Hello, hello friendly faces! Hope you’re having a fabulous weekend.
We’re having a cold one up here in Alberta, and while things have warmed up to a nice and toasty -17ºC (1ºF), the -30ºC (-22ºF) that graced us on Friday and Saturday meant I spent the majority of my weekend sitting inside with a hot drink within arm’s reach at all times. Yesssss, it’s been an exciting couple of days filled with studying, baking, and behind-the-scenes blog work, but at least the weather gave me a good excuse to catch up on some things that I’ve been neglecting.
Thankfully, things are starting to warm up so I’m hoping to hit the slopes to do some snowboarding today, and if that doesn’t pan out then at least I have more Christmas decorating to look forward to. My parents are putting up their tree tonight and I figured I’d be a good daughter and help them out 😉
But enough of my rambling. I’ll do a little weekend recap tomorrow, so enjoy some link love today!
In my head…
. fitness .
15 Surefire Strategies to Stay Fit From Thanksgiving To New Years via Huffington Post.
Great tips on sneaking some fitness into your holiday schedule!
5 Good Reasons to Skip Your Workout via Health.com.
Sometimes skipping your workout is actually more beneficial than forcing your way through it.
. health .
7 Health Problems Improved By Sleep via Huffington Post.
When it comes to your health, getting a good night’s sleep is one of the best things you can do.
Back When I Ate The HLB Way via Run Pretty.
Oh the things I used to choke down in the name of “health”… it makes me cringe.
How Much Water Should I Drink To Stay Hydrated? via Greatist.
Too much? Not enough? It can be a tricky thing to figure out.
Anxiety in Your Head Could Come From Your Gut via Wellness Today.
Super interesting notion about the bacteria balance in our gut having a huge effect on our mental state.
A Life Without The Scale via The Cookie ChRUNicles.
Amazing post. Don’t let a meaningless number define how you feel about yourself.
5 Reasons You Can Skip Weighing Yourself via Health.com.
Bottom line: the scale doesn’t really tell you anything useful.
. happiness .
12 Lies People Love to Tell You via Marc and Angel Hack Life.
Seemingly innocent lies that are holding you back from living your true potential.
9 Fears You’ll Regret Never Facing via Marc and Angel Hack Life.
Don’t let fear hold you back from living out your full potential.
. blogging .
How To Make Pinterest Work For Your Blog via Barbie Bieber and Beyond.
Great tips on using Pinterest to drive more traffic to your blog.
Bookmarked: Blogging Tips via The Lean Green Bean.
Any questions you ever had about blogging are probably answered in this amazing collection of links.
For my belly…
Skinny Cranberry Bliss Bars via SkinnyTaste.
The combination of cream cheese, cranberries, and chocolate? Perfect for the holidays!
Grain Free Sugar Cookie Cutouts via Fit Foodie Finds.
Made with coconut flour and sweetened with honey; a delicious twist on traditional sugar cookies.
DIY Mason Jar Nut Butters via Hello Veggy!
If anyone wants to know what to get me for Christmas, I’d love a jar of Chocolate Mint AB!
Caramelized Apple Gorgonzola Pizza via Sally’s Baking Addiction.
The combination of apples and cheese makes me swoon. Throw pizza in the mix and… ugh… I die.
Spaghetti Squash Sausage Lasagna Boats via Skinny Taste.
Just one more delicious reason for me to finally bust out that spaghetti squash…
60+ Christmas Cookies via Shugary Sweets.
A great collection of recipe sot inspire your Christmas baking.
. – . – . – .
Does it get cold where you live? Do you always have snow for Christmas?
Three things you did yesterday; three things you’re going to do today. Go:
Yesterday: baking, blog maintenance, and Christmas shopping.
Today: church, [hopefully] snowboarding, and heading to my parents’ to help decorate.
It’s so cold here… I’ve been trapped on a treadmill the past two days.
Thank you so much for sharing a grain free/refined sugar free sugar cookie recipe… I’ve been searching for a good one!
So I didn’t read each and every link, and I’m super excited about that. Happy dance ensues. I know you’ll understand as opposed to being offended.
Amongst others, I did read through the one about bacteria in your gut being linked to mental disorders, and I’m honestly not surprised. I find, through actual experience and lots of research, that food plays such a huge role in not only your physical health, but your mental health as well. Depressed? You might be vitamin D deficient. Anxious? Cut back on sugar and processed foods. It really is amazing to me how much more connected they are than people think. It’s actually one of the reasons I started blogging. I wanted to spread the knowledge and share the healthy wealth. I’ve gotten away from that, in part because my audience isn’t really geared for that, but that’s probably my own fault. If I write the other stuff, I will build an audience that does think similarly. I really need to get back to those roots. Perhaps I will stop telling myself lies 😉 and just do it.
You’re right — totally understand, and super proud 😉
I know what you mean about feeling pressured to write a certain way, though. That sort of thing gets me too, and it’s those posts that always come out feeling forced. It’s surprisingly difficult to be true to yourself, but also extremely rewarding.
Holy shnikies! And I thought we had it cold at 15 degrees F. You win.
We better have snow for Christmas. Nothing pushes my buttons more than to have cold temperatures and dangerous, icey roads leading UP to Christmas, but then be completely devoid with green grassy lawns the day of. Just not worth it.
These are some amazing links! I can’t pick just one favorite.
that spaghetti squash lasagna looks incredible!
Ummm, I can’t even imagine what negative 17 degrees feels like! It dipped into the 30s here and we all basically freaked out. Next winter, you should just come live with me in Phoenix. 😉
It’s cold, but no snow. I was hoping for a nice coating of the white stuff, it makes the cold so much more bearable!
Ugh that’s so cold!!! I used to live in WI and I’ll admit I miss the snow every once in a while, but I love the warmer weather that Texas has. I ski, not snowboard, but I do wish I could do that around here! Enjoy!
GREAT links as always! 🙂
Hey Amanda 🙂 it doesn’t get cold here in New Zealand around Christams (it does in winter though- snow too :)) Chriatmas means sunshine here. Three things I did yesterday- dip in the ocean, go to breakfast (pancakes!!) and watch Invictus. Today I have studied, eaten lots of cake (Christmas party) and baked a loaf of brownies for my future mother in law (may have saved three squares for myself) I am having dinner with her and my fiancées family tomorrow night so wish me luck (although I consider these heavenly brownies from a Martha Stewart recipe luck in themselves lol) 🙂
Awwr! Good luck with dinner, Wendy! With brownies in your arsenal, I’m sure everything will go over great 😀
It gets pretty cold where I live. Clearly, as I’ve learned from your blog, there are still colder places on this planet!
It gets down to -25 C when it’s absolutely the coldest, and it snows TONNES. I love the snow.
Three things yesterday: Spent a very long time on youtube listening to rock music from the 80’s, made chocolate, ordered groceries (Stock up on rolled oats. Naturally.)
Three things today: Yoga in the morning, made cookie dough truffles, reading… your blog of course!
3 Things yesterday…watched back to back episodes of Hart of Dixie, some cleaning and as part of the Intuitive Eating challenge had a mini dance party for one in my apartment.
3 things today, going out for dinner with friends tonight as a triple date, emailed with my best friend and oh yeah actually did some work too 😉
Loving all this link love!
I look forward to my Sunday morning reading. I especially appreciated the blog about eating the HLB way. It is always a good reminder the HLB community is only a small portion of the world. For me, hyper-focus on what I eat is not healthy. I do like a lot of the “typical” HLB foods but I strive to get to a place where my food choices don’t limit my life.
Compared to most anywhere else Southern California is not at all cold. This is my first winter here and it was nice and warm until this past week. This morning it was 34 degrees (F) which I have been told is verrrrrry unusual. It better be! I am a bona fide wimp.
Yesterday: long chat with a friend, finished a terrific book, caught up on e-mails
Today: laundry, trip to Target, devotional/Bible study
Have a wonderful week Amanda!
It’s definitely easy to fall victim to the belief that the whole world eats like HLBs, when that’s not the case at all.There’s nothing wrong with enjoying healthy food, as long as you’re having some fun on the side 😀
OHHH my goodness..I’m over here thinking 27F is cold! HA! Well to be fair 27F ISSSSS cold, but your temps are MUCH colder haha. I can’t even imagine!! PERFECT time to do blog things!
-30 degrees celsius already?! It sometimes gets that cold here, but not usually til January. Ok now I feel bad about complaining about the -6 degree temperatures here today haha.
3 things I did yesterday: go to the gym, go out for sushi with my sister, and go Christmas shopping.
3 things I did today: yoga at Lululemon, got free cupcakes at Kelly’s Bake Shop with some friends, and prepped some lunch foods for this week!
I’m dying to make those Skinny Cranberry Bliss bars. Those are my favourite at Starbucks! It’s been pretty cold in Toronto but not as cold as your experiencing. Yesterday I went out for a birthday brunch, got my nails done, and hosted a party. It was an awesome day! Today I took a nap, watched 10 episodes of Laguna Beach, and drank copious amounts of water. Clearly paying for all the fun I had yesterday.
Yesterday I went to church, went over to our Minister’s house for a barbecue with some of our other church friends and then came home and watched Catfish the movie (totally addicted to that show since Jesse and I met online and we have MEGA anxiety every time they open a door to meet their online friends haha)
Today, the plan is to get my house organised – I’ve been putting it off and putting it off, but I need to reorganise some of our cupboards!
‘Heading to my parents to help them decorate for Christmas’…lets see how much input they actually have.
I LOVE that fears article- so many points hit home. Also Lindsay’s article is blogging gold! 3 things today- eat pancakes, work and clean my kitchen…..seeing as you enjoy cleaning feel free to fly by 😉
Hey now! Are you trying to suggest that I’m bossy, headstrong, and/or stubborn? 😛
thanks for the link love girl!
Love this!!
It’s cold, but not TOO cold yet here in Ottawa — not compared to Alberta anyway 🙂
Great links!
I’m so far behind on blog reading it ridiculous! I can’t wait to catch up on these!
It’s been cold in Dallas this weekend! We got a big ice storm and there were lots if cancelations for work and stuff going on since Friday. Only 20 yesterday. It feels warmer today though and the ice is starting to melt. It never lasts for long!
After seeing temps in your neck of the woods – I sure am a wimp for thinking the handful of weeks our temps fall into the 20’s are miserable! My hats off to you lady -22 and -1 are hibernation temps for me…I would stay in bed with my fleece on ALL day!
I love the links you post from “Marc and Angel Hack Life”!
Yesterday visited my parents, hosted my daughters bday party and did some pruning outside, Today, running shoe shopping, running and church in the evening are on the agenda.
Hope you get to hit the slopes and have a blast at your folks place! xx’s
It was your daughter’s birthday!? Wishing her a huge and wonderfully happy birthday! 😀
After reading how cold it is there, I will never again complain about our 50 degree weather. If it helps though, our afternoons are 85 and then drops down to 45-50 at night. BRR!!!
Yesterday: School work, laundry, slow danced
Today: Baked, Cleaned up a huge water spill in my kitchen, football
Hope you’re having a fabulous weekend, Amanda
<3
I can’t get past the temperatures. I’m sorry, but NEGATIVE 22 DEGREES?! Is that some kind of joke? I don’t think I’d be getting out of bed for 6 months if I lived up by you haha
I literally can’t imagine being that cold. I can honestly say that I’ve never experienced anything like that! I’ve gone to NYC for Christmas/New Years a few times and that was insanely cold for me, but it never dropped below 15 degrees. I don’t know how you do it! I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it warms up enough for you to hit the slopes this week!
And I’ve been wanting to tackle those skinny cranberry bliss bars for a while- thanks for the reminder!
HOW DO YOU SURVIVE THAT WEATHER?!?! If it goes anywhere below 20-30 degrees F we freak out. Me, especially. I love sun and warmth and nothing having to do with cold. Except snow before Christmas…I like that.
Three things I did yesterday:
1. Woke up in my friend’s apartment still drunk
2. Fell back asleep until 11!!!
3. MADE KABOCHA SQUASH AND ATE WAY TOO MUCH OF IT!!!
Three things I’m doing today:
1. Eating more Kabocha (I seriously thought you were weird for loving it so much. Now I’m a self-imposed hypocrite and not afraid to admit it)
2. Working 12-8
3. Watching the season finale of The Amazing Race (go team!)
It’s a little scary to admit that after a while you just get used to it — feels completely normal to me (although I definitely wouldn’t mind having things a little warmer!). And heck YES to all things kabocha. I don’t even remember the last time I went a day without it, and I plan on keeping it that way for as long as I can.
I love reading the articles that others like you enjoy. The sleep one was interesting! I have been looking for more reasons to get more sleep hahaha.
Now that is cold! It hasn’t really been that cold here, we had a short flurry of snow last week but that’s been it. I actually really want it to be colder, I was too warm walking round the shops on Saturday in my layers!
It does get cold where I live (in Pennsylvania), however, it is definitely nowhere near the temperatures where you live. I can’t even begin to imagine what that must be like, but I definitely give you a lot of credit. I complain about being cold when it is 30 degrees!
We’re pretty lucky currently with the weather, it was above zero and sunny lately which i love! Yesterday: travelling, blog reading, Yoga. Today: exercising, photo walk, cuddling on the couch.
Have fun snowboard day and fun decoratimg the tree!!
You always have the best collections of links!
First I must say how honored I am to have made the Sunday Link Love. I look forward to your links Sunday mornings and to be a part of it – wow. Thank you. Totally honored and happy we can all share in the same opinion of the silly scale….The weather here is getting chilly but nothing compared to your chilly…Three thing I did yesterday- Long run, Red Mango, Hair cut and as an added bonus thing – went to the city to frolic around town and hit the stores.. Today will involve relaxing a little more and baking something with my overripe bananas.
It was a really awesome post, Meredith! And I vote you make chocolate chip banana bread — or maybe donuts! 😉
Thanks for sharing the nut butters, girl!
Today I have to study, study, and study; I’m going to squeeze yoga in too!
I live in PA, so we have very hot, humid summers and very COLD winters. Sometimes we have snow for Christmas and sometimes we don’t. It is usually pretty cold, though. I would say most of our snow comes Jan-March.
…I really can’t complain to you about our cold winters. We’re sitting around -9 right now, which for us, is colder than normal. -30 I have trouble even imagining.
And of course, thank you for providing me with my usual Sunday morning reading!
Yesterday, I: went to Costco, did some Christmas shopping, ate Five Guys (burgers and fries…just saying that I ate Five Guys could either be really dirty or really terrifying) for dinner
Today, i’m planning to: start wrapping some Christmas presents, finish off my Christmas shopping, and have dinner with my mom and aunts.
Happy Sunday love!
Oh, those kinds of winter temperatures remind me of my teenage years (in Scandinavia) – for some reason I always seemed to be going somewhere in a party dress and thin tights when it was -20 C or colder… It doesn’t get quite as cold where I live now, but the last few winters have been unusually freezing, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a mild one this year!
Three things I did yesterday: work, more work, and writing a blog post for today.
Three things I’m doing/have done today: make crystallised ginger, go for a walk, have a friend over for dinner.
Thanks for the links, some great ones there. I especially like the life without scales. So many people become tied down by a number on the scale, talking about how they gained or lost two pounds (which can be done by downing a glass of water)! As an elite runner I have struggled with looking at the scales too much in the past, but you have to be smart about it. It is not about how much you weigh, but how STRONG you are. Muscle weighs more than fat after all 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing, I love that there is a skinny cranberry bliss bar on there, those are soooooo yummy! Glad there is a healthier version now 🙂
I’m pretty sure I gain around 2 lbs 5 minutes after waking up in the morning 😉 And I’ve never been able to have a cranberry bliss bar from Starbucks because of my allergies, but I have to admit that I eye them every time I’m in there!
Ok I need to figure out interest! Checking out that link post hot yoga which I am late for right now! I obviously can’t contain myself when I see you pop up in my bloglovin. Who’s the badgerer now ?!?! You’re my fav <3
Can’t wait to catch up on all these good reads! Glad to know it has warmed up a bit! Still freezing to me, ha. Have fun snowboarding and decorating the tree! I need to attend to some behind the scenes blog work, too.
Three things yesterday: went shopping with my mom, baked cupcakes, worked out
Three things today: Continue watching a movie on my couch, go to my uncle’s for a Christmas party, and blog for tomorrow!
Ok compare to your side of the world our cold is nothing! We don’t even get snow…I would kinda love to experience snow though despite my intense dislike of cold.
Yesterday: started a blog!!!, watched a movie, went shopping
Today: picked up a friend from the airport, had lunch with the fam, getting ready for a braai (barbecue) tonight
You’re more than welcome to come visit — we have TONNES of snow to enjoy here 😉