The ONLY kind of post-Thanksgiving shopping I do is CyberMonday, from the comfort of my own computer. Heck, this year I’m even shopping from my phone.
I’ve been on the hunt for gifts that are something the family can do together, plus keep us healthy at the same time. Here are some of the fun ones I’ve stumbled across so far.
Find out more about each here!
{Should I admit that I really, really wanted to title this post “Every Day I’m Trufflin’”…yeah, probably not…}
While I’m not your typical chocolate-obsessed girl, there is something about Valentine’s day that screams chocolate.
Ok, truth? I just wanted something to put sprinkles on.
I think truffles fit the bill nicely, don’t you?
Delicious, sweet, spicy balls of sprinkles.
Yes, I said spicy.
Everything sweet needs a little kick, dontcha think? Don’t worry, it’s not an in-your-face kinda thing. It just sneaks up on you at the end as you’re licking your lips clean of that last taste of truffley-goodness.
I don’t think these really need anymore introduction. Except maybe to tell you that these chocolate truffles are dairy free and vegan {depending on your sprinkles}.
Spicy Chocolate Truffles
by
Ingredients
Instructions
Combine chocolate chips and coconut oil in heat-proof bowl. Melt in microwave or in double boiler. Stir until smooth.
Whisk in coconut milk and spices. {If lumps form, pop it back in the microwave for a few seconds.}
Refrigerate for ~30 minutes or until mixture starts to solidify {but isn’t hard}.
Use a tablespoon to scoop chocolate into balls. Roll between your palms to form smooth balls, then roll in sprinkles {or other toppings such as crushed nuts or powdered sugar}. Be sure your hands are cold so you don’t melt the chocolate- I squeezed an ice cube every few balls to keep things cold.
Refrigerate if not immediately devoured.
Note: be sure to stir well. I was a little truffle-happy and jumped the gun. My taste-tester {the husband} didn’t know they had a hidden kick until his last bite- when they really kicked. 
So go grab some festively themed red, white, and pink sprinkles and get trufflin’.
How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day? Or are you in the “fabricated holiday” camp?
I suppose since I can officially see December on my calendar it’s time to embrace the holiday season. It took the course of several days, but our tree is finally up & decorated, and most of our household decorations are up.
I’ll be honest, not everything made the cut this year- chasing an almost-walking baby away from breakables and enticing, sparkly, pullable things just isn’t really my idea of holiday fun.
Nonetheless, it’s time for some of my tried & true holiday favorites to start making their appearances.
First up: Sugar Plum Spice Tea, aka holiday in a toasty warm mug. Forget Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride {I do not understand the widespread appeal of that nastiness}. Warning: not gluten free. Yup, glutened tea.
Next up: Evergreen room spray. The only thing that makes an artificial Christmas tree semi-acceptable. I spray it approximately 800 times a day.
Coffee & cute reusable mugs: ok, this isn’t seasonal…but necessary and eagerly welcomed on a daily basis.
Green smoothies: not seasonal either, but gotta counteract all those holiday treats with some power packed nutrients, right?
All things fleece. Blankets, pullovers, and of course, baby goodies. The best.
Notebooks/Journals. Because let’s be honest, my brain isn’t remembering anything on its own any time soon. And there’s LOTS to remember this holiday season!
What are your seasonal favorites?
I realize it’s a little ridiculous, but I desperately wanted to take the little bug to a pumpkin patch this year. I know he’s not old enough to have a clue, but I just can’t bypass his first Halloween without a little celebration. I compromised this weekend and took him to roadside stand with pre-picked pumpkins. He loved it. I loved it. And the pumpkin-themed pictures made me start thinking about all the other holiday we have coming up and all the cute pictures we’ll get to take.
I know it’s only October, but word on the street is it’s time to start taking Christmas pictures already. WAhhhaaat?! I’m not ready to do that quite yet {he grows too fast to pull off a Christmas picture at 9 months when he’ll almost be 12 months, plus there’s no way I’m pulling out Christmas stuff}. Nonetheless it made me realize I’ll have to get my act together this year. The novelty of sending holiday cards kind of wore off when we started having friends and family with kids that would send the adorable photo cards in the mail. Somehow a white card with our names signed in the corner just lost it’s appeal. But this year I’d say we have some pretty cute material to work with. 
You all know I love my photo books. I haven’t made one since the babe was 6 weeks old. I’m working on one, but let’s just say it’s taking awhile. While working on my book I got a little distracted and started looking through all the photo card options on the Shutterfly site.
So.many.choices.
Apparently in addition to starting to think about Christmas cards in the fall, people also plan their Christmas pictures around the card they pick out. I’m so not that organized. But of course I started looking and brainstorming anyways.
I’m in love with the “Merry Everything” themes.
The “Top 10 Moments” is a pretty stinkin’ cute idea too.
Thinking about Christmas absolutely blows my mind. Last year on Christmas I was big and pregnant and blissfully unaware what was about to happen the next week. Let’s just say my mom packed up all my Christmas stuff while I snuggled with a brand new babe. I can’t believe that this Christmas is going to be spent watching the little guy play with the wrapping paper and low-hanging ornaments and tugging on the tree. I guess it shouldn’t really surprise me that I’m getting nostalgic thinking about the holidays when I’m already thinking about his first birthday… cue the water works.
Anyways. So fill me in on this Christmas card photo thing. Do I realllllly need to be planning this already?!
And in case the answer is yes, and you’re planning already too, Shutterfly is giving one of you $50 off your total order {not including shipping}. Leave a comment about your favorite holiday photo idea below! Ends Friday. You can also check out the special offers they have available.
{You can also get 30% off photo books.}
Disclosure: I received a discount on my holiday photo cards from Shutterfly in exchange for this post. Woot woot.
EDIT: The WINNER is Kelly, comment #18!
If there’s one thing that really gets me this time of year, it’s the barrage of “healthy holiday eating” information that bombards my inbox, reader, newsletters, websites, and newspapers.
I’m tired of hearing tips like:
“It’s ok to refuse food from the host.”
“Sit at the table for 15 minutes before you start to eat.”
“Eat a light breakfast and lunch so you can eat more at dinner without eating too many calories.”
“Use candy for holiday crafts, not eating.”
“Only take 3 bites of any one food.”
“Eat your food from a napkin instead of a plate.”
“Re-gift food presents so you don’t eat it yourself.”
While there’s an inkling of truth behind these words of wisdom, are these the kind of rules you want to be focusing on this holiday season? I sure don’t think so- some of them are downright ridiculous.
So what do you do? Attempting to avoid all treats and indulgences and saying no to food and drinks at parties is just not realistic, but it’s no secret that the holidays are a time of weight gain for many people. In fact, the problem with the weight people gain between Thanksgiving and New Year’s isn’t so much the weight gain itself- it’s that people tend not to lose the weight. That weight gain, year after year, leads to problems.
So instead of focusing on what you shouldn’t do this holiday season, why don’t you focus on what you can do?
– Make exercise a priority. You may be busy, stressed, and not interested in going out in the cold and dark, but now more than ever is the time to get your butt moving. You don’t have to make a huge commitment- just do something to get the blood flowing as many days as you can. This can be a good time of year to exercise in the morning- It’ll set the stage for a healthy day.
– Fill up on fruits and veggies. Put the focus on filling your plate with greens and other fruits and vegetables. Not only will they help fill you up so you’re less likely to stuff yourself with junk, they’ll provide you with the nutrients you need to stay healthy and energized. {Which is especially important if you’re eating more junk than usual.}
– Eat healthy at home. While your schedule may be slam packed with social events and holiday parties, it’s not likely you’ll be booked for every single meal. Take advantage of the meals you’re eating at home and make them count. Put an emphasize on having a healthy and hearty breakfast, pack a lunch instead of eating out, and load up on veggies and fiber for dinner. Then when you’re at a party, it’s no big deal to indulge in the holiday treats you love and you don’t have to worry if it’s not the healthiest meal you could eat.
– Don’t skip meals. Please, oh please, do not skip breakfast and lunch so you can have more room for dinner, or so that you can eat a big dinner and still not go overboard on calories- it’s a bad, bad plan. Skipping meals makes you more likely to overeat throughout the day, and your body is going to want to hold on to those calories since it’s not sure when the next one’s are coming. See above- chose healthy breakfast and lunch choices with adequate protein, fiber, fruits, and veggies.
– Get some sleep. Boring, I know. But getting enough sleep helps your body properly process glucose, restores your energy for the next day, and helps keep you from getting sick.
If you want some support to stay healthy through the holiday season, check out Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s holiday challenge. {He’s the author of Eat to Live & Super Immunity, and emphasizes a high-nutrient diet.}
Dr. Fuhrman is challenging you to:
I’ll tell you straight up I dislike anything that says “avoid”, especially since avoiding a piece of grandma’s pumpkin pie all season long is just going to drive you crazy, but the emphasis on greens, veggies, fruit, and fiber is what’s important. If you take the challenge, you get a free six week membership to the Fuhrman website, which has online tools for support and information- might be helpful this time of year.
What are you doing this season to stay healthy?
