Ahhh. We had a great little time away! We got to stay in a hotel and got some great coupons to eat out like crazy and even went to a m-o-v-i-e (True Grit). Of course I got in some Goodwill time and my first Savers experience (fantastic!).  And the best part, naturally, was getting to spend time with my RJ...it had been so long since we had been on a date. And the second best part was the sweet older lady who served us our pie who had the most perfect, stereo-typical Minnesoootan accent I have ever heard. It was just adorable.

I had great plans for a super special Valentine's Day, but not much of it actually worked out. I had some tiny presents to start the day from my stash in the basement. Henry got a snake. ( I know...not very "Valentine's-ish")

Harper got a princess wand. 

Man, she looks way too old in these pictures...

I made my sweetie a big heart cookie and he got his sweetie (that'd be me) some stroopwaffels and an adorable set of measuring spoons. Never heard of stroopwaffels? They are the most amazing little Dutch waffle sandwich cookie with caramel in between.  They probably attributed for 20 of the 40 lbs I gained in the 4 months I was in The Netherlands. (totally worth every single pound)

Our pastor mentioned once to the men in our congregation to not buy your wives kitchen appliances (or something along those lines). Upon hearing that, I tackled RJ to the ground, hit him on the head with the pew hymnal to knock him out, and whispered in his ear, "DO buy your wife kitchen appliances, DO buy your wife kitchen appliances", in hopes to brainwash him. I might be weird, but I Looooove getting any sort of kitchen anything as a gift.

And since Valentine's Day was full of lots of sweets and sugar and candy, I tried to be a little healthier on Tuesday. I was inspired by this lady to use some quinoa. We had bought some up in Rochester and a bulk foods market so I had it all ready to go. I decided I was in a taco mood so I cooked the quinoa and topped it with a black bean, corn, and tomato taco-y mixture. I make my own spice mixture for tacos...I used to use a recipe, but now I just make it up. A mix of chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic, and a touch of flour to thicken it. It's yummy! With a little slab of sour cream and some fresh tortillas (from Costco), it was really good.

The kids got to eat it with a spoon and dipped with black corn tortilla chips. A few months ago, Harper would have never eaten this so I was floored that she ate the whole thing.

I'm still trying to cancel out all the junk I ate so I got up early enough to juice for RJ and I. We try to do it every week day morning. The first few weeks it was a struggle for me to get it all down...but now I really enjoy it. We've been on a carrot/apple/romaine lettuce/lemon kick for a long time.

If you're considering getting a juicer, I'd say go for it! We really enjoy it. It usually helps me make better food choices all day when I've juiced in the morning. Or it makes me feel less guilty for eating junk food later in the day because I already got all my fruit and veggies in for the day. (Oh wait, did I just say that? Seriously, I am always healthy....) I get all my ingredients at Costco. Have I mentioned how much I love Costco?

And that is all randomness I have for today, but I promise lots more for tomorrow!