Healthy Jazzed Up Spaghetti

Spaghetti is one of my favorite go-to meals, but I love to make it a little healthier than just pasta and meat by adding a bunch of vegetables. Its such an easy and quick dish to make, and It's also a great way to use any vegetables left in your fridge that need to be eaten!

Ingredients:

-1 lb ground meat (I usually use turkey but you can also use beef, chicken or even sausage)

-half a large onion

-vegetables (some of my favorites are zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, bell peppers, and mushrooms)

-prepared spaghetti sauce 

-half lb of pasta (I like to use whole wheat, quinoa or brown rice pasta)

-grated Parmesan cheese

-fresh herbs like basil or parsley 

Directions:

1. Brown ground meat in a frying pan. 

2. Once meat has started to brown add chopped onions. 

3. Chop other vegetables and add to the pan and cook until meat is cooked through and vegetables are tender. 

4. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions. 

5. Add spaghetti sauce to meat and vegetable mixture and simmer for about 10 minutes.

6. Once pasta is done cooking, add it to the meat and vegetable mixture.

7. Serve with chopped fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese. 

8. Enjoy! :) 

Berkeley Adventure

With a beautiful day outside and a Sunday afternoon ahead of us, we headed to Berkeley for a little food adventure. 

First it was Philz Coffee for an energizing treat. The menu is extensive - showing at least three characteristics for each coffee, and the baristas are ready to customize your beverage from the sweetness level to the kind of milk. I got the mint mojito based on it's popularity on yelp. Topped with a sprig of fresh mint, it was delicious! Creamy, not too sweet and wow was it strong! The shop is small and hipster, with a seating area in the back. I can't wait to go back to try other flavors! 

Next, I had heard there was an 85c Bakery that had recently opened. But no luck! I think it was just a rumor. I was so disappointed. I guess I'll have to go to Newark, Milpitas, or San Jose one of these days for some amazing Asian pastries! 

After being disappointed by my unlucky searching, it was lunch time. We decided to try Barney's because it had a nice outdoor seating area. I got the falafel salad and my husband got the Mexican salad. Not bad! Everything tasted very fresh and healthy. I think they're known for burgers and have a pretty good happy hour. I'd return to try it out! 

Berkeley will always hold a special place in our hearts. Even if we moved out of the Bay Area, we would definitely make a point to visit Berkeley. It's such a fun melting pot of different cultures, different backgrounds, and different ages. 

Cheers!

Cheers to my husband finishing his first year of medical school! What better way to celebrate, than a few days in Las Vegas! 

First I want to touch on how we went to Vegas on a tight budget...MyVegas!

Yes! It's kind of crazy but so worth it! Online pretend slots and black jack connected to your Facebook. They also have two apps for your phone. I know...how long do you have to do this? Is it worth it? Well do you have more time or more money? Right now it's time... And hey it's kind of fun! Winning coins to use on rooms, buffets and shows-- we're allowed 3 rewards per 90 days (6 between my husband and myself) 

For just a $28 per day resort fee, we stayed at Monte Carlo. We're lucky to have stayed many places before to compare--Ceasars, Venetian, Vdara, Mandalay Bay, Wynn, Palms. The room at Monte Carlo was very basic but the location was great! It's connected to Aria and Bellagio with a free tram. There's also a CVS right next door to stock up on snacks and cheaper drinks. You're also located in the middle of the strip, so everything is pretty easy to access. 

Within Monte Carlo, our favorite place was The Pub where they have 300 beers on tap! They also have happy hour everyday and it's $3 off all beers. The bartenders were friendly and knowledgable and even allow you to sample the beer before buying it! We went back each day for happy hour! 

As for food, first stop was Burgr by Gordon Ramsay in Planet Hollywood. We had the farm burger, kale Caesar salad, and truffle fries. All were very good and fresh tasting!

Next up for food were the buffets! We went to Bellagio's and Aria's and both were bought through a buy one get one free reward through MyVegas. My husband and I never feel we can eat enough to make full use of any "all you can eat" place, so this way we could justify going. We were thoroughly impressed with both! Great flavors and variety! I'm always a sucker for the cute little desserts and creating weird concoctions like baked beans on top of fried rice. All around delicious! 

Another buy one get one deal got us to Samba in the Mirage--an all you can eat Brazilian place. Wow that's a lot of meat! But it was delicious! Along with sides of rice and beans, plantains and salad, we probably finished 8 of the 10 different meats! 

One more buy one get one offer we took advantage of was to see Cirque du Soleil's Zarkana. It was bittersweet because I've now seen all the Cirque du Soleil performances in Vegas (besides the musically themed ones). I love them! Zarkana was as breathtaking as the other performances and amazing in it's own way at the same time. I really enjoyed that this one had not only amazing acrobatics but also showcased other amazing activities. A juggler that could utilize 8 or so balls, juggled while bouncing the balls on the floor and inside a box. An amazing artist also created amazing pictures using just her hands and sand on a piece of glass as it was projected on the curtains. This one also had a live singer and musicians! Amazing! I always leave those performances feeling invigorated from all the creative and skilled energy exuding from the stage. This time I have to admit my hands were a little clammy too from watching the treturous acts (I think it's a result of age). 

What an amazing few days. Relaxation mixed with spontaneous fun. I even paid a small tribute to the game that got us there haha! 

Not very lucrative but I did win a three team parlay one night! The weather was beautiful. 90s with a slight breeze...Perfect for laying by the pool during the day and having a lovely temperature at night. Thank you MyVegas for knocking down the price of our trip and we can't wait to come back! 

An Afternoon in Sonoma

What better way to escape the hustle and bustle of the Bay Area, than a small escape to Sonoma! It's so close, yet feels so far. The small shops, winding scenic roads and beautiful wineries are a breath of fresh air. 

We headed straight to the square and started to explore. There were so many cute antique shops, furniture stores, clothing shops, restaurants and tastings rooms, all surrounding a park. 

We decided to stop at La Bodega after receiving a yummy little cheese sample. 

The people who worked there were so nice! We started off with a wine tasting; all small batch wines and it was 5 wines for $5. What a deal compared to Napa! It was a gorgeous day so we sat outside on the patio and then they brought out the cheeses. 

They asked us what kinds of cheeses we like and we said probably not goat or blue. They brought us two bries and a habanero cheddar and each was perfectly paired with a wine. Then for an extra treat they brought us a taste of their ravioli and a harder goat cheese to try...and what do you know, it was delicious! So much for not liking goat cheese! 

After walking around the square, we headed home and decided to stop at the Fremont Diner. What a fun and funky place! 

It almost feels like we're in the middle of the country but the crowd feels very modern and Bay Area. We decide on the nachos for a snack. Delicious! The pork is perfectly crispy and tender and it even comes in a mini cast iron pan! My mom says the bacon wrapped melon is amazing...hope they have it next time! 

Until next time Sonoma! Thanks for a wonderful afternoon and I definitely wouldn't say it's inferior to Napa!