Living the Lake Life

When I first started this blog it was to keep folks up-to-date about Kellen's training at OCS. That was over 3 years ago. We have obviously had a lot of changes in our lives, and so my blog has altered a bit.

Sometimes the Lake Life is me traveling to exotic locations (Brazil, India... Canada). Other times it's Kellen going back into military training leaving me alone for weeks on end (sigh). Other times it's us moving, getting new jobs, starting grad school, finding a new church and making new friends. Sometimes it's me wondering what our future will look like-will Kellen graduate this December like planned? will he really go military chaplain? where will he get his 2 years experience (ie first job after graduating), when are we actually going to start a family so I can take care of my own kids?

Sometimes it's my computer telling me (every time I turn it on) "Your battery needs to be replaced." and me wanting to say to said computer, "NO- YOUR battery needs to be replaced, boom." Sometimes it's getting rid of our old sofa to make room for a nice used sectional from a friend and getting to rearrange the living room furniture! Sometimes it's siblings and dear friends having babies that I can't wait to hug and kiss. Sometimes it's me getting my first (and very likely LAST) tattoo- a wedding ring stand-in since I'm allergic to my beautiful rings (curse you nickel!). Sometimes it's time management FAIL: me going bonkers organizing closets and cabinets when I have homework that's due in a couple days, or me getting lost on the web, spending hours researching ideas for sewing, crafting & cooking (that I may never actually do) simply because I'm off work and have the time to look. Sometimes it's me joining Pinterest and knowing that this will make my "research" even more likely to occur daily...

But mostly, my Lake Life is just our day to day stuff, which doesn't make entertaining blog material. It's laundry, cleaning house, paying bills, going to work and class, Kellen making time for homework, his hospital chaplain internship, counseling couples at the church, me (marital bliss is hard work!) and maybe occasionally visiting with friends, besides at weekly small group! It's also making wise food choices and cooking...

If you leave off the "G" in blog, it would be "blah..." and that's kinda what day-to-day Lake Life is like... except for the food. Kellen and I have been budgeting for a while now. But it seems that even though there are only two of us I can't seem to get the grocery bill to a reasonable sum... our budget is $400... oh my goodness, that's a lot of food and groceries. We're not eating lobster and filet mignon! I buy meat when it's on sale, try to stick to produce on sale, or frozen... I dunno.

In case you're not familiar with Kellen, he eats. He tries to be wise about the calories, so we're trying to stick to whole grains and beans and veggies over starchy potatoes and breads and avoid sweets, mostly. Of course, my goal is to try and make these healthy things palatable, which can be a challenge sometimes. I follow clean eating blogs which send out healthy recipes, but sometimes the food sounds like it will taste like cardboard, or the only way it's healthy is if you keep your portion size low (as in leave the table hungry). Growing up we didn't pay much attention to calories, just flavor, and it's easy to fall back into that habit. I did really well in our first couple years of marriage making good food, tasty and nutritionally sound... However, working full time, I've fallen out of that habit and it's a trial to get back on track. Don't even mention the gym...

Right now, Kellen is on a major rice and beans kick. He'd love to eat them every day, and really it's an economical request, but I don't know if I can stand to eat that EVERY day! Variety is the spice of life, but he'd be happy with garlicky, salty meat with rice, beans and a salad just about every day of the week. Me, not so much. I'd like Asian, Mexican, Italian, Brazilian and American throughout the week. So I'm trying to come up with bean/legume variety... got any ideas?

I'll try to periodically post my recipe successes. Here's the first one: a bean success :)

Zingy Brazilian Black Beans *measurements are approximate
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15oz) can petite diced tomatoes (with liquid)
parsley (1/4 bunch fresh chopped OR 1Tbsp dried)
1 bay leaf
red wine vinegar (~10 shakes, to taste)
hot sauce (~10 shakes, to taste)
½ tsp (+/- to taste) crushed red pepper
Adobo seasoning, to taste
salt/pepper, to taste (Adobo contains salt, so go easy with the salt)
2 (15 oz) can black beans (with liquid)
1 cup water (enough to swirl around the cans and get all the goodies out)
½ - 1 tsp sweetener (I used granulated splenda, can use sugar)

1. In a large saucepan heat oil over med-high heat until it glides smoothly on the bottom of pan to coat.
2. Add onions and saute until fragrant. Add garlic and continue cooking until onions are translucent.
3. Add tomatoes, parsley, bay leaf, vinegar, hot sauce and seasoning. Cook until it begins to thicken a bit, add black beans, water and sweetener.
4. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired; simmer uncovered another 10-20 minutes, stirring occasionally and tasting and adjusting seasoning as desired, until liquid is reduced to desired consistency. The longer it cooks the more developed the flavor will be (I usually simmer about 30-40 minutes total).

*This is excellent served with rice and grilled beef or chicken, alongside a salad.