The Whole Bowl

Whenever I am in Portland, I have to get a bowl of The Whole Bowl.  I first heard about The Whole Bowl when I worked at Euro RSCG for a summer internship.  It was a food cart in the Pearl District, and it was only open a few days a week for lunch.  After my first experience, I was hooked!  One of my favorite things was to grab a bowl and head to the nearest park to watch locals play bocce on my lunch hour.  Spencer and I have visited Portland twice together.  On the first trip I insisted that he try The Whole Bowl, on the second, it was [one of] our top priority[s] for the trip.

So, what is in The Whole Bowl that makes it so delicious?  Just by looking at a bowl, you can tell what 95% of the ingredients are: brown rice, black and red beans, fresh avocado, salsa, olives (none for me), cheddar, cilantro, sour cream (I add this, but I don't think it's part of the original recipe) and Tali Sauce.  You've probably never heard of Tali Sauce.  That's because it's a completely inexplicable and highly addictive substance with a top secret recipe that's impossible to find, even on the interwebs (at least until recently).  This is quite a long post about something as mundane as rice and beans, but the exciting news is, I combined a few recipes I found and was able to create something pretty close to Tali Sauce.  After Spencer returned from one of his business trips earlier this year I surprised him with a bowl.

And just in case I forget (or if you want to try it yourself) here's the Tali Sauce recipe:

1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C cashews
Juice from 1.5 large lemons
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp (heaping) whole grain mustard
1/2 C garbonzo beans
1/4 C (heaping) nutritional yeast (the kind in flakes - found at health food stores)
1/4 C water
1/4 tsp turmeric1/2 tsp curry powder

1 sprinkle of dried basil

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper1 pinch of salt

Blend everything in a food processor until super smooth. Store in the fridge!

Mother's Day

This year was my first official Mother's Day.  I was awakened at 3:00 in the morning by the cries of my sweet Clara who otherwise sleeps through the night.  She was up for good. Her cries were punctuated by coughing fits from Spencer who was fighting a terrible cold.  Clara lost her breakfast all over the front of my dress minutes before I headed out to church alone so I could teach primary.  I came home and spent the afternoon preparing a meal for guests while tending to my daughter and sick husband.  

It probably doesn't sound ideal.  No breakfast in bed, fancy gifts, or day off from my typical responsibilities. But at the end of the day, I think everything was just right.  I got to spend the day being a mother. And that is what I've always wanted.

P.S. Spencer, Clara, if you're reading this... this doesn't mean you're off the hook next year. :)

St. George

As a celebration that busy season was over, we took a little trip down to St. George for a long weekend.  It was our first road trip with Clara and I was a little nervous when Spencer suggested going the "back way" (for maximum railroad exposure) as it takes a few hours more than the already-mildly-daunting 5 hour trek on I-15.  Figuring that it would be easier to pull off the road just about anywhere to feed or change Clara, I gave the thumbs up and off we went.  I guess I wasn't too surprised, but Clara did great!  She was totally content in her car seat, whether sleeping or just looking around.

All packed and ready to hit the road!

We stopped twice on the way down.  I have officially mastered the art of changing a diaper on the front seat of a car. :)

Spencer multi-tasking: holding Clara, entertaining her with a toy, checking his email and driving with his knees. :) This is during our first stop on the way down.

Hanging out by the pool protected from the wind and sun by her blanket.

While in St. George, we relaxed in the condo, went on a few drives, ate at Bear Paw Cafe, watched movies and attempted a hike.  I say attempted because we didn't last long on the trail.  It was super windy the whole time we were down there, and Clara still has that infant reflex where she holds her breath in the wind.  In order to keep the oxygen flowing, we headed back prematurely.

Clara's first (short) hike.

Easter

We had a wonderful Easter!  Clara and I stayed home from church (there is a measles outbreak in our neighborhood, it's SUPER contagious, and babies don't get their first immunization until they are 12-15 months) but it was still a lovely day.  The Easter Bunny came and brought some fun things for Clara.  We took a few photos in the sunshine by our newly blossoming tulips and spent the afternoon enjoying a wonderful meal at Spencer's parents house.

 

 

It's interesting how holidays are more fun and even more meaningful as our family grows.  Of course it's fun to start more traditions, but this year it also felt more significant than ever to reflect on the atonement and resurrection in a new light.  I've always thought of Easter as being most significant to those who have experienced tragic loss.  No doubt, the knowledge that death is not the end brings great comfort to anyone who has lost a loved one.  This year Christ's resurrection has become more personally relevant to me as my family has grown and my life continues to fill with people I love.  I have a wonderful husband and darling daughter that mean so much to me.  I guess I have realized that even more than loss, love makes the resurrection meaningful. It is such a blessing to know that because of the Savior our little family can be together forever.  No matter what.