ASHLEY’S CORNER Paradise Found: Our Escape to Saint Lucia
Toph and I recently took our first vacation together in a long time without my being pregnant or packing a baby along. After climbing 2,000 feet straight up a rocky 4-mile trail to the top of a mountain in Saint Lucia, I reveled in my newfound freedom. “Man, I feel great!” I told Toph. “This is so much easier!” You don’t realize how much harder your body works when you are carrying around those blessed little burdens. As readers know, Toph and I had been planning to take our annual week- long vacation together, sans kids, on the beautiful Caribbean island of Saint Lucia. We went with three other couples and stayed in a resort on a hillside overlooking a little town, and we got a good workout from the start. We had to walk down 55 steps just to get to the pool, and 70 steps to get to dinner — then climb back up when we were done! We were laughing: “All right! We are getting a good workout!”
hot mud feels weird, but it works like an exfoliant. Your skin is so smooth afterward! We enjoyed time with our friends and played games by the pool in the evening. Toph and I
also took a day by ourselves. We went ziplining, which Toph had never done. For dinner, we walked down into town. To our
surprise, we were the only people at the restaurant! The seafood was fresh and delicious. It was also very funny that we had the restaurant all to ourselves. It was a date night, just for the two of us. That week away was so different from a date night at home, where your babysitter might text you and you know you have to get up the next day with your kids. I came back feeling so refreshed! After this little break, I am absolutely convinced that I am a better mom. I highly recommend it! When you return, you will be ready for anything: Bring it on, tiny humans! What have you got for me today?
Our biggest workout was that two-hour climb up Gros Piton, Saint Lucia’s second-highest mountain. From the top, we could see the entire island.
That was just one of our many daily excursions. We took three boat rides — a sunset cruise, a snorkeling ride, and a dolphin watch from a catamaran. We toured a cacao plantation, where we made chocolate bars! That took some hard work, pounding the beans with a mortar and pestle for 10–12 minutes. We were sweating! We also saw an active volcano, stood beneath a waterfall, and even took a mud bath. Being covered in
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CITRUS-HERB PORK ROAST
Ingredients
Inspired by TasteOfHome.com
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1 boneless pork sirloin roast (3–4 pounds)
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1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp grapefruit juice
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2 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp steak sauce
1 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp grated orange zest
2 medium onions, cut into thin wedges 1 cup plus 3 tbsp orange juice, divided
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp cornstarch
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Egg noodles, cooked
Directions
1. Cut roast in half. In a small bowl, combine oregano, ginger, and pepper; rub over pork. In a large skillet coated with oil, brown roast on all sides. Transfer to a slow cooker; add onions. 2. In a small bowl, combine 1 cup orange juice, sugar, grapefruit juice, steak sauce, and soy sauce; pour over roast. Cover and cook on low for 4–5 hours or until meat is tender. Remove meat and onions to a platter. 3. Transfer cooking juices to a small saucepan. Add orange zest and salt. Bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch and remaining orange juice. Gradually stir into the pan for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with pork and noodles.
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