photo diary: croatia [sep. 24-27]

I led another trip to Croatia last weekend, and it was just as fun and beautiful as the first time! Here are a few photos from the weekend:

Beautiful sunset on the water

Island hopping

The real deal

We ate the fish!

I want these cute flip flops!

"What does Blue Sky flavor taste like?" "Bubble gum"

"Swans are right there"

Dude in the background

"How does this translate?" Haha

Another fun weekend! Tomorrow night I am off to Germany for Oktoberfest. I am so excited.

xo-ally

times square

Forever 21 dress (similar) | Nordstrom cardigan | Report ballet flats (similar) | Michael Kors watch | J. Crew bracelet (similar) | Longchamp bag

We had a fun afternoon in Times Square, getting to walk around a little bit and eat at a delicious Cuban restaurant. I've never been to a Cuban restaurant, but I love trying new things. The sandwich and the plantain chips were delicious. It was fun to pose for these photos while walking across the street!

Remember to enter the project birthday giveaway if you have not already done so! You have until July 7th to enter and we will choose a winner on July 8th.

xo-ally

super bowl sunday 2013

Hope you enjoyed your Super Bowl Sunday! I spent Super Bowl Sunday with some friends. This year I made my bacon-cheese-date appetizers and tried out Corona Cupcakes for dessert.

First I made the bacon-cheese-date things, due to multiple requests- they're a crowd favorite! They're so easy to make. I just filled dried, pitted dates with a smidge of light creamy swiss cheese, and wrapped the dates in half a slice of turkey bacon. Then I stuck them in the oven on a foil-lined cookie sheet for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. They're also pretty low-cal, too :) about 40 calories per piece give or take, depending on which brand ingredients you use.

Then I baked the Corona Cupcakes, which I found on Lauren Conrad's blog here, but the original recipe can be found Erica's Sweet Tooth here. And...I cheated on the cake mix. I used a box vanilla cake instead of making it from scratch!!! I did, however, make the citrus cream cheese frosting from scratch. So in my mind that cancels out the pre-made cake mix. The cupcakes actually turned out pretty good - there is just a hint of corona and lime in the sweet, confectionery goodness.

How was your Super Bowl Sunday? Did you make any fun treats?

xo-ally

organic cinnamon bread ... can I say, YUM?!

I have been a big fan of Dave's Killer Bread, an amazing organic bread company. The bread is made from organic ingredients and tastes good. Some breads have seeds around the crust - the perfect texture for toast and peanut butter (one of my usual meals).

Today I bought Dave's Killer Bread's SIN DAWG at the grocery store. It is a cinnamon bread roll made from all organic ingredients.

Healthy, USDA-certified organic cinnamon bread?! That actually tastes good?!

Yes. It is great. I love a good cinnamon roll, but if I have one, I usually only eat part of it - not to just save a few calories, but because I feel heavy afterward. I had a serving of the Sin Dawg for dessert before dance team practice. One gym workout and a 2 1/2 hour dance practice later, I still felt great. It didn't zap my energy or make me feel sluggish at all!

One serving = 200 calories, 5 grams of protein

Also, I've been replicating the omelets that the chef at the school cafeteria makes. They're really good, but since I'm a senior and don't have a meal plan anymore, I tried it out for myself! I use either one or two eggs, about 1/5 of a bell pepper, some chopped pieces of a tomato, and chopped pieces of half a slice of turkey bacon. I put a little bit of cheddar cheese and it tastes just like sophomore year. ;)

One serving = about 275 calories, 19 grams of protein

xo-ally

post-workout snacks

I realized it has been a while since I had done a post related to health/fitness, so I want to write about some good snacks to eat post-workout! Depending on the amount of calories burned, different things will be good for your body. Yesterday I taught a Zumba class and had a 2.5 hour dance team practice with a workout - according to My Fitness Pal app, I burned over 1,200 calories! That day I burned a LOT more than a usual workout day, but when I got home, I needed to replenish my muscle tissues and glycogen stores!

Here are a few post-workout snack ideas (note: I'm not a professional; I just enjoy learning tidbits about health from class, magazines, online, etc.) From what I've read and heard, the key is having food that contains carbohydrates and protein.

Water

Water isn't food, but some H2O is especially important after a sweat session to remain hydrated. To me, there's nothing better than an ice-cold glass of water after a long run.

Chocolate Milk

One of the Gold's Gym trainers told me that chocolate milk has the best ratio of carbs to protein to repair your body. If you're working out at a high intensity for 60 minutes or longer, chocolate milk is your friend. AND an excuse to have chocolate!

Whole Grains

My nutrition professor said that if you're going to eat starchy carbs (like whole grain bread or pasta) that the best time to do so is between 45 minutes and two hours post-workout. That is when your body will really take advantage of the nutrients and use it to its benefit. A slice of whole grain toast (my favorite brand is Dave's Killer Bread) with an egg or spread with natural peanut butter is one of my go-to snacks.

Protein Smoothie

Many gyms or smoothie bars often have deceivingly unhealthy smoothies that are loaded with sugar, artificial fruit, and excess protein and carbohydrates. By blending your own at home, you know exactly what you're putting into your body! Check this post for my protein smoothie recipe.

Fruits and vegetables are always another smart choice for low-calorie carbs, and adding hummus or natural peanut butter is a healthy way to make a snack with both carbs and protein. -- And YES, fruits and veggies are carbohydrates too! Carbs ARE good for you! (Well, natural fruits, veggies, and whole grains...)

Eating the right food is crucial after a workout, but more importantly, a healthy lifestyle! Let me know what other healthy snacks you like to eat!

xo-ally

SALADS

I've never really been one to make a large amount of a meal to break into multiple meals throughout the week. I know it's practical, but even I'm too lazy to cook chicken (more like afraid I'll undercook the meat) even though it could last a whole week. Lately, however, I've been making salads ahead of time so I can have it ready to go for dinner. This week I even brought salads to work for lunch! (So much cheaper than buying food every day...)

I chopped up one Roma tomato, one orange bell pepper, and one avocado.

I made a salad with lettuce, avocado, and grapes (so good!) for Tuesday....

...and one with lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers, and avocado on Wednesday. I drizzled olive oil instead of dressing on both.

Then I stored the remaining crudites in storage containers. Now when I feel lazy about preparing food, I don't have an excuse to skimp on salad!

xo-ally 

recipes for memorial day weekend

I can't believe it is almost Memorial Day. 2012 is just flying by! I'm going up to the lake for a friend's bachelorette party this weekend, and since I'm leaving soon I don't have time to cook something (but that's just an excuse for not being much of a mastered chef). If you are going to some barbecues or other parties this weekend, here are some tasty recipes I found 'round the web that would be easy to whip up!

These Lemon Bars from Smitten Kitchen look amazing. I've been getting into lemon lately! Normally, if I had to choose between chocolate and lemon, it would be no question that chocolate would win. Now lemon is coming into the picture more...anyways, I think these sound great!

Smitten Kitchen also made apple pie cookies. What a creative idea! Another great dessert for barbecue-style or buffet-style parties. Or to keep at home and not share because they'd be so good. I wouldn't tell anyone. ;)

This grilled pineapple from Skinnytaste sounds delightful. I love pineapple even by itself because it's so sweet. This recipe adds honey, cinnamon, and lime juice to the pinapple to make it extra sweet! Bonus: Only 51 calories.

Finally! A non-dessert on this list! This grilled corn guacamole from The Pioneer Woman sounds delicious. It is a unique way to switch up regular guacamole. This would be a hit at any party this weekend!

Well, I'm writing this in the morning before breakfast. And now I feel like eating guacamole and lemon bars instead of eggs. Great.

xo

arbonne 7-day body cleanse, week review

I finished my Arbonne 7-day body cleanse yesterday! I am very pleased with this past week. At the beginning of the cleanse, I had mentioned that at the end of the semester I had not been eating very well (finals week means coffee, coffee, coffee; end-of-the-year parties mean sweets, sweets, sweets!) I didn't realize how poorly I was eating until I started the cleanse. By limiting almost all of my processed foods, I had more energy (no coffee needed), and felt better in general. Basically, crappy food weighs you down after a while. Moderation is key!

I would start my morning with two eggs. They taste great and kept me full until lunch.

My typical lunch looked something like this:

Prochiutto with cantaloupe, strawberries, and cherry tomatoes with mozzarella. (Trader Joe's has really good marinated mozzarella balls - I cut them in half and ate each half with a cherry tomato).

Snacks were usually an apple with natural peanut butter, raw veggies, or two tbsp. of sunflower seed butter.

My dinner usually looked something like this:

These turkey burgers (again, from Trader Joe's) are amazing! The ingredients are just turkey, salt, and rosemary seasoning. I cooked it on a pan in olive oil and they were juicy and crispy. Super satisfying and only 180 calories! No bun or cheese needed. 

A colorful side salad with cherry tomatoes, avocado, carrots, and sweet bell peppers tossed in olive oil added more healthy fats in a low-calorie way.

My cravings for chocolate were minimal, which is crazy because I usually crave chocolate/sweets every day! Instead I was craving real, whole, clean food. I looked forward to the turkey burger and salad every day when I came home from work!

I'm really glad I did this cleanse. It was a healthy way to keep me in check and stick with clean eating. It's not like I was going to "give up on" the cleanse or waste my money by preventing my body from cleaning by eating poorly!

Has anyone else done a cleanse? If so, how did it go? Let me know if you have any recommendations of other cleanses!

arbonne 7-day body cleanse, days 1 & 2

I am starting my second day of the Arbonne 7-day Body Cleanse. So far, I feel great! What I like about this cleanse is that you still get to eat when you do it. The cleanse will aid to eliminate toxins and detoxify the system. 

Being a college student who just finished up the semester, this is perfect for me right now - the end of the semester involved finals week, barbecues, and graduation parties, which meant more coffee, processed foods, and baked goods than usual. At first I didn't know why I was getting stomach aches, but quickly realized it was what I was putting in my body that made me feel so crappy.

Enter the cleanse!

The box contains 7 mini bottles of the cleanse itself. You pour the liquid into 32 ounces of water and drink it throughout the day. During the day, try to eat as healthy as possible - no processed foods - to help aid the cleanse and clean out your body.

This is the water bottle filled with the cleanse and 32 ounces of water

On day one, I went for a run in the morning. What I ate:

Breakfast: 2 organic eggs with salt and pepper

Lunch: 1/2 a fruit protein smoothie (no milk added)*

Snack: Pulled pork meat, lettuce leaves

Dinner: 1 whole-grain waffle and 1 slice of organic wheat bread with natural peanut butter

Drank the cleanse mixture and water throughout the day (no coffee, woohoo!)

*Only had half of the smoothie because I'm almost out of ingredients! Time to go grocery shopping...

I was going to try to stay away from bread as much as possible, seeing as it is processed, but realized that my calorie count was way too small for the day and I needed to get it up. Before dinner I had only eaten about 500 calories (plus burned some off on a run). I'm hoping just a smidge of whole-grains won't hurt!

Click here if you're interested in trying the cleanse out for yourself! I've had friends that do it and like it (plus my friend's sister works for Arbonne!) So far, I've only heard good things about this product.

Check back early next week for my full review of the cleanse!

xo

finals week snacks

I'm writing this in the midst of finals week! Yesterday was one heck of a day (studying for about 12 hours straight) followed by another heck of a day today. Which is why I'm posting so late!

Because finals schedules can be so weird, I've been eating at weird times. Often I'll grab a few snacks instead of a meal due to the time of day or when a test is. I thought I'd share a few of my snacks with you!

Pineapple, white cheddar mac n' cheese, popcorn, and vitamins

Okay, so vitamins aren't a snack ... but I take Vitamin C supplements (gummy to satisfy my inner 5-year-old) to keep my immune system going strong. I had a cold for a few days last week and upped my intake of vitamins, fruits, and veggies to knock it out of me - and it did! There was no way I wanted to be sick during finals. Therefore, I recommend taking vitamins for an extra boost when sleep schedules are off - like mine!

Pinapple slices are a great option because I have a major sweet tooth. I always forget how sweet and sour pineapple is! It's healthy and filling, plus cutting it up and putting it in a ready-to-go container in the fridge makes me more likely to eat it.

Air-popped popcorn is really yummy because it is crunchy and tastes great. I prefer air-popped popcorn over microwave popcorn because it is so much healthier. (No artificial preservatives or oils!) All you do is put the kernels in the popper for about five minutes - no oil - and then add butter and salt if you'd like. I got an air popper for only $15 and it's awesome! I also got this whole bag of kernels for $2, and it has lasted a long time.

No finals week snack list would be complete without macaroni and cheese! Even though it's not the healthiest snack, I just couldn't resist buying some! I like Annie's organic white cheddar bunny pasta. Not only is the packaging cute, but it tastes good too.

There you have it! My favorite snacks for finals week. Feel free to add your favorite snacks too, I'd love to get more ideas when my next finals week (or hectic schedule) comes around!

xo

spring break in photos

Last week, I went to visit my best friend in Colorado over spring break. It was so warm that week! I laid out and even got a tan (crossing my fingers it will last a couple more months). We hung out just like old times, met each other's friends that live in the area, and ate ice cream. For some reason many of these photos involve food...it was too pretty looking to not photograph! Haha.

...we took photos on the gorgeous sunny day

....went out to eat

I think this was the best breakfast I've ever eaten. It was almost sad being too full to eat it all...

A red velvet pancake. Yes, you read that right.

...got our nails done and took pics on photobooth

...had Starbucks almost every day

Now it's back to reality and rain. It's the first day of spring (yay!) but the weather is far from it here - pouring rain and wind. I miss the Colorado sun so much, but more-so my bestie! I couldn't have had a better spring break. It was the perfect mixture of fun and relaxation.

xo