Cabo San Lucas

Our final port of the cruise was to Cabo San Lucas. Like I said before, we were supposed to start off in Cabo. Since we moved it to the last day, we only had a few short hours to be there which was a bummer, but it was lots of fun! We docked at 7am, and were some of the first off the boat. We found a guy to take us out on a boat and show us Lover's Beach (which was unfortunately "closed" because of the swells and waves) and then went snorkeling. It was such a blast! I also have such anxiety jumping off the boat, or right before I snorkel. I had to do a few breathing exercises beforehand, ha!

As we were getting off of the boat, we saw a million towel animals! It was so cool!

Unfortunately we didn't take a ton of pictures under water, mostly video footage. You can watch that here!

After we snorkeled, we got dropped off at the beach, and immediately snuck into another pool! We drank lava lava's and relaxed in the giant hot tub. We then sat on the beach, and walked around downtown!

We hopped back into the ocean before we had to leave, and we almost missed our boat! We didn't realize that the harbor didn't connect, so the walk was longer than we thought. We were able to get a water taxi but only to the other side of the beach, because we only had a $20 or three $1's, and Tanner didn't want to get pesos for change (the boat ride was $3 each, so they couldn't take us all the way…). Right as they dropped us off, we jumped off the boat..Tanner was barefoot and carrying the backpack and our snorkel gear, and I was carrying a huge bowl we had bought. We started spriiiintttiiiing and right as we did, the boat's horn went off. I thought for sure they were going to leave us, because we had heard so many of those stories, and heard that when they do the horn, you better get back asap. I wanted to stop because we were so far away, we hadn't drank any water, and it was SO hot. I couldn't do it. I said a few choice words and then Tanner whipped me into shape and told me to keep running. Every local we saw were yelling "ándale'" and "rápido" to us, I wanted to cry. We made it on the last boat, and Tanner and I didn't talk the whole boat ride back to the cruise boat. And then we laughed, and laugh about it now!

We loved going to the Broadway and comedy shows at night. We were all also a little obsessed with the money claw in the casino and played it too many times. We had SO much fun, and already talk about going on another!!

The last sea day was pretty stormy, so we stayed inside all day. We had entered a contest for an art piece and decided that we would split the profit (we thought we were winning the $30,000 art piece to end up selling) we ended up both being winners. Cole guessed spot on at $27,500 and Tanner guessed $27,400, and we got to pick two art pieces that are probably only worth $100 or so, but we like to say we are art collectors now! :)

soooo snobby….

Tanner also won his "24-carat gold plastic ship on a stick" for the bean bag competition, and was pretty excited about it! 

Such a pretty sunset to end the trip

Our wonderful and amazing steward, Felix. He took such great care of us!

Everyone go on a cruise!!!

Mexican Riviera

Here is a little video from our recent cruise to the Mexican Riviera with Carnival! We had an absolute blast, and already want to go on another one!!

Clean Nachos

Tanner and I have been trying to eat a little cleaner, when we can, and when we don't have birthday parties to attend with desserts galore, or because we really like pizza, etc. We made these nachos on Saturday, and had plenty of leftovers for Sunday dinner as well. It was delicious, and although my sweet potato weren't "chips", eating with a fork was still very satisfying. Note: my guac was simply just some mashed avocados, lime, pepper, and a dash of garlic salt. And, we used ground turkey, not beef. You really can play these up any way you want! Give them a try!

image via

Ingredients

1. 2 medium tomatoes, diced and seeded
2. 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
3. 1-2 tbsp lime juice
4. 2 cups guacamole
5. 2 tbsp green onions, chopped

For the sweet potato chips

1. 3 large sweet potatoes
2. 3 tbsp melted coconut oil
3. 1 tsp salt

For the meat

1. 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
2. 1 tbsp coconut oil
3. 1 green chili, diced
4. 1 lb. ground beef
5. 2 cloves garlic, minced
6. 1 tsp smoked paprika
7. 1/2 tsp ground cumin
8. 1 tbsp tomato paste
9. 12 oz. canned diced tomatoes
10. 1 tsp salt
11. 1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions

1. To make the sweet potato chips, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Peel the sweet potatoes and slice thinly, using either a mandolin or sharp knife. In a large bowl, toss them with coconut oil and salt. Place the chips in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then flip the chips over and bake for another 10 minutes. For the last ten minutes, watch the chips closely and pull off any chips that start to brown, until all of the chips are cooked.
2. While the potato chips are baking, start preparing the beef. Melt the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and chili to the pan and sauté for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the ground beef and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the garlic, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and remaining spices and stir well to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer and then turn the heat down to medium-low. Cook, covered, for 20-25 minutes, stirring regularly.
3. Stir the chopped tomatoes, lime juice, and cilantro into the beef mixture. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
4. To assemble the nachos, form a large circle with the sweet potato chips on a platter. Add the beef mixture into the middle of the circle, and then top with guacamole and green onions.

Notes

1. Servings: 4-6
2. Difficulty: Medium

San Francisco's Food

After all that delicious Thanksgiving food, I decided to take it back to The Bay and talk about more food. Here is a guide to eating your way through SF!

 Boudin (Lunch)

 

We went to Boudin on our first day in SF after our voyage to Alcatraz. I had the classic clam chowder in a bread bowl, and Tanner ventured to a crab cake sandwich and fries. We also filled up on some endless root beer, and it was the perfect meal for our hungry selves! The clam chowder was different than I’ve had before, but it was unique, I liked it. Chunky, and good. The sourdough wasn’t as sour as I was hoping (I love me some good sourdough) but you can’t complain about some yummy carbs after a day of walking. Tanner’s sandwich was interesting (he loved it!) I’m just not a huge fan of crab cakes. But it all tasted soooo good. Especially by the third root beer. (!)

I think this is a must, just to experience the atomosphere of Fisherman's Wharf!

Highly Recommend

Ideale (Dinner)

We were recommended by our cousins to try Ideale, a delicious Italian Restaurant in China Town. Crazy that I’ve heard the best Italian food happens to be in China Town! We were told it was their absolute favorite, so we went in with high hopes. It did not disappoint. I was still stuffed from Boudin that afternoon, so I opted for a prosciutto wrapped pear appetizer that was so refreshing and good! Though, I wish I had gotten the house lasagna like Tanner, because I’ve never tasted better lasagna in my LIFE! The restaurant was a classic Italian family’s teeny place, and they were all sooo kind, and man, Italians talk LOUD! It was so fun to eaves drop! It wasn’t in the best area, but I loved the lights that were strung above the whole area. The atmosphere was so fun!

Highly Recommend

Unami Burger (Lunch)

I had read many reviews and heard from friends that this place needed to be tried. The location that we found during our bike ride was so cute, and I was already excited to try it. We all got different burgers: Brother:Manly Burger Husband:The Especiale Me:A Turkey Avocado Burger that isn't on the online menu Parents:I can't remember what they got!

 The fries were good, but not outrageous. They bring dipping sauces for your fries (if you ask-we are so used to Utah!) and they weren’t “fry sauce” they were more unique and different. My burger got pretty soggy near the end, but I thought it tasted good. We were glad we tried it, but we weren’t blown away.

This is where we learned that SF doesn’t put ice in their water…?

Recommend-not top on our list

 

Tropisueno (Dinner)

We were looking for good Mexican food, and our hotel’s concierge showed us the way! This restaurant was located at the Yerba Buena Gardens and since we had a bit of a wait (make sure you call ahead) we were able to explore a little bit. We were sat down with some delicious chips and 3 different salsas. They were so good, so we knew the rest of the food was going to be absolutely amazing. Husband, Brother, Dad: Tampiqueno Mom: Chicken Taco and Chicken Enchilada combo Me: Chicken Flauta and carne asada taco.
We were super stuffed at the end of our meals, with absolutely delicious food.

Highly Recommend

Ghirardelli (Dessert)

Hopefully you’re already familiar with Ghirardelli chocolates, or their other Ghirardelli Square locations, but if you’re not, it’s time to jump on the bandwagon. Their stuff is the bomb. And when I mean the bomb, I mean the bomb. I’m totally a sundae girl, and there’s nothing better than some Ghirardelli fudge and caramel drizzled on my ice cream oh, and with a brownie. It’s so delicious, and well worth the steep hill bike ride we took through China Town to get there! You really can’t go wrong with their sundaes, and I don’t know if I can wait another 6 months to go to the San Diego location!!

Highly Recommend

Mama’s (Breakfast)

Woowee was this place good! I’m SO glad we stood in line for this place-well worth the wait and experience! If you know you’re going, plan ahead to wait in line before it opens at 8, and you’ll get in sooner. Even if you do have to wait, Washington Square is such a fun place in town, and if you’re with a group, you can take “shifts”!  This just in: They’re opening another location down the street-less crowds-or more..! We decided on all sharing the ­­­Crumb Cake and an apple dish one of the owners recommended. We had plenty of food, but almost not enough. ;)
Brother:Banana Pancakes Husband:Monte Cristo Dad:An Egg's Benedict Mom:The Californian Omelette Me:Washington Square Omelette
Because you have to wait in line, they bring your food to you lickety split and with fresh jam! The family atmosphere was so inviting, and I would for sure go back.

Highly Recommend

CREAM (Dessert)

We stopped in San Jose to visit Tanner’s cousin and fiancé, and we enjoyed some homemade cookies with some ice cream smooshed in between them. So yum! I always love a good ice cream sandwich with your choice of cookies and ice cream. But let’s be real, I could just eat desserts all day, duh.

 Recommend

La Boulange (Bakery & Café-Breakfast)

I went to breakfast alone, but I can’t complain. I had a delicious chocolate croissant with a great, relaxing view. I ordered a fresh squeezed OJ, a chocolate hazelnut croissant (oh yeah!), and an almond croissant. They both had this same paste in it that made it so moist (ew I hate that word) and delicious. I saved half of each for Tanner after his interview (his fav is almond) and they were still so fresh! I wish I would have gotten some of the heartier things on the menu to try, but I can’t pass up a chocolate croissant, I just can’t.

Highly Recommend for a quick cafe breakfast

Tacolicios (Dinner)

My absolute favorite place we went. I don’t know if it was because I was hungry, or just because I seriously loved our last night in the city, but these street tacos were on POINT! Our cousins recommended this place as well (I can send you their 5 page list if you visit!) and I seriously dream about them at least once a day. I’ve asked Tanner a couple times if we can go back just to get some tacos. We also got a quesadilla to share. The salsas were such a unique flavor too! We were racing from China Town to catch an Uber to the airport but needed food fast. We told them that, sat at the bar, and ate and paid within 15 minutes. They have great service and definitely put their customers first!
We got: Short Rib, Carnitas, and Chicken tacos, and a Carnitas Quesadilla

Highlyyyyyy Recommend

If you visit, please go to the one near Bi-Rite Creamery. This was on my list of things to do (that didn’t happen-but it will next time!). I wanted street tacos followed by some homemade creamery. SO if you visit, please do this and tell me how amazing it was. Better yet, bring me some tacos home.

There was a dinner and a lunch that aren’t worth mentioning, but all in all the food was amazing like everyone says. When I see other people visit via social media, I realize that we missed out on some other amazing places! I hope we can go back soon so that we eat more and more! I would love to hear of your favorite places to eat as well so that I can keep a running list of places to go.

Visit SF at your earliest convenience, I love that city and its yummy food!