Impatience is Not Pretty

3 Comments / Health & Wellness /

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This morning a side of me I don’t like came out: impatience. Blah. Impatience. It’s both unnecessary and unhealthy. It even sounds unhealthy. I would say in the grand scheme of life I’m a pretty patient girl, but this morning I was far from patient, and I don’t like to be that way. I don’t know if I woke up on the wrong side of the bed or what, but something was up. It may have been the fact that my mother woke me up at 7:30 a.m. and tried to have a conversation with me while I was half asleep (sorry mom, it wasn’t really me). Anyway, my not-so-patient mood increased when I was informed that UPS was indeed not going to redeliver my package I missed on Saturday, and that I had to go pick it up. Grrr, I don’t have a car. They expect me to walk? Why can’t they just bring it to me? (impatience getting the best of me in my head. They are busy too. I’m not entitled for royal treatment). 

Once I realized that I was not going to win this battle and that the package was not … Read More!

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Sorry I've Been Absent: 6 things I learned this weekend

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Why hello my lovely readers! First and foremost, I am sincerely sorry I have been absent for two days. However, the reason was valid (and worth it). I was out of town since Friday morning on a trip to Hoboken, NJ to visit my college friends. Some of them I haven’t seen in A YEAR, so you can image my excitement and reasoning for lack of blogging (I swear I tried to on the bus but the WiFi wasn’t working-boo!). 

Anyway, I’m back and at it so welcome back to all my loyal readers! So, I’ve realized lately that as I grow older I learn more about life and most importantly myself. Seriously, the learning never stops. And being the observant, nosy, free-spirit kind of girl that I am, I experience and learn a heck of a lot each  and every second, minute and hour of every day. 

So since I’ve been missing since Thursday’s blog post on realizing there is more to life than weight and calories, I decided I’ll fill ya in on what I’ve learned this weekend while I was away. I know, I know, it’s only been a few days but I swear I’m picking up … Read More!

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There is More to Life Than Calories & Weight

3 Comments / Health & Wellness /

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Do you know that there was a time when all I thought about was calories and my weight? It was downright tiring but I simply couldn’t get it out of my mind. I’d count calories in everything I ate, even if it was just a tiny yogurt, an apple or a small salad. I’d weigh myself every day (sometimes five times a day) and beat myself up if the number on the scale went up at all (even .5 pounds). I’d exercise obnoxious amounts in order to burn off everything I ate and so I’d feel “skinny.” It was downright self-sabotaging and every time I look back on my former self, I can’t believe that this negative inner “weight talk” consumed an entire 4+ years of my life. There is so much more to life than that. 

While it’s sad to realize that’s how low I used to think about myself, I couldn’t be happier about the person I am today. Four years later, I’m now a happy, confident, determined young woman who doesn’t think an ounce about calories or stress about weight gain. I’ve finally come to the realization that there is so much more to … Read More!

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Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Sunflower Muffins

3 Comments / Food & Recipes /

Now that it’s officially fall, one thing in particular has been on my mind: pumpkin. Pumpkin picking, pumpkin pie, pumpkin spiced lattes, pumpkin carving, pumpkin everything. But since I can’t have everything all at once, I decided to make do with what I could and bake some pumpkin muffins. But this isn’t just your ordinary recipe; these babies are unique, perfectly soft ‘n’ fluffy and delightfully tasty. Enjoy with a glass of milk or hot cup of tea!

*Makes approximately 12 large muffins

-1 c. canned pumpkin puree

1/8 c. chocolate soy milk 

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 c. plain greek yogurt 

1/3 c. applesauce or vegetable oil 

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1  c. whole wheat flour* 

1/2 c. all purpose flour* (*substitute 1 1/2 c. gluten free flour for regular flour for those with wheat sensitivities) 

1/3 c. agave syrup 

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp. salt

1/4 to 1/2 c. Ghirardelli Semi Sweet chocolate chips 

½ c. sunflower seeds 

1. Preheat over to 375. Mix dry ingredients together, then adding in all the wet ingredients slowly. Mix well, being sure all the flour has dissolved but do not … Read More!

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A Glass is Half Full Kind of Week & The Power of Lists

2 Comments / Health & Wellness /

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So last week, I was in a very bad, blah mood. In fact I wrote about it here. But for some reason, no matter what I did I couldn’t shake off the bad mood. I’m not going to lie: I was acting very glass is half empty and that’s not like me at all. I’m humiliated to admit that in fact, but it is indeed true. I was one of those people, a Debbie Downer of sorts. 

However, this week my mood has changed drastically and I’m absolutely high on life. Yes, even though my legs still kill from my 10 K, I am getting over a terrible cold (bad case of the sniffles) and am PMSing (sorry for TMI), I am still having a positive, happy week. I can’t pinpoint just one reason for my change of heart (er, attitude) but I think the #1 factor is that I set myself up to have a good week from the beginning. (And I guess it doesn’t hurt that I’m seeing all my  best college girls this weekend in NYC.) You see, late Sunday night, after I had finished my 10 K and was exploding with endorphins, … Read More!

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Let Go of Bathing Suit Season & Embrace the Fall, Already!

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While some are complaining about the end of bathing suit season, stargazing, and BBQing every night, I couldn’t be more happy about the fact that fall is finally here. And today realllllyyy felt like fall for the first time. I went out for a fancy lunch with my friend and ordered the Rotisserie Chicken with Butternut Squash Risotto. Let’s just say when I took that first bite of perfectly cooked rice with just the right amount of cheese and bits of butternut squash, I thought to myself, “Oh ya…fall is finally here.” Not to mention I licked my plate clean. So while some of you are crying as you store away your itty-bitty VS bikinis, I’m smiling ear to ear about my absolute favorite season. Still not ready to throw summer away? Well, I’ll tell you exactly why I love fall so darn much and hopefully have you smiling by the end of this post…at least just a little.

1. Cooking with butternut squash, spaghetti squash or any squash for that matter. Hey, you can even make fall cooking super healthy! 

2. Eating candy corn for the first time…and loving it just the same as when you were 8 … Read More!

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The Ripple Effect: Women Motivating Other Women

2 Comments / Health & Wellness /

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I received an email from my mom this morning saying how proud she was of me for running my first 10K. Then she said something that really got me thinking: “You are motivating many!” She went on by saying after I ran the race, it motivated her and two of her friends to run their first 5K (maybe even next weekend)! And that just felt incredible. The fact that a simple act like running a 10K can motivate other women (including my mom) to run their first race is absolutely amazing.

The funny thing is I had been motivated by my friend Megan to sign up for the race in the first place. She told me about it and I was weary at first (“Am I ready for this?” “Will I be able to finish it?”), but then I continued to be motivated by family members, friends and other women in the blogging community. Everyone had such inspirational, positive comments to say and that helped me pump myself up enough to finally sign up. I honestly don’t think I’d have gotten enough courage to go ahead and do it without all the wonderful support from others. You see, … Read More!

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First 10K=a SUCCESS: 10 Inspirations for Your First Race

6 Comments / Health & Wellness /

So I completed my first 10K this morning. Yup, the girl who couldn’t even run two miles a few years ago, cried in the middle of a 5K once and has never ran more than five miles ran an entire 6.2 miles today! The best part? I couldn’t have felt more alive, energized and motivated during the race, and feel absolutely amazing now! (Well…my legs could use some hardcore hot tub time, but other than that life is good) Oh and I beat my goal time of 60 minutes…59:34 baby! Anyway, I know first-time races can be a little scary, intimidating and a heck of a lot of work, so I put together a little list of inspirations to get you through your next race. Whether it’s your first 5K, your first 10K or your very first run EVER, these little mental motivations got me through the race today and hopefully work for you too: 

1. “I’m going to pace myself and go at a rate I feel comfortable with and know that I can maintain. If I get tired, I will slow down. If I feel good, I will speed up.”

2. “It’s just me and the road. Everyone … Read More!

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Gimme S'more Nella: Fresh, Local, Wholesome Pasta (Did I say Tasty too?)

3 Comments / Health & Wellness /

As you know, I’m a huge fan of all-natural, fresh ingredients…especially ingredients that you can pronounce.  Yes, it’s true that I used to be a calorie-counter and low in calories meant it was good for me. But that all changed when I went to Italy four summer’s ago. I remember before I embarked on my journey I was SO nervous I was going to gain tons of weight while abroad: loads of pasta, pizza and bread, what am I going to do? Needless to say, I had a minor panic attack. However, when I got back from my two month trip and stepped on the scale, the exact opposite was true: I had lost five pounds. Yup, that’s right. I lost five pounds with my only exercise being walking to school and the local markets every day, and  while eating lots of fresh pasta, breads, cheeses, fruits, veggies and even a serving of gelato daily. 

It’s no miracle as to why I lost the weight. You see, what they serve in Italy is completely different than the “Italian” food you see here. It’s unbelievably fresh (god take me back there now), local (I bought everything I ate from markets on … Read More!

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Single Chick in the City: An Honest Confession/Rant

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Warning: I apologize ahead of time if I go on some kind of rant 

While I may be a healthy chick and am 99% of the time a happy chick, I am also…dun dun dun…a single chick. Now many of my in-a-relationship friends root me on, and tell me that “being single is fun.” “You are so young.” “The right guy will come along some day.” Well, 23 years have gone by and he still hasn’t. OK OK, I understand that yes, I am young and yes, I probably will meet “that guy” some day and everything will all work out. But it doesn’t make that in-between, waiting around, what’s going to happen phase any easier. 

I guess what I’m trying to say is that as much as I’m trying to stay positive about being a single chick, sometimes it gets to me, and this week it’s gotten to me a lot more than usual. I try to be all strong. “I’m OK by myself.” “I don’t need a guy.” And that’s true. I know I don’t neeeeed one, but it doesn’t mean that every once in a while the thought can’t pop into my mind that’d be nice to … Read More!

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