Home Video: Anderson Girl's Trip San Francisco 2014

This last weekend my mom took my sisters and I to San Francisco for the weekend. We have been talking about a girl's trip for years and we finally made it happen! We pretty much ate our way through the city with some biking, walking, shopping and doing lots of touristy things in between. Thank you mom for the awesome trip! 

(Sorry if it's not the smoothest video. I couldn't find my GoPro pole…)

Anderson Girls Trip San Fran 2014 from ashley kirkland on Vimeo.

Wellness Wednesday: PB Banana Date Shake

This is so easy and delicious! When I really wanted dessert last night I just made this instead and it totally satisfied me. By using PB2 (powdered peanut butter) you cut out the fat/oils that are in peanut butter. And I used almond milk which is lower in calories and fat than milk. But you could use normal milk and normal PB if you don't have these. 

The measurements of the ingredients are not set in stone. You can add more ice if you want it thicker. 

INGREDIENTS:

-half of a banana

-3 or 4 dates (pitted)

-2-3 tbsp PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter (With Chocolate) 6.5 oz 

-3/4 cup of Almond milk

-4-5 cubes of ice

Mix and blend together. I use a Nutri Bullet. 

Enjoy!

Surprise Anniversary Trip to California!

Casey surprised me with a trip to CA for our 5-year Anniversary! He had the flights and hotel all taken care of. It was a very pleasant surprise. We were going to get a hotel somewhere in Utah like Sundance or Salt Lake but Casey pulled this one off and surprised me. He was able to work in LA for a couple of days and we went down for a whole week. 

My mom took us Chase and I to Disneyland with one of her tennis friends for the day. Chase is still a little too young for D-land but he loved the people watching! His favorite ride was Ariel- he likes to sing with her. 

For our Anniversary we went to the temple and did sealings in the same room we were sealed in 5 years ago.  Then we got lunch in Westwood at this awesome pizza place called 800 degrees. We then drove up the Ventura to check into our hotel and surf! Seriously Ventura is the best kept secret in Ca. We stayed ON THE BEACH for so cheap and had an awesome ocean view. You can walk everywhere too. The cute little town, restaurants, movies, pier, boardwalk are all so close. And the best part is there is a world-class point break right there! if you surf you will appreciate this. 

To say we had a good time would be an understatement. We surfed a couple times (no one was out!), road bikes, walked the pier, saw a movie, went to the original Patagonia store, and ate lots of good food. It was so refreshing to just be with Casey and not have to worry about Chase. 

The rest of the weekend we just hung out with my parents. We went to the beach one day and surfed Malibu. I spent lots of time laying out by the pool while Chase took naps and Casey got a lot of golfing in. It was such a fun trip! Getting away from the cold Utah winters is so necessary! I'm so lucky I have been able too!

 My cousin Kate Hansen was in the Olympics for luge so we wore shirts to support her. 

 we are very romantic…..haha

 Dinner at Lure Fish House in Ventura. So good!

 the view from our room!

 Back in Pasadena. We checked out this new place for lunch. Good but a little too trendy. 

We spend Sunday morning down in Dana Point. Went to Stacks for breakfast. So delicious!

 Chase loves Malibu!

 Our attempt of a family picture

 secrets

 Chad and Chase

Chase had so much fun with Grandma and Grandpa. Thanks so much for watching him!

Baby Chase 10-12 Months Video!

I made another home video of Chase! This one is pretty short. I have been slacking on filming the little guy. I did get a lot during our mommy and me swim lessons though.
Enjoy!

Chase 10-12 month from ashley kirkland on Vimeo.

Five Years!

It's been five years and one day since Casey and I were sealed in the Los Angeles Temple! I can't believe how fast time flies. During that time we've had three moves, two college degrees, five jobs, many trips to CA and one beautiful baby boy! 

I am so grateful for Casey in my life and I don't know where I would be today without him. When I look back on our early years of marriage I realize how much I have grown and matured. Marriage has definitely changed me for the better. It has made me more selfless, it has taught me how to be a better communicator and it has given me the opportunity to be a mother! 

I am so blessed to have Casey by my side and I can't wait to see what the next five years will bring! 

Wellness Wednesday: Frozen Banana Bites

It's been a while since I did one of these posts! Sorry :(

So I got this idea from one of the food instagram accounts that I follow and I kind of made it my own. These are super easy to make and you can do a number of variations. I have moments where I really want something sweet! Especially before dinner or at night. These are perfect because they are small and pretty healthy, made with a small amount of almond or peanut butter and dark chocolate. 

Ingredients:

-2-3 bananas- fairly ripe

-1/3 cup of almond/peanut butter (i just scooped out of the jar)

-1/4 cup dark chocolate (try to do 60% cacao or more)

Directions:

-cut up the bananas in 1/2 inch slices

-make banana sandwiches with almond/peanut butter in center

-place on baking sheet or pan on wax paper or silpat

-melt chocolate in glass bowl in the microwave in 20 second increments stirring in between

-drizzle chocolate on top

-place in freezer for an hour or two

-take out and store in a ziploc or tupperware in freezer

**I had extra chocolate so I dipped raspberries and froze those as well- SO GOOD.