California Dreaming

This past spring break my husband and I went back to one of my favorite places ever...California!  He had never been before, and that is where I have spent the majority of my life (still the majority, Texas hasn't won over yet!) growing up.  We spent 7 whole days exploring San Diego, Orange County, and one last day in The City of Angels. 


I just wanted to share a virtual scrapbook of the trip and share some of the awesome things we were able to do...there was not enough time in our seven days to squeeze in everything and we have come up with long lists for many more trips back!


We flew in on a Sunday so I could have a day off from school to finish packing, a day to sleep in, and just to catch my breath.  This was SO smart.  It made our travel day much easier.  We got up pretty early Sunday morning to head to DFW airport, but all in all our flight was quick and easy.  Once we landed to hop on a bus {this part was long and painful} to the Budget rental car center and wait in long lines to finally receive our car.  Now, we booked our car about 7 months ago so we definitely had a reservation.  We figured we would get a plain, four door economy car.  That is typically what a rental car is.  For $20 a day, and just something to get you from point A to point B, that's all you need.  But as we are making our way down the aisles of cars we finally stop at....

THIS!

(Sorry for the bad picture quality, we never did get a picture hugging/kissing the car goodbye)

Our super cheap rental car ended up being a 2016 brand spanking new Mustang sports car.  So far our vacation was off to a good start!

We found a gluten free approved place to grab some lunch then headed to the 405 (to the 5, wink wink--if you've never seen the Californians from SNL, YouTube it now!) to drive down to San Diego.  My hubby got to drive the 'Stang while I took in the sights I had missed SO much the past three years.  I've missed the palm trees, the water, the air.  Everything.

Once we got to San Diego, we had a relaxing night after the long day of travel.  We ventured out for dinner at In n Out (which yes, I know this is in other states now, but it just tastes better in California) and a dip in the Jacuzzi at our hotel. 

The next morning we hit the beach!  It was a bit overcast, windy, and even drizzly at certain points during the day, but still a perfect beach day in my book.  The weather made for some big waves so we went out on a pier on Pacific Beach in San Diego and watched them for a while.  The ocean is so calming.

We really need to invest in a selfie stick

We walked the entirety of Pacific Beach all the way down to Mission beach and back up stopping at the Ale House for lunch.  Such. Good. Food. by the sea.  Quite exhausted from our morning walk we went back to the hotel and relaxed for a while.  We got to meet up with one of my friends who I've known since Kindergarten!  We've been in Daisy's together, played soccer together, were pen pals when I moved away for a few years, and were in all of the same classes through the awkward middle school years.  After we had enough of a nap in the hotel, we headed to Sea Port Village to meet up with my friend and her boyfriend.  We ended up eating at Sea Port Village at this restaurant called Puesto.  If you're ever in the San Diego area, go there!  It is famous for it's tacos and it did not disappoint!

After dinner we walked around some more and headed home, exhausted.  We got up the next morning to head back to Irvine, where I grew up.  This is where we spent the majority of the trip {my favorite place}!  In Irvine we visited my old house, my hubby saw where I went to high school, we ate at one of my favorite high school restaurants {La Sirena Grill}, and went to Corona Del Mar {not the prettiest beach but the one I frequented most growing up}.  And of course, Irvine is only about a 10-15 minute drive from Disneyland so we had to stop in once or twice!  My dad got us two-day park hopper tickets through his work so we could choose any two days we wanted to go.  It was such a nice treat!





Hubbs at CDM! He braved the 50 degree water temps to body surf.  We also saw dolphins!!  I had never seen them that close to the shore before.

My beloved first job, Golden Spoon frozen yogurt was replaced by an Asian Bistro :(

My lovely home I grew up in from middle school through high school!

One of our two delicious sushi dinners :)

One of the biggest highlights of the trip for me was getting to go back to Disney.  I know Disney like the back of my hand...where to go first, the best places to eat, what lines to get in first, all the shortcuts, etc. etc.  I was even lucky enough to spend a night with my parents and two friends in the Disney Dream Suite INSIDE the park overnight and walk around the park at 2AM in our bathrobes back in high school!  To say I love Disney is an understatement.  We only snapped a few pictures while at Disney, but it was SO fun! 

Alice in Wonderland, a family favorite :)

I've never been good at Astro Blasters!  My aim is horrible.

Love this ride even though I'm still terrified when peering over the edge!

Cinderella's Castle with my Prince

We ended our trip by driving into LA (our first time hitting some true Los Angeles traffic) and checking into a fancy hotel.  We were so tired that we didn't really hit any of our LA sights to see on our list.  That's okay though, we have made plans to take a few more CA trips in our future!  We were however, randomly selected as VIP guests and presented with a red carpet in our room and free appetizers!  It was pretty funny, but made ordering room service in for the night just that much cooler.

This trip meant so much to me that I could share some of my favorite parts of California with my hubby!  I'm excited to go back soon and visit again :) Enjoy the pictures!



Broccoli Beef Bowls

My husband and I have found a new favorite date night restaurant!  It is still pretty cheap, there is one about 5 minutes from our house, and it is absolutely delicious!  Although it isn't new by any means, we have recently discovered Genghis Grill.  Although for dining out Genghis Grill is not too expensive, for how often we would like to go it can get a little pricy.  I thought that we could recreate some of the deliciousness at home.  So far so good and I can't wait to try more variations!

What you'll need for broccoli beef bowls:
-Beef
-Chicken
-Broccoli
-Carrots
-Rice
-Garlic salt
-Pepper
-Soy Sauce

These are the basic ingredients. Basically anything else you would like to add, you can!  At Genghis Grill they even have mandarin oranges to put in the bowl, which I think is strange, but my husband gets them every time!

Some additional ingredients you may want to try:
-Spinach
-Green Peppers
-Other Vegetables
-Noodles, Brown Rice, Quinoa
-Bacon
-Other spices

At Genghis Grill they cook everything at once (meat and veggies).  I've found it easier to cook it separately, but I'm sure that takes away from some of the flavors mixing together.  Whatever is easier for you, or you are more comfortable with, go ahead and do that!

Directions:
1.  Cook the beef in a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil.  Cook until no longer pink in the middle.  Drain the olive oil, add spices and return to low heat for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat.

2.  Wipe out pan or use a separate skillet and add another tablespoon of olive oil.
3.  Add vegetables to pan, add spices, and saute until tender. 
4.  In separate pan, cook rice.
5.  When finished, combine all ingredients (including any sauces, such as soy sauce) into one bowl and enjoy!

This sounds like a lot of moving parts, but is actually really quick and easy!  Plus, if you make this in large quantities it lasts quite a while!  

Enjoy your Genghis Grill look alike meal!

Caffeine Free{dom}

The past few months I have known I've needed to make a change.  I hardly had any energy, was having 5 migraines a week with only a few days of relief before the next one struck, frequent stomachaches, fatigue, moodiness, and many more symptoms that I'm still dealing with!  Slowly but surely things are improving and I'm working with a few doctors, started working out, and I'm cleaning up my diet.

One of the biggest and hardest changes I made was 100% cutting out caffeine.  I didn't feel I was dependent on caffeine but it turns out my body was craving it.  I would have Starbucks most days (either homemade or buying it; I'm saving money either way now) and also drink a can of Dr. Pepper most days!  I tried cutting down and was successful but would always go back to drinking one or two caffeinated drinks per day.  While drinking all of this caffeine I was taking a good amount of Advil and I was creating my own Excedrin Migraine {ibuprofen + caffeine}.  Because of the caffeine, your body can get dependent on the positive effects and cause rebound headaches/migraines.  This is what was happening to me and I didn't even realize it!

Images Courtesy of Google

So, on December 7th, I decided to not give in to the caffeine headache and officially went caffeine free and have not looked back!  December 7th, 8th, and 9th were excruciatingly painful and I was still feeling detoxing effects for the next few weeks, but it has been incredibly rewarding.  I can wake up {fairly} easily and can get through the day on my own. I don't rely on needing to stop at Starbucks when I'm out and about or worrying about having enough Dr. Pepper in the fridge during the week before the next grocery run!  Talk about saving money, too...that added $5 to every grocery run, every morning before school, or just being out and about on the weekend!

I was disappointed the first couple of weeks because my migraines weren't getting much better.  I was doing research online and found various results suggesting that caffeine can take as little as 1-2 weeks to leave your system and as long as up to a year {ain't nobody got time for that!  So with that news, I continued to stick with it, eat healthy {I hardly eat any chocolate as that has trace amounts of caffeine}, and continue walking for exercise especially when I did not have a migraine.

Images Courtesy of Google

Now that I am 84 days caffeine free (Hallelujah!) I can say that I am feeling some positive effects.  I still get migraines, but am working with a neurologist and endocrinologist (well, I am seeing an endocrinologist this week actually) to get the migraines even more in control.  The biggest changes I can see migraine wise are the lessening fear I have attached to the migraines.  If I don't have a Dr. Pepper available, I don't need to worry that a migraine will strike in the next 15 minutes.  Cutting out the caffeinated Starbucks and Dr. Pepper also means cutting out all of that sugar!  I'm sure I've replaced it with other sugars (such as Gatorade sugars) but there is SO much research out there about how bad soda is for you!  I am down to two migraines a week when they do come (so they don't last as long) and they come much less often.  The neurologist that I am working with also has given me a new daily medication to try, but my goal would be to not depend on any medication daily!

It is a truly a habit now and my body {at least I don't think...} doesn't crave caffeine.  There have been a few times I've craved something bubbly and in that case I have made sure to get caffeine free soda such as A&W rootbeer, sprite, or La Croix {yum, and p.s. for anyone who has had this, don't you feel fancy drinking it?!}.

Fancy Schmancy
Images Courtesy of Google
I hope this encourages you that you CAN be caffeine free and it is SO beneficial to you!  Comment below if you've tried going caffeine free, if you want to try, or if you are nervous to try it.  Let me know if you want to for health reasons or if you're interested in doing it for whole30, etc. :)  Can't wait to hear from you!

Zoodles for Dinner

Growing with popularity, using a spiralizer to make your veggies into pasta has become the newest way to create healthy, low carb pasta that tastes just as good and is just as filling!

I am not anti-carbs in ANY way, but if you're looking for a snack and don't want to blow half of your days carb serving suggestion on a snack of pasta, mac n cheese, or even crackers, this is perfect for you!

All you need is a spiralizer, which I got as a gift for Christmas, but can be purchased at Target, Walmart, Bed Bath and Beyond, etc. for $10-$15.  

What you'll need:
1.  Zucchini, Squash, or even Carrots (haven't tried with carrots yet!)
2.  Olive Oil
3.  Avocado (for the sauce)
4.  Salt to taste
5.  Pepper to taste
6.  Skillet

Directions:
1.  Wash veggies
2.  Use the spiralizer (choose thick or thin) and twist the veggies until you have the desired amount of "pasta"
3.  Coat a medium sized skillet with olive oil (or whatever type of oil you would like; coconut, etc.)
4.  Cook veggie pasta on medium heat for about 8-10 minutes turning often
5.  Take veggie pasta off of heat


For the sauce you can either make it really simple or get out the blender and actually make the sauce.  I've done it both ways, and both are delicious!  Just mashing up an avocado is easy, and tastes so good.  The avocado sauce is so creamy and makes the dish taste like you ordered an expensive dish from a restaurant!  It just depends on what you are in the mood for and what you have the time for!

Easy way:
1.  Mash up an avocado and enjoy!  (I did the last night and it was easy and so delicious!)

Recipe for sauce:
1.  2 avocados in a blender (I used a Nutribullet)
2.  1/4 Cup olive oil
3.  Salt and Pepper to taste
4.  Blend in Nutribullet until smooth
5.  Spread over Zoodles and enjoy!

Spiralizer, Avocados, Zucchini noodles

Fancy Olive Oil we got as a Christmas Gift!  Finally had a chance to use it :) 

Comment below to let me know if you've tried this recipe or if you have any variations!

Enjoy!

Valentine's Crush Banner

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I thought I would post quite possibly the most simple decoration that would brighten up any apartment, home, classroom, bedroom, etc.  

We actually wrapped up our Christmas decorations before I headed back to school, which was a huge relief, but it has left our cute little townhouse feeling a bit empty lately.  I know this is not the first time a heart banner has ever been created, and there can be many spins on this, but I took this idea from the traditional flag banner that can be found all over Pinterest.

Materials:

-8 to 10 sheets of different colored paper

-Twine

-Hole Punch

As you can tell, hardly any supplies are needed!  I was going to go all out and purchase cute patterned paper, but in the true sense of being a thrifty wife, I used what we had around the house.  I even found some really cute Valentine's wrapping paper that I've had for years and cut out some hearts from this as well.

Directions:

-Draw between 20-50 (or more!) hearts at various sizes.

-Punch two holes in the top of each heart.

-String twine through the holes, making sure that the twine goes in the first hole, around the back, and up through the second hole (so the twine does not show on the front).

String up wherever you would like!  

Some variations on the craft:

-Cut out different sized circles, squares, triangle banners.

-Use patterned paper.

-Use felt material (or leftover fabric).

-Use black paper and write on the hearts/shapes.

Have fun creating some lovely decorations!



Heart Banner in my Classroom

GF/Dairy Free Peanut Butter Oatmeal Energy Bars

With work and school in full swing again, we've needed some quick, easy, and delicious breakfasts that are ready to grab and go in the morning.  I stick to a smoothie and something else light, however, my husband needs a little more than that in the morning.  I found an awesome recipe and made it my own (gluten and dairy free) for Peanut Butter Oatmeal Energy bars!

Prep time took me all of 10 minutes, cook time was about 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Ingredients:
Dry-
1 1/2 cups gluten free oats
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt

Wet-
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup melted dairy free butter
1 egg
1/2 cup Peanut Butter
1 tsp vanilla

After you have all of your ingredients, dump them into a bowl and mix away!  Once mixed thoroughly, pour into an 8x8 greased* glass baking dish.  Pop into the oven for 25-30 minutes and serve it warm with fruit {or a smoothie!} or store and save for the rest of the week.  Enjoy!

*To grease baking dishes I use a Misto. The Misto allows you to put whatever type of oil (Olive Oil, vegetable oil, etc.) you want to use.  Saves money and allows you to grease pans in a more healthy way!

Some of the Ingredients

Finished product!

Swim 101

Believe it or not, swimming was my first love.  And in fact, swimming is one of the beautiful things that my forever love {my husband} and I first bonded over.

Like most things {or people} you fall in love with, the water terrified me at first.  My mom recounts many stories that take place over the span of 5-6 years where I stayed at the same swim level in lessons, screaming my head off, scared to put my face under.  After many lessons with one persistent swim coach, Jason, I joined a swim team when I was 8 years old simply because my best friend at the time joined.  I earned my fair share of participation ribbons over the next few summers on the summer swim league.  It wasn't until I moved to Massachusetts and began swimming year around that I hit my stride.  I began placing first nearly every race and beat my own records every swim.  With a fortunate move back to Southern California a few years later, swimming was my passion.  I started on a club team in 7th grade {while I loved my year around team in Massachusetts, it wasn't a club team and wasn't pushing me as much as I would have liked}.  This team was small but I have some of my best memories on this team from 7th-10th grade.  I looked up to my coach more than he probably knew and have nothing but respect for him.  I learned so much while on this team.  I worked hard and was fortunate enough to go to Junior Olympics while on this team.  Towards the end of high school, the social aspect didn't completely win over my competitive side, but it was clear I wasn't going to continue swimming competitively in college.  I enjoyed meets for more than the competition and record breaking during my senior year and eventually quit the club team.  During my first few years of college, I would often say that I need to be in the water.  I missed it, and still do and try to swim as much as possible, although that ends up being only a few times a month.

Regardless of how often you can swim in your workout routines or how much experience you have, I have found swimming to be calming, invigorating, and a workout that truly works every part of your body.  It can tire the strongest runners in one lap.  It can calm anxious children with Autism.  After a swim, you'll be sore in places you didn't know you even had certain muscle groups.  That being said, I wanted to give some beginners a starting point for a good swim workout.  Of course, all workouts can be modified and you can do your own research if this workout becomes too easy for you.  But, if you're looking for something new in your workout, swimming may be just the thing!

First, and most obviously, you need access to a pool.  My husband works at the Baylor Tom Landry Fitness center, so we have unlimited access to this gym and aquatics center.  Most gyms have a small lap pool, however.

Next, you need an actual workout suit.  A two piece that will fall off after ever push off the wall just won't cut it.

Other accessories you may want to invest in are a cap and goggles.  I can't really swim without them now, at least for a workout.  Hair gets in my face otherwise and forget swimming laps without goggles--my contacts are useless in the chlorine!

Most pools at a gym probably have basic equipment like various sizes of fins and kick boards for you to use.  You don't need to purchase these even for a good workout.

Finally, it's time to workout!

I usually skip this step, but it's a smart idea to stretch before and after your swim workout {I usually stretch after, but before is important too!}

Stretches:
-Arm circles, forwards and backwards
-Legs apart, reach down to the ground
-Touch your toes
-Runner's stretch {stretching your quad}
-Runner's stretch {stretching your calf}
-Jumping jacks {part of dynamic stretching, moving while stretching and warming up the body}

Laps:

25 yards or meters=1 lap

50 yards or meters=2 laps

75 yards or meters=3 laps

100 yards or meters=4 laps

and so on... :)

Swimming set:
-100 freestyle swim easy
-100 freestyle kick easy {if you do not have a kickboard, hold arms tight in streamline, hands on top of each other hugging your ears and breath when needed}
-100 freestyle swim
-100 freestyle kick
-100 freestyle swim
-10 25 sprints free style (as fast as you can with 30 seconds rest in between)
-10 25 sprints backstroke (as fast as you can with 30 seconds rest in between)
-10 25 sprints kick (as fast as you can with 30 seconds rest in between)
-200 freestyle cool down

More to come later!  Try this out and see how it feels.