Hello blog friends. It's so cold this winter and I hope you all are staying warm. In spite of the weather being so cold, there is something that I do add into my weekly routine and that is exercise.
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I belong to a gym. I have belonged to my gym for a long time on and off since my daughter was little.
I had a best friend and we would go together to the gym and be each others inspiration, support, and encourage each other. My friend had a daughter that was the same age as my daughter and we would all go out after working out to lunch or maybe grab a quick bite for dinner. We had so much fun until my friend moved away.
After my friend moved away going to the gym wasn't the same anymore. I continued to go for my workouts for a little while and then I stopped completely going to the gym.
I didn't like the way I felt or looked in clothes anymore. I decided to start going back to the gym about two years ago. The gym was fixed up and they added new machines and improved the weights. I am so glad that I decided to get back at it again.
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My gym is an all-woman gym and it's a fun place to go a few times a week for me. I still have some of the same gym friends from so many years ago and it's really nice. I even have my neighbor who joined the gym and it's so nice to see each other and catch up on what is new with each other. :)
I took off from going to the gym for the holidays but I started going back again. I started off by just doing some of the machines for about two weeks and no classes. I just started back again with the classes this week and they are so much fun. We do Zumba, Kickboxing, All in One, and so many more fun classes.
My favorite classes are Zumba and Kickboxing. I get a really good workout from doing those classes. The classes are 45 minutes so it's not so bad. I usually take a 15-minute walk to and from the gym. Once I am there I usually work on some of the machines before a class starts. You can usually find me at the gym each morning a few times a week. If I have something going on then I usually take a late afternoon class.
I also walk my dog Bosco once a day so I am always moving.
Do you belong to a gym? What is your favorite class or exercise?
Let's motivate each other and keep ourselves moving!
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Click HERE to see the great parties I will be linking up to!
Julie
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From the Holidays - Part 2
1) Reading Books Again
Every new year for the past few years, I always start reading a new book sometime in January. This past Christmas I asked for the book The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis.
In her latest novel, nationally bestselling author Fiona Davis takes readers into the glamorous lost art school within Grand Central Terminal, where two very different women, fifty years apart, strive to make their mark on a world set against them.
I've read only a few chapters so far and I'm already in love with this book.
I also read the book The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis which I really enjoyed reading too.
2) A Surprise Gift
I have a passion for getting a manicure/pedicure every few weeks. I've always loved doing my own nails in the past or going to a nail salon for a mani/pedi. It's my favorite way of spending me time. During the holidays I went to my nail salon and the owner gifted me with this hand cream to my surprise. I love using this hand cream each night before I go to bed, as it's very rich and really hydrates my dry hands.
3) My Happy Birthday Coffee - Hot Venti Latte
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I have a birthday a few days after Christmas. Some of you might remember seeing this photo on Instagram @brklynhousewife. I really enjoyed receiving my free birthday coffee from Starbucks.
4) Hi-Chew Candy
I was so happy when I opened up my Christmas stocking to see Hi-Chew candy. This candy comes in so many flavors and they remind me of Starbursts candy but better. I love eating this while walking Bosco or when I am doing blog work.
5) Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Face Cream
I am totally obsessed with this face cream. I tried out a sample of this cream at my dermatologist's office. This cream is perfect for dry skin and really hydrates and moisturizes my face. I used to use a face cream by Kiehl's that I absolutely loved but I decided to give this cream a try and I'm glad I did. The Neutrogena face cream is easier for me to buy at my local pharmacy, and it costs about ten dollars less than the Kiehl's face cream. Have any of you tried this cream? Let me know in the comments section, as I know you'll love it too. :)
These are just a few of my favorites to share with you this week.
Click HERE to see the great parties I will be linking up to!
Julie
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Hello blog friends. Thanksgiving dinner, about two years ago, I made corn pudding casserole for a side for our meal. It came out so good and it was the first time I have ever made this type of recipe for our Thanksgiving dinner.
I found the recipe to make corn pudding casserole from my blog friend Kitty, who has the blog Kitty's Kozy Kitchen.
Well, I decided I would make it again but instead of making the casserole, I made them into muffins.
I am so happy that I made the muffins and they were a huge hit at our Thanksgiving feast for 2018. The muffins tasted so good and you could bite into little bits of corn in each of the muffins.
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These muffins would be perfect on the side with soup, chili, pulled pork, or as a side for any holiday dinner.
These muffins would go perfect with the chili I made two weeks ago. If you would like to see the easy recipe for Crock Pot Italian Style Chili, just can click HERE.
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CORN PUDDING MUFFINS
Serves: 24 Muffins and Plus 12 Mini Muffins
INGREDIENTS:
2 - 8.5 oz. packages of Jiffy cornbread mix
1 - 14.75 oz. can creamed corn
1 - 15.25 oz. can corn - drained
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs - beaten
salt and pepper to taste
muffin cup liners
DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Add all of the ingredients into a large bowl. Stir until everything is combined. The batter should be lumpy. Line muffin pan with liners. Pour batter into cups until 2/3 is full. Bake in 350 degrees F oven for 25 - 35 minutes. It's done when toothpick is inserted and it comes out clean.
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| Yummy Corn Pudding Muffins |
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From the Holidays - Part 1
In mid-December we drove into the city to pick up my daughter who was taking the train home from college. I was able to capture the Empire State Building and Macy's.
2) Our Dog Bosco
My cute and loving dog Bosco let me put this silly reindeer headband on him. He was so funny and kept it on his head for a while. In this photo he reminds me of a cute little reindeer.
3) Holiday Glass
My daughter bought us this really cute glass from her college. I have it sitting on my kitchen windowsill, and when I look at this glass it always puts a smile on my face.
4) Holiday Baking
It was so much to fun to see my daughter and friend in the kitchen baking this Starbucks copycat lemon pound cake. They decided to bake this cake late one evening during the holidays. They both found the recipe on a blog and then went to the store to buy all the ingredients for the cake. I was so impressed and amazed at how great this cake tasted. I hope they make it again next Christmas!
5) Baked Goodies
We all enjoyed and had a lot of sweets during the holidays. On Christmas day we had checkerboard cake, pastries, and assorted cookies that my sister-in-law made.
6) Costco Mac and Cheese
We never had Costco's Mac and Cheese before and we decided to try it out for part of our Christmas dinner as one of the sides. The funny thing is my sister-in-law brought with her mac and cheese for our Christmas dinner, not knowing that we had it too. (Great minds think alike). To solve the problem I used my sisters-in-law for Christmas Day and we had ours a few days after Christmas. I would definitely have the Costco mac and cheese again for another special occasion.
These are just a few favorites from the holidays.
Click HERE to see the great parties I will be linking up to!
Julie
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Hello blog friends. I went to lunch and did Christmas shopping in lower Manhattan during the second week of December.
My husband took the day off from work but had a business lunch meeting to attend and I came along too. We decide to do the holiday shopping after our lunch, as we were in no hurry.
I took a few photos of the buildings located in the lower part of Manhattan along the way to the restaurant.
Below you can see part of the building that looks like a fin of a fish, it's called the Oculus Building.
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| A View of the Oculus Building |
Look more views of the Oculus Building!
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This guy below is busy looking in his briefcase for something very important!
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This was our first time we ate lunch at this restaurant and we went to the lobby of the building. I asked my husband to take a photo of me in front of this gorgeous Christmas tree. Look how small I look next to the huge tree. LOL!
We did not realize it but we were waiting at the wrong area and we had to go back outside to the other side of the building to get to the restaurant.
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We had lunch at the restaurant called Manhatta. It's located at 28 Liberty Street, New York, NY on the 60th floor. We took an elevator up to the 60th floor and we were amazed at the gorgeous views of the city.
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| Manhatta Restaurant and Bar |
For our lunch we each had appetizers but I forgot to take photos of them. I had scallops for my main dish that tasted delicious.
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My husband had trout with risotto and other vegetables.
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A huge cheeseburger with onion rings and pickles for the other guest.
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After our lunch we all had coffee. I had a latte with a pretty heart design made out of the foam.
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After our lunch, while still inside the restaurant, it was photo time. We had an awesome view of the city.
This is a photo of my husband and I. We are both camera shy. :)
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Look at these gorgeous shots I took while we looked out the window. We were lucky to have a clear day.
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After our amazing lunch, we went to do Christmas shopping in the H&M store and in the Oculus Building. If you like shopping, then you will like the stores inside the Oculus Building.
If you ever come to visit New York City, you don't want to miss a visit to lower Manhattan. I would suggest after sightseeing perhaps have lunch or dinner at Manhatta.
Click HERE to see the great parties I will be linking up to!
Julie
Hello blog friends. It's been awhile and I'm happy to be back from my holiday blogging break.
I really enjoyed taking the time off to spend time celebrating the holidays with my family and friends.
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and wishing you all a Happy New Year.
This is my first post of 2019 and I thought I would share with you a crock pot recipe.
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One of the best ways I love to warm up on a cold winter night is with a bowl of hot chili.
I recently made crock pot chili but Italian style.
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If you like chili then you are going to love this easy recipe.
Take a look below, and you will see the chili cooking in my brand new crock pot. The last two crock pots I had broke.
I really missed making weeknight meals in a crock pot. This is one of the easiest ways for me to get a good dinner on the table and I don't have to be slaving over a hot stove.
I really missed making weeknight meals in a crock pot. This is one of the easiest ways for me to get a good dinner on the table and I don't have to be slaving over a hot stove.
Well, after searching in the stores, I was so happy when I found this crock pot on sale for only $20. The crock pot may not be that fancy, but it works just perfect for me.
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Below you can see the chili all cooked after cooking on High for about five hours.
I served the chili with brown rice that I made in my Instant Pot. The brown rice cooks so fast and comes out fluffy.
For the easy recipe to make Instant Pot Rice, you can click here.
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CROCK POT ITALIAN STYLE CHILI
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INGREDIENTS:
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 jar tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 can black beans, drained
1 can red kidney beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon Mrs. Dash seasoning
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
crock pot
non-stick spray
DIRECTIONS:
Cook beef in skillet until browned. Pour off and drain fat from browned beef. Spray non-stick spray into crock pot. Mix the rest of the ingredients into the crock pot. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or set on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours or until done.
Enjoy!
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| Yummy Chili! |
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Click HERE to see the great parties I will be linking up to!
Julie
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