Collapsing Christmas & Back to Real Life

Welp, it's about that time after The Most Wonderful Time of the year when the Christmas cookies have all been eaten and the Tree becomes a beautifully decorated fire hazard. Our tree barely made it to The Day, and became a dusty needley mess. It probably didn't help that the tree served as a puppy snack from its entrance until its demise, but it gave Pepper and Bailey refreshingly piney puppy breath (which I must admit was not altogether unpleasant.)



So on New Year's Eve, I sadly plucked each ornament, candy cane and yanked each string of lights off of it's stiff dry branches, then stuffed them in the Fortune Cookie storage box to wait in the dark for another 12 months. Brian rolled the tree out the door and threw it in the snow on the curb. So sad. 

After taking everything down, Brian and I made Jambalaya and watched Up, then Ice Age 4 (because we're 10 years old) until right before midnight so we could count down with the residual Times Square celebration aired to MST. With the puppies tucked and curled by my legs under the blanket on the couch, I counted down with the crowd in NYC: 10, 9, 8...the excitement was building 6, 5, 4...and then finally 3,2,1! I turned to Brian for a New Year's kiss and...he was sleeping. He probably zonked out at about 9:30. Lame.

The first week of January: in lieu of my staple resolution that visits me for the first two weeks of every year, I have begun construction on my eating habits. Because of an injury, I can't really do much exercise except for Physical Therapy at the moment, but that's another story. I have been logging my daily intake on MyFitnessPal.com (sign up and friend me!) and have been trying to take short walks when I can. In the first few days, I was severely discouraged by my famine. I did so well at work, and by the time I got home I was ravenous. Nothing was safe. And I was so disappointed the next morning when recounting the shamefulness from the night before.

I hit Pinterest, and I hit it hard. I came up with a few solutions and found a winner. Bell pepper "chips" and salsa. You cut up a couple bell peppers (I used green) into chip-like chunks, spray with olive oil, and dust with garlic powder. Bake them at 400F for about 10 minutes. I don't even think I waited for the oven to finish preheating or for the timer to go off. My friends, it's delicious. And it's a lot of food! I had trouble finishing it and the whole plate was under 150 calories.

I am also not a breakfast person. I struggle to find something I can have at work that is quick and easy and won't pack on the pounds (especially with an Einsteins Bagels just a parking lot away.) But I may have found a solution. Ham and egg cups. Not only are they adorable, but they are scrumptious, and only 117 calories so you can even have it with half of an English muffin and still be good to go. Another one of my favorite switches is for dinner. I don't know about you, but pasta is a serious weakness of mine. Good thing I found out that zucchini strings are just as tasty. You can still put whatever sauce and toppings on it you like and not miss out on any of the taste.

Well, that's enough of my rambling. How are you all doing with your resolutions? I hope you're all staying warm and safe wherever you are.