A promise to write more

Listening to :: Bring Me To Life - Evanescence

So I'm sorry I haven't been posting so regularly. I HAVE been posting at least once a week, so that bit is a lot better than before, but I will improve!  I just haven't been doing much interesting lately. For food I've been pretty much trying to use up whatever I have before it goes bad, and also had a bunch of exams which have greatly taxed my time doing anything except studying. :/

So onto the stats for this week!
Fun Stats ::
Start Weight :: 185 (January 19)
Last Week :: 181
Current Weight :: 177
Goal Weight :: 150

So as you can see, I'm on my way to my goal again! Although I've been keeping my calories within a healthy zone (1200-2000), it's been rather inconsistent so I'm going to try to make sure I take in about the same calories every day.

Other than that, I don't really have much to tell you. Between hunting for somewhere to live next year and attempting to be a good student, I haven't truly done much. I promise pretty pictures next time though! My roommates and I are planning a New Orleans/Mardi Gras party, so there will definitely be food pictures and outfit pictures from that event!

Dance Through Life And Hug Somebody!
HEART
Zan

:: A Quote To Leave You By::

"Spock, you are fully capable of deciding your own destiny.  The question you face is: which path will you choose?  This is something only you can decide."

~ Sarek - Star Trek ~

Make up for the lack of Make Up

Listening to :: Make You Feel My Love - Adele

So, let's start off with my health check in!

Fun Stats ::
Start Weight :: 185 (January 19)
Last Week :: 181
Current Weight :: 181
Goal Weight :: 150

Before I weighed in this week I was super worried because the past week I ate a lot more snacks and extras than I normally eat, and I didn't get the chance to go to the gym three times.  I did get the chance to work out in my room and start a stretching regimen to hopefully increase flexibility.  Before I only did like four or five stretches, but now I'm taking about a half hour to do stretches.  So I'm just counting my lucky stars that I didn't go up again.

 Unfortunately, I have no delicious food pictures to show you this week.  I just ate a lot of rice and veggies, so it wasn't very pretty or interesting.  I did do my make-up and dress nicely several times though so I'll show you some of those! This first one is from Valentines Day.  I did not have a 'Valentine' so I decided to make myself my own Valentine! It's all about the love, after all. :)  My make-up is pretty simple, just a neutral on the lid and brow bone, red-pink in the crease with a little dark brown to add depth. My outfit was silly on the silly side though.  Black mock-neck tee with a gray skirt, gray flats, and bright red tights.  Oh yes, obnoxious colours are the best. :)

This next one is from the Friday, when the temperatures were around 66! I really wanted to take advantage of the good weather, so I dressed up for the occasion! Then later that night I went to a sports bar with my friends for dinner. Sorry the picture is of me kneeling, it's really weird, I know. So, as you can see, I'm wearing a gray skirt again, white tank top, with a purple belt and sweater. And, to be obnoxious, a giant flower headband. My make-up didn't really go with my outfit, but that's all good. Orange lip balm, neutral on the lid and brow bone, and green in the crease with a dark blue for definition.  Next time I take pictures, I'll take some solely for the make-up so it's clearer. Sorry for the kneeling picture too. I was trying to get a full shot, but I don't have a tripod so I used a dresser. ^^"

I also dressed up for a career fair this week, but that was just dress pants and a button down, so I'll leave you to your imagination for that outfit. Now, I leave you for a world filled with homework and rolling around on the floor like Draco Malfoy.

Don't Be A Drag- Just Be A Queen And Hug Somebody!
HEART
Zan

:: A Quote To Leave You By::

 Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.Dream. Discover.

~ Mark Twain ~ 

Good Day, Bad Day

Listening to :: Take Me Or Leave Me - Rent

Designing a tattoo is a lot harder than you would think. Well, for me at least. I'm basing my design off of a beautiful picture of a Birds of Paradise flower that I came across a while ago (pictured above).  The problem is that I'm not sure what route I want to go in translating it to ink. My two main ideas are either to get a realistic tattoo, or to get an 'outline' of the flower but instead of in black ink have it in coloured ink to represent the flower's colours, such as below.

Sorry for the watermark, I'm a little protective.

I think I'm favoring the outline, honestly, but we'll see. A lot can happen between now and when I get my tattoo (during spring break).

 Since the last time I have had several culinary conquests, so I'll share with you here. First off is lime-vinegar salmon with fresh oven roasted veggies, rice, and steamed bok choy. I had never cooked salmon on my own before, but thanks to my handy dandy low-calorie recipe book I managed well. Not that I'm below eating raw fish. <3

 

The second item I made was a joint effort with me on the preparation and baking end and my roommates on the supplies end.  We made Gluten-free Banana-Chocolate Chip Bread, and BOY was it rich. It came out to eight servings, with each serving about 341 calories.  A little high, but hey, you need to get calories some how, and this bread makes it FUN. Here's some before-and-after eye candy for you:

 

Have A Joy-Filled Day And Hug Somebody!
HEART
Zan

:: A Quote To Leave You By ::

“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together

There is something you must always remember.

You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem,

and smarter than you think.

But the most important thing is, even if we're apart, I'll always be with you.”

~ Winnie the Pooh ~

Healthy Halfie Life

Listening to :: Silly Little Songs - The Beatles

I, just like many other people, have struggled with weight, food, fitness and general health my entire life.  I was born overweight, and have always been on the heavier side of the weight spectrum.  Now while some people could accept themselves at my weight and higher, I cannot.  I've always felt like I have an extra skin on, and I know it's only mental but I'd like to bring my mind, body, and perhaps even soul onto the same page.

Now, I'm not trying to get to some absurd weight.  My sister is an inch taller than me and about 110 lbs (maybe less), but I know that is completely unrealistic for MY body and how I want to live my life. So I've set a goal that I feel would be not only realistic to get down to, but also to maintain.  If I reach that weight and feel like I need to lose weight or gain weight to feel right in my skin, I will, but that's something that I will have to decide for myself in the future.

Fun Stats ::
Start Weight :: 185 (January 19)
Current Weight :: 181
Goal Weight :: 150

In order to achieve this goal, I will and have been working out a minimum of 3 times a week, and keeping my calories between 1200 and 2000 so that my body will not go into starvation mode or start packing on pounds.  Now, I'm a little nerdy so I've made an excel document to track how many calories I take in and burn and I've made it all pretty as well. : )

So this is the start of my public accountability. No need to worry though, I won't only make posts about this. Food, Hair, Make-Up and other fun things will be here as well. : D  To give you a treat if you read through that, I'll post a picture of my dinner last night.

Steak and Veggie Stir Fry!

Only about 380 Calories per meal when divided into 4!

Love Yourself And Hug Somebody!
HEART
Zan

:: A Quote To Leave You By ::

When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others

~Peace Pilgrim~

Stuffed Peppers anyone?

Listening to :: Harry - A Very Potter Musical

Marketplaces are just about the best places to shop for food.  On Sunday I ventured down to center city to make use of a couple of gift cards, and afterwards I went to Reading Terminal Market to pick up some groceries, and I got a little carried away.

Here's a little break down of the gloriousness

$15

• 2 Bell Peppers
• A Package of Celery
• A Package of Carrots 
• 3 Cucumbers
• A Package of Tofu
•  3 Apples
• 6 Bananas
• 1 Eggplant
• 3 Tomatos
• Baby Bok Choy

3 lbs Ground Beef - $8

1.2 lbs Salmon - $8

So needless to say, it was a fantastic time.  During this trip I also used a gift card for a low calorie cookbook, and when I got back to my apartment I discovered an amazing recipe for stuffed peppers.  The recipe was for 4 servings, but I had only bought 2 bell peppers, so I had half the recipe.  The recipe was originally for a slow cooker, so I used an online recipe as a time guide, and it suggested parboiling the peppers in the beginning so the baking time would be shorter.  Let me just say, this was a Good Decision, if there ever was one. And now, I present you with Food Porn. :)

 So now I need to come up with something to top that. :/ I saw some salmon recipes, so that'll probably be the route I go.  You'll just have to wait and see! :D

 Have A Star-Shiney Day And Hug Somebody!

HEART

Zan

:: A Quote To Leave You Buy ::

 Always forgive your enemies - nothing annoys them so much.

 ~ Oscar Wilde ~

Oh, Failures

Listening to :: Firework - Katy Perry

It's been almost a year since I've posted and many things have happened, some good, some horribly bad. Lucky for you, I won't bore you with the details.  All you need to know about the bad is that I was gone for a while, but now I'm back and will most likely stay. That is unless, of course, you request an explanation. Haha... ((Get it? I have like five followers... D:))

So onto today. I'm in my second semester as a Junior.  My major-situation has changed and changed again, and I'm not quite sure what I'll end up graduating with.  Today was a wonderful and slow day.  I woke up and watched cartoons, as any respectable college student would, and then I went to the gym for about two hours. My cardio was on the machine that looks like an elliptical and a stairmaster had a one night stand, and I spend the rest of my time on weights.  Although they're kind of intimidating, I like them and they make me feel like I'm making progress, even though I have no idea whatsoever if I am or not. Here's for hoping!

Insanity in a bowl!

Food today was alright, although I'm sure there'll be more to come.  I had leftover rice-gumbo and a hot dog for breakfast and lunch, and I made an insane concoction for dinner.  I'm not really sure what motivated me to make this, but it turned out pretty well! I'll write up the recipe if you'd like to try it.



Insanity Bowl
Calories per Serving 291 | 4 Servings
1 Box Kraft Mac and Cheese
2/3 cup Instant Potato Flakes
1/2 Medium Onion, chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, chopped
1 cup Spinach, chopped
Curry powder to taste
Virgin Olive Oil
Water
Milk

• Boil water and add mac and cheese noodles. Remove into colander after 8 minutes.
• Sauté chopped onions on medium heat in olive oil until transparent, add in chopped garlic and spinach. Continue until the spinach is wilted, then put skillet on low.
•  Add the water and milk instructed on the Mac and Cheese box plus one cup for each, cheese packet and curry powder to the pot and mix. Add the macaroni to the pot, mix until evenly coated, and then mix in the potato flakes. Make sure to thoroughly mix the flakes in.
• Add the sautéed  mix into the pot and give it one last mix through and you're done!

Now, this isn't the most balanced meal, but it's good either for a college kid or a professional who doesn't have much in the pantry/fridge.

I also had to do my nails while I was in between homework today, so I'll leave you with a picture. :) I haven't quite figured out how to take a picture of nails yet, so this is what you get. Sorry! D:

Also, Today is Darren Criss' birthday, so happy birthday. You're a totally awesome singer, song-writer, actor, and whatever other jazz you do. 

Have A Superb Day And Hug Somebody!

HEART 

Zan

 :: A Quote To Leave You By ::

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.
~Edgar Allan Poe~