And a partridge in a pear tree...

Hey ya'll...well, here I am:  ready to recap our Christmas week right as another holiday is upon usJ  This week flew by in a flurry of tinsel, lots of 'family lounging in PJ's days', 2 ravioli dinners, one sick little Katie (boo!) and a partridge in a pear tree.  I wish December lasted at least 6 monthsJ   (minus the sick Katie parts...obv!)

Here's how our week went down:

So one of my strongest Christmas Eve memories as a kid was going to the children's mass before running home to boil water for our pasta dinner...which we tried to do FASTER than any other day of the entire year.  Church always just left us famished and ready to kick off our Christmas celebrations in a HURRYJ  Well, this year we continued the tradition, as I literally walked in the door, filled the pot & put the gas on.  I can't even vouch if I took my coat off before all of that happenedJ In a blink (or an eternity...depending on how you looked at itJ) 'macaroni & peanuts' were served...

We have absolutely no idea how my great Grandmother's Christmas Eve tradition of linguine tossed with garlic & oil sauteed mixed nuts came to be, since Italians traditionally serve the grand '7 fish meal' meal on Christmas Eve.  We always had ONE fish (fried shrimp), but macaroni & peanuts was always our main staple.  

And this year, it was officially "Katie approved"J 

We also served up a traditional dinner from Scott's side, of a chicken dinner with all the fixins.  We put our own little twists on it with sides including my sister-in-law's awesome pineapple casserole and my roasted broccoli casserole...

...and one of Scott's favorites:  twice baked potatoes.

All of these dishes were delish, but I think the one we all came away talking about was my sis-in-law's DIVINE jalapeno popper dip!  I didn't even get a pic since we were too busy inhaling it into our facesJ.  It was so good that we're considering having a whole dinner soon of JUST dips.  It got SERIOUS up in hereJ 

After our carb-induced comas, we all rose to meet Christmas morning head on, filled with all its sweet charms...

And of course, sweet eats starting with our traditional breakfast of cinnamon roll monkey bread... 

No plates, just forks requiredJ  

 ..and our traditional dinner of homemade ravioli, meatballs & sausage...

...capped off with some eggnog rum cake & eggnog gelato.  (and probably about 40 cookies & chocolate covered pretzels snacked on throughout the dayJ) 

And after our COMPLETELY over the top & decadent 'Day after Christmas via Donna & Scott while Katie was at Nona's' celebration...

We were SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO over 'eating bad!!!!!'  Usually Christmas week is JAMMED wall-to-wall with lunch trips, cookies abound and every other decadence I consider 'forbidden' throughout the year and by New Years Eve, my pants, the scale & I are no longer on speaking terms.  But this year, since I've allowed myself a lot of LITTLE indulgences throughout the year, I didn't feel the need to eat just because it was the end of the year.  Sure, I had an ENTIRE day of dip & pepperoni (let's not kid ourselves too much!), but I was able to realize I didn't really WANT any more days of overindulgence, so I just...didn't.  I know this doesn't sound like much, but it was a CRAZY big accomplishment for me!  I figured there WILL be another Saturday night/Sunday morning where I'll WANT to indulge, so why not wait until then, when it's something I REALLLLLLLLY want???

I know.  Not rocket science...but it's all part of my journeyJ 

So the rest of the week, we focused on more balanced meals including my attempt at Italian chili served with charred bread...

It wasn't as good as Molto Bene's, but I'll keep trying to work it out!

• 3/4 pound ground turkey 
• 4 minced cloves of garlic
• 1 diced onion
• 2 diced carrots
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 can drained white beans
• 1 teaspoon fennel (tried to give it the taste of sausage since I used leaner turkey)
• 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 2 teaspoons chili powder (or more to your taste)
• salt & pepper

Heat the garlic & onion for a few minutes in a drizzle of olive oil.  Brown the turkey before adding the rest of ingredients.  Bring to a boil and then allow to simmer for an hour.

And the charred bread was soooo easy!  I just drizzled the (Christmas!) bread with olive oil & sea salt and placed it over medium heat until it began to brown and smoke (which took about 10-15 SECONDS!  HAVE THOSE TONGS READY!).  Flip and repeat. 

Super warm & cozy, and I LOVED the char on the bread.  It was WAY more delicious than using just the spoonJ

 We also had a 'family dinner' of prosciutto wrapped chicken, roasted broccoli & baked potatoes...

And this doesn't even include the night after 'pepproni & chips day' where I was SOSICKOFEATING  (and starting to feel like GARBAGE because of it!) that my dinner was 1/2 a tuna fish sandwich and a side of shredded carrots.  No jokeJ 

I also kept my workouts going, despite all of the calls from the PJ-clad couchJ (although every other  minute in between was spent right there with Scott & KatieJ)  I headed for double classes on Friday & Saturday morning, and after my Tuesday-Thursday Christmas hiatus, I was BEYOND ready to get back to business.  Friday morning I felt like it took me those 2 classes JUST to get GOING.  Thankfully, Saturday & Monday night went a bit smootherJ 

Well, I wrote a pretty 'balanced' post, all with the knowledge that the scales are about to tip back in the other direction, with some pretty decadent delights on the menu for tonightJ   And I plan on enjoying EVERY ONE!  Hope you guys had a WONDERFUL holiday and a safe, happy & healthy NEW YEARS!  I'll talk to ya in 2014!J 

ENJOY!

1 day detox...but with cookies;)

Monday Recap:

8:00am:  EGGNOG COFFEE WITH EGGNOG CREAMER!

9:30am:  Breakfast- Peppermint bark yogurt with chopped trail mix

+

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Light AND festiveJ

10:30-11:30am:  Body Flow 

I've been taking this class for a little while, but I think every time I've taken it I've managed to not blog on Tuesdays to tell you about itJ.  It is an AWESOME class of mixed Tai Chi, pilates AND yoga set to yoga with "choreographed" moves.  It's both peaceful and tough enough to break a good sweat.  Not to mention it has a KILLER ab section!

12:30pm:  Lunch- Green Monster

That still counts as festive, right??J

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 cup dry oats
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder

 The rest of the afternoon was spent FINALLY getting my baking in...with a little help!

I tried not to having toooo many little bites!

3:00pm:  Snack- Toast with butter & flax 

5:30pm:  Dinner- Taco Salad 

I knew this would be the "easiest sell" when salads weren't exactly high on the priority listJ

• arugula
• turkey, browned with taco seasoning
• black beans
• corn
• cheese
• tortilla strips

6:30-9:00pm:  Beginners power & gentle yoga

Who can't use a little extra PEACE this time of year??J

9:30pm:  Dessert...

I just had to sample one of my peanut sitting pretties & the lovely amazingness known as Salted caramel pretzel bark!!!!!!  DIVINE!!!  Those 2, plus those espresso crinkles, was all I could muster up this year!  Oh well, less to toss on January 2nd when I get sick of eating EVERYTHINGJ hahahahahhaa

ALRIGHTY!  Well I'm off to make rum cake and get started on all the FUN!!!!!!!!!!  HAVE A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Talk soon...and I have a feeling it won't be as 'detoxed'J 

ENJOY!!!!!!!

In the name of Christmas...

So first this happened....

In the name of tradition, of course.

Then this happened...

In the name of sheer deliciousness, of course

And then the final trifecta of having a breakfast of brown sugar pancakes...

(made with Katie's helpJ)

...'from the freezer' deep dish Chicago pizza for dinner... 

(...which I had ordered for Scott from Taste of Chicago awhile ago.  All I can say is if FROZEN and REHEATED pizza can be THIS incredible, God help us when we finally make it to Lou Malnati's in Chicago one day!) 

...and a day of doing pretty much ABSOLUTELY NOTHING...

...and you have the makings of a completely overindulgent weekend that only Christmas time can allow.  I tossed the 'hustle & bustle' attitude aside yesterday in favor of 'whatever doesn't get done- EH- who cares?' notionJ  I figured spending the day solely with my fam around the tree ranked pretty high on the list of 'important things to do at Christmas'J  (ummmm...now who wants to help me bake cookies today??J)

 At least the weekend wasn't an ENTIRE wash in the Christmas prep department, when Katie & I spent Saturday afternoon making homemade raviolis at my Mom's house...

And I spent Friday morning in Power yoga & Saturday morning in a trio of Body Jam, Gentle & Power yoga classes prepping for all those cheese fries & peppermint cheesecake.  With that being said though, I'm ready to turn THIS day around a bit and get a little more on track.  I feel like I've already indulged a LOT this month and don't really want to spend the WHOLE week elbow-deep in cookies & eggnog rum cake.  SOME of the week, yes, but not the WHOLE weekJ  That's my PLAN, but we'll see how much temptation takes overJ  I'm just not a fan of when I indulge to the point of feeling gross & sluggish. That's fun for no one!  Willpower, don't FAIL ME NOW!J hahahahahahahaha

With all that typed, I'm gonna skedaddle and get myself to the gym this morning!  Have a great Christmas EVE EVEJ

Sugar crash avoided...

Thursday Recap:

I set my alarm to workout this morning, only to fall back to sleep and wake up when my alarm normally goes off.  Guess the ole bod wanted more sleep yesterday morning.  Can't argue with that...SOME of the timeJ

9:30am:  Breakfast-  Oh wait...did I mention I didn't work out??

photo source

Breakfast yesterday morning was brought to you by Cracker Barrel.  THIS was their Pecan sticky bun French Toast...which was a MUST to try during this holiday time.  What was NOT a must??  NOT splitting it!  I shared it with my Mom and at least that cut the 'sugar high' in HALF.  We both agreed it wasn't nearly as sickeningly sweet as we thought it was going to be, but STILL:  even LESS than half is WAY more than enough!  Try this...but with SEVERE 'sugar high' caution tape wrapped around itJ

The rest of the day was spent getting in the only 'exercise' of the day, in the version of shopping till I dropped.  I mean, HONESTLY, this is insanity...

Oh, did I mention the trunk was already filled??  I mean...

4:00pm:  EGGNOG coffee with EGGNOG creamer!

Thanks to Scott's early Christmas present of EGGNOG K-cups, I was able to fuel back up from my many shopping tripsJ  Breakfast held me over so well that I wasn't even hungry all afternoon (how I avoided a total sugar crash, even after splitting the toast, I have NO idea), but coffee was DEF needed after all that hustle & bustleJ

6:00pm:  Dinner- Roasted Broccoli Spaghetti Squash

And this easier couldn't have been quicker after a day of running around.  All I had to do was roast so broccoli right alongside my spaghetti squash (about 45 minutes at 400 degrees)...

Then I mixed the squash & broccoli with:

• 1 cup part-skim ricotta
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• Salt, pepper & garlic powder, to taste
• 1/2 diced onion (skip if you're not crazy over onions.  The short cooking time doesn't give them TOO long to mellow out and the taste is strong.  But if you love onions, as we do, I say GO FOR IT!)

 Mix it all together, toss it back in a non-stick sprayed pan and top with a little sprinkle of mozzarella cheese.  20 more minutes in the oven and you are in business...

Scott voted this his favorite spaghetti squash dish of all time.  The roasted broccoli in there just can't be beat, and the onion really gives it a unique flavor.  He already had a plan for the NEXT roasted veggie he wants to throw in there...MWAHAHA!  Stay tunedJ

8:00pm:  Dessert- Small glass of Slow Churned Peanut Butter cup ice cream with light whipped cream

I know.  I already hit my sugar quota by 10am, but my sweet tooth just would not hear of going to bed without a litttttttle something extra.  

Alright...well, I'm SUPER excited to get to yoga again this morning...all before a traditional Christmas night commencesJ.  I can not BELIEVE it's so close to the big day!  Hope you guys have a weekend of fun planned!

ENJOY and have a great weekend!

A quick double 'cap...

Tuesday Recap:

8:00am:  Coffee with creamer

11:30am:  Brunch!- Leftover lasagna Soup

Yep, by the time I looked up from some online shopping & blog writing, it was lunch time!  I can officially say that this soup is a totally appropriate breakfast tooJ

3:00pm:  Snack- Toast with butter & flax

6:00pm:  Dinner- Gnocchi with Kale & Squash and arugula salad

Tuesday nights dinner was brought to you by the fact that I stashed some kale & butternut squash in the freezer for just such occasions...aka-when I didn't go grocery shopping for the week, but just did NOT feel like ordering out.... 

From freezer to table in under a half hour.  This dinner is aces for something quick, sorta special and REALLY delicious!

8:00pm:  Dessert- Eggnog 

How cute are these little glasses??  We got them from my best friend's Dad many years ago.  I always think of him when I use emJ

Wednesday Recap:

8:00am:  Coffee with creamer

10:00am:  Breakfast- Toast with peanut butter

Well, yet another morning that got away from me and by the time I had oatmeal bubbling away on the stove, I realize it was WAY too late for me to be able to sit down and enjoy it.  So the oatmeal got tucked in the fridge for another day, while I quickly shoved this toast in my face.  Cause there was NO WAY I was missing...

10:30-11:45am:  Power Yoga

I'm not sure if I had EVER been so excited for yoga than I was yesterday.  I even started getting really excited for it on Tuesday night. (not weird at all, right??J) Yoga just foster this EXTREME sense of gratitude for me, and maybe I just felt EXTRA grateful this time of year.  It's always that thing that reminds me that if you have health (and a healthy family!), a roof over your head, clothes on your back and food on your table, you're pretty much the luckiest person on earth.  And maybe I just was extra excited to "express that" yesterday.

I know, I knowJ.  OK...yogi rant overJ

1:00pm:  Lunch- Tuna on wheat toast & french fries (not pictured)

Totally spontaneous lunch that I drug my Mom & Katie to, because this was EXACTLY what I was wishing forJ  

5:30-6:30pm:  Body Jam

I was also sooooooooooooooo excited to DANCE last night!  Especially since it's our last class till January 8th.  Boo.  I think this may have been the fastest hour of Jam of all time.  It just FLEW by!

8:00pm:  Dinner- Peppermint Patty Protein Smoothie

This smoothie PERFECTLY hit the spot after a tough dance class for something cool, protein-filled and CHRISTMAS-Y!  And a little extra whipped cream on top cause...well, why not??J

 8:30pm:  Dessert - Cookies decorated by Katie

J

Alright...well, I already must run for the day!  Have a great one!!