The Perks of Funemployment

"Normal day,

let me be aware of the treasure you are.

Let me learn from you, love you, bless you...

Let me not pass by in search of some rare and perfect tomorrow. 

Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so.

One day I shall dig my nails in to the earth

or bury my face in the pillow

And want, more than all the world, your return."

 Croissants outside The Louvre

The unspeakably beautiful Swiss Alps

Just another evening in Cinque Terre

Nothing like a summer day at Yankee Stadium

With my "summer" coming to an end and my never-ending season of work about to begin, I'm realizing all the things I'm going to miss about being able to take time off. For the last couple of weeks I have been ITCHING to start working. I'm so used to being busy all days that I don't quite know what to do with myself when I have an open schedule for days. They say the grass is always greener on the other side...but either way, you gotta mow it. Haha don't know who came up with that, but so true.

I've been fortunate in my life to be able to travel a lot and this summer post-graduation was no exception. My mom and I love traveling to Europe so this past summer we took a month-long, self-planned vaca to France, Switzerland, and Italy. I haven't many pictures from my travels yet, but we saw some of the most beautiful sites this trip. Paris has so many great things to offer. We stayed in the Latin Quarter just minutes away from Notre Dame. It's more of a touristy area, but very alive and energetic. The Louvre and Muse D'Orsay weren't too far either. Morning, afternoon, and night all offered spectacular lighting for the many Parisian monuments. I don't think I could have taken a bad picture!

Oh how I miss Paris. With no concern of sounding like a complete fatty, I think the pastries are what I miss most! Waking up and having a warm chocolate croissant each morning or any other pastry, cream-filled, custard-filled, fruit-filled, you name it. So so good. And everyone knows calories don't count on vaca. :) Mine don't anyway.

My mom and I went to this DELICIOUS bakery for brunch today and got some German baked goods. We also had a baking day yesterday fixing up some moist pumpkin muffins and pancakes. Yum! 'Tis the season after all. ;) I'll be basking in the glory of joie de vivre for one more evening, enjoying my last full day of funemployment with fall treats by my side.

Excited for tomorrow! Wish me luck!

xoxo

On To The Next

Chapter that is. I'll officially be starting a new job in a couple days. My last post referenced an interview I had last week. It was with a PR Agency in San Francisco, and I'm happy to say that I was offered a position today and gladly accepted! I've been itching to get into the PR world since an internship last Summer and I'm definitely excited to dive in and learn everything I need to know in the biz! For some of you like me you know how anxious you can feel to start working, get off your couch and really do something with your days.

For some people, it's really just a matter of time before you find your next job, but for some people who have been job hunting for quite some time, here are a couple of tips that I found helpful during the hunt...

1. Use your connections! Whether it's a friend, family member, family friend, 3rd cousin--whatever! Use your connections to help get your foot in the door.
2. Have no shame. Sometimes you'll have to ask for help from people you might not have spoken to for a while, or maybe you'll have to stick it out at a low paying or no paying job for a while. So what? Experience is experience and as long as you're learning and your resume says you're staying engaged in the biz, keep at it.
3. Know your resources. There are soooo many job sites at there, and to be honest, I really didn't think I'd find anything worth while on them. I always felt that people would rather hire someone they knew than to randomly select my resume from a job site. I actually found Craigslist to be really helpful! Contrary to popular belief, tons of great companies post off there. (I found the job listing for my job through them.) Monster.com, Indeed.com, Recruiters...use any resource you can.

I know how stressful job hunting can be, but the most important thing is to always stay positive and confident! Continue the pursuit knowing that you're capable of tackling those jobs and excelling in your field. Stay busy and stay hungry.

Happy hunting ;)

Winning Wedges

Some people might think they're so two years ago, but wedges are my feet's new best friend.

Tory Burch wedges
I own a pair just like these. So versatile!

I had a job interview in SF today and, per usual, took forever to decide what I wanted to wear to it. Sometimes preparing your outfit can be more stressful than preparing yourself -- that may be a good or a bad thing. Knowing that I would be walking around the city before and after, and that I didn't want to worry about carrying an extra set of shoes with me, I wanted to wear a pair of shoes that were comfortable and professional. For some reason I really dislike wearing flats. I have yet to find a pair that fit me perfectly and I like the added height the heels give me. They make me look (and more importantly feel) more sophisticated and confident. 

Similar to the ones I wore to my interview today.

When I was traveling in Europe this summer, I would say about 60% of the women there wore wedges! I honestly didn't think of them as a trend but Milan fashion is a few seasons ahead of San Francisco's, right? In Florence, I found a really cute, comfy, and affordable pair of grey wedges I didn't want to pass up. Since being home, I've tried to pair them with everything and I'm pleased to find it hasn't been difficult. Grey shoes honestly go with so many colors and prints, it's fabulous. After wearing them just one time, I was in love with the idea of wedges. Because of the leverage they are sooo much more comfortable to wear! Happy feet for sure.

With my newfound love for wedges, I saw a really cute pair of black BCBG wedges on sale and immediately knew I had to take them home with me. Wedges are still sexy and sophisticated and so much more comfy than heels! Definitely stand out pieces in my closet.

Now I'm looking for open-toed wedges, wedge booties... anything with a wedge. Ha! Can you tell I'm excited?

Recover

I just completed day 38 of Insanity. Today's workout was Max Cardio Conditioning, and I have to say, after Monday's Interval Circuit and yesterday's Plyo workout my body is HURTING. My legs are sore, my butt is sore, my pecs are sore, and my back is sore. I think of the three workouts, Max Cardio Conditioning is the least difficult (notice I'm not using the word 'easiest') but definitely still a great workout. It's the Max version of Pure Cardio from Phase 1. So it's pretty much 30 minutes of straight exercises with no allotted time for water breaks. There are definitely some less intense workouts thrown in there though to give you a couple "breaks" in between. 

Somehow after today's workout I didn't feel as exhausted as I typically do. Imagine: me on my hands and knees on my garage floor, dripping sweat, gasping for air...yeah, you get the picture. But with this feeling of pain, misery, and exhaustion always comes the feeling of accomplishment, pride, and satisfaction. I think the workouts in Max Cardio Conditioning are more slow and controlled, focusing on raising your heart rate through burning your muscles as opposed to by doing a lot of quick movements. With that said, it was really difficult for me to push past some of the exercises because of how sore I am! I was trying to think of why I could possibly be so sore. The workouts are obviously new to me and they're undoubtedly physically exhausting, but I never felt this sore with any previous Insanity workout. Even during my first week of Phase 1 when I came off of doing nothing!

I thought about it and came to the conclusion that my muscle fatigue must be do to lack of proper recovery after days 36 and 37. I'm making more of a conscious decision to cut back on calories during this Phase because I don't think I did it enough during the first phase, but my efforts might have been too extreme. I didn't replenish my body with enough protein, carbs, fat, and calories afterwards to give my muscles the fuel they need after a rigorous workouts!

Always remember to give your body a good amount of protein and carbohydrates after you workout. There's a window of about 30-45 minutes after the completion of your workout when your muscles are starving to be fed and you don't want to deny them any replenishment or you won't have a successful recovery. Your body has just used so much energy that it needs the proper nutrients back to reap all the benefits of exercise. Your muscles are going to be looking for any source of energy, so something is better than nothing! Ideally, you'll have protein bars or shakes on hand. Chocolate milk works well too because it has a lot of carbs and protein.

If you don't recover properly, you'll likely be sore and/or fatigued and won't be able to work as well as you normally would.

Recovery is just as important for your body as the workout itself! I know I'll be remembering that because I hate being sore like this! Stay safe!

Dig Deeper

Yesterday I began Phase 2 of my Insanity workout and it was by far the most difficult day of exercise to date. I felt so defeated during the video! Not too pretty. Last week was the last week of Phase 1 and was used as a recovery week so it was much easier and lighter than the rest of the workouts. It was definitely nice to get a little break, but now I honestly feel like I'm back at Day 1. I guess I am on some level. Phase 2 begins with the Fit Test and the Max Interval Circuit. I did the Circuit in the morning (which is the one that severely kicked my ass) and the Fit Test in the evening. I think my Fit Test numbers definitely improved. I never kept track prior to yesterday so I don't have anything to compare my numbers to, but from what I'm remembering, I'm pretty confident I improved. 


The Max Interval Circuit was definitely INSANE! The warm up wore me out and I had to take more breaks that ever. The video's about an hour long so it's also the longest workout to date. It works every part of your body - shoulders, back, core, hips, legs... Needless to say, I'm pretty sore today. But I'm just about ready (or as ready as I will be) to start my workout for today. Today's Max Interval Plyo and I've heard it's unmerciful as well.


Gotta Dig Deep today. Here we go!

Grilled Portobello Mushroom Sandwich

When grocery shopping the other day there were some beautiful portobello mushrooms I had to buy they looked so good. I haven't had a portobello mushroom sandwich in who knows how long, so I thought it'd be good to make something different for my mom and me. As a vegetarian, mushrooms are always a hearty alternative to meat that offer great flavor and texture. I love the colors and textures going on in sandwich and it was SO good! My mom and I played around with it and added some unique and personal touches to make it something truly special.


In tandem with my attempts of eating healthier and controlling my portion sizes (although the sandwich still turned out to be gigantic) a good trick is to make your sandwich open-faced. Eliminating a piece of bread cuts back 100 calories for me, but instead of cutting the one slice in half, I like to leave it open face and add some more ingredients so I still feel like I'm getting a good-sized meal. ...think of it as a pizza with your bread slice as the crust and a TON of hearty toppings!


Here's how I did it...


Ingredients:
olive oil
salt
pepper
garlic powder
Italian seasoning
3 medium portobello mushrooms, sliced to 1/2 inch
1 red bell pepper
spinach
cheese of your choice (I used mozzarella because I had some leftover in my fridge)
1 fried egg
dijon mustard
bread


Remove the stem and seeds of the bell pepper, cut it in quarters, and drizzle olive oil, salt, and pepper over the four pieces. Place the bell pepper skin side down on a pan and bake for 30 minutes in a 400° oven.
In a large bowl, mix the sliced mushrooms with 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 1/4 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. pepper, 1 tsp. garlic powder, and 1 tsp. Italian seasoning. Toss the mushrooms around so every piece is seasoned.
Heat a grill over medium heat, place some oil olive on the grill, and lay the mushroom slices evenly over the grill top. Grill about 1 1/2 minutes on each side.


Once the bell peppers are done, remove from the oven, let cool, then remove the skin. If it's difficult to remove the skin, throw the bell peppers skin side down on the heated grill top. Once the skin is charred, remove the peppers and the skin should be easy to remove.


If desired, spread some butter on the bread and toast it on the grill top until nicely toasted. Flip the bread and place the cheese on the first-toasted side to allow it to melt. Once both sides are nicely toasted, remove it from the grill, pile on the spinach, roasted peppers, mustard (or preferred condiment) and fried egg. My mom thought to put the egg on top and it was so so good. Crispy around the edges with a slightly runny yolk. Delish.


We made this sandwich another time using some left over pesto instead of mustard and that was also really good. I might have preferred the mustard though -- more of a typical deli taste.


That's one thing I love about cooking; there aren't any rules! If you want pesto instead of mustard, then use pesto! If you want a fried egg, a scrambled egg, a green egg...it doesn't matter. Use what's preferable to you, be creative, and have fun mustering up your own recipes. :)


This one was truly satisfying to me. Hope you all enjoy!

White Bean Soup

I've made this soup a couple times because of how quick, easy, healthy and tasty it is. It's really hearty and combines a lot of different textures to keep your palette interested. Beans are such a great protein substitute for meat and soup is always something that fills you up. A perfect combination for someone trying to get a healthy and hearty meal while watching your figure.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 can Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 carrot, chopped

1 sweet onion, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

2 cups of spinach

6 button mushrooms

Chicken (or vegetable) stock

Italian seasoning

Salt

Pepper

Makes 4 servings

When I started making this soup, I knew what I wanted the end result to be but I honestly had no idea how to approach it. It's so easy to make and really difficult to mess up.

Start by putting the olive oil in a pot that's been heated over Medium heat. Toss the carrots in and cook for a few minutes, until tender.
Add some salt and chicken broth and cover the pot to help the cooking process.
Once the majority of the liquid is gone and the carrots are more tender, toss in the garlic, mushroom, and sweet onion. Add some more salt to sweat the onion a bit. You don't need to let these cook too long.
Then add as much or as little chicken stock as desired depending on how much liquid you like in your soup.
Let the broth heat up then toss in the beans, tomato, seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir everything around and let the flavors hang out and marry for a few minutes.
Right at the end, stir the spinach in the soup to wilt them.
Season to taste, serve, and enjoy!

My Love for TED

One of my absolute favorite websites to visit is ted.com. TED is an organization that hosts conferences both internationally and domestically with a variety of themes such as women's rights, environmental issues, tips on living, finance, happiness... the list is endless. The intention of the conference is to inspire the world through a number of speakers with "ideas worth spreading." The ones that are my favorites usually revolve around environmental issues, health, creativity, and living. I've come across a couple of new ones recently that have kept me motivated during my job-hunt endeavors.

If you're gonna watch something online, it might as well be something productive. Some of these just make that lightbulb switch on, change your outlook on something, or offer a little food for thought. It's important to always stay motivated in life and remember what you're working towards. I think it can be difficult to remember that when you're between jobs, but don't ever lose sight of that goal! Not only can these talks get you motivated, but they can change your point of view and help you think outside the box to really change your life -- in a big or small way!

There are hundreds of talks to explore. I'm just posting a couple of my favorites. :) Enjoy!


One of my absolute FAVORITES. By the remarkable Randy Pausch:
Randy Pausch: Really achieving your childhood dreams | Video on TED.com


How do the best inspire? Or Why?:
Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action | Video on TED.com


In memory of Steve Jobs (@ Stanford :) ):
Steve Jobs: How to live before you die | Video on TED.com

Don't Snooze to Lose

With only one more workout until I've completed 4 weeks of the Insanity workouts, I'm getting to that point where the ADD kicks in and I'm starting to get tired of doing these routines everyday. To be honest, I'm just tired in general! I usually do my workouts first thing in the morning; I like to get them out of the way, rev up my metabolism early, and wake myself up with a good sweat. But for the last couple of days, I've wanted so badly to just trade in my morning workout for a few more Zs.


I know I've heard that there are many benefits that come with working out in the morning, but I wanted to reevaluate them and see if the early bird really does get the...bangin' bod?

After reading a number of articles on the topic of AM workouts, the majority of them said that working out in the morning really does benefit you more than working out later in the day. It helps rev up your metabolism for the whole day and increases your mental acuity throughout the day as well. There are a number of other benefits that come along with working out in the morning and the majority of them will help your goals of losing weight, toning up, or staying in tip-top shape.

BeachBody article

NY Times article mentioning it's even better to workout before breakfast. I've heard mixed reviews about that one... I personally like to have something light like a banana before my morning workout, but maybe it is better with no breakfast. I just feel, it you need a little something to help give you a better quality, more efficient workout, then it will more than make up for the few calories it has.

If you're not used to working out early, then it will definitely take some time to adjust, but how nice will it be to know you can sit back and relax after work with no more obligation? I remember when training in college, I would DREAD our evening conditioning, but whenever I had a morning workout, the rest of the day was stress free!

So set those alarm clocks! It's never too early to get fit and feel fab!

50 for Fifty

Want an interior designer without the hefty price tag? In Manhattan? Impossible, right? Not anymore! One of my best friends and undeniable most talented individuals, Noa Santos, has launched a business called 50 for Fifty with the concept that for $50, you can get fifty minutes of genius interior design tips and ideas for your up-and-coming fabulous crib. From what colors work best to what layout maximizes your space, and even what art work and aesthetics make it beautifully inviting, Noa uses his professional interior design experience and innate personal touches to create a space that's sure to be a show stopper! For $50!

Hop on board quick before everyone else does. Just today, Noa and his work were featured in an article on Yahoo! I couldn't be more proud. His work is truly beautiful, innovative, and unique; I can't wait for the rest of the world to get a piece. 

Check out his Facebook page and current projects here!

Working Through The Wall

I'm officially in week 4 of my Insanity workouts and I have to tell you, it hasn't gotten much easier. That's one thing I love and hate about this program. I know that if it were easy to me after doing it for a few weeks, I'd love interest and feel that it wasn't really benefiting me in an optimal way. I'm still dripping sweat, on the ground, grasping for air during and at the end of each day. 


One thing that's frustrated me about these last couple weeks is the lack of results I'm seeing compared to week 1. During the first week of any new workout regimen, your body is going to change more because it's being shocked by new training. I was using my muscles differently and in turn, burning more calories. But now that my body's accustomed to this workout, I almost feel like I've hit a wall. When I don't see results, I tend to return to old diet habits instead of sticking with what/when I know I should eating. So...just a couple tips I'm trying really hard to keep in mind and that I feel are most important to a healthy diet.

• Eat 5-6 small-medium sized meals throughout the day.
• Don't deprive yourself of food so that you binge later on.
• Try to eat the foods that digest the quickest earlier in the day (i.e. fruits early in the day, salad for lunch, grains and fibrous foods later on. You don't want all the benefits of fruit rotting in your stomach with everything else. Eat 'em early on.)
• Drink lots of water.
• Remember that food is only energy. Eat because your body needs it, not because it wants it.
• Eat the most fibrous foods like vegetables before your carbs to fill you up.

I've been on a smoothie and yogurt kick lately, and they're awesome foods/drinks to keep you full! Foods that have a lot of water like fruits and veggies are always great to consume and will help keep you full. Healthy soups, smoothies, and salads are great for meals. Bon apetit!

Carrot Apple Muffins

In my attempts of being healthy and fit, I naturally cut out most sweets. But I have a ridiculous love of sweets, so my cravings come crawling back every so often. In particular, I was craving muffins for a few days and finally decided to give in yesterday. I love finding healthy dessert recipes that are still just as delicious minus the disgusting post-consumption feeling of guilt. These muffins only have 9 ingredients and were super easy to make. They could easily be vegan since they contained NO BUTTER OR MILK! Score in my book.

Ingredients: 

2 eggs

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup Canola oil

2 cups chopped Granny Smith apples

1/2 cup shredded carrots

2 cups sifted flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

Combine eggs, sugar, and oil in mixer bowl. Beat until well blended. Stir in apples, carrots, and dry ingredients. Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 325° for 25 minutes or until lightly brown. Makes 15 muffins.

I wanted to add some personal touches, so I also added 1 tsp. nutmeg and 1 tbsp. orange juice...just for some added moisture. I could have used apple juice but I didn't have any. They turned out really well and I just love they fact that they're like a healthy dessert! I ate 3 after I finished baking them. No shame. I also added dried cranberries to a couple. Yum.

I love to have my cake and eat it too. ;)

Mushroom, Spinach, and Bell Pepper Pizza

Last night, I made a delicious mushroom, spinach, and bell pepper pizza for dinner. It was actually the second night we made pizza because it was soo good the night before. We just used store-bought pizza crust we had left over and whatever else we found in our fridge. The crust we used was a corn meal crust because I love the extra texture it gives the pizza. When I was watching the Food Network (love that channel) a few days ago, I saw someone make a pizza with marinara and pesto sauce. I LOVE pesto and we had some left over so I decided to swirl it in with the marinara. I couldn't taste too big of difference but I'm sure if I used more, I would have. Either way, it was delicious.


Ingredients:
1 corn meal pizza crust
3 button mushrooms, sliced very thin
1 cup of spinach
1 red bell pepper
1 cup of grated mozzarella cheese
marinara sauce (as much as desired)
pesto sauce (optional)


I cut the bell pepper into four pieces, removed the seeds, seasoned it with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and put it in a 350° oven for about 25 minutes. I let them cool while I cut my mushrooms, grated my mozzarella, etc... 
After roasting them, it should be easy to take the skin off your bell peppers and slice them thinly. Then apply the toppings! Put the marinara sauce and pesto in the middle of the crust and swirl them to cover, then add the cheese, bell peppers, spinach, mushrooms, and a little more mozzarella on top. I found it's better to put it on a rack with slits as opposed to a typical baking sheet to let some ventilation in the bottom. Maybe, that's just me. Cook it at 425° (or whatever your pizza crust instructions say) for about 16 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Yum!


Whenever you're roasting or cooking veggies, it's gonna look like a lot but they shrink down SO much during the process. I thought I had a ton of mushrooms on there but, it wasn't that much after 16 minutes. And make sure you cook the mushrooms ahead of time or slice them really thin to avoid their liquid all over your pizza. Hope you guys enjoy it!