Liquid Diet

Well folks, I've finally reached what I like to call D-day. Also fondly known as having to have those pesky wisdom teeth of mine out. Yuck is right, I'm obviously not excited. I've been putting it off for oh say...24 years, so yea, it's not something I've been patiently awaiting. However, I've recently been having a good deal of pain in my jaw and I think these four suckers are finally on their way in. So, that means that after Wednesday I'll be living off of a liquid diet for most likely a week. All four of my wisdom teeth are impacted (below the surface and have to be surgically removed), so I'm assuming my recovery won't be easy, fun, or painless.

My diet for the first few days after surgery, yumm!

On a happier note though, our camera came in the mail, woot!! My sweet husband bought me a new camera, one that I'm super stoked about learning how to use. It's pretty fancy which means that it will certainly take some time to get used to and to learn all the "quirks", but I'm super pumped to have some good quality photos to share with you guys on the blog :)

Crappy i-phone photo, but that's it!

 First few photos we took...naturally when you don't know what to do in front of the camera you make an awkward face.

Model pose

I'll be sure and keep you lovely folks updated on my surgery. Any advice or helpful hints on having ones wisdom teeth removed would be greatly appreciated in the comments below!

Love,

The Etheridges

Girls Night In (Chicken Florentine)

Since my pilot was away for the evening, I decided to whip up something that was more to my taste than his! One thing I do find as a positive when he's away is that I get to eat some yummy recipes I can't try out on him (i.e. the healthier ones)! I found this recipe over on the Pioneer Woman blog, she's fantastic, and finally got a chance to test it out. I'm a sucker for anything with grape tomatoes in it, they're my absolute favorite, so when I saw the photo on the blog I naturally had to indulge.

To make it slightly healthier I substituted some gluten free brown rice noodles for the penne pasta, but other than that I stuck pretty true to her recipe. I used a Riesling for the white wine in the homemade broth, and I thought it turned out quite nicely! This is a great, light, summer time meal!

  Chicken Florentine 

What You'll Need:

Penne Pasta (or similar substitute) 

Boneless Chicken Breast

Salt & Pepper

Butter

Olive Oil

Garlic (chopped)

White Wine

Low-Sodium Chicken Broth

Baby Spinach

Grape Tomatoes

Parmesan

How To Make It:

*Cook noodles and set aside or cook while making main dish.

*Cut chicken into chunks, as large or as small as you'd like & salt and pepper it.

*Place chicken in hot skillet seasoned with olive oil and butter and cook until no longer pink.

*Place chicken on plate on the side, leaving most of the liquid in the pan.

*Turn heat down to medium and stir in garlic, sauteing quickly so as not to burn.

*Pour in wine and chicken broth (I eyeballed it, about a quarter of a cup each, 

whatever makes you happy)

*Let simmer for 3-4 minutes until 1/2 of liquid is evaporated.

This is the coating for noodles so if you think you need more liquid 

just add some more chicken broth to your liking.

*Sprinkle cut in half tomatoes with salt and pepper, place them and 

spinach in the homemade broth and remove from heat.

*Add cooked noodles, and chicken as well.

*Stir immediately to coat mixture in broth.

And viola, you're done! Enjoy!  

What my night consisted of, pasta, wine, and The Office!

On a side note, I am happy to announce that my sweet husband recently purchased me a "real" camera, so after it arrives in the mail you can look forward to better quality photos on the blog. I know, you're just as excited as I am aren't you? ;)

Love,

The Etheridges

Chocolate Trail Mix Bites (Yum!)

I lucked into another super easy, and delicious, Pintrest find this morning and wanted to share! I know you'll have a "duh" moment just like I did when you see how easy this one is, but I would have never even thought about it and it's truly a great "on the go" healthy snack option that's perfect before hitting the gym for some extra stamina/energy or on a long road trip! Without further ado I give you...

Dark Chocolate Trail Mix Bites 

(I know, humor me..they are so easy and scrumptious)

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup of your favorite trail mix

 (the healthier the better if that's your thing, I used 

Whole Foods Deluxe Trail Mix)

3 Tbsp of Dark Chocolate Chips

(Next time I'll be purchasing organic, not Hershey's)

*And some parchment paper/aluminum foil

Preparation:

* Melt the chocolate in the microwave, be careful not to burn.

Heat for 20 seconds, if still not entirely melted heat for another 10-15 seconds.

* Place spoonfuls of chocolate on parchment paper (or aluminum foil).

*Sprinkle trail mix on top of chocolatey goodness!

*Let sit for 40-60 minutes, or place in freezer in order for quicker consumption ;)

That's it folks! 

Fredericksburg

Last weekend the hubs and I headed up (over?) to Fredericksburg for a day trip! Let me just say that this is one of the cutest little towns you'll find in South East Texas. The drive there was surprisingly beautiful with rolling hills and TREES! After living out of the south for almost five years now I've come to really appreciate some good hills and trees.

After walking around the charming little town for a bit we stopped into a local restaurant for some lunch called Auslander's. The food was delightful and the beer and wine even better! The hubs got a tall glass of some type of German Wheat beer and I got a delicious glass of a German Riesling. 

Yumm!

The most adorable old couple that came in while
we were eating. I thought it was so sweet that
they sat down and ate on the same
side of the table ;) I could just see them 50 years ago
sitting in a little soda fountain shop
 as teenagers.

Naturally, after perusing some truly adorable shops the only purchases we actually made were some corgi themed items at the local doggy boutique...hey, we don't have kids yet so why not be crazy dog parents?! What was really neat was that the town seems to be very dog friendly, and you can drop your pup off at this little boutique for $6 an hour while you go grab lunch! Although, the place we ate allowed you to bring your dog in to eat on the patio if you wished! We adore places that are just as much in love with animals as we are :)

Were obsessed...so what?

If you ever have the chance to visit this darling town we highly recommend it! There are also an abundant amount of adorable B&B's, but reserve one out as far as you can, they book up extremely fast in the spring/summer months as that's peak time to visit! 

Love,

The Etheridges

Wedded Bliss

This past week the hubs and I celebrated two years of wedded bliss! I cannot believe that it was two years ago that I was walking down the aisle and saying "I Do" to the man of my dreams. Between now and then a lot has happened, from starting and graduating pilot training, dropping our dream job, and living in Del Rio for almost two years. Now we find ourselves in the big city for a few months before heading to a dream location in Florida for the next 12 months or so. God has been so good to us and has blessed us abundantly. I could not ask for a better partner and am so thankful God placed  him in my life.

Of course, with the joy of our wedding anniversary also comes a very heavy heart and day of sadness. Each year, the day before our anniversary is marked as another year that my sweet mother has been gone from this earth. I can't even begin to describe what it feels like to have these two days coincide so closely and to have to celebrate another blessed year of marriage to my wonderful husband and remember the anniversary of the loss of my amazing mother within 48 hours. I suppose I've learned to compartmentalize them and have finally found peace in knowing that it's ok to be happy and celebrate my marriage and also honor the memory of my mother. My wonderful husband and mother-in-law were so sweet and got me some gorgeous flowers and a kind card to commemorate her passing and many texts from sweet friends truly made such a sad day brighter.

Not a day goes by I do not think of her or wish I could just pick up the phone and give her a call. I miss having that person in my life who I could call about those ridiculous things that don't matter and know she would simply listen and offer her motherly advice or solace. She was such a gift in my life and my heart aches constantly from her absence in it. This past year, however, I have found so much peace in her passing. The bible study I was apart of at Laughlin has helped me grow so much in my faith and has helped me heal imensly. I don't know what I would have done without those amazing girls and their support through such a tough time.

On a happier note, life here in San Antonio is great! Mitchell continues to have long days at work but he's started flying again so that makes him a much happier fella. I'm throughly enjoying unemployment and can't complain one bit that the biggest decisions I have to make each day are what to make for dinner and what time I should go to the gym to miss traffic. I will admit I miss the community and friendships at Laughlin, but this transitional phase hasn't been too unkind to us yet ;)

Sharing our favorite desert
from The Cheesecake Factory
on our anniversary!

Now that we can actually find
authentic Italian pizza ingredients
we made a pizza margherita..
it was delicious!

Our $15 bufala mozzarella...so worth it

Beautiful flowers from my husband and mother-in law
on the anniversary of my mother's passing.