What did you do?

Oh, the above pictures are from Instagram. Follow me if you like seeing pets, treats, and the occasional self portrait.

Also, you should enter this giveaway!

I’m usually inept when it comes to deviating from recipes, but I did exactly that with this greek yogurt and artichoke dip recipe…and what resulted was the creamiest, tastiest hummus I’ve ever tried.

Here’s the recipe:

• 1 can of chickpeas, drained (I know, BPA is bad news. I didn’t have the patience to soak them, though, and dealing with me when I’m hungry is also bad news).
• three heaping tablespoons of greek yogurt (for what it’s worth, it was rBGH-free).
• 3 artichoke hearts (also canned…I’m an awful person).
• 3 medium cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon of tahini
• 1 teaspoon of sriracha
• 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Put it all in a food processor and blend until creamy, but don’t blame me when you finish a whole bag of bagels in 3 days and your pants will no longer button.

Seriously though, I’d love to hear your thoughts/suggestions if you make a batch of your own.

Have a great weekend! Don’t forget to check back Monday for an awesome giveaway. : )

*All of the teaspoons/tablespoons are sort of guesses. They’re probably close to accurate, but since I did it to taste I can’t be sure.

I can’t be certain until it’s on my finger, but this heart ring might be perfect in every way.

I’m really bad at giving massages (I’ve been made fun of too many times to count), but receiving them poses few or no problems.

My feet would be right at home inside these crochet slippers.

Vanilla moon and mystic dragon’s blood would be my two picks for Valentine’s Day soap scents.

What would Valentine’s Day be without chocolate-covered strawberries? It’d be the worst; that’s what.

I plan to make and send so many sewn paper valentines, much like the ones above. Maybe I’ll receive or or two as well. ; )

Are you planning ahead for Valentine’s Day? I’d love to hear about the special crafts or gifts you’re making!

Sources: Ring, Salve, Slippers, Soap, Cards, Strawberries.

To make the tasty berry oatmeal smoothie above, I just combined a cup of oatmeal, a cup of berry blast Naked juice smoothie, and a handful of goji berries.

I used two large handfuls of spinach, a medium avocado, and a splash of organic sparkling apple juice to make the above brightly colored breakfast smoothie.

Oh, and speaking of sparkling juices…I won four in a giveaway over on The Review Stew blog. If they are all as tasty as the apple, then I am going to be one happy lady.

Have a special weekend, and I mean it!

I still can't believe how fast water boils in my electric kettle!

Our sweet neighbors have given us unlimited access to their abundance of citrus. It's the best.

Avocado and sweet potato sushi are a dream team if I've ever seen one.

Have you experienced the convenient awesomeness that is an electric kettle?

Oh, and here are some links to get your weekend started right!

• 4 Simple Detox Tips for the New Year
• 10 Essentials for a Successful Detox

p.s. My instagram username dawngwimes. Do with that information what you wish.

I’m currently reading Bossypants (and loving it), but I plan on reading the above gem when I finish. Danielle is letting me borrow both. Have I mentioned that she’s the best?

I’M GONNA LEARN SO MUCH ABOUT HEALTHY EATING!

Speaking of healthy eating, are you participating in the No More Dirty Looks 10 vegetables or fruit a day challenge? I am!

from Danielle:

From left to right and top to bottom- Rock Sugar, Bar Soap, Mustard Bath, Teavana Tea.

The soap, sugar, and teas smell like a dream, and I cannot wait to use that mustard bath.

and Kirby:

L to R & T to B- Skin Tea, Glass Teapot, Glass Kettle, Stress Tea.

Kirby knows that I tend to get stressed, particularly when my skin is misbehaving, so he bought me a tea to address each problem. He also got me a new glass kettle since my old one cracked and a cordless, electric kettle that is way too awesome.

Is there someone in your life who always knows just what to get you?

Did you know that the benefits of cranberries are significantly weakened when the fruit is mixed with sugar? Talk about a letdown. After reading the sad news, I was determined to make a sugar-free cranberry snack. I will not be deprived of the phytonutrients I deserve!

Initially I tried just eating the berries raw, but they were seriously too tart to be enjoyable. So last night, with the help of my sweet mom, I made a batch of homemade cranberry stevia lemonade using a recipe for cranberry juice I found. We left out the cinnamon, replaced the sugar with stevia, and added the juice of one lemon. The finished product was thick, tart, and absolutely delicious. My mom wasn’t a fan, but she also doesn’t like dark chocolate so she might be a crazy person.

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend. Here we come, 2012!

After reading a No More Dirty Looks post that referenced a Well+Good post about the many health benefits of drinking lemon water, I’ve managed to squeeze a little lemon juice into every glass of water I’ve had since.

Chobani greek yogurt is fat and rBGH-free, and the kind with cherry on the bottom is just the tastiest. I’m not sure why the picture above says “blueberry,” but I got lazy and didn’t try to find a more accurate picture. Those are clearly cherries; I know.

 Since coming home for the holidays, I’ve been watching an obscene amount of Dr. Oz with my grandmother. I realize that the majority of his advice should probably be taken with a grain of salt, but when he suggested eating a wide variety of olives to prevent breast cancer…I immediately made a mental note to have my sweet Nanna pick some up on her next trip to the store. She did, and they’re delicious.

 My parents have a Keurig coffee maker, and it makes drinking tea ridiculously easy (especially since my mom always has at least two boxes of tea in the house especially for me)! My favorite kind so far is the Zen tea pictured above, and I can even feel good about drinking up to four cups a day since green tea is packed with antioxidants.

Red onions might not make for the best breath, but they do fight free radicals and high blood pressure.  Worth it.

Sources- Lemon Water, Greek Yogurt, Assorted Olives, Green Tea, Red Onions.

How are you preparing for the inevitable holiday overindulgence?

Hot & Sour Soup

Garden Salad with Tomato & Basil Dressing

Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Basil Soup

Romaine Salad with House Dressing

Do you have any preferred restaurant standbys?

Here are four reasons why we should all be eating salad on a regular basis.

Have a great weekend! There are still a few days to enter the perfume giveaway. : )