Sunday, December 19, 2010

Second Chance Winner and a NEW Trader Joe's Christmas Giveaway!


And so we close another weekend, which also happened to be the last weekend before Christmas.  Did everyone get their shopping done?  You don't have much time left and you're all out of weekends I'm afraid.  We actually have 2 more things to get but they are just gift cards so we should be okay.  

Although I did well with the shopping this year, I completely forgot about the wrapping part.  Ugh, the huge pile of unwrapped presents sitting in our room stares at me every day.  I guess I'll need to get on that at some point. 

Today was quite productive in that I did more than I usually do on a typical Sunday.  

Sleeping in was priority and then a hearty breakfast to share with my hubby. 

Scrambled Eggs, Whole Wheat English Muffin (Cream Cheese and Jam, Pumpkin Butter) Grapefruit 

Toly's plate got the better lighting and looked much better. 


It was a great start to the day and a perfect way to fill me up for Body Pump.  Today's class was so good.  I thought I'd be struggling since it's been a few weeks since I have last taken BP but I was so into it today.  I loved the music and the new track and I even upped my weights in most of the songs.  I guess the rest did my body good. 

After class, I hit up the store for a few items for the week and then came home, showered, and made lunch. 

Not really sure what is going on with the lighting in this one but I'm kind of digging the dramatic effect.

Salad with Broccoli, Beets, Tomatoes, Artichokes, Mushrooms and Cottage Cheese
Toast with Hummus 

Lunch was very good and again, a perfect fill me up for my next event of the day.  A 2 hour Zumba class!! 

My friend, who teaches Zumba, was holding a big event at her gym to raise money for Toys for Tots.  I wasn't really sure what it was going to entail but I knew there would be lots of dancing, some prizes, and it was all going to a wonderful cause. 

I'm not the best dancer but I love my friend's classes so much and Zumba is ALWAYS a good time.  The event ended up being a non-stop 2 hour Zumba party!  It was so much fun but I was definitely exhausted afterwards.  An hour of Body Pump and 2 hours of Zumba and my alleged "rest" day turned into a full body day of work.  Guess tomorrow I'll be taking it easy. 

When I got home, I waited for Toly to get home until I started dinner. 

Tonight's meal was all credited to Trader Joe's and based off of some of the new products I picked up. 

Alpine Guyer Cheese Bread 



 Cippino (Seafood Stew) 

 Cippino is one of my favorite dishes and I was so excited to find this new product yesterday.  It was so easy to make, all in one pan and just a few minutes.  To beef it up, I paired this stew with a hearty piece of halibut that I broiled with some Olive Oil and Lemon Juice. In the bowl went spinach, halibut and topped with cippino.


And the only way to eat Cippino is not with a fork or a spoon, but with a thick slice of garlic bread to soak up all of that goodness. 

I never heard from the winner of the Wendy's Giveaway so I've picked a new winner to get the $10 gift card. 

The second chance winner is……

squigglefloey said...16

Definitely the classic ketchup route for moi! :P


Congrats girl!  Please email me your address and I'll have your card in the mail.

With all of the giving going on this time of year, I couldn't possibly forget some of my favorite people.  As my Christmas gift to one of the lovely readers of SWYNTS, I'll be giving away a Holiday Sampling of Trader Joe's products….

Vanilla Cinnamon Black Tea, Peppermint Taffy and Joyous Jelly Beans 

I'll also throw in a few Christmas cookies just because. ;) 

So to enter, please leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite Christmas tradition.  

I'll go first.  Ever since Toly and I have been dating, we've had a tradition of spending Christmas eve together.  We make a nice dinner, open our presents and sip hot coco while watching "It's a Wonderful Life."  I wouldn't change this for anything in the world. 

I'll pick a winner Tuesday, December 21st. 

Hope you all enjoyed your weekends! 

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38 comments:

  1. Phew! I'm tried just reading about your workouts :) Glad you had fun! And very cool that they put on the Zumba class for a cause. TJs! Ah! So jealous :) The goodies look fabulous- I so love taffy and jelly beans.... My favorite Christmas tradition is just simply spending time with my family or Josh's family (depending on whose year it is). We don't usually do anything crazy/ too fancy. We have good food, open gifts, and enjoy some movies.

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  2. My favorite Christmas memory is of course going to change since this year is different being married and all. However, my favorite Christmas tradition is waking up super early and watching A Christmas Story with my brother and sister while my parents get a few more hours of sleep!

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  3. My favorite tradition is with my dad's side of the family Christmas eve. It's a big event and I look forward to it every year. But this year I work Christmas in a different state and so it will be the first Christmas without my family:(

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  4. my favorite Christmas tradition is driving around my town with my family and looking at Christmas lights on the night of the 23rd. We all wear our pj's, take snacks to enjoy in the car, and sing along with the Christmas music on the radio :)

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  5. Awwww - your Christmas Eve tradition with Toly just made my heart swell!!!!

    Every year on Christmas Eve, my family and I go to service and then come home and eat an "all white" meal - shrimp with lots of butter, sour dough bread to soak it up with and always some sort of potato dish. It's a Czechoslovakian tradition that my Mom grew up doing, so we do it too!

    After dinner we all open one present from another family member, before "Santa's" presents the next day. :)

    Merry Christmas Lauren!!

    (ps the house pick look GREAT!!!)

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  6. My favorite Christmas tradition is putting up all of the many nutcrackers my family has for display around the house! :)

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  7. My favorite holiday tradition is going to see a wax nativity with live animals in my hometown with my family. I love it.

    In the classroom, I love reading Polar Express with my kiddos, with the lights off, and have them draw their mental pictures in their heads. Then I give them their Christmas gifts. They wear pjs that day, and it's a lot of fun!

    I love that vanilla cinnamon tea. Yum!

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  8. Every Christmas eve the hubs and i put on our pj's and slippers and put some Christmas movies on, open a bottle of wine. And realize how lucky we are to have each other ;)
    TJ's we don't have here but i love hearing about all the good things they have!

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  9. My favorite family Christmas tradition is giving to those who are less fortunate!

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  10. great to see those TJ's product reviews - i wanna get me some of that cippino!

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  11. Growing up my cousins and I would be allowed to open 1 gift on Christmas Eve. And we would also have tourtiere for dinner which is a Quebec pork pie.
    Now, my husband and I don't really have a tradition. My job usually has me working Christmas. But because our families live so close to each other, we do try to see both of them either on Xmas Eve or Day.

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  12. My favorite holiday tradition is our Christmas eve tradition. Each year we have a feast of snack foods such as homemade eggrolls and mixed veggies. We then make Christmas cookies for Santa and open up new Christmas Jammies to wear. We also prep breakfast for in the morning. Usually, we made a sweet bread (like blueberry or banana) but this year I am making homemade cinnamon rolls.

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  13. My favorite tradition is on Christmas eve, my family goes to church and then out to dinner for my birthday dinner ( birthday is Christmas Day). I love spending that time together and I wouldn't want it any other way!!

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  14. My favorite Christmas tradition actually takes place on Christmas Eve. Ever since my husband and I started dating (8 years ago!) I've gone with him to his Grandma's house on Christmas Eve. They always fry shrimp (weird X-mas eve dinner, but it's good!), enjoy some holiday drinks & delicious deserts. It's always just been fun to spend time with each other just relaxing and enjoying the season.

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  15. Opening presents on Christmas Eve (since we're night owls and stay up past midnight anyways). Of course, after a big seafood fest for dinner.

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  16. My favorite tradition is delivering Meals on Wheels with my whole family. When we were kids we always sang carols to the people we brought meals to, and sometimes my dad still tries to get us to sing!

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  17. Waking up on christmas morning with my brother to see what "Santa" had left! Um..and my parents still do this and I'm 25 now! haha

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  18. We eat baked French Toast every Christmas morning, then open our stockings in front of the fireplace. Sometimes it's a little warm and we have to open the patio door :) but we still do it - this will be our 14th year!
    susitravl(at)gmail(dot)com

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  19. My favorite Christmas tradition is getting to open presents early with my family on Christmas eve :)

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  20. Thanks for the wonderful second chance giveaway :) My fave tradition is always going over to my mom's sisters house on Christmas eve to see all my cousins I rarely get to see!

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  21. My favorite Christmas tradition is that every christmas eve my family gets Dairy Queen Blizzards in the early afternoon and we watch the Christmas Carol. Then we head to church. We then open our christmas eve presents and get to bed to wake up for a family breakfast in the morning. I really enjoy the time with my family!! :)

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  22. Ohhh this is a great giveaway!! My favorite tradition is going to midnight mass with my whole family on Christmas eve. It's just so beautiful!

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  23. how fun! sounds like it was a good weekend, and it's so exciting to see the house!!

    my favorite Christmas tradition: my sisters and I (whenever possible) all sleep in the same room together on Christmas Eve. Always have, and we'll always try to do it whenever we can.

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  24. My favorite tradition is spending Christmas eve with my family; going to mass and eating out at a nice restaurant!

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  25. My fam always goes to 10pm mass on Christmas eve, and on the way home my dad drives the "long way" so we can look at christmas lights on everyone's houses. Then my brother and I exchange ONE gift each before going to bed. We wake up and my dad makes bacon and a french toast casserole, and we begin opening presents :)

    We've done this since I've been a kid and even 20 years later we're STILL dong it!

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  26. my favorite Christmas tradition is waking up with my family and getting to check out our stockings before going to Mass. Then when we come home we open presents and go to my aunt's house for a Christmas brunch. And then..actually the whole day is one big tradition that I love :)

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  27. My favorite Christmas tradition is staying over by my parents on Christmas eve. All my siblings and I are older so it's fun to have us all under one roof again!

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  28. I started a new tradition last year-decorating christmas cookies on christmas eve-so fun!

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  29. I love everything about Christmas! My favorite tradition is when we open the stockings. Santa always seems to find the most wonderful and unique gifts. BTW - I absolutely love the Vanilla Cinnamon tea!!!

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  30. Hi! I'm new to the blog (found ya through B&B and the Cho recipe contest--> I passed the mitt to Kelsey!)

    I LOVE riding around and looking at Christmas lights!! We have plans to go one night this week to a Local park to see the lights! Can't wait!

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  31. My favorite Christmas tradition is about to occur this year for the first time. Spending Christmas with my "usual" family, plus Suave Slav. I am so excited, blessed, and happy - I cannot even fully articulate just how much so I am.

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  32. My favorite Christmas tradition is putting the kids to bed on Christmas Eve, opening a bottle of wine, turning the fire place on and exchanging gifts with my husband. It's quiet and romantic, just the two of us.

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  33. going to midnight mass every year! so beautiful

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  34. Well, I don't actually celebrate Christmas but I do have a Christmas Eve tradition. My family and I usually end up going to see a movie and then going out to eat most likely at a Chinese restaurant. :)

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  35. 1 of my favorite Christmas traditions is making breakfast with my entire family! I always make the eggs :)

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  36. my favorite christmas tradition is watching cheesy asian dancing shows ahah. they're so bad, yet my family and I watch them every year!

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  37. Every year my hubs and I buy a new ornament for our tree. I love it! Every year it's one that represents that year.

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  38. I love sitting around in the living room at my parents & opening presents. We have one person open at a time & it takes FOREVER (there are 6 of us & some spouses & niece/nephew). Of course there are snacks & drinks. Love it!

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