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As of all of you remember, last year I was not healthy.  I was eating frozen burritos and hot dogs.   2013 has the been the turn around year for me.  Along, with eating healthy, I have been trying to make my life as a whole healthier.  I have been trying to not to complain, at least less (a lot less).  Say hi to everyone I pass by.  Even though I do not know the person, I still say hi.  Last but not least, think positively.  Some days it can get hard, especially when I get a lack of sleep.  Since 2013, I have been feeling better, my relationships with people seem stronger as well.  In my opinion, I do not want to be that person that complains, and brings down people. I want to do the opposite.  Above are some of the rules I live by.

 

 

 

This one always puts a smile on my face.  Just coming home to her (and my boyfriend, of course) melts away any type stress I might of accrued from the day.  She is the main reason, for why I started to change my life. So I could have the energy to keep up with her. Happy Friday!



Brown Bag to Work

The other day Jeff was at home while I was grabbing my lunch + snacks for work.  He acted all surprise that I was bringing "so much stuff" to work.  In my head I never bring enough food to work.  I am constantly eating. When I am not eating,  I am thinking when I am going to eat next and what.  I am a fat kid at heart.

Yesterday for lunch I brought mixed fruit, a cliff bar, and lettuce wraps.  The collard greens were super huge this week.   I normally make two wraps, I proceeded to do the same yesterday.  I could not finish all of them for lunch.  I got half way through my second and knew that was enough.   It was so good I really wanted to finish. I had to warn myself if I ate too much, I would get tired.  I dislike with a passion that feeling.  It is the worst, and normally I do not want to work after that. 

I started off my day with a two mile run on the treadmill.  For my post snack I had plain greek yogurt mixed with trail mix and honey.

Chicken Tacos

This past weekend went by too fast for me.  On Friday night I had an alumni social gathering for my university, my boyfriend and I were one of the youngest people at the event.  We got to meet people from varies of different years of graduation. Everyone was similar in a certain way; we all had the same type of favorite memories. After I graduated I lost touch with a lot of people from my university.  This was nice to talk to people, relive some of the memories. I did not eat well that night.  Right after I left work I went to the event, it started at 5:30, I get off work at that time.  I ate the food that they had at the event.  They had gourmet pizza.  I was super hungry, I could not stop eating the pizza.  I was a little frustrated with myself.  Then Saturday night it was Jeff's sister's birthday.  The boyfriend thought this guy and I were twins that night

 

Last but not least yesterday was mothers day.  I helped my father cook my mothers dinner yesterday.  With all that being said, Jeff and I were super busy.  I barely had anytime to cook.  I found some leftovers in the fridge and whipped up chicken tacos.  See below for the recipe!

 

• Tortilla
• Greek yogurt (substitute for sour cream)
• Avocado
• Chicken
• Sriracha (hot sauce)

Interval Running

 



Lately, I have been searching pinterest for interval workouts.  The Minka Kelly workout has been getting a little boring.  This one is slightly on the easier side.  I plugged in two miles on my ipod, put the light jog at 5.3, increased the speed at 7 on the sprint, and deduced the speed to 4.0 on the walk portion.  For more intensity, I probably should of increased the speed. I am still searching for more interval workouts, to beat treadmill boredom.  Stay tuned for more interval workouts

Smokey Turkey Bacon Salad

As of last week I was not able to exercise.  I pulled a muscle in my thigh, by the end it was too painful to ignore.  To heal my injury, I stopped working out and placed icy hot patches on my thigh.  I used the ones that are made for your back, since there is none for your thighs.  They were the perfect the size.  Monday, was my last night to use.  With that being said, yesterday was my first time to run for over a week.  It felt so good to just run once again. I did feel out of the game a little bit, but it is whatever.  After working out I grabbed a plain greek yogurt and mixed trail mix and honey into it.  The other day at the grocery store I grabbed the wrong trail mix, this one has chocolate in it.  That was my little dessert for the day.

That morning I felt very relaxed because I had packed my lunch the night before.  I always forget to pack the night before.  When I am getting ready I am always in a rush, and I have to pack my lunch which takes 5 to 10 minutes.  Lately, I have been working lowering my stress level.  My main focus right now is to organize my time, and living space.  I think this will help deduce my stress level.  On the other note,  I packed a Smokey Turkey Bacon Salad. 

 

• Spinach
• Diced Chicken breast
• Crumbled turkey bacon (1 or 2 slices)
• Half of an apple diced
• Blue cheese crumbles
• Handful of walnuts
• Olive Oil

 

 



 

Birthday Celebrations

 

 

Yesterday was the day Jeff and I celebrated my birthday.  He took me to a Brazilian steak house, I tried not to eat that much during the day, so I would be hungry enough for the restaurant. I had to restrain myself at the salad bar, by not eating too much.  So I could have room for the endless meat.  I did indulge that evening, maybe a little too much. 

 

After dinner we went out.  I ran into a couple of people from my university, which was a pleasant surprise.  We got to catch up on each others lives.  The funny part was earlier that evening Jeff ran into someone he knew.  Afterwards he asked if I knew anyone in the bar, at the moment I did not.  When I answered, he made it where it was a competition on how many people I know at the bar vs. him.  After his little "I know someone and you do not" speech, we walked to the back of the bar, and low and behold were the people from SFA.  I turned to him, and said I just won I know all those people.  That was the fun part of our night.  This morning was little bit of a killer.  It took my awhile to get out of bed. When I finally got out of bed, I made myself an egg pizza.

 



It hit the spot this morning.  I took half of an avocado mashed it on took of a flour tortilla (for some reason I hate all other tortillas), and placed a fried egg on top. 

Happy Birthday to Me!

Jeff sent me flowers at my work yesterday.  I can not explain how surprised and happy when I got them. It was so sweet of him. The flowers were delivered to our concierge desk at the hotel.  When they were delivered I received a call from our concierge asking if I have a birthday coming up.  It caught me by surprise, I had no clue how she would know.  I told her today was my birthday, then she started singing to me over the phone.  I was scratching my head, and trying figure out what is going on.  After singing she told me she had a package.  When I got over there, I saw these beautiful flowers.  Later that night, after work we went out to dinner with my parents.  Overall it was a nice relaxing birthday.  I still have the weekend to look forward to for some more birthday activities.  We are planning on going to a Brazilian steakhouse.  Who says you can not indulge on your birthday.  Speaking about indulging, see below on the salad I am bringing to work today.

 

 

Strawberry Avocado Salad

• Three strawberries diced
• One fourth of an avocado diced
• Handful of walnuts
• Diced Chicken
• Tbs of lime juice
• Olive Oil
• Spinach



Sweet Tooth Craving

Since my camping trip excursion.  We had some food left over such as marshmallows, and graham crackers.  These have been coming in handy when my sweet tooth kicks in.  I have been making  a mixture of peanut butter, chocolate, and a marshmallow.  Below is the chocolatey peanut butter concoction.

First take a marshmallow.....

 



Add a row of Hershey's chocolate.

 

 

Finally add a tbs of peanut butter to the mix.

 



Pop the mixture in the microwave for 30 seconds, then when done just mix and enjoy.  Its a simple low calorie dessert.  

Breathe and Relax

This weekend was a bummer for me.  As of yesterday, I have been feeling extremely run down.  Not the best feeling in the world, you can say. I am taking the time just to relax, and maybe recharge.  I have not been on my best behavior with my eating habits.  Earlier today I hoped on over the 7-eleven.  I got a Caesar salad, Gatorade, and a magazine.  Genuinely, I was going to get coconut water, but then I saw raspberry lemonade Gatorade.  I just could not resist.

 

 

 Last night I had a dance movie marathon with my little pooch, and made my first diy necklace. 

 

 

 

 

At this point I am just trying to keep myself occupied.  It has been such a beautiful weekend, and I am stuck inside.  Oh well there is next weekend. :)

 

 

Snackaroo

I love my snacks.  I think I like them more than my meals. Literally when I am at work I look forward to them.  I am not lying. With snacks they are vital on keeping your weight down.  Eating every couple of hours helps increase your metabolism.

Below are some examples for snacks for people that are on the run, and cheap as well. :)

• A whole apple sliced with a wedge of laughing cow cheese
• Celery with peanut butter
• Carrots with hummus
• Greek yogurt with granola and fruit
• Mixed fruit (black berries, mango, and raspberries)
• Two clementines with a handful of almonds
• Corn, black beans, and quinoa
• English muffin with peanut butter and strawberries

 

 

While I am running errands I usually have a couple of cleminites stored in my purse, just in case I am gone for a little bit. All of these examples are very simple, very fast.  They all taste good, also you can try energy bars such as cliffbars. They are relatively a good price, and delicious.

April 15

I am still shaken from the Boston Marathon Bombing.  Three people have been killed, and one hundred and seventy people have been injured. I can not fathom the pain the family, and the individuals are going through as of the moment. 

The day after the event my boyfriend asked me if I wanted to still wanted to do a half marathon.  To be honest, I still do. This type of situation can happen anywhere, any time.  We as people can not let this fear take over.

Today, I listened to Incubus's "Drive".  It was the song I just needed.  My favorite line is, "And I cant help but ask myself how much I'll let the fear take the wheel and steer".  To be honest, with the bombing, and this song I did realize I have been living in fear.  Not exactly, in fear for this situation but just in life, work, etc. This attack made me open my eyes a little more, and is making me want to enjoy a life a little bit more.  Hopefully, you can turn this experience into a positive one.

One with Nature

 

 

This past weekend Jeff and I went camping with a couple of friends.  I have been wanting to go for awhile now.  Just to get away from the city, and be in nature.  Now of days people are so glued to technology, and barely spend time outside.  Now of days we communicate through technology. To be honest, my job is all through email.  Basically, we tell everyone if you want to get a hold of us, you must email us.  With that being said I feel like I am hypocrite, but I love nature.  And lately, I feel as if I have been cooped up, I just wanted to get away from all of this.  So I planned this little outing of ours.  It was so much fun, we cooked hotdogs and hamburgers, and roasted s'mores.  I left my cell phone in the car for most of the trip.  Jeff and I hopped in a boat and tried to row around the lake. The wind was a little strong. 

 

If you just sit out in nature about 5 to 10 minutes, your stress level drops down dramatically.  If you spend a day in nature, think about how much stress is relieved.  I challenge everybody to get away from their computer/iphones and spend an hour in nature next week.

3:2 Method

In last months edition of Runner's World, they talked about a form of mediation while running.  I call it the 3:2 method. What you do is you breathe in for 3 strides, and out for 2 strides.  You probably think it is easy.  It is not.  Well, I am still adapting to it.  I am use to thinking about stuff, sorting out problems, etc.  There have been times where I am so bored with my run, I start concentrating on my run.  Overall that would hurt my run.  In Runner's World it mentions this type meditation will help you ease your mind, and you are able to enjoy your run better.  This past couple of weeks, I have been trying this method, each time I do get better at it. Yesterday, I did intervals with this meditation, and I did not get tired.  I could of done a couple more rounds.  I love it, if you have not tried it, I highly advise this method.

Avocado Lime Salad

For some reason I have been dragging through out this week.  I think it was because I was super busy this weekend, and did not get any time to relax.  Even though I love coffee, I should not be drinking it all through out the day.  With that being said I need to eat something that will give me that extra energy.  I put together an Avocado Lime Salad.

 

 

Avocado Lime Salad:

• Two and half spoonfuls of black beans
• 1/4 +1/8 of an avocado
• 1 tbs of lime juice
• Diced Chicken
• Spinach.

 

This did help me a lot. For this week I need everything I can do to energize myself.  I am not sure what is wrong with me, maybe it is due to the weather change.  That usually does take a toll on my body.  Hopefully, I will feel better by this weekend.  A bunch of friends and I are going camping. I am getting excited to be with friends, and nature.  Can not wait.

 



Bobble

I am sorry I have not been on since Thursday.  It was a hectic but fun weekend, with bbqs and people's birthdays.  On Saturday I dropped off the pooch at the grooming salon.  Afterwards, I went to Target to window shop.  Then I saw the "Bobble".

For awhile I have been telling myself I need to buy a water bottle for the gym.  For the past couple of weeks I have been in a running rut.  For some reason I can not run past four miles. I think it might be that I become dehydrated while I run.  So when I saw this, I told myself that I needed to buy this.  It was only $10, and it filters the water for you.  It also has excellent reviews on Target's website.  I can not wait till I try out my new Bobble!

Happy Friday!

I wanted to mix up my breakfast routine this week, lately I have been strictly sticking to eggs with fruit or smoothies. I decided to throw in oatmeal into my breakfast mix.  Something fast and convenient.  I bought Quaker Oats "Perfect Portions", its okay...  I like Rachel Ray's instant ten times more.  Anyways, I bought the maple flavored one.  I added diced apples, dried cranberries, and stevia. You need to add stevia, it is not sweet at all.  While I was eating, I listened to Justin Bieber's new song "All Around the World", and Little Mix "Wings". Great songs to awake up, very high energy.  I really wanted to get up and dance.  The other night I did try have a little dance party with my little pooch with the Bieb's new song.  It did not go so well, she was not the best dance party.  Happy Friday!

 

 

 

 

 



Just Grill It!

 

 

 

My parents gave this to Jeff and I as a Christmas present.  Our apartment complex does not allow outside grills, to make up for it they gave us this.  It is an inside grill.  You use it over one of your  stove top grills.  To be honest the first time I used it, I did not read the directions and guessed on how to use it.  Wrong thing to do.  Jeff and I put our stove top at high, that was one of the worst things you could do.  Our smoke alert went off, multiple times.  We had all of our doors open with the fan going.  It was a nightmare. After this all was over with, I read the directions.  With the directions you were suppose to put the stove top grill at medium.  Also, you need to fill the flavor ring with a half cup of water.

 

 

 

The next time I used this properly, after reading the instructions I grilled steaks.  No smoke alarms! Which was a plus.  The steaks turned out wonderful. They were nice and juicy.  I have not used it since, but it is nice to have.  Below is the box it comes in.

 

 

 



Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad

 

 

Even though it is the weekend and all, I do try to stay away from junk food.  I do not believe in cheat days.  The reason is because the way I eat is a lifestyle, and it is not a diet.  I do not believe in diets as well.  Anyways, when I do not eat healthy I simply do not feel good.  I just want to do nothing, and sit on my couch afterwards. 

With all that being said, and looking at my fridge for an inspiration.  I decided on the strawberry goat cheese salad.

• Three strawberries, cut into fourths
• spinach
• olive oil
• squirt of lemon juice
• pine nuts
• goat cheese
• chicken

There you have it!  Just mix!

With this salad, it gives me the energy to take my little pooch to the dog park.  It is such a beautiful day outside, I really do not want to miss out on it.  After we get there, I can let her run loose, and I can just sit there and relax.

Mixed Berry with Kale Smoothie

Today is the first day I infused kale into my smoothies.  I made one right before my run today.  It boosted my energy ten times more during my run.  Also, it increased my speed.
Mixed Berry with Kale

• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Kale
• Half cup of Milk
• Ice cubes

Usually, during the day I need two cups of coffee.  When I wake up, and then later when I get to work.  I did not need that second cup.  Initially, I did try to get another cup.  There was none left, then I realized I was okay.  I was not going to go to sleep at my desk.  Anyways, there was a lot of excitement at my hotel.  With that being said that did keep me up.

Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes and Spinach

Yesterday was another late night at the office.  Woohoo....!   Who knows what today will bring to the table.  You never know when you work at a hotel.  Today will be complete different than yesterday, and so on.  This morning I wanted a good breakfast in me, to start me off right.  I made scrambled eggs with tomatoes and spinach.  I saw a picture of this randomly on instagram the other day. 

Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes and Spinach

• two eggs
• one tablespoon of milk
• pinch of shredded parmesan cheese
• slice of tomato, diced
• handful of spinach

I made some for Jeff, as well.  Usually when I make him breakfast he  only takes two bites then leaves for work.  For today he ate the whole thing!  I hope you guys have a good day, and a good start to your day.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!  I have been waiting all week for today, so I could go to the pooch parade in Dallas.  Each year Dallas hosts a pooch parade, where people and their dogs dress up.  Its super fun to see what will people dress up each year.  One of themes today was that a family dressed up as was the Walking Dead.

Jeff and I got there right when it started, so we were a little in the back of the crowd.  We brought our own little pooch, but did not participate.  She loved seeing all the other dogs and people.  Also, I saw these cute little collars from the company "Lucky Puppy Adventures".  They are $25, and $5 from the purchase goes to "Paws in the City".  I am not sure if you watched Most Eligible Dallas. One of the main characters from the show, was the founder of the company.  She would go rescue dogs from broken homes.  So when the lady told me about the proceeds, I simply had to the get the collar.

 

 

Before I went to the parade, I ran three miles to start my day off right.  Afterwards, I whipped up a smoothie.  I used this fruit cup from Kroger, for my main ingredients.

 

 

 

This specific one was labeled as "Tropical Fruit", it consisted of pineapples, green grapes, raspberry, blueberries, and black berries.  I took half of the cup with plain greek yogurt, packet of stevia, handful of ice cubes, and splash of milk and blended together.  This replenished my energy level.  I hope you have a wonderful Easter!

 



Bad Habits Die Hard

The past two days I pulled a 12 hour shift.  It was draining, when I would get home I did not want to cook.  That was the last thing I wanted to do.  I really just wanted to crawl into my bed, and cuddle with my dog. On Thursday night Jeff and I ordered pizza.  We thought it was a good idea.  It was not, the next day, after waking up it hit me.  All of the grease from the pizza, made me feel horrible.  I seriously felt as if I was hung over.  It was weird, I use to eat only greasy type of food a couple of years ago.  I never felt that bad back then.  I have heard in the past that when healthy people ate greasy food, they would get a food hangover.  And........that is what happened to me.  For now on, if I pull another 12 hour shift I am going to make Jeff cook dinner.  To be honest, it did not taste that good as I remember it use too.

Pistachio Cranberry Salad

 

If you have not figured it out by now, I love a good salad.  Especially something that fills me up, but it is light enough not to bring me down.  When I whipped up this salad, I was a little skeptical.  It turned out very delicious, though.  I almost ate the whole thing before I realized I did not photograph the salad. 

Pistachio Cranberry Salad.

• Cranberries
• Pistachios
• Blue Cheese Crumbles
• Spinach
• Olive Oil (Dressing)

After eating this salad, I was ready to take on the rest of my day.  I probably would of had more energy if I had a cup of coffee with this salad.  For today I had enough by the morning.

Sunday Runday!

Today, I wanted to start off my day off right, with a good smoothie.  With the right smoothie, I will have good enough energy that will help me keep up with my run. With the one I whipped up today, it gave me the perfect amount of energy to last throughout my run. 

Raspberry/Clementine Smoothie

 

 

 

The smoothie consisted of:

• Handful of raspberries
• Two clementines
• Splash of milk
• Half of container of chobani 6 oz greek yogurt (no special flavor)
• Handful of ice cubes



 

Even with the yogurt I did not need to add sugar, with the fruit it was sweet enough.  After I finished my drink, I went to my apartment gym and ran 5 miles.  It has been too windy around here lately.  It is too bad that the weather has been bad, I really enjoy my time outside.  My weekends are the only time I get any chance to be outside. 

 

 

After my run, I went with a nice clean salad inspired by Andrew Weil, "The Healthy Kitchen".

 



The salad consisted of:

• One celery stalk
• Diced Chicken
• Spinach
• Handful of walnuts
• Slice of green apple diced
• Heart of palm sliced
• Olive Oil.

This salad is super light, but full of flavor.  Even though it is light, you will not be starving in an hour after eating.

Blueberry Smoothie

Good Morning!  This morning I whipped up a delicious smoothie for my pre-run snack, thinking I was going to run.  When I went to turn on my ipod to start working out, it would not turn on.  It was dead, and I am the person that can not run without music.  Sad, but I will use today as my day off for working out. 

Blueberry Smoothie:

• half cup of milk
• two tablespoons of peanut butter
• half of a banana
• half cup to a whole cup of blueberries (I like one cup because it is extra sweet)
• a handful of ice cubes

Enjoy! I hope you have a good day. :)

Tuna Time

I have to admit I am bad about eating fish.  Mainly due to how expensive fish can be.  The other day I was reading an article in Runner's World, it was focused on runners eating fish.  They mentioned that canned fish is good as fresh fish.  Which in my mind it meant I could get my weekly intake of fish, and not pay an arm and a leg.  In my cabinet I have a plethora of canned tuna.  For lunch today I decided I needed some fish.  After a second I decided to make a tuna melt.  Mainly, tuna melts have a bad reputation for not being so healthy with all the mayo that is added.  I did add mayo, but I used Kraft's mayo with olive oil.  They use olive oil instead of the saturated oils that most companys use to make. 

 

 

With this tuna melt I used the following:

• tablespoon of mayo
• a pinch of garlic sea salt
• half of celery stalk chopped up
• two baby carrots chopped
• tablespoon of diced onion
• slice of tomato
• slice of gouda cheese
• can of tuna
• slice of wheat bread

 

I started off preheating the oven at broil.  Then I mixed mayo, celery, carrots, onion, tuna, and garlic sea salt in a bowl.  After mixing I dumped the combination onto the slice of bread, then layed the sandwhich with tomato and then the gouda.

 

Put the sandwhich in the oven for about 4 to 5 minutes, afterwards it was ready to eat!

Benefits of Cross Training

I remember an old co-worker telling me that I should try to run everyday when I started out running, even if its one mile.  The bad part was that, I took this person's advice.  The sad part was that she never ran.  She informed me that she knew someone that ran marathons, and they bestowed her that advice.  To be honest I was burned out from running in a very short amount of time.  In reality you are only suppose to run 3 to 4 times a week.  On those other days, you are suppose to cross-train.  Today was one of those cross-training days!  The bicycle was the lucky choice for today's workout.   While I was on the bike at the gym, I looked up the benefits of cross training, below are a few that I found.

• Prevents Injuries:  On your off days of running, you can substitute with low impact workouts.  This lets your muscles recover from the strain resulted from running.  
• Keeps you Motivated:  You are not the doing the same old thing day after day.  Throwing a new cross train tactic in the mix, keeps your workouts fresh.  You want tYou o be excited to workout, instead of thinking of it as a chore.  If you run consistently every day, it will eventually get boring. 
• Enjoy Other Sports:  You get to explore your options in other sports.  Hey you might be really good at another sport, and enjoy it.

Those are just a few of the benefits of cross training.  There are a vast amount of benefits that comes with this.  Also, there are many options you can choose from when you want a resting day from running such as yoga, strength training, pilates, walking, stair climber, elliptical, and etc.

Greek Salad

I have been really bad about  healthy for the majority of my week.  I have been eating junk food for the past two days.  Today was the day I decided I got the craving for junk food out of my system.  I brought a nice greek salad to work.  I combined chicken, spinach, feta cheese, pepperoncinis, tomatoes, green and kalamta olives with olive oil.  The saltiness of the olives and feta cheese mixed with the sweetness of pepperoncinis are a great blend.

 

Below are the health benefits for the following:

 

Olives:  They contain high monunsaturated fat which links to reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, and decreasing blood pressure.

Pepperoncini: They contain capsaicin which acts as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and reduces the risk of heart diseases.  Also, pepperoncini has Vitamin C and A.

Olive Oil, for the dressing: With the consumption of olive oil, it lowers your blood pressure, your risk on obtaining heart disease, and osteroporosis, and fights against obesity.

Tomatoes: Vitamin C and A, these two vitamins work to fend off DNA damage from free radicals

Chicken: Vitamin B (good source of energy and boosts immune system), and its a lean protein (good weightloss food).

Spinach: They are loaded with Vitamin A,K,D, and E.  With Vitamin K, it linked to strengthening your bones.

 



 

Parr Park

Yesterday was yet another beautiful day here in Texas on the weekend, but it was super windy.  Even though I felt like I was about to be blown over whenever I would go outside, my friend and I wanted to go on our weekly trail walk.   Her and my life are so hectic, this is the only time of the week we get to see each other.  Rain nor shine  it will not stop us from hanging out for our weekly walk. 

We decided to go to Parr Park.  Along, with the wind, the trail was not very impressive.  When spring hits, it might bloom up, become easier on the eyes.  At one point of the trail, we were on the side of the highway at one point.  We ended up at the bear creek park.  Then coming back (the highway portion) we see this kid barefoot and walking with a guitar on the side of the highway.  This was a little amusing. 

This place was more of a family park.  I remember I use to go to this park when I was a little kid.  Do not remember that much, just that name. I would not recommened this place to run, only to bring your family or you dog.

 

 

This is what the pictures consist of what they have associated with the trail.  I understand why after going on the trail, there was no other good scenery, to take pictures of.



Breakfast for Champions

This week has been exteremly exhausting and stressful. With those two as a combo, it just drains you.  As I mentioned earlier my sister moved to New Zealand, and one of my co workers moved to another property.  With the co worker leaving, that means extra work.  Yes, that means more hours.  More hours means more money!  That is what I keep telling myself. 

With all of that combined, I really need to focus on taking care of my body.  Today was the day I really needed to eat right, to keep up my energy.  I had a summit meeting today with a group coming to our property.  This meeting is my favorite part of my job.  With my hotel I closely work with meeting planners for a couple of months to manage their room blocks at the hotel.  I mostly interact with them through email.  Most of the time you usually do not know what these meeting planners look like. The day is the summit is when you actually get to meet them.  It is always wonderful to meet them.

This morning I started off with my scrambled eggs with fresh fruit (strawberries and kiwi).

 



For lunch I made a lettuce wrap.

 

In the wrap I loaded it up with grilled chicken, diced tomatoes, avocado, quinoa, and a pinch of garlic salt.  Since garlic salt is strong, I put a pinch of it in my hand and sprinkled on top.

 

With some whole food snacks, I got through the day pretty smoothly.  Now I am ready to crawl in bed and relax this weekend.

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So long my little sister

Yesterday my little sister left the country to embark a new journey.  She is going to be living in New Zealand for nine months to a year.  She is exteremly brave.  I would not be able to handle this length of time being away form my loved one.  I barely survived in Europe for ten days.

For her last meal in the United States she decided to go to a Pho Noodle House.  With this noodle house I have not been very adventurous.  I usually get their sushi, and of course their pho.  I decided I did not want fish, just because I have ate plenty of fish this week as it is.  Then I did not want soup for dinner.  I saw what I just needed, korean bbq ribs.  A couple of weeks ago one of my boyfriend's friends introduced us to korean bbq.  I fell in love!  When I saw this menu item, I had to have it.  It was not as good as the first time I had it but it worked for me. 

I have found the marinade for korean bbq at the grocery store the other day.  I am tempted to buy the bottle and test it out.

Motivational Monday

This past week has been extermely windy, Sunday as well.  When running in the wind, I feel as if someone is pushing against me.  Yesterday, I was not in the mood to fight against the wind.  I still really wanted to get my long run in.  I settled for the treadmill.  When I was heading to the gym, I kept thinking how am I going to beat the treadmill boredom.  What came to mind was after each mile I would increase the incline (1.5) for the length of one song, then when I hit a new mile I would repeat. And it did hep the boredom.  By the second mile I was starting to get a little exhausted.  I had to reassure myself your brain quits before your body does. 

During my runs when I start feeling sluggish I remember my pinterest pins such as the one above.  It helps me realized that I can finish my goal.  I suprise myself each week by how much I push myself far each week.  If I did not push myself, I would not get anywhere. 

 

 

Above is a collage of some of the quotes/pictures that help me get through my run weekly.  I mean Victoria Secret Models are on there because they do have wonderful bodies.  They do work hard in the gym.  Their motivation, motivates me to work harder to obtain a similar body like theirs.

 

What motivates you?

Saturday Morning

I love my weekends, with my position I have them off.  Before my promotion, my days off were random.  Even though it is my day off, Jeff works on Saturday.  I still wake up early just to make sure he makes it to work on time.  I suprised him this morning by making breakfast for both of us. 

For breakfast I made scrambled eggs.  I mixed four eggs with two tablespoons of milk.  After cooking I sprinkled just a little cheddar cheese, and  scooped some salsa on top.

I proceeded to workout out afterwards.  I did about four workout vidoes from youtube.  They were from the pop pilates chanel.  I did the following videos below:

• tough love handle workout
• plankathon
• bubble butt (clenching my booty)
• what makes you bootyful

These videos are made by one person, Casey Ho.  She has a string of videos under her pop pilates channel.  She is exteremly challenging, most of the time you are in pain and you have to mentally push yourself.  But Casey makes it fun with her positive and bubbly personality.

As a runner, you do need to do strengh training so you will not lose your muscle mass.  With running you really need a strong core to keep good posture.  Pop pilates has tons of ab workout videos.  Most of the time I can barely make it through the whole video.  Especially with my little puppy involved, she always wants to be a part of my workout.  Today I gave her a new bone, which kept her astray.

So after my workout today, I had a major sweet tooth.  I made a post workout smoothie.

Ususally I do not use skippy peanut butter.  I ran out of my almond butter the other day. So sad to say one of the girls in my department, it was her last day yesterday so she was clearing out her desk and she had a jar of skippys.  That is how I obtained the jar. 

I combined one tablespoon of peanut butter, half of a bannana, one half of a cup of milk, a teaspoon of unsweetend cocoa powder, and a couple of ice cubes to thicken up the shake.

Broccoli

Last night my boyfriend and I had broccoli, and of course we tried something new with it.  We sauteed the broccoli in sesame oil with almond slivers.  At first I applied one tablespoon of the oil to the pan, then added the broccoli and almond slivers.  After a couple of minutes of cooking, I added another tablespoon of oil. 

The sesame oil did overpower the taste of broccoli.  I love seasme oil though! 

With broccoli you can eat them raw or cooked.  With raw you can dip them in ranch or hummus.  A healthy version of ranch can be greek yogurt combined with the hidden valley dry ranch packets! It tastes just like the good old ranch. 

With cooking you can broil, or roast them.  There are different recipes all over pinterest on how to dress your broccoli.