How Hanna got her groove back

I had an amazing hour long run yesterday. My pace was somewhat leisurely but respectable all the same.

Forerunner luuuurrrve!! I burned about 600 plus calories. Whomp there it is!!

Afterwards, I did lots of studying for my YMCA class and had the usual lunch. 

Steak and ale pie with brussel sprouts and siracha sauce. Finally got done eating all the pies in the fridge. I think I'm done with those for a while.

I made T go see Black Swan yesterday. It was the UK premiere. I feel like I've been waiting ages for this movie to come out. I love Vincent Cassell (heart swooooooon!!). Anyone else with me on that one? No? :P

What a creepy movie!! I didn't realize it was going to be so dark and intense. The dancing and soundtrack was amazing tho.. cue the violins :) I would recommend it but it isn't for the Nutcracker aka kid fans.

After the movie, we came back home for leftovers, wine, and another movie on the couch. This time it was something a bit more light hearted. Hitch!

More oats for breakfast this morning.

• 1/4 cup oats
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 chopped apple
• sprinkle of salt
• sprinkle of cinnamon
• toppings: raisins, dark chocolate chips, almond butter, goji berries, sunflower seeds, chocolate tart

 Who says a chocolate breakfast can't be healthy :o)

Chocolate-y delicious mess!!

I'm debating whether to run again today or do some weights. Weights for the win???

Song of the day: TI feat Chris Brown- "Get back up"
Random rant for the day: There are some people who are just plain negative, those that don't give a damn about anyone else, those that discover something amazing and don't want to share it with others, people who spite others, and people who can make a living off of bringing others down. It's all a bunch of haterade (heh heh) that I could do without. I'm going to make a conscious effort to not let things like this bring me down anymore. Bring on the positive energy (and spread it too!!) and the rest negative BS can go on without me!! :-D

Egg whites

A revisit to Borough Market. This time around I didn't sample much but instead got a visual feast.

http://www.rabotestate.com/

V got a couple delicious looking desserts from this stand. I was very tempted but decided against it. I shall be back though!!

Stopped in Monmouth for a cappuccino with *gasp* full fat milk. I was surprised they didn't have any skinny milk options. I'm assuming it has something to do with not compromising the flavor of their coffee. yadda yadda yadda. I know it tastes better with full fat milk but I just prefer to have the option aiiiiigght!!!

They did have a cute presentation of bread and jam on the communal table. I had trouble not wanting to sneak my hand in and grab a piece of bread. Who wouldn't?! I love french baguettes. Mmmm..

A nice walk around town w. a friend to wet our appetites and burn off that full fat coffee.

A cute alcove with a bunch of boats sitting at the dock.

It makes me want a boat!!

...as much as I want the sun and warm weather again.

Sigh... its just a cold, windy day here in London. Donde esta el sol?!

This bread basket looks familiar..

We stopped in Strada for some lunch and a glass of wine over catch up time.

I had the mushroom risotto with chestnuts. It was warm, tasty, and satisfying.

V had the chicken with an olive and tomato mixture.

After lunch, I nursed my head with a nap. When I was dancing last night, a girl ran straight into the back of my head as I was being dipped. Stupid, drunk clumsy girl should have watched where she was going as I was dancing with my back to her and she was walking straight into me!! Grrr...

Dinner started with a cheese plate. We have sooo much cheese in our fridge. It has got to go!

T whipped up some yellow chicken/turkey curry with zucchini on the fly. I swear, I'm the clean and he's the cook!

The curry was delicious and had a nice kick to it. YUUUM!!

Breakfast was 2 egg whites and one whole egg scrambled. Egg whites are a good option because they only contain 17 calories and no fat or cholesterol.

Some leftover smoked salmon

All on top of whole wheat toast.

I'm listening to a bachata cd (love!!) trying to get myself psyched up for a run outside. It's freeezing but I haven't been running in forever and I'm craving that runner's high.

Peace.

Improvers II

Toppings: muesli, special K fruit n nut cereal, orange dark chocolate pieces broken up

I did an arms workout prior to this protein smoothie.
3 sets of 8-10 reps

• Hammer curl
• tricep kickback
• concentration curl
• close grip barbell press up
• dumbbell curl
• tricep dip
• back extension and ab work

Afterwards, I met a friend to walk our dogs. Unfortunately, they didn't get along. I guess two princesses don't make a right. 

Daisy was a bit smaller than I originally thought.

Of course she was! She's a toy dog.

Beware of good looks. She's one tough laaaadaaay!

We stopped by All Bar One and grabbed some lunch. We made sure to separate the two furballs.

We both settled for the grilled chicken sandwhich. The chicken tasted a bit too "grilled" for my taste. You know that grille-y flavor. Although I do usually like the flavor it imparts, sometimes it's too much.

Quick dinner before my first Improvers II salsa class. Good news. With all the lessons I've been taking and  the social dancing I've been doing, I got bumped up to Intermediate. Oh trust, it didn't come easily or overnight, I've seriously been dancing my butt off!  I went to one Improvers class yesterday since I missed the first Intermediate class last Monday. Gotta love it.

Catalan chicken with brown rice. Generous chunks of chicken, sausage, and green peppers.

with a small margherita pizza express on the side.

more of the same breakfast this morning. I added some sunflower seeds into the mix this time around.

yay!! U.S. fitness magazazine that T got a yearly subscription for me. I'm almost as addicted to fitness material as I am to salsa dancing. :-D

Day's agenda: Zumba, walk around Borough market w. a friend, study study study..

65% Cacao

 

Courgettes sauteed in EVOO, sesame oil, soy sauce, and a sprinkle of salt and peppa.

Added in some spinach and siracha sauce at the end just until the spinach leaves wilted. I'm afraid I sometimes cook my vegetables too long and take out all the nutritional content. That would be a big FAIL.

More steak and mushroom pie.

Some dark chocolate we got from Budapest.

The chocolate had that intense dark flavor with specks of orange for a bit of texture. YUM!! If you haven't done it, you should definitely make the switch from milk to dark. It took me a while to get adjusted to the flavor but now I love it. Dark chocolate has so much more healthy benefits than regular chocolate. Some of its benefits are it lowers blood pressure, contains antioxidants and is good for the heart. It also has naturally mood enhancing effects. You just have to make sure its 65% or more cacao.

T's cooking demonstration Week 1. His sister Noura is going off to college soon and has taken the initiative to learn to cook. Bravo. Seriously, before I went to college, I was looking forward to cafeteria food and dreading the Freshman 15. If I could do it all over, I would definitely learn how to cook and also cook healthy. Nothing beats starting good habits early in life.

Knife demonstration

I still don't have proper knife techniques but I get the job done when necessary. Thats all that really matters to me!

Hey! This looks familiar :). Smoked salmon on mozzerella cheese with pesto on top.

Cheese stuffed dates. A one biter. So simple but such an amazing amuse bouche!!

Pepper salad. ha ha.. I mean spinach salad with onions, peppers and a dressing of balsamic and olive oil. T had a bit of a heavy hand with the pepper shaker. OOPS!

Shrimp lasagne to feed the masses. SO MUCH FOOD.

My generous portion of lasagne that I finished with the help of some homemade garlic bread that I forgot to take a picture of. It was perfect: crunchy, garlicy, and cheesy!! Bah. food coma.

Breakfast this morning was more of the same.

Instead this time I added some almond butter for more protein and a fuller longer effect. :)

Day's activities: gym weights workout, studying, walking Sonoma in the park, and SALSA!! Good day.