I am beyond obsessed with Corrie Kraft and her photography style.  I long to be as talented as she is and practically stalk her blog to keep up with her cool new photos.

We had the good fortune to have my whole family in town for a weekend just after Thanksgiving and before Christmas, thus dubbed “Thanks-Mas”.  And even better luck that Corrie was free that weekend for a family photo shoot.

With her permission, I’m sharing these photos with you!

It was a chilly winter morning, but we bundled up and headed out to CU Boulder’s campus and didn’t totally freeze our tootsies off!

This man.  Seriously.  Enough said.

This face! I could just eat him up!

It was just before Christmas so the candy cane props were perfect!  I’ve seen this all over Pinterest and I’m so glad she had us do this pose.  All her idea, by the way.  See ~ she’s so talented!

There are three things I love about this photo, none of which are my double chin…I love Aiden’s smile, I love the way Joel is looking at me (see, I must be funny!), and I love how regally Drew is sitting.

This little bug-a-roo is turning 5 in a few weeks.  And he’s got me wrapped around his little finger.

My baby.  I hope he never gets too old to give his Momma a kiss…in public.

My beautiful little sister.  I’m not sure how she got to be taller than me ?

My siblings.  Lucky me.  I think we’re getting better with age.

Remember when I told you I couldn’t wait to grow old with this man?  My love.  ~swoon~

Still catching by breath.

My family: Mom before her knee replacement surgery (which is why I’ve been MIA these past few weeks; helping her recover is the least I & my siblings could do given all she’s done for us); isn’t she beautiful!

Cold as we were, we made it through the morning.  And Corrie survived us!  I had a great time, as I always do, during a Corrie Kraft photo shoot.  She’s so wonderful, always a joy!

To see more of Corrie’s photography, check out her blog or her website.  I hear she’s already booking 2013 brides and 2013 Fall Family sessions and filling up fast!  …note to self: schedule our family session for this coming year ASAP!

I love these photos!  I love Corrie Kraft Photography!  And I love family photo shoots!

If you don’t do them regularly, you should!  You won’t regret it.  Take my word for it.

~pw

Hello, from Washington, DC!  I’m {M}…Phanneth’s little sister.

I wanted to share this delicious and healthy recipe with everyone.  My husband is a fitness fanatic and we’re always looking for ways to pack more protein and fiber into our diets.  This recipe is perfect for those of you that are trying to become healthier in 2013.  Don’t worry, it’s very flavorful and you’ll be so excited you tried it!  We found this recipe in one of our fitness magazines but I decided to tweak it a little to add more flavor.

Let me start off by telling you how *obsessed* I am with spaghetti squash!  I’ve never had it before I found this recipe but I decided to try it.  I’m so glad I did!  Now, I can’t get enough of it!  It amazes me that something so similar to pasta comes out of a squash.  A squash, for crying out loud!

Ok, set your oven for 375 degrees and place your spaghetti squash in a baking dish.  Pierce the squash a few times with a fork and let it bake for 45 mins to 1 hour.  Once it’s done, set it aside to cool for about 20 minutes before handling it.

While the squash is in the oven, I like to prep my other veggies (green onions, bean sprouts, cilantro, and garlic cloves).

Chop up 2 or 3 cloves of garlic.  The more garlic the better in my house!  Wash 2 cups of bean sprouts and let them drain in a basket.  Then slice a bunch of green onions and set them aside.  Lastly, rough chop about a cup of cilantro and set it aside with the rest of your veggies.

I like to throw my chicken breast in the oven when the squash has 30 minutes to go. Just spray it with cooking spray and toss it in there.

Once the squash is done cooling, cut it in half lengthwise.  Scoop out the seeds and the ‘poop’ and discard.

Then take a fork and scrape the inside of the squash and it will turn into spaghetti like strands (so weird!!!).

A good sized squash generally gives about 2 cups of spaghetti.  Set it aside and then chop your chicken.

Now we’re ready to throw it all together!  Heat the olive oil over medium high heat and sauté the garlic.

Toss the chicken in there and coat it in the delicious garlic.  Add the fish sauce, lime juice, crushed red pepper and the beaten eggs.  Let it sit over the heat for 45 seconds and then scramble it all together.

Stir in the bean sprouts, spaghetti squash, half of the sliced green onions, and half of the chopped cilantro.  Put the lid on the pan and let it all cook together for 3-5 minutes.

Now it’s finally ready to eat!

Dish it up and garnish it with the extra green onions and cilantro.  Sprinkle the crushed peanuts on top.

I like to give it a couple squirts of Sriracha hot sauce and then dig in!

Yum! You’ve just had a super healthy and tasty meal that’s packed with protein and fiber.  What a great recipe to kick off your new year’s resolution! Bring it on 2013!

{M}

5.0 from 3 reviews

Protein Packed Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai Recipe

 

Print

A healthy and delicious alternative to noodles ~ using spaghetti squash! Packed full of protein and fiber.

: {M}

: Main Dish

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 2 cups of spaghetti squash
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb of cooked chicken breast, chopped
• 4 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 lime (juice only)
• 2 whole eggs, beaten
• 2 egg whites, beaten
• 2 cups bean sprouts, washed & drained to dry
• 3 tbsp crushed peanuts
• 1 bunch of green onions, sliced
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbsp crushed red pepper
• Sriracha (optional)

Instructions

1. Set your oven for 375 degrees and place your spaghetti squash in a baking dish. Pierce the squash a few times with a fork and let it bake for 45 mins to 1 hour. Once it’s done, set it aside to cool for about 20 minutes before handling it.
2. While the squash is in the oven, prep your veggies (chop garlic, green onions and cilantro & rinse bean sprouts)
3. If your chicken isn't already cooked, wash, dry and cube it place on a cooking sheet. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and add chicken to the oven when the squash has 30 minutes left.
4. Once the squash is done cooling, cut it in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and the ‘goop’ and discard. Then take a fork and scrape the inside of the squash and it will turn into spaghetti like strands.
5. Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet and sauté the garlic.
6. Toss the cooked chicken in there and coat it in the delicious garlic.
7. Add the fish sauce, lime juice, crushed red pepper and the beaten eggs. Let it sit over the heat for 45 seconds and then scramble it all together.
8. Stir in the bean sprouts, spaghetti squash, half of the sliced green onions, and half of the chopped cilantro. Put the lid on the pan and let it all cook together for 3-5 minutes.
9. Dish it up and garnish with the extra green onions and cilantro.
10. Sprinkle the crushed peanuts on top.
11. Give it a couple squirts of Sriracha hot sauce and then dig in!

3.1.09

You know how most people say they are going to ‘travel the world!’ and ‘take an adventure’ before before settling down after marriage?  Well, this wonderful couple is doing just that!

And wouldn’t you know it, they are currently in Siem Reap, Cambodia; the place my soul knows is home.

After years of traditional desk jobs ( which is where I met them both), Kim and Shaun had a yearning to become nomads and travel the world.

This quote from her blog, The Nomad Way, captivates me:

“To be wanderers that travel from place to place having no permanent home just a passion for adventure and seeing the world.”

Kim is an amazing storyteller who speaks from her heart; her blog posts will make you feel as if you are there with them sharing in this journey that God is leading them through.

Shaun is an extremely talented landscape photographer who will wake up at 3am to be sure to catch the sun’s very first light for the very best and most stunning picture your eyes will have ever seen.

I invite you to peek at their blog, sign up for her RSS feed and take a 5 minute mental vacation from your busy day and follow them around the world.

Her descriptions of the ancient and magnificent temple of Angkor Wat are drawing me back in time to my previous visits and make my heart long for the pace of ‘Cambodian Time’, the smell of wood burning fire and my extended family.

Where ox pulled carts share roads with bicycles and both are acceptable means of transportation.

Where wide open spaces really are wide and open.

I remember laughing out loud because I finally understood what my Dad meant when he’d say we kids smelled like water buffaloes after playing outside in the dirt all day: I saw (with my own eyes, for the first time) a stinky old water buffalo wading through knee deep puddles covered in mud to stay cool.

I remember a serene moment of silence that fell upon my Aunt’s house as my husband, my brother and Joe  knelt to pray with monks.

Shaun’s photographer’s eye has been capturing these historic temples of Angkor Wat, which will always be considered one of the 7 wonders, in my opinion.

Following their blog and seeing their Instagram pics bring me back to my tour of Prasat Bayon and the ‘Smile of Angkor’.

It makes me wish I had taken Joel up on that elephant ride up Phnom Bakheng.  However, the elephants were on strike when we visited last (during the HOT season) so hiking it with my own two little feet worked just fine.

I guarantee you, Shaun would’ve captured a more beautiful image of the sun setting from the top of Bakheng than I did.  Check out some of his super cool photos on his website.  They will blow your mind.

These are a few of my photo memories from the Kingdom of Cambodia, Srok Khmer. 

The history, the genocide, the strength of the survivors and the smiling children will call to you.  The stories of my mother and father and their ancestors calls to me.

I hope to one day be able to fully document these and share them with you.

Until then, live vicariously through Kim & Shaun and follow them on this GREAT adventure around the globe.  Be sure to link into their blog to see all of their photos and hear their stories!

Safe travels, my friends!

~pw

Happy Anni-Birthday Week!

Don’t tell me you don’t know what an Anni-Birthday is!?  Well, you might not because what sane person would have their wedding anniversary right smack dab in the middle of the brideand groom’s birthdays?

Yep; guilty.  We did.

Joel’s birthday was right before the New Year, our anniversary was this weekend and my birthday is this week.

Happy Anniversary, Joel!  …Happy Birthday, Joel! …Happy Birthday, Me!

So how does one celebrate all this awesomeness?  As one big-week-long celebration, that’s how!  It’s a good thing my husband and I see eye-to-eye on this: no hurt feelings over not getting a single gift for every event.  We like to go lump sum and just do things throughout the week of the events.  Hence: anni-birthday!

HOWEVER ~ this year, Joel managed to surprise me with what is my favorite-est anniversary gift to date:

Isn’t it gorgeous!?! I have been obsessing over this custom made necklace from The Vintage Pearl and he snuck it to me!

We celebrated with our small group of friends Saturday night with a late Christmas/White Elephant gift exchange.  The boys got cozy with a bottle of Hendricks and the girls got to talk about kids and babies and all the mom things that only other mom’s would understand!  Ate lots of good food and played a hilarious game of Catch Phrase that had us giggling like teenagers!

Then, my folks took us & the boys out to Dim Sum for our “30th” birthdays.  We tried a new place a little further south than our usual joint, The Empress off Alameda: Star Kitchen off Mississippi Ave.

Both are amazingly delicious if you’re into traditional dim sum cart service.

The congee is warm and comforting, the Siu Mai is hot and delicious and the selection is endless.

Not pictured here, because mom and I ate them before I could snap a pic, are the scallion cakes ~  a must try (if you like scallions)!  Also highly recommended is the Hong Kong Lobster.  A fried lobster (cut into pieces, shell on) doused in chopped garlic, jalapenos, dried red Thai chili peppers and chili oil.  Unreal!

And you all know I get the urge to put on my wedding dress at every anniversary…well, I was so stuffed from our friends’ party and the dim sum lunch that the best I could do was open up it’s storage bag and run my hands down it’s intricate lacing.

Well, we’re not done yet!

We’re having happy hour with my team from work (all of whom I just Outlook spammed with a message to Joel on the calendar invite accidentally ~ oops! Sorry!) on my birthday.  Not an actual birthday celebration, but a team appreciation (because I work with the best team ever!), but I’m sure we could toast to them together!

Then, we’ll be celebrating Joel’s new office with his team on Friday and then (as if there could be more?!) we’re heading up the mountain for a weekend getaway.

Maybe by the end of it we’ll be celebrated out.  Just maybe.

But probably not… because I could never get sick of celebrating our marriage, our family and our birthdays.  I truly am one lucky girl!

How do you celebrate your anniversaries and birthdays??

With lots of food?  A bottle of champagne? Lots of family & friends? A solo movie with a large tub of popcorn all to yourself?

Dang, now I’m thinking about a tub of popcorn all to myself!

I can’t tell you all how easily distracted I am today!  Too much anni-birthday on the brain!

Did someone say cupcakes?  😉

~pw