Fortunate Fridays, Week Workout Summary, 1/2 Marathon Debate

Yup.

The title of this post perfectly summarizes what I want to talk about right this second. Looking to make this short and sweet.

First things first...

Five things I feel Fortunate for this week:

1. Finding the "classical" station on Pandora, which I find amazing to listen to during meals-- helps me wind down and really enjoy my food.

2. This post from The Candid RD on National Nutrition Month-- Loved. It.

3. My finance team member whom appears to be super proficient in excel and knew how to figure out our first homework. I have to admit I initially had no clue what I was doing! If it wasn't for him I don't know what I would have done. I tried to figure everything out myself and it took me nearly 6 hours! Ugh! Thats where my Sunday went last week.

4. Motivational fitness photos on Instagram and Pinterest which give me the boost I need to get moving and not give up on my healthy lifestyle when all I want to do is crash on my couch and eat. I have a fairly new fitness account: FitgalNYC and a fairly older personal account: LoveMyBlessedLife (both on Instagram). Feel free to follow! I will be more than happy to follow you back as well. (oh, by the way, if I haven't mentioned it I am also on twitter: @dolcemabelle).

If this is not motivating and inspiring I don't know what is:

5. Realizing new things about myself and my eating habits--- one of them being that sometimes I overeat and try to find "refugee" in food when I am trying to avoid certain things in life that I incorrectly feel are out of my control ( 99% likely 100% of the time they are not) and thus, I eat to hide from the world. I've realized that when I FACE head on whatever is bothering me the anxiety usually disappears and the urge to overeat is no longer there. Work in progress...

This is the book I've been reading which is putting a lot of things in to perspective (almost done, will give a review of it when I am finished):

Workouts for the week:
**Note: Some of the awesome blogs I follow summarize workouts for the week and is SUPER motivating. I want to start doing that myself! So, you may be getting a weekly wrap up of my work outs. We'll see how this goes! Taking this one week @ the time!

Saturday: 2.29 mile run
Sunday: Nada
Monday: 2 mile run/walk
Tuesday: 4.36 mile walk/run
Wednesday: 2.5 mile walk
Thursday: 4 mile speed walk
Friday: Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 WEEK 3, DAY 1!!! (super tough but love love loving it!)

*nada= no workout ):

1/2 Marathon Debate:
Sooooo I kinda sorta' wanna sign up for this More-Fitness Magazine Half. The race is on 04/14/13 so, about 6 weeks away more or less?

The debate arises because of the following:
1. Ive never ran a 1half before in my life! (the most Ive ran is a 10K)
2. I haven't been running consistently lately. Meaning I should probably be running right this second if I wanna train for this.
3. One of my friends is having a birthday that weekend and Im supposed to be there (cant party the night away and then go run a half, right?)

The "positive" side:
1. I love fitness magazine and i've subscribed for years!!! It would be cool to run one of their races. I remember going to their pre-race expo once (back when I thought running was only for hard core athletes) and remember thinking to myself how I wish I could be a runner too. Well, this could be my chance!
2. I can get a cool medal to add to my collection!
3. I can run it with my sister and hopefully her friends too-- always so much fun!
4. This can help me get in to a habit of running more consistently.

Thanks for reading! 

• Any thoughts on whether or not I should run this half? if yes, where can I find a good 6 week training plan? :) 
• what was the highlight(s) of YOUR week?

Where did February Go?!?! Month Recap

OOK. I know this month is short but it went by so fast! I'm pretty sure I say this for every month.

I digress..

Just wanted to come by and share my recap of how I did on my February objectives noted in this post (if you missed it). So, here it is:

1. Fitness: Finish week 2 of Jillian's Shredin30 (Finish Strong!) and sign up for two races

Definitely finished week 2 and finished strong! But I must confess that was like 2-3 weeks ago (I finished up my 7 days shortly after the month started) and I haven't looked back since. Meaning; I haven't even started week 3 of the ShredIn30 but lets just say March will be the perfect opportunity to get that show on the road!


2. Health: Make a conscious effort to Drink at least 3.15 pints of water per day (baby steps)

Ugh! This didn't go 100%. I would say I was able to keep up with that for about 60-70% of the time this months but there were days where I would just have one pint or two and then just move on to having tea for the rest of the day. I know tea is good but I read somewhere that water v. tea is not the same in terms of benefits for your body. Anyone has any thoughts on that? is that true? or would any form of "liquid" do when it comes to water intake? Wish I could count Vanilla Milkshakes as part of my water quota.

 3. Money: Organize my finances & Set a "on my way to riches" plan
I am usually pretty good with finances overall but when it comes to paying bills and actually opening correspondence on time I need to get more organized! In terms of the "on my way to riches" plan that's pretty much setting a more advanced version of a budget for myself that I can comfortably follow.

DONE! Have to say I got to tackle this task at the very beginning of the month and I am glad I got it over with! I made a list of all my monthly bills and when they are due. I posted the list in my fridge so that I wouldn't miss it. Furthermore, I added the dates to my google calendar. I feel so much more organized now and have a better idea of how much I am able to save each month. Yeyyy for financial planning!


4. Friendships: Set a "catch up date" with a close friends (I want to set aside more time for my good friends)

Did not do so well with this. :( I actually didn't see any of the friends I wanted to schedule catch up dates with. Life responsibilities get in the way but there should always be time for friendships and bonding so I need to do better on this. Lets roll this one over to March.

5. Personal Development: Complete at least 1 module of the investment course I am taking online.

Done and Done. Actually, was able to complete TWO modules and I just have one more to go. I realized I can listen to the lessons while cooking or cleaning around the house and stopping when needed to take notes. Multitasking! I will still go through them one more time to make sure I catch the "technical math-related stuff".

Welcome March! Hope you bring warmer days and some memorable experiences :)

Tell me, How was your February? Any memorable events? 

Fortunate Friday! And some of my eats today...

This is going to be quick because I'm going out to meet some friends (waiting for one of my buddies to pick me up) but just wanted to share:

This week I feel fortunate for...

1. Living in an apartment complex that is extremely clean and has excellent maintenance. Lord knows some parts of NYC are infested with certain things I don't even want to name (if you've ever been at a subway station in NY, you may know the deal). So, being able to live in a clean environment is quite the blessing!!! Things like that are never to be taken for granted!

2. Understanding the purpose for certain things in life, when one looks in retrospect. For example, this week it clicked to me that taking a finance course in undergrad was what triggered my interest in what is today one of my passions. Had I never taken that course or had I never majored in business perhaps I wouldn't have discovered that I enjoy investing. I am sure if we look back and think about certain things we went through we can come to realize they were the reason for something you consider significant in your life today.

3. Having my sister in my life and  being able to experience everything that comes with the passage of time and growing up together. It was my sister's 26th birthday yesterday (yes! Her bday is on Valentine's day). My gift to her was a collage of multiple pictures from all the races we've done together. Here is a very bad photo of it but you get the idea:

As part her gift, I am also signing us up for a 5K :)

4. Coming across a book I had bought about a year ago but hadn't started reading until this week. Book came at a perfect time! I will share more about the book sometime at the end of the month. I'm hoping to finish it by then.

5. Reaching 52 weeks of keeping a food diary!---This week I reached my year "anniversary" of keeping a food diary. I've kept food diaries in the past but usually for no longer than 3-4 months. This time I somehow kept it going for an entire year and I've learned A LOT. About my food triggers, which foods make me feel "good" or not so good, which calm me and bring me to a "happy place", etc. etc. My weight had fluctuated a lot in the past but I feel that my food diary has been a key instrument in helping me keep the weight off. It is an amazing tool.
By the way--- I not only write the foods I eat on my diary. I also write how I may be feeling that day or week, what "significant" or notable events may be going on in my life, among other things. Is half food journal/half diary. I want to go back through all the notebooks (I think I went through at least 5 or 6 in the past year) and read through some of my entries. I know I've come a long way!

***
In other news, I feel like I haven't been sharing much of my eats lately (I one of those interesting people that takes pics of all my food but I haven't had the time to share much with you guys. Here are some of today's eats.

Breakfast: Granola mixed w/ Greek yogurt, coffee and strawberries and SEVERAL cups of this--->

 (In an attempt to detox from all the chocolate I ate yesterday)

Lunch: Tried a tuna sub from Subway for the very first time. I am observing Lent (which has begun!) so I am not eating meat for the next 40 days. I loved the tuna and was pleasantly surprised:

Dinner: 1 cup vegetable rice, shrimp and side of steamed veggies + Avocado (yum)

Post dinner I had some chai tea.

Thank you for reading :) Is a long weekend so I am super excited!

Any exciting plans?

What Cabin Fever did and How I reversed it....Somewhat.

Hello my friends!

I came to visit my mom but she is busy helping my dad with his business so, I decided to sit back and do some blogging. I write this after eating this delicious home made meal:

It had been a while since I had my mom's cooking and I was kinda missing it yesterday. So, Im glad I made it here today. Is also always nice to come home and see my family-- Always a plus (in other words: I am not just here for the food lol).

The Cabin Fever Fiasco: So yesterday I spent the E.N.T.I.R.E day at my apartment. I had plans in the morning of going for a run but then I noticed that they hadn't clean the path where I usually do my running. Plus, I saw A LOT of kids and their parents playing in the snow (the greatness of being able to see the entire track from my bedroom window!). I didn't feel like being the random person just running and risking busting my ass behind  in front of all my neighbors so I decided to postpone my run and do some cleaning instead. 

Well, after a nice breakfast, some cleaning and internet browsing I planted myself in front of the TV and did a WHOLE lot of snacking and eating and then some more! Ugh! I know a big trigger for me is the TV but somehow after a long week I guess I was too lazy to do anything else. I also had somewhat of a headache and didn't feel too great so, while my snacking was taking place I watched a gazillion Lifetime movies about peoples lives which I find really interesting (don't judge me lol) and other random shows. By the time the day was over I felt like the biggest bum in the world.

....FAST FORWARD to this morning: I woke up with a mission!! Before I could think twice I put on my running gear and off I went. I completed 3 easy miles non-stop (by "easy" I mean I took my time) and then did a cool down by walking my way back to my apartment. There was still snow in the ground (probably my first time running on snow) but I made it work somehow! That run felt A.M.A.Z.I.NG.

Note: I am not the fastest runner in the world. I go at my own pace. I know a lot of you guys can do an 8 minute mile. Im still working myself up to that. One day I shall surprise you all :)

Back at my place I was in the mood for some hard boiled eggs so, while that was getting done I decided to do my scheduled Jillian workout: Ripped In 30. I am happy to announce I completed day 7 of week 2. I start week 3 this week coming up. I don't know if I should be excited or scared.

Post my workout and breakfast I took a shower, washed my hair. I then snacked on almonds and dark chocolate (not pictured). Eventually I got motivated to do some meal prepping for the week and that's what I did. Here are some photos:

In the zip-locks  Seasoned salmon and tilapia which i can cook up quickly. The containers on the side have whole wheat pasta divided up for 3 days.

Also, prepped some "grab and go" breakfast items:

In the zip locks: Granola with raisins. In the white paper: Almond butter and Jelly on sprouted raisin bread they all make a great and super satisfying breakfast).

Once that was done I came to visit my parents and here I am for a bit. Feels good to be here :).

So, the "somewhat" on the title of this post means that I cant say I've been eating 100% clean today (although I am working on recovering from yesterday's eating fiasco!). But, I've found a nice balance. I ate my moms food in moderation and somehow found the will power not to over do it too much on the dark chocolate earlier today! Life is all about balance. I am usually super good about my food and my workouts during the week. We all slip off once in a while. Is part of life!

Question: Hows your Sunday going? were you affected by the snow storm this weekend?

Fortunate Fridays!

Hello! As write this I am relaxing on my couch seeing the snow fall down through my window. Candles on and everything! I am watching an episode of What Not to Wear from my DVR collection (my fave show!). Needless to say I am feeling pretty relaxed right now after such a long week! Thankfully, the 'crazy' snow-storm they had warned us about hasnt been so bad. After the whole Sandy fiasco we now have a tendency to freak out (which doesnt hurt because is better to be safe than sorry) but I am happy to announce that so far so good. Lets see what happens during the night and tomorrow.

So, here I am like every Friday. And these are the things I am feeling fortunate for this week (in no particular order).

1. A job that embraces and celebrates different cultures. One of the days this past week my company celebrated "Chinese New Year" and brought in several traditional Chinese goodies for us to have. Most of it was pastries and sweet stuff. Sounds like I need to take a trip to china ;). I opted for this item. I have no idea what is called. I asked my chinese co-worker and he didnt even know! But It was good!!:

It tasted like chocolate angel cake and I was able to split it up in two and eat it as a snack during the day. Anyone know the name of it or seen it before?


2. The freedom of choice and to pursue my dreams! We had a guest speaker in my entrepreneurship course this past week and she was sooooooooooo inspiring. As she told us her story of how she came about her business and how she made the jump from an engineering career in to soap-making I almost started to cry. My favorite phrases from what she told us were: "what do I have to loose? If things didnt work out I could always go back to my carrer" "what If I loose some of my saving? I could make it back!". She was literally glowing and you could see that she was pursuing her dreams and somehow that shined right through her. Nedless to say, she made me realized that I have the freedom to get up one day and just decide to "go for it" whatever it may be. How amazing is that?! Freedom of choice! We only have one life to live!!! You can check out her business here. the name of her business is Kalliste Organics. I plan to make a post on her products soon :)

3. The fact that I SOMEHOW ended up with the perfect combination of courses this semester. After spending a week going crazy and stressed out; I ended up choosing the entrepreneurship course to compliment finance. I couldn't be happier with this combination. Praise the lord! Lesson learned: probably not a good idea to wait until the last minute to register. I feel really lucky everything worked out as it did.

4.  Learning 4 new things I didnt know before (These facts are pretty random and you probably wont care about any of this but I am sharing anyways. Sharing knowledge cant hurt, right?): 
-Someone made me aware of the wonderful world of S.E.O (search engine optimization)
-That you are allowed to claim the student loans that you take out on your taxes (I was under the impression you could only claim student loan interest).
-That anyone can invest on preferred stocks (not only for high wealth individuals)
-That January has always been a good month for the stock market, historically speaking (the recent rallies are apparently nothing new).

5. Being able to enjoy my mom's bread pudding today as a after-lunch snack. Ate it with some green tea. Sooo good. Everything in moderation of course! 
New goal: will learn her recipe and make a "healthier" version of this substituting certain ingredients.

 

By the way, below is what I had for dinner this evening (RIGHT AFTER FINISHING JILLIAN'S Ripped In 30: Day 6, week 2! Looking forward to a delicious dinner is always a great motivation to work out!)

Shrimp quesadilla made w/ a whole wheat tortilla, shrimp and 1/4 cup melted part skim mozzarella. So good! Plus, had a left over piece of sweet potato and baked it it in to chips: 

 

And last but not least---In honor of Fortunate Fridays, this was my YOGI Green tea message today:

 

Couldn't agree more!!! Have an amazing weekend everyone and stay safe!

Share with me something new you learned this week!

My First Race of 2013 -N- Fun February Objectives!

Hey Everyone! Happy Monday!

I am feeling a million times better than last week considering Im finally settled in to my work/school schedule and can finally plan meals, workouts, and fun times accordingly.

Yesterday I completed the NYRR Gridiron Classic 4-miler with my sister and her friends. It was freeeezingggggggggggg. It literally felt in the negative degrees. Thankfully once I started to run I eventually got warmer.

 I have to say this was probably up there as one of the most difficult races I have ever done for two reasons: 
1. the ridiculous temperature 
2. an unexpected amount of hills. 

Just a couple of months ago or so I ran an ENTIRE 10K (my first one) NON STOP and felt amazing the entire time (minus the muscle pain the next day). For this particular race, although it was only 4 miles I actually had to stop a couple of times to catch my breath!

But, all in all I loved racing with my sister and her cool friends whom are also really in to running. We actually created our own little running club so, I cant wait to do more races with them. Below are some of the pictures from yesterday (still waiting on my sis to send me the rest!):

(In case you are wondering or forgot what I look like I am the girl with the Gray sweater and the blue headband! lol)

Very cool collage made by my sis (and stolen and cropped borrowed from her Instagram):

So, side note: My sister's new boyfriend is so cool. He now comes to races with us and is in to running (when he's never ran in his life! lol) thats when you know someone is really in to you--> When they are willing to try new things they've never done before just to be around you. How awesome is that!

So, moving on to the stuff I want to get done in February. Want to make this quick because my dinner is waiting :)

Objectives for Feb 2013:

1. Fitness: Finish week 2 of Jillian's Shredin30 (Finish Strong!) and sign up for two races

2. Health: Make a conscious effort to Drink at least 3.15 pints of water per day (baby steps)

3. Money: Organize my finances & Set a "on my way to riches" plan 
I am usually pretty good with finances overall but when it comes to paying bills and actually opening correspondence on time I need to get more organized!

In terms of the "on my way to riches" plan that's pretty much setting a more advanced version of a budget for myself that I can comfortably follow.

4. Friendships: Set a "catch up date" with a close friends (I want to set aside more time for my good friends)

5. Personal Development: Complete at least 1 module of the investment course I am taking online

Okay that's it for February. There were a couple of things I wanted to add (ie: read another book) but I dont want to over-extent myself considering I have quite a few things going on. If I end up doing more than the above, of course I will share!

Q: Do you have any goals for February?!

Fortunate Fridays

Hey everyone!! Ugh! another busy week. Although it was a short week (thank god) I barely had time to come on the blog (as usual). However, cant miss Fortunate Fridays, can I?! So here goes...this week I feel fortunate for:

1. My sister and the fact that she loves to run and is motivating me to sign up for several races! I have a goal in terms of the number of races I want to run this year and I have several super fun ones on my radar which I will be signing up for within the next week. So excited! 

2. Jillian Michaels DVDs! I swear her workouts WORK! I feel so much stronger and although she kicks your butt she gives you results. Plus- I cant mention enough how much I love the fact that the workouts are only 20-3 minutes. Amazing.

3. The text message I got from one of my friends today thanking me because she was able to raise her credit score significantly, save on her 401k, get out of debt and started investing. About a year and a half ago I wrote up a financial plan for her and she followed it to the T!!! I always tell her that it was her focus and hard work that has gotten her to this point. My plan may have been a blue print but it was all up to HER because SHE wanted to improve her life. Either way, that text made my day and made me feel incredibly grateful that I was able to help her. The greatest satisfaction is simply to see her reach her goals and I cant wait to see how much further she goes.

4. Living in America! Okay this is going to sound random but I LOVE this country and I feel incredibly blessed to live here. So many opportunities to do some many things I probably would have never been able to do had I never moved here. I feel really, REALLY blessed. 

5. On that same "I Love America Note" I feel fortunate for the Stock Market and for being able to participate in it. This is another random fact about me-- I LOVE investing. Is one of the things that I am super passionate about. I follow market news, listen to podcasts, read the books, etc. etc. Such an exciting world. If you arent in to stuff like that you may think I am crazy. But everyone has a passion or two, right?! I may share more about this stuff on the blog. What do you think? Would you be interested? I dont see enough females excited about the market and I feel that this is a skill everyone should have! Is often known as a "mans world" but it should not be! I would love to change that.

6. BONUS FORTUNATE: Cant forget the blogger award I got this week!! I get so happy when people find my blog and enjoy my posts. Thank you!! I am still finalizing my list of 11 bloggers I will nominate so, cant wait to share it with others.

Okay this is it for today! Its been snowing in NYC but I want to see if I can run tomorrow. With my work schedule I can usually only run on weekends. When he weather gets better I hope to be able to run outside more often.

Cheers to the weekend!!!

Question: Any plans for the weekend? anything great happened this week that you are feeling grateful/fortunate for?

Fortunate Fridays

Hey everyone! Hope you've had a great week! Mine was kinda hectic with work and everything else so I barely had time to come on the blog but Im definitely keeping up to date with all my favorite bloggers. I love reading about what everyone else has been up to!

So, for this series of Fortunate Fridays here are my 5 for the week.

1. I feel fortunate that I am able to conveniently fit in exercise in to my schedule by walking from work to the farthest train station I can find (about 3.2 miles away). It might sound crazy that I actually choose to walk rather than taking the nearest train station (1 block away) but on days when I know I need to clear my head and get some cardio in; the walk is a lifesaver and is free of charge!!

2 I feel grateful/fortunate for the progress I have made with my body and my shape since February 2012 up to today. During last February I went through a tough break up and decided to focus on myself and bettering myself (in every aspect of my life). I have come a LONG way and I am very satisfied that my focus and hard work has paid off. I feel amazing and I am incredibly grateful that relationship ended. Sometimes I feel like I have an angel by my side always that protects me from a bad future or overly wasting my time with people and situations that aren't going to take me anywhere. Whoever that angel is-- thank you!

3. The admissions counselor that decided to give me a chance back when I applied to college (several years ago). When I applied to college I had only been in the U.S for about 8 years (I moved to the US from the Dominican Republic). Although I was a straight A's student in high school my SAT score was nothing to brag about. However, that admissions officer took a chance on me anyways and because of that person I was able go away to college (something that was unheard of in my family) and lived through 4 of the most amazing years of my life. I dont know who that person is. I just remember I spoke to him over the phone and he told me he was "thinking about admitting me". About a week later I received my acceptance letter. I hope I can meet him one day. Sometimes Ive been tempted to call my Alma Matter and asked whom may have reviewed my application back then. Just to thank him. Is that weird?

4. I feel fortunate for my kitchen and how spacious it is. It allows me to be creative with my dishes and I never through I would say this in the past but-- I LOVE TO COOK.

5. I feel fortunate for the fact that I know what my passions in life are. Is funny in the past I was all over the place because so many things interests me but is an amazing feeling to know exactly what you love to do and what you were put in this earth for. As a quote I once heard says: "the two most important days in your life are 1. when you are born 2. when you realize why."

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE! 

CHEERS TO AN AMAZING WEEKEND. A BONUS FORTUNATE FOR THIS POST WOULD BE: THANK GOD is a long weekend and most of us have Monday off!
Love,
Mabelle

Getting Creative in the Kitchen

Hey all! I feel like I’ve had quite the hectic week and it’s only Wednesday. Ask me why I woke up this morning thinking it was Thursday already?! Ugh! Yesterday there was a crazy accident on my train line on my way home from work so I had to find an alternative way to get home. I was left stranded at a random train station. Thankfully, I made the best out of it by going in to a Barnes and Noble while the craziness died down and it made for quite the productive evening (Barnes & Noble is one of my favorite places to be. Nerd alert!). Another plus side is that I even found my local express bus  in the area which eventually took me straight home! Sometimes breaking away from the routine can help us discover new things we’d probably never realize otherwise.

In terms of workouts—Ive been pretty good with doing Jillian “shred in 30” every other day since the beginning of the year. I love her DVDs. I seriously never though I’d be able to find a work out DVD I would love as much as this one (plz don’t judge lol. I still love his videos!!) but I did and I love it!! Ive also been walking several miles per day.

Somehow I’ve been able to maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle without a gym membership! NYC can be an amazing gym in and of itself!

So…back to the title of the post. Lately I have been enjoying loving the kitchen and finding clean, healthy, yet delicious recipes to try or I’ll just make up random stuff (which I what I usually do). I have to share with you the three top dinners I’ve come up with this past week. Every single one of these dishes was soooo good and full of flavor! And guess what! I barely used any oil and zero salt. For flavor; I use about 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and then I add garlic and onions; which I sauté. I also add some of my curry powder which adds flavor to everything (with a gazillion times less sodium than regular salt).

Sunday: Chicken Quesadilla

Monday: Mashed Sweet potato with Grilled Shrimp

Tuesday: Organic black bean soup with carrots and veggies on the side (not pictured)

…don’t you love Trader Joes? The delicious dish above came out of this lil’ number.



Oh! And I figured out a way to make ~65 calorie hot chocolate (Simple Ingredients: One cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk, one packet of “sugar free” hot cocoa, some cinnamon on top--- One word: D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S. The almond milk gives it such a creamy taste! (side note: the Masala Chai  tea experiment is still a work in progress lol. For now, hot cocoa will do).

So, those are my eats so far for the week. Let’s see what new experiment I come up with tonight. I find that ENJOYING the foods we eat place a HUGE impact on weight loss and maintenance. As you may already know, it has to be a lifestyle. Who wants to go through life eating things that taste like cardboard just for the sake of being skinny? Not my style. There is a better way! Food is to be enjoyed. Bon Appetite!

Question: Do you like to cook? Are you a recipe person or a “I’ll figure it out” kinda’ girl?

Hungover on a Wednesday

Random side note: this is post number 275^th! Ive always had an affinity with the number 5 or multiples of 5. Just thought u should know ;)

So, Hello blog world!

This morning I woke up feeling like I had spent the last week drinking and wondering whether it was Saturday or Sunday. When my alarm went off I was immediately smacked in the face with the cruel reality that it is only Wednesday and I have a job so off I went to get ready.

Why the hangover status? Well, last night I went to dinner with a really good friend of mine. Lets call him Mr. R; Hi R! J. We went to one of my favorite places:

It is a tex-mex/Mexican spot with affordable food and super strong drinks. I ended up drinking 1.5 cups of something they like to call “the white flower” which is a mix of white wine sangria and some sort of alcohol that may or may not include tequila. I had to share the 2^nd half of my 2^nd drink with my friend because it was just too much. For food I had a “Mexican chicken wrap” which was amazing. I also had a salad on the side. I love Mexican food no matter how you slice it! I got caught up in the conversation and drinks and forgot to take a picture. Sorry!

My friend and I talked about everything under the sun (as usual) and then somehow managed to walk out of the place without falling on our way to the door. Fun times for sure! That’s one thing I really enjoy about our friendship—we can chat about anything, act silly and then pretend we are normal after all that. Haha

(Random note: my friend found my blog by mistake last year and this is one of his infamous comments about it: “You are very photogenic”  (huh? What is that supposed to mean? Lol)

Anyways, I managed to make it home around 12 ish. Thankfully my favorite bus driver was on shift and dropped me off right on the corner of my apartment (not an official bus stop). He is always super nice. I hope he didn’t notice my drunken status when I suddenly got up and asked if he minded leaving me “at the corner”. He jokingly (or half joking?) offered to drop me off in front of my building. That would have been pretty hilarious.  

Yesterday was day 2 of my “30 day shred” Jillian workout DVD series. I have to say the first day was rough but I am getting used to the workouts and once again loving her exercises. You know you are doing something right when you actually see results on your body. I was also super excited to know she’s back on the biggest loser. I am such a big fan of hers now!

So the last couple of days I’ve been having overnight oats (inspired by my Greek yogurt expiration date of 12/31). I had an empty peanut butter jar which I used yesterday. No jar for today so I used a regular container for this morning’s breakfast.

Today:

 

Either way, soo good! I added raisins and cinnamon to the mixture. I also had my café w/ soy milk. Can’t go wrong with the Greeks for breakfast.

…And here’s today’s work outfit/accessories:

H&M cardigan, express skirt, NY&C bracelet, regular black shoes/print stockings.



Happy Hump Day!

Question: Have you ever been to a Blockheads? Do you like Mexican food?

Fortunate Fridays!

Hey Everyone!

Sorry Ive been MIA for a couple of days. As mentioned in my previous post-- I am back at work and my schedule got a little busy. Last night I actually spent the night at one of my good friend's apartment. She was going through some stuff and needed someone to talk to so, I didnt mind keeping her company. We got to share a lot of things and bond a lot more than before. I am definitely grateful for those people I can call real friends. Her apartment is actually about 30 minutes closer to my job than my apartment is so that actually worked out perfect and I got to work 20 minutes earlier this morning (cant remember the last time that happened!).

Today was a good and productive day but best of all today is FRIDAY! So, without further 'ado this is what I feel fortunate for this week:

1. The people that have crossed my path and have added tremendous value to life. They say you meet people for a reason, a season or a lifetime. This week I got to thinking about the people that have come in to my life and have added VALUE. Weather they're still in my life or not; their passage was significant in so many levels and for that I feel so fortunate. 

Examples: From someone whom taught me how to invest in the stock market (which is something I ALWAYS wanted to do and now I am obsessed), to the person whom helped me with my resume when I was looking for a job a year ago (and did such an amazing job that I was getting calls left a right from different employers!), to my friend whom was constantly running races and working out (and had such an amazing body) and whom sparked my interest in doing the same and now I love it, to the friends that are consistently pushing me to get better and whom lead by example. And many, many other people that have crossed my path. I am fortunate to have met them all and cant wait to see what other people God has in store for me.

2. My commitment to working out and remaining consistent with my fitness during this past year. I have to admit---to get started with working out and eating healthy may be super difficult (at first) but eventually comes a time where it does become easier and you look forward to working out and eating clean food that taste good. I am not saying it becomes 'super easy' but the satisfaction that you get when you start seeing results makes it all worth it and motivates you that much more.

3. My (crazy) family. Ive spent the past 20 something new years eves with my immediate and extended family and although we're not perfect-- we are very close and sure know how to stick together. We always have a blast  party when we meet up and this past December 31st was no exception! Random fact: Ive never spent new years or Christmas away from family in my entire life! I am sure that may change one day when I have a family of my own and children but for now, is all I know and I enjoy it.

4. My dad for teaching me how to manage my money from a very young age and for always reminding me of the importance of good finances. He has taught me so much to last me a lifetime and all of that is simply priceless!

5. The random (and SUPER WARM) winter jacket I found in the back of my closet when I was organizing stuff this past week. NYC has been insane with freezing temperatures lately and I was constantly freezing with my "professional" yet non-warm pea coat. When I found this other jacket and realized how warm it is (apparently I had forgotten) I felt like I hit the lotto. Dont you love finding useful stuff you forgot you even had?! 

6. Super Bonus Fortunate: My new followers! I gained some new followers this past week and that always puts a HUGE smile on my face. Thanks for following my blog. Is greatly appreciated. :) If you are new here (or have been here before) and you like what you see please follow my RSS feed or add yourself to the Google profile list to the right.

Now I am finally at home relaxing and sipping on some chai tea (I am still trying to perfect the recipe):

...And I leave you with a few pics of my eats today:

Lunch was a 6 inch subway sandwich with grilled chicken (had to buy lunch since I slept over at my friend's and couldn't pack lunch from home). This was good (no seasoning needed!):

As a snack, I had one of these granola bars which I found at TJ maxx. Have you seen these? They are soooo good, natural and gluten free!

Dinner-- Turkey burger tossed with lettuce and spinach. I added some raisins and seasoned with EVOO and Vinaigrette:

Had a small sweet potato on the side:

QUESTION: How was your week? What did you feel fortunate for this past week?

Back @ Work... and the Longest Trader Joes line in History!

Hey all!

So today should probably declared as "back to reality day" for the majority of us. Back to the work routine. I can def get used to the good life of not having to work for weeks at the time but until that day becomes a reality for me off to work I went!.My alarm went off at the set time but I woke up nearly 30 mins later (insert: PANIC). I got ready as quickly as I possibly could and ran out of my apartment like a bat out of hell. Here is today's work ensemble:

(Sweater is from H&M and was a xmass gift from my sister. Bracelet I already had but matched the sweater perfectly. Sorry about the somewhat blurry pic!)

My breakfast consisted of PB&J on an English muffin, cafe with soy milk (no sugar) and a side of pineapple:

During my lunch I walked to a local Barnes and noble (about 1 mile away from my office) to work on some new years resolutions (if you are committed to something you will find the time!). I got a decaf w/ vanilla soy milk (which I asked for AFTER my order because is cheaper that way) and got to work for about 30-40 minutes before it was time to head back to the office. Mid afternoon I still had some of the decaf leftover and was feeling a tad hungry (had a turkey sandwich and some chips for lunch that held me over for a couple of hours) so I had a snack:

**That Kashi flavor is delicious, btw!

After work I immediately made my way to trader Joes. The place was PACKED (as usual). Trader Joes and I def have a love/hate relationship. I LOVE the food but HATE the crowds and the lines. ugh! Anyways, I managed to do my quick shopping and get out of there on time to find this chaos going on outside:

One of the longest TJ lines I have ever seen!!! I guess people are serious about their new years resolutions! ha! Hope this lasts more than a week for most of those people. The line was seriously long as heck! I apologize for the blurriness but I was feeling a little crazy taking a random pic in the middle of the chaos. I suddenly felt lucky (and glad) that I was able to make it in and out of there before this craziness started. (If this was TJs I can online imagine how packed most gyms were today!).

And this was what I got:

So anyways, managed to get home despite the FREEZING NYC temperatures. Turned on ALL my heaters immediately and then proceeded to make a quick dinner because I was starving!

Baked sweet potato w/ chicken on the side (chicken was made by my mother for new years and I brought some leftovers back to my apartment. Is regular chicken breast with some sauce--everything was delish!).

Now I am lounging here (banana bread in hand lol) ready to get back to reading my book which is getting interesting. Hope you all had a great first work day of 2013!! (Or second day if you worked yesterday).

PS: Random non-health related note---I was super happy today that the fiscal cliff issue (most of it) was resolved last night and now the markets can get back to normal. If you read my blog you know I am into finance and I follow the markets so I was super happy to see the s&p500 and other indexes soar! 

QUESTION: Do you shop at TJs? Does your local trader joes ever get super crowded? (the one I go to is in downtown Manhattan and is ALWAYS insanely packed!)

Hello 2013 and Hello January

Hey everyone! Hope you all had an amazing and safe new years eve celebration last night and that you're all hitting the ground running with this amazing year that has been numbered 2013. Something I didn't share yesterday on my post is that I actually spent a few hours of the morning at my local Barnes and Noble writing out a 2013 "action  plan". I was inspired by a Facebook post by an acquaintance that I really admire and he encouraged an action plan broken down in to quarterly, monthly and weekly goals. I am not quite finished yet but is looking good and is serving as a source of inspiration for me. I also completed my own "Happiness Concept Map" which I came across on this blog post. Erica is great and I actually derived my 2013 action plan from the concept map. I encourage you all to check it out. I first heard about the post on Clare's Blog.

I want to completely finish the action plan with set deadlines by the end of the week. Wish me luck! I have several things I want to accomplish by the end of January but here are a few of the "fun" stuff:

1.. Read an entire book of choice. This month's book:

I bought this book while vacationing in London back in 2011 (actually during my layover between London and Paris). I was going through a serious transition in my life and the book was absolutely perfect for the occasion.  I only ended up reading a couple of chapters because of my vacationing and then other stuff took focus when I came back but I cant wait to finish it. 

2. Get started on my new Jillian Michaels DVD. 30 day shred was amazing so I am excited about this one:

3. Look at the NY Road Runners schedule and map out a few races for the year or next 6 months. My sister got me a membership for Christmas (gotta love her!) so I cant wait to put it t use.

So now I leave you with a couple of photos from last nights celebration. Cheers to an amazing 2013!

Side note: I felt so amazing wearing that blue dress last night! I have never been "naturally skinny". I am one of those people that has to work for it and make a conscious effort each day to maintain a healthy life style and stay active. My hard work in 2012 paid off!!! It all started with getting rid of about 175 pounds (in terms of getting rid of a loser I was dating) which was just causing me to eat and be anxious. That was around February of 2012 and then I decided to take complete control of myself and my life-- began to race (Spartan), did a 5K, a 10K, remained constant with the Jillian Michael 30 day shred and other workouts. Ate healthy most of the time and come December I felt AMAZING and that how I felt last night. Sacrifices do pay off :)

Question: How was your new years eve? Are you making any plans for January or for the year? Thanks for reading!