'Twas the Tuesday Before Christmas...

...and Healthy Honey shopped her little booty off!!!!

OMFriiiiiiiickinG what. a. day! I started at 9am and stopped (only due to the need for a cardio sesh before power yoga) at 6:15pm. That's over 9 hours of elbowing my way through the mall, fighting for parking spots via blinkers, sitting in freeway exit gridlock enjoying the holiday sights and sounds of my fine city! I did take about a 45 minute home detour for a quick salad lunch and to drop-off my first round of purchases, but none-the-less, it was a looooooong (but fun) day!

Where did I shop? The better question = where DIDN'T I shop? Well it all started at Bed, Bath, & Beyond (man, I love their coupons) at 9am. From there I hit...

• Rally House
• JC Penney
• Macy's
• DSW
• Ulta
• Walmart
• Dillard's
• Victoria's Secret
• Walmart (yes, you read that right... twice GRRR)
• Forever 21
• GameStop
• Target
• BestBuy
• Old Navy
• Walmart (no, this is not a joke)

Phew! Lemme disclaimer that: I did not purchase something at every locale, just all but 2. ;)

I had a great 30 minute elliptical jaunt followed by an hour of power yoga (with Hungry Hubby, natch) after all of that madness. And when I got home.... it was a wine/sushi/prezzent-wrapping Par-Tay for one! :)

Dinner is served!

And here was my tree.....

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

What was an exhausted, but-I-wanna-get-all-this-done-tonight girl to do!? Crank up the Christmas jams and get a snow-fallin' QuickTime video spinnin' on repeat, that's what!!!!

P.S. It was about 80 degrees here today (today was the first day of winter... RIGHT!??!), so this is as close to snow as I'm gonna get!!

A few creative bows (and HOURS) later....

Add to that a botched-wrap-job. (It wouldn't be real life if there wasn't at least one of these, right!??!)

And here are the fruits of my labor...

Can you spot the Cowboys gnome!? ;) That's Hungry Hubby's fave Christmas decoration... obvs.

Oh, and how could I forget... I thoroughly pissed off my dog Lulu by dressing her in a super adorable Christmas shirt from Target.

Here she is giving me the total diva doggie brush-off:

Did you do any shopping today? Hope you are enjoying the last few nights before Christmas!

Decisions, Decisions.... NYE 2010

I absolutely LOVE New Year's Eve. I know it's all a lot of hype, and in theory, isn't any different than any other night out, but it FEELS different! There's a buzz in the air on NYE. The decorations, champagne, midnight kiss... I love it all! :) And it's the one night a year when I know I can dress much fancier than required and not look silly. I love buying a new dress every year for the December 31st festivities.

Here are some that have peaked my interest...

Forever 21 Zippered Lace Dress

Bebe Darla Dress

Bebe Strappy Shirred Dress

Forever 21 Scalloped Perfection Dress

Bebe Mirror Beaded Halter Dress

What are you wearing this NYE!?!

Move-It Monday: V-Up with Dumbbell

I usually take a rest day on Sunday, so it's crucial to get my booty to the gym on Monday. Buuuuuut it's MON-DAY. And I haaaaate Mondays. It can be hard to get motivated to hit the gym on Mondays. I decided a few weeks ago that I would always set aside my favorite new magazine to read on the elliptical on Monday.

Today's read: the January issue of Oxygen.

This is a previous cover.

Here is the January covergirl, Monica Brant:

Umm, she's 40. And looks 28! Ah-mazing!

I absolutely LOVE magazines! I cannot do cardio without one. Since I do cardio 5 days a week - that's a lot of magazines!! I subscribe to Oxygen, Shape, Self, Health, Fitness, Marie Claire, Glamour, Cosmo, and Allure. I pay about $9-12 per year for each one, which means I pay less than $1 a pop. These mags cost at least $4 on newsstands. If you buy magazines this way, seriously subscribe now to save major moolah. Seriously! Ok, off my soapbox now. ;)

Anyways, I found a simple, but super effective move in today's issue of Oxygen.

The V-Up with Dumbbell

Take a traditional V-Up. Click here for a great explanation and moving image.

Do the V-Up, but hold a 8-10lb. dumbell in between your hands (hold onto the ends) as you do the sit-up. Keep the dumbbell in your hands throughout the entire move -as you return to start with hands over head and legs on floor. Hold the "crunch" for 2-4 seconds to up the intensity.

Another option: hold a weighted medicine ball instead of a dumbbell.

How do you motivate yourself to get to the gym on Mondays!?

Casual Holiday Looks

So this is supposed to be a fashion blog (as well as fitness and food) but due to my Vegan MoFo challenge, food has been in the spotlight for the past month. I thought I would use my long-lost friend Polyvore to put together some looks for the holidays.

Lots of my fave fashion bloggers post great holiday looks, but all of them include a dress and tons of sparkle. While I LOVE to dress up, most of my holiday parties are far more casual. Attire = jeans and whatever cute top and accessories I add.

I decided to put together some casual holiday outfits for inspiration this season.

Enjoy all of your holiday parties this season!

Wow, That Was Hard! Or The Joys and Challenges of my Vegan Month of Food

My month-long commitment to eating vegan has come to an end. While I do not feel moved to make the plunge to a truly vegan lifestyle, I definitely learned a lot from my lil' journey.

Here are my reflections...

1. I canNOT live without vanilla coffee creamer. While it is considered to be "non-dairy," it has a milk derivative in it, so true vegans would stay away. I just can't. I don't think I will ever be able to give this stuff up. A splash in my daily iced coffee, as well as one in my hot oatmeal = AM heaven.

2. Roasted veggies are easy and amazingly delicious. I ate them as my main course many nights as a vegan, and I will continue to do so. They are also pretty cheap, too!

3. Vegetable sushi does not satisfy me the way sushi with fish does. Yes, it's good, but it's not delicious. I missed spicy tuna rolls and salmon sashimi!

4. Baked tofu is amazing on salads! I have actually started baking some myself, and it is easy and super tasty.

5. Vegan substitutes (ie meatless ground and Nayonaise) do not taste the same as the originals (I def couldn't fool Hungry Hubby!), but they are good and sub well in conventional recipes. I also think they would taste better each time, sort of like how people claim that wine and beer are "acquired tastes."

6. Our country's factory farming practices are ATROCIOUS. I was well aware of this fact due to the documentary Food, INC., but I researched some more during my vegan-ness. It is unbelievable that there aren't laws requiring decent treatment of animals we farm for food. It is illegal to neglect dogs and cats, but it's fine to chop off the beaks of little chicks so they don't peck one another in their ridiculously overcrowded cages!?!? I'm so confused!!! While I believe animals were given to us by God to use for food, I think we have a responsibility to treat them with respect while they are alive. And that is def not happening in America!! Google "factory farming" if you want to know more!

7. Being both vegan and gluten-free is SUPER tough! Kudos to all of you who maintain that lifestyle.

I am happy to incorporate my beloved creamer, Laughing Cow cheeses, ice cream, and the occasional chicken dishes back into my diet, but I will definitely be eating vegan meals more often. I also hope to make smarter choices when eating meat (buying from local, humane farmers, for example) and crusade for laws to change regarding our ranching and farming practices. Even if you don't agree with my food choices, I believe its a personal issue, and we all should be OK with what other people want to put in their bodies. You are what you eat! ;)

Vegan Taco Soup via CrockPot

As I was perusing the grocery store yesterday (I could probably spend hours in there just finding new foods and inspecting nutrition labels), I stumbled upon this Yves Meatless Ground.

It was in the refrigerated section next to the produce. It had great stats, plus it was vegan of course. So I decided to use it in a pot of taco soup! I seriously love my CrockPot, especially in the fall and winter months!

Here's what else I added to the pot (DON'T drain anything!):

• 1/2 a box of Organic Vegetable Broth
• 2 cans of Rotel tomatoes
• 2 cans of beans - I used black and baked
• 1 can of Mexicorn
• 1/4 packet of Fajita seasoning
• 1/2 cup of Pace medium salsa (not pictured)
• A big squirt of ketchup (not pictured)
• Water to fill it to the top!

Oh, and because I have to get every possible nutrient in that I can, I added chopped broc. I know, I know, that makes no sense in taco soup. But I swear broccoli can be added to any soup and taste great in it!

Since there was nothing that needed actual "cooking" in this soup, I set it on low for 4 hours.

I thought the soup was absolutely delish, including the meatless ground. Hungry Hubby liked it, but after about 5 bites he did ask, "what kind of meat is this in here...?" So, no fooling him! ;)

Thinspiration: Vegan Edition

I don't know about you, but I am needing some major thinspiration after the Thanksgiving holiday. I had an amazing time with my family, and ate some amazing food, but I need to get back on track with my diet, ya feel me!?!

I thought I would be thinspired this time by vegan celebs! They are all slim, fit, and gorgeous!

Alyssa Milano

Alicia Silverstone

Jenny McCarthy

Pamela Anderson

Natalie Portman (I have heard her speak out about her veganism many times. She is definitely a champion for cruelty-free eating. Gotta love a fellow animal lover!)

Portia de Rossi

How was your Thanksgiving holiday? Are you trying to get back on track diet-wise? I am currently cooking up some Vegan Taco Soup in the CrockPot as I type, so I will post on that tomorrow. YUMMM! :)