Happy Friday!

Happy Friday! Do you have any plans for the weekend? For me, this weekend is a lot about getting things done! Tomorrow is the last day in January (can you believe it?!) And there is so much to get done before then! The hubs will also be taking me on a date night and I am doing another quick video for all those in the Slim Down Challenge!!

But, before all this will come a great workout. My cardio and bum workouts have been lacking recently, so this workout looks wonderful! I am also wanting to do some running today and maybe even some Cross Fit this weekend!! We will see.

Here are a few other things I am excited about making, doing, and seeing!

Monday this will be launching and I just cannot wait!

Have you ever made this? It looks so yummy and just might have to be on my foodie list next week!

Did you know the Super Bowl was this weekend?! Who are you cheering for? I am going for commercials ;)

If you have not made these yet, I suggest dropping everything you are doing and making them now.

Great Christmas Recipes

Every year for Christmas evening we go to my cousin's house. My cousin inherited Christmas from my Grandma a few years ago and it has been going great! Instead of everyone getting a gift for everyone else (which gets rather pricey with 20 people and handfuls of children) we do a round robin gift exchange. Everyone also brings a side or two to help with the cooking.

This year I will be making three dishes that range in appeal from the adults to the tiniest ones we will have there. I am super excited to make a new dish and really excited to be making a few staples in the hubs and my diet for everyone this year! Oh, and by the way, the Thanksgiving Brussels sprouts were a major hit! They were also so easy to prep the day before Thanksgiving and pop in the oven 15-minutes before we ate.

Grilled Shrimp Caesar Salad

This is probably the easiest thing to make out of the lot. Add salad to bowl, add shaved Parmesan cheese, grill or pan cook shrimp, mix together with dressing before eating. Really, I think this side salad is up there with eggs on the list of easy things to cook. And no, it is not the healthiest option for a salad, but you can do a few things to keep it light.

My first recommendation would be to skip croutons- they are unneeded fat and calories and most people just push them to the side anyway. Second, go for a light Caesar vinaigrette instead of the usual, heavier option. This will make the salad a little less filling and also keep the flavors a bit less overpowering. Of course, you can always skip all those preservatives and make your own dressing instead!

Truffle Oil Mac n' Cheese

This idea came to me when I was super craving lobster mac n' cheese but no restaurant I wanted to go to had it on the menu. Seriously, I could live on lobster mac n' cheese, unfortunately, that would lead to massive joint pain from my new-found 400-pound frame, a massive reduction in friends because who wants to smell mac n' cheese all day, and constant pawing from cats for my lobster. It is my lobster cats, get use to it.

I digress. Lobster mac n' cheese is good, but pricey. Truffle oil mac n' cheese is slightly less pricey and oh-so good!!

Garlic Roasted Kale

This is my favorite way to make kale ever. It is so easy and so yummy, you just might want it every night as well! My best recommendation for this is to add the kale in intervals so you have different textures of leafy green. I also like to continue adding small amounts of seasoning, olive oil, and vinegar each time I add more kale. The fish also helps add some fats and flavor, but if you would prefer, chicken or nothing at all works just as well!

If you really want to mix it up (which I always like doing) add some spinach in as well! Just be sure to add the spinach towards the end since it cooks much faster than kale.

Christmas Brunch Pastry Ideas

Do you make food for brunch on Christmas? It has become a bit of a tradition for me to make a Christmas brunch. Nothing fancy or big, just mimosas (maybe) and a yummy dish for the hubs and I. A sit-down-together breakfast never happens in our house, so why not have Christmas be the time when we are able to enjoy each others company and relax before family and friends start coming around!

This year's Christmas brunch is going to have similar themes to last year's, but add some sweets in as well. The hubs loves salmon and capers for breakfast, so I am thinking I will do some type of smoked salmon dish and something more sweet for me as well. Here are a few ideas I have found for great Christmas breakfast pastries!

Lemon Raspberry Tart

This is just too pretty to not be in the running for a Christmas brunch. Although, someone will need to help me figure out what crystallized ginger is.

Stuffed Caprese Bites

Ok, so these guys may not exactly be a pastry, but there is no reason all bready ooey gooey things need to be sweet. Some people even like salt over sugar. Besides, they just look so yummy!

Pumpkin Sweet Rolls

I bet that go your attention, right?! These look incredible and are, most likely, what sweet treat we will be eating come Christmas morning. The recipe is from Elle Penner, so a bit healthier than the usual.

Homemade Raspberry Danish

We may just be making this one this year because. Every year for Thanksgiving my Grandma gets a raspberry danish. I have not continued that tradition on Thanksgiving morning, but I am the only one who eats it! Eating this entire danish is surely much healthier than the grocery equivalent.

Hands Down, The Best Stuffing Ever!

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Are you looking for a good stuffing for all those friends and family this Thanksgiving?

Every year I make the vegetarian stuffing for myself and all our vegetarian and pescetarian family members. Most years, the carnivores of the family will try a bite or two but they never get more- that is, until last year. Last year, I decided to make this cornbread stuffing and everything changed. Instead of having plenty of my stuffing left and none of the "real stuff" as they call it, mine was the first gone and I could hardly get seconds.

Vegetarians and meat eaters alike love this stuff. And really, I cannot blame them. It tastes like home, happiness, Thanksgiving traditions, a dash of sweet, and a bit of salt all mixed in one. This is seriously the best stuffing ever. If you have looked at the ingredients, you may be thinking that I have lost my mind since it has chicken broth as an ingredient. Well, I have not lost my mind and forgotten that chicken is a meat. Thankfully, this is an easy swap out of vegetable broth instead of the chicken.

The reason I did not put this recipe on the blog last year is because I needed some family guinea pigs to see if it was just as good with the vegetable broth. Turns out, it is! Even my brother-in-law's mother, a southern cook extraordinaire, loved it. So, here are the simple changes I made.

1. Switch out chicken broth for vegetable broth
2. Use 3/4 cornbread and 1/4 white
3. After adding the broth I let it sit overnight and added a bit more before sticking it in the oven.
4. No breadcrumbs over top.
5. And finally, here is a direct link to the recipe to make life a bit easier :)

This recipe is so simple and so good, I suggest everyone throw out their other Thanksgiving stuffing plans for this year and do Vegetarian Cornbread Stuffing instead! Trust me, you would not regret the decision ;)

As far as vegetarian and healthy sides go, I will also be making this Sweet and Spicy Brussels Sprouts recipe for Thanksgiving this year. Since we have some family who enjoy spicy and some that do not, my plan is to add no chili flakes to one batch and have another that is spicy enough for everyone to enjoy! Gah, I cannot wait to put all these in my mouth!

Also, as I write this I have an adorable, giant baby cat purring on my lap and snuggling my face. If you, like me, cannot get enough of adorable baby cats, I would suggest heading over to my insatgram page for blog updates and all the adorable cat pics your heart desires!

And, we will be having a motivation post a bit later today.