my mixed berry smoothie

For Christmas my family got me a Nutribullet blender and I love it!  I am planning on writing a review on it soon.  With it, I have really been pushing having a smoothie as a staple everyday, I usually have it as a breakfast treat, yes, I said treat.  The smoothies are perfect, all the nutrients, but I barely taste a thing.  

Anyways, with the blender I had just been throwing fruit into it each morning and after a while I got tired of the same stuff so I made it a goal to make a healthy smoothie that tasted just as sweet.  With how the Nutribullet is set up there is a specific level you can't pass so when I put my ingredients into it I don't measure anything so here is as close as I got to perfectly measuring.

my mixed berry smoothie

(makes a little more than one glass)

cup of greek yogurt

handful of kale

7-10 strawberries

1/4 cup blueberries 

1/2 cup raspberries

1/2 cup blackberries

1/2 cup of water

some ice cubes

for a little bit of a change throw in some pineapple!

A trick I learned was that if you wet the fruit and freeze it it's just like added ice.  The colder the smoothie the better, it's refreshing and delicious.

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recipies to try (vol.1)

Coming back from numerous home cooked meals, all the holiday treats, and the new years food has been on my mind a lot.  I have to say, having food prepared that is just the slightest bit healthy is a really good feeling to have.  With everyone making their New Year's resolutions I just wanted to have a goal of cooking and preparing more food on my own.  It beats out eating unhealthy snacks and/or dining out.  With that, I spent a lot of time searching through Pinterest (because where else?!) I found a few that I would really like to try within the next two months. 

I attached the links right below the photos.

link: try the recipe 

link: try the recipe

I have yet to try this, but lately I have been just loving kale so I am excited to get my hands on this one.  Julia, of Lemon Stripes (a blog I follow)  had been talking about this the past few days so I can't wait to test it out!

link: the recipe

I love broccoli salad, but of course most of the ingredients I put in my recipe are not the greatest for you, so I am excited to try on with a healthy twist!

Most of these are definitely on the healthier side or are a salad.  I try to fix something that I can pack the next day for lunch so salads are key, but I also add a little something like trail mix with it. 

xo

2017.

2017 is here at last!  Finally!  

I don't know about you, but it's been a so-so year for me personally.  I would have liked to accomplish so many things, yet I never did or I just didn't really want to do them.  Sounding like every other person in the whole world, it's a new year, a fresh start, nothing has happened yet.  Every year I have made countless resolutions, only to feel depressed later when I fail to meet one of those goals.  I think it's time we put those to a rest, and only have one goal or word we base everything else around.  

My word is happy.

Everything I do I want to make sure that I am happy doing it. No longer will I wait to start a new year or week off, but I will start on a clean slate whenever I want. I have goals that are centered around my being happy and feel that way.  Staying fit would be a resolution, but I would always feel a bit of a drag while actually working out, now I think why I am doing it-in the long run I'll be happy with the outcome.  Why do I keep blogging?  Because in the long run I will even happier than I am now writing.

I mentioned this a little bit, but I want to add a few words of advice to those who feel down after not meeting your personal goal.  A new year is just something that people get hyped about annually (duh!), but feeling good about yourself starts when you want it.  Start today and don't make another excuse.  I am writing this on January 1st.  Today I was going to wake up early and do some yoga, but slept through nearly 25 different alarms. Hey, I was regrouping from NYE, but the point is I started off on the wrong foot, but still made time to do yoga.  Your happiness starts when you want it to.

//

Finishing touches

Ahh!  I still can't believe that we only have what now, three days, two really,  to get everything ready for Christmas.  With this, finishing up decorating the house has been top priority.  I'm writing this while baking my favorite sugar cookies, I can't get over how good the kitchen smells right now!  Back to decorating the house I finally, finally finished up putting the ornaments and the stockings with the whole family.  Something you will see in my photos is how vintage all the ornaments are, I mean really vintage.  I absolutely love vintage Christmas decorations, especially ornaments, because I think they add a little touch to the character of the entire tree.

shop the ornament (actually comes in a pack of two!)

I love sweatpants and sweatshirts and oversized sweaters and yoga pants.  What happens when you still want that comfort, but looking a better look?  While shopping at Old Navy, because it's nice clothes at an affordable price, I stumbled upon this shirt I'm wearing.  When I'm at the store I do that thing, I touch like every piece of clothing, even if it's not too pretty.  I felt something really soft, so I took a second look and fell in love with it.  It's simple and sooo soft, and comfortable.  Unfortunately, I can't find the shirt any longer, at least on their site.  I know they still have them in some stores, but I did find two shirts that are just like the one I'm wearing.

shop a similar shirt

option 1 // option 2

christmas movies

A Christmas is right around the corner (one week, ahhh!) and that means a few things, I need to get shopping and I need cozy up by the fire and watch some holiday movies.  So many people I have been talking to have seen few or little parts of some of the best Christmas movies. I can't believe that because I just love watching Christmas movies. I gathered up some of my all time favorites and put them together.  Only two of them are on Netflix, but the others are always showing on Freeform's (originally ABC Family) 25 days of Christmas, except for A Charlie Brown Christmas.

photo via

Elf  If you haven't seen it I strongly advise watching it- and from the beginning!  It just brings a little bit of the holiday spirit you had as a kid back with so many just plain funny moments.

Home Alone Hilarious. Point blank.

Home Alone 2 (Lost in New York) 
If you've seen the first movie you can imagine how good the second one would be.  I know a lot of people disagree, but I have to say the second one is my favorite, I mean come on Marv.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

I just rewatched this last night, I think that it's the funniest of the Christmas movies.  It's just one of those laugh out loud movies that the whole family would enjoy watching, I know I do.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

I love Charlie Brown movies in general, I just think they are funny and cute, but the Christmas edition is the best.  If you have seen it, the tree is my favorite, and I thinks it's the reason I love the scrawny Christmas trees in all the lots.  The movie really has the true message of Christmas in it.

Miracle on 34th Street (the original or 1994 version)

A classic. Nothing more can explain it, you just have to watch it, but you have to watch the original. The black and white just adds to it, but the 94' version is also good, but the newest one is not! (On Netflix now)

White Christmas

It's an oldie, but goodie, again another classic but a statement to the finishing up my favorites.  (On Netflix now)

christmas lights and outfit

I'd say we got a little bit of late start to putting our tree up and putting the lights on it, I mean some people did this before Thanksgiving. (Way too early!)  We like to have everyone home and together so it took a while to get everyone in the same place at the same time!  I have kind of been waiting to get into blogging some holiday posts.  This is my absolute favorite time of the year, everyone is together, the smell of cookies being baked fills the house, the lights are up, and everyone is in a good mood.

loving the shoes

Per usual, I wanted a casual, yet perfect for some holiday pictures type outfit.  Looking through my closet at home I found an all time favorite Christmas top-the cable knit sweater.  I posted about it 2 weeks ago.  It's really nice to have because it goes with anything and of course is so cozy and warm.  I paired it with jeans and rolled the ends just to add a little more to the whole outfit, because it is pretty simple.  

The shoes.  Need I say more?  I got these two years ago at Old Navy and have not yet seen a pair like them since! So upsetting, but I will keep you guys posted.

shop a similar outfit

sweater:  option one // option two

similar jeans:  option 1 // option two

winter bucket list

As you know each season I write up a little list of things that I want to do.  To me winter has the best "things" to do, you have Christmas, followed by New Years when you make an even bigger list for 2017. (Ahh...too soon!) I'd love to hear your bucket list ideas and more!! I also have a little mission for you guys to share to everyone this holiday season. 

photo credit j. crew 

winter bucket list

1. watch Christmas movies

2. learn to snowboard or ski

3. bake Christmas cookies

4. pick out your tree

5. look at all the Christmas lights

6. have a fire pit

7. decorate the house

8. go on a shopping spree

9. go iceskating

10. cozy up with a book

11. take family pictures

12. spend time with family

13. volunteer or give to charity

14. be thankful

Number 12 through 14 on the list are some of my favorite things about the holidays. I think that people get too into the commercialized aspect of Christmas and even Thanksgiving. During these holidays I'm asking everyone to give something–not necessarily money or gifts although that's nice, but time or talent. Helping, volunteering, sharing your gifts can be one of the best things a person, an animal, or a charity receives. Share this with loved ones instead of gifts.

xo

@lemondesigned