At the beginning of every new year, I like to reflect back on last year’s resolutions and see how successful I was at meeting my goals…

2011 Resolutions

1. Take a Photography Class. Met!… In 2011 I took three photography classes and then started a photography business with my sister Kiley that continues to grow! It was definitely one of the highlights of 2011 for me.

2. Waste less food. Met!… Meal planning and getting creative with leftovers definitely helped us to waste less food and save money on food costs.

3. Continue to save. Met!… Cory and I exceeded our savings goal and was able to purchase our new house!!! Perhaps the biggest highlight of 2011?!

4. Stay active with variable/fun exercise at least 3 times a week. Kinda met… I had good weeks and I had bad weeks in regards to my commitment to exercising. Working full-time at the hospital and starting a new business left me with little free time… and quality time with the husband or dinner with friends a lot of times won over yoga class.

5. Savor each moment- Umm… always a work in progress! Balancing everything in 2011 was a constant struggle for me. Sometimes the perfectionist side of me causes more harm than good and I end up stressing about things that are beyond my control. Cory can probably write a book about “How to Calm Down Your Stressed Out Wife!”

As for 2012…

2012 Resolutions

1. Finish decorating the house… The selection of décor in our house has been a slow and very thoughtful process. I want to LOVE everything in our house. Every rug, piece of furniture, vase, etc was selected after discussion and careful consideration (and some inspiration from Pinterest). Why spend money on things you don’t love?! Luckily, Cory enjoys helping me choose things for the house and we have similar taste in style so that helps! My goal is to finish decorating the interior of the house by the end of this year. We have big plans for the backyard space (think outdoor entertaining area, herb/veggie garden!) but that may take a couple years…

2. Exercise at least 3 times per week and stay physically active during the day. Although exercise may not be my number one priority (family and work usually comes first), it is still a really important tool to help me manage stress and stay healthy! I hope to consistently (on more weeks than not) exercise at least 30 minutes 3 times per week. Additionally, I plan to stay active during the day by taking the stairs at work, walking down to a coworker’s office to tell them something in person rather than emailing or calling them (when time permits!), etc.

3. Savor each moment (again!)… I’m a busy person because I pursue many interests and am very fortunate to live a very fulfilling life. The double-edged sword is when I try to do to fit in 35 hours of activity in a 24 hour day. This year I hope to recognize my limits and for goodness sake stop getting so stressed out! Daily reminders of how thankful I am for everyone and everything in my life may help. A trip to the Caribbean would also help!

Anyone have any advice or ideas on how to minimize unnecessary stress and truly appreciate the little (and big) things in life?

What are some of your new year resolutions? How are things going so far?

Thanks for stopping by! Till next time…

Kasey

It was a lot of work but so much fun having family and friends over to celebrate the holiday. I knew it was a great party when half way through the night Cory came over to give me a hug and kiss and said “Looks like our first party was a success”

There was an abundance of family, presents, Christmas cheer and FOOD! Our family totally helped out with our Christmas Dinner Buffet by bringing dishes to the party. Cory and I contributed the baked ham, roasted asparagus, cheese platters, fruit tray, desserts, and wine (of course).

Here are a couple photos I took before the party started…

Christmas cards displayed over our fire place!

Our buffet served wine & cheese platters!

I made a few Holly arrangements from my coworker’s Holly Tree!

 Fruit Tray, Another Cheese Platter (we like cheese!), & Festive Chips with Salsa

More holiday décor all through the house!

Honey Baked Ham

Tiers and tiers of desserts!

 Christmas Funfetti Cake (Cory’s Favorite!!!)

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday filled with family and friends!

xoxo,

Kasey

Over the last month, Cory and I have been getting settled into our brand new house!!! It feels like a mansion compared to our tiny one bedroom condo we lived in for 4 years. We are still waiting on some new furniture deliveries (specifically, a new sofa that has been on back order since October, errh). Also, I still have a ton of interior decorating to do (hanging pics and artwork on the walls, etc). We are planning to have Christmas Eve at our house so I got lots to do to get the house ready before then!

Our new house…

My absolute favorite room in the house is my dream kitchen! I have always wanted a kitchen with a island, plenty of counter space, and lots of cabinet storage. The main living room and kitchen is one big open space which is awesome because I can watch TV while washing dishes

The kitchen also includes a walk in pantry with lots of shelf space. This is my first time having a gas burning stove so I’ve been getting used to cooking with an open flame.

What’s your favorite feature in a kitchen?

Speaking of the kitchen, I better get back in there and finish my Thanksgiving Day baking!!! Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday filled with great food, family, and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Kasey

After working a twelve hour day and cooking a quick dinner, it’s kind of tough to plan and prepare healthy snacks for the next day.  So my go to snacks lately have been all about healthy options and convenience such as fresh fruit, nuts, and single serving hummus products.  Usually, I would rather portion out raw veggies and hummus to bring as a snack to save money.  But the other day I spotted Dippin Stix’ for 99 cents!  I bought the carrot & hummus combo to try out.

One container has 60 Calories, 2 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 2 grams of fiber, & 3 grams of protein.  A great mix of healthy fat, fiber, and protein.  Typically, I usually consume closer to around 150-200 calories for a snack so I paired the single serving hummus combo with some grapes.

Have you tried any single serving hummus snacks?

What’s your go to healthy and convenient snack?

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Kasey

New Orleanians (aka the Who Dat Nation) are pretty serious about showing their Saint’s football spirit.  People around here wear Saints attire year round so when it’s the 1st game of the season, pretty much every person you see is wearing black and gold!  My sister and I have been getting several request for a Saints themed photo session for children with our photography business.  So we put together a “Saints Background” to offer our clients.  Check out how cute my niece’s Saints Photo Session came out…

For our team’s season opener, we are planning on watching the Saints game at Todd + Lori’s house.  Per usual, we plan to throw a few things onto the grill with me being in charge of bringing the veggies.  I bought a variety of veggies (mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini, etc.) to make kabobs!

Do you have any football related plans this weekend?

What’s your “go to” dish/food for football parties?

Hope everyone enjoys some time with friends, family, and fabulous food this weekend!

Kasey

A great strategy to feed > 6 people without much hands-on time is Crockpot meals.  While surfing the blogosphere, I came across Nicole’s recipe for Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas and immediately knew this would be a dish that Cory, Kiley, and Travis (my brother-in-law) would love.  I got over my phobia of leaving cooking food unattended during the day while I am at work and made this delicious meal last week. 

Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork) adapted from Prevention RD

3.5 pound Boneless Center Cut Pork Loin, lean, all fat removed

6 cloves Garlic, cut into slivers

Cumin, to taste

Garlic Powder, to taste

1 can of Low-sodium Chicken Broth

1 small can of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce***

2 Bay Leaves

Salt & Pepper, to taste

1. Season pork with salt and pepper.  In a medium pan on medium-high heat, brown pork on all sides (about 10 minutes).  Remove from heat and allow to cool.
2. With a knife, cut small holes into pork and insert garlic slivers.  Season pork generously with cumin and garlic powder on all sides.
3. Pour chicken broth in the Crockpot, add bay leaves and chipotle peppers.  Place pork in Crockpot and cover.  Cook low for 10-12 hours.
4. After cooking, shred pork, remove bay leaves, stir, and let it cook another 15-30 minutes.

I served the Mexican pulled pork over corn tortillas with fresh salsa, guacamole, and fat-free Greek yogurt.  The long cook time is necessary when you use leaner cuts like pork loin. 

***I must warn you… one must really, really, really like spicy food if you plan on following this exact recipe.  I mean so spicy that “you better have a glass of water immediately available after each bite” spicy!!!  Nicole isn’t kidding when she said she likes spicy foods!  I would recommend using less chipotle peppers and adobo sauce if you don’t absolutely love SPICY foods.

What is your favorite slow cooked meal?

Do you enjoy really, really spicy food?

Thanks for stopping by!  Till next time

Kasey

It’s such a light, fresh, and delicious snack which is perfect for these hot summer months.  It also has a great balance of fiber/whole grains, protein, and fat.  And because lycopene-rich tomatoes are in season, they are extra flavorful right now! 

I have been using Bible Bread Five Whole Grains, Gourmet Crispbread to make this simple and delish snack…

What’s your favorite snack during the summer months?

Kasey

The rest of my spare time has been dedicated to building my new photography business and squeezing in some yoga time.  My friend Lori emailed me an awesome deal on Living Social for a yoga place called Shanti Yoga Shala.  The deal included 20 classes for $20 dollars and the studio is literally a couple blocks from my house.  We both signed up and have attended a couple of classes so far.  The studio itself can be described as intimate (aka- pretty dam small).  My yoga mat was touching both my yogi neighbors’ mats during the first class.  The class and the instructor/studio owner was awesome!  I love a teacher that takes that the time to correct and adjust students.  Overall, the level 2/3 vinyasa class is pretty challenging.  I’m looking forward to attending a couple classes this coming week!  Can’t beat a yoga class for $1.

Have you ever taken advantage of an exercise deal using something like Living Social or Groupon?

What’s your favorite type of exercise during the summer months?

Thanks for stopping by

Kasey

Some highlights of our trip included…

-Cory fulfilling his childhood dream and visiting Wrigley Field for the first time!  They WON the first game we went to during our visit! 

-Apparently there is a debate over the best place to get Deep Dish Pizza in Chi-town… my vote goes to Giordano’s! 

-I fell in love with The Art Institute of Chicago!

-I spent a glorious morning visiting Chicago’s Green City Market!  It was a large market that had lots to offer including fresh produce, beautiful flowers and plants, herbs, cheeses, baked goods, prepared foods, etc.  I had a rhubarb, raspberry, and mint smoothie that was delicious!

Overall, Cory and I really enjoyed Chicago!  I’m thinking we will plan a visit back soon

Have you ever tried authentic deep dish pizza? 

What’s your favorite smoothie combination?

Thanks for reading!

Kasey

What’s my plan to remedy this situation?  I hope to set work boundaries at home.  For example, no more eating dinner at the computer screen, squeezing in work between bites!  Really, how efficient can my work be during dinner!?  Sometimes over multi-tasking makes people less efficient.  Also, keeping adequate sleep a priority.  When I get less than 8 hours of shut eye, I feel pretty lousy and lethargic the next day which I’m sure affects my productivity. 

Luckily, Cory has been stepping up around the house and helping with some of the cooking, cleaning, and laundry!  He actually cooked a roast over the weekend that turned out fabulous.  Speaking of the husband, we make our one year wedding anniversary in less than two weeks! 

To celebrate we are taking a vacation to the Windy City with a few other couples.  Let me know if you have any dining or entertainment recommendations for Chicago! It will be Cory and I’s first time visiting Chicago.

How do you stay balanced?

Thanks for reading

Kasey