Here's to New Adventures

Hey all,

I have some good news, some regular news, and some bad news.

So ... which would you like first?

Too bad I'm doing the bad news first.

I'm getting rid of this blog.

I know I know, ALISHA THIS WILL BE THE 7TH BLOG!

Well look, I've enjoyed this blog a lot, and it's really helped me figure out a few things about myself, marriage, and my priorities. What I am hoping to do is take those priorities and craft a new blog. This blog will be for ME. For what I want to write about and no one else.

That brings me to the good news: I am starting a new blog! (surprise, surprise)

Feel free to follow my new adventures on Instagram (@alishajeanlife) and my new blog thealishajeanlife.blogspot.com.

Thanks for everything! 😙

Balsamic Glazed Pork

When you are trying to stay healthy and eat more protein, chicken breasts get REAL boring. 

Cue this pork recipe my mom introduced me to. It's tangy and sweet and so easy. And I'm all about easy and cheap. I like to pair it with a nice simple green salad and call it good. It's the perfect thing for when you don't feel like cooking. 

Original from Mel's Kitchen Cafe: 

Ingredients

Pork

• 2 to 3 pounds boneless pork loin or pork sirloin roast, trimmed of large fat pockets

• 1 teaspoon ground sage or poultry seasoning

• 1/2 teaspoon coarse, kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper

• 1 clove garlic, finely minced or crushed

• 1/2 cup water or chicken broth

Mix the seasonings together and rub into pork. Then place in slow cooker with water for 8-10 hours on low. When cooked, shred. 

Glaze

• 1/2 cup brown sugar, light or dark

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

• 1/2 cup water

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Whisk all the ingredients together in a small pan and bring to boil. Let simmer 3-5 minutes and drizzle over pork. 

Serve on a sandwich, or just eat plain! Both ways are great. 

Big thanks to Mel's Kitchen Cafe for the great recipe. 

Original here: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/sweet-balsamic-glazed-pork-loin-slow-cooker/

Small Homes, Big Memories

Hey all!

I've been thinking a lot lately about small houses.

Most of us in this stage of life are living out of a one or two bedroom apartment with some ghetto feature or another. My sink is super tiny. I have a friend who has to balance her dresser with books to keep things level. There is always something wrong with the house we are in.

But I don't believe that we should be unhappy in our home.

One of my coworkers recently made an art piece that said the following

"Love grow best in little houses with fewer walls to separate. Where you eat and sleep so close together, you can't help but communicate. And if we had room between us, think of all we'd miss. Love grows best in little houses just like this." 

It came from an old country song called "Little Houses" by Doug Stone. (http://www.metrolyrics.com/little-houses-lyrics-doug-stone.html)

I love what the song embraces. Sometimes it takes living in a small place to really love someone. Sure it gets frustrating having only 800 sq feet when you both grew up in four or five bedroom homes, but think of the memories.

One day, I can't wait to show my kids pictures of our first house.

The joke at our house is one day I'll have a walk-in closet as big as my kitchen is now. (Once you see these pictures you'll realize it's not an unrealistic goal.)

So if you are living in a "tiny house" right now, appreciate it.

Here are some pictures of what our house loos like right now. I could have cleaned it up but I wanted to show what it looks every day.

Our "office"

I love our entertainment center 

Can you notice what is missing? (Answer: There's no counter...)

My teeny, tiny kitchen

The whole main living area. Don't you like my birthday balloons? 

Gotta love the laundry basket eh? 

We both hate decorative pillows so that's why it seems so plain

And there you have it! Our tiny, lovely, home. 

Reading Roadtrip: Alaska

Literally it took me 5 hours to finish this award-winning book. My latest reading road trip adventure took me to the tundras of Alaska as I lived with Julie in Julie of the Wolves.

Reading Roadtrip: Alabama

Reading takes you to so many places doesn't it? That's one of the main reasons I love reading so much. Opening a new book, feeling the crack of the spine, it's a refreshing feeling. Over the course of my life. I've read a lot of books. Many of which I have loved. A few I haven't. But this summer, I decided to create sort of a "reading challenge" you could say, to help me pick good books. Big thanks to Epic Reads for giving me the idea. I'm calling it the Reading Roadtrip. I'm going to read a book from every state, maybe not by the end of the summer, but at least until I've been to every state. 

Our first stop, Alabama.

Grilled Veggies and Steak

Hi! Ya it's me. Sorry it's been so long for a recipe but tonight I created something AMAZING and I just had to share it. Introducing grilled veggies and steak, AKA homemade Hu Hot part 2!

Depression And Rodeos

Let me tell you a story, and TBH, this story is more of a rant for me to write though my thoughts. So if you want to keep reading, don't say I didn't warn you.

Summer Dates

On the first day of Summer, Con and I found ourselves chilling for two days in front of Netflix. We decided that it was time to get off the couch and do something better with our summer. So we decided to create a list of easy, cheap things to do on those summer nights.

1. Go for a walk up the canyon. Logan Canyon is the best place to go walking in the summer. There's easy nature walks to strenuous hikes. Sometimes we'll just explore trails to see where they go. It's fun to be out in God's creations. 
2. To the park. We have Merlin Olsen in our backyard and it makes for some great people watching. If we're really feeling childish, we'll even go down the slide a few times. 
3. Hammocking. The best investment ever! We purchased some hammocks last summer and love to take them to a quiet place to read or just sit and talk. 
4. Snow cone Drive. A child sized snow cone is $1.50. This makes for a cheap, tasty date to enjoy in the summer. I have to admit, margarita and lime are my favorite flavors. And when you add sweetened condensed milk  .... 
via GIPHY

5. Campfires. All you need for a fire is firewood (duh), matches, and MAYBE something to roast. I totally believe there's a reason humans have been drawn to fire for so many years. Plus, there's just something so romantic about seeing the one you love in firelight. 
6. Stargazing. Obviously we have to wait till it's dark so sometimes that gets late but we loooove filling the bed of our truck with blankets and pillows and finding an abandon field. And more often than not, stargazing turns into a little more than that ;) 

So those are just some of our favorite things to do in the summer that cost little to no money and don't take a lot of planning! What are some of your favorite things? 

Crockpot Mexican Chicken

Hey ya'll! It's been awhile since I posted a recipe and since today is Mexican Monday, I thought I'd share my favorite chicken for ANY Mexican dish. For tonight we put it on tostadas but I've had it in tacos, burritos, taco salads, and even enchiladas. Big thank to my Mamma for the original.

Chicken Tostadas

Ingredients 

• 2 large chicken breasts
• 1/2 c. Italian dressing
• 1  1-oz Ranch dressing seasoning
• 1 1-oz taco seasoning
• 1/2 c. water
• 6-8 cloves of minced or smashed garlic
• 1 TB dehydrated onion
• Salt, to taste
• Juice from one lime

Place all ingredients but salt and lime juice in crock-pot on low for 4 hours (or high for 2). When done, drain most of the liquid and sprinkle in salt and lime juice. Shred and serve. It's that easy folks. We ate it with tostadas, guacamole, lettuce, sour cream, and salsa. Easiest dinner ever. And very low-carb (if you're into that kind of thing). 

Meal Plan

Dinners this week:

Winger's Sticky Finger Wraps
Chicken Tostadas
Fettuccine Alfredo
Turkey steak and au gratin potatoes
Hamburgers

Groceries:

strawberries
limes
garlic
shred. lettuce
guacamole
salsa
tostada
bread
Italian cheese
frozen chicken breast
frozen chicken strips
au grautin potatoes
dehydrated onions
beans
chili
milk

Now that school is over, I'm hoping to have more time for this blog!!

Topic: New Technology

One of my favorite things about the Internet is being able to order food online. It means not talking to a person and quickly getting the food I want.

Lately, I've been noticing a lot of friends posting about food cravings, or food pictures, then tagging that company in them. A smart brand would take advantage of those social media shout-outs, send coupons or thank yous of some sort to the person. Not only would that build brand loyalty, but help increase reach and engagement. User generated content (UCG) is extremely important for most brands. It helps to listen to your audience with tools such as Hootsuite, Sprout, and Google alerts, to determine what they need.

But what if this individual who craved a certain restaurant, could tweet at the company, then get a downloadable file, and 3D print their food craving.

This is how I foresee 3D printing changing social media. Not only will our food industry become less personal, but more easily attainable in our homes. People will indulge more, because of how easy it will be to get our food. Social media will become the next phone for take-out.

Just imagine, craving Panda Express orange chicken, tagging them on Instagram, them getting notified of your order, then you printing out a hot, steamy bowl of citrus goodness within 10 minutes. I can only imagine the possibilities.

I know what you're thinking, "Ya right." But "Natural Machines" has already made it happen:

"The "Foodini," as it's called, isn't too different from a regular 3D printer, but instead of printing with plastics, it deploys edible ingredients squeezed out of stainless steel capsules: "It's the same technology," says Lynette Kucsma, co-founder of Natural Machines, "but with plastics there's just one melting point, whereas with food it's different temperatures, consistencies and textures. Also, gravity works a little bit against us, as food doesn't hold the shape as well as plastic."

Check out this video:

If you want to learn more about the future of this technology, check out the 3D Food Printing Conference.  Here you can get updates on the new technology that is emerging around the world.

And because social media has connected us globally, imagine being able to download traditional Swahili or Thai food, through Facebook. Because money exchanging technology is always improving, 3D restaurants will be able to serve people throughout the world.

Instagram will be full of a lot more food now, hope you are ready.

Food bloggers can work on developing their specific codes, rather then recipes.

And engineers will turn into the Julia Childs of the 21st century (or maybe 22nd, who knows)

I can't wait until I can print my own Cafe Sabor burritos at home.

Turkey Burrito Bowls

I love burrito bowls, not only because they are low carb, but because they take hardly any ingredients. You could substitute the turkey for chicken or pork or ground beef, just depending on what you have. Black beans could be changed out for kidney or pinto beans. You get the picture ;)

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/2 lb ground turkey (or any other meat)
• 1 cup uncooked Minute Rice
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 cups salsa
• 2 Tsp taco seasoning (I used half of those little packets)
• 1 15 oz can black beans, drained
• 1 15 oz can corn, halfway drained
• 2 cups diced tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp S&P
• 1/2 - 3/4 c. grated cheese 
• Chives, green onions, or cilantro for topping

Over medium heat, in a skillet, cook the onion and ground turkey. The turkey should be cooked until it's no longer pink. Drain off any fat, then push the turkey to one side of the skillet. Add the rice and toast for about 1 minute.

Add the broth, rice, 1 cup salsa, 1 cup diced tomatoes, taco seasoning, corn, and the beans. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Season with salt and pepper. If it starts to dry up, just add a little more broth. Turn off the burner.

Mix in the cheese. It will melt with the heat.

Serve in individual bowls and garnish with the remaining tomatoes, salsa, and chives. You can also garnish it with fresh avocado, and lettuce.

NOTE: If using long grain brown rice, it will need to be cooked in advance. Uncle Ben's 10 minute brown rice was used in this recipe.

So tasty! I do have a confession though, I accidentally added CURRY to my bowl - lesson learned. Don't try and get creative by blending cultures. CURRY + TACO seasoning = no bueno. 

As I was writing this post Con said, "Hey, make sure you put in your blog post, not to add curry." Consider yourself warned! 

I love seeing all the colors of the veggies

Awwww....summer fruit is my fav. 

I always add WAY more cheese than necessary. 

YUM! 

Original from Skinny Ms. 

Topic: Canva - Desktop or Mobile

Let me introduce you to one of my favorite apps in the entire world: Canva. First, however, let me clarify that I am by no means a designer. I have never taken a design course and I have utmost respect for those individuals who understand all of the Adobe Suite. But what I do love being able to do, is quickly put text over an image for social media or personal use. Never would I recommend using Canva for major design projects, unless your budget is very very limited.

That being said, I wanted to dive into the program, both in it's desktop/online usability and the mobile friendly version.

I first discovered Canva when doing a class project my sophomore year in college. I ended up falling in love with its abilities and began using it for other projects. What I love about Canva is how simple it makes design, for those of us just wanting to keep it simple. On the desktop version, it comes with many different templates to start off with including social media posts, resumes, invitations, you name it. I love that you can also make your designs public and other people on the Canva community can see what you're doing. It also comes with the option to change font, edit the pictures, change colors, and is super easy to learn and use. It also allows you to use grid locks to center your art and text, making it as visually appealing as possible. I have used Canva for over a year now and love it for both office and home purposes.

This summer I began wishing that they made it available for iPhones so that it would be easier to upload images and make quick Instagram posts. In the fall Canva launched their mobile app. I was initially excited to begin playing with it and was among the first of it's users to be notified of the changes. If that doesn't show you how much I use it I don't know what will.

The first thing I noticed was how limited the app was. It's hard to navigate a tiny little screen with only your fingers. My designs never look good on it, and the photo editing capabilities are zilch. It takes a lot of skill to pick the aspect of your design that you want to work with. It's also hard to see what the fonts will look like when designing or even choose the right size.

Some apps could maybe get away with both a desktop and mobile version, take Facebook for instance, but Canva is not one of them. Needless to say, I quickly deleted the app.

Salsa Verde Chicken Pasta

Oh. My. Gosh. This pasta from Kevin and Amanda is SO good. It's easy, fast, and doesn't take many ingredients. It has become one of our go-to dinners. 

Ingredients: 

• 3-4 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces (If you are trying to save money, you can exclude this)
• 2 TB olive oil 
• 2 c. chicken broth
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream 
• 2 cups of penne pasta
• S&P to taste
• 2 c. pepper jack cheese 

1. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces (about 1-inch cubes). Season with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot, add the chicken in a single layer. Cook for 5 minutes, until golden brown, flipping once halfway through. Remove to a plate and set aside.
2. Add the broth, salsa verde, cream, uncooked pasta, salt, and pepper to the skillet. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Cover, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat, then add the chicken and 1 1/2 cup of cheese to the skillet. Stir until smooth and creamy.
4. Pour into into oven-safe pan. I used a stone-wear 8x8 pan. Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and broil in the oven until golden brown and bubbly, about 3 minutes. Serve and enjoy!! :)

Please bear with me as I still am still learning my camera. It was just too tasty of a dinner not to share. 

I know that I have half n half pictured here but I ended up not using it

Just so yummy. I can't help it. *insert heart eye emoji here*

Topic: Viral Videos

Who hasn't seen any of the following videos?








These are just some of my favorite videos that have surfaced on the internet.

But what makes a video viral? According to Techopedia:

A viral video is any clip of animation or film that is spread rapidly through online sharing. Viral videos can receive millions of views as they are shared on social media sites, reposted to blogs, sent in emails and so on

What I liked about this definition is how broad it is. It can be animation or film, clip that is shared via many different routes. What I don't like, is how many view it says it must have to become viral. If we were to rank the most watched YouTube videos by simply numbers, all of them would be music videos. But I wouldn't consider them to be viral. Instead I think what makes a viral video is humor, easy to share, and short.

With Facebook rolling out their video ability a few years ago, the stats have shown that more than 70% of internet videos are being posted directly to the social network. (Fortune). This makes things a lot easier to share through social media.

But why do some videos go viral and others do not? Here's the breakdown from some research that I have done:

1. Psychological response: In order for a video to make it to the big leagues, it has to do one of three things to us psychologically: make us laugh, make us cry, or shock us. These three emotions are the strongest felt by a person and can motivate people to share to see what their friends think of the content. 
2. The right "sharers" see the video - Nearly 18% of internet users share videos at least once a week—and almost 9% share daily. If you can tap into this network of people likely to share things on social media, your video has a better chance of going viral. 
3. Timing: If you share a video on a Friday at 4 pm, chances are NO ONE is going to see it. But instead, time your content to go out on a Wednesday afternoon when everyone is trying to get over hump day. Research has shown that people are more likely to watch things when they are bored than when they are heading out. 
4. Have a message that everyone can relate to: Sarcasm, humor, anger, are all relative emotions. But if you can target your message to be funny, sad, or inspiring to a group of people, you are more likely to see results. 

Obviously the only sure-fire way (if I dare say this) to get your videos shared is just keep filming. You never know what your camera will capture. 

Why Watching TV is Good for Our Marriage

Every marriage is different. That's what I'm learning more and more. I know, it seems like a "duh" thing but it was a major realization for me.

Connor works late...a lot, which has really started to wear on our emotional relationship. I don't understand how women who's husbands are gone for nights on end do it. They are much stronger than me and I applaud them for their strength.

But that doesn't make it easier for me to be alone all the time - wondering if he's ok, getting bored with homework.

I've realized how important it is to spend time together, doing something.

When my parents were first married, they had horses and went horseback riding every night.  They were lucky to have that kind of a hobby to do together.

 We don't have that kind of hobby together that makes it easy to just go. Sure we love camping and having fires and going four-wheeling, but those activities take a little bit more planning than spur-of-the-moment doing.

So what do we do to spend time?

Before I say this, let me preface it with this: "We love doing this activity together and it draws us closer so no judging."

We watch TV.

I know - we sound like lazy college students, but please hear me out.

When we sit down and watch TV, we are cuddling, which is my major love language, and spending time, which is his love languages, our needs are being met. We love watching Lost, The Office, Friends, Designated Survivor, and Chuck. Why does this mean so much to us? I don't know. Maybe because we bond over discussing plot, feeling emotions together, and getting to know the characters.

Some weeks we are crazy busy with homework, work, church activities, and other things that just come as life does. We always try and make sure that we spend one night together, even if it's just watching a TV show together.

How do you spend time together?

Cinnamon Rolls

My sister-in-law is a wonderful cook. She recently graduated from USU with her Master's Degree in Dietetics. I really admire her hard work and talent.

For Conference weekend, she wanted to make cinnamon rolls. I couldn't pass up an opportunity to practice my food photography so I whipped out Charlie (the name of my faithful camera) and snapped away as she kneaded the dough, twisted the rolls, and whipped up some of the tastiest cinnamon rolls ever.

Ingredients:

• 2 TB yeast -- dissolve in 1/2 c. warm water and let froth with sugar
• 1/2 c. oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 3 eggs
• 5 1/2 c. flour
• 1 stick butter

Frosting:

• 1/3 c. butter
• 3 c. powdered sugar
•  Add 1-1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 TB milk

Instructions:

Mix oil, sugar, eggs, and salt by hand w/yeast. And 1 cup very warm water or milk.
Add 5 1/2 c. flour -- not heaping or level
Mix 4-5 min until smooth and elastic.
Roll approx. 1 rolling pin wide and 3 pins long.
Spread w/melted butter, cinnamon sugar, and brown sugar.
Roll in tight jelly roll and cut into 1-1/2 in thickness. Place on greased cookie sheet.
Let raise, covered until double in size.
Bake 400 for 10-13 min.
Frost while slightly warm.

YUM!