Good As! : )

This is one of our new found favorite dishes. 

Quinoa Tacos (Good for lunch or dinner)

Ingredients:

1 Tbs olive oil

2 Cloves garlic, minced

1 cup quinoa

1 cup vegetable broth

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1 cup corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced

Juice of 1 lime

2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

1. Heap olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2. Stir in quinoa, vegetable broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Stir in avocado, lime juice and cilantro.

3. Serve immediately.

We like to eat it with corn tortillas and sriracha sauce!

Bicycling the Coast!

If you ever find yourself in New Zealand and need something to do, I have heaps of suggestions for you! I feel like I have said this about everything I have done here, but Bicycling along the coast was definitely one of my favorite things to do! : )  We rented bikes from a car/bike rental place just down from our apartment (Called HireBikes on Beach rd.) and from there we road right down the coast.

Kasia, Hamideh and I

 I know my Mom would love it!!

My mom would love this! You can play in these fountains all you want!! : ) 

We are so blessed.

We stopped at the beach to walk around and put our feet in the water and we ended up with free lunch! A company was trying out their new flavors of hummus to willing 'guinea pigs' : ) We were so willing!!
We got Hummus with veggies, baked chips, meat kabobs, fruit and drinks!! : ) YUMM!

: ) A little bit of Idaho in New Zealand.

Two Cooks, Six Hales, One Big Adventure

For Christmas vacation, we got to spend two weeks with Rex, Kari, Tanner, Andrea, Rachel, and Megan. We had Wonderful adventures traveling from one end of New Zealand to the other. You would have loved it.

Road trip to Paihia!!

Travel snacks: Check.

The view from Waipoua Forest 

 Make sure your feet are clean!

This is Tāne Mahuta,  a giant kauri tree  in the Waipoua Forest. 
(It is estimated to be between 1,250 and 2,500 years old. It is the largest kauri known to stand today. )

Pohutukawa (New Zealand's Christmas tree)

 The Hundertwasser Toilets in Kawakawa : )

This is part of the beach house we got to stay at in Paihia.

R. Tucker Thompson and the Bay of Islands.

Everyone gathered to the front of the ship to see dolphins!!

We got to stop off at an island just before lunch.

Lunch on the boat : ) 

Rainbow falls in Kerikeri

If you look close, you can see Andrea and Rachel, they wanted to climb behind the waterfall. 

Seeing those chickens made me think of my Momma. They made my day : )

This is my new favorite flower : ) 

The drive back to Auckland

We arrived back in Auckland, had lunch and then jumped on the plane to Queenstown.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!! : )

Queenstown!!

Our temporary home for the time we were in Queenstown was at the Turret bed and breakfast.

On one afternoon in Queenstown, Kasia and I were given the option of zip-lining or boating. Kasia stated that she and I would go boating, so I smiled and went along with her. As I asked her more about the boat we were going to be on, she made it sound like we would be going on a normal water boat down a really beautiful part of the River. I didn't think much of it.
A while later I found myself watching a boat full of people shoot down the river and go around in circles. I thought to myself, who would pay money to do something like that?
And then I realized... that was what we were going to be doing.
I was terrified. I started praying, asking the Lord for peace.
Through shaking hands and a thumping heart, I made it onto the boat and through the safety instructions. When we started to move, my heart skipped a beat and I thought I was going to die. And just then the thought was put into my mind that I had no need to fear. Our driver was well trained and knew exactly what he needed to do in order to keep us safe.
That ride turned out to be one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had in my life. It was so much fun!!

This is just another example of coming completely out of my comfort zone, where I have the most joyful, memorable and amazing experiences.

Queenstowns Gelato: Amazing!

The Rose Garden

L and P, world famous in New Zealand since ages ago : ) 

Zorbing!

(This is our version of Zorbing) : )

 The Luge

Hobbiton!

 Hamilton!

And to finish up our great adventure we stopped to get ice cream at Pokanos. So good!