life is good.
birthday beach-camping
Reply
This is just so beautiful it is its very own post.
Click THESE WORDS to be linked to the video I want to share with you 
[sorry I haven't upgraded in order to embed videos 
]
{photo courtesy of: http://rauchbrothers.com/blog}
Catching up on paperwork/homework, so less words = eats in pics…
Today’s Lunch:
[spinach salad w/ Boyfriend's left-over tri-tip, yellow bell peppers, celery, avocado, feta & a hard-boiled egg]
[on the side: left-over homemade potato fries w/ ketchup]
Breakfast:
[1 cup shredded wheat, 5 sliced strawberries, 1 T chia seeds & almond milk]
Last night’s ‘dessert’:
[it works.]
Yesterday’s dinner:
[Boyfriend worked late so Girlfriend had breakfast for dinner! Left-over 'Breakfast phyllo mouthful']
[on the side: New Zealand's finest!]
Yesterday’s Lunch:
[1 potato roasted]
[1/2 of the potato = yummy fries for me]
[not my best pic, but I was hungry...spinach salad w/ sliced strawberries, a hard-boiled egg, celery, avocado, sunflower seeds & a lil goat cheese]
Off to make some dinner before our dodgeball game tonight! Adios!
Something tells me I’m into something good :)
‘Woke up this morning feeling fine, there’s something special on my mind..’
GOT TO GET MOVIN MY BEHIND!
like my lyrics? 
Out the door I go to the reservoir for Day 1 of the Couch to 5k!
I tried this once before and lasted just under 2 weeks before deciding to do my own thing, so here’s to sticking to a plan! This one’s tried & true in the HLB-World, plus I have a nifty (I say nifty) i-phone app that tells me when to run, or when to walk without having to stare at a clock & time it myself. While on my outing I listened to new-to-me podcast ‘Two Fit Chicks & a microphone‘ titled Goals Goals Goals. Great motivation to listen to while embarking on my run! Loved the tips & encouragement from these ladies
The run was great, my legs felt slightly sore but still strong from Sunday’s 16.6 mile bike ride (yeah I’m ‘distance-dropping’), nevertheless I loved getting out there and moving. I need to remember that this felt good when the runs get tougher or on days when I feel lazy, I must to keep on keepin on!
Currently snacking on:
[1 cup grapes, grande iced coffee w/ 1 raw sugar packet + lots of water]
After-run breakfast:
[craving something savory: scrambled egg whites w/ spinach on a slice of whole wheat toast smeared w/ 1/2 an avocado + 3 sliced strawberries]
Pre-run fuel:
[1/2 cup TJ's shredded wheat w/ almond milk]
Last night’s dinner:
[1 steamed TJ's cheese tamale w/ sauteed spinach, yellow bell pepper & tomato = salsa verde & hot sauce on top]
I have more studying to do before my Nutrition exam tonight, so I will leave you with a picture of Boz-dog & his creepy cool new toy (my bribery for putting him in a cone):
Mondays are for studying…and getting awesomeness in the mail!
I have a big Nutrition exam tomorrow that I am diligently studying for (when not distracted by facebook, huffpost & doodling), so I took myself out of the house and to my favorite cafe, followed by reading in the library…
[hard-boiled minus the yolk]
[slice of 'Ultimate Fall' bundt cake w/ pumpkin, cranberries & pecans + an iced coffee x2]
[tuna on multi-grain bread w/ cheddar cheese, mustard, lettuce, tomato, red onions, pickles & cucumber]
I came home from school to find a package waiting for me? What could it be? It was the skincare I indulged in ordered this weekend! I used to work at a spa for the longest time that carried the best face products, so I was always a spoiled girl , but now that I’m not working there anymore, I have a hard time bringing myself to spend so much money on products. But last week there was a Groupon for Soap.com, so I snatched it up and found myself a new cleanser & toner from Pangea. I immediatly opened the gorgeous packaging and raced to the bathroom to give ‘em a try…
The verdict (after one use): smells amazing! felt good going on, rinsed off easy. didn’t leave skin feeling dry & after my cheap-o TJ’s moisturizer quickly absorbed. what more could you ask for?! how about vegan & cruelty-free? it’s that too!!!
I leave you with a picture from my Nutrition textbook:
I’m off to go cook dinner, read some more and wash my face again
Weekend Update!
My what a glorious weekend!
Sunday we participated in an AWESOME event called ‘Ciclavia’, it’s described as:
“Los Angeles’ first “open-street” Sunday. Seven and a half miles of streets will be car-free from 10 AM - 3 PM on Sunday October 10th 2010. The streets will be safe for people to walk, skate, play and ride a bike. A Ciclovía is not just for recreation. It is social integration.”
Round-trip we biked a total of 16.6 miles….and we had a blast!
I am SO proud of us, I am SO impressed by my body & I am SO inspired to see what I can do next!
I couldn’t help but think that if my body can do this without exercising often, ok eating and extra weight on it….then WHAT IS MY BODY CAPABLE OF WITH: regular exercise + mindful eating + less weight on it?!!! I REALLY WANT TO FIND OUT! For the first time I thought to myself, ‘hey you know that marathon you’ve always dreamed of completing? you really could do it…’
Weekend eats included the following…
Saturday:
[iced coffee brewed for 14 hours from Commissary]
[actually eaten: 1/2 sandwich, 2 servings coleslaw & a couple soggy fries]
[Serving size: 3/4 cup pineapple paradise + 3 oz. orange chicken X2]
Sunday:
[a breakfast fit for biking champions: open-faced EAT sandwich (egg,avocado,tomato) + 1/2 a banana & kiwi]
[curbside lunch: 1/2 of a chicken-salad sandwich on wheat, 1/2 serving freshly-made chips + ketchup]
[post-bike 'meal-gone-in-60-seconds': 2 oz. leftover orange chicken + 1 cup pineapple fried rice]
[kitchen sink leftovers: 1/4 baked potato, 1/4 cup baked beans, 1 cup veggie mix + roasted broccoli]
Now the wheels in my brain are turning…what to set my mind to?? Hmmm…I shall ponder
simple black & white for a simple Friday night
Dinner eats:
[glass of smoking loon]
[+ TJ's whole wheat gnocchi & vodka marinara sauce]
[+ steamed broccoli]
[+ grated parmesan cheese]
[= a colorful yummy meal]
{serving size: 1 cup gnocchi, 1/2 cup sauce & 1 cup broc}
Dessert:
[4 T kernels + 1 tsp coconut oil]
[+ a handful of chocolate chips]
[= happy boyfriend]
{serving size: about half or whatever I could grab before BF ate it all }
me so tired
Last night’s concert was amaze-balls (who says that? I do.)! The venue was the neatest place I have ever seen a concert, and Arcade Fire put on a fantastic performance. It was a great night = I was soo tired this morning. Standing on my feet, adrenaline rush + staying out late, made it very hard to get up this morning.
Karl spent the night, so I put my study guide together while she read my Vanity Fair: Lindsay Lohan article (October issue and totally irrelevant now). Then I put a quick breakfast together before we were out the door to David’s Bridal to check out dresses for our friend Nikki (she may have found the one! shh). Then it was off to school for some work in the library and then class. Came home and uploaded almost 300 pictures that I took of wedding dresses so Nikki can share with her Mom & Sis who live out of state, it’s important to keep them in the loop 
Now I am going to relax with the Boyfriend who should be home any moment. Tap in the morning and some studying in the library after…on a Saturday, I know…
Last night’s dinner:
Late-night snack after concert….fast food? NO! Shredded Wheat Got you!
Breakfast for 2:
Lunch @ ‘Sharkey’s’ was a Santa-Fe-Lite Burrito w/ grilled chicken, non-fat cheese, pico de gallo, guacomole in a whole wheat tortilla (546 cals) w/ some chips & fire-roasted salsa on the side.
Goooooodnight blog
Behind the curve?
I recently began blogging again, I have also been adding more blogs to my daily reading repertoire. In doing so I am seeing a large group of bloggers who don’t take pictures of everything they eat or aren’t solely focused on healthy living as the content of their site. I think this is great. I like learning about how other women live their lives, and the validation I feel when someone feels the same way about something as I do. I am grateful for the bloggers who have the courage to be so personal
Knowing that a lot of the HLB community is shifting in this direction, makes me feel a little ‘behind the curve.’ I am new to this journey and right now photo-journaling my daily eats is very intimate for me. I am exposing to the world that there is a part of myself that needs improvement, that I know there is an ‘issue’, that I should be held accountable and that ::gasp:: I am not perfect. Even when you are overweight it is difficult to admit that this is something that bothers you because, you #1- have to admit you got yourself into this situation, #2- people will expect to see results when you tell them what you are up to and #3- mostly because when you admit it bothers you, you have to fix it! Change is difficult. Talking about things that are difficult… is difficult. So….even though I am early in my journey, know (this is mostly for myself) I am sharing my little heart out one photo-op at a time!
Breakfast eats: a leftover ‘breakfast phyllo mouthful‘, grapes & 1/2 of an orange
Plus a venti soy latte from Starbucks that I got a free coupon for [and by free I mean I bought 15 other drink to get this one]
Lunch was inspired by Kath at KERF, who made a yummy-looking apple grilled cheese sandwich that I had to copy (sorry can’t find her exact post), and it was sooo yummy in ‘real life.’ A cup of leftover salmon corn chowder accompanied my cheesy fruit sandwich.
Snack: a handful of TJ’s sesame honey cashews…always sooo good
Tonight the Boyfriend, Karl & I are going to see one of our favorite bands, Arcade Fire @ The Shrine. They are one of my all-time favorite live acts, so it was worth the effort (and it took some effort) to get tickets, plus! it’s at a venue I have never been to before but have heard very good things about. I may need a caffeine pick-me-up beforehand, but I am so pumped!
I leave you with a link to Goop’s latest newsletter which has great links to lots of food blogs!
Also, a picture of my Bosley aka Captain Mustachio & my Lulu aka Doobeedoos who have been pouting & wishing it were warmer and their coats would grow back faster!
Feeling the after-effects of yesterday…
Woke up early to another rainy LA morning, made some coffee, ate a delicious plum, some strawberries and re-heated a ‘breakfast phyllo mouthful’ Great way to start the day…
Lunch was 1/2 of the vegetarian calzone leftover from yesterday with steamed carrots & broccoli, they were so flavorful; simple but the highlight of the meal! Sometimes bread & cheese are no competition for veggies!
Later in the afternoon I met up with Karl & Nikki for happy hour at the Barbarella! It was a nice treat to have some girl time and sip on a martini or two! We also split two appetizers: a vegetarian Mediteranean pizza & the baked brie with pears. I had 1 slice of the pizza & 1 1/2 pieces of toast w/ brie.
After my time with the girls, the Boyfriend decided it would be a great opportunity for a spontaneous date night, which I loved, so we used a Groupon I had purchased for a new wine/tapas bar a few blocks from our house. We sat at the bar and chatted with the Sommelier. We shared some cheese (more cheese!) and had a couple glasses of wine: a prosecco and a blended sauvignon blanc (more booze!).
While I had a great night, and it was fun to indulge and relax with some tasty beverages…I am feeling it today. I am tired and run-down, and even though this doesn’t happen as often as it once did (b/c I don’t drink as much/often as I once did), I find myself wondering if it is worth it. I admit that when I am having a good time, it takes discipline not to order another round, especially when everyone else does. However, this is MY body and MY success. Alcohol does not assist weight loss, and weight loss is the path / chapter of my healthy journey I am on. Some food for my thoughts….
I leave you with a picture I took of a local water fountain, always makes me laugh! The ‘spitting frogs’ are huge in person!
