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the 2016 project
Fall Recipes to Try
October 24, 2016
November is coming up quickly and it's the month where I'll be trying a new recipe every week! So I've been pinning up a storm of fall (okay pumpkin) and cozy slow cooker meals to try out. Here are some of my favorites:
I need to use our crock pot more and this looks SO GOOD.
The 2016 Project Update Two
July 8, 2016
Well damn it's already Q3 folks! Time for round two of The 2016 Project updates on months April-June. It's actually insanity that we're halfway through the year, and that I've kept up with my resolutions for this long. I can tell you that's never happened. Pretty proud of myself actually, but I had a feeling that blogging about it would definitely hold me accountable.
April: go somewhere new. Okay, so I kind of failed at this one. But it wasn't a total fail. I never really went anywhere with the intention of it being counted as my April resolution, but I did go to new restaurants, parks and a new state. I think my original plan was to do something grander than those things, but there just wasn't enough time.
May: drink lemon water every morning. If you're interested in a full review of the lemon water thing you can read my post here. In short, I hated it, like irrationally so. I didn't really believe in it from the beginning so I don't think I ever expected it to stick, but now I can say I've tried it.
June: take a class. This was one of the ones I was most excited about and it did not disappoint. My friend Taryn and I took a croissant making class at Sur la Table and it was actually amazing. 1. It was really fun to learn how to bake something I would probably never otherwise make, and 2. We went home with a dozen delicious croissants. Probably the best I've ever had ;) this will definitely be something I want to do again. I really want to take a knife skills class because it's something I could definitely use some improvement on, but it wasn't as exciting as croissants. Hopefully soon!
You can keep up with all 2016 Project updates here if you'd like! If you've been following along since the beginning you may notice I made a few rearrangements, but nothing too drastic. Would love to know if you set a New Year's resolution and how it's going if you did!
xo Catherine
I Did Not Like Drinking Warm Lemon Water Every Day
June 6, 2016
As part of The 2016 Project I started off my day with a glass of warm lemon water every morning for the month of May (okay only up until May 25th when we left for NYC). Today I wanted to share my honest opinion and experience. From what I've seen everyone loves starting their day off with warm lemon water. From other bloggers to my close friends, I only heard great things. I'll be honest: I kind of hated drinking warm lemon water. Let me preface this by saying that I am not at all a beverage person. I don't drink coffee, and I really only drink tea when I'm sick. I think that I maybe would have enjoyed it more if I had been someone who really liked hot drinks, but honestly I didn't like the taste or giving up the 5 extra minutes in the morning to make it and drink it. Haha that may sound ridiculous to you, but it just wasn't for me. I also didn't feel like it gave me any of the amazing health benefits that I'd read about. Maybe I just didn't do it for long enough, but here's what I found:
Clearing up acne: I wouldn't say that I have acne, but I have the occasional breakout like anyone else and I had my regular breakout during May despite drinking the lemon water. My skin cleared up just when I started to make the effort to drink more water about a year ago, so I think that's what works for me.
Helping with digestion: I have a lot of digestive issues as it is, and honestly they got worse during the month of May. I obviously can't say that it's because of the lemon water, but it didn't make it better either.
Gives you energy: I really didn't notice any uplift in energy. I think it would take something pretty major to give me a ton more energy haha.
Overall pros of my experience: I was drinking more water and starting my day off with a glass of water. I also got to use all of my cute mugs that normally just sit in the cabinets :)
Cons: I had to spend five minutes of my already limited time before work juicing a lemon and heating it up. This is a total first world problem, but I was always crabby during this part of the morning. I also didn't love the taste even when I added some honey to cancel out the acidity.
I think it's safe to say that I will not be continuing on with the daily warm lemon water. I just felt like I needed to share my experience because I wasn't able to find very many reviews from people who didn't actually like it and I think having someone talk about the other side of the coin is equally important and informative. There are a ton of people who love warm lemon water, but I am just not one of them, and that's okay! Different things work for different people.
If you've ever tried the whole warm lemon water thing I'd love to hear what your experience has been!
xo Catherine
The 2016 Project Update One
April 15, 2016
Can you believe we're three (and a half) months into 2016? You may remember that I've set a mini resolution for each month of the year and dubbed it The 2016 Project. If you're new around these parts you can read all about it here. Today I wanted to check in and share how the first quarter of the year's resolutions went.
January: standing an extra hour a day at work. I already hated standing for the first two hours of the day, so adding an extra hour after lunch was unpleasant. I stuck with it all but one or two days when I was in meetings all day. But, as soon as February 1st hit, I dropped that extra hour like it was hot. I've actually read a lot of mixed articles and research about whether standing at your desk is actually better for you. I've pretty much learned that it's good to stand and move around, but it's not great to do it for long stretches of time, or for the majority of the day because it's hard on your body. Honestly I'll take whatever reason I can get to sit down!
February: do a weekend long digital detox. Mark was kind enough to join in on my endeavor for this one. I was worried we'd be really bored, but it honestly didn't feel that different. I don't think there are any official rules for doing a digital detox, but we decided that we wouldn't use our phones, computers, or TV. We also didn't do a full 48 hours, it was more like 36. We kept very busy that weekend though, which I think is the key to staying sane. We ran errands and packed up our apartment for our impending move. I would say that nighttime was the weirdest/hardest, because that's typically when we would watch a movie, or browse the internet. Overall I enjoyed the weekend, I'm not sure Mark can say the same though. I would love to implement little digital detoxes into our lives going forward. Like phone-free date nights.
March: no eating out. Besides July's no shopping, this was the one that I went into thinking would be the toughest. While we don't eat out a ton, it is a normal part of our week to pick something up, or go out on the weekends. I love trying new restaurants, and don't love cooking, so eating out gets two thumbs up from me. There were definitely times during the month when I was itching to get out of the house, or just pick something up so I wouldn't have to make dinner. However, I was surprised that by the end of the month I wasn't going crazy, and that we had successfully (minus one work dinner) made it through! I don't think we need to take a whole month off of eating out, but it definitely showed me that we don't have to go out as often as we were before. We'll see if I'm feeling the same way in another month though!
April's challenge is to go somewhere new. I could technically cross this off already, since I went to Hartington, Nebraska for the first time last weekend, but I don't think I'll count that since it was scheduled before I started this project. I'm thinking maybe a new beach or maybe the dog park for the first time!
Did you set any New Year's Resolutions? How are they going?
Have a great weekend!
xo Catherine
Recipes to Try
March 11, 2016
Chicken kebab bowl image and recipe from I Will Not Eat Oysters.
As you may know, we're not eating out this month, so it's the perfect time to try some new recipes like the yummy chicken kebab bowls pictured above. The idea behind not eating out is both to save money, and to try and eat better, so I went in search of some tasty, healthy recipes that I'd love to try (you an follow along on Pinterest). I'll be honest, I don't love cooking. I do it, but only because I have to. The times I get excited about cooking, though, are when I'm trying a new recipe. So hopefully I'll use this as a way to give myself a little kick of motivation.
Cauliflower tater tots recipe and image from Farm Fresh to You.
Cauliflower has become the go-to carb substitute. I've seen recipes for cauliflower pizza, pasta, and now tater tots! Mark and I made a cauliflower pizza crust last year and while it was time consuming, it was delicious!
Eggplant lasagna recipe and image via Panning the Globe.
I made an eggplant parmesan not that long ago and it was delicious! You couldn't even tell you were eating vegetables ;)
Zoodle pad thai recipe and image via Skinny Mom.
I had a zoodle pad thai at a restaurant in Minneapolis a couple months ago and have been wanting to try and replicate it. That would first require me buying a zoodle maker, but I think it would be so fun to try! That's one food trend I want to hop on board with.
Cauliflower patty recipe and image via Carb Switch.
Here's another cauliflower recipe for you! It seriously is the miracle vegetable.
I'm challenging myself to make one of these recipes this weekend. Hold me to it! Now which one to pick...
Do you have any recipes you swear by, or that you've been wanting to try?
xo Catherine
p.s. shout out to my friend Kara for helping me with blog post ideas when I have writer's block!
The 2016 Project
January 6, 2016
I have never set a resolution before, and honestly think that they're usually just a great way to set yourself up to fail and feel bad about yourself (unless you're my sister, because that woman is disciplined)! This year I'm trying something new based on an idea from a former coworker, not a resolution per se, but mini goals for each month of the year. I figure if I blog about it then I'm more likely to do it because I'm publicly holding myself accountable! So this is me asking you to hold me accountable.
I didn't want to get too crazy with things I know I'll never stick to (hello intense work out routines or dieting) but I did want to challenge myself to do a few small things for a fairly short period of time to make myself and my life better. I created these monthly goals with the hopes that I enjoy them and will potentially carry them on or do them again in the future. So here goes!
Updated in January of 2017 with the results:
January: Stand an extra hour a day at work. I stand for the first two hours of my work day and then typically sit the rest of the day. For the month of January I'm going to stand for another hour in the afternoon.
I actually hated doing this. However, I stuck to it all but one day when I was in meetings the entire day. Supposedly you're more productive when you stand, but for me, that's not the case. I was too concentrated on how tired my legs were or when I could sit down to focus. I think my standing in the morning works because I'm eating breakfast and getting caught up on emails during that time. Whereas the second time I would stand was after lunch was when I had projects to work on, and I had trouble focusing.
February: Do a weekend long digital detox. I've always wanted to do this, but I think it requires some planning. It's happening in Feb!
I was really excited/nervous to try this one out, and it was honestly kind of the best. Mark and I had been crazy busy all of February and had one weekend "off" before we were getting ready to move, so we decided this would be the best time to take a little break from technology. We made our own rules which included: no phones, no TV, and no computers. We did, however, go see a movie. So not 100% tech-free. At first it was a little weird because I always reach for my phone if I'm waiting for anything, or just to confirm that it is in fact right next to me. I quickly got over that and embraced the phone-freeness. We kept busy all weekend running errands and packing, so I think that definitely made it so that we didn't get bored without our usual modes of entertainment. It was really refreshing to not feel like I needed to document every moment of my life or like I needed to keep up with every moment of everyone else's life too. All-in-all I enjoyed the weekend, and would recommend it! It's the perfect way to unwind and GSD.
March: No eating out. I think this one will be the most challenging because I don't enjoy cooking and I love trying new restaurants, but Mark thinks it will be a breeze. Wish us luck!
March was a bit of a roller coaster with the new addition to our family. For the most part not eating out was fine and I didn't given it a lot of thought, but after we got Louie I was longing for someone else to prepare my food. The first weekend with him was exhausting and cooking was the last thing I wanted to do. We stayed strong, though! We both did eat out for work functions once though, but we didn't want to be antisocial, so we let it slide :)
April: Go somewhere new. I know this one is pretty ambiguous, but I kind of want to leave it that way. It could be a store I've always meant to check out, or a new city.
Okay, so I completed this one, but half-heartedly. I never went anywhere new with the thought that it would count for my April resolution. I had hoped to go to a new beach with Louie, but it never panned out. I did, however, go to several new restaurants, a new State (NE), and new parks, but none of them with the intention of going somewhere new. Oh well, we'll count it!
May: Drink warm lemon water every morning. This is always so hyped up and I figure what's the harm in trying it out for a month?
I did a full post about this experience here!
June: Take a class. I keep talking about taking a cooking or photography class, so June will be the month I make it happen!
My friend Taryn and I took a croissant making class at Sur la Table and it was amazing. It was so fun to make something so complicated and they were honestly the best croissants I've ever had. I would highly recommend taking a croissant class and I loved my experience at Sur la Table. Our chef instructor said it's her favorite class, so I'm glad we picked it. Not sure I'll be making any of these flaky pastries on my own anytime soon, but maybe one day! We're already talking about what class we'll take next :)
July: No desserts during the week. I did a little editing here and moved some months around because I wanted to add this one in. I thought about doing this when I first came up with The 2016 Project at the beginning of the year, but thought it would be too hard. Well now I want to get my butt in gear and give it a go. I have a major sweet tooth. I'm talking a little dessert every single night and I have to fight hard not to have dessert at work too. So I'm hoping being held accountable here and having strict rules around when I can and cannot have dessert will make it easier to abstain! Wish me luck.
I'll be blunt: this was a bitch. I have a major sweet tooth and so every night without dessert I was whining to Mark. He probably hated this one more than me because of how annoying I was 😂I was actually successful though! I ended up counting both Friday and Sunday as part of the weekend, and therefore dessert days, but I had to do that to survive. I definitely won't be making this a regular thing, but I'm glad to know I could do it if I wanted or needed to.
August: Try a new work out class. I'm the type of person who doesn't like going somewhere without knowing exactly what's going on and how everything works, so new work out classes at new places kind of give me anxiety, but I'm determined to give one a shot!
I was pretty proud of myself for trying barre a few months ago, and have started going every week because I enjoy it so much, so I was happy to try another new workout class. I wasn't sure what to pick, but settled on Pilates because I'm not a huge cardio person. I thought it was going to be awful and just an hour of ab exercises, but it actually wasn't bad at all. There was a fair amount of abs, but also a lot of arm and leg work too. I have a few weeks off between seasons of volleyball so I think I may keep going to this class as a replacement workout for a few weeks!
September: No Shopping. I think the last time I gave up shopping was for Lent five years ago, so this should be interesting! I'm sure I'll save a lot of money though.
This was a tough one! As I'm sure you've gathered I love shopping and I'll be honest it made coming up with blog content a little tricky. I know that's terrible and technically I shouldn't have to spend money to write blog posts, but I enjoy styling new things. That's what gets me excited. I basically had a running list of things to buy once the month was over. Lol. It worked out that I wasn't shopping in September though because I bought an unexpected plane ticket to go home so that extra money came in handy! Definitely think I will need to do more no shopping months in the future.
October: Volunteer. Self explanatory.
The University of Minnesota had an Alumni Day of Service where they coordinated volunteer events all over the country for alumni to participate in. A fellow gopher and I headed up to SF to spend an afternoon helping out at the Marin Food Bank. It was a very similar experience to FMSC if you've ever been!
November: Try a new recipe every week. Doing this one in the hopes that I'll magically fall in love with cooking. Crossing my fingers!
I was actually pretty good about this one. Some of the recipes were extremely simple, but I think I actually stuck to it! Unfortunately, no love for cooking has emerged.
December: Read a book I wouldn't normally pick out. I consider myself to be a pretty voracious reader (one book a week) but I tend to stick to the same types of books, so I want to try and pick something that's outside of my norm.
I didn't finish it in the month of December, but I got halfway through (still reading!) Attached and have been devouring it. It's technically a self-help book about relationships and the three different attachment styles that adults fall into. Even though I'm in a relationship, it's still really interesting. It will make you understand yourself and everyone else in your life so much better! Be warned that you'll start assessing everyone in your life to see whether you think they're an anxious, secure, or avoidant!
I will update this page monthly (it's also in the nav bar!) with the status of each goal. I hope you follow along!
xo Catherine
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