Spring Clean Eating

Spring cleaning is not only for the home. It should be for your diet too. 

I don't mean "diet" as in restricting calories or saying no to carbs. I mean diet in it's literal definition as "the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats." So the next time you reach for a handful of potato chips you're welcome to say that they're a part of your "diet". Please use this joke at the next party you attend. 

This weekend I received a Facebook group invite for a "spring cleaning" healthy eating challenge. My first thought was "pffft - I know how to do that, why should I join a 'challenge'?". Then as I reached for the "meh, it's kind of paleo" dried cranberries that are really just full of sugar, I decided that joining in wouldn't be such a bad idea.

I often say that I'm "90% Paleo", meaning that I leave a bit of wiggle room for alcohol and cheese, and then anything else I don't want to say no to. But as a general trend I avoid grains, dairy and sugars because since I've cut them out I feel a million times better. This week of clean eating is intended to poke holes in the "wiggle room" that I allow and see how much wiggle could be adding to my jiggle. (if ya know what I mean!)

3 huge mega keys to my planned success this week are the following:

1. Drink WATER like it's my job! Or... like it's my blog... since you know where priorities are.
2. PLAN snacks, don't scour co-workers drawers for munchies. This is how wheat thins "happen".
3. Meal prep + PACK meals rather than go to the cafeteria (also saves me all the dollars).

The awful thing that I noticed just on my very first day is that when I got "bored" I'd crave something sweet. Like an afternoon coffee, a mint from our admin's desk or tapping into the gross leftover valentine's candy what?. And instead since I was mindful, I opted to go fill my glass of water instead. How many calories have gone down this way out of boredom when a quenched thirst was all my body was searching for? I shudder at the thought.

Monday was ultimately successful, especially that I went to Costco after work and didn't even look at what samples they were serving. I walked in, headed straight toward the gum, took a selfie of how much willpower I was exercising then and walked out with self respect and happy feels.

This could be the first step of a twelve step clean-up program. Thankfully I'm going up the stairs rather than down them... am-i-right, Melissa?

Thanks for inviting me to the challenge my dear friend, Gretchen! You're an inspiration!

What are you guys doing for spring cleaning?

 Also, linking up here:

Throwback Thursday: Pantry Raid

No, you read that wrong - p a n t R y raid.

I'm great about planning out my meals for when I'm at the office, but for some reason everyday when I get home I turn into a snack monster just like our buddy Homer here.

omnomnom

Dan  does it too.

While I don't think boredom is what leads us to impulsive snacking, I do think the stress of a long day of work contributes to the problem. There's something comfortable about the crunch of a tortilla chip combined with homemade guacamole the same way there's serious satisfaction found in a bowl of ice cream to finish off the evening.

Both of those scenes are all too common in our household and starting today I have two solutions to keep the mindless chomping at bay.

Immediate Fix #1 

Drink water when I feel the need to snack. If I still need to snack, drink more water. Simple.

Immediate Fix #2

Limit snacking to fruits and veggies only. Look at this beautiful bowl of raspberries that took only 5 minutes to pick from my backyard. There's no excuse why I can't step out the back door and pick some berries and let the pretzels sit safely in their bag in the pantry.

What about you? Share some of the ways you avoid snacking before dinner, snacking in the middle of the day or just keeping cravings out of sight, out of mind?

Short and sweet action plan: Water, fruits, veggies.

Want to see something else short and sweet?

Today's Throwback Thursday is brought to you by a little girl who has always loved to browse the fridge, pantry or snack drawer and has resolved to make a change.

Today in History - 4.24.1999

Hello everyone!

There's so many things we could chat about, like the weather, the new clothes I've bought lately {on sale!}, my job, what motivates me, my man, etc.

It almost crept past me but something reminded me of a decision I made 14 years ago that has significantly improved my life and my health.

Today, April 24th, marks 14 years since I've drank soda.

I could harp and harp on why soda is bad for you, here and here for example - but instead I'll talk about what pushed me to the decision and the many reasons I've stuck to it over the past 14 years.

I was in Seventh grade, 12 years old and incredibly focused on softball and the things that I could do to improve my game. As a team, we were working on the 'mental game' to strengthen our minds and work out our discipline, so we were encouraged to choose something to give up for a week. Instantly I knew what I wanted to give up, but would have to enlist some help from teammates and my very own family.

See, my brother had given up soda a year prior and had always boasted about it - and being the competitive little sister I decided to lead follow my own path. I also was not such a light consumer of the sugary beverage. We would go to fast food restaurants for convenience after practices + games and I would consistently order the biggest Dr. Pepper or Root Beer I could get my hands on. No fault of anyone's, just the health concerns of high soda consumption weren't public knowledge as they are today - so it was more about the bubbly bite I'd experience from an ice cold soda rather than the taste of it.

I recall the 'last supper' like it was yesterday. My dad and I left the practice in Beaverton and headed to the East side, but not before a pit stop at McDonald's to order a #2 (Two cheeseburgers) No Cheese, Ketchup Only with a Dr. Pepper to drink. I remember slowly sipping out of the straw, calculating what I was putting into my body and ultimately feeling sick as a result. The cup sat overnight on my nightstand, half full and eventually poured down the kitchen sink.

Realizing that I didn't want to finish my last one, I knew I had an easy road ahead to look forward to both with this commitment and many others that followed.

Weeks passed, months passed. I noticed myself feeling better, my teenage pores were clearing up kind of and I was full of healthy hydration {water} like I'd never been before. Soon it was six months later and there was no way I was going back - I'd come too far to ever put a drop to my lips again.

Since giving up soda I have:

• Saved a lot of $$


• Avoided a lot of extra and worthless calories


• Encouraged others to quit/limit their bad habits


• Found the will to give up French Fries (going on 13 years)


• Nodded my head to every health conscious reason to give up soda


• Much less fast food dining


• ...Saved a lot of $$

I don't nag or judge those who drink soda now, but I sure am happy that I don't crave the stuff.

I know that I'm a happier person because of this commitment and the endless personal strength I gained in experiencing success will serve me well for a lifetime.

Like I said, happy:



Just try it for a week, see how much better you feel!

Sweet Potato + Quinoa Stir Fry

Today I'm sharing a new favorite recipe with you - by request of some facebook followers!

Sunday was a marathon of food prep and I was so thankful to have Dan by my side chopping, stirring, opening, grilling and sampling storing the foods we were making. This was a new one on our list and was born out of some inspiration from the internet over the past month: Brooke / Pinterest. It was also put together due to the fact that we had some vegetables that needed to be used or thrown out and I was having a productive weekend with more energy in store to prep.  

Feast your eyes on the mix that had me wishing for more and waiting in anticipation for today's identical lunch.

Sweet Potato + Quinoa Stir Fry

3 cups quinoa {cooked}

2 cans black beans {drained}

5 sweet potatoes {peeled + chopped}

2 jalapenos

1/2 white onion

2 tbsp olive oil

pepper to sprinkle

Preparation:

• Cook 1 cup of dry quinoa (1 cup seeds + 2 cups water) = 3 cups cooked


• Peel/chop sweet potatoes into bite sized pieces


• Dice onion + jalapenos into small pieces for flavor in every bite


• Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees


• Place your chopped sweet potatoes into a baking pan with 2 tbsp olive oil drizzle, bake for 15 minutes


• After 15 minutes - Stir your potatoes and bake for 10 more minutes


• Open 2 cans of black beans, drain


• In a large bowl, mix all ingredients {jalapenos + onion + beans + quinoa + finished sweet potatoes} and sprinkle with pepper


• Sample it, add protein to it, put it in a large container and have this for days!

Co-workers were sniffing and oogling over what I was bringing back from the microwave - you'd have thought these were Laughing Planet leftovers!

What's your favorite way to use sweet potatoes?

April's Eight Great Goals

If you were anywhere near Portland this weekend you already know how great I'm going to say my Easter weekend was. So that's a story I'll save for a different day - Tomorrow if you're lucky

Today our focus here is on April and looking forward to what it may bring.

First of all, it definitely will bring a lot of smoothies.

The trick? Toss any fresh fruits or veggies into a blender, add protein, sample, pour and watch that smile on your face grow! Some pinspiration for other smoothie drinkers here.

More pressure will be on us at work, coming upon the end of the fiscal year in 60 days and needed to be on my A game non-stop. This hustle at work will make the days go by faster and clearly will make the weekends more valuable. I plan on spending a lot of time doing what I enjoy and making certain that Dan and I are having fun together when he's not out teeing it up on the weekends and whenever the sun decides to poke out from behind the clouds.

Eight Great Goals

1. Always have fresh flowers in the house and at my desk. There's beautiful daffodils in my backyard that I've been clipping and looking at in my home - so I want to make sure that I am always changing it up, keeping it fresh, and getting signs of spring everyday of the month.

2. Keep a food diary where I write down every last crumb that I consume - I've heard that can help to keep you more aware of what you're putting into your body and ultimately help you to make better choices in dire moments of snacking and hunger.

3. It is a little sad that we have anxiety about setting this goal and it might sound like too many for you - but Dan and I like stopping for latte's in the morning on the way to work... really like. This month we are only going to have seven latte's each and hopefully can save a little money in the process.

4. Landscaping fun at our house to get everything beautiful and groomed for the summer. There's old plants to uproot, weeding to be done, raking of leaves that have fallen and plenty to keep us busy.

5. After dinner in the evening if the weather is dry Dan and I are going to put our walking shoes on and go count puppies in the neighborhood rather than watch re-runs or the 5th inning from our reclining chairs.

6. For the 6th goal, I'd like to run at least six times in the morning before work. Pack my outfit and lay out my clothes the night before, get up early, drive to work, run, shower, and be well prepared for my day. This should be easy to do next week especially as Dan won't be carpooling with me due to his 9 day vacation - so that's why the goal goes above and beyond what I can accomplish in one week alone. I also need to go to six NTC sessions this month - it's been a few weeks since I've attended.

7. Dan's birthday is coming up this month and I'd like to make his 28 on the 28th a special one. He will be representing his golf league on that day thanks to his victory last year so I'll have to find ways to work around it. However, I don't think he can imagine a better way to spend his day on the course hitting the links!

8. Oops - Dan chiming in here... "Your last goal should be to hit a golf ball 50 yards (in the air)". Looks like we're going to the driving range!

April is normally one of my favorite days of the year to get my prank on, so we will see what I get into with my family, my co-workers and of course - Dan! I expect to see several "fake" engagements on my facebook feed so just know that I'm ready for you!

Thanks for hanging around another month - look forward to hearing about the sunny weekend tomorrow!

New Favorite: Spaghetti Squash

I've seen all the craze about spaghetti squash on my instagram feed and the foodie/fitness blogs I follow so I decided that I'd give it a try myself. Not only would I see what it was like for myself, I wanted to put it through the ultimate taste test - Dan!

When I bought these two I was a little bit skeptical of being able to extract noodle-like strands that would rival spaghetti out of this dense yellow gourds. I watched a few YouTube videos and got after the following steps to see what it was like for myself.

And what do you know - the finished product is delicious! At less than 50 calories per cup, this is the perfect vegetable to satisfy a noodle/carb craving and can be guiltlessly topped with sauces, meat, other veggies and even cheeses says Dan!

Here's two ways that we've enjoyed it so far in the home:

Spaghetti squash with marinara sauce and grilled chicken.

Or how I enjoyed it at work yesterday - with lentils, grilled chicken and my ultimate favorite - sriracha!

Have you ever tried spaghetti squash? How do you/would you eat yours?

Recipe Share

I'm one of those people who hates trying new recipes because I can't stand going back and forth between instructions, ingredients, steps, measurements, photos (DSLR + iPhone) and managing my pandora playlist. #firstworldproblems.

This weekend I tried to challenge myself by making a special trip to the grocery store for ingredients to make a few recipe's I've been eyeing lately.

#1 Kale & White Bean Soup <--recipe

Saturday's weather was beautiful in Portland and probably the last thing on my mind during the day was making soup that night. Once the sun fell over the residential horizon I felt the wind chill kick in and was reminded that we won't truly put our trust in that summer air until July. Get used to it PDX!

Marisa at Uproot From Oregon always has great recipes to share and this one is full credit to her:

#2 Protein Shamrock Shake <--recipe

Something that Saturday afternoon did bring to mind was the Shamrock Shake from McDonald's for a limited time only. It's definitely been a guilty pleasure of Dan and I's and we've shown a lot of self restraint to avoid that drive-thru this March. When I saw Taralynn share a protein-shake version of the same creation I knew I would have to try it and especially have Dan be the master taste tester.

In the end I think I used too many mint leaves, but was happy with myself rather than caving for the McDonald's version. Plus nobody ever complained about whipped cream topping and sprinkles!

#3 Tempeh + Lentil Salad

This one is a home creation and I always get rave reviews from people who see, smell and want to taste what I'm bringing back to my desk around noon.

• 1 cup of Romaine Lettuce


• 1/3 cup of Trader Joe's Steamed Lentils


• 4 oz. of Trader Joe's Organic 3 Grain Tempeh


• Drenched in Sriracha (as much as you can handle)

Pack the lettuce separately from the other three ingredients so that you don't heat the lettuce. Pop the tempeh, lentils and sriracha into the microwave for 45-60 seconds until you can hear it steaming, then dump it onto the bed of lettuce. Ta-dah! There's a tasty and clean meal in front of you waiting to be devoured.

Sometimes I even add an avocado and pepper - live life on the wild side, my friends.

Go on, what recipes do you have to share with me?

Saving Daylight

Who else around here is happy to have another hour of sunlight in the evenings?

I feel like the extra afternoon light will be exactly what I need to remind myself to get out in the world and enjoy it. In the winter darkness it's easy to get stuck in a rut when the only natural light you see is out the windows while you're tied to a desk all day figuratively speaking. Sure, when it's dark outside I can justify spending more time catching up on our DVR and catching up on my favorite internet reads - but that's not how I want to remember spending my twenties!

More daylight will mean more living, more inspiration, more color, more imagination and more time to take a step outside and breathe in the fresh air. It will also mean better photos, BBQ's and some beautiful sunsets to soak in.

Losing an hour this weekend didn't phase us and I felt more productive and balanced than ever.

• I finished running by 8am each morning


• I enjoyed quality family time as my brother packed up and returned home


• I finally met Olive and caught up with Tanna - both are happy and healthy!


• I visited Barista for a cup of coffee downtown Sunday morning


• Food prep for the weekend is done!


• We tried and loved some borrowed recipes (stay tuned!)

And Dan? He had a great Saturday playing frosty golf early in the morning, he loved watching Tiger Woods win the WGC Cadillac Championship on Sunday and he thanked me repeatedly for the time I spent in the kitchen making our meals for the weekend and for the week. He also impressed me domestically by mopping the floor and getting the dishes washed and put away before I even noticed.

He's a keeper.

March's Eight Great Goals

Ah, March - what do you plan to bring?

More responsibility, more puppy fun, more photos, more love, more smiles, more silliness, more laughter, more improvement, more sleep? I honestly hope all of the above!

Daylight Saving time will have an amazing impact on my outlook. Look at the Sunrise/Sunset times for Portland! With the sun out later in the evening it means that I won't be as grumpy leaving work late, won't have the urge to hibernate, will want to run longer and will be able to take more photos with the beloved natural light! If this isn't reason to celebrate then I have my priorities all wrong.

What are my priorities you ask? That's a great segue into March's Eight Great Goals - see, easy month already!

Eight Great Goals

1. When laundry is done, fold it immediately. When dishes are dirty, scrub them and put them in the dishwasher. When mail is in the mailbox, bring it in, sort it and find a home for it. When something is deemed 'recyclable' - put it in the recycling area out of sight. You get the picture. The goal is to not allow things to pile up around the house. It only causes me undue stress and won't be good for the added stress I'll see at work over the next three months.

2. Create a blogging calendar and follow it. Keep drafts of posts, start collecting pictures, all of the things that I scramble to do the night before I publish a post can be taken care of days in advance and I should really force myself to get on that schedule. I know that I had a similar goal last month and failed miserably at it, but if I set my mind to it I will find myself enjoying the evening and getting to bed on time rather than always telling Dan, "sorry, I still have to write, edit photos, schedule, draft, etc". I feel like a broken record.

3. Eat at restaurants only five times. The entire month! Dan and I are going to Mo's for Chowder tonight in Newport to kick off the beach weekend with my family, so after that we had better plan wisely. We made it to Subway several times for Februany and we should really focus on eating the food we've bought from the grocery store and that we've prepped.

4. Can you believe that I still haven't met little miss Olive who is now four months old? Her mama and I have been in touch but haven't been able to make it happen yet. This month there is no excuse that can stop me from seeing Tanna & Olive (hopefully Greg too!)

5. Do. Not. Drop. My. iPhone. I have a terrible reputation for dropping my phone often and unfortunately Dan is the main witness of this awful mistake. Butterfingers? Unaware? Careless? Hands full of groceries and bags? I'm not sure what the reason is but this month and forever forward I will pay special attention to the way I'm carrying my phone.

6. Make my desk area at work a happy place. I've brought in my coffee maker and have a cute tray that holds all coffee supplies...  but what I really need are some photos, fresh flowers, personal touches and a space that brings me light in the darkest of times.

7. Allow myself to say 'no'. I have always been one to say 'yes' to show my commitment, my great attitude, my enthusiasm and my desire to make an impact. There will be times in my personal life and my career where I need to be comfortable with saying 'no'.

8. Drink 48 ounces of water every day before noon. This is a no brainer - if you drink water, your skin will look better, you won't overeat out of a disconnect between your stomach and your brain, and you'll flush out the bad toxins that plague your body without warning. If I get 48 ounces in before noon, it will set me up for success for the rest of the day.

I know that setting eight goals may seem like a lot, but each of these in their own way will bring me happiness, organization, preparation, and escape that I otherwise wouldn't be able to pinpoint and hone in on. It's a learning experience!

What are your goals? Do you set goals for yourself daily, weekly, monthly? How do you keep track of your accomplishments?

<3 JE

Weekend Food Prep

So many of you have been applauding my meal prep on the weekends and have even commented on being inspired by it!

Nothing makes me happier - especially when your continued questions, comments and feedback remind me how easy, necessary and organized this whole food prep work can be.

If you like this topic, I recommend first checking out my post from a few weeks ago: Take The Time: Meal Prep where I go through the steps that are easy to follow on how to set yourself up for success. Taking inventory, making a list, checking it twice - it all counts!

For me, the magic happens on Sundays. Every weekend I shop for all of my weekly staples and make them all at once. I maximize oven/burner utilization, can make a big mess and have a big clean-up all while filling the house with warmth and wonderful smells except for the eggs!

Quinoa isn't something I discovered until a few years ago and I don't recall a time where I haven't had some available in the pantry. Knowledge of quinoa would have saved me from a lot of white rice consumption in college - but it's better late than never the way that I see it!

For every 1 cup of dry quinoa, you will need 2 cups of water. If you want to end up with 4 cups of cooked quinoa, it requires 1 cup dry / 2 cups water. If you want 8 cups, double the grains and double the water! Crank up the heat to medium/high, cover with a lid and allow it to soak up and fill out with no maintenance.

Grilled Chicken is something I'm lucky to have Dan for - he enjoys defrosting the frozen chicken breasts, seasoning them with great spices and throwing them onto the grill! I take a different approach and put them into the preheated oven at 375 degrees (after defrosting) and cook for 35-45 minutes until I see them the way I like them. If you know chicken, you'll know when they're ready. If you're new, test a piece to make sure the meat has cooked all the way through. Follow these safety guidelines for more information on defrosting and avoiding the "Danger Zone"!

Hard Boiled Eggs are very easy to make and can be a great source of protein that will start your morning off right. I also enjoy eating them in the morning because they are a little stinky when you store them - so I don't want the odor to be mistaken for something else while I'm at work. I've tried both the bake and boil methods and haven't yet found a favorite - I love them both! This past weekend I boiled and it was an easy 22 minutes of monitoring time and maybe another 5 for each Dan and I to peel the shells off. If you boil, vinegar is essential to your success.

Steamed Vegetables are SO easy to prepare in mass quantities and I haven't found a way to do it wrong yet.

I grab a big pot, dump in the frozen veggies, fill with enough water to cover the veggies and put the burner at medium to high heat. You'll be able to feel when they're done, and just remember that there's ZERO risk to sampling - so eat your heart out!

These are just a few of the main things I've been cooking lately and it's made a huge difference on the money I spend, the time I have during the week and most importantly the good choices I'm making before I even have a chance to change my mind!

Don't forget to make it pretty and take photos - what you've done is a work of art!

Everyone who's shared their progress and changes with me have kept me inspired - so please keep on encouraging me, sharing your success (even if it's just planning) and I'll keep sharing my tips!

<3 JE

February's Eight Great Goals

Welcome, February! Please have a seat and make yourself comfortable - I've been waiting for you.

January has always been one of my least favorite months as far as months go and I've heard others say that too. It's a rude awakening from the holidays, the days are short, the nights are cold and my heat, energy and water bills are off the charts in comparison. I'd like to shine some positive light on January as a time to restart, to renew and for new beginnings - but truly every month should be approached this way. Just like everyday should be like Valentine's Day and you should call your mother more than only on her birthday, Christmas or Mother's Day. Little things.

This month is sure to present some challenges, like more dreary & cold weather,  three less days to complete 100 miles or that our workforce of three will drop down to two (ahh!). With all of the madness presented in those challenges there's still so much more to look forward to. Loving and nurturing Tiger, a no-frills baby shower invite, Super Bowl shenanigans, another 90 minute massage, return of AMC's The Walking Dead, Bailey's 1 and a half year birthday(!!!), girls night birthday fun, seeing Amanda (hopefully) when she makes her first visit to Portland after her big career move, continuing to live with my wonderful boyfriend ...and so much more I don't even know about!

Let's get down to it, my mission for the month!

February's Eight Great Goals:

1. Follow Amanda from RunToTheFinish in her #BestFoot challenge to Eat a Clean Breakfast every day in February

2. Read a book, cover to cover, for the pure pleasure of reading. Any suggestions are welcome - what have you read lately?

3. Practice my pool game before brother comes home in March.

4. Spend some serious time at mom and dad's house to go through 'the archives' that they've been holding onto my entire life since I moved out 7 years ago.

5. Encourage Dan to play golf and never ask that he does otherwise.

6. Pre-write 3 posts per week to eliminate some time constraints and pressures when it comes to delivering content by 8am.

7. Comment on other blogger's posts and participate in this worldwide community.

8. Log four 10-mile runs in preparation for my second #ToughMudder (first mudder here).

That seems like more than enough to keep me busy in the short 28 days. I am excited to share more with you as you share more with me!

<3 JE

South(east) Scramble

Most weekends Dan and I are pretty bad about eating breakfast at a normal time. Weekdays we are on a strict schedule but on Saturday and Sunday we like to sleep in and get our lazy on. Once we finally roll jump out of bed I often go for a run and he's surprisingly never really hungry until the afternoon.

This weekend actually was no different, but when we decided to make brunch after noon we put a little extra flare into it. We were both skilled cooks in the kitchen and had fun making a Southwesteast Scramble that would end up keeping us full all day long!

The inspiration for the scramble was the dozen eggs in the egg caddy that hadn't been touched for two weeks. The rest was fridge and pantry magic.

Check it out and make your own next weekend!

Ingredients:

8 Eggs

3 Trader Joe's Chicken Jalapeño sausages

1 Green Pepper

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes

1 can black beans

MmmMmm Sriracha and maybe a little post photography shredded low-fat mozzarella

Simply amazing!

<3 JE

Planning Is Winning

I don't know how everyone else feels but my body is telling me that it's Friday. What a long week it's been already and when I look at my calendar and see that it's only Wednesday I want to pout a little. The short holiday work weeks were good to me and I feel like what I need is another good 3-Day weekend... I'm looking at you, MLK Jr. Day!

Something that doesn't make me pouty about this week is that Sunday I spent some quality time to get some clean, consistent and packable lunches ready. After a half hour I turned 1 dry cup worth of quinoa, 3 cups of mixed veggies and 2 grilled chicken breasts into this:

(Sriracha glaze added)

Dan pitched in by grilling up the chicken both for dinner and for my lunch protein source. I think he's going to fit right in around here.

This couldn't have been a better week to plan as Dan and I are adjusting to our new schedule amongst plenty of post workday social activities that have caused us to get home a little later than normal. A BCS Blowout and a Cinetopia date night for Quentin Tarantino's latest were good reasons to stay West, but I'm sincerely looking forward to a night with no extras on the agenda.

I'm hoping to refine my pre-cooking skills in the weeks to come even further so that I have consistency and routine in my meal schedule. May have to even put a grocery plan in place to try out the new crock pot!

<3 JE

January's Eight Great Goals + 2013 Resolutions

Is everyone rested up? I am!

Now that I've had ample time to mentally prepare for returning to reality after an amazing holiday break, I think it's time to share my January's Eight Great Goals and also share the 2013 resolutions that have been on my mind the past few weeks.

Eight Great Goals

1. Make time during the workday to actually enjoy my lunch rather than working through it at my desk.

2. Lose the 5 pounds that I've put on during the holidays by January 31st - and maybe more if it comes off easily! (hint: drink water!!)

3. Assist Dan in a successful move from Southwest Beaverton to Southeast Portland.

4. No consuming food after 9pm!

5. Clean out my car - my trunk is a graveyard for things I never use but always think I'll need.

6. Attend 5 NTC sessions on top of my usual 100 running miles. (1,278 miles logged in 2012)

7. 5 servings a day of Fruits & Veggies + an increase protein intake.

8. Each night write down one thing from that day that made me smile - like a calendar journal.

I put a lot of thought into these goals and really think that if I keep them close to me I will be able to achieve each and every one of them.

And now what you've been waiting for - a list of 2,013 things that I want to accomplish this year...

via

JUST kidding - I only have five resolutions I'm publicly committing to!

1. NO using my phone while I'm the driver of a vehicle and the car is in motion. The risk isn't worth the reward.

2. Respect others for who they are and see the good in them no matter what I may think. The world needs more r-e-s-p-e-c-t.

3. Golf 9 holes with Dan while keeping score - and not look like a jerk doing it!

4. Meal Planning for both Dan & I. More structure up front, less poor and hungry decisions later.

5. Smarter spending and back on the saving train. I got carried away during the holiday season.

What are some of your resolutions this year? Whatever they are, believe in yourself to achieve them.

<3 JE

OctNOber - Last Day Update!

| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 |

| Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 | Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day 14 |

| Day 15 | Day 16 | Day 17 | Day 18 | Day 19 | Day 20 | Day 21 |

The day Dan has been waiting for... the last day of our 21 day OctNOber challenge!

Actually, tomorrow is the day he's really excited for - I think I may have to hide the Halloween candy from him. Then again, he may have to pry from my fingers take the pumpkin ice cream from me.

We had a great Halloween weekend together at my house watching sports, finishing season 5 (part 1) of Breaking Bad and firing up the grill for some juicy steak!

It was also his half birthday weekend so I wanted to make sure it was extra special for him especially with my 25th Birthday coming up.

{Not pictured are the three latte's we each enjoyed, the 6 pack of Angry Orchard Hard Cider that was gone within hours, or Saturday's brunch scramble made to perfection with the help of meats from Otto's Sausage Kitchen.}

^ NY Boneless Strip Steak and Filet Mignon from Trader Joe's ^

^ Garlic Potatoes and Haricots Verts from Trader Joe's ^

^ The good stuff is meant for sipping ^

^ Not as friendly as the Ticket Oak ^

^ Never waste the guts of a pumpkin ^

After the Chicago Bears won what seemed like it could have been the Super Bowl based on Dan's cheers and chants, we set off to celebrate with a southern Half Birthday brunch at the Screen Door where lines are long because the food is unbelievable. I'd been meaning to take Dan here for a long time, but he's always had golf, I've had marathon training and we've just both been busy. I knew that his eyes would light up at the sight of 4 pieces of fried chicken over a sweet potato waffle impaled with a steak knife. When it came to the table I heard something I've never heard from him before.

"Wow, you and I could have just split this."

Next time we will, but I enjoyed my Tofu Hash both for brunch and leftovers last night. The brunch that keeps on giving.

^ Screen Door Brunch Menu ^

^ Coffee while you wait ^

^ Fried Chicken + Sweet Potato Waffle ^

^ Tofu Hash ^

I do plan to have something sweet on Wednesday, but I don't plan to binge and/or make it a habit. I feel empowered to say no!

<3 JE