***Looking for the Cheese Stuffed Meatball Sliders shown on KCCI this morning?
Click here for the recipe!***
Last weekend my friends and I were discussing our pact to get botox together on our 30th birthdays.
I know.
We made said promise when we were only 24 or 25 years old. Back then it was nearly impossibly to imagine that we’d actually turn 30 someday, and figured we would’ve all turned into horribly disfigured prunes by then – hence the botox pact.
As our talk progressed, the light bulb moment eventually came when we realized, holy crap, 30 is less than two years away! How could this be?
Where has the time gone?!
My parents and husband always tell me not to discount the amazing things I’ve been able to do and see thus far in my short little life. Still, I feel like there is more I want to do and see before I turn 30 which, while still so young in the grand scheme of things, is a big milestone!
So, I made a list (obvi… 
)
A list of all the things I want to accomplish before I wave goodbye to my 20s in, GULP, 20 months’ time. Dream big!
30 Things To Do Before I’m 30
- Hang glide, sky dive or bungee jump
- Put another stamp in my passport
- Organize/upload all my important photos to Snapfish for safe (hopefully) keeping
- Meet someone famous
- Take flying lessons (I am obsessed with learning how to fly a plane!)
- Kick my diet soda habit for good (although you guys would be so proud of me – I went like 3 weeks without one, then finally caved and had a can yesterday. Stress drinking.
) - Make homemade pie, including the crust, from scratch
- Redesign the blog
- Start actual, real architecture plans for our future dream home
- Take a vacation with my entire family (brothers, children, parents, spouses/significant others – this one might be tricky! )
- Stand on the clear platform at the Grand Canyon
- Go back to Hawaii
- Redecorate my guest bedroom
- Have children
- Volunteer on the regular
- Read at least one book a month
- Purchase Iowa Hawkeye season football tickets
- Run another half marathon (ugh, I said it.)
- LLC IGE
- Take a short leave of absence from work to travel (and convince Ben to also!)
- Put my recipes into some sort of printed collection
- Buy a SUV
- Go cliff diving
- Get to know my neighbors
- Complete a total body transformation program (a la Kosama or Farrell’s)
- Go deep sea fishing
- Find the perfect little black dress
- Donate more money
- Cross off at least one place from my life’s wanderlist
- Go surfing
So there it is! (Sorry for no intense 30th item or something!) These aren’t all bucket list-level items, per se, but they’re all things I would like to look back on one day and say – why yes, I did that in my 20s!
To 30, and beyond! 
In other, far less dramatic news, I whipped up a fun and yummy twist on a comfort food classic for dinner tonight – Chicken Enchilada Pasta!
This dish tasted exactly like the enchiladas my Mom made for us growing up. Which is strange because she always used ground beef, while I used shredded chicken tonight…but whatever. You get it.
This two-pot meal can be partially made ahead of time by cooking and shredding the chicken, and chopping up the veggies and toppings, which makes it ideal for a busy weeknight.
The dish is started by sautéing onions and zucchini in salt & pepper. When they’re soft, a wee bit of garlic is added in. UGH I LOVE THE SMELL OF HOT GARLIC.
Next, enchilada sauce, hot sauce, green chilies, and spices are added in and the mixture bubbles away for 10 minutes while you cook up some pasta. The type is up to you!
Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded chicken and sour cream are folded in next, creating a smooth and luscious sauce.
Finally the cooked pasta is mixed in, and all is right in the world.
(Especially if you thought to snag some of the cheesy sauce beforehand to test it out on some tortilla chips. Boo yah!)
Topped with some standard enchilada toppers, and served!
Chicken Enchilada Pasta
Serves 5-6
Slightly adapted from Pearls, Handcuffs & Happy Hour
Ingredients:
2 medium-sized chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 zucchini, diced
salt & pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 3/4 cups red enchilada sauce
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2-4oz can diced green chilies
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
8oz medium sized pasta (rigatoni, penne, etc.)
Directions:
1. Cook chicken and shred. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté onions until tender, ~5 minutes. Add zucchini and cook until tender, ~5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
3. Add enchilada sauce, Tabasco sauce, green chilies, salt, chili powder and cumin into the skillet. Stir to combine then simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every so often.
4. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to hot pot.
5. Turn the heat on the skillet down to low and add in the cheddar cheese. Stir until it completely melts, then add in the chicken and sour cream. Stir until combined.
6. Pour cooked pasta into the sauce and mix. Serve garnished with avocado, tomatoes, green onions and/or sour cream.
This one’s a keeper, folks!
Creamy, decadent and filling. And homey. And cheesy. And addicting. Put the leftovers away pronto, mmkay?
In other news, KCCI asked me back to cook on the morning news tomorrow at 6:38am – AHHHHH!!!!!
I’ll be preparing a new dish that hasn’t been featured on the blog yet. I’ve been eating it for days, trying to perfect the recipe, but I will scarf one last time on live television for you, and Central Iowa!
Wish me luck, and I’ll definitely post the video if they choose to put it online. Off to prepare and pack the car! See ya!
~~~~~
Have you ever been nervous about turning a certain age? What’s been your best/favorite age so far?
I also made a list the summer before I turned 30…I called it my summer of fun. For some reason I equated 30 with dead.
So I have 2 tips for 2 items on your list. Item #6- every year I give up something for Lent. Not for religious reasons, just because it’s a nice chunk of time to detox from one of my many vices. When I was 27 I gave up diet (well, all) soda for Lent. I turn 33 next month, and I haven’t had a sip since. I promise, it’s not as bad as you think. As for #10- that was what I wanted for my 30th birthday more than anything. With some pre-planning and finding a good time of year to go (regardless that it was nowhere near my b-day) my entire family ended up going to San Fran/Napa for 4 days together and it was so fantastic! Get them committed now! It can happen 
Good luck with the list!
I can help you with #28
http://pages.teamintraining.org/va/shamrock12/kmurphy1du
Done!
OMG! You’re the best.
Thanks, Kristin.
I turn 30 on April 30th and YES I’m terrified!
That’s quite the list! I want to go to Hawaii! Can’t believe you want to accomplish all that AND have children! And I believe children as opposed to child is saying you want to have multiple???? Holy moly! I did not see this one coming at all haha.
Congrats on your tv appearance and that pasta looks amazing, you rock!
Hahaha, no, no, no. CHILD. Singular. Thank you for pointing that out.
I have been reading your blog for about 6 months now and I am a totally devoted daily reader… I can’t even count how many of your recipes I have made! Love that they’re all small (I only cook for 1!) and require few ingredients (my wallet loves that)!
However, I’ve never commented before but when I saw your first goal, I got crazy excited! I am an avid skydiver & can’t even being to tell you what an amazing feeling the sport brings. PLEASE, please, please check this one off. Oh, and hang gliding & bungee jumping got nuthin’ on it! Plus, they’re all very different adventures.
Just a little kick-in-the-booty: http://www.skydiveia.com/
Fabulous!!! I will revisit the idea in the Spring as I think it might be a wee bit too cold for it now
I think you posted this info after I went hot air ballooning too, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since! 
Great list! My husband and I have a 6 month old and I don’t know how many times we’ve said to each other “what did we do with all our TIME before baby?” Having a baby is amazing, but it keeps you much closer to home & in your routine of bath, bottle & 7:30 bedtime.
I suggested a “babymoon” trip to my husband and he was not on board. Now he wishes we had taken one last trip as just the two of us. Enjoy your two-ness and your travels!
Fun list! Let me advise to accomplish as many items as possible prior to having that child. The child will be so incredible, but it will make any of the other items much more challenging to accomplish.
Here’s to accomplishing that list!
Linda
I’m not sure I remember when I turned 30 … I think I thought it would be this big “thing” and it wasn’t. So don’t fret my dear you have plenty of time to complete your list. Now if you were turning 40 in two years {like myself} then we would have a SERIOUS conversation.
BTW – I’m kinda looking forward to when number 14 happens…it’d be nice to see a little chef with mama. I’m just sayin’.
Oh, and number 25 ROCKS…been there, done it and still doing it.
As one who did not freak out about turning 30 (as the youngest sibling, cousin, and person in my class all through school, growing old has always been a well-earned rite of passage for me!), I will say one of the best nights of my life was the night before my 30th birthday. My husband and I were having one of the best meals of our life (seriously, after we ordered, and were enjoying a bottle of wine on the patio, we watched as people from the kitchen came out to pick vegetables and herbs). I started thinking back to how I felt when I turned twenty, and it ended up being a moment of list making of all the things I’d managed to do in my 20′s. It was incredibly affirming and amazing. I loved my 20′s, but one year and two months in, I love my 30′s more. I bet you will too!
Love that idea – I’m going to do it!
Try this recipe with whole wheat chipotle lime pasta from Pappardelle’s. you can get it at the North Grand Farmers’ Market in Ames or at the Des Moines market. It’s great!!!!
Great list!! For number 3, instead of using Snapfish (I’ve found that you lose some resolution on the pictures) sign up for Carbonite online backup. It’s not expensive and it continually backs up any folders that change. The initial back up takes quite a while and I was never happier that I had signed up when my hard drive crashed just days after my initial back up completed. You can keep your pictures organized on you hard drive and know they will be safe.
That sounds really cool – I’ll look into it!
I turn 30 in January, and I can’t wait! I know that sounds crazy to a lot of people but my 20s were great and I just think my 30s will be even better! (It probably helps that I’m due with our first child in May!)
[...] KCCI appearance went swimmingly yesterday morning! It was much easier this time, since I knew what to expect as far [...]
Oh my gosh, I am obsessed with learning to fly a plane! Too bad it’s so darn expensive, but I’m still hoping I can swing it someday soon. There are lots of other things on your list I’d love to do too. Last year I finally went skydiving–incredible experience! Good luck with your endeavors.
I love your list!
to get the results!
Although I’m only 22, I still feel like time is flying by! I’ve been certified in kettlebell training via Dragon Door (the company that revolutionized kettlebells in the US) and have considered becoming a training instructor for Farrell’s or Kosama, but I have found that I prefer quick but effective short workouts…I’m talking 20-30 minutes tops. I can’t stand walking into a gym and lifting free weights or using the machines because I get too bored and I don’t feel like I get the results I do when I do a fast kettlebell workout and it saves me so much time! I usually combine kettlebell movements with body weight workouts and a few plyometric exercises. Most of the clients I’ve trained lose weight quickly and tone up fast (but it’s important to have a good diet…everything in moderation
If you happen to be interested (or anyone else you know who may be), I’d be more than happy to send some information your way! I train clients in groups or individually
Also, another word of advice for anyone who is considering a total body transformation program…make sure your instructors have a legitimate certification! I’ve worked with so many clients who have had an instructor who didn’t help them with proper technique (especially using kettlebells) and most have become injured
I made this for dinner tonight. I have to say. You’ve posted another winner
. My husband protested (he’s not a pasta person at all, don’t be offended!) but once I dished it up he stated “mmm this is not at all what I was expecting…….YUM” and proceeded to wolf down a huge plate full of it.
Even the kiddies cleaned their plates for a change (the chances of making a meal where all 3 lick their plates clean NEVER happens around here).
As for aging. I was terrified of turning 30. I just did not want it to happen. Now I’m 33 and I still can’t believe I’m more than 30! 35 is even scarier! As for lists, I didn’t get much done before kids. My first arrived when I was 20 and I had twins 3 1/2 years after that so life has been busy, busy, busy but all with family.
[...] the way, I am officially crossing #4 off my 30 Things Before 30 list, as I got to meet Tina from Carrots ‘n’ Cake at the [...]
[...] lives just a couple buildings away), I felt ready to embark on another culinary adventure. Enter: Enchilada Pasta. Now, I love me some Iowa Girl Eats (which is where this recipe originates) and I LOVE me some [...]
[...] Cheesy Enchilada Pasta Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats [...]