(Photo credit: Therese Barrett Photography Lubbock)

 I can’t believe that 2013 has come to an end! There are so many things that happened this past year and maybe thats why I felt like it went by so fast for our family.

Olivia was just a month or two old when my mom had a stroke leaving her with paralysis on her right side. She spent about a month at MD Anderson before moving her home to where she is now. Shortly after her leave from the hospital, Shaun and I decided that it was time for us to say goodbye to Houston and move closer to family in Lubbock. In September we made the move and we haven’t looked back since. Well, that may be a little lie because I miss our first home, friends, co-workers and my job.

Now on to some good news finally!

We absolutely love Lubbock and being so close to family and friends. I went to college here and I can’t wait to get back involved with my sorority and my alma mater. This next month I will be posting kid and family recipes at Lubbock for Kids. I am super excited about my working venture with this fun website and what it has to offer our city.

Olivia started PDO (parents day out) in November and it finally allowed me to get back to the blog at least a couple of times a week. I went from posting 5 times a week to 3. (Hope you all don’t mind)  Also, at the end of October I signed up to be a Nerium Brand Partner. I am now at Director level and love what this product does for men and women. Nerium and A Zesty Bite both keep me pretty busy during the week.

On to the food portion, FINALLY! I have included A Zesty Bite’s top recipes for 2013 along with some favorites of my own. Hope you enjoy and I can’t wait to see what 2014 has in store for our family!

In random order:   

Chile Relleno Rustico
Taco Soup
Crockpot Cheesesteak Pulled Chicken – Tried and True Post
Oreo Toffee Brownies
Tex-Mex Quinoa Salad – Guest Post
Firecrackers
Cauliflower Gratin
Chili Rubbed Salmon with Peach Pineapple Salsa
Sun-dried Tomato Crusted Salmon
Adult Strawberry  Lemonade
Wild Boar Pappardelle
Hatch Chile Cheese Bread
Chicken and Kale Casserole – Guest Post