Workout Week March 20-26 2013

My 4 personal goals: 

1. Drink 64 oz. of water.
2. Eat 3 servings of vegetables a day.
3. Eat 2 servings of fruit a day
4. Lose some weight!

Overall personal goal analysis: I am proud of myself this week. I ate well and I worked out 4 days- but I was super busy and squeezing in 4 days was an accomplishment   I saw results and I just gotta keep the momentum going. I feel like I've been running around like a crazy with all that I did this past week and all that's coming up. I think business is good because it keeps my idle brain from wandering around and doing things it shouldn't- aka eating chocolate!

Here’s how my workouts went:

Wednesday: 6:30 am bootcamp in the bag.  This was something I had planned on skipping because I had to work Ducks that night, but I made it anyway.  The more I go to these early bootcamps the easier it gets to wake up.

Thursday: I feel like this was my last great weekday workout night in a while. I did spin and zumba.  I told my instructors that Angels season is starting back up so don't be expecting me in class consistently anymore. Its nice to develop relationships with the instructors but then you stick out like a sore thumb when you dont show up and then they call you out!

Friday: I love Fridays. I play softball this day but in general I just really look forward to that time when I walk out of my office door and have two days to look forward to without deadlines and meetings. 

Saturday: This was a busy day but I did get in a 25 min jog and Spartacus.  My parents were in AZ so I ran errands after the gym and picked up a giant baby shower cake and lots of other goodies and went to my friend David and Stephany's baby shower.  It was a circus theme and so much fun.  Afterwards I went out with Mike and had dinner.

Sunday: Woke up early and made it to spin, again my instructor was absent, where the heck is she?  Last week she was running the marathon -what's her excuse this day?  After spin I ran to my parents house, loaded my trunk with chairs and blankets, grabbed my cooler and loaded it with food then headed to the beach. I had my master's program reunion and it was so nice to see everyone and super relaxing. The sun was out and we couldn't ask for more beautiful weather. I slept sooo well that night.

Monday: I worked Ducks this night so no workout

Tuesday: I worked Angels this night so no workout, we had our dress rehearsal- look at this gorgeous field.... 

Overall workout analysis:

How I feel: Amazing! I worked out a lot compared to what I thought I'd have time for.  Even though I just wanted to stay home and sit on the couch during my free time, I got my butt to the gym and ate relatively healthy.  I think that planning this next week is key. I gotta live out of my trunk so I need to be prepared every day when I walk out of my door.

For next week: Still feeling energized and motivated. I like how it feels. I am looking forward to April on Monday!  Love spring.

On Sunday evening I went to check on my grandparents house. I walked around my grandpas garden  and I missed him so bad my heart started to ache.  Below is a pic of his apricot tree(?) Not sure what tree, but it was beautiful. Ever since he passed- their home has succumbed to weeds and is really overgrown but I still see him everywhere when I look at his bonsai or flowerbeds...

On deck: Angels officially start season tomorrow so I am working Thur and Sat night. I also run the 5k with my dad Sat morning and its Easter on Sunday. I am excited for the day off Friday. I feel like I'm running ragged.

Photo Food Diary

This is what I ate yesterday
It was a nice morning because I had a late offsite meeting. I actually got to make a good protein packed breakfast.

I had a Thoma's Everything Bagel Thin toasted with deli sliced ham, egg and cheese. It was super delish. I also had my morning latte- it had a shot of starbucks espresso a dash of flavored creamer and steamed milk compliments of the Starbucks Verismo system!

I then was off on my day- when I finish my morning coffee I also pack a canister of tea to sip on all day long to meet my daily H2O goals.  Obvi I'm becoming obsessed with Teavana. Check out my kitchen windowsill..  Yesterday I had the Early Grey Creme.

I had two meetings that morning and in between each I had a two clementine cuties. They are so good and sweet right now. No pic.

Then I had a handful of chocolate covered raisins and half of this fruit mixture  I love this time of year when a ton of fruit is in season. I got the green grapes from Sprouts on sale this week and they were the most delicious grapes I've had in sooo long!

After my meetings I scooted back to my office and had lunch- which was grilled chicken and salad with hidden valley ranch. My salad had cucumbers, red onion, romaine, red leaf lettuce, carrots and tomato in it.

Afternoon snack was a spam musubi. Most ppl would look at this in disgust.  Spam??! But hey- I was raised on this! They are amazing and a total comfort food. I got this one at the Japanese market- they are not as good as homemade musubis  :)

Work has been hectic from our impending gala. I am always running around like crazy so packing my lunches has really been helpful because I just never know if I'll get to eat otherwise.

It's so funny when ppl say they were so busy they forget to eat... That has NEVER happened to me.

I must have really been in the breakfast mood because last night  I was craving it.  I had breakfast for dinner. I had a whole wheat tortilla, egg and cheese with an apple and of course, Tapatio.  I also munched on some leftover lemon ricotta cookies my friend made- I had two of those. Then I had a handful of peanut m&ms :)

This has been my first dinner home in a while where it's just been me - so it was nice to make something- nothing special but something that I was craving!

Simple Easy Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

I made this sauce on Tuesday and thought it turned out pretty good for the first time. I am going to continue making it and tweaking until I get it just right. I may never buy jarred sauce again? errr unless I get lazy.

INGREDIENTS

2- 28 oz cans SAN MARZANO whole peeled tomatoes

6 cloves garlic

2 tbls EVOO

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried oregano

8 or so leaves fresh basil

crock pot

DIRECTIONS

1.     Drizzle olive oil in a saute pan and heat on low. Sliver garlic and saute for 2 min until translucent.

2.     With crock pot on low add canned tomatoes. Add cooked garlic and olive oil, tear up half of your basil into mixture. Add all dried herbs, (rub them in your palms to release oils before you add)

2.     Cover with lid and heat away for 2-4 hours. 
3.     Once sauce is near completion and ready to serve, tear up the remaining basil into sauce and mix in.

I left mine all day and turned it to low about an hour before I was to serve it.  I also added Trader Joes turkey meatballs about an hour before serving and they were moist and tender when eating them!

My Crock Pot cooking away

Mixing the meatballs in

Workout Week March 13-19, 2013

My 4 personal goals: 

1. Drink 64 oz. of water.
2. Eat 3 servings of vegetables a day.
3. Eat 2 servings of fruit a day
4. Lose some weight!

Overall personal goal analysis: I think I did pretty good this week on the personal goals except for drinking water. When it comes the weekend I just dont do it. During the work week we have a nice little water cooler I just keep going to over and over again to fill my teavana cup or water bottle. I dont have that on the weekends.  I worked out often, but was pretty out of it mentally and never really pushed myself.  I am refocusing this week!

Here’s how my workouts went:

Wednesday: Made it to my 6:30 am boot camp and was super proud and happy about that.  That evening I had Bingo night with my girls Steph and Melis so I didn't really get active that evening, unless you count noshing on an ice cream sundae- cardio?

Thursday: I had a great workout night- I did both spin and zumba and felt great afterwards! That was also the night I didn't feel very hungry so I didn't eat much for dinner.

Friday: This was softball day.  I started off the evening by going to Haven Gastropub and had a beer and split the mac and cheese. It was so amazing- but it totally cancelled out my hour of softball

Saturday: I woke up completely unmotivated this morning. I went to the gym but I wasn't mentally present.  I did a bit of jogging and took Spartacus but I was a wuss and didn't work hard. That night my cousin Neal and Steph had a couple of us over to learn to country line dance. It was so cute how he set up his back yard with a dance floor and youtube/flatscreen. It was perfect. He also made the most amazing dinner imaginable. Ribs, baked potato, salad and bacon wrapped asparagus. I felt less bad about pigging out because A- the food was AMAZE and B- we danced for about 3 hours! I worked up quite a sweat!   Love my cousins!

Neal and Steph's backyard

Sunday: I took spin this morning and had a horrible instructor because my real instructor was running the marathon... UGH  I also did a ton of gardening with my dad. I think that burned some calories?

Sunday was also St. Patty's Day so lots of green beer and whiskey were also involved  but I had to celebrate... right?

Monday: I worked Ducks so no workout

Tuesday: I had Yols and Viv over for dinner where I made homemade spaghetti sauce. it was good. I will post the recipe.  I also squeezed in one hour of zumba.

Overall workout analysis:

How I feel: Amazing! I worked out 5 days- 6 if you count softball which I didn't  I even lost a bit of weight but I've been up 5 lbs since Dec so I need to shed 4 more!

For next week: I am going to keep this going and keep it up. I cant slide backwards

On deck: This week is the calm before the storm. Next week Angels starts and Ducks begins to overlap with Angels... Its going to be INSANE and working out will be a thing of the past for me  :( I've really been loading up on fruits and veg over the weekends and I will continue to do this. I have a lot going on this weekend including a baby shower and bonfire at the beach so I'll have to stay on top of my eating...

Harley Pasternak Smoothie

When living at home we never owned a blender.  Since I've moved out I recently adopted one into my home and it has changed my life. I am obsessed with blending!

I recently read in People Magazine an interesting study which found that blending your meals allows your body to access more nutrients than any other form of food prep (raw or any cooking method). Vitamins and minerals are processed so efficiently that they are made more bio-available to our bodies.  Blending to me is not only insanely fast and convenient but it also motivates me to buy more fruits and veggies and eat a healthier more fiber-filled meal. It is my go-to when I am running late in the morning.

Below is my favorite smoothie recipe at the moment - created by celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak.

INGREDIENTS

5 raw almonds
1 red apple
1 banana
3/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup nonfat milk
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1.     Place all ingredients in a blender. (Depending on how powerful your blender is, you may need to chop the apple and almonds into small pieces before blending.)

2.     Blend on medium-high for 30 seconds (or until desired consistency).

Makes one 16-ounce serving for a total of 382 calories.

It is sooo delish!!  What I particularly love is that the greek yogurt adds a nice element of protein that keeps me feeling fuller longer. The cinnamon is also a perfect addition as it goes well with the slight sweetness from the apple and banana  (I like to put a lot of cinnamon in). The only thing I don’t particularly like is that this smoothie comes out room temperature. In the summer months I think I’ll freeze the banana before I blend and that will give the smoothie some refreshing coolness!

Photo Food Diary

This is what I ate yesterday.
For once in my life I haven't had much of an appetite... weird for me.

Breakfast was my usual cup of coffee with vanilla creamer.  I also had a cup of oatmeal with cinnamon, brown sugar, raisins and slivered roasted almonds.

At work we've been super busy prepping for our gala.  I have been going to meetings nonstop and creating budgets and lists for assignments. My assistant Lauren has been great and we've developed a wonderful working relationship despite the rocky start. I am looking forward to April 7th when this entire event is in the books!

Snack was my usual cut up veggies and hummus. I had cucumbers, peppers, radishes, carrots and celery in there. I also had a laughing cow wedge to go with it.

Lunch yesterday was at the Bluewater Grill in Tustin.  A nice seafood restaurant. Not my usual weekday lunch. I had the swordfish tacos which came with coleslaw (not in mayo but in this lime vinaigrette  salsa and a side of french fries with an iced tea. The tacos were sub par. Very bland - even the salsa was bland. The best part of that meal was the coleslaw.
Maybe this meal turned me off to eating for the rest of the day because I didnt have much of an appetite after this.
I went back to work and when I left at 5 I was feeling really lethargic and blah.

This was dinner - a baked sweet potato with cinnamon along with a handful of grape tomatoes and a string cheese. I did drink a ton of lemonade so that boosted my energy a bit.. I ended up working out and hanging out with my roommate last night.
Also enjoying these lovelies:

Workout Week March 6-13th 2013

My 4 personal goals: 

1. Drink 64 oz. of water.
2. Eat 3 servings of vegetables a day.
3. Eat 2 servings of fruit a day
4. Lose some weight!

Overall personal goal analysis: This was a traveling week for me so I definitely did not stick to these goals. I barely drank any water and while I focused on eating my fruits and veggies I did not focus on exercise. I need a normal schedule to be able to stick more closely to my goals, but that's no excuse!

Here’s how my workouts went:

Wednesday: I made it to my 6:30am bootcamp. Totally happy about that. I am doing a 5k with my dad in 2 week and I need to amp up the running/cardio

Thursday: I had a good workout day this Thur. I did spin and did my zumba class. Two hours in the bag!

Friday: I started my roadtrip on Fri- therefore no exercise

Saturday: I went on a small hike with my aunt and cousin Seiji this day. It was about 45 min and over some trails so I def burned more calories than if I was walking the neighborhood

Sunday:I did a 30 min trial run this morning which kicked my butt then in the evening my cousin Maile wanted to do a hike. I thought this would be a leisurely hike, BUT NO! It was quite intense and straight up- burned some good calories here.

Monday: Drove home this day and did zero exercise

Tuesday: Took one hour of zumba

Pics from Arizona

On Deck: I've never done this before, but drastic times call for drastic measures. I think I'm going to do a cleanse. My diet is out of wack and my body feels very out of sorts.  I've been debating about doing the Master Cleanse.

The goal of the cleanse is not for weight loss but rather to rid my body of toxins and help remove cravings from things that negatively affect your body like alcohol, caffeine, and junk food.  A happy side effect is weight loss, however. Beyonce did it for 14 days before her movie Dream Girls and lost 22 lbs.  I imagine most of this is water weight.

Anyway after doing the research on this cleanse I have come to the conclusion that this is WAY too drastic. Instead I am debating on a fruit and veggies cleanse- I'm thinking about turning them into smoothies and such. Basically the idea of eating while cleansing sounds wayyy more appealing than merely just drinking lemon water.

If I partake in this little adventure I will post about it here!

5 k is scheduled for March 30th!

Adobo Recipe

I just got back from Arizona and had a great time. While we were there we had many delicious meals- but one that stands out which was a special request from yours truly was the Pork Adobo.  We made it Sunday evening and it was FABULOUS and so easy. Leftovers the next day are even more delicious than the day you cook it!

We bought boneless pork rib meat at Sprouts and it was only $1.99 a lb. You can easily use chicken or beef as well -it doesn't matter as the meat tenderizes SO much while it cooks. So even less noble cuts of meat become like butter!

Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 pounds lean pork, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 cup flour
- Salt/Pepper
- butter/oil
- 2 Tbls fresh Ginger
- 3 Cloves Garlic
- 3 Bay Leaves 
- 2/3 C. White Wine Vinegar (not seasoned)
- 2/3 C. Soy Sauce
- 2/3 C. Brown Sugar
- Big Squeeze of ketchup
- Big ole Le Cruset Dutch Oven- thanks Mom!

First wash meat and pat dry and begin to shave off fat from pork pieces.  Cut into bit size cubes all of uniform size.  Dredge pork in a mixture of 1 cup flour with salt and pepper to taste (we used a plastic bag for this). In a hot dutch oven with a dose of olive oil/butter brown the meat in batches and make sure not to overcrowd. Meat does not need to be cooked through as it will finish cooking later.  Set meat aside and work in batches, each time removing the browned meat from pan and setting aside on  a plate. Once all the meat is done add it back into pan.  
Now begin making the delicious sauce. Shave off the skin of a knob of fresh ginger and begin to dice in pea size chunks. Take 3 cloves of garlic, peel and mince these more finely. Add ginger and garlic to Le Cruset with meat. Pour in all of your Brown Sugar, Vinegar and Soy Sauce.  Squeeze in a big dollup of ketchup. Place 3 bay leaves in mixture and stir together. 

Turn heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the pork is tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally. If using veggies, add them during the last half hour of cooking.

Serve and Enjoy!

*Best served over rice with a glass of Jack Daniels/coke  :)

I've become slightly addicted to quinoa.. As my recipe perfects I'll post about that soon!

Workout Week Feb 27-March 5th 2013

My 4 personal goals: 

1. Drink 64 oz. of water.
2. Eat 3 servings of vegetables a day.
3. Eat 2 servings of fruit a day
4. Lose some weight!

Overall personal goal analysis: I kicked some butt on these personal goals this week. I ate a ton a ton of veggies- thanks to my previous post and Sprouts  :) Drank water like a crazy 3 of the 7 days- Fail, and ate lotsa fruits thanks to an abundance of berries, bananas and clemetines in my kitchen fridge :)

Here’s how my workouts went:

Wednesday: Once again I made it to my 6:30am bootcamp. I have been really becoming a regular at this bootcamp and the thought of disappointing my instructor by not showing up is good motivation!  I love how she chit chats with me the whole time and makes the 45 min fly by! I didnt have to be at work early this morn so I even had a moment in the sauna and took a leisurely shower after the class.

That night I played softball again and drank beer and ate soft pretzels.. Fail

Thursday: I love to workout on Thurs but my grandma had a little birthday dinner for my dad and I this night so I went straight to her house after work and didnt get a workout in.

Friday: I drank again this day- a lot- and I played an hour of softball and prob only got my heart rate up for 3 min total- repeat of last week.

Saturday: Even though I was a bit hung over I got my booty to the gym. I did 45 walking at a 7grade incline on the treadmill and did bootcamp afterwards.  A guy in my class commented that I was flying when I had to race up the stairs and do a lap around the track. I was highly flattered.

Sunday: I took spin this morning and worked hard!

Monday: I had a special appy night with my girlfriends Amanda and Brandy this night. We pigged out like it was our last meal here on earth.  Pic of the yumminess:

Tuesday: I went to the gym to go dancing but I saw that my fav instructor was subbing for spin - so I nixed the dance plan and went to spin.  Mind you I didnt have my spin shoes, nor a waterbottle, nor was I dressed right but I enjoyed every min of it. I had to cut out 15 min early bc I had a date with a cute little 1 week old- my new cousin Paisley. I got to hold her and fell instantly in love. So happy for Dennis and Melissa. 

Overall workout analysis:

How I feel: Pretty phenomenal I have to admit. I lost a bit of weight - which was a huge goal of mine, I accomplished  A LOT and had a fun week.

For next week: I am going to keep this going and keep it up. Motivated!

On deck: I have a wonderful week to look forward to which includes a trip to AZ to visit my fam and hangout with my lovely grandma. I wanna continue to eat health and do some yoga and hiking in Tuscon.  Next week I am super busy at work so I'll hopefully come back refreshed and ready to tackle it all.

5K

So my Dad and I recently signed up for a 5k Opening Day at Angel Stadium.  Not long after I receive this email:

Hi Amers,

I signed up for the a 5K in Oro Valley the Sunday before the Angel 5K.  I am doing it as a tune up for our race.  I want to be in absolute tip top condition for my sprint through Angel Stadium.  You better be ready cause I certainly will be.  Are any of your friends doing the Angels 5K also?  I would ask my racing friends to do it, but they would have to fly in from Jamaica.  I will ask Bill Sarrus anyway.  Train hard, you can sleep after the race.

/s/ Paul “The Kenyan” 




He likes to talk a big game...

Photo Food Diary

This is what I ate on Sunday:

Breakfast: I love the weekends because I usually have time to actually "cook" a breakfast. I LOVE egg in the middle. My mom taught me how to make it perfectly and it is def a special treat. I use a tin foil to tent it and sprinkle Parmesan to form a crust. This is accompanied by a rather large banana.

Then I was off to Big Lots. They had their 20% off sale and I needed patio furniture. They had great stuff and I was so happy I got up early to go.  I then went to Armstrong Nursery to pick up soil pots and wiring for my future tomato garden!

Snack: after I got home around 11 from running around all morning, I made ants on a log. I love this snack and feel rather good about myself for eating it when I do. Its a healthier choice than potato chips.  I cut up celery and smear PB on it and then dot on raisins and dried cherries  Then I sprinkle it all with cinnamon- makes such a difference.   You can see my dried cherries there in the background. They are from Trader Joes.  They are called Dried Pitted Tart Montmorency Cherries and a 3 oz. bag is $3.69-- They are fab. I also use them in my oatmeal and Greek Yogurt.

I spent the morning setting up my tomato regalia. I put the pots together and filled them with soil. I put my patio furniture out and set up my new hose in the back patio and watered my herbs.  I then ran out to Walmart to return a curtain rod, which inevitably suckered me in to buying: toothpaste squeezer (I always look for these at target but apparently Walmart is the place to get them) new hair bands- another thing I look for at Target but never find. (I like a specifics kind- Walmart had them) and lastly all the ingredients to make jello which included fruit cocktail and cool whip.  I then journeyed next door to Sprouts. OHHH how I LOVE Sprouts. I went nuts there. I highly recommend this store for produce- they have great sales and first class selection  They even had escarole and golden beets that day- something I can never find at a regular grocery store or Trader Joes...  I bought so much stuff including, two packets of chicken breast for dinner, beets, escarole, bib lettuce, bell peppers, two types of cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, wine, laughing cow cheese, apples, carrots, radishes, milk, raspberries  strawberries, celery, and Australian Licorice.
Lunch was a leftover bento from Marukai. It was chicken kaarage with pickled veggies and a lemon slice. I also had diet coke and a handful of peanut M&Ms. I always have a candy dish filled with seasonal M&Ms and its becoming quite the problem.

Then I got to cooking. I made a Crock Pot BBQ Chicken with the fresh organic chicken that I bought from Sprouts. I put this to cook at around 1ish and we had dinner around 6:30. The recipe called for a BBQ sauce and I bought this one:
I really didn't like it. My dad said the Mesquite flavor is his favorite. Good to know.  Basically I set the chicken in the crock pot and covered it with the entire bottle of this sauce. Then I grated fresh ginger into the pot and added paprika and some white wine vinegar coke (yes coke) and Worcestershire sauce.  I let that cook away all day and stirred it about 3 times. When it was getting to around 5pm I took a fork to it and shredded.
I snacked on pretzels and string cheese this afternoon.
Sadly I didnt take any pics of dinner. Basically we made BBQ Chicken Sandwiches with the crock pot chicken - we put them on buns and loaded some yummy pickles on them and I whipped up a coleslaw to put on top.
I did, however, take a pic of my lovely lunch today which features some of the leftover bbq chicken.

Dessert: Snack pack with some whipped cream!