04/11/22

10 years

I can’t recall how many times I’ve thought about my mom over the past 10 years. Quite possibly more times than when she was here on earth. I wake up thinking of her. I think about her when I look in the mirror each morning, and see faint resemblances of my mom in my own reflection. Sometimes I think of her when I hear the familiar and comforting tone of her voice inside my own words when I speak. And oftentimes something- a song, a picture, an artifact, a scent- will trigger a forgotten moment I experienced with my mom, and that memory will pop into my mind. Continue reading →

03/21/22

Greek Wedge Salad with Herb Vinaigrette

A few years ago I visited my cousins at the beach house they were renting for summer vacation.

We were having a little lunchtime potluck, and so I decided to whip up a healthy and refreshing Greek quinoa salad since we’d be in the hot sun most of the day.

Well apparently, my cousin Ryan has been thinking about that simple side dish since that day, and so for this year’s beach trip repeat, I made that same salad.  Continue reading →

02/3/22

Low carb Sugar free Apple and Blueberry Crisp- From items in the pantry!

Apple crisp has always been one of my favorite recipes. Tia, a fellow friend of mine, made a batch of apple crisp last week and ever since I saw her post, I’ve been craving it!  I really wanted to be able to bake something today, but when I took a peek at my pantry inventory, I realized that I didn’t have much at the moment. But I did have a few things, including a little bit of coconut flour, two bags of Swerve sweetener with about 1/4 left in each bag, some flaxseed meal, about 1/2 cup of walnuts, 6 gala apples, and an almost-too-ripe-to-use lemon.

I can work with that! Continue reading →

11/23/21

Cinnamon apple waffles #EnvyApples

Disclosure: I received free product and compensation because of a partnership with Envy Apples, Publix, and the Tampa Bay Bloggers. All delicious thoughts and words are my own. 

Actually, I wanted the title to be “Fluffy and buttery almond flour waffles topped with sweet carmelized sliced Envy apples, toasted pecans, and a drizzle of warm apple cinnamon tea glaze” but that was a little wordy. 😉 Continue reading →

09/1/21

This is YOUR REMINDER

September 1st marks the beginning of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, followed by October, which we all know is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 

Have you had your annual well-woman exam this year? 
Are you doing monthly breast self-exams? Continue reading →

08/29/21

Redefining strength at The Bar Method Tampa!

For years I was a member of a gym that focused on group workouts based on high intensity interval training that I absolutely loved. I loved the coaches. I loved the members. I loved the workout, the energy, the challenge, the atmosphere- all of it. For years that place made me feel stronger, faster, and was the first place to support me in becoming the person I am today. They helped me follow my dream to be able to run, and push my body to do more and be more. And I was so grateful for those experiences. 

But sometime around November of 2018, those feelings changed. Instead of feeling strong, the workout itself had started to feel really hard on my body, and I even endured some injuries along the way. But as I continued to work on my health goals and get stronger, I wanted to do more. I wanted to go faster and go longer distances on treadmill. I wanted to use heavier weights. I wanted to do more and be more. But the more I pushed, the more I injured myself. My mind and its desire to do more was competing with my body- and my body couldn’t keep up. Feeling this way brought on a lot of internal pressure, and injuries pulled me away from workouts for long spurts of time while I healed. That internal pressure caused me to view exercise as a burden, instead of a blessing. I no longer looked to it as a source of strength. It was a source of setback and disappointment instead.  Continue reading →

12/24/20

Not Your Abuela’s Deviled Eggs

Happy Noche Buena!

Today is our Christmas, as our family celebrates Noche Buena, or the Good Night (read all about our Christmas traditions here on this post). 

So tonight is allllll about food, fun, friends, and family!

I’m currently working on finishing up the Lechon Asado (roast pork), made with mojo, which is an amazing marinade of garlic, sour oranges, and oregano… which is making our home smell AH-mazing. My godmother is prepping the black beans, yucca, and her world famous salad (which she says no one can have the recipe to until she has it carved on her tombstone), the rice is fluffy, my dad picked up the Cuban bread from the infamous LaSegunda bakery here in Tampa, and we even have a tray of green bean casserole courtesy of my friend Nayra. We also have cousins bringing desserts and appetizers- when I say Noche Buena is alll about the food, I mean it!  Continue reading →

12/20/20

Low carb, sugar free pumpkin spiced cinnamon rolls

The other day I was chatting with a friend about childhood memories when Grandy’s came up. 

When I was a kid, we’d make trips to our local theme park, Busch Gardens, quite often. And we always, ALWAYS stopped for breakfast before heading into the park at a place called Grandy’s nearby. Although it’s not there anymore. I have fond memories of those breakfast stops- full of excitement and anticipation of what was to come that day- and full of the BEST cinnamon rolls ever.  Continue reading →