brewed coffee.  I think I agree, it was really good.

Brix is very charming.  I huddled up on the comfy chair next to the fireplace and read my book while I sipped my coffee.  As I mentioned before, their crepes are really good and they also serve frozen custard. 

If you happen to be in the Woodbury area on Radio and Tamarack, I definitely recommend stopping in. 

Boulder Tap House

Last night I met my parents for dinner in Mankato.  I will admit, I am not super familiar with Mankato's food scene.  I'm sure there are a bunch of cool places downtown or near campus, but I'm really only familiar with the area by the River Hills Mall.  I had to stop at Menards first, and while I was out there, I noticed a new place!  Boulder Tap House.  We had decided on Axel's Bonfire which would have been fine, but there's one right near my house so I've been there numerous times.  I was pretty stoked when I saw Boulder Tap House.  I love new experiences.

It is kind of a typical bar with typical bar food - tacos, wings, burgers, beer.  But, they are creative with their offerings.  I had the lettuce wrap tacos with guac which was tasty and healthy.  My dad had a burger and my mom had the pulled pork sandwich.  Boulder's creativity comes through in it's sauces and pairings.  They have things like parmesan cheese fries, cheese curds on burgers, jalapeno and peanut butter burger.... They also have a good tap list.  I was feeling in the mood for cider so I just had the Angry Orchard which is a good stand by. 

We had a great time and enjoyed watching the Olympics on their numerous big screen TVs.  I would say I would go there again, but you know how I am :P.  I'll find something new next time I'm in town.  On to the next new experience...

Peace Coffee

Me time!  Peace Coffee has been on my list of places to visit for a few weeks now.  I finally made it over after yoga this morning and relaxed with a cup of coffee and a good book.  I decided to get their Alchemy #8 blend prepared using the ChemEx method.  It was a nutty blend with a citrusy finish which was really tasty.  Altogether it was a wonderful morning.  I finally had the time to do what I wanted without watching the clock.  I have to share as I got a big kick out of this - two women in their twenties were trying to figure out how to knit.  A middle-aged man came over and sat with them for about 30 minutes teaching them how to knit.  As he left their table, he said something like "don't worry, I'm gay.  I'm not trying to hit on you or get in your business."  Ha ha.  Unfortunately you do have to question people's motives sometimes, but I just thought that was the sweetest thing that he took the time to help them out. 

Prohibition

I want to start by saying it's been a long couple of weeks and I needed to celebrate getting through it with a happy hour.  I ended up in downtown Minneapolis which is quite ap ro pos actually.  Minneapolis to me is a symbol of freedom, strength, and growth...all of the things I feel like celebrating after these last few weeks.  Minneapolis is particularly inspiring to me because I grew up in a small town, never ever thought I would live in the Metro, was dealthy afraid of driving in the city, never thought I'd be able to afford a nice dinner in the city, and never ever thought I'd come to love the city.  So being in Minneapolis this evening was my own personal victory - both professionally as I celebrated completing a difficult project, and personally as I celebrated overcoming the limitations I used to put on myself. 

I met my friend and her fiance at Prohibition in the Foshay on the 27th floor.  Amazing cocktails.  They are expensive, but let's face it.  Most cocktails are $10 and are just mediocre.  Prohibition cocktails are about $15 and are fantastic.  I think the extra $5 is worth it.  I had the Jamaican Kiss which is made of rum, coconut tea extract, coffee ice cube, and a coconut water ice cube.  Seriously the best martini I've ever had.  My friend said the Coral Reef was really good too. 

I also had the hummus with goat cheese and pita bread which was good too.  I also tried a cheese curd from my friend's dish and that was by far the best cheese curd I've ever had.  

Prohibition's happy hour is from 5-7.  They have a few small plates and drinks that are on special for $5.  The view is as good as the cocktails.  It's a wonderful place to hang out before or after dinner.  They don't actually serve dinner or dessert - just drinks and small plates. 

Check out their fab menu at http://thelivingroom-prohibition.com/wp-content/uploads/menu-prohibition.pdf

Cravings Wine Bar

As Woodbury, MN is a fairly new development in the metro and has recently endured quite an insurgence of suburbanites, you can guess that most of its retail, restaurants, and commerce are made up of chains.  While I appreciate chains for groceries and clothing due to their lower prices, restaurants are a different story.  Thankfully, Woodbury has at least one non-chain restaurant that my husband and I enjoy.  It's called Cravings Wine Bar.  We went there the first time because we had a living social deal.  And now we keep going back (both because the food is quite superb and because they tend to have living social deals quite often).  Tuesday night we went there for a late dinner and were impressed as always.  The menu is on the smaller side. We like that the chef keeps staples like braised short ribs, but we also like that the menu is different each time we go.  And have I mentioned the desserts...no, but I will.

We started off with tomato coconut curry soup with crab meat.  Oh. My. Goodness.  It was nice and sweet and completely delicious.

 It's been a long hard week and bitterly cold so we decided that we were both in the mood for comfort food.  My husband had the white chicken lasagna and I had the cornish hen over savory baguette/veggie french toast.  I had never thought of doing that before but I really liked it.

Our meals were fantastic as always and the staff is really good.  I guess they've started to recognize and remember us... ha ha. 


To top off the night, we brought home an almond bar and an salted caramel orange cake slice.  They have AMAZING, creative desserts.  We like to bring them home and eat them while drinking port wine. 

View their menu at www.cravingswinebar.com

Chili!

Unfortunately I've been extremely busy lately (with work) and haven't had a chance to explore or be out and about as much as I would like.  But a girl's gotta eat!  So I've been cooking mass quantities of food on the weekends so we don't have to cook during the week.  Today's endeavor was Nicaragua chili.  My mother-in-law gave me this recipe several years ago and it's been a staple every winter ever since.

Here's the "recipe".  I think I made her recipe one time and I have been making it from memory since then.  The great thing about soup though, you really can't mess it up. 

Nicaragua Chili

Ingredients:

• cup of celery
• cup of carrots
• 1 onion
• 1 green pepper
• Tablespoon of minced garlic
• 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil
• Stew beef
• 1 can black beans
• 3 10 oz cans diced tomatoes
• 3-6 oz tomato paste
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup red wine
• seasoning:  curry powder, salt, chili powder, cajun (all to taste)

1.  Cut up all the veggies.  I always end up putting a ton in.  If the ratio of veggies to liquid is off, just add more water.  I guess you could also use vegetable broth.

2.  Saute veggies and minced garlic in olive oil

3.  Add seasoning, beans, tomatoes, paste, water, wine and boil.

4.  Cook up the meat, cut it up, and then add to soup.

5.  Let it simmer until hot.  That's it!!!

You could also add some rice or quinoa to make it more hearty.  You could also do it without meat, with chicken, or Italian sausage.  Sometimes I sprinkle cheese on the top.  This whole process takes less than an hour but if you are really pressed for time, you could probably just throw all the raw ingredients into a crockpot and let it cook all day. 

Soup is awesome because it's hot, healthy, you always have leftovers, and it's a great way to clean out your pantry and use up a ton of veggies before they go bad. 

Brussels Sprouts

Eat your veggies!

Yeah, these words weren't spoken that often in my house growing up.  Mostly on account of my dad not really liking veggies.  I think the only veggies set before me growing up were corn, carrots, tomatoes, celery, green beans, peas, and lettuce.  Since meeting my husband about 10 years ago, he's been trying valiantly to introduce me to the vast variety of this relatively unknown and unexplored food group.  At his behest, I've enjoyed things like broccoli, zucchini, squash, arugula, kale, spinach, peppers, asparagus, and kohlrabi.  Not only trying these veggies, but playing with different ways to prepare them.  Our newest endeavor was brussels spouts. 

I mixed up olive oil, sea salt, and italian seasoning and basted the brussels spouts.  Then I put them in the oven and roasted them for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees.  I think they were about the perfect texture - nice crispy but not burned outer layers and tender inner layers.  We both decided they were the best brussels sprouts that we'd ever had...but we still didn't like them.  Although my tastes have evolved and matured, I guess I'm still not ready for the bitterness of this vegetable.  I have thoroughly enjoyed exploring the new frontier of veggies, but I think my parents knew what they were doing by sheltering me from this one.  I'll check back in with brussels sprouts in about another 10 years.