Monday, September 29, 2014

FF - Starting A Healthy Lifestyle & Grocery Haul

I figured I would start this post with a little background on my struggles with weight loss.

Sometimes I feel like I am constantly starting a new diet or trying to get into better shape but I can not seem to stick to anything.  I do eat relatively healthy but my major downfall is drinking alcohol.  I am never one to just drink to drink though, I do not have beer with dinner or wine after a meal, I am a total social drinker and only drink when I am going out.

In college I put on a lot of weight from how much I went out and how much I would drink. After graduating college I just expected the weight to fall off cause I thought my social life would be gone once I got a job.  However, that was not a case; since getting my job in April and over the summer I went out week nights to clubs and bars and went out pretty much every single weekend.  Don't get me wrong I had so much fun but my body it was taking its toll one me.  My weight would go up and down because I would be super healthy for a couple weeks and work out and not drink and then I would go out and be too tired to make time for the gym.

I need balance in my life and that is one of the things I struggle with the most.  Finding time to go to the gym, be social, work, have fun, make YouTube videos and never to forget just finding "me" time/doing nothing or just relaxing.  I usually will have one out weight the other and I will be super in shape but never go out or I will go out all the time and never have time to just be by myself and have that ever so important "me" time.

A few summers ago is a perfect example of my lack of balance.  I lost about 30 pounds in one summer, went to the gym 2 times a day every day and barely hung out with my friends.  My body looked great don't get me wrong but nothing about having the gym be my number one priority is "healthy".

With all this being said Isa, my sister, recently got really into instagram and started following Katy Hearn.  She basically is an instragam fit girl that is instagram famous for being a shape.  Since Isa started following her and she got inspired and motivated to sign up for one of Katys' challenges to loss weight and become toned.  Because working out and dieting alone is never fun I told Isa I would do the challenge with her since I wanted to get in shape again.

Since starting the fall challenge I must say the time flew by, it is weird to think already I am 2 weeks in! The whole fall challenge is 8 weeks and she basically gives you a work out everyday and tells you to count your marcos. Check out my video to see what I picked up for groceries to being eating healthy!


Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Clearing Up Acne - Cetaphil Products (Love Or Hate?)

I feel like I am constantly struggling with acne and other skin issues :\ Between stress and hormones I think I am breaking out every other week.  I recently have gone back to using one of my favorite skin care lines, Cetaphil.  While there are some products I don't like from them there Antibacterial Cleansing Soap is a must have in my skin care routine.

This soap is ideal for dealing with acne you already have and it does help reduce the chance of new break outs.
 

 
Check out the video to hear more about what doesn't work for my from the Cetaphil Skin Care line! 
 
 
Also I can do a full skin care routine to let everyone know what I like for all my other skin issues like large pores and scarring.
 
 
Love, Angela

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Favorite Places To Eat in NYC

Hey Guys!!

As some of you may know if you watch my videos and didn't just randomly come across this blog I work in NYC and absolutely LOVE it!  While I have only been working in the city for about 6 months I wanted to share with you some of my favorite places to get lunch.  I work in Times Square so most of these places are around there or in Midtown.

I posted a video all about this and it is linked below but if you are more in the mood to read about my favorite places I wrote up a post about them.  There are pictures of the food I ordered in the video so if you are interested in seeing that make sure you check the video out as well :)

Chipotle -
While this one isn't super creative I had to mention it because some people have still never had Chipotle before and let me tell you, you are missing out.  I love chipotle and in the last few months all Chipotle locations started serving the Sofritas, or Tofu, and that is a must try item.  I am the kind of person that loves spicy food but totally can't handle it and the Sofritas are the perfect amount of spice for me taste buds. I won't go much more into this but trust me if you have never had Chipotle it is borderline life changing.

Sushi Shop -
Finding a clean nice place in some parts of the city if tough and good sushi is even tougher.  After trying a hand full of places out I discovered Sushi Shop and nothing beats their sushi.  It is awesome because as a working girl I don't have time to sit down and order a meal everyday and here they have premade sushi box specials so you can just grab one and go.  If you are in the city on leisure and have time to kill I would recommend sitting down and ordering some custom rolls because the selection is wonderful.
But back to their lunch specials, there are 6 boxes to pick from and each comes with either miso soup or rice.  For the price of $14.10 (after tax) you get a decent sized meal.  Don't forget the drink, I highly recommend plum wine.  Personally I am not like every women that loves wine but I do love plum wine; it is very sweet and almost a dessert wine however, when paired with this delicious sushi box it is an excellent complaint.

Le Pain Quotidien -
When I dined here for lunch it was sit down however they do have a to-go/take out menu you can order from.  I am a pescetarian but I do lean more toward vegan and what is wonderful about this place is on the menu they put a cute little carrot next to each item which is vegan! and there is quite a bit to choice from.
My friend and I both ordered tartines when we went out to lunch and split them so we could get a little sample of both.  I order the "Organic Black Bean Hummus - roasted red peppers, avocado and harissa tahini" this came with a delicious vegan sauce on the side and all together this meal was incredibly satisfying and filling, I would completely get it again. My friend ordered "Smoked Salmon tartine" and while the menu stated "avocado, scallions and dill" we almost thought there would have been a sauce of something to pair with it because it was a little bland.  However, it was still great salmon and we dipped it with the sauce from my menu.
Not to forget the drink ;) we went with a light and refreshing raspberry mimosa, which is season and since today is the first day of fall as I am writing this I doubt you can get it anymore! Sorry, but even just a plain mimosa is a perfect choice of a light brunch drink.

Mexicue -
Mexican food is one of my favorite types of food and while I will not say that this is by any means an authentic Mexican restaurant the spices and flavors fit right into what you would think when you hear Mexican.  I had lunch here a few times and can not seem to stray away from the Kale & Quinoa bowl, it is so delicious and while I am sure the menu is full of other great items I love this one too much to try something else!!
In the bowl there is "kale & quinoa, blackened brussels sprouts, fire roasted corn" Just thinking about this is making me hungry.  When I first heard brussel sprouts I was a little worried but they taste amazing, I feel like such an adult for like them haha.
My sister ordered the Smoky Carnitas and my friend went with the Kale & Blackened Brussels salad; both loved their meals.
One tip is if you love guacamole as much as I do ask for it on you meal and it will be only 75 cents! When my sister and I ordered chips and guac it was so overpriced for such a small serving, lesson learned.

Crisp -
Falafel on a pita = AMAZING!
I ordered their African one and Mexican one.  The African was made with a peanut habanero sauce and once again I was worried it would be spicy but not at all, just delicious!  The Mexican one was just as good, I have the hardest time picking which one of those two I like more.



Let me know some of your favorite places to eat in NYC and I would love to check them out!!