about TIME!

I know it's been long since i've last posted something. We have had a crazy summer! From vacationing to California to a Wedding in Texas. We got the opportunity to witness the sealing of Erin (Daniel's sister) and her now husband, John. We spent our one year anniversary vacationing with family and friends. IT was awesome! Now that we are back in Rexburg, it's time to get back to reality. Daniel just started another semester of school and only has one year left!!! waaahoooooo! I start my new job this week and is ready to roll in some dough! :) Great things are also happening in the family...My sister Soksopha is pregnant with her second child and is having another boy. Grandma had the opportunity to share her story of her life in Cambodia with BYU. AND my aunt was finally able to reunite with the family and come to the States after 30 years! What a year of great blessings..the Lord has blessed us in so many ways...

Weekend in Monterey Bay

Daniel and I had a blast in Monterey Bay!! My sister and her family invited us to come with and we ended up staying for the whole weekend! It was so relaxing and was exactly what we needed. We had an awesome time doing fun outdoor things such as biking Cannery Row and kayaking in the bay with sea otters..not to mention, daniel went swimming with them! :D We had Ghiradelli 2 days in a row for dessert..not to mention, daniel has had it 3 times since we've been to California...I think someone is getting spoiled *ahem*...hehe. We also enjoyed our time playing in the sand on the beach and building sand castles with jacob...actually, we built them and he knocked it over! lol. We ended the perfect trip by daniel tumbling in the water and couldn't get himself up...so he tried to play it off by laying in the water. hahahaha! thanks pa, jeremy, and jacob!

Quick Turkey Chili

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
¼ lb ground turkey breast
1 can (14.5 oz) diced Mexican-style tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) no-salt-added black beans and kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
¼ tsp cumin
⅛ tsp chili powder
crushed red pepper flakes/cayenne pepper, to taste

In a pot, heat the oil on medium-low. add the onion and sauté until soft, about
3 to 5 minutes. add the turkey and cook for another 5 minutes. add the tomatoes
with juice, beans, broth, and spices. Stir and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat
and simmer for 20 minutes. this will make about 4 cups of chili.

Per serving (about 2
cups): 436 calories,
35 g protein, 58 g
carbs, 7.5 g fat (1 g
saturated), 22 g fiber,
756 mg sodium, 23 mg
cholesterol

Steak Fajitas-Best I've Ever Had!

We are working on eating healthy. Daniel found a few more recipes that we wanted to try out. Honestly, these are the BEST fajitas I have EVER had! you have to try them! Even though you are not looking for eating healthy, these recipes are the BOMB and we highly recommend it! We were able to buy all the ingredients needed for a week worth of food and found out that we saved a lot more this way. We are looking forward to the different meals throughout the week. I will post the recipe's of all the yummy food! :)


8 oz top sirloin steak
1 small onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut length-wise into strips
1 small jalapeno pepper, cut into rings
½ tsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
⅛ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp cumin
Salt and black pepper to taste
4 soft whole-wheat tortilla
Salsa
1 lime, (4 slices)
1 can black beans; rinsed, drained, and heated

Cut the meat diagonally and across the grain into thin strips. place the steak, onions,
and the next six ingredients in a Zip-lock bag and shake well to combine. dump the
mixture into a skillet that’s been preheated over medium-high heat. cook, turning
frequently, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the meat reaches the desired doneness. Season
to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with beans, a soft whole-wheat tortilla, salsa, and lime to taste.

Serves 2

Per serving: 451 calories,
38 g protein, 59 g carbs,
8.5 g fat (2 g saturated),
13 g fiber, 757 mg sodium,
53 mg cholesterol

Cream Cheese and Blueberry-Stuffed French Toast

2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 ounces cream cheese (half of an 8-ounce package)
8-12 slices of white bread
1 cup fresh blueberries (or any other fruit desired i.e. strawberries)
1/4-1/2 cup sugar (for blueberries)
1 teaspoon all purpose flour
Butter, for cooking
Maple syrup or confectioners' sugar, for serving

Makes 4-6 sandwiches, serves 4-6

Directions: In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, ground cinnamon, and granulated sugar. Spread the cream cheese on 4-6 slices of the bread. In a pan on low-medium heat, combine the fresh blueberries, sugar, and flour (until thicken but don't break the blueberries). Divide the blueberries among the 4-6 bread slices. Top with the remaining bread slices.

Melt butter on a griddle over medium-low heat. Dip the sandwiches in the egg mixture for a few seconds on each side. Cook the sandwiches until golden brown, 2-3 minutes per side. Top with a tablespoon of blueberries and serve with maple syrup or confectioners' sugar. (Daniel and I didn't use maple syrup or confectioners' sugar. We used the syrup from the blueberries and that was sweet enough!) ENJOY

Blueberry Mango Mahi Mahi

Daniel found this really amazing recipe and we decided to make this dish! it was very simple and OH SO DELISH! we recommend you try it...it is only 160 calories!


1/3 cup blueberries
1/3 cup diced mango
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
½ teaspoon minced jalapeno pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
fresh ground pepper to taste
4 mahi mahi, red snapper, sea bass or halibut fillets (4 ounces each)

1. Mix the blueberries, mango, onion, pepper, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno, sugar and sea salt in a bowl. Don’t worry about crushing the blueberries; you want to release the juice. Set aside.

2. Lightly oil grill pan or fry pan and preheat it on medium high. Lightly season the flesh side of the fish fillets with salt and pepper and place them, skin side down, on the hot grill. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the skins are lightly charged and crispy. Turn over and sear for another 2 to 3 minutes or until cooked through. Avoid overcooking. When done, the fish should flake easily with a gentle touch of a fork.

3. Top each piece of fish with the salsa.

Serve with roasted red potatoes and steamed broccoli. (optional)

Makes 4 servings.

hmmmm....what to do?

Daniel's birthday is in 3 weeks.. i don't know what to get or do for him...we didn't do much last year because it was so hectic with it being my last semester and graduation n all...any suggestions anyone? I want to make it fun and memorable for him!! :)

DISNEYWORLD!

Last month in early May, Daniel and I joined his family in Florida at the Happiest Place on Earth!! LITERALLY, it is! the weather was great, HOT!! we ate a ton of yummy food and it was oh soo good! here are some pictures from our trip! Thanks mom and dad!

A year ago...

Today I was thinking about the time Daniel and I first met. I can't believe its been a year already! looking back at pictures, i found this! this is our first picture together. I GUESS you can say this describes our relationship perfectly! lol...boy does the time fly but we're still the same ol' silly couple! ;)

READY FOR SUMMER!

The weather has been so weird this year...one day its snowing and one day its beautiful...i am ready for shorts! no more snowflakes and icicles please!! we are just READY FOR SUMMER!! we have already gone on hikes and went to several bonfires (the thing to do here in the summer)...we are just about ready to jump in the lake! COOOOOME ON SUMMER!

Hmmmmm...getting some goodies for the bonfire! (bonfire #1 at the Crack)

Can ya smell what the Platt is cookin!! haha

Lol..Brittney missing a tooth...? (rooster's girlfriend)

The smoke from the bonfire were getting in my eyes!

Beautiful Tuesday...decided to go on a hike. :)

Daniel decided to go to Idaho Falls with Derick this day...I came home from work and wanted to make myself something delish! soooo, i made Garlic jalapeno burger stuffed with Pepper jack cheese, topped with over medium egg, sauteed mushrooms and onions (was getting sauteed on the skillet), a bed of lettuce, dressed with a little mayo and ketchup...too bad daniel was gone and couldn't enjoy it with me... :) it was a toe tapping burger... :D

Megan, looks like you got something to tell me? :)

Taking Meg (my bestest) out for her birthday dinner...

At the basketball championship game on campus...can you tell someone is excited?

Bonfire #2 at Beavers

It's gettin hot in here!!!!

Mango Frozen yogurt topped with strawberries...yummmm...

i love my husband!

I don't think I could have been any luckier!! Like my brother-inlaw Kyle said before daniel and I got married, "You hit the jackpot"! Everyday I wake up and wonder why I was so lucky to get such an amazing guy...minus the dirty socks, jacket of the floor, the smell (ya'll know what i mean), oh and the video games! lol. Not to mention pushing me into a pile of snow before walking into our apartment...haha. He gives me kisses every morning before getting out of bed and kisses before i fall asleep. ;) Words can't explain how much i love this man! *sigh*....still falling in love.........

CHINA..TAIWAN...CHINA!!

Ok, so eversince Daniel and I started talking about moving to China, I have always been a little iffy about it..more cause i'm scared! well today, i got news from my good friend from middle/high school Alicia Garcia, that she is moving to TAIWAN this July/August!!! She is half taiwanese and is super excited to have finally get the opportunity to get to know that side of her family! although alicia and I won't be in the same walking or driving distance, i am more content about knowing someone else from home! I am almost positive that we will be in and out of Taiwan. (daniel served his mission there and loves the people)...that means i get to see Ally and go on shopping sprees!!! lol...i can speak english to someone else other than my husband now! ;) however, the benefits from learning mandarin............daniel said to me today.."stop it woman! you're learning too fast!"..lol..i guess i have Shen Lao Shi to thank! (Teacher Shen)

How to cheat-cookies recipe!

ok, so i haven't been so honest about my baking when daniel want cookies at the last minute!...so i cheat... ;/ My relief society president from 2 years ago gave me the recipe.. i'm sure all you ladies that don't want to spend all that time measuring all the ingredients would LOVE this! Your kids would love making them too. Daniel enjoys eating them! ;)

-1 box of cake mix (any kind you like, i usually use devils chocolate)
-1 stick of melted butter
-2 large eggs (make sure you add the butter with the cake mix and mix it well before you add the egg or you'll have scramble eggs in your cookie dough! lol)

THATS IT! you can add as much chocolate chips or your favs into the mix. i usually put 1 cup-1 1/2 of vanilla chocolate morsels to the devils chocolate cookies. i top it with macadamia nuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts, or whatever you like!! you can even use yellow or white cake mix for chocolate chip cookies.

Preheat oven to 350. Bake for 8 minutes. (no need to grease the pan because there is enough butter in the cookie dough) when you take it out of the oven, let it sit on the cookie sheet for 30-40 seconds before transferring it to a cooling rack (place a sheet of wax paper on top of rack). ENJOY!!

6 months...

Daniel and I will be married for 6 months this weekend! Even though its not quite a year, we are very close! We just can't believe how much time flies...a lot of things happened in the last 6 months..most of it has to do with eating and gaining A LOT of weight! lol. but don't worry....we are gettinig on it! we'd like to thank all of our family and friends who have been very supportive. We love each other more and more each day! ps i'm excited to eat yummy food this weekend.....haha. ;D

Valentine Weekend!

Valentine was great!! Daniel and I started a little early and gave the other person their present early! thursday that is...daniel couldn't wait...hehe...or should i say "I" couldn't wait... :) On saturday morning, I surprised him with snowshoeing! he wanted to do this for a while now but we never got the chance. little to my knowledge, i didn't know how exhausting and tough it would be! My body is sore. some more than the others! lol. We did a 6 mile snowshoeing up Mesa Falls. However, we only hiked up to the lower falls because it was starting to get dark and another 2 miles to the upper falls was not what I had planned! haha. Halfway up there, daniel told me he had a secret to tell me. and i was just SO excited i pushed myself even harder. he told me he'd tell me when we were done. After a looooong afternoon of snowshoeing, he finally told me the secret...DAniel: you want to know my secret? me: yes! Daniel: WOW! that was hard!!--haha....and to think, I complained for the first 30 minutes cause it took all my energy!!! lol..when it seemed like daniel couldn't take it anymore of my complaints, i shut myself up for the next 3 hours!! and here he was, secretively thinking it was hard! lol...gotta love him!!

Whew!! WE WERE FINALLY DONE!

As soon as we got back into town, we took a very short nap and went to the Valentine's Ball! For a moment, it felt like prom because everyone dressed up in their formal dresses. We saw some of our friends there also. We stood in line for pictures for about an hour and a half...but we didn't waste anytime dancing! Daniel was showing me what he got as we waited in line! lol. Overall, it was the perfect ending to a perfect day!

My last surprise for daniel on Valentine's day, a plate of cookies and a bunch of his favorite goodies! He went straight for the chocolate cookies! ;D That evening, Daniel made me a rib eye steak dinner..hmmm SO DELICIOUS! I love my husband!