Thankful for No-Shave November

Hey peeps!

Breakfast started out with an Autumn Apples bowl...I'm crazy about these things. Lunch was been there, done that too (Tuna and Cottage Cheese salad). Since I've already showed you these....nothin' to see here folks...move along, move along...

Today's workout was strength training day with Carrie. She's my fav. She's so real I love it. She doesn't pretend like everything doesn't hurt, she actually complains a lot  but I like it, because then I don't feel like such a loser. She's great, she brings her daughters to class sometimes and tells us her wild weekend escapades (not in the same class).  It was just what I needed to stifle some killer cramps I had this morning.

So.. last night's festivities were exactly what I needed in my life after days of isolation with my nose in the books... woe is me!!

Campfire.
Pumpkin beer.
Friends.
Fall food.
The outdoors.
Yellow lab.
Pumpkin carving.
S'more roasting (or SAH-more as Allie says it, damn yankee.)

I did it. I have conquered the impossible.

The perfectly toasted mallow.

Look at that masterpiece.

Christie, Allie, and I with
"The Mallow".

The key= rotating continuously!

Plus, Allie may or may not have broken out a legit marshmallow roaster from her past. It looks like an industrial strength fishin' pole with a handle that you spin to rotate the mallow.

Wow.

Where was this my whole childhood?

Ok, so one of the blogs that I have been loving recently, Carrots n' Cake, has challenged people to write about/blog about one thing they're thankful for everyday in November. I love this idea, because there are so many days that go by that I don't consciously think about how lucky I am. It just feels good to be thankful!

Since technically yesterday was the first day in November, let's say yesterday I was thankful for a perfect way to celebrate being done with my test!

Today, I am thankful that practice got cancelled tonight.

I was going to have to be gone 3:30-11:30pm for class and dance. I don't know about you guys, but I am so much more of a morning person than a night person, with the exception of Fridays and Saturdays obvs.

I swear my brain shuts down around 5 o'clock and just wants to sit, eat, stare.

Ultimate laziness.

Really people?

The classic segway/stroller combo. Efficiency, people, efficiency.

Also, as I was walking to get the mail today, I heard a guy that works at our apartment complex talking about how he left Puerto Rico at age 16 and didn't know most of his family.

So....ya about that whole practice being cancelled thing....

ummm.... let's just pretend I said something really important like..... hmmm.....

Growing up in MM'URICA and knowing every person in my family. Wow, how quickly things are put into perspective :)

So, this whole November thing got me thinking about No-Shave November. You know, the cute little game guys play to see if they can go the whole month of November without shaving. Ya, real cute when you chafe 2 layers of our skin off with your beard guys.... How about this for cute.... girls are participating this year....

Yeesh.

Ummm.....

Watch out kids, things are about to get hairy. Not so adorable now, is it :) Just something I was thinking about today...

Speaking of hairiness, I did something today for the first time and am sooo excited I had to share. So, do any of you loooveee expensive hair products, but are on a budget?

I have tried using the cheap stuff for a while now to save money.... and it just doesn't do shizz.

I have been blessed in certain areas, however my hair is not one of them... if it gives you any idea at all of what my hair used to be like, my girlfriends nicknamed me K-Mart hair one of the summers in middle school.

I know "great friends" right?  :) (Love you bastards)

So, needless to say, my hair needs a little...how do we say....extra attention.

Today, I got the idea to buy Redken products online wholesale and saved a TON of money!
1.) Google search whatever product you're looking for
2.) Go to their shopping category and sort by lowest to highest price

See shopping results in the middle of the screen? That's where you wanna be.

There are tons of beauty wholesale sites out there. Use them! Do it. Amazon is a good resource as well. Also, go big or go home when it comes to Shampoo and Conditioner, get the econo size soccer mom, you know you want to!

But really, it's way more cost effective, and you don't have to buy anymore for quite some time.

Tonight's Recipe-

Thai Coco-go-nuts Noodle Soup (Adapted from Hungry Girl)
Ingredients:

• 2 bags House Foods Tofu Shirataki Fettuccine Shaped Noodle Substitute
• 1 1/3 cups chopped yellow onion (about 1 onion)
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 tbsp. canned diced green chilies, drained
• 1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes
• 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 raw boneless skinless lean chicken breast cutlets (I used already grilled and it worked out fine)
• 1/2 cup canned lite coconut milk 
• 1 tbsp. reduced-sodium/lite soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• S+P to taste

Use a strainer to rinse and drain noodles well. Pat dry. Place noodles in a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave for 1 minute. Drain excess liquid. Dry as thoroughly as possible, using paper towels. Cut noodles up a bit with kitchen shears (if you've got 'em), and set aside. 

Bring a medium-large pot sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat on the stove. Add onion, mushrooms, chilies, garlic, ginger, and cayenne pepper. Stirring occasionally, cook until onion is soft, about 4 minutes.

Add broth and bring to a boil. Add chicken and return to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. 

Add coconut milk and soy sauce, and mix well. Continue to cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove chicken and place it in a bowl. Shred each piece using two forks -- one to hold the chicken in place and the other to scrape across the meat and shred it. Return the shredded chicken to the pot. 

Cheeeekin!

Stir in noodles, lime juice, and 1/4 cup cilantro. Continue to simmer until noodles are hot, about 2 minutes.

If you like, season to taste with salt, black pepper, and additional cayenne pepper.

Evenly top each serving with remaining 1/4 cup cilantro (2 tsp. each) and enjoy!


(All directions taken directly from Hungry-Girl.com)

It was delicious!

I scarfed down two bowls and ran off to class. It was pretty intolerable today. Listening to the same professor for 4 hours= maybe starting to drool a bit on my sweet trapper keeper.


So, obviously after 4 hours of torture, I deserved this little treat!


Chocolate frozen yogurt topped with coconut, walnuts, grapes, Sunbutter, marshmallow fluff, and choco chips! 

Don't judge me, you know it looks good. 


Then, I discovered on my second bowl that grapes covered in mallow fluff and nut butter is maybe the best thing ever.


Now, it's time for Modern Family, my favorite show ever (besides SYTYCD...if you don't know what that stands for...we have an issue)!!!


Yay Wednesdays!

Show Me Your (burrit)O Face

I woke up this morning ready to get down n' dirty and kiss in bed.

What?! Did I make Justin stay home? Ewwwwwwwww!!! No you perv!!

I obviously meant get down n' dirty with my school books and keep it simple (KIS) with breakfast in bed.

That extra S in KISS is for...suckers!!!!! I got you good.

Apple and CRUNCHY PB and carfee in bed! 

Apple and PB and carfee (as me and Juan call it)=staples.

I wanted a quick b-fast so I could get right to studying. With two cups of carfee in me, I was rarin' to go!

After my eyes started to cross from studying I felt more comfortable with the material for today's test... I needed a little break and some substance, so I made brunch with a punch!

I never think of having brunch on the weekdays, but those hours between breakfast and lunch always drag on for me (fat kid). Today, I just wasn't gonna have it so I made a naked breakfast burrito!

Naked Breakfast Burrit-Oh it's sooo good!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 heaping C. chopped mushrooms
• 1/3 green pepper chopped
• 1 handful of spinach
• 2 eggs (whipped with milk) or 1/3 C. liquid egg substitute
• 1/4 C. Turkey sausage crumbles
• 1/2 C. fat-free refried beans
• 2 tsp taco seasoning
• Pinch of cilantro
• S + P to taste
• 3 T. salsa

Sautee vegetables until halfway cooked through with S + P and cilantro. In the meantime, heat beans in the microwave or stove. Add in eggs, sausage crumbles, and taco seasoning to vegetable mixture. Scramble normally. Top with salsa and beans and mix all together.

Arrrrr---iiiii-baaaa!!

Latin lovin' at its best (doesn't the salsa look like a heart?! A little lopsided...but just humor me

To continue with the latin theme, for those of you who have been asking about the job that I did for Verizon/Latin Grammys a few weekends ago with VYB dance, here is a brief video of us performing all over Tampa/Clearwater area. 

I got to dance salsa publicly for the first time (and maybe the last)...! Other footage will air on the Latin Grammy's on November 10th on CBS (I think).

So, after brunch/studying I went to spinning to clear my head before the test. Spinning is one of the best workouts I know of, because you get to sit down the entire time! Who doesn't love that?!

No, but really, I love spinning because it's something everything can do because you can adjust your resistance and your speed to your fitness level. Annnnddd.... no one know's if you've really got it set on 0, but make the "ugh I'm dying face" anyway just so people think you're you're trying really hard.

Just teasing, I don't really do that. Buttt... if you are interested in spinning..

5 Ways to Get the Most from your Spinning Class
1.) Utilize all positions to work different muscle groups... arrows, sitting, standing, standing in 3rd position, jumps, etc.
2.) Pick a beat in the music and hit it every time...this can carry you through a tough interval.
3.) Switch it up. Repeat after me- sprint, climb, jump, repeat. Use all of these!
4.) Make it a total body workout. Do push-ups down to the bar while at a light resistance/speed or put your hands behind your back to engage your core!
5.) Relax your shoulders, loosen your grip, drop your heels, soften your knees (should feel like a sustained squat) and try to keep your upper body still to smooth out your ride.

Happy spinning!

I then went home to take the world's quickest shower. Seriously, I timed it just to see how fast I could really take a shower. Check this shizz out:

Ya, that's right, under 3 minutes, and it wasn't even a whore bath (what my mom so fondly calls showers where you only wash the uh.....important parts)...!! woop woop!

As I was getting dressed afterwards, I looked down and realized what I had done...

Ummm... is this allowed?

One foot in Halloween, one foot in Christmas!!! Apparently my feet love are confused....and like to party. Wow. Sometimes I'm so cool, I don't even know what to do with myself. 

But, to defend the reasoning, I was wearing boots today and, couldn't find the other tall pumpkin sock, and I cannot wear socks that feel different... Santa was most similar, so I grabbed him and then realized what I was wearing. Amazing.

So, here's one thing I snacked on today that I had to share with you... it's incredible.

That's right folks, cocoa dusted almonds. They taste like chocolate-covered nuts but way healthier because it's a thin layer of actual cocoa dust. I heart nuts. 

The test went well... I think... I don't know actually. It's always the more I think about it, the more I think about the ones I guessed on etc.

It's done though! So, I went home to let my brain relax and watched some mindless tv for an hour before diving back into homework I've been putting off. Ugh. Buttt....found out Kim Kardashian is getting a divorce! 

I mean I kind of expected it, not gonna lie...anyone who puts their bridesmaids in white is doomed. C'mon people.

Which one's the bride?! I mean, it's like she was hiding from her future husband.

Weird!

Dinner was a shmorgashboard of leftovers and shnacks including this little gem..

This is that homemade banana ice cream I've been
telling you about topped with broken up blondies and granola! 

If you haven't noticed I'm a big fan of creamy texture with some crunch. 

Now, off to a housewarming party at our friend Corinna's new house! Planning on bringing this bark that we've been trying to eat for a week.

.... can't.....eat.....anymore....bark...... I made it with 2 whole bags of white chocolate chips thinking me and Justin could finish it... oops. He even took 1/3 to work, and we still have sooo much!!!

Sooooo mucccchhhhhh barrkkkkkk!!!!

With that, I need no more bark for my bite (get it?! haha).

Will post pics. tomorrow from tonight's festivities! :)

Good night!!!!

What did the skeleton say to the bartender?

 I'll have two beers and a mop...

Har-dee-har-har

Apparently, I was wayyyy too excited for Halloween to start.

I've woke up at 4:45.

Not ok.

Although, I did wake up to a very appropriate rainy, eerie, and freezing Halloween morning which was super conducive to this Halloweeny breakfast:

If you don't eat candy for breakfast on Halloween, we're not friends.

Overnight Oats are some of the most fluffy, comfy, warm and delicious foods I can think of. I also had some peppermint tea. Note to self- peppermint and pumpkin do not go well together (guess that's why they have separate seasons).

Overnight Oats
Mix equal parts oatmeal with equal parts two other liquids (or you can use double of the same liquid) and put it in the fridge to soak up the liquid and flavor overnight.

For example, last night I mixed 1/4 C Oats with 1/4 C water and 1/4 C almond milk (you can also do 1/2 C. or 1/3 C. equal parts oats and liquid) w/ a splash of vanilla extract, cinammon, andddd... you guessed it! Pumpkin!

In the morning, I added apple chunks, flaxseeds (for a nutty flavor and omega 3's), and candy corn (b/c what's Halloween breakfast without candy?!)

After my belly was full, I fell back asleep for an hour before doing anything headed straight to the gym to do this 45-minute treadmill workout:

45-MINUTE TREADMILL WORKOUT
Burn up to 450 calories walking or 550 calories running with this 45-minute treadmill workout from Jeanette Soloma at Crunch Fitness. You’ll mix up the inclines and speed to increase your heart rate and sculpt legs and butt.
Minutes	Walk mph/incline	Run mph/incline	RPE
0:00-5:00	3-3.5 / 1%	3.5-4.5 / 1%	4-5
5:00-7:00	4 / 3%	5.5 / 2%	6
7:00-9:00	4 / 5%	5.5 / 3%	6-7
9:00-11:00	4 / 7%	5.5 / 4%	7
11:00-16:00	3.5 / 10%	5 / 6%	8-9
16:00-21:00	3.5 / 8%	6 / 3%	8
21:00-22:00	4.0 / 4%	5.5 / 2%	6
22:00-23:00	4.5-4.8 / 4%	7 / 2%	8
23:00-24:00	4.0 / 4%	5.5 / 2%	6
24:00-25:00	4.5-4.8 / 4%	7 / 2%	8
25:00-26:00	4.0 / 4%	5.5 / 2%	6
26:00-27:00	4.5-4.8 / 4%	7 / 2%	8
27:00-29:00	3.5 / 10%	5 / 8%	9
29:00-31:00	3.6 / 8%	5.2 / 6%	8
31:00-33:00	3.7 / 6%	5.4 / 4%	7
33:00-35:00	3.8 / 4%	5.6 / 2%	7
35:00-38:00	4.5 / 2%	6.5 / 2%	8
38:00-40:00	4.0 / 2%	5.5 / 2%	6
40:00-45:00	3.5-3 / 1%	4.5-3.5 / 1%	4-5

This workout was great because it gives you the option of walking or running. I know a lot of people are weery about jumping into running if they're just starting, so the walking one is a perfect option!

I was Shweddy Balls afterwards though...they actually named the ice cream after me. It was one of my prouder moments.

For those of you who have never heard of RPE, it means Rate of Perceived Exertion. Basically, this  is how hard you feel like you're working. So, if 10 is the hardest you can ever go, and you just finished a spin class that really tested your endurance, and you're huffing and puffing but don't feel like you wanna die, you might be at a 7 or 8.

Then, I headed to BODYPUMP just to scare myself. My triceps are already afraid of next week's class. About Bodypump:
http://www.lesmills.com/global/bodypump/about-bodypump.aspx

Pump, pump it up, pump the jam, keep this base a bumpin...???  90's anyone? 

I was starvinggg and freezing after being out in the rain, so I took a longgg hot shower (I know, weird right?) and then made another round of tuna and cottage cheese salad followed by hot chocolate obviously, because those two "go so well together".

This time it was a bit more crunchy because I was out of summer squash, so I added celery, carrots, and green peppers. Veggie-licious (I'm so gay).I just love the taste of the cajun seasoning with the cream your jeans cottage cheese though, highly suggest this recipe!

I did some MAJOR studying today in my sweet IU snuggie

Teach me how to snuggie, teach me, teach me how to snuggie.

For relz though, it's getting down to the wire in terms of skewl. I can't believe I'm graduating in December with a master's degree!! It sounds so cool and grown up, but you don't think about it when you're in the grind of it all :)

To top it all off,  I found 5 bucks in my pocket on the way to class. Hells to the ya.

F betches. Get money.

Ok, now to get serial for a moment....

Thought of the day- Don't take anything personally.
I took a few things personally today from people and let it ruin my evening. Anytime you start to get upset because of what someone did or said even if it's directed to you, remember, most likely it's not about you. It could be how that person is feeling at the time (insecure, disappointed, angry, etc) or could be a number of different things, but 99% of the time, it has nothing to do with you, so don't waste your time getting emotional about it! The book The Four Agreements has an amazing outlook on this principle. It says "Thinking people's actions and words are always about you is one of the most self-centered ways of thinking." If you haven't read it..... you need to!


Dinner tonight was delish!


Pumpkin Garlic Pasta (adapted from Treble in the Kitchen and Hungry Girl)

Ingredients

• 2 Packages of House Foods Tofu Shirataki Noodles (I used 1 fettucini and 1 spaghetti, fettucini is way better)
• 1 wedge of Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese/weight watchers swiss cheese wedge
• 1/2 cup milk (you can use plain soy milk or lowfat dairy milk)
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin (you can use more of this to thicken it up)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth or boullion (1 would use 1/4 C if I made it again)
• 1/4 cup finely diced onions
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup peas

Preparation:

When using Shirataki Tofu Noodles, they have a certain order when they are first opened.  Rinse and drain the noodles.  Place in a microwave safe dish and microwave for 2-3.  After microwaving, squeeze all of the excess liquid out of the noodles with paper towels.

In a smaller bowl combine the milk, pumpkin, garlic powder, salt and pepper and set to the side.

In a smaller sauce pan, heat the chicken broth, onions, garlic, and cheese wedge.  Wait 2-4 minutes for the broth to mostly evaporate.  Cook a little longer until the onions and garlic are slightly browned.  Once browned, add in the pumpkin and milk mixture to the onion and garlic.  Stir and thoroughly combine.

Add noodles and peas.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Brrrraaaiiinnnssss and eye balls for dinner!!!!!!1

A lil brocc-o-li on the side!

It was a bit runny and a lot garlicky, so I would suggest halving the garlic, using less chicken broth, and using a bit more pumpkin. The noodles were a hit though, and they are made of tofu! How cool is that? They are a great substitute for starchy noodles if you're tyrin to up the protein in your diet.


I got new BOOts recently and wanted to share- DSW 60 bucks. They are both black and brown (on top) which I love since I wear both a lot. I'm obsessed with riding boots.

BOO!!!! (ts)....

Sooo, I spent all night studying and was really disappointed that I didn't have trick-or-treaters to break it up a bit. I bought all this candy for me them and then I find out no one trick-or-treats in apartment complexes?! Wtf. Damn middle-class, suburban, cul-de-sac kids get everything :)

On a lighter note, please tell me you don't want to eat this dog with a spoon.

And with that, I'm going to bed...

Don't judge me, it's been a long day.