The Best Christmas Gifts...

...are those that are practical and/or thoughtful (in my opinion).

I received some great Christmas gifts this year and wanted to share my two favorites.

Water Pitcher

I had been wanting one of these for a while, because you can make fruit water, the natural way! We have already tried lemon water, and now I have orange slices in there. It's yummy and very healthy for you, not to mention easy to fill a glass anytime you want something to drink. I saw a combination online for raspberries and limes that I would like to try next. My mom had a hard time finding one that was big enough, but also had enough room underneath the spout for you to fit a glass. Many of them are designed to hang off the edge of a counter, but who wants that on the edge of their counter? If you are interested in purchasing one, this one is from Bed Bath and Beyond.

Click here for flavored water recipes and click here for the benefits of drinking lemon water.


Blanket
My husband, Mark, made this blanket for me as one of my gifts. No, he didn't make the actual "Love" part or the fabric, but rather took two pieces of fabric, cut strips all along the outer edge and tied every strip to make one of those no-sew blankets. Not only is it very practical (since I always want a blanket when I lay on the couch), but it was so thoughtful! I have to admit, I cried when I saw it (hence the reason I look weird in the photo - it was post cry!). He picked out the Love pattern and just the fact that he spent the time doing something like that really meant a lot to me.  He was very proud of himself and said "I didn't even have to ask your mom for help."

What was your favorite Christmas gift this year?

--T

Insanity Update

Feel free to read my previous post on my Insanity Adventure! I just finished the recovery week (Week 5), and start Month 2 on Monday. Month 2 is even more intense than Month 1. I can't wait (NOT!). There is not as drastic a change between the photos in Day 21 and Day 35, but I do notice a slight reduction of love handles on the left side (plus when compared to Day 1, the photo for Day 35 looks much better!) It's really weird, because I'm still not losing pounds (only 3 so far), but as long as I look better, then I don't mind :) It's hard work, and daily dedication, but I do recommend the program so far, because it is working!

--T

My Insanity Adventure

Insanity is...well....insane! One day, out of the blue, I decided to do the Insanity workout program. When I say out of the blue, I mean I literally thought to myself "I wonder how that Insanity program is?" and about 5 minutes later was in front of my television doing Day 1.

Day 1 was the fit test (where they have you record how many reps of certain exercises you do. You will do the fit test every 2 weeks to see if you have improved and can do more reps). After the fit test I thought "I am screwed." I was DYING after doing it, and it wasn't even a real workout yet!

The first couple of days I was soooo sore! I kept asking people "Do you think it's okay to keep going if I'm this sore?" Secretly, I think I was hoping someone would say no so I could have an excuse not to keep going, but unfortunately everyone said yes. On to day 2...and 3...and 4....and 10...and 15....and 21.

And here I am. I just finished Week 3 today. The Insanity program is 8 weeks with a recovery week, so I'm not even halfway done (ugh!). I have been slightly discouraged, because the numbers on the scale really aren't changing all that much. I am busting my butt, 6 days a week, 40 minutes a day, and not losing pounds?! Talk about a downer.

I decided to take a picture today, on Day 21, and compare it to the picture I took on Day 1. Now, this is quite embarrassing (I mean, does any woman really want to show her flaws to the public? Probably not.) But I am doing this to show you that exercise does work, and sticking to a schedule does help, and that it's not always the pounds that matter.

I have friends who are constantly saying "I want to be at _____ lbs by this date" or "I need to lose 5 lbs" and I feel like that's how people get discouraged and quit what they are doing (because they are not seeing the weight come off). You can lose inches without losing pounds.

My problem area has always been my love handles. I. Hate. Them. You will see in these pictures that they are my area that needs improvement. Up until this point, it seemed like nothing I did helped decrease them, so I am very happy with the results so far and feel it's just what I needed to push through the next 6 weeks.

In the picture from day 1 you can see my love handles start not too far below my sports bra line. In day 21 it the love handles start much lower and much closer to my belly button. That's where I have noticed the most improvement.

I will post an update in a couple more weeks.

--T

Need a New Book to Read?

Have you heard of Goodreads.com? It's similar to facebook, but it's for readers. You can find people you know who also have Goodreads accounts, and "follow" their page. You update what books you want to read, what books you are currently reading, and what books you have already read. It's a great way to get ideas for something new to read. I have found many books on Goodreads that I have read and loved!

Recently they published their "Best Books of 2012" list. Here were the winners:

Fiction
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling - It would be neat to see what her writing style would be like outside of the Harry Potter series.

Mystery
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - Read it and loved it! Recommended it to others who also enjoyed it.

Historical Fiction
The Light Between Oceans by M.L.Stedman - I'm usually not a big fan of historical fiction, but this one sounds pretty good!

Fantasy
The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King - I've never read a Stephen King book I didn't like, so I'm sure this one is good, too!

Science Fiction
The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett - This one doesn't seem like my type of book, but if you enjoy science fiction, it may be worth reading.

Romance
Fifty Shades Free by E.L. James - Has anyone NOT read these books? I liked the series, but I'm not sure I would give it a "Best" of anything.

Horror
The Twelve by Justin Cronin - Looks like this is part of a trilogy, so you'd have to read the first book first.

Memoir and Autobiography
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast by Cheryl Strayed - Another book I'm not particularly interested in reading, but seems like it could be an empowering story.

Non-Fiction
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop by Susan Cain - Sounds boring to me.

Humor
Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson - This sounds like a funny book, and could possibly be a quick read.

Graphic Novels and Comics
The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman - Since I LOVE the t.v. show, I wouldn't mind reading the comic books. It would be interesting to see how the story lines compare.

Young Adult Fiction
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - Maybe this could be a book I recommend to my students? Sounds like an interesting story.

Happy reading! :)

--T

Quick & Easy Christmas Dessert

I think this is a great Christmas dessert, because it's not too heavy (after eating lots of other yummy food on Christmas) and has a reddish tint to it which is perfect for the holidays. I made it for a dessert exchange party, and it came in 3rd place out of 11.

Here is a picture of how I presented the dessert (in martini glasses with a candy cane)

 

I found the recipe on Pinterest (obviously!), and it's simple. For the dessert party I actually tripled it, because I needed enough for everyone to have a martini glass AND enough for everyone to take some home. Even after distributing the dessert to everyone, I still had enough to bring home and fill a medium sized bowl. The recipe listed here is the original recipe - feel free to double or triple depending on how many you are feeding.

1 can of cherry pie filling (I buy the biggest can they have)

1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)

1 can crushed pineapple (8 oz)

2/3 bag of mini marshmallows

16-24 oz. Cool Whip (I use Cool Whip Lite)

Completely drain the pineapples (I squeezed the water out with my hands). Combine all the ingredients except the cherry pie filling and cool whip. Mix well. Then, fold in the cherry pie filling and fold in the cool whip. Cover and refrigerate - tastes better if you let it refrigerate overnight. 

The original link for the recipe can be found here.

--T

 

Need A Pillow?

Mark's cousin, Jami, has started a business making really cute pillows of all different sizes. The focus is on toddler pillows, tooth pillows, pillow cases, name pillows, and so on. These would make great Christmas gifts, and it's nice buying homemade rather than from a big name store.

Here are some pictures of some of the options. If you "like" the facebook page (Pillowsewcute), you can see fabric options, more pictures, pricing, and discounts.

iPic Theater - Bolingbrook, IL

Mark and I have been going to a movie theater in the Bolingbrook Promenade called iPic. At first I was against going here, because it was very expensive, but now that we have gone a few times, I really like it!

The Movie Watching Experience
You can reserve your seats online, and much like when you buy concert tickets or tickets to a play, you can look at a seating chart and select where you want to sit. The nice thing about this is you no longer have to arrive 20 minutes early (or more, depending on if it is a new release or not) to get a decent spot. Mark and I usually show up about 5 minutes before showtime and our seat is waiting for us.

Another thing I really like is that there are never any teenagers or children here. As far as I know there is no age limit, but because the tickets are more expensive than your average theater, I have found that teenagers and families with children go to a cheaper theater in the area. This was especially nice when we went to see Breaking Dawn Part 2 only a week after it came out and there were no screaming or annoying teenagers. Everyone in the theater was an adult and it was a very positive experience.

Ticket Prices
There are several ticket options. I highly recommend becoming a member online (it's free!) because the ticket prices are $4.50 cheaper for members (did I mention that it's free??).

Premium Seating is usually in the first five rows or so, but the theater is set up in a way so that even if you are in those rows, you can comfortably watch the movie without craning your neck. In my opinion, there really isn't a bad seat in the theater. These tickets for a member are $13.00 each (only $3.00 more than a regular theater?) and for a non-member are $17.50 each.

Premium Plus Seating is further back from the screen and the seats are recliners. They will also provide you with a blanket and pillow and the people in the premium plus seats have a waiter to bring you what you want to eat or drink. The prices are $18.50 for a member and $25.00 for a non-member. I personally don't think this is worth it or necessary, but it might be nice for a treat or a special date night.

Food
Just like the Hollywood Boulevard and Hollywood Palms theaters, the iPic serves food as well. There is a nice bar and restaurant area that is very chic looking, with modern decorations and low lighting. They have pool tables, couches, and cocktail tables. You can get your traditional movie food items such as popcorn, candy, and pop, but they also have a menu you can choose from. Unlike the Hollywood chains, a purchase is NOT necessary. However, if you are interested in the menu, you can click here. 

We did choose to eat there the last time we went and were unimpressed with the service, the food, and the price. I ordered the bite size nachos which were actually quite delicious; however, were not worth the $13.00 (since there were only 6 nachos on the plate). Mark ordered the grilled cheese panini and tomato bisque and really liked the sandwich but said the tomato bisque tasted like spaghetti sauce from a jar (which it very well could have been!). At $13.00 we could have made it at home a lot cheaper and probably a lot tastier.

The theater also sells cocktails, draft beers, and buckets of beer.

The service wasn't the best, because we were there at a popular time when several movies were starting within the hour. It seemed like the kitchen was backed up and it took a while to get our food. The waitress was pleasant though.

There are pictures on their website if you'd like to see what the theater looks like. You will definitely feel more classy going here than you would an average AMC or Cinemark movie theater.

--T

A Kitchen Tip

I learned this at a cooking class at the library that I took recently - not sure if it's old news or not:

If you need to squeeze the juice out of a lemon and don't have a small juicer (like me - I only have one of those heavy duty ones that would be pointless to lug out for one little lemon), use a pair of tongs (salad tongs, bbq tongs, whatever).

Put the lemon in like so:













and squeeze the handles of the tongs until you get all the juice out. It's really quite effortless!

--T

Homemade Dog Treats

It's no secret - my dog, Lucky, is somewhat spoiled. We love him so much! He's such a good dog (he loves everybody, loves to cuddle, he is a good watch dog, and he is great with children). So once in a while, he deserves something special! I have a dog treats cookbook that I have used for homemade dog treats in the past, but that was over a year ago. I took it out again tonight and made Lucky some "Fall Bites." They have pumpkin in them, which is good for digestion, and other healthy ingredients. Because the treats are homemade, you know there are no chemicals, preservatives, or anything nasty that shouldn't be in food.

They turned out well - although I probably made some of them way too big, so will have to break them in half. The recipe said to flatten them into round circles, but that was boring so I used a fire hydrant and a bone cookie cutter that my mom's friend (thanks Debbie M!) gave to me.

They don't look the prettiest, but the important thing is that Lucky loves them!

Fall Bites
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin is okay)
4 tbsp molasses
4 tbsp water
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend together the pumpkin, molasses, water, and vegetable oil.  Stir in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda to form a soft dough. Roll the dough into balls, put on a baking sheet, flatten them, and prick with a fork. Bake for 25 minutes, or until hard and crisp.

Fall Bites will keep up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.

Recipe from: The Healthy Dog Cookbook by: Joanne Anne with Mary Straus

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

I love pie and would take pie any day over any other dessert. While I prefer fruit pies, fall does not seem complete without some pumpkin pie. At a recent get together, my good friend, Katie, brought a crustless pumpkin pie that happens to be a weight watcher recipe. Each piece of pie is only one weight watcher point! Wow!

Here is the recipe:

1 can evaporated skim milk (the recipe calls for a 15 oz. can, but I could only find a 12 oz. can at Meijer. It worked just fine).
1 15oz can pumpkin (NOT pie filling, just pumpkin puree)
3/4 cup of egg substitutes OR 3 egg whites (I used egg whites)
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cups Splenda (or sugar) or add to taste

Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour into 9" sprayed pie pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes then bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until a knife is inserted in the center and comes out clean.

You could top the pie with fat free cool whip.

Enjoy!

--T

**Recipe courtesy of Katie Neumann**