| Green Chile Chicken Pizza |

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Green chile pizza! Delish.

We pretty much just made up the recipe on the fly – and it turned out SO WELL! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did…

Ingredients:
- Whole wheat crust or uncooked whole wheat dough (we used uncooked dough that was in the refrigerated pasta section of the grocery store but I’m sure boboli would work okay too)
- green enchilada sauce, canned
- 1 large chicken breast, chopped into approx 1″ cubes
- 3-5 peeled, de-seeded, and chopped hatch roasted green chiles (we used med-hot)
- 3 heaping tbsp canned yellow corn
- 2 tbsp chopped onion
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped or quartered
- 2 medium sized roma tomatoes
- 1/2 cup mexican cheese
- 1/4 cup queso fresco

Directions:

-if you bought uncooked dough let it sit at room temp for 15-20 minutes; then shape dough and put on a pizza baking pan

-preheat the oven to 450* or whatever temp your dough says to do

-season and brown the chicken (only cook partially since it will cook in the oven too) – we used all kinds of seasonings – wing it!

-set chicken aside when finished

-once the oven is preheated, cook un-topped dough partially to avoid soggy crust (the crust we bought had a recommended total cook time of 12-15 minutes so we precooked for about 6)

-while crust is precooking, chop the following: chiles, onions, garlic – we sliced the tomatoes much like you would for an italian pizza but we think we might try chopping them next time…give it a shot!

-in same pan as chicken, slightly sautee onion and garlic…set aside when finished

-when ready, top the pizza:
green enchilada sauce
garlic and onion mixture
mexican cheese
chicken
corn
tomatoes
chiles
queso freso

-cook for remaining time as directed by your crust instructions

***alternate suggestions: you could also try red enchilada sauce instead of green…another idea would be to put avocado on top of the pizza before serving

-then enjoy!! Woo!

| Out With 2011 – 2012, Get It |

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If we ignore a few (minor) details, 2011 was pretty darn great.

Jacques and I moved in together, we have built a home together. We celebrated our 2 year anniversary. We both celebrated our 26th year of life.

I *still* have a job – and while, at times, I cannot stand it…I am able to pay my bills. I have good benefits. I have job security.

In 2011, I showed very little interest in my physical health. Since becoming a work-at-home employee, I have gained only a couple pounds…overall I would say I have close-to maintained my weight. This is better than a big gain – PHEW. But it’s not awesome. In the beginning of the year, I was good about going to the gym but I still ate complete crap. Toward the end of the year, I had another short-lived stint in which I gave P90X a shot. That fizzled quickly.

Sidenote: Tony Horton can suck it.

My mental health is a whole different story. I finally sought the talk-therapy I think I’ve needed for a long time. I’m not sure if I’ve found the right therapist – but she provokes thought and challenges me (most of the time). I think this is something I will continue in 2012.

My self-esteem is in the shitter. Pretty sure “shitter” is a technical term. This is something that I think is directly related to my weight…and needs to be addressed this year. I’m pretty sure last year’s first post was me VOWING to do better in 2011…wooops.

This time I mean it. This time I HAVE to mean it.

Gym. Portion control. Continued mental health care. Positive self-talk (I swear, it makes a difference). I don’t know if goal-weight (145 pounds) is attainable this year…but I would like to get close. I’m going to spend the rest of this week making a solid plan. One that is written down. One that I can be held accountable for. Jacques will hold me accountable. Amanda and Capella will hold me accountable. Kaity and Lindsi will hold me accountable. My mother will hold me accountable.

Maybe that should be 2012′s word: ACCOUNTABILITY. Most importantly, *I* will hold me accountable. This year, I have to mean it.

Jacques is gone for the next 2 weeks (again) so I have a jump start on getting healthy food in the house. I will clean – I like to feel good about my home. I will join a gym. I will re-visit the important nutrition I learned from Weight Watchers – and maybe even rejoin WW for weekly meetings.

This is the year. This is my year. It has to be.

NEW YEAR’S EVE this year was great. We went out to a great little restaurant in Cherry Creek: Piatti’s. Our good friends Claire and Wade joined us. We ate good food, drank great wine…and stayed up past midnight. OMG, right?! It was wonderful.

I took some really great pictures of our NYE but I’m having a hard time figuring out how to get them into the blog (new camera, new process) – so it’ll just have to wait!!

| Holi-DAZED |

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I am absolutely the first person in history to use that one. Definitely.

This year I was just so excited about Christmas. I had put a lot of thought and effort into gifts for Jacques (and for the rest of our family and friends). Our house was clean and I was thrilled to be seeing family.

Then I remembered how busy we are every holiday. Too much driving. Wayyyy too much eating. Usually lots of regret. I’m also feeling a bit guilty because Jacques and I really kind of went all-out this year with presents. Lots of money spent. We both love all of our presents (pictures to follow) but it gets very excessive. Maybe next year we’ll come up with a more economical, perhaps community-friendly way to “spoil” each other…

**Sidenote: Read my friend Kaity’s blog here and you’ll see why our gross overspending this year is kind of disgusting. She and her husband are AMAZING people…

In general though, I just feel so lucky to be so loved by my incredible family and friends. We received a lot of holiday cards from people with well wishes for 2012 and some really amazingly thoughtful gifts as well.

We made some really great food including a traditional sweet potato casserole for Christmas Eve at Jacques’ mother’s house and then a lower-fat/lesser-calorie version of homestyle mac & cheese for Christmas dinner at my mom’s house (recipe can be found here). It involves substituting the cream, butter and higher fat cheeses for butternut squash and “healthier” cheeses. It was delicious and a huge hit among my family – highly recommended!!

My favorite part of the weekend though was relaxing Saturday morning (Christmas Eve) and having our own little Christmas at home. It was the very best. Love that boy.

We don’t have a fireplace so we made-do with the YULE LOG channel, complete with wordless Christmas carols. Most excellent.

This year’s favorite new ornament – I was enamored with all things GLITTERY this Christmas.

This big guy stayed hidden until it was time to be opened – what’s inside?? Fancy new Samsonite luggage for my guy :) Had to get creative with the wrapping paper. lol  He’s so excited!!

…and now to just learn how to USE the new camera. SO EXCITED!!! Thanks to my honey – it’s incredible.

Jacques is back in Tennessee this week. He’ll come back just in time for New Year’s this weekend and then he’ll be gone for another two weeks – there goes January. Ugh. Plans for New Years involve meeting up with our good friends Claire and Wade for a nice dinner at Piatti’s in Cherry Creek. No idea what we’ll be doing at midnight though.

Probably kissing. That’s my guess ;) Anyone have fun plans??

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and I wish all the *happiest* Happy New Year. 2012, here we come!!

| A Good Thursday |

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You know when you haven’t had much to eat all day…

…and then you get off work and immediately drink two beers.

Then the timer on the oven goes off and you’re all “OH! Brownies are done! That means dinner’s ready!”

Yeah. That’s the kind of Thursday night I’m having.

Bam.

| When the boy is away… |

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The girl gets REALLY REALLY bored. Hmm. That doesn’t rhyme…

Jacques has been in Tennessee one full week now. Honestly it hasn’t been completely awful. Don’t get me wrong, I miss him like crazy…but it helps to stay busy and positive. That, and I’m not doing a whole lot of cooking. Score.

I’ve gotten a ton of stuff done. Before he left, none of the Christmas decorations were up – not that we have a lot of them…but it’ll be nice and festive for when he comes home. I’ve wrapped all of our presents and am currently working on mailing our Christmas cards (so cute!). Just generally trying to stay busy.

I’ve enjoyed dinner at a pub with a friend, shopping, brunch with my lady love Amanda, lunch and long chat today with my girlfriend Claire and some well-spent time with my mom and little sister. I even got to open an early Christmas present today from my favorite Portland girl, Lindsi.

Look how talented my Lindsi is – handmade Christmas card AND my infinity scarf! So cute, girl! I love them.

Hopefully this week goes just as quickly. Can’t wait to see my guy! One week down, one more to go…

| Denver, Drinks, Decorations…and more Drinks |

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We just dove head-first into December. This time of year is a whirlwind. Lots of places to go, people to see…sleep to lose, money to spend.

November ended with two birthdays. My sister Leah turned 11 two days before my sister Evan turned 12. Whoa. They’re both getting so big…they like to remind me that in no time they’ll be taller than me. Awesome. I am now the measuring stick by which my sisters mark their growth spurts…right after my grandmother who is 4 inches shorter than she used to be. Go figure.

THEN we found out on Wednesday (maybe it was Tuesday…let’s shorten it by 24 hours for dramatic effect) that Jacques was being sent to Tennessee in 4 short days (today) for 2 weeks to work. Ugh. Boy got it together…landed in Memphis and is braving the rain. Let the countdown til he comes home…BEGIN!

So this weekend. We pretended like we haven’t been out of college for 3 years. And we DRANK A LOT.

Friday: Margaritas. We spent Friday night and most of Saturday in Fort Collins, laying low, to celebrate Evan’s birthday. Yum. Happy birthday Evan. I know you’re not old enough to drink…so I’ll drink enough for both of us.

Saturday: A beer. Then 3 glasses of cabernet. Then a handful of strong top-shelf vodka tonics…3, or maybe 4? Then a shot of tequila. Then another beer. Jacques’ company party was in Denver Saturday night. We checked into the Westin (hotel: 100% paid for by his company). Enjoyed a fabulous 3-course dinner consisting of salad, steak with lobster mashed potatoes and creme brulee (also 100% paid for by his company). Then we went to Jazz at Jack’s where we tried our hardest to exhaust a $2000 minimum bar tab (paid for, by his company)…with MAYBE 30 people. Ummm. That’s where the damage was done.

I wanted to make sure that we at least put a DENT in that bar tab. IT WAS RIDICULOUS.

We went to bed at 3 am – again, seriously folks. We’re 26. I can’t do that shit anymore! We slept in…then drove to my dad’s to help put up the Christmas tree. I was pretty hungover. Whooops.

Photo evidence of the weekend. Nothing too crazy here. But lots of fun!

 

 

 

| We’re Thankful |

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It’s the buzzword of the week folks, and I’ve decided to join in.

Although I did eat a lot yesterday, I chose not to vomit what I’m thankful for all over Facebook. It’s not bad that everyone else did. Blogs are just soooo much cooler. That’s probably not true…but then what else would I have had to blog about?!

This year I am thankful for:

  • Jacques, because well, he’s the best.
  • My family…they love me even though I’m crazy. The same can be said for -see above-.
  • My job.
  • Pumpkin pie.
  • My incredible friends. They never cease to be there for me when I need them. They are a terrific source of laughter and joy…and support. Also, they probably should’ve been listed BEFORE pumpkin pie…
  • A positive attitude. I believe this one is a choice but it’s much better to be happy and hopeful than bitchy and angry.
  • Good books. It’s nice to get lost in one, once in a while.
  • Colorado sunsets and sunrises. This is something I enjoy as often as I can…and dang, the world is just so amazing.
  • Red, red wine.

This year, we spent Thanksgiving in Conifer with my stepmother’s side of the family. Since Jacques’ and my parents are both divorced, we have 4 parents that we have to make time for each holiday season. It had been a while since I last spent a holiday with my stepmother’s side of the family…and I was really happy that we did.

The hot apple cider was plentiful, the food is always good…and we played games that made us laugh so hard, we almost peed our pants. Jacques and I decided to make a few different items for Thanksgiving dinner: cranberry sauce (with a twist – bourbon and orange zest), sweet chili carrots and baked zucchini.

Like an idiot, I forgot the zucchini at home…so we had to make a pit-stop and buy more. Everything turned out great!

…and of course I neglected to take pictures of the zucchini, but it was a huge hit and so tasty!

We have a lot going on in the next couple weeks. Both Evan and Leah (my sisters) have birthdays. Leah is turning 11 and Evan is turning 12 – holy hell, when did THAT happen?! Jacques’ work holiday party is the first weekend in December…we’ll also be helping decorate my dad and stepmom’s Christmas tree. Then we have a birthday/ugly sweater party, my work holiday party and then Christmas is right around the corner.

I’ll try to take pictures as much as I can…there will be so many fun things going on!

Hope everyone had a very happy Thanksgiving – and that you all took a moment to be thankful for all of the amazing things in your life.

Much (grateful) love,

Pro

| No longer stuck |

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I’ve been down in the dumps lately about my job.

Let’s start with the good things, first. There really are some very positive things about my job. It pays well (which is more than most people can say). They work hard to recognize employees, again…more than I ever got when I worked in retail or food service. They provide great benefits. There are opportunities for two big bonuses every year. My manager is amazing…so are my coworkers. There is ample opportunity for advancement.

But I just feel stuck. I’m not making a difference in anyone’s life. This is not what I feel like I should be doing. I don’t care that I’m not using my degree. I’m happy to have my degree but I’m not sure advertising is my “calling” either. I’ve felt like I had no option but to just keep with it.

And suffocate. Drown. (I know, sooo dramatic)

I’ve started going to therapy. Not many people know this – and it is a very private thing – but it’s long over due. I’ve brought a lot of emotional baggage into my relationship and it needs to be addressed and resolved.

There was an AH-HA moment last night. I explained my being stuck in my job to my therapist. She reminded me that I have the option (nay, the POWER) to OWN my decision to stay with this job until I have paid down my debt. That it is -and can be – a choice. She reminded me that I am not, in fact, stuck and that I could quit and find a new job…if I wanted to. But that for now, it is a great option…it is stable and I live comfortably. Obviously these are things I could have told myself, but it really didn’t register until last night.

I’m going to sit down with Jacques and look at viable options. We’re going to talk about the fastest way to pay down my debt, start saving. We’ll discuss what’s best for my situation individually, and for us together. I know that this won’t last forever. It’s a good option for right now…I do have control over my life.

And most of all, I have control over how I react. Down with negativity. Life is too awesome to be in a shitty mood all the time.

I feel empowered.

Much (keeping it real) love,

| *Wish*list |

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So I’m up. At the ass crack of dawn on a Saturday. I’ve been sleeping horribly lately – which is very unlike me.

I figured…let’s do some online shopping! Woot. I haven’t actually purchased anything…but with Christmas coming, and me definitely being on the “NICE” list this year, I’m going to make a wishlist.

It just sounds like fun.

1.) New Camera (click pictures for links): Nikon J1. At a whopping $650 this will NEVER happen. But that’s why it’s called a WISHlist, right?

2.) An E-reader. I’ve been working on researching one vs. the other (Kindle $80 vs Nook $100) and haven’t really figured out which is better. Suggestions?

3.) World peace. Again. Wishlist. A girl can dream, can’t she?

4.) A PUPPY!!

OMG, I’m in love. Dear puppy, I’ll play in the snow with you!


These two are breaking my heart! Come here pups, let’s snug :)

5.) Fun & Cute Accessories

Black and white infinity scarf in Houndstooth – swoon…

I’m definitely more of an earring girl than a necklace girl…but I adore this.

 

I’ve also been craving a BIG CHANGE recently. I’m on the verge of changing my hair. Not too sure what that means…it can’t be anything too terribly drastic – like blonde, omg, can you imagine?! Eyebrows, hello. Anyway. We’ll see what happens. If it’s cute, I’ll share.

Here we go weekend…

Much (if only) love,

| Because someday will eventually come |

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And I have so many hopes and dreams for someday.

My problem is that I’m having a hard time making someday happen…NOW.

I used to have motivation. I used to *be* motivated. I used to be able to motivate and inspire others. I lost it.

Where the hell did it go? Did it fall out of my purse?

OMIGAWD, DID I EAT IT?!

I probably ate it – and it was most likely delicious. But oh hell. These huge pants right here are pretty pissed about it.

So here we go, some BLATANTLY OBVIOUS – and maybe some *new* – reasons why I need to get my butt back in gear:

  • I feel sluggish and tired when I’m not being active.
  • I hate my body (hate is a strong word – strongly detest??).
  • I’m mad at my pant size…again.
  • I want to be able to wear AWESOME boots like these or these or these. Right now my calves are too fat to buy cute boots and/or feel good wearing them with my skinny jeans tucked in. And I REFUSE to buy the “big girl” (aka. fat calves) boots. I just don’t wanna…
  • Addendum to previous “wish” – I’d like to wear skinny jeans, and not feel or look ridiculous.
  • Someday we will get married and I want to be a thin, confident bride – with relation to this, I do NOT want to be limited to wedding dress styles because of my size or less-than-fortunate shape.
  • I WANT to see that magical goal-weight number on the scale…like BAD. Like VERY bad. BAD BAD. 135. Magical.
  • Someday we will have babies (OH.EM.GEE. I said the “B” word) – I want to reach that goal-weight BEFORE babies so I have the confidence to know that I can LOSE the baby weight and work my way back to a healthy, slim body.
  • I never ever question that Jacques loves me…but I want to get back to the confident girl who never questions WHY.
  • Clothes are cuter in a smaller size.
  • As much as I want to believe that the scale does not dictate my success, I miss the feeling of accomplishment when that number on the scale goes down.
  • (Grandparents – don’t read this one) – I want to feel sexy…and have a reason to buy nice lingerie.

The first time around, I was so serious about the whole thing. I had the support of a great friend at the time and while it was never a competition between she and I, we both really succeeded because we were doing it together. We were facing the same challenges, we hit the same plateaus and we broke through them together. It was nice.

This time around, I have spoken with two of my girlfriends who have both expressed interest in wanting to lose weight and we’re going to try the same kind of support system. Because I don’t know if either of them want EVERYONE to know they’re working on their weight, I will not share names. We’re going to check in with each other on a weekly basis. Our “weigh-in” days will be Fridays. I will share my progress…but something HAS to be done.

I’ve already got a loose workout plan. Now I just need to put it into action.

So there. That’s that.

Otherwise…I’d love to be able to share pictures of Jacques’ and my fun Halloween costumes, but we didn’t do anything…and it was glorious. This was the second year in a row that we didn’t do anything – although last year’s reason wasn’t “just because.” We didn’t have ONE trick-or-treater! I had some fun with a couple DIY projects to seem more trick-or-treater friendly. It didn’t work:

I made a really tacky Halloween wreath and a couple fun “ghosts” made out of milk jugs. I put little electric tealites in them and they were actually very cute! But alas, nothing.

We also celebrated our two year anniversary on Tuesday! I had asked Jacques what he had planned for our anniversary over the weekend and he said he’d made dinner reservations…but wouldn’t tell me anything. Naturally I assumed it was because he didn’t ACTUALLY have plans. Well, he came home from work Tuesday night and basically told me I had an hour to get ready because we were going to dinner…oh, and that I wasn’t allowed to come downstairs.

So I got dressed and when I came downstairs to find these waiting for me:

He knows I love hydrangeas (the big white snowball in the middle) and he even added a little touch: two red roses for our two years together. I just thought that was so sweet!

His reservation was for a fancy bistro-style restaurant called Terroir in downtown Longmont. So good! We ate such good food and just really had a very romantic evening. I am so loved!

First official unofficial weigh in is tomorrow…here we go!