Mrs. Rogers Neighborhood

Y'all, I love love love Fall and all the flavors that come with it (I could genuinely say that about every season, and probably have during the time I have had this blog). However, what I get most excited for is when my husband wants curry everyday like I do. I can eat curry in the crazy heat in the summer. I am a soupy for life. Give me soup. Every. Day. But my handsome man needs it to cool down a bit (and not be 100 degrees), so once the weather cools, the curry lover in me jumps for joy.   We have been exploring Paleo and Whole 30 recipes quite a bit recently and this one is Whole 30 approved. If you are an Asian food lover like me and eat Paleo or Whole 30 you should definitely check out the website this recipe came from, because wow, lots of good stuff on there! Have a lovely weekend friends.  Eat something yummy :) Ingredients 1 ½ lb chicken breast, thinly sliced to bite sizes 1 large shallot, minced 1 lb pumpkin or butternut squash, cut into bi

I have been getting a series of emails from an organization called “Be More With Less” that have really effected my language and day to day attitude, so I thought I would share a few gems/take aways from them. 1. Stop using the word “Busy” – You are not busy against your own control, we are actively choosing busyness and you can actively choose to eliminate the word from your vocabulary and the overwhelming nature of busyness from your life… it will take time, prioritization and sacrifice, but it is possible. Also, my side note that has nothing to do with this, try to stop using “tired” as an excuse as well. It starts to be like the boy who cried wolf. If you aren’t up to talking about something say “I’m not up to talking about that”, not “I’m tired”… It’s just a bad habit worth focusing on breaking. 2. Learn your strengths and release what is not important. This has been SUCH a lesson for me in my current season. It could also be to focus on what you want to b

A few months back, Bill and I decided we wanted to start making our own granola bars, since we want to avoid ingesting as many chemicals as possible, and I finally got around to doing it! A few notes on my method: I cut the sugar in half (and made sure to use organic) and added other "add-ins" (coconut flakes and a little dark chocolate) and guys... these things are not only delicious but they are healthy and hearty.  I think they could handle whatever additions you wanted to make - any dried fruit or nuts especially. We bought really good quality stone ground whole wheat flour, which holds more of the nutrients than standard flour, and I use almond milk.  I also up the cinnamon amount because its good for digestion.  This has been such a great grab and go breakfast, as Bill is out the door at 6 am these days, and I love having an easy breakfast option. Ingredients 4.75 ounces whole-wheat flour (about 1 cup) 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats 1 teaspoon grou

“Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” – Luke 12:15b The realization that stuff isn’t making me happy was bigger than it probably should have been for me lately.  I am in constant pursuit of more, but what if I get rid of a bunch of stuff then don’t replace the stuff I have left with anything until it breaks down?  For me, this is revolutionary, and has removed so much pressure from my day to day life.  Bill and I really are trying to figure out what it looks like to reject consumerism, but still value supporting small businesses and that sometimes the passion for less stuff can be just as distracting as the passion for more.  Our journey in this world is always about finding balance.  We can spend our lives shopping and rearranging, but does that really accomplish anything?  Once you have furniture in a room, can’t you just let it be?  Do we need to redecorate seasonally?  Or is that just another way to spend money? These are the kinds of thoughts rolling aro

This little fluff turned 1 yesterday! What a sweet pup Norm is and I can’t help but smile thinking about all the joy he has brought into our lives.  Happy Belated Birthday Norm Rooney.   So glad you are a member of the Rogers Family!

So many puppy snuggles Cleaning my house top to bottom Beer with my husband BBQ in our backyard Sunshine  Gardening Sleeping in past 6am Yoga at a brewery Ethiopian food Family beach walk Laughter Dancing in the kitchen Birkenstocks So much coffee Family time Paleo pancakes Lit candles Farmer's market Essential oils An old musical Bare feet Guacamole Grandma smiles

When I am out on a walk with Norm I listen to Pandora and recently a Regina Spektor song came on that really affected my spirit. I thought I would share the lyrics here and allow them to have the opportunity to impact anyone reading this. "Laughing With" No one laughs at God in a hospital No one laughs at God in a war No one’s laughing at God When they’re starving or freezing or so very poor No one laughs at God When the doctor calls after some routine tests No one’s laughing at God When it’s gotten real late And their kid’s not back from the party yet No one laughs at God When their airplane start to uncontrollably shake No one’s laughing at God When they see the one they love, hand in hand with someone else And they hope that they’re mistaken No one laughs at God When the cops knock on their door And they say we got some bad news, sir No one’s laughing at God When there’s a famine or fire or flood But God can b

I had the best intentions of posting this last month! The Saturday before the 4 th of July we threw a surprise birthday beer festival for Bill’s Uncle Al’s 50 th birthday and we PULLED. IT. OFF.  Bill’s cousin Meghan is a rock star and she had the whole thing on lock down.  Al thought he was coming to a BBQ at our house, but when he arrived friends and family were waiting outside to greet him with a beer themed Hawaiian shirt, a pretzel necklace and personalized beer tasting glasses.  He genuinely had no idea!   The day was full of fun and laughter.  “Our family taco guy" was in full force.  There was SO much good beer.  Everything went according to plan, and was even better than we imagined. I love having our home full of people.  It is such an honor to host a party and have people able to relax in the environment you help to create.    Happy 50th Al! We love you so much and hope you felt so spoiled!

I love being outside this time of year, and I have been filling my weekends with tons of time in the sun and exploring.  This past weekend Bill and I went to an outdoor movie night with a few friends around the corner from our house on Friday night.  The movie was Jurassic Park (so awesome right?) and there was a Korean BBQ truck and good beer… It’s how every Friday night should be.  Isn’t there something so wonderful about watching a movie under the stars?!  Saturday morning Bill and I tended to the garden, picked oranges, and admired how much is growing (including that wonderful lettuce crop and tons of green tomatoes just waiting to turn red!).  In the afternoon, we went up to LA with my sisters and brother in law and had incredible Thai food at Pok Pok LA , visited the Last Bookstore and checked out Grand Central Market LA .  It is so nice to just go on a little adventure with my family and laugh together.  I think the importance of laughter can be overlooked.  Oh and g

For me, Indian food is something really amazing. The flavors, the smell, the textures… it’s just it for me. I truly swoon.  Flavor bomb... in the best way. I also am a sucker for something that goes in the crock pot, so when I ran across this recipe on Pinterest I tried it very quickly. The amount that I loved it should be wrong… and guys… it’s pretty healthy.  so basically it makes me feel like a rock star. Ingredients 1 large cauliflower, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 large russet potato, peeled and diced 1 medium onion, peeled and diced 1 medium tomato, diced 1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and grated 2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated 2 jalapeño peppers, stemmed and sliced (seeds and all, if you like it very spicy; otherwise, remove the seeds) 1 Tbsp cumin seeds 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste (original recipe calls for 1 Tbsp cayenne; see reader comments) 1 Tbsp garam masala 1 Tbsp kosher salt 1 tsp turmeric 3 Tbsp cano

It has been awhile since I did a drop everything and get vulnerable post about something I am struggling with, but I never want anyone to think I have it all together, so here it goes. Lately, in every yoga class, my teacher’s seem to always mention that summer is here and bikini season is upon us and I cringe every time. However, it is not because I do not feel comfortable or confident in a bathing suit, but because things like that make me feel like I SHOULD NOT feel comfortable or confident until my body is rock hard and perfect by society’s standards. Let’s get something clear, I do not think a perfect body exists. I think it is something so many people are trying to attain and they miss out on all the life they could be living. There will always be something you want to change. Health is important, but the two DO NOT go hand in hand. Excess weight is not good. But having a six pack IS NOT IMPORTANT. You cannot convince me that God wants you to be the most chiseled

Bill and I had such a blast in Maui, and I had a few recommendations to pass along for anyone visiting this beautiful island in the future!  Most of them revolve around food and drinks, because, well... duh ;)  5 Palms    We affectionately call this restaurant on the water "Al's Bar" because I am pretty sure Bill's uncle Al would live in a hammock here if it was possible.  This was one of the first places we went when we arrived in Maui and one of those places that seemed too beautiful to be real.  It was such a gorgeous day and we shared pupus and drank a round of mai tais and just sunk into it.   5 Palms is a condo building and this bar/restaurant is on the ground floor and there is also a yoga studio below along the water where I took a class one morning.  The waves crashed and the class was gentle. I wish I had done that every single morning.  It was glorious.  Overall, I wouldn't miss this location.  It was blissfully wonderful.

This weekend was lovely and I thought I would share a few reasons why: 1. Mimosas with OJ squeezed from the oranges in our backyard always make me happy, and drinking out of champagne glasses is so fantastic. 2. Bill and I went to a community event a few miles away with a friend this weekend at an aquaponics farm in the middle of a neighborhood with grilled cheese and good beer and a DJ and it was just wonderful and we all left feeling inspired.  3. A sunflower started growing under our tangerine tree and it has finally bloomed!  Every day I look out my kitchen window at it and smile.  I feel like it should be the center of a motivational poster with a saying like “Never Give Up “ 4. I love my Rifle Paper Company calendar and every month when I get to flip to the new page I get more excited than I probably should.  I am loving June (major heart eyes). Hope your weekend had moments of happiness that caused you to be thankful fo

Oh my gosh you guys... We have been having such an adventure learning how to garden in our backyard (Well, I have, Bill gets it and is teaching me the ways, which is fun for him, so we all win!).  We built our own raised planter beds and filled them with compost and garden soil.  I never got it, the appeal was lost on me.  But I am WAY on board now.  We planted almost everything from seed (a couple tomato plants as the exception). It is about more than just the produce and the end result, there is just a therapy in getting your hands dirty and working in your own backyard.  I think it is giving both Bill and I a whole new round of pride of ownership. The pictures above are before and after, the before is right after we prepped the dirt for the boxes (it looked much worse with some rocks randomly in this open area when we moved in).  The end result looks fabulous, and it has spurred us to dream of owning a farm one day.  We have plans to continue to make it beautiful and put ro

Maui was incredible you guys. The bluest ocean, freshest seafood, amazing drinks, splendid yoga, tropical produce, shave ice, beach for days, gorgeous sunsets and sea turtles everywhere! It is three weeks later and it still hasn’t sunk in fully that we went, as we were only able to be there 4 days.  I will be posting again about some highlights of the trip and recommendations for future Maui goers, but for now, I just wanted to tell you it was a dreamy location and that the coconut water (pictured above) was glorious. More pictures and details to come. Happy Tuesday!

I am always on the hunt for a good summer salad recipe that is filling, but not heavy, and recently, I found two!  They would be the perfect addition to a Memorial Day BBQ, so I made sure to share them with you in time for the holiday weekend  J I assume everyone who enjoys hosting has a “go-to” generic salad, and are looking for something easy and simple to mix it up.  These are both refreshing and interesting, and I am very much into that. Ingredients 1 tablespoon chopped capers, rinsed and drained 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons olive oil 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper 1 (15-ounce) can unsalted Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained Cooking spray 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 cups loosely packed arugula 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion Directions: 1. Whisk together capers, rind, jui

Y’all!  I’m tired.   It’s been a busy week, and I got back into daily work outs this week.  Every muscle in my body hurts in a blissful way.  What a luxury to have the freedom and time to exercise for pleasure.  I did not realize how much my muscles needed to be WORKED.  I get a little stronger every day and I know this season of exhaustion will pass.  I have some posts in the works to fill you in on our growing garden and composting efforts and to tell you more about our trip to Maui!   Make sure to stayed tuned and have the most lovely of weekends.

My parents come to visit as often as they can, and every time I am blessed by their presence. We usually do not take off work when they are here, and use my vacation time for other trips, so they usually bounce around to visit me and my sisters for lunch and we are all together in the evenings (and obviously the weekend).  When I get my lunch turn with them, it is always my favorite time of their trips.  Just me and them talking through so much.  It is so different to talk on the phone than to be next to them, and I treasure those conversations.  So much.  Sharing fries, sampling each others sandwiches, discussing our love for certain TV shows, debating on books we read, it's all just so silly, but being together doing it is what life is about. Their most recent visit was at the end of March and on one of their last nights we rented a duffy boat in Newport Harbor for a few hours and cruised around singing random songs at the top of our lungs and eating barbacoa

Since I met Bill he has been talking about going back to spring training in Arizona, and this year we finally got to go!  We packed our car up and headed out on a Friday evening and our 4 hour drive turned into 7 when we finally arrived at Bill’s Aunt and Uncle’s house (Rain and a flooded highway… the stuff of good stories).  As soon as we arrived, I was so glad we came.  Paul and Alice are such wonderful hosts and have such a welcoming attitude.  They stayed up late to hang with us and that meant so much to us.  We had such a blast!  I cannot believe we have not gone sooner.  We hit two different stadiums, saw the Angel’s win, stayed up in the hot tub laughing, spent time with dear friends and family, visited a local brewery and soaked up some sunshine.  Bill and I love going to baseball games.  It was even worked into our wedding “theme”.  There is something magical about baseball stadiums, a tangible energy.  Maybe it is the yogi in me that senses the energy ha, but I am al

Bill and I fly out this morning to explore the beautiful island of Maui!   We are celebrating Bill's father being honored professionally, toasting to much more future success and having a Rogers family vacation.  Mai Tai's await us and I cannot wait to have that lei around my neck.   I am sure a post about all the fun we had will appear when we return, but for now Aloha and see you next week. I will be the one full of poke with tan skin and new island vibes!

My best friends are my siblings. As we get older, I am more aware that our relationship is rare. So many people have so much distance in their family and have a different experience of what siblings are to each other.  For me, every time we get together, it is coming home.  Should my parents ever leave their physical house entirely, those people will still feel like home (although the house they live in is magical and I should write about that for the world to hear).    I cry every time I leave my family, and I cannot help myself.  They make me feel like me.  Isn’t nostalgia an amazing force?! It's more than that though right?  It is a spiritual connection in a way.  We are tied to our family in such a unique compilation of emotions.  Putting it to words almost feels wrong, like there is no way to describe the force that exists between family.  Our parents love us more than I can comprehend and brought us up in church with Christian schooling, ballet, drama, and athl

My dear friend Heather wrote the following words on her blog, and I could not help but share her incredible story (She included more pictures of her new bundle of joy on her blog, so make sure to check those out!).  To say I am blessed to call this beautiful woman a best friend would not be to give her enough credit.  She continually impresses me and I am so proud to know her.   Heather Simone, I love you and your family and am so glad you have found so much joy with them.  You are an amazing person and someone who protects those that you love fiercely.  Your boys (that includes you too Rob!) are in good hands.  I only hope to be half the mom that you are one day. For Heathers Blog, Click this Link .   (Make sure to look back over her first born son's incredible story as well)   This girl has lot's to share with the world! Present Day- "You may want to consider a therapeutic abortion." Back in August, those words were spoken to me and as I sit

Y'all, I know what you are thinking.  Vegan Brownies?   Come on Ryan. Hear me out! These babies were easy, healthy and honestly tasted like a fudgey brownie! What's could be wrong with that?! There is a chance I will always have a batch of these in my fridge moving forward.  I'm TRYING to move towards a healthier mindset, although I crave French fries daily, but recipes like this are just the ticket to make me feel like I'm not missing much. Try it, and please let me know your thoughts.  Two thumbs up over here!  Ingredients 2½ cups loosely packed pitted dates 1 1/2 cups walnuts 6 tbsp cacao or cocoa powder 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract 2 tsp water 1/4 + 1/8 tsp salt 1/4 cup cacao or cocoa powder ¼ cup pure maple syrup (or raw agave) 2 tbsp vegetable or melted coconut oil 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract Instructions Combine the dates, walnuts, 6 tbsp cocoa, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla, water, and salt in a food processor. Proce