BBB update, cookies, and christmas!

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

It’s a new week, people. Not a fun new week, however. Sure, it’s cyber Monday, but it’s also back to school for me. 2 more weeks of this nonsense and I am DONE!

The last few days have been pretty fun though:

There were 2 good workouts- Saturday was a combination of strength circuits and short cardio bursts (all done at home) and Sunday was a nice long spin at the gym. On Friday, I got my new armband in the mail, so I was finally able to use my iPod touch yesterday. I loved it! It’s super minimal, has awesome no-slip fabric(?) and has a small pocket for a key!..or money!..or both!

Wait, let’s go back to my at-home workout on Saturday. 3 words: Single. Leg. Burpees. I have officially added that to my list of all-time favorite exercises. We were meant to do a lot of burpees in this phase of BBB, but after doing Workout A last week, I just wasn’t feeling the layout, so I rearranged it for my Saturday workout. Lots of single leg burpees mixed in with other compound exercises. By the end of my workout, I was walking around like I just got off a horse. FANTASTIC!

I haven’t really been in the mood to follow the Best Body Bootcamp workouts lately, but I am thinking of vaguely following them (at least the strength portion) this week and getting in a LOT of my own cardio through running, spin, and kickboxing. Hey, since I’m on the topic of cardio AND it’s that time of the year where getting to the gym can be hard, I thought I’d share THIS post with you. It’s a lot of cardio exercises you can do to get your heart rate up up up! And you can do them from the comfort of your own home. You are so welcome.

On Saturday evening, I headed over to Leigh’s for a Calgary blogger meet-up. It was super fun! There were about 10 of us, and it was really nice to put faces to names of bloggers I have been checking out lately. Plus, it felt REALLY nice to be able to socialize. You have no idea.

I ended up bringing a batch of my favorite ~~crack~~ no-bake cookies. Alison asked me to post the recipe (you may regret this, Alison!) Here it is:

What you’ll need:

2 cups sugar
4 tbsp cocoa
1 stick butter (that’s in American butter. For you Canadians, it’s 1/2 cup butter)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter (don’t substitute with other nut butters, it really doesn’t come out right)
1 tbsp vanilla
3 cups quick oats (you can use cook and serve, but it really changes the consistency)

What you do:

1. Put the sugar, milk, butter and cocoa in a large saucepan and bring to a boil (stirring constantly). Allow it to boil for 1 minute.

2. Remove from heat, stir in peanut butter, vanilla and oats until fully incorporated.

3. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture on foil or waxed paper and allow to set and cool completely.

4. Eat all of them and then make another batch to share.

At the meet-up, we also did a white elephant gift exchange. I lucked out (ALL the gifts were awesome) and went home with a few goodies:

Some locally made toffee- which I ate half of last night and it was deliciously yummy and fantastic

Some lemony soap shaped like a wedge of pie

And some handmade Christmas cards. Love the glitter!

This AM, a couple of packages arrived from my parents. Yippee!!!!!!!! I love getting stuff in the mail 🙂

Ok, ok. One is for me, and the LARGER one is for Tyler. Mom said we could open them right away, so I tore mine open. [Do you have any idea how difficult it is for me to leave Tyler’s unopened until he gets home from work?! Ugh, the agony]

I already knew of one thing that was in my package- so I really did have to open it right away. My mom made us a beautiful tree-skirt!

She’s a really awesome quilter, so I have no reservations in pimping her skills on the blog. If anyone wants her to make something for you, I could totally hook you up. (With a commission of course)

Then, some other really sweet goodies:

Soap in a coat! The bar of soap was wrapped in wool felt that acts as an exfoliator. It smells of delicious lavender.

A cute little snowman! He’s already up on the mantle 😉

A luxuriously soft infinity scarf and headwrap. Now I have an excuse to get dressed and leave the house today ~~to shop.~~

And, without further ado, I would like to wish my parents a HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY 46th anniversary today!!!!! (SHIT, that’s a long ass time)

And good luck to my dad who is having surgery today- a wonderful gift to give your wife on your anniversary. Let’s just hope mom doesn’t make nice with the wine before having to drive him home! (kidding, mom. Sort of. Not really.)

Merry Monday!

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Merry Monday to you all! I am enjoying my first day of vacation from school! It’s so exciting not having to post discussion forums and take quizzes and write papers and do MATH.

Let’s see, what have I been doing the last few days?

I got in some good workouts.

Friday I did some strength training at home.
Saturday I got up early to get in some treadmill time and a quick spin.
Sunday I did nothing
This morning I got up early and did Workout A from this week of Best Body Bootcamp. WHOA. It was a good one. LOTS of burpees, strength and core work. Then I went to the gym and SPRINTED 2 miles. I’m not kidding about the sprinting part. That’s why I put it in all caps. Also, I realized I wore mismatched socks.

After my Saturday morning workout, I met up with Alison and Leigh for some sushi. Yes, I got lost. Both there and back.

Spicy Tuna roll and California roll. And I was happy.

Leigh also gave me a no-slip headband she made. I love it and it fits perfect!

We installed new motion sensor lights on the front of the house. No pictures, because I was too busy getting serious with home improvement.

Then….beer!

And how do you make beer better? You drink it from a BIG frosty mug!

Hmm, what else. We got Christmas lights that still need to be hung. I have been painting and glittering a lot. Ooh, and I got my hair done this morning!

Before: Super blonde

After: OMG I can’t believe it either, but I had low lights put in my hair for the first time in over 5 years. Gasp, I know. I think it looks alright. At least for winter.

She curled it a lot. It’s almost prom worthy.

Layla says hi from her favorite spot. At her favorite time. On our bed. When the sheets are stripped.

Coming up this week:

-More crafting! I can’t wait to show you (you? or it? Since I’m not really showing *you* I’m showing the internet)

-American Thanksgiving! (Turkey is getting all thawed already)

-I’m going to the Christmas Market on Friday (If anyone wants to go with…..;) )

What are you looking forward to this week?

Hey, What’s Up.

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Hey, what’s up. Some things to share (per usual)

1. Last night, I intended on getting to the gym for a run, but I couldn’t stomach the idea of bundling up and such just to get there. So I opted for an at-home workout. I plugged my iPod touch into the speakers in my office and got right to work.

Whoa, you don’t need to see a picture of me. Sorry about that.

The ladder workout was part of yesterday’s designated workout from Best Body Bootcamp. I thought it was a little too easy (not sure if that means I need to up the weights, or up the reps or what. Or maybe I just wasn’t exhausted from cardio or something. Who knows)

I finished it off with 100 burpees. It felt so good. SO GOOD.

2. I have decided that I am not a huge fan of healthy living blogs. Correction: I think I have healthy living blog overload. Sometimes I am just NOT in the mood to see my twitter feed or google reader full of posts about exercise science or protein-packed meals or incredibly detailed workout regimes. (Am I guilty of that? Sometimes. But I try to keep a good balance of fun, fitness and whatever so that I don’t get myself in too tight of a niche) Plus, I think a lot of bloggers “fake” their lives online. Those pictures of only having one peanut butter cup? Not real. Yet, many readers think it is. And therefore, they feel guilty for consuming the entire bag.

I’m not accusing anyone or whatever, just saying that that information is a little too much for ME sometimes.

3. I tried to start The Happiness Project last night, but I just couldn’t do it. Not my kind of book.

(Source)

I moved on to The Casual Vacancy.

(Source)

4. I am a crafting fiend. I broke out the glitter, glue, and paint last night and really got my christmas on. I’m not done with anything yet, so I have no awesome pictures to share. Plus, I plan on hitting up Michael’s again today, so who knows what’ll happen!

5. My family is cute

6. I have so many gifts to buy! My foodie penpal, my Canada blogger Christmas Swap, another gift for a White Elephant exchange, me… (haha on that last one)

7. I think it’s a Canadian thing to not wear shoes in the house. I hate that. I mean, I get that it prevents a lot of crap from being dragged in, but I have a dog. She drags in a ton of crap already, so what difference does wearing shoes make? None.

8. I will not be going home for Christmas. I am SUPER sad about it. (But at least I can enjoy my holiday decorations with my little family- see above). I am probably going to get comments about this one. Sorry people, I make no $$ and can’t really control the decision. I’ll be back at some point though, because I haven to get my wedding dress fitted.

9. Speaking of weddings, we finally decided on bridesmaids dresses (and their earrings). And I have emailed my coordinator to put together sample bouquets so I can actually SEE what the final product will look like.

10. I really want to have a cookie exchange party, but I don’t think you can really do that when all your friends live like 239572093 miles away- and in another country. Besides, cookies don’t hold up well when they’re stuck in customs.

11. Ok, I am sick of blogging right now. So I’m gonna go craft.

12. I would really love more followers on twitter and Likes on my facebook page. I would bribe you with a giveaway or something, but I can’t afford it. Plus, I don’t have companies giving me free stuff. Sorry. But, if you feel a little warmth in your heart, you’d do it anyways.

Your Turn:

What’s your favorite holiday cookie?
What’s your favorite holiday decoration?

Thursday Things

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

1. Check out this little craft I did yesterday that cost only $5 and took about 5 minutes to complete:

Each of those 81/2×11″ frames were 25 cents and the scrapbook paper was 99cents a sheet!

I have two other christmas craft projects that I might wait to complete over the weekend (it includes paint and candles and glitter and glue and all that jazz)

2. Last night’s dinner was FANTASTIC. I took the recipe from SkinnyTaste, and only tweaked it a bit. <—because I am terrible at converting ounces to grams and then usually halving the recipe for just the two of us. Yes, pretty much everything here is in grams which drives me freaking batty.

Chicken and Broccoli Noodle Casserole

Here’s what you need:

2 large boneless chicken breasts
3 cups no yolk noodles
1 3/4 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large crown of broccoli
1 tbsp butter
1/8 cup minced onion
3 tbsp flour
1 cup shredded cheddar
3 tbsp parmesan cheese
2 tbsp bread crumbs

Here’s what you do:

1. Put the chicken in the crock pot on high for roughly 4 hours and shred with two forks when it’s done. (submerge the chicken in chicken broth, enough to cover the meat- this is not included in the list of ingredients0

2. Cook the noodles until they are almost al dente. Strain and set aside.

3. Preheat oven to 375, spray 8×8 with cooking spray.

4. Put the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and allow it to simmer for about a minute. Then add the broccoli florets. Turn the heat to low and cover the skillet to allow the broccoli to steam.

5. In a large pot, add the butter. Once it’s melted, throw in the onion and allow the onion to soften for a few minutes. Add the flour until incorporated. Then add the chicken broth and whisk thoroughly. Add the milk and bring the mixture to a boil (stirring occasionally). Once brought to a boil, turn it back down to medium heat and allow 6-7 minutes for mixture to thicken. Remove from heat, and add the cheddar cheese and 1 tbsp parmesan. Mix well.

6. Add shredded chicken, noodles, and broccoli to the cream mixture in pot.

7. Pour the mixture into the 8×8 dish. Top with remaining 2 tbsp parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.

8. Bake for 20 minutes, then allow it to sit under the broil for a couple minutes to allow the top to brown.

9. Eat! (We added some sriracha to our portions. yum!)

(I always use the smaller plates for my meals, and leave the big plates for Tyler. Perception of having the plate full can really deceive your eating habits!)

3. I worked out at home yesterday and did the strength workout B from Best Body Bootcamp. It was an interesting workout, and I adjusted a few moves to accommodate the equipment I have. The toughest one was what I substituted for hamstring curls- I actually used my gliding discs for these. Yikes, my hammies were screaming after that set. There were cardio intervals within the supersets and I finished it off with some kickboxing. Check out this super flattering picture.

(Notice that my HEAD is wider than my entire body. Oy)

4. It was during my workout (in ‘my’ room) that I noticed it’s been a while since I updated my calendar.

Just a few months off. No biggie. But July is my favorite. 4th of July, my birthday, summer= all happy things.

5. A lot of people do throwback thursday pics. Since I am now 3000 miles from home, I couldn’t really bring any of my stuff with me, so I don’t really have any of my childhood pictures. But I do have this gem that my mom somehow brought this summer.

It was my understanding that in 5th grade, prescription sunglasses were HOT. Looking at it now: NO THEY’RE NOT.

6. I got shout outs on both Leigh AND Alison’s blogs today (ladies, I am totally stealing that post soon!) Woo hoo!

7. It’s not a new song, but it’s been a huge player this week in my workouts. Love me some hip hop/electro mixes (mostly the hip hop part though). The best part:

Ugly girls be quiet, quiet, pretty girls clap, clap like this
Ugly girls be quiet, quiet, pretty girls clap, clap like this

(I obviously clap)

Pretty Girls (Benny Benassi remix)

What song (new or old) do you have on heavy rotation lately?

Wednesday Things

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

1. The roofers have been on the house for three days now, and there is not enough Excedrin Migraine in the world to fix the headaches I have from all the banging (thats what she said).

2. Yesterday’s workout from Best Body Bootcamp was cardio intervals and core work. I PLANNED on running outside, but then I changed my mind last minute. I hit the gym and did the prescribed intervals on the treadmill, then tacked on an additional 30 minutes of spin. Needless to say, I was exhausted afterwards.

Oh, and I had to walk to the gym since the roofers had thrown nails and crap all over the driveway and I couldn’t get my car out (kind of reminded me of Boston- I specifically chose my apartment based on it’s distance from the gym. Priorities, people. Priorities)

3. The movie Brave is a total mother-daughter movie.

(Source)

I also managed to perfect my scottish accent. Mom, don’t watch it because you’ll probably cry.

4. Do you love nutella? (The answer is most likely YES) Great, so here’s what you should try: Mix 1 cup nutella, 2 eggs and 10 tbsp of flour. Pour into lined cupcake pan and bake at 350 for 12 minutes.

5. I seriously couldn’t be on twitter or facebook at all for the last 24 hours. People, STFU about the election. I was cringing left and right reading the idiotic things my “friends” were saying. And it didn’t matter if it was about the candidate I favored or not. Just shut up, people. SHUT. UP.

(Ok you don’t have to shut up, but at least respect other’s decisions, yadda yadda yadda)

6. I took the dog to the park yesterday and ummmm IT WAS MUDDY. Good thing my dog is already brown. Holy cow, the dogs there were DIR-TAY. Just before bed last night, I couldn’t tell if she was just tired, or she did something bad that I have yet to discover (that never happens, tho)