Life as We Know It

Last night, Anto and I spent the afternoon watching Life as We Know It.

I thought the movie was so cute! I think as I get older, the more I enjoy chick flick movies ;). I also loved the line when Josh Duhamel asked Katherine Heigl, "Do you blog?" Awesome.

This morning I ended up sleeping in again. Tomorrow, I plan to wake up around 6:30 to get myself back into the routine of waking up early for school (I go back Monday!)

I picked up a shift at work today (gotta pay them bills!), and I'm regretting it. Mother Nature decided to present San Diego with some GORGEOUS weather! It's around 80 degrees right now. Perfect for lounging by the pool and catching up on some studying ;).

However, I have to be at work by 3:00, and I spent about 40 minutes at the gym, which doesn't leave me any time at all to hang out by the pool. I do have tomorrow off, so I hope the weather stays the same and I get to lay out and study all day.

I really want to go hiking, unfortunately I can't seem to find any hiking buddies that have the same days off as I do. One of my hiking buddies moved back to Canada, which I am still so sad about, and the other two girls I hike with work on Fridays. I asked a different friend if she wanted go hiking, and she thought it was the most hilarious thing ever...she's not a fan of hiking. I would ask Anto, but he is working a 12 hour shift tomorrow, and he's not the biggest fan of hiking ever. That leaves the option of me going alone...but in all honesty there have been so many stories of girls getting murdered/raped/kidnapped while they have been jogging alone in the DAYTIME, and it's just not worth the risk.

One of my favorite hikes!

Anywho, today I completed Day 3 of C25K, and did 2.41 miles in 36 minutes. Mind you, I did a lot of walking. I did 20 minutes of the plan, plus the 5 minute warmup, and spent the rest of the time walking as a cool down. I know this is an incredibly slow time, but I can feel myself improving, and that's what counts!

The Lazy Song

"Today I don't feel like doing anything, I just want to lay in my bed..."-Bruno Mars, The Lazy Song.

Have you heard that song? Sometimes I feel like this is my mantra. It definitely applied today, although I didn't want it to.

I woke up a little later than usual and got ready for work. I was supposed to cover a shift at 11:45, but when I got there, it turns out there was a total miscommunication and the shift had already gotten covered...sooo I drove myself all the way back home and enjoyed the wonderful 75 degree weather in San Diego!

However, once I got home I felt incredibly lazy. I decided to do some leisurely reading, had a snack, and ended up taking an unexpected nap. Oops! I tried to work out to a Jillian Michaels dvd, but my legs were too sore to attempt any of the lunges and squats.

After taking Lucky on a walk with Anto, we headed to CPK to meet up with a friend for a belated birthday dinner. I did not stay on track at all :(. It's okay though, I'm not going to beat myself up about what already happened, but I will resume watching what I eat ASAP.

This was my first time eating at CPK (besides a takeout order once in college), so I was excited to try the food!

First up were drinks:

Strawberry Margarita

Birthday girl got a strawberry margarita. This was pretty good because it tasted fresh, but I'm partial to margaritas that you can get at Mexican restaurants ;)

Cherry Lime Sparkler

I got a cherry lime sparkler, and was VERY disappointed. It tasted like cough syrup! No one at our table could finish it, and I didn't want to be an ass and send it back...so $7 down the drain...;)

Mango Mango Mojito

Anto got a Mango Mango Mojito, and that was disappointing as well! It was way too sweet for me...we serve mango mojitos where I work and enjoy a lot more...

As a starter, we got half a Caesar Salad.

Caesar Salad

It was yummy in my tummy. We devoured it.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Anto and I ordered a Buffalo Chicken Pizza and Nicole (birthday girl) ordered a BBQ Chicken Pizza. The BBQ Chicken Pizza is what they are known for and it was AMAZING. I need to make my own BBQ Chicken Pizza at home!

Anyways, off to relax...

Sore Legs

Whew! After my workout yesterday, I left the gym feeling extremely sore. I had to close at work last night, so that was 6 hours of standing, and definitely didn't help out my soreness any. I have to close the lunch day shift today, so I'm planning to rest my legs and study once I get home.

I know I need to recover so I won't be running today, but I will do some light cardio. I'm debating between a Jillian Michaels DVD, or taking a class at the gym!

For lunch, I had a whole wheat grilled cheese sandwich with 3 turkey sausages and a load of veggies!

I was lucky enough to come home and discover the boyfriend cooking dinner for me! He baked chicken in bread crumbs and served it with a side of mashed potatoes. We both agreed the baked chicken was lacking in flavor so he had his with some Louisiana hot sauce, and I had mine with some Sriracha hot sauce. Problem solved!

Anto had a LARGE portion.

He was just a little inpatient!

My petite portion ;) I couldn't even eat all of it!

I leave you with cat & dog kisses :)

 

Have a great day!

Banana Bread!

Before heading out to the gym, I ate one of these Powerbar Protein Bites. It says to eat 4-5 before and after exercise, but I was so full from breakfast that I could only eat one. However, I did notice a difference at the gym...or maybe it was all in my head, but either way I felt more energized!

After completing Day One of Couch25K, I took Lucky for a 30 minute walk. I took him in an area he's never been before and he was a little scared! Did a lot of standing around and sniffing than actual walking, but once we got into familiar territory, we were back to our fast paced walk.

Before I left, I ate a Larabar (SO GOOD) to curb my cravings.

 

I headed out on my day off to run some errands, and of course ended up buying too much at Target! I can never walk into Target and buy only what I need to buy. I always buy more! I love Target. :)

Ready to take on my day!

I ended up buying a new sports bra, a new tank top to workout in, and some new running shorts. I have a very limited exercise wardrobe so I'm constantly trying to add to it.

 

After I got home, I decided to bake my very first loaf of banana bread, ever! It actually turned out pretty tasty! My first baking success.

Here is the link to the original recipe: Banana Bread

Ingredients:
-2 cups all purpose flower
-1/4 tsp salt
-1 tsp baking soda
-1/2 cup butter
-3/4 cup brown sugar
-2 eggs, beaten.
-2 1/3 cups of mashed overriped bananas. (I used four bananas.)

Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, grease the 9x5in loaf pan.
-Add the first three ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
-In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. (I DON'T have an electric mixer, so this is where things got tricky for me. I'm definitely investing in one ASAP.)

 

CREAM!!

Using my laptop for baking support ;)

Mashing the bananas!

-Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended.

This took quite a while to blend by hand.

-Stir in banana mixture into flour mixture, stir to moisten.

Mixing it all together.

-Add mixture into baking pan, put in oven for about 60 minutes.

Going in!

-Let cool in pan for ten minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool.

Ta-da!

For dinner I had left over shredded chicken with leftover Mexican rice, and some veggies. I'll admit that I did have a couple snacks late at night (some whole wheat grilled cheese sandwiches + chips), but I'm working hard to curb my late night snacking. I had my dinner at 5:30 last night which is REALLY early for me, so I might try to eat it at 6:30 instead to lessen my cravings at night.

I spent the rest of the day doing laundry, dishes, reading for school, and watching Grey's with my boo. We popped Fighting in the Blu Ray player right before bed, and it knocked my boyfriend out pretty fast. I watched the whole thing, and it was a terrible, terrible movie. I couldn't stand what Terrence Howard was doing with his character!

Off to do Couch25K Day Two, then spend the day running errands with my love! We both have the day off until about 3:30, when I have to head to work, and he has to head to class :(

Favorite Recipes

This is a list of my favorite recipes. I am constantly adding to this page!


-Dinner-
Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde
Asian Beef with Stir Fry Veggies

-Sides-
Mexican Rice

-Dessert-
Banana Bread

Chicken Verde Enchiladas + Mexican Rice

Happy Monday, everyone! I had a hard time getting up this morning. I didn't manage to wake up until 9:30, and it's now 10:00 and I STILL feel exhausted.

I have a lot on my agenda today, a lot of stuff that I didn't get to do yesterday must be completed today. There seriously aren't enough hours in the day!

Last night I decided to try out a new recipe from Cooking Light's website. I decided to make Chicken Enchiladas with Verde Sauce, and used a recipe from AllRecipes.com to make some Mexican Rice.

Although I did mess up on a few measurements (cut me some slack, I'm a novice at cooking!), it did manage to turn out scrumptious although not visually appealing.

Chicken Enchiladas Recipe
Mexican Rice Recipe

My boyfriend loved the Mexican Rice Recipe the best!

Mexican Rice:

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 2 cups chicken broth

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and cumin.
2. Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Nutritional Information 

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 292 | Total Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 3mg

Chicken Enchiladas Recipe:

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 enchiladas and 1 lime wedge)

Ingredients

• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh cilantro
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  (7-ounce) bottle salsa verde (such as Herdez brand)
• 2  cups  shredded cooked chicken breast
• 1/3  cup  (3 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 8  (6-inch) corn tortillas
• Cooking spray
• 1/4  cup  (1 ounce) crumbled queso fresco
• 1/2  teaspoon  chili powder
• 4  lime wedges
• Cilantro sprigs (optional)

Preparation

-Preheat oven to 425°.
-Combine first 4 ingredients in a blender; process until smooth.

Combining ingredients.

Yummy Salsa Verde Sauce.

-Combine chicken and cream cheese in a large bowl.
-Stir in 1/2 cup salsa mixture. Reserve remaining salsa mixture.

Chicken mixed with the Salsa Verde.

The best part ;)

-Bring broth to a simmer in a medium skillet. Working with one tortilla at a time, add tortilla to pan; cook 20 seconds or until moist, turning once.
-Remove tortilla; drain on paper towels. Spoon about 1/4 cup chicken mixture down center of tortilla; roll up. -Place tortilla, seam-side down, in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, broth, and chicken mixture.
-Pour remaining salsa mixture over enchiladas; sprinkle evenly with queso fresco and chili powder.
-Bake at 425° for 18 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Fresh out the oven!

-Serve with lime wedges. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

The finished product.

Ugly, but it tasted good, I promise ;)

We have leftovers for lunch today as well!

I'm going to finish my cup of coffee while reading the newest Cooking Light magazine, then head to the apartment gym to do Day 1 of Couch25K. I went to the apartment gym yesterday, but all of the treadmills were full, and I had work so I didn't have time to head to 24 hour, so I just ended up spending some time on the elliptical.

My agenda includes:
-Day One Couch25K

My little cheat sheet.

-30 minute walk with Lucky.
-Shower, get ready.
-Head to the bank.
-Buy a loaf pan so I can bake banana bread tonight!
-Fold Laundry
-Clean my room.
-Finish my nursing communication reading.
-Order printer ink, phone battery, and renew my DL online.
-Shop online for new furniture (we are signing the lease on our new place this week!)
-Yoga workout dvd.
-Relax with my honey and watch "Life as We Know It"

I'm a bit obsessed with my pets, so I just had to throw in a picture of Lily! She's annoyed here.

Daily Workouts

This is where I keep a log of my daily workouts! :)

 June 2011:
June 10th, 2011: Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Level One
June 29th, 2011: Denise Austin 20 Min Cardio + 10 Min Flexibility
June 30th, 2011:
April 2011:
April 1st, 2011: Day Four C25K (2.04 miles, 30 minutes)
April 2nd, 2011: Week One, Day Five C25K (3.1 miles, 43:31 mins)
April 3rd, 2011: Week Two, Day One C25K (4.08 miles, 60:00 mins)
April 4th, 2011: Rest
April 5th, 2011: Week Two, Day Two C25K (2.00 miles, 29 mins)

March 2011:
March 27th, 2011: 25 mins elliptical
March 28th, 2011: Day One Couch25K, 30 minute walk with Lucky
March 29th, 2011: Day Two, Couch25K (2 miles in 30 mins)
March 30th, 2011: Rest
March 31st, 2011: Day Three, C25K (2.41 miles, 36 mins)

Time to go Grocery Shopping...

I woke up a little earlier this morning than yesterday, which is good considering I slept in until 12 yesterday ;).

I actually woke up at 7:30 which is early for me on a weekend! I have to wake up at 5:15 or 6:00 am during the weekdays because of school, but it's always rushed. I wake up, have 30 minutes to get ready, then run out the door to make it to the hospital for clinicals or to campus for lecture.

I like the idea of waking up earlier to give myself more time to get stuff done in the morning. I never feel like there is enough time in the day, so this is a great way to give myself the gift of more time!

Anywho, I woke up to wake my dog and kiss my boyfriend goodbye as he left for work, then decided to get up instead of going back to sleep. I went into the kitchen hoping to make myself a breakfast with scrambled eggs, toast, and a pancake, but lo and behold, WE HAVE NO GROCERIES!!

I haven't been grocery shopping in quite some time, which probably contributed to my, um, not so healthy lifestyle. We did have some eggs, but they expired March 12th. Actually, we live with roommates so I'm not really sure where some of our stuff goes sometimes...I know none of us would intentionally eat the other person's food, but sometimes there is so much stuff in the fridge that it all kind of gets mixed up.

Since I didn't have any eggs, that eliminated my plan to have scrambled eggs or a pancake. Therefore, I started perusing the freezer and pantry and found that I still had a huge box of Boca Burgers from Costco!

Unfortunately, we didn't have any buns. But that didn't matter to me! I decided to heat up a Boca Burger with some of the last of our frozen broccoli to make myself a healthy, although not a visually pleasing breakfast. I added just a tiny bit of ranch and BBQ sauce on the side. I'm not a person that goes heavy on the sauces, but I like to have just a dash of sauce in my food to give it flavor. I had this with a cup of coffee and I feel energized to take on my day!

My day is going to be pretty busy...today I plan to tackle:
-laundry

-cleaning the room

-day one of couch25k
-studying/hw for my nursing communication class

-work at 12:30
-dishes
-cooking! (my mom just gave me us a George Foreman grill and I plan to put that baby to use!)

-taking Lucky on a 30 minute walk

-grocery shopping!

-relaxing with my boyfriend when he gets home to some Grey's Anatomy (we've been working our way through the seasons and are currently on season six! Oh, how I love Netflix)

Annnd...I'm off!

My Furbabies!

I am the proud momma of two furbabies! They bring so much joy and fun into my life :). I'm sure many posts on my blog will be dedicated to these two little rascals.

I've had Lucky, a half Pomeranian/half Chihuahua since May 2010. He just turned 1 in March! He's so loving, cuddly, protective, friendly, and clingy, that I just can't get enough. The day that I got Lucky was the same day I found out I got into nursing school, hence the name "Lucky."

My boyfriend and I just adopted Lily, a Tortoiseshell DSH, from the county pound in November 2010. She's the first cat I've ever owned and she is just the sweetest thing ever! She sleeps on me or my boyfriend's chest every night, loves to be around us, and is a purring machine! Her and her brother Lucky love to cuddle, and without fail, you can find Lily bathing Lucky. So sweet!

Cuddling on me after I got my wisdom teeth pulled.

They are a huge part of my life and will be a huge part of my blog. :)

First Morning of Spring Break!

Today is my first official day of spring break, and while I will be spending most of it working and catching up on studying and homework...I decided to let myself sleep in...a lot.

This morning I had some Maple & Brown Sugar oatmeal, Sweet Hawaiian toast with I Can't Believe it's Not Butter, two gummy-vite vitamins, two Viactiv Calcium chews, a big glass of water, and coffee with some creamer. Everything totaled to approximately 400 calories.

 

I'm not a fan of oatmeal, so today was my first day actually eating an entire bowl of it! I know it's really healthy and has so many benefits, so I'm trying to incorporate more oatmeal into my meals.

I actually couldn't eat everything with the coffee and water...which is good :) Eating healthy and controlling how much I eat! 

I'm also trying to drink more water! This was a major factor in helping me lose weight the other times, and I know how much our body needs it, so I really need to drink a lot more water than I've been drinking lately.

I have work today...:( but my goal is to complete Day One of Couch25K, and perhaps celebrate my friend's birthday at PB (or Pacific Beach for those not from SoCal)! If I have any spare time I may just start catching up on my school reading...what an exciting life I lead!

Goals for the week:
-Drink more water.
-Cook more meals, make them healthy.
-Work out at least 30 minutes for 6/7 days of the week.
-Save money!
-Take Lucky on a 30 minute walk everyday.
-Take my vitamins daily.

Off to get ready for work! I work at a Mexican restaurant, so one goal for tonight will to be not to eat any of the greasy & unhealthy food at work! Especially the chips/salsa that are within my reach 24/7 while at work!