Ran, Baked, Hair and Nails done-- Are YOU ready, 2013?!

Hey all!!!

So I have to admit today was quite the productive Sunday  Yesterday was supposed to be my last run of 2012 but this morning I woke up with the running bug and I just couldn't say no. It may have something to do with the fact that the sun was beaming through my window and I decided I just couldn't put such a gorgeous day to waste and so off I went for a ~3.45 mile jog/run/walk (in that order). It was quite windy this morning but somehow I managed to pull through. It was just me and another girl running at the track this morning. We smiled at each other a few times (the only two crazy gals running in 30 degree weather on a windy winter morning). She seemed super nice. I kept track of my run with the Nike app but forgot to "end" the run and so, the app kept running for HOURS later to the point that when I realized it was still on I had been "running" for 3 hours. No picture as it wouldn't be accurate. But yeyyy for morning runs! :) Here are a few pics of the track-- you can see the sun in the background. Quite a difference from yesterday!

Post my run I had planned to go to church but by the time I looked at the time it was already so late :(. Not happy about that. Need to get better about going to church. Not because is a "new year" but because I enjoy it and would like to make it a regular part of my life.

I had quite the satisfying breakfast. I used the leftover omelet from yesterday and made myself an omelet-egg mc muffin if that makes any sense (the english muffin was 100% whole wheat). I paired it up with my usual cafe w/ almond milk and it was so delicious. 

To be honest, at least 5 hours later I was still not hungry but made myself eat a pear and a granola bar while I waited to get my hair and nails done (more on that below). 


So last night I was in the mood to bake and so I did what I love to bake best (after carrot care)-- Banana Bread! I used This Recipe from the clean eating magazine website minus the chocolate chunks (because I ate all my chocolate last week).   I loved how it came out like a real loaf. I got super excited and all I have to say it came out sooooooo good! Super moist!!! I am trying to figure out what I did differently because I made muffins a couple of months ago (same recipe) and they were a bit dry.  I dropped some of the egg yolk by mistake (recipe calls for only 2 egg whites) I wonder if that had something to do with how good the loaf came out. To all the bakers out there, what do you think? Anyways, here are some photos of my "masterpiece":

So, back to hair and nails. As I was saying-- I took advantage of the day today to go get my hair and nails done. I know that all salons will likely be super packed tomorrow and I do not want to deal with that craziness on my absolute favorite day of the year! 

Here are a couple pics of my nails:

Wasn't crazy about the color at first but it'll do for now :) (I was thinking of black or something more dramatic but opted for the festive option). I wont be showing my hair until likely my next post because it is currently wrapped (if you are a Latina with curly hair or an African american you know what I am referring to! lol).

I know in a previous post I mentioned I would be embracing my curly hair more. And I am!! I am contemplating this being my last hair blowout for the next 12 months but I am not sure if that's something I can keep up with. Either way, I plan to wear my hair down and curly more often than the past and thats a big deal for me (ive already been keeping up with that!).

After my long day I got to my apartment starving so put together something quick, healthy and delish. I had some leftover whole wheat pasta from the other day. I sauteed a cup of the pasta with red onions, peppers and some curry powder. I added some chunks of ground meat I had brought from my moms home the other day and this hit the spot for sure-- with a side of Avocado, of course:

Now I am lounging on the couch writing this post, having chai tea and a piece or two of my banana bread. I should really share this and stop being so stingy with my food.=)

Thanks for reading :) Will try to post something quick tomorrow if time permits. Otherwise, see you in 2013! (A whole lot of exciting things coming for the blog. Stay tunned!)

Question: What are you doing for new years eve? do you have a yearly tradition or do something different every year? Whats your favorite day of the year?

My last run of the year? Plus- is Snowing!

Happy Saturday everyone! Hope you're all having a great day so far! Where is the day going?! Anyways, I meant to wake up a little earlier this morning but somehow when I finally dragged myself out of bed it was around 10 am! ugh! Anyways, I had planned for a run this morning so I immediately got ready, put on my running gear and off I went for a morning jog. One thing I have learned about running in the cold: As long as there is no much wind I am good to go and today was one of those mornings! About half way through my run it began to snow *yeyyy* and this was my very FIRST time running in the snow! So much fun! You can tell I am fairly new to running. I loved every second of my "snow-run". Here are some photos (taken post run):

The final mile run down:

Thankfully I finished before it got too crazy (because it got pretty intense) and then I came back to my apartment and did a short abs and arms workout. Once I was finally done I made myself what I was craving--- Spinach omelet! Filled with moderate amount of cheese, turkey, peppers and onions. I used 2 eggs whites and 1 whole eggs. The omelet was too big so I ate half and saved the rest for later. I accompanied the omelet with 2 slices of sprouted whole wheat bread and a cup of Joe w/ Almond Milk (no sugar):

The omelet up close: 

It was good!

So now I need to get my Saturday started and finish up some cleaning and maybe some shopping. Hope you're all having a good day!

PS: I am thinking of starting a side-blog with only my recipes and will announce it soon. I will post the spinach omelet recipe on there. :)

Question: Do you enjoy running in the snow? Or, do you avoid the outdoors at all cost during the winter months?

Double Celebration on Christmas 2012 + What ive been up to

Hello everyone!

Hope you all had an amazing holiday! Better late than never--Here is my Christmas recap!
First of all, I spent a couple of days at my parents house and ate pretty much everything in sight from desserts to pastelitos (latin dish) you name it I probably had it. Lets blame it on the spirit of Christmas and lets just say I am getting myself back on track because I have come to the conclusion that I simply love eating healthy and being active. I may steer off the health wagon from time to time but I love getting back on track. And I am only human!

Anyways, enough of that. I want to share that in addition to celebrating the holidays with family and friends we also celebrated my parents 30th anniversary! I am so blessed to have parents that love each other dearly and have been able to grow with each other over 30 years while raising two very respectable young ladies. They set a great example and I look forward to finding that one person to grow old with. How amazing is that! They got married on 12/25/82. Here is a family pic from Christmas night:

And yes I am still in my 20s! lol they had me AFTER they got married in case anyone out there is calculating. Ha! My family partied until 6 am and by that I mean lots of dancing and drinking. I called it a night morning at around 3-4am on Christmas day and snuck away to one of the rooms at my parents house to pass out. I was still snacking at that time! It was time to sleep. My family continued the celebration...

So what have I've been up to this week? Lets just say I am fully enjoying and loving my time off from work. This morning I woke up around 9 ish and talked myself in to going for a 4 mile jog which turned out to be a 4 miler walk/jog combination because it was cold, raining and extremelly windy from time to time. Nonetheless, I was proud of myself for getting my workout in. 

 

 Post workout I did a 15 minute ab session while I waited for breakfast to be ready. And this was breakfast--

2 slices sprouted whole wheat bread and 2 boiled eggs plus my new discovery: Chai Tea!! (I know I am late to the party but I love it!)

I was still a little hungry after that so I had 1/2 gala apple with 1 tablespoon Peanut Butter Dream (Cinnamon & Raisin flavor) Yum!:
 

Today I met up with a friend of mine downtown which was supposed to be followed by a trip to Trader Joes which has gotten postponed until further notice because it is freezing outside!!! the wind is making it a million times worse so I opted to come home instead and made myself a delicious dinner--

3/4 cup whole wheat pasta with chicken, peppers and onions plus a side of steamed veggies. I also had 1/2 whole wheat Naan from trader joes w/ a little bit of butter added:

 Still so much to do during this break! Is crazy how much you can get done when you dont have to worry about being somewhere from 9-5. Would love to work from home one day! Preferably my own business. :)

Oh! Before I forget--- Yesterdays Elf4Health challenge was:

Wednesday

Look at yourself in the mirror & find THREE things you love about yourself. 
Show us what they are! 

Here are the three things I came up with:
1. My Smile :) <--you can see a glance of it in the pic above 
2.  My body shape---I like to think I am well proportioned whether I am chubby or skinny and I like that.
3. My legs

Bonus: Non-Physical things I love about myself:
1. My good heart
2. My intelligence
3. My Kindness

How is everyones week going? My absolute favorite day of the year is fast approaching (12/31) any exciting plans? I usually spend it with family (yes, another huge party just like on Christmas eve).

Thanks for reading :)