Top 2 Tuesday

Top 2 Things I LOVE about winter ~

1.  UGGS

I thank God for my UGGS every time I step outside into the cold and my toes stay nice & toasty! I just got a new pair for my birthday that I can wear and not look soooo lazy. :)  Gotta have a good pair of UGGS if you live anywhere with cold...snowy..crappy weather!

2. Fires

One thing I always loved about winter was the fires my family would make.  There's not much better than sitting around a warm fire sippin' on some coffee with great company.  A real fireplace is on my "must-have" list for our next home.  :)

Day 2 Christmas Cookies

Garam Masala-Chocolate Gingerbread

 These look great! 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aarti-sequeira/garam-masala-chocolate-gingerbread-recipe/index.html?nl=FN_Cookie2010-Day2_Aarti

It's COOKIE TIME!!

YEAH!!! I LOVE this time of year for the 12 Days of Cookies newsletter that greats me in my inbox.  I will gladly share each of the recipes with you and will be making the majority of them so will share how yummy or (not so yummy) they may be! :)

Day 1:  PAULA’S GOOEY BUTTER COOKIES

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/chocolate-gooey-butter-cookies-recipe/index.html

Thankfulness

I love this time of year because everyone around me takes a few minutes to think about what they are thankful for and cherish time spent with family and friends.  Over the last month I have been Tweeting the things I am thankful for and thought it would be a good reminder for the rest of the year if I shared them.  Possibly you would be inspired to be thankful as well...

~Today I'm thankful for my supportive and loving husband! You are the best, thank you! LOVE YOU!
~Today I'm thankful for my sister and best friend! <3 her!!
~Today I'm thankful for my legs that carry me through soo many miles and thoughts on my runs each   week! :)
~Today I'm thankful for my fur babies...who are always happy when I get home and show me so much LOVE!
~Today I am very thankful for NSAIDs! :)
~Today I'm thankful for a job!
~Today I'm thankful for my umbrella! :)
~Today I'm thankful for Happy Hours!!! ;) You are something to look forward to at the end of the week!
~Today I'm thankful for Organ Donors! :) You saved my Grandma's Life
~Today I'm thankful for Unconditional LOVE from my husband, family, and friends! <3 LOVE <3
~Today I am thankful for FOOD! 
~ Today I am thankful for my family that has traveled so far to be together on this day.


Feel free to post what you are most thankful for...it will be a great reminder to be thankful everyday...you never know when things will change.  Love those around you and be thankful for what you have!! LOVE

Thanksgiving Confessional

Thanksgiving #1
    1 slice pumpkin pie + 2 pieces of birthday cake + normal servings of typical foods (broccoli casserole, turkey, potatoes) and plenty of beer!
    I ran 3 miles that morning though!

Birthday Night Out
   Pizza + lots of shots + vodka&cranberry
   2 hours of dancing!

Turkey day #2
    Turkey, potatoes, stuffing, a glass of white wine, and a very small portion of pumpkin creme brulee



Whew...feel much better now! 

My point? That even if you let yourself have a second scoop of potatoes, or an extra (few extras) beer, or skip your workouts for a few days...your diet or healthy lifestyle will NOT be ruined!! So...don't beat yourself up over a few bad days...get back out there and continue on your healthy track! Just be sure to put those stretchy pants away and get off the couch!! :) I know after 3 days off...I will start fresh again tomorrow morning!!

Left over Turkey Dinner

After Thanksgiving #2 .... Left over turkey just isn't appealing...ugh....sooo I decided to do something different with it to make it a bit more yummy without over stuffing with turkey and to avoid throwing it away! :)

Turkey Veggie Soup

1 small sweet onion
3 celery stalks
4 carrots
4 cups Chicken Broth (or turkey or veggie)
2 cans diced tomatoes (seasoned with garlic + basil)
Left over Turkey shredded
2 tablespoons of EVOO
1 cup whole grain & wild rice
1 cup water

I first browned the diced onion in 2 tablespoons of EVOO.  While I boiled water to make 4 cups of chicken broth (you can use already made broth too).  Chopped up the carrots and celery.  Shredded the Turkey. Then threw them all into the crock-pot with the 2 cans of diced & seasoned tomatoes.  Next I added 1 cup rice and 1 cup water. Added a bit of salt, pepper, and basil.  Let it simmer for about 3hours on low and 2 hours on high. 

It was sooo yummy!! A great way to use left over turkey without feeling like you are eating MORE turkey!  

Not enough Fruits & Veggies

I was on facebook yesterday when I saw a post from a friend:  she said when teaching her kiddos about the food pyramid, a child asked her "why is the cafeteria serving us packaged pancake/sausages on a stick with chocolate milk? Does that even belong on the food pyramid??!" I couldn't help but let a little giggle out...but then I became so mad that the kids are not even given the opportunity to make good choices.  I was reading USA Today this morning and came across this article stating that kids and adults are eating less than 2c. of fruits and veggies per day, much less than the recommended 4-6c.

http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/food/diet-nutrition/2010-11-17-noveggies17_ST_N.htm

Well it only makes sense that we are choosing crappy foods over fresh foods at a young age with all the advertisement and pressure from "Ronald McDonald" and the obviously crappy food available in the cafeteria K-12....but it just floors me that adults are choosing to become subjected to the pressure and lazy cop-out of over processed foods...ugh! I could ramble on and on about this food/obesity crisis...but I will spare you!!

Instead I'll leave this article to get your own wheels turning and challenge you to get off the couch and do some sort of exercise today and to eat one more serving of fruit or veggies than what you normally get on a daily basis.  It starts with small lifestyle changes and ends with a whole body lifestyle change. :)

What's for Dinner?

CrockPot BBQ Chicken

SOOOO yummy and fall off the bone (if you use bone-in) chicken! The hubs ate all of his plus half of mine he loved it so much! Definitely a HIT! :)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
14oz. Montgomery Inn BBQ Sauce (or your favorite BBQ sauce)
Cook on "Low" for ~4 hours ... My CrockPot has a "warm" setting, and this is what I would recommend if you wanted to prepare it all day to avoid burning.

I served mine with some green beans and wild rice, would also be good with some homemade white cheddar mac n' cheese! :)

Wishful Wednesday

As I sit at home all day with this cold unable to get warm, sipping tea and popping dayquil....I found myself daydreaming of our honeymoon in MAUI!!! Oh how I miss the care-free lifestyle, the gorgeous weather and hiking, and of course the beach, sunset and palm trees!!

My wishful Wednesday is to return to Maui ASAP! :)

Top 2 Tuesday

Top 2 things I will MISS look forward to about warm weather ~

1. Gerber Daisies
  My favorite flowers because they represent happiness, innocence, classic beauty and love! They were my main flower in our wedding, so every time I see them I think of new beginnings and lasting love!

2. Dinner with my Hubs on our back porch
  My grill master husband is the best at whipping up a marinade and grilling the yummiest dinners.  I look forward to the first warm night we can fire up the grill, drink a nice cold beverage, and simply enjoy each other's company!

Life is so funny some times...

So I've had a rough couple of weeks, just struggling with balancing everything in my life...I think everyone goes through rough patches and I was laying in bed last night praying that I get out of the rut soon!! Haha...so this is where God is hilarious sometimes...I woke up and went for a nice long run and was feeling so much better when I sat down with my egg whites and one of my favorite and OH SO Appropriate songs was being performed on GMA!! ahaha  The song is one that you just have to blast your speakers to! 

Cee Lo Green's "Fuck You" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc0mxOXbWIU

Of course he performed his "forget you" version, but it still made me realize that shit happens and I've just gotta choose to get over it and move on! :) This song was just the most perfect song I needed this morning!! I know it's not the nicest song in the world...but I LOVE IT!

So today, I am starting with a fresh start and saying "forget you" to my shit over the last month! :)  Happy Tuesday!!

Where the Heck I've Been....

It has been too long since my last post considering I made a personal goal to blog more often...ugh....but I've been traveling and getting settled into my VERY last semester at MSJ!!!!

My first mini-vacation was to Las Vegas with my sister and her friend to visit my parents who now live out there.  We spent quite a few days laying by the pool and soaking up the hot Vegas sun! Shopping, eating, and hiking pretty much sums up the rest of the trip.  I LOVE the hiking side of Vegas, not many people are aware of just how gorgeous it can be! We hiked Red Rock Canyon and Mt. Charleston during this trip.  Mt. Charleston is absolutely gorgeous this time of year because all of the aspens are changing colors and are a really bright yellow color.  It was a blast to be able to spend that time with my family that I only am able to see a few times per year.

My next mini-vacation was spent with the hubs.  We went to Orlando, FL so that he could compete in the Paintball World Cup.  It was an absolute blast regardless if they placed or not.  The weather was beautiful! We were able to go to the beach one day and to Disney World as well.  It was a perfect trip for us to get away from the stress of home, work, and school.

Now we finally came home the week of Halloween, which happens to be one of our favorite holidays and the hubs and I love to go all out and dress up.  SOOO....the rest of that week was spend preparing our costumes and such! Oh yes...we are The American Gladiators!!!

There, now you have my excuses as to why I haven't blogged in so long! :)