Making decisions.... grown up style.

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I'm taking a break from my food obsession today to talk about decision making. Let's tag this post recipes for a happy life!


Sweet Hubby and I are approaching a transition point and have some big decisions to make about where our life will head next. This post is less about the actual decision we'll be making and more about how we process decisions as people and as couples. Since being married, I've found decision making to take on a whole new weighty quality. Its not that I've ever been very impulsive or irresponsible, I mean I am the girl whose favorite activity on an iphone is list-making. But in my former life, decisions were focused on MY goals, my desires and my needs. Often those were somewhat altruistic as well, but when it came down to it, I went and did what I wanted to do because I wanted to do it. Then....

Helloooooooo marriage!

and it begins... 

You want to save up money for new tires and shocks for a CAR? seriously? You want to spend our honeymoon as far North of the Equator as possible? Arg. You want to go mountain biking instead of cleaning out the garage Saturday morning? What the what?!

But, y'know what? We did all those things. And Hubs has done a million and one things for me that I'm sure his unspoken response to initially included a lot of these: #*&@$. I come up with some crazy ideas people. Ahem, peaches.

But I want this doggie!!!

I think decisions like those above are about compromise and learning to value each other's priorities and letting each other pursue the things they love (sometimes alone).

But what about the decisions where there is no compromise and communal consensus is required? Like where to live, whether to buy a house or start a family. Those decisions have to be made together.

For us, at this time in our lives, it's been about speaking up and voicing what we really want and why. It has also been about finding common ground where we can both achieve what our hearts really desire and sometimes that has included re-envisioning how we thought life should look.

I'd love to hear how you all do it... how you build consensus in a marriage composed of two different people. It is definitely fun learning.. and scary... and exciting. But it does make me feel like a grown up.

*Chelsea

Together forever and ever and ever and ever....

PS: I wrote this post a few weeks ago and just now got around to adding pictures and posting. Some of you reading this might feel like you just entered a time warp.

Stuffed Taco Peppers

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Are you getting as antsy for Spring as I am? I'm loving all the bright colors that are coming out this season and can't wait for the grass to green and flowers to bloom. I also look forward to Spring as my tastes in food begin to lighten from stews and roasts to salads and Mexican food!

These stuffed peppers were such a good find. I doctored up the recipe I found in my Taste of Home cookbook. My low-carb hubby loved getting to eat tacos without a tortilla or shell. They are super easy to make and look fancy and delicious.

Make them and let me know what you think!

*Chelsea

Stuffed Taco Peppers

What you'll need:

4 large red peppers
1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
1 can rotel tomatoes
1 can chili beans (or kidney beans if you prefer)
1 packet taco seasoning (or our favorite Penzey's bold taco seasoning)
1 1/2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese, divided
2-3 green onions, chopped

What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Bring pot of water to a boil. Cut tops off peppers. If they are very large you can slice them in half vertically as well, like I did in the pictures. Remove seeds and membranes. Cook in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Drain and rinse in very cold water. Set aside.

3. In a large skillet, cook beef with the taco seasoning and the amount of water as directed on the seasoning packet. I like to add the water and seasoning before browning the beef because we prefer the texture that way. However, the grass-fed beef we use is incredibly lean. If you are using a fattier blend, you may want to brown it first, drain the fat and then add the seasonings. When the meat is cooked through, add rotel, beans, and 1 cup of pepper jack cheese.

4. Stuff peppers with meat mixture and place upright in 9 x 12 pan to bake.

5. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and peppers are tender.

 6. Serve topped with sour cream, additional cheese and green onions. We also add hot sauce and cilantro!

Let me know what you are looking forward to this spring!
* Chelsea

Let's talk football / Super Bowl Menu!

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Hubs and I have meant to host a Super Bowl party ever since we've been together. We both love the Denver Broncos and spend many lazy Sundays at home watching football in the fall. It is one of my favorite things that I have learned to love because of him.

However, every year something seems to get in the way. This year he'll be off skiing with his dad, which is a perfectly good excuse for hanging out in my pajamas sans shower starting sundown on Friday. Hence, no party this year. 

But this year, we planned ahead and we hosted a party to cheer on our Broncos in the Divisional Playoffs. Let's not talk about how that ended.... instead let's talk about what we ate.

Gone Girl ... why it is sticking around / Gillian Flynn Giveaway

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Hello Friends,

First of all oops, it is December. Apparently all of those awesome blog posts I dreamed about were, in fact, just dreams. There were some really awesome ones, so.... sorry about that.

In the mean time, I've still been obsessed with the freezer cooking over at Once a Month Mom and have been loving our winter baskets from Bountiful Baskets. We also hosted Thanksgiving for the first time on our own and had a really fabulous time with turkey, puzzles and football.

I've also been participating in a book club with some really incredible women here in my hometown. We meet once a month, talk about a book, eat and drink wine. So fun!

Our last book was Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I know I'm behind because this book was a huge hit this summer and I just now got to it. This book is sooo crazy. I'm not often surprised by novels anymore and this one surprised me more than once. It was a really well told story.