Brown Rice Broccoli Tofu Mesh

Hey hey everyone. I hope your weekend is going good. It's Labor Day weekend!
So, here's the recipe I promised from earlier this week. I know, I'm sorry for making you guys wait 6 days for this.
Anyway, it's simple to make. The only thing is that I never really measure anything when I cook. I know what ingredients I use and the approximate amounts. Usually in Asian cooking, we just use our eyes and see if we have enough of one ingredient or another.
Here's a loose recipe you can follow. Enjoy.



Ingredients:

• brown rice 
• tofu (I used one container of tofu)
• broccoli
• carrots and peas (I used the frozen ones)
• Annie's Lite Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Directions:

1. Cook the brown rice. I usually cook 1-2 cups dry brown rice. 
2. Cut the tofu into cubes. Pour the dressing over the tofu and let it sit and marinate. 
3. Boil the broccoli in water. You can also roast the broccoli instead of you like roasted vegetables.
4. Spray a non-stick pan with cooking spray. I use the olive oil kind. 
5. Add in the tofu (and all of the sauce). 
6. Cook and brown the tofu. Then, add the carrots and peas. 
7. Mix in the broccoli. And then add the rice. Stir and make sure all of the fillings are evenly distributed. 
8. Serve and enjoy! 

I hope you guys enjoy this meal. If you want a more asianified meal, use tamari or soy sauce instead of the vinaigrette. 

How do you eat brown rice?

Do you have any plans for the weekend?

P.S. There is a whole wheat peanut butter banana muffin recipe that I will post later on. It's delicious! Be on the lookout for it. =)

Tip of the Week: Eat Breakfast!

You're running late and you're in a hurry. You debate whether you should eat breakfast or just go straight out the door. 

Even in a situation like this, you should eat breakfast! Eating breakfast jumpstarts your metabolism for the day and provides you with the energy and nutrients to start off your day. If your stomach can't handle food in the morning, eat something little or make a smoothie. Something is better than nothing. 

Here are easy, healthy and quick breakfast ideas. Enjoy!

1. Homemade baked breakfast bars. Bake a whole batch and eat them throughout the week!
2. Breakfast burritos. You can pre-make these and store them in the fridge. In the morning, just take one out and microwave it. Just be sure to use whole-wheat or whole-grain tortillas when making them. 
3. Oatmeal. Top it off with nutter butter and fresh fruit!
4. Nutter butter and Banana sandwich. 
5. Leftovers from the night before. You don't always have to eat traditional breakfast food.
6. Cereal and milk. Be sure to check the nutrition information!
7. Hard boiled eggs. Eat this with a grain, such as oatmeal or cereal.

These are just a few breakfast ideas. 

What is your favorite go-to breakfast? 

Weekly Goals + Updates

Happy Sunday everyone. How are you guys today?

I'm doing fine, thank you very much. I ran 11 miles again this morning and it felt great. Well, not really. Last week's run was much better. I tend to get stomach issues on long runs, when I run on an empty stomach and when I eat a snack at least an hour before my run. Do you guys have any suggestions?

Anyway, let's go over my last week's goals. For one thing, I did try a new food. It was some sort of Chinese vegetable. As for randomly doing squats and push-ups, I did them but not everyday. And, I did get ready for school (for the most part). I have most of my textbooks and I bought a lab coat to use for one of my classes. By the way, here's a tip for buying textbooks in college. The school bookstore overprice their books. Try buying them online or renting them (especially if you don't plan on using the book after the class). If the book is used for a class for your major, maybe it's best to buy and keep it.

So, here are this weeks goals.

Hopefully, I can do this!

And here are a few eats.

This is the Skinny Cow chocolate. I received a coupon in the mail, so I decided to try it out. Even though I love chocolate and sweets, this was a bit too sweet for my tastes.

 I bought this veggie English muffin breakfast sandwich from Fluid on Friday. It has eggs, veggies and pesto sauce. It was so good!

Yesterday, I went to McDonald's. Yes. I can't believe it but I did. I decided to try their grilled sweet chili chicken wrap. I wish there was more filling in the wrap. I won't be buying it again. I did like the sauce though.

I guess that's it for now. Be on the lookout for this recipe later on this week!

How was your weekend?
Do you like wraps or are you more of a sandwich person?

For me, it just depends on my mood. 

What Running has done for Me

I never considered myself a runner. I was that overweight kid in junior high that hated PE.  I hated that I got tired and sweaty after running. I used to think that running 1/2 a mile was a lot. However, that changed near the end of junior high. I wanted to lose weight before entering high school.

I started off my weight loss by running. My mom made me wake up early in the morning and run in the backyard. I ran for 10 minutes. That's how it was when I was in 8th grade. It was either running in the morning or a little before dinner time. I was happy when I was able to run for 14 minutes!

I didn't really think about the benefits running gave me until my junior year of high school. I started running for longer periods of time and it really helped me deal with the stress I was going through during that time. Talk about an hour of running! You can say that running is a type of therapy for me. After dealing with the stress, I started running for shorter periods of time (30 minutes instead of an hour). I had already lost the weight half-way through freshman year of high school and I just needed to maintain my weight. I didn't have that stress anymore.

Come to freshman year of college, my uncle started to pick up running (the one that loves to drink Dr. Pepper, if you've read my weight loss journey post)! He joined a local running group and told me all about it. He runs 5ks and runs when he can. He motivated me to start running even more.

By the end of my first year of college, my weekly mileage increased! Starting mid-July of this year, I decided to start training for a half-marathon, which my uncle fully supports. My training has really helped me deal with the stress I dealt through during college and the summer. I noticed that I tend to run better when I'm stressed.

I don't know where I'd be right now if I hadn't picked up running. It really has helped me get through the hard times. I also supplement my running with yoga, which helps quite a lot!

There are so many benefits to running. You should try it out if you haven't already. All you need are shorts, a t-shirt and a good pair of running shoes (sneakers). That's the great thing about running. You can run anywhere and at any time. There's no need for fancy equipment either!

What's your favorite activity to do?
Do you run?

Running + PB2 Alfajores

Hey hey everyone! How are you guys doing on this fine day?

Anyway, I'm here to talk about a few things. For one thing, I'm addicted to animal crackers right now. We bought the organic Disney animal crackers from Costco last week and they are so good!

So, what I'm here to REALLY talk about is running. More specifically, training to run a half-marathon or a marathon.

I have one question. Have any of you guys experienced weight gain while training for half-marathon or a marathon? Do you guys wonder why?

Personally, I thought that I'd lose weight with all that running but it's not the case (not for everyone, at least). Gaining weight can be easy, especially with all that running. Here's why.

• You are eating more than you should. We tend to eat more due to the increased level of activity. However, it doesn't mean that we are necessarily burning all of those calories we are eating. 
• Increased muscle mass is another reason. You gain more leg/thigh muscle from running. It's just part of it. 
• Our body is holding more carbohydrates to increase our glycogen supply for our runs. Water is also retained due to the increase in carbohydrates!

Well, I hope that clears up some things. And now, here's the recipe. I got this recipe from Erica House. I love her blog! Here's the recipe. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup oatmeal 
• 2 tablespoons PB2
• 1 packet stevia
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
•  1/8 tsp baking powder
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon apple sauce
• 2 tablespoons water

You can make sandwiches with dulce de leche. It'll be called alfajores!

 Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Drop spoonfuls onto a baking pan. 
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes. 
5. Take them out, let it cool and enjoy! You can make sandwiches with these by using dulce de leche. 

Do you like alfajores?

Have you ever trained for a running event?

Tip of the Week: Meal Planning

Buenos Dias, todos! Feliz lunes. I know. It's the beginning of the week, but be happy. =)

So, today's tip of the week is to do meal planning. Here are a few ways why meal planning can be beneficial:

1. You don't have to worry about what you'll have to make for dinner.
2. It's flexible. You don't always have to follow the meal plan you make. Things do come up. 
3. You can make a grocery list of the foods you are going to eat for the week. That way, you don't have to spend as much while you are grocery shopping. 

So, here's a template I created that can help you with meal planning. If you don't want to plan for a whole day's worth of meals, start with dinner. That way, leftovers from dinner can be your lunch the next day. I also added workouts you may be doing that day as well as the calorie count, for those that are counting calories.

I hope this helps you guys in your journey to become healthy (or continuing to be healthy). 

Do you guys meal plan? 

Have you set any weekly goals?

Training Update + Weekly Goals

Happy Sunday, everyone. How are you today?

I'm doing fine, thank you very much. Do you remember that I mentioned running 11 miles today? Well, I did run it. And, I didn't have that many problems this time. I ran the whole thing. I'm so proud of myself. I ran 11 miles in 1 hr 47 minutes. It's a little slower than my 10 mile time but I didn't want to wear myself out. The last two miles were hard but I pushed through.

And, don't worry. I'll post about what I wanted to talk about later in the week. It's about running (of course).

Because it's the start of a new week, I decided to start a new "series" here. Every Monday is usually The Tip of the Week. I decided that Sundays will be setting weekly goals. It's the little things that add up, right? So, here's my 3 goals for this week. On Saturday, I will recap on how I did on my goals.

So, how are you guys doing today?
Do you have a goal you want to accomplish?

My big goal is to run a half-marathon. 

Half-Marathon Training Update + My Week

Happy Saturday everyone! There's one more week until my first fall semester class starts. I can't believe it. I shall have as much fun as I can this last week.

I really hope it doesn't get in the way of my half-marathon training. I always run first thing in the morning. That is when the weather is nice and the sun isn't directly in my face. Also, I know that there won't be any excuses to not train, if I do it first thing. There is always time (to train and to exercise!). You just have to figure out how to fit it into your schedule. Whether it means waking up earlier or skipping your favorite TV show, just get your training/exercise in.

I love running. It's a way for me to clear my mind for a bit and to relieve stress. I also like pushing myself to train for a half-marathon. I see it as a goal to accomplish. It's very possible! Since I've already ran 10 miles, I think I can get up to 13.1 miles! I also like running because of its health benefits (mentally and physiologically speaking). I've been averaging 30 miles a week. Yes, running makes me more hungry but as long as I fuel my body the right way, it'll work out in the end. There is one topic I'd like to touch upon about half-marathon/marathon training but that will be in a different post. Stay tuned!

I plan on running 11 miles tomorrow. Wish me luck. Last week, when I tried running 11 miles, I ended up having some stomach issues during the last few miles. Sorry if it's too much information! I ate a snack an hour before my run and I guess it upset my stomach. I talked to a friend that has ran half-marathons and marathons. He said that the eating probably caused the stomach issues (and I agree!). He said that since I run in the morning, it's better to load up on carbs for dinner the night before. He suggested that I eat pasta (I'll stick to whole wheat pasta). Then, just drink water and then run the next morning. I can eat something after I run. I plan on trying that. I'll see how that goes.

And, now, my week!

Do you guys remember when you were children and played at the playground? Well, that's exactly what I did on Wednesday. I played at the playground with a VERY good friend of mine. We went down the slide, ran around, tried going across the monkey bars and went on the swings. I love the swings!

We also ate at Chipotle for lunch.

I ordered the Sofrita Bowl. It came with brown rice, sofrita, black beans and salsa. It was so good! The sofrita had the right kind of spiciness to it. I love tofu, which is the reason why I loved this meal. I can't believe that Chipotle is now trying to cater to vegans. That's awesome! My friend liked it too and he LOVES meat.

Anyway, I guess that's it for now.
Stay tuned for the recipe for this!

Do you like playing at the playground (or remember those days)?
Have you tried the sofrita from Chipotle? Do you like tofu?
Take a guess at what is pictured!

Whole Wheat Corn Bread (Vegan!)

Hello everyone! Happy Tuesday to you guys. I hope yesterdays tip helped you guys with exercise.
Anyway, school starts back up in a few weeks and I can't wait! You would think one will dread going back to school. Well, I want to go back! I want to keep learning. But, having a break is good once in a while.
So, what is today's recipe today? You can already tell from the title of this post. It's Whole Wheat Corn Bread. It's been such a long time since I've eaten corn bread, and I have to say, it's one of my favorite breads.
I remember when I was in elementary school, the 4th grade took a class trip to Coloma. We learned about the Gold Mining days and everything. It was so much fun. One activity we did was making cornbread on an outside skillet. I don't know what it's called but it was before ovens were invented. We had to make a fire to make this. The cornbread was so good! It's unfortunate that I don't remember the recipe. All I remember is that I helped cracked the eggs and that the corn bread was delicious.

Anyway, I decided to make corn bread and it brought back some of those memories. I can't believe I can remember things from that long ago. Anyway, here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup yellow corn meal
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Sift together all the dry ingredients.
3. Mix in the wet ingredients. 
4. Pour the batter into a prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes. 
5. Test with a toothpick to make sure it is all the way cooked. 
6. Let it cool and cut into 15 pieces. It will be about 100 calories a piece. 
7. Enjoy!

I guess that's it for now. I hope you guys enjoy this cornbread. By the way, I tried making dulce de leche in the microwave and it didn't turn out so well. The condensed milk decided to boil over, so, some of that got wasted. Other than that, the rest that actually stayed in the bowl turned into dulce de leche. It's yummy.

Do you guys like corn bread?
What are some of your favorite childhood memories?

Tip of the Week

It's important to calculate your maximal heart rate. It can help with knowing what intensity you are exercising in, whether it's for cardiovascular healthy or for weight loss. Here is how you calculate it.

image from: http://www.triathlontrainingisfun.com/heart-rate-training-tip-4-understanding-intensities-and-zones/

Step 1: Subtract your age from 220. That will be your Maximal heart rate.

For example, a person is 20 years old.

220-20= 200

This person's maximal heart rate is 200 beats per minute (bpm)

Step 2: If you want to be in the moderate exercise zone, your heart rate should be about 50-70% of your maximal heart rate.

Let's take the heart rate from the previous example.

50% of 200 is 100 bpm.                  0.5 x 200 bpm=100 bpm
70% of 200 is 140 bpm.                  0.7 x 200 bpm= 140 bpm

So, the target heart rate would be between 100-140 bpm for moderate exercise.

Vigorous intensity would be about 70-85% of the maximal heart rate.


I hope this helps!

Do you measure your heart rate while exercising?
Do you guys have a heart rate monitor watch?

I do and it works wonders so that I know what my heart rate really is. It helps that it can tell me approximately how man calories I burned!

Super Easy Pizza + My Week

Happy Sunday everyone. How are you guys doing today? I'm fine, thank you very much. I started off my morning with 11 miles and then I ate breakfast. The 11 miles didn't go as I wanted it to go but I still completed it. That's all that matters. Last Sunday, I ran 10 miles in 1 hr 35 minutes.

Anyway, before I go blabbering about my week, here's this super easy pizza recipe. It's not even a recipe, since it's something you can throw together pretty quickly. You can use any type of bread/grain base you want. I used whole wheat sandwich thins but you can use a tortilla or pita bread instead.

Here's the "recipe".

Ingredients:

• sandwhich thins, tortilla or whatever grain source you want to use
• 2 tablespoon hummus (or pizza sauce)
• 1/3-2/3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (depending if you like a lot or a little cheese)
• whatever toppings you want (I like mines plain or with veggies and pre-cooked chicken)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. 
2. Spread the hummus or pizza sauce on the bread. 
3. Add the cheese and spread it evenly. 
4. Then, add the toppings. 
5. Bake in the oven for 8 minutes. 
6. Take it out and enjoy! 

And, now. my week! 

For one thing, I went shopping. I went shopping last Sunday and yesterday (I normally don't go clothes shopping much, but we drove a long distance to a place near the mall for an event and we might as well go the the mall after, since we drove that far already). I only bought one top last Sunday. I also ended up buying this M&M Chocolate Chip Cookie from a bakery attached to Macy's. 

It was pretty good and crunchy. I normally don't like crunchy cookie, so I was surprised I liked these. By the way, if you want to make your own M&M cookies, click here for my recipe. 

Anyway, my shopping trip yesterday went pretty well. I bought 2 shorts that were on sale. They were about $5 each. I also bought 2 tank tops that were the same price and I also bought a nice blazer. Shorts costs so much these days and I was surprised to find some for $5, at JcPenny! 

I went to the Bay area on Monday to visit family and to go to my internship. My grandparents flew back to Canada a couple days ago after staying with my cousins in the Bay area. It was nice spending time with them. 

During the week, I decided I wanted to eat a salad for lunch. I decided to buy this Cranberry Apple Walnut Grilled Chicken salad from Carls Jr. I ditched the dressing that came with it and used my own dressing. I have to admit, the salad was pretty good and filling. The salad was pretty big! The price, on the other hand, wasn't that pretty. It always seems like the government is trying to promote healthy eating but the prices make it difficult for some people to afford it. Then again, people can always make their own salads at home for much cheaper. Even then, some prices at grocery stores are crazy high. Anyway, I may vent about that in another post. 

Work/interning on Friday was busy! I stayed on my feet most of the day but things needed to be done. I managed to sip some organic free trade coffee and grab a bite of a Whole Wheat Blueberry Scone here and there. I bought the scone and coffee from Fluid right before going to work. I thought I'd have time to eat at my desk but I guess not. It was a pretty good, busy and productive day though! And, the scone was delicious. I should try making it. 

Anyway, I guess that's it for now. 

Do you like scones? 

What's your favorite salad dressing?

More importantly, how is your weekend going? 

Chocolate Banana Brownies

I love brownies. They are one of my most favorite desserts. 

What I don't like about them is that they are normally not healthy. So, what does a girl do when she wants brownies? Make a more healthier version of it, of course. 

Don't get me wrong. Brownies are unhealthy, but they are okay to eat in moderation. To make them healthier, make a few substitutions and it'll still taste good. Here's the recipe. 

Ingredients:

• 1 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 3 cups confectioners sugar (2 cups regular sugar, or use raw sugar. The confectioners sugar has cornstarch added to it, hence, the more you need to add for the same amount of sweetness)
• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup milk
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 
2. In a bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, protein powder, sugar and baking powder. 
3. In another bowl, mix together the bananas, peanut butter and milk. 
4. Slowly pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients while mixing. 
5. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking pan. 
6. Bake for 40 minutes. 
7. Take it out, let it cool and enjoy. 

I hope you guys enjoy these brownies! 

What recipe would you like me to "healthify"? 

Do you like the combination of chocolate and banana?

Stay tuned for a really simple pizza recipe (Don't worry. You don't have to make your own pizza dough). It'll be up later this week. I made it yesterday and it was yummy! 

Tip of the Week: Getting in physical activity when you have a desk job

Happy Tuesday everyone!

This week's tip is something that everyone can incorporate into their life. I know that most people work or study. They are glued to their desk most of the day. It's hard to get in physical activity when you're always sitting down, studying or working.

Well, here are a few tips to burn a few extra calories and get some physical activity in.

• Make a standing desk. You burn more calories standing than sitting. If you are willing to, you can create a desk tall enough so that you can walk on a treadmill while working/studying. 
• Have some hand weights around your desk. You can take a mini break and do some bicep curls or shoulder presses or whatever exercise you want. 
• Switch your chair for a stability ball. You'll have to work your core to stay still! 
• Drink more water. That way, you'll have to get up and walk to the bathroom more often. Also, it's nice just to take mini walk breaks. 
• Instead of sending a quick email to a co-worker, just walk to their desk. Things can be talked out faster than typing. Also, it's good to get some physical activity in. 
• Go for a walk during your lunch break. Then, eat after. 

Incorporate these into your routine little by little and you'll be surprised on how this can impact your health. 

Do you have any tips on getting in more physical activity? 

What's your favorite exercise?

Exercising while on Vacation

Exercising while on a trip/vacation is something not most people would think about doing. It's a time to relax and have fun, right?

Well, exercising on vacation may not be a bad thing. Some may say it'll take time away from other things you have planned and it's a rest period for the body. However, exercising while on vacation CAN be fun and it'll help you slow down the weight gain from lounging around and eating out during your trip. 

I mention this because on my previous post, I wrote about my trip to China last summer. And, you know what? I still exercised and did some physical activity most days of the week. Some of it was fun, some I had to plan. Here's what I did.

During the tour, we went to a lot of places and it included a lot of walking and long bus rides. One fun activity we did was walking/climbing the Great Wall of China. You should see how steep some of the steps were. It was scary but it was a good workout. There were temples we visited that included walking up many steps. Those are the fun ways to "exercise" while on vacation. Also, I did a lot of walking while in Taishan, where we stayed for a week or two. 

The planned exercises were things I did in the hotel room before leaving for tour and going back to the hotel room after the tour. There weren't many cardio exercises I did in the hotel room. Some things I did were:

• mountain climbers
• jumping squats
• push ups
• sit-ups
• pilates
• yoga

I did that whenever I had time. Top it off with the humidity, it was hard. Seriously. Just walking after 30 seconds outside, you start getting sticky and sweaty, which is not fun. I was lucky there was air-conditioning in the places I stayed at. Even then, it didn't completely cover up the humidity in the air outside. 

Well, how can you incorporate this into your trips? The main thing I'm trying to say is find activities that you can do on the trip that are fun but also require physical activity. You can go biking if you are in a great area to bike in. If you are near the woods, hiking would be something to consider. If you're near the beach, it may be fun to go jogging on the beach as the sun is either rising or setting. You can even go swimming too. 

It's not impossible to exercise while on vacation. You don't need to go to the gym during your trip or vacation. Make it fun. Enjoy the environment you are at. You'll be happy that you did. 

Do you have any tips while exercising on vacation? 

What places have you traveled to?