Today’s post is gonna be a little all over the place and you know what?  A week before Christmas, I think it’s completely warranted.

First things first… HAPPY BIRTHDAY JODIE!!!!

If you didn’t know, it’s my sister’s 27th birthday today.  I don’t think I could have gotten a better little sister and I’m glad she’s made it 27 years around the sun with me.  I hope you have the best day LS.

Speaking of birthdays, this past weekend we celebrated Jo’s birthday downtown.  Which was really nice for Adam and me because that’s where we live.  We saw the window’s at Marshall Fields, visited the tree in the walnut room, got gluhwein and hot cocoa at the Christkindl Market, and wandered around the Water Tower place for a little.  

After all our downtown shenanigans, we went up North to Edgewater to get dinner at Ethiopian Diamond.   Jo had been there before and wanted to introduce us to a new cuisine.  I’ve never had Ethiopian food before, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect.

It was delicious.

We ended up getting a bunch samplers of different things and it was a feast.  If you’ve never had Ethiopian food before (you should really try it), everything is served on a communal plate.  There is no silverware and instead, you use strips of injera to pick up and eat your food.  Injera is this spongy, fermented, crepe-like bread that is stunningly delicious.  It’s like a sourdough tortilla.  I was more than pleased to eat my food with the injera and it was fun to try something different.

On Sunday, Adam and I had a chill day at home.  Although after doing the minimal meal prep for the past three weeks, apparently, I decided it was time to prep all the things.  This week is going to be busy getting ready for Christmas, so I’m sure all my cooking and prepping will pay off in the next few days.  Here’s what I put together yesterday: 

• Cut up cauliflower, broccoli, and bell peppers.
• Massaged kale for easy lunch and dinner salads.
• Sweet potato toast for breakfast.
• Hard-boiled eggs for lunches.
• Mirepoix for dinner soups.
• My Thanksgiving Taco filling for stuffed sweet potatoes tonight.
• Baked sweet potatoes for said stuffed sweet potatoes.
• Guacamole. Because despite my Instagram post last night I didn’t eat the whole bowl like a savage.  I will finish it all by myself throughout the week like the lady I am.
• Broccoli hash for breakfasts and lunches.
• Roasted turkey tenderloin to add to salads.  

This probably took me about 3 hours total to get together, but I broke it up throughout the day.  Like I said last week, I haven’t really done a big prep like this in a few weeks and that’s ok.  I had the time yesterday, so I got it done.  Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t have time to prep every single little thing you eat for the week.  Do what you can and be proud of that!  Every tiny bit helps.

As for the rest of this week, I have quite a few holiday recipes coming your way.  So be on the lookout for those and enjoy your Monday!!

P.S. ONLY 7 DAYS TIL SANTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!