A Weekend in Decorah: Part One

We went to Decorah this past weekend for a family friend's wedding and to meet up with Nick's parents while they were in town. Pretty much all of Nick's extended family lives there and we weren't able to get back there for Christmas so it's been a while since we got to see everyone. 

Here's where it is for my non-Iowan friends:)

 

I enjoyed the show outside my window during the three hour drive from the Twin Cities to Decorah. As usual, I took many photographs of it:) I think the reflection of my camera in this one is fun and very fitting for this trip.  I love to capture these moments. They only happen once in the exact same way.

Fresh open air..      deep breath...        ahhh.... 

Funky picture out the back window as we pass small towns by. 

I love the feeling of fields and sky in every direction around us. Almost like the feeling of being in the middle of the ocean on a cruise ship, only the opposite... 

Nature was very photogenic on Friday. 

 It kept me entertained.

So fresh and clean.

"Let's live here, honey!"     :)

The evolving sunset outside our window 

 I. Love. Sunsets. 

Life in these cute towns seems so dreamy. Just like the romantic Nicholas Sparks books I read through a few summers ago. So simple and quaint. 

Let's swim in the sky.

And travel the land.


Part two of our Decorah trip is up next! I took too many photos of the drive down, so needed a post of those photos alone. I love photos of open land and open sky (obviously! Haha). 


Today's Pinspiration:

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Summer Fresh Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

We've been busy around here and I have a few blog posts to get up to date on. First, I want to share these sunny tree photos that make my heart happy:

A different day, same sun and sky!

 Mmm, I can smell the fresh summer air through these photos.

I also have to share a new recipe we tried last week that was easy and so fresh. The meal would be great hot or cold - I love a fresh cold meal on a hot summer day.


Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Recipe adapted from Skinny Taste; Makes 6 Servings

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

• 24 oz boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 celery rib
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic
• 16 oz low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup hot cayenne pepper sauce (I used Frank's Buffalo Wing Sauce)

For the wraps:

• 6 large lettuce leaves, Bibb or Iceberg
• 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
• 2 large celery ribs, cut into 2 inch matchsticks

Directions:
In a crock pot, combine chicken, onions, celery stalk, garlic and broth (enough to cover your chicken, use water if the can of broth isn't enough). Cover and cook on high 4 hours.

Remove the chicken from pot, reserve 1/2 cup broth and discard the rest. Shred the chicken with two forks, return to the slow cooker with the 1/2 cup broth and the hot sauce and set to on high for an additional 30 minutes. Makes 3 cups chicken.

To prepare lettuce cups, place 1/2 cup buffalo chicken in each leaf, top with 1/4 cup shredded carrots, celery and dressing of your choice. Wrap up and enjoy!

These are also great in a tortilla! It also made us think of other ways we could use fresh lettuce as wraps wraps - chicken salad would be great in these too.

 

More to come soon! We made Mexican pizzas last night and they were definitely worth sharing, so I'll get that here soon. I also am excited to show our trip to Decorah, Iowa this past weekend in photos! 

We had a great time catching up with family and enjoying the beautiful drive (although I have to say I slept most of the way home:)). 

Here is today's Pinspiration:

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Spicy Peanut Chicken Stir-Fry

I made dinner last night and I have to share this recipe. It was in the top ten.. maybe even top 5 of meals I've made. In my entire life. The flavor was awesome and is a dish we'll definitely make again. 

Isn't it pretty? The red pepper makes it so colorful!

The recipe is up next, but a few random things first...

I want to share this video I've started using again. It's great for tight/sore muscles. I did it 3 days last week and can feel a difference in my knees and in my shoulders. My neck is a work in progress:) 

It's an easy going video and they focus on other muscles in other videos too - I just have this video.  I also like that there are different options - 20, 30, and 40 minutes on the DVD so I adjust depending on how much time I have.

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I also had my first few glasses of prune juice this week to help digestively. I chugged one glass and found I preferred that method so I didn't taste it as much! It was great to rid of bloating and keep things moving.. if you know what I mean. Stupid IBS. We did not get along this week. 

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I love this idea for all the ticket stubs I keep! 

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This is a great idea for washing fruit with a vinegar mixture and making it last longer in the fridge.

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 Ok, back to the recipe!

Spicy Peanut Chicken Stir-Fry

Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker

Ingredients:

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne) (...I think I did 1/4 tbsp here and it has a KICK, so watch out, I'll have to be sure to use 1/8 or 1/4 tsp next time)

1 tablespoon white vinegar (I used red wine vinegar since that's what I had - either would be fine)1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs or breast halves, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

1 tablespoon vegetable oil1 teaspoon grated gingerroot (optional)

1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

1/3 cup dry-roasted peanuts (I used cashews since that's what I had)

2 medium green onions, sliced (2 tablespoons)

1 can water chestnuts (we added this and I think it's a great addition!)

Rice would be a great addition (which I left out by accident)

Add any other veggies you want! Broccoli would be good in here too

Directions:

Cut your veggies (I didn't  do this and was scurrying around the kitchen to do it!). Once you get started, it all moves quickly.

Mix broth, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and red pepper; set aside.

Heat wok or 12-inch skillet over high heat. Add oil; rotate to coat. Add chicken, garlic and ginger root (use caution, the oil pops in the beginning); stir-fry about 3 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Add bell pepper; stir-fry 1 minute.

Add broth mixture to wok. Cook and stir about 1 minute or until sauce is thickened. Stir in peanuts and water chestnuts (optional). Sprinkle with onions.

There you have it! It's delicious. As I write this post, I keep going to the fridge to snack on leftovers of this meal. It's sooo good. 

 Yum. Enjoy it. 

Here's today's Smile themed Pinspiration! 

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Wild Turkeys and The Cubs

The title sounds like we went to the zoo, right? Well, not exactly. But we may have had an unexpected animal encounter. More on that in a minute.

First up: the Cubs game! We've been planning this weekend for a while with Nick's family since they are big Chicago Cubs fans. Living away from each other has prevented the 6 of us from being together for the past year and a half! We've been together in part a few times, but it's been far too long since we all got together. 

The Cubs coming to play the Twins turned out to be the perfect occasion to meet up.

The world through my Nick's eyes once we found our seat!

The girls

 HEY there Cubs guys! I watch you on TV all the time and now I get to see you live and in person! YESS!

It was a gorgeous 90+ degree day for a baseball game. Especially in the shade! 

I spy Len and Bob {above the "TA" in Target)! These guys are the greatest. Listening to other commentators these days is so frustrating after being used to them! 

One of my FAVES, Alfonso Soriano! I have his name on my Cubs shirt. That means we're friends.

 Go Sori!!!

Darwin Barney. He's awesome.  

Family photo after the game! It makes me giggle.  

 The Cubs lost by the way. BUT they won the next day! Either way, it was great to see them in person with the fam.

Family photo in the baseball glove!

 The guys.

 The "kids"

For fun, you can also see my post from last year when all of us except for Zach met up at Wrigley for a Cubs game. This is turning out to be an annual family outing! I'm a fan :) We had a blast and enjoyed each other's company even more. 

Now, prepare yourself for a story.

Last Sunday, Charlie, Nick, and I went on a walk. We enjoyed our conversation and at one point, I remembered seeing a weird animal driving to work the previous week. Both before and after work on different days. I asked Nick if he's seen it and he hadn't, so we moved on.  We went on some trails in the area and toward the end, I suggested showing Charlie another area before heading back. We were within 1/4 mile from our place, walking on a paved path in a woodsy area with businesses nearby when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. Staring at me. I freaked out, screamed, and threw myself behind Nick (hah! how kind of me) while Charlie and Nick were shouting "what?!" trying to see what I saw. Well, here it is:

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A WILD TURKEY! What?! Why is there a wild turkey near our place, in a suburban/business area? Even looking at that picture gives me flashbacks. I think I'm scared of turkeys and I feel weird eating turkey now. This thing was so ugly and looked vicious, plus it was probably 3 or 4 feet tall. Which isn't much shorter than me. As it scurried away, we saw at least a handful of babies following it. I hope they can survive, it's such a weird area for them to be living. 

You won't catch me on that trail alone! Those things will eat me. So gross. 

*Update, I looked it up and it sounds like they don't eat humans. Whew. 

Despite the animal encounter and losing the game, it ended up being a wonderful weekend. We just don't get to spend as much time with family as we'd like since we live all over the place. We have to enjoy each other when we get a chance!

On an unrelated note, thanks to Amber, I found out I like amaretto sours. If you haven't tried one, you should. They are delicious and smooth. Mmm, I like amaretto.

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Today's Pinspiration:

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