TIP TUESDAY

Living an all around healthy lifestyle may be easy for some, but for most this task is a difficult one.

Many people do not have the time to cook a meal or even go to the grocery store for that matter, so if I am talking about you here are some tips in order to live that healthy lifestyle but with simplicity!

Besides the fact frozen foods can save you tons of money, flash-frozen organic foods such as vegetable mixes and fruits are perfectly acceptable! Go out to Costco or any other fine bulk store and stock your freezer up with these delicious, easy and healthy foods. Of course if you have the time please buy everything fresh but honestly sometimes flash-frozen produce can be better in terms of organic foods and budget. STAY AWAY from those containing cheeses, or additives (salts or seasonings), you can add these yourself!

Smoothies are super easy when all you have to do is throw in your favorite protein powder (still trying to find a new fav), frozen organic fruits and some frozen organic veggies!

Dry goods such as Black Beans, Chick Peas, Lentils, Basmati Brown Rice, Quinoa, Rolled Oats, Barley, and Buckwheat are excellent to have lying around in your pantry! Not only can you buy in bulk (always cost effective) but they work wonders in a soup, salad or side dish. If you get really creative you can turn those frozen veggies and one type of grain into an entire meal.

Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth and Vegetable Broths have a very long shelf life and are the base of most soups and sauces. Having these always on hand and buying in bulk will make your pantry complete and give you a base for all those grains and frozen vegetables.

Oils such as Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Coconut Oil should in your spices drawer/pantry. Check the quality of these oils as quality matters especially when cooking. Coconut Oil is ideal for high-heat and cooking while Extra Virgin Olive Oil works great as a salad dressing.

Grab some ground pepper, sea salt, cinnamon

Stocking your pantry is one of the main KEYS towards your goal weight, ideal body or just pairing good nutrition with your workouts.

A pantry full of chips, cookies and sodas will lead you to destruction later on! I know the feeling of an empty fridge (with nothing to eat) and the next door is always the pantry which is usually a hole filled with "junk" foods.

Another useful tip is to prepare large batches of soups and stews that store nicely in the fridge and work great as meals to bring to work, school or wherever you may be going. They also work as a wonderful late night dinner after working all day and not wanting to touch a pan.


I made the one above a few days ago and have been enjoying it on top of some chicken I made earlier in the week and just alone! It feels so nice not to have to start chopping up everything and waiting!


What are some tricks you use to stay healthy when on the go or super busy?


What are some new items you will pick up on your next grocery trip to make your life easier?

TIP TUESDAY

You eat all the right foods, 4-6 meals a day and workout and you still seem to be STUCK! No more pounds falling off, fat still sticks there and you just DO NOT GET IT!

Well SISTER, I am here to help you!

There are a few reasons why this is going on but today we are going to focus on one of the larger reasons: PORTION CONTROL..

That's RIGHT...just because you are eating "healthy foods", :ALMOND's, PINENUT'S, SEEDS ETC. (raw, unroasted, unsalted) does not mean you can eat the whole bag.....

And grains like quinoa, barley, brown rice, whole wheat pastas..etc..same thing! YES you are eating quinoa and you know all of the health benefits but does that mean you should have three servings? NO

These foods STILL have calories! Yes, they are better choices compared to what you used to eat so GO YOU! 

But it is NOW time to look into that NEXT STEP...

You have the right formula, the right foods but those portion sizes are out of control! (trust me I am with you on this one...me and nuts are "frienenemies")

Counting on Nutrition Charts that restaurants and the internet are WONDERFUL but remember these estimates are not EXACTLY what you will be served when you go out to that same exact restaurant and order that same exact dish...WHY? Well half the time the chef is not measuring the amount of oils, butters, and gosh knows what else and could give you a larger slab of meat or even a larger serving than what was given the day of testing. Also this number is usually a "mean." A mean is a sum of all the totals divided by the amount which then gives the approximate result. 

I know you most likely don't have a portable food scale, or a nutritional chart on the back of every single thing you eat so here are so "handy" guides for you to control your portion sizes....

TIP TUESDAY

TIP TUESDAY

Back to the drawing board on my videos I quickly made this one I apologize but the info is what is important :) I find that you can workout anywhere at anytime. Some may think I am crazy..I just think I am smart ;) haha

Anyway I take advantage of brushing my teeth and washing my face to add some extra squats, lunges and standing ab exercises into my day. If you ever are talking to me on the phone and your hear me breathing its probably because I am working out. (Sorry for working out) Days like yesterday I was super busy but I promise you while I was waiting for my curlers to cool down I was lunging, when I washed my face before I went to bed I squatted and when I brushed my teeth I was doing side to side ab exercises. I make it happen and you can too :)

Comment and let me know what you added this week!

Last week I asked you all to grow something, whether it be flowers, herbs, sprouts or even veggies or fruits! I sprouted and let me tell you the results were amazing! They started out tiny little seedlings and became a salad and an addition to my smoothies. I have even been sneaking them into my husbands protein shakes for an additional boost to his nutrition!  An amazing feeling came about me as I watched our guests eat my sprout salad at our last dinner party. I added avocado and cherry tomatoes with a homemade dressing (raw) as well. 

The sprouting stages

The greening process: getting sunlight for an added bonus of chlorophyll 

Just my sprouts, cherry tomatoes and some chopped avocado

What did you end up growing?

For more information on sprouting check out these books I found on amazon:
I received these two books as a gift and just sprouted the fourth option below (the alfalfa, brocoli mixture)

TIP TUESDAY

I am on a new journey in life after my gorgeous wedding :)

I plan to have babies in the next two years and according to David Wolffe it can take 2-3 years to clear your body from chemicals and other substances you may have put in your body (ex party girl) so my new life and my new chapter starts as a healthy and well-balanced one. 

My girlfriend Ashley Armstrong, gave me the gift of mung beans a week ago and that was my first introduction to sprouting. I had been vegan for 3 years but I was 18 and did not understand or know barely anything (why I stopped) and now I practice a well-balanced diet but still avoid dairy, processed foods and sugar. I only eat red meat on the occasion and by that I mean maybe three times a year if that.  I do eat lean chicken, turkey and fish a bunch but am trying to just eat meat once a day instead of every meal.

Other things I will be adopting our meditation, yoga, knowledge and spending more time away from the media and more time outside! 

This weeks tip is to grow flowers, sprouts, fruits, herbs, vegetables and/or plants. Sprouting works well for those who live in small places and do not have tons of time while others may have a patch of soil they could be using to plant something. Herbs are easy as well! 

I love growing and gardening because it relates to me and the fact that everything is growing around you. Love, relationships, yourself, your work, school, your heath EVERYTHING so start growing items around you! Plus when you grow your own you know what soil, chemicals and even water is being used! 

Comment and let me know what you ended up growing! More on sprouting in future blogs so check back and see how my crops are doing :)

TIP TUESDAY

TIP: Always get ready for date night, it always makes it more fun and exciting and I LOVE trying out new makeup looks :)

Tips for Shoes:

• Make sure your shoes fit you correctly, so you can prevent running injuries and run comfortably. 
• Check out the MIDSOLE, if mostly gray, or dual-density foam, near the arch the more stable the shoe is
• Make sure you have about half an inch of wiggle room between the end of the shoe and your longest toe.
• Check to see if the outsole is carbon or blown rubber, blown rubber is softer and lighter for more flexibility and less weight in your stride while carbon rubber provides more traction
• Shop for workout shoes at the end of the day when feet are semi-swollen since your feet swell up when running
• If you supinate, meaning when walking your feet tend to roll out, you need a shoe with extra cushioning to absorb impact
• If you overpronate, meaning your feet tend to roll inward, you need a shoe with midsole cushioning and stability control
• If you are a neutral runner, meaning your feet don’t roll outward (underpronate) or inward when running (overpronate), you can select pretty much any shoe

My Favorite Running Shoes:

New Balance 1010 ($110.00)

Great for cross training because of its webbing which provides a structured support when training!

Asics Gel 1150 ($74.50)

Rated by Runner’s World as the softest running shoe on the market and provides amazing support for your feet and joints

Nike Airmax Trainer One ($85.00)

Great for all around gym use.

Salomon SpeedCross 2 ($120)

Great for those of you who love running outdoors and hiking on trails. These shoes are 8.6 oz so extremely light but still keep the foot very stable!

*A great place to pick up name brand workout shoes is NORDSTROM RACK! Or you can head to your local footlocker and try on the shoe to get your size and google it to find the best prices!

NO MORE EXCUSES! Get that body you have ALWAYS wanted and look cute doing it :)

WEDDING DRESS HUNT

Searching for the perfect dress can be so much fun and kind of stressful! I mean how many times in your life do you have an excuse to go crazy and try on whatever dress you want? But at the same time how many dresses are there to choose from and you only get one and thats it! 

One thing I learned on my journey is price, designer and who wore the dress means CRAP! I tried on dresses from $99.00 USD-$10,000 USD and what I picked you will be amazed, (sorry) it was not the Monique Lhuillier dress Carrie Underwood wore to her reception but I did LOVE it :) Just not for my special day :) 

The other tip is to try on EVERYTHING, as you can see in my pictures I tried on every style and thats because you never know what will look best on you! That is what matters most :)

Davids Bridal

- Gorgeous dress, I loved how it showed my legs off a bit without being too sexy, I really wanted a classy look!

The Back of that dress

Monique Lhuillier

Dress Carrie Underwood wore to her reception! So much detail and so gorgeous, I kind of fell in love...

Old School Vintage type dress. I really REALLY love the 1940's (I listen to 40's on 4) so I really thought about channeling my inner 40's vixen! Do you like?

Mermaid style, made me look womanly and I LOVED the beading and detailing on this dress!

Alfred Angelo

 Best experience as far as excitement went! I went to the one across from the Beverly Center in LA because they had the biggest selection and we were already out there visiting Monique's!

Felt like a princess in this one, just too large but the detailing was VERY unique which I loved!

The detailing on the Cinderella dress from the Disney Princess Collection. So gorgeous and VERY fairytale! I had fun walking around the store pretending like i was walking on a cloud!

From the Disney Princess Collection. I am pretty sure this one was Ariel. I can tell you trying on dresses that day, I felt like a princess!

My mom designed the guestbook which I LOVE! She is SO creative! I really want her to make these and sell them on etsy! Look at the detail on the pages, all her design! I am SO lucky to have such a creative and loving Mother who took the time out of her busy schedule to do this for us! 

QUESTION: What dress did I choose?

TIP TUESDAY

Are you up to the challenge? Its so easy and fun to try new things so go for it! 5 items, easy! 

Try out shiitake mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, chia seeds, maca powder, seaweed, kiwis, grapefruit, brussel sprouts, lima beans, black eyed peas, quinoa, starfruit, blackberries, broccoli spears, asparagus, artichokes...the list is endless. You can even try out new spices! I love paprika, its traditionally used in Hungarian dishes but can be added to chicken, beef, pork, or turkey and give a kick of flavor just by grilling with it! 

It's always nice to acquire new tastes as you get older. I used to hate vegetables and now I eat them at every meal literally EVERY meal! So go for it, try out those broccoli spears you used to hate as a kid! I bet you have new taste buds and they will be super yummy!

Comment and let me know what you picked up! I would love to hear your choices!