Ready for Takeoff!

Hope your weekend is off to a great start!! I have been running around all morning, super frantic, and super stressed getting last minute things in order. Ooo but check out some last minute essentials I managed to get yesterday ;)

Shoezzzzesss!!! 

I was in some serious need of some nice pairs of sandals!

As many of you suggested, I packed some snacks for the trip because you never when you will be in need of  healthy snack! 

I am almost ready for Takeoff! 

Really hope I am not missing anything... but I am sure going to miss you, friends!! 

I will "see" you soon to share plenty of pics and adventures!! 

Microwave!!

Ladies I am finally done packing!!

Before beginning packing I set a goal of "packing light", unfortunately my goal was not met :( I continually told myself,  "just pack essentials, just pack essentials" but everything seemed so darn essential, haha! Needless to say,  I am going home with an overstuffed suitcase, and I already know mom isn't going to approve of my light packing ;) I am ready to jet set bright and early Saturday morning!!

But lets talk about this morning which began with a much needed bowl of oatmeal.

• 1/2 cup of Old Fashion Oats 
• 1/2 cup of water 
• 1 banana
• 1 tbsp PB & Co. Bee's Knees 
• agave 
• sprinkled wheat germ

I realized that it was my first time this week having oatmeal!!! Insanity!!

Class was quick and easy, just listened to speeches and after I squeezed some time for the gym. My legs were really tight this morning, after the bootcamp class and yesterday's weight training sesh I knew I needed to give them a needed rest. So today I decided to do some low impact cardio, elliptical machine and stairmaster.

After 30 minutes on the elliptical I noticed the calorie count the machine said I "burned", 298!! Since I was wearing my HRM I was able to compare the stats and the elliptical machine was 100 calories higher from what my HRM said!! So, for those of you who watch your calories be careful if you follow the excercise machine stats because they are not always very accurate.

After my 45 mins. of cardio it was well past lunch time so I was hangry!! I raced home to Amy :)

It was my first time trying Amy's Bowls, you have a choice to heat it up in the oven or microwave, which one do you think I chose?? Yes this hangry girl chose the quick 5 microwaved minutes, over the long 40 minutes in the oven.

5 minutes later VOILA!

Topped off with some Salsa, oh boy I loved it. If you are not a fan of ginger, however, I don't recommend it because the sauce of the bowl is very gingery.

The coconut water was worth all the hype!! It was O.N.E Natural Experience, haha. 

An afternoon snack was this Luna Bar

So caramely (if thats even a word), it was my first time trying the Dulce de Leche flavor and I really enjoyed it.

 For dinner I had a shy burrito and some FLASHFORWARD!! I am obssessed with that show, last night I stayed up til 2 catching up on the episode that I missed last week, so right now I am pretty much pooped. 

Well lovies I am off to bed!!! 

Do you watch FlashForward? What shows are you hooked on?

If you have a choice between using the microwave or the oven which one do you prefer?

A New Adventure Awaits

I was really happy to share with you the BIG news :) I can't believe I am actually going to law school, it seems like yesterday when I began undergrad, and now here I am ready to plunge into yet another educational adventure!!! I am really excited but nervous at the same time *HUGE sigh* Many people say that my life is over, haha, even some attorneys I have worked with have encouraged me to consider another career path!! I am sure of my decision, I know this is what I want to do and that's all that matters, right?? 

Last night I celebrated with some miso soup and sushi!! 

I got the Rainbow Roll: 

 Rusty took the pics with his iPhone,  sorry about the crappy resolution the restaurant was really dark. 

Rusty got a Thunder Roll: 

The sushi was delicious, just wish the service would have been a bit faster!! 

This morning I woke up starving and SOAR! Yesterday I did bootcamp, a new class at my gym and oh it was as terrible as it sounds ;) The class involved loads of squats, lunges, push-ups, circuits, and the list goes on!! My HR: 565 Calories! 

So, this morning I was in the mood for a hearty b-fast! 

Today was my first time making an egg puff - Scrambled 1 egg white & 1 egg, put in the microwave for about 1 minute 30 sec. and ready for eatin'. I can't believe I had never made eggs in the microwave, so much time that I will be saving! The sprouted grain toast was covered with PB&Co's Bees Knees and some wheat germ. 

I was busy all day catching up with school-work, booo!!! I have to get all of my school work in order before I leave to Ecuador, yay!!

So lunch was quick and easy: 

Some Stoneyfield Yogurt and my lovely PB empanadas. 

The pita pocket was stuffed with my obsession, Black Bean burger and spicy guacamole: 

It is so good it deserves a close up ;) 

Well I have to get back to packing. 

What are some essentials you must travel with? 

Let's Celebrate!!!

School, school, oh and more school!!!

It's been crazy on my side of town but now I can finally relax... well for a quick minute!! Right now, I  can't think of a better way to relax other than blogging, and seeing what you lovely ladies have been up to :)  I could be sleeping but who needs that, right??

As insane as this sounds (well to me) I have been up since 5! A test and a speech are the culprits of such insanity!!  However, I must admit that I have enjoyed being up dark and early. Today has been such a productive day and to my surprise I am actually full of energy! Now, don't get me wrong it is not like I sleep til' noon or something, it would be terrible if I did because I would miss my favorite meal of the day, but I am just never up at 5. I am thinking about making it a routine, I mean sooner rather than later my days are going to have to begin at that time. And I say sooner because guess what??? Celebration #1: I have been accepted into law school!!! This means if I want to take full advantage of my days I am going to have to begin my days a lot earlier.

  What time do you begin your day? Are you a morning person? 


Celebration #2 : Test and speech are done with, which leads me to Celebration #3: I can begin packing for my trip to Ecuador!!!

As you can see there is loads to celebrate, so tonight I will be drinking that BUBBLY! But isn't there always a reason to celebrate!?


What is your reason to celebrate?

This weekend I celebrated the beginning of spring at the beach!

I loved this hat

Hope your Tuesday is going awesome :)

Let's Get Down to Bee's Knees

Happy Friday chicas!!!!  Thanks for all the sweet comments on yesterday's post. I really had a great time and wish you hotties could have joined me in the St. Patty's Day celebration ;)  OH and I will definitely be trying your strawberry smoothie suggestions, they sound soOo GOOD!

Let's get down to Bee's Knees!!!

I was running low on PB, so after the gym it was vital to make this quick buy. I was so tempted to get White Chocolate Wonderful or Dark Chocolate Dreams, but since I gave up chocolate for Lent I had to withhold on those temptations *sigh*.  I had never tried the Bee's Knees (p.s. I am obsessed with the name, haha). The Bee's Knees is a mix of PB and honey, which is perfect because I won't be needing to add agave to my PB and toast!! 

Inspired by HungryGirl's Dreamy Chocolate Ravioli Puffs, I decided to make my own version sans the chocolate :( We can call these Decadent PB Empanadas! 

All you need is: 

1.  Won-ton Wrappers 
2.  2 tbsp of PB 
3.  Any additional ingredient to put your signature touch ;)  (I decided to add strawberries and almonds) 

What ingredient would give it your signature touch?

• Heat up strawberries in a pan with a splash of almond milk until tender. 

•  Let strawberries cool for a couple of minutes. Then combine strawberries with 2 tbsp. of PB. (here you can add any crunchy texture you would like)

•  I used these wontons.

• Filled squares with about 1/2 tbsp. of filling. 
• Moistened all four edges of the won-ton and fold enclosing the filling.  I used a fork  to seal the edges. 

f

• Place in freezer for 1 hr. 
• Bring large skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat. Working in batches, place frozen wonton flat in skillet, evenly spaced, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until slightly puffy. Then flip for another 1 to 2 minutes. 
• Let them cool for a bit, add toppings, and Voila!!

They turned out soo goOod! Mmm... the PB & strawberry mixture just melted in my mouth, and the crunchiness from the wonton and almonds was phenomenal!

It was a perfect dessert after lunch :)

Any fun plans this weekend????

Celebration & Berrylicious

Hola amigas y amigos!!! Yesterday I had loads of fun celebrating St. Patrick's Day with good friends and green beer, and as promised here are some pics ;) 

Remember the bow tie and glasses?? I got so caught up buying the (2) accessories, that I did not stop to think if I had a green shirt! Luckily I had the one from last year, its dated 2009, vintage ;)

 

The glasses were a success, I got many compliments on them!! Rusty's glasses were pretty cool too, they lit up and everything. 

*Disclaimer* The tattoo in Rusty's arm is fake, haha. Idk... Don't ask.

 

Friends <3

more <3

From this picture you can see how vital it is for a college student to celebrate St. Patrick's Day ;)  I felt like the whole school was at this block party, it was definitely nice running into old friends.

This morning I was incapable of getting out of bed at 6:30, so I ended up missing my 7:30 class *pout*.  Around 8ish I woke up rested and energized. I had plenty of time to prepare and enjoy b-fast before Speech class. 

This:

=  BerryLicious Yogurt mess!! 

 

Classes went well, but I have a lot of work to do. I have a big test to study for and a speech to prepare by next Tuesday :( 

Today's lunch was fiber loaded: chickpeas, hummus, wheat pita pocket, chicken strips, and spring mix.

 

YuM!

After lunch, I had the berrylicious b-fast lingering in my thoughts  so for an afternoon snack I decided to have something similar. Why not??

Cottage cheese, agave, strawberries, and wheat germ. A delicious and healthy treat!

As you can tell I have a lot of strawberries, Do you have any strawberry smoothie recipes?? I am in the mood for a good ol' smoothie!

Green

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!! 

In honor of St. Patty's Day,  it was only right to begin my day with a green-monstah shake :) So today was the perfect day to give this green-whey protein a shot!

I added a cup of Almond Milk, and some Spinach to give it some more green!

Have you eaten/made something green  in honor of St. Patrick's Day? I really wanted to make some green eggs but I didn't get the chance to get green food dye. I guess I will have green eggs another time ;)

The shake had a yummy "earthy" taste to it! On the side I had sprouted grain bread topped off w/ PB, agave, and coconut butter!

Coconut Butter + Agave = Phenomenal

After b-fast, I headed to the gym to meet up with my friend Naomi. We did an awesome yoga class, some cardio, and abs. The yoga class was perfect after yesterday's workout, my booty is so soar!!

Lunch was quick and light!

Pita Pocket w/ hummus and chicken.  With some strawberry flowers, hhaha!

I am off to get ready for my St. Patrick's Day Celebration!!! No worries, I will take loads of pics of me drinking green beer ;)

Hope you are having a lovely day.

CooCoo for CoCoNut!

I have missed u guys!!! I feel like I haven't blogged in forever :( This weekend I was super busy, it involved some seriously needed cuddling (with Rusty), sleeping relaxing, cooking, partying with friends, sleeping,  food shopping, eating, and school work.

Yeah I know,  school work???  Being the the big procrastinator that I am,  I pushed off the studying of a 6 chapter test until Sunday!! The test was this morning and I don't think I did that well. Seriously, who gives a test the first day after Spring Break???

It's not my fault, right ;) 

Any who! I hope your weekend and Monday were lovely :) I am back in O-town, back in school, and back to my routine. Today I had class till noon, went grocery shopping, and met up with my friend Naomi to  get stuff for our  St. Patty's Day celebrations!! Check out the cute bow tie and the rocking glasses. 

I am going to look like a total goof-ball hottie! 

How are you going to celebrate St. Patty's Day? I am going to a block part-ay with some friends! I will probably have tons of green beer, or a green monster, or both ;) 

I couldn't come back to O-town without visiting Whole Foods with my momma. I loaded up on loads of goodies (you will see throughout the week!) and I finally got this! 

I am literally CooCoo for Coconut!! This was my first time trying Coconut Butter, and I am in love. I cant wait for all the lovely concoctions I will make with it!

Have you tried Coconut Butter? If so,  do you have any fun recipes? 

I am off to pump some iron (iron =10 lbs free weights )  ;)  Happy Tuesday!! 

Brown Bread- High Fiber & Low Calorie

Hope you are all having an awesome start to your weekend :)

After my no rise bread experience many of you lovely bloggies provided me with some kick-ass bread recipes. I could not help myself but give this sweet bread a shot, thanks Ercia for the recipe!

Brown Bread

• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup honey 
• 1 1/2 cup wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup dates, I chopped up 6 dates  
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vinegar, add to milk

1. In a separate bowl combine egg and honey and mix together. 

2. In a larger bowl mix in all dry ingredients. 

3. Add honey & egg mixture to the dry ingredients. 

4. Add milk & vinegar to bowl. 
5. Add chopped up dates, raisins, or walnuts. I chopped up about 6 dates, and added a bit of walnuts that I had. 

6. Pour mixture into a 9x5 bread pan. 

7. Place in oven at 350 degrees for about 40- 45 minutes. 


The result : 

As you can see this bread was welcomed by the family ;) 

I really enjoyed it! This bread is not only good but it is high in fiber and low in calories. The bread makes 12 servings and  I calculated that per serving this bread has about 130 calories, not too shabby huh! 

How has your weekend been so far? 

Apple Pie B-fast and Green Monster Salad

 Tis' Thursday cuties!!

How was your Hump-Day? Mine was not too shabby ;) The gym visit rocked! I focused on legs and did 2 miles of interval running on the treadmill. As soon as I was done with the workout, I made it a point to really stretch out legs because lately they have been hurting. Although I am not a fan of stretching, I have come to realize that it makes the world of difference when you stretch. That is why I am making an attempt to stretch a lot more and incorporate yoga to my workout routine. I blame many of my running injuries on my lack of flexibility. Through yoga I know I will stretch a lot more and hopefully in the long run improve my flexibility :)  Check out this article that talks about the yoga benefits of flexibility.

I met up with an uncle from Colombia. He came to Miami for a dermatologist conference and look at all the goodies he got my mom and I!  Talk about skin care heaven :) 

This morning my sweet tooth was kicking, so I decided on an apple pie yogurt mess! 

• caramelized apples (sprinkled some cinnamon and popped them in the microwave for 1 minute) 
• Greek Yogurt 
• Crumbled Apple Pie Larabar 
• Agave 

It was so good!  The mix of the warm apple, cold yogurt, and crunchy Larabar were just divine. 

For lunch I was in the mood for some greens (literally). I made a delicious and hearty Green Salad: 

• cucumber 
• spinach
• celery 
• tuna 
• salt & lots of pepper 

I made my own kick-ass dressing! (some agave, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper).

Well chicas I am off to run some errands. Hope you are having an awesome Thursday!!!