Babies, Birds, and Burning Calories

Good Morning! I'm up early today because my sister-in-law is in labor! We are all just waiting for little baby Eli to come now. :)
Yesterday I satisfied my craving to go on an outside run and got to enjoy nature on Earth Day. I mapped out my route using mapquest and parked at the local college parking lot courtesy of my employee parking sticker. From the college to the gym is 1.32 miles. I felt pretty good on the way there but it was pretty hot out. I got there in 13 min. I worked out my legs and did some abs at the gym.

It felt nice to get to the gym and already be warmed up! I only spent about 30 min at the gym and then journeyed on out to run back to my car. I felt better on the way back and and it felt much shorter also. I stopped and took some pictures too. It took me about the same amount of time.
I saw a sandhill crane in the grass and it let me get right up to it to take a picture. I think I could've gotten even closer but I didn't want to get pecked to death on the side of the road. lol.

When I got home I made a post workout green monster shake. The ingredients I used were:

• 1 cup soy milk (i usually use almond milk)
• 5 strawberries
• 1 mini banana
• 1 scoop of soy protein
• 1 huge handful of spinach 

It was really good and gave me a ton of energy. It was really nice to run outside after running on the treadmill so much. I guess you never realize how much you miss something until you do it again. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

What are your favorite shake ingredients? 

xoxo Jessenia

Happy Earth Day!

Hello all and Happy Earth Day! I think Earth Day this year has really made me think about caring for the Earth. I used to be a big recycler but now at my apartment there's no recycling pick-up so i've kind of gone down hill in that department. I am definitely going to try from now on to collect all my recyclable products and bring them somewhere to be recycled.

Today has also made me think about planting a garden which isn't easy when you have no yard! Right now I have my little sunflowers that I got at Target and I love watching them grow. I think I'm going to buy one of those planting trays from Wal-mart and keep it on my balcony. It's always nice to have a little piece of nature close by.

I've been slacking on the gym lately because of my gym switch. I can't say I like my new one as much as I liked the old one. I've also been craving the outdoors and want to get out of the gym and into nature! I used to run everywhere outside and now mostly on the treadmill. I'm definitely looking to switch up my normal routine. Any suggestions?

Hope you all have a great evening!

xoxo Jessenia

Starbucks on a Rainy Day

It's been quite rainy the past few days here in florida and although I dearly love the sun, it's been kind of nice to have some gloomy, rainy weather. It makes me feel like curling up and relaxing. Yesterday after church, in light of the rainy weather I was craving Starbucks so the husband and I decided to go. I usually just get coffee w/ soy and 2 raw sugars but I decided to try the same thing but with chai instead of coffee. Let me tell you, it was phenomenal! In fact, I wish I was drinking one right now. :) Maybe I will go buy some Chai Tea from Starbucks so I can make it on my own. 

I'm sorry to report that I did not take any pictures at the farmer's market because I forgot .. lame I know, but hopefully i'll remember next time. We did however score a bunch of yummy fruits and vegetables to last us a while. I also got a pretty pot of marigolds, which I found out take little to no care. Score!

Last night I made whole wheat pasta with homemade sauce and brussel sprouts. I was kind of flying off the seat of my pants with the sauce but it turned out pretty good. I used olive oil, garlic, onions, tomatoes, some spices, and a little bit of water. The husband approved so I guess it worked out! ;)

Overall, my weekend was lovely and laid back, but it went by way too fast. Now time to get back to studying. Hope you all have a fabulous monday!

Do you ever make homemade spaghetti sauce?

xoxo Jessenia

I Just Want to Say..

..that I saw Arnold is going to be in a movie coming up soon and it made me very very happy. :)

Also, I'm so glad this week is almost over and it's going to be the weekend! I went to the gym yesterday and did legs and ran. I have to say going to the gym alone can be pretty boring but I had on some bumpin jams so it wasn't so bad. I did realize that I wasn't doing enough weight on the leg machines and that I wasn't pushing myself at all so I upped the weight and now my legs are sore. But that's a good thing. As the saying goes "No pain, No gain."Also, I found a new group I like to listen to while working out. Their name is Miike Snow. I love love love this CD.

The other day my hubby decided he wants to eat just fruits and vegetables for about 2 weeks. I guess you can only live with a health freak for so long before getting sucked into it ;). So this weekend we are going to the farmer's market near our house to get some goods. I'll have to post some pictures of it, it's quite the place. I hope you all have a splendid weekend!

What do you like to listen to while you workout?

xoxo Jessenia

Vegetables for Dessert

I've been doing the vegetarian thing for about 2 months now and I'm loving it. I don't really miss the chicken as much as I have on previous attempts, which is good because that's how I broke last time haha. I read an interesting blog today by NoMeatAthlete. It was about a documentary called Earthlings that is about the food industry and animal rights. Apparently it's really intense. I think that if I watched it, I would be horrified and in tears the whole time but I also think it's a very very good thing that documentaries like this are made to increase awareness of what is really going on.

On a brighter note, I found this picture on the internet and it made me smile. I think it's adorable, which in itself shows how much of a health nerd I am! :) I'm not the only crazy one though because my mom liked it too lol.

I hope you are all having a good week!

P.S. Like my new banner?

xoxo Jessenia

I'm Having a Food Baby

Hello everyone! I know I have been super lame and have not blogged in ages but school has literally taken over my life. Even to the extent that I haven't been going to the gym and have been staying home studying and eating! Hence, the title lol. But all is well now because it's Spring Break!!! I am beyond excited about this week break because I get to relax and slow down a little bit. Considering the fact that I do not want to keep carrying this "food baby" I decided to do a cleanse this week and only eat fruits and veggies and whole grain pasta and/or rice and lots and lots of water. Sometimes it is good to just cleanse our bodies of all the junk we put into it.

Today is my first day and I started it off with a Green Monster. Yummmm. Mine consisted of:

• 1 cup rice milk
• 1 big handful of spinach
• 5 strawberries
• 2 tablespoons oats

I'll have to say that it was rather delightful but tomorrow I think I need to put more oats or add a banana to make it a little more filling.

I'm also not having coffee this week in an attempt to ween myself off of it. First day and I feel very tired... My eyes feel droopy and I have a slight headache. Ohhh the life of an addict. But I'm sticking to my guns and drinking lots of H2O. Today for lunch I had a salad with lots of veggies and a Smart Water.

After work I'm going to the farmer's market to get fruits and vegetables galore. It's going to be a good week :) I hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Have you ever felt like you were having a food baby?

xoxo Jessenia