Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Girls Weekend in Denver

2014 is off to quite an interesting start.  Started a brand new project at work, neck deep in Junior League adventures, 6 months to find a new apartment....it's a little overwhelming. Perfect time for a girls weekend away!

MLK weekend I headed to Denver for a mini-college reunion with some girlfriends. I'd never been to Denver (well outside of the airport) and honestly, I quite remember why it was chosen. It was great to see everyone and explore a new city...also I'd be lying if I didn't say I was excited to put my new, Christmas, cashmere to use! Lots of good food, vintage shopping, microbrews . absolutely gorgeous snow covered mountains in the back drop. Can't wait to go back!


Rocky Mountain Backdrop

Some of the girlies and I on the gondola up the mountain in Breckenridge

So not a skier on any level

Cashmere and Fur

12 carat sapphire in a vintage jewelry shop on Larimer Square

Monday, January 6, 2014

Whole Living

I spent the wonderful Christmas holiday back in the midwest for a week! It was beautiful, but freezing white Christmas. The only real complaints I had were a gross, flaky, dry face and no appropriate product to help  and all the heavy cream/egg/sugar/carb based foods that were consumed. I even spent 2 days sick on the couch from richness, and probably dairy overload.  In an effort to get back on track I did some investigating and  have decided to try the 2013 version of the Whole Living Action Plan to Kick off the year.



A few years ago I found the 2011(?) version on Pinterest.  Back then it required a juicer and I wasn't about to go out an buy one. It also had new recipes every day for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. A single, working gal on a budget just cannot swing that much shopping and cooking. I tried doing it with smoothies and rotating recipes, but it was still expensive and time consuming.

They've updated and cut down their meal plans and really focused on making them user friendly/make-ahead-able. Per their website:
How This Cleanse Works
1. Go Step By StepWe built this plan around a simple base diet of lentils, fruits and vegetables, and nuts and seeds; these (plus oils and seasonings) are the only ingredients allowed for the first week. The subsequent weeks introduce variety, including fish and gluten-free grains in Week 2 and eggs in Week 3.  
2. Devise a StrategyWe realize that making all of the plan’s recipes is no easy feat. So we’ve streamlined things this year with weekly meal-by-meal plans. To ease prep, some recipes have a make-ahead component, and most recipes make big batches, so you’ll always have a selection of leftovers in the fridge. 
3. Make It Your OwnWhile there are 45 recipes in the cleanse, you can certainly improvise meals; simply follow the ingredient guidelines for each week. You can also carry over your favorite dishes as you enter a new week. Do keep in mind that while you should keep portions modest, counting calories is not part of the program. “This is not a calorie-restricted diet,” Blum says. “This is about food choices.” 

 I took a trip to Whole Foods (in an effort to go completely 'clean') and only spent $45 on everything for the first week! I couldn't believe it. I'm starting today so I'll keep you updated on how it's going and how I'm feeling a long the way.



Thursday, January 2, 2014

This year I will....






.....travel more

.....worry less

.....budget better

.....find a new apartment

.....blog more

.....start a 5-year plan

.....own it!