Holiday Weekend Things

I hope everyone who celebrated had a fantastic Turkey Day! I definitely did. I mentioned in my last post that I usually don’t go nuts over the food…but this year, I did. I don’t know what it was, but everything just tasted so good this year. My family thought the same; many agreed that it was the best Thanksgiving meal to date.

I ended up making this pie for dessert the night beforehand. While it tasted incredible, it turned out to be more of a pumpkin pudding than a pumpkin pie. For some reason, it didn’t set well. But that didn’t stop anyone from wolfing it down (At least, those who like pumpkin pie in the family…which is about three of us.) The graham cracker crust made the pie, and was essentially the reason I chose that recipe in the first place.

Just like pumpkin pie, there are only a few people in my family who eat my mom’s homemade cranberry sauce. I am definitely one of them! I love cranberries, and my mom adds in some fresh grated orange zest which really brightens up the flavor. We always have leftover sauce that sadly goes to waste, but not this year. When I came across Ashley’s tasty-looking quick bread recipe, I knew I’d have to make it with the leftover cranberry sauce we had. It turned out great! I’ve been eating a piece in morning with some almond butter on top.

(It’s great plain, too!)

I had my fair share of indulgent food during my break, but I was also able to get in a few workouts as well at the gym my family belongs to near our home. To be completely honest with you all, I’ve been majorly slacking on the workout front lately. And I’ve been feeling it- my pants are getting a little too tight for my liking and I’ve just been feeling lethargic in general. Now that I’m getting back into the swing of regular exercise, I already feel much better. Of course!

A problem I run into is that I tend to do the same things over and over again at the gym and end up bored with my routine. I’ve been paying more attention to my Pinterest workouts board lately for new ideas. I’ve also incorporated some new ab exercises (my favorite part of the body to work) and I have plans to try out hot yoga, hopefully soon.

I stayed far, far away from the mall and any other stores on Black Friday. Dealing with the insane crowds and out-of-control shoppers isn’t my style. I must admit that I laugh whenever I see how crazy people get in stores over Thanksgiving weekend. Good old America and it’s consumerism…but that’s a rant for another day.

Though, I must admit that I did get sucked in by one store:

If I had to pick one store to shop at for the rest of my life, VS would be it. I have a serious obsession. Their promise of free shipping, a buy one bra get one half-off deal, and a pretty pink tote was enough to persuade me to do some online shopping. I’ve been wanting a couple new bras for awhile, so this felt like the perfect time to take care of that. I also bought five new pairs of underwear… Again, obsessed.

And then, of course, this came for me in the mail the VERY next day:

And I spotted about ten more things that I would love to have. The mini-mag also included a $10 coupon. But I’ll be holding off. For now…

Did you score any good Black Friday deals?

What’s your favorite ab exercise? I want to keep my muscles guessing!