It's So Cold, I Don't Wanna...

GO OUTSIDE! It's so cold, I don't want to breathe outside. I literally hold my breath in hopes that the wind will stop blowing or a magical heat bubble will surround me making my walk to work just a little more pleasant. Being an Arizona girl at heart, I handle winter like a sissy. I take every opportunity to complain and confess my not-so-secret hatred for the season.

Here are the things that make winter a little more OK today - because let's face it, winter will never be bearable.

1. A Down Coat
Now I hear all you animal lovers out there like me. That is a fake fur hood. Do you know how hard it is to find a reasonable priced down coat that covers the booty and has a hood WITHOUT fur. Finally, I caved and bought one, with a steep discount on one of my favorite sites!

Not too ugly, no?

2. Making A Donation
At the beginning of the holiday season I put together a list of places that I want to contribute to. Also, I consider what I have to give that doesn't involve a new purchase. Since the back of my cabinets contained canned food that I was less than thrilled about consuming - I'm donating those items to a non-perishable food drive right in the lobby of my office building. Food drives are a great way to clean out your cabinets when you've lost inspiration and make space for new flavors and foods. Plus, you reap benefits from volunteering and giving back to your community.

What a healthy donation!

3. Hot Drinks! 
As much as I hate winter, I LOVE hot cocoa. Unfathomable to some. I grew up in a house where we made our mix from scratch. I highly recommend steering away from the pre-packaged cocoa, just read the ingredients list and it won't take much convincing. Now I'm a dark chocolate fan, but Grant Park (my bf) is more of a white chocolate fan. I adjust my recipe by the cupfull - mine usually has a little more cocoa, while his usually has a little more sweet stuff.

Me at the famous Angelina's in Paris, France sippin' some high class cocoa!

My easy hot cocoa blend:

Ingredients:
1 c. non dairy milk (I prefer almond or soy)
1/2 c. water
2 Tbs. cocoa (can add more or less to taste)
1 Tbs. splenda (or raw sugar or agave nectar)
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract (or almond)
Optional: 1 Tbsp. hazelnut soy creamer, dash of nutmeg and cinnamon, dash of chile powder

Directions:
 - Heat Milk and water in microwave (about 2 minutes)
 - Stir in the rest of the ingredients and ENJOY!

4. Spending time with out-of-town friends consuming said hot drinks

I have a group of girlfriends from my time living and studying abroad in France. We make an effort to reunite every couple of months. Bravely, a rendez-vous was scheduled for Chicago this weekend. Yes, it is going to be freezing, literally, but all we really need is to be together to chat and laugh over some delicious hot beverages. And with such good friends, you surely can feel a little better about the terrible winter season.