Sunday, December 20, 2009

Movie Marathon....with a side of Velour

So I'm currently on movie #3 of the night... started with Sweet Home Alabama, moved onto The Family Stone (such a good Christmas movie! and Dermot Mulroney is pretty easy on the eyes, ladies.. if you didn't already know) and I'm ending it with The Devil Wears Prada. Oh yeah... a night chock full of chick flicks, which I can rarely stand watching. But tonight consisted of nothing but guilty pleasure movies, comfy velour pants, all while sitting smack dab next to the Christmas tree. Is there anything better?


My morning was pretty productive though... I woke up and had Sunday breakfast with the family. On the menu, thanks to my bright idea.... pumpkin pancakes. Holyyyy yum. I had 1-1/2 and was wayyy too full to finish but they were amazing... my whole family loved them.

Then it was time to crack down on gift wrapping. Our tree is perfection but it's missing some presents underneath so my little brother and I got all of our goodies wrapped and ready to go. Can't believe Christmas is practically here!!! I wish time would slowww down just a tad. I always feel like the Christmas season comes and goes in the blink of an eye. *sigh*


After doing some laundry and getting changed into workout clothes I was ready to hit the gym... not before making myself a much needed snack because my stomach was literally yelling at me.

Mulitgrain Arnolds Thin with Teddie PB & cinnamon

I got to the gym and ran a so-so 2 miles... my shins were really tight even after lots of stretching and walking breaks so I decided once I hit the two miles that it was time to stop. So I did a good 20 minutes of strength training and finished up on the elliptical while watching the Pats game... not a bad Sunday ;)

Next was a very necessary grocery store trip... I reallyy needed to restock my bar collection. Usually I have a wide variety at my house to choose from in the morning but lately I've just been stopping whenever I have an extra second before work to grab one just in case I need it.

I wanted to go for a few Balance bars because the flavors sounded out of this world good (Mocha Chip? Cookie Dough???? Ummm, yes please) but wasn't too happy with the ingredients list.

Do any of you eat these bars?

I want to give them a try anyway and see how I like them but would like an opinion or two on these puppies beforehand... Which flavors are best? Which aren't so great??

Anyway.... picked up a few other essentials since I was already there:
Nature's Promise Oat Bran pretzels, Red Pepper Hummus, Honeycrisps, Bananas, MorningStar grilled chicken patties, Kashi Warm Cinnamon cereal, and Chobanis galore


I wanted to dig right into the pretzels and hummus in a whirlwind of hungry-ness but instead opted to take a shower because I was staaaankin with sweat (I'm wicked attractive, obviously) hahahaaa... and then made myself a cup of what was left from my vegetarian chili I made earlier this week with a side of a Hodgson Mill corn muffin & my beloved cranberry juice...

I couldn't kick my craving for pretzels and hummus so I busted them out when my belly started growling in the middle of my movie marathon and enjoyed them thoroughly... Some carrots found their way into my little hummus snack session too. Absolutelyyy delish.


And this was the gorgeous sight outside my kitchen window that I caught while munching on my snack today. Connecticut, I love you :)



By the time dinner rolled around I had no idea what to make until I spotted a lonely sweet potato in my kitchen just begging to be chopped into rounds and put in the oven. Ask and you shall receive my little orange friend ;)


AND I tried out my new MorningStar chicken patties on an Arnolds Thin with baby spinach, lots of organic ketchup and Annie's Lite Honey Mustard for dipping purposes, of course... sooo ridiculously good as always. I could live off of sweet potatoes I'm pretty sure.



Anddd right now, because I have the worst sweet tooth known to man, I'm enjoying two little delectables beside the tree...


Time to finish watching Meryl Streep wreck havoc on Anne Hathaway's sanity....lovely. And then off to bed so I can be 100% for the double I'm working tomorrow. ohhhh boy.... Sweet Dreams Dolls

What's your favorite Christmas movie???



Saturday, December 19, 2009

Tis the Season :)

Hello, hello lovebugs! How is your weekend so far? I got to enjoy my first day off all week today.. I've been going nonstop at work with minimal extra time left over for anything besides sleeping so I can get up and do it alll over again. It's physically exhausting and my body has been feeling the effects.


I've been lacking on my gym trips because of it which I absolutely hate with a passion. Unlike those who despise going to the gym & working out, I have to in order to feel well physically. I start to feel soooo just....EW if I don't haha. Not sure if that makes sense??? But I'll feel more exhausted if I go a few days without getting my blood pumping at the gym. I finally had a chance to get a good 3 mile run in today but boy, was it difficult! My feet felt heavy, my shins were wicked tight, and I was much more tired than usual...



OH not to mention I got in a tiny, tiny fender bender on the way home from lunch with my girlfriend today following the gym... YAY. Thankfully, the cop was a doll and let me off easy even as I said "Ohhh I was SO stupid for not looking!" he was quick to assure me "Noooo, no! It happens all the time at this spot. People make mistakes." I flashed a smile and bam!... verbal warning. I love being a girl ;) HA!


Anywayyyy... I think the lack of posting and capturing my daily eats with my camera has affected my habits in that area too. I've been more lenient that I usually am. A little more pizza at work... mucho glasses of wine after hours with my coworkers & beer drinking with my girlfriends... it all adds up to where I'm at now. Ugh.. haha. Luckily I think it was just a little phase but I'm definitely going to be making the extra effort to keep on top of my eating & working out regardless of how crazy my work schedule is.. (Hey, there's always time for a 20 minute yoga session, right? I miss Dawnelle anyway...)


Just to sum up what's been happening besides working my little life away day after day... I've been baking like a crazy person:

Blueberry Buckle with Streusel Topping for Work

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Ganache Topping for a dinner party I went to

Getting in the holiday spirit with Iced Sugar Christmas cookies :)

My eats have mostly consisted of the regular (minus a cookie or two here and there... uhhhh what?) Hey, whatever. Oatmeal on the reg are still occuring for most breakfasts and I love love love it :) I've been drinking absurd amounts of holiday tea, snacking on Clif & Luna bars especially at work when I don't have time for a real meal, eating my weight in sushi... NO lie I'm totally serious about this... I think I have an addiction, roasted veggies, cereal, and organic salads at work...




Multigrain Arnolds Thin with Teddie PB, Honeycrisp slices, & cinnamon



My new fav flavor for the Christmas season


Salmon Avocado Roll


Miso soup from the store...not half bad, actually! And definitely a quick & easy go-to lunch


Godiva Hot Chocolate has been a God send this past week


Holyyyy yum :) so festive in my special Xmas mug


Kashi Go Lean & Smart Start = phenom combo in the A.M. let me tell ya


Vanilla Chobani with cinnamon, a little PB, and Kashi

Hope you darlings are all really excited for the holidays coming up! I can't believe Christmas is basically here. I attempted to finish up my shopping at the mall after work yesterday and it was a bad choice... after driving around and around to search for a sub par parking space I waited in endless lines to buy presents, dealt with rude employees & even worse shoppers... Thankfully I'm just about done minus a few last minute purchases!

My brother was smart and did ALL of his Christmas shopping online, never having to step foot in a crowded store or wait in a single line. I'm starting to wish I had done the same!

What are your family traditions for the holiday season??


In my family we celebrate Xmas morning opening presents around our tree & always make cinnamon buns for breakfast then head to my Gramma's for MORE presents & Christmas dinner. I'm really excited because this year we're doing a big Christmas Eve dinner at my house with my whole family which I'm sure will be absolutelyyyy delicious :)

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Jiggity-jig Hee-haw Hee-haw

Thursday already?? This week is flying by per usual... I feel like it was just summer last week and there's already snow on the ground and Christmas is 2 weeks away! I'm soo excited that it's the holiday season once again. I'm definitely putting "baking Christmas cookies" on my to-do list for today... along with blaring Dominic the Donkey while doing so...


Today's been a much needed day of relaxation since it's my day off. Yesterday was pretty lame at work due to the first snowstorm of the season. It was easily one of the most boring days ever ugh and it just seemed to drag on and on and on until I finally got cut at 530 and was released into the bar (yay!)


After having a Cabin Fevah with my friend from work we were both reallyy hungry and so, per usual, we headed over across the plaza to Feng for sushi... I got the most amazing Panko Tuna ever. I swear.. I will dream about this for days and days.
I had two Mich Ultras and was ready for BED and woke up this morning with tons of energy, ready for the gym where I ran a quick 3 miles, did a 20 minute workout on the elliptical, and did 15 or 20 mins of strength training... Followed by one of these bad boys:
I couldn't figure out what I wanted for lunch and knowing we had ZERO yummy lunch food in the fridge at home I made a stop at Stop & Shop and loaded up on the salad bar... Minus dressing because all they had was the fake gross stuff. Instead I waited til I got home and drizzled a little Annie's Lite Honey Mustard on top (of course)

Baby spinach, lettuce mix, mushrooms, black olives, shredded carrots, chicken, chick peas, & a sprinkle of feta... along with a hefty scoop of melon & strawberries

The rest of the day is looking pretty nice and consisting of laundry, baking, cleaning ....and/or skipping out on ALL those things and spending some high quality time in my sweatpants and watching Wife Swap ummmm, what??? We'll see where the day takes me...

Hope you darlings are having a lovely week so far and especially hope you're getting all of your holiday shopping done! I've only been able to cross ONE person off my list so far so I've got some work to do still.


Are you a last minute shopper for the holidays or do you plan ahead and get everything done before the crazies come out on Xmas Eve??


Tuesday, December 8, 2009

It's December Already!?

Hello strangers! :) I'm very sorry I ducked out on you lovelies for a while there... my life has just been a whirlwind of craziness. I literally haven't had a moment to gather my thoughts (and especially zero thoughts about snapping pictures of my foodage) for the past ohhh, month?? But I think I'm finally getting everything together...


My stress level has been through the roof and I just recently have made some very big changes that have required even MORE time from me than I have.....


I'm going to keep most of the facts to myself because they're personal but I can assure you it's nothing too serious. I'm getting myself back on track as best I can and keeping my head up because there's zero time in my life for anything else. But I'm wicked excited to get back into the groove of things (as long as everything else can be maintained!) and I know I've missed sooo much that has been going on with everybody but I hope you're all getting in the Christmas spirit!!!! :)


Christmas is my absolute favorite... the music, decorating the tree, SNOW (which we got plenty of this weekend), family time, the smells... baking, evergreen, the fire... ahhh I could go on forever. I wish Christmastime never had to end... and I'm pretty sure we're getting our tree picked out today which I'm super happy about!



What's your favorite thing about Christmas??


What are you putting on your wish-list this year??