A Day in Taos

Last weekend my younger brothers and parents came up for a visit. Josh and my brother decided they wanted to go skiing in Taos on Saturday, so my parents and Jack and I spent the day exploring the town. I love Taos and was so excited to show my parents around since it was their first time there.

Taos is just a little over 2 hours from Albuquerque, so it's a great spot for a day trip or a weekend visit. The drive there is beautiful and takes you through Santa Fe, so you can incorporate a visit there too. We stopped in Santa Fe for dinner on the way back at one of our favorite spots, Rooftop Pizzeria (more on that later).

The guys drove up earlier in the morning so that they could start skiing when the lifts opened at 9:00. We took our time getting on the road, so we got there a little later. We began by driving up to the ski area, which is about 30 minutes from the town of Taos. The town is down in the valley, and has a very "New Mexican" look with adobe buildings, open land, and the beautiful desert landscape. As you drive up the mountain toward the ski area, the landscape changes dramatically. Along the windy mountain road you are surrounded with beautiful alpine scenery and a stream running along the road.

The base area of the ski resort is small compared to those of most Colorado ski resorts, but for New Mexico, it's a good size. There are a few hotels and condos, shops, and restaurants. We met the guys for lunch at Stray Dog Cantina. It's right at the base of the mountain with great views, good food, and a great drink selection. The prices are decent (especially for a ski resort). The food is primarily New Mexican style food as well as burgers, sandwiches, etc. We all enjoyed our food and I'm sure we will try it again next time we are there skiing. I think it would especially be a fun spot for grabbing a drink and food after a long day on the slopes!

After lunch on the mountain, we headed back toward town. Between Taos Ski Valley and the town of Taos is a cute little town called Arroyo Seco. It's a great place to stop for a little shopping and the best ice cream you will ever put in your mouth. Taos Cow is a fun little spot with a wonderful assortment of unique flavors of ice cream. They also serve breakfast and lunch, but I have only tried the ice cream. My parents and I all had the Cafe Ole flavor which is coffee ice cream with cinnamon and chocolate chips. Unbelievable. If this were not 2 hours away, I might eat this ice cream everyday.

After our short stop in Arroyo Seco, we continued on to Taos. It is much like Santa Fe with a main plaza surrounded by restaurants, shops, and art galleries. Although it is smaller, so it does not have quite as many options. But there is still plenty to see and do.

On our previous visit to Taos, we discovered Twirl Toy Store and Play Space. We fell in love with it, but at the time Jack was still an infant, so he couldn't enjoy it. Now that he is 2, this is the perfect spot for him. Behind the cute toy store they have built a great play space in their enclosed courtyard. It is open from 10am-6pm and is FREE!

When we are visiting new places it is always nice to find spots like this where we can let Jack play and burn some energy. He absolutely loved playing here and would have stayed all day if we let him.

This is perfect for toddlers all the way up to older elementary-aged children. There are also plenty of spots for adults to sit and visit while they watch the kids play. I noticed on their website that they have classes and special events too, so we may check that before our next trip to find out if there is something fun Jack might enjoy.

Thanks Twirl for creating such a lovely and fun spot for kids like Jack to enjoy during their time in Taos!

On our way home, we stopped in Santa Fe for dinner. My dad mentioned that pizza sounded good and we needed a place that would be kid-friendly, so we went to one of our favorites, Rooftop Pizzeria. This is a great place for delicious and unique pizzas and great views. It's also very kid-friendly, which is a little more difficult to find in Santa Fe. I split the Number 3 pizza which has Grilled Chicken, Green Chile, Cotija and Asadero Cheeses and Toasted Pinon with Alfredo Sauce on Blue Corn Crust. It was named the best pizza in New Mexico in Food Network Magazine's "50 States 50 Pizzas." This pizza was so delicious with a nice little kick of spice from the green chile, but nothing too powerful. And the blue corn crust was delicious too! I have loved every other pizza I have tried there on other visits too.

Saturday in Santa Fe

On Saturday we went to Santa Fe with some friends for the morning. The husbands went skiing and the wives and kids went to breakfast and played around town. I love living so close to Santa Fe. It is one of my favorite cities to visit, and each time I go I seem to find something new to enjoy about it and of course, I love going back to all my old favorites too!

We decided to eat breakfast at Cafe Pasqual's, which has become one of my favorite spots. The atmosphere is colorful and lively and the service is friendly. Please excuse the poor photo quality above. I was wrestling a squirmy toddler while trying to take it. We did not have to wait for a table thankfully, which would have been difficult with three kids under the age of four. Shortly after we sat down, it became very busy and many people were waiting. So be prepared to wait, it is a very popular place! The food here is fresh, delicious and unique. I ordered the French Toast, which was good and my friend ordered the Huevos Barbacoa con Chile D'Arbol Salsa and it looked amazing. She loved it. I definitely want to try that next time. I have only been to Pasqual's for breakfast, so I cannot say what it would be like during dinner, for instance, but from our experience, it is very kid friendly. It's loud enough that you don't feel your chatty kiddos will disturb everyone, and the kids loved the colorful, festive decor. Plus, they loved the French toast I ordered!

Many people consider Santa Fe more of a destination for a romantic getaway, or a trip with friends. Although it is perfect for both, it is also a great place to bring your family. In warm weather, there is plenty of hiking and outdoor activities plus a nice plaza with a grassy area in the middle for kids to run around. In the winter you can ski or enjoy other winter activities like snow shoeing  or sledding.

The ski area at Santa Fe does not have a "village" like many ski towns. There are no hotels, shops, or other amenities such as that at the mountain, just a day lodge with a food court, ski rentals, etc. It's a 16 mile drive from town. Although some may see this as a disadvantage, for many groups and families, this is an ideal set up. If not everyone in your group will be skiing, there are plenty of other things for them to do in the town of Santa Fe. Also, the weather in town is generally pretty mild compared to the mountain, so for those who are not big fans of the snow and super cold weather, they can stay in town. Although the mountain is not as good as Taos or those in Colorado, Utah, and other areas, it is still good skiing. If you live in the Albuquerque area, this is a great option as it is relatively close. My husband and his friend left in the morning, skied a half day, and were back in the afternoon.

After breakfast my friend and I took our kids to the Santa Fe Children's Museum. This is a great option for families with young kids. It was my first time to visit, and I was very impressed. It is not as big as other children's museums we've been to in bigger cities, but there were still plenty of fun things for the kids to do. I am pretty sure they would have stayed there all day if we would have let them! It is one big open room, which is very nice if you have multiple children to keep an eye on! Admission is $9 per person unless you are a New Mexico resident, then it is $6.

I also took my friend to my favorite store, Design Warehouse. It is filled with beautiful, modern furniture, and fun accessories for the kitchen and the rest of the home, including items for children. It's a great spot to find fun gifts and inspiring modern design.

I look forward to more visits to Santa Fe in the future, whether for the day or a weekend, with the entire family, or for a romantic getaway, it is a great place!

Juice, Toddler Food & Ranch Dinner

We are still trying to juice some, mostly in the mornings. The other day I used this combination of carrots, oranges, and spring mix/baby spinach. Pretty tasty! 

Preparing meals for toddlers can be difficult, and I often find myself in a rut of mac and cheese and grilled cheese. So, when I am a little more nutritionally minded, one of my favorite meals to cook for Jack is sauteed sweet potatoes. Just peel and chop sweet potatoes into bite size pieces then place in a bowl. Drizzle them with a little canola oil (or whatever oil you have on hand). I like to add chili powder and cumin and toss the potatoes around. Then saute them in a pan over medium high heat until they are a little crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Jack loves these and sometimes I serve them alone, or as I did above, with black beans.

This dinner is not pretty. Looks a little too monochromatic for me, but our broccoli went bad and I didn't have anything pretty to garnish it with. However, it was pretty tasty. The chicken, not so much, so I will spare you the details, but the potatoes were definitely something I will make again. For the potatoes I peeled and chopped 2 russet potatoes, placed them on a baking sheet, then drizzled them with olive oil and about 1/4 packet of ranch dressing mix. I stirred them around then baked them at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Just check them to see if you need to bake them longer. They should be lightly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.