Attack of the [Vegan] Hispanic Recipe!

Hello!
sorry I haven't been posting as much lately. School is becoming even more demanding and I'm working on getting a workout in every day-- alternating between strength training and cardio. I'm proud to say I'm doing good with my morning yoga; Now I have to work on making strength/cardio alternation a habit as well... and somehow keep up with my school work and sleep. Somehow.

I have a super tight budget this semester so my nutrition is going to come mainly from produce. Sometimes you just have to get creative and throw things together to have a different dish. Here's one I didn't think would turn out so great but ended up amazing! I've already made a few adjustments to make it just right.

This veggie-loaded recipe is packed with the potent spice of Sazon. [Sazon is a spice you get in the spanish foods isle at the grocery store. It comes in an orange box and you want the one with the light-orange top half, NOT the yellow]. With the large amount of squash, this dish does, indeed, have a distinct squash flavor but it does not over-power the sweetness of the carrots nor the robustness of the Sazon. Enjoy it on top of some brown rice and you can actually call yourself Happily Vegan.

(Note: There are no peas in the pictures because it was an adjustment I made after I took them. It really adds a nicer body to the dish)

Ingredients:
6 small yellow squash, halved then cut into 1/2 inch slices.
6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
2 large handfuls of cauliflower, pieces no bigger than 1 inch
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 bag of frozen peas
cayenne pepper
1 packet sazon y achote
black pepper
olive oil

Directions:
1. Be sure to wash your veggies before working with them. With the carrot you may be peeling it but it's good to rinse it off to get any remaining dirt off.
2. Coat the bottom of a large pot with a generous amount of olive oil. Heat the pot on medium-high.
3. Once the pot is heated, add in your onions and carrots. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep an eye on it and adjust the heat accordingly.
4. Add in the bell peppers and cauliflower and let cook for 2 minutes. Add in more olive oil if desired.
5. Last, add in the squash, garlic, and frozen peas. Stir it up, add in an entire packet of the sazon, about five shakes of black pepper, about three dashes of cayenne, and stir again. Add in about 1 1/2 cups of water and stir once more.
6. Once it comes to a boil, cover it. Cook for six minutes on medium heat.


Let me know what you think.

Burst!

When I'm in the last few minutes of my workout, I find it most motivational when I have a kick-ass song playing and my own personal mind-push: "you can do this, these are but a few moments of your life that will shape what follows." I believe I have found one of the most awesome almost-done-workout songs. When it popped up on Pandora, I felt like I was running away from or struggling to fight a monster.

Doomsday by Nero

Like a phoenix, burn today and flourish tomorrow.

Enjoy, and keep going!

Sexy Dresses & Small Cups

I realize my blog is heading like an arrow, straight and true, towards fitness, but, to make a blog without everything that makes my hamster run, wouldn't that be unrealistic?
Lately I've been looking in the mirror with numerous different lights: the gym, other people's bathroom's, etc. Two weeks ago when I started this blog I went to a Body Tone gym class. While I was squatting the twelve-pound body bar, my eyes wandered around the room. There were all sorts of body types in the room. Some girls taller than me, many shorter, some with tight workout tops that exaggerated their breasts, and others with old t-shirts like myself that don't say too much about size. My eyes came back to me and I realized how small I am. I'd never truly seen myself quite so small and it bothered me. I looked puny. I decided I would keep working on strength training and toning up so I didn't have to feel that way.
However, there are always some things that you just have to take as nature gives. Like breasts. I have small ones-- not B's like I used to have when I weighed more. I do need to be re-sized but I'm pretty sure I'm in the A department now. In a country where large breasts are doted upon and highly desired, it can be a bit of a downer when you let your mind compare you to other, more endowed, women.
My boyfriend, being the wonderful man that he is, always knows just what to say to cheer me up. Although he indeed has a liking for larger breasts, Alex reminds me of why he likes mine in particular and puts my thoughts on the train to Team Small Breasts. Once I'm put back into my positive mood, I remember my list of why I'm lucky to have small breasts:

• I can wear low-cut tops and dresses without a bra
• I can wear more revealing dresses without making them distasteful
• They don't get in the way during yoga
• They perk up so cutely and won't sag as quickly as larger breasts would

While the list may not be long, it is certainly relevant to a woman like myself who enjoys yoga and wearing sexy dresses.
If my given list isn't enough to help you cheer up too, reader, here is an article I found about having small breasts and knowing that sexy is an attitude, not something created with large breasts: Small Breasts: How I Learned To Accept Mine. Jennifer Miller really puts things into perspective and emphasizes on being happy with yourself as you are.
Remember that the best kind of beauty is the natural kind. When all the makeup and clothes come off, all that is left is you.

Namaste.


Oh, and here's two celebrities with smaller breasts that work it!:

Debra Messing

Kate Bosworth

Space & Time

In my efforts to get myself motivated to be productive and get out of the weekend schlump, I came across this yoga article. The last paragraph Chris Andre wrote resonates in my mind-- words of truth have such immense power:
"I went from my favorite house as an adult to my least-favorite, from an ideal location to practice asana and meditation to a terrible one. But yoga teaches us that all situations, from the most exalted to the very low, and everything in between, are worth contemplating. When I think about the house I loved and the house I loathe, I have to remember that neither of them were my house. They were just spaces I was renting, kind of like our bodies are spaces that we’re just renting. They’re vehicles for us to observe the world as it changes around us, to experience suffering and joy, fitness and sickness, confusion and clarity. Your current situation, no matter how terrible, or wonderful, or dull, will change. It will all expire, like a travel visa.  This is life’s only guarantee."

Change and Stumbles

In a universe that is always in flux, we too must change.
We may have a set back in our journey towards our goals but if we change and adapt to the situation we can still reach that goal-- maybe even see that our goal itself needs to change. Always keep your chin up, your heart open, and your core tight; be prepared for temptations of sweet treats and lazy days. If you give in, don't dwell-- just put your mind back on track.

In the Cold

Morning yoga during winter? I know it doesn't sound like the most pleasant thing: you're all cozy in bed but then you're alarm goes off telling you it's time to get your day started. When you try to get out of bed the cold nips at your feet--ugh. I totally understand.
What I do is put on socks and a beanie. Beanies that cover your ears are best because they help keep your body heat in. Socks help create warmth.
After I'm done doing cow/cat pose I take off my socks; by then, I'm warmed up enough to let my feet into the chill. I was so tempted to skip it this morning but I'm glad I didn't. It's turning into the positive start to my day. No matter what happens, I have yoga in the morning and, so far, each day I've felt great.
If you've decided to take up morning yoga, keep strong. I'm beginning to see just how good of a habit it's becoming. 15 minutes out of your morning in exchange for peace and positive energy for the day? Anytime.

Strength

It comes from within but to show it physically you gotta work for it! Your body will go as far as your mind pushes it.

Goals

I've been realizing just how important goals are in life. Why are you doing something? To achieve something: discover, create, observe, analyze, be a part of-- the list goes on.
In order to make a thought a reality we need to make it a goal. Instead of thinking on it we need to act. One step at a time, and you'll get there.
With fitness, I'm at a spot where I need to make changes and add and learn new things. With each workout we do, our body adjusts and adapts to it so we must always be changing it up.
Since I'm already at my healthy weight, I need to tone it up and Body Tone once a week isn't enough. In addition to keeping healthy eating and cardio habits, i believe it takes lifting weights a least three times a week for you to notice a difference.
The FSU Leach offers free BMI(body mass index) exams so once that opens ill go and hopefully have a little more information to work off of. BMI is a test where they pinch your skin and calculate your body fat percentage. Body fat is good as long as its around a certain percentage. Ill find out more about where I stand and how it's determined once I get my BMI.

Side Effects of Yoga

When I first began practicing yoga, I did it to improve my airflow. As an asthmatic, breathing is always a concern. Now that I am moving up and beyond mindful breathing, I'm happy to say that my determination is acting as a suggestion to others, provoking thought. I had told my best friend back home that I'm waking up at 7 am every day to do yoga. A couple days after I started-- and opened up this blog-- she set down her mat and is doing it now, too. She had been sick with the flu all last week and two days into her morning yoga routines, she's breathing and feeling better.

Beyond the obvious benefits of sculpting and balance, yoga provides benefits even beyond that of mindful breathing; it provides benefits of the mind. Yoga can bring a sense of peace and a centering. It physically helps rid of the stress that your mind or workload has burdened upon your body.

The more challenging the pose, the more I want to succeed. It's important to know how far to push, however. Take each progression in your practice at your own pace to avoid injuries. Whenever I'm in a pose and I know I can do a little more, I do. My muscles may quiver and my mind may scream for the next pose but I keep on. With every exhale, I push out the doubt and allow strength in. These are moments when I am so focused on the pose, all my troubles and conflicts slip away. The space that is left is filled with determination to hold that pose-- to be in complete control of my body in that very moment.
Then there are other moments when I'm getting into corpse pose and I feel it all come back. It's not an attack of stress, just a mere gentle confrontation. They are put before me once more and then with an exhale, they are gone. All that is left is me as I let them go, just as I release my limbs to submit to this pose of rest.

Sunday's workout was morning yoga, then Power Yoga in the afternoon (90 minutes of Vinyasa Yoga: movement paired with breath).

You Can Be As Happy As You Want To Be

Yesterday, although I did no school work, was a big success. Morning yoga is a great way to wake the body up and get the blood flowing after curling up in the cozy sheets all night. Its going well and i think its helping me feel more energized-- at least in the morning. I still have to try and kick my siesta bug in the afternoons.
Afterward my morning yoga I had spinach onion garlic scrambled eggs with a piece of whole wheat toast and then raced off to catch a class at FSU Leach Center: Body Tone. The title matches its functionality and gosh am I sore! I haven't pushed myself like that with weights in a long time! I definitely plan to keep it in my weekly schedule-- gotta strengthen my muscles so they can help eat away a my fat stores (my problem areas are the lower abdominal and thighs). Body Tone will make sure I don't neglect the rest of my body while I try and kick these trouble areas to the door!
It's actually best to work your whole body when toning up-- with a special focus to the core to create the most foundation support for the rest of your muscles.
Believe it or not the day was not done after Body Tone. I felt pretty tired afterwards so I let myself rest and caught up on some Lost Girl. Then a few hours later I headed back to campus for a second round at the Leach: Yoga. Since its the beginning of the semester instructors go easy; it was pretty much sun sals and warriors with extra stretching.
Not much later that evening I found myself a workout buddy. Turns out one of my friends was hoping to get to the gym more often. I hope she's ready because I don't let people give up when they've revealed a goal to me. Today I'll start her off pretty easy since I'm already sore.
Maybe we'll just go on the elliptical followed with some stretches to get her started. Any workout suggestions for a beginner?

Awesome Vegan-Friendly Dinner

Frozen cauliflower, peas, and edamame plus sautéed onions, and garlic, with cayenne pepper, turmeric, salt, olive oil, and sprinkle of water.
Start with sauté-ing and then add in the frozen veggies and water sprinkle. Cover the pan and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes.

Getting a Good Start to the Day

~cow, cat, sunsals and positive energy~
Morning yoga went well today. I actually felt awake before eating breakfast! A miracle for me since I'm not a morning person-- it's all your state of mind I suppose.
What I did to cope with limited time was start boiling my eggs before I began my yoga session. 20 minutes and you have a good state of mind and a perfectly boiled egg. Paired it with garlic spinach and a cup of Dragonwell green tea.
Have a good morning everyone.

Morning Yoga: 1st Attempt

It is difficult to get out of bed when it's cold and you're nice and cozy in bed, but time is too precious. I want to try and get each day started earlier than usual. My goal is to wake up at 7:30 every day except Tuesday and Thursday, on which I will wake up at 6:50, and do a morning yoga routine. Today I woke up at 7:40 and had some cantelope with hot English Breakfast tea. Unfortunately, I became nauseous because I took my supplements right after. I'm realizing I cannot take my pills or do anything too exerting prior to eating a main source of protein like eggs or hummus. I will remember next time to wait until after I have eaten my full breakfast.
After calming down my stomach, I did a simple yoga session-- mostly spinal stretches paired with sun salutations. It's tough doing this before breakfast but I just have to push myself.
After my mini-yoga session, I ate two boiled eggs with a little salt, black and cayenne pepper drizzled atop them. Yum.

Does anyone else find themselves nauseous in the morning if they don't have a significant protein source?

Nitty Gritty of Yeast Infections

For quite some time I've been dealing with yeast infections. This is probably due to me being lactose intolerant because I don't get the benefit of good bacteria from yogurt-- one serving a day, at least around the the time of a period, is best for preventing such an infection.
Yeast exists naturally in the downstairs of every woman. During your period, the PH can go out of wack. PH is simply the level of acidity-- in case you didn't already know, the vaginal is a naturally acidic environment. When the balance of PH is thrown off, it allows the yeast naturally present in the hot moist environment to grow.
What can a gal do to keep the balance? There's yogurt but, because that would just create another problem for me, I started taking probiotic supplements everyday. That seemed to help for a long time, but sometimes it wasn't enough.
I started using a different strand of probiotic specified to promoting a healthy level of PH. I also added in unsweetened cranberry juice. For those of you who don't like cranberry juice there is also a pill supplement.
Supplements can add up when it comes to price so shop around and keep the focused probiotic for when you are about to start your period and the couple days after it ends. Use a basic probiotic for all the other days of the month and it should help keep your downstairs balanced.
In the event that you still get a yeast infection, there is nothing wrong with using over the counter antifungals. I prefer doing the alternative medicine route but in events like these it's best to take care of it asap. Also, there is nothing wrong with using generic-- it saves you some money and works the same as brand names. Walgreens is my go-to pharmacy but Walmart is best for price.

Finite and infinite

To begin you must first take a step. Images like the one following always give me a nudge because I remember it is POSSIBLE.
I'm really going to kick things up a notch this time. No excuses.