Upcoming

Hi all! It's been a while, but not for much longer. I am going to be filling you all with lots of posts on all the information I'm learning this semester in school.

What I'm taking: Health Team Building, Community Health Promotion, Biostatistics (won't bore you on this one!), and Intro to Nutrition. My nutrition class is going to be packed with everything I ever want to know on what nutrients we should be getting, how many calories, how to read all nutrition labels, portion size, metabolism, fat storage, how food breaks down, how to lose weight, etc etc.

Look forward to sharing all of it with you!

Wonder where I've been?

Been blogging over here about fashion & design with my bff Ashley! Check us out!

Sunday Sweets

Found this stumbling across blog world, and what an adorable super yummy low-cal dessert! Buy some bittersweet chocolate chips and stuff them into raspberries for a delicious little dessert!

Yum.

Tofu Shirataki Noodles

Just came across this new guilt-free craze. Tofu Shirataki Noodles, made up of blended tofu and the root of a konnyaku (an Asian yam). It comes in Spaghetti style, Fettucinne, and Angel hair. Not only is it only 20 calories per 4 oz serving, but it has only 3g carbs, has NO cholesterol or sugar, is gluten and dairy free, AND vegan!

I pretty much can't wait to get my hands on these noodles.

:)

go here for more info.
*Purchasable at Lunardi's & Whole Foods*

No longer a teen!

{a sweet card my amazing co-workers made for me!}

Yesterday was my birthday, and guess what? I am no longer a teen. I am officially 20 years old. Oh em gee. Yes, I know, I'm still a baby. 

I still had to go to work yesterday, but my lovely co-workers took me out to lunch to this delicious Thai food place where we had pad Thai and yellow curry chicken...so bomb. Not exactly on my diet, but hey, it's my birthday! And then last night, I went out with my fam to Maggiano's, this amazing Italian restaurant. We ordered family style, and had Italian salad, Chopped Salad, Calamari, Steamed mussels, Linguine and Clams, Gnocchi, and Lemon cookies. Yes, that is a heck of a lot of food, but man was it good.

So it looks like I have a date today with the elliptical and my trainer. Awesome. Oh well, it was worth it :)

Feed your Cravings

Metabolism Boosters

I was watching Doctor Oz and one of the guests on the show was a metabolism expert. She recommended these 3 ways to boost metabolism and burn fat. Can't wait to try them out.

1) Forskolin - $14.99 at drugstore.com

This vitamin has proven to help boost individuals' metabolism and burn fat. Um, awesome!

2) Banaba Leaf Tea - $9.45 at amazon.com

This tea works to lower blood sugar levels, which then helps to burn fat.

3) Balsamic Vinegar - a few dollars at your local grocery store

Add 2 Tbsp of Balsamic with every meal to better digest carbohydrates. 

Well there ya go. Give it a try! I will be!

When you don't think you can, do it anyway!

My words of advice for today. When you don't think you can, do it anyway.

This weekend after a long week of work, I decided to sleep. ALOT. More than I should have. In result, I was super lazy, which meant no gym or workout what so ever. All the energy was sucked out of me, and going to the gym was the last thing I wanted to do. But when Sunday night rolled around, I super regretted it. I would have felt SO much better if I would have just mustered about some energy and went to the gym.

It's SO hard when you are super tired and you'd much rather catch up on your favorite shows then go to the gym/get in a workout. But my words of advice to you is, kick laziness to the curb, ask God for strength, and get sweatin! It may seem impossible, but trust me, you will feel so much better in the end. Not only will you not feel guilty because you didn't workout, but you will have so much more energy afterwards, and feel happier! One of the best feelings is doing something you didn't think you could do.

So push through, YOU CAN DO IT. Laziness is only there to rob of us being the best that we can be.

Busy Bee!

Sorry for the lack of posts! This new job is utterly exhausting me. Yesterday I was at work from 8:30 to 4:00 and then went straight to the gym for my personal training session. Oy was I tired! But, I got through it! Thanks to God and my personal trainer yelling at me to pick up the slack. I must say, on my own I probably wouldn't have worked out that much, but because I had someone motivating me, I was able to push myself harder than I thought I could. So, my quick tip for you today is, find someone to motivate you. Whether that be your husband, your best friend, someone from work, or a personal trainer. It makes all the difference. They help us see our potential even when we don't. :)

Back to work tomorrow for another long day of phone calls and sitting in a cubical. Joy.

Carrie Underwood's Guilt-Free Pizza

Came across this yummy, low-cal recipe on Self.com, and thought I'd share it with you guys. Can't wait to make it myself!

Ingredients:

• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray
• 1 Food for Life Organic Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain (or whole-grain) 9-inch tortilla
• 1/4 cup pizza sauce
• 1/4 cup 2 percent shredded mozzarella
• 16 slices Yves Veggie Meatless Pepperoni (or 3 slices lean sandwich meat, cut into small pieces)
• Vegetable toppings of your choice
• 1 cup mixed greens (optional)

How to:

Heat oven to 400°. Coat a cookie sheet or pizza stone with cooking spray. Spray I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray on both sides of tortilla; place tortilla on sheet; spread with pizza sauce; sprinkle with cheese. Top with pepperoni slices and your favorite vegetable toppings. Bake until tortilla is crispy and cheese has melted, about 5 minutes. Top with mixed greens, if desired. Cut into 4 slices and enjoy.

Nutrition:

239 calories per two slices, 6 g fat (1 g saturated), 20 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 26 g protein

*all information received from here*

Weekend Cocktail: Sangria Bianca

White wine, peaches, nectarines, oranges, and strawberries.

Delishhh.

Erase Arm Flab

via {here}

click image for larger size!

Restaurant Quick Tip

In order to make sure you aren't over eating when going out to a restaurant, especially one that has supersized portions, {like my favorite, The Cheesecake Factory - one dish could feed 3 people}! Ask the waiter before eating for a To-Go box, rather than after. This way, you can leave only the amount of food you should be consuming on your plate, and have the rest already packed away in a lil box for later. By doing this, you won't be tempted to eat more than you should since it's already packed away and out of sight.

Give it a try!

Mozzarella Caprese Salad

{me!}

One of my mom's and mines favorite things is mozzarella caprese. Mainly because we are Italian and LOVE cheese.
And when it comes to fresh mozzarella cheese, baby I'm in love. So, mom and I decided to make it yesterday, because we were craving something light and fresh. Such a quick and easy dish. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients: {makes about 15}

4 tomatoes
1 log of Precious Fresh Mozzerella Cheese
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of diced up fresh basil
enough olive oil to coat
enough balsamic vinegar to coat {this isn't a necessary ingredient, but we love the tanginess of it}

How to:

1) wash the tomatoes and basil; chop up the basil and slice the tomatoes into 1 cm thick pieces
2) slice up the log of mozzarella into 1 cm thick pieces
3) assemble the tomato pieces onto a plate {we used a dish so the olive oil and vinegar could soak into the cheese}
4) place the slices of cheese on top
5) scatter the basil across the top
6) drizzle olive oil over each piece; then drizzle balsamic over each piece
7) cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 15 minutes to let the oil and vinegar soak into the tomato and cheese.

Enjoy!

Happy 4th of July!

For the 4th, here is a cute quick treat you can make for your family and friends.

What you need:

-strawberries

- cool whip or whip cream

- blue sprinkles

What to do:

Take strawberries, first dip in the cool whip, and then dip in sprinkles. Easy peasie!

Enjoy your 4th! I will be relaxing at the beach :)

Safe Sun

Weekend Quick Tip

Time for the weekend, and that means parties, hangouts, and gatherings. This could be dangerous because what usually comes along with get togethers? Food. Lots of it. Have a problem with not snacking on the horderves table or the buffet table of desserts? ME TOO. Don't leave feeling guilty. Instead, before you go out for the night, stash some healthy snacks in your purse. I like to put in an apple, some grapes, and maybe some low-fat crackers. This way, when I'm tempted to snack, I won't be left feeling guilty. Phew!

Hope this helps!

Bustin my booty!

{not me, of course}

Just had my first session with my personal trainer. I didn't do as bad as I thought I did! Besides the need for a few minute rest because I thought I was gonna puke. No big deal. I am excited for my sessions and am going to post some of the workouts that I learn with all of y'all!

Happy Thursday!

Get your Vitamin C!

Did you know that red bell peppers have twice the amount of Vitamin C than a single orange?

AND they are super low in calories.

Incorporate them in your salads, stir frys, or eat them with some hummus for an afternoon snack.

Yum.

Lisa's Swimsuit Friendly Salad

{image cred: With Style & Grace}

Lisa from With Style & Grace let me share her delicious Avocado Swimsuit Friendly Salad. My mouth is watering. I cannot wait to make it. :)

For the recipe, head over to Lisa's blog. Enjoy!

My Favorite Zero Cal Sweetener

I came across this No Calorie Sweetener at Nob Hill Foods, and have been obsessed with it ever since. I always used Splenda for years, but wanted to find something more natural that still was zero calories. 

Ideal No Calorie Sweetener can be used for cooking and baking, and unlike other zero calorie sweeteners, this one is made with xylitol. Xylitol is a natural sweetener found in fruits and vegetables, and a natural substance our bodies produce. It also has proven to have dental benefits and is suitable for diabetics.  

So try it out. It's sweet and delicious just like sugar. :)

Call me a working girl

I had an interview with Santa Clara Valley Medical Center about a month ago to work in the Health Services Administration Department, and guess what, I got it! Yippie! It's a paid internship and I will be working with patients and all different types of people to see if they qualify for the new Medical Expansion, which will be reaching 30,000 more people. Awesome. I can't wait to learn all about Health care and jump start my career.

Woo hoo! Thanks God for your blessings!

Beginner's Workout!

{source}

Starbucks Favorites: Guilt Free

I am a huge lover of coffee, and of course Starbucks' delicious frappucinnos. But they aren't the healthiest things. So here are my picks if you want to satisfy your taste buds but not leave feeling guilty.

Starbucks Non Fat Latte (Iced or Hot)

Only 100 calories for a Tall, with 0 grams of fat, 15 g of carbs, and 10 g of fiber!

Skinny Lattes (Iced or Hot)

For only 90 calories for a Tall, this latte has sugar free flavored syrup, and 30% of your daily calcium! My favorites are the Skinny Vanilla Latte and the Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte. Delicious.

Coffee Frappuccino Light

Only 110 calories for a grande with 0 g of fat! Super yummy on a hot day.

Steamed Apple Juice

110 calories and so soothing. My go-to Christmas drink! Add some Cinnamon on top for some extra spice.

Strawberry Vivanno Smoothie

Been buying these a lot lately, especially after a hard workout. They are 280 calories, packed with 15g of protein! Ingredients: strawberry puree, banana, milk, whey protein, fiber powder, and ice. Yum.

So there ya have it. My go to guilt-free Starbucks drinks. Got any of your own?

Elipticalize

Want a body like this?

 Then get crackin on this!

Did you know that working out on an eliptical burns the same amount of calories as running on a tredmill? Sometimes even more! Elipticals are great for a full body workout. They work your thighs, calves, booty, abs, and arms. Make sure to use the handles for a harder workout! And maybe, just maybe, you will end up with a body like Audrina's ;) One can only hope right!?

Get Elipticalizing!

Mom's Speciality: Chinese Chicken Salad

My mom has been making her famous Chinese Chicken Salad all of my life. Lucky for me. It is so delicious, I could eat bowls and bowls of it. Here is the recipe, for a huge family size serving like this one here!

Recipe:

- 2 grilled chicken breasts (or however much you want to put in, buy pre-grilled or grill yourself)

- 1/4 cup of cilantro

- I can of mandarin oranges

- 1/4 cup of green onions

- 4 cups of romain lettuce

- 4 cups of cabbage

- 1/2 cup of chopped up peanuts

- 1/2 cup of chowmain noodles for topping

- oriental dressing, enough to coat (buy fat-free or lowfat)

How to:

1) wash lettuce & cabbage and then chop up; put in a bowl and into the fridge for a few minutes to chill

2) cook chicken or use pre-grilled; dice up cooked chicken or cut into slices

3) dice up green onion and cilantro

4) take chilled lettuce & cabbage out of the fridge and assemble all the ingredients

5) top with mandarine oranges, chowmain noodles, and peanuts

6) add dressing

Enjoy!

Eat Less

Eat a piece of fruit before your meal, and you are guarenteed to consume less calories and feel fuller faster.

Quick Tip on Preserving your Fruit

Don't store your bananas with your apples, oranges, or any other fruit. If bananas are next to fruit, they will ripen and be spotted brown in 2 days. No bueno. Store your bananas in the fridge, and I guarentee they will stay fresh for longer.

Tea 101

According to iVillage there are numerous benefits from tea. I always knew that tea was a much better option than coffee (tear, tear...), and the go-to drink when I'm sick. But I've never quite liked the taste. I LOVE iced tea, but hot tea, not so much. Only if I add lots of milk and sugar. Mmmm. :)

But after reading this article, I think I may switch up my daily Starbucks coffee to tea instead.

Here are all the benefits:

1. contains awesome cancer fighting antioxidants

2. it's way lower in caffeine than coffee

3. it may help to reduce the risk of heart attack & stroke!

4. helps protect our bones

5. creates healthier teeth & gums

6. helps our immune system

7. it's calorie free, so no guilt!

 

8. green tea helps increase the body's metabolism {sweet right?!}

So, grab some tea & sugar!

Choosing the Right Kind of Cereal

If a bowl of cereal is your daily breakfast routine, you must know how to choose the right kind.

What to look for:

1) you may think that a cereal is good for you if it's low in calories. Wrong. Sugar can be the main ingredient. It's typically low in calories so it will show a lower calorie count per serving, but eventually that sugar will turn into fat. No bueno.

2) go straight to the ingredients, if sugar is the first or second ingredient, skip it.

3) if you see the words "unbleached" or "enriched" flour, skip it.

4) disregard the calorie content, the ingredients are the most important. Words you want to see are "whole wheat", "wheat bran", "flax", "oats", etc. These types of cereal will naturally be higher in calories, but it's okay! because the ingredients are natural and wholesome and will not create fat!

5) Also be sure to look for a cereal that has a good amount of fiber. This is key, especially for breakfast time, to eat a cereal that will fill you up and keep you fuller longer.

Here are some of the cereals that I recommend:

These may look unappealing to you, but trust me, they are delicious!

Eat 1 cup of cereal with 1/2 cup skim milk.

Not full yet? Scramble an egg for extra protein.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so make sure you are getting the fuel you need to jump start your day.

Weight Loss Quick Tip

For weight loss, women should have 1500 calories per day.

This is broken down into 400 calories for breakfast, 500 calories for lunch, and 600 calories for dinner (at least 3 hours before bedtime). It's that simple. Doing this will result in 1lb weight loss per week, not bad eh? And you still are allowed a lot of calories. That's my kind of diet!


source: {1}

The fruits you want to eat

    

Grapefruits:

Did you know that eating a grapefruit before a meal will fill you up quicker? Grapefruits have tons of soluble fiber which will keep you full longer, and it is rich in Vitamin C, so you'll be helping your immune system as well!

Watermelons:

Watermelon is so delicious and mostly water, so you can eat a lot of it {which i like}! The water in the watermelon will increase urination, which will decrease bloating {that's always good right!?}. AND this fruit has tons of cancer fighting antioxidants, so eat up!

Berries:

 Blueberries, Blackberries, Rasberries, Bosenberries, Strawberries - all are delicious and oh so sweet. These berries help reduce the risk of cancer, and the Vitamin A in them helps strengthen vision. So, instead of grabbing for a bowl of icecream, grab for these berries instead, they will satisfy your sweet tooth and won't leave you feeling guilty. Add some zero calorie sugar on top, and you got yourself a sweet dessert :)

Note: All fruits have lots of sugar, so be careful on how much you consume. The good thing is it's a natural sugar, which the body prefers much more than refined.

Eat up!

sources: {1,2,3,4}

Coffee: to drink or not to drink?

There are many different opinions when it comes to coffee. Many cannot survive a single day without their Starbucks fix. I myself am one of them. So what's the dish? Can it really be that bad for you?

Pro's:

1) the caffeine in coffee boosts your metabolism 

2) it helps you be more alert and focused

3) it's a diuretic so it helps keep things moving! {good for weight loss}

4) it's super low in calories, if you don't add sugar and cream of course; I recommend adding non fat milk and splenda or truvia

4) it's super yummy :)

Con's:

1) the high levels of caffeine in coffee increases your heart rate and blood pressure level, so maybe 3 or 4 cups a day ain't such a good idea! I'd stick to 2 at the most.

2) since it's a diuretic, it depletes the body of its needed water amount; so if you don't replenish the body with lots of water, you may gain weight; 64 oz a day of water is needed.

3) numerous lattes throughout the day will result in weight gain, even if you get a Skinny Latte :(, why? Because milk has tons of carbs, resulting in some extra baggage..darn.

So there's the scoop.

Coffee ain't so bad, but everything in moderation of course. And you shouldn't be addicted to anything, so if your one of those people who say "Don't talk to me until I've had my coffee!", you may just want to cut back. 

Be healthy and be happy.