Happy New Years Eve!

December 31, 2015December 30, 2015 ~ Tasty Trials and Travels ~ 2 Comments

It’s Thursday!! Woo!! Definitely feels like a Friday to me with no work tomorrow! I like it!

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Let’s get to it! More fun from Nashville because I just can’t get over how much fun we had and I like to pretend I am still there just hanging with the fam 🙂 I promise I will post present day pictures in the near future 😉

My husband sent me this picture that he took from his new drone the other day… okay now I think the thing is pretty cool 🙂

So my dad just renovated his house this year and it is gorgeous. His house has a large finished basement that was not really being used a lot. Well, that has changed. He separated the basement a bit and created a makeshift hockey rink for my little brother (he is obsessed with all things hockey) so needless to say, there were a lot of hockey games played over the last week! SO many laughs and good times!!

Riley and I like to spectate 😉 He gets bored easily.

We also got in a few games of pool… let’s just say, Jon and I need to work on our pool skills 🙂

I even got a few workouts in on my dad’s elliptical machine… with my body guard by my side at all times 🙂

Yeah…. don’t think that calorie count is quite accurate…

My little brother wanted to show me that he could do it too. So strong!

Another yummy smoothie made by my dad (spinach, orange juice, frozen berries, banana, and pineapple) and chopped pineapple and melon!

Riley waiting for me to drop some crumbs for him 😉

Hyper—–>exhausted.

He just couldn’t hang.

Sweaty spikey hair after a lot of dancing. Fun fact: my brother knows the whole “whip nae nae” dance and is amazing at it. He gave us all lessons. I am still lost.

We all needed a nap after the dance lesson 🙂

Tuesday my mom took us out to lunch at Taco Mamacita and it was soo yummy! We split and appetizer platter first then all had small entrees (So good!). Forgot to take pictures, but give this place a try if you are in the Nashville area.

Saying goodbye to my sweet Rayray.

Can’t you just move to Dallas? 😉

Okay, I think that actually wraps up my time in Nashville. Until next time…

Have a very fun and safe new year’s eve and a very happy new year!! I will see you all in 2016!!

Questions:

Do you workout on vacation/during the holidays?
Are you good at pool?
What are your plans tonight?!?

Back to the grind… but first, more fun!

December 30, 2015December 29, 2015 ~ Tasty Trials and Travels ~ 4 Comments

Happy Wednesday, friends! We are trying to get back to reality over here, which is super hard after a fun holiday week with my family. I am exhausted after getting home at midnight last night and having to get up early for work. But only 2 days of work then a long weekend so I will survive 😉

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I’m sorry for the overload of pictures, but we just had a blast in Nashville so I took a LOT of pictures. Here are a few more from our trip!

At the Preds game they have this photo booth and they print you free copies of your picture! So fun!

My sister sent me this snapchat of me teaching my dad to make smoothies in his new blender 🙂

He also got this new smoothie book for Christmas!

I read an article in Time magazine about the “new food rules” and found this one interesting. What do you think? Are superfoods overrated?

Sweet brothers cuddling.

Riley resting on his favorite blanket.

We woke up to lots of rain on Monday 😦

And then the power went out… and on the way to the mall we found out why.

While we were gone, I got this snap from Jon.

Monday night dinner out. Jonny, me, and the sis.

Dad and brother.

We had a spicy tuna roll for an appetizer that was to die for! I got this delicious salmon kale salad for an entree that was amazing!

And the crew all wanted this brownie and ice cream for dessert.

Getting ready to watch the Preds game Monday night… take 1 (Riley wasn’t looking).

And take 2!

Almost game time!

Woohoo!

Have a great Wednesday!!

Questions:

Do you have any fun new years eve plans?
Any good smoothie recipes?
Do you order dessert when you go out to eat?

Weekend Recap 12.28.15 Part 2

December 29, 2015December 28, 2015 ~ Tasty Trials and Travels ~ 2 Comments

Good morning everyone! We are still enjoying time with family in Nashville until later tonight when we head back home.

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Here are some pictures from the rest of our fun weekend with family and friends in Nashville!

My sister and I enjoying some wine at Blackstone’s before the Predators game.

Yummy salmon and veggies for dinner.

My sweet siblings 🙂

Love my sis.

Let’s go Preds!

My cute little brother.

Being silly.

Took him to play hockey during intermission.

He is a great hockey player!

Jonny and Jacob enjoying their dippin dots!

Sweet friends.

My best friend Rachael… isn’t she the cutest?

And just one more with her because she is so pretty!

It is hard to get a good picture with these boys 😉

And a few of Riley just lounging on his aunt’s lap.

Off to absorb a little more family time before we head home 😦 Enjoy the rest of your Tuesday!!!

Questions:

Do you like hockey?
What is your favorite sport to watch?
Are you back at work or still enjoying the holidays?

Weekend Recap 12.28.15 Part 1

December 28, 2015 ~ Tasty Trials and Travels ~ 4 Comments

Hey guys!! Happy Monday to you all! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend! Fortunately, we are still on vacation so we don’t have to go to work today. Here are some pictures from our Friday and Saturday. I’ll be back tomorrow with a recap from the rest of our weekend since I took an insane amount of pictures!

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Opening presents with kids is the best!!

Super excited about his new star wars backpack!

Two boys just hanging.

Late Friday morning we went out to fly the drone.

The drone flying high in the sky.

Coming in for a landing.

My little brother directing the drone landing 🙂

Safe landing.

Saturday afternoon, we took a walk in a nearby park.

Can you spy the turtle in the first picture?

Riley trying to get in the water…

Then we came upon this site… and were curious what everyone was taking a picture of.

A bald eagle! A very rare sighting.

The park ranger set up binoculars so everyone could see the bald eagle up close! So neat!

Two men and a dog.

Three men and a dog.

Me and my cute siblings!

This funny picture my brother sent me on December 26th.

We are off to go do some quick shopping and enjoy the rest of our time with my family. I will see you tomorrow for the 2nd half of our weekend!

Questions:

What did you do this weekend?
Have you ever see a bald eagle?
Do you have any siblings?

Home for the holidays

December 26, 2015December 26, 2015 ~ Tasty Trials and Travels ~ Leave a comment

Hi guys! We are still celebrating over here for Christmas round 2! It is so great to be home with family and have time to just relax.

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Christmas started out bright and early opening presents with my mom, stepdad, sister, and husband. The pictures don’t do these pretty trees justice.

Another one of their trees and their pretty nativity scene.

Christmas morning at our house always includes mimosas or champagne and cranberry juice! So festive!

Someone else wanted a little bubbly, too 😉 (This is the elf at my mom’s house… her name is Ina.. don’t ask how she got that name…)

And a yummy breakfast of gluten free blueberry muffins, chopped fruit, and a veggie frittata (eggs, asparagus, mushrooms, and cheese on half).

My sister and I got these softy, robe-like sweatshirt gowns that are so comfy! I got these really cute slippers too!

My cute husband was SO excited to get a drone! He was like a 5 year old on Christmas morning 🙂

Some yummy chocolate strawberries sent from my sister’s boyfriend’s family. So sweet of them!

My momma got this BEAUTIFUL necklace from her husband. So pretty!

Guys, we finally finished this puzzle…

My mom was so proud! We seriously worked on this for way too many hours to count 🙂

The pretty tree at my dad’s house.

Sweet Riley just doing some stretching.

James, the elf is back. This time we found him shaving.

Yummy appetizers at my daddy’s house.

Guys, I roasted a turkey… I have never done this before so it was a huge accomplishment that I did not ruin the turkey or burn the house down.

I am more of a side dish type of girl 🙂

Someone got to open a present tonight!

Catchphrase!! A favorite game of ours. We played a few rounds and had a blast.

We are off to open presents, take a walk and go watch some hockey tonight!! Enjoy the rest of your Saturday!!

Questions:

What did you get for Christmas?
What is your favorite appetizer?
Do you have any Christmas morning traditions?

Merry Christmas and happy holidays!!

December 25, 2015December 25, 2015 ~ Tasty Trials and Travels ~ 2 Comments

Merry Christmas ya’ll!! (to everyone who celebrates). We have been having so much fun and are fitting in lots of activities with family this week. I want to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday!

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I will leave you with some pictures from Thursday!

Aren’t my momma’s Christmas cookies so pretty?

And cookies my dad received from a friend!

My mom, sister, and I really love doing puzzles. Can you guess what this puzzle picture is?

My mom is a very serious puzzle doer.

My sister and I had to run by Kendra Scott to exchange a gift and we were greeted with champagne. Champagne + jewelry shopping = yes!

Fun fact: my mom and stepdad make their own honey. On our walk yesterday, my mom was teaching us about the bees.

My dad took Riley on a 3 mile walk and wore him out! Tired little boy.

Last night we went to church and lit two candles for my granny and her boyfriend Leo who have both recently passed. We miss them so much.

We followed church with a yummy dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. I got the salmon and it was SO SO SO good.

Me and my sweet husband.

My momma, sister, and me.

My cute momma showing off her stylish jacket.

Yummy treats my dad’s family sent us.

Is this not the cutest cookie jar?

We made a “treat” corner.

My favorite Christmas movie of all time… ELF

My sister and Riley (sitting like a human).

And he’s out!

I hope you have a wonderful day with lots of love, family, friends, and yummy food!!

Questions:

What did you get for Christmas?
Do you make holiday cookies each year?
What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Holiday travels and parties

December 24, 2015December 24, 2015 ~ Tasty Trials and Travels ~ Leave a comment

Merry Christmas Eve (to those who celebrate)! We are just relaxing and enjoying time with family.

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Here are some pictures from the last few days!

Riley, our little traveling pup!

Shopping and trying on bridesmaids dresses for my cousin’s wedding. Isn’t my sister the cutest?

Riley loves my momma.

Human cookies or dog cookies?

On Wednesday, we had a family Christmas dinner to attend so after some shopping, we cooked and cooked and cooked some more.

We made this recipe again because it was such a huge hit at the last party.

We also made a rice pilaf dish that was delicious. It included fresh parsley, golden raisins, dried cranberries and pecans!

And ofcourse I have to bring a kale salad to all parties I attend 🙂

Christmas party fun!

Isn’t this tea set beautiful?

The amazing nativity scene!

One of the many pretty trees.

We played a few rounds of catchphrase and were all laughing so hard. Then my husband got in a few cuddles with this sweet pup, Ginger!

I just love these life-size nutcrackers!

When we got home, we found James the elf, eating all our skittles!

Then James took it a little too far and said the Nashville Predators were not going to be any good this year… the Preds were not very happy with James.

James learned his lesson 😉

Off to go enjoy some time with family today! I hope you do the same!

Questions:

What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?
Do you have an elf in your house?
What are some healthy sides you like to bring to a party?

Life lately and it’s almost time!!

December 22, 2015December 22, 2015 ~ Tasty Trials and Travels ~ 2 Comments

Happy Tuesday, ya’ll!!! I am super excited over here because today is my last day of work before we head to see my family for the holidays!!

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Today’s post is random pictures from the last few days. So here we go…

More homemade hummus (chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, salt, paprika, parsley, garlic). Sometimes I add a handful of spinach to my hummus also to up the nutritional value without changing the taste! Serve with crackers and veggies!

Have you guys tried these coconut chips? They are so tasty… I may or may not have eaten the whole bag in one day 😉

I ALWAYS pack my lunch to take to work. I like to assemble a salad (or leftovers) when I am cooking dinner for at least the next two days for lunch. It does not take much work (I am already chopping stuff for dinner) and it makes my mornings so much less stressful when I can just grab my lunch and go! Here is an example of any easy lunch: kale salad with homemade dressing with dates, chopped almonds, avocado, and leftover marinated and broiled tofu. So simple!

A snapchat from my sissy with my best friend’s dog, Cooper.

Cooper is the sweetest little cuddle bug.

This December weather is so crazy to us as we have spent the last 5 years in Ohio and Utah freezing our tails off for the entire winter.

But hey, we aren’t complaining about 73 degree weather for our afternoon walks!

My sweet hubs and his new jacket from his momma!

Smoothie full of spinach, raspberries, flaxseed, pineapple, mango, banana, a few blueberries and blackberries and lots of water!

Sweet doggie friends keeping watch.

Little Riley playing with his sister’s new toy from Aunt Morgan and Uncle Max.

Butterball does the sad face too well 🙂 Yes, butterball, you can have a treat.

My life is so “ruff.”

Well that about wraps it up, ya’ll. I hope you have an amazing day and safe travels if you are heading anywhere for the holidays today!

Questions:

What is your go-to breakfast?
Do you pack a lunch for work or dine out?
How is the weather where you are?

Weekend Recap 12.21.15

December 21, 2015December 20, 2015 ~ Tasty Trials and Travels ~ 2 Comments

Good Morning! Can’t believe it is Monday already. The weekend goes by so fast when you are having fun!

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Here are a few more pictures from our fun-filled weekend!!

More lounging on the roof! Can’t beat 60 degree weather in December… I think I kinda like Dallas 😉

And our view of downtown Dallas, TX from our roof!

Saturday night we got Sushi for dinner with my sister and her boyfriend to celebrate his bday!

Always a good time with these two!

Then we went bowling!

Apparently my name is “Tayla”… haha.

We had a blast!

Sunday morning photo editing…

With a side of coffee and a green smoothie (spinach, ground flaxseed, pineapple, frozen raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries, and water to get everything moving!) to start the day right!

This little one wants to be held like a baby all day long… he’s too cute to say no.

Sunday morning, we picked up this little cutie, who we are watching for a couple days.

Seriously, that face.

We nicknamed him “butterball”… I think it fits him perfectly!

Butterball is a hyper little guy… but I think we wore him out!

Long walk with the 3 amigos… not an easy task.

After lots of tangled leashes, sniffs, and some sprinting, we headed home.

Sorry for all the dog pictures, but they are just too cute not to post.

After our walk, I jumped on the treadmill to get a quick walk in. I was pretty sore from Body Pump on Saturday, but knew I would feel better if I just moved a bit! My pictures are horrible and blurry, but can you guess this movie? Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston star in it. It is one of my favorites!!

Sunday afternoon we headed out to go to the Dallas Aboretum. My mom bought us a family pass earlier this year (thanks mom!) and we enjoy going each season to see all the different displays and flowers.

During the holidays, the Aboretum displays the 12 Days of Christmas throughout the gardens. I didn’t get a picture of all of the displays/signs, but I’ll show you the ones I did snap a picture of!

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree!!

Every display was so well done and the gardens just speak for themselves!

Such natural beauty.

And I even saw one of my favorite vegetables, KALE!

The enormous, beautiful Christmas tree!

We plan to go back soon to see the lights at night… there are over 500,000 lights!! Have a great Monday!!

Questions:

What did you do this weekend?
Do you have to work this week or do you have time off?
Are you traveling anywhere for the holidays?

Friday Night Carriage Ride Through Highland Park Village

December 20, 2015 ~ Tasty Trials and Travels ~ Leave a comment

Hi guys! I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend! We have already had quite the packed weekend with lots of fun and celebrating!

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Today I wanted to show you some pictures from our fun Friday night. My sister and her boyfriend and their doggie came over for dinner Friday night to celebrate my sister finishing her first semester of law school and for an early Christmas celebration with them!

While we waited for them to arrive, we listened to Christmas music and relaxed by the fire 😉

The fake fire wasn’t so bad with a side of champagne!

To start, we had veggies and rice crackers with homemade hummus (1 can of chick peas, a few TBL of lemon juice, 1 TBL tahini, 2 chopped cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, and paprika to taste, and a few TBL of fresh parsley. Place all ingredients in food processor.. pulse… add water and extra virgin olive oil as needed to get a smooth consistency). Serve and enjoy!

Dinner started with a big festive salad full of arugula, dried cranberries, and chopped almonds with a homemade maple balsamic vinaigrette (extra virgin olive oil, maple syrup, lemon juice, spicy mustard, salt pepper, and balsamic vinegar).

I made some roasted potatoes for a side (chop and soak in water for an hour… they get a lot crispier if you soak them) with olive oil, salt, pepper, and italian seasonings on top!

I also made this delicious broccoli and brussel sprouts side (I can’t find the recipe) that my mom and mother-in-law make all the time. Simply chop broccoli and brussel sprouts (cut off stem and take of the outer layers) and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted at 400F for about 30 minutes (times vary by oven). While the veggies are roasting mix up 2 TBL maple syrup, 2 TBL Dijon mustard (I used spicy brown), 2 ts balsamic vinegar, 1 minced garlic clove, 6 TBL extra virgin olive oil. Drizzle mixture on veggies and enjoy!

And ofcourse I didn’t snap a good picture, but my husband grilled steak and tuna (my new obsession). It was a really yummy meal!!

While we digested before dessert, we had some presents to open!

Otis, my doggie nephew, was first! He was really excited and loved his new toy!

Then Otis thought all the presents were for him…

My cute sister opening a gift from her boyfriend…she was SOO surprised that it was a carriage ride through Highland Park in Dallas and we were leaving in 30 minutes!

Before we left, we attempted a family picture… Take 1..

Take 2.. A little better! 🙂

And we were off to the carriage ride!

We bundled up and rode through the pretty lit streets.

On of our horses, Rambo, was quite the character so we had many laughs throughout the ride because he was a little rebellious 🙂

I just love the trees with the lights on all the branches!

We had such a great time (all thanks to my sister’s boyfriend! so nice of him) and decided to drive past one more house on our way home that friends told us we had to check out! It did not disappoint!