First Day

Happy 2010 everyone!

Hope you guys all had a fun and safe evening/early morning :)

Last night Nate and I each had a beer that we got from World Market the other day. Since I really only like porters and stouts, I went with the Sierra Nevada porter:


It was delicious...very smooth and sweet, with some hints of cocoa and toffee! Since Nate's a fan of ambers, he went with Saint Arnold amber. I don't think he liked it though; it was actually REALLY light for an amber beer!

Love the bottle caps!

A little later we each had a serving of apple pecan crisp with a dollop of fat-free whipped cream on top. If you've been wondering why we are using fat-free whipped cream on our desserts, it's because my family has problems with cholesterol and high blood pressure. We also happen to be HUGE ice cream fans too. Since the two don't really mix, we've been using the fat-free whipped cream in lieu of ice cream to give the effect that we're still getting to eat the ice cream we want! It's working pretty well, too...just make sure it's really really cold and you can't even tell the difference :)

After dessert, we played Sorry! again...and my mom and I won (again)! Nate and my dad were a little bummed, so we played again, and unfortunately they won the second time :( Guess you can't win 'em all!

We sat down to watch the Chick-fil-A Bowl, and I had about 3-4 oz of the Cupcake Merlot in a brandy snifter (classy, I know):

I have to admit, I actually fell asleep before 12, but woke up around 11:15 or so and stayed up til 12:01 :) Guess I don't have the ability to stay up late anymore!

This morning I got up and made a cup of coffee with Truvia and vanilla soymilk in an AWESOME old mug:



And did the oatmeal thing with dark chocolate chips and toasted coconut:

This is Kath's Whipped Banana Oatmeal recipe, with a sprinkling of toasted coconut (just toast in a pan over medium heat until it starts to brown) and a Tbsp of Hershey's dark chocolate chips:

The great thing about this recipe is the banana naturally sweetens and makes the oatmeal super creamy. It's a great way to make oatmeal if you're kind of on the fence about whether you like oatmeal or not. If you sort of like it, this is a great way to start eating more of it; however, if you just don't like oatmeal, you probably won't fall in love. It never hurts to try it at least once; you might be surprised!

I've been eating oats for approximately a month now, and I can't honestly say I've noticed a difference in feeling full for a while after eating it, and in my digestion overall. It's a great way to start eating better in the New Year too!

Since today is our last day in Lubbock for a while, we're going to just spend time with my parents...take down the Christmas decorations, maybe head up to campus and let the puppers run around, and then just enjoy some great turkey leftovers and black-eyed peas for good luck!

What are you planning on doing for your first day of 2010?