A Day of Thanks...

Today was a great day! Getting to spend the day with Josh's family to enjoy good food and great company was nice. Throughout the day, I kept thinking about all the amazing things I am thankful for.

Many of my friends spent each day this month saying a different things that they were thankful. I don't participate, because I am thankful for EVERY day. But today, I really spent the time thinking about what I am thankful for.

I am thankful for my family, both immediate and extended. I am especially thankful for my mother. We didn't live the greatest life and we didn't always get along, but every day I face this world, I think about all the sacrifices she made to raise me, my brother, and my sister. This year she celebrated 12 years sober and I am  so incredibly proud of her for it! She's the strongest woman I know and I love her so much.

I'm thankful for my friends, the ones who stand by me through all the struggles I face and are willing to be honest with me. The ones who are there for the random calls. The ones who deal with all the craziness. Over the years I've weeded through all the friends I thought were "true" and left only the ones I can truly trust. Its been a rough learning experience, but now I know I have the best support system around me. I'd rather have a small handful of the best friends ever, than dozens of crummy ones!

I am thankful for my husband. At a time in my life where I had given up on relationships, felt useless and unwanted, and generally wanted to spend my life alone, I met a wonderful man. He let me be who I wanted to be. He supported me in the things I was passionate about. And he never made me feel like I was anything less than amazing! After 3 and a half wild and crazy years together, we married this summer in a small beautiful ceremony on the beach with our family and closest of friends! He makes everyday fun, regardless of the situation. He is a great husband and I know one day he will make a wonderful father!

And lastly, I'm thankful for a man who isn't here anymore. This week marks 15 years since my Grandpa passed away. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him. I am thankful for every day I got to spend with him, every holiday we spent together, and all the amazing times we celebrated as a family. I live everyday in his honor and know he's watching over us all. I think about all the things he hasn't been here to see; the birth of my baby sister, my graduation, my brothers graduation, first cars, first loves, and even my wedding. Its hard not having him here, but I remember all the great times and cherish them. Love you Grampy!

I hope everyone had an amazing day with friends and family!!

Peace and Good JuJu,
Holly

I made an awesome meal.....

and realized when I was done that I didn't track anything for the blog! I was in such a rush to make up some Breakfast wraps from a recipe I found, that I completely spaced on taking pics and documenting my process. I feel bad, but I will not let you down!

I used a recipe I found from Pinterest, that linked to a blog called Are We There Yet? Here is the recipe I followed/modified to make my breakfast wraps: Breakfast Burritos. I made a small batch of these breakfast wraps, without the sausage, and put them in my freezer for the next week+. I can't wait to wake up tomorrow morning and give them a try!

Next week, I promise to make sure I have my camera on hand! I picked up a new recipe book, Just the Two of Us Cookbook by Betty Crocker, and I will be trying a new recipe this week for the Caveman and I!  Stay tuned for more yummy foods!

Peace and Good JuJu,
Holly

Giving Up...

I give up - eating crummy foods.
I give up - being lazy about my exercise.
I give up - buying my lunch every day.
I give up - coming up with excuses NOT to exercise or eat healthy.
I give up - not checking in more frequently!

I am realizing that my life has gotten INCREASINGLY busy since we moved and go married. Home life is running a million miles a minute, work is running a million miles a minute, and coming up in a couple weeks I am going to start school again, which of course will be a million miles a minute. And in all the craziness, the one thing that always suffers if my fitness goals.

Taking a page from a fellow work out buddy Lesley, I've decided to plan every day with what NEEDS to be done, while still leaving open space for the spontaneous things. I need a schedule, a routine I can stick to, and one that will allow me to get everything accomplished, keep my sanity, and be easy to manage.

This weekend I will be working on my Google Calendar to plan my days with meal and snack times, exercise, travel time, work, anything and everything that I know for a fact can be planned. Additionally, I will finish the final touches on our Home Organization white board.

Our new Organization board!

This board is right outside our bedroom door, in perfect view of the kitchen, and in the most open part of the main living area of our apartment. You CANT miss it! I will have my cleaning schedule organized and my weekly planned meals listed to eliminate the "what do you want for dinner" debate. I used some scrapbooking tape to divide it up, and Caveman picked up some Days-of-the-Week magnets for me. I even included 2 pieces that require Caveman and I to update - his doodle corner and the " I love you because" section. So far, both have been very successful!

Additionally, I've decided I need to start being more active in the fitness community, like I was when I was successful last year. So, to help wtih that I've decided to start writing fitness posts for the gaming community I belong to, Popchix. And perhaps starting up the fitness challenges I used to do with my gaming girls! It could be fun!

So there you have it! Haven't blogged in forever, life is keeping me busy, but I don't want to slip too far away! Keep a look out, because I'll be posting more!

Peace and Good JuJu,
Holly

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

October is my favorite month of the year, because it means Halloween is coming! Halloween is my favorite holiday! the decorations, the smells, the fun foods, the parties - its all just a wonderful time!

The other day we had a pumpkin carving night at our house! Caveman and I hosted and invited his brother and little sister over to carve pumpkins with us. 4 large pumpkins around 1 table! It was a fun time! The best part was the bonding over something fun and not just sitting in front of the TV zoning out and ignoring each other.

The 4 pumpkins! (Ours are the two in the middle: Tardis and Face Hugger)

Other than the fun, and mess, that comes with carving pumpkins, I love this time because of the seeds! Roasted pumpkin seeds are one of my favorite fall treats! For the last couple of years, we haven't had a pumpkin because we've always been moving in October, so this is the first time we've had a pumpkin and pumpkin seeds since our first year together! Roasting pumpkin seeds is easy to do and once they are done, they are delicious to eat!

Ingredients:

Pumpkin Seeds

Olive Oil

Kosher salt

Cayenne Pepper

The first thing you need to do is thoroughly rinse the pumpkin seeds and ensure all the pulp is removed. Once that is done, it is best to lay the seeds out on a backing tray, single layer, and let them dry over night. Now that you have a bunch of dry seeds, its time to combine the ingredients in a large bowl. I like to use 1 teaspoon of olive oil for every cup of seeds that you have. once the seeds are lightly coated with olive oil, add the seasonings of your choice. I like a little kosher salt and some cayenne pepper! Gives a bit of a kick and warms up the body, perfect on those cold Fall days! You can use any kind of seasoning you prefer. 4 Pumpkins yielded us over 7 cups of pumpkin seeds!

Once you've coated the seeds and dashed them with your favorite seasoning, place them on a baking sheet win tin foil over it. Make sure the seeds are laid in a single layer and not doubled up, for proper cooking. Next, bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes. Before long your house will smell like the delicious spices you used to coat the seeds!

the left over seeds after cooking 2 larger batches!

When you are baking the seeds, be sure to let them cool completely. Then, store them in an airtight container. 

One of 3 containers we filled!

Delicious fall-time snack! Always a favorite of mine this time of year and now it provides an excellent mid day snack while I'm at work! Let me know if the comments below what kind of seasonings you like to use on roasted pumpkin seeds!

Peace and Good JuJu,
Holly

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

Bacon! Who doesn't love bacon? Well - to be completely honest, I'm not the biggest fan of bacon. However, I have found some meals that make bacon the perfect complement to an amazing meal! And a big hit at my house is Bacon Wrapped Chicken! 

I love this recipe so much that I've tried a variety of different pairings with it! I can honestly say that there is no wrong way to pair this item! Its delicious with everything! So let's get cookin'!

Ingredients:

Chicken breasts cut in thirds (think of chicken tender size)

Bacon slices

Salt and Pepper

Garlic Powder

Chili Powder

Brown Sugar

Begin by preheating the oven to 400 degree. I like to cover a sheet pan with aluminum foil and then spray lightly with an olive oil spray.

Next, you will cut the chicken breasts into tender sized pieces. Generally that means cutting the chicken breast into 3 slices. Once its all sliced up, season the chicken with a dash of salt and pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder.

Now, you will wrap a bacon slice around each piece of chicken. If you need to, cut the bacon slices in half. I find it is sometimes easier to do this if the chicken piece is small. After it is wrapped up, roll the combo in some brown sugar and place on your sheet pan. Sprinkle a little brown sugar over the top, but only if you missed a spot originally. Too much brown sugar can be a bad thing in this case!

Now, bake your bacon wrapped chicken at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Make sure your chicken is cooked thoroughly and the bacon is brown and crispy!

I serve this with a salad, mashed potatoes, pasta, or even some brown rice and veggies. It all depends on your mood for the evening! So give a try for yourself and tell me how you like it!

Peace and Good JuJu,
Holly