A Look Back at 2013

it was has been quite a year. there were some bad things that happened, some good things that happened, memories made, smiles, laughs, tears. whew. but lets recap some good things from this year.

i did my first color run/ 5k in april

my niece was born in may

i did a whole 30 in july, loved it, lost 10 pounds, and learned alot

i did a gleaux run in august

in october i did my second color run, color phor a cure

in november me and some family went to cm farms

cant wait to see what next year brings! have a great new years eve everyone!

Final Friday

1. well, its the final friday of the year! this year has gone by so fast, i cant believe it. does this mean im getting old?

2. theres only a few more days til the new year, have you made your resolutions/goals yet? ill be posting mine next week, and boy do i have some big goals.

3. i hope everyone had a wonderful christmas, ours was a bit different and a little laid back this year. my 2 nieces were sick :(

4. im off of work until jan. 2, i love that perk of my job. we take off the time between christmas eve and new years, its great to have time off to spend with the family. and for me to get my house and my mind organized to start a brand new year. with all the plans i have, i have to be prepared!

5. i got a stitch fix in  2 weeks ago. ill be sharing it with you next week. i got some skinny jeans that i love!

6. i hope everyone enjoys their friday! and have a great weekend!

Easy Creamy Spaghetti and Meatballs

with all the christmas goodies and meals ahead, i know the last thing you want to think about it spaghetti.

but with so much going on, spaghetti is my go to quick meal. except, my husband doesnt really like spaghetti. but ya see, i LOVE spaghetti. i even eat leftovers for breakfast sometimes. and one time the hubby was on a work trip for a week and a made a big batch of spaghetti and ate on it all week. like, its serious.

but sometimes even plane ole spaghetti gets boring, so ya gotta jazz it up. oh did i also mention i love vodka spaghetti sauce. mmmm. so i tried to replicate the creaminess in this recipe to give regular spaghetti a different flavor.

Easy Creamy Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ingredients:
1 lb ground meat (i like to use ground pork)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 tbsp italian seasoning
flour
olive oil
15 oz jar of spaghetti sauce (ive been using ragu roasted garlic)
cream cheese
spaghetti noodles

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for noodles.

2. Mix ground meat, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, egg, and italian seasoning together. Form into small meatballs (i used my little cookie scoop) and coat with flour.

3. Put a small bit of olive oil in pan and place meatballs in over medium heat until cooked.

4. Your water should be boiling now, so add your noodles. Drain when done.

5. Once meatballs are done, add your jar of sauce, and a couple of spoonfuls of cream cheese (i did about 3) Stir it all together and let cream cheese melt.

6. Once cream cheese has melted, its ready to serve!

7. Enjoy!

 

Crockpot Chili

i found a chili recipe several years back that ive used to make my chili ever since. well.. used is a strong word. i use it as a basis but defiantly have developed it into my own. even more now that i dont use the beans. paleo says no to beans. and well, so does my husband.

we eat alot chili around here, and my husband does not complain one bit. we ate it even during the summer when i did my whole 30. but now that its winter, we eat it even more now. and i have no complaints since its so easy to just throw it all in the pot on my lunch break and dont have to cook for dinner, or on the weekend while im doing chores or running errands.

Crockpot Chili

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef (sometimes ill use turkey, but prefer beef)
1 lb. ground pork
1 jar (16 oz) salsa
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
2 tbsp. chili powder
chopped peppers and onions (i prefer frozen, it's alot easier to just throw in)

*if you like beans in your chili, add 2 cans of kidney beans

Directions:

1. Cook ground meat and pork. Drain grease when done. (i sometimes cook my meat ahead of time cuz i usually just run home on my lunch break an throw everything in the crockpot)

2. Put cooked meat, salsa, tomato sauce, chili powder, and chopped onions and peppers into crockpot and give a cook stir. Cook on high for 4 hours. (if youd like a quicker version, throw everything into a pot on the stove and let it simmer for an hour)

(sorry for the horrible picture)

3. Give a good stir (and a good wiff :) ) and its ready to serve. I usually use Frito chips and cheese as my toppings, but you could use any toppings you prefer.

4. Enjoy :)

WIAW: Getting back on track

i havent done one of these in awhile, but since im trying to get back on track, i thought id post my eats. im attempting to not gain lots of weight over this holiday season, while trying to lose the 7 lbs i gained since my birthday. oops!!

i prepped my lunch on sunday to prepare for a hopefully clean eating week. i also made the husband his breakfast burritos for the week.

yesterday morning i woke up early, got dressed to go for a run. and then i walked outside in 30 degree weather with a wind chill of 20 something. i turned right back around and went inside. that was TOO cold for this girl. so i went in our spare room and did 15 minutes on the elliptical, did 30 squats, and did a few weighted arm exercises. felt good to get a little workout in.

i decided it was time to get back on the paleo train as much as possible to get back on track. soo i went back to my typical whole 30 breakfast. this usually keeps me full up until lunch time.

eggs, bacon, and a honey crisp apple (THE best kind of apple)

but then we got a christmas platter from a contractor (i work at an architects office) i forgot we get crazy amounts of sweets this time of year. ugh. i caved and had a homemade oreo ball. mmm

i love having prepped lunches. its a no brainer and it keeps me from running to a fast food place.

chicken (that i cooked in salsa in the crockpot), roasted green beans, and peas n carrots 

(i put different veggies everyday)

on the dinner menu last night was chili. perfect for a chilly night (pun-intended). i used my regular chili recipe that ive used for years.. but minus the beans. i love the beans in chili, but paleo does not. so i adjusted my chili to fit the paleo style. there are crackers and cheese burried under all that chili.

ive also started drinking more water than usual to try and get in the water habit again. so far getting back on track hasnt been too bad. im hoping to keep it up and not drown myself in cookies and egg nog.

happy hump day!

Friday Things

boy i sure have been MIA lately. sorry about that.

i hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving! i sure did. we had thanksgiving and my cousins new house yesterday. and today my mom is cooking a thanksgiving just for us and we will start decorating her house for christmas. ive already started mine. but i need a few more decorations. but ya wont find me in the stores today.

sooo heres whats been going on lately.

i ran on monday. i know.  holy crap. and it was FREEZING!

now i know what you are thinking. i quit running. yep. but then i signed up for this:

Color Vibe - this color run is actually coming to my city, woohoo! so now i have a bunch of friends to do it with me this time!!

and im about to sign up for this:

Santa Hustle - which is in a city about 2 or so hours from here. but i looooveee this city. its my go to vacation spot. me and the hubs eve went here for a few days on the honeymoon. so there  was no twisting my arm.

so basically, i didnt wanna suck on these runs. so i gotta get a little work in so i can atleast make it to the finish without walking the whole thing. so... thats the plan right now.

ive also been keeping myself busy with christmas crafts. im hosting 2 christmas get togethers at the house this holiday and i want the house to look amazing! here are a few things ive been up to:

i gotta get back to decorating! hope everyone has a great black friday!

Meatless Monday - Four Cheese Ziti

last month at girls night, we went to olive garden. i got the five cheese ziti al forno. i loved it. like i could have eaten it everyday that week. i even brought some home for the husband and questioned him repeatedly "isnt it good?? i loved it". he didnt seem to have the same reaction as i did.

well last week when i was looking around on pinterest, i found this copy cat recipe. and i probably screamed. it immediately went on this weeks menu plan. i didnt make it just like the recipe, because i couldnt find fontina cheese, and i liked to be different :)

Four Cheese Ziti
inspired by this copy cat recipe

Ingredients:
1 lb of pasta (i used penne because i couldnt find rigatoni)
1 - 24 oz jar marinara sauce
1 - 16 oz jar alfredo sauce (i used creamy mozzarella)
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese

Directions:

1.Start boiling water for pasta and cook while preparing the sauce. Heat oven to 325.

2. In a sauce pan, mix marinara, alfredo, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup parmesan, and ricotta cheese.

3. Once sauce starts to bubble, mix with cooked pasta.

4. Transfer to 9x13 baking or casserole dish. Top with the rest of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 mins.

5. Enjoy!

 

CM Farms

well. theres another thing i can scratch one more thing off my list. corn maze!

yesterday i went with my sister and her family to CM Farms in Dry Creek, Louisiana to go have some fun. we missed the pumpkin patch in october, but we could still go on rides and go thru the corn maze.

my nieces are 2 and 5.5 months, so really only the 2 year old could really enjoy it. we jumped on the jumping pillow.

and played in the tether ball courts

and road barrel rides

they road the wagon ride while i stayed and fed the baby

 

and saw pig races! i love pigs :)

after all that fun we went and had lunch. i got a foot long corn dog. yummy. sorry for not having a picture. and this little lady became a lil attached to me. :)

after getting some food in us, we decided it was time to tackle the corn maze. i joked and said it looked like it was going to rain. and well. it did. but thankfully not too hard. and we made it out just in time to find some cover.

once we were under cover. we took a few family pictures.

we even saw kitties :)

and before we called it a day, we decided to take a dip in the corn bath.

 

all in all it was a good time, and i finally got to go thru a corn maze! 

hope yall had a good weekend!