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A Mexican Millet Dinner

Posted on 04. Apr, 2010 by kris.

Happy Saturday Everyone!!

Are you  having a wonderful Easter weekend??

Mine is MUCHO good!  Today I went with Ryan’s sister and Mom to a seminar, hit costco, and had a wonderful dinner!

I made this super simple, majorly delicious dish found on FancyThatFancyThis.com!  Thank you Ameena for this wonderful Black Bean Millet recipe!

I made enough for Ryan and I to have dinner and for Ryan to have leftovers for lunch.  I did add the avocado last, so the left overs are sans avocado, but can be added just before eating.  I also added some yummy cilantro to mine, and NO I did not get “stung” by my cilantro today!

Delicious!

Here is the recipe from FancyThatFancyThis.com

Black Bean Millet (1 serving)

1/4 cup of millet
1/2 cup of black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup of salsa
1/2 avocado
1 cup of spinach
1 tablespoon olive oil

Rinse and drain the millet, follow the cooking instructions on the package (it cooks just like rice). Mix all of the remaining ingredients and enjoy.

Tomorrow is the big Breakfast at my ‘rents house, and then tomorrow night is dinner with Ryan’s family.  A full day of Easter goodness happening over here

It is such a beautiful night here in Vancouver so I think we will head to starbucks or maybe to the beach!

Have a wonderful night everyone!

XXOO

Kris

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Homemade Vegan Burger Patties

Posted on 19. Feb, 2010 by kris.

Howdy Everyone!

How are you?  Are you enjoying your Thursday?  Wow, one more day until the glorious weekend!  I am super excited for the weekend because we are going to head downtown and enjoy all of the Olympic festivities going on!

I did hear we might not be able to bring your own food into some of the events or houses down there, so I better think of some good hiding places for some bars and smoothies

Who loves veggie burgers?  I do!!! However, I have been unable to eat them because most of them have soy (Booooo) in them and it doesn’t make me feel good.  I get asked this question a lot “what veggies burgers do you eat?” and I ask a lot of my Blog friends “what veggie burgers do you eat?”  LOL, so finally I decided to make my own….sans soy!

I have tested these gems for two nights in a row.  The first night with Black beans and the second night with chickpeas. They were both fab, but we preferred the chickpeas.  I also found the chickpea burgers held together a bit better.

Black Bean Patties served with Broccoli

Chickpea Patties served with salad:

Vegan Veggie Burgers - Gluten Free!

(tweaked from the recipe found on Ohsheglows.com )

1 can chickpeas (or 1 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas 0r any bean you would like)
1 cup oats
1 zucchini
2 small peppers (I used 3 small sweet peppers)
1 cup spinach
1 carrot
1/4 cup sunflower seeds (0ptional – you could use flax seeds too!)
spices – I used a dash of sea salt, sprinkle of cayenne, and dill)

Place all ingredients in a food processor and mix into a thick mess  Shape into burger patties and bake at 375 for 15 – 20 minutes per side.

These suckers were wonderful, filling and enjoyable!

I used Chard as the greens for my salad last night - wow, who knew raw chard was as yummy as it is.  It is really mild tasting, isn’t it?  I see many of you ladies out there using this as your salad green and took a hint to try it out!  Fabulous!!!

My salad dressing has been the same as shown here.  Super easy and extremely tasty

Off to let the dog run around the park with his “orange friend”.

Have a great night!

You must check out the Give Away on Lauren’s site – Gingeristhenewpink!  She is giving away a Raw Cleanse from Garden of Life!  This is GREAT!!!!

What is your favourite store bought veggie burger?  Do you make your own?

XXOO
Kris

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Vegan Italian Quinoa Dinner

Posted on 02. Feb, 2010 by kris.

Hello Everyone!

Thank you ALL for the wonderful comments on yesterday’s post on How to Deal with Negative People in your life.  It was topic I figured we all could use a little “refresher” on  You all had so many wonderful tips for as well, thank you!

Well Monday has now gone and we are moving further along in this beautiful week!

Today was full of a ton of water, tea, and protein bars!  I don’t know why, but when my throat is sore, I need something sweet.

Now, I don’t want you to think that is ALL I had for eats today.  I did have 2 ghetto greens, a large salad for lunch, a grapefruit, lots of protein bars and beautiful Italian Quinoa dish for dinner.

Sun dried Tomatoes are a fave food of mine.  I always purchase them organic, and without sodium. Some brands out there try to kill you with sodium, read your label next time, its insane.

I find sun dried tomatoes add such a wonderful flavor to pasta, quinoa dishes, pesto, and even crackers.  I added some to these bad boys over the weekend – WHOLY wowza were they amazing!!

Ryan and I ate the whole cookie sheet of crackers I baked in one sitting……while watching the movie “This is it”.

Italian Quinoa

*Please note this dish makes a lot with the measurements I am providing.

2 cups quinoa
5 cups water
2 vegan bouillon’s
2 medium zucchini’s
1 large red pepper
1 – 2 cups mushrooms
2 cups spinach
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 onion
2 tbsp evoo

Cook quinoa with 4 cups water and 1 bouillon

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.  Add the onions and sun dried tomatoes.  Cook for about 3-4 minutes.

In a small sauce pan bring 1 cup of water with the bouillon to a boil.  Turn heat down and let simmer.

Add the rest of the vegetables (except basil) to the frying pan and cook for 2 – 3 minutes while stirring.  Add the small boiling vegetable broth to the vegetables and let cook until veg are done.

Add the vegetable sauce to the quinoa and toss.  Add the chopped basil to the dish and serve.

I am looking forward to leftovers from this dish tomorrow for lunch!!

What do you crave when your throat is sore?  How do you prepare quinoa?  Is it a breakfast food for you, or dinner?

XXOO
Kris

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Vegan Eats: Big Pizza Pie and Crunchy Sweet Potato Fries

Posted on 15. Jan, 2010 by kris.

Happy Thursday Friends!

I am currently snuggled up drinking tea and watching The Real Housewives of OC.  I don’t know why but I am always drawn to reality shows where there is lots of money, beautiful people and no thinking that needs to be involved while watching them. 

Today was a mondo busy day for me and I barely left my little office except to try some new recipes and take the dog out

After lunch I started craving chips, and well because I don’t have chips in the house I needed something natural to fill my craving.  I decided to make some crunchy sweet potato fries.  These are to die for!  The “crunch” is from pecans that I food processed with a bit of olive oil and sea salt. 

Crunchy Sweet Potato Fries:

2 medium sweet potatoes sliced into fries
3/4 cup pecan meal (food process pecans)
2 tbsp evoo
dash of sea salt

Preheat oven to 350

1. peel and slice sweet potatoes
2. place pecans in the food processor and process into a meal
3. mix all ingredients together in a bowl and evenly coat
4. lay fries on a baking sheet (greased or use parchment paper)
5. bake for 35 – 40 minutes

Enjoy!

These taters are so sweet and crunchy I almost could eat the whole plate!  They are really good cold as well   I might have grazed a bit on them all day as I passed the fridge.

Dinner was something new again, just like last night (I still think last nights was the best!).  I put my thinking cap on and put together an easy pizza recipe. 

Gluten Free Pizza:

Crust:

2 cups buckwheat groats, cooked
4 cups water
3 tbsp evoo
spices
sea salt
pepper

1. place buckwheat in a pot and add the water, bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes
2. place cooked buckwheat and the rest of the ingredients in a food processor.  mix well.
3. preheat oven to 300
4. spread mixture onto a baking sheet and spread it 1/4″ thick
5. add toppings of your choice and bake for 45 minutes

Toppings:

This is what I added:

onions
spinach
cauliflower
grated beets

I think this pizza would be great with some fresh pesto, vegan cheese, or even a homemade nut cheese with nutritional yeast.  I will try this next time!

I might also try this crust with another grain next time, buckwheat has a very distinct flavor. 

My early morning intentions have been working so far.  I got up said everything I am grateful for and set my intentions for the day!  What a difference it makes

Well I am off to finish my show and my tea and get back to getting some things done! I might even possibly eat some more sweet potatos!  Enjoy your evening!

What do you bake or flavor your sweet potatos with??  What is your favorite mindless reality show?

XXOO
Kris

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It’s a Wrap! Easy Wheat Free Wraps

Posted on 14. Jan, 2010 by kris.

Humpday, how we love you!

How was every one’s day??  Mine was all sorts of busy and wonderful.  I absolutely love being online and connecting with people and I am blessed where I have the ability to do this throughout the day.  It just makes a girl so happy connecting and meeting new people.  Isn’t facebook the best thing since sliced gluten-free bread?!
I wanted to discuss a bit about my empowering meeting yesterday with Ann, my life coach.  This girl is the bestest and she knows how to get inside of me and I have no idea how she does it.

I went there wanting assistance on focus and keeping my “eye on the prize” as they say, well the whole topic seemed to have turned a smidge and we chatted about childhood, family members, how I view myself, and yes, a few tears were shed – happy tears of course

We talked a lot about the fear I used to have about Change.  I find it absolutely amazing that I can now embrace change and actually be excited about it.  Before doing work with Ann and understanding self growth, I would run as fast away from any form or change as I could.  Not now baby, bring it on!  I love it as I know I can not grow without change – period.

After my visit with Ann I was chatting with my mom on the way home and I decided that my alone time is really important to me right now.  The more alone time I have the more connected to myself and the source I can be.  I decided to wake up earlier and workout and then either meditate or just set my intentions for the day with myself.  Have a little chat with the inner me, and embrace what the day will bring.  My mom does this in the morning (she is a very early riser!  4:30 am early) and I admire this about her.

Here I go friends, early morning connections!

Food!

Today I was really craving bread.  I don’t eat bread, so I needed to think of something easy I could put together that would give me the same satisfaction that fluffy, chewy bread would.  I figured it out – I made wraps!

Wheat-free wraps!!

Easy Wheat Free Wraps:

2 cups oats – ground in a food processor
3/4 cups water (I used warm water from the kettle)
1/2 tsp sea salt
2-3 tbsp Evoo (I used 2)
Dash of spices (optional)

1. ground the oats in the food processor
2. place all ingredients in a bowl and mix together.
3. place a tea towel over the dough and let sit for 30 min
4. make 4 separate balls out of the dough and roll them into 4 wraps.
5. heat the frying pan to medium and add a bit of evoo
6. when the pan is hot, add one wrap at a time and cook for about 40 – 60 seconds a side or until edges turn brown.
7. remove wrap from heat and place in between tinfoil to keep warm and soft.

Filling:

1 green pepper
1 zucchini
1 carrot
1 tomato
1/2 onion
2 cups spinach
1/2 can black beans
sea salt and pepper to taste

I placed all the above in a frying pan and cooked.

Fill the wraps and enjoy!

*tip – add 1/2 an avocado to the wrap as a way to keep the veggies in

Have any of you ever made wheat free wraps?

Do any of you meditate or set morning intentions with yourself?

XXOO
Kris

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Healthy Lentil Soup for Chilly Days

Posted on 29. Dec, 2009 by kris.

Happy Monday Everyone!

I am back from another successful day grabbin all the sale items!

I just walked in the door from spending a wonderful day with my mom which included returning an item from Santa, purchasing make up and then we picked up my dad for a little starbucks trip and then went off to purchase me a printer!

It was a long day out and I was starving when I got home, so thankfully I have some wonderful left overs from last night.  Ryan is working late filming some videos so I am home alone…..and loving it!

Here is my dinner for today, which is super easy and very warm for these chilly days around here.

Easy Lentil Soup:

3 medium sweet potatoes
2 cups lentils
1 vegan bouillon
2 cups water
sea salt
pepper
mrs. dash

1. Boil Sweet Potatoes
2. Cook Lentils with bouillon.
3. Once both are done cooking, combine the sweet potatoes and the water from boiling the sweet potatoes into the lentils.
4. Blend and add spices- I used my hand blender.
5. Serve

Easy and really tasty!

I also baked some veggies to go along side and had a wonderfully large salad.

Roasted Veggies:

Squash
Bruessel Sprouts
Sweet Potatoes
EVOO
Sea Salt

Bake at 350 for 30 – 40 minutes.

In the roasted veg dish I used this new squash I found -delicata squash.  This squash has a thin, delicate skin so you can eat it after baking!  It is delicious and has a similar sweet taste to corn.

I am off to finish my vision board for 2010 – I know…..I was supposed to reveal this sucker today, but my printer went on the fritz so now that I have a new one, I can print out my pics and I will post an amazing Goals post tomorrow!

I need some more chilly day dinners.  Can you send me any links to some recipes??

XXOO
Kris

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Vegan For The Holidays

Posted on 19. Dec, 2009 by kris.

Happy Friday!

Yes my friends – for you all of you that are now out of the office on your way home or close to being off, I would like to say “Congratulations” you made it to the weekend! I just beam on Fridays, I feel everyone is happier and it is my treat day so Fridays are always swell.

I love waking up early on Fridays and racing down to the gym, for some reason I have an easier time getting up on the F-day. My InTouch mag kept me amused on the mill for about 30 and now I can safely say I am caught up on all the Tiger Gossip and can now follow along while everyone talks about it.  Its so sad I have been out of the loop with my busy schedule that I have not even been to people.com!  But I am back on that gossip horse now with my mind mush magazine

Like I said it is Treat Day and for my treat this morning I drove over to ‘Bucks and got myself a grande Red Cup of Joy and savored every sip as I wandered through the mall and watched everyone hustle and bustle around.  It was great!

After the mall wander it was time to “Get back to work Kris” so into the office I went with my lunch and enjoyed chatting with everyone online and on Facebook! You should all add me as a friend on Facebook or join my Facebook Fan Page - I would love to have you

FOOD:

Breakfast was a Green Smoothie- 2 scoops of Vanilla Chai Vega, 1/2 organic apple, 1/2 organic banana, 3 tbsp chia seeds, 1 cup almond milk, 2 cups water, 2 cups greens.

For the Green part of my breakfast I used 1/2 kale and 1/2 spinach.  I love Kale and was upset to find out I didn’t have any freshly washed, and I was too hungry to wait I used some spinach.   Not too shabby!

Lunch:

Lunch today was the same as yesterday – Wilted Spinach, Carrots and Avocado with a tad sprinkle of Sea Salt, however I did step it up a notch and also ate some Baked Sweet Tatters!!!

I love baked sweet tatters when they get all brown around the edges.

Snacks:

Well, of course some truffles and cookies   Lots of Water and Tea!

Dinner:

Stuffed Baked Squash

I baked acorn squash in the oven @ 350 for 40-45 min

Then I cooked some Mung Beans with sea salt, pepper, and Mrs. Dash – I simmered these on the stove top for about 30 minutes and then added fresh tomatoes and spinach

When these were both done – I stuff the squash!

Vegan Christmas:

Well with only 1 week to go to the big day!  6 days for me, as we celebrate on Christmas Eve and have all the fam over for dinner and then gifts and desserts after.  This has always been our tradition and I would not have it any other way.  Having the celebration in the evening is so wonderful when the candles are lit you have a good glass of wine and just sit and listen to laughter and music.  Can you tell this is my favorite time of year?

As you all know this year Ryan and I will be vegan for the holidays. We said at the end of October after our detox was complete that we will go vegan (even though I was eating vegan long before, really.) for 3 full months.  Ryan wanted to experiment with his energy levels and working out on 100% clean vegan diet.  We are very dedicated that the “worst” thing we are eating right now is Mary’s Crackers and they aren’t bad!  Anywhoozle, this means no traditional christmas dinner for us.

I decided to make a few dishes to bring along to dinner and I can’t wait to try this one out.  I asked for a few recipes the other day and I decided I will be making the Sweet Potato Casserole from OhSheGlows.

I will also be making some other glorious dishes to come along

My mom always makes the best food and luckily for me it is always healthy and clean so I know there will be lots for us to eat!

Desserts are more my forte so I will be bringing lots of those with me   We have to have something to leave for Santa!

A Dogs Life……..

Bath Time!! Yes as soon as I said these word, Hudson was under that dinning room table!  Well it was a struggle and I grabbed him and in the tub he went.  Isn’t it funny that when you lift your pooch out of the tub they move there “arms” in a slow moving dog paddle….and they are out of the water!  So Cute!

**EDIT – Since writing this post – Hudson decided to rip open the garbage bag and get all in there so he has had 2 bath time’s today!

What do you like better in your Green Smoothie – Kale or Spinach???

Twit me up!  Follow me

XXOO
Kris

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Raw Chocolate Date Truffles

Posted on 18. Dec, 2009 by kris.

Hey Pals,

Well today has been a whirlwind of a day, let me tell you!

Yessss finally the Internet is all up and running smoothly and my office is now on my way to being complete.  Currently Ryan and I share and office, but I want to move mine into the den, so I am working at setting that den up “Kris Style”.  Hopefully I can focus some time in that this weekend.

I was starvin marvin all day today and I stopped for my “lunch break” at 11:00 this morning – wow, early huh??  I felt like something different than my normal salad, so I decided to slightly wilt some spinach and add carrots, avoacado and sea salt to it. Mmmmm I don’t know why but I crave wilted spinach and avocado together……so good!

After lunch it was a blur, I was so busy and felt bad because I was not able to be on my social media hub as much as I would like too!!  Tomorrow will be my online day for my friends Today was hardcore “getting things done” day – booking meetings, etc.

We had to fly out of the house to get to our Niece and Nephew’s Christmas Concert for 6, so dinner was freakin’ quick! Lucky just earlier this morning I was reading the blog OhSheGlows looking for a recipe and came across these dolled up savory oats and whipped up something similar!

Kris’ Dinner Oats:

2 cups Organic Quick Oats
4 cups water
2 cups Organic Frozen Peas
2 medium tomatoes – diced
3-4 cups spinach
1-2 tbsp Mrs. Dash
Sea Salt
Pepper
1 Avocado
Dollop of Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Spread (optional)

Add Oats, Water, Peas, Spices to Pot and bring to a boil.

Add tomatoes about 1/2 way through cooking time

When oats are done, add in spinach and toss.

Plate up and add avocado and a bit of red sauce on top

YUMMMY and Quick!

We made it to the Christmas Concert just on time and enjoyed the little ones singing their songs in their Santa hats

Back at the Casa I felt a little sweet tooth coming on so it was time to make a quick and easy “balls” – In the bowl went some softened dates, almond flour, tad bit of coconut oil and vegan chocolate chips. Mushed it all up and rolled into balls……well….Truffles sound a bit nicer, so we can call them that!

It’s always a slice my friends!

Tomorrow is Friday, Any plans??

Remember – If you liked any of the info here retweet!!  Everyone will love this Truffle recipe

Follow me on Twitter!

XXOO

Kris

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Vegan Cookie Monster

Posted on 17. Dec, 2009 by kris.

Happy Mid of the week my fellow bloggers and readers!

I hope you are all enjoying your day as much as I am?  Our Internet has been on the fritz since Saturday and our wireless has been down (the Wii fried it!) so like I said before my “office” was located at the dinning room table, and Ryan’s office is the kitchen counter – close enough to the closet so we can hard wire our computers to the line in the entry closet!  It was not pretty and really uncomfortable!  But it is now successfully working and I have my own separate office and Ryan has his so we can stay out of each others hair when we are working.  Do you find that working with your partner is hard all day?? 

I would also like to thank you all who commented and sent loving encouraging emails my way after my post on my Life Coach visit.  It really means a lot to me that I have made such wonderful friends.  We all complement each other very well, don’t we?

I have been asking myself throughout the day today “what am I grateful for right now”  WOW do I have a lot to be grateful for and life is always a bit more interesting when you are able to sit back and acknowledge all the beauty!

The sun started shining through the clouds and that made me happy!

FOOD:

Today has been a beautiful healthy eating day and like usual I started my day with my Ghetto Green(has been brown lately due to the chocolate vega) but it has been full and vibrant with fresh raw Kale, 1/2 banana, 1/2 apple. 2 tbsp Chia Seeds, 1 cup nut milk and water!  Perfect punch to start the wheels turning!

Throughout my morning I had consumed a lot of water!  I feel so alive when I drink water and notice a large difference in my performance when I am fully hydrated.  Water is the juice of nature!

I might have also thrown in a couple mint chocolate cookies throughout my day   Plus Baked some more!  These are a staple item in our home now as they are easy, tasty, full of holiday goodness and healthy! 

Lunch was a beautiful and large salad – 3 cups Mixed Greens, 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, handful of sprouts, 1/2 an avocado, hemp seeds, lemon juice and a dash of Mrs. Dash!  Mmmmmmm perfecto in my tummy!  Salads keep me happy

I also consumed some tea and other snacks…..

Tonight I need to replenish my Veggie Stash – I go through piles of veg through the week and I know the grocery store clerks cringe as I walk in because they know they have their work cut out for them remembering all of their produce codes.  I am sorry Choices Market…..

For dinner I made curry quinoa and made sure to make enough for 2 dinners and a few lunches as I feel less stress when dinner is already in the fridge for tomorrow. 

Fitness:

This morning was cardio day!  I woke up at 6:15 headed down to the gym in the building and rocked that tread mill.  I FINALLY don’t mind that stinking thing!  I bring magazines with me and prop them up so I can’t see the time and any of the digital readings so when I am done reading I look and like 30 min have passed already.  BRILLIANT! 

I also whipped out some 10 pounders and did lunges back and forth across the room a bunch of times.  Lunges with weights sure work the sides of my thighs better than anything else.  I hate the lunges, but love them at the same time.

Tonight I am resting off of P90X and will pick that back up tomorrow   I feel I should take some time for myself tonight and possibly give myself a mani……ahh spa night at my place – who’s in?

Ok, I have walked passed my warm cookies and have eaten a TON – 45 min treadmill workout tomorrow??  YIKES

What are you Grateful for today??  I can’t wait to hear from all of you!

XXOO
Kris

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Healthy,Festive Gatherings!

Posted on 13. Dec, 2009 by kris.

Good Morning All!
Happy Sunday to you!  How is everyone doing?  Has the weekend been treating you well?

We have had such an exciting weekend!  Last night was our Christmas Before Christmas Gathering here at our  place and my family came over for some appetizers, baked goods and wine! We had such a great time!

I had outlined my menu in a previous post and explained how I watch my overeating during these festive get together’s and I think I stayed pretty much on track.  I ate 2 salads yesterday – mondo ones so I got all my veg in for the day.  I had one of the salads just before everyone arrived so I was already nice and full and I could allow myself to “graze” throughout the night

Along with my Gluten Free/ Vegan corner of the buffet table, I put out some crackers and other items that I normally don’t eat because either they aren’t good for my intolerance’s or I just don’t think they are that good for me.  I am referring to these delicious organic ranch crackers that I picked up – I thought these would go wonderfully with cheese plate my mom so graciously brought over and well I ended up eating a few of these little suckers….I can feel it this morning.  Isn’t it amazing how the body works?  So I am making sure I drink LOTS of water and eating my veg today.

I made some wonderful Jam Pockets and I found the recipe on ElanasPantry.com

Elana uses Raspberry jam, but I decided to use Apriocot.  These little sweet pockets were the life of the dessert place!

I use Organic Fruit Juice Sweetened Jam.

I made this olive dish I found in the Alive Magazine – so easy and very tasty!

Baked Olives

1 jar Black Olives
1 jar Green Olives
1 Lemon
Pack Fresh Rosemary

Slice the lemon in quarters and rinse the Rosemary

Add all ingredients into a baking dish and bake at 375 for 15 min.  Very tasty!

Here is the Table after we all got into the food

Almond Bread:

Family: Nana, My Aunt Wendy, My Dad and My Mom

Ryan and My Uncle Mike trying to figure out our internet issue…..

My Mom, Michelle and I

Dessert Plate

All in all it was a nice evening and it was great everyone could stop by!

LAST DAY! Today is the last day to enter in the Holiday Dessert Contest – you have until 8:00pm PST to send your dessert recipe into iheartwellness@gmail.com

What is your favorite holiday activity?  Is it getting together with family or snuggling up with a movie?  I have so many holiday fave’s, we love driving around looking at lights at all the beautiful house around here.

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook!

XXOO
Kris

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