Howdy Ramblers! Today, November 13th, 2012 marks the two year wedding anniversary of us bears. This day in 2010 was wonderful from start to finish, and we couldn't be more happy to see what the future has in store for us. The first year seemed to fly by, however our second year together had a couple hurdles that came along with it. With the loss of my Father, the loss of Eric's Grandmother, and my random stint with Bell's Palsy, we seemed to be treading water sometimes when it came to nerves. We made it through though, and are happy to report that we can't wait for 2013 to start so we can begin a new year of happy memories and awesome adventures!
The inside of our wedding bands are engraved with a very important message to remind us that life is an on-going journey. They read "For the adventure ahead." Its important to remember that we are in this as a team, and that our wedding was just stepping stone for adventures to come. If you are married, or in a domestic partnership, how do you like to celebrate your anniversary?
In our quest to be more healthy, we've had to reinvent the way we do our meal planning. We ended up changing our ways with the help of a creative website we never thought we would use for something like this, Pinerest! Through Pinterest we have found a way to share meal ideas with each other in an organized way, without the help any spreadsheets, google docs, or in-person meetings. Instead, Eric went ahead and created two boards that we now use regularly. One for favorite meal ideas, and one for meals we'd like to try. We each take a few minutes over the weekend to cruise our favorite food websites, and just pin the recipes instead of writing them down. We supplement this with a week long food calendar, aaand PRESTO...we have a week long meal plan!
Since we have discovered this new way of meal planning, we have been able to stick to our healthy eating plans, and make dishes that we are excited to try. We've also inspired other folks to try the same recipes, as they see us post the yummy dishes on Instagram later. ;)
We recently took a trip to Yosemite, and explored the rim of the valley by hiking to North Dome. We discovered a fun and gorgeous back country filled with animals, nature and fabulous views of the various mountain ranges and valley views. Check out the adventurelogue we made of this trip by watching the video above!
Interested in visiting Yosemite, but don't necessarily want to stay in the valley? Then the Crane Flat Campgrounds may be right for you! Check out the tour we did of this campground, and find out all the different amenities and features this campground has to offer.
Need a new recipe to add to your camp cooking repertoire? Then check out one of our favorite recipes for breakfast tacos! You can basically add any ingredients you like, and even upgrade it to a burrito if you so fancy! Hit play to see how we prepare this meal, and find out why we love it so much.
A special thanks to our friend Nareg for the Einstein carving.
Happy Halloween, everyone! These photos are from our very first halloween together back in 2006. We handed out candy and carved awesome pumpkins. Click on the photo above, or the link below, and check out all the fun designs we carved that year!
Recipe time! Ready for a steaming hot bowl of pure comfort food? Eric has been making this wonderful tortilla soup for so long, he's got the recipe memorized! This is a great go-to with winter coming on, but it's also got a refreshing flair that can work great in all seasons.
We're including both stove-top and crock pot instructions, but you've gotta try it in the crock pot. As with anything getting a nice dose of chili powder, this dish really shines when it gets the extended cooking time needed for the flavors come together. (That and the fact that this is an amazing dish to come home to pre-prepared after a long day).
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced/pressed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
2 cans diced tomatoes & green chilies (ex. Ro-tel or Hatch)
Corn tortillas (toasted or fried) or tortilla chips (note salt content)
Toppings (pick a few):
Cilantro
Green onion
Avacado
Plain Greek yogurt / sour cream
Shredded cheese
Serves 4-6
Instructions:
In a large pot (or a frying pan if cooking in a crock pot), cook the onions over medium heat until they begin to turn translucent. Add the garlic and continue cooking until the onions begin to look slightly golden. Add the chili powder and cumin and cook for another minute or so to "open up" the spices.
If you're doing the crock pot version: Add the Worcestershire sauce now to help deglaze the pan, and then transfer to crock pot or store for later.
Add all other items (chicken, tomatoes & chilies, stock, Worcestershire) to the pot (or crockpot). Bring to a brief boil and then simmer for 45min - 1hr.
In a crock pot you can cook all-day on low, or on high if a shorter period of time.
Before serving, pull out the chicken, allow it to cool briefly, and then break it up and return it to the soup. This will give you a delicious "shredded chicken" texture. If you'd rather have chunks of chicken, cut the chicken to size and brown with the onions.
Cut tortillas into strips to toast or fry or serve with tortilla chips. Throw some chips/strips in the bowl, ladle soup on top, and then top with your favorite toppings.
That's it! This is an incredibly easy recipe with a lot of room for variation. You could try hominy instead of corn, add greens near the end, or add in more vegetables like carrots or zucchini.
We've made this on the stove, in the crock pot, and it even makes a great camping meal! Guests love it because they can pick toppings and suit their own taste, and it's just spicy enough to be fun, but mild enough that no one will refuse it!
Hope you try this recipe and enjoy it! Let us know! And until next time... ramble on!
What do you expect in tortilla soup? Do you ever do crock-pot meals?
Howdy and welcome to another Fitness Friday! This week we were pretty good! We got to the gym twice, and were able keep our food plan in check. When we finally weighed in this week, we both realized we have shedded 10 lbs! YAY!
This has been a great inspiration for us, because we weren't sure if any of this was even working. After loosing my initial 5 lbs, I gained a couple before loosing more, so it was a little off putting at first. We also cheated a couple times when visiting my Mom and while on the road traveling. Over all though, I feel like we have actually made some progress, and feel comfortable continuing with our plan of food journaling and watching the carb intake. I also love the new notch I use on my belt now.
What steps have inspired you in your fitness and food regime?
In this snack review we check out a couple of new flavors of Mojo Bars, made by Clif Bar. As much as we love the original Clif Bars, sometimes a different alternative can be nice. The Mojo Bars are more like a granola bar and come in fun flavors such as peanut butter pretzel and s'mores. Hit play to find out how we liked these two flavors! What flavor of Mojo Bar is your favorite?
Back in 2007 when we had just started dating, we used to take drives as a way to explore our area. This photo set was taken during one of those first drives, and little did we know, would lead to a lifetime of adventure together. Check out all the photos we took from the road by clicking the photo or below. We even found snow!
Eric reviews his favorite adventure shirt of several he's had over the years. This Titanium shirt from Columbia Sportswear is the best so far. Very soft for nylon, with some innovative features! Watch the video for the full scoop!
Howdy, Ramblers! This week of fitness didn't exactly go as planned. First we made the mistake of trying to do laundry on Monday, (which apparently everyone in our entire building decided to do). This threw off our entire week's fitness regime, so we have decided that Monday is the best day for the gym after-all. On Tuesday we had to edit videos for our main YouTube channel, so we got super busy. Then, on Wednesday, I forgot Eric's shorts. We made it all the way to the gym and I had grabbed the gym bag without the proper clothes in it. Go, me!
Next week we will have a better report, I'm sure of it. We will make it to the gym on a Monday, and I won't forget the shorts!
Looking for a way to beat the crowds when visiting Yosemite? Then check out our tip on accessing the Crane Flat Fire Lookout just off HWY 120. Enjoy some of the best views of the Clark Range and far regions of the Sierra Nevada. Hit play for all the awesome details of this somewhat hidden Yosemite gem!
The actual Tangerine Falls in action - photo by Amber
Back in 2007 the Ramblin' Bears had just started adventuring into the great outdoors together. This was one of the first hikes we took with a special group of friends that later become known as the "Space Monkeys." Click on the photo above or the link below to view all the photos from this epic hike to a waterfall in Santa Barbara.
See the full set: Tangerine Falls - Santa Barbara, CA 2007
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