Stay Warm This Holiday

**School Project...I do not write for Lush** 

When it comes to staying warm and cozy during this holiday season, every adult should have the luxury to indulge. Whether it’s with our Hot Toddy Shower Gel or an actual Hot Toddy, the options are extremely giftable.

What is a Hot Toddy you ask? Well, let’s indulge with a little basket you could send to your dearest friend or relative and why not share a cup yourself?

Hot Toddy Kit

A little bourbon, a little cinnamon, a little honey, and lemon and you have yourself quite a Hot Toddy moment! To relive the warmth and entice your senses, we have your very own non-alcoholic version which attaches quite nicely to your basket. Our Festive Cheer gift is all wrapped up and ready for your senses.

Festive Cheer Gift

Most of all this holiday season, if enjoying this fantastic adult beverage, always designate a driver. 

Merry Christmas! 



Facebook:
What fits snug in a gift basket for that special adult in your life? You got it! Hot Toddy!

Twitter:
Cinnamon and ginger have quite the affair when enjoying our Hot Toddy Shower Gel. Why not enjoy it in a cup? Here’s how. - 120

Pinterest:
DIY Hot Toddy Gift Basket with a bourbon? 21 and up to enjoy responsibly

Foodie PenPal!!

OK...so...you all know how much i looooove the Foodie Penpal program through The Lean Green Bean!!

You sign up here...spend a minimum of $15 after getting to know your recipient...send your package by the 15th...and receive a package from someone else you've "met"...um hello...food in the mail?? YES PLEASE!!!!

This month I was paired up with Krystal...Yum in a box...seriously! i may have scarfed down the chips while opening the rest of the box hahaha

I seriously just made the gluten free brownie mix and it was soooooo good!!!!

I am making pulled pork tomorrow with the bbq sauce and am pretty excited to eat it! Majority of all of the snacks are gone haha...the pancakes will be consumed this saturday morning...again...i am pretty darn excited to eat those!!!

I'm excited for this month!!!!

Check it out here

Lisa aka Food Lover!

***GIVEAWAY WINNER ANNOUNCED***

The adorable Flower Fun Bunny is going to be sent to:

Mary H.!!!

Congratulations!!!

E-Mail has been sent so shoot me your address :-)

Lisa

Build-A Bear Workshop Review + GIVEAWAY!

Ok guys...I received an email from Build-A-Bear Workshop a little after Valentine's Day about reviewing one of their Easter launch products! Um..of course!!

My daughter made a barking dog with a shirt, skirt, leash, and roller skates last year...the amount of accessories and products that you can add to your custom made friend in the store and online is amazing. 

Drum roll.......

I received the 2013 Beary Limited Edition Flower Fun Bunny with the Glittery Easter Egg decorating set and I KNEW I had to hide it from my daughter haha. The Flower Fun Bunny is so incredibly soft with the sweetest face. The colors are so vibrant and just stand out so well off of the white. I am always blown away by the accessories too! If you log on to their website here (or visit the Build-A Bear Workshop) you can browse through so many different outfits, shoes, and accessories so you and your child can make it one of a kind.

Alright guys...St. Patrick's Day is over and the Easter Bunny is headed to town! One lucky reader will receive this Flower Fun Bunny! Super easy entries below!

Giveaway ends Thursday, March 21st (we are headed out of town on Friday and I want to make you sure you receive your furry friend before Easter so you can accessorize to your hearts content!!)

GOOD LUCK!!

Lisa!

**Fine Print: The products I have reviewed and am giving away were provided to me at no charge by Build-A-Bear Workshop.**

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday Transport

I've decided to write about places I have been and transport you fine readers as you start your week.

So, bear with me...it will be a little long but enjoy the journey. I enjoy reliving the places through the writing and I enjoy writing so...it's a win win :-). oh and i get to exit thoughts from my ever thinking brain...did i mention i enjoy writing?

---October 2007, Munich, Germany (yes I entertained myself at Oktoberfest...Go if you can)

There was a day during my trip where I adventured down to this amazing, peaceful river. You walk through the neighborhood into the woods, down this dirt, weaving hill path through the woods (no not to grandmothers house we go...there's no horse or sleigh to take you there) and as you get to the bottom there is this a very, very old cemetery and I mean old...like the little church has 1842 inscribed on it. There are only 8 or 10 graves here. You know it's there but don't take any notice to it. You don't truly see it unless you are actually looking for it because there are joggers, people on bikes, a sign for horse riders, stuff that actually catches your eye. Maybe it's one of those places you've seen before and just know it's there. What if it vanished? What if one day, it just wasn't there? Would anyone notice?

The river...

You get to the bottom of the hill and you are gifted this amazing, pristine river and come to cross a bridge. A solid bridge; nothing rickety; nothing scary. When I say this river is pristine and supreme, I mean it. The water comes straight from the Alps. You stand just some feet above the river. It is so peaceful. As you walk across the bridge and look to your right you see the city that is Munich. You can faintly hear the noise, you see the historical buildings, the bridges, and you can picture Marienplatz  and all of the city happenings. But then you look left and your mind stops. There are no cars, no buildings, just trees, birds, and the river that seems endless curving around the bends. Dogs playing in the water, birds flying and soaring, just peaceful nothingness.

I walked left. I tend to walk left, park left, put on my clothes with my left side first. So I went left. People pass me on their bikes, jogging, walking their dogs, playing with their kids, everyone passes. Everyone is happy, laughing, enjoying life. You can come down to this river and just "be". 

Now I will interrupt your serene Monday morning with what I saw that day. Imagine walking along this river. Headphones in. Music transporting yourself to your own slice of zen. And then you see 2 cars drive down to the river. So of course I'm nosey but I wasn't the only person. 6 or 7 guys get out of the car with water and animals in kind of a tub thing. The second car was kind of a truck. So they start transferring them from the tub to the river. So I think, ok maybe their "populating" the river. (Honestly, I never found out what they were doing so if this sounds familiar to anyone be intrigued to let me know.) On that note, since no one through a fit or started a riot, I turned around and headed towards the bridge. I stopped in the middle and stared. 2 geese flying into the nothingness as the sun set. It looked like a fairy tale. So pretty and peaceful.

Let me tell you one thing. Walking down the zig zag, weaving dirt hill was much easier and more exciting when I was going down. This is a butt toner hill going up. You get to the top and take a deep breathe. Walk over to the sidewalk and back through the Munich neighborhood back to your house. While on your way home, the streets are filled with commuters and students going home. But no one has that "man, I'm tired and can't wait to get home" look. Everyone is chatty, everyone has a destination, and everyone is happy. I get home and the house is filled with great conversation with after work coffee because the Kindergarten's that my step-mom owns are in the neighborhood. Homes converted into Montessori Kindergarten's. They're amazing schools and the kids and staff are just unbelievable. Everyone heads home a bit after I get back from my journey and then it's dinner time. Perfect timing, huh?

 

Albert Camus said it best...To be happy, we must not be too concerned with others....

Maybe we'll transport to Stockholm...or Rome...or maybe somewhere local like Coronado...until next Monday.

February Foodie Pen Pals!!!

I love this!!! This is seriously so much fun!

You sign up here...spend a minimum of $15 after getting to know your recipient...send your package by the 15th...and receive a package from someone else you've "met"...um hello...food in the mail? YES PLEASE!

In February I was partnered up with Marie from Phoenix! She sent me the sweetest note AND COOKIES!!! ok and soup and potato chips and squeezables!!! I devoured the chips the next day and the cookies were gone...quickly ;-)...my husband ate the soup when I wasn't looking...poohead and my daughters pretty much inhaled the squeezables...next time I'm hiding my package hahaha

THANK YOU MARIE!!!!

What did I send to my partner, Ahuva, in Houston!!??

Brown paper packages tied up with string of course!!! haha just kidding...but not really...Ok so i'm a doofus and forgot to take a photo BEFORE wrapping hahaha...here's what Ahuva received

Trader Joe's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dunkers
Cookie Butter!!
Local Pineapple Strawberry Jam
Red Licorice
Milk Chocolate Bars
Jelly Beans...mmmmm

All from Trader Joe's except the Jam...That was from Whole Foods

I wanted to send her some of my favorite things that I, unfortunately, have had before and cannot have anymore..sad I know...

She sent me the most awesomest email too! You are very, very welcome, Ahuva!!! I hope you all enjoyed the rest :-)

Check out this awesomeness!!

Can't wait for March!!!

-Lisa

Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Bolognese GLUTEN FREE

yummmmalicious!!!

ok this is beyond easy and i had a small spaghetti squash and may have eaten 3/4 of the squash by myself...but anyways that's not what's important

Gluten Free Turkey Bolognese...that is what's important here...

Trader Joe's has this killer Gluten Free and Vegan Marinara sauce...it's soooooo good!!! I add garlic and next time I'm adding chopped onions but here it is!

It's $1.99..I mean come ON!! Yes, you can make marinara sauce yourself BUT this is really good and takes the headache out of figuring out if tomato sauce is gluten free, oils, bla bla bla blaaaaa...It's yummmm! I added mushrooms, shredded carrots and ground turkey!

OK...so the commissary had spaghetti squash for 60 cents/pound i think...i should have grabbed 2! 

Here is the recipe! It is BEYOND easy it's ridiculous!

Spaghetti Squash:

THIS TAKES AT LEAST 45 MINUTES! There is my warning...If you want softer "noodles" it will take an hour...The squash is a tough sucker! Use some muscle when you cut this OR do what Lindsay suggests below and nuke it for a few minutes to soften it up a bit.

Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean has a GREAT tutorial on 3 Ways to Cook Spaghetti Squash with photos! She also runs the Foodie Pen Pal Program every month! 

Here is how I cooked my squash:

I baked my squash...
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
2. Chop the sides so the squash stands up flat
3. Cut the squash in half lengthwise
4. Scoop out the seeds and "hair" (i tossed it but you can just loosen them up and baked the seeds!)
5. I placed parchment paper on my baking pan and then lay the squash hole down and bake!
6. I like the "noodles" kind of crunchy and 45 minutes is perfect...if you want them softer then leave it in the oven for an hour/hour 15 min.

Turkey Bolognese!!

1 pound Ground Turkey
1 Jar Trader Joe's Marinara Gluten Free Sauce
1 Package sliced Mushrooms
1/2 cupish (i threw in a handful) shredded carrots

1. Cook your ground turkey and set aside
2. Pour your sauce into a pan and let it warm up
3. Pour in your mushrooms and carrots and let that simmer for about 10 minutes or until the veggies are your crunchy or mushy likeness!
4. Pour in your ground turkey and mix it all together!
5. Pour on top or to the side of your "spaghetti" and ENJOY!

If you don't have a dairy allergy, parmesan cheese will be SOOOOO yummy on this!! AND these gluten free garlic rolls would be a pretty good plate cleaner!

Here are some photos of the dishes progress!! 

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!!!

I'm linking this recipe up at the awesome Friday Flair Link Party with Whipperberry!!

Have a fantastic weekend!!

– Lisa