Currently: November

Hey there my little turkeys!

I hope all my American friends out there had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday and hopefully didn’t stuff yourselves too silly with all that yummy holiday goodness! As for everyone else, I hope your day was just as great and on the off-chance it wasn’t, forget about it because it’s FRIIIIIIIIDAY!

And since it’s almost the LAST(?!) day of the month, I’m popping in with one of my favorite themed-posts! Yes, before we go fa-la-la-la-laing and decking all those halls, let’s take a look back on all the great things November had to offer…

Current Book:

Book & Coffee

After finishing up The Five People You Meet in Heaven, I plucked another red one from the bookshelf…and in case you’re wondering, yes, I have bought books in certain colors JUST for decorating purposes. Thank you to discount bookstores! 😉

Current Music:

 When I’m not rocking out in the gym or blasting the Buble’ in the car, I’ve been enjoying  a favorite that I discovered this summer…The xx!

LOVE this song!

Current Guilty Pleasure:

Gym Selfies

I’m sorry I’m not sorry.

Current Nail Color:

Hmm, does the orange tint to my palms count? 😉

Current Drink:

LaCroix

Still haven’t tracked down the coconut, but I’m slowly quickly making my way through all the flavors I CAN find!

Current Food:

Currently November FoodI think it’s safe to say, November was the month of the Oompa…Loompa that is! 😉

Current Favorite Show:

So, while I was at my parents house last weekend, chilling with my mom on the couch while the man-friend and my dad shot up innocent trees in the backyard (no worries, private property and a WHOLE LOTTA acreage!), I caught up on a few episodes of an old favorite, Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives…but THEN this came on!

Guy's Grocery Games

Has anyone seen it?!?! Or more importantly, can you get me on the show?!

Current Wish List:

At the urging of my mama, I have been hard at work over the last couple of weeks coming up with a Christmas list. First things to come to mind: a tripod, this book, and a book light. Though none of that will overshadow the pony from last year! 😉

Current Needs:

A vacation from work…I’m starting to feel like I could do it in my sleep…and well, some nights I think I do, but seriously, the repetition is getting to me. This happens from time to time but usually a week off helps center me once again.

Current Triumphs:

I GOT MY SCANNER WORKING!!! Consider this a warning…painfully cute throwback pics will be coming your way in the very near future!

Current Bane of Existence:

TigerI know, I know…but before you all start giving me the stank eye, get a load of this: So for the past month, I could SWEAR that my workout-room-turned-photography-suite smelled like cat litter. I lit candles, sprayed air freshener, and even sprinkled baking soda on the carpet and it was STILL there. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I found out why…
This little asshole has been PEEING ON THE FLOOR!! Please excuse me while I Google the legal consequences behind feline homicide!

Current Celebrity Crush:

Mmmm, muscly man meat! 😀

Current Indulgence: 

Childhood Nostalgia

Two words: childhood nostalgia 😀

Current Blessing:

This time of year always reminds me to count the MANY blessings…my family, my friends, my health, my job (which is basically just the means to get me to all my foodie treasures), but I wouldn’t be able to feel the joy all these blessings bring to my life without ONE important thing…

Sleep Sheets

And that would be sleep, sweet precious herbal sleep!

Current Slang:

I don’t know where it came from, but I’ve been catching myself saying “oh snap” a lot…do people even still use that?! Omg, I’m so old!

Current Outfit:

Scrub TopsKnowing that next month is going to be all about the red and green, I made sure to get ample use out of my festive, fall scrub tops! 😀

Current Excitement:

Ohhh, I want to tell you guys so bad…something that will make YOU excited too! But you know how much I like to tease soooo, you’ll just have to wait until Sunday! 😉

Current Link:

Pic Monkey…you may or may not have noticed the watermark on my photos recently changing and that’s because after MONTHS of lusting over that and a few other fun-looking edits, I totally “splurged” on the Royale membership!

Santified Selfie

Let the seasonal photo-editing fun BEGIN!!

Current Mood:

Silly! 😆

What’s your current guilty pleasure?

Have you made your Christmas list yet? If so, what’s on it?

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WIAW: Twenty-FRUIT Hours

Hello, dolls!

I’m so glad you guys got a kick out of yesterday’s post! Believe it or not, I sat down and typed the whole thing up in about an hour…which is unheard of for me! I love making you guys laugh, but I’ll admit that sometimes it takes a LOT of editing. You don’t even want to know how long it took me to type up this post! 😉

But all writing handicaps aside, today is Wednesday and we ALL know what Wednesdays are for, let’s hop to it with our weekly celebration of all things food…

Or in the case of this past Sunday, all things FRUIT! 

Oats with Persimmon Goo

BREAKFAST – 7:30am 

After waking up in the early morning hours of the man-friend’s quaint but incredibly drafty 5o’s-style home, I knew I needed some warmth! While I sipped on not one, but TWO mugs of this tea (gifted to me by the tea queen herself and seriously tastes like a mug of maple syrup…in a good way!), I was inspired to mix up a new bowl of oats! I topped them with PERSIMMON goo and a sprinkle of chia! And ok, maybe I took this picture yesterday when I made it again…I’m still working on the right ratios, but I hope to have a recipe coming your way soon!

Two words: FRENCH Toast! 😀

Mandarin Oranges

SNACK – 10:30am

While admiring my hunk getting all manly on some renovations at his house, I snacked on some super sweet non-aerodynamic MANDARINS. And then I gave him a screw…hey, get yo minds out of the gutter…ren-o-vations, remember!? 😉

Chimes Ginger Chew

SNACK? – 1:oopm

A few hours later, I was on the road back to Clarksville. I made a quick stop by GNC to pick up some of my beloved Quest bars and then ran into a bit of traffic A NEVER-ENDING ROAD OF FRUSTRATION! I popped a MANGO ginger chew and hoped that the detour I chose to take would have me home in about 30 minutes.

Peanut Butter Quest Bar

LUNCH PART A – 2:00PM

STILL on the road an hour later, I was about to start gnawing on my friggin’ steering wheel! Yet again, saved by the Quest bar! And after a quick run into the grocery store just before getting home…

Banana

LUNCH PART B – 3:00pm

Never has a BANANA tasted so good! Let this post serve as my reminder to get to work on that underground tunnel between our houses…seriously, TWO HOURS to get home?!?! Yah!

Gummy Vitamins

DESSERT – 3:00pm

Just before crashing into bed for my little pre-night shift (I just typed shit! Lol) nap, I popped a few nuggets of chewy vitamin-y sweetness…oh yes, the gummy vitamins are BACK! Why oh why did I ever stop buying these?

Chocolate-Glazed Kabocha Donut

SNACK – 7:30pm

After a marvelous slightly drug-induced slumber (more on that later), I woke up, got ready for work and fixed a little sumthin-sumthin to have with my mug of (unpictured) half-caff coffee for the road…mmmm! And let me just say that kabocha squash should TOTALLY be considered a fruit!

Oh Chocolate-Glazed KABOCHA Donut, you complete me!

Pomegranate Goat Cheese Salad

DINNER – 11:00pm

With a little inspiration from Jenn and the Christmas-colored salad I enjoyed last week, I mixed up a winner winner chicken [salad] dinner! Mixed greens topped with half a steamed chicken breast, zucchini, cucumber, goat cheese, walnuts, and POMEGRANATE arils…seeds?…bubbles of juicy deliciousness? 😉

Peanut Butter Mug Cake

SNACK – 3:30am

And inspired by Amanda, I whipped up a little mug cake of my own that night! Served à la mode with a scoop of BLUEBERRY Protein Ice Cream, a few coconut chips, and a mug of (again unpictured) half-caff coffee, it was sweet perfection that kept me satisfied for the rest of my shift!

Recipe coming SOON!

Sauteed Veggies Cheese & YolkpornBREAKFAST – 7:30am

After a rather SWEET day of eats, I was craving nothing but savory by the time I got home but I was soooooooooo sleepy! Luckily it only took about 5 minutes to saute up a pan of mushrooms, onions, spinach, and TOMATOES, top it with cheese, and an almost over-cooked egg…I still managed to squeak out a little yolkporn for ya though! 😉

And then, twenty-four FRUIT hours after my morning bowl of oats,
it was off to bed!

wiaw serve up an extra cup of fruitAnd now that you’ve seen my day of eats that just happens to showcase every color of the rainbow (I’m more than slightly amused by this), you should head on over to Peas & Crayons and check out all the other What I Ate Wednesday link ups!

How many servings of fruit did you eat yesterday?

What’s your FAVORITE fruit?

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7 Ways To Burn More Calories This Holiday Season

I’ve officially been back in the gym for TWO WEEKS!

Although it’s a pretty much daily thing for me to complain about DOMS, I’ve been seeing SO much progress with my knee! As of last Friday, I can now sit Indian-style almost completely pain-free…talk about a motivation boost! And I surprised the heck out of myself yesterday when I woke up to SNOW, but got right up, threw on my workout clothes and hit the gym anyway!

Gym Selfie 2

Since I know a lot of people out there (myself included) can sometimes lose their motivation to workout during the holidays, I’ve put together a little list of things that will help you burn more calories than you ever thought possible…

Most without even hitting the gym!

Shorts

1. Sha-sha-sha-sha-shake it, baby!

Whenever you run errands around town, throw on your workout clothes!
Or more specifically, throw on your SUMMER workout clothes…shorts, tanks, the more skin you’re showing the better! Not only will it motivate you to get in and out of the store as quickly as possible without being seen by anyone you know, but you will likely shiver off up to one calorie a minute!

*Bonus points if you hum the Mission Impossible theme while shopping.

Gym Selfie 3

2. Embrace the early-onset Alzheimers!

Before heading out, it’s always a good idea to forget every.single.thing you plan on taking with you…your keys, your wallet, your child…just make sure you are in such a hurry that you only remember ONE thing at a time.

*Bonus points if you have to go UP STAIRS to retrieve forgotten items.

Legs

3. Be a Santa Schwarzenegger! 

With holiday shopping upon us, we’ve all heard the tip of parking in the back of the lot and walking further to the stores, but I’ll do ya one even better…make it a POINT to spoil your loved ones this year with gifts of heavy proportions…Johnny needs a 42 inch television, Susie could really use that commercial-grade stand mixer, and little Tim, well, he’s been eyeing that kayak all year! Once you’ve selected these items, forget the cart and CARRY those bitches to your car!

*Bonus points if you forget where you parked!

Gym Selfie

4. Roll with OUT the punches!

For those of you with back problems, there is an alternative. Go shopping on Black Friday. Center yourself in the middle of the electronics department and proceed to pick fights with anyone who even LOOKS at the latest iPad. Make sure to profile the pageant moms whenever possible.

*Bonus points if you wear a tu-tu and wield a plastic light saber. 

5. Do the domesticated dash!

If you’d rather not surround yourself with the chaos that is holiday shopping, stay at home and do some baking…and cooking AND cleaning all at the same time! The more activities you can pack in at once the better. Oh and it would probably be a good idea to invite your mother-in-law over because we all know a workout is better with a little aggression motherly motivation!

*Bonus points if you vacuum WHILE microwaving oatmeal.

TV Gym

6. Find some {eye} candy!

If you DO happen to have a gym membership and can drag yourself out in the subarctic temperatures (ie, anything below 70°F), be sure to make the most out of the entertainment available. Hop on an elliptical and people watch, cruise Instagram, or drool over James Denton for a solid 33 minutes.

*Bonus points if you moan audibly and/or slip off the machine every 10 minutes.

Gym Selfie Weights

7. Weight a minute!

Whether it be with a group of friends, your favorite blog, or just yourself, find the funny whenever possible. Remember that while this season can be stressful, you can’t take life (or yourself) so serious all the time!

*Bonus points you can get someone to walk like an Egyptian with you.

Do you take an obnoxious number of selfies at the gym?

What workouts are you loving lately?

Posted in Tips & Tricks, Workouts | Tagged , , , | 48 Comments