Life is a Highway

During this blogging adventure that I have been on for the past 7 months (I can’t believe it’s been that long), I have realized a lot of things about myself. Having your life documented every day has definitely given me a new perspective on things.

One thing that has really stood out to me is the fact that my life is a constant ebb and flow. I don’t want to say up and down, because that implies happiness and sadness, which is not always the case. It’s just a waxing and waning of, well, life.

Let’s take food, for example. I felt like my food choices the past week had been mediocre, and that I was sometimes eating just to eat instead of eating to enjoy (an act I’m not very fond of). But on Sunday and Monday, I got back on track with my deliciously nutritious meals. Who says health has to be boring? Quite the contrary!!

Sunday eats:

Oatmeal with cooked apples and a spoonful of peanut butta on top.

Turkey pickle sammich with left-over roasted veggies. The sandwich= bomb diggity.

Chocolate peanut butter shake with greens.

 My first thought was, This is interesting... Second thoughts? None. I got over it.

Banana bread "cake."

 I used Better Batter's Yellow Cake mix to make this cake. It was so easy because I didn't have to worry about adding sugar or anything to the mixture. It was so light and fluffy, and oh-so-decadent. Here's what I did:

 Banana Bread "Cake"

• 4 bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/3 cup water
• 3 eggs

Pre-heat oven to 350. Mix up all the ingredients and pour into a 11x9 grease baking dish. cook for 15 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil, turn the heat down to 325 and cook for another 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Voila! Enjoy!

Holy amazing. There is less than half the cake left. Special thanks to Better Batter for sending me their awesome GF mixes! I can't wait to try them all out!

French toast with strawbeezies OTS.

 It was clear that my eye was bigger than my stomach and I couldn't eat the last piece of toast. Luckily, Gigantor packed it away for me.

New favorite tea.

 Everyone who has tried  this tea agrees that it's basically liquid Red Hots. It's pretty much the most unbelievable thing ever.

Monday munchies:

Mexican Quinoa Egg Bake with a pear OTS.

Mexican Quinoa Egg Bake

Seriously, this one's so easy. Almost too easy for how delicious it is.

• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp salsa (plus more for the topping)
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix quinoa, eggs, and tbsp of salsa and put the mixture into a greased (w/ olive oil) microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 5-6 minutes, or until there is no more liquid on the surface. For those of you who are microwave-aphobics (like my mother), bake this at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. Top with your favorite salsa and/or sour cream. Enjoy!

Tuna salad, GF crackers, sweet peppers, and a pickle.

Banana bread "cake." Yum-O!

Chicken salad beast: spinach, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, radish, red pepper, garbanzo beans, and a whole chicken breast topped with raspberry walnut vinaigrette. Exquisite.

Let’s discuss the home life. On both days, I’ve taken my nap outside in my bathing suit instead of inside under the covers. This Florida weather has been rocking my world as of late.

Lovin' the neck strain.

I'll never get over the gorgeous view.

Looking over my history in the blog world, another trait of mine that has come to my attention is how quickly I become unhappy when things aren’t on the up and up. I think the most important thing for me is to recognize the really great moments, but also acknowledge the “ho-hum” ones. Life can’t be perfect and wonderful all the time and you have to just be able to recognize, live in, and appreciate those awesome, warm, happy, joy-filled times when they come. (Here's the cheese and the cliché . Are you ready for it?) Instead of thinking about life as a roller coaster with ups and downs, I want to think of it as a winding road, if you will, with twists and turns (it makes me feel better). If life is a highway, I wanna ride it all night long...

Blog Block (A.K.A. SnackFace Rip Off Post)

I am always, ALWAYS reading health, fitness, and beauty articles and blogs. Tuesday, I was thinking about what they Hades I would post on. Suddenly, I remembered SnackFace’s post entitled, “This is What My Balance Looks Like.” Since she invited her fellow blogginistas to jump on the Balance Bandwagon, I am doing it. Blame the blog block. But I am DOIN’. IT.

MY Balance is… (drum roll please).

Talking to my honey at least twice a day

Me and my hubby-to-be.

Living in a house overrun by dogs

From left: Gizmo, Pixie, Oscar, Lucy, Max, and Kiwi. Yes we have 6.

Eating 3 square meals a day

Toast with apple.

Chicken Soup

Quinoa, barbeque chicken, and broccoli.

Plus snacks…

Fruit of grapes.

Ener-G Corn Loaf. So delish. AND only 40 cals/slice. But who's counting?

…Plus dessert

Pumpkin yog with gingy cookie

COFFEE. Need I say more?

Red lipstick stain on the side. Hot.

Eating some form of chocolate at least once a day

Working out 5 days a week...

Walking dogs 3 separate times in a day (and counting it as my workout).

Spending quality time with La Familia

We were painting my sleeping uncle's face on New Year's

Obsessing over health and beauty info

• Shine.com
• Glamour.com
• Cosmopolitan.com
• Allure.com

Being productive. That means cleaning, blogging, working out, cooking something, or working on school 

work of some sort.

And looking cute while doing it…

NEVER taking myself too seriously

Throwback picture. Me with bangs. Mons with red hair.

Basically, my balance is about enjoying myself, staying healthy, and having fun. Life’s too short of have it any other way.

The Holidays Are Here!

On Monday, it hit me that it is the week before Christmas! YEAH! I am so excited. It also occurred to me that I had one more Christmas present to buy. Yikes. I know that the malls and stores are crazy right now, but I also knew that further delaying the shopping would lead to an even more painfully stressful experience.

I woke up with sore calves from this weekend’s jump roping, and decided against cardio. So, I piddled around, spoke to my lovey, and got ready to go out on the town. 

Then, being the wonderful daughter and sister that I am, I took my sister and my mama out for lunch at Panera. Yes, gluten-free people, Panera. When I went gluten-free, I assumed that Panera Bread was totally out-of-the-question. However, when it was suggested as a meal option, I was curious to find out. I read that nothing is "certified" gluten-free (obvs. It’s a bakery). But, there ARE several dishes with all gluten-free ingredients. Check it out

Note: If you are a severe Celiac, you probably shouldn’t try this out due to cross-contamination.

Hurrah! I celebrated this discovery by getting a Classic Café Salad.  

Cafe goodness.

Mons and I happy to be at our long, lost cafe.

Afterward, I made my way to America’s Friendliest Hometown to get my last present. Great success!

When I got home, my mama and I gave each other manicures. Productive activities. It made me realize how much pointless stuff I do every day. Geez.

At least my nails look awesome.

Since my nails were wet, and my mom’s weren’t, she was kind enough to make my dinner.

Low cal pastrami (this is not a joke) and sauerkraut sandwich with sauteed veggies

 Unfortunately, this lovely dinner was followed by this:

Food for baby dogs.

 I say unfortunately because munching a little bit of Puppy Chow equals munching on lots of calories. Oh well. ‘Tis the season for enjoyment, fa-la-la-la-la…la-la-la-la.

To work off some of those glorious calories, I did an upper body and ab workout.

It struck me that I will be battling minor weight gain this week. But I am completely ok with it. As long as I workout, do my thing, and don’t go overboard, then why should I worry?

 I know those extra pounds we rack up during the holidays make us feel a little bleh, and everyone wants to stay in tip-top shape. Some of us have weddings to attend, parties to go to, or just want to feel a little lighter. Well, there is a solution that the makers of Yoplait have come up with! It’s called the Two-Week Tune Up! It’s a custom diet plan designed especially for you by Yoplait!

For more information, visit Yoplait’s Two Week Tune Up.

I have been given the opportunity to try out this new plan after the holiday season has ended, thanks to Yoplait! I will track my progress here for you guys to see! I will share more information about it when the time gets closer!

Until then, I will just be enjoying myself in moderation, keeping up my workout routine, and having happy holidays. I hope you will too!

What are your holiday plans this year? How do you plan to stay fit and healthy over the next two weeks? Leave a comment!

Pumpkin Streusal Cheesecake Bars

I made these 3 times over the course of Thanksgiving week. They are amazingly good.

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 8 oz packages cream cheese (low fat), softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 box General Mills yellow cake mix
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp whipping cream

Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, stir together cake mix and pecans. With pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Reserve 1 cup mixture for topping. In bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch pan, press remaining mixture. Bake 10 minutes.


In large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add remaining ingredients; beat until well blended. Pour over warm crust. Sprinkle with reserved topping.

Bake about 35 minutes or until center is set. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until chilled. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.