Good Monday morning!
I think a lot of people have a shortened work week this week thanks to the holidays – Ryan has Thursday and Friday off – so I’m hoping the energy around the world will be pretty upbeat and festive!
Grab your jingle bells… or hop on over to the new Holiday Recipes page I created on the blog last night and whip up something special for your friends and family.
So far I have recipes listed under three major holidays: Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I plan to add more recipes as new holidays pop up and I create new dishes or stumble upon forgotten recipes I’ve posted before that got lost on the blog among the millions of posts I’ve done throughout the past two years.
And stay tuned for some delicious Hanukkah recipes from a very special guest blogger!
Workout
Today’s workout wasn’t crazy hard.
For some reason I did a workout similar to what I usually do when I work out my upper body, but I never got that wow, this is a great workout feeling.
Something is better than nothing though and I’m glad I went.
Today’s workout looked like this:
My arms actually do feel a bit fatigued as I am typing out this post, so maybe it was a better workout than I thought?
Breakfast
It was a cold morning in Ocala today which meant a hot breakfast was in order.
I made myself a bowl of chocolate peanut butter oatmeal by combining oats, milk, chocolate protein powder and peanut butter in a bowl, microwaving it up and stirring until the oats were thick and everything was perfectly combined.
I almost forgot to snap a photo of this one but remembered right as I was about to polish off my bowl.
The oats are sitting nice and warm in my belly right now, but I think I may make myself a cup of coffee in a bit to keep the warm feeling going.
Hope your week is off to a wonderful start!
P.S. The Fashion page was updated today.
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I’m hoping this week will be a great one too! 🙂 I’m off on Friday and then Monday. I cannot wait! Have a great day, Julie!
This is probably one of my favorite weeks of the year!
http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/cities-that-offer-the-best-bang-for-your-buck.html
THought you might like to know your city (Ocala) was number 1 on Yahoo’s! list of cities that offer the best bang for you buck!
I went with hot oatmeal this morning too – too cold not to! Maple pumpkin butter with chococonut granola bar chopped up as a mix-in! So good!
My boss is giving us all half days every day next week which is really great of her 🙂
Hooray for some Hanukkah recipes. Sometimes it feels like the forgotten holiday.
Kudos for it, although even as someone who celebrates hanukkah, I’m not sure what a hanukkah recipe will be. 🙂 Can’t wait to find out!
I hope this is going to be a festive week too-wahoo!!
Love the new recipe page. Yumm. ANd yes, I love a good workout in the a.m.–off to have mine 🙂
Yay for holiday recipes!! Such a good ideas :D. And your bowl of oats looks fantastic. I’m thinking that a cup of coffee is necessary haha. Oh and I love the dress you were wearing in your fashion page post! You look gorgeous :). Hope you have a fantastic Monday Julie!
I want to try protein powder in oatmeal , but I’m afraid. I remember in the past it got very clumpy + dry. I ONLY have whey protein ISOLATE. So, I would love to find out the EXACT way to make these that will effectively blend beautifully and sit comfortably in my stomach.
I’m getting so excited for Christmas! I can’t wait to go through all your holiday recipes. My husband has his work week backwards – he has today and tomorrow off and had to work Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday!
Cheers to the shortened work week! Even though it’s freezing outside, I’m slurping down a cold smoothie this morning oddly enough. I have to get those vitamins in!
I am starting my week off at Disney’s Fort Wilderness, but then it’s back to work through Christmas eve. For the love of retail!
Mm..that oatmeal looks like batter for a chocolate peanut butter no bake cookie, which is MAYBE my favorite cookie ever. 🙂
Enjoy your week and yay for Ryan getting some time off!
I had a good but not crazy-hard workout this morning too. Sometimes that’s just what the body needs.
Happy Monday!
You’re right, a workout is better than no workout! Not every trip to the gym is going to leave you feeling jiggly arms, but your bod is still benefiting!
Love the holiday recipe section! I spent all day baking yesterday and need a vacation from the oven, but I might try a recipe later this week!
i love the recipe page! can you make one for smoothie and oatmeal? i love all your different combinations and sometimes forget when you post them. thanks for doing this for us!
I’m going to be bringing your upper body workout to the gym today. I need to start doing weight lifting more often but I just get tired of doing the same things over and over again.
I love this week. We do both Hanukkah AND Christmas, so it’s a bit nuts, but it sure is yummy!!
I think I’m the only one without a shortened work week but at least I get to work from home and look at my tree all day 🙂
That’s awesome that Ryan has TWO days off! I’ll be off on Friday and I’m already looking forward to it. Have a wonderful day Julie!
Your breakfast looks delicious! I can’t wait to try!
Yay for shortened work weeks! I have 4-day weeks for the next 3 weeks, which is a-okay in my books.
Those oats look delicious!! I was wondering; when you make your oats, do you use a whole scoop of protein powder? I have tried it before, but it seems to taste REALLY proteiney (definitely not a word haha). Any tips?
add more milk!!!
Chocolate PB oats are one of the best for sure! Have a good week 🙂
I am going to need to get some chocolate protein powder. I always buy vanilla because it mixes with other flavors well, but that just looks too good!
Love that you are looking at the week as Merry Week! It makes me want to do a little celebrating every night. I might have to pick up a gingerbread kit tonight on my way home…
I was wondering where do you find your little workout plans like the one you used today? Do you just find them on Pinterest? I just really like the simplicity of them and I would love to start incorporating them into my plan, because I usually just make things up as I go and well…that’s not always great. I’d like to start following little plans that I can switch up each week.
Thanks!
i make them up myself as i go for the post part and then write them down when i get home to post them on the blog. 🙂
Mmmm…those oats sounds delicious. 🙂 Love the peanut butter and chocolate combination – you can’t go wrong! <3 xyx
Mmm chocolate pb oatmeal sounds delish!
oats are perfect on a cold morning. This is going to be a great week!
I nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award! (:
http://unleashingmymind.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-first-award.html
I was planning since last night to make a warm oatmeal bowl this morning but opted for a messy yogurt bowl to use up the last drops of yogurt [as if I need a reason to go to the grocery store], haha!
It was cold it Boston too this morning! 15 degrees! Bet thats colder than Ocala!
Mmm those oats look so chocolatey! I wish I had this week off! I’ll be working every day ‘cept Monday next wk!
yay going xmas shopping right now!! hoping to do some baking thisweek too. so fun!
As a psychologist for a school district, I have work off until January 3rd, and I am so psyched about it. Horray for 2 relaxing weeks! 🙂
You light my life up with your blog 🙂 So far, its a good start. Unfortunately, its a full week for me 🙁 and I only get the day after Christmas off so I am disappointed. I sure hope this weekend takes forever to leave us haha!! I am drinking Starbucks now, nice and warm in mah bellah!!!
Love all the recipes! Hope you have a wonderful week!
So excited for time off soon! I have a recipe for you if you want to link it… Pepparkahar cookies!
http://thesaltedkitchen.blogspot.com/2011/12/pepparkahar.html
Chocolate oats – yum! And I highly recommend a cup of coffee. I’m sipping on one right now! 😉
I love this week. It’s so exciting!
Aww I wish I had a short week! But I’m working 5 days this week :/ looks like the rest of my Christmas shopping will be completed after work! Those oats look delicious!! Chocolate peanut butter for breakfast?! Sign me up!!
i LOVE that pic of sadie hahaha
Aww! Sadie is tooooooooooo cute!
What brand of choc protein powder do you use? I usually use vanilla but want to try the choc out 🙂
your oatmeal looks/sounds delicious! Sadie is such a cute dog, we’re entertaining the idea of possibly getting a weimaraner dog! I think they are also referred to as a ‘velcro dog’
I love that pic of sadie..think it may be my fave! Don’t think u can ever have too many dog pics on a blog! I am gonna try that pb & oats recipe tomo as it just so happens I have choc protein powder..looks perfect for a festive brekkie 🙂 thanks
Totally digging this picture of Sadie. I almost think the caption should be, “Be merry…or I will eat you!” 🙂