THIRSTY THURSDAY

Being in Playa this week, I had to pick up a new recipe or two for my SKINNY STAR SERIES...

THIRSTY THURSDAY

I feel like I just posted one of these boy does time FLY!

I needed one of these little JOYS because I have had quite the week...

I used to be super into COMPUTER PROGRAMMING when I was in high school and I could figure out ANYTHING, LITERALLY, ANYTHING

I had the opportunity to do an internship in high school at BOEING and as you can see in this picture I hated it! Sometimes what you are good at (or used to be good at) is not your true passion so therefore you need to find something else...

and now on to Wordpress....WOW..

Working on moving this wonderful blog to an actual website :)

If you have any tips or tricks please feel free to contact me...

BACK to Thirsty Thursday...

Ahhh...and hey I can't complain this is my OFFICE space :)

CLICK READ MORE FOR THE RECIPE

TIP TUESDAY

Are you chewing your food all the way through?

So many of us eat to eat but are you eating because you are actually hungry? Is your stomach sending you those hunger pains? Or are you just eating..

It can be hard to determine sometimes and it can be really difficult to write every single nutrient down and figure out what EXACTLY you are missing vitamin and mineral wise. But what if you did not need a fancy calculator, website, smart phone app and all you needed was that thing you walk around in all day. That's RIGHT your digestive system and brain are the best business partners and deserve a FORBES award you just have to LISTEN to them!

Now imagine biting into a fresh, organic Granny Smith Apple..how does it feel? how does it taste?

Can you answer those questions or are you one of the many who chew each bite 5-7 times on average and swallow?

If you are the many of chew each bite just 5-7 times you need to LISTEN UP!

Eating should not be something you just DO to DO but should have some sort of purpose in your life. 

If you look at many other cultures including the French they dine on the finest foods and are super fit and thin...besides the fact they walk EVERYWHERE they actually sit and enjoy the food that is placed in front of them. They celebrate food..now do not take this the wrong way and think you can have a cake with candles at every meal just because you are willing to chew it more then 7 times a bite.... 

I am saying that when you eat you should be in a sitting relaxed state, eating food because you are hungry, and eating a healthy well-balanced meal to get all the nutrients available to you.

I discovered "Food Mediation" through tons of research and just the plain and simple understanding of how the digestive system works. Your body has to work to digest foods and yes when it works it burns calories and provides you with the minerals and vitamins available from the food you just shoveled into your mouth. But, did you know if you enjoyed every single bite, chewed your food thoroughly and relaxed while eating the food you could actually LOSE WEIGHT?

A simple fact that will change the way you eat a meal hopefully from now on...

Like I said above you can LOSE WEIGHT if you actually chew your food...how and why does this happen?

LINK

• Digestion begins in the mouth..those pearly whites are made to grind the food you provide your body and that gorgeous PINK tongue has saliva on it which signals the digestive enzymes to break down starches into simple sugars
• The saliva also contains lipid (fat) digestive enzymes that help begin the process of breaking fats down. The teeth also help grind the food into smaller pieces so that when the food is finally swallowed (after tons of chewing) it mixes better with your stomach acids (hydrochloric acid).
• The longer you chew your food the taste and smell receptors start to trigger. Once this happens the production of stomach acids and pancreatic juices occurs so your system is ready to roar!
• As you swallow the stomach acids begins to break down the proteins into even smaller digestible molecules and works on killing all that nasty bacteria and pathogens that may be in your food. Remember this...more area to work in the easier it is to get to work so the smaller your food the easier for the body to break it down even further!
• The smaller the food is, the better the breakdown which further leads to more vitamin and mineral absorption in the small intestine. The small intestine is VITAL to star shining health!
• The large intestine is up next and takes what is left of the already digested food (fiber and water). The large intestine sucks up the water and whatever vitamins and electrolytes are left and then creates your best friend :)
• If your friends that come out your back side have food that's undigested or you always have that bloated, gassy feeling this may be a sign of not chewing your food thoroughly.
• I could break this down further but basically CHEW YOUR FOOD for OPTIMAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS

The more you chew the less you eat:

• Hormones (leptin, cholecystokinin) have a chance to catch up and tell your brain "Hey I am full down here, thanks for the amazing nutrients"
• Studies show that slowly chewing your food and making a connection of tasting, smelling, touching, acknowledge (see), and hear your body and what it needs you end up decreasing your food intake by 1/3 at a meal

Ways to work on this is by using Food Meditation! Watch the video above and try it out at your next meal :)

How many chews will you chew today?

How many licks to the center of optimum health?

THIRSTY THURSDAY

Are you THIRSTY?

I sure am....

Celery, cilantro, sun dried tomatoes....

O and BOOZE...

Thursday's are my new favorite post because I get to try a new drink! YAY ME!!

Mr. Bacardi Oak Heart enjoying my backyard....

I picked this beauty up at Costco for about $7.50 US! You can't beat that and let me tell you the flavors are tasty for you to enjoy the rum by itself...

For recipe....

WORK IT WEDNESDAY

Today has been so much fun!

I have been practicing with my food meditations and have come so far and I am SO PROUD OF MYSELF!

If you are not sure what food meditations are tune in for next Tuesdays tip TUESDAY where I will go over how to do this.

I did this workout before I headed out to the famers market! Let me tell you I felt SO ENERGIZED! 

I purchased:

Papaya, Grapefruit, Tomatoes, Strawberries, Arugula, Hummus, Seeds, Sprouts, Eggplant, Sweet Potatoes (oldie but a goodie), and a dozen farm fresh eggs!

I also grabbed two cookies and a brownie for my husband but....

I ate one cookie toady :)

By the way this picture does not DO it justice!

How crazy are these tomatoes! 

Never had seen these/heard of these but I guess they make things sweet? 

Anyone know what these are?

We had a Shih Lunch Adventure as we took our smallest Shih: Gigi, to the vet to see if she is pregnant  (still unsure...)

How cute are the Shihs? I am obsessed...they are my children..LITERALLY :)

Get your workout clothes on and get working out!!

Feel free to COMMENT and let me know how Work It Wednesday's Workout went as I know you will be WORKING IT!

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

THIRSTY THURSDAY

Time to start the party already CourtStar! I hear you sister! Time to learn about your ultimate party girl survival drinks so the next few weeks, Thirsty Thursday will be dedicated to the boozin good times!

I have been loving this one on a hot summer day :)

Question: What is your favorite cocktail and why?

Cheers to life, love and happiness :) 

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)

PRODUCE-THE TRUTH

You got it vegetables and fruit...the diet, miracle ladeladela you know its good for you but did you know those little stickers actually mean something? Did you know that those stickers you peel off have a secret code that will tell you if your eating something that man made with chemicals or sprayed down with chemicals?

http://houghtongarden.wordpress.com/2011/05/03/i-d-your-food/

The truth is the government must provide food for everyone and at a cost people can afford so what happens is chemicals, pesticides and god knows what else is used to meet these demands. The saddest part of this is that the people consuming these GMO (genetically modified organisms) are getting sicker and sicker by the day and new diseases are coming about. We are surrounded by this stuff and told we should be consuming fruits and vegetables in abundance and avoiding processed foods. But at the same time you are consuming processed foods because in my eyes GMO is processed.

You may think that organic food is more expensive and not in your budget and trust me, I understand, that is why I use Dr. Oz's spray on certain foods. We should all realize that buying organic produce may cost more but how much money will we save at the doctors office or even the hospital?

Here is a chart to memorize so the next time you head out to the store you know wusssupp! haha

No Sticker?

Here are three steps from Rose Lee Calabro you can use when shopping:

• Farmer's Market
• Farmers Market means nothing if you DO NOT ask QUESTIONS!
• Ask:
• Are there artificial fertilizers or pesticides?
• Did you add compost and a natural mineral-rich amendment (over 90 minerals) to soil? 
• If yes to the second question stock up!!
• Supermarket
• Appearance and Color?
• Glow-Freshly Picked
• Glossy-Stay Away
• Perfect Shape-Stay Away
• Smell
• Does it smell fresh or does it smell chemically?
• Touch
• Does it feel greasy?-Stay Away

Let me know how you do! I did the farmers market one yesterday and found out everything passed the test so I stocked up :)

Have an amazing day!

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 :)

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?