cooking

Two Meatballs: NoMo FOMO!!!

Sara here!  For those of you who don’t know, FOMO is the Fear Of Missing Out!!!  And girl, I got it bad!!!  My whole life I haven’t wanted to miss a single thing.  I wanted to know what the grown ups were talking about, I wanted to play, I wanted to know the gossip, I wanted to be at the sleepover once I got over being shy.  It carried on into my adulthood.  I never missed a work event.  If people were going out, I was there.  My social, work and family calendars were so jam packed with the funnest things that my personal needs- including but not limited to-sleep, nutrition, exercise, cleanliness of home, personal appointments and so much more; suffered big time!  But who cares, I’m in the know, am I right ladies?!  Now, with my current health situation and my need to find peace inside of my own life, FOMO seems so silly for me.  I am important. I am a priority. I am worth taking care of. I am peaceful.  These are hard things to get on board with when all of life has been about putting others first; either bc you are a giver OR bc you aren’t comfortable dealing with your own needs or both!  But this is where I find myself.  And as it so often happens, when I need to get onboard with something, it just keeps popping up in my life.  In yoga this weekend with the greatest instructor, Nancy…

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She introduced the idea of setting intentions.  Joelle and I took a class last year that was a ll about setting intentions and I loved it.  Now it is back and has crept its way into my peaceful yoga practice.  Nancy asked for us to reflect on why we found our way to the mat.  Was it bc we were in pain (physical, mental, emotional, all three?) and we wanted to find relief? (yes) Was it  bc we feel pretty good but want to feel an expansion, to learn more, to gain more with ourselves? (yes) Was it to find a community to grow and learn and share this amazing experience with? (yes) Or was it to find a deeper connection with the Divine? (yes)  As I lay in corpse pose contemplating all of this while practicing my breath and being in the moment, I found that all of those things brought me to yoga! #overachiever  Next, Nancy said, now set an intention.  If you want to be loved, say in your mind, I am loved.  Whatever the want, set the intention as if it were already happening.  So for me, I want peace, so my intention became, I am peaceful.  We talk a lot on this blog about how your own self talk affects you so greatly and let me tell you…this one sentence truly set my intentions and set me up for a very peaceful, very uneventful, antiFOMO weekend.

In very normal conversation leading up to this wonderful holiday weekend of Labor Day, everyone was asking me what I had planned.  It is so deeply in my nature to plan.  Partly bc I’m disorganized and it helps me stay focused, partly bc I love having things to look forward to, partly bc I overcommit so planning and putting in my calendar prevents that and mostly bc I used to love to be busy all the time…less time alone with my own thoughts I guess.  So, in total opposite of usual Sara fashion, my response was NOTHING!  For once, I had absolutely nothing planned .  No trips out of town, no committed social engagements, I didn’t even have anything planned with my family!  I made this weekend about myself.  I went to beginners yoga at Bliss Body Yoga as you read above, my new favorite Saturday morning ritual!

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I went to Pure Barre….three times this week!

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I saw my mom and dad and went shopping for an adult coloring book!

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I ordered some new cookbooks and read them cover to cover!

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I made these brussel sprouts with crispy shallots from Nourish!  They were amazing!

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And bc I didn’t over schedule myself and I live with a little more flexibility now, I was able to hang out with the fam (mom, dad, Kelly and Chase) on Sunday for a healthy cookout

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and arts and crafts with my twinny!

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I thought it would be fun to paint…with our hands and you guys, it was the living funnest!

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Which ultimately became paint Chase!!!! #murderers #justbutcheringcowsoverhere He is so much fun, we explored the attic, went for walks, spied on people, made up games, he let me play his legs like a musical instrument, we were zombies,

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then we came together for a weird indoor ball game and story time!

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There was so much laughing and so much fun!  Wyatt was at a movie with a friend which was a bummer, but with two nephews, you hardly ever get alone time with them!!!  Chase!!!  You are a ball of sunshine, energy and creativity.  I was worn out in the best possible way.  Time with family is such a gift.  I spent the rest of the weekend going to see my chiropractor and acupuncturist which always leaves me feeling rejuvenated and totally relaxed.  So unlike any other holiday in my left, I am starting this work week without a hangover, feeling healthy and nourished and well rested.  Adios FOMO hello Namaste.  Hope your holiday was lovely and full of love and peace.  See you all tomorrow! XO  Here are a few closing memes that I’m obsessed with!

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Two Meatballs: Pampered Chef

Ok sooooo, Sara and I really do well when we plan out the week. Especially our meals.  Having food prepared keeps us both on track.  So I left work with Sara’s house key and threw her chicken into the crockpot. Check. Cross it off the list!  So I thought we were being so productive. I would just show up at her house that night and have fun finishing the meal together. So I came in and the chicken smelled aaaaaaammmmazing!!!! I sat on her couch and got into such a deep conversation about how we were both feeling!!! Unexpected turn of events!! Oh and it gets worse,  after all this talk of how exhausted we were, we talked our selves into blizzards at DQ!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhh Our dirty secret is out!!!!!!!!  We got back to the house and both had an overwhelming feeling of regret!!!!!  We felt so disappointed in ourselves, which lead to a deeper conversation of, “what are we doing”?   This conversation felt so different then any other in the past.  We both want this and want it for the other.   We Are so strong together, but we both easily slip into the others dark place and give in.  But not anymore!!!!!!!  We are capable of change!!!  We have come so far!!!!!  Today was a new day, we both feel strong and empowered!  We cooked today and followed our plan!!! Love you Sara, thanks for being on this ride of self discovery with me!!!  So here is this yummy recipe for tonight’s meal……Honey garlic chicken and roasted carrots and mushrooms!!!

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Lets fucking cook Sara!!!!

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Half way through we got really fired up just looking at past fatty pictures on sara adorable collage on her refrigerator.

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Then we got really distracted and walked around in one boot each….omg whos’s who????? #lifeofa4

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Sara and I were so distracted with our conversation we didn’t even take a picture of this chickkkkkeen!!! so here is a generic one!

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and our veggies!!!!!!

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Now onto the pampering!!!!  Hi guys it’s Sara!!!  It was a night full of high school revisits!!!  My super best girl friend from Sanderson, Jaclyn Devita and I went to dinner while Jenny was finishing up her shift at work before the cooking began!  We hadn’t hung out in 12 YEARS!!! Which is the craziest thing everrrrrr.  But we didn’t skip a beat. We had a great dinner at North Ridge Pub and caught up on everything.  Shout out to our favorite bartender and buddy Keyvin!!!!  We love you and your support!!!  Xoxo.  I am so grateful to have always had such strong and positive women in my life and it was the living best hanging out again!  Backstreet Boys were our obsession back in the day (she loved nick, I loved kevin) and ironically enough quit Playing Games with My Heart played as we ate our healthy dinners!!! Jack is in the nutrition and wellness world so it was fun picking her brain.  We chatted about staying healthy, our time at NC State, our families and the anamoly that is dating in the world of technology! She is also a successful and single woman so it was so nice to be on the same page!!!  Ugh literally can’t wait to see you again Jack!!!

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So then, my  other sweet high school pal Jennifer Orr Compton reached out awhile back and said that she loved the blog and would love to send Jenny and myself some mini facials to pamper ourselves from Rodan + Fields!!!  She sent the sweetest little package! Look at all the goodies!

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Inside were two little packages and a sweet note with instructions!

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And after sweating over the oven, we needed a little brightening and refreshing!  Both Jenny and I are terrible about a skin routine!  The best I can do these days is use a MAC face wipe before bed!!!  We started by exfoliating(this smelled like heaven and felt even better, Then a calming night serum and then a hydrating lip serum!

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We both feeeeel amazing!!!  Something to consider for sure!  Thanks so much for reaching out Jennifer!!!  She sent along some info in case anyone would like to get a skin care system of their own!!!  Happy shopping!!!  Love y’all!

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And to Jenny, I am so thankful every single day to have such a wonderful, judgement free relationship of mutual love and respect with you! It feels so amazing to dig deep and find out what is at he core of it all.  I love rediscovering ourselves together on this super challenging journey and striving to become better people.  You are the best and I love you so much!

Two Meatballs: Yummy Dinner…Yuckkkkkkky Dessert!!!

Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!  So what’s more fun for a date night…than a cooking segment!?! Haha!  Instead of me and Jenny winging it…my adorable chef offered to show me a thing or two!  He is great and sooo talented at what he does. Everything that he makes is delish times a mil and he is super thoughtful when it comes to my paleo needs!  I wanted to contribute something besides my adorable self to the evening so I signed up to make mocktails and a paleo dessert.  What’s on the menu you ask!?  A Thai Peanut marinated pork tenderloin, Asian stir fry, chocolate chip coconut cookies and sparkling raspberry lime coolers.  First off…a beverage!

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He has a little bar cart with adorable glasses, so I grabbed two, a trader joe’s sparkling raspberry lime drink, a couple of ice cubes, a handful of raspberries, lime wedges and mint from Zan’s yard!  He got to muddling and viola!

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Cheers!

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Then he marinated the pork loin in soy sauce , thai peanut sauce, ginger and garlic  and fired up the grill #sohot

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While I started haphazardly making the cookies!

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Here is the recipe…

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The pork was finished…so he moved on to the stir fry…is there anything hotter than someone cooking for you!?! #no

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For the stir fry, he heated up sesame oil and threw in some garlic and onions, then carrots, mushrooms, jalapenos I think, then cabbage. The also tossed in some of that thai peanut sauce, soy sauce., sirracha and some water!!!  Look at yummy this little plate came together!!!

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Everything was soooooooooooooo good!  I mean the pork was so juicy but had a nice crust on the outside and the stir fry was just the right amount of spicy #nailedit

Then we tried my cookies…

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annnnnnnnnd they were the driest thing that has ever existed! #fail-eo  They needed butter…and sugar…and milk and anything that would have added moisture.  He was kind and said that they weren’t THAT bad…but they were! Haha…guess I should just leave it to the professional huh!?  Best night ever…thanks for dinner Zan!!!! I even had leftovers for work!!!

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#luckygirl