Home Sweet Colorado Home

Back in May we bought our first house. I haven't posted a lot of pictures anywhere because we were busy setting everything up but now that we have almost everything unpacked I thought I'd share some photos with you all!

So this is from our realtors website because it's currently dark here but it's from last fall

From this winter when we put in our offer, everything was dead :(

Living room (excuse the dogs eating in the back :) )

Kitchen

I was most excited about the double oven you can't see in this picture!

The ceiling in the living room and the cut outs in the wall really sold us

It's a 3 bedroom home but really only the master is set up

We had to buy 3 bookshelves to accommodate my growing book collection

Fernando was most excited about the giant garage! 

We also have a giant back yard but haven't had to time to start working on it yet. Since it sat vacant for 8 months the backyard was burnt out and completely dead when we moved in. We plan to fix it up next spring. Overall we love having our own home and the animals really love the space!

How Yoga Saved My Life

This post is a little more personal than my others but I had the realization during my yoga class today that this story needed to be told.

Yoga saved my life.

Yes you read that right, yoga saved my life. Not in some dramatic chain of events way, like an 'I was in a yoga class when my house blew up and therefore I'm alive' scenario. But in an emotional, spiritual, and physical way.

Not many people know that I've struggled with depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts most of my life. The first time I can remember wanting to end my life I was only 12 years old. I was getting bullied a lot at school and my home life was far from ideal. This continued off and on through high school and college. Although I was relatively functional throughout all of this, I wasn't happy, and I certainly wasn't thriving. Then, at 5:00am on my 23rd birthday, I discovered yoga and my life has been dramatically different since then.

During my first yoga class I thought I was going to die. I naively chose a hot power yoga class for my first venture into yoga. I remember trying to keep up with the movements and corresponding Sanskrit words all while wondering how it was possible for a human to sweat that much ten minutes into a workout. I had tried almost every form of exercise you could imagine up until then, from team sports like soccer and rugby, to individual activities like swimming, running and spinning but not only was I awful at almost all of them, I also never felt a real connection with the activity. Yoga was different, after one class I felt not only a love for the practice, but a need, my body and my soul needed yoga.

For the first time in my life I felt whole.

Yoga filled a place in my soul that had previously been empty. Disclaimer here: I was NOT in any way shape or form good at yoga at first, actually I'm still not good at it, but that's the beauty of yoga, you don't HAVE to be good at it to practice it, or to love it. It challenged me but in a productive instead of destructive way.

Yoga forced me to concentrate on myself, which I previously had trouble doing because I didn't like myself. Every time I focused on myself all I could see were my faults, yoga taught me to focus on my inner self, which in turn made me love my whole self. It also taught me how to control my breathing, which helped me learn to stop anxiety fueled panic attacks before they become debilitating. My self-confidence is higher than it has ever been, my mind is clearer, I'm more self-assure and self-aware than I ever thought I could be. Yoga taught me to treasure my body and my mind, while recognizing the sacred connection between the two.

The most important thing yoga taught me is to be happy, that everyday I can choose happiness and it opened my eyes to what a beautiful world we live in. Everyday is filled with beauty if you choose to see it. I can confidently say that I haven't had consistent feelings of anxiety, depression, or suicidal tendencies in the almost three years since I started practicing yoga. I've never been happier.

So if you're feeling empty or lost or confused try a yoga class, it just might save your life.

Manitou Incline - Thai Quinoa Salad - Avocado Pesto Tilapia

If you live anywhere near Colorado Springs you know about the Manitou Incline, a mountain trail rising from 6,500ft to 8,590ft altitude, in one mile. It's a legend. The entire trail is full of railroad ties so it's basically like the outdoor stairmaster on steroids. Its dangerous, treacherous, and challenging for even the most seasoned athletes. At points it's so steep you have to use your hands to get up it. Most of all, it's awesome, and a definite must for both residents and visitors of the springs!

at the start of the incline

Fernando's friend, Jason, and me halfway up

Jason's wife, Megan, and me at the top!

After climbing up you hike back down 3 miles of the Barr trail

Running down the Barr trail

Now onto food, since I know that's the real reason most of you come here...

Thai Quinoa Salad

I made this tonight and it was absolutely amazing! (I told you I'm obsessed with quinoa!) Super crunchy and full of flavor, it's also gluten free and vegan if you substitute agave for honey!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa

• 2 cups shredded red cabbage

• 1 red bell pepper, diced

• ½ small red onion, diced

• 1 cup shredded carrots

• ¼ cup diced green onions

• ½ cup cashew halves 

Directions:

• For the dressing:

• ¼ cup all natural peanut butter

• 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

• 3 tablespoon soy sauce, gluten-free if desired

• 1 tablespoon honey (use agave if vegan)

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon peanut or sesame oil

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• Water to thin, if necessary

(side note: you could add edamame, chickpeas, and cilantro if desired. I thought these would be great additions but didn't have them. I also squeezed lime over the top when done)

1. To cook quinoa: Rinse quinoa with cold water in mesh strainer. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 ½ cups of water to a boil. Add in quinoa and bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa has absorbed all of the water. Remove from heat and fluff quinoa with fork; place in large bowl and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. You should have a little over 2 cups of quinoa.
2. To make dressing: Add peanut butter and honey or agave to a medium microwave safe bowl; heat in microwave for 20 seconds. Add in ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, and both peanut (or sesame) and olive oil and stir until mixture is smooth and creamy. If you want a thinner dressing, simply stir in a teaspoon or two of water or olive oil.
3. When quinoa is finished mix with dressing then fold in red pepper, onion, cabbage, and carrots into the quinoa. Garnish with cashews and green onions. Serve chilled or at room temperature, squeeze fresh lime over top before serving.

Avocado Pesto Tilapia

So this recipe is all mine, not derived from another on the internet or out of a cookbook, and it was amazing!

Ingredients: 

2 handfuls grape tomatoes 

4 cloves garlic (smashed)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 lemon

tilapia (I used 3 large filets)

For Pesto:

1 avocado

1/2 cup basil

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons grated romano cheese

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Slice cherry tomatoes in half and toss in 2 tablespoons olive oil, roast at 425F for 10 minutes.

2. Slice lemon into thin round pieces, lay in bottom of casserole pan, lay tilapia on top, top with pesto and tomato garlic mixture. 

3. Bake at 425F until tilapia is done, about 10-15 minutes.

A Quarter Life Crisis and Quinoa

I think I'm having a quarter life crisis. Since I'm 25 that's my best guess. I feel like I knew exactly what I wanted when I was 15, and I know exactly what I want now at 25, those 10 years in-between were a mess. What was a thinking? Or doing? Although I have a feeling that most people feel like this at one point or another, it's still strange to feel like I was drunk for 10 years (which I literally was for a lot of it). I'm sure I'll figure out my life here soon, but I feel like I should have it figured out by now, and I don't.

My life crisis impulse decision was chopping off 12 inches of my hair... at least it was cheaper than buying a sports car...

Now to my favorite subject, FOOD!


And I have a confession to make...


I'm in love with quinoa.


It is literally the perfect grain, high in protein and fiber and super filling, and it goes with just about anything. As a vegetarian (technically a pescatarian since I eat fish) most of my food choices revolve around making sure I get enough protein, quinoa makes that so much easier. And since I promised a recipe post I decided to give out my favorite quinoa recipes!

Salmon & Kale Quinoa Salad

This is my all time favorite quinoa dish, it's just amazing. I adapted mine from a recipe from The Realistic Nutritionist (http://nutritionfor.us/)


Ingredients:

• 1lb salmon filet, cooked and shredded

• About 4 cups kale leaves (one bunch)

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 cup dry quinoa

• 2 cups water

• About 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 teaspoons honey

• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Bring the four cups of water to a boil. Add quinoa. Lower heat and cover and cook for about 15 – 20 minutes, stirring sporadically, until all of the liquid has been absorbed. 

1. Meanwhile, heat olive oil. Add garlic and cook until slightly fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add kale leaves and cook until wilted, about 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir into the quinoa. Add fish, chopped artichokes, pine nuts and cheese, stir to combine.

1. To make the dressing, whisk the vinegar, olive oil, honey and salt and pepper. Pour over the salad and mix to combine. Serve immediately.

(my photo)

These next two dishes I made up as I was cooking them. I keep many bulk ingredients on hand and make up recipes whenever I'm feeling too lazy to follow a recipe or we're out of food and I don't want to go to the grocery store, quinoa is one of those bulk items.

Mexican Quinoa 

I sautéed 1 onion and one jalapeño (diced) in some olive oil until soft, added some paprika and Tajin seasoning, stirred, then added about two tablespoons tomato paste and stirred again. Add in one can black beans, one can diced tomatoes, and cooked quinoa (whatever amount 1cup makes after cooked). Top with cheese and avocado if you want! 

And my Mexican husband approved!

Mediterranean Spiced Quinoa Scramble with Zucchini and Tomatoes

I just chopped up 4 zucchini's and two tomatoes, sautéed them in a pan with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and Mediterranean spiced sea salt (this stuff is AWESOME), added the cooked quinoa (1 cup uncooked = a ton cooked) and threw in some fresh cilantro and a little lemon juice then topped it with feta at the table!

Note: I use organic everything so these zucchini's were pretty small, you may only need 2 or 3 depending on their size

Happy Birthday America, You're No Longer Number One

For the 4th of July weekend Fernando and I (and the puppies) took a trip up to Grand Lake to visit our friend Lauren. I've known Lauren since I was 11, she was 16 and my swim team coach, now she lives out here in Colorado working as a law enforcement officer for the forest service. We had a ton of fun and so did the dogs! It was nice to get away from the city for a bit, even with all the rich tourists in Grand Lake (luckily we stayed in Lauren's cabin nowhere near them).

For America's birthday Mexico was nice enough to take over the fattest country in the world spot! Fernando doesn't think this is as amusing as I do...

Anyway here are some pictures from our trip:

The dogs loved Grand Lake!

I'm scared for our future children...

Fernando bet me I couldn't climb this rock, clearly he lost.

I'll be posting more recipes here in the next week, I've had a lot requested recently!

Gwen Graduates High School!

So I officially feel old... my youngest sister, Gwen, has graduated high school. Gwen and Abby are not my biological sisters, or by marriage, but I've been spending a good amount of time with them since I was 8 years old. By this point we just consider each other sisters. I can't believe she'll be 19 years old tomorrow, it seems like just yesterday she was the cutest two year old ever. And now I sound like a sappy mom. Is sappy sister better? Slightly?

Congrats Gwen!!

So I Got Married

As anyone who keeps in contact with us knows, we got married on May 25th! Our wedding was back in Ohio at The Oaks Restaurant on Chippewa Lake. Although literally everything went wrong the day of, it was still the best day of my life! (you'll have to ask Fernando for his opinion on that one :) ). We did not go on a honeymoon right after due to our job schedules, but we're planning a trip to Madrid for next May. I'm now officially a Ceron!


And here are some of my favorite photos!

My mom and me at the salon

No one knew how to tie the bow!

Maid of honor, Nicole Blum, putting on my veil! 

Walking down to do out "first look"

First look

Most adorable little flower girls!

Ceremony

It was a little windy on the lake :)

Eco confetti poppers!

In-Laws! (Father in law was in Mexico at the time)

Fernando and his mother Maria

Abby, Me, Connie, and Gwen

Sisters. Bridesmaids.

Lily and Ella had so much fun!

My Dad and Mom

Dylan kept stealing my seat at the head table!

So I threw the cake at the best man, he still doesn't realize it in this photo :)

First Dance

First Dance

Sunset on Chippewa Lake!

(not so little) Brother and me 

These little girls wore me out with all their dancing!

Bouquet toss

So my matron of honor, Kelsey, is pregnant... and that's her husband...

One of my favorites!

Candid by Nicole

Cutting the cake

Bridal party!

Lily, Ella, and Cliff

I was so happy that my college roommate, Bethany, made it!

Reunited: Maid of honor Nicole came from New Orleans, I live in Colorado Springs, and Amanda came from California!