Things loved in December

I know, I know, this “December” post is a bit late.  I’m still recovering from the holidays – I just took down our tree this weekend!  For me, December is a month for reflection.  Even with the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I can’t help but think back on all of my blessings this past year.  2012 was good, but i’m looking forward to an even better 2013!

Here are a few of my favorites in December:

Yogi Tea

I found these teas in my local Shoprite and I love the varieties these organic teas come in.  There are also a lot of decaf options, because I love a cup of tea before bed and definitely don’t need the extra caffeine at that time!  Plus, all these teas are made with natural ingredients – if any of the herbs, spices and botanicals are new to you, check out their website – they have descriptions for all of the items.

Homegoods

I loved checking out the deals at HomeGoods.  I usually don’t have a specific purpose when I shop there, but I love browsing and checking out the children’s items, frames, note cards and kitchen gadgets.  I found this beauty in the clearance section for $9 and I was immediately drawn to the colors.

My blender

Ok, so this isn’t MY actual blender.  My blender is over 5 years old (received as a wedding present) and only just recently came out of its box.  I never really had any use for it, but I got the urge to make some healthy smoothies! First, I tried the Green Goddess smoothie.  I was really hoping I liked it – I wanted to be one of the woman in the reviews that drank it every morning because it’s so damn healthy!  However, I think I put too much spinach/romaine lettuce in it because it was really hard to stomach.  I didn’t want to give up on my smoothie-quest (I already opened the box!) so I tried some fruits/veggies that I had on hand, hoping that would work.  I threw in a handful of spinach, 1 banana, 2 oranges and some frozen strawberries — Voila! And it was yum.  So happy I took the blender out of the box, can’t wait to make some new smoothies! Any recipes I should try?

Hope you all had a great December and are enjoying your 2013!