Not my most graceful New Year’s Eve

I think you can actually quote me at least a dozen times on the blog saying that the salad that I am eating at the moment is my FAVORITE salad but I am here today to tell you that I actually did have my actual favorite salad yesterday.

This is the Wahoo’s spicy fish salad with added bonzai veggies, guac and extra salsa.  Everytime we go to visit Billy’s family I request to be taken here because I love it so much.

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Even Brook understands how incredibly delicious the food is. 

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We met our friend Addie (remember… I was hanging out with her in Utah just a few weeks ago) at the Spectrum (a huge outdoor mall in Irvine).  We hung out there for awhile, I found 5 pairs of shoes at Nordstrom that I want and looked EVERYWHERE again for the game Bananagram for my MIL.  

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We got home and for some reason I was absolutely freezing.  I could have put on a jacket or something but that is not nearly as fun as making hot chocolate to warm you up.  I couldn’t decide between marshmallows or whipped cream…

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This is where the graceful part comes in.  We were heading to our New Year’s Eve party with another couple and it was super dark outside (the flash is brightening up the step in the photo) and I did not see the step.  The best part is that my hands were in my pockets and I couldn’t get them out in time to help catch me when I fell.  I have never fallen so hard in my life, good thing Billy had Brooke.  I am a complete klutz.

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The food healed my injuries.  We had all sorts of delicious appetizers…. meatballs, pesto and pasta, salmon dip and crab stuffed mushrooms.  

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I really really wanted Brooke to at least attempt to stay up until midnight so that we could go outside and bang pots and pans together but she lasted until 9:21 pm.  

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They whipped out the homemade egg nog ice cream and brownies (the walnuts were taken out of the brownie once I got it because the two should never be combined).  Billy and I watched Everybody Loves Raymond when we got home until midnight (hey, at least I made it until midnight) and then I was asleep 3 seconds later. 

Hope you had a great New Year’s Eve… I have a very good feeling about 2013.

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How was your New Year’s Eve?

Brownies: with or without nuts?

Whipped cream or marshmallows on your hot chocolate?

Where is your ABSOLUTE favorite salad from?

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54 comments

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Hot chocolate without whipped cream, brownies with walnuts…and vanilla ice cream :)!

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Stayed up to catch the fireworks…electronically. LOL! Hey, I had to be up early for a New Year run with the gang after all. Happy New Year Janae, Billy and Brooke.
Definitely with nuts and ice cream!

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It’s always so hard for me to stay up until midnight, too, but we did and the conked out shortly after! The pesto and pasta on a skewer is such a fun idea! I think hot chocolate is the only smart way to warm up :)

You may have tried already with no luck, but I always see Bananagram at our Barnes and Noble Bookstore in the games section! I hope that helps!

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I love Wahoos! Everytime I go (back home) to CA I have to go there. I always get their spicy burritos tho. and their onion rings are the best!!
My New Years was pretty lame this year. I worked a 12 hr shift on the 31st and had to be back today by 6am. I was in bed by 9:30! Happy New Year!

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I am with you, nuts should be no where near brownies. Actually I hate when nuts are combined with any kind of chocolate. My New Years Eve was very quiet. Had a few friends over then went to bed around 1am. Happy New Year!

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Brownies without nuts. I was in bed around 11. I really should have stayed up until midnight because it was probably 11:45 before I was actually asleep. Oh well. Time to go ring in the New Year with a run.

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Whipped cream or marshmallows in hot chocolate … either is awesome!

No nuts in brownies. Or cookies. I’m a purist. ;)

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WITHOUT nuts for sure! Add chocolate chips! NYE was very fun an low key. Perfect for us. Happy New Year!

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happy new year to you and your awesome family!

here’s a link to bananagrams online – since it seems to be nowhere in stores :-)

http://www.amazon.com/Bananagrams-BAN001/dp/1932188126/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1357047290&sr=1-1&keywords=bananagrams

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Thank you so much Gina!

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OMG that salad! I can see why it would be your absolute favorite.

Ugh, so sorry to hear about the fall. I’ve done that once or twice, and thankfully, you weren’t hurt badly.

Happy New Year girl!

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Happy new year! I am looking forward to 2013.
That sucks that you fell so badly OMG ouch!

I barely made it until midnight also. And yah it was 12:01 and I was asleep haha.

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NO NUTS! I’m glad I found someone who finds this equally important.

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Good NYE spent at home with the kiddies – pretty much normal night – didn’t even watch NYE on TV…. wow. we are party animals!

I had to ponder the brownie/walnuts question for a few minutes actually….wanted to make sure you got my most honest, thoughtful response on this pressing issue. :) I LOVE Brownies, I LOVE Walnuts. But prefer plain brownies.

Hope you aren’t too sore from your spill last night today! I have an on going problem of being able to walk/run straight….I ran into one of our door jams at home yesterday and busted up my toes pretty good. So Graceful. :)

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Brownies should be without nuts, but with chocolate chips, M&M’s, pb cups…or anything else to add to the chocolate-ness.

NYE was super chill…just went to the parents’ house for dinner and may or may not have made it to midnight :) Have a great New Year!!

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Marshmallows and whipped cream totally belong together on hot chocolate and walnuts don’t have any business being near brownies. It looks like you had a pretty awesome New Years,besides the fall. I barely made it to midnight. I was asleep at 12:12 am.

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My New Year’s Eve was pretty uneventful… I’m sick so it involved Sudafed, Vicks, reading, and an early bedtime. Party animal right here. ;)
Brownies without nuts, but let’s be honest, I wouldn’t turn down a brownie with nuts either. I’d go with whipped cream over marshmallows on my hot chocolate. And my absolute favorite salad is a pesto shrimp salad from this place called Arcadia Farms in Scottsdale, AZ. SO good!

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Janae,
In November I started to read your blog and thoroughly enjoy it! Being a runner for over 20 years I love to hear the enthusiasm and spirit in your blog dialogue. Since my triplets turned 12 last month I also am reliving the “baby days” through your eyes, though my memories are sketchy! We were at the Spectrum yesterday meeting friends at Corner Bakery and if I saw you at Wahoo’s I would have told you that each morning I now check your blog for words of wisdom and encouragement before heading out to run. Even though I am probably 20 years older you still have something to teach me! Happy 2013 to your whole family :)

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Ahhhhhh I wish we would have seen each other yesterday! Triplets- wow, you are my hero. Thank you for your sweet comment, it made my morning!

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I was asleep about 3 seconds after midnight too! I never remember it being so hard to stay up till midnight. ;) There is a restaurant called Charleston’s here in Texas and they make this awesome salad with spinach, strawberries and walnuts. I’m not sure what kind of dressing is on it, but it is sooooo good!!

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You’ve been looking a while for the ‘Grams! Here’s their store-finder http://www.bananagrams.com/Shop/ :)

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Awesome!!!! Thank you so much!

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No worries, let’s hope your MIL smiles!

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Ack! Sorry to hear about your fall, Janae! I don’t have the best history with steps either, but at least there was some delicious food to heal you right up. Good call on picking the nuts out of the brownies – the two should definitely never be combined…

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Brownies should never ever have nuts in them–what a way to ruin perfectly good brownies.

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So sorry about your fall! I hope you didn’t bang yourself up too much. And baked goods should always have nuts in them :)

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Ouch, that fall sounds painful! Hope you’re feeling much better today!

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Sorry you fell! You’re not the only one though–I fell down a few steps last night, landing on my bum. It actually didn’t hurt but I didn’t exactly land gracefully either…the people with me were concerned I hurt myself haha embarrassing!

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Oh no! I am so sorry! Yep, definitely embarrassing ha!

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I had several comments to make but they all flew right out of my head at the words: “homemade eggnog ice cream.” Um, yes please!?!

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Addie!! She is my daughter’s 2nd grade teacher. She is the best!! We love her!!! I am a klutz and fell yesterday too. I really hope it’s not a sign of things to come this year ;). Good thing yummy food can heal almost anything.

Oh, baked goods should absolutely not have nuts in them!

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That is so so awesome, she really is the best!!! I am sorry about your fall! I think we need some good food today too for our falls:)

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I totally agree, nuts have no place in brownies!

I was in bed at midnight, very exciting.

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Why have I never thought about making eggnog ice cream?!?!?! I must remedy this immediately! I think both marshmallows and whipped cream have a home in hot chocolate… But currently I am also loving those peppermint marshmellows in mine!! Nuts should come nowhere near baked goods in my world!!

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Have you checked Walgreens for the Bananagrams? I know they used to sell them.

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Poor you with that fall… hands in the pocket make a fall so much worse. Hope you’re ok!

I took my daughter to Benihana last night (it’s becoming an annual tradition) and then relaxed at home until midnight. Excited for 2013- just in this first month, I’ll be turning 40 AND running my first full marathon! Woot!!

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Just saw Bananagrams at our Target the other day. Are people just sold out? It IS a prett awesome game. :)

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We have a very serious issue on your blog this morning…I saw that picture of your salad and my heart broke a little bit. Our Wahoos unexpectedly closed a few weeks ago and I am still devastated. The withdrawals were finally starting to subside. I better go forget the pain by eating walnut free brownies since walnuts could kill me. So glad you got to enjoy Wahoos! Hopefully you are not too sore today from your fall! Be careful!!

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Natalie,
I am truly so sorry about your loss. Come visit us here and I will take you to wahoo’s!

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My family loves bananagrams– we got ours at barnes and noble! Maybe try there? :)

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No nuts.
Whipped cream.
New Years was good. We celebrated on East Coast time but then were woken up with the dogs freaked out at the gunfire outside. It was fireworks in our old city. Gunfire in our new city.
Sweet Tomatoes!

The Kidless Kronicles

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At least you fell in the dark! :)

Brownies without nuts are one of my favorite things on this planet! I typically like to make them from scratch but I do love the ghirardeili double chocolate brownie mix.

I like my hot chocholate with whipped cream.

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Hey Janae! I have Bananagrams! We got ours at Barnes and Noble. They also sell it at Michael’s Arts and Crafts (random!).

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That food all looks so scrumptious! So jealous!

And I’m a total klutz too! I run into the walls and doorknobs of my house so frequently it’s embarrassing, and I’ve lived here for 5 and a half years!

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I was definitely the lamest person this New Year’s Eve..I didn’t even make it until 9:00pm! My husband did wake me up at 11:55pm though, so I could pretend I was up the whole time and watch the ball drop in NY.

Happy New Year to you, Billy and Brooke! :)

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I rarely make it to midnight, but I managed to keep my eyes opened long enough to watch the ball drop. Missed Dick Clark though. Ran a Commitment Day 5K today-thankfully it didn’t start until 11. I love walnuts in my brownies. I like either marshmallows or whipped cream and now will have to try them both at the same time. I don’t like to order salads out, they always seem unhealthy. I’d rather eat one of the ones you usually make with every veggie under the sun in it!
Happy New Year!

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Me and my baby girl made it to 11:30pm, and I know I was completely passed out before midnight because I did not hear ANY of the text messages that I got on my phone come midnight. I honestly think my little girl gave me the best New Year’s gift ever – pretty much sleeping from 11:30 at night to 10:30am the next morning.

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Hi Janae!! How is your 2013 going? I didn’t stay up til midnight either… some things never change! Lil’ Brooke looks so cute in all her pictures of course, in high school I used to always babysit for families on New Years and the little kids just have the most cutest expression! Of course most of them can’t last into midnight…
Last night my fam and I made a ricotta pie which sounds good but just… isn’t. A word to the wise. Congrats on your Women’s Running blog shoutout!! That is so cool. I thought of you on my mini-run yesterday, my half marathon plan starts the 7th so I’m doing a lot of hot yoga and little runs here and there. Thank you again for your encouragement to commit to the Nike women’s half!! I am so excited. However in the meantime I’m enjoying my fam time. Anyway happy new year!!

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Ouch! That’s a hard fall – hope you’re OK!
Happy New Years!!

Nooo nuts on my brownies please! :D although, I love the ones with M&M’s!

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They have Bananagram at REI stores!!

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Mmm, so much delicious food! My friend and I had a low key night in downtown Richmond, VA with their own ball drop at midnight outside of the bars!

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i’ve seen bananagram at target or you could order it from amazon. good luck finding it for you MIL.

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Our NYE was so wild that I fell asleep at 10:30. Just kidding, we stayed home and I was out like a light at 10:30.

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Hi! Please tell me what is in you spicy fish salad; it looks amazing! Or direct me to a page on your site. I’ve just discovered your blog. It’s great!

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