How many Thanksgiving events have you been invited to this year? Is one of them an office party? My personal favorite...friendsgiving? The age old question is, what should I bring? I have said it before and I will say it again, I am so thankful for Pinterest! There are some really great recipes out there to be tried. Need something different or special for your calendar full of turkey days? Here are a few I have been considering...
Enjoy the time in the kitchen. Grab a bottle of wine and surround yourself with good friends and the cooking won't seem so large a task. London post coming on Monday! Until next post...xoxo Becca
Earlier this year I shared our experience with Plated. (a meal subscription service). Ever so often we would get a vegetarian meal and they were usually as delicious as the others. This was one of my favorite, but the hubs wasn't a huge fan. Since he didn't enjoy this dish I've only stolen a portion of the recipe...the roasted sweet potatoes! The recipe is below and super simple to make.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Wash and cut sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch dice. In a bowl, toss sweet potatoes with olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper to taste, garlic powder, dried oregano, and as much chipotle powder as desired. Arrange in a single layer on baking sheet, transfer to oven, and roast until tender, about 20 minutes.
Enjoy!
Until next post...xoxo Becca
p.s. Yes this Friday favorite is being posted on a Saturday :P
Several posts ago I told you I would share pictures from the recent conference I helped plan. Growing up I watched my mom volunteer for many things (Girl Scout troop
leader, teacher's aide, field trip chaperone, etc.). On top of that I
remember her coordinating a lot of events. From an early age I
understood the dynamics of event management and came to love it. Lots of
moving parts and requires OCD organizational skills...ding ding ding
that's my favorite kind of task in a nut shell! Two years ago I was asked
to be a room host to my department's annual conference. Afterwards, I
had a lot of suggestions and subsequently volunteered to be on the
planning committee last year and this year. Alongside two other wonderful women,
catering plus the look and feel of the event was now our area. We couldn't
have pulled this off without each other and I can honestly say I
learned so much from all staff members I worked with. Below are some
pictures of the event, a big thank you to our department's photographer extraordinaire!
Breakfast - Yogurt Parfait Bar with yogurt, granola, fresh fruit, and banana bread croutons and Donut Bar (Dunk, Drizzle, and Dust your own donut)
Lunch - California Chicken, Pan-seared salmon with cucumber dill sauce, Grilled eggplant parmesan, purple roasted rosemary potatoes, broccoli with butter and sea salt, and market salad station (build your own salad)
Dessert - Assorted French macaroons, tarts, and cannoli dippers
Floral Arrangements & Table Linens
Reception - Andoille Wellington, Southwest Chicken Rangoon Puff w/ Cilantro Cream, Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates wrapped in Prosciutto, Chicken Cordon Bleu Puffs, Meat and Cheese Display w/ dried fruit, assorted chutney, pickled and grilled vegetables, hummus, and vegetable dip, seasonal fresh fruit, BLT wraps, Tarragon Chicken Salad Tart, Smoked Salmon Roll on Cucumber Round, Prosciutto Wrapped Melon
We're one week closer to Thanksgiving! What are you doing for the holiday? Anyone have holiday traditions? Leave it in the comments. I thought I'd share with you the two dishes (both from Pinterest) I'm making for Thanksgiving dinner. They both seem fairly easy and different from what I typically make.
On another note, the town we moved to finally got a Kroger Signature (small town struggles are real folks!). I've been twice, but can't wait to do my big grocery shopping soon. So much fresh produce!
Hi lovely readers! I'm so glad you're still following me and if
you're new to Lexi & Lady, welcome! Today's post is pretty long so sit down, relax, and enjoy the topic of wellness.
As women I feel
we sometimes get bogged down in the daily grind. Not saying men don't
have similar circumstances, but hey most of my reader are women so today
is about you! I categorize
wellness into 3 pieces; food/nutrition, physical
fitness, and mental wellness.
Let's start with food. Ever eat a cookie, piece of cake, bowl
of ice cream and then think WHYYYYYY did I just do that!? I'm guilty,
but every now and then you deserve a treat. I'm always perusing
Pinterest for meal ideas and often times I'm searching for healthy
options because I'm beginning to see food as fuel for my body. Having a
positive relationship with food is key. Emotional and/or boredom eaters
often eat dessert, snack endlessly, indulge in an extra helping of
pasta, and lick the plate clean pretty often. Emotional eaters turn to
food for comfort or as a stress reliever, but the truth is, it doesn't
fix anything. In fact, afterwards emotional eaters feel guilty. Boredom
eaters...well good luck. My suggestion is to find more stimulating
activities! Here are a few "healthy" recipes I ran across this week.
Physical fitness...now I'm not talking about being a body builder or a marathon runner. If you want to do that, more power to you and I salute you because I do not aspire to be either. What I mean by physical fitness in association to wellness is get up and move. Take a walk around the office to clear your mind and get some blood flowing. Sitting at a desk for 8 hours has been proven to be unhealthy. Take the dog for a walk, play with your kids at the park rather than watching them play, go to a yoga or pilates class, stretch at home. There are a million and one ways to stay active. Pinterest can help with this too! Tons of links to workout routines, YouTube videos, and fitness gurus with great websites full of information. Here's a few beginner ideas.
Lastly, mental wellness. This is where I refer back to the "bogged down" feeling. Endless to-do lists, responsibilities, expectations, etc. They all eat away at your soul! Take a minute for you! Especially the moms who are reading today, I know you really need this one. There are several ways I focus on mental wellness for myself. Take time to be alone with your thoughts without distractions. Why not have a lunch date with a good friend who makes you laugh. There is nothing more relaxing than laughter. Have an area near you with antique stores, little boutique shops, why not go explore by yourself. Get a massage or a pedicure. Identify what makes you calm, gives you clarity and a chance to reboot. Do it!
I know this post was long today, but I felt like it was needed. Many of my friends have expressed the overworked and "I'm too busy" feeling to me lately and it made me think taking care of yourself should be priority.
