That's the way the (apple) crumbles

Hello Friends!  What a glorious day!  Why?  Well....let's count the ways....

1.  Tomorrow is December,  Christmas month!  YAY!  Unleash your inner 5 year old.  C'mon, you know you want to.
2.  After 5 days of hassle, I finally got my kohl's cash from my turkey day spree.  Annoying?  Yes.  But the ends justified the means, and Mama's gettin' a new pair of shoes tomorrow!  (No, really.  I need boots :-D)
3.  It snowed today!  Briefly.  I saw it during lunch.  And while this doesn't make me excited to drive (out in the Ccccawntry), it makes me excited for Christmas!  What's Christmas without snow?  Don't tell me.  I don't wanna know.
4.  CHRISTMAS comes tomorrow in the Glaser household!  Yup, you heard me right.  The hubster and I ordered a house gift that I had told you before....a big honkin super techno treadmill.  We ordered it on Black Friday, expecting delivery to take a few weeks, but joy of joys, it's coming tomorrow!  SWEET!!  I sense a mileage challenge coming up for December.....
But since it's still November,  let's talk about food :-)  Fall themed food.  Dessert.  Healthified.  Do I have your attention yet?  Awesomesauce.  I mean, applesauce.  I mean...apples!  Cause who can go through fall without a decent Apple Crumble?

Healthified Apple Crumble
* 4 Apples, chopped (preferably a heartier apple)
* Dash of cinnamon or apple pie spice
* 1/2 cup quick oats
* Dash of rum (why not....it's good for the soul)
* 1 tbsp. butter (go with the good stuff, people)
* 1/3 cup milk

Dice up the apples (I leave the skin on, it's good for you!) and place in a shallow pie plate.  Dust with cinnamon.  Combine the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl and mix to a crumble.  Drizzle over the apples.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until apples are soft.  Let cool.  Serve for dessert for 2.  Yum. EE.
Not a bad way to end the month, in my estimation.  Looking forward to a great December!

It's Beginning to look alot like Christmas....

Well, ok, no it's not.  It's more like a green christmas.  BNL would approve.  But I'm in the spirit regardless :-)  Bring on the snow!  (Don't hate.  Just till January 2.)
Hey hey, I'm back to blog world!  Rough Monday.  Don't ask.  The basics....I was a grump. A Grinch.  And why subject you to my madness when I'm not feeling cheerful?  (Or at least human).  So I took a day off.  It happens.  But of course I can't stay away for long-I love you all too much!
So what's new and exciting?  Well, even with the freakishly warm temps, don't be fooled...it's that time of year again!  YAY!!  Even though Thanksgiving was pretty decent, I won't kid a kidder.  Christmas is my favorite time of year.  The lights, the music, the get togethers, the COOKIES, the presents, the decorations.....I love it all.  And while it isn't all necessary, it sure is fun (in moderation)!  I terribly enjoy being a kid in the month of December...and enjoying the spirit of the holiday :-)
To get myself in the mood, I started transforming our living room...

 Check out the snowmen in the upper right....they used to be my grandparent's....straight outta the 1950's.  We call them Jack and Jill 'cause cutesy names make everything better they are such a cute couple!

 Unpacking the boxes.  I'm about halfway done-I didn't want to scare you by showing you how Christmas obsessed I really am!

Lights are up on the tree!  Next up-ornaments.  The hubster and I make micro cocoa and go through all our childhood (and adulthood) ornaments and decide which ones make the cut.  Stay tuned (I know you're super excited :-D)
This week = house and Christmas cards. Workin on those....

Next week....present wrapping and COOKIE TIME!

Yeah, we gotta work on that.

What do you love best about the holidays?  Any fun traditions?

Clean/Dirty

Welcome Christmas season 2011!  After eating my pants off on Thursday, the hubster and I have vowed to try to move more, eat less for the next 4 weeks so that we can fully enjoy Christmas without gaining 10 pounds.  Thus, last nights clean dinner:  Flank steak roll ups with greens, adapted from Clean Eating Magazine!

Served with roasted potatoes and brussel sprouts.  Clean dinner.  However, the cat decided we should order in Chinese instead....and flirted with the boys company:

Dirty girl.  She takes after her mom....
In order to redeem ourselves, the hubster and I decided, along with veggie centered meals, we would make an effort to get in more exercise.  So we forwent gifts to each other and bought this baby yesterday, brand spankin' clean new:

Nordic Tract commercial grade treadmill.  And the hubster got us a super sweet deal which made it nearly half off!  Awesome.
Too bad my brother put me in a headlock and wouldn't let me move after dinner....

Dirty scoundrel.  Just kidding, Drew :-D

And thus the motto of my holiday weekend.  Next up:  clean eating turkey veggie soup and some dirty football.  How was your weekend?

Happy Everything

From this....

Turkey heads.....

A man and his bird!

Amazing eats....Thanks Aunt Diana!!

My (first) plate :-D

Uncle Alan, what is your position on this dinner?  "Yeah, I'm a cardiologist.  Have some butter".  Amen :-P

To This...

Not sure why they let me walk around like this...

The hubster rejected my first choice.  Damn.

Winner winner, chicken dinner Christmas tree!!

Yeah, I wore capris.  It was 62.  I think I got a tan cutting down our tree.  Wow.

The hubster works his magic!

It's officially Christmas time!

Exactly.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 From me to you....Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a wonderful day with your family and friends....

enjoy the people around you...the turkey....and get outside, it's gorgeous!  

See you tomorrow!!

I get by with a little help...

From my friends!!  And that includes all of you, of course :-)  Today, I am thankful for you.  My friends.  You all rock.  Let's break it down.....

To old friends....ones that I have known for years and years. Heather, Amie, Jen, John, Logan, Elyse, Allie, Leigh, Andrea, Bryan, EJ, Brad, Greg, Sean, Stephanie, Kim, Megan, Pam, Stephen, Tim, Sue, Amy....I love you guys.  I am so glad to have you in my life.  You knew me back when and still haven't gotten rid of me :-P
To reunited old friends...James, Brennan, Dave...I missed you guys.  So glad we have re-connected.
To my besties....Rachael and Drew....my "sister" and "brother"-I am so very lucky to have you two.  Some things just never change.
To my work friends...Heidi, Katie, Frank, EJ, Michael, Sheryl, Jude, Bill, Sally, Jerry, Tracy, Dessa, Ginny, Angela, Tracey, Adrienne, Jessica, Carole, Jeanne, Margy and everyone else at work....love you guys. You make 9-5 tolerable :-)
To our neighbors....Vinnie, Chris, Tara, Hank, Dave, Sheena, Mike, Bill and everyone else on Sunrise...I love living where we do because of you. You guys are so much fun!

To my tri and running friends....Alexa, Heather, Carolyn, Marc, Kristin, Solveig, Stefany, Deb, Rich, Train-this team, Sandy, Kellmans, Dale, Eric, Nice Tri, Fleet feet team....you guys all rock.  Seriously.  I have so much fun racing and you all are a big part of it!
And to my Internet friends...fellow bloggies....Victoria, Megan, Christin, Christine, Kelly, Donna, Shelley, Jen, Evan, Scott, Jill, Erin, Monica, Chloe, Jessica....blog readers....you make blogging so much more fun!  (Especially when you comment.  I can throw something else in for me, right? :-)) Thank you for supporting my Internet ramblings...I really appreciate it!
Inevitably, I didn't mention someone.  I apologize. It's not because I forgot you.  It's because I ran out of time for this post and clearly, you deserve more ink than I currently have the time to write.  Forgive me.  And feel free to yell at me,  I can take it.

Who are you thankful for this year?

The Hubster

It's been a crap day.
A hide under the covers kinda day.
An "I don't wanna play" day.
An..."I wish we could rewind and start over"...or skip to the next day.
But...I promised you a week of thankfulness.  And I deliver.
And I'm not lying...or even looking for the silver lining.
Today...I am thankful for the hubster.  For loving me.  For running, biking and swimming with me.  For dealing with my baby moments.  For rubbing my feet.  For doing the dishes.  For being my Iron Sherpa.  For making me laugh.  For conversing in our own made up language that anyone over the age of 5 just would not get.  (i feel sorry for future little guys).
For being there for me.  Always.
Even tonight, when I am a cranky pants.  He has ordered up a fireplace, micro-cocoa, massage oil, and my choice of television shows.  Awesome.
I couldn't ask for more.  No, I'm not kidding.

At least when I hide under the covers I'll get some good company :-D I love you baby!

I am Thankful

Let's put a different spin on this week, shall we?  Instead of a recipe a day for your Thanksgiving spread, I would like to address what's really important this time of year.
Wait, what?  You need food?  Ok, fine...let's lay it all out in one shot then move along :-)  T- Day recipes that I've made and wholeheartedly endorse:

Side dishes: Butternut squash fries, cranberry orange relish, autumn millet bowl, miracle mashies

Desserts: Apple Donuts, pumpkin pie, Easy easy chocolate pie (recipe forthcoming).

We good with food?  Kay thanks. 

Now I want to talk about Thanksgiving.  All jokes aside, this should be one of the best holidays, where we all realize how darned lucky we are to be alive and have such good things in our lives.  Of course, this is very personal, but I do know that everyone has SOMETHING to be thankful for....and all too often (myself included) we focus on what we want rather than what we've got.  So let's try something.  For one day, let's just be thankful for what we've got.  Hate doing the dishes?  Be thankful you have a meal to clean up after.  Think you're a "slow" runner?  Be thankful your legs will carry you through that trot.  Think your parent's lame jokes at the dinner table are ridiculous?  Enjoy them.  They might not always be around to make those jokes ( I tell myself this every time I feel I am turning into my mother :-P  LOVE YA MOM!)

What am I thankful for this year?  Oh, it's such a long list....I think I'll break it down day by day this week.  Today....I am thankful for my family.
* For my husband, who listens to me, kisses me every day, rubs my feet, and understands me. I love you.
* For my mom, who has always been there for me my whole life.
* For Uncle Alan, who, although not a bio parent...is a Dad to me in every single way possible.  I am so lucky.
* For my in laws...out laws...yeah, you know who you are.  The hubster's family rocks my socks off.  Not only do they treat me like a daughter, niece, sister, cousin, they are an awesome bunch I can be myself around.  Yep, it scares me sometimes, too.
* For my cousins...Michelle and Lisa....love you guys.  I idolized you when I was a kid, and now that I'm "all grown up" I still love you to bits. 
* For my Polish clan...holidays would just not be the same without you.  Karen, you are awesome for hosting us every year, and for making it fun-so glad we are closer now!!

* For everyone else....Uncle Mike, Aunt Barb, my Italian cousins, Mom B and Mister Barr....and anyone else I didn't list...YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN!  Love you all to bits.
*And of course, lest I don't mention them....to anyone that graced me with knowing them and is not around anymore....you have touched my life.  To my grandparents, adopted grands, Mom Glaser.....I love you all.  And am so lucky to have known you.

More to come tomorrow....have you told a family member you loved them today?  Shown them?  You should :-)

Memory Lane

Thanks for bearing with me yesterday, friends.  I'm feeling a bit better today...win some, lose some, right?  I never promised it would be a pretty ride...only that it would be honest and ME.
Speaking of rides, I've been taking another trip down memory lane this afternoon while working on my project-involving 200 floppy disks (at least)of old pictures from 1997-2004.  Wow.  Care to take a trip with me?  Here goes....

My sweet 16 (1998).  This explains...alot.  No, that was not my boyfriend at the time.  Yeesh, kids!

Uncle Alan and baby Misty circa 2000....awww

Me and Bud, Fall 2000

Heather, Rach and I Christmas 2002!

Christmas 2003...first year legal :-P

Easter 2004.  Don't ask.  I'm really not sure.

October 2004...last swim in the pool.  yeah, it was cold!

San Fran 2005....the vacation that brought me my hubster :-)

Wow, what a trip!  Funny how time changes (and doesn't change) things!

How do you see yourself?

What a strange day.  In like a lamb, out like a lion.  Oh wait.  That's a different month.  My mistake.

Easter 2003

Much like the weather, today has been a mish mosh.  I slept in, lingered over breakfast, then sprung into action.  I've cleaned out a few bedrooms, set aside boxes for next spring's garage sale, did a turbo speed charged bike sesh, and went through all our old clothes.
Why?  Well, it started out as a mission.  You see, my favorite pair of jeans are a bit snug.  Somewhat due to intense biking (it builds muscle)...and somewhat due to my indulgences with reese's pieces lately (hey, I'm honest.  And human).  I thought about going out to buy a new pair, but I realized I had a few old pairs from a few years ago that would suffice for a month or so until I can wriggle back into my sexy pants.  Still, demoralizing.
That, coupled with the fact that I spent a few hours this afternoon going through old pictures from 2002-2005, got me in a funk (it's for a super secret project :-)).  I even called the hubster in for consult.  As I rifled through the pictures and my size 9/10 "chubby" pants, I felt....fat.  Instead of seeing happy holidays and good times with friends, I was sizing in on my (perceived) double chin and my thunder thighs.
And I asked the hubster..."Hey...do I still look like that?"  Am I FAT?

Christmas 2002

And his look told me what I knew deep down (no, he did NOT give me the satisfaction of an answer).
I am an idiot.
I need to stop tying my self worth to the mirror.  Or the scale.  As a matter of fact, I banished that bad boy to the closet.  Out.
Have I gained a few pounds from my ideal weight?  Yup.  But thanks to my strength routine and reining in of  the nighttime snacking, I'll be back to fighting weight in no time.
But do those 5 pounds keep me from being happy?  Not in any of the pictures I've seen...and they don't make me any less of a good wife, friend or daughter.  And the hubster grabbed me, swung me around, and let me know that I still look good to him.  What a guy.
And with that, I made some herbal tea and went back to my old photos.  This time, looking at them for the story they tell of who I am, who loves me, where I've been, and the fun that I've had.

And that has nothing to do with pants size.

Holi Moli!

The Bad News?  All that wonderful Indian Summer weather is gone.  I saw snow this morning.
The Good News?  It's Friday.  And according to the weather gods, it's supposed to hit 60 this weekend (not holding my breath, but it would be nice!)
Okay.  I can deal with a cold Friday...no big deal.  'Round the TFB household, Friday's are generally pretty low key days.  The hubster and I are usually wiped out after a week of go go go, so we tend to do a low key workout, change into jammies, and watch our DVR'ed shows with an easy to assemble dinner.  You know, to get ready for our crazy clubbing routine senior bedtime of 10pm.  Boy am I lucky to have found someone who is as much of a homebody as I am :-)
Low Key Workout:  A TRI (haha) fecta of gym cardio-15 minutes on the treadmill, stepmill and rower.  15 minutes of ab work= 1 hour active time, no boredom involved!
Low Key Dinner:  Stromboli's!  (Please excuse the lack of prep photos-I made the rookie blogger mistake of not documenting every step but hey...if we all don't know what a bag of flour looks like, we have bigger problems :-P)

Holi Moli Stromboli!

The goods:
2 cups flour (extra for rolling)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp. Italian spice mix (basil, onion, black pepper)
1 package yeast
Warm water to mix

The filling:
1 cup skim mozzarella cheese
2 tomatoes, chopped
minced garlic
green pepper
onion

To make the dough:  Add one cup warm water to yeast.  Let set for 5 minutes.  Add in sugar, spice, and flour.  Mix until soft dough forms.  Set in a bowl covered with a towel in a warm place (70-75 degrees)  for 2 hours, or until doubled.  Roll out on flour covered surface.

Saute onion and pepper and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes.  Chop up your 'maters. Add sauce, cheese and veggies to one side of the dough.  Fold over non-veggie side, seal ends.  Bake on a pizza stone at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, or until cooked through.  Let set 5 minutes before slicing.  Makes a generous dinner for 2!
Stay in tonight and watch Fringe, New Girl and Up All Night with a glass of wine soda and some 'boli on the couch?  Don't mind if I do!
Now if I could only perfect my own theme song....but that's for another night, I guess :-D

Mindless Thursday

Not feelin it today, friends. 
Just a poo day.  I need a laugh.
And I bet you do too. 
So, in lieu of content, let's have some giggles, shall we?
Here's what's cracking me up on the internet lately!


Websites:
*www.gomi.com. Not necessarily ha ha funny, but really a snarky look inside what people think about certain bloggers. You are either "GOMI": Get off my Internets or "SOMI": Stay on my Internets. I'm no big blog, but I actually appeared under a SOMI triathlon thread. Whew. Now I can sleep at night :-D
*http://www.theonion.com A classic. Always good. Always worth a laugh. Satire is awesome.
*www.nataliedee.com, www.sommeecards.com. Y'all know I'm obsessed with these sites. They are cheesy. They are cheap. They are wrong. And damn hilarious.

YouTube:

C'mon, you KNOW you can relate if you have a cat!
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna sign off and get dinner ready before I crash for the night:

Oh, $shit.

Later Gators!

Respect the Bird

Okay, fine.  Let's talk about it.  It's 8 days away.  The big Turkey Day.  Thanksgiving. Get excited.
Okay, I'm not. Yet.  Working on it.
Sorry if this makes me unpopular....but I really dislike Thanksgiving.  Ask my family, friends, the hubster.  I love the Turkey Trot, hate the prep, hate the dinner, yuck yuck yuck.
Why?  Such a long story.  I think it has something to do with the fact that we always did the holiday growing up, and as the only girl aside from my mom, I never got to relax and enjoy the meal-we did the prep (include alot of yelling and Italian hand gestures), the serving, and the dishes.  Yuck.  Even though, let's be honest, Mama TFB makes the best stuffing in the entire universe and always had plenty of veggies to satisfy my picky tastes....sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, parsnips...all done naked without candy glaze....perfect.
So why the hate?

Source

Well, I can think of a few reasons.  First of all, Thanksgiving seems to be the lost holiday in American culture.  We have Halloween, which is super fun because you get to dress up and eat candy.  And we have Christmas, which entails lots of presents and good eats.  So it seems as if Thanksgiving bridges the gap between these two Holidays simply to extend the pig out from October to December.  And forget honoring the holiday in the stores...Christmas has been front and center since September!  WTF??
Secondly, and most importantly...it has turned into a holiday to honor food.  Not...let's be thankful that we have enough to eat and can celebrate being together, but let's see if we can stuff ourselves as much as the Turkey until we can't move...and then watch football on TV and sit in a turkey and pie coma.  Yuck.  Does anyone celebrate the true meaning of Thanksgiving anymore?

Well, I'm trying.  In the past few years, we have gone around the table and shared what we are thankful for.  And bless my aunt, she has shifted the weight of the day onto herself.  Of course, we will bring dishes to share...I will celebrate with a few healthy side dishes, stuffing and Turkey, a low sugar pie, then indulge in her homemade whipped cream...balance (Yes, recipes will be forthcoming!).  And the hubster and I will join 3000 of our best friends to run in the Turkey trot, balancing out our food coma.  And, lest anyone feel the burden of too much, we will all chip in to carve the bird, serve the coffee, clean up the meal.  And enjoy being together and being thankful for what we have in our lives...not how much we can eat.
And that, my friends, may be the true meaning behind Thanksgiving.  Maybe it's too much to ask America to sit down and enjoy what they have and what they are grateful for, but I am sure we can work on it one step at a time.
Do you have a love/hate relationship with Thanksgiving?  Or am I missing the boat on this one?

Things that go Munch in the Night

What a weird day.
It's Tuesday.  Once again I am wearing sandals and capris in November.  Sorry, I know that's getting old...I just can't get over it :-P  My entire building sans one per diem and I are away on a retreat, so I have the place (nearly) to myself.  I've been streaming Pandora, stealing nibbles out of the peanut butter jar, and moving boxes all day.  The last two cancel each other out, right?  Blarg.
And such is the theme of my post.  With the days getting shorter, it's getting darker much quicker (yup, I went to college).  I am driving home in the dark.  And working out in the dark.  And (ugh) EATING in the dark!
With my move move move posts (we are up to 24 pushups, thankyouverymuch) I have done a great job at staying active during the off season, but my eating habits have not followed me!  I'm generally a pretty healthy eater, but have the tendency to go to crap after dinner, and with night looming earlier and earlier, white carbs are becoming my bestest friends.
Who's with me on this one?

I sense it's time for another mini challenge!!  I debated closing the kitchen after dinner, but the hubster reads this and wouldn't hesitate to let ya'll know that I'm fibbing to you (shakes fist lovingly).  I also considered cutting out anything after 9pm, but then I know I would run to the cupboards for one last fistful of animal crackers at 8:59, even though I wasn't hungry.  So, I'm gonna be a bit more gentle with myself.  Intuitive eating, people.
I'm limiting myself to one snack at night, and only after the 10 minute rule.  Whats the 10 minute rule?
Mindfulness.
Am I hungry?  Or am I bored?  If I have a craving, I will set a timer for 10 minutes and distract myself.  Some thoughts for 10 minute distractions:
* Yoga
* Bubble Bath
* Painting my nails
* Calling my bestie
* Snuggles with the hubster* Wii action
After the buzzer goes off, if I am still craving that treat, I will go for it.  But I will have thought about it first.  Then, after one serving, I will put the package away and go about my business.  Cause no one needs half a box of cereal in one sitting (yeah, it was a small box.  But still).

I am NOT going to gain the same 5 pounds I did last off season.  And cause I said it on the blog, you all are onto me and my shenanigans :-D
Ready, set.....GO!
(Anyone else go through this nighttime eating?  Any thoughts? Suggestions?  A kick in the pants?)
Ow!  That hurt!
Carry on, friends.  Enjoy the last of this unseasonably warm weather!