Oui Oui Parí

The sun beats on my shoulders with piercing heat, while the shouts of the street venders selling wet canvas paintings bounce off 17th century brick walls that shadow tall  over winding roads of black concrete. The young blonde with oversized circle sunglasses has dropped the remaining of her cigarette bud as she crosses my path,  causing the aroma of coffee and french fries to be swallowed by  ashy residue.

I glance toward the beating sun and squint behind my Ray Bans to see beyond the speeding mopeds and the busy sidewalks of fast paced people at what looks like a pointed object. As I walk more, blending into crowds that both clutter the streets and color the city, I achieve a better glance. "There it is" I tell myself when the pointed object uncovers itself from its hiding place behind the classic architecture that lines each block I pass. There, in my sight, is the towering wonder that has graced dozens of postcards and magazine covers; the massive monument that has captured the hearts of dreamers and romantics across decades and horizons. Now, it is not simply an  image constrained within a photograph,  for it has become one with my reality. "There it is" I repeat to myself. "There is The Eiffel Tower."


The adventures of Parí have commenced and the excitement within me can not be tamed. The people, the shops, the restaurants,  and the streets that were all once caged pictures dancing within the bounds of my imagination have become a tangible reality. The smells of baked goods fill my noise, and the pictures around me take on physical moving form.

A Taste Of Amore: Viva Italia and Viva Macros!

Fact: Eating genuine coal fired pizza while enclosed in the warmth of good company and of brick walls that make up a beloved Italian pizzeria that is hidden amongst rows of cafes and gelato shops on Florence streets, is a definite ‘to-do’ on an ever-growing bucket list of mine.

Fact: I like to oversimplify very simple ideas, so in efforts to put my above monologue into understandable terms: I dream of one day eating  Italian pizza, in an Italian restaurant, by an Italian chef in… wait for it…. Italy. Viva Italia!

 Fact: Italy is 5,183 miles from my Miami home.

Fact: As a result of this tiny (27,366,240 feet worth of tiny) circumstance, I am not sure when this ‘to-do’ will manifest into reality. It will, no doubt about that my friends, but the when factor has me counting my travel piggy bank pennies and taking double shifts at work.

While practicing the idea that patience is a bliss, (you know because it is good for the health, not because a plane ticket to Italy is my monthly paycheck) I have come to the conclusion that my dream of biting into the garlicky wonders of Italian styled pizza by Signore Antonio of Amore Pizzeria’ is a distant one; one that is forced to render some substitution…and kitchen creativity.  Challenge? For sure. Accepted? Duh.

Thus, I took it upon myself to indulge in this creativity I routinely lack in the kitchen, and came up with a recipe within 5 minutes of my exploration. The best part? Five minutes was all I needed to transform my pizza fascination into a pizza creation that has become my latest foodie obsession.

I present my fellow fit- foodies and wanderlust compadres with the most macro-friendly pizza that may just come close to the real deal. Although the shot is long and most unlikely, I must say with absolute no bias at all, Signore Antonio may have serious competition.

What you will need to fulfill your Italian void without compensating your hour long morning leg -day session and your dear wallet:

Ricetta:

Uno:  Food for Life Brown Rice Wrap- Gluten Free Tortilla

Due: 365 Organic- Organic Pasta Sauce (Fat Free)

Tre: The Original Brat Hand- Fully Cooked Organic Chicken Breast Strips

Quattro: Publix Parmesan Shaved Cheese (fat free)

Cinque: Spinach

Yes my friends, this is a whopping four-ingredient list.

The only thing better than the fact that there is no need for an upside down kitchen, is the fact that the process to make my Italian inspired pizza is genuinely as quick and as easy as I am about to sell it to be. (Caution: an aura of advertising may or may not be prevalent in this next sentence.) This recipe is
so quick and easy to make!

Passaggi:

·      Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

·      Lay the tortilla on a sheet of aluminum paper

·      Put ½ a serving of Pasta sauce, and paint it onto the tortilla

·      Microwave Chicken Breast for 30 seconds, then layer on the tortilla

·      Sprinkle ¼- ½ serving of Parmesan Shaved Cheese (fat free) as well as Italian Seasoning and Garlic

·      Bake in oven for 15 minutes

Place on your best dish, serve with red wine if you are of age, or with a gallon of water if you are of that fit-life, wrap a red and white checkered napkin around your neck, kiss you fingernails, and enjoy.

If you thought your Italian work of art could not be more pleasant, the macros and the fresh ingredients offer an Italian wanderlust experience completely free of guilt.

Macros:

Cal            Carbs         Fat         Protein

248           28               4             27

While Italy will always be a destination to come by in my life, (for more reasons then just pizza; I am not that much of a fat ----) this little recipe is a perfect 'go-to' while I add to my travel jar. And if you are anything like me, hopefully it can offer the same for you.

And with that I sign off,

XO- Adri

To Be a Train-Wreck: The Chronicles of a Not-So Instagram-approved Life

What does it mean to be a train-wreck?

(According to Dictionary.com )

train wreck

noun

1.

an incident in which a train is severely damaged

(According to Urban Dictionary )

train wreck

noun

2.

a total f**** disaster ...the kind that makes you want to shake your head.

Which ever definition you casually choose to go by on a daily basis, I am assuming a common consensus can be formed: 'train-wreck' is not a pleasant term. Not even pleasant sounding. T-R-A-I-N W-R-E-C-K...... nothing harmonious 'bout it.

It is with humble regards to note that for the sake of this post, Urban Dictionary will win in validity (yay) and will be honored with sophistication and credibility. (Because made up dictionaries of fake terms deserves some recognition, am I right?)

To be considered a 'train-wreck' is almost equivalent  to to being considered a disease, but fear not reader, for there is a savior amongst out midst that will shoo us away from approaching such terrors. As you may already be aware, the life of the average millennial has been taught, scorned, and manufactured  by an oh-so significant entity that goes by the name 'Society.'   'Society' veers said average millennial far from the life of a 'train-wreck;' working diligently to lead youth to embrace a life that is founded on some fairly simple yet important premises: be pretty, get married, be perfect, have a cool job, make lots and lots of money, be perfect, feed the poor, have cute kids, wear flannel, be perfect.

 'Society' becomes the friend that offers us the salvation it declares we need.

Not to mention it always has the wisest ways of teaching one how to find success in achieving such awesomeness: One must go to school, study hard, be great, have awesome friends, wear awesome clothes, and pretend not to care how others perceive them, because they are just too awesome.

Then, one is allowed to enjoy an Instagram-approved life. Right?

As with anything else, there is a seemingly insignificant catch that may sometimes be hard to come by:     it      doesn't          exist.  (WHAT?!!?!!???!?!) 

Real life  is not like the aesthetically pleasing and carefully crafted lives I see on Instagram all the time?

I introduce you, reader, to the not-so cliché and robotic version of life which is as follows:

In the case you may still (somehow) be unaware, life is actually a complete and utter mess. It is chaotic, unapologetic, unorganized and sometimes extremely unpleasant. The idea that life is 50 shades of perfect is an unfortunate lie, and whoever feeds such lie  needs to carefully and swiftly excuse themselves from cloud 9.



I have made the fall from the cloud myself (many times) and what I have realized is this:

1. I have a resting bitch face.

2. My definition of flawless when I 'wake up' is hair twice the size of my face and a new neighbor resting on my right cheek that goes by the name Zit.

3. Sometimes I have the energy to go on a 25 mile run (exaggeration noted: 25 miles is 25 miles. I rest my case.) and sometimes my journey to the gym is a long and nasty parade of quiet cursing and unrelenting instances of banging my head against hard surfaces.  (no exaggeration here. Sadly.)

4. My 'water-resistant' eyeliner lies to me.

5. Time is my friend only when there is nothing to do, and then packs its bags and disappears when my list of to do's becomes greater then my capacity for sanity.

6. Some people are just.....not nice.

Even as I sit to write this post, I must note that there is about 3094706 other priorities that I am pushing to the darkest depths of my mind, and they will maintain suffocated there until life offers me a cruel reminder that I need to get them out. Example: My car needed an oil change, but Netflix rudely distracted me. My car now does not start.

It is through the madness and the trying tribulations of these first world problems, that a realization often surfaces.A realization that not every moment is Instagram post-ready, and that not every hair falls into place where you want it, when you want it, how you want it. (Damn hair.)

But it is like the ever so wise Amy Schumer says:

“The moments that make life worth living are when things are at their worst and you find a way to laugh.”

For me, the term train-wreck  has taken on new meaning. The term, I find, stretches far beyond its original assumption  when used to describe someone. (Deep I know.) A train wreck can be anyone, at anytime. No one is immune to messing up, to feeling insane, and to wanting to do so much with so little. 

I am in many ways, on many occasions an absolute, way in over-my-head, out-of-this -world train wreck. My mornings are not always bright, and my cup  of coffee is not always big enough. Yet something amazing comes out of living in a not-so perfect world; when something does go right, or when my hard work does pay off,  or when life actually decides to be somewhat kind, I can appreciate it so much more.

Yes my (perceivable) rant of negativity is actually attempting to breed something positive: life can be a mess, but life can  also be awesome. From this contradiction is born: an awesome mess.

SO, What does it mean to be a train wreck? Not always Instagram- ready, (taking 62 selfies and finding the perfect combinations of filters is both tedious and mentally exhausting) and not always the way our good 'ole pal 'Society' tries to sell it. To be a train-wreck is to forget to put on your alarm the night before for work, to cave in and eat eleven double chocolate chip cookies instead of the one you promised you were going to stop at, to cry in your best friends arms after a rough night in town, and to wear white linen pants on the day your period decides to drop by.

To be a train wreck is to be human. And I would not want it any other way.

And with that I sign off,

XO-Adri

(P.S: No, Amy Schumer's feature in my post about what it means to be a 'train-wreck' is no coincidence.)

And in the morning...I'm Making WAFFLES

In case you missed it: The  waffle was was born in the late 14th century when a recipe was discovered in an anonymous manuscript named  Le Ménagier de Paris, written by a man for his young wife.

Fast forward seven centuries later: The waffle has manifested into a legendary breakfast food of deliciousness and pure genius. No exaggeration was intended.


The golden delicacy has conquered the plates, hearts, and taste buds of  boys and girls, of men and women world wide, resonating from the cafes of Belgium to the classic diners of 'Merica.

Like his beloved cousin the pancake, the waffle, was born an unknown, and has since blossomed into a staple that laughs in the face of resistance; a treasure that has been since recognized a prized possession of the average foodie. Thank you, mister anonymous author of the 14th century, for your services have been very well appreciated by breakfast connoisseurs across this globe.


The best thing about the waffle? The options for how to eat them have become endless, as it has been the  subject of interest for creative and talented  minds that have spanned decades and that have crossed seas (My faith in humanity has thus been restored and maintained. Yes we are still talking about waffles; my argument remains valid.)

Want a waffle drowning in syrup and Nutella? Sure. How about embellished with fruits and whipped cream? Come at it. Oh wait, it is the 21st century and counting calories has become relevant? Your order of Low-Carb Protein Waffles is on its way.

I present my fellow fit-foodies and waffle lovers with the ultimate treat that satisfies the taste buds, the wallet, and the waistline. Yes, my waffle marketing is in full force, with no intention of toning down. Why? These waffles are worth it, trust me.

Fitness Obsession: The Power Of Protien

    

A staple in the average fitness fanatics’ diet, protein is a vital component that dare not be overlooked by the average gym junkie. Scrolling down my Instagram, it becomes more obvious that the quest to include protein extends past chicken breasts and eggs. Discovering means to reach our protein needs has become almost…adventurous. It also, with the help of the countless protein powders and protein bars relevant in the modern day fitness world, has never been easier. We cultivate different ways to make our protein flavorful, to explore new horizons, and unleash the foodie within us all in the name of gains. And well…protein. 

Stair Master HIITS to Try

Although nothing can beat the sweat you get from sprinting up an outdoor flight of stairs, when it come to in-gym cardio machines, the Stair Master is my favorite "go to" for that intense cardio session I search for. Whether steady state or HIIT, the stair master offers the same challenge any flight of stairs would offer, and it allows for more creativity on how to maximize your time and effort while on a continuos climbing rotation. Personally, I love experimenting with Stair Masters to discover how I can get the most effective burn from them! Below are two of my favorite HIITS to use on the stair master:

Favorite Pre-Workout Noms

We all know that working out is only half the battle; nutrition is a vital component to not only reach and maintain our fitness goals, but to also fuel us for our active lifestyles!


With out the proper nutrition, we can try and try to live a healthy lifestyle, but ultimately it will crumble.

Now that it is not to say to completely exclude anything from our diets that is not considered "nutritious." Balance is key and moderation is a bliss. But to fuel our bodies correctly, and to make the most of our fitness goals, nutrient dense foods should always be a priority, especially around our workouts.

Now, breakfast is my faaavorite part of the day, and it also happens to be my "pre-workout" meal, as I prefer to workout in the mornings (and it fits my schedule best.)

So I put together a few of my absolute favorite pre-workout NOMS

1. Greek Yogurt, Berries, Honey and Granola