Day 6 and 7 - March Healthy Living Challenge

For Day 6 of the March Healthy Living/Fitness Blogger Blogging Challenge Janice, the Fitness Cheerleader, asked us to share our favorite St. Patrick's Day recipe.

Since I am a vegan, traditional items like corned beef or Shepard's pie are out for me. I should note that last night I made up this Irish Beef Stew for E and he LOVED it. I cannot attest to how it tasted but it certainly did smell scrumptious. So, if you are looking for a good beef stew recipe I would try this one.

As far as my favorite SPD dish goes there is one I absolutely love and thanks to the recipe in  Happy Herbivore Abroad I can still eat - colcannon.

Colcannon is a really simple and very yummy potato dish. It is basically mashed potatoes with kale (or cabbage) mixed in. The recipe from HH Abroad is super simple(five ingredients; potatoes, kale, green onion, non-dairy milk, and dijon mustard) and definitely one of my favorite dishes, not just for St. Patrick's Day it is one of my favorites, period.

I made up a batch last night and will happily be enjoying leftovers for the next few days. Even E, who hates anything green and leafy, liked it. I call that a win in my book. Dang, just talking about it is making me hungry. Lol!

What is your favorite St. Patrick's Day recipe? 

For Day 7 of the March Healthy Living/Fitness Blogger Blogging Challenge Janice, the Fitness Cheerleader, asked us how we were celebrating St. Patrick's Day

As I discussed briefly earlier in the post, last night I made up a huge Irish feast for me (the Italian) and my Salvadorian boyfriend. Even though neither of us are Irish we both enjoy beer and Irish fare so we, of course, wanted to partake in the holiday.

Tonight, after work and the gym, we will be enjoying our leftovers ( I am thinking of making boxtie's/potato pancakes out of the colcannon) and then heading downtown for some beers. Initially I had thought we would be staying in to watch the Boondock Saints but I think we will end up downtown instead. More than likely we will end up at World of Beers to check out their Irish beer selection. I am not a fan of green beer (unless it is Spirulina Wit from Freetail Brewing in San Antonio- that is one of my all time favorite beers) so I will probably just stick with something Irish or whatever sounds good.

How do you celebrate this most famous of Irish holidays? 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Love and hugs,
Dacia
xoxoxox

My Favorite Activity as a Child

Here is my post for day 5 of the March Healthy Living/Fitness Blogger Blogging Challenge.

Today's topic is 'what was your favorite activity as a child?'

I'd like to think I was the typical child of the late 70s/early 80s; playing outside until the street lights came on, getting dirty, using my imagination and whatnot. Although I do also remember plenty of time dedicated to using my portable tape recorder,standing in front of the TV, to tape my favorite episodes of Scooby Doo, but I digress.

When I think back on my childhood I of course think about running around with my friends. Playing at the park or playground or even in our yards. I remember long summers days and how I never wanted to be inside.

But when I think as to what was my favorite activity one thing popped right into my mind- fishing.

Ok, so yeah, I know this may not be the typical activity you had in mind. And yes, for the most part fishing is a pretty inactive activity but to me it is still an activity nonetheless.

I remember fishing with my dad while we would camp out during the summers or with my grandpa in his little boat when we would go up to his place in the mountains. When I think of my favorite thing to do as a child my mind instantly jumps to those memories.

And yes, I do see the irony in  this as I am now an animal-loving vegan ;)

I also find it funny that as a kid I was drawn to an activity which requires complete silence and allows ample time for introspection.

 

Me, alone with my thoughts

 

Even if those thoughts revolved around Sesame Street and playing makebelieve.

 

What was your favorite activity as a child?

 

Love and hugs,

Dacia

xoxoxo

Day 4: My Favorite Health and Fitness Apps

Today is Day 4 of the March Healthy Living/Fitness BloggerBlogging Challenge and look, I am actually getting my post up on the same day! Woo hoo! That is nothing short of a miracle, if you ask me ;)

Today’s topic is ‘What are Your Favourite Fitness Apps?’

I have a handful of fitness apps on my iPhone but honestly, I don’t use most of them. It kind of fluctuates which ones I use and when based off of what I am doing in my daily life.

 

I would say out of all of my apps the only one I use regularly is the Fitbit app. For the most part, as long as I remember to charge my fitbit, I use this one daily.  I like tracking my steps, especially since I work a desk job, and this tool (the fitbit itself and the app) helps me keep on top of it.

Other apps I like:

MyFitnessPal- I should probably log my food daily but since I really try to eat intuitively I am not super concerned with doing this daily. I do like the app though and love seeing all of my friend’s progress.

Strava- I have both the cycling and running app. This is my favorite app for cycling. I love the features plus I found it doesn’t drain my phone battery as quickly as some other cycling apps do too. After trying out a bazillion running apps I found that I like the Strava running one best. But sometimes I use….

Runkeeper- I like this one too. Mainly for the same reason as MFP- so many friends use Runkeeper. But, I rarely do. I rarely track my running anymore, regardless, since I run naked. No, not naked in the literal sense but naked meaning no tracking devices. I stopped running with a Garmin or an app almost a year ago and I just find it so much more enjoyable.

BUT- I will use the Road ID app if I go out on the trails or someplace off the beaten path. Because safety is my priority and someone should really know where I am. You know, just in case. I highly recommend outdoor runner (and cyclists) download this app- especially if you run/ride alone. It could save your life. I also run/ride with my Road ID bracelet too. You can never be too safe.

iRideInside- this is my favorite app for when I use my spin bike. It is instructor led spin workouts with video and voice commands (and you can use your own music too which I love) because honestly, if I was alone on a spin bike it would be hard for me to come up with a great workout. I love this app and use it every single time I am on my spin bike.

C25K Free- this is the app I used when I first started running and training for my first 5K. I liked it enough that I use it now as I work on getting back into running since the surgery. I mainly use it when I am at the gym, on the treadmill, but sometimes I use it on the track too. When E and I run together he follows along as well and has even downloaded the app so he can use it when he runs on the treadmill. There are tons of free Couch to 5K apps out there but for whatever reason this is the one I picked back in 2012 and so this is the one I am using now.

That’s really about it as far as fitness apps go. I am really not too great about using apps in general. I use FB all the time but anymore I am barely on Twitter, G+ or IG let alone my fitness apps. I should probably try to use them more as they do serve as a really great tool. I forget that sometimes.

What fitness apps do you use? Any awesome ones you can’t live without that you think I should start using?

Love and hugs,

Dacia

xoxoxo

What the Word Strong Means to Me

Here is my post for Day 3 of the March Healthy Living/Fitness Blogger Blogging Challenge. The topic is 'What does the word strong mean to you?' 

To me, this word has many meanings.

Strong, as in potent. Like 'damn, this coffee is strong'.

Strong, in the sense that someone can lift heavy things (or at least easily open lids on jars) without much effort.

Strong, in the sense that a person has endured much but still continues on. 

Strong, as in durable

...I think you get my point 

But really when I think of this word and what it means to me it really has to be in regards to the fighter in all of us. Life is tough. We all go through shit pretty regularly. Yet we all keep going, keep fighting, keep marching forward. Because we are all strong. 

While writing this I think about some of the people in my life who have endured some major hardships or survived through some pretty difficult circumstances; raising children alone while your spouse is deployed or losing your business or losing someone close to you. These are some pretty big trials and tribulations. But I know the people who live these lives and they are the strongest people I know. 

And none of them complain.

And any of them would put your needs ahead of theirs to help you out.

Now that, my friends, is strong. 

And those people are my daily inspiration. 

Those people show me the best this world has to offer. 

Courage under fire all with a warm smile and a loving heart- that is what strength means to me. 

And I am lucky to see this every day.

Love and super strong bear hugs,

Dacia 

xoxoxo