whole30 denial....

Alright people...we know the drill. It's a new year, filled with resolutions (or failed ones), making it the "Year of Me." We've heard this story time and time again. Recently, I've sort of fallen off the wagon. With a recent back injury, I've really fallen off. At a recent trip to the doctor and stepping on the platform of death (the scale), I've realized how far I've fallen off. I follow blogs, Instagram posts, Facebook feeds to see what everyone's cooking. Whole 30, Paleo, Clean Eating, Low carb, blah, blah, blah. I just want to eat, but I don't want to diet. Being that I love to cook, seeing all these photos of the various "trends" in cooking, I get inspired.

So, I threw together this little concoction after seeing several variations. This one in particular came from a Whole30 Recipes site that I follow on Instagram. All it is is 4 brussel sprouts, a 1/4 of a fennel bulb sauteed in this ghee stuff (Clarified butter), which I'm so happy Trader Joe's now carries. In another pan, I fried a couple eggs coconut oil (Trader Joe's Coconut oil spray can). I cut up an avocado and threw that on a plate. It would have been much lower calorie had I not eaten the entire avocado, but it was starting to go bad, and it wouldn't last. The whole plate came out to 657 calories (much higher than I usually like). There ended up being way too much food. I think next time, I'll stick to the 1/2 avocado and only 1 egg, which will cut out about 225 calories. With the 3 pounds of salt I added, it was delicious!

I suppose this is a #whole30 meal, although that whole program is a bit scary (I love my wine and cheese a little too much). Here's to eating healthier, and taking better care of myself!

boy...

These are the moments that I realize that although he'll be a teenager soon, he's still my little boy. He still gives me hugs, still loves his back scratched, still loves his little stuffed animals. The 2 on the right were new ones he got for Christmas. He specifically asked for a new "Fur Ball," "Kitty," and "Birdie."  Birdie didn't quite make the cut, but Grumpy Cat and new Fur Ball did.

The original Fur Ball was from a trip we took 3 summers ago to Seattle...just the kids and me. We purchased them at the Oregon Zoo in Portland. Birdie (on the left) was an Easter gift many years ago. I'm sure you can tell from the condition that's he's been around a while. :)

I use to worry that he'd be teased about them as he got older, but he's a smart kid. He keeps them to himself, along with his favorite "B's" (blankets), and plays it cool outside the house. But once home, he turns back into my baby boy and my heart fills up. 

2014 sugar cookies...

Holiday sugar cookies are almost complete. My relationship with royal icing is definitely a love/hate one, but in the end, I'm usually pleased. People always ask about the icing. I refer them to my favorite blog, Sweet Sugar Belle. There are online tutorials and ideas galore. I also get a lot of inspiration from Pinterest and just Googling, "<topic> sugar cookies", in images. The ideas are endless. I hope these inspire you to bake, decorate, and enjoy! Happy Holidays!

love....

Halloween Joe Joe's + Fall camping = Love. 

happy national coffee day...

Happy National Coffee Fay!  So as it fell on Monday, because I needed that extra special treat this morning. I celebrated with my favorite K-cup from Peet's. To make it even more special, I added a scoop of Trader Joe's cookie butter. Yum! To top off the celebration, I enjoyed a pumpkin biscotti that I picked up from Roxanne's Biscotti. If you haven't tried Roxannes biscotti you really must. She makes an anise biscotti, a butterscotch biscotti, a traditional almond biscotti, chocolate chip, and during the holidays she has her pumpkin biscotti. She can be found at the Morgan Hill farmer's market Saturday mornings, as well as hilltop market up in Jackson Oaks.

I hope you all got to celebrate national coffee day with your favorite coffee and a yummy treat