Thinking Out Loud #17

Holy smokes where has the week gone?! This week has been very crazy and honestly I've spent most of the week trying to figure out what day it is. Christmas being on a Sunday threw everything off for me plus the events following Christmas have been crazy, so let's jump right into this weeks thinking out loud.

1. And we are back at the hospital🙈 in the wee hours following Christmas my dad landed back in the hospital. I don't want to get into details but he's where he needs to be but it's the reason I have been MIA from the blog and haven't been responding to emails or comments. I apologize for being so absent but my dad comes first. Prayers for my dad and my family would be very much appreciated.

2. I've been keeping myself busy at the hospital while I'm with my dad. Luckily I was given Nicholas Sparks new book Two By Two for Christmas so I'm going to dig into that. I'm a giant Nicholas Sparks fan and have read every book he's written so I can't wait to see how this one compares to his others ones. Everyone always thinks it's ironic that I read his books because I cannot stand chick flicks, but I'm a sucker for romance novels. I also blame Nicholas Sparks for unrealistically high expectations for relationships. 

3. I'm very happy to say that the vegan double chocolate chunk cookies were a hit in my family over Christmas weekend. The batch was gone within two days, but they're super easy to make so I didn't mind whipping up another batch (or two). And seriously who doesn't appreciate warm gooey cookies?! Not to mention everyone can eat them because they are allergy friendly.

4. Despite all the craziness with going back and forth to the hospital and everything else going on I have still be getting to the gyms. Granted, my lifts have been shorter but I'm still getting them done so that's all that matters, plus it gives me some much needed stress relief. Leg day was intense that I've been feeling it ALL week. I thought I was going to have to be rolled out of the gym because my legs were already so sore by the time I left the gym😳 my legs are getting much stronger though so all the pain/soreness has been worth it. 

5. Speaking of Christmas I hope everyone had a great holiday however or wherever you celebrated. I stayed at home with family and friends and Cora of course. We did have a white Christmas but it didn't last long because the next day was 52F degrees, which is incredibly rare for MI, and it rained all day. Cora got a few new toys so she was a very happy camper.

6. I want to start back up with half marathon training, but I'd have to do most of it on the treadmill because it's cold, snowy, and windy outside so for fellow runners how prepared have you felt training mostly indoor for a race? I've been lengthening out my runs but treadmill runs don't feel the same to me as running outside- I always run faster outside than on a treadmill (weird I know) but I want to be really prepared for a half going into it. 

I'm going to keep it short and sweet this week because I am exhausted. Have a great Thursday and have a terrific New Year!

What did you do for Christmas?
Do you have a favorite gift from Christmas, if so what?

Vegan Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Merry Christmas Eve! I can't believe Christmas is almost upon us! I am so excited to spend the day with loved ones and celebrate the birth of Jesus. Our Christmas celebration is very low key and starts Christmas Eve when we attend a candle light service and then go look at Christmas lights. 

One of my favorite parts of the holidays is all the time I get to spend in the kitchen. This year I have hardly been in the kitchen because of everything going on, but yesterday that changed. I had a recipe for an allergy friendly cookie that I really wanted to test out and what better time to test it out than the holidays? They turned out SO GOOD and even my dad gave his stamp of approval- he still doesn't know they're gluten and dairy free😏 

I wasn't going to share the recipe until next week, but I was too excited to wait😁 I based these off an old recipe my mom and I used to use for a small batch of double chocolate chip cookies, but I changed it around to make it allergy friendly. These cookies are super easy to make and are ready in less than 20 minutes, including prep time! Quick, easy, and delicious is music to my ears during the holidays!

Vegan Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies

• 3/4 cup gluten free all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup gluten free oat flour
• 1/4 cup special dark cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• small handful Enjoy Life chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup nut butter of choice
• 1 flax egg (1 TB ground flax mixed with 3 TB water)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, partially melted
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a small bowl combine flaxseed and water and set aside. 

In a mixing bowl combine nut butter, honey, and coconut oil.

When those are mixed stir in vanilla and flax egg.

Next, add in gluten free all purpose flour, gluten free oat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir until well combined. If the batter becomes too dry add in a teaspoon up to a tablespoon of water.

Fold chocolate chips into batter. 

Preheat oven to 350F degrees and spray a cookie sheet with nonstick cookspray. 

Using your hands roll dough into balls roughly 1.5-2 Tablespoons in size and place on cookie sheet. Gently flatten dough with hand and press an extra chocolate chip or two onto the top of the dough. Repeat with remaining dough. I was able to get 16 cookies.

Bake cookies at 350F degrees for 12 minutes or until edges begin to crinkle, the center will still be gooey but that is ok.

Allow cookies to cool before removing from cookie sheet. Store in a container for up to a week.

Recently

It's been awhile since I've done a recently post and what better time to do one than right before all the Christmas festivities begin?! It's no secret that I'm very excited for Christmas day, but I love Christmas Eve too. Every year my family goes to a candle light Christmas Eve service where we sing carols and read the Christmas story. After service we always go looking at Christmas lights while listening to Christmas music. It's nothing fancy but it's one of my favorite parts of Christmas. 

Before I jump headfirst into the Christmas fun I wanted to do a recently post because it's been awhile, plus I've gotten a few requests to share some things so I'll get to those too. Just a fair warning that this recap will jump around a bit. Some of you have noticed that I have been taking a break from instagram. Honestly it wasn't something I really thought about doing it just happened. Life has just been really busy, but truth be told it's been nice to live life away from social media. I have still logged on to see what my friends are up to but I haven't felt the desire to post, some aspects of my life I do like to keep private. I've been spending time with people I love and working on some fun projects and Cora has been getting quite a bit of attention too. She's been keeping me company while I've been working.

For whatever reason this week has just been a really off week for running for me. My lifts have felt amazing and I've upped all my weights but my runs have been a struggle. Three or four miles have felt like 10 and it's been really frustrating. I love running so having legs that feel like lead has been hard. I've taken a few days off and I'm hoping that when I attempt a longer run tomorrow after leg day that my body finds it's natural rhythm. It has taken time but this year especially has given me a new appreciation for running. All of the rough days where running is a struggles makes me appreciate the days where I feel like I could run forever so much more. 

Even though my runs aren't feeling on point this week my lifts have been awesome, my entire body is so sore😭 I restarted a Bodybuilding.com program I did awhile back and in just two weeks I've already seen an improvement in my strength. Where I used to hate spiderman pushups because they were hard (and they are hard) they have gotten much easier and I actually enjoy doing them now. My squat game is also improving💪

This past weekend was the first time in about a month I got to fully decompress. My dad wasn't in the hospital and I didn't have to be running back and forth to see him. I was exhausted and I didn't feel like doing much. Luckily my boyfriend was totally ok with doing a whole bunch of nothing since he just finished finals, so we watched movies and lots of hockey🙌 One of the movies we watched was Eddie the Eagle and it was really good. It was a great movie that families could watch together because while there is some adult humor kids would not pick up on it. Eddie is such a lovable character and I always enjoy a good sports movie. 

Also, if you've been following my blog for any length of time you probably know I am a GIANT hockey fan. I'm not going to discuss the Pittsburgh Penguins games last weekend because it was a rough weekend to be a Pens fan but holy smokes the Wings and Ducks game on Saturday was crazy! It was a back and forth game but in the end the Wings prevailed🙌 now if they could hold onto the momentum and keep the wins coming that would be great.

Sunday I convinced my boyfriend to go to an open skate at a local arena. I used to skate all the time, especially since I grew up on a lake where pond hockey was basically life in the winter. It had been awhile since my boyfriend had skated (like over 10 years😂) but he did so good! He still has a few things to learn like how to stop (kind of necessary😂) but I'm proud of him. And yes I wear men's hockey skates. I always have and always will. I'm already excited for the next open skate and to get back on the ice. 

I actually took some time to do some meal prep this week. It's been awhile since I've done it but its been nice to not have to cook and to just be able to heat something up. I am definitely back on the meal prep train because it's made life MUCH easier this week. My favorite thing from this weeks meal prep has been the chocolate superfood energy balls- I shared the recipe on Tuesday. They're super easy to make and you only need a few ingredients. 

One of my friends sent this meme to me and I about died laughing😂 it's such a nerdy joke but I love it! And yes I've been obsessed with memes if you couldn't tell from yesterdays thinking out loud post.

Tuesday I got the chance to dress up for a meeting I had to go to. I love any chance I have to dress up so I was excited. I stuck with a basic black tank that a had lace back, which I threw a blazer on over it because it's freezing outside, a statement necklace, purple printed dress pants (that I'm in LOVE with), and nude pumps.

After I posted a quick snapshot of my outfit on my instagram story I got a lot of questions about where I got everything. I've had each of these pieces for awhile, but I checked and none of them are still being sold😥 However I did round up a few similar pieces for you to check out. 

First up the floral statement necklace, I got it a few years ago from Forever 21 and I still love it. I've used it many times and I always get compliments on it. I couldn't find the same color but I found a few necklaces that are similar in a pale pink/blush.

• Floral statement necklace option one
• Floral statement necklace option two

I got this black tank top over the summer and I've gotten a lot of use out of it. It can be dressed up or down, which is great because you can wear it to work or to meet up with friends and look good for both. I found a few simple alternatives that look almost identical from the front and still have a fun flare to them in the back.

• Slit back tank
• Criss cross back tank
• Crochet panel tank

As for the pants I have yet to find a great alternative. Apparently purple pants are hard to find. I got mine on Amazon on a whim when I came across them a few months ago. I couldn't even find a good pair of purple pants to share, but I found a similar style, minus the print, in red. They would still look just as good paired with any of the black tanks above- not to mention they're on sale right now🙌

• High rise red pants

The meeting ended up running much later than expected and I was starving by the time I left. I had eaten breakfast and a small lunch before I left but I had over an hour drive back home. Driving home was a trip. I got on the freeway and there was this maniac driver in front of me. He couldn't stay in his lane, he was going off onto the left shoulder and jerking back into the lane then he was weaving into the center lane. Cars were driving in the center lane and kept honking. I'm not one to interfere but someone was going to get hurt by this nut job. I called the local police who told me I needed to call 911. The operator transferred me TWICE and when I finally got to explain what was going on and gave the operator my location and the guys license plate I was promptly told no cops were in the area but thanks for letting them know. I was more than a little angry because that's what cops are for and it's only a matter of time before this guy hurts himself or someone or worse. 

I still needed to stop at Target for my dad and by the time I got there I was starving. Target was an utter nightmare, there were well over 50 people in line to checkout most of them had multiple carts of stuff. Then there was me with three items. Luckily the line moved pretty quick since they had every register open, but traffic getting out of the store was horrible. I sat in the parking garage so long I was about ready to eat anything in sight. There was a Panera across the street so I got on the app and ordered takeout. As soon as I got my food I basically inhaled it. I got my favorite the Thai chicken salad minus the dressing and wonton strips. 

I've spent the rest of the week working on some new content and getting ready for Christmas. I'll end here because it's gotten rather long, but I hope you get to spend the holidays with family, friends, and loved ones. Have a very Merry Christmas and remember the real reason for the season🎄🌟