Merry Christmas + Coconut Macaroon Recipe + New Blog Layout

Merry Christmas everyone and Happy Holidays!

I hope everyone's holiday is going well this year. I know mines have been so far. I love the holiday season (except for gaining the weight part).

As you see, my blog layout has completely changed. It's almost been a year since I changed it and I wanted something different, something that represents me. So, I changed it (and, it's a gift to my blog,  getting a new look). It's all pink! I actually like this new layout better than my old one. Any thoughts?

So, I made coconut macaroons today. It's to bring to my family potluck. I got the idea to make these because my dad brought some home the other day and I loved them. The thing is that they were dipped in chocolate instead of plain. I decided to look for a recipe and now, I made them. They're quite yummy too, better than the ones my dad brought home. Here's my recipe.

Servings: 29
Calories: ~80 calories

Ingredients:

• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 cups sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup dark chocolate (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. 
2. Using a mixer, whip the egg whites and vanilla for about 2 minutes until soft peaks form. Then, add in the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes until stiff peaks form. 
3. Fold in the coconut. 
4. Using an ice cream scoop, form mounds of batter onto a baking sheet. 
5. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, when it starts browning. 
6. Let it cool. 
7. While waiting for it to cool, you can melt the chocolate chips by microwaving them for about 80 seconds. Stir the chocolate with the spoon. If it needs to be melted more, microwave for another 10 seconds. 
8. Dip the cooled macaroons into the chocolate Wait for the chocolate to harden and then serve. 

 Let's talk about the Christmas and holiday season now. As you know, the holiday season means feasting and weight gain. It also means presents!

I hope I don't gain that much weight. I even went for a run this morning with my dad. It was a nice run. Hopefully, it helps prevent some weight gain. Good thing we ran earlier in the morning because it started raining a couple hours after.

After that, we opened presents with the family and boy, did I get a bundle.

I got yoga pants (XS, I'm surprised I fit them), 5 shirts (all small too, but I'm wearing 2 of them right now), boots,  and some other gifts that I received earlier and used already. The other two shirts I received are a black long-sleeve and a pink sweater cover-up. Here's a pic of me wearing it. It makes me look fat though (even though it's a small size!). I guess that's what sweaters are suppose to do or it's the style.

I've had a pretty good Christmas so far. I got to spend time with family, run with my dad and receive amazing gifts from the people I love.

So, how are your guy's holidays coming along?

How do you guys prevent holiday weight gain?

What gifts did you guys receive?