Holler-Dayz Reunions

Hi there!

Tomorrow I am lucky enough to have a Christmas party to attend.

At this party I will get to reunite with my best friends in the world and say HOLLAAA (in a gangster voice)!

Since university, we have all kind of gone our separate ways - me in New York, my best friend in Dubai, lots of pals in Toronto, and the rest scattered around Ontario. I haven't seen everyone together in months and months and months. That being said, I am over the moon excited to see everyone!

happier than this Santa cat

For the party I bought a pretty new dress. I haven't seen these people in a long time so I'm a bit worried about looking as fabulous as I would like to due to my lack of dedication to the gym and influx of work parties over the past few weeks. Here is the dress in pink, I bought it in a very pretty Christmas green:

You can get one too! Click here
Hopefully I look okay, I still need to figure out my shoe situation. Any recommendations?

Holiday parties with friends are so much more fun than any work related party ever could be. I am SO pumped to see all of my old pals and catch up. Although, I am definitely feeling some anxiety about this event. Le sigh. It should be fine after a glass of champagne!

Which of these drinks is lowest in calories?
A) White wine
B) Vodka and soda
C) Champagne

Answer: Champagne
They’re all fairly low in calories compared to real waistline busters like spiked eggnog or hot chocolate with whipped cream, but champagne wins the prize for the fewest with 95 in a 5-ounce glass. Vodka and soda has slightly more at about 100 and wine has about 120 calories in the same 5-ounce serving.
Here’s a good tip: If you want wine, replace 2 ounces of vino with some zero-calorie club soda to easily save 50 calories you could put toward a slice of pie — or another glass of wine. Source

I hope you all enjoy some champagne ASAP!

Do you have any Christmas party plans?

Staying Healthy During the Holidays

Oh, the holiday season. The time where everyone comes together to enjoy cheer, merriment and lots of delicious yet thigh-growing food. My holiday traditions include a lot of big meals, big glasses of wine, followed by various desserts, followed by incredible guilt. I might as well slap some sugar cookies onto my thighs.

To help avoid gaining weight, then struggling to lose it in a predictable New Years Resolution that will ultimately fail after a few weeks of vigor, I have decided to compile a few health tips to keep myself in line.

Some of my tips:
1) Work out. Today, I went to pilates and then did a bit of weight training. Each day, do at least something while home. I plan to do a few of my mom's old workout VHS tapes while at my parent's place. Perhaps I'll even bear the cold and go for a walk around this cute trail around a river in my home town.
2) Start your day off right with a healthy breakfast. I'm going to opt to try and eat eggs as often as possible as they are filling and are low carb. While staying at my parent's place, I am positive that there will be lots of fresh berries, clementines, Ontario apples and other light vitamin rich options to have on the side. By eating a light breakfast, I will be conscious of my diet for the rest of the day.
3) If you really really want to, have dessert. Try a bite. if it is not AMAZING, then stop eating it. It is not worth is unless you would fight someone for it.
4) Think thin. If I keep thinking about my goals, I am not as easily distracted. Think about how being a lazy Christmas blob will impact your body image. This is what I need to keep in mind. 

Easy right?

Here are some other useful tips / info I came across online:
From Womens Health Mag

• Your body's reaction after stuffing yourself at Christmas dinner -
  
  Within 15 minutes
  Both your stomach and small intestine alert your brain—via hormones such as peptide YY—that they are beyond capacity. But if you hoovered your meal, your brain won't get the memo until after you've helped yourself to seconds.
• On busting holiday excuses - “I don’t have time.”
  This is the most common excuse year ‘round. And during the holidays when time becomes even more crunched, it’s in full force. You won’t find time; you have to make time. Make exercise your first priority in the morning. That way you work out before your day gets away from you. Find an early morning class and commit to being there two to three days a week. The support of a group class will give you an extra motivational boost.

From EverydayHealth.com

• At parties - Don’t socialize near the buffet table so you won’t be tempted to nibble constantly as you chat.
• On beating the holiday blues - Tempting as it might be to sleep in on dark mornings, it’s best to stick with a regular sleep schedule — which means waking up at the same times on weekdays and weekends. Establish a routine wake-up time and a soothing bedtime ritual, and if you aren’t already in this habit, allow three or four weeks to get used to it, advises Gollan. Also, make sure that your sleeping area is comfortable, slightly cool, and free of noisy distractions.

From Fitsugar.com (one of my favorites!)

• Burn calories without a gym - have a dance party, help mom clean the house before guests arrive, walk around the mall longer, just get moving!

From Shape.com

• Party food is traditionally a nutrition minefield but there are almost always a few healthy options in the mix. Fresh cut vegetables are standard party fare, as well as shrimp cocktail (a great source of lean protein). Opt for these vegetables and protein-based foods and steer clear of the piles of crackers, creamy dips in bread bowls, and bite-sized puff pastry hors d'oeuvres stuffed with cheese.
• Sip Low Calorie CocktailsMixed drinks, like vodka tonics (175 calories), are higher in calories than wine (120 calories), light beer (103 calories), and Champagne (91 calories). If you're craving a cocktail, opt for club soda in place of tonic water to save 80 calories. 

How do you stay healthy during the Christmas season?

Canada Bound!

Hi There!

I am flying home to Canada tomorrow for the holidays, woohoO! Yes, that means I am taking 2 whole weeks off work. (yessssss!). I am planning to go to BF's parents house for a bit, see some extra-wonderful friends from university in Toronto, and get in some solid fam-jam time. I love Christmas so very, very much.
While I'm home, my posts will be few and far between because I will be pretty busy and away from a computer. I promise to post pictures of snow, horses and Canadian fun when I get back :)

For now, here is a bit of an update on what is going on in my fridge.

A few weeks ago my aunt and uncle came to the city to visit. Randomly, they thought it would be fun to go to Target in Harlem. I love Target and loved that they wanted to go to Harlem, so off we went in a cab all the way up to 117th St.

I forgot how cool Costco is. The huge carts. The colossal isles, brimming with giant packages of anything and everything. This Costco even had Michael Kors and Coach bags. Is that normal?

 I ended up with more cheese, fish, almonds and ziploc bags than I know what to do with. I have a HUGE container of salsa. At least 8 kinds of cheese. Enough salmon and tilapia to last me months. How the heck did I get so lucky?
Check out my fridge.

CHEEEEESE - the #1 reason i am not a born again vegan

my freezer

ridiculous

amazing

best thing evverrr

 Due to the large amount of salmon I have at my disposal, I have been eating it pretty often. Here is what I've been doing with it lately:

I separated a big slab into smaller Caitlin-sized portions.

the salsa jar is almost as big as my coffee maker.

Great use for a giant jar of salsa!

 

wonderful on salad.

Honey mustard glaze with teriyaki veggies. mmmm

 

 

Now I think I need to have a cheese and wine party. Maybe I can bring it to the New Years eve party I’m going to?

What are your plans for the holidays? Do you shop at Costco?

Later! 

Also, you should definitely check this out https://twitter.com/#!/shitgirlssay

O, Canada!

This weekend was wonderous. I love long weekends!

The only downfall was I took the godforsaken bus from NYC to Toronto on Friday, and then back last night. My advice to you: never do this, ever. It was a bad choice for me personally. I do not do well with sitting next to big scary strangers who smell funny and I do not do well without sleep. We got in at 8:30 this morning and had to go to work after a quick shower. Moving forward, I will save money to fly :)

the motherland!

Even though the bus was terrible, I had the chance to do lots of great things. I ate yummy food, spent a lot of time outdoors, played with cows & horses, went kayaking and had an opportunity to enjoy my first glimpse of fall in my home land.

mmm canadian thanksgiving :) not pictured - lots o pie

the water was still nice in Bobcaygen!

me, pretending to be outdoorsy

cute!!

look! the leaves have started to change!

It certainly is different than NYC at home in Ontario! I'm glad to be back but a part of me misses those pretty leaves :)

What did you do this weekend??

Cheers to the Freakin Weekend!

Hi Everyone!! 

Happy Friday :) 

This weekend I am taking a bus from NYC to Toronto, I leave at 7:30pm and arrive at 5:45am --> a bit worried about how I will manage with the claustrophobia. Luckily, BF will be on the bus with me. We are going to a wedding this weekend! I'm so excited, I love weddings! Last night I stopped at Trader Joe's and got some bus snacks. 

Some serious pretzel action - honey, mustard, & onion AND chocolate peanut butter covered. Whoa!

Other news, I joined Pinterest, and I recommend that you do too!  It is a very cool way to waste time.  Follow me! Click below & check it out.

 

You will come across food, clothing, and travel destinations that you didn't even know you love. 

Recently I have tried a some new products and wanted to share my thoughts on them with you!

1) Soy Joy bars - Coconut Mango & Apple Walnut

• Note, these were free at a bar that I was at on Wednesday night. (There were some post marathon folks who did not want them.) In a nutshell, these suck. I would never buy these because they have such high sugar, relatively low protein and they are just plain gross. Their hyper-sweet, fruit cake texture was  not for me & at 140 calories per bar I am not impressed with the "keeping Caitlin full" factor that I look for in a snack. Maybe I'm crazy? Have you had them? If so, what did you think?

 

2) Trader Joes Tuna in Green Curry Sauce 

• I loved this stuff - it is hands down one of the best meal-ish products I have ever gotten at Trader Joes! The package contains yellowfin tuna in a spicy, creamy, extremely flavorful sauce. I opened the package into a bowl & microwaved it for a minute or so. This would be great with brown rice too. The portion was perfect to bring for lunch and is was very affordable (I think it was only $1.69 per package). The instructions specify warming the bag in boiling water but microwaving was just fine. TJ's also had a red curry on the sauce which I will definitely try next time. Have you tried this? You should!!

 

I hope you all have an excellent weekend filled with Columbus Day / Canadian Thanksgiving fun! I am going to Ditch Plains for a lunch with some co-workers. 

Check it out http://www.ditch-plains.com/

bye!

Fashion's Night Out + Back in the City

I'm back in the city! Going home felt really great. I missed my family. A lot. It was really nice to just go to my small town and hang around. I went to the barn a lot, went for walks with my mom, slept in, went in the 60 degree swimming pool (brisk!) and had a really great time. On my flight back, BF surprised me and had paid to get on the same flight as me as he was in Toronto for business. What a cutie.

Coming back to reality has been tough - I totally have post-vacation blues. Luckily, this Thursday my very best friend in the whole wide world is coming to New York. Can't wait!!!!

Living in New York has allowed me to experience a lot of interesting, entertaining and new events. Last Thursday night it was Ms. Wintour's FNO. Although I just toured SoHo for a little while, I was lucky enough to see some pretty cool things. 

First stop, Longchamp. 

Free champange? Whynot!

What lovely carry on bags!

 Next stop (really more of a walk by), Dash. This store had hundreds, maybe even thousands of people outside because Kim K was making an appearance. Not the biggest fan of this reality star. Also, Pauly D from the Jersey Shore was spinning tunes to celebrate the evening. There was way way way too many people so I didn't stick around. I mean, I love Pauly D and everything but just not thatttt much.

yikes!

Last stop, Bloomingdale's on Broadway. Billy Joel & Christy Brinkley's daughter Alexix was there & did some singing. She was relatively talented. Also, there was an artist who was doing portraits for free. It was pretty cool.

I stopped in a few other stores, nothing too noteworthy. Overall, a pretty cool night hosted by the city's retail stores.  I went to FNO last year & have to admit that this year was a bit disappointing. Last year the stores were not as busy.Word got out that there was free booze to be consumed! 

This morning I did not have time to make my lunch, so SeamlessWeb it was!

Lunch: 2 roll sushi combo with green salad & miso soup. I got an avocado cucumber roll & a sweet potato tempura roll. The cado-cuc roll was great but the sweet potato tempura roll was not. It wasn't a sweet potato, but a regular white potato, so weird! Not only that, the potato wasn't cooked & the tempura was soggy. Yuck!

 

 I have to be in a special mood to get salmon or anything adventurous, when I do I almost always enjoy it.  What kind of sushi do you like?

That's it for me tonight! I hope all of you are having a nice week :)

A f

Hungry for Home

Tomorrow morning I am flying home to Canada and I am so very excited. I was originally headed home for a wedding but the dates got mixed up. It is my mom's birthday this weekend so it all worked out that I am getting to spend some extra time with her! On Friday night I am meeting up with BF and my aunt & uncle for a nice dinner (can't wait to see all of them)! Then Saturday I'll be headed home until Monday night. I really, really, really just want to get there. I love New York City, but I still need the people and the places I came from. I can't wait to see my friends. I can't wait to hold my pets. I especially cannot wait to see my family. Yay!

Last night I had a work dinner with my team and had the opportunity to go to a fancy restaurant called Mas (farmhouse). This place is very cute, tiny and is modeled after a French farmhouse. Loved it. 

The food was incredible and way more expensive than I could afford on my own. I had a 4 course meal and some wine. I had an appetizer, 2 half sized entrees and a dessert. 

Appetizer: Gently Smoked Wild King Salmon with a Dill Cream Salad of Purslane, Local Husk Cherries & Toasted Almonds (this was amazing, the salmon was prepared so perfectly it melted like butter)

1/2 Entree #1:Roasted Lobster Tail & Poached Claw Ricotta Gnocchi, Wilted Arugula & Cauliflower in a Leek Cream (I would give this dish a B+. It wasn't the best gnocci or lobster that i've ever had. but can lobster ever really be bad? No.)

1/2 Entree #2: Huitlacoche Risotto with Grilled Lobster Mushrooms Turnips, Mustard Greens & Parmesan Foam (This was so so so good and a small enough portion that I didn't feel like a big fatty. I ordered this thinking that 1. grilled lobster mushrooms were normal mushrooms filled with lobster. they were actually a type of mushroom. 2. Parmesan foam meant thick cheesy awesome ness. No, it was like frothy milk on top of my risotto.)

Dessert: Hazelnut-Milk Chocolate Mousse with Cocoa Streusel Salted Caramel Ice Cream & Chocolate Ganache (One word: Wowza)

If you ever get a chance to go, I highly recommend that you do. Will I ever go again? Probably not just because of the price!

Today's eats.....

Breakfast: I actually switched things up and got a bagel from the little deli near my office called Jazzys. That is a handmade garlic bagel with jalapeno cream cheese. This was mildly disappointing because it was cold.

Lunch: More soup! Do you find that homemade soup is always wayyyy better on the 2nd day? It was much spicier today :) 

I hope everyone enjoys their weekend! I'm out til Tuesday. Off to Canadialand!!!

I'm coming home!