Stretch it out, out, out…

Hello and Happy New Year’s Eve! I hope all of you are having a great day so far. Last night I really wanted to get in a run, but my back was super sore from the dead lifts I did the day before that it was not a very good idea to run. I did spent about 20 minutes stretching out my lower back to make it feel better.

While stretching I kept singing this song in my head. Remember the old Caramello commercials?

I think it may have helped, because although it is still sore today I feels much better.  After stretching, I made a delicious stir fry. I had tons of fresh veggies and some tofu in the fridge and decided that a stir fry would be the perfect for using these up. I stir fried tofu, celery, red peppers, frozen peas, 1 cup of brown rice and some spicy stir fry sauce. It was tasty , but I was a little heavy handed with the sauce and it made it a little too spicy. I will add less next time for sure!

After dinner I went to my friend Melissa’s house to hang out and watch some TV. It was great to hang out and have a little girl talk. She go some new flavors for her keurig and I tried the Donut House flavor which I loved!

I also had a chocolate dipped M&M cookie with it. Perfect dessert!

It was great to cozy up with a cup of coffee on a chilly night. I love relaxing nights like that 🙂

This morning I woke up to this adorable little guy. He was ready to get up and go out 🙂

Brunch was an egg white and turkey bacon sandwich with American cheese and the last bit of cherries. I am loving cherries lately!

Since we were out of coffee while I walked Oscar, Adam went and got us coffees.

Well, it is almost 50 degrees there in Boston, so I am going to head out for my last run of 2010! See you all later!

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Looking Back On The Last Decade…

Hello! I hope you all had a great day! Mine was pretty productive, I did some things around the house and chatted with my friend Crystal. She just had surgery on her leg and is laid up for a few weeks. I am hoping she has a speedy recovery 🙂

Lunch today was a great salad made up of tons of fresh veggies.

In the mix:

• Arugula
• Spring mix
• Tomatoes
• Red peppers
• Cucumbers
• Celery
• Feta
• 1 veggie burger cut up
• Hummus
• Lemon juice
• Balsamic vinegar

On the side I had some sour cream and onion popchips.

Around 3 pm, I went to  my weekly meeting with the architect working on our house. This time we pretty much finalized where things were going to go as far as layout. Adam and I now have to think about what we want for windows, floors, doors and lighting. We are going to be meeting with some experts this week to help us sort out what we want. There are so many more decisions to be made than I thought, but it is super exciting. I can’t wait to see how the house looks once it is done and we picked out every single little detail. Sometimes just the idea of it makes me want to squeal with excitement!!!

After the meeting Adam and I stopped and grabbed coffee. I had a small medium roast coffee with vanilla syrup and half and half.

This time of year I always get really reflective. I think back about the year that is ending and think about the upcoming year. I have been thinking about that a lot today and it suddenly dawned on me that tomorrow is the last day of a DECADE! I can’t believe it has been 10 years since Y2K 😉 . I reflected back on the past decade and realized I was a busy girl. What an amazing 10 years!!! Here is a look back on the things I did this past decade:

I graduated High School (2001):

I graduated College (2005). That is me with my late grandmother and my Pa:

I went to the prom with my High School Sweetheart (2000):

Then I got engaged to him (2008):

Then I married him (2010):

I met some amazing new close friends:

Crystal (2002):

Ibelis (2005):

Jill (2007):

Melissa (2007):

Ashley (2009):

Became a Dog Mom to the most adorable and hilarious little guy (2006):

Started my blog (2009):

Was a Maid of Honor to Crystal (2007):

Was a Matron of Honor for Bestie May (2010):

 

Watched the love of my life succeed at earning his dream career (Adam and my Pa the day Adam graduated from the Police Academy) (02007):

I spread A LOT of love (2008):

2006:

2007:

2006:

2010:

Taught Adam how to grocery shop (2007):

Went from a smoker to a non-smoker (2008):

Directed my first and only play (2007):

Acted in 10 plays (2001-2005):

Did a few things that I was afraid of (2010):

Took a really important walk with my Dad (2010):

Made some GREAT friends through blogging (2009-2010):

Finally saw Saint Peter’s Square in person – dream come true (2010):

Ran my first race (2009):

Ran my first Half Marathon (2010):

Won the same scavenger hunt two years in a row- booya! (2009, 2010):

Enjoyed some great “Girl Time”:

2000:

2010:

I hope my next decade is even half as great as this one!! Bring in on 2011-2020 🙂

What are some great things you did/happened to you this decade?

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No Crying in Crossfit…

Morning! Well, I am so happy to have my blog up and running again! All feels right in the world again, so weird, I know.

Yesterday, while trying to figure out what the heck was wrong with my blog, I had breakfast. I toasted a whole wheat bagel and topped it with peanut butter and blueberry jam.

After breakfast, I finally figured out my blogging issue and celebrated with a little happy dance around the apartment with Oscar. After the happy dance I immediately got ready to meet my two besties Lauren and May for lunch. May picked me up and we headed to her house to exchange our Christmas Gifts 🙂 May loved the gifts I got her and she got me the most adorable scarf and skirt. She also got us best friend glasses. I am sure you guys all had the “best friend necklaces” that look like these glasses. When May and I were 10 we got them too and these glasses reminded me so much of those I had to laugh. Looks like in our 20 years of friendship we have moved from bestie necklaces to bestie pint glasses. 🙂

After we exchanged gifts, I got right to the photo shoot I had planned with my fur-nephew Stolki. He is the most adorable Weimaraner.

Isn’t he a cutie?!

While waiting for our friend Lauren to wake up (she worked overnight), we sipped tea and ate a sour pickle- because obviously those two things go well together…

These pickles were so awesome. May got them from a sandwich shop in Maine. I have an obsession with pickles and these are some of the best I have ever tasted.

Once Lauren was awake, we headed to pick her up and go to lunch. We went to the Cheesecake Factory to eat and catch up. Of course I had to have a piece of their whole wheat bread, not butter. You don’t need butter on this bread at all it is so delicious.

We started off with an order of stuffed mushrooms and edamame. I had never had the stuffed mushrooms from Cheesecake, but Lauren and May said they were awesome. Um…they were soooooo right. I had two, they were amazing.

For my meal I had the Spicy Chicken Salad. I asked for brown rice instead of white. I love this salad I think the rice and beans and spicy dressing make it, I ate about 2/3 of it and wrapped the rest up.

Instead of dessert I just had a coffee with half and half.

It was a great lunch and fantastic to catch up with two close friends. To be honest, it was just great to be out of the house since I spent so many days in the house trying figure out what the heck was wrong with this blog.

After our late lunch I flew home and changed for Crossfit. Crossfit was HARD! Like Really HARD. Confession: It was so hard and frustrating that I cried in my car afterwards. I cried out of frustration, I was just upset that I couldn’t physically do the things I wanted to do. I was upset that I felt so out of shape even though I know I am strong.

Here is the workout that killed me:

Sets of : 21, 18, 15, 12, 9, 6, 3

• Dead lifts with a 55 lb. bar
• Pushups
• Kettlebell Swigs 8lb kettlebell
• Abmat situps

For some reason the dead lifts KILLED me, I could not do them while keeping good form. It was so hard and super frustrating. The trainer actually told me to stop doing the the dead lifts. I know for a fact I was not doing them correctly because my lower back is way more sore than it should be this morning. 😦

After the workout, and the cryfest I met Kristen at the Warren Tavern for a drink (or a few).

She had some questions about blogging and wanted to chat. It was great meeting someone from the blog world in real life. We actually have a ton in common.

I got home late and since I had worked out and not eaten dinner yet. I made myself a quick and very late dinner which was a can of Amy’s veggie soup and the leftovers from lunch.

I woke up around 5 am this morning starving. All that I could think was, “oatmeal, oatmeal, oatmeal…”. I forced myself to stay in bed though. There as no reason to be up that early. I finally got up at 8am and did have a delicious bowl of oatmeal and a non-fat cappuccino.

I topped the cappuccino with some cocosugar. Perfect!

In my oatmeal I added barney butter, cinnamon, blueberries and 1/2 of a banana. Such a great mix!

I spent the rest of the morning getting the bog updated and cleaning the apartment, which is still a mess by the way. This place it just too small, just a few more months….just a few more months.

Have you ever cried after a workout? What were you feeling? What was the workout?

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15 Things I Learned This Christmas…

Hello, Hello! Well, you probably have noticed I have been missing for the last few days. My blog has been giving so much trouble! I spent 5 days of my vacation trying to figure out what was going on. For some reason I was unable to upload photos. It was pretty insane! I tried everything I could think of and spend countless HOURS trying to figure it out.

Finally, some advice from Katy that I received via Twitter yesterday saved the day! She is pretty knowledgeable and really sweet. I was thrilled to see that her advice really improved my situation. Once I was assured my issue was over I decided to actually get out of the house and hang out with my friends since I had spent 5 days worrying, troubleshooting and stressing.

Since the idea of updating you on five days is overwhelming and probably boring for you. Here are 15 things I learned this Christmas.

1. When you have an adorable dog that looks like this….

You want to spoil him and make homemade doggy treats all the time.

recipe coming soon

2. You will always love the first picture you take with the BRAND NEW CAMERA you have been lusting over and receive as a gift from your fantastic husband no matter how silly it is. (Yes, I got the Canon Rebel T2i!!!!!!!!!)

3. When you are trying to make meringue cookies and don’t beat the egg whites enough the dough ends up looking like this…

4. But, when you get creative, your botched meringues can be made into really delicious dark chocolate brownies.

5. The impulse buy gift that you buy for your husband’s stocking (like a fun beer glass) can turn out to be his favorite gift.

6. When you snap a photo of your brother doing this:

Next time you snap a photo of him his face looks like this:

6. Dogs make amazing models when learning to use your new camera.

7. Making a fantastic Antipasto for Christmas dinner will make you popular with your family.

8. Making a whole wheat lasagna and turkey meatballs for your daughter will make her very grateful…Thanks, FFF MOM!

9. The simplest desserts can be the best.

10. Just because your parents buy each other the same gift, doesn’t mean they both won’t love it 🙂

11. Peppermint bark is so fun to photograph.

12. Baby toes are the cutest!

13. My Uncle Billy has some pretty cool hats.

14. Looking at three beautiful generations can make you a little teary eyed.

15. Having a creative husband that plans a weekend in NYC to run a half marathon together is pretty awesome!

What was something you learned this Christmas?

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Technical…

Difficulties… I have been having technical difficulties since Wednesday 12/22 and having been working to solve them. Stay tuned while I figure out the issue and try to maintain my sanity while doing so.

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Potluck Lunch

Not much longer now and I will be on vacation! WOOP! Today has flown by which is great because the last few have dragged.

Around 10:30 I went and got coffee for my boss and I, we both had not had enough this morning so it was vital that we both get some in us STAT! I got a tall nonfat cappuccino.

After fetching coffee I attended a meeting about Social Media, which we all know is kind of my thing 😉 It was an interesting meeting, since I handle all the Social Media for our office, I was excited to get some good ideas. 🙂

My meeting was followed immediately by a Potluck lunch in my office. Let me tell you, my co-workers are pretty talented cooks and bakers.

I made red velvet cupcakes (recipe here) and a Beet, Avocado and Goat Cheese Salad (recipe here).

Part of me thinks I make certain foods more because they are great to photograph than because they are tasty…so festive and pretty, no?

Other food that was brought in was:

Crab dip with cheese and crackers

Veggies with dip and hummus:

Pistachio Cake:

My plate looked like this:

Salad, rice and beans, raw veggies and two turkey meatballs. My co-worker Kim makes amazing turkey meatballs, they are so flavorful!

Ellie’s rice and beans were awesome too, I wish I knew how to make them like this!

Dessert was one of my cupcakes and a sliver of the pistachio cake, which was also delicious.

Since I made two dozen cupcakes I will be returning home with many leftovers. They are going to be dangerous if I have them at my house. I will be all sugared out before Christmas even gets here if I have much more of these cupcakes. Anyone want to take some off my hands??? Hummmmmm?

I leave you with what facebook created as My Year in Photos for 2010. It pretty much sums it up 🙂

What would your year in photos include?

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Festive Recipies

Hello, hello! Well, today is the last of work for me for the next 11 days and I am psyched! I am ready for a break!!!

Last night after work, I headed to the gym and ran 5.85 miles on the dreadmill, sometimes I like to do weird distances to keep it interesting.  🙂 I ran while watching King of Queens and the New Adventures of Old Christine– both of which where hilarious! It helps to laugh while on the dreadmill, or else it can get so boring I want to stick pins in my eyes! I have to remind myself that the dreadmill is my way of keeping in good running shape so that I can enjoy running again once it is not frigid. After the run I was a sweaty mess- I love that feeling!

My shirt reads “Can’t Spell Dynasty without “Nasty”.

I showered at the gym and then headed home for a quick dinner before baking. I had to go to the grocery store to get some supplies for the two things I was making for my work potluck today and I knew if I went to the grocery store hungry a financial disaster would happen (read my other tips about saving cash while grocery shopping here).

Dinner was leftover whole wheat fuscilli, I added some frozen peas and broccoli to it for some protein and extra veggies. On side I had a really pain salad of spring mix, shredded mozzarella and goddess dressing- we are running low of fresh veggies.

After dinner I headed to the grocery store to get the ingredients for the salad and red velvet cupcakes I made for my work pot luck.

I started on the red velvet cupcakes right away. I preheated the oven at 450 degrees. Then I beat the following ingredients together on a low setting for about 2 minutes:

• 1 box of yellow cake mix
• 5 eggs
• 1 ounce of red food coloring (I should have added 2 ounces but I only had 1 ounce).
• 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa
• 1 cup of buttermilk
• 1/2 a cup of vegetable oil

The batter turned out brighter because I didn’t add as much food coloring as I should have. But, I actually think it looks much more Christmasy that way 🙂

I baked the cupcakes for about 20 minutes then topped them with homemade cream cheese frosting (!!!!!!). To make the frosting I beat together the following ingredients.

• 8 ounces of cream cheese
• 1/4 of a cup of Earth balance “butter” (but you can use regular butter too)
• 2 1/2 cups of confection sugar
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

I topped each cupcake with the frosting and some sugar pearls. Pearls are pretty much my favorite thing ever!

Of course, I had to try one even though it was 10pm when I finished them up!

They came out so good! I wanted to eat all of them. Adam had one when he got home from work too and agreed! I will be whipping up a few batches for Christmas I think 🙂

This morning I got up a little early because I wanted to make the salad I was bringing with me to work. I wanted to make a festive salad using veggies that are in season right now so the beet, avocado, arugula and goat cheese salad was born 🙂

In the mix:

• 2 1/2 cups of spring mix
• 2 1/2 cups of arugula
• 1 avocado cubed
• 3 beets steamed and cut into slices
• 1 red onion sliced
• goat cheese to taste

Dressing:

• juice of 1/2 of a lemon
• Balsamic vinegar and olive oil to taste
• Black pepper and sea salt yo taste

I tasted a little even though it was 7 am, just to make sure it was good, and…it was amazing. This is my new favorite salad!

The colors make it so festive and the combo of the beets, goat cheese and arugula is outstanding.  I recommend this for potlucks or as a holiday side dish.

Breakfast was also amazing (someone is on a roll ::points to self::). I made Pear Pecan Oats.

Oats:

• 1/2 of a pear chopped
• 1/3 of a cup of oats
• 1/3 of a cup of water
• 1/3 of a cup of fat free organic milk

I microwaved it for 2 1/2 minutes and topped it with a little brown sugar and a few pecans. I had coffee on the side, but I actually only ended up having a few sips since I was running around like a maniac trying to get everything done before work. I see another coffee in my near future!

During the insanity that was this morning, I put dinner in the crockpot,  as well so that it will be ready for us after the gym tonight- Cornish Game Hens! They are super easy and taste amazing- just put them in the crock pot and cook them on low for 10 hours. They cook in their own juices so no need to add water or broth.

Today’s Outfit:

Green riffle shirt (Forever 21), Black pleated, high-waited shirt – with pockets– heck ya! (TJ MAXX)

Shoes:

Black patent leather flats (Anne Klein).

What is your favorite potluck recipe?

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A little something extra…

Hello!!! Well, I did a little shopping on my lunch break today and I can safely say that I am DONE with my Holiday shopping! I feel so victorious! Now, if only all the packages that I am waiting on arrive so I can stop panicking.

Lunch today was perfect for a snowy day. I had a can of  Amy’s split pea soup with Kashi crackers crunched up in it and a clementine.

It was good, but not nearly as good as FFF Mom’s Pea Soup.

At lunch I headed out to get a few last things. I needed to get a few little stocking stuffers for Adam. Mission accomplished. I am so glad I am done shopping because the lines are insane!!!! I waited in line for 15 minutes at one store. Not fun!

After lunch I grabbed my afternoon coffee. Medium with skim milk and 1 pump of gingerbread syrup. It is so Christmasy 🙂

A little something extra:

I would like to start by saying normally, I am 100% against exposed under garments…

Not cute….

Even less cute…

A strange thing happened today. The dress I am wearing today can be slightly see-through in certain light, so I wore a flesh colored full body slip under it.  As the day went on, I think the adjustable straps moved around and it caused the slip to get longer. The lace trim at the bottom of the slip was exposed most of the day. I actually kind of liked the look of it and got several compliments on the details of my dress while I was out and about during lunch. I wish this dress actually did have a tan lace trim…

I think is adds a little something extra, don’t you?

I am pretty sure if my Nana were around to read this post she would be horrified that I walked around all day with my slip hanging out. She is looking down a little disappointed for sure. Sorry, Nana…times they are a changin’

What fashion no-no do you think is okay in some cases?

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Wrapped Around His Paw…

Hello! Well, it is a winter wonderland here in Boston today! Last night it snowed quite a bit. It actually took us forever to get to our monthly girls dinner with my aunts and cousins. Luckily everyone did make it there in one piece. Every month we meet for dinner to catch up and spend time, just us girls. This month was the best turn out so far! We all met at Felicia’s in Stoneham.

I had two glasses of Pinot Nior throughout the evening.

I started off with a side salad topped with balsamic dressing. I loved that this salad has chickpeas.

For my meal I ordered the Chicken Marsala, no ham. I love Chicken Marsala, but I really have to be in the mood for it. I probably eat it once a year, if that, but when I am craving it- nothing else will do.

The meal came with pasta, I was delighted to see that Felicia’s offered a homemade whole wheat fuscilli.

It was amazing, I love how you can just tell that pasta is homemade. It is plumper or something. The potions were HUGE- I had all the mushrooms out of the Chicken Marsala (I am such a veggie girl through and through) and one of the chicken breasts. I ate about 1/2 of the pasta…it was just SO GOOD. I ended up taking home the left over pasta, which I am certain will be dinner tonight.

We had liquid “dessert” we got limoncello shots on the house. DELICIOUS! If you have never had limoncello, I recommend trying it as the end of a meal. It is amazing. Adam and I brought my mom some from our Honeymoon in Italy. I am pretty certain you will be seeing it in my Christmas post.

After dinner we did our version of a Yankee Swap. We all went around the table and picked numbers out of an envelope.

No peeking!!!

And then picked a gift in the order of the number you picked. However, there was no swapping, whatever you got you got. We did this for a few reasons:

1. We all agreed that we don’t like how mean spirited the stealing and swapping can get. People’s feelings can get hurt.
2. We set a price of $25 per gift, so it’s not like someone was going to get a box of Bisquick or a half used roll of paper towels (both of which are gifts I have seen make appearances at Yankee Swaps).

It went well and everyone loved their gift! I got this beautiful throw for our couch. We actually don’t have a throw and have to drag the quilt out onto the couch when we want to lay there and watch TV, so I loved this. It was paired with a pair of cozy socks. I have a feeling Oscar and I will have many snowy nights curled up in this to come 🙂

I had a blast last night with my family. For so long we would only see each other on Holidays or special occasions. I love seeing everyone once a month and playing much more active roles in each others lives.  My mom, aunts and cousins are some of the most beautiful, intelligent and down right hilarious ladies that I know. Spending time with them makes me so grateful that I have such lovely woman as role models.

From left to right: Aunt Barbara, Cousin Melody, Aunt Martha, Aunt Barbara Mae, Auntie Ann, FFF Mom, yours truly and Cousin Robin. I love my family!!!

PS…My Aunt Barbara Mae is up for a HUGE promotion at work. She has worked so hard for this opportunity. Send her good vibes, there is no one more deserving! I know she is going to get it!!!

This morning there was an attempted robbery  in the FFF household. Luckily I am able to provide you with the mug shot of the perpetrator.

This dog has been charged with attempted waffle theft and will be prosecuted.  😉

Breakfast was two whole wheat waffles topped with plain greek yogurt, maple syrup, 1/2 of a banana and blueberries with a cup of coffee.

I ate one and then had to get up to answer the phone. When I returned I caught Oscar trying to steal my second waffle. He knew he was caught and froze as if him not moving made him invisible.  When I yelled at him he perked his ears and wagged his tail to remind me how cute he is. This dog has me wrapped around his tiny little dachshund paw.

Today’s Outfit:

Black belted sweater dress (H&M), Printed Scarf (I got it in London a few years ago).

Shoes:

Black thigh-high boots (Chinese Laundry).

Does your pet have you wrapped around his or her paw?

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Let It Snow….

Hello! Whoa, where the heck did today go? I feel like I blinked and the day was over. I am hoping the rest of the work week goes by this fast. I have a lot to accomplish, but I am so ready for a nice long break.

Today I had a lunch meeting that between you and I was kind of a waste of time. Lunch was provided. I always get nervous about these meeting for two reasons:

1. I don’t really have control over what is served. So if there are no healthy options I I get kind of bummed out.
2. Not everyone I work with knows about my blog (I am not sure I want them to) and I don’t want to seem like a weirdo taking pictures of my food or have to answer all the questions about it.

Luckily, it worked out on both fronts! There were healthy options and the co-workers around me while I was photographing know about the blog and were totally used to it.

I had 1/2 of a veggie wrap on whole wheat with some salad, pineapple and grapes.

I am not going to lie, for having that many veggies in it, that sandwich was pretty bland! It didn’t have a lot of flavor at all. I was disappointed.

Around 2pm I got this awful headache. I couldn’t figure out what was going on until I realized that I hadn’t had coffee all day! Um, hello, who am I? I ran next door and got a medium coffee with cream and a vanilla shot. The headache went away in a jif!

It snowed for the first time this season in Boston today. It was so pretty and exciting. Adam had the day off and I received this picture via text with the caption, “I love playing in the snow, mama!”

I was so jealous that Adam and Oscar got to play in the snow while I was stuck at work making new student folders…boooo!

Do you get excited to see the first snow of the season too or do you dislike snow?

I have dinner plans tonight with the girls on my dad’s side of the family. We have dinner together once a month. This time we are doing a little gift exchange as well. I am looking forward to a great night of good food and great company!

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