the not-so-cold front
Hi friends How was your weekend? Ours was gloriously relaxing. It was sunny on Friday,
but Saturday and Sunday were cozy rain days.
Similar to Tucson, everyone tends to hibernate here what it rains… except for the snails. Our old jalapeño plant is Snailpalooza 2015. We embraced the 54* cold front (my bro Kyle, who lives in Great Barrington, MA, laughed so hard when I told him this) and built a fire.
We love the fireplace here so much, and it was so fun to take advantage of it. It felt like a lovely San Diego winter evening with the fire crackling, and meatballs and marinara on the stove. Liv has been asking me to make meatballs for a few days now, so it definitely had to happen. 😉
(lately we’ve been mixing zucchini noodles -spiralized using this awesome tool– and quinoa noodles. It’s an easy way to boost fiber content and get some extra greens.)
(Apologies for the blah iPhone photos. At night, my DSLR takes yellow pics, and I still haven’t quite figured out how to fix it)
Some more adventures from the weekend:
Friday family pho night, courtesy of OB Noodle House
brunch with friends,
Livi’s dance class,
a much-needed haircut,
(feels so fresh!)
(source)
Wildcats basketball,
and LOTS of baking. Our house smells like melted chocolate chips. BBW needs to get on that candle scent. 😉
Meg posted on Facebook that she was missing Trader Joe’s almond butter, so I grabbed a few jars to send their way and made a batch of chocolate macaroons.
and also made the vegan PB chocolate chip cookies to send to last week’s giveaway winner.
(They are HUGE! I’m excited to put the rest of her goodie package together today.)
Workout-wise, I took it easy yesterday with a simple at-home flow, and am back to BODYPUMP this am.
Hope you have a wonderful Monday! See ya later today with a new recipe.
xoxo
Gina
Sharing some fun news this week! <3
Newsletter friends: check your email! The password for your March workouts went out this am. xo
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It’s been cold and rainy here too. Got the calendar 🙂 looking forward to doing the workouts this month. Thanks for putting that together.
Please share your meatball and marinara recipe 🙂 . I haven’t had meatballs in a very long time.
Excited to hear your new announcement.
Have a great week.
I need to move to San Diego haha! I definitely need more sun in my life! Wow, that ballet class – so adorable!! Hope you have a fabulous week!
Thank you for the March calendar! It’s great to have something to follow to feel as though you are working towards something during this long and often dreary (weather-wise) month. Do you just steam your artichokes in water? I love them but am always so afraid of making them! Can’t wait to hear your news!
Ohh I’m excited for your fun news!!
And I seriously wish my winter temperatures were 50+! haha You are lucky!
I love the smell of anything baking and chocolate is a plus! My girls have both taken dance for years now and I love watching them, they’re so into it now! Wish we had some sunnier weather here, we got more snow and I’m so done with it.
I love my spiralizer! Do you have any tips for cooking the zuchinni noodles without getting a pool of water? Or do you just eat them raw? I’m not ready for raw yet!
It was sunny here Friday and Saturday… made the almost 30 degree temps feel ok! Supposed to be in the mid 30s this week with a day that’s almost 50, I may be outside in a tshirt 😉
I think if you change your ISO/white balance that should help!! 🙂
So funny about the fire!! It was a little cold yesterday in SF, but our apartment gets soooo hot because the sun shines in literally all day! Also, spaghetti zoodles….my life. Happy Monday!
Latest Post: Spiral into Fit – I Spiralized Every Meal For a Day!
Your weekend sounds fabulous…can you please teleport to DC (and bring the 50+ temps with you) and make my house smell like chocolate? That would be awesome.
Also – you probably need to change your white balance on your DSLR. You may have it set on sunlight or a cloudy setting and need to change it to an incandescent setting. Not sure if you use a Canon or Nikon, but here’s a brief overview of the concept: http://www.slrphotographyguide.com/camera/settings/white-balance.shtml.
haha love it 🙂
thank you for the link; i will play with it!! xo
It was cloudy all weekend in AZ. Perfect for resting and kicking back. I needed the rest too. My body was sore from PT and working out hard to regain strength. Today it’s raining like crazy making the morning commute to the office a mess. Why couldn’t it have done that over the weekend?
I love throwing meatballs on a bed of veggies– such a simple, healthy and delicious meal!
one of my faves!
OMG…. that first pic of Liv is absolutely adorable. 🙂
thank you!
i am loving zoodles right now. i got a spiralizer for christmas and am having so much fun making veggie noodles.
so much fun! love sweet potato noodles too
Gimme those cookies too! Haha, I haven’t had artichokes in AGES… confession, I’ve never made them! They seem easy, but for some reason they confuse me…
they’re so, so easy. here’s a little how-to i did: http://fitnessista.com/2014/04/veg-intimidation-how-to-make-amazing-artichokes/
Your hair looks so pretty in the pic of you cooking at the stove!
thank you! it was still fresh 😉
I just wanted to see if I could sign up for the newsletter and get a copy of the March workout. Thank you, Gina!
Gina, ignore that. I did get the email….I thought I was signed up! sorry.
glad you got it!
Nothing beats a fireplace crackling on a cold night! 🙂 (Or a coldish night, right?)
haha amen
It’s been rainy here too, boo! We even had snow this morning but now it’s sunny, crazy weather! Can’t wait for the exciting news this week! 🙂
crazy! thank yoU! <3
Hi love your blog! to fix the yellow in your pictures taken at night change the white balance on your camera…especially if you have indoor lights on.
Jackie
thank you, i will try that!
Looks like a great weekend! My husband and I marathoned all of House of Cards Season 3 and I also started watching Downton Abbey like a classy British lady.
I’ll take your temperatures if you want to switch with Chicago!
haha i love downton, but haven’t watched in so long!
You always look amazing in every picture, beautiful hair too! Do you straighten or curl it? SO pretty. Your daughter looks adorable in the pic by the tree!
My youngest son was diagnosed was Ulcerative Colitis 4 years ago and the doctors at Childrens Hospital have yet to keep him in remission. He is on Apriso, an ADULT DOSE of 4 capsules and he only weighs 70 pds. I just got a call from the nurse on some labs and his inflammation markers for the colon are high again. 31 in october and today 612!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been in tears all morning! We have tried everything from holistic to a naturopath doctor, all dead ends! They did a biopsy 1 1/2 yrs ago and told me he did not have celiac! Im confused and feel helpless! Do you know of a diet that may help. We have tried gluten free but it didnt seem to make much difference. When his numbers were low, I was making fresh, raw juice in my Omega Juicer. Maybe I need to keep him drinking fresh, raw juice. Please help, from anyone reading would be sooo appreciated!
aww thank you so much! that was from getting it styled at the salon with a round brush; felt so good after!
i’m so sorry to hear about everything you’re going through with your little guy. i hope you can find some answers, or someone who’s had a similar experience may be able to chime in. thinking of you <3
That pic of Liv doing tree pose next to the tree… I die! 🙂 Your Beyonce haircut reference cracked me up too.
So sweet of you to send Meg the almond butter.
haha so glad you liked it <3
hope you're having a great day!
I have some ideas for Meg and her Trader Joes withdrawal.
– Plan a day to visit Northampton, Amherst, and Hadley. Northampton is one of my favorite towns, it’s artsy, creative, has a ton of good restaurants, a beautiful bike path. It’s amazing. If feeling ambitious, she can take the bike path right over the CT river into Hadley.
– Visit Hadley only for a Trader Joe’s trip!
– Atkins Farm in Amherst for their apple cider doughnuts (!!), maple syrup, and zucchini bread.
– Downtown Amherst for a slice of pizza (or 3..) at Antonio’s. Trust me on this.
– Or have a cocktail on the outdoor patio of the historic Lord Jeffery Inn – my wedding venue. Sniff.
Hope she’s enjoying MA!
i will send this along to her! thank you so much!!
that picture of liv doing the yoga post just made my dayyyyy!!! omg so cute
she is too funny. “mom, take my picture”
Eek I can’t wait to receive the giveaway package with those cookies! You are wonderful Gina 🙂 All of your cooking so delicious!
sent everything out today! i added some fun beauty products too- hope you enjoy! <3
I have to join Kyle in laughter! Haha! What I wouldn’t do for a 54* day right now! 😉
The suspense!! Can’t wait to hear your big news!
that’s what he said! it’s 24 there today.. ahhh!
What I wouldn’t give to feel temperatures in the 50s! 🙂 I live in snowy Buffalo, with a high today of 25! Send help lol. Anyway, sounds like you had a fabulous weekend. We have a fireplace in our house too, and it is so lovely to have!
hahah i am trying to send you warm sunshine <3
Ooh I WANT those PB chocolate chip cookies!! (It must be the middle of the afternoon… ;))
Fireplaces are the best. Much as I love condo living, having a fireplace is possibly the only thing that I miss about living in a house!
haha perfect afternoon treat!
totally agree. our last house didn’t have one, and they’re so cozy!
Thanks for the March workout calendar, so many awesome options to keep me inspired through the month.
I love a bog bowl of pho on a cold night, well any night really, but it’s extra comforting when it’s freezing outside.
lol I wish you could see Michigan when it hits 50 this time of year – people are out running in shorts in capris.
The mere mention of meatballs (and definitely the pics) definitely make me crave some.
BTW, those vegan PB cookies look perfect! i love how they have that perfect “cracked” texture to them.
Love the picture of your little yogi! So cute. I’m from Western MA and not too far from Great Barrington and I just wanted to let you know, so you could pass it along to Meg, that there are two Trader Joes both a little over an hour away, one in Hadley,MA and one in Colony, NY. I don’t know if she drives but I thought it might be helpful for her to know. 🙂
i will pass it along- thank you!!