The Meat-Less Experiment

Hello Blog world!

Hope everyone is having a good Tuesday so far. I am personally very excited that I have Thursday off (Hallelujah) I have no plans as of yet but as long as I dont have to be at work I am happy.

So, before I get in to the reasoning behind the post title, just want to share that after an awesome workout this morning (On my Jillian Michaels 30 day shred grind!)I had overnight oats (on a jar!!!) for the first time in a LONG time. I sure missed the deliciousness of granola & greek yogurt mixed together in pure harmony. So, although I call it overnight oats, there is actually no oats in there. Also, I didn't have time for the "overnight" part so lets just say I prepped it post workout and then put it in the freezer while I got ready for work. Im still calling it overnight oats 'cuz I can. And it was delicious.

So, I went to dinner with a good friend of mine the other day and we both ordered salads with the exception that she asked for no meat while I opted to add some chicken. She made a comment that she had stopped eating meat a while ago and mentioned some stuff about growth hormones and other additives, etc placed in some meats (specially low quality meat). Needless to say, our conversation left quite an impression on my mind. A couple of days later (this past weekend) I went to the beach with my sister and her friends and one of the girls in the group mentioned she had stopped eating meat and has been "meat-less" for 3 months.

I understand that for many of you not eating meat may be super normal and common amongst your group of friends, family and/or acquaintances. However, the idea of not eating meat within my circle of friends and family (specially being from a Latino background) is quite RARE! As a matter of fact, I started to think about how I really don't know anyone in my immediate family who doesn't eat meat and I can count with less than one hand the friends that I have whom are fully vegetarian.

Then, I got to thinking. In the 20-something years I have on this earth Ive never gone a week (maybe not even an entire day!) without some kind of meat. Hence, I decided that it would be quite the "adventure" maybe even a challenge for me to give up meat for an entire week.

Beginning today. I would have said starting yesterday but I remember I had some turkey cold cuts with my lunch so yesterday wont count.

Just want to clarify that "not eating meat" simply means I will be giving up any kind of chicken, pork, turkey, or actual animal meat from today until 07/09/2013. I will still allow myself to have fish, any kind of seafood, and eggs as sources of protein so, we'll see how this goes!!

Today I did pretty well during the day. Had a tuna sandwich for lunch and it was good (i'll probably be having the same lunch for the next few days.

Dinner, however, caught me by surprise my dear friends and I was not sure what I wanted to have. Then I remembered that beans (specially black beans) are loaded with proteins and I had some and so, I prepped some beans and had a bean-avocado wrap with broccoli on the side. I also had a strawberry-banana smoothie made with almond milk (not pictured). 

I know my dinner looks small but I had some more beans and another piece of avocado after that was done. I also had about 1/2 cup of gluten free pasta that was left over from the weekend.

Feeling good. Wish me luck! 

QUESTION/INQUIRY:  Need help! Please share your favorite meatless meal ideas with me!! :)

Post # 301: Fortunate Fridays, March Objectives and Overnight Oats

This is my post #301 :)...I should really pay closer attention to my Blog's milestones..

Hey everyone!

 

First of all, there is some crazy and random snow storm going on in NYC (yes the Friday before we spring forward our clocks) and my morning was quite insane!

My bus never showed up so after around 45 minutes of waiting around I had to take a $8 cab to the train. Needless to say I made it to work super late. Thankfully my boss was understanding but what a disaster of a morning I had!

 I know it could have been worse. So, I am over it! Thankfully I had prepped breakfast the night before and once I finally made it to work I was able to enjoy my overnight oats (in an near-empty almond butter jar):

[In the mix: Chobani 0% Greek yogurt mixed in with a little bit of stevia for flavor, cinnamon, 1/3 cup of granola and raisins] Had it with some coffee on the side. So good! It had been a while since I had it.

And here is the Fortunate Friday Rundown of the week. This week I feel fortunate for...

1. Coming home to a clean apartment-- my mom was off from work one day this week. Since she's the type of person that constantly has to be "in motion" she called and asked whether I'd like her to swing by my place and clean up a bit. How could I be against that?!

Well, I came home to the smell of clean and fresh. Thanks mom!

2. Living during a time where absolutely everything is available on the internet-- I know this is so "normal" to us now but I am an 80s baby and I do remember a time where the internet was not in existence (encyclopedia Britannica anyone?!). Well, I've been doing research on different topics this past week (from personal to school related) and the fact that everything is so easily and readily available is definitely something to feel fortunate for... and not to be taken for granted!

3. Health-- I always feel fortunate for this but figured I throw in a friendly reminder. If you have health you have everything.

4. The free gym at my school-- or maybe I should say "free" because my tuition covers part of it (whether I like it or not). But anyway, Ive been trying to fit in some runs during my busy week and figured since I am already on campus nearly every single day I could make good use of my time and hit the gym before my class. This week has been a success with that! I'll elaborate more on my next post.

5. Scholarships for MBA students. Since my company doesn't pay for school I've had to get "creative" on searching for resources and found some scholarships online which i will be applying for. Please pray for me and wish me luck!!

I know I am 8 days late but here are my top 5 Objectives for the month of March:
1. Friendships: Meet up with at least one friend I haven't seen in a while (roll over from February)
2. Fitness: Run 2-3 times a week, Finish Jillian rippedin30 week 3
3. Personal: Tackle things head on before they ever have a chance to stress me out.
4. School: Stay on top of school stuff
5. Finish requirements for at least one scholarship

Any plans for March? How was your friday morning?

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?