flashback friday: happy new year.
*edited to add: i typed this and LOST all my photos from last night.. so then i had to buy a SD card recovery service for $40 and spend 4 hours recovering my photos. that is why this ended up posting so late. FML, but at least i got my photos back.
hello and welcome to a new day, a new week, a new month, a new year, a new decade. hope the first of 2010 has been treating you well!
before i forget, i added a blogroll page. if your name is not there and you know it should be, holler at me. i went off of the post where i asked everyone to speak up if they were not yet on it. let me know. next up is my about me page.. lots of bloggie cleaning up to do.
SO! i have had an incredibly lazy start to my year, but before i tackle the details from today let’s rewind to yesterday.
janetha’s last day of 2009.
when i left you last i mentioned that i was waiting for marshall to wake up so we could eat together. i finally managed to get him out of bed for a delicious breakfast slash brunch.
egg + laughing cow + avocado + turkey on wheat & diced pears.
mmm.. laughing cow wedges make any meal so much better! i love how creamy they are and also that each wedge is just 35 calories.
marshall and i ran to the mall in the afternoon. big mistake. i ended up getting a bad case of anxiety due to the lines and the crowds. arg! eventually we got out of there and stopped by a few friends houses to drop off their christmas gifts.. a tad late ;)
by the time we were finished with all of our errands, we only had an hour before we had to leave for a new year’s party. take out it was!
cafe rio grilled chicken salad with no rice and easy on the black beans.
then it was off to the party! the party invite said to wear a tie or a dress~so i wore both!
don’t mind the purple teeth. i suppose that is what a glass of red wine tends to do to pearly whites.
hey ladies!
a couple more..
apparently there was a part in the middle of my bangs all night long and i never knew it. ha. hate that! oh well.
it was a really fun party and i was so glad all of my friends were there as well as some of marshall’s friends. it was a great mix of people and we all had a blast. sometimes new year’s can end up being a bust and i was stoked that this time around turned out to be such a huge success!
janetha’s first day of 2010.
today has been rather uneventful. well, aside from the fact that the dog we are tending barfed all over my bed this morning. what a way to start the year!
marshall made us some coffees to go using the french press and then we paid a visit to his dad’s house so we could finally exchange christmas gifts with his dad & step mom. after that, we went to eat at red rooster waffle company which turned out to be a hit!
the restaurant is locally owned and offers a large selection of sweet and savory waffles, breakfast favorites and lunch selections. i went with a multigrain waffle, 2 eggs over medium & bacon.
side note: this was one of the photos i had to recover.. and it got cut off. woops.
it was exactly what i was craving and i ate every bite, minus the strip of bacon i gave to marshall.
later this afternoon i had a snack~
double fiber english muffin + naturally more + cranberry apple butter
i also had an unphotographed pear.
i napped after eating this snack and woke up feeling refreshed! it has been an incredibly lazy start to the year~ my day off from exercise and didn’t get anything too productive done. but i have all year to be productive, right?! ;)
i have been snacking on random things this evening but nothing worth mentioning. i need to pay a visit to the grocery store tomorrow!
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flashback friday round nineteen: new year’s eve edition.
i am sure you saw this coming! i only have new year’s party photos dating back to 2005 on this laptop, so here goes!
2005.
house party.
before the party we made yukka juice which is tequila, lemons, limes, sugar, water and ice.
i met a sweetie at the party! i am so that weird dog girl who freaks out when she sees any and every dog.
my first new year’s with jamie~but definitely not my last. 
2006.
we went to the bar.
photos before going ou~
my last NYE with mable :(
2007.
another house party.
my first NYE with marshall.
2008.
we stayed at our place and played games.
there you have it! that wraps up this edition of flashback friday.. did you participate? let me know so i can link back!
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resolutions!
my new year’s resolution last year was to not eat candy. i still ate sweets~ just no packaged candy. guess what? i did it. :D and so did marshall. i am proud of both of us! we each had a piece of candy after midnight to break our streak!
resolutions for 2010.
i decided on three resolutions this year. i never like to do anything to extreme~i want to have resolutions i can actually keep.
here they are:
- floss my teeth every day
- this is something i should already do, but i don’t. i think that i will be more motivated to do it if i make it a resolution because i hate to fail.
- run 400 miles this year
- i am by no means a runner. you all may think 400 miles is a tiny amount in a year. but for me, it is a lot. probably almost double the amount i ran last year. it averages out to about 33-34 miles each month, or just over 8 miles a week.
- don’t drink soda
- i don’t even like soda and drink it on rare occasion. usually when i am sick or if marshall has a soda at the movies. i decided to just not even drink it at all this year, what’s the point?
there are my three resolutions! here’s hoping that i can stick to them. it is really late, i have GOT to get to bed. but first, i better go floss my teeth :)
i will be back tomorrow with:
- winner for the skin MD natural shielding lotion giveaway
- my official plan for whipping my body into bikini-ready shape by february 5th
- review of december goals
hope you all have a fun weekend!
Qs~
1. what did you do for NYE?
2. what were your 2009 resolutions? did you keep them? what are your resolutions for 2010?
happy new year!
xo. janetha b.
the end.
of 2009. crazy, eh? it honestly feels like this year whizzed by in the blink of an eye. i kind of have a feeling that the older i get, the faster time will go by. kind of sad.. i want those endless summers from when i was a kid and feeling like chirstmas takes eons to arrive!
well i didn’t post last night, i was actually at a birthday celebration for one of my good friends. since i have today off of work i figured i would just post early on and then i won’t have to later tonight. two birds, one stone two days, one post ;)
WOW lots of great responses to my last post! if you haven’t read the comments then you may want to go take a look. thank you all for your input and advice and genuine concern. in the end, think that susan said it best”
“Not cool for a GYNO to chime in about DIET. Maybe if your diet was affecting your nether regions. If she was that concerned, she should have referred you to a nutritionist.”
agreed. also, it was refreshing to hear that so many of you eat 120 grams of protein OR MORE each day. as long as the protein is balanced out with all other nutrients~it is fine. just like muffy said:
“if you eat a balanced diet WITH the 120g protein, and you are utilizing it ALL, then it balances out anyway. Might have to take extra calcium to do a balanced diet there, but as long as you are utilizing all that protein and having enough other nutrients, your body should be able to process everything just fine! It is when you have things in EXCESS that you aren’t utilizing when it becomes a problem.”
alright. good stuff. thanks for the great discussion!
moving onto yesterday’s deets!
breakfast was nothing new. protein oatmeal with mighty maple and cinnamon~
lunch was a business meeting with my bosses and our payroll dude. i am taking over a lot with the new year and that includes payroll. we went to red rock which is a delicious restaurant & brewery in the SLC.
i went with the half cobb salad minus bacon plus extra chicken, dressing on the side~
my bosses are used to me whipping the camera out every time i eat, but the payroll dude was a tad freaked out. haha~i don’t even care anymore. no shame in my food blogging game!
after lunch i went straight to the doctor’s office and proceeded to wait in the waiting room for OVER AN HOUR AND A HALF! shoot me in the foot, i wanted to die.. well, not die, but just be somewhat injured so they would pay attention to my presence. hence the shooting in the foot request.
eventually i made it in and the new doc that i requested was AWESOME! she actually had a lot of nice things to say and i think i have found a replacement for the mean, old doc from last year :)
since it was 4 hours after lunch when i eventually left the doc’s office, my appetite was obviously raging. luckily i had an emergency bar in my purse. it was a myoplex lite chocolate chocolate chip bar~
crappy photo, i was driving. oops.
i did a 35-minute stairmill routine which was INCREDIBLE:
| minutes | speed each minute (increased each minute increment) |
orientation |
| 0-1 | 3 | facing front |
| 1-5 | 6, 8, 10, 12 | facing front |
| 5-9 | 4, 6, 8, 10 | facing right |
| 9-13 | 4, 6, 8, 10 | facing back |
| 13-17 | 4, 6, 8, 10 | facing left |
| 17-18 | 3 | facing front |
| 18-22 | 6, 8, 10, 12 | facing front |
| 22-26 | 4, 6, 8, 10 | facing right |
| 26-30 | 4, 6, 8, 10 | facing back |
| 30-34 | 4, 6, 8, 10 | facing left |
| 34-35 | 3 | facing front |
i was a sweaty mess when this was over. it was incredibly challenging~please try it!!
dinner was quick and easy.
stir fry with ground turkey, veggies & brown rice~
i love eating with chop sticks.
all i did to make this was combine some diced red onion, sesame oil & ground turkey~
add broccoli slaw, baby corn, water chestnuts & bamboo shoots~
i threw in a few asian sauces including this one from danica:
and then stirred in some brown rice to complete the dish!
bueno. hmmm or how do i say good in chinese?? no clue.
anyway, then it was off to the party. afterward, marshall was hungry and our friends peter & amber were going to a late night breakfast joint.
i had tea & an english muffin:
i did NOT have these cheese fries with extra cheese, like every one else…
heart attack on a plate. sick. (side note: i am not a hater. usually i do enjoy some delicious fries but i prefer mine to be of the sweet potato variety and not swimming in mounds of cheese)
that brings us to today! the last day of the decade. wow. i actually have not had anything to eat yet and i have only sipped on some coffee from my french press. i am waiting for marshall to get his butt up so we can get some food.
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a look back on 2009.
last night marshall and i were looking back at the past decade and talking about all that has happened to us from the age of 16 to the age of 26. a lot. i am pretty sure the past 10 years have been the best and worst of my life. i have been through so much and grown up a lot. learned many life lessons. lost people i love. found new people to love. since it would be really long to look back at the past DECADE, i decided to touch back on some of the things that i remember from this year. i wasn’t blogging the whole time~ but of course i was taking photos.
january.
my mom and i started a second BFL challenge with lots of family and friends. i started up a body for life blog: “do something about it!” and we took the dreaded “before photos”~
i had obviously let the holidays of 2008 get the best of me~ i referred to it as “holiday garbage weight”.
i started taking more photos of my food~
protein pancakes:
“italian kangaroos”:
enchilada casserole:
february.
february was rough: first i had food poisoning then the laptop broke then i got bronchitis then i got a sinus infection.
and my camera broke. this photo is from the last night it worked, then my friend dropped it at the bar:
i also went to calfornia with my parents and marshall for my niece’s baptism and to celebrate my sister’s birthday.
march.
i flashed back to past st patty’s days on my other blog.
i had fun with friends.
april.
i went to mexico with my company.
i had a great last day of the snowboarding season. in a tank top.
may.
i went to moab for memorial day.
we strut our mutts at the 2009 no more homeless pets fundraiser and we raised almost $500! if you got my christmas card, that is where the photo was from :)
june.
i turned 26!
july.
august.
foodbuzz sent me to share our strength’s taste of the nation culinary event.
two meals & moves traditions came to be…
and waffle wednesday was born!
september.
i went to seattle for a wedding.
october.
we went to lake powell and got a house boat.
november.
i visited my sister AND went to the first annual foodbuzz festival and met amazing bloggettes!
december.
my sister and her family surprised us for christmas and i went skiing with them.
and i had the best christmas ever :)
well that was long!
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i can’t believe tomorrow is not only the start of a new year, but the start of a new decade. it blows me away. i love to reminisce and i hope you enjoyed my 2009 recap!
i want to talk about new years resolutions but i think this post is long enough, so i will be back with flashback friday + new years resolutions tomorrow!
whatever you have planned for tonight, make sure you stay safe and have fun!!
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!
Qs~
1. what are some of the moments that stick out to you from 2009?
2. what is/was your LAST MEAL of 2009? ohhh i wonder what mine will be tonight?!
xo. janetha b.
and i still couldn’t come up with a title.
sometimes i have a title in mind before i start rambling.. but most times i hit publish on windows live writer and it reminds me that i have to enter a title before publishing. today is most times.. let’s see what i can come up with~ am in a pretty random, sassy mood so this could get interesting!
let’s start out with a search term from today’s wordpress statistics:
“dumbells070@cock.com”
oh wow. that is comforting to know that
A) someone is searching for “dumbells070@cock.com”
B) my blog comes up when this is searched. oh boy!
okay. moving on.
i ended up eating breakfast pretty late today~not until 9:30. i cooked myself some protein oats on the stove in my work kitchen.
one of my bosses was in the kitchen with me and says: “hey janetha, could you maybe remember to turn the stove off when you get done making your mush? you’ve left it on a few times.”
um. oops. so i guess i have almost burned down the building once or twice. i must be such a space cadet to actually leave the stove on.. that or i am just REAL excited for my protein oats and forget to turn it off!
topped with mighty maple and eaten along side a cup o joe~ perfecto.
my day was filled with lots of year-end busy work and trying to prep things for my new assistant~she starts monday and i am in no way prepared to train her! ah well, lucky for me we already knew each other so i am sure she won’t be bothered by mess of a self come monday morning.
lunch was a repeat of last night’s dinner, minus the bleu cheese and plus honey mustard.
buffalo chicken salad~
i actually think that this was even better today! all the flavors had the chance to meld together fabulously.
i had to work late today and had a lifting session straight away so i fueled up shortly before leaving the office.
chocolate banana protein shake~
the shake itself was pretty unphotogenic so i decided to show you my shake with this kailey style steeze. all this outfit does is remind me how much i wish i had an h&m in salt lake. it is, hands down, my favorite clothing store. my top and my shoes are from there~the cardigan is from nords and the jeans from good old nordstrom rack, another one of my favorite clothing stores. even though it can be a hassle to deal with the rack shopping, you gotta love uber cheap true religions. oh and P.S. my bosses who care were out of town so jeans at the office it was!
today as i was driving to the gym i pulled out my body for life journal from my first challenge. i was flipping through it to get ideas for today’s workout. i got a huge kick out of some of the stuff i wrote so i thought i would share it with you.
OH! first of all it was a sign from god for me to check out this old journal because look what i found!
$cha-ching$
and then i read some of the entries. they were rad and made me realize i need to start doing this again, just so i can look back on my thoughts. writing things down in a book is a lot different than typing on the blog.
exhibit A:
these were the meal/exercise logs from DAY ONE of my challenge. (click to enlarge)
i love how i wrote down “planned” meals and then “actual” meals. dang, i was one organized janetha b! i want to be that girl again. she was determined and had mayjuh success.
exhibit B:
this day is from the end of october. so yeah, you can see i did taper off on the meal planning but i still kept track of what i ate. what i love most about this page is that i wrote “PENNY!” with a triple underline. that was the day i got my little bean and i am glad i have that on paper :)
exhibit C:
haha. “i feel skinny & good!” YES. and that was only 4 weeks into my challenge. love it. i also love that i can read my meals & moves for that exact day that i felt “skinny & good” and see what i was doing right and what works for me to feel good. that is worth solid gold, folks.
anyway, all this BFL reminiscing had me wanting to integrate some BFL lifting into my workout today.
my workout was of the lower body variety today. unfortunately my ankles hurt from running in my new shoes yesterday. gotta break them in! so i didn’t do calves but i did everything else.
- warm up=5 min on treadmill @ 6.0 incline 2.5
*i did 15 bench tuck crunches between these sets:
| exercise | weight | reps |
| bulgarian split squats | 10# db each hand | 12 each leg |
| bulgarian split squats | 12# db each hand | 10 each leg |
| bulgarian split squats | 15# db each hand | 8 each leg |
| bulgarian split squats | 17.5# db each hand | 6 each leg |
| bulgarian split squats | 10# db each hand | 12 each leg |
| step up w/ knee raise | 5# db each hand | 12 alternating |
*i did 30 floor crunches between these sets:
| exercise | weight | reps |
| barbell dead lift | 25# barbell | 12 |
| barbell dead lift | 30# barbell | 10 |
| barbell dead lift | 40# barbell | 8 |
| barbell dead lift | 50# barbell | 6 |
| barbell dead lift | 30# barbell | 12 |
| stability ball ham curl | body weight | 12 |
| exercise | weight | reps |
| laying bridge | 10# on hips | 20 x 3 times |
| mountain climbers | body weight | 20 x 3 times |
| donkey kicks | body weight | 20 x 3 times |
*stretching
the end!
i refueled with quite possibly the most chemical-laden protein bar out there:
i am fairly certain that the ingredient list is longer than randy the basset hound.
i made up for it by having a super clean dinner!
i started out with some chicken that apparently graduated from college by the looks of the cap~
good thing! i would not want to be eating stupid or even semi-unintelligent chicken.
this chicken was not only smart, it was also vegetable grain fed, antibiotic free and all sorts of natural.
i finally had the chance to use my cute new mini le creuset casserole dish!! (which, by the way, i snagged for five dollars at tj maxx)
i coated the chicken in lots of seasonings, such as garlic, basil, thyme, oregano.. you know. the basics.
i topped the chicken with some chopped red onion~
and covered it all with marinara~
baked it for about 40 minutes at 400 degrees [f] and then topped the final product with some fresh grated parmesan using my cute new mini cheese grater~
ah i love mini things! mini grater, mini baking dish. i was in mini heaven!
i ate the chicken over a bed of steamed vegetables~
delicious!
and now i am sipping on some english breakfast tea and hanging out at mi casa.
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one page i saw in my BFL journal was this:
i wrote: “went to gyno – she was rude about protein. lame!”
ah! it all came back to me! back on october 7, 2008 i went to the OBGYN and she seriously reamed me about eating 120g of protein daily. i was very active in the body for life message boards back then and posted about it. that post can be found here (with replies) but i have copied/pasted part of it for convenience:
“the gynecologist asked what supplements i was taking, i told her CLA, fish oil, and that i used protein powder. she asked me why i used protein powder, and i explained to her that i eat 6 times a day, balance my protein and carbs in every meal, and aim for 20g protein a sitting so i end up with 120 g and 120 g protein each day. when hearing this, she kind of went berserk, it was weird. she freaked out saying that it was WAY too much protein for someone to consume daily.
her exact words were “well this better just be a temporary weight loss plan and not a program you intend to follow for the rest of your life!”
heh.. i said well, it is for life actually. and then i made it clear that it was not just to lose some quick weight. instead, it is to stay in shape and maintain a healthy figure. she was not having any of it.. she told me that if i eat 120 grams of protein a day, my bones will become brittle and weak and my body will pull all the nutrients in my bones to process all the protein my body is taking in.
i told her that i take a multivitamin and that i still eat food that have a lot of calcium. she told me that there is nowhere near enough calcium in any of the food i eat to balance out eating that much protein. the worst part is she was very rude about the whole issue.
i do not know much about how our bodies process protein and what protein takes away from our bones, i am no nutrition major..i just follow BFL recommendations for my body size and all i know is that it has made me feel better than i ever have.”
wow. i remember this appointment like it was yesterday! the doctor was so rude to me. i thought it was a little out of line for her to be lecturing me on my protein intake when i was not asking for her opinion on it~i was simply there to get an annual exam.
it is ironic that i saw this journal page today because.. back to the doc i go tomorrow! yes, i know.. it has been OVER a year since october 7th.. oops, my bad. a little late. hey whit~i guess that is my confession for today!
when i made the appointment i made a special request not to see the same practitioner. although i think it would be fun to see her again and tell her that i am doing just dandy with this much protein in my daily diet, nearly 15 months later.
anyway.. i guess there is no real purpose for that whole ramble~i just found it ironic and interesting that i came across it today!
hey, i warned you at the beginning of this post that it may be a little odd. hope i delivered.
OFF TO BED!
Qs~
1.A: what are your thoughts on my experience at the doc last year? do you think it is out of line for a gynecologist to criticize, in a very rude manner might i add, your healthy eating habits when you have not asked for an opinion?
1.B: what are your thoughts on protein intake? is it important to you? do you keep track, or not really pay attention? how much protein do you aim for daily? i know that my body responds well to and equal daily intake of carbs/protein so that is what i aim for. typically, i like to eat 1 gram of protein for each pound i weigh (roughly).
yeah.. those are long and intricate questions~but i would love to hear what you all have to say!
and if you don’t feel like answering those~
2. what is your favorite clothing store? h&m for liiiiife. oh h&m, please come to the SLC.
oh gee- i just realized i still have no idea what to title this post!
last monday of 2009.
well it looks like i made it through my monday in one piece. barely though.. i think i may be coming down with something (knock on wood!) i really need to stop walking back to my car from the gym all sorts of sweaty when it is 18 degrees outside. not cool, janetha, not cool.
it is kind of crazy to think that today was the VERY last monday of the year! sayonara monday mornings of 2009, you’ve been nothing but sleepy all year long!!
anyway~ hope you all enjoyed your day and if you were back at work like i was i hope it was not too hellish. if you are lucky enough to be off work this whole week.. damn you ;)
have you all had the chance to enter my skin MD natural shielding lotion giveaway? you have until tuesday night at 11:59 PM so make sure you get your entries in!
since i didn’t post a legit post last night, i have a couple day’s worth of food racked up on the old canon digital elph~ instead of boring you with all of it, i will just touch on the highest of the lights.
sunday.
yesterday morning i put two of my new kitchen toys to work.. first up i FINALLY was able to grind the coffee beans that i got in my sag bag from the foodbuzz fest.. with my new coffee bean grinder!
it is perfect for me to have this because i now have a french press which uses coarse ground beans, an espresso machin, which uses fine ground beans and a drip coffee maker which uses medium ground beans. i can just buy one bag of beans and get the best of all worlds!
then i put my new french press to the test.
turns out it makes really strong coffee and i didn’t need nearly as many coffee grounds as it called for. good to know, for next time. of course, i can’t turn down a strong cup of joe~i splashed it with some almond milk and called it good!
last night i was at my parents’ place again. basically sure i practically live there these days.. i have been there almost every day for the past week and a half!
my mom made us a delicious meal of roast, potatoes, veggies & salad and i whipped up some deviled eggs. marshall made a batch of guacamole. my plate~
after dinner it was time for a birthday celebration! it was my brother-in-law’s birthday and we had not one but FIVE kinds of pie (and ice cream!) to celebrate.
i went with a small slice of pumpkin pie with homemade whipped cream~
can’t be beat. and i was just 3 days late, december 25th was national pumpkin pie day!
monday.
today was another typical monday at the office which meant another sales meeting breakfast at the original pancake house. the egg white combo i got today was actually pretty dynomite.
egg whites+spinach+mushrooms+onions+liiiittle bit of swiss
i
paired it with dry wheat toast. and a lot of coffee. it was necessary.. i was SO dang tired this morning!
i
am going to show you my snack because it will be the last time you will see me eating shredded spoonfuls. 
i kid. it will just be the last time that i will be eating it until february. i am devising a pre-jamaica eating/workout regimin and cereal is not going to be a part of it. this was the last of my shredded spoonfuls so i won’t be buying a new box until after my trip. oh, the pain.. oh, the sorrow ;)
i paired it with, what else, greek yogurt, cinnamon & mighty maple.
today’s workout was fanfreakingtastic! i was originally going to try april’s advanced treadmill routine that i saw on her blog today.. i even printed it out and everything! but then i got to the gym and my print out was nowhere to be found. shoot, next time.. for sure.
instead i made up a jogging/running HIIT routine of my own. here is how it went down: treadmill incline=0
| minutes | speed (MPH) |
| 0-1 | 3.5 (warm up) |
| 1-3 | 5.5 (jog) |
| 3-5 | 7.5 (run) |
| 5-7 | 5.5 (jog) |
| 7-9 | 8.0 (run) |
| 9-11 | 5.5 (jog) |
| 11-13 | 8.5 (run) |
| 13-15 | 5.5 (jog) |
| 15-17 | 9.0 (run) |
| 17-19 | 5.5 (jog) |
| 19-21 | 8.5 (run) |
| 21-23 | 5.5 (jog) |
| 23-25 | 8.0 (run) |
| 25-27 | 5.5 (jog) |
| 27-29 | 7.5 (run) |
| 29-30 | 2.5 (cool down) |
i ended up going 3.17 miles in the 30 minutes. i miss my HRM and wonder how my heart rate was looking for this workout. i am such a loser.. literally.
can i just say that during the second 2 minute stint of 8.5 MPH i almost fainted! it was gnarly. i had to step off and catch my breath. i think a couple things contributed to this:
- i usually only run at higher speeds for one minute intervals and this routine was in 2 minute intervals.
- i haven’t run since last wednesday. um, oops :P
but after catching my breath i was able to finish the workout strong and i ended up really loving this routine! i had the chance to use my new puma running shoes that marshall got me for christmas~ LOVED them! it was so nice to have new running shoes. my knees didn’t hurt at all the whole time! yay.
tonight i came up with a fantastic meal. remember when i made jessica’s buffalo chicken dip on christmas eve? well i can’t stop thinking about it but it is so not body for life friendly. i decided to make a healthier version of the dip and put it on a salad!
buffalo chicken salad
- boil & shred chicken breasts (i used 3 breasts)
- mix 0% greek yogurt with hidden valley ranch seasoning (enough so the chicken will be moist like chicken salad when added)
- add frank’s buffalo sauce
- add greek yogurt mixture to chicken & mix well
- add diced celery
- mix well again
- serve on top of a green salad, sprinkled with blue cheese
this was incredible! i honestly could not tell it was a healthy meal. it tasted sinfully delicious! the buffalo chicken mixture alone (for a 3 serving mixture i used 3 breasts and 1 cup of greek yogurt and 2 TB buffalo sauce and 2 tsp ranch seasoning) clocks in at 180 calories, 34 grams protein, 4 grams carbs & 500 mg sodium per serving. um. yes please! that is rad!
after dinner it was time for one last hurrah with my sister and her family before they head back to california. we all headed down to spoon me, a frozen yogurt shop.
yes, we took up the whole joint :P i got a small wassail flavored yogurt with mango, graham crackers (holler jess!) and strawberries
yes you heard right. wassail flavored fro yo. to those of you who don’t know, wassail is another term for spiced apple cider. this yogurt was amaze. but.. i couldn’t eat any of the fruit because my geographic tongue was acting up :(
we finished off the night with a rousing round of boggle where i knocked my mom & sister dead. i don’t know what i would do if i had to lose at boggle. i don’t think holly and i should ever play together ;)
and now we are current!
time for a little food talk.
as you can see, these past few days have been very indulgent~especially when it comes to dessert. i try to chalk it up to the holidays and having my relatives in town.. but let’s face it: calories don’t care if it is christmas and they still count toward the waste line. i am going to be cleaning up my act and am actually putting together a 4-week jamaica shape up plan as i mentioned earlier in this post. i will tell you more about it once the details are all worked out. i am so excited!
well folks, that is all she wrote. for now at least. i am off to bed~before midnight for the first time in ages! wow.
hasta mañana.
Qs~
1. what kind of camera do you have? just a curious question!
2. in the spirit of this treat-filled post.. what is your favorite dessert? easy. vanilla bean ice cream, straight up. xo. janetha b.
skin MD natural giveaway.
hey friends! so it is sunday night.. the end of a looong 5 day weekend. it is hard to think about going back to work tomorrow. i sort of wish every week was a 2 day work week and a 5 day weekend ;)
i am beat. basically i feel like them:
and so i am taking the easy way out :P
remember when i reviewed skin MD natural’s all natural shielding lotion?
well, the company has graciously offered to send one lucky reader some shielding lotion of their own!
to enter:
- for your first entry, go to the skin MD natural website and tell me something you like about the company and/or their products.
- for an additional entry, link back to this post OR tweet about it (make sure you inclide my twitter username @janeeetha and the URL in the tweet)
giveaway ends tuesday night @ 11:59 PM
good luck!
hope you survive your monday.. and i will be back tomorrow (assuming i survive mine!)
okay, i am off to join these two on the couch :)
xo. janetha b.
christmas+flashback.
yo! so i guess today did not go according to plan.. i was going to spend the day relaxing and doing some blog business and whatnot. i spent the day out and about with the boyf. just now opening the laptop and it is after 10 PM. hah! oh well, twas a good day none the less.
i have kinda lost track of the days lately. i am digging this whole 5 day weekend thing but i can’t tell if it is friday or saturday or sunday. pretty sure it is saturday, right?
and i am also pretty sure i left off saying i would be back to recap christmas.. so i suppose i should get to that!
christmas day.
marshall and i woke up around 8 AM. he is a sweetheart and made me some coffee and brought it to me while i was still in bed. we exchanged gifts with each other at his house… pretty sure he is the raddest boy ever. i kind of hate it when i get outdone on christmas. i would much rather be the out-doer. well.. marshall wins this time around.
i am not really into talking about all the stuff i got for christmas because that is weird for me.. BUT i know you are all suckers for food and fitness things so i will tell you that he did get me some new puma running shoes that i am stoked to try out!
and no, i have not worked out since wednesday.. haha.. so i have not yet tried them out ;) and he also got me a coffee bean grinder and a french press! yessss. i am so excited to taste the french press difference.
we headed to my parents’ place for christmas festivities. i was sporting my little girls owl PJs from target. the benefit of being pint sized? i can wear kid-steezy pajamas in an XL and get away with it ;)
my sister whipped up an amazing breakfast casserole~
this had obrien potatoes, eggbeaters, ham, cheese, mushrooms.. hmmm other stuff? it was so dang good! and actually really healthy, i will be making this for myself sometime for sure.
i also made some english breakfast tea~
we opened gifts at my mom’s house~again, not going into the details of it all but i do want to share some of the food & fitness related gifts i got, because i know you guys will be as excited as me!
foam roller!
my nieces were totally convinced that it was a giant tootsie roll when it was all wrapped up and were a little disappointed when it was just a boring old foam roller. but i was FOR SURE excited about it.
silicone muffin tins (mini + regular sized)
ah yes, can’t wait to do some baking with these.
mini grater.
as you can tell.. i was overly excited about this one. i love little things! (hopefully that’s NOT what she said.)
cute/funny story time. my mom showed all of us girls a website that creates any word you pick and it uses unique photos for the letters.. such as a photo of a hole in a fence for the letter “O” or part of a picket fence for the letter “N”. well, she asked us each what word we would like and said she would get each of us one for christmas.
this was a few weeks ago. i remember telling her that i couldn’t think of any word that i really wanted and not to spend the money on it because it woud probably be a waste. i don’t recall mentioning to her that if i were to get a word it would be “balance” but i guess i must have, because christmas morning…
i was in SHOCK when i saw my mom had got me a word even though i told her not to.. and even MORE shocked because it was the word “balance” and i didn’t even remember saying that to her! i thought for sure she was a mind reader!
the best part about it all is the frame she found for the artwork. it just oozes the definition of balance, don’t you agree? i love how it is all wibbly-wobbly :) it kind of almost made me cry.
something else that was worth noting is my sister made me the most awesome pillow. i used to be obsessed with volcom (a brand).. not so much anymore, but for years upon years my sister has made me a unique gift with the volcom logo. first it was a wooden clock, then a pillow, then a quilt, then a set of mirrors, then a garden stepping stone, then a glass jar.. i think that is all, am i missing a year? anyway.. she found some awesome purple houndstooth and made me this incredible pillow~
i think homemade gifts are so much fun. one of a kind!
it was so fun to spend the morning/early afternoon with my WHOLE family. that is a rare occurrence!
after awhile hunger got the best of me and i snacked on leftovers from christmas eve~ more stuffed mushrooms, grape jelly meatballs, chips+guacamole and some honey baked turkey~
and my mom and i played a new word game (holly you would love it!) called word on the street.
super fun, highly suggested. while we played, marshall & the kids slept the day away~
we eventually made our way back to marshall’s where i blogged and then we hung out at our friends’ house the rest of the evening. dare say it was the best christmas thus far :)
saturday.
oh, that’s today! just wanted to recap the eats~
woke up around 10.. brewed some coffee but didn’t eat. i cleaned myself up and eventually ate some food around 1..
dear pita pit, why are you not located in the SLC? why must i go all the way to ogden to enjoy your deliciousness? please open a location near my house ASAP. sincerely, janetha b.
wheat pita, grilled chicken, tzatziki, feta, mushrooms, sprouts, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, olives, spinach & avocado. heaven.
happy camper pita eater.
marshall got the breakfast pita.. genius! it is like a one-up on the breakfast burrito!
we shopped the day away and worked up an appetite around 7:00.. we went to the macaroni grill because marshall had a gift card. i got the halibut:
sounds good, right? looks good too:
note to self: never go to macaroni grill again. it is gross. thank goodness this meal was free. the halibut was tougher than a rubber tire and had zero flavor. for the record, marshall’s lasagna was equally as gross. the only good part about the meal was the crayons supplied to color on the table. the end.
now marshall and i are watching inglorious basterds and eating vanilla bean ice cream + pears~ 
yum. pears are not something i would think to put on ice cream but the two paired nicely. or should i say PEARed nicely :P haha.
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flashback friday saturday round eighteen.
it is kinda a given to flashback to christmases past, no?
christmas 2005.
i lived in an apartment on my own and this was the glorious tree my mom bought for me :)
here i am opening the volcom mirrors~another homemade volcom gift from my siister.
so stoked to get my first pod that year. which coincidentally has recently bitten the dust and this year i got a new one to replace it.
in 2005 my sister and her family surprised us at our doorstep (on christmas eve i believe!) they also surprised us by letting us all know they were expecting another baby. look how tiny my nieces were back then! now they are 8 and 6 and the one she was pregnant with, sofi, is 3.
christmas 2006.
i lived with 4 other girls and we had a tree together~
sad.. my last christmas spent with mable.
you may recognize this in my cookie recipe photos!
clearly i was excited about this one.
christmas 2007.
i was in the same house in 2007 and we had a tree again.. this was the best shot i had of it though!
first christmas with marshall and randy!
\
and my sister & her fam from california were in town again in 2007. wow, looks like it has been every other year that they visit for christmas! guess they better plan for 2011 :)
the number of nieces and nephews had grown~
christmas 2008.
no christmas tree at my house this time around :( but still good times were had!
and apparently they were so good that nobody can locate the photos for the festivities but here are two i pulled off my sis-in-law’s blog..
i made a TON of food..
and it was penny’s first christmas <3
gee.. sure wish i had the rest of the photos from last year! hope they are somewhere.
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that wraps up the christmas edition of flashback friday..erm, saturday.. did you participate? let me know and i will link back. i know that deb and tiff did!
daaaang. it is 1 AM. this girl is off to bed. lots to do tomorrow~hopefully will start making a dent in reader as well :P
hope you are all enjoying your weekend!! have a great sunday!
Qs~
1. did you get any foodie or fitness or blogging related gifts this year? what were they?
2. favorite thing to put on top of ice cream?
xo. janetha b.
christmas eve shenanigans.
merry christmas!
i hope you are all enjoying your day off and getting some quality time in with those you love.
sooo.. i took yesterday off and you know what that means~lots of photos and catching up! starting with..
wednesday night.
after publishing this post i ended up dragging myself off the couch and to the gym. thanks to a few ladies motivating me with their tweets :)
treadmill HIIT
|
minute |
speed MPH |
incline |
| 1 | 3.0 | 0 |
| 2 | 5.0 | 0 |
| 3 | 6.0 | 0 |
| 4 | 6.5 | 0 |
| 5 | 7.0 | 0 |
| 6 | 7.5 | 0.5 |
| 7 | 6.0 | 0.5 |
| 8 | 6.5 | 0.5 |
| 9 | 7.0 | 0.5 |
| 10 | 7.5 | 0.5 |
| 11 | 6.0 | 1 |
| 12 | 6.5 | 1 |
| 13 | 7.0 | 1 |
| 14 | 7.5 | 1 |
| 15 | 6.0 | 1.5 |
| 16 | 6.5 | 1.5 |
| 17 | 7.0 | 1.5 |
| 18 | 7.5 | 1.5 |
| 19 | 8.5 | 1.5 |
| 20 | 4.0 | 0 |
and then i finished the workout off with ten minutes on the stairmill:
|
minute |
level |
direction |
| 1 | 6 | facing forward |
| 2 | 6 | facing right |
| 3 | 6 | facing backward |
| 4 | 6 | facing left |
| 5 | 8 | facing forward |
| 6 | 8 | facing right |
| 7 | 8 | facing backward |
| 8 | 8 | facing left |
| 9 | 4 | facing forward/double step w/ leg raise |
| 10 | 4 | facing forward |
i got home and my roommate, drew, made us all some pizza~
boboli crust.. marinara.. mozzarella cheese.. mushrooms soaked in red wine.. sun dried tomatoes.. black olives.. topped off with some freshly grated parmesan and baked for far too long considering how hungry i was ;)
viola!
‘twas delish.
thursday.
i was up bright and early again and had a bowl of cereal before hitting the slopes. should had something with protein but i am all out of groceries these days.
snowboarding was COLD (like 7 degrees plus the wind chill) but really fun. i was with lots of friends and good times were had. photo sesh:
gogry day.
after snowboarding i was famished and had to get something to put in my belly. i had to make a stop at whole foods.. so salad bar it was!
all sorts of good stuff in there.
i cleaned myself up and headed to btown so i could start the christmas eve cooking!
i had nine appetizers planned for the menu. i recruited the help of my family members and managed to get it all done in under two hours. unreal!
before i show you what we made, i have to share a tradition with you. each year, my family buys a plethora of groceries for one family in need and drops it on their doorstep real late at night. after most the appetizers were made, my mom and sisters hit up the grocery store to do the shopping.
we had a super-stealth mission at midnight and delivered these to the family in need. i love this family tradition and i will definitely carry it along for as long as i live!
okay, back to the smorgasbord!
on the menu?
grape jelly meatballs.
for meatballs: 1 lb lean ground beef + 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs + 1 egg. form into small balls and bake at 400 degrees [f] for 20 minutes. place meatballs in slow cooker along with 8 oz grape jelly+12 oz chili sauce+2 tb dijon mustard. let cook on low for 5 hours.
susan’s sunflower seed hummus+pita bread.
recipe can be found here. there was no sunflower seed butter to be found so i subbed 6 oz of sunflower seeds+1 TB tahini.
jessica’s buffalo chicken dip+celery & multigrain baguette.
recipe can be found here. so dang good and so dang bad for you!
guacamole+tortilla chips.
made by marshall :)
sausage stuffed mushrooms.
made by marisa & eric~ let me know if you would like the recipe because THESE WERE EPIC!
caramelized onion & apple tarts.
i got this from the real simple website. recipe can be found here.
pears with bleu cheese & prosciutto.
another winner from real simple. these were SO easy, recipe can be found here.
clam dip+potato chips.
sorta just made this one up! cream cheese, 2 cans of clams, some greek yogurt, mayo and sour cream. added some onion flakes and paprika.. also added salt & pepper. turned out yummy!
shrimp+cocktail sauce.
bought this at market street.
for the main course, my mom made homemade clam chowder.. which is something we have had on christmas eve for as long as i can remember. my sister made rolls to serve with the soup.
my brother-in-law made some wassail which is a fancy term for hot spiced apple cider. yum!
my plate~
i definitely didnt have room for it all~i ended up going back for a prosciutto wrapped pear.
i have mentioned before that my mom collects salt & pepper shakers, these are the cute ones we used last night:
poor marshall has been sick. he is a trooper to do all this family stuff with me :) killer hairdo, no?
penelope joined me on my lap for awhile. so dang cute.
i took a poll to see what the favorite appetizer was. i was really surprised that the pears wrapped in prosciutto got several votes but the buffalo chicken dip was probably the biggest hit (thanks jess!) another favorite was the onion & apple tart. my favorite had to be the stuffed mushrooms!
after dinner my little nieces and nephews decorated cookies for santa~ i colored the frosting. i know, major talent here folks.
my mom had some wassail in this adorable new marshmallow mug!
we all hung out and everyone was basically in a food coma..including the pups (i am pretty sure they got LOTS of table scraps last night! especially since randy has some ridic gas today.. TMI?)
and that photo above is about how i feel now.. and this post is already of novel length.. and i have places to be and people to see! so i will be back tomorrow with a christmas day recap+flashback friday saturday post!
OH and my reader is up to 278. and i refuse to mark all as read because i want to see how you are all doing.. so please excuse my absence this week.. it has been a busy one! i am sure you feel the same. i can’t wait to relax tomorrow and read blogs and play with my new christmas gadgets :)
i hope you all have a fabulous evening and i will be back tomorrow.
until then.. happy holidays from my family to yours!
Qs~
1. what is your favorite appetizer? i love stuffed mushrooms and also have a weakness for spinach artichoke cheese dip.
2. what was the highlight of your christmas day? i will tell you all about my day tomorrow.. but the highlight had to be the fact that my WHOLE family was under one roof.. even my fam that lives out of state. that is rare and it was really special to me :)
love you guys!
xo. janetha b.
today has been such a good day and it is only 5:43.
hi! sounds like you all have some super fun holiday traditions!! i loved hearing about them. thanks for sharing those with me and a special thanks to those of you who de-lurked and decided to comment! that is always so rad. keep it up. i love hearing from you all.
so i am just sipping on some coffee and sitting by the fire.. still in my first layer and too lazy to move. showering would probably be a good idea as would the gym.. but i decided to blog instead :D
so! today i woke up bright and early (at 7:45 AM on my day off~yes that is bright and early for me!).. drove to my house to change into my snowboard gear and managed to inhale some breakfast before my family picked me up to head to brighton.
blueberry chobs+faux honey bunches of oats
and then it was up to the resort! it was really warm at first, even though it was lightly snowing. my nieces (they are 8 and 6) had never been skiing in their lives and i was a little nervous about how they would do! we suited up at the car~
and the it was time to head to the lift!
we ended up taking about 4 or 5 runs on the bunny hill and they were doing awesome! i was really surprised how quick they picked up on how to ski. i guess it is true that the younger you are, the easier it is to learn.
it was fun to see them learn but it was a pretty…slow…lift… i kept myself entertained by taking photos.
that ninja on the left would be momma b. lucy in the middle and you all know me.
after awhile i ended up leaving them on the bunny hill so i could take some runs with my friends, jaime and ceza. it was such a good day! soft snow and new tricks in the park. i am bound and determined to learn some new stuff this season. after i broke my humerus i kinda got worse at snowboarding because i was scared~but i think i am finally ready to step it up again.
around 1 PM i headed to the car to eat some foooood. i had a nice, juicy pear~
and a turkey sandwich made lovingly by my mom :)
yum.
then it was back onto the mountain! my nieces decided they were ready to brave the bigger hill so we hit that lift up. i was so proud!
the “bigger hill” was a little scary for them at first but they ended up loving it and wanting to go again and again and again! here are a few more photos~
marisa (my sister) and momma b goofing off with their poles :)
by the way, i am not in this photo. i took it. 
janetha b & momma b!
she is considering taking up a part time job as a ninja.
oh~there’s her face. kaylee is in the middle.
BURR. cold janetha b.
you know what i love about snow? the intricateness of snowflakes. they are so beautiful and not a one is the same as the next!
the snowflakes were extra incredible today.
on the way home i ate some fritos.. i was actually shocked to see that they only have 3 ingredients. who knew?
and i did grab some coffee on the way home. and am sipping it now, as i mentioned.
when i got home i had all sorts of fun mail! i can’t show you all of it because some of the parcels are christmas related.. but i can show you a couple thangs!
first up~ an amazing gift from april!
she sent a cute card, some homemade banana bread and a mix to make her infamous dark chocolate muffins~such a cute idea!!
the irony of it all is that i have been wanting to make her muffins. i can prove it to you. check out my “food to try” list in my blackberry:
haha. yeah the list is not very long right now but whenever i see a recipe i want to make i add it to the list :) gotta love averie’s balls! THANK YOU april, you’re the sweetest! i just love you! and your abs. everyone should go check out this post of april’s :)
other fun mail? i won danica’s knock knock giveaway!
yay! as you all know i am an avid list maker so this giveaway was so perfect for me :) cannot wait to start using these list pads! thanks danica, i love you!
other fun mail over the past couple days has been LOTS of awesome christmas cards~
including ones from miss gliding calm, michelle, averie, holly, hayley, tiffany, one of my bestie’s in oregon (hi katie!) and a few from family. there are some missing that i took to work and set out on my desk :) i just LOVE getting mail. there is something so fun about getting snail mail~way cooler than email. thanks ladies! xoxo.
*****************************************************************
i decided now would be a good time for some product reviews!
cat at skin MD natural contacted me and asked if i would be willing to try their all natural shielding lotion.
you guys. i live in the desert and have super dry skin. i was stoked to accept cat’s offer and try this stuff out!
here is a little something i read about the shielding lotion:
“Conventional lotions only add artificial moisture to the skin temporarily alleviating the dryness or itching, but these moisturizers don’t actually solve the problem, they only treat symptoms without eliminating the cause. Dry skin is unable to absorb the newly added moisture to allow repair – it does not get "locked" into the skin. It gets lost easily. That’s why we keep applying more and more of the conventional lotions. Even so, skin easily gets addicted and may even suspend production of it’s own moisture, relying on added moisturizer.”
ah! i love that! they actually solve the problem of dry skin? sign me up.
the only thing i didn’t love was the watery feel i got upon rubbing the lotion in. i guess that it takes a bit longer to absorb than other lotions since it is a shielding lotion and not just a moisturizer.
once my skin absorbed the shielding lotion it was smooth sailing. that was a few hours ago and my hands are still silky smooth. i also love the fact that this is all natural.. i usually go for natural foods and so why not a natural lotion? it just makes sense.
i think i just may go bathe myself in this lotion. sure hope there is enough! ;)
thank you skin MD natural! love your shielding lotion.
*****************************************************
up next? hall’s refresh mouth moistening drops
mike from halls contacted me and asked if i would be interested in trying this new halls product. i agreed and he sent me some samples.
no, these are not cough drops. they are sugar free drops to moisten your mouth. at first i was like.. hmmm.. i never have a dry mouth. but then as i was snowboarding last sunday, i found myself with an extremely dry mouth. and i was like shooooot! sure wish i had those dang mouth drops!
anyway, i tried them out today because i wanted to see just how well they worked.
strawberry was the flavor. they also come in refreshing mint and tropical wave. each drop is sugar free and has 6 calories a pop.
i am not gonna lie. as i was taking this photo, my tongue hit the mouth drop a bit and i actually started salivating and yep. a big line of drool came falling out of my mouth. attractive, right?
the drops had a slight menthol flavor to them which i hated. i am not a fan of that whole menthol taste. but they really did their job! my mouth is still watering actually.
i kind of agree with rose (check her review out here) when she mentioned that it may give kids the idea that popping a candy-like drop every time you had a dry mouth may confuse little kids. but as far as adults go, i am sure we understand the concept and they definitely do their job!
for more on halls refresh you can check out their facebook page.
thanks for the opportunity to try these out, mike! i will be stashing them in my snowboard pants this season, they will definitely come in handy.
*****************************************************
and i think this post is plenty long, seeing as how it is now 7:12 so it took me an hour and a half to write this! in my defense, my laptop decided to act up on me which wasted a good 20 minutes. sigh.. it is a P.O.S.!
well i am going to do something with myself now! toying with the idea of hitting up the gym but i am pretty beat from today. i will be up early tomorrow to do some more snowboarding. maybe i will just head up to my mom’s house and enjoy the company of my fam :)
hope you are all having a great week and get some time to relax tomorrow since it is christmas eve!! fun. i have a mega menu of appetizers planned~it’s going to be delicious!
Qs~
1. do you use natural skin/beauty products? thoughts on natural vs. conventional skin/beauty products? discuss. i have never looked into natural beauty products but i have started to look into the matter more. i like to put natural products INTO my body~so why not ON my body as well? makes sense.
2. is there anything on your “food to try” list? you don’t necessarily have to have a list.. but is there anything you have been meaning to try as of late? in addition to my list up there, i have been wanting to try okra but cannot find it in stores around here! random, i know.
xo. janetha b.
five day weekend, i adore you.
hey guys! happy friday tuesday! well, it is like friday for me because i don’t have to work tomorrow. or the next day. or the next day. or the next day. OR the next day. wow! holler at five whole days off.
loved hearing your answers to yesterday’s Qs. for a brief summary, i will show you the season-loving breakdown:
winter=7%
spring=25%
fall=32%
summer=36%
so basically.. i am in the minority and summer was the winner!
also, you all love yourselves some ketchup on yo’ burgers.
the end.
onto today!
breakfast was pretty dang festive.
mighty maple protein oats
wooooooooow. santa is coming to town real soon!
is it just me or is eating and drinking things out of holiday themed dishes just more fun?
mighty mapley. oh and YES lauren~i am so down for a bloggie switch. i have just been too lazy busy to reply to my comments this week :P
between breakfast and lunch i had to go to hell costco to grab a few things for my boss. and just because he made me endure such a crazy situation, i went ahead and let the company buy a new coffee maker for the kitchen. oh joy! i can’t wait to have delicious coffee… on monday :)
since my work fridge was bare and i was way too dang busy to do anything about it, i picked up some lunch to-go. from my favorite soup spot.. the soup kitchen.
turkey on jack sprat wheat + mustard, sprouts, lettuce, tomato & cup of tomato soup
favorite. soup. ever.
and the sandwich was pretty far up there on the delicious turkey sandwich chart as well.
when five o’clock hit i couldn’t get out the door fast enough. it has been SNOWING all day (hooray!) so the traffic was horrendous. the price i pay when i pray for snow. totally worth it.
i went to my mom’s town and met up with my sister and her fam!! they are in town from california and they were at the ski shop renting their skis for tomorrow :) my nieces have never been skiing so it should be a good time. OH and my sister and mom haven’t skied in about 15 years so i will make sure to take a LOT of photos ;P
as much as i wanted to work out, family time took priority. i munched on this clementine while catching up with them.
i just love that the sticker on it says “happy juicydays”~ha!
we ordered take out pizza from a new pizza spot here in bountiful. it is called arella pizzaria and just so happens to have a 100% rating on urban spoon.
we kept the order small.. just four 18” pizzas!
pizza #1: margherita
olive oil, basil, cheese, tomato sauce.
pizza #2: the arella
arugula & spinach tossed in blue cheese dressing, pears, caramelized onion? something amazing. this was the best.
pizza #3: combination
mushrooms, pepperoni, basil, peppers, sausage, tomato sauce.
pizza #4: half veggie, half hawaiian
veggie side: portobellos, peppers, tomato sauce.
hawaiian side: ham, jalepeno, pineapple.
not gonna lie. i ate 3 pieces of pizza.
yum. i loved the paper-thin crust. thanks for dinner mom! super delicious.
sooo after dinner we did lots of hanging out. i busted out some of my winter clothes so my sister could get some gear for skiing. in the meantime, my mom managed to find this volcom hoodie of mine that zips all the way up. and has a gnarly scary monster face. it was amusing so i decided to show you all~
awesome.
my kids were cute all night.
it was fun to have my sister and brother in law and nieces here. i wish they lived here.. but at least they are able to come for the holiday and we can have some quality time together!!
i was admiring my mom’s christmas tree. i don’t have one at my house this year. but i have a TON of ornaments tucked away just waiting for me to have a tree! something that has become a tradition in my family is to collect tree ornaments.. any time i leave town i get an ornament souvenir.. usually for my mom and myself and sometimes for my sisters.
i decided to photograph a few that i have given my mom over the years and or/been with her when it was purchased. we usually like to get an ornament that says the name of the city or country we are in (so we actually remember where they are from!!)
when i was 19 i lived in london and traveled to a bunch of countries.
this one is from paris~
this one is from holland~
this one is from london~
this one is from ireland~
my mom came to visit me when i was living there and we traveled to switzerland. i should definitely whip out the scanner and scan in some of those photos for a flashback friday post! it was so much fun and here is the ornament we got to remember our adventure~
one time when my mom and i were visiting my sister & her fam in california we went to the jelly belly factory which, of course, did not have christmas ornaments. so we got a key chain instead! sometimes you must improvise :)
we also went to santa cruz and had to get a key chain for our ornament~
pretty sure i was 17 years old when i went to niagra falls~
and this pearl harbor ornament was from just last year when marshall and i went to hawaii~
that is just a small dose of the ornaments we have collected over the past decade or so. it is so awesome to have all these ornaments and remember the fun places i have been. also, i NEVER have to wonder what souvenir i am going to get my mom! always on the lookout for an ornament.
i can’t wait until i actually have a house with my own christmas tree. sigh, maybe next year :)
well i didn’t get my workout in today. BUT i did do 50 crunches on the floor while staring at these two~
handsomes :)
and to be honest with you i kind of feel like garbage. i ate pizza and didn’t work out and i feel like a slug. i am craving a sweat session but now it is past 10 PM and i am not a crazy person so i will not be heading down to the gym for a workout. i will just have to get a good one tomorrow~which i totally think is possible since i will be snowboarding all day and have some time for HIIT afterward! so i just keep telling myself that and hopefully this slug-like feeling will go away ;)
that is all i have for tonight!
oh wait-one thing. see my blogroll there to the right? yeah.. it is SO outdated. i am going to make a blogroll page this weekend so if you would like to be on there and do not see your name~holler at me! please and thanks.
well.. hope you all are getting your last minute christmas shopping done and have some time to relax! also i hope nobody has to work too hard this week. it should not be allowed :)
Qs~
1. do you have any holiday (christmas/hanukah/etc) traditions you would like to share with the class? in addition to the ornaments, my family always has clam chowder on christmas eve!
2. it has been asked before but tonight seems fitting for me to ask… favorite pizza (as in toppings/crust/etc)? i am a thin crust, tomato sauce, lots of basil, cheese, bell peppers and mushrooms kind of girl.
xo. janetha b.
p.s. i haven’t forgotten about you all! my reader is just up past 200 :P
