Walk to work:  

This goal is really to walk more in general to get around, which shouldn’t be a big issue considering I sold my car and the grocery store is only 2 blocks away.  However, I walked to work for the first time yesterday, and was so excited by how enjoyable it was!  So excited that I walked home yesterday too, and then walked to work again today!

Basically, as long as its above 20 degrees and not rainy, snowy or icy, I plan on walking to/from work.  My back-up plan from now on will be the 10 bus, which picks me up a block from my house, but I usually freeze for 10 minutes waiting for it.  I will take the bus in a pinch (running late) or if I have a lot to carry, or if its a blizzard or dangerous walking conditions.  Once it warms up a tad more (40+ degrees) I will start riding to work.  I also would prefer it be lighter out at night when I’m on my way home by bike… so perhaps by late February or March?

It really doesn’t hurt that I’ll be saving $4 a day by walking!  That’s $20 a week to go towards other things (most of which are listed below).

Learn to sew:

Technically I know how to sew; I can turn on the machine and connect pieces of fabric together.  I have only successfully completed one project since my middle-school home-ec class, and that was a free-style herb pillow (which turned out pretty good, I must say).  I want to try to increase the difficulty of projects as I go, and will probably take classes at the Fancy Tiger off-and-on, and try to inspire friends who sew to get together and share tips, help, and enjoy time making fun stuff!

However, after dropping $40 bucks at the hip local fabric shop to make a simple tote bag, I must explore more fabric purchasing options.  The stuff there is adorable, but I’m convinced there must be shops with equal as cute, hidden gems for me to discover.  This hobby cannot become too expensive or I’ll quickly abandon it.

A realistic goal for me would be 1 sewing creation per month.  I may end up making more than that, but a minimum of one (of increasing difficulty) is my goal!  I’m starting with a simple tote bag this weekend, and will then attempt either PJ pants or a pillow with piping.

Become an ovo-pesceterian:

I’ve been debating this issue for a long time while, and when it comes down to it this is for simply health-related reasons.  I used to be vegetarian from age 16 – 21 and did it in a very unhealthy way (bread, potatoes and cheese).  I feel I’ve come a long way with my cooking and eating habits, that I can do this in a very healthy way, and cut out some of the not-so-healthy stuff and still enjoy my meals.

I clearly recall my friend mentioning that she went completely vegan because otherwise she would go to town on eating cheese, and I’m ashamed to admit that I am the same way!  I do love cheese, but could do without regular milk completely.  We have a boat-load of cheese in our house right now, but once that’s gone I plan to give up dairy completely (by dairy I mean cow products, I might allow some goat and sheep cheeses if I’m at a restaurant or party as a treat!)

I know I could never go completely vegan, as I think that animal protein is important for me to be healthy.  By saying this, I don’t want to spark arguments over how you can be a healthy vegan, because I believe that’s true… but I have no intention of being completely vegan.  I calculated this choice on my own, and feel that eggs (ovo) and fish (pesca) are the two things in addition to plant-based foods which I prefer to allow myself to eat.  If I don’t set solid parameters, I am afraid I will “sneak” items I shouldn’t have.

My biggest fear is coffee!  I like a splash of half and half, so I’ll have to check out the coconut creamer so many people rave about… or learn to drink my coffee black!

Read 1 book a month: 

Thanks to my husband, I am now the proud owner of a Nook Simple Touch!  It will take some getting used to, but I hope it will make reading more convenient.  The plan is to alternate between fiction and non-fiction monthly, and to read a minimum of 12 books this year.  Pretty simple resolution to track progress!

Pay off 20% of my debt:

The long and short of this is, I am becoming more wise with my money, and I am in a much more stable job situation.  I want to be out of debt as soon as possible, but I need to be realistic.  I’m without car (money pit) and have researched and worked-out various ways which I can save a little bit here and there.  It didn’t hurt that we got so much gift money from the wedding, but for the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m standing on the shore of my debt with at least a paddle boat… not drowning in the sea of it… allowing it to get deeper and deeper!

From accomplishing the above goals, I feel I will become happier, healthier, smarter, and that’s ultimately why we do these things, right?  There were some other potential resolutions which didn’t make the cut for the 5 listed here.  In order to achieve goals, a person needs to be able to focus on them.  If I aimed at accomplishing all of my goals at the same time, I’d get overwhelmed and quit them all!

In the great words of Bill Murray, it’s Baby Stepping…

Happy 2012!!!

1. Take lunch breaks.  Well, a lot changed in a year!  With a new job came the ability to set new standards and get into new (and better) habits.  I now work for a large company in a position that requires me to be at or near my desk for 8 hours a day, so I am allotted a one hour lunch break daily in order to break-free!  99% of the time I take the break, and 75% of the time I take my full break… so I definitely feel like I can place a check-mark next to this resolution!  I’ve found that lunch breaks are so important to a daily routine, whether or not you actually eat lunch on those breaks, or simply use it to escape the computer screen for a while.

2.  Read more, write more, draw more.  For 5 months, the “write more” resolution was going pretty well, and I have my blog history as proof!  I read quite a bit between leaving the job I had at this time last year, and taking on the job I’m currently in.  Once the summer hit, and the mad-dash was on to finish wedding planning, my life (let alone my resolutions) took a back seat to seating charts and ceremony scripts… As for drawing?  Well, not much in the way of drawing.  This resolution will grace my list again this year, only I plan to angle my goal towards general creativity.

3.  Spend less, save more, pay off debt.  Its tough to tell with so much change; we moved into a more expensive home, but made up for the increase by slashing monthly expenses.  I pretty much broke even on the debt situation.  I feel like I spent so much money on the wedding that I lost track of where my money was going and who was paying for what!  I don’t want to blame everything on the wedding, but it surely was a significant investment of time and money.   I think when you break it down, I am actually a bit lower than where I started last year (if only by a few hundred dollars) .  I do have a nice chunk of change to put towards my debt due to the sale of my car, so perhaps I will start off the new year with roughly a 5% debt reduction.  At least its a decrease, not an increase, right???

4.   Travel more, on the cheap.  ”Travel more”?  Check… “On the cheap”?  Hmmm… depends on how you look at it.  I did plenty of camping (once a month through the summer), but made up for that savings by taking two trips which requiring airfare, and one that required a 6 hour drive.   Highlights: Napa, Atlantic City, Telluride… Camping in Leadville and time spent in Salida and Breckenridge.  Cheap?  probably not… but travel was abundant.

5.  Compile a cook book.  I can check this off of my list, however the cookbook I compiled was for my former employer.  I think what I’d rather do moving forward is to create an online database/archive, so I can search and share recipes easily.  I may do that as a tab on this blog?  I’ll consider this complete, but in need of an overhaul.

From this list I would consider 3.5 of my resolutions to be achieved/complete.  Some were only half complete, and few were fully accomplished.  The only changes I plan to make with this year’s list resolutions… categorizing to make sure I’m well-rounding my goals (creative, financial, intellectual…) and establishing some sort of measure to ensure I can say accurately next December, “Yes, I achieved this” or “Nope, I didn’t”.

I’m excited for 2012!  I love making resolutions… but I need to stop being vague about them.

Resolution #1… stop being vague?  (Just kidding)

No collection of decorations to speak of…

No affinity for holiday music or carols…

No core recipes present at holiday meals…

No recurring traditions or holiday-related activities…

Our family always celebrated holidays, but as a military family, it seems that each holiday has been dramatically different than the one before, year after year.  This year, with my family, things are going to be different… but what makes it feel like Christmas?  I literally Googled that… “things that make it feel like Christmas”.  What it comes down to is this… everyone has their own idea of Christmas, but it revolves around sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and activities.  So that’s where I will start…

1. Decorations:  Justin and I had our first tree last year!  It is 3 feet tall, fake, pre-lit, and a perfect size for two people.  Fake tree?  Sacrileg!!!  I know… but it doesn’t hurt that it won’t require daily cleaning of needles and act as a potential fire-hazard.  This year, after receiving a little bonus cash for my wonderful performance at work, I decided to put a little more money into our Christmas decoration collection.  Nothing crazy… we added some strings of lights, a lit garland across the mantel, a mini tinsel tree with its own tiny ornaments, and 3 baby blue spruce trees which will hopefully survive to see next Christmas!  My mom is also donating a wreath which will add some much-needed red into the prominently green decor.
2. Music:  I traditionally disliked Christmas music, probably because I always got stuck in retail jobs working through the holidays.  After 8-10 hours of holiday work music, you tend to play-out the classics.  I now realize the type of holiday songs I like (and dislike), and have learned to sift through and find those solid gold holiday tunes!  I’ve been listening to Pandora holiday music at work and while I’m doing things like wrapping presents or driving to/from the store to purchase gifts.  It really does help aid in achieving that holiday feel.
3. Recipes:  After 3 years of teaching myself to cook, I now have a chance to nail-down some recipes to create and recreate year after year.  Since our family has a bunch of dietary challenges, I want to find some healthy, gluten free recipes which also focus on vegetarian (or vegetable-centric) ingredients so there’s limited hassle around these days where we should be happy and care-free!   I think I smell a  holiday family cookbook brewing?
4. Smells: This is actually the most inexpensive and simple step in preparing for the holiday feel!  I go to the store and sniff all of the intoxicating smelly candles.  My favorites tend to he the piney tree smells like balsam or mistletoe toe, and sometimes cinnamon apple.  Some people like candles that smell like fresh baked cookies, gingerbread, or cranberry.  Regardless of the flavor, there’s something about even an unscented candle burning during the holidays… it provides some warmth and comfort from the glow of the candle that is welcome on a frosty cold night in December.
   
   
5. Activities:  Last year, Justin and I began our own tradition of decorating our tree together sometime shortly after Thanks Giving.  Nothing crazy, but a tradition none-the-less which we continued this year.  Although eventually I want part of that tradition to be to hike to and cut down our own tree… I’ll accept the fake tree for now as its low-maintenance.  This year, my sister and I started our own tradition of DIY decorations with paper snowflakes!  We kept it simple and followed some designs we found online, but I’m looking forward to using inexpensive supplies again next year to create a larger-than-life display of creative, home made decorations (on a budget)!  I hope to get a few friends together to go ice skating this week after work at the outdoor rink downtown in order to nail-down two new activities in one year!

I’m excited to start working on establishing traditions for our new little family!  I finally feel I have inspiration, the basic knowledge necessary for certain activities, and the free-time to partake in fun holiday events!

From here-on-out, I refuse to allow myself to be denied of holiday enjoyment… that goes for any and all holidays!  I used to get so bitter around the winter holidays, but perhaps it was because I just never learned how to do it right!  Like a  lot of things, sometimes you just need to teach yourself how to do it, and I am enjoying that process.

The best part about these burgers is, I feel like they tasted like meat!  I mean, the consistency was not at all what I expected, but they really resembled a meat patty!  That is why I’m calling them “OMG” Walnut Oat Burgers.  These were adapted from a recipe from the New Laurel’s Kitchen btw, making sure to give credit where credit is due!

Burger Ingredients:

1.5 – 3 cups Walnut Pieces
2 cups Rolled Oats
1/2 cup Bread Crumbs
5 Eggs, slightly  beaten
1/2 cup Skim Milk (I used Almond Milk)
1 large Onion, chopped fine
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 tsp Sage
1 tsp Salt
Black Pepper to taste

Here’s what happened…

1. The yoga instructor was distracting, however the class itself was great!  I loved the “flow”, much more than even my favorite instructor I went to for years at The Point in Golden.  The best part was, she would say something like “Rock out through your flow”…  Kind of made it feel more hip than I’m used to yoga classes being.
2. The music was great!  Compared to the usual new-age wood flutes mixed with ocean sounds and bird calls… I got to hear Bon Iver, Mumford & Sons, and Nathaniel Rateliff!  That’s generally my biggest complaint about yoga — not enjoying the music — so this was great for me!
3. The instructor helped me out with alternatives to certain moves b/c of my shoulder… which any instructor should do.  What was different about her was she didn’t baby me or call me out repeatedly like most instructors will do.  Injuries or pregnant people in the room?  …the whole class becomes about them.  She was not that way and it was nice!
4. Decent emotional insight from the instructor but a bit too much of it.  Lots of “let go of today…” and “live in the present”… but it continued on about 3x as long as I can tolerate   Although I will take that over the chanting and Ohms and such, which I just can’t get into.
5. At the end of the session, she sprayed the entire class with something.  As I heard the “Cshhhh, cshhh, cshhh” and peeked to see what on earth she was doing… I noticed she was prancing around the room spraying… something.  I hoped it was some hippy tea tree oil infusion or some lavender water, considering it was being sprayed above my face and was eventually going to fall on me (without being asked if it was OK).  Nope, it was some Bath and Body Works bubble gum spray (or something like that).  I was instantly nauseous!  How can you justify spraying harsh-smelling spray across 12 people’s faces while they’re relaxing in the last 5 minutes of yoga?!

Although I feel the class was more good than bad, and I was excited to get back to it, I left there angry and nauseous.  When I say “angry”, I mean angry for no reason.  Not mad at any thing in particular — not because I overdid it physically, or b/c the instructor was annoying — just general anger.  Perhaps my blood sugar dropped, leaving me angry and wanting to puke??  …or perhaps the movements I haven’t been able to do for the better part of a year were responsible for releasing some pent-up emotions?  I’ve experienced some interesting symptoms of emotional release before, but never anger.

At the chiropractor a year or so ago, I had a much-needed back adjustment and instantly started balling my eyes out (and I am NOT a crier).  Even though I didn’t arrive to her office feeling sad or emotional, the doc seemed to think it was normal, or at least it has been known to happen.  Did my yoga practice left me angry?  Or maybe I am actually getting sick, and by pushing myself to do something I might not be ready for, my body decided to get mad at me?

I usually feel refreshed and ready to take on the world when I leave a yoga class… and the strangest part is my good friend who was with me experienced similar strange feelings after the class.  I wonder if anyone else ever experiences a feeling like this with yoga or any other exercise.

Who knows…  I thought it was interesting and worth noting.

So what have I been doing?

1. I got married!  YEY!  On October 9th, 2011 I married Justin Longo, and shared one of the best day so of my life with so many friends and family here in Colorado.
   
2. We moved!  Of course, we already lived together, but had been living in dorm room style close-quarters for quite some time in an effort to avoid high rent and any over-commitments to finances until our lives leveled out financially.
3. I switched jobs!  I’ve blogged about this switch previously… but after a while I ran out of time to be both a downtown professional, a weight loss coach and a wedding planner.   I couldn’t be everything to everyone, so I settled for “Fiance” and “Receptionist”, and had to let go of my passion for health and wellness.
4. I personally gave up on my passion!  And here comes the confessional… I haven’t been taking care of myself, and I haven’t been practicing what I preach.

Now that the wedding is over, we’ve moved, I’ve committed myself full-time to my new career, I have started to make compromises, taking on bad habits that I was so against for so long.  I’ve been snacking on awful-for-you candy since before Halloween… I’ve been skipping breakfast, drinking coffee all day, eating free catered lunch leftovers (which are usually not  healthy choices)… I’ve been buying comfort snack foods, eating pizza, drinking often and drinking at home alone (which I never did before).  All-in-all, my good habbits went out the window.

I stopped cooking most of my meals, stopped exercising (mostly due to an existing injury), and I find myself frustrated and borderline depressed that I’ve let myself go after all of my hard work!

What next?  I’m on a mission to regain my heatlh!  I’ve been seeing a physical therapist for my shoulder problems, and although my initial pain has increased (it will get worse before it gets better), I feel I’m on a good path with this practitioner.

Until my shoulder is better, I can’t “work out”, but I can walk!  I’ve been trying to walk more in my day-to-day life.  Some walks are organized as exercise, but others are simply to and from the grocery store, to my sisters house, and I hope to start walking to work once I can get some comfortable shoes that keep my toes warm enough over the 30 minute trek.

But the biggest and best thing I can do to pull myself out of funky-town, is to start cooking again!  Start researching recipes, sharing them with friends, blogging about my favorite finds, and start tracking my food again on livestrong.com.

The first step in making a change is admitting where you’re at.  I feel I do better with some accountability, and so here it is!  I’m accountable to those of you out there who read this blog, and to anyone who may find some personal benefit in reading it.  I plan to get back into a swing of blogging, cooking, and sharing my thoughts on topics that effect me on a daily basis.

Thanks for reading… and I think this means I’m BACK!

• It will only add 10-15 minutes to my drive-time (that’s assuming there is no traffic).
• It will save me about $150 a month (parking and gas).
• I can do other things… and therefore will probably eventually want to buy a kindle or something.

So this morning I venture off to test-drive the bus system.  I’m leaving at 7:09 am from the stop right around the corner from my house, and should arrive in front of my new work building by 7:50 am.  Being that my hours are 8 AM to 5 PM, I should probably consider an earlier bus, and chillax downtown before work with some coffee.  Especially since the sun was pretty much all the way up at 6:15 am when I was starting to wake up.  Should be sunny most days and quite enjoyable.

Wish me luck… I feel like this is such a wise financial decision and will make my life so much easier… however it is intimidating for some reason.  I guess because trains are on tracks, you know where they came from and where they’re going.  Buses roam around, and change their stops based on the time of day… that inconsistency kind of freaks me out!

Going to have to learn sometime!

Greek Spinach and Feta Burgers

1/4 Olive Oil
1 Clove Garlic, minced (I used ~1 tsp or so roasted garlic)
1 tsp dried Oregano
1 tsp dried Dill
1 cup herb-seasoned stuffing mix
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 – 10 oz. pkg frozen and chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled (2 oz)
4 buns of your choice (I used the whole wheat flat buns, which were amazing toasted

1. In medium bowl, combine oil, garlic, oregano, dillweed, and 1/4 tsp black pepper.  Stir in stuffing mix to coat thoroughly.  Stir in eggs, spinach, and 1/2 cup feta cheese; mix well.  Shape into four 1/2 inch thick patties. (I usually double the recipe and it makes 9 when you use a 1/3 cup measuring spoon to measure out burgers)
2. Heat a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add patties.  Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until browned and heated through.
3. Serve in buns with assorted toppers: recommend garlic and artichoke flavored hummus, kalamata olives, red onion thinly sliced, and tomatoes!

Enjoy!!!

I’m also pumped to work for a company doing something I’ve always wanted to get back into.  Since I’ve been doing work in health and wellness, I’ve always thought that combining my knowledge of HR, communication, and health and wellness… I could get a good thing going with a company like TW.  I’ll be starting as the receptionist for one of two buildings the company occupies in Denver, and will act as back-up admin support to various department teams.  It doesn’t hurt that a number of my friends work for the same company, and the 4 people I interviewed with seemed like great people to work with.

I’m excited about my boss too!  I don’t know how I can tell just yet, but I have a feeling I’ll get along with him pretty well.  My plan is to enjoy the people-oriented position, and the consistency — 8 am – 5 pm, Monday – Friday — and consider going back to school or getting some continued training over the next year or two.  Sooner or later I’d hope to transition into a more significant role.

The best part, is I can still continue to do health and weight loss coaching on the side!  It’s frightening as it stands now to think that any bump in the economy could dramatically influence my income as a health coach.  This way, it’s something I enjoy doing, it won’t feel like work, and I can make a little extra cash on the side while still working in a corporate environment (which to be honest, I missed a lot!)

I can’t wait to get started!  It’s been a long time coming, and I’m so thankful to my friends at TW who sent me emails every time an open position came up, and who helped me prep for all of my interviews.  A true celebration is in order!

Cilantro, Celery and Almond Salad

6 small celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 cups cilantro leaves
2/3 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup slivered almonds (recommends toasted)
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Sea Salt

Combine celery, cilantro, raisins and almonds in a bowl.
Drizzle with oil and lemon juice and season with salt.  Toss to coat.

Asparagus and Carrot Slaw

3 grated carrots
1 -1/2 pounds grated asparagus
1/3 cup fresh mint
1/3 cup sliced red onion
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
Sea Salt

Combine the carrots, asparagus and toss with the fresh mint.
Drizzle with oil and lemon juice and season with salt.  Toss to coat.

So simple, so yummy!  Enjoy!