Oh What do you do in the Winter Time?

On Tuesday Jeff and I were both sent home early from work because of a winter storm emergency. Weather reports were saying that 6-8 inches of snow were expected to fall through the night and into the next day and that high winds and subzero temperatures would hit the city. As a result, neither of us had to go into work on wednesday! We ended up only getting a few inches (at least where we live) but we were glad to not have to leave the house to brave the frigid weather.

So, what do you do when it's too cold to go out?

1. Give your immune system a boost: Fight those winter colds with some healthy foods! We have loved trying new recipes and mixing up our favorite fruits and veggies to make delicious smoothies.

Here's the recipe for one of our go to's - the Tropical Tango Smoothie:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 lime, peeled
• 1 banana, peeled
• 1 cup spinach, lightly packed
• 2 medium apples, quartered & seeded
• 1 cup ice cubes
• (any additional fruit you want, I added a mango this time)

Place all ingredients into the blender in the order listed and blend until smooth. Yields 4 cups.

Yum!

2. Do some baking: We've been trying to eliminate unnecessary sugars and saturated fats from our diet lately, but of course we still get cravings for sweet treats and baked goods. In my search for a healthier alternative I found a recipe for oat flour cookies online and decided to try it out. 

Broke in our new Bosch with this recipe. Thanks to Jeff's parents for the awesome christmas present!

The cookies were a great success. So quick and easy to make and you don't feel too guilty eating two... or three ... or four of them! The recipe for these little goodies can be found here.

3. Change it up: I was way overdue for a fresh coat of nail polish on my toes, so I picked out a new color and it brightened my day. Remember when it was summer and your skin actually saw the sunlight?? Sigh. 

4. Get some work done: Despite having a "day-off" Jeff still had to work. It is busy season after all. But it was nice just having him in the house and to share lunch and dinner together.

The happy auditor. Yes he has two computer screens - he just has that many numbers to look at : )

I tried to be as little distracting as possible while Jeff was working, so I occupied myself with a project I have been putting off for too long. Finally got around to hemming the curtains that are in our bedroom. They were way too long and all bunchy at the bottom ever since we moved in, but now they are much improved. It feels good to scratch that off of my household to-do list.

5. Plan a Warm Weather Vacation: This is one of our favorite talking points as of late. Hoping to be on a Caribbean Cruise this April! 

So that's how we spent our day at home. What do you do in the winter time?