Happy 2014!!!

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and a great New Years Eve.

It seemed to go by so very fast for me this year, I don’t know why. I suppose it is because I have a lot going on. But 2013 flew by me.

I know this year is going to go even faster because I am getting married this year!!

AHHHHHHH!

I cannot believe it. It has almost been a year since I have been engaged. Seems so odd, but exciting at the same time.

Patrick and I have been doing well on the planning front, well I have been doing well on the planning front. haha

We so far…have your venue booked, date set, DJ booked, hotels booked, wedding party picked, bridesmaids dresses picked, I am stuck between 2 wedding dresses but I am sure that will be this month, Save the Dates are being sent this month, colors picked, favors decided on, cake is decided on.

Trying to think of what else I am missing?? I don’t know, but we are doing good I think. We have a tasting in March at our venue which we are very excited about.

So this post today is a review on 2013 through the blog and some sorta kinda resolutions I have for 2014. Let’s start with the food first huh!

These posts below were some of my favorite and also the most popular I had over the year.

Links:

1. Vanilla Cupcakes
2. Banana Bread with Glaze
3. Lemon Bourbon Cake Doughnuts
4. Blue Cornmeal Waffles
5. Smashed Roasting Potatoes
6. Blueberry Rolls
7. Cocoa-Caramel Bourbon Truffles
8. Pickled Jalapeño Deviled Eggs
9. Baked Zucchini Chips
10. Baked Eggs
11. Cheesecake Filled Strawberries
12. Quinoa Turkey Meatballs
13. “Cookie Dough” Bites
14. Spicy Oatmeal Cookie Crisps
15. Cinnamon Streusel Oat Scones

It was a big year for RavieNomNoms! Being able to work with Cooking Light has really been amazing for me. I have always been a fan and I have been able to do some great things with them this year.

I was invited to an event in NYC (Big Apple Block Party), where my family and I got special access and ate some really amazing food! I have been able to share books with you all with giveaways.

My Pickled Jalapeño Deviled Eggs were also selected as a Top 50 recipe for the Hellman’s contest this year. Woot!

RavieNomNoms was also featured in the following places:

• Gourmandize
• Tone It Up!
• Dishversity
• Foodista

Just to name a few. It has been a good one and I thank all my foodie friends for the constant support. It really does mean a lot!

Now to the “Resolutions”.

I don’t normally make resolutions because I feel like you should always be trying to better yourself. However, this year I have some pretty big things going on so I wanted to make a list of things I hope I can do in the next year.

Goals:

1. Try and stay centered during Wedding Planning

This is a big one for me. I tend to stress out and with a wedding I know that I am going to have a lot of things going on all at once. Don’t get me wrong, I am SUPER organized and over the top good at multi-tasking…I just know that it is going to be overwhelming.

My goal is to try and do things for myself during this time. Even if that means going to Yoga two times a week instead of one. Or buying myself a dress. Or going out with Patrick to do something other than Wedding planning. I definitely think this is important

2. Complete 1000 miles with Patrick in 2014

Now before you get all freaked out. Please know that Patrick and I are a very active couple. We work out 6-7 times a week and we like it that way. We wanted to do something that was together since we have so many things going on this year. Something that wasn’t to do with the wedding.

It is only 2.74 miles a day and to complete them it doesn’t have to be running! If you do miles on the Elliptical? It counts. Running? It counts. Stairmaster? Bike? It counts. High Intensity Intervals? Yoga? It counts!

Here is the breakdown outside of the mileage you can get from a machine. If you do 30 minutes of High Intensity Inverval Training that counts towards 3 miles of our goal. If it is 45 minutes of moderate cardio? 3 miles as well. And lastly 1 hour of low intensity, that is 3 miles too! (the idea for how to count miles from Toneitup.com)

3. Learn to Compliment Myself and Accept Compliments From Others

I never really give myself credit for a lot of things. Whether it is a recipe, my clothes, something I did at my job, my workouts, my body. I think a lot of women have this problem but I just don’t like it! I want to be able to be confident in myself and to really own that. There is a difference between being confident in yourself and being arrogant.

My goal is to try and wake up every morning saying something that I did well the day before. Even if it is something small like actually getting up for a work out or making a super delicious dinner. This is a difficult goal for me, but I think I can handle it. As I have gotten through my 20s, I have really begun to find myself and I really like that.

4. Eat Clean but Indulge

This is a big one for me. When I say “eat clean” …I mean eat healthy. I am not one of those people that believes that sugar is bad. I am not one of those people that thing carbohydrates are the devil. I also don’t think that having a piece of beef every now and again is going to kill you.

I am a firm believer in eating lean proteins and tons of veggies. It is good for you and your body loves it. I have to learn how to indulge and not feel guilty. I love indulging every once in a while, but even when it is just once in a while? I feel myself feeling guilty. No bueno. I am going to practice what I preach and help myself learn that even if I do splurge, I will just work it off at the gym anyways 😉

5. Have fun!

This year is going to be a roller coaster. I know it is. I am going to do my absolute best to have some fun in the midst of it! What is the point of life if you can’t have some fun while you are at it! It is going to be a struggle sometimes because I know I am going to be freaking out about fitting into my dress, or not getting my 2.74 miles in, or having a rough day at work.

The truth is, I just need to remember that tomorrow is another day and I have another crack at whatever it is I was struggling at the day before.

Happy New Year!!