Alaskan Cruise

This summer seems to be the time everyone is going on an Alaskan cruise. It was no exception for us. We went on the beautiful Norwegian Bliss, a brand new ship that first set sail in June. We set sail the end of July and were lucky to have gorgeous weather. Everywhere we went, locals told us they never have this much sunshine.

 Our first stop was Ketchikan, an old Indian village and fishing town. We weren't here very long so we decided to create our own walking tour.

We even found all the totems.

Next stop on the cruise was Juneau, the state capital. Here we decided to take a kayaking trip around the Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls. We even picked up our own glacier baby which we later used as our pregnancy announcement.

After we had a delicious Alaskan salmon feast. I don't normally like salmon, or any fish for that matter, but this one was covered in a brown sugar glaze. Other than the pesky, tiny bones it was actually good. We took a short walk and saw the salmon in the stream.

The next stop on the cruise was Skagway, which was my favorite stop. It was a tiny little town full of beauty. We rented bikes and even dragged my cousin out of bed to go with us. We checked out a waterfall where we saw my mom and sister. It was a gorgeous day out, perfect for exploring.

Our last stop on the cruise was Victoria, Canada. I went to a tea garden with my mom, sister, aunts, and grandma. We enjoyed the beautiful garden and high tea complete with scones. I only know the girl behind the sandwich stand - she is my sister. The other ladies were seated at the same table and were nice to offer my pregnant self their last scone.

We had a great time on our cruise and enjoyed the wonders of Alaska. We will definitely be going back! I can now check off Alaskan cruise off on my bucket list.

When we got off the cruise, we had a few hours before our flight so we decided to explore Seattle. First stop was the Space Needle. We didn't go to the top but did take all our touristy pictures at the bottom. Next we went into the Science Museum and explored. 

We even got to try out some fun Virtual Reality before heading to the airport to go home.

Have you ever been on an Alaskan cruise?

Vodka Sauce Pasta in Crockpot

So with living in a trailer, we are always looking for an easy dinner recipe. I needed something we had most of the ingredients already and something easy (crockpot meal) that I didn't have to think about. I went on a search for just that and thanks to a few different sites, I found a recipe that fit both. 

I changed the recipe a little based on our tastes and my lack of enjoying tomato sauce. I decided to substitute Vodka Sauce for the Tomato Sauce but you can use whichever you please.

Ingredients to make Pasta

• 1 (24 ounce) jar vodka sauce (original recipe used tomato sauce)
• 8 ounces (uncooked) spaghetti (flour or whole wheat), break into small pieces before adding to meat mixture
• 1 cup low fat cottage cheese
• 1 cup skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• Kosher or sea Salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Ingredients to Make Ground Turkey

• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregano

Directions

1. Add all the Ground Turkey ingredients a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.
2. Cook ground turkey in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking into small pieces while cooking. (Ensure the turkey loses its pink color before removing from heat.)
3. Drain, discard any fat and set aside. Combine meat with sauce of choice (I used Vodka Sauce).
4. In a medium bowl combine cooked turkey with the remaining ingredients
5. Add all ingredients to slow cooker. 
6. Cover and cook on low 2 hours until cheese is bubbly. 
7. Add spaghetti and 3/4 cup of water
8. Stir thoroughly and cook for an additional hour until the spaghetti is cooked through.
9. Serve and sprinkle with parmesan if desired.