Well, I had every intention of doing a nice little blog post after Christmas to share all of my tasty and healthy holiday recipes with you. But, after a lost camera (which held pictures of the holiday fare and festivities) and a bout with some kind of stomach thing, I think it’s time I just can that idea. So, here is everything I’ve got to say about the holidays in one fell swoop…
Christmas was a joy this year. I spent it at my sister’s, like usual, and made a nice Christmas Eve feast per tradition. Keeping it healthy, I made:
-Organic Roasted Pork Loin with Homemade Tangy Apple Chutney (I’ll tell you all about the chutney in another post because it deserves a moment in a spotlight of its own!)
-Quinoa Stuffing (a repeat from Thanksgiving because it was so dang good)
-Roasted Red Potatoes with Olive Oil and Rosemary
-Sauteed Kale with Lemon Juice and Sea Salt
-Whole Wheat Winter Cobbler with Apples, Pears and Cranberries (topped with a dollop of vanilla ice cream, of course)
-Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles (made with dates, dairy and sugar free! I highly recommend this recipe)
-Copious amounts of wine (including a nice Riesling, and Winterberry and mulled wines from local winery Beans Creek)
The dinner turned out great and we didn’t go into a coma from excess fat, salt and sugar after the meal! But we did get a little tipsy… If only I had photos for you 
My sister got me two really great fitness-related gifts that I’m really enjoying so far: a Gymboss Interval Timer and a CamelBak water bottle. I requested the former since I frequently do circuit workouts and am forever trying to count time in my head or on my phone. I found out about Gymboss timers through the Bodyrock website as they’re workouts rely heavily on intervals. Now that I’ve got one of these little devices, I plan to start one of the Bodyrock 30 Day Challenges within the next couple of weeks! It looks like a great [hard] program.
The CamelBak water bottle is a saving grace for me at the gym since I am forever spilling water down the front of myself with screw cap bottles. The bite-down valve on this water bottle saves me a lot of embarrassment.
New Years was really low key this year and I actually really enjoyed it. My mom’s birthday is December 31, so we treated her to lunch and Les Mis (truly great, go see it now if you haven’t already). But I was still recovering from my tummy troubles from a couple days prior, so I wasn’t up for doing much else after her birthday outing. I headed home where just my kitties were waiting for me since Aaron was with his parents for the holidays. I did a quick yoga workout as a way of namaste-ing 2012 out, then settled in on the couch with the cats, a blanket, reruns of Friends and a glass of champagne.
There’s something to be said about spending New Years alone. For where I am in my life right now, I think it was just right for me. 2012 was an exceptionally challenging year for me and has drastically changed me in many ways. I lost my father, got a promotion at work, acquired a second kitty cat, moved three times–the last move being in with my boyfriend–and decided to apply to grad school. Some of these changes I’m still unraveling and coming to terms with now and will probably continue to do so through 2013. But I have a sense that I’m over the hump. It was satisfying and peaceful to be by myself, as myself on this New Year’s Eve after such a tumultuous year since there was just no pretense involved. It was like a much needed release. Here’s to a great 2013!
This week I’m trying to do some “cleansing.” I know everybody and their grandma is doing the same thing after the indulgence of the holidays, but I’m not doing it to shed pounds or anything. I’m doing it because my digestive system just ain’t been right since my stomach bug last week. Actually, I’m not sure if it was a bug or food poisoning… ick. Either way, my insides are calling for some TLC.
I’m not a cleanse person, per se. I don’t fast, I don’t juice, I don’t drink lemon cayenne water. I simply just eat more of the foods that are known to clean out your system…how easy is that? Here’s my plan:
Don’t let the color fool you… this kale smoothie is delicious! I highly recommend it, even if you’re not “detoxing.”
