Make It Fun

Two posts in one day! I'm trying to make up for my lack of posting these past couple of days. And I am also procrastinating from the government report I have to write. Writing papers in the summer should be a crime, but thankfully this is the only one I will have to write until the fall, so I don't have much room to complain. It is just hard to motivate myself to sit down and write a paper when there are so many recipes to pin. Rough life, right?

Anyway, I promised the return of food- and workout-related posts, so I am ready to make good on my promise. Around 12:30 this afternoon, I was trying to decide what my next move was. Do I start working on my paper? Take a walk around my neighborhood? I had settled on a walk around my neighborhood when I got a text from my good friend Amira. It read: "It's such a beautiful day outside! Want to go rollerblading?" It was a beautiful day outside, and I absolutely love rollerblading, so I was obviously in.

Are we in California? Photo compliments of Amira

She picked me up and we drove down Dairy Ashford until we found a place to park. We shed our tennis shoes for blades and headed out along the bayou until we hit Terry Hershey Park. We stopped for some water before retracing our paths back to the car. The sunshine, a great friend, and a fun exercise routine make for a great Sunday afternoon. What I love about rollerblading is that it's a fabulous workout, but it is also something that I really enjoy. Not that I don't enjoy pedaling through an intense spin class, but rollerblading doesn't even feel like I'm working out. The moral of that story is to think of something you love to do, because chances are, it can be made into a great workout! 

Terry Hershey Park

Anyway, the fun did not stop with the afternoon blade date. We are both frozen yogurt connoisseurs, so we decided that we had more than earned a trip to Pinkberry for some frozen yogurt. I opted for a combination of chocolate hazelnut and pomegranate topped with pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, and my taste buds have been smiling ever since. It was the perfect combination of sweet and tangy, and it might even become my new favorite frozen yogurt establishment. Bold statement, I know.

And now I'm going to pin more dessert recipes really going to make some headway on that government report. The faster I finish it, the faster I finish the class. Good night!

Survey Sunday Makes A Comeback

Have you missed this? I certainly have. I love surveys, so when I came across this survey while reading PBFingers yesterday, I knew I had found my Sunday post. Survey Sunday makes a comeback, and this one has the theme of "currently," so in the following paragraphs, you will find things that I am currently loving or doing. Enjoy!

Current Book(s):

I just finished reading Save Me by Lisa Scottoline and I loved it. For my next book, I am either going to read Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (a classic), or start one of Jack Keruoac's novels.

I also just recently read Don't Go by Lisa Scottoline, and The Prodigal God by Tim Keller. I highly recommend both if you are in the market for a new book. But don't get me wrong, I love a good beach book, and I have a feeling Nicholas Sparks will be making an appearance on my Kindle in the very near future.

Current Music:

I have four current favorite songs:

• I Want Crazy - Hunter Hayes
• It's A Beautiful Day - Michael Buble
• Whom Shall I Fear - Chris Tomlin
• Faster - Matt Nathanson

I love discovering new music, so if you have any current favorites, please send them my way!

Current Guilty Pleasure:

I'm not sure if I have any current guilty pleasures. Well, maybe sitting on Pinterest pinning dessert recipe after dessert recipe after dessert recipe is my current guilty pleasure.

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Current Nail Color:

I almost never have my fingernails painted because it drives me crazy when they start chipping (which for me tends to happen rather quickly), but my toe nails are currently painted Big Apple Red.

Current Drink:

Water. Always water. I'm so boring!

Current Food:

Cuties. I am absolutely obsessed. They are just the perfect snack!

Current Favorite Show:

Pretty Little Liars. Yes, I am 21 years old, but this show is intense. I have been known to jump in fright when watching it at night.

Current Wish List:

Ireland. My mom, brother, and I were just recently dreaming about a family trip to Ireland, Scotland, and England the summer after I graduate. Now we just have to get my dad on board!

The Fairy Pools on the Isle of Syke, Scotland (Source)

Killarney, Ireland (Source)

Current needs:

I don't necessarily need them, but I am in the market for a pair of wedges. I found the perfect pair at DSW in Austin a few weeks ago, but I (typical) let my wallet at home. I realize that I could have gone back for them, but I just never made my way over there again. Guess they weren't that important to me!

Current Indulgence:

Well, I'd have to go with frozen yogurt. I am in desperate need of a fro-yo stop ASAP.

Current Blessing:

Oh, there's so, so many. But my current blessing is probably being in Houston for a few weeks and getting to catch up with some of my wonderful friends, eat at some of my favorite restaurants, and spend some time resting.

Daniel and I before his prom

Current Outfit:

Nike shorts and a t-shirt is always my favorite outfit, but if we are talking about making myself look presentable, I'm all about the maxi dresses. I just purchased two new ones and I can't wait to wear them. They're cute and comfy, and they make looking cute a pretty easy task.

Current Excitement:

I'm going to Schlitterbahn in Galveston on Tuesday, and since I am a big-time lover of water parks, I am pretty excited about it.

I have missed my weekly edition of Survey Sunday, so maybe I'll come across some more so I can bring back the trend. Until then, enjoy the rest of your Sunday. It's looking like a beautiful one here in Houston!

Eat Well: Hungry's

If you have been reading my blog for a while, or even if you have just recently tuned in, you have probably caught on to the fact that Hungry's Cafe in Houston is my all-time favorite restaurant. Every time I come to Houston I make sure to eat at least one meal here, and my friends know that if they ask me where we should go for dinner, I will more than likely suggest Hungry's. The menu offers so much variety, and I have never tried something that I didn't end up loving. That in itself is a big statement, because I don't really try new foods. I know what I like and I tend to stick to it. At Hungry's, however, I always look to expand my taste buds, and I am constantly on the lookout for something new to try.

Veggie Black Bean Burger 

Baja Chicken Wrap

Beef Tenderloin Fajita Wrap

Kabob Plate

An old-fashioned hamburger

My mom and I both love it, which is why we ordered it tonight for dinner. I just went there last night with some friends, but my dad and brother are both out of town for the night, so Hungry's was the obvious choice. Not only is the food phenomenal, but the atmosphere and the employees are so friendly. It is a community-oriented place, which is obviously something that is very important to me. They have donated to student fundraisers on multiple occasions, and it's rare to see an employee without a smile on his or her face.

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All smiles at Hungry's Cafe - our go-to catch up spot

I hope this description, as well as these pictures, have convinced you to give Hungry's a try if you haven't already. It is a restaurant that is unique to Houston, and there are two locations in the Houston area - Rice Village and Memorial. I have introduced a few of my college friends to Hungry's when they have come home with me, and I would be glad to accompany you on a Hungry's outing if you are ever in the area.

A Thousand Words

I was really hoping that I would stay on top of my blog and update every day while I am home. I have clearly gotten behind, but for good reasons. I have only been home for a week, but I have managed to have a great one. I am so full of joy when I think about all of the people I have been able to see and catch up with this week, and the people that I will get to see these next two weeks. Anyway, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are a couple thousand for your viewing pleasure.

Relived my glory days by playing volleyball at Stratford

Catching some rays while enjoying a good book

Jeff, Lindsay, and I at a Rice baseball game

My (not-so-little) brother before his senior prom

Trying a new dish at Hungry's

Dinner date with my best friends from elementary school

My city

I sure do love Houston

And with that, I am off to enjoy an evening walk around my neighborhood. Workout and recipe posts will be returning soon. Enjoy the rest of your Saturday!

Double Duty

It's a dreary Wednesday here in Houston. Because we have seen two extremely sunny days, I was a bit surprised to see a rain icon on my weather app. Dreary, rainy days make me want to do nothing but lay on my couch and watch Netflix or read a book, so it's a good thing I got my workout done this morning.

Breakfast

Breakfast was scrambled egg whites, sauteed spinach, and salsa, as usual. I do want to experiment with some new breakfast recipes, but when you have one that is easy, nutritious, and delicious, it's hard to stray from that. I'll try, though, because something tells me you guys are getting really tired of seeing this picture.

Workout

I have seen Felipe quite a bit this week: Muscle Blast yesterday, and today I was lucky enough to see him twice - once for Abs, Buns, and Core at 8:00am, and again for his 9:00am spin class. You guys know how I love Felipe's Wednesday morning spin class, and today's class was probably one of my absolute favorites. He told us that today was going to be focused on intervals, so I knew right away that it was going to be a good one. We did five rounds of this one particular interval, in which we pedaled for one minute on "recovery mode" at level 10, and pedaled for one minute, standing, at a level of 18-22, maintaining 65-75 RPMs. For those of you that may be unfamiliar with "spin terms," it means you are maintaining a relatively quick pedal stroke at a very high resistance. It was tough, but I really enjoyed it, in a very weird sort of way.

Before spinning, however, I made an appearance at Felipe's 8:00 Abs, Buns, and Core class. This class is an old favorite, but I haven't been in over a year. I always tell myself that I'll go, but then I don't get up quite early enough to make it on time. So, when I actually got up with my 7:00am alarm, I knew there was no way I could skip out on the 8:00 class. I went, and it was killer. Okay, maybe it wasn't that hard, but it had me isolating and working muscles that I haven't worked that way in quite some time. 

My setup

The kickbacks with the resistance band were especially difficult, 

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as were the elbow-to-knee crunches.

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Overall, I had a great workout, though I am fully anticipating some sore muscles tomorrow. And now I am off to curl up with my government textbook, as I only have one exam and one report left before I finish the course. Not too shabby!

Body By Felipe

NOTE: I had this all typed up and ready to post this morning, but I never posted it, so I apologize for the extreme delay!

I've come to the conclusion that sometimes the easiest way to get yourself to the gym in the morning is to drive yourself there before your body realizes what it's doing. Upon going to sleep last night, the plan was to set my alarm for 6:30am as well as 7:00am. If I got up with my 6:30 alarm, I would go to Felipe's 7:00am Muscle Blast class. If I snoozed that alarm (I did), I would go to Felipe's 8:00am Muscle Blast class. I was loving the feeling of laying in bed with no obligations, but I made myself get up at 7:30, so that I would have just enough time to get dressed and grab breakfast on my way out the door.

Workout

I've talked about Felipe on the blog before. He is by far my favorite group exercise instructor at the MAC, or at any gym. He is tough, but still fun, and the time always flies by. This class was a new-to-me class, but it reminded me a little bit of Body Pump. Muscle Blast is a weight and resistance class with added cardio intervals to keep you moving the entire hour. I consider myself to be in pretty good shape, but I am always forced to reconsider after taking a class with Felipe. I especially hated liked the step side jump and squat,

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and the sit-up-to-push-up. I will do my best to describe this move so that it makes sense to you guys.

Start on your back with your legs extended.

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Sit up, leaving one leg bent, touching the floor, crossing the other leg underneath it. Put your arm opposite the leg crossed under behind you. Pushing off on your opposite arm and leg, switch over to a push-up position. Complete one push-up, gently switch back over, and repeat on the other side. I hope that made at least a little bit of sense to you, and I might even try my hand at making a video of the move to share with you guys - stay tuned!

Breakfast

I grabbed a couple banana-oatmeal-almond butter muffins for the road, ate a Cutie when I got home before heading out for a walk around my neighborhood, and scrambled some egg whites around 10:20am. That is much later than I usually eat the main part of my breakfast, but I just wasn't hungry before then.

It was delicious, as usual, and fueled me for a couple hours of summer school course work. Good news - I have completed two of the four tests that I am required to take, so if I continue at this rate, I will be done in no time! And by no time, I mean tomorrow night!

Boy Meets World Run

Happy Monday, everyone! It is an absolutely beautiful day in Houston, Texas, and I cannot wait to take advantage of it. I have lots to cross off of my Houston Bucket List (more on that to come) in the three weeks that I am home, so I plan to take advantage of every minute. But first, a workout.

I originally planned to complete this workout that my brother told me about, called "The Miracle Mile." However, the gates to the Stratford field were still locked when I went up there this morning, and I decided not to tempt fate by hopping the fence. Instead, I headed down the road to the MAC to complete a PBFingers workout that I've had my eye on for a while now.

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I completed the 5-minute runs at speeds between 7.0-7.6mph. I did most of the arm exercises with 8lb dumbbells, with the exception of the overhead presses, that I did with 15lb dumbbells. Overall, the workout was much harder than I thought it was going to be, but the 5-minute runs flew by because Boy Meets World was on ABC Family, which you all probably know is one of my absolute favorite shows. Perks of working out at 7:00am!

Breakfast

I ate two of my banana-oatmeal-almond butter muffins before working out, but I was still pretty hungry when I got home. I whipped up my usual scrambled egg whites with sauteed spinach, topped with salsa. It hit the spot, and it is the perfect fuel for a day full of cleaning and studying.

Studying? I bet you all are a bit confused about this one, because you thought I finished school on Friday. I did, but I'm taking a three week mini-mester class that starts today and ends on Friday, May 31st. It will make these three weeks pretty busy, but it will also free up my entire summer, so I think it will be worth it in the end.

And now I'm off to shower and get started on my day. Make yours a good one!