cheap & easy

...and delicious & healthy too! Need a quick dinner idea? Thanks to a few of my favorite Trader Joe's convenience foods, I threw this together last night in half an hour, while Kevin & the kids were at the park:

Turkey Breast Chili Burritos

can of TJ's organic vegetarian chili
jar of your favorite TJ's salsa (mine is garlic chipotle)
package of turkey breast cutlets
whole grain tortillas
baby spinach
avocado chunks

Pour 1/2 the jar of salsa over turkey (seasoned as desired), and bake until cooked through. Meanwhile, combine chili & remaining salsa in a skillet, and heat. Shred cooked turkey and add to the chili mixture. Warm tortillas and fill each with a scoop of turkey chili, a handful of spinach, and the avocado. Maybe even a little shredded cheese and a dallop of sour cream.

YUM.

Spring Break: Days 5 & 6

DAY 5:

The majority of our last full day in SD was spent at the Yacht Club swimming with Reese, Lansing & Finley. It was the perfect balance between relaxing & fun; a great way to end the trip. Thanks, Heidi and Gregg, for letting us take advantage of your membership!


DAY 6:

Kevin always drives the entire way home, which I love because I can actually sleep from 4 to 7 am. We made it over the Grapevine and stopped for breakfast at Starbucks, which was much healthier than it sounds. Plain oatmeal with nuts, yogurt & berry parfaits, and Odwalla. Beats disgusting McDonalds any day! Well, another hour up the 5, and a mysterious indicator light suddenly illuminates. I scramble to find the owner's manual (remember, we're in a rental), and Kevin slows down a little, pulling to the right lane, just in time for a major tire blowout.

All of our disorganized luggage out of the trunk, and onto the dirty freeway shoulder:

Spare tire out:
(*Note the bare feet. Kevin and I are sctrictly flip-flop wearers. We brought just one pair each. We both managed to lose them on the last day. Luckily, we're totally cool barefoot, too. No big deal just for a car ride, right? So we thought.)

Handy husband fixes the problem in no time:

Traveling a whopping 50 mph on our spare, I finally found the right section in the manual.

"Would it be helpful if I told you that warning light indicates low tire pressure?"

Yeah, maybe if it came on more than 5 seconds before the tire was ripped to shreds. Roadside assistance was useless, and we ended up being sent on a scavenger hunt, until finding the most ghetto tire shop ever, in the middle of nowhere:

Well, it was a good thing we did, because there's no way the donut would have made it the 200 miles back to the Bay. $160 and 2 hours later, we were happily back on the road. Camden summed up the whole experience perfectly:

***
Another awesome San Diego trip, thanks to Mom (Mimi) and John (Gramps). And after almost 12 hours in the car, home sweet home felt soooo good!

"Etsy, huh?"

...The exact words Kevin muttered tonight, helplessly standing by, as I was busy filling my cart with Michael Miller goodness:

First Numbers

Girls Play in Black & White

Boys Play in Black & White

Disco Dot in Black & Black Damask

Disco Dot in Brown

What a good husband.

Spring Break: Days 3 & 4

DAY 3:

Zoo highlights: Flamingos, Creepy-Crawlies, Elephant tricks, new baby Giraffe (born just before our arrival), Gorillas, and... shocker: the gift shop!

***
We stopped to "wind down" at Seaport Village, which included Ben & Jerry's, tree climbing, and fun at the hat shop.

DAY 4:

Waterfront breakfast at Red Sails, on Shelter Island.

***
We spent the day at the beach in Coronado, and had refreshments at the Hotel Del (including rainbow candy sticks).

***
After the beach, good quality playtime with cousins Reese (4), Lansing (2), and Finley (12 weeks). Okay, it was mostly me playing with Finley. In my mom's words, I likely "dropped an egg" during the baby fix.

***
We treated the kids to a family favorite for dinner: The Corvette Diner, a fun '50's spot, complete with waitresses in beehives, Bazooka Joe, loud classic tunes, and milkshakes-a-plenty. If you're lucky, your waitress will weave straws into your hair. Guess who got the special treatment?