Christmas Traditions: Spritz Cookie Recipe

'Tis the season to eat cookies.... fa la la la la la la la la!

Most of you know that we try to live a healthy and balanced lifestyle. This is actually the case throughout the holidays as well. However, there are some things that are worth the extra calories for me. One of those things are these butter spritz cookies.

These cookies hold a special place in my heart. They are my Great-Grandma Rica's recipe. She would make a special tin just for me every Christmas for as long as I can remember. She was one of the most giving, kind, and magical people I have ever had the chance to know. Plus she could bake and cook like nobody’s business!

I'm excited that I have this recipe to share with my family, friends, and now you!

I will definitely say these do NOT fall in the category of healthy recipes, they are definitely a treat. Could I have tried to find a way to make them a bit healthier? Sure. But I'm not messing with GG's recipe.

So if you're ready to be merry and enjoy these melt-in-your-mouth cookies, read on!

Ingredients

• 1 lb butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp pure almond extract
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 
• 4.5 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder 

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325*F 
• In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar 
• Add in egg and extracts until combined 
• In a separate bowl mix together the flour and baking powder to combine 
• Slowly add in flour 1 cup at a time (dough will be heavy, I use our stand mixer to ensure that everything is mixed properly) 
• Place desired disc in your cookie press* (we love the christmas trees, snowflakes, and wreaths) 
• Place dough into the cookie press and press them onto an ungreased cookie sheet
• Decorate with your favorite color of sugar sprinkles
• Place into the oven for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown (with our oven we usually bake for 14 minutes) 

This recipe will make 6+ cookie sheet pans full of cookies. We love sharing them with our family members, for holiday parties at school, or as gifts for colleagues. They also freeze well! So feel free to make a big batch for you and your family and take them out of the freezer when you want to enjoy them. They're yummy with milk, hot chocolate, or coffee! They're a favorite of santa's too! ;)

*The cookie press I've linked is the one that Nate got me for Christmas a few years ago. It's held up well and I love that the steel discs come in a carrying case. You do NOT need a cookie press to make this recipe. You can roll the dough into small balls and press them down with a fork (making a criss cross pattern), and they will be just as delicious!

Enjoy! I wish you peace and love this holiday season!

Great Love: June Date Night In Box

If I could go back to any point in history I think it would be the roaring 20s. Something about the glam of flappers, the danger of the gangsters, and the mystery of the speakeasies makes it my first choice if they ever come through with a time travel invention. This Date Night In Box allowed us to experience the fun and the mystery of the 20s without leaving the house. It did NOT disappoint. It has been our favorite box yet!

We started the night by making our cocktails and cooking the recipes from the recipe card. They were all Gatsby themed, which I was pumped about (The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite novels!). We decided on one appetizer, the entree, and the dessert and they were all delicious. We even made an extra batch of brownies to share with family and friends and they all RAVED about them. The Marina Makes recipes have not disappointed! The cocktail was a mint julep. I'm not a huge bourbon fan, but this is one way I can definitely enjoy it! We had dinner outside and had a lot of fun doing the table talk portion of the date.

We then moved inside and queued up the 1980s movie Clue (totally terrible and awesome at the same time), and started playing the games. The first game was a murder mystery game inspired by, you guessed it, Clue! But it also had a go-fish aspect. It was a ton of fun, and I kicked Nate's butt! Then we played the dominoes game Mexican Train. I've never played this before so we took our time reading the directions before diving in. I also won this game.... TWICE! You bet I rubbed it in ;)

We ended the night by enjoying our dessert and creating a time capsule. We filled it with items to remind us of now. Pictures of our family, items from our disney trip along with other trinkets and treasures. We hid it away in Nate's closet to be opened in 10 years or so. We can't wait to see how life and our family changes in those 10 years.

The only part of the box that we didn't enjoy on this night...but enjoyed later was the moonshine & co fudge! It was delicious but because we had those AMAZING brownies, we saved the fudge for a later day.

Overall--we had a blast and give this Date Night In Box and A+. Stay tuned for July......

Sensing More: May Date Night In

We were excited when our May Date Night In Box appeared on our doorstep. Unboxing is one of my favorite things to do, because it's always a surprise! 

Checking out our tasting card and our score card for the caramel taste-test. Baby Monitor included.

I was a bit surprised when I found that there wasn't a physical Date Guide like there was last month. However, this month's theme was all about using our five senses, and this is where our sense of sound came in. I'm a visual learner though, so I was excited to see they had an electronic copy of the Date Guide available online. I took a peek before we started. We listened as we prepared our meal (SUPER YUMMY) as well as when we did table talk while enjoying our Mediterranean-inspired small plates outside. Table talk made us think about our relationship through the use of our five-senses. It was unique and definitely made us think back to the past and laugh a little. We talked about things we remember each other wearing all the time, the first time we spotted each other (Ahh....youth camp love), the first meal we cooked for each other, and more! After we were done with table talk we moved inside to enjoy the rest of our night.

Next was the massage portion of the date. This was my favorite part. Nate's too--I never EVER give him a massage and I always ask for them, because I'm the worst. Date Night In gave us several different massage techniques to try. We had to read them and our partners had to guess which type of massage was being given. It was fun to guess. They played spa music in the background and it was truly like being at a massage parlor. I was a big fan.

We decided to break this date up into separate portions so we could enjoy them throughout the weekend. The next night we completed a puzzle together, which was filled with items that could enhance a date night in. After we completed the puzzle we had to recall what we saw while the puzzle was hidden. It's amazing what you miss when it's right before your eyes! It was fun to help each other out though.

Skip ahead to Monday nap time, because--why not? And we did the last part of the date. The caramel tasting. This reminded me a lot of wine tasting. There were several different caramel flavors and we had a tasting mat and a score card. We used our sense of smell first then our sense of taste. We scored them at the end. My favorite was basil cayenne. After our tasting we finished up with guided questions about our relationship. Sometimes these questions are my favorite part because they're not things that we would talk about normally.

All in all we had a wonderful experience again and cannot wait to see what June has in store for us! Want to check it out for yourselves? Click Here to go to Date Night In Boxes online.

Small Plate with Flat Bread from Trader Joe's. All recipes were included in oru Dat

Transformation Journey: T25

I want to take you on my transformation journey. This is the first post in a series that will be coming out each week on Tuesday. You'll get to learn a little more about me and why I fell in love with health and fitness. 

I started my health and fitness routine a LONG time ago. These pictures were taken before I got pregnancy with Gabe. They are from January, February, and March 2014. 

You see, I was never comfortable in the gym. I didn't know what to do. Weights? Heck no. Treadmill and ellipticals were the only thing I could muster up the courage to do. I used to call myself a treadmill rat. While I was still burning calories, my body wasn't changing and toning how I wanted it to. Not to mention, unless I had a groupon for a deeply discounted month at the gym, I couldn't afford it. It was EXPENSIVE to be a gym member in Chicago. 

This is when I reached out to a friend and joined an online community. I completed my very first at-home workout program from start to finish. I cleaned up my eating and found a love of cooking and healthy foods. Nate was there with me every step of the way. Sometimes he takes an extra gentle push to get going, but as soon as he jumps in he's ready to go and crush it right along with me.

We were busy teachers with a puppy and a busy social life at the time. We didn't want to spend an hour working out. It just didn't fit well with our schedule. In reality, it was an excuse. But when this program was brought to our attention, we knew we had no more excuses. The program we chose to start our journey with was Focus T25 by Shaun T and Beachbody. The workouts are only 25 minutes a day. They were perfect for our schedule.
Focus T25 is a ten week program split into two cycles. Each cycle lasts five weeks. In 25 minutes you get everything you need for a transformation and nothing you don't. If you focus your intensity for 25 minutes, and you complete the program as it is laid out (5 days per week), you WILL get results. Our photos are proof of that.

30-40 minute workouts are our sweet spot. When we found out we could workout in under 30 minutes and get insane results it was hard to say no. Major studies have shown that 30 minutes of exercise can be just as effective at burning fat and even MORE efficient than 60 minutes of exercise. The fast-paced workouts of T25 are jam-packed with dynamic, high-intensity moves that are designed for maximum effectiveness. Every minute of this workout counts! This workout is perfect for busy people who want to work out for less time but still get in the best shape of their lives.

Shaun T will be your trainer for this program. I'm sure you've all heard of Insanity. Shaun T is my FAVORITE. He's tough, but it's tough love. He is so motivating and inspirational, that you'll be happy to crush the workout like he expects you to. 

This program changed our lives. It changed how we view at-home fitness programs. It made me a believer and we have never looked back. This is how I do what I do. It's how I've learned to LOVE health and fitness and it's why I love to pay it forward to others. 

If you think this program might be the right fit for you, you can grab the challenge pack here. The challenge pack comes with an insane value. With it you get one year of access to ALL of the programs ever created. So when you're done with T25 you can jump into another program. You also get a month of our superfood shake (I have it every day for breakfast and it has completely changed my digestion), as well as all of the materials you need to get your nutrition started off on the right foot (Hello, nutrition plan!). If you decide to join, you will also get access to all of my support and challenge groups for free for the year. I'd love to have you join! It's a wonderful community. 

If you're interested in joining a challenge group and starting or continuing your own health and fitness journey, but don't think T25 is the right program to start, fill out this form. I'll be in touch to chat with you so we can find the best program to fit your needs. 

Gabe's Story

Gabe was born on March 16, 2015. He arrived quickly and was given a 9 on the APGAR scale. After a few hours of getting to know the newest member of our family, he was accompanied by Nate to the nursery for his first sponge bath and check-up. While the nurse was looking him over, she noticed a dark space in the roof of Gabe's mouth. With the use of a flashlight, she realized that Gabe had been born with a cleft palate, which had not come up in any prenatal ultrasounds, nor in his initial checkup by the pediatrician after birth. Our joyous morning had taken an unexpected turn.

The Day Sweet Gabriel Was Born 3/16/15 11:11AM

Gabe's first 24 hours were precious, but difficult. Most notably, he had difficulty eating and could not form a seal to breastfeed or to suck on a bottle. We learned how to use specialty bottles very quickly, but Gabe still wasn't eating enough. The next day he was taken via ambulance to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania while Nate and I drove home with an empty car seat to pack for our stay in the NICU. Arriving home to pack without a baby in tow and seeing his finished nursery was heartbreaking for me. We packed as quickly as possible and made our way to Danville.

Daddy Learning  How to Feed Gabe with One of Many Specialty Feeders We Would Try Before Finding Dr. Browns Specialty Feeders

When we arrived at the hospital, we were thrilled to discover the wonderful doctors and nurses who had been caring for Gabe in our absence. Over the following days we had numerous meeting with the various experts on Gabe's Cleft Team, as we learned more and more about how to care for our extra-special bundle of joy. This care and professionalism would continue throughout our countless trips to Danville, and during a successful surgery to close his cleft. We had never anticipated being the type of parents who would become so familiar with the layout of a hospital, but here we were.

The Day of Gabe's Cleft Palate Repair Surgery

9 Months Old! With Those Pesky No No's! Still Smiling. Always Smiling.

From day one, Gabe has been a fighter! What better way to recognize his courageous and fighting spirit than to join a community filled with other brave little boys and girls. Tiny Superheroes is a project that seeks to empower kids with unique illnesses or disabilities by sending each child a handmade cape. Gabe wears his cape to each and every appointment and surgery. It has been a source of strength and encouragement for our entire family, and the community as a whole is incredibly supportive. You can sponsor a cape for a Tiny Superhero just like Gabe!

Gabe's Photoshoot for Beauty Revived's 50 Beautiful Children Campaign. Photo Credit: RFK Photography

As we went through our check-ups, cape in tow, we learned that Gabe had a number of unique traits (ptosis and pseudoarthrosis of the clavicle among others)  that led to doctors recommending genetic testing. As it turns out, Gabe had two different "spelling differences" in his genetic makeup that had almost identical symptoms. We were unsure how this would affect Gabe's future health, not to mention the possibility of any future children. Again, our family's future had changed abruptly and unexpectedly. 

After months of consultations, blood tests, Thomas the Train bandages, and saliva swabs, we were able to identify that one of these syndromes was very unlikely to have any negative side effects on his growth and development. In addition, we learned that any future little brothers or sisters who may have similar syndromes would also see little to no negative effects on their health. Gabe's current diagnosis is Coffin Siris Syndrome. His genetics team is confident that he will continue to grow and develop as he is now, bright and healthy. We will continue to closely monitor his unique qualities throughout the remainder of his life.

Gabe's EKG with the Pediatric Cardiologist. He was a Trooper and His Heart is PERFECT! 

Gabe's EEG for the Pediatric Neurologist. Gabe Counted the Wires and Named the Colors

Gabe's journey has been a little different than anyone expected, but he has handled each challenge with tremendous courage and an infectious sense of humour. In only three and a half short years on earth, he is already the strongest and most inspiring person we know.

Photo Credit: RFK Photography