Latests 12/20 {& Giveaway Winner!}

Posted on December 20, 2013 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

I love a lot of things. Right now, what I’m loving most is the number of Xmas gifts under our tree. There’s only 2 of us! Yayyy for Christmas morning.

Wow I sound selfish. Whatever. At least I have a job this year so I can actually buy GOOD gifts! (Don’t worry mom and dad, yours will be in the mail shortly- and they’re pretty good gifts, too)

I really want to post all the goodies I’ve bought for others here, but it looks like that’ll have to wait until next week. I’m really good at spoiling the surprise, so I MUST stay tight lipped until then! But what I CAN share with you are some of my other favorite things as of late:

Gingerbread cookies. I am 27 years old and this is my first time making them. I’m such an idiot that I didn’t even buy ginger for the recipe [GINGERbread, Jen!] and had Tyler run out last minute to pick some up. The verdict? They came out pretty perfect! The dough tasted a little too spicy (obviously I tried it) but the baked end-result had the perfect flavor, texture and color. Yayy for a first time success!

Spaghetti Squash Ricotta Casserole from Athena. The flavor of this bad boy was amazing, but my end product was a tad watery–maybe I should have pat-dried the squash before mixing with all the ingredients? Meh, whatever…it still tasted divine (Athena, even Tyler loved it! And there was no meat in it! YAYYYYY). I highly recommend this dish if you want a healthy alternative that doesn’t lack in flavor!

Naps on the C-train. Yes, I am that awkward lady all bundled up and head bobbing every which way until I arrive at my stop. I love these little cat naps though because a.) it’s a much better thing to do than make eye contact with odd fellow commuters, b.) it makes the ride go by faster, and c.) it makes me less likely to nap at work or right when I get home (most of the time).

Christmas Pajamas. I get these every year. More specifically, I get THESE every year. I bought Tyler a pair (NOT from Victoria’s Secret) so he can get in on the tradition as well.

Crossfit style workouts. I’m not sure what the OFFICIAL format needs to be to make it a crossfit-esque workout, but I think it fits and so does Tyler. Therefore, we are correct. I did some heavy weight tabatas earlier in the week, then there was the 4×100 workout I posted on Instagram, then there was the reverse ladder sets I did (posting that next week!). If you only KNEW how sore my glutes and abs are..But I LOVE me some soreness, means I’m working the muscles that needed working the most!

All the while, my dogs have been lazy turds. Layla is seriously turning into a fat little porkchop because the temps have really limited her outdoor time. Reggie, on the other hand is always a little turd. His most recent victims were a tube of chap stick and a bag of sesame bagels. Gross little a-hole. But cute.

GREEN SMOOTHIES CAME BACK. I was doing cereal in the morning, but it was starting to wreak havoc on my digestion (and carb intake), so I decided to suck it up buttercup and revert back to the cold breakfast during the cold weather. Staples in the smoothie are: unsweetened almond milk, ice, spinach, chocolate protein powder. Rotating fruit add-ins: blackberries, pears, apples, raspberries. So far, it has really helped. My energy level is up, I have been sleeping like a BABE, and I feel better in the evenings when I workout. Oh, and my GREEN smoothies aren’t really all that GREEN.

Can’t wait to share my latests [PRESENTS] with you next week!!

PS: The winner of the OMG’s Candy giveaway is.. Fiona! Congrats! Email me your mailing address and the people at OMG’s will send your case!! My email is jennifer(dot)L(dot)Linton(at)gmail(dot)com.

Pssssst, guess what? I have ANOTHER giveaway for US and Canadian residents that will be posted this weekend!!! Don’t forget to check it out and enter to win!!

Winesday Wednesday 12/18

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Yes yes yes, it’s Winesday Wednesday!

As I mentioned earlier in the week, I’m a crappy blogger, so I really haven’t given myself the time to actually sit down and write out these posts (as short as they are, they actually do take a while to put together! You should probably send me a gift for that.)

But let’s forget the past. I’m here now so everyone relax.

PS: it’s the holiday season and I know plenty of you are indulging in holiday temptations- one of which should include alcohol. SO HERE’S YOUR ASSIGNMENT. It’s so freaking easy. Send me a pic of a holiday drink you or someone you know has had! I want to see your eggnogs, your hot toddies, your cranberry martinis, bailey’s, EVERYTHING. That way, when I’m bored after opening all my wonderful presents next Wednesday, I’ll be able to throw a festive post together for your holiday reading pleasure.

Or not.

But please do.

OK, so what do we have to share this week. How about the submissions I received and never published? Yep.

Keith emailed: Last time we had this, I focussed on the stopper. This time the bottle showing a bit of dust. Down at the bottom you get a hint of the deep amber colour this wine has. It went very, very well with a roast chicken dinner, stuffing, baked spuds, and the salad you see. Sort of a modified waldorf, with a honey dressing and pickled ginger as one of the ingredients. I’m drinking the wine while contemplating the wine order to phone in tomorrow. Such a soft and gentle wine this time, whereas the last pinot grigio was a fruity wine with a bit of a bite to it. Maybe an affectionado would say we’ve left it too long, but then, I don’t really care what the wine snobs say.

Then there’s these babies:

Oh yeah, and my parents got us this thing for Christmas.

(you can get it here)

I used it for the first time last weekend when I opened a bottle of Cinnamon Mead (more on that) and the thing works amazing! Of course, it took me a few tries to get it right, but now that I know how to operate it, I’m a pro. Calgarians: invite me to parties and I can entertain your guests with my bottle opening skills.

Booze we’ve sampled lately:

Village Brewery Gardener Ale- where the ingredients are locally grown/sourced. Pretty sweet! It’s similar to an IPA (which aren’t on the top of Tyler and my list) and it was pretty tasty. I think even more so knowing where it came from!

Fallentimber Meadery- we picked up a bottle of cinnamon mead after having a sample at the local liquor store. It was actually pretty tasty and I LOVE me a local vendor! The guy turned out to be the owner of the place and he invited us out to the property to take a tour of how they brew/harvest honey. Not keen on bees, but definitely keen on mead. We’re going.

Samuel Smith’s Cider– super sweet, but very light and yummy.

Grizzly Paw Winter Cranberry Ale– more like a porter! It was a very dark beer and had a rich, deep flavor.

The Tin Brewery Chocolate Cherry Porter- the taste lived up to it’s name!

Whistler Brewing Company Chai Maple Ale- OOOOOOOOMYGOD. So deliciously lovely I want to drink it all the days of the week. It’s seasonal though, so that’s sad 😦

PS: Friday is national sangria day. I think I can do my part and indulge in a glass or two….can you??

Crockpots and Kettlebells

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

So I asked on FB what topics I should write about on here (I am seriously SO boring. All I do is go to work, workout, drink beer and smoosh my dog’s faces) and I got 2 responses- Kettlebells and Crockpots. Good stuff, here I go—->

Kettlebells. Yes, let’s address the fitness portion before moving on to the food. Kettlebells. They’re pretty awesome EVEN THOUGH you can essentially substitute a dumb bell for each exercise. Anywho, the piece of equipment itself looks pretty rad and it’s a nice way to make tiny adjustments to your normal workout routine.

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I don’t have any specific kettlebell-centric workout (although they exist elsewhere on the internets) but I do have some exercises that I rotate through some of my workouts on the regular. Here they are:

Kettlebell swings. Duh. They work your whole body. Both double arm swing and single arm swing. I’m not going to define it here because that’s what Wikipedia is for, but it really does engage a ton of muscles while also increasing your heart rate. Heck, do a million of them and you won’t have to jump on that beast of a ‘mill! Ok don’t do a million of them, but the movement alone- with the added weight of the kb- can be done anytime….anywhere. First person to do it in their office kitchen or in line at the grocery store and sends photographic evidence gets a prize. #squatandthrustinpublic

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Clean and Press. Again, no defining here. HOWEVER, this bad boy will test the strength and range of motion of your shoulder as your grip rotates throughout the move. These have been more frequent in my workouts lately and guys, my shoulders are the bomb dot com. Should have done more of these before my wedding. Or the other millions of times I were tube tops (which is never).

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Figure 8’s. Hadn’t really thought to do these because they seem silly. BUT. They can be no joke. I chose a heavier KB than I normally use and got myself in a pretty low/wide stanced squat and threw the sucker around for an entire 4 min tabata. Yup, glutes and arms were barking by the end. Barking for more.

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Lunge with Pass Through. Not only is this good for lower body (thights, glutes, quads, yadda yadda) it’s a true test that your core exists. The split stance and the movement of a swinging weight will force your core to engage. Think: ‘someone’s about to punch your gut’ mixed with a little bit of ‘oh my dress is too tight and I just ate a big lunch better suck it in,’ And don’t fall over.

(Source)

Upright row. The KB’s shape is much more condusive to this move (ummm, the rounded handle…did I lose you?!) You can even throw in a plie squat if you want to make it a compound exercise. Don’t be afraid to chose a heavier KB for this one. Or add a squat. YOU CAN DOOOOOO IT.

(Source)

How’s that? Good? On to Crockpot meals…

I like to stick to the basics when it comes to crock pot meals. The whole point is to make it an easy meal, so why complicate it with a ton of ingredients and multiple steps? Amiright?!!

Here’s what I generally stick with:

-Pulled pork: Throw in a tenderloin or two with some chicken/vegetable/whatever brother and turn on low for 6-8 or high for 4ish hours (depends on if the meat is frozen or not). Once it’s ready, I shred it all and use for meals like Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Burritos, Quesadillas, various Pasa dishes and sandwiches.

-Pulled Chicken: Same as above. Love using pulled chicken for chicken salads (the kind mixed with mayo/greek yogurt, celery, mustard, cashews, etc.)

-Hawaiian BBQ Chicken..more like Sweet and Sour Chicken: This one is kind of fun. Hawaiian BBQ sauce (or closest variation you can find), chicken, pineapple chunks, green pepper. Cook on high 2-3 hours or low 4-6. Shred chicken and allow to sit in sauce for an additional 20 min. Serve over rice. BOOM.

– Veggie Turkey Chili: Which reminds me, I need to make this again soon. No measuring with this one (depends on your taste and how many meals you want to get out of it!). I generally use ground turkey (cooked before puttin gin crockpot), tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beans, zucchini, carrots, peppers, corn, cayenne pepper, chili powder and paprika. You really can’t mess up chili.

-Pot Roast: Throw a big ol’ hunk of meat in the crockpot with some potatoes and carrots and cream of mushroom soup. Turn it on. Go to work. Come home. Eat delicious food.

Lo siento for the lack of crockpot pictures.

So THAT my friends is what I have to share with you. Anyone have any awesome kettlebell exercises or crockpot meals they’re dying to share? Comment below!

P.S.: Don’t forget to enter my OMG’s Candy giveaway! You have until Friday at noon mountain time 🙂

Crappy Blogger [& A Giveaway!!]

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Well aren’t I the shittiest blogger ever. I just can’t seem to find the time to sit down and throw together a decent post. Feel free to throw rotten tomatoes in my direction. Although, instead of rotten tomatoes- how about a gift card or chocolates or something like that. Get in the holiday spirit, people. Jeesh.

Some stuff from the last few days:

1.) I made these cookies and these cookies. They’re both super delicious and super easy to make. If you have a cookie swap coming up or heading to a holiday party- these would be a great fit. Or, if you want to eat cookies yourself- also a great fit.

2.) I took a half day on Friday. I thought I would fill the afternoon with some holiday shopping/decorating/baking but it ended up consisting of a nap. I redeemed myself by making a late-afternoon hot yoga class that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to make because of my commute. I thought I was hydrated enough for this particular class, but the instructor had us flowing FAST and it was so dang HOT that I ended up having to opt out of a couple moves because I could feel my heartbeat in my lips.

3.) Tyler made butter chicken for dinner on Friday. I’ve never had it and recently bought a spice package for the meal on a friend’s recommendation. Turns out, I forgot to have Tyler get yogurt/cream and the dish basically turned out like chicken marinara on rice. I guess it was pretty good, but I have nothing to compare it to. We also watched Christmas Vacation which made me a happy lady. Even happier that both pups slept on my lap throughout the movie.

4.) We went to Cora’s for ~~breakfast~~ ~~lunch~~ brunch on Saturday. Such a great place if you want good breakfast food that’s accompanied by a butt-ton of fresh fruit.

5.) Brunch was followed up with trips to Future Shop, Winners, Canadian Tire, Costco, Home Sense, Home Depot and Michael’s. It was more browsing than anything but Tyler got a game for his new Xbox? PS4? I don’t know, but he has both. Should keep him amused during his week off this week. #lucky

5.) We picked up a couple bottles of new-to-us beers that all turned out to be pretty delish. The front runner of the bunch, however, was the Whistler Chai Maple Ale. I loved it so much, I a:) wish I didn’t have to share it with Tyler, and b:) began to crave pancakes. We also watched Home Alone and SNL. Love me some drunk uncle. Feliz Navi-DON’T. Oh, and ate delicious pizza from The Rock.

6.) Sunday, typical Sunday. Laundry, general pick-up around the house, football is on, I roll my eyes, groceries, gym,…..you know. One small difference that really dropped me off my wallet was my ‘quick trip’ to finish up my Xmas shopping for Tyler. At least it’s all done now! Only 9 days of hoping I don’t spill the beans (I am horrible like that).

7.) I did a great little tabata workout yesterday afternoon that I thought I’d share. It got my heart rate up and made my muscles shake— all in just 24 minutes. Cannot beat that.

Tabatas were the following:

Barbell Bosu Squats
Single Arm Kettlebell Clean & Press (alternating arms)
Bosu mountain climbers & box jump burpees (alternating)
Single leg step ups (alternating)
Overhand grip cable row
Spin Sprints

8.) OMG I have a giveaway!

(This is a play on words…you’ll soon see why). A while ago (when I used to participate in foodie pen pals) I was gifted a bag of OMGs. You guys, these things are YUMM-O. Not long after I received the package, I also saw the snack line on an episode of Dragon’s Den (The Canadian version of Shark Tank). So what are OMGs? They’re graham clusters with diced almonds and toffee bits covered in chocolate. A to-die-for combo. I wrote an email to the company telling them how I really loved their product and they offered to provide a case (4 bags of each flavor- milk, dark, and peanut) to one lucky reader!

To enter this giveaway:

-Comment below and tell me you’re favorite chocolate treat (if you don’t like chocolate, we’re not friends!) Feel free to post links to some of your favorite recipes!!!

Extra entries include liking me on facebook, following me on Instagram (@nutcaseinpoint), and tweeting about this giveaway (include link to this post and my twitter handle @nutcaseinpoint). For each of the extra entries, leave a separate comment in the comments section.

Oh right, this is the part where I get to break a lot of hearts: the giveaway is to Canadian residents only. That’s right US folk, just like how you guys have the monopoly on Chobani giveaways. (Don’t worry, I have another giveaway coming up soon that you’re eligible to enter!!!!!!) Giveaway closes Friday, December 20th at noon Mountain Time.

Good luck! 🙂

Latests 12/5

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

I have so many things to share with you guys, it’s almost kind of overwhelming. But I’ll do my best.

Going on any type of trip almost always warrants an extra purchase or two. And seeing family over the holidays is usually accompanied by a few gifts. Needless to say, we spent hours strategizing how to most efficiently pack our bags for the return trip home.

But guys, it’s all GOOD stuff. Well worth the extra time it took to cram socks in boots, roll leggings in the tightest balls ever, and hope to god that those suckers still weighed less than 50 pounds.

Some of the amazingly awesome things we received as gifts:

My grandma (ok, she’s not really my grandma but she’s my godmother’s mother) gave us a beautiful silver platter FROM ITALY. I immediately displayed it on our dining room table when we got home, along with all the winter napkins she sewed for our wedding gift.

She also gave us 2 candle holders that are currently accompanying the platter on the dining room table. I love them.

(not everything is posted in the photos…that would be too much work and I’m just too dang tired! But you can pick most of the stuff out. Whoops, crooked candle.)

My parents gave me 2 scarves and leather gloves. They gave Tyler gloves and an accesorry organizer. Jointly, they gifted us a few ornaments, a cheese board, coasters and my mom made us yet another wonderful quilt.

Onto stuff *I* bought.

See’s Candies. My favorite stuff ever that I even recently mentioned in my 2013 Christmas Wish List. I was too spoiled living near See’s locations growing up, so whenever I travel to a spot where there’s actually a See’s store, I make it a point to go and put together my own 1 lb box of favorites. This box included: Milk Bordeaux, Scotch Kiss, Scotch Mallow, Caramel, Milk Butterchew, Milk Pattie, Dark Butterchew, and Peanut Butter Pattie. Oh my yum, I can’t repeat enough how much I adore these chocolates.

Benefit‘s Advent Calendar. TALK ABOUT A WINNING PURCHASE! I mentioned in a previous post about how I stalled too long to buy this before it completely sold out, so Tyler allowed me to buy the 12 days of Essie instead. WELL. Looks like I now have the best of BOTH worlds! I stopped in an Ulta on Dec 1st and saw the advent calendar itself sitting at the end of the Benefit Display. I totally thought it was a fake display, but when I asked an associate, she said it was the last one left and they were going to send it back at the end of the day since it was Dec 1. She mentioned that because this particular box was on display, people had punched many of the days but hadn’t actually taken any of the product and she would offer me a 10% discount because of that. I looked at the price, and it was $68! (In Canada, the EXACT same thing retails for $79) Of course, I snatched it up and only paid $61.50 for it. Bah-BAM.

Essie Nail Polish. Because, ummmm, DUH

Toggle To The Top and A Crewed Interest

I stocked up on warm stuff at Ann Taylor Loft on Black Friday. (See above pic) They were having a 50% off sale, so I snagged 3 sweaters and a wool dress. Then mom bought me a hat. I love slouchy knit hats because a.) they’re cute, b.) they don’t make my head look too ridiculously big, and c.) I can pull them down over my eyes when I catch a few zzz’s on the train.

Can we all just take a second to picture that? Down parka, HUGE cable knit infinity scarf and knitted slouchy hat pulled down over my eyes. Not creepy/awkward at all.

BURGR in Planet Hollywood. After miles of walking up and down the strip- this please is a ground meat mecca. Tyler and I both ordered the Hells Kitchen burger which included a whole roasted jalepeno and it was HOTTTTTT. Like triple XXX hot. Like, my throat is on fire and I’ll murder you if it means the pain will go away type of hot. Thankfully, we both love heat. And we had some insanely good onion rings and a Sam Adams Cherry Wheat to wash it all down.