THXGVG: Food Porn, Photos, Recipe, Stuff

Friday, November 25, 2011

I decided to finally cook something and take you along with me! Here is the healthy casserole that I made to bring to Westchester for those of us that didnt want to eat a pile of salt and butter and fat!

Here’s what you need:

emoticon about a pound of chicken, messily chopped/torn up into bite sized pieces
emoticon about 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, fat-free, fat-full whichever you prefer
emoticon about 8 oz of chopped up broccoli tops (or one 9 oz box of the frozen stuff)
emoticon handful of minced onions
emoticon handful of sliced mushrooms
emoticon about 20-25 quarter inch pieces of sundried tomatoes
emoticon 1/4 cup sliced green beans
emoticon 2 tbsp of butter or whatever you want to use to keep sht from sticking to your skillet
emoticon half a package of neufchatel or cream cheese, low fat, non-fat, all fat whatever (4 oz)
emoticon a cup of chicken broth, homemade, can, carton, I dont care
emoticon 3 cups of dry pasta, the swirlies and fusilis and big ziti ones work nice

Make your oven 375 and boil water for your pasta.
Heat up a “non-stick” (lol) s’killit and melt in whatever butter/i cant believe its not/olive oil in the bottom and dump your chicken in and stir it constantly.

When its all cooked white on the outside, stir in your chicken broth and sundried tomatoes…



…and simmer it until the chicken is cooked through and about half of the broth has been cooked down or absorbed…



Now add in your cream cheese stuff, in about 6 equal sized lumps. Make sure the burner is on low and stir it slowly every minute or so while the cream cheese is melting. (You can chop onions and slice mushrooms and stuff at the same time).



It should look like this when the cream cheese is all melted and stirred in well. Now add in half of your mozzarella.



By now your pasta water should be boiling, add in your pasta to start cooking.

Dump in your onions, green beans and half of your mushrooms to the chicken part (yes in the s’killit with the cheese and stir it all together) so they can start dding their falvor to the meat as it cooks down.




When your pasta is almost done, dump in your broccoli and the rest of your veggies to cook together in the pot, yes it will need to come to a boil again.



When the pasta and vegetables have cooked, drain them and add them to the chicken mixture.



Stir it all together so that the cream cheese/chicken broth gravy coasts everything lightly.



Then pour it all into a glass casserole dish and mash it all down tight with the back of your spoon/ladel/hand/whatever.



After it cooks for 20 minutes, pull it out of the oven and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese over the top and put back for about 3-7 minutes til its all melted and delicious. Put it up on the stove (no heat) to relax for like 10 minutes before you eat it or it will burn your tongue off.



tada!

Now here is the rest of the day!

I woke up early and went for a 4K:




It was a clear crisp BEAUTIFUL and CLEAN morning, so fresh and invigorating.
Then I hit up the farmers market to get the ingredients for my casserole that I just explained to you. And then I cooked it and Jen came over and we started drinking. (it was about 10:30 am)

I took a long luxurious relaxing bubble bath and then decided to just NOT dress up and instead, go to THNXGG in my tights and Uggs and pjs because I am allowed to do that. Jen looked adorable though. We finished getting ready and ran of to Grand Central Station to meet Tom and Lawrence by the clock on the main concourse.






Then we got up to Westchester and did the social thing for a couple hours before starting on MISSION:FDH (fat,dumb,happy).

THANKSGIVING FOOD-PORN


roasted brussels sprouts, asparagus, purple onions, baby potatoes and chestnut dressing.


turkey and real cranberry sauce!


My whole plate!



HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Exercise is the root of all problems

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

SO I woke up this morning and I was going to force myself to run but it was pitch black and raining and I already have a cough so instead of running, I finally located a carpeted area in my house where I can do jumping jacks without falling through the floor or shaking the entire block. SO I did 200 and a set of squats with 20 lbs weight and a set of shoulder presses, same weight.

Not much, not a big deal, not an hour sweat session, but more than I did yesterday.

Then I went for a mile walk.

Tomorrow, I will do more than that and see how many days in a row that I can do more than I did the day before.

More can be 10 extra jumping jacks, more can be adding another set of two ST exercises, more can be a 5K or a 7 mile walk, more can be 10 crunches and 200 jumping jacks… it doesnt matter, as long as I add to what I did the day before.

I think that works well for building consistency and gradually upping my activity at the same time.

Just beat what I did yesterday.

Even if its just an extra 5 minutes.

I can do that.

Especially since today is already done.

Also because I’ve realised that exercise is behind all the problems in my life. All of them. No no hear me out.

When something isnt feeling balanced or healthy or normal or good, then its probably because of exercise. It’s tied in to everything.

Ive been told on a few occasions that I should think about talking to people that are working on the maintainance part of losing weight… how to keep it off when you get to your goal weight. Well this ‘plateau’ Ive been on for the last year+ is pretty much me maintaining. (Except since I switched to whole grains two weeks ago, Ive put on 10 pounds, skyrocketed back to the 180s and pretty much died inside). Here’s what I leared about exercising from the maintenance point of view.

Im extra PMS this week, overemotional and oversenstive… oh I must need to exercise.
Im having trouble focusing on work and projects… oh I must need to exercise.
Im grumpy and out of sorts… oh I must need to exercise.
I have a short fuse on my temper… oh I must need to exercise.
I have no energy and feel lethargic and lazy all the time… oh I must need to exercise.
Ive been munching mindlessly lately and can’t figure out why… oh I must need to exercise.
Im feeling insecure and my self-esteem is dropping daily… oh I must need to exercise.
My confidence is wobbly at best today and I don’t feel like I can handle what’s been going on at work… oh I must need to exercise.
My brain is disorganized and working against me… oh I must need to exercise.
My moods have been generally low lately and I cant seem to pull myself out of this funk… oh I must need to exercise.
There’s nothing ever on tv anymore… hmmph… oh I must need to exercise.
Im fighting insomnia again!!!!… oh I must need to exercise.
Im useless, I dont know why my friends even put up with me and my useless ass… oh I must need to exercise.
I dont feel shiny or pretty or loveable or like I have a friend in the world… oh I must need to exercise.
My back is killing me… oh I must need to exercise.
I hate being on my period, I feel so ugly and sore and fat and im always in pain… oh I must need to exercise.
I feel a burning desire to pull the plug on all my personal relationships and disappear forever into the sunset… oh I must need to exercise.
Im picking fights with my bffs, my roommates, my boss and my man… oh I must need to exercise.

… oh I must need to exercise is my new trigger phrase.

Speaking of bffs… I miss mine.

I spoke with a mutual friend recently who totally helped me with straight guy feelings translation when I first started realising that my Superhero and I were slipping into bf/gf mode. I explained to him how when I try talking to my bff about the things Im scared of/freaking out about/gonna eff up, I get the whole “that’s awesome, Im happy for you, dude” and I can’t ever have a conversation about what’s bothering me beyond that line. He told me to not share anything with any of the guys in the band at all, that they arent going to like it, dont wanna hear it and its best if I keep quiet on it. Cause the band is used to me being single, and being ‘their Bri’ and none of them want to think about what it means for me to be in a relationship instead of available all the time and giving them my individed attention. Which I don’t think they give that much of a rat’s ass, or even that they feel that way at all, but his advice has never failed me.

So while Ive been trying to navigate these uncharted waters with my sharkslayer, Ive been sitting in my nest of fairy lights thinking myself into disaster after disaster and occasionally dumping a little of it on Jen and a pinch here and there on _TRIXIE_ and my poor AB girls.

SO its been weeks if not over a month since Ive had a conversation with my BFF that wasnt about what to eat or when we are planning on seeing each other again. There is a big ass wedge there now and I keep going radio silent for as long as I possibly can, just so I can try to not talk about anything they dont want to hear about, and because basically, since July, Ive been a big fat wet blanket.

So now when he texts me, I just stare at it and let my eyes fill up with tears and try not to make him feel guilty or be too honest.

And I try not to show too much happy around friends that are having a rough time or dealing with the other side of dating.

And I try not to lean on Jen and Tom too much about my worries so they dont think Im completely wrapped up in myself.

And I try not to bug my man by texting him or anything, good lord I think Ive only called him once ever and he didnt pick up cause he was in the shower.

And I just keep spending all my energy on swallowing the sht in mt head and being as unintrusive and non-burdeny as possible… oh I must need to exercise.

And my new job/promotion/whatever is really hard and time consuming and OF COURSE BIG SURPRISE no raise just like my other 4 promotions sob whine bitch moan… oh I must need to exercise.

So my Thanksgiving dinner I was going to cook at home tomorrow is null and void because Im going up to visit some married friends of mine for Thanksgiving instead of spending it with the band.

Or my man.

Or family.

Can I just wake up next year? I really hate this time of year. THe world spends so much time and energy making people feel like complete and utter crap… oh I must need to exercise.

Happy Thankscalories.

emoticon I know I love myself because today I:
worked out
took a walk and got coffee
picked up more fairy lights for my room for $1 
had a yummy pretty breakfast
took pictures of it
printed out new recipes to try



I has a sad.

Roasted Winter Vegetables

culinary.net
Nutrition Info
  • Calories: 145.1 
  • Fat: 3.8g
  • Carbohydrates: 26.9g
  • Protein: 2.7g

Ingredients

1 bag “Golden Nugget” or other fingerling (tiny) potatoes (you can substitute “new potatoes” or the tiny red potatoes - as long as they’re small)
1 bag pearl onions
1 sweet potato
1 butternut squash
1 bag parsnips (giant white carrots)
optional: 1 small box brussels sprouts, if you’re not a supertaster who hates them
olive oil
fresh rosemary
fresh thyme

Directions

Prep: scrub potatoes, remove outer layer onions, peel and cube squash, peel and cube sweet potato, peel and slice parsnip.
Oven temp: 350 to 375 F
Cooking time: 1 hour (60 minutes)

Detailed instructions:
Scrub the potatoes, but you don’t have to peel them. Peel the outer layer off the onions. Peel the sweet potato and cut it into 1” cubes. Peel the butternut squash and cut it into 1” cubes. Scrub and peel the parsnips, cutting off the tops, and cut them into 2” long segments at the thin end, 1” long segments at the thick end. Remove any wilted leaves from the brussels sprouts.

Place all the veggies in a large baking dish or casserole dish. Bloop a few tablespoons of olive oil over them, and toss till everything has a very slight touch of olive oil on it. Now strip the leaves from 4-5 branches of rosemary, and from 4-5 branches of thyme, and sprinkle them over the veggies. Toss the veggies again, so that the herbs are distributed throughout. Roast, uncovered, in a 350° to 375° F oven for about one hour, or until a fork stuck in a potato or cube of sweet potato goes in easily. Serve hot. This makes a lot - 8 people or so’s worth - so if there are leftovers, they taste just fine rewarmed the next day.


The even easier version of this recipe:
Instead of all those kinds of veggies, just get one bag of the Golden Nugget potatoes and one bag of some other kind of tiny potatoes - “new potatoes” or “fingerlings” or anything else where each potato is only golf-ball size. Do the same bit with the olive oil and the herbs. But you don’t have to do all that peeling and cutting. Same baking instructions.

Serves a lot of people - nutrition information is given for 8 servings


Number of Servings: 8

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user BUNRAB.

Green Beans and Pan Roasted Red Onions

Nutrition Info
  • Calories: 39.7 
  • Fat: 1.2g
  • Carbohydrates: 6.5g
  • Protein: 1.5g

Ingredients

5 cups water
1 pound green beans, trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 red onions, each cut into 8 wedges
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan; add beans. Cook 6 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain; keep warm.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté 8 minutes or until browned. Add broth; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in vinegar and remaining ingredients. Stir in beans; cover and cook 2 minutes

NOTE: Beans may be cut into small pieces, if desired.

Serving size: 1/2 cup Yield: 14 servings


Number of Servings: 14

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user 60SIXTY.

 Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

If you click the photo, it will take you to the original recipe by BLUESUNSHINEFL on sparkpeople. Im bound and determined to make this perfectly for Thanksiving this year. BOUND AND DETERMINED! Rustic Pumpkin Cheesecake Nutrition Info Calories: 322.6  Fat: 14.0g Carbohydrates: 43.4g Protein: 8.4g Ingredients Bottom Crust =20 Mini Oatmeal Cookies, crushedCanola Oil Cooking SprayCheesecake =2 cups (16 oz) Light Cream Cheese1 cup (8 oz) Part Skim Ricotta Cheese1 cup Milk Chocolate Chips1 cup Honey1 can Pumpkin Puree1/4 cup and 2 tbsp Low Fat Buttermilk4 Large Eggs2 tbsp Cornstarch2 tbsp Chocolate Syrup1 tsp Allspice1 tsp Vanilla Extract1/4 tsp Almond Extract1/8 tsp Cinnamon1/8 tsp Nutmeg1/8 tsp Ground Ginger1/8 tsp Ground ClovesPinch of Orange Zest Directions 1) Bring all cold ingredients to room temperature before mixing. This should take about 45 minutes.2) Preheat saucepan on MEDIUM-LOW3) Melt chocolate chips, 2 tbsp buttermilk, and chocolate syrup in saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Watch closely so chocolate doesn’t burn. When chocolate is melted, remove from heat. Allow to cool completely.4) Preheat oven to 350 degrees5) Spray nonstick cooking oil in a springform pan6) Crush oatmeal cookies. Pat evenly on bottom of springform pan. Use canola oil cooking spray somewhat liberally to help moisten crust.7) Beat ricotta cheese, cream cheese, pumpkin, vanilla extract, almond extract, and honey until smooth.8) Beat in eggs, 1/4 cup buttermilk, cornstarch, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cloves, and orange zest until combined.9) Remove 1/2 cup of cheesecake mixture and beat in separate bowl with melted chocolate mixture10) Pour remaining cheesecake mixture into prepared springform pan11) Spoon or drizzle chocolate-pumpkin mixture over top in random places. Comb through top with a butter knife to give a marbled effect. It might seem chunky and uneven, that’s okay.12) Bake for 1 hour. Turn oven off and leave in for 1 hour more (don’t open door). Afterwards, there should be a jiggle in the middle of the cheesecake.13) Allow cake to cool on counter for 2 hours. The slow transition from temperatures helps the cake set and take on its amazing texture. 14) When cheesecake is mostly cool, wrap pan in foil to help keep out moisture. Place in fridge and do not touch for at least 6 hours.— 7 WW points —Number of Servings: 16Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user BLUESUNSHINEFL.
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If you click the photo, it will take you to the original recipe by BLUESUNSHINEFL on sparkpeople. Im bound and determined to make this perfectly for Thanksiving this year. BOUND AND DETERMINED!

Rustic Pumpkin Cheesecake

Nutrition Info
  • Calories: 322.6 
  • Fat: 14.0g
  • Carbohydrates: 43.4g
  • Protein: 8.4g

Ingredients

Bottom Crust =
20 Mini Oatmeal Cookies, crushed
Canola Oil Cooking Spray

Cheesecake =
2 cups (16 oz) Light Cream Cheese
1 cup (8 oz) Part Skim Ricotta Cheese
1 cup Milk Chocolate Chips
1 cup Honey
1 can Pumpkin Puree
1/4 cup and 2 tbsp Low Fat Buttermilk
4 Large Eggs
2 tbsp Cornstarch
2 tbsp Chocolate Syrup
1 tsp Allspice
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp Almond Extract
1/8 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
1/8 tsp Ground Ginger
1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
Pinch of Orange Zest

Directions

1) Bring all cold ingredients to room temperature before mixing. This should take about 45 minutes.

2) Preheat saucepan on MEDIUM-LOW

3) Melt chocolate chips, 2 tbsp buttermilk, and chocolate syrup in saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Watch closely so chocolate doesn’t burn. When chocolate is melted, remove from heat. Allow to cool completely.

4) Preheat oven to 350 degrees

5) Spray nonstick cooking oil in a springform pan

6) Crush oatmeal cookies. Pat evenly on bottom of springform pan. Use canola oil cooking spray somewhat liberally to help moisten crust.

7) Beat ricotta cheese, cream cheese, pumpkin, vanilla extract, almond extract, and honey until smooth.

8) Beat in eggs, 1/4 cup buttermilk, cornstarch, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cloves, and orange zest until combined.

9) Remove 1/2 cup of cheesecake mixture and beat in separate bowl with melted chocolate mixture

10) Pour remaining cheesecake mixture into prepared springform pan

11) Spoon or drizzle chocolate-pumpkin mixture over top in random places. Comb through top with a butter knife to give a marbled effect. It might seem chunky and uneven, that’s okay.

12) Bake for 1 hour. Turn oven off and leave in for 1 hour more (don’t open door). Afterwards, there should be a jiggle in the middle of the cheesecake.

13) Allow cake to cool on counter for 2 hours. The slow transition from temperatures helps the cake set and take on its amazing texture.

14) When cheesecake is mostly cool, wrap pan in foil to help keep out moisture. Place in fridge and do not touch for at least 6 hours.

— 7 WW points —

Number of Servings: 16

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user BLUESUNSHINEFL.

Oh TurkeyDay

Im either going up to Westchester with Jen to visit our friends for Thanksgiving (not sure yet) OR staying at my place and cooking up something fun and thankful for just the two of us. Ive been going through the Sparkpeople Recipes website and searching through everything they have for Occasion:Thanksgiving and Im pretty sure my teeth are about to rot out of my mouth just reading all these desserts.

The first 15 pages were made up of:

Pumpkin desserts or drinks: 62 
Sweet Potato Pie or other sweet casserole: 14 
Cranberry Sauce, Salsa or Stuffing: 14 
Vegetables plus fruit plus sweet stuff: 6 
Green Bean Casserole: 5 
Other desserts and sweet side dishes: 15 

and…

Classic Entree (Turkey, Ham, etc): 11 
Healthy Casserole, Soup or Side Dish (non sweet flavored): 21 

So Im thinking of planning to do this…

slicing up very thin quarter-shaped pieces of boiled or steamed parsnips and arranging them on a baking sheet with some scallions and purple onions and red potatoes. Then I will mix a little honey and water together and coat them all with the mixture and sprinkle it all with sea salt and thyme and rosemary and garlic and stick it in the oven to roast and get all crispy and this will be Vegetable Dish #1 

Then Im going to chop up 3 or 4 yellow squashes and throw them in the nonstick pan with some real butter and a tiny bit of seasalt (just cause I like seasalt better for flavor) and teeny tiny bits of scallions and garlic and a little bit of basil and oregano and parsley and brown ‘em all up and that will be Vegetable Dish #2 

Then Im going to make a cold salad with baby spinach, feta cheese crumbles, pecans, walnuts, hard boiled egg bits, cauliflower bits, cherry tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts, purple onions, radishes and yellow and red peppers and black beans. This will be Vegetable Dish #3 

Instead of a turkey this year, Im going to make a homemade from scratch chicken stew with carrots and little baby new potatoes and pearl onions and squash and barley and celery and omnomnomnomnomnomnomnoms

Im going to make simply WHITE bread dinner rolls because its a holiday and I dont want to eat cardboard.

For dessert, Im going to make some kind of blackberry cream cheese pecan pan of sexiness and delishness.

Im als going to try to make Bikini_Dreamer’s version of Chef Meg’s Roasted Root Vegetables and replace the squash dish if I can.

Also, Jameson.

As far as Saturday’s dinner for two, this is what I served:

Butternut Squash Rotinis with creole tomato cream sauce
mozzarella sprinkled breadsticks
green beans, broccoli, snap peas, cauliflower, carrots with very little and very lite cheese
Jack n Coke
& cherry pie

It was two thumbs up high five dinner victory

In other news, Im wearing my fat pants today.

I ate a little bit of everything

Except the veggies.

I had:
8 crackers with brie (lol I almost wrote bri)
dark meat turkey
fresh brussels sprouts with bacon & chestnuts (2 servings)
fresh string beans and bell pepper with almonds (2 servings)
apple currant cranberry cornbread stuffing
wild rice
3 Tbsp of gravy
skipped the sweet potatoes and corn pudding, I just had no need for all that LOL
half a slice of apple pie
half a slice of butternut squash pie with a teeny money shot of whipped cream
4 glasses of zin (not the white zin, I has some class)
2 pieces of the little chocolates with whiskey in them
a mug of french vanilla hazlenut coffee

+5lbs this morning, but that was before I even had time to pee first. I slept like a rock last night.

blah blah blah yackety schmackety turkey day :P

Voted Popular Blog Post: View All Popular Posts 

A different take (for me) on being thankful- LOL - WARNING THIS MIGHT MAKE YOU HUNGRY-I’m told :P




The Holiday Snowball effect starts tomorrow. Don’t Blink! It’ll be 2010 before you know it. Time is going to start speeding past us. Kids will be home for the holidays. We are going to have several days off of work, so when we are there- we will be busier than normal. Decorations, shopping, packing or getting ready for visitors will take up big chunks of time. It seems like we are going to have plans 3 or 4 days a week sometimes. Maybe winter is usually a lonely and sad time for us, and we will have to fight to leave our warm beds and put our toesies on the freezing floor. Stuff is gonna get HECTIC!

But right around the corner is a brand new beginning. A whole new year! Hell- A whole new DECADE! We get to leave this year behind, proud of all that we have accomplished and are going to be rewarded with a fresh clean slate!

So what am I thankful for this year?



Mashed Potatoes.

Though they sometimes remind me of the topography of my thighs, they also remind me of warm soft comforting hugs. of Love. They remind me to be thankful for every bit of affection and love that I was fortunate to receive or give in the last 11 months. I’m going to have a serving of mashed potatoes to remind me to continue the warm, soft creamy spirit of love and affection in the coming year.



Cranberry Sauce.

I am thankful for those tangy moments of snark and wit that usually end in raucous laughter among my friends. Biting wit and sarcasm mixed in with the good conversation that I am lucky enough to share with my friends both in person and here in the sparkworld. I’m going to have a serving of cranberry sauce to remind me to embrace the laughter and well-timed jokes in the upcoming year.



Greenbean casserole

Greenbean casserole reminds me of turning responsibility into an opportunity to make good things happen. Even when I don’t want to do the things I should, avoiding them only worsens a situation; but tackling them brings well-deserved rewards. For example- eating your vegetables gives you clean skin and strong bones. Getting up to exercise rewards you with more energy and a smaller waistline. This year I am going to have a serving of greenbean casserole to remind me to make responsible decisions and earn rich rewards in the new year.



Hot fresh bread.

Bread reminds me of indulgence, as we carb-counters can understand. I have had numerous occasions this year that were filled with happy, indulgent moments. Whether I was spending a little money on myself, relaxing in a hot bubblebath or diving into pizza with friends while gathered around a Netflix movie, I was thoroughly enjoying myself. This Thanksgiving I will have a serving of warm fresh bread to remind myself that getting healthy does not mean deprivation. It means that I will savor the good things in life with much more clarity and and I will cherish every moment of indulgence, but I will doit with common sense.



STUFFIN!

I almost forgot this one! Stuffing is the good salty/savory one! It’s made up of a million different little ingredients! Bread, spices, seasonings, meat, veggies all kinds of stuff. It’s like Thanksgiving dinner all smuched together in one perfect bite. This year has had me all over the place, from moving to NYC, to going back to school for the first time, lots of dating adventures and disasters, work, bills, vacations, missing my old friends- CHEEZUS! So tomorrow, and I promise I won’t forget- this is so typical of me- I will have a helping of stuffing to remind me to always step back and take in the big picture.



TURKEH! (of course)

Turkey is a big fat plump happy delicious bird. But it is also full of protein, the meat of our diet journeys. Protein keeps us strong and fills our tummies with sustenance that our body can use. I have been very fortunate this year to be able to add substantial strength to my body, mind and spirit. I am going to have a helping of turkey this year to remind me to continue to grow stronger and fill my life, not with fickle trends and half-hearted promises, but with meaningful sustenance.



Punkin’ Pie

Pumpkin is warm and spicy and dessert always makes me happy. Whipped cream is light and sweet and the epitome of the non-essential good stuff. I am thankful for every sweet and unnecessary moment of happiness that I have been blessed with this year. I am thankful for babies and puppies and falling leaves and the wind in my hair. For every unexpected peal of laughter that escaped my lips. I am going to help myself to a piece of pumpkin pie tomorrow, to remind myself to relax and enjoy the ride next year.



WINE! (hehehehe)

Wine makes my cheeks rosy and my voice softer and makes me feel sexy! I’m thankful for every moment this year that made my spirit glow with inner warmth and contentment. I am thankful for every kiss and every lingering look. I’m thankful for every blush and every naughty thought. I’m going to have (probably more than two) glasses of wine tomorrow night to remind me to live in the moment every chance I get next year. To invest in my own happiness and contentment, and to live a little, no- ALOT, because we only get one time around.

I wish all of my friends at sparkpeople a warm and delicious holiday tomorrow; whether you are eating alone watching football or reading a book, or you are surrounded by a million bickering relatives. Hang on to your sense of self and feel your spirit glow.

Hang on! The snowball starts tomorrow~!