Wow…it`s been a while!

Hey guys! I`m sorry  that it has been such a long time since I posted. I`m having a “me” day at Starbucks right now. And what better time to talk. I`ve been having one of those weeks where I am feeling very insecure and it seems like everything is against me. It is my girl time this week, which of course doesn`t help anything. I found out yesterday that my husband and I can`t buy a house this year like we planned due to him working for commission. I just feel like a lot has went the opposite way as I had planned. And I needed a break!

So I went to Starbucks. When I was in college, I would come here every morning to study before an exam. For whatever reason, I felt like it relaxed me and helped me to do well on my exams. I still use it as my “go to” when I`m having a bad day. I am currently reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Right now, my goal is to simply read and relax and clear my mind. Things go wrong all the time. Sometimes you can fix it and sometimes you can`t. That`s just life!

What do you do when you`re having a rough time in life?

XO

Holliw

2014 Resolutions

In my last post, I told you guys about the changes I had made in 2013. Unfortunately, I don’t have as many changes to make this year. But I do have some goals I would like to accomplish that I will include instead. Here goes my Resolutions!

1.) Brush my teeth twice a day. This is probably something that you were taught when you were little. However, it as slipped as I grew older. I need to get this into my nightly routine every night!

2.) Use reusable produce bags. I just ordered these from Amazon and will have to wait for them to arrive. I already have reusable sandwich bags that I love! We also use reusable grocery bags at the store. You would be surprised at the difference it makes when carrying them into our home. One more step in going green!

3.) Loose at least 10 more pounds. With that being said, I am not setting a goal to increase how often I work out. I just need to set my schedule again and stick with it. I started slacking around the holidays!

Now my goals for 2014.

1.) Move! We currently live in an apartment and we both hate it! We are hoping to be able to buy a house when our lease is up. But at minimum, we will be moving!

2.) Apply to grad school. I’ve started my application already, and I can’t promise that I will be accepted, but I need to finish it!

3.) Find another simple change to  make in my diet to help keep me healthy. I do not know what this change will be yet (feel free to give me suggestions!).

What were your resolutions for 2014??

XO,

Hollie

Resolutions from 2013

Wow guys! It has been a while since I’ve posted. I went home for the week of Christmas to spend it with our families. We drove about 1,500 miles!! And we decided to do it straight through…no hotel! Lets just say that it was a bit crazy! We made it back yesterday morning and I’m on load 8 of laundry. UGH! With that being said, it’s the day before New Years Eve. I think it’s time to reflect back on the New Year Resolutions that were made for 2013. Let’s see how they turned out. To help remind me, I saved mine in my phone. However, I’ve changed phones and now have to go by memory.

1.) Talk to my brother more

2.) Eat less fast food

3.) Use lotion daily

4.) Eat more healthy

5.) Take vitamins daily

6.) No more soda

Seems like an okay list right? Well lets see how well I did

1.) I started to call my brother every week. This worked well for the first month and a half. Then he stopped answering my calls. The communication kinda stopped then. However, he was in a car accident in October and I made phone calls daily for about a week to check in with him. We communicated a little more after this because he helped me plan our surprise arrival (we came in a day early and surprised both of our parents!). This did not turn out as well as I had hoped. I will be putting this on my resolutions again for next year, but try to only call him every 2 weeks instead.

2.) When I made my list last year, I was working two jobs. For anyone who knows me, that was a usual in my life. With that being said, I was eating fast food on a regular basis for either breakfast or dinner. As a whole, I have cut back. On a normal week, I eat fast food about once a week. I’m a little burnt out on fast food from traveling though! I call this resolution a success!

3.) When the new year started, this occurred every day! By summer, I didn’t feel like my skin was as dry and cut back. As winter started approaching again, I started using more lotion again. It’s not daily anymore, but it is multiple times each week. This one is a success in my book as well!

4.) So I have changed my diet this year. Is it as healthy as it should be? No. But it’s much better than it was a year ago. I substitute turkey burger for ground hamburger in every recipe. There are a few turkey substitutions that I can’t stand (turkey pepperoni, turkey bacon, and turkey hamburger patties) but as a whole, I can’t tell the difference in most meals. I increased the amount of vegetables that we were eating. I switched to whole grain pasta. I’m still looking for more little changes to make in our diet, but this was a success so far!

5.) It took me a while to get in the habit of taking vitamins each day. But once I got my routine down, it was a breeze! Resolution = success!

6.) This one was one of the more difficult ones when I started. When we did get fast food, that seemed to be all they had to drink. I don’t like tea. So I switched to lemonade. I would also buy a drink on a regular basis before going into work. I’ve since stopped that habit and switched to water at work. When I go out to eat with my husband, it’s always water (or alcohol). Fast food lunches with friends is still lemonade. I have had a little soda in mixed drinks throughout the year, but I try not to do that either. Mountain Dew still tempts me on a regular basis. But this was a success!

How did you do on your New Year Resolutions from 2013? Are there any that you want to try again? Did you try to personalize your resolutions with changes you can actually accomplish? Let me know!

XO,

Hollie

 

Margarita Cookies

As some of you may know, my favorite drink is a margarita! So when I found a recipe for margarita cookies, I couldn’t pass it up!

Ingredients:

1 C butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

finely grated rind of 1 lime

1 egg yolk, slightly beaten

1 tsp orange extract (or 2 tsp orange liqueur)

2 1/2 C all-purpose flour

pinch of salt

Icing:

1 1/4 C powdered sugar

2 Tbsp white tequila

Preheat  oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets  with parchment paper. Put butter, sugar, and lime  rind into a bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon.

Beat in egg yolk and orange extract (or liqueur).

Add flour and salt. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Roll dough into inch balls and  flatten gently onto baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until light golden brown.

Let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Once cool, start on the icing. As I was stirring, the mixture was not turning into an icing. I had to add more tequila to it. I just poured so I don’t have an exact measurement. Just make sure you get the icing consistency.

Use a spoon to drizzle icing over cookies. Let set until hardened.

Now those are some good cookies! The icing has the taste of tequila which is an added bonus! Most people assumed that the tequila would be baked into the cookies. I am taking these to a cookie exchange at work and will be warning people that you will be able to taste the alcohol. Please be careful if you have children at home! Hope you enjoy!

XO

Hollie

 

M & M Cookie Mix in a jar

This recipe did not turn out well for me. I did not see where it specifically called for a wide mouth mason jar. So PLEASE, before trying this one, make sure you purchase WIDE MOUTH mason jars!! In order to save to recipe the best I could, I had to ask them to add more flour when mixing. Not the end of the world, but not great for the Christmas present either. So here goes!

1 1/4 C white sugar

1 1/4 C M&Ms

2 C all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Mix together flour, baking soda, and baking powder

Add ingredients to jar in the order listed (sugar, M&Ms, and flour mixture last). Make sure you pack everything down in the jar as tightly as you can. I used my rolling pin to do this.

Attach the directions reading:

M&M Cookies

1. Empty jar of cookie mix into large mixing bowl.

2. Use your hands to thoroughly blend mix.

3. Add 1/2 C margarine or butter softened at room temperature.

4. Mix in 1 eggs, slightly beaten, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

5. Mix until completely blended. You will need to finish mixing with your hands.

6. Shape into balls the size of walnuts and place on parchment lined cookie sheet 2 inches apart.

7. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes until edges are slightly browned.

8. Cool on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes then remove to wire racks to finish cooling. Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

This one does not look pretty due to my lack of reading specific instructions. Hope yours looks better than mine!

XO,

Hollie

Double Fudge Brownie Mix in a Jar

There is always that one friend or co-worker that you have no idea what to get for them. Either they have everything or they are too picky. As a simple solution, I often use mixes in a jar. I have a couple recipes that I will be posting in the next couple days. I had a friend of mine who needed to have homemade gifts for an exchange she was doing with some friends. These are easy and fairly cheap since you should have most of the ingredients already at home. For me, the most expensive part was purchasing the mason jars. So here is the first one!

Ingredients:

2 C sugar

1 C cocoa

1 C all-purpose flour

1 C chocolate chips

Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir together.

Place the mixture in a mason jar and attach a gift tag saying:

Double Fudge Brownies

1 package Double Fudge Brownie mix

1 C chopped pecans (optional)

1 C butter

4 eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Ass the double fudge brownie mix and pecans and continue to beat mixture until smooth. Spread the brownie mixture into a greased 13X9 pan and bake for 40-50 minutes.

Decorate the jar however you would like. I kept mine simple with ribbon around the rim and ribbon to tie the recipe on. Some people use fabric to make it more festive. Be creative!

These are simple and cute Christmas presents that almost everyone would love. Although I’ve never made the finished product, I hope it turns out well!

XO,

Hollie

Cappuccino Cookies

So I picked this book up when I was doing my  Black Friday shopping. It is perfect for this time of year! I have a cookie exchange tomorrow with my book club and one next week at my work. I know that you’re suppose to bring your favorite cookie or grandma’s recipe to these events, but I enjoy trying something new. And that’s exactly what I did!! I doubled this recipe to make sure I made enough for my event, so don’t worry if the portion sizes look off 🙂

Ingredients:

2 envelopes instant cappuccino

1 Tbsp hot water

1 C butter, soften

3/4 C superfine sugar

1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

2 1/2 C all-purpose flour

pinch of salt

Icing:

6 oz white chocolate

unsweetened cocoa, for dusting

Empty cappuccino packets into a small bowl and stir in the hot water to make a paste.

Put the butter and sugar into a separate bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon.

The beat in the egg yolk and cappuccino paste.

Sift together the flour and a pinch of salt into the mixture and stir until thoroughly combined.

Halve the dough and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap the dough and roll out between two sheets of parchment paper. Use a cookie cutter (I used a glass) and place on the prepared baking sheets, spaced well apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes (10 worked well for me). Let cook on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to wire cooling racks.

When the cookies are cool, place wire racks over parchment paper. Put the chocolate into a heat proof bowl and melt over a saucepan of simmering water.

Remove the bowl from the heat and let cool.

Spoon the chocolate over the cookies.

Dust with cocoa

And there you have it! First cookie exchange is complete! Now to decide what I’m making for the next….

Do you participate in cookie exchanges for the holidays? If so, with who? Do you bring a recipe you’ve already tried or do you like to make something new?

XO,

Hollie

Breakfast (on the go)

Everyone has heard the saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I would love to have bacon, eggs, and toast every morning. However that would require me to wake up about 30 minutes earlier. And I feel 5:00 am is early enough! So how do I fix that?

About 2 years ago, I moved approximately 1,400 miles from my home town to be with my husband. It threw my world upside down and I started gaining weight. I gained about 50 pounds in a few short months. And I kept that weight for about 1.5 years. That was until 6 months ago when I decided I was going to start making changes for me.

Any nutritional story you read tells you to start with a good breakfast because it helps you feel fuller throughout the day and eat less during meals. So when I first started to change my diet, I was taking dry cereal, waffles with no toppings and/or fruit for my breakfast because I didn’t have time to cook. Once in a while, I would have left overs from something I had cooked during the weekend. I was starting to notice the change. My stomach wasn’t growling as often. I wasn’t starving by 10:00 am. It was nice. But I still didn’t feel like it was enough and made another change.

Now I take either a protein shake or a breakfast shake to work each morning. Once I’ve finished the shake, my hunger is gone. It helps to give me the vitamins I need and still fits my busy schedule. The first time I tried a protein shake, it was horrible. But I have gotten use to the taste and actually enjoy them now. It’s all about finding your flavor!

Do you eat breakfast? Have you ever tried a protein shake? If so, do you buy the premade ones like I do or do you make your own?

XO

Hollie

Pumpkin Roll

And it’s that time of year again 🙂 Although this is a little late for thanksgiving, it is still good for all of fall. Or save it for next year! I do not like pumpkin. No pumpkin pie. No pumpkin bread. No pumpkin rolls. NOTHING! However, my husband likes pumpkin. So every year, I make him a pumpkin roll. I just follow the directions on the back of the Libby’s can of pumpkin. This is no way my recipe!

Ingredients:

Cake:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. salt

3 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup LIBBY’S 100% Pure Pumpkin

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Filling:

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

6 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheet. Line with wax paper. Grease and flour. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda,  cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a small bowl.

Beat eggs and sugar in a large mixer bowl until thick.

Beat in pumpkin.

Stir in flour mixture.

Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts (optional). Bake for 13-15 minutes or until top of cake sprigs back when touched.

Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper.

Roll up cake and towel together, starting with the narrow end. Cool on wire rack. (I let mine cool for approximately 1 hour).

Beat cream cheese, powdered  sugar, butter, and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth.

Carefully unroll cake; remove towel.

Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

And enjoy! Be care when unrolling and rerolling the cake to not break it. I made two and the first one turned out great! I put the pumpkin in the fridge for about 2 days before making the second. The second one cracked a little on the edge, but it still turned out great! Just didn’t look as pretty. Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving!

XO

Hollie

Birthday And Thanksgiving in one!

So yesterday was my birthday!! It was also Thanksgiving. Since we don’t live near family and it is just the two  of us right now, our Thanksgiving is a lot different than most peoples. We started off our morning by participating in the Turkey Trot

The news said it was the coldest Thanksgiving in 20 years! With that being said, it was my first 5k. I am working on getting into shape and have been going to the gym on a regular basis. My goal for the run was to finish in 40 minutes. According to my Polar FT4, it took 41 minutes to finish the race. This included how long it took me to even pass the starting line, along with a bathroom break for my husband and a quick stop for water. I am guessing that my actual time was closer to 35 minutes. This was a HUGE accomplishment for me!!! So obviously, I needed to reward myself with a Caramel Brulee Latte from Starbucks 🙂

And on to presents! My best friend did something different this year for my birthday. She sent me a box and had one present for each day of the week leading up to my birthday.

It was killer to wait  the whole week! I mean I can wait for Christmas and stuff, but it was the biggest tease ever to have these sitting on my kitchen table and only being able to open one at a time!! Before I show y’all what each gift was, I feel like I need to share the face that she bought me a charm bracelet about a year ago. And here goes…

So my charm bracelet is now full 🙂 I also love frogs and wine! My best friend knows me too well! My husband bought me a jacket. And I used the money from relatives to purchase a new flat iron.

We did go out to eat for Thanksgiving since we had agreed not to cook this year. It was the first time either of us hadn’t had a home cooked meal for the holiday, but both agreed it was too much work and too much went to waste with it only being the two of us. Hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving!! Have you ever participated in a Turkey Trot? Have you ever sent (or received) gifts where you could only open one at a time? If so, did you enjoy it?

XO

Hollie