20 in my 20th: #12 Summerhaven!

12. Go to Summerhaven at the top of Mt. Lemon, ride the ski-lift.
 
I did this just over a year ago! Spring is in full swing in Tucson around this time of year and it's wonderful. Down here on the desert floor its warm and breezy during the day (usually anywhere from 70-90 degrees) and slightly cool and mild at night, just enough for you to want a light cardigan. It also smells like honeysuckle all the time which is wonderful. That's going to go away soon I'm sure so I'm loving it while it lasts!

Tuscon is surrounded by big beautiful mountains, many of which are full of hiking trails, swimming holes, and campsites. Mt. Lemmon is the most popular mountain as it's the tallest point in the Santa Catalina mountains and has a tiny little town (Summerhaven) and the Mount Lemmon Ski Valley at the top. It happens to be the southernmost ski location in all of the continental United States, so that's pretty cool.Way up at the top of Mt Lemmon it's still pretty brisk and chilly, and there's even still snow on the ground. It warms up during summer but remains pretty mild- a stark contrast from the sweltering dessert heat. Hence the name 'Summerhaven'.

I have nice memories of visiting the Snow Bowl in Flagstaff with my Dad (where he and I went skiing last month) during fall and riding the ski lift. There was no snow at that time, but it was fun just to be up in the air and look at all the colorful changing leaves. Afterwards we got cups of gumbo soup in the ski restaurant. This memory, along with my curiosity and desire to get a mini vacation from the warm weather inspired me to visit Summerhaven and ride the ski lift up there. It's a decent drive up the mountain (about 45 mins-hr) so Colton and I made a day trip out of it last spring.

It was really fun! Except that between the time that I was 9 or 10, riding the ski lift, and when I was 20 life things happened and apparently I developed a fear of heights. That I didn't really realize I had until I was up in the air. So that was fun. I tried to distract myself by taking photos and trying not to imagine crashing to the frozen-solid snow and rocks 30 feet below me.

All these little shops (aside from the informational one where you buy lift tickets) were closed when we went. I bet in winter when there's lots of fresh snow they're really fun to check out!

pretty view from the top

this is windy point, a lookout spot about half way up the mountain that people like to check out and climb around. Great views of the desert below from here!

I didn't take any pics of Summerhaven sadly, but there wasn't much to it aside from some reaaaally nice cabins and a general store. Pretty cute though! Looked a lot like the neighborhood you drive through right before you get to Frog Falls, Prescott people.

Even though the ski lift ride induced more anxiety than I was expecting, it was a fun day trip and a nice chance to get out of the desert for a bit. Maybe next winter I'll try out some actual skiing, now that I kind of know how (22 in 22? maybe!)

<3

Healthy and Delicious Vegetable Soup

So, this past weekend I went up to Prescott and then Flagstaff to spend some time with my parents and to go skiing with my Dad. I hadn't gone skiing since I was very little so it was definitely interesting... I got up at 6 am (which is SO early for me... closer to my usual bedtime than the time I usually wake up!) and we got to the Flagstaff Snowbowl around 8. I was pretty unsure of my abilities and was basically downright terrified for the first bit. I could only go across the slope in an ever-so-slight decline (as opposed to going vertically down the slope) at a snail pace... and I was on the bunny hill (which toddlers were learning on!). BUT, we took a two hour lesson from 10-12 and it helped so much! I fell a few times, but after a couple tries I was able to stop myself, turn, speed up and slow down, and actually go down the slope in the direction intended. After the lesson, I was able to go down the entirety of the hill easily and even rode the ski lift to one of the higher starting points and managed to ski from there as well!

Unfortunately during the first half of the day I stupidly forgot to put on sunscreen... even though it was just a few morning hours, my face got SCORCHED! Having never really skied before I didn't know snow sunburn was such a serious thing. Basically you get double sunburn from the sun reflecting off the bright white snow. Anyways, by the next day my face was bright pink (aside from a few attractive pale sections from my hat... ugh) and blistered! The blisters turned to scabs and now for the past couple days my face has been dry, tight, flaky, and still bright red. I can't WAIT for it to heal and for my face to go back to normal. Working the counter at Brooklyn on Sunday and Monday was NOT fun.

That was really the only low of my weekend... the rest of the (short) time was spent with my aunt and uncle in Flagstaff and my parents in Prescott. I don't have the opportunity to come home all that often, but it's nice when I do because it's kind of like being a teenager again. I can sleep in my old (pink) room with all my old things, sit on an actual couch (not a futon!) and watch an actual tv (not a laptop!), and eat from a fridge full of food I didn't have to pay for (or cook!). The last thing is particularly nice because my parents eat very healthfully... and they have the money and skillz to do it right and make it super delicious!  I try to be very health conscious down here in Tucson, but it's expensive.. and between cooking from scratch every day (on top of school, work, and everything else), researching recipes, and meticulously calculating, counting, and recording calories... it is work. When I can open a fridge and have a ton of fresh, healthy stuff already there ready to eat, it makes me happy.

And that's where this vegetable soup comes in. My mom made some last week from a recipe loosely based on the 7 day diet 'wonder soup' (oh gee, another crash diet that has you eat practically no calories in order to lose 10 pounds in a week- miraculous!). This version bulks up the veggies, adds spices, vegetable broth, and tomatoes (and V8, if you like) for flavoring, and comes with no hyperbolic weight loss claims! At 60 calories a cup though, it doesn't really need to.

I ate this with a simple soup for lunch 2 of the 3 days I was out of town... it probably would have been 3 for 3 but I spent one of the days on the slopes! It is SO yummy and filling. I liked it so much that today, 3 days after being back in Tucson, I whipped up a batch for dinner tonight and lunch for the next few days. It was so easy too. If you're looking for a simple, low calorie, nutritious meal you can eat throughout the week, definitely try this one out! It's the perfect thing alongside a salad or sandwich.

I was going to take pictures while I was making this to go with the recipe... I took a picture of the veggies sauteing... and then put my camera down and forgot about it. Oops. I do have a picture of the finished product before I had it at my parents' house.

Simple Vegetable Soup 
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
2 large carrots, diced
2 large celery stalks, diced
1 large green bell pepper, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp  fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (omit if you do not like heat)
1 box (4 cups) vegetable broth (I used Safeway O Organics brand)
1 14.5 oz can diced italian stewed tomatoes (regular Safeway brand)
1/2 head cabbage, roughly chopped
2 cups baby spinach
4 cups water (or v8, if desired)

1. Heat olive oil in large pot.
2. Add onion, carrots, celery, and bell pepper. Sautee 5 minutes, or until slightly softened.
3. Add salt, pepper, spices, and garlic. Continue to cook until veggies begin to brown.
4. Add vegetable broth and tomatoes. Bring to a boil.
5. Add cabbage. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until beginning to soften.
6. Add spinach. Stir to incorporate until spinach has fully wilted.
7. Add water and/or v8 and boil to reach desired broth:veggie ratio. Taste and adjust  seasonings.

That's it!

This recipe (made with water) makes about 9.5 cups with a 1 cup serving equaling about 60 calories.
The total calories for the recipe is only 557! Crazy, right? It will be about 200 more if you use 4 cups of v8 as opposed to water... so then it would be about 80 calories a cup. Still fantastic.

The salad is a mix of spinach, arugula, and kale with cucumber, carrot, cherry tomatoes, onion, celery, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice for dressing.