Linking up with Anne for Currently and Kristen for What’s New With You
Happy New Year! I have to say that 2019 wasn’t a terrible year, but it wasn’t my most favorite either. Still struggling with some things, and I’m hoping to focus on them more in 2020. We’ll see how it goes! I hope everyone has a wonderful year though, especially if 2019 was not what you’d hoped for or expected.
Resolving: I know a lot of people say they want to be healthy, lose weight, exercise more, but these really are my big resolutions for the year. I lost a lot of weight a couple years ago but this past year it’s been a lot harder to keep it off. I need to find new ways of eating – figure out what keeps me full the longest – and obviously I want to move more along with that. If you have any food recommendations, please let me know! What keeps you full? What protein do you eat? Snack ideas? I don’t like tons of veggies, so how do you get yours in?
Reading: I read a total of 155 books in 2019, which is just way over what I thought I’d get, so I’m really happy. I even did a post about my Favorite Books of 2019. I’m currently in the middle of The Fever King by Victoria Lee, so that’s technically my first read of 2020 – it’s really good so far!
Cleaning: up after my cat, Charlie. He seems to track litter everywhere in the house. He’s a cutie pie though, so I can’t get too mad.
Creating: nothing much at the moment, but I have a lot of blog posts I hope to create in early 2020 and get those scheduled!
Planning: it’s a New Year, so I’m planning a lot of things –
- various trips I’d like to take in 2020 (including a girl’s trip with my mom and sister for my 30th birthday)
- to finally read more of the books I already own!
- as I said above, I’m planning on finding new ways to be healthy (losing weight yes, but also just feeling better in general)
I mentioned this last month, but as a reminder, I’m changing Glossies Made Me Do It to the SECOND Friday of every month instead of the first. It gives me more time to read my magazines and figure out what I want to talk about, and I hope it allows more of you to join in if you want!
Happy New Year!!! Hoping you have an awesome 2020. 🙂
Sounds like you have lots of great ideas for 2020! 155 books is really impressive as well. I hope that you have a wonderful year. 🙂
Happy New Year! I find if you eat more protein you stay full longer. I also eat something every 3 hours and that helps.
I’m one of those people that has to eat every few hours as well. My problem is finding protein that keeps me full!
Happy New Year Lauren and good luck meeting all your goals.
I managed 83 books. Not my usual close to 200 but not bad considering how much went on for me this year with the move.
Karen @ For What It’s worth
Happy New Year! I hope 2020 treats you right. Good luck with all of your goals!
I love your post! This sounds like a fabulous year ahead for you! I plan on reading more books and blogs!
Happy New year ?
Happy New Year! It sounds like you have a lot of fun planning to do! So many books! Good job!
Happy New Year! Congrats on reading more than you’d planned. I don’t know about foods that keep people full longer, but Forks Over Knives has a lot of healthy vegan alternatives to various foods.
I will have to look into Forks Over Knives – thanks for the rec!
A resolution of better health is always a good one. I started WW back in October so my plan is definitely to continue with that. It helps that my husband and I are doing it together. Snacks are always tricky and I’m usually on the search for something that is healthy but filling, too.
Happy New Year! I need to try to lose a few pounds and get in better shape this year. I do love veggies. My suggestion would be to make sure that you try them often. Your tastes change during your life. I used to hate veggies but I enjoy them now. Also, maybe try them prepared in different ways. There are a lot of ways to cook a lot of veggies! I find that I do best when I limit my carbs. I try to eat cheese, nuts, fiber-rich fruit, or protein bars for snacks during the day. Good luck with your goals!
Thanks for the ideas, Carole. I definitely need to keep trying new ways of cooking veggies.
-Lauren
Happy New Year! I found great luck on the weight front by meal prepping my meals into sensible portion sizes and counting calories. 20 pounds down in 2019 and another 20 to go this year!
In terms of reading, I started really getting into nonfiction toward the end of last year, so I’m planning to follow that interest a bit more this year.
I do need to do better with meal prepping! Congrats on your weigh loss though – that’s awesome.
Happy New Year! I love getting my veggies in through smoothies. I usually add a handful or so of spinach and mix it in with other fruits/veggies along with a splash of OJ or water. It took me a while to find a recipe that I liked (personally love anything with raspberries and blueberries). You can even freeze small portions together beforehand that way you save time in the morning and already have all you need in one baggy, and it’s ready to get thrown in the blender 🙂
I do love smoothies, so I think that’s one way I’m going to try and get more veggies in this year. Thanks for the prep tip!
Happy New Year! <3
A girls’ trip, now that sounds like fun! Good luck with all your plans
Spinach in protein shakes = best of all worlds there 🙂 I do a variation on this pretty regularly, and I toss in a handful of baby spinach: http://www.anneinresidence.com/2018/09/pin-to-present-peanut-butter-banana.html You can’t taste the spinach at all, I promise!
Also, 155 books – wow and yay! That makes for a great year in my opinion. Can’t wait to check out your favorites list. And can’t wait to hear where you pick for a 30th birthday trip. A super great excuse to do something fun!
Thanks for the recipe link – I’ll be sure to check that out. Any way I can hide veggies in things is good with me. 😉
Happy New Year, Lauren, and good luck with all of your resolutions. I love the idea of a girls’ trip with your mom and sister. That sounds like so much fun!
Oh my gosh, tracked kitty litter is the bane of my existence!! Lol. It makes me nuts and my cats do it too. Lol.
And you had a great reading year!
I’m totally with you on being healthy and finding new ways to eat. I’m also trying to figure out what keeps me full the longest as well as finding recipes for meals that are healthy, but also quick and easy to make.
I hope that 2020 will be a great year for you and become one of your favorites! Best wishes!
Happy New Year! I love the way you broke down your resolutions, they seem much more attainable that way!
Congrats on your 155 books read in 2019. I’m going to check out your list. Happy New Year!
Congrats on all the books! Yay!
I find that roasting veggies is the only desirable way to eat them. I roast broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, zucchini…bonus points if you has a gas oven because it roasts better than electric.
Happy New Year! Wishing you a fantastic 2020!
Happy New Year! I’m going to write my goals post in a few days and one thing I want to do is try to eat a piece of fruit or a vegetable with every meal. We’ll see how that goes.
These are great goals, Lauren! It is hard to stick to healthy eating sometimes. I look up recipes on Pinterest for ideas with veggies or low carb options and I’ve found quite a few. I do love a lot of vegetables, but I know a lot of people don’t. A casserole for veggies is a great way to eat them without the taste overpowering you. I have a low carb broccoli casserole that’s sooo good. I got it off a recipe card years ago. It’s broccoli, celery, a can of cream of mushroom soup, cheddar cheese, salt & pepper. I can email the recipe to you if it sounds good to you. No worries if it doesn’t. I know a lot of people are not fans of broccoli, lol! 🙂
Yes, please send me the recipe! Broccoli is one veggie I can eat most of the time – though it’s better when it’s prepared certain ways. LOL
-Lauren
I sent the recipe over. Let me know if you didn’t get it and I’ll just post it here. Hope you like it! 🙂
Yes, I got it – I need to print it out!! Thanks!!!
Happy new year! I haven’t made a strict resolution for books or for health, but I want to read more and be healthier this year.
155 books? that’s awesome! i was so close to my 2019 goal but work got in the way.
Oh Charlie! I have a dog that strews all of his toys just like a toddler, so I get it.
Happy 2020 my friend!
Wow, 155 books is no joke! Congrats on that accomplishment!
Happy New Year! I hope you are able to get in everything you want to accomplish this year, and I also hope this year will be a better one for you overall.
My stars you are my reading muse!! I struggled to read 30 books. Please, please rub off on me. Please!!
You asked about veggies. I do like veggies but don’t always get them into my meals, especially when we are eating out. So I have started fixing smoothies with spinach – I know it sounds horrendous – but mixed with banana, peaches, apple, strawberries, blueberries – you don’t even realize it is there! I promise. Also, we have been eating some of the salad mixes like Asian or Southwest or Apple Pecan salad mix at Walmart. You can use the dressing that comes with the mix or your own preference. I add nuts, raisins and dried cranberries to jazz them up. Really tasty.
Looking forward to linking up with you, dear friend. Happy new year!!
Ooh thanks for the tips, and I definitely think I need to try making smoothies!
Congrats on reading 155 books! I need to do better with eating healthy. A few weeks ago, my doctor told me that I should seriously consider NOT eating pizza for every meal. She didn’t give me any suggestions for what I should eat instead.
I’ve had my ups and downs with food and exercise too. It’s really hard to stick to something long-term and I find that every time I fall off the wagon, so to speak, I end up gaining more weight than where I started. It’s definitely frustrating!
Hope you have a wonderful New Year as well! We’ve been cleaning and organizing like crazy around here as well. I love doing it this time of year for some reason LOL!
Happy New Year, Lauren. What great goals you have for this new year ahead of us. My go to healthy snack is roasted, unsalted whole almonds. They kind of take the edge off and give you protein. Plus, they pair well with dark chocolate 😀
I can’t believe how many you books you read in 2019! That’s quite the accomplishment! I enjoy your The Glossies Made Me Do It posts, so I’m glad you’re continuing that series.
I do plan on trying almonds as a snack – thanks for the suggestion! And I’m glad you like the Glossies posts. 🙂
Happy New Year, Lauren! I love seeing you are doing great. It’s been a while since I been to your blog and how I missed it.
I hope you have a wonderful New year
Happy new year! Wow, 155 books is impressive! Hopefully most of them were ones you enjoyed. How many are you hoping to read in 2020? My cats track litter all through the house, too. I can so relate. xD It’s a good thing they’re stinking cute. Good luck with your goals this year!
Yes, I really enjoyed most of them! I have my Goodreads Challenge at 50 – that’s what I had it for last year. I don’t want to pressure myself too much, but I’ll probably go over again. haha
155 books is so wonderful. I hope you pick up tons of amazing reads in 2020. Happy reading!
You should try intermittent fasting! You fast for 12 hours or so (so stop eating at the same time each night and start eating at the same time every morning) and it helps your digestive system rest and has so many other benefits. Plus, then you’re not snacking late at night. I know some people that do it from 6pm till 8am, but I prefer to stop eating around 7pm and then I usually try not to eat again till noon (lunch time!) the next day. I have lunch, dinner and a healthy snack in-between lunch and dinner. I’m not a HUGE meat eater, but I love eating a handful of almonds everyday, I’ll add chia seeds to a nonfat yogurt, etc. I’m trying to work on eating cleaner this year and I need to cut my Starbucks addiction down to once a week (which is so hard for me!!! lol!). Your trips sound fun!!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
I’ve heard a lot about intermittent fasting. I’m someone who tends to eat every few hours, so I think it would take me awhile to adjust, but I might try it little by little – making the time longer, etc.
Bit late but Happy New Year
The big thirty this year Lauren! I’m surprised, I thought you were only in your twenties! I’d like to become healthier this year as well, I’ll be turning forty, still cringe when I write that and would like to start having a regular exercise regime and better eating habits. I’ve seen that you can also take online exercise classes as well so I might look into those. Sounds like you’re right on track for an epic 2020!
I hope we both find more ways to be healthy this year! It’s always a work in progress. And yep, I’m 29 now and my birthday is in May. Most people think I’m a lot longer than I am though. 🙂
That is amazing that you read that many books last year. I read the most books for me last year at 33. I really had to work to carve out time because we had a very rocky year. I hope to dive more into books. I really appreciate your space and the work you do at reviews because you give me a lot of great ideas on where to go next! So thank you for that!
I think it’s fantastic that you’re focusing on your health. I love smoothies for my IBS and I find that they are quite filling. I add chia and flax seeds and hemp hearts to the mix (you don’t taste any of it). If you do a pinterest search, you’ll pull up tons of recipes and they’re so yummy! And also not ones specifically for IBS! LOL xoxo
Aw, thank you so much Kimberly! And 33 books is still really amazing – especially when you have to work so hard to find time! Thank you so much for the ideas about smoothies. I’m glad you feel like they help with your IBS, since I have that too, and are filling!
Good luck with your 2020 goals, Lauren! I too want to read more of my own books as well as work on my health/weight so let’s hope we both manage it! 🙂
155 books. Damn! That’s amazing.
Favorite protein: greek yogurt (with fruit and maybe 1/2 cup low-sugar granola (homemade)), ground-turkey everything (in soups, casseroles, stirfrys, etc.),.
I’ve got to lose some weight as well. I think I might try going back to Weight Watchers and see how their new program works. I’ve lost weight with them in the past, but the last time I tried, they’d changed the points program so much it didn’t work for me anymore. Good luck on all your goals!
Thanks blogger and happy new year 2020