MIMM: 3-Day Weekend

Return of oatmeal protein pancakes, the best thing ever. I microwaved some frozen berries on top.

*I subbed Greek yogurt for cottage cheese since it wasn't available.

Add some strawberries and you get this:

Source: nutbutterrunner.tumblr.com via Julie on Pinterest

I have such a hard time digesting protein that I often need a boost from plant enzymes or just a lesser protein meal.

I do pretty good on protein most days. The next night I ate the same thing with chicken.

I relaxed by reading a few "healthy living" magazines. I used to love reading magazines but haven't had interest in them in years.

Interesting stats from Shape Magazine.

1. Wow. Lift more. Life heavy. Just do it.
2. Change your life. Don't diet.
3. I don't believe in love at first sight? Do you?

ArchetypeMe says,

Yep. I'm glad I'm not an "athlete" first because I sure am competitive. On Saturday's boot camp class, I was adamant about not lifting lighter than any of the women or men.

I am more than my body - I'm caring and creative too. :)

When I got home from work, my NatureBox arrived. There was a little something for everyone in the family. I liked the chocolate ginger trail mix.

Saturday was National Popcorn Day. To end my night, I had a snack of kettle style popcorn with a twist.

I slept in on Sunday before yoga. I forced my cousin to walk me there and we walked back separately.

I finally painted my nails. They were bare for a week and looked disgusting.

Followed by a ride to the beach to see the sunset. Om.

My students have finals this week so my schedule is a little out of wack but also a welcomed change.

Has anyone tried Trader Joe's pineapple & papaya enzyme? I'm considering it after some positive and negative reviews.
What's the most interesting stat you've seen lately?
How's the weather where you're living? Its been sunny here so we're taking advantage!

Bike weather

Good afternoon! I slept in, but not until now. I stayed in bed after a couple of snoozes. I hadn't decided on a suitable workout for the day - I wasn't up for TurboKick or yoga. But I peeked outside and the day looked gorgeous. By 9, it was still gorgeous. I finally got out of bed and made breakfast.

I bought almond jalapeno jack style "cheese" yesterday at Mother's to change up my usual goat cheese. Melted on half my bagel. Yum.

Paired with spicy green beans and a bite of last night's Babycakes NYC blueberry donut. :)

I got the bike out and rode. I had plans to buy Gold Bond for my cracked heels (shoes in, sandals out unfortunately) and stuff to send my dad. I also rode out to Trader Joe's and found there was no more cookie butter! :( I had one jar and didn't hoard. I ate quite a bit of it before deciding it was bad for my health. Hah, but it was sooo good. :/

Picked up yesterday! Those figs finally on sale! :)

I was in luck when I headed to TJ Maxx. Tons of workout wear for the new year. I found one yoga towel for $14.99, much less than the price of YogiToes and Gaiam yoga towels.

(source)

Post 10-mile ride, I had part of a leftover apple with a little PB and a bite of raw apple pie.

Ugh, now I have to get ready for work. I switched with a co-worker tomorrow and will work close again. I don't like it, but I'm too nice to say no and hope she'll take one of my shifts when I need.

Sunday cycling adventure

I woke up early. 7AM, which I guess in the blogger world isn't so early but it's early for a single girl with a job that starts later in the day. Anyhow, I didn't get out of the house till 8AM and had Blogilates' protein pancakes once again! I had to go out of my way to buy a banana this morning until I had a chance to head to Trader Joe's.

And once again, I had the pancakes with some PB & J, or well Nutella since my cousin had a jar. I ate outside and fed the dog a little goat cheese. He absolutely love goat cheese.

I rode out to the beach. The ride south was tough. My eyes were stinging from the sunscreen and the sun was pretty high in the sky already! I definitely rode slower than last week.

Today's sights included a man with two parrots on his shower, just walking around. There was also a school on the left side of the path and on the right, on the beach, was a playground and basketball courts. Fancy.

More people sat on their beach side porches this week so I peered in as I rode by. Gorgeous home especially past the first pier in Newport and towards Balboa. I didn't make it all the way to the end of the Balboa Peninsula, but it was starting to look like a ton of houses.

I also saw the instructor I spoke of yesterday, Jamie! She was on her run in Newport Beach when I stopped and walked over to Seaside Bakery for the insides of a jalapeno ham and cheese croissant (yeah, I only eat the ham and cheese and only the bits of croissant with cheese on it!). What a co-in-ki-dink!

The ride back was even worse! It was good at first since my eyes stopped stinging, but then the wind came and I was riding super leisurely. 18 miles down for the day.


Maybe I'll go north next week.

Thankfully, the way home was easy and I stopped by Trader Joe's for bananas and peanut butter Puffins! They're so much bigger than the original and cinnamon Puffins! They're also a lot airier.


Lucky for me there was a Big 5 Sporting Goods right next door and they had a HUGE selection of women's lifting gloves. The pair I got was $12.99 but on sale for $9.


I'm glad I didn't order the white Valeo ones online because those were kind of odd looking in person.

(image from Amazon)

Showered now, I'm going to relax. I'll read more of Firefly Lane, which is surprisingly easy to read and not some frilly Nicholas Sparks romance (I read those too and have been told the best book is his biography), and rent some 49 cent movies from Blockbuster (Sundays only!).

I have to get home early tonight! We're meeting my cousin's boyfriend and having family dinner.

Riding to the south side

Yesterday ended up being an off day. I went to get my family dim sum at our favorite place, Ten Ten Seafood in Artesia. BEST PINEAPPLE BUNS EVER!

I tried to make up for it today with Zumba in the AM, but I got there at 8:30, which was too late apparently for a 9AM class. Not only was the class full, there was a long waiting list. As I struggled to adjust the upright bike and ride a couple of minutes, I decided that I wanted to go on my long-awaited adventure: biking on the Pacific Coast.

I started by getting dropped off on Main Street Huntington Beach and proceeded to find the bike trail on the north side of the pier's parking lot. I rode the trail south all the way to the Newport Beach Pier where I got off my bike and walked for a very short time.

Scenes (and scents) from the beach

• Man on a unicycle
• Man stationed in the parking lot with his keyboard, singing not so great
• Family's RV parked path-side with rugs on the concrete
• Woman watching TV in front of her RV?!
  
• Smell of marijuana as I passed a path-side house in Newport
• Surfers with dirty, sandy feet
• Reclining bikes?
• Fishermen on the Santa Ana River
• Dog peeing in the sand :(
• Joggers and bicyclists sharing the road, lots of them
• Very large man on a small bicycle
• Fishy smell of the ocean over in Newport

The fishiness and remembering the peeing dog as well as the fact that I was sticky and oily because I hadn't washed my hair yet made me race home. Kind of.

I rode back to the Huntington Beach Pier and then to Trader Joe's and then Sprouts where my mom picked me up. I was okay physically, but a tad hungry. I started my ride at 9:15AM or so and finished up at 12:30!

Breakfast was Shakeology mixed in a food container because I couldn't find my shaker. Lunch ended up being a cooling 1/2 cup of Fage 0% yogurt with a tablespoon of warmed Creamy Reese's PB and a serving of original Puffins!

It was a nice, relaxing ride and I hope to do it more often. Next time, I may want to head more south into Balboa and Crystal Cove.

Crystal Cove, in particular, was popular in high school and I never went. I drove by it last weekend and thought it was gorgeous. Maybe I can run if my knees permit since I do have to start training for a 5K at some point. Yes, just a measly little 5K over here. :)

Till then, some Theraflu - working in schools again - and "Your Highness," which my cousin picked from the redbox last night.

(image from Movie Cultists)

Finding busy work

Happy Labor Day! So it's a late start over here. I just couldn't get up with my 7AM alarm so plans change...

• TurboKick
  
• Yummy brunch - I'm thinking a bagel with some pumpkin cream cheese
  
• Run errands
  
• Light lunch: chicken from my mom's meal and some of her avocado smoothie :)
  
• Random window browsing
  
• Mid-afternoon pick-me-up: green juice
• Read/nap
  
• Light dinner: Shakeology
• Nighttime: some type of fruit
• Put together packet for sub application!
  

So I have big plans for Tuesday... that'll be exciting and I'll let you in on them tonight. First, I'll leave you with a couple of events I'm planning to partake in:

• Beach Babe Bicycling Classic on a scenic route from Long Beach to Huntington Beach
  
  
  
• Never Land Fun Run, a 5K at night
  

Picking a trail

Afternoon all! I started my morning late and had a bit of yogurt before heading out on my first commuting adventure. Boy was it tough. I wanted to avoid the freeway overpass necessary to get from my aunt's to my mom's so I used the Santa Ana River Trail. It was not a walk in the park.

There are bike lanes with a scary drop-off into the empty river at times.

I biked under roads, which meant lots of little climbs.

Too much open expanse of... concrete. Geez, Southern California... sigh.

But in the end, it got me here a bit exhausted.

I got a couple of things: organic PB with sea salt and English muffins.


I took a nap before lunch: spinach, Laughing Cow Swiss cheese, and salmon-filled tortilla.

Last night was also tough. I realized I've been here in California for a month and a half and have yet to find a job. While in North Carolina, a lot of my former classmates have found teaching jobs.

Not to brag, but I'm doing it, I was the best tutor and a great teacher. Kids love me. I love them and I do at least a B+ job on my off days. At my best, I'm unstoppable.

I knew I wouldn't get a teaching job right away because I have to take the CTEL, for which I still have to purchase study aids.

I've applied for numerous jobs, most in schools and some I found on craigslist. There are still a few left to apply to and the closing dates are coming up so I'm hoping to secure something.

I'm left wondering if I'm too picky about a job. I remember a line in "Eat, Love, Pray," where an Italian man scolds us Americans for wanting happiness in our jobs. We take life too seriously. Isn't it just good enough to get paid?

"Americans. You work too hard, you get burned out. You come home and spend the whole weekend in your pajamas in front of the T.V." - Luca Spaghetti

Well, I want to be mildly happy and part of that involves not being at a dead-end job. The job will have to lead to a career and involve some fulfilling challenges.

Even though I have my degree in the liberal arts and a teaching credential, I'd like to do more. I mentioned going back to school next year to start my prereqs to become an RD (registered dietitian). Yet I'm open to anything creative and fun. I just don't have the experience for a lot of jobs and entry level positions aren't so well-paying.

At this point, I'm looking at a job in a school, part-time, for about $15 an hour. If I find some other creative positions, I'll take those too.

I read Oh She Glow's "How to Create Career Happiness" this AM and decided to leave The Fat Girl's Guide to Life at home in lieu of The Girl's Guide to Kicking Your Career into Gear. They suggest a career plan, one similar to the lululemon one. I'll share once I'm done.

(image from goodreads)

All said and done, I need to get my butt off my bicycle(?) and make sure everyday is conducive to improvement in my life somehow.

Black & yellow helmet

Cool DIY helmet

(image from I Still Love You)

Herb [helmet] head

Yes, the bike again. This time, I'm talking about the helmet.

(image from DemonXtreme)

I want to DIY the helmet like Oh Joy.

But I want to make it my own with colors. Maybe? My helmet has holes/vents so I'm planning to apply them like Joy did then use an X-Acto knife to cut the decals at the vents.

(image from DecalRocket)

Soon to be bike fanatic!

As I mentioned in the previous post, I decided not to go to the gym. I woke up for it, but I would have to leave at 7:30AM for an 8:30AM class... and I was only 5 minutes away. How come? I have to get my hand stamped.

Instead, I lingered in bed and watched "Dexter" until 10ish. Guess what? I didn't freak out all day because I didn't hit the gym. I'm proud of myself.

I finally ate breakfast of whatever's in the fridge at 11ish: cinnamon raisin Ezekiel, 1/2 cup of Voskos non-fat plain, The Bee's Knees PB, and 1/2 apple.

I looked at bikes till 12:30 or so and went to get it. I decided on a cheaper one from Walmart because I'm not looking to race or anything like that.

They didn't have it so I made a couple of calls and found the Schwinn Admiral about 15-20 minutes away.

Bike lock does not watch. Oh well.

I got a helmet that makes me look like I'm in a special ed class. I wanted this style though. It's glossy and black. White was $5 more and they didn't even have white matte. :/

(image from Bikester)

Sadly, I didn't want to pay for the Nutcase helmets.

(images from Nutcase)

They're cute though I think I can pull an Oh Joy!

It got too dark for me to take a picture. I also injured myself while putting my bike in my car. :/ I'll have to get better at that. Most people put their bikes on a rack. Not me. I'm afraid it'll get stolen that way? I don't know, but I'll keep it in my car for now.

Eats for the day included:



...and a cup of Greek yogurt.