What took you so long?

My Thanksgiving weekend was, um, interesting to say the least. I have been moving forward with my usual work weeks (work, gym, dinner, meal prep, etc.) and somewhat unusual weekends. I have been super busy on the weekends with friends and family and end up starting my Mondays extremely worn out! But busy is good, right?

My ex actually decided that he wants to get back together. Shocker. The only thing that I have an issue with is that it's entirely on his terms. He now says that he "knows for sure" that he wants to marry me, but that he's just not ready right now. News flash!!! I never said I wanted to right now, either. But he also says that he wants to continue with the "space" for like 6 months before we revisit the topic of our future. That doesn't sound entirely bad and I was okay with it. Until day 1 after this epic conversation, I don't hear from him. All day. I'm going to give it a couple of weeks and see if it gets better. But is it that bad to want to be acknowledged every day?! I'm totally okay with chilling out and maybe only seeing each other like twice a week. But daily conversations are still necessary. That being said, I don't know if this is going to be the best thing for me or if I should just continue on my forward progression. Because I still don't want to settle for anything less than what I want and deserve out of life. Why can't things just be more simple :/

On a lighter note, even though my love life is in shambles, I feel pretty damn good! I'm getting to spend time with friends and family and focus on me. 2014 is going to be a year where I accomplish things just for me- getting in the best shape of my life, getting my emergency savings in check and starting to save for a new car. It's going to be a good year, no matter what.

This week I plan on attempting some new recipes and detoxing from my Thanksgiving bingeing. I think that I had stuffing and sweet potato casserole at least once a day since Thursday's festivities. Stay tuned for the new stuff! ;)


Recipe of the week: Sweet Potato Casserole
*warning, this is NOT healthy (lol), but it is a Smith Family Thanksgiving tradition.

Photo Credit: Chow.com

Ingredients:

• about 4 large sweet potatoes, baked
• ½ c. unsalted butter, melted
• ½ c. granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ c. half and half
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups miniature marshmallows

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375. Prepare a 1.5-2 quart casserole dish with butter or nonstick spray.

Start by mashing the sweet potatoes until they are smooth. Then add the butter, half of the sugar, half and half, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and vanilla extract; stir well and taste. Add the remaining sugar if needed. Add the eggs and combine well, then pour the mixture into the casserole dish. Cover and bake the dish at 375 for about 20 to 30 minutes, until completely heated through.

Remove, uncover and stir gently. Lastly, spread the marshmallows evenly on the top and bake uncovered for about 15-20 minutes longer, or until the marshmallows are nicely browned.

Serves about 6 people - double this recipe for the holidays!

Try out this traditional dish at your next holiday gathering (we have it at Thanksgiving and Christmas) and let me know how much of a hit it is! It won't let you down, promise!

Source:

Deep South Dish