Bear Canyon Hike in Tucson

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Happy back-on-track week. The week after a holiday is always the longest. Even my office computer decided it didn’t want to work, so I have a feeling this one will be especially long.

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I hope all of your Thanksgivings were as great as mine one. There were two big turkeys (one that we deep-fat fried for the first time ever!), my momma bear’s famous salad and copious amounts of wine, carbs, gluten free desserts—apple, pumpkin and chocolate cream pie, sugar cookie cutouts, pumpkin roll, pumpkin bread, applesauce and chocolate chip pancakes, the list goes on. We played Just Dance, danced in the kitchen, colored pictures, played in the snow, had family 7-Minute Workouts in the living room, made a gingerbread village per tradition and watched a lot of football. It was fantastic.

But now that I’m passed this sugar-filled weekend it’s time to get back on track and what better way to do that then by looking at pictures from a past hiking adventure, amiright?

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Seriously though, I hiked Bear Canyon in Tucson with a couple of friends a few weeks ago when I had a day off and it was awesome. The hike is fairly long, but you can take a tram up to the official trailhead to cut about 3 miles out of what would be an 8 mile hike. We choose this option due to a time constraint, and honestly that first 1.5 mile of trail is more like a road without much to see, so I would say it was worth the $4ish we paid (don’t quote me on that exact amount).

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This was my first trip to Tucson and I have to say, it didn’t disappoint. There is so much more I want to see and do there, but driving by the Catalinas, seeing Mount Lemmon and doing this hike through Bear Canyon was great. You start at the Sabino Canyon Visitors center where you can park and then walk or take the tram to the trailhead. The trail winds up through the canyon and crosses over the river about four times, so there is quite a bit of boulder-hopping. We struggled with this a bit, as well as following the trail at one point, but luckily we met a nice, experienced man Jeff who became our unofficial tour guide.

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The trail ends at a very rewarding waterfall and wading pool, well seven waterfalls to be exact. The river comes down into the canyon from the top of the mountain at this point called “Seven Falls.” It couldn’t be a more accurate name, there are seven waterfalls, each one landing in a shallow pool perfect for swimming. This would be a great spot in the summer time (just be wary of the heat in the canyon) as many people come here to splash in the water, lounge on the rock beach and climb up then slide down the rocks.

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After our hike ate a well-deserved Mexican meal at one of El Charro Cafe’s locations just down the road from the visitors center. The restaurant claims to be the U.S.’s first Mexican restaurant. I don’t know if it’s true, but I do know that the food was amazing and the happy hour prices were just as great. I had three tacos (mix and match even) for $5.

Like I said, perfect first trip to Tucson.

Southwest Breakfast Scramble

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southwestern_breakfast_scramble

Happy Thanksgiving week! The holiday season has officially arrived and I am so excited because that means I get to visit with tons of friends and family over great food and copious amount of wine. Aw, yeah.

It also means I have to go brave the cold weather, and dare I say, snow. I can’t talk about it, it’s making me shiver. Moving along.

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I haven’t quite reached that point in my life where I have enough square footage to entertain, but I love helping my family do it. Making large breakfasts every morning (sometimes—most of the time—accompanied by a mimosa bar), doing crafts with the kids, picking out the best movie to go with our popcorn and of course eating all the gluten free desserts in sight. OK, so maybe that last one doesn’t help too much, but someone’s got to do it.

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What I’m trying to say is, I guess I can’t fully relate to the stress of having a full house to feed, but with what experience I do have, breakfast has always been the hardest meal to cook for a large group. The standard in my family has become French toast, scrambled eggs and bacon. While this is one of the best breakfasts that exists, it’s also a lot of work (which is why I usually let my brother do all the cooking—thanks bro!). This Southwestern take on an egg and potato scramble whips up fast and stays warm without getting too soggy, too dry or just too gross making it perfect for entertaining a large group of family who are rolling out of bed at all different times of the morning.

Colorful bell peppers and tender onions grace soft, fluffy eggs and crispy potatoes. Topped with a little shredded cheese or sliced avocado this one-dish meal makes a light, yet flavorful and filling breakfast before the main event later in the day.

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Southwest Breakfast Scramble
Author: 
Serves: 1
 
Ingredients
  • ½ frozen breakfast potatoes/hash browns (cubed potatoes)
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ⅓ cup chopped bell pepper (whichever colors you like)
  • ¼ cup diced onion
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Optional toppings: Cilantro, sliced avocado, shredded cheese, salsa
  • NOTE: This recipe makes one serving, multiply the ingredients by the number of people you have to serve to make a larger batch for entertaining.
Instructions
  1. In a small skillet, heat the canola oil on high. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown and crispy. Salt and pepper to taste, dump on a plate and set aside.
  2. Return the pan to the stove and lower the heat to medium-high. Add the olive oil, peppers and onion, cook until tender.
  3. Meanwhile lightly beat the eggs and milk. Add to the pan with the veggies and reduce to medium-low. As the eggs start to set up, drag a wooden spoon through them, pulling the cooked eggs to the center. Do this until the eggs are completely cooked. Place on top of the potatoes and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Top with any desired toppings and serve.
  5. NOTE: This recipe makes one serving, multiply the ingredients by the number of people you have to serve to make a larger batch for entertaining.

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This recipe, like most of my recipe, only makes one serving (it’s great for every day, not just entertaining!). To make enough for a houseful of people, just multiply the ingredients by the number of people you have to serve for a big batch.

Chunky Black Bean Soup

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So how about that cold, huh?

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OK, yeah, yeah, yeah, so I live in Phoenix and it’s not that cold or whatever, but those early morning/late night 50 degree temps are feeling pretty frigid to me. I’m currently wearing two sweatshirts plus I pulled out the long socks and all of the blankets. Biggest wimp ever. I don’t envy you people in the northern states right now. But if you need a vacation from the cold, let me know, I have an air mattress.

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Even if it’s not that cold here, soup has been hitting the spot every single day lately. You know along with the three cups of tea I have to drink to keep my body temperature up. Okay, I’ll shut up now about this cold. But I won’t shut up about soup. Soup wears many hats (Many bowls? Something like that…). The delicious hat, the (usually) healthy hat and best of all , the easy hat. I love to whip up a big ole’ batch of soup on the weekend, pack it into mason jars for the week and grab one on my way out the door each morning to enjoy for an easy (and cheap!) lunch at the office.

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I took one of my favorite recipes my mom would make, and turned it into a soup that has major Southwest flair. Chunky Black Bean Soup packs the perfect protein punch with its beans and brown rice, adds in all the fiber and vitamin-goodness of onion, tomatoes and garlic and mixes in the delicious flavors of chili, cumin, cilantro and lime.

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Chunky Black Bean Soup
Author: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with chilies
  • 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • ½ tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • ½ cup rice
  • Optional toppings: cilantro, avocado, shredded cheese, lime wedges for squeezing
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the onions and garlic until tender and fragrant.
  2. Add the tomatoes, black beans and spices, mix and let heat through.
  3. Add the broth and bring to a boil.
  4. Stir in the rice, lower heat to low or medium-low and cover. Cook for 45 minutes.
  5. Once rice is tender serve with preferred toppings.
  6. TIP: If eating as leftovers, add more broth before reheating as the rice will absorb more moisture as it sits in the fridge.

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