I’m not going to lie, I dig the fair isle design on Caribou’s cups. Anything to brighten up my day, I will latch onto! Along with the coffee, I’ve been stocking up on some of the essentials for my stash at work:

The Almond & Coconut KIND bar is my favorite flavor, I don’t even bother with the others anymore. The only problem is that I can go through a box quicker than is necessary and they’re not super cheap. I’m no extreme couponer, but I like my discretionary income for fun things. As such, I pay attention to special sales and match coupons when I have them. I totally scored at Kroger the other day when I got the following for a mere $3!

Bagged spinach, Kashi Go Lean, Nasoya Tofu, and two bottles of Wolfgang Puck’s iced coffees. I was so proud of myself (obviously, this is all quite braggy). The Wolfgang Puck coffee I tried for the first time today and was happy with it. Cheaper than the Starbucks version, only 120 calories, and made with organic ingredients. I used the spinach to make the first green (more like purple) smoothie I’ve had since summer.

The raspberries hid the spinach quite nicely, boyfriend was none the wiser. I needed this smoothie too. The night before, I hung out with some friends and we gorged on chips/dip, beer, and other appetizers. I made corn dip which is pretty much based on mayo and cheeses (and therefore sooo delicious).  I felt like crud in the morning. A bunch of blended fruit/veg makes me feel like I am undoing the damage (denial? Denial).

Another go-to item I like to eat after a night of indulging is sushi. Especially when it tastes light and fresh (the rice attaches to the toxins and flushes everything out. More denial).

Mind over matter, yes? That’s going to be my mantra this winter. When an icy gust of wind cuts at my face, I’ll think “Why, yes! That is refreshing” instead of “Omg, WTF, I will kill you, wind.” And unfortunately, yes, I DO threaten inanimate objects and intangible entities. It’s just my way.

We were in the mood for seafood, so a little Fish Market was in order. Imagine dim lighting and a lot of dark wood. We got situated in a comfy booth and marked the occasion with a drink. I opted for a cocktail made with vodka and fresh pineapple juice (I’m sure it had some snazzy name, I just can’t recall).

After we ordered from the prix fixe menu, our waiter helpfully dropped off some piping hot sourdough. Please and thank you.

My first course arrived momentarily, a creamy chowder with tender little nuggets of clam and diced potatoes.

We had arrived early, as far as dinner patronizing goes, so our main courses came out shortly after. I’m a big fan of skewers, especially of the shrimp and scallop nature.

I was perfectly content after this, but still had dessert to contend with. For some insane reason, there wasn’t a chocolate option on the restaurant week menu. Enter the apple crumble a la mode. With caramel drizzle. Oh my.

As fate would have it, I had a business lunch the following afternoon. Lo and behold, we ended up at the Fish Market…again. Works for me! I love seafood. After much menu scrutinizing, I got the Asian-style scallops, shrimp, and salmon served over a bed of rice and sesame spinach. Di-vine.

All of you with access to fresh fish and seafood, I envy you. It’s like an arm and a leg for me to have anything semi-fresh. Don’t cry for me, I’ll be on a beach in three weeks sipping tropical drinks and eating all of the fish in sight. Don’t be surprised if you hear about a seafood shortage (I apologize in advance).

Do you like seafood? What is your favorite kind?

We went to breakfast at the always delish Sweet Clove, home of the complimentary cinnamon loaf. It always arrive piping hot and crumbling, perfect on a frigid day.

The waitress brought us another loaf and it took all of my willpower not to eat it, somehow I prevailed. I wanted to save room for my Honeybaked Ham, provolone, and broccoli egg-white omelet.

While waiting for the food we pretended to be artsy.

Confession: I was really into this honeycomb thingy, where does one find such an apparatus?

We also did the breakfast for dinner one night. There was a sad little apple that was going by the wayside, so I put it out of its misery by chopping it up and getting it all caramelized in a pan. It made a nice garnish for some chia waffles.

I also put on my baking hat (well, more like non-baking) and whipped up a batch of no-bake energy balls. This was so simple and the end result was insanely delicious.

The best part is that there are endless possibilities! You can use pretty much any type of syrup and additions, here is the original recipe with my changes.

You need:
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/3 cup honey (I used maple syrup for one batch and vanilla agave syrup for another batch)
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup ground flaxseed (I used chia seeds instead)
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (I omitted this entirely)
1 tsp vanilla (didn’t add with the vanilla agave)

Mix everything in a medium mixing bowl until combined. Throw into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. With damp hands, shape into balls (makes about 18-20), and refrigerate in an airtight container.

I ended up storing the balls (teehee!) in the freezer because I like them extra cold (they do not freeze). The boy and I are so enamored by these that I plan on having a constant stash on hand…though at the rate we’re eating them, that may prove impossible.

After my excessive dining out, I’ve been really good about cooking at home. I was craving Asian one night and instead of popping over to my favorite spot, I made my own restaurant-inspired meal. For starters, I had edamame and wonton soup. Both were super simple. The edamame was the 5 minute kind from TJ’s and the soup was made from broth, veggies, and TJ’s cilantro and chicken wontons.

Our main course was a tofu stirfry with various veggies and a side of steamed rice.

I’ve also been mixing up my usual overnight oats for baked oatmeal instead. I made this for the first time around Christmas and really loved the crispy texture topped with sun nut butter.

I wish I could say the momentum would continue, but I equate the weekend with going out to eat. It’s a vicious cycle. Last weekend was no exception, we met family for lunch at O’Charleys and I was surprised by how decent my meal was. Tilapia grilled on a cedar plank and broccoli? Don’t mind if I do.

I happened to receive a belated birthday gift at lunch, a giftcard to Coldstone! Sure, twist my arm.

Sweet cream ice cream with crushed Oreos.

I’ve also been digging this newish casual eatery called Piada, which is like an Italian version of Chipotle. Though I had a really good salad bowl with grilled chicken, pancetta, and veggies, it would be difficult for me to deny Chipotle on a given day!

While I’m looking forward to tomorrow, there’s some slight trepidation on my part. After an unseasonal week of mild weather, the word on the street is four inches of snow, ice, and all kinds of drama for my morning commute. BAH! Can’t a girl hibernate?

On a separate note, I’ve managed to shrink all of my sweater dresses. They’re now too short to be dresses, but too long to pull off as a sweatery tunic. Do any of you have some Susie Homemaker skills you could pass along? No offense to any of you menfolk, but I grew up with a single father who didn’t know what he was doing, so I wasn’t really taught how to housekeep properly!

My NYE wasn’t too crazy, we met some friends at a wine bar and got to avoid the crowds, which I hear were intense. Lots of fights, drunks, and arrests…no thanks.

Going back to work this week was perplexing. My body was resistant to getting up before the sun and my brain was all, “what do you mean we have to do things?” To combat the post-holiday blues, we went out to eat quite a bit. Plus, my tree is still up. Could I be any more in denial? Don’t worry, it’s coming down this weekend.

One of the tastier meals we had was at Bonefish Grill, I hadn’t been there in forever. We all started the evening with a drink and I went with the Ocean Trust Martini. It’s like a citrusy, vodka-based cocktail with muddled mango. PLUS, they donate a dollar from every drink to Ocean Trust. So basically, I was helping the environment whilst getting tipsy. Win-win.

For apps there was the usual edamame and also bacon-wrapped scallops. It was unfortunate that the scallops only came in plates of four, I wanted to steal them all.

I would have been perfectly satisfied with the appetizers and drinks, but I got greedy and ordered the Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos. Freaking yum.

Reliving this meal makes me want to go back to Bonefish tonight. Must show some restraint.

Despite the fact it was a short work week, the weekend couldn’t get here fast enough. It was so luxurious being able to catch up on sleep and loaf about. We were supposed to go to a movie, but instead I managed to find the new episode of  the BBC’s Sherlock online. We watched that instead. LOVE.

I believe they will be playing the latest installment in May on PBS. I can’t wait that long. If you haven’t seen this modernized version of Sherlock yet, I insist you go on Netflix and watch the first miniseries. Insist.

I’m also getting excited about the upcoming Marie Antoinette film, “Farewell, My Queen.”

I have such a fascination with notorious historical figures, especially royal ones (ie: Anne Boleyn, the Romanovs, Queen Victoria, etc.), but I’ve always had an especial interest in Marie Antoinette. I’m also excited because it looks like the movie was filmed primarily at Versailles and I absolutely fell in love with it on our last trip. I’m still trying to finagle a way to move in already.

What are you doing this weekend? Any new movies you are dying to see?

Christmas Eve
My immediate family came over for a roast dinner and company. I cooked up a storm in the kitchen but failed to take pictures, except one. Mini cheesecakes that I made based on a recipe I found online.

Got to love an excuse to drizzle things with Nutella.

Christmas Eve
I made Christmas dinner for the first time ever. I told Boyfriend he could pick the menu and he opted for Thanksgiving part II. Have I mentioned that I’ve never cooked a turkey before either? Luckily, we had extra corn casserole and green bean casserole from the night before. I only had to worry about the turkey and stuffing and it all came out fabulous!

Santa was particularly kind to me, I got most of the things I wanted including the coveted cupcake necklace.

In the evening, we all went out to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I’ve never read the book so I wasn’t sure what to expect. While it was technically a good movie, it was definitely not a feel-good Christmas flick! Why so rapey!

My Birthday
You heard right, my birthday is the day after Christmas (aka Boxing Day, aka Kwanzaa).

Having a birthday so close to Christmas isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. Everyone is out of town or busy, so I don’t expect too much out of it. Luckily, the people close to me try to make it as special as possible. Starting with my favorite cake from the Korean bakery. It’s a light sponge cake, stuffed with cream and strawberries, I love it.

I also loved my gift from Boyfriend, I was a spoiled girl this year!

I spent my birthday at the mall, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that it falls on one of the biggest shopping days of the year. While out and about, we had dinner at a French bistro where I imbibed a raspberry martini and a tasty lobster bisque.

For my main course, crab cakes were neccessary.

Needless to say, I never want to eat again. Ah well, it’s only once a year, right?

I’m still playing catch up on my Google Reader, how was your holiday? Get anything good for Christmas?

Christmas shopping is nearly squared away, the groceries have been purchased for dinner, and I am counting down the minutes until noon tomorrow when my vacation starts. Nevertheless, I am still harried.

To get me through this hectic and stressy week, I have turned to two things:

Comfort food

A free birthday burger from Ruby Tuesday.

And massive amounts of coffee:

Experiments in toy camming.

I love Christmas, but it turns me into a loon. This Someecard perfectly sums it up:

Lest I be misunderstood, I technically wish you a festive and happy holiday season.

Observe.

Cappuccino Larabar? I hope I’m not overblowing this in my mind, but I’ll have a full report later!

UPDATE: This may be a hit or miss bar for some of you. Coffee lovers should enjoy the flavor, it’s unmistakably a cappuccino in bar form. However, there is a slight aftertaste (nothing major) and you definitely get the dreaded coffee breath after eating it! My first bar was somewhat overwhelming, but that could be because I was also drinking a cup of coffee with it. Don’t do that. It’s definitely not on my top five flavors list, but it’s still a nice change of pace.

Every winter, the zoo has a Wildlight’s attraction where you can wander among thousands of tiny lights and see (some) animals. I’ve never been, but after boyfriend snagged some free tickets, I figured I might as well.

I must admit, I was a fan of this concept. Especially when I found out they had a synchronized light show, I am sucker for this type of thing.

We didn’t have access to all of the habitats, but we were able to see the manatees and other sea-dwelling creatures in the aquarium. My favorite animals were hanging out in the Australian section:

Fishing cats! They looked like oversize house cats and I wanted to steal them and give them a squish, though I’m sure they would have bitten my face in the process. After the zoo, we went for a late night snack of edamame and sushi, the perfect end to an adorable evening.

Last night was spent at a Christmas gathering where we were expected to eat and drink too much, no problem there. The hostess had a whole spread of snacks, shrimp cocktail, and cookies laid out, her presentation was so cute.

To recuperate this morning, I went to La Chatelaine for a spot of breakfast. I was hoping for beignets, but they were all out…tragedy. I consoled myself with a croissant breakfast sandwich and coffee. It would have been better doused in powdered sugar though, pout.

It was (oddly) early, so I was able to hit Target and get some shopping accomplished. I have only one more person to buy for and then I am finished. I cannot wait. I can’t believe Christmas is a mere week away, how does it sneak up like this?

Naturally, there were nibbles galore while we socialized:

Pinwheels with various fillings.

Blurry hummus, I'm fairly certain I ate the whole thing.

Fruit and cheeses (ew, goat cheese).

I accidentally filled up on hors douvres because I forgot there was an actual meal to be had, whoops (not like that stopped me).

For lunch I had lemon-pepper chicken, redskin potatoes, bacon-wrapped scallops (DIES), and spanikopita. Afterwards, we had drinks and larked around until it was time to go home. I must have overdid it because I’m currently falling asleep at my laptop. That’s your cue to ignore any grammatical issues and random tangents.

Tangent. I want, nay NEED, this necklace.

Source

This necklace was made me for. <–Clearly, I meant to say “made for me,” but I wanted to demonstrate where my head is right now. Sometimes I think I’m Yoda. Anyway, sparkles and cupcakes make me happy, married together in the form of jewelry then I’m wildly ecstatic. Wildly.

I also need a ghost chair in my life. My last IKEA trip had me interested, but then I decided against it. Now I’m having non-buyer’s remorse, five months later. Santa, bring me a ghost chair of my very own. Thanks.

Wait, how did this turn into a list of demands? Ignore this consumeristic drivel. What I really need is sleep, but it’s not even 8:00 yet (I am getting OLD). I have to help the boyfriend make something for his potluck tomorrow, so I’m off to wile away the evening so that I may sleep.

Does your office do anything special for the holidays?