Happy Turkey Day/ Hanukkah!

I will be back this weekend with recipes for dishes that I make for the big Turkey Day meal! I did want to stop by before the Holidays...and wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and a Happy Hanukkah!

I hope everyone enjoys the time with their families and friends!

One Week Left! Gobble Gobble!

I know I said it before...but I truly love the Holiday Season! I love the food, the crafts, the weather (as "fall" and "winter" as I can get in S.Fl), the decorations and most importantly the time with my family!

We use to do a HUGE Thanksgiving when we lived in Broward County...my family in Miami would come up and it would be huge! When my grandparents were still alive, we would pick them up and they would it spend it with us too and if my uncle and aunt were in town, they would also join. It was so much fun. After we moved to Palm Beach...and all the kids were older (16-18), the families did their own thing. Except, my uncle and aunt...they always came up and brought my grandmother. A few years ago...all that stopped and now my grandmother is no longer with us...so Thanksgiving is really just me with my mom, dad and brother. My fiance came over for the first time last year, and I'm hoping that he joins us again or that his whole family does!

Over the last few years (at least the last 7!), I always help my dad with the cooking. EVERYTHING! Christmas gets REALLY crazy! We go all out! :) Thanksgiving is much more simple...Turkey, Sweet Potatoes (White Potatoes for my brother), stuffing and rolls. Of course...pumpkin pie for dessert. This year..I also want to make this delicious sounding Brussels sprouts recipe and a yummy salad. We don't make too many side dishes because it's only 4-5 people eating. I also want to make a creative appetizer (still playing around with some ideas) for everyone to snack on while we cook. We go big on wine, but I want to see about creating an after dinner cocktail or trying out a fall sangria recipe I found.

What are your must have favorites for Thanksgiving? Do you travel or do you host? Are there any special traditions your family does?

One of My FAVORITE Things!

I have a horrible habit of biting my nails...it sucks because I love all the nail art in current fashion right now. I refuse to go to a nail place to get tips put on for two reasons...one, the PRICE and two, they don't last. I am also not a big fan of using glues or anything that could damage my nails. It makes me thrilled when I am able to find a product that I can easily purchase, use and is not expensive. Enter Broadway Nails -literally the best fake nails I have ever worn!

I first stumbled upon these last October when looking for something to dressy up my nails for my best friend's wedding. I was a bridesmaid and needed cleaner looking nails. I stopped at Walgreen's before we went to get our makeup and hair done, and searched with the help of my mom and found these. I loved that they were quick, easy, inexpensive and best of all-no glue so no destroying my nails! I had a friend of the bride help me put them on and no one was able to even tell that they were fake! Best of all--I went out of town with my fiance almost a week later and the nails were still intact! They lasted about 10 days!


This year...my awesome mother painted sets of the nails in Miami Hurricanes colors, different variations, so that I could go even more extreme and decorated for the games! I placed my most current set on my nails on November 9th and 9/10 are still holding strong. The one I lost was a work incident, or else I'd still probably have all ten! Now, I usually buy them at Walgreen's, but they also sell them at Publix and I'm sure Wal-Mart would to!

Painting them is easy! The only suggestion I have, as my mom and I learned...is that the protective seal coat needs to be added so that the color doesn't chip off as easily. The nails fall off naturally when the adhesive (similar in texture to a gel-plastic) wears off. I love this product because it allows me to have the nails I wish I had, and keep them professional looking or painted to fit a situation (sports, holidays) and does no damage to my nails and lets them grow for once! Each set comes with 24 nails...so you have at least two full sets...which if you apply properly...can last you at least two weeks...one set has basically lasted me a week...and I popped on one replacement nail for the one that popped off after 5 days. I can see this set lasting me through Thanksgiving! I plan on removing them by then to place on Christmas decorated nails! Excited!

Tuna Salad 2.0! Yum Yum!

So I love making tuna salad...it's quick, it's easy and you can pair it with anything. Sometimes I make it into a wrap, other times an open faced sandwich and even with tortilla chips or crackers! Almost every time I make it..I switch it up based off what I have in my fridge. The only change is really the veggies I use, the rest stays the same every time. This recipe contains only 182 calories and whether making it into a sandwich and adding yogurt or fruit as a side...it still remains a healthy and balanced option for lunch.

Every once in awhile, I use mayo. I know people substitute it with hummus and plain Greek yogurt (neither of which I had at this time) and my brother even uses sour cream in place of mayo as a healthier, just as tasty option! For this recipe, I did use mayo, but instead of the full 1tbsp serving, I used 1/3 of that and with the other creamy ingredients it all came together.

Tuna Salad 2.0

 

 

Makes One Serving

1 can of tuna in olive oil (drained)

1/3 tbsp of mayo

1/2 tsp of horseradish

1 tsp of Sriracha Chili Sauce

1/4 tsp of yellow mustard

1/3 to 1/2 tbsp of onion*

1-2 lettuce leafs (rinsed and chopped)*

A dash of celery seed, sage and dill weed

 

 

 

 

 

I started by draining the tuna through a strainer and chopping the onion and lettuce (both of which you can use more or less of depending on tastes). I threw all three in a bowl and added the Sriracha, the mayo, the mustard and the horseradish. I mixed it together and then added the dashes of celery seed (which I use when I do not have celery in the house), sage and dill weed (gives such GREAT flavor to tuna salad or chicken salad!). It took me about ten minutes (mostly because of the chopping and picture taking!) I toasted two slices of bread and had two open faced sandwiches with kettle chips (Cape Cod Jalapeno) and a Dannon light and fit pineapple yogurt! So delicious!

 

Like I said, sometimes I change up the veggies...I also like to use carrots and celery and pickles! We do not always have, so I go with what I can, I am not a huge tomato in tuna salad fan, but if you are you could definitely add it! I love a good and quick meal. And I promise...you don't even notice that it's only a little bit of mayo (which you can even omit and it's still just as yummy), but I was just in a mayo kind of mood...but I usually make my tuna salad without it also.

 

Enjoy! What kind of ingredients do you like to add to your tuna salad? What are your must haves? I love onion and dill weed! Always got to have those two!

Wishing For Snow

Sometimes the hardest part about being a Florida girl is that I miss out on fall and winter. I could never give up the beach, the sun and the warmth for months of cold, but part of me always longs for the experience of the leaves changing and the snow blanketing the ground. I would never want to live permanently where this happens...but it would be nice to see what winter is REALLY like. I always consider planning a trip, but you never really know when to expect snow...so what if I plan the trip and it does not snow...that would suck!

Back in late 2005/early 2006 (New Years Eve and Day to be exact), I happened to go to New York City for New Years and while standing in Times Square...freezing and listening to Mariah Carey perform, the snow flurries started. It was more than just magical, it was breathtaking and captivating. We headed back to Connecticut the next day...and that very night, it snowed and amazed me. It was only the second time in my entire life that I had seen snow...and I enjoyed every moment of it...catching the snowflakes, making a snowball and even just laying in the snow.

I know I could never live where it snows....I get sick and tired of the cold weather VERY quickly. It makes me lazy and blah! My workouts usually stop, I stay bundled inside when the temperature hits anything below 70 for more than two days. My lips get chapped and I feel like I can never get warm enough. Plus, the whole...icy roads, shoveling snow and car not starting does NOT appeal to me. I am in love with the temporary and pretty factors of a white Christmas, so to speak.

Although my dreams of seeing snow for Christmas in Florida are basically impossible...I do hope for colder temps...at least for the holidays...it makes that warm cocoa and turkey so much better!

Chicken Quesadillas YUMMY!

I had a recipe for my breakfast quesadillas that I have made twice now for noon football game tailgates last week and now I want to share the recipe I did for chicken quesadillas. I made both for that noon game, because at some point...you stop wanting breakfast and start wanting lunch like food.

The recipe itself is simple because for football games, especially noon games...I like to keep it easy so I don't stress out. As I get more into this, I would love to add other ingredients and I think next time I want to make a dipping sauce (a mix between something creamy and spicy).

 

Ingredients-

 

 

Makes about 3 quesadillas

 

*About 6oz of fajita seasoned chicken strips

(I used Tyson Grilled and Ready)

 

*About 4oz of Shredded Cheese

(can be adjusted for taste)

 

*1/4 cup of chopped onions

 

*6 tortillas

 

*2/3 cup of bell pepper mix

(I used pre diced-yellow, red and green)

 

 

 

 

Instructions-

 

1. Using one frying pan, coat with butter and turn on to med heat and add the onions and bell peppers to heat, stirring occasionally.

2. Take the chicken out of the package and chop it up, place to the side.

3. Once the veggies start to soften, add the chopped up chicken to the pan. Stir as needed. Cook for about 5-6 minutes.

4. Take pan off of heat and transfer to a bowl. Butter a second pan for cooking the tortillas and turn burner to med-high heat.

5. Take one tortilla and place about a cup of mixture to tortilla and sprinkle with desired amount of cheese.

6. Top with a second tortilla and place in pan. Cook about 5 minutes (or until you notice cheese melting) and flip to cook other side.

7. Repeat steps 5&6 for two more tortillas- re-buttering pan as needed

8. Allow quesadillas to cool and cut into slices. Serve and Enjoy!

 

 

It's NOVEMBER! Goals and Other Randomness

I can't believe it's already November. Does anyone else feel like 2013 has just flown by? It is crazy that the Holidays are right around the corner. I really love the season from Halloween through Superbowl :) The food, the crafts and decorations, the weather, the holidays and the family time!

I failed horribly at my October goals. Well I wont say failed...that sounds so negative, but I missed my marks. Work really killed me this month. Between football and working out (when I could) and work, I had like no free time. I did not have my me day, I did not cook a healthy meal and I did not hit my goal for blogs or miles. This also means I did not get my mile to the 9minute or under mark. I never give up though! My November goals are going to be similar to some of the ones from October, but I am going to adjust slightly...November is VERY busy for where I work and it gets crazy as the holidays get closer. And this year Thanksgiving and Hanukkah are right on top of each other.

I sometimes wish I lived somewhere more North just for Fall because the leaves are just BEAUTIFUL! But I would not give up my breezy, sunny weather for snow at all. Being a Florida girl has made me prefer warm weather over cold any day!

November Goals-

 

*Run 22 miles

*Workout (weights) 3x a week

*Run a 9.05 mile

*Write 12 blogs

*Create something (recipe, craft, etc)

*Try something different (style, food, activity)

*Cherish every moment and spend time with family

 

 

 

What kind of goals do you have? Do you find yourself overreaching or setting reachable goals? How do you feel is you miss a monthly goal? What is your favorite part of this season?