Meal Diary: Monday&Tuesday

Hey Everyone!

So I have been eating really good lately and specially i had no idea that i was good at cooking!

Making these meals have made me realize the importance that a perfect balance makes and to know how to mix the things you eat. 

For the past days, Monday and Tuesday, i ate:

Monday:

• Breakfast: a bowl of special K with milk
• Lunch: A chicken filled in with asparagus and Edam cheese. with steamed vegies and just a little ampunt of rice. 
• Dinner: an orange and half a banana 

Tuesday: 

• Breakfast: A bowl of special K with milk (it's my go to breakfast, and it is easy and healthy)
• Lunch: A chicken kind of soup with potatoes and raisins and carrots and a little rice by the side. (here in Peru we have to have rice as our side dish, we are characterized by that.)
• Dinner: A bowl of oatmeal and an orange. 

These are all the things that have gotten into my tummy and i feel really happy about it. It's not too much food and it is well balanced in order not to lack of anything. 

I cooked the first dish on monday, lunch. and i think it was pretty awesome that i can actually cook! this is a big deal! now i can live alone and not starve! hahaha 

such a drama lady. 

I will attach a picture when i download them to my computer. 

So what have you been eating? tell me about it in the comments below :) 

love,

S.A

Clothes 101: Working out outfits Part 1

Hey Everyone!

It's Tuesday and what a better way to start your day than having a nice jog or having your own at-home pilates session? To check out my post from yesterday here to see the routine you can do.

But, do you have trouble finding a comfy pair of sweats or to find the perfect outfit to start your exercises? 

So, if you are going to sweat, why not do it with style? 

I think that every person has their choices, or their go-to favourite pair of sweats and hoodies. My picks for clothes, when i go to workout or even stay at home and do some exercises, are a pair of yoga pants, or shorts, a racer back top and my sneakers. 

It all depends on how comfortable you are with the clothes you are wearing. Yoga pants are light and allow a lot of stretching and movement and are your best option if you have a Pilates class, yoga lesson or just hitting the gym. Shorts are perfect for summer to keep yourself cool and to prevent excessive sweating, that, for some people, might be disgusting. 

Some people use tank tops or just plain t-shirts. Some might prefer sports bras alone, but if you are not too confident with your body or just not that into showing so much skin you can wear them with a loose tank on top. Sports bras also provide a lot more support, and ladies you know this, when jogging or doing crunches and more. 

Another nice idea is to wear a headband to keep your hair out of your face while working out because it can make you loose concentration and it just bothers a lot. Also take a towel to absorb the sweat. They now make everything for people who likes to workout and they make stuff that matches everyone's interests and necessities.  

I found this really pretty towel in a site called lululemon.com  and it just caught my eye. It is a purple towel and i am in love. It says in the tag "don't be afraid to sweat" and i think they've got a point and they are right! It is not a small sized towel it is a body length exercise towel which i find really interesting because i've never seen something like that before.  

http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/women-we-made-too-much/Manduka-Hot-Towel-240302?cc=8400&skuId=3408428&catId=women-we-made-too-much

Victoria's Secret has in their Pink Collection the most girly sweats, t-shirts and yoga pants i've seen before and they are nice and not too expensive. These are Perfect to feel right when you are working off to have a great body and you feel motivated about it with these kinds of outfits.  

these are one of my favourite sweats! 

They are the vintage flair pants and they seem so comfortable in order to have stretching and things like that going on.  

I hope you guys liked this first part of the workout outfits.

Keep an eye on Part 2 to come and comment what else would you like to see here.

love,

S.A

*disclaimer: I am NOT affiliated to any of the sites mentioned above in this post. All opinions are my own. I did not received any profits from doing this post. 


Sources:http://www.victoriassecret.com/ss/Satellite?ProductID=1265499394488&c=Page&cid=1305797379669&pagename=vsdWrapper , http://www.lululemon.com/

Pilates, a fun and strengthening work out

Hello everyone!

For the past weeks I've noticed that I have been practically inactive and just walked from one place to another but it wasn't enough, and with the busy schedule i've been handling it hasn't been easy to find time to go to the gym or go for a jog at my blocks park. I started doing some research on line and with some advisers to see what kind of exercise was suitable for people that have little or practically no time to a long work out class so i decided that Pilates was going to be my go for workout. 

Pilates is a way of exercising that helps you loose the calories you need training you to breath well and to strengthen the upper part of your body. It actually makes your muscles grow and spreading the load all over your body. 

During my search on the web, i came across About.com and saw that they have come with a quick workout session with Pilates. You can actually do pilates without the need of all the equipments they have at studios if you don't have the time to go there. Just take a mat, any kind (i prefer yoga mats) and put it on the floor of your living room or garden, where you feel more comfortable. 

They have a quite nice variety of exercises that can help you loose the extra calories you have with you. Even though it's a more relaxed routine, it is demanding and you can feel it doing it's job on your abdominal area. It is great to tone up your whole body! 

The list of exercises include: 

-Planks

-The Hundred

-Pelvic Curl 

and finally (and probably my favourite)

- Swimming

Click here to see the routine and to try it out! 

I hope you enjoy it and I think i might incorporate more of these easy and less time consuming exercises to my healthy habits.

Love,

S.A

*Disclaimer: I am not affiliated to about.com in any way to talk about their website or posts they have. All opinions are my own. 


Sources: http://pilates.about.com/od/pilatesmat/ss/QuickTone.htm , http://www.pilates-exercises.co.uk/,google dictionary. 

Friday: Night meal ideas

Hello everyone!

It's Friday and therefore the end of the week (or the start of the weekend) and I am finally FREE to keep up after some weeks of being super duper busy. It is refreshing that there's no more homework's to hand in, of any of that.

So I was looking to some really yummy ideas of a healthy night meal ideas, and i came across the Food Network and I saw that they had this amazing list of night meals that actually made my mouth water! 

But the recipe that actually caught my eyes (and tummy) the most was this super delicious Chicken Divan with Sherry Dijon Sauce. 

If the simple picture Just looks mouthwatering, imagine how good this might taste?! 

This recipe was actually adapted to be healthy and to have the nutrients and vitamins that you need without stopping to be delicious! 

This dish contains broccoli, Gruyère cheese, milk, olive oil and more. To see the recipe click here and it will give you all the instructions on how to prepare it. 

These are all great meal ideas, not only for dinner, but also for lunch and specially that in some countries summer is now here and people want to be bikini ready and to keep in shape eating healthy. 

As  for a side dish I would totally like some steamed veggies or a fresh salad. 

I hope you liked this meal idea and remember! Drink lots of water during the day! 

I think I am going to go cook this recipe for today's lunch for my parents and me. 

Happy Friday loves! 

xo,

S.A 

Update

It's been a crazy week for me and it's only Wednesday! 
I hope everyone is having a not so much busy week and is having some fun! 


This is a small post to let you know that at the end of this week, probably on friday i will get back to post daily, as long as I can. In one week finals, for my university, start and after that, I AM GOING TO BE FREE! and refocus completely to my lovely and healthy and not so hectic schedule and write more blog posts 


So now, my day in food! 



I had for breakfast a cup of coffee, 4 crackers and that is it.
For lunch I'm having steamed vegetables with chicken breast and i small portion of rice. 


that is the food i had planned and for dinner i still have no clue! 




if you have any recommendations, i am open to suggestions :) 


love,


S.A

Father's day cupcakes!

Tomorrow is father's day and we need to celebrate the second person in our lives that has been there all the way and taught us and supported us (and sometime grounded us) and my idea for a super easy and sweet way to do this is by baking some cute cupcakes to celebrate them!

I know it's not a super healthy and dietetic dessert but for this special day it's fair to go out of your diet and just have fun with it, of course don't exaggerate and over eat, but grab one and enjoy it at the fullest! Remember is a gift for your pap's and don't eat'em all!

So I baked this cute cupcakes a couple of weeks ago in form of a trial run and to see how they turned out. 

I baked them in two different flavours, orange and coffee, because daddy and granddad are fans of those! 

I love my dad and my granddad so very much and hope they have a great day and to let them know they are my family and they are part of the most amazing support system in my life and they are my heroes for doing everything the do to keep the family together and for my granddad that is up in heaven, he was the best person i could know, and that, even though i don't remember him that well i still miss him so much! 

Love you! 

So I hope everyone spends an awesome father's day and spoil their  dads! 

XO

S. A 

Friday Fun

Happy Friday!


So today the sun came out, the birds are singing and everything seems happy and with a magical aura.


As the sun came out, i am in the mood to eat a fruit salad and drink a lot of water. If there's something that i could live of during a sunny day is from fruits and fresh veggies. I love they way they freshen up the body and the water contained within them is so good for us. Also, a good complement for them, and the amount of vitamins they provide, is the Sun, some good sun baths are perfect to fix those vitamins, but also use sunscreen to prevent damaging your skin. I recommend SPF 45 and higher to have a good care for it.


Sunny days are the best to go and do an outdoor sport, if you like, go for a hike, run around the park nearest to you, take your dog for a walk (if you have a dog, of course) have some fun in the sun, as many people say. And of course if you live near a beach, it is the perfect way to enjoy the sea and the sun, call your friends and hang out!








I am in a really good mood and therefore i think i might go out and walk my doggies for a while and enjoy this beautiful day !

Have a Wonderful day!


XO


S.A


ps. i know i know, A is normally my signature, but my birth name is Stephanie, and i went for Arabella too, i like them both and love how they come together.

Healthy Spotlight: Healthy Eating and top 10 foods to improve your diet!

Hi everyone


i was searching the internet and kind of stumbled upon an amazing site that shows how to balance your food and making it fresh ans not boring at all. http://www.healthyfoodtips.org/ shows how to plan a meal and which foods to combine in order to take a full vitalizing and vitamin intake of good foods. They help to keep your body free of bad stuff such as saturated fats that, if consumed too much, can fill your arteries and block them with the grease and cause heart attacks, embolisms and more. 


It is a good thing that more people are being aware of what they eat so that the obesity is taken over with healthy choices and the life expectancy is longer. 


Now i also found a good site that talks about the 10 healthiest foods in the world and I was amazed with it and realized that we sometimes just don't know the benefits a banana has or a kiwi, which are really good.  
http://www.livestrong.com/article/89515-healthiest-foods/ It is a study from the Lance Armstrong Organization LIVESTRONG. 


I hope you guys find this information useful and feel free to send me your comments and how you take healthy food habits in your life. 


XO, 
A




* I am not affiliated to any of the sites mentioned in this blog nor received an economic compensation to talk about them or show their content. 

I am Back!

Hello everybody! 

sorry i've been slacking this blog, but as you may already know, i am study hard to improve my grades, make my diet healthier, keep up with the school work that is getting bigger and bigger and bigger all the time, and my final exams are just around the corner so yes, my time has pretty much been reduced for leisure activities, so i decided that i was going to leave everything for about 5 mins in order to write a blog and keep you updated. 

I have lost body mass, and that is noticeable, but in weight i have just loosed about 1/2 a pound which is good because i am not loosing weight dramatically and my metabolism is not suffering with the changes. I have reduced my intake of fried and greasy food, although i still eat a hamburger if i am totally craving one, but just a small or junior one. 

Now i drink 2 lts. of water a day and i feel my skin softer and more hydrated than before, so the changes are good and it shows on the way i look, i like it, a healthy living and a healthy body. 

In terms of exercise, i have been walking a lot lately, climbing up and down stair cases at university and i have clases on the fourth floor and instead of using the elevator i prefere the stairs it's a pretty good exercise cause you work everything, your thighs, your calves, even your butex :) 

You know that i am a sweet addict, so the desserts for me are a must, but I tend to have left them behind and just eat them 2 times a week, when i am really really really craving one. The rest of the time i am not worried about it, and because of my hectic schedule i sometime have a little time to eat lunch and if i took all the time i wished i would never get on time to where i need to be. 

let me know you have been working on your health and how have you make the transition smoother so that it doesn't strike you down.