Happy Sunday everyone! I’m hoping that your new years have all got off to a great start. Oh, how times have changed around here where welcoming the new year is concerned. It was a quiet celebration with all 3 of us bundled under the duvet watching movies and all falling asleep only waking up with 20 minutes to spare until the countdown. With a glass of fizz in one hand and the baby held tightly with the other we saw in our first new year as a family. We’re so rock and roll eh…I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way!
I’ve spent most of the festive season spending lots of quality time with friends and family and relaxing enjoying my Christmas presents, especially some of my new books. I feel so inspired after flicking through the Hemsley + Hemsley recipe book with a homemade chai latte and a slice of cinnamon swirl cake. There’s a lot of yumminess in that book and such beautiful food photography too.
I’ve also been watching lots of movies with my favourite little guy.
On New Years Day, we always have a big family meal to celebrate and even though I was cooking for two adults I still whipped up a feast of spiced ham and all the trimmings. There was plenty of leftovers too, which I never complain about, got to love leftovers!
This was a quick, throw anything in salad that was actually gorgeous. I mixed grated carrots, tomatoes, beets and pomegranate seeds and grilled haloumi cheese.
Another tasty salad that was made up of random Christmas food leftovers from the fridge was this one. It included mixed leaves, smoked salmon, pomegranate seeds, stuffed olives and Stilton cheese. Normally I’m not a fan of fish and cheese together, but the Stilton and the salmon went well together.
It’s always sad when you’re left with the last bit of sweet mince-pie filling at the bottom of the jar. I got my last fix of the good stuff on top of a bowl of porridge cooked with chopped apples and topped with peanut butter.
Finally, I cracked open these gorgeous chocolate truffles, the sea salt caramel ones are to die for. It’s so easy to scoff them all, but I’m trying to savour every last bit and going to slowly work my way through these.
Now I know that the festive period is officially over, but I’m still rocking my festive leggings and I don’t even feel embarrassed by it. This has been one of the best Christmases ever and I just want to hold on to it a bit longer. Although it will be a small step back to reality today as I hit the gym for my first workout of 2015. Slowly slowly, I’ve got back to my regular foods after the semi-Christmas-pig-out and I’m feeling better for it.
Check back tomorrow as I have a little giveaway to help you jump start a healthier 2015!
How did you welcome 2015? Do you have any special traditions that you do every New Years Eve?
How have you found readjusting and getting back to reality after the festive season?
We usually have a big party on NYE but this year we had a relatively quiet night with just a few friends. Nevertheless it was lovely to spend time with the ones we love and we were in bed fast asleep by 1am (which this grandma in training certainly can’t complain about ;P)
I like to start the New Year with a workout and this year I dragged Jesse out of bed to walk around the big park by our house and then finished up our walk with a swim in the pool (as it’s summer here in Australia!). Definitely better than my Dad’s new year’s day tradition of eating leftover cake for breakfast haha.
Love your idea of starting as you mean to go on with a walk on New Years day. We ended up staying inside and watching movies all day, but I think the fresh crisp wintery air would have done us some good.
Look at that little curly head! So cute. I must say since Jan 2nd (let’s not go into the hangover hell that was the 1st…) I’ve been pretty much out of holiday mode and actually really loving it – it’s amazing how much more energy I have when I’m not lounging around covered in chocolate wrappers 😉
Clearing the chocolates and biscuit tins away does help get rid of that holiday feeling. I’m feeling much less lethargic after cutting back on it all, but I’m going the whole hog tomorrow.
Yum. That food is making me so hungry :O
Especially the roast dinner! 😀
You can’t beat a fabulous roast dinner, yum!
Ooh the grilled Halloumi dish is right up my street, well all the dishes are, but I adore grilled Halloumi x
I think grilled halloumi always adds something a little bit special to a plate of food. 🙂
I love those leggings- and I would say they are wintery, and not Christmasy, so you can wear them until February at least!
Ha! Thanks Maria, you have just convinced me to keep wearing these and another pair that I have. They are just far to comfy to give up just yet!
Still on holiday and making the most of last few hours of it and off to see the hobbit tonight to end it with a bang:) Do have that slight ‘back to school feeling though’….
I hope you enjoyed the last of your holiday and getting back to work isn’t too painful for you.
Those curls!! So adorable! Love those sea salt truffles, James bought them for me one Christmas and was in my good books for a very long time!!
Oh, those truffles are divine! Alfie bought them for me, so I’ll remember to keep him in my good books for quite some time. 🙂
I say, rock the festive leggings as much as you can! 😉 Might as well!
And your new years eve sounds lovely!!
My sad readjustment after Christmas was the lack of turkey and leftovers. So sad when that happens! Your leftover meals look awesome. Halloumi is always a winner!
I love your leggings. Definitely keep rocking them out – no one will know 😉
Haha! I intend to keep wearing them religiously until February at least.
I love your leggings! Happy New Year x
Happy New Year Christina!
Happy New Year! That cinnamon swirl cake looks so good! x
Happy new year. We had a quiet chilled night in, got a takeaway and watched some movies!