Recently and Thinking out Loud #15

Happy Thursday! At times this week has felt like it's flying by but other times its felt like it's dragging by, plus I keep getting the days mixed up. I blame lack of sleep and the utter craziness of the past two weeks for having me totally confused. The hecticness (is that is a word🤔) is also to blame for me being MIA from the blog basically since Thanksgiving, but I do have some new recipes lined up to test and share so I'm excited about that. This weeks thinking out loud is going to serve as a TOL and recently life update all mashed into one. Basically it's still a ton of randomness so on that note, let's jump right in! 

1. Last week was total chaos because my dad was in the hospital all week. The hospital isn't close so when I went to visit it was a 30 minute drive in good traffic, in rush hour it was closer to 45 or 50 minutes. Making that trip multiple times a day for a week was exhausting. I'm happy to share that my dad was discharged Saturday and went home to finally get some sleep, because if you've ever been in the hospital you know that it's near impossible to sleep while you're there. Despite the long drive to and from the hospital I have no complaints, everyone from the nurses to the doctors were incredible and I'm so thankful for the wonderful care my dad received. 

2. In the midst of all the craziness last week I took some time out to meal prep to make life easier. I made roasted sweet potatoes and my one pan oven fajitas but I forgot it at home🙈 I was bummed, but luckily there was a Panera right next to the hospital so I was able to run there and get a quick bite to eat. I ate my meal prep when I got home for dinner because I was way too tired to even think about cooking. Meal prep saves the day once again.

3. Saturday night my boyfriend and I had date night and the down time was much needed after a very long week. We got food and then went and saw Office Christmas Party with Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman. Let me just say if you want or need a good laugh then go see this movie! We laughed so hard, the movie really is hilarious and I definitely recommend going to see it. It was the perfect way to end a chaotic week, not to mention the company wasn't half bad😜

4. I know it's really late, but we finally got the Christmas tree up. With everything going on we just hadn't had time to get it up and decorated, so we got it up and decorated Sunday night. I've been sharing some pictures of my favorite ornaments over on my instagram story. This year I really want to get or make an ornament that I can have Cora's paw print on. I've seen people make salt dough, get the print and then bake it but I'm not sure how that would hold up. If you have an recommendations comment and let me know! 

5. A big thank you to the team at SaladPower for sending be a box of their new and improved drinks! I'm super pumped to test out the newly perfected recipes especially the fruity ones😋 I will do a blog post with my thoughts on the new recipe. 

6. This meme had me literally laughing out loud because this is seriously how I am when I'm waiting for a package. Anyone else guilty of constantly looking for the mail/UPS/FedEx truck when you know your package is supposed to arrive?! I may be in my 20's but I still enjoy getting mail- as long as it's not bills, no one likes getting those.

7. Shoutout to Panera for saving me from being seriously hangry more times than I can count in the past week. Between forgetting to pack food going back and forth to the hospital and being super hangry when I left the doctor on Monday Panera has saved me and fellow drivers from potential the danger of driving while hangry. My go to is always the Thai Chicken salad but I get it without the wonton strips and no vinaigrette dressing. Every Panera I've ever been to has been so accommodating of food allergies that it makes life so much easier. 

8. I have to share this because I was super pumped (no pun intended) to get gas for $1.25/gallon!!!!!! I had a ton of Kroger points and was able to use them to get a dollar off per gallon. Nothing beat the feeling of filling up my tank for only $22. Fellow Midwesterners know how awesome Kroger points are. 

I'll end things there this week. Have a terrific Thursday and be on the lookout for some new recipes (FINALLY) next week!! 

How do you like to unwind after a long week?
What is your favorite place to grab a quick bite to eat on the go?