Hello from the frozen tundra of Illinois!  We are once again in a “polar vortex” with wind chills reaching 30 below zero.  Tomorrow is suppose to be even colder.  Hooray…  Anywho, rather than dwelling on the frigid temps, I thought I would do a fun post today to lift everyone’s spirits!  Not every post has to be super serious, sometimes it’s nice to do something a little bit more fun! So without further ado, here are my current likes of the moment!

FOOD- 

• Goji berries- I know that I am a little late jumping on the goji berry superfood wagon, but better late than never right?  My grocery store started selling this in their bulk section so it is a lot less expensive than buying the small 4 oz bag for $7.  These berries are more along the lines of cranberries in taste, more tart than sweet.  I love the tartness and I have been adding them to my breakfast oatmeal every morning.  Plus they are nutritional powerhouses (hence the superfood title) so it’s a win-win situation! 
• Leafy greens- I have become obsessed with dark leafy greens, mainly collard greens.  My favorite way to enjoy them is to rinse them off, chop them up, and saute them with garlic, pepper and lemon juice until they are wilted.  So easy, but so good!  I have never had a problem with eating my vegetables, but I wanted to start trying new and different kinds.  Leafy greens like spinach, collard or turnip greens, and kale are cheap and super healthy.  Both of those things are right up my alley!
• Any hot tea-  With all this cold, I am pretty much living in a mug of tea at all moments.  Tea is a great way to warm up quickly and there are so many different kinds!  My favorites right now are mountain chai and lemon ginger.
  

  If I could, I would crawl into this mug of tea just to stay warm…

EXERCISE-

• Jillian Michaels Yoga Inferno- My husband, Adam, got me some new yoga DVD’s for Christmas and this was one of them.  I love it!  This is a great workout and by the end of the routine I am literally dripping in sweat.  There are two workouts and she gives advanced and beginner versions of each move, so you can build up your strength and endurance.  This isn’t your typical yoga flow, so if that is what your looking for read the next bullet point.  But if you want a good strength and cardio workout while doing some fun yoga poses, check out this DVD! 
• Yoga Flow with Shiva Rea-  This is the other yoga DVD I got for Christmas.  I was getting a little bored of my normal yoga routines so I wanted to try something new.  This DVD features seven 20 minute yoga flows as well as a short core flow, forward bends and meditations.  It also uses a customizable yoga matrix so you can pick and choose the flows you want to do.  It’s great because you can choose the length of the practice you would like as well as the type of flow.  There are a bunch of new to me poses that I am going to start working to perfect, so that should keep me busy for awhile! 

ENTERTAINMENT-

• Once Upon A Time- Yes, I know that once again I’m late to the party on this one.  Adam and I started watching this on Netflix and I really like it!  It is so fun to see all the different fairy tale characters and find out how their story weaves into the main theme.  Plus it’s fun for me because Jennifer Morrison was my high school band director’s daughter, so it’s pretty much like I’m besties with a famous celebrity…. yeah not at all.  Oh well, check this show out I promise you’ll have fun! 
• The Fault in Our Stars- I just finished this book by John Green this weekend.  It was a really great book and I had a hard time putting it down.  Normally books where the main characters have cancer can be kind of a downer, but Green manages to make them as normal as possible.  They laugh, they make jokes, they live life, and yes there are sad and depressing moments, but life isn’t always positive whether you have cancer or not.  They are making a movie of this book this year I believe, so I urge you to go out and read this book before that!  

HOBBIES- 

• Cross-stitching- I know.  Your 75 year old Nana cross-stitches.  Well so does this 26 year old.  It is a great way to relax at the end of the day and in the end you get to make some pretty cool things.  You can buy patterns to follow or you can make up your own pattern to stitch.  Just make sure you don’t go to far with it…. 
  

  Maybe too far… ?

Those are the things that are filling my time and belly this winter.  What are some of the things that are keeping you sane and entertained during this cold weather?

Have a great week everyone!