I must be Crazy

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Today I officially have all my paperwork in to start taking classes again. I decided to take Organic Chemistry and I am dreading it. I hope I do well and hopefully next year I will be going to PA school. If not, I will continue to work towards my degree and reapply.

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I am finally getting settled into work and am enjoying hanging out with everyone. Every seems really nice and are willing to help out. I am pooped today though…I gotta get ready to these early morning wakeups.

Well off to bed…night!

Mexican Chicken Skillet Recipe

Hey everyone! Hope your week is going good so far. Today I decided to make a Mexican dish that is Paleo friendly. It came out great and spicy!

Mexican Green Chile Chicken Skillet

Ingredients:

1. 2 tbsp. of olive oil
2. 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces
3. 1 medium onion, cut in 4 pieces
4. 2 cloves of garlic
5. 2 poblano peppers
6. 2-3 jalapeno peppers
7. 1 medium tomato, diced
8. Juice of 1 lime
9. 1 handful of cilantro
10. 1 avocado, diced

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Roast Poblano and jalapeno peppers in oven for 45 min or until skin is charred
3. Warm oil in pan
4. Cook chicken until juices run clear
5. While chicken is cooking, place peppers, onion and garlic in food processor. pulse a few times until a chunky consistency. Add lime juice
6. After chicken is done, add pepper mixture and sauté for about 5 min.
7. Remove from heat and stir in tomato and cilantro.
8. Top with avocado

Enjoy!

Print Recipe

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Well off to relax with the hubs. See ya tomorrow! Ciao!

Week One Paleo and Insanity Recap

Hey everyone! How is your Monday going? Today was my official first day back for a full day and I am loving it so far. The first week of Paleo and Insanity went well. I am down 6 lbs. I have more energy and have been getting strong and more flexible. I am liking this lifestyle.

I got creative yesterday and made a homemade strawberry vinaigrette…it was so good. It took me about 5 min and is a nice light dressing for a summer salad.

 

Paleo Strawberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1. 3/4 cup olive oil
2. 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3. about 6-8 strawberries
4. thyme
5. 1 Packet or 1 tsp. of stevia
6. salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Put ingredients in blender and blend until creamy consistency
2. Enjoy!

Print Recipe

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For breakfast today I ate some simple eggs and bacon….that is one perk of Paleo and I lurve!

We have yet to go grocery shopping to really stock up…so since I did not pack anything, I decided to go to Subway and got a turkey bacon avocado salad….it was good! (sorry for crappy iPhone pic)

Well off to relax and watch The Big C. Ciao!

Almost Done Setting House Up

Hello everyone! Hope you weekend is going good so far. Today we got a lot done with the house. We hung up all the picture, art, mirrors, deco and it is finally starting to feel like home. We  also went to recycle boxes and take a lot of trash we accumulated while unpacking. At the landfill, I got out to take out the trash and the stench was so bad! I felt like I was gonna vomit. I did this right before going to Whole Paycheck. My hubs laughed at me and said it was good that I was nauseous. He said it is better than shopping hungry….lol. I was still a bit nauseous until we got home.

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I officially finished one week of Insanity! I noticed that I had more energy to push through the exercises harder and faster. I definitely feel like my stamina and strength are improving. I will be taking a progress pic tomorrow and will be posting them soon.

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For dinner I made “Breaded” Baked Chicken from the Everyday Paleo Cookbook. It came out pretty good. I am not used to the Coconut flour taste yet but it was good. I also made spaghetti squash and sautéed veggies. I really loved the squash and veggies…it was so fresh and good. I also added a lil bacon…yum!

 

 

Well off to bed…I might have pictures of the casita tomorrow depending on how far we get…if not fo sho next week. Night!

Primal Day 5

Happy Friday everyone! It has been a super busy week for me. We moved in on Tuesday and have been unpacking non stop since then. It seems to take forever. I thought that we had gave a lot of stuff away to Goodwill and friends before we left. Boy was I wrong. Since we started unpacking, I have accumulated about 4 big boxes of trash/donate stuff. I am glad that we are gonna get rid of that stuff and have less clutter. It always feels freeing when you have more “minimal” things in the house. I would say that I am contemporary/minimalistic. I am not even close to being 100% minimal but I try not to have a million things out and about. I will have some pics up soon of the casita as soon as I am able to finish unpacking. I dunno if we will be done by this weekend. I hope it will be no later than next week though. I am ready to be settled in.

Today marks the 5th day of the Paleo lifestyle combined with Insanity. I bought the program last year but never did it for the 60 days. I think I did it a few days and then would do the Plyometric CD at times. I have never done a full week. I think today was the most intense one because there were no breaks in between. It was the point to get your heart rate up at a cardio level though. It definitely kicked my butt. I weighed myself this morning, and I am down 5 lbs. I don’t know if it is initial water weight (which always seems to be the case), or if I am actually losing weight because I was eating terribly the past few weeks.

Tonight for dinner I made chicken sausage sautéed with asparagus, bell pepper, and onions. I put an over easy egg on top.

I surprisingly came out good. I don’t have a fully stocked kitchen right now, so we are making stuff with the lil bit of groceries we have readily available.

Well off to relax before bed. Ciao!

Recap on Oils

While mindlessly searching the internet today on idea for Paleo recipes, I stumbled upon Mark's Daily Apple.

 Quick disclaimer: I am not a medical professional and you should consult a physician before starting any diet or exercise.

I know how I have talked about cooking with Olive Oil and your health. Well I was doing some more research and found out that Avocado and Coconut Oil are both good cooking oils. On the Paleo Girls website, it says it is ok to use Olive Oil when it is not for cooking purposes, since it does not oxidize it.

Today for dinner I decided to make Paleo Chicken Curry. It came out ok. I did not have many veggies on hand, so I just put carrots and asparagus.

Today marks day 4 of Paleo and Insanity. I have done well with staying with Paleo and doing the Insanity. I am not feeling like I have more energy compared to the first two days on the diet/exercise regimen. I did not feel lethargic and actually got a lot done with unpacking and organizing. I will post pics of the house when it is done.

Well off to relax before bed!

Moving In

Well the past couple days have been cray cray. I started Paleo on Monday. Well, I was also watching some late night T.V. and saw the Insanity workout add....well my crazy ass decided to start that on Monday too...what was I thinking?!? What doesn't help is that I had to move furniture and boxes on Tuesday and yesterday. I am so freaked sore and plus I don't have 100% energy because I am transitioning over from a carbaholic to no carbs...wtf!? But overall, I have still been working out through all that is going on.

On Sunday, I decided to fat fat it up knowing that I would be not eating carbs or any yumminess for 30 days. I decided the Cheesecake Factory sounded like a good idea...













Almost forgot to take a pic, to a bite(oops)



While at the mall, I bought my first ever pair of lululemon pants!




Sorry for the ugly hotel comforter pic.


I also tried this for the first time:




Not a big fan.

Here have been a couple of Paleo eats for the past couple of days:








I can honestly say, it hasn't been that bad...I love me some fruit and meat! I hope I can last the whole 30 days...

Well off to unpack...bleh!

Guest Post: Running Off The Reese’s

Hi everyone! Here is a guest post from Cely from Running Off the Reese's. As you know I will be starting the Paleo Diet tomorrow. Cely is gonna give us her first hand experience with Paleo. If you have never seen her blog before…head over there! She is hilarious!

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Paleo: The First Days

Hello! I’m Cely from Running off the Reese’s and I am so excited to be guest posting today for Teresa. So here you go, all your first few days on the Paleo Diet.

1.  Its pronounced “Pay-Leo” not “Puh-Lay-O”
The Paleo diet comes from the term Paleolithic and is based upon what researchers and scientists believe our ancestors consumed. So what would that be? Vegetables, fruit, low fat meat, eggs, and nuts.  That’s it.  Eat a lot of veggies, some fruit and nuts (less if you’re trying to lose weight), and meat.

2. What can’t you eat?

Nope no Cheetos. You can’t eat everything else and potatoes, peanuts, peanut butter, grains, dairy, fatty meats, processed foods, rice, or alcohol. But I still drink alcohol, but I try not to be a raging alcoholic. If you want to do it right, avoid it, and if you can’t because it helps you keep from killing people, drink sparingly.

3.  What will Paleo do for you?

It will probably help you lose weight and it will probably make you feel really good. I started Paleo in an effort to manage inflammation in my body and so far it is working very well. I have also lost about 10 pounds which I’m not complaining about.  Read The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf if you want all of the science behind why a Paleo diet makes you feel better.

3. So what the heck do you eat?

I think the key to this diet is finding what meals are easy for you to prepare that you actually like. I like to have hard boiled eggs for breakfast, nuts for a snack, salad with turkey for lunch, apples with almond butter for another snack, and a meat with vegetables for dinner. It took me several weeks to figure out what was fast and cost effective for me to prepare.  In the beginning buy things you like and know how to cook then grow from there. I wasted so much money the first few weeks on things I never got around to eating.

4.  Now what?

So you have your food and you know what to do and you are ready to begin. So how will it go? I can’t lie; the first week is the hardest. The first few days aren’t really that bad. The diet is new, you will be full because you can eat when you are hungry, you don’t have to count calories, and the food is good. Then day four comes and your first weekend and suddenly you realize all of your habits are wrong. What you have grabbed for years as a snack and what you’ve eaten out is all wrong. And then it gets stressful and you wonder what the point is? It’s hard. It’s hard to skip that candy at the theater, and to pass on the bread at Olive Garden, to say no to beer, and no to appetizers, no to cake, no to cookies, no to everything delicious. You are going to have to have a lot of willpower and a lot of planning.  Try to eat before you go to places you may be tempted to snack: showers, movie theaters, bars, and parties. Try to find out where you are going out to eat in advance so you can look up the menu online and not stress about what you will choose when you arrive.

5. Don’t be embarrassed

People will notice you are suddenly eating different, especially if, like me, you are a notorious third helping birthday cake eater at your office. In the grand scheme of things, it isn’t their business, but you can’t just tell your friends, family, and co-workers to go screw themselves. So tell them you are eating differently for health reasons. And really, that is exactly why you should be trying Paleo, because you want to improve how you feel. You don’t need to mention weight or weight loss because you are just opening yourself up to a million unsolicited comments about your size.

6. Keep almonds in your purse

Or pistachios or cashews or whatever you eat. The biggest barrier to eating Paleo is that it isn’t a “grab and go” lifestyle. It’s hard to pop into a gas station or McDonald’s and feed yourself. Keep food on you so you are prepared until you can get to the next meal.

7. Crap is going to happen

You are going to cheat. There will be meals and days where you have no control over what is available or you want to indulge in something. Just do it, it’s not a big deal. Don’t beat yourself up and don’t feel guilty. As long as these instances are only a day or a couple of meals a week you aren’t going to derail yourself (this is in the book). Just don’t let it become a four day habit.

8. What about exercise and carbs?

You will get plenty of carbs and fiber. Really. Nuts have carbohydrates, fruit has carbohydrates, and vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes have carbohydrates. The book warns that your first couple of weeks on Paleo will probably see a decrease in your exercise performance. I have no idea why, but I did feel like junk at first. So don’t start Paleo in the weeks before a major athletic event or race.

9. It gets better with time

I promise. As a girl who loves candy and bread more than air, I can assure you that it will get better. You will get used to it and get into a routine just like you had with your formal eating style.  And eventually you will more easily choose Paleo options over the others because you have a carb hangover when you eat a giant plate of pasta and you will spend all night wishing you weren’t so dumb.

 10. Keep trying

You are going to have bad days and bad weeks. Life happens. Keep trying and don’t give up. Paleo should be a lifestyle not a quick fix.

Good luck!

Paleo Challenge

Happy Saturday everyone! Today has been a great day for us. We went shopping all morning and also we got our membership to Costco. I can’t wait to get our casita next week so we can go grocery shopping. We also went to the movies to watch this:

I actually liked the movie and it had some sad parts in it. When we were watching previews I saw the preview for this:

I can’t wait to see it!

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On another note, we went to Trader Joes yesterday and I lurve their wine selection! I got this bottle for $6.99.

 

It was actually pretty tasty. I liked it.

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We also went to shop at The Container store, and just to window shop. While doing that we stopped at Barnes and Noble to have some coffee and look at books. I ended up buying this book:

I have been eating junk food since we have been living out of a hotel. I know and feel like I have gained weight. I want to start eating healthier and I like this approach. So on Monday, I will be doing the Paleo diet for 30 days and see how it works out. I can’t tell for sure how much I have gained since my scale is all packed up, but when we get into our house next week, I will be weighing myself. I will also have a before and after pic after the 30 day period.

This week has been good as far as exercising. I ran 3 miles today with an avg 9:28 min mile. I also worked out 3 other days this week. I ran one, biked one, and swam the other. I plan on doing a bike ride tomorrow on the stationary bike.

My best friend Tinia started her bloggie  L7-Weirdo today. Go check it out!

Well off to relax. Ciao!

First Day at Work

Wednesday was my first day at work and it went great! All the people are really nice.  For lunch, I went to Whole Foods and got the cold/hot bar. It was soooo good!

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In other news, we are still living at a hotel and don’t have a house yet. I am getting so tired of eating Lean Cuisines and going out to eat all the time. I can’t wait to be able to cook something healthy and fresh. We did find a house but won’t be able to move in until next week. I can’t wait! Well off to go shopping. Ciao!

2nd Anniversary Celebration

The past two days have been great! Yesterday, we went to San Francisco to celebrate our anniversary.

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We started our lil trip to San Francisco in Fisherman’s Wharf. We stopped at Bubba Gump and had an appetizer and a drink.

I went with the Blue Louisiana Lemonade (iPhone pic):

It was tasty!

After the appetizer we headed to the trolley on Hyde Street. It was so behind, we ended up walking to Union Square. Here is a view on the way:

**Side note: my legs hurt today from walking there yesterday.

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This month from June 1-15th they are having a thing called “Dine About Town.” With this, you can go to try different participating restaurants for lunch or dinner. It gives people a chance to try different cuisines. We decided to go with “Le Central.” It is a French restaurant located by Union Square.

We tried a cab here from Cali(sorry about wine dribble):

I got the crab cake.  It was ok. A lil too much breading and not enough crabmeat.

Brian went with the French Onion soup.

I got the Cassoulet.

He got the rib eye. It was a little burnt tasting. Kinda like charcoal.

I went with the Tiramisu. It was delish!

Brian went with the Crème Brulee. He forgot to wait to take a pic and took a bite. It is the best I have ever tasted. Yummy!

On the way back to our car, we were able to take the trolley back. It was fun!

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This afternoon we decided to go and try some local froyo at Twisters Frozen Yogurt. On Tuesdays, they have trivia and if you get it correct you get your froyo free! I was lucky to get the trivia answer right and I got my froyo free! Yay! I got the red velvet and crema de leche froyo with cheesecake, raspberries, cookie dough, and a dash of heath. It was a weird combo but delish!!

The rest of the day was spent doing laundry and getting my stuff ready for tomorrow. Tomorrow is my first day at work. Wish me luck!! Bye!