Beautiful Colorado

Sometimes I find it's necessary to pause life for a few days and mentally check out. My partner's sister had rented a house in the Rocky Mountains, and with an extra bed available and an open invitation we jumped at the chance to get out of town for a couple days. It was refreshing to spend a couple days relaxing our minds and enjoying the beauty of the mountains with the changing season. Home just hasn't been the same since losing Oscar. It's been hard to adjust to the quietness knowing he's not there to bark if something falls or if the curtains blow in the breeze. I miss his continuous demand for attention and love. Ugh, I so miss the silly beast!!

View of Turquoise Lake

But the get-away was good. We got in a lot of hiking as we explored the town of Leadville, CO. It's been 4 years since we've been there, but much is still the same. It was great to walk the Mineral Belt Trail which is an easy hike once your body adapts to the altitude. The town is 10,000 feet above sea level so sometimes the thinner air does get you. The Trail loops the town and provides ample photo opportunities of the stunning landscape, as well as a little history along the way of the old mines that built the town into a once very wealthy mountain town.


Downtown Leadville, CO

Other than the hiking we pretty much just chilled out and I got to do a bit of cooking. When I'm away I like to stick to recipes that are simple and straightforward while being general crowd pleasers. I really enjoy these classic Italian style meatballs made with both ricotta and parmesan cheese, and the farro, kale, and roasted butternut salad is a great complement as it has a lot of different textures going on. Plus the salad can substitute as an entree to a vegetarian as it has 7 grams of protein per serving.




Originally I saw the salad posted using strawberries which is also super delicious in the warmer months. But as the seasons change I like to swap the strawberries for roasted butternut squash.

Click for recipe.



There are so many different meatball recipes out there to choose from. Since finding this recipe from Food & Wine I must say it's become a regular. The lemon zest and red chili flakes were new ingredients for me to use in a meatball and I find they really add great flavor. Plus, adding the ricotta cheese helps to make them taste a little lighter as meatballs can sometimes taste a bit heavy.

Click for recipe.

Enjoy!

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