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Hope you are all as excited about Christmas as me, I can’t believe that it is Christmas Eve tomorrow! I think this week leading up to Christmas has to be my favourite week of the year, I love the anticipation of what’s to come, all the Christmas lights, Christmas music, cooking and baking and of course the Big Christmas Food Shop!

My organic veggie box arrived!

I’ve done pretty well trying to stick to my routine this week despite working reduced hours / being off from Wednesday / being in the Christmas spirit! My workouts have been pretty consistent, but I have to say I have really had to push myself this week. I was intending on doing a 10k treadmill run this morning but I just couldn’t face it so I changed my plans to just run for 15 minutes. Once I was on the treadmill I was ok though so stuck it out for a 5k!

Monday – AM Gym workout – 5 min warm up, 25 min strength from Female Body Breakthrough, 15 min HIIT on treadmill

Tuesday – AM Davina Super Body Super Legs workout DVD, PM Gym workout 40 min total HIITs on cross trainer, step machine, rowing machine and bike

Wednesday – AM Gym workout – 5k speed intervals on treadmill, 30 min total HIITs on cross trainer, step machine and bike

Thursday – AM Yoga for Runners (I really needed that, was so stiff!) Lunchtime Gym workout – 5 min warm up, 25 min strength from Female Body Breakthrough, 15 min HIIT on bike

Friday – AM Gym workout – 5k interval run in 25.25, 15 min intervals on step machine, 15 min intervals on bike

Christmas Eve – Planning on AM DVD, not sure what yet!

Of course, Christmas day and Boxing day will be much needed rest days!

I’ve definitely been relaxing my eating too! With the gym not opening until 9am I’ve been having an almost double breakfast, oats, muesli or toast first thing then a smoothie when I get back:

Oats in a jar: Rude Health Fruity Date oats (a little 60g box) cooked with water, mixed defrosted berries and stevia in a near empty DCD jar. Heaven!

Dorset Nutty Muesli with frozen blueberries and soy milk

Toasted Millet Bread with Maple Almond Butter and a sliced pear

Utterly amazing smoothie in a bowl, well this was more like pudding really! Made with roast kabocha squash, vanilla sun warrior protein powder, ice, soy milk, cinnamon, ginger, black strap molasses and topped with a crumbled homemade gingerbread cookie, roast salted almonds and maple syrup

Indulgent Green smoothie with spring greens, frozen banana, frozen peaches, 2 x scoops peanut butter swirl spirutein powder, midori greens, berries powder, water, ice, gums topped with a crumbled super charge me cookie, peanut flour sauce, chocolate covered sunflower seeds and honey

I’m enjoying indulging in adding extra nut butter, cookies, chocolate and more festive additions to my breakfasts now!

Earlier in the week I did have a ‘cleaner’ raw breakfast, vanilla chia protein pudding with a sliced persimmon topped with goji berries, coconut, buckwheaties and cacao nibs:

In love with persimmons right now!

Evening meals have included my favourite Thai Green Edamame and Kabocha Curry Noodle Bowl:

I really must blog this as a proper recipe, its gorgeous and so quick to put together. On Wednesday night I celebrated starting my holidays with a chocolate snack plate:

Two Hotel Chocolat Hazelnut Truffles, a Booja Booja Rum Sozzled truffle and a piece of strawberry organic dark chocolate

I love having plates with a few different pieces of chocolate so I can try a few different ones without going totally overboard.

Today I have been very productive starting with a last minute visit to the green grocers for satsumas and pomegranates, then making some cranberry sauce, caramel sauce, Sage and Onion Stuffed Seitan Roll (recipe to come) and the beginnings of a Chocolate tart with caramel crust! I’m also going to make some of my Leek and Roasties Soup.

If your looking for any last minute festive recipes, take a quick look at these:

• Veggie Loaf – full of brown rice, lentils, pecans and oats, its the best!
• Lentil, Apple and Sage Stuffed Squash
• Raw ‘December’ Salad – having this for lunch today, so good!
• Leek and Roastie Soup
• Easy Mulled Wine
• Warm Butternut, Lentil and Fig Salad
• Christmas Couscous
• Raw Salted Caramel Pecan Cake – still can’t believe how amazing this is!

As well as Christmas Day itself I am so excited about tomorrow! For the first time in our 7 year relationship James is not working Christmas Eve. We have a great day planned including a trip to Newcastle for a bite to eat, drinks with friends then back to my Mam and Dad’s local pub for a couple more drinks with more friends and family!

Do you have any Christmas Eve plans? How have you been spending the run up to Christmas?

This is my last post before the big day, so I’d just like to wish you all a truly wonderful Christmas, I hope you all have a good one!

Lots of Christmas Love,

Laura 

Oh, and is it bad that I’m already thinking about what I’m going to buy in the sales on Tuesday? ;-)