Meal Prep Monday : 8/27/18

Tuna Noodle Casserole

School starts back up this week, and therefore so does meal prep!  We had the kids this weekend and I knew cooking would be rushed at the end of the day Sunday, so I picked something relatively quick to make for the week.  I was in a hurry so I really didn't measure or count the ingredients...consider the amounts below to be approximate!

Ingredients

1 lb large elbow macaroni

2, 12 oz cans of tuna

9 carrots

1/4 yellow onion

1 bag of frozen peas

15 radishes

the sauce

2 cups milk 

2 tbsp butter 

1/8 c whole wheat flour 

garlic powder 

3 large handfuls shredded cheese (monterey jack)

I made 10 lunches, each with about 1/2 c of vegetables and 1 cup of tuna casserole. 

First start water boiling for the pasta.  While the water heats up, chop the carrots, onion, and radishes.  When the water boils, add some salt and the pasta.  Set a timer for 10 minutes.  Put the carrots and onion in a large skillet with some olive oil.  Cover and cook on medium-high heat.  When the carrots are almost soft, add the frozen peas.  Cook for a few minutes, then remove the lid and let the veggies brown a bit.  Add the radishes and cook until radishes reach desired done-ness.  (Less time for more spiciness, more time if you want the spiciness to cook out)  When the pasta is done, drain and dump into a large mixing bowl.

For the sauce, add milk and butter to a saucepan on medium heat. When the butter is almost melted, add the flour, stirring constantly (I didn't stir enough and the flour clumped up into dough balls that I had to fish out...) Add the cheese, stir, and then pour over the pasta.  Mix the pasta and sauce, and add the tuna.  Pour into a large glass baking dish and cover the top with shredded cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Steamboat Springs, CO

For "Honeymoon #2" we headed to Steamboat Springs, CO!  This was a trip we had planned before we even got engaged, to visit some good friends of mine from Lewisburg.  It just so happened to be a week after our wedding. I had never been to Colorado before, so it was extra-impressive seeing those huge Colorado mountains for the first time!  So much different than the mountains I am used to.  Photos don't do them justice at all.

Day 1 : 7-15-18

On our first morning in Steamboat, we got to see a hot air balloon festival right outside the house.  Super cool to see the sky filled with hot air balloons!

That evening, we got to ride the gondola up to the top of the mountain in the resort to enjoy the view and watch the sunset.  Coming, back, the moon was so bright you could see the whole round outline, even though it was a crescent moon.

Day 2 : 7-16-18

On our second morning, we went "creeking" in Fish Creek.  This involved walking upstream through the creek, climbing over boulders along the way.  The kids were like mountain goats crawling over the rocks, I had a bit more trouble trying to stay balanced with my backpack on!  We stopped and spent some time at a super cool pool in the middle of the creek, then made our way back down.  

(Don't be fooled by the smiles, the water was so cold it was painful!)

In the evening, we took the kids for a bike ride to downtown (about 4 miles down the bike path) where we got some delicious but very overpriced gelato, then tried to race the sunset back home  (we lost the race...it was definitely full dark by the time we got back...)

Day 3 : 7-17-18

Coby and I went hiking to Fish Creek Falls.   You can see the larger falls from a boardwalk overlook, and you can also hike down towards the creek at the bottom.  After enjoying those views, we took the  2.5 mile hike up 1400 ft to the very top of the falls, at 8600 feet!

Day 4 : 7-18-18 

We were hanging out with the kids all day, so we decided to take them for another bike ride to downtown.  This time we enjoyed a pizza lunch and then found some reasonably priced ice cream.
After eating, we decided to be tourists and buy some really cool t-shirts and sweatshirts in a store called Ohana.

Day 5 : 7-19-18

Our final full day in Steamboat.  Coby and I rode downtown in the evening to sample food & cocktails at 2 different restaurants.  We also got to enjoy a really nice sunset on the way back to the house.

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Of course we also did some running while we were in Steamboat...we only made it out for 2 runs, but they were workouts!  6800 ft of elevation is no joke for the lungs!  Despite all the mountains, there was a surprising amount of flatness to run however.