The bride was beautiful. I don’t have any pictures that actually came out, but trust me – gorgeous.

After my complaining I did get in some exercise yesterday – I did a 2.2 mile walk with my parents’ pups (down to the end of the road and back) and then I danced at the reception for a long time. The food was great as well and it was such a nice evening.

My one complaint? They stole our wedding song! I’m half kidding… We’ll probably still use it because it seems like a very popular song.

This morning’s exercise was two yogadownload sessions recommended by Coco – 20 minutes “core yoga #1″ (I’ve done this before) and 20 minutes “yoga for buns” (never did this one before). I’m off to see that movie…

Happy Sunday!

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We did the lunch special at Edo Sushi. I got chicken and broccoli again ($5.75; steamed) and Bobby got Salmon Don ($12). These are Droid pictures. The special comes with soup (miso for me)…

And then you get your entree. Mine came with rice on the side but I saved it to make fried rice later.

Edo’s is my favorite Pennington restaurant.

Dinner was at a new place called Pho 99; it’s Vietnamese. It’s up on Route 27 past Princeton. I opted for the papaya salad with shrimp (my usual). It comes with peanuts and a nice Vietnamese dressing. I also add hoisin sauce.

It was actually quite average and much smaller than I’m used to. Bobby offered to share his very large bowl of pho with me (beef noodle soup) and I happily obliged.

The pho was delicious. The broth was really good; so was the beef; the noodles were just average though. I’m like Heather; I don’t have beef often, but sometimes it just hits the spot. This was super lean and thinly sliced.

I have to go get dressed and ready for the wedding (it’s at 2:30pm)… after the reception we’ll do some more moving or wait until tomorrow.

Holding myself accountable – I have not gotten in a good workout this week or last week at all. I want to get back on track with that. I haven’t even been able to do my standard walking or yoga. I’m writing this here for answerability. Maybe I’ll try to get a walk in before the wedding. I have also been eating grapes by the pound, and I need to stop for the sake of my skin, tummy, and wallet (grapes are expensive; they make me bloat; I just had a facial – I don’t want to ruin it). The facialist said to cut back on sugar and I want to listen to her (I know she’s right).

What are you doing this weekend?

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I don’t know the recipe, but I know it had lots of peanut butter. It was delicious. Maybe I’ll ask her how she made it sometime soon. It had all of my favorite veggies – broccoli, mushrooms, carrots (which I actually avoided because I’m trying not to turn orange), and red peppers. She’s not scared to use enough oil to make it taste good either.

This morning (and yesterday I think) for breakfast I made a really good bowl of hot cereal. I mix together…

• ~1/2 cup of quick cooking oats
• a few tablespoons of farina
• cook it in water & almond milk
• cinnamon, almond or orange extract (or both!), dash of salt

I like to top it with milk (whole cow’s milk or more almond milk) and maple syrup or honey. My facial lady told me to avoid sugar and see what happens (I know what will happen – my face will be clear), so today I had it with no syrup (but extra milk).

Uh oh. I think I have a new addiction. It sounds like kabocha, but it’s more expensive – kombucha.

The one I tried was $3.39 (yikes) and it was "GT’s Organic Botanic No. 7 Kombucha". I specifically got the one with probiotics to help with my digestion. This one was raw.

Kombucha is a fermented Chinese tea. It takes about 30 days to make; during the process various nutrients are formed (enzymes, probiotics, amino acids, antioxidants, and polyphenols). It’s basically the healthiest thing you could possibly drink.

Some people say it tastes like vinegar; I thought it tasted a little bit like wine, only fizzy and better (I don’t really like wine). I’ll definitely be buying this again as soon as I can wrap my head around the price. It’s so darn pricey. I will absolutely try to make this in the future. Tips?

Speaking of yummy things, I did these 5 videos yesterday for exercise. They are each 10 minutes. Try them out! My sister loves Polly’s videos too.

• YOGA for yummy abs
• YOGA for upper thighs
• YOGA for your muffin top
• YOGA for yin
• YOGA for triathletes

Do you like kombucha? Have you tried it? Have you tried Polly’s videos yet? (It’s her birthday week by the way!)

P.S. Check out Clare’s Positivity Giveaway. She’s so sweet

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That night was very fun. Hope we can do it again some time soon.

We got into NJ (my parents’ house) around 2am last night and crashed into bed after some hugs and story telling. I still managed to get up in time for 10am meeting this morning though. It was nice to see some old familiar faces and meet some new people. I also took a walk through Yardley (where meeting is; it’s right across the river in PA) and scoped out a yoga studio. I’m not sure how long I’ll be in this area so I don’t know if it’s worth it to get a card.

My dad made us French toast this morning; no picture. It was fabulous. Some other good eats of the day…

A ham and swiss sandwich (with a little bit of mayo and mustard) on Nature’s Pride Nutty Oat bread (freebie from the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival). This bread isn’t actually available yet but it’s coming out soon. It was so good. I loved it. I will definitely buy it when they release it in stores.

My mom made Vegan Dad’s Burgundy Stew for dinner. It was pretty good. I de-veganized it with parmesan. I don’t think she made any significant changes to the recipe but I’m not sure.

Lots of other yummy eats today, but I’ve been spending time with my family and not worrying too much about foodie pictures. I got to take a long walk with Julia and Bobby this afternoon (and Benji the psycho dog). It’s so nice to be back in NJ (soon NYC).

What do you do when you visit your hometown? I like to eat at my favorite restaurants and spend time with my family and friends. We sit around chatting about nothing but it’s a great way to just sit around enjoying life. Happy Monday! (Or Sunday night, if you’re up this late.)

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Thursday (today):

• Yoga at 5:45 (Iyengar Level 2 @ yoga is youthfulness)
• Pick up Coco after yoga; dinner?
• Pack as much stuff as possible that I won’t need for at least a week
• Relocube delivered – done
• Buy a trolley thing (Home Depot)
• Buy locks for the relocube (Home Depot)
• Walk outside for 30+ minutes

Friday:

• Yoga (Iyengar & Vinyasa @ yoga is youthfulness) in the morning with Coco (maybe)
• Pick up Sophia on the way to Foodbuzz
• Foodbuzz Festival 5-9pm
• Bobby drives us home after his music thing

Saturday:

• Jog with Coco and Sophia
• Foodbuzz Festival all day (9am – 9:30pm)
• Ride home with Bobby
• Griff’s house party
• Bobby get rugs from Paul (?)
• Packing at night

Sunday:

• Foodbuzz Festival 9:30-11:30 (might have to skip this)
• Bake instant muffins for trip
• Finish packing
• Possibly leave and get 7-8 hours of driving in
• To buy: fruit and veggies for snacks, tea bags from Daiso, tea from Lupicia
• Go for a walk or do yoga 30+ minutes

Monday:

• If we didn’t leave yet, finish up last minute packing and leave – do 7-8+ hours
• Call relocube people to pick it up (don’t have to be here)
• Yoga in the hotel OR walking 30+ minutes wherever we get to (socal? albuquerque if it’s day 2?)

That’s all I can think of right now. I’m glad I’m trying to fit in my yoga and walking during the trip… it will keep me sane.

What do you do on trips to stay relaxed?

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This challenge might be hard for a few reasons – 1) Bobby and I are driving across the country next week; 2) the holidays and lots of decadent foods are coming up; 3) due to the move, I don’t know what my new routine will be (we’re moving to Manhattan btw). But I’m going to try. I’m synthesizing their goals and mine, and this is what I came up with. I’m going to try to do this for as long as I can. These aren’t arbitrary; these goals are what my ideal lifestyle would be so I want to keep up with them.

1. Go to bed early (by 11:30pm) and get 7-8 hours of sleep a night.
2. Cut out artificial sweeteners. I’ve been on a diet coke kick recently and it’s time to stop.
3. More veggies, less fruit.
4. More cooked foods, fewer raw.
5. Lots of water and tea.
6. Cook and plan more (or at least eat out at cheap-yet-healthy places).
7. Sit down for every meal.
8. Do something relaxing for 30 minutes every day (yoga, a bath, these exercises).
9. 30+ minutes of cardio each day (walking, running, yoga).
10. Give myself credit. Even if I don’t do all of these things perfectly, I’m going to give myself credit for the attempts and partial successes.

Because we’re moving, I’m trying to use up the groceries we have and I don’t plan on buying more. This week I’ll be eating out a lot but I’m not too worried about that; I love eating out and I can always find something healthy on the menu. The only thing that worries me about eating out is the money issue. I wish I was less frugal

The other issue I might have is that this weekend is the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival. I plan on eating well, but I doubt that I’m going to get much sleep because two of my favorite bloggers are coming to stay with me and we’re all going together. I am so excited to meet them.

Some of the yummy dishes I plan on making and eating during this November challenge are…

a healthy Thanksgiving meal, like last year’s

fresh delicious salads

lots of squash fries…

this fun Indian mushroom recipe

… and lots more. You should check out my recipes page for more inspiration. This bread recipe was one of the first things I ever posted (December 2007).

Anyway, back to the “back on track” plan. Today has been a good day so far. I did a yoga class this morning at my studio and I went to bed early last night (crashed on the couch at 9:30pm). I wanted to go to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner, but Bobby has band practice… so maybe not.

And now this post is getting epic. Happy November! Are you challenging yourself this month?

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If you’ve never heard of Iyengar yoga, let me explain. Iyengar is a style of yoga that focuses on correct alignment. Almost everyone (even us “flexy” people) will use blocks, straps, or bolsters. Okay, I didn’t, but I’m a pretzel. The use of these tools can help beginners experience the benefits of deeper/difficult poses, but they can also be helpful for advanced students that are just tired, sick, sore, or injured and wouldn’t otherwise be able to experience the full expression of a pose.

Iyengar yoga helps build strength, yes – but from what I experienced it is also a a very powerful tool to improve concentration and meditation. This type of class (for me) seems to have the most potential for the mind-body-spirit unification that yogis strive for.

Stress relief is a benefit that comes with all yoga practices, and Iyengar absolutely brings that release. Now that cold-season is upon us it’s imperative that we reduce stress and strengthen our immune systems. Iyengar (I think) focuses on standing poses to form a solid base both physically and mentally.

The class itself was very active and vocal. Tom came around and fixed our postures and gave very helpful instructions for finding the best alignment. The class will involve lots of corrections at first, but as you take more classes, the right alignment will start to come naturally. This style of yoga is great for me in particular because I’m a lot more bendy than most people. Most teachers think that I’m at my edge when really… I’m just not. Tom caught on to that and helped me find my edge. I loved it.

Another cool fact about Iyengar is that there are specific programs for healing various illnesses (back problems, high blood pressure, immune weaknesses, insomnia, and more). And it doesn’t stop with the physical – it’s also used to treat depression, anxiety, and anger. I suppose you could say this of many styles of yoga, but out of all the different yoga styles that I’ve practiced, Iyengar is the one that focuses the most on that mind-body-spirit connection.

What’s your favorite style of yoga? Why? If you don’t do yoga, is there something you do to strengthen your body and mind at the same time?

I don’t know if I could pick a favorite style. I love vinyasa and power yoga, but only very specific classes (Sadie Nardini is my favorite instructor). I love Julianne Rice’s “Hatha Yoga” at my studio. And now I love Tom Abrehamson’s “Iyengar-Based”. I think the instructor is so important… which is why I do most of my yoga on my own

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I did have a yummy dinner before my muffin (thanks for the treat, Jill!). I made a hugh jass stir fry with random veggies from my freezer plus sliced burdock. I topped it with smoked mozzarella cheese. So simple, so delicious.

I also had a heart-healthy (3/4 cup) serving of protein powder oat bran (oat bran, protein powder, cinnamon, salt, vanilla). I topped it with lowfat milk and real maple syrup. And sesame seeds.

Then the muffin. It was a very satisfying dinner.

I did Get Fit With Catra again tonight with Jill, and it was fun. Our workout was…

• 1 lap around the park
• 25 sit ups
• 25 jumps (onto a 2 foot high wall)
• 25 jumping jacks

Repeat circuit 3 times. We also walked to and from the park. When I got home I did 25 minutes of yoga – mostly Eoin Finn’s Yoga Quickie, but I did my own thing at the end.

I’m off to snuggle with my sweetie. My dad left this morning and I’m sad… but happy that I will see him in 2 weeks We are moving in less than two weeks and I’m so excited!

Do you have any tips for moving? I’ve done it a lot, but I’m always game for more pointers.

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Today we went up to Sausalito to be touristy. Bobby got this really good free-range, organic turkey burger from a place called Hamburgers. Apparently it’s Britney Spears’ favorite burger place (?).

I don’t know if these fries were organic, but they certainly were delicious (especially with oodles of ketchup).

Dad and I posed with a bird by the bay.

I opted for vanilla ice cream from Lappert’s. Honestly? Not that great. It was $3.60 for this little cup and it was not worth it. It was boring and I’ve had much better.

Dinner was more interesting. After we got home we went out to Roll House, a cheap and local Korean restaurant. We started off with side dishes (2 kimchis, a mayo waldorf salad thing, pickled daikon, and a fish cake dish that was super yum). Got seconds of some of these.

My dinner was Bi Bim Bap – fried egg, seaweed, cucumber, carrots, spinach, mushrooms, and some other things. I topped it with lots of red spicy sauce (love). When I lifted up the egg to mix it, I found a surprise – beef. Eek. I took it off and gave it to Bobby. I don’t like to send things back. I’m pretty sure I didn’t get it all off though. My meal also came with miso soup (upper right).

Bobby and my dad were full after dinner, but I had to get frozen yogurt to make up for my ice cream disappointment. Bobby did end up helping me a bit with this.

It was green tea, regular tart, mango tart, and blueberry tart. Kiwis, strawberries, and pineapples for topping. Yum.

And for today’s exercise - this morning I did Sadie Nardini’s 30 minute yoga routine – power half hour. I LOVE Sadie’s routines. I can’t wait until I’m in New York and I can take her classes in person.

What’s your favorite exercise class?

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Diane has some great advice in her book. I bought this cute dress from Target today ($29.99) because of what she said. Jill and I had a girl-date and we went to Target and Whole Foods (mmm… more on that later).

Cute button detail.

Me playing around.

I’ve made some changes to Diane’s exercise routine, so I’m just going to write out what I would do. Maybe later this week I’ll do demo pics.

Begin standing, hands at your sides.

1. Arm Stretch: Inhale the right arm up and stretch to the left. Exhale the arm down. Repeat on the left (inhale the arm up, stretch right, exhale down). Repeat 5 times on each side.
2. Rolldown: drop your head, then fold down to a forward fold. Inhale to a flat back (like in yoga), exhale down again. Roll all the way back up. Repeat 2-10 times. (I do 10.)
3. Breathing: lie down on the floor with your knees bent. Inhale thru the nose and exhale thru the mouth with your hands on your ribcage. Repeat 5 times.
4. Leg stretch: stretch out your legs. Hug your right leg to your chest, then put it back on the floor. Repeat with your left leg. Do this 5 times on each side.
5. Rolling like a ball: hug your knees and roll side to side and up and down.
6. Leg cross: put your arms out in a T. Bring your right knee to your chest; drop it to the left and look right. Bring it back and place it back to the floor. Repeat on the left. Do this 5 times on each side.
7. Leg cross 2: same position as #6. Instead of dropping your knee to the opposite side, drop it to the same side (right leg drops right). Repeat on the left and do this 5 times on each side.
8. Bicycle: hands stretched out over your head, knees bent with feet on the floor. Bring your right knee to your chest and straighten it up, lower it down. Repeat 10 times and then do the left. You can do it backwards another 10 times too!
9. Bicycle crunches: do 40 bicycle crunches (20 on each side, alternating).
10. Bridge: do “bridge pose” (from yoga). Exhale, lifting your hips to the ceiling; inhale down. Repeat 5 times with the breath.
11. Leg kicks and circles: lie on your right side. Do 10 kicks (leg lifts) and 10 small circles. Repeat on the left side.
12. Arm stretch 2: sit cross-legged. Inhale the right arm up, stretch to the left. Exhale back down. Repeat on the left. Do this 5 times on each side.
13. All fours: get down on all fours. Straighten your right leg behind you, toe pointed. Flex your foot as you bend your leg, keeping your thigh parallel to the ground. Straighten and point. Repeat 10 times, then do the left side. You can do leg lifts from this position too (good for the butt).
14. Child’s pose: roll down to child’s pose and rest for a few seconds. Roll up to sitting.

You should feel relaxed and ready to start the day. You can actually pick and choose some of these exercises to do while watching TV, reading, talking on the phone, etc… I like them a lot because they’re not intense and you can fit them in throughout your whole day. I plan on doing some more tonight while I watch TV.

This routine took me about 25 minutes this morning; I think I might have done some extra reps so it might normally be shorter. The routine reminds me of when I was doing a yoga flow every morning. Not the same movements, but they are both relaxing and stimulating at the same time.

What’s your exercise routine like? Do you do the same thing every day or do you switch it up?

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