Where yat?

No post since November 13th? What the heck is going on!?

Well, a lot actually.
I started a job. 
Applied to go back to school. 
Planned a trip back home. 
Discovered a local donut shop and yet lost 1lb the week of Thanksgiving.

Wait. Pretend you read only half of that last one.

Needless to say, I've been really busy. Surprisingly being busy isn't even my excuse for not posting. What is my reason? 

We broke the internets!

The Twitter Fail Whale seems appropriate for this story.

It's strange but true. You may have read in my post about pretending not to be poor that we used a Target gift card to buy a signal extender for our wifi. It's actually not our wifi so much as it is the free wifi in our building. Long story short, our wifi extender lasted about a week before it started to fizzle out. When we reset it, it renamed the wifi for our entire complex. In a panic I unplugged it hoping it would fix the problem. It didn't. The whole wifi signal was gone pecan.

Updating from the blogger app is like hitting yourself repeatedly with a fly swatter. It's not the most painful thing but it is annoying and useless.

So we went without internet for a few days while we tried to get our own personal wifi. As with so many things in life, internet/cable companies are in a competition to see who can suck the most. We finally got the problem solved and here I am back in action (at least for the next few days before we go off on a little trip back home to the south)

I have a lot of things I'd like to talk about if they peak your interests:

1) Jessica Simpson's weight loss. 

2) Comfortable tennis shoes

3) Tricks and tips to breaking bad habits (I've stopped biting my nails...I'm hoping it lasts!)

So yeah...let's get this show back on the road!

Eat this not that OR Why You Can't Trust Pinterest

I am titling this post "eat this not that" because this is exactly what I'm going to suggest.

The two ingredient angel food cakes on pinterest are too good to resist. I'm sure I've made just about every combination possible. They are usually crazy low cal and you don't have to put eggs or butter or any of that other fattening stuff in it. Heavenly!

I've made one with great success and I'll tell you more about that later, BUT FIRST let's talk about the cake you should not make... The Blueberry & Angel Food Cake

I guess that graphic comes off a little harsh. Anyway, I followed the directions exactly and I'm too embarrassed to show you the pictures (which did not look like that) because I am certain that you'd be able to taste the tragedy through your computer. 

If you see this pin RUN FOR YOUR LIFE.

Instead, may I suggest making the same cake and using pineapple chunks instead. It's delicious and moist and everything the blueberry cake isn't. It makes me sad to even write that because I love blueberries!

How to Pretend You Aren't Poor

This post may seem silly, but in these hard economic times this is a very real thing happening in our little casa! After all, I always say Los Angeles is Spanish for "expensive." That and one of the goals of this blog from the very beginning was getting healthy without breaking the bank.

We aren't really poor and we certainly aren't wealthy, but we are really good at budgeting and are trying to be better at saving. All this adds up to times where we are trying to build our savings and not spend frivolously. Right now we are saving every penny in hopes of going on a big trip to the Philippines in the Spring.

The real tragedy of saving is not being able to just buy something unnecessary without thinking about it first. To me, that feeling of indiscriminate shopping is what makes me feel very, very rich. (Imagine I said that in Nene Leakes voice)

Gift Cards = Magic Currency

Anytime Husband or I get a gift card for anything birthday, Christmas, whatever, we always ALWAYS put it aside for a rainy day. If we need to buy something and it's in our budget we just buy it, even if we have a gift card. 

When those budget crunching times come along, as they often do, and we are in a funk we just pull out those gift cards and go wild. Almost literally.

I know it seems silly but it actually helps a lot. Using gift cards during budget crunches is a lot more satisfying than using them in times when we have the extra cash to burn. If you can hold on to them long enough the reward is awesome.

Example: last week we were in a mega crunch. We had just received our first electricity bill after living here for 3 months because of a glitch and it was a lot higher than we planned for. How can you guesstimate a 3 month bill you've never seen? We could have broken it into installments but we decided to tough it out and pay it off all at once. Once that happened all of our "fun money" was gone. After about a week we were getting cabin fever. We took our gift cards out and bought a much needed wifi signal extender at Target and both got shoes on sale at Macy's. 

It was a little trip that felt fantastic. Shopping really is a therapeutic experience.

So that's my money tip. Do you do anything kind of strange like this?

The Start of SONG SWAP!

Here's a new kind of gymspiration and I'm really hoping this works because I need and love getting new music for my workouts. When I get some songs that work out well I'll share them here and hopefully you can share some in the comments! Maybe a little 3 songs for 3 songs deal? Let me know what songs you love and if these are in your rotation. 

SONG SWAP:  THE TRIED AND TRUE

These are three songs that I've used for a while that are always, ALWAYS in the rotation for my workouts.

1. Outkast - Bombs Over Baghdad
This is actually my pace when I run. Before I found other songs that were the right BPM I would listen to this on repeat during runs. If you don't like rap this isn't for you but it that beat does not let you let up!

2. Lee DeWyze - Sweet Serendipity

I know this might be cheesy but this song really motivates me and is perfect for a light jog preferably in beautiful weather. I heard this song the day before my wedding when I was running last minute errands and had to shazzam it. I've always thought it was such a good message and can help motivate you to work it out!

3. Kelly Rowland - Commander

I don't know why she doesn't get as much attention as she deserves but Kelly Rowland created this song for elliptical lovers like me. If I took aerobics I'd expect this on the playlist. It slows down and picks up just ride it out! 

Okay, so what are some songs that are always in your rotation?

Take a Hike! - All Trails App Review

One thing I really wanted to try when we moved was hiking. Louisiana has a few good hiking places, but the incline is pretty nonexistent so we never really went. Now that we are surrounded by hills and mountains it seemed like a good time to start and I really wanted to get to those amazing views!

Image from All Trails website

I downloaded an app called All Trails. I've used it for two different hiking experiences so this review is kind of a mixed bag because we had two very different encounters. First let me bust out the pros of All Trails so you can understand why and how we used it.

PROS:

• Trails are sortable by distance, popularity, and time it takes to complete
• You can specify what activities you are planning to do (walk, hike, bike, dog friendly, etc)
• Pictures! You can see if the views are worth the climb.
• Hiking burns the most absurd amount of calories. 

Happy Hikers!

Our first time using All Trails we went to Calabasas Peak on Labor Day. The picture of our little family that I've used a lot in this blog are actually from that hike. It was a pretty difficult climb for our first attempt. The description was that it would be a "good aerobic workout with a moderate but steady uphill trek for about 2 miles." Um, yeah whatever. It was pretty hard. 

There were parts where the incline was so steep we had to help each other along. I thought carrying a 10lb pack filled with water would be a good workout and it was. I did stop about every half a mile just to breathe because the elevation was totally new.

Overall it was an amazing hike and we got to see a beautiful view of Los Angeles. Julia also loved it up until we were about to get in the car and she stepped in some fire ants.

Labor Day hike was a success and we said we would try to go hiking on or around every holiday.

Now onto the cons.

CONS:

• Horrible, horrible, horrible trailhead location
• Trails are usually marked a level easier than they actually are

Husband being brave ...or crazy

Husband worked on Halloween so we didn't get to go on the actual date so we tried the next day.

We picked a relatively easy and dog friendly trail. The directions to the trailhead were ridiculous. It literally lead to an apartment building. All we saw were sidewalks around the country club which I would not consider a scenic view. We could see a canyon but no actual trails or signage. We eventually gave up circling the supposed trailhead and decided to pick another location.

Yet again the driving directions made absolutely no sense. We went up a very winding road and were then directed to turn into someone's creepy driveway. Total fail. We headed back down the scary road and it was at that point I realized the app's driving directions to the trailhead were several miles away from where one reviewer checked himself in. The directions were absolutely nowhere near each other. 

Out of frustration and driving around for an hour trying to find two trails we had never been to in areas we weren't familiar we did all but give up.

We decided to go to a lake which is not a hill or mountain or even remotely considered hiking. It's basically a dirty duck poop covered sidewalk around a lake. 

Overall I have mixed feelings about All Trails. We did have an amazing day at Calabasas Peak but the Halloween hike that never was certainly made me less likely to trust this app in the future. I'm currently looking to see if there is another app out there that is more reliable with locations. Overall I guess this is a 3 out of 5 which is more generous than I was feeling last week. 

Cruisin' - The bike shopping experience

So I mentioned last week that we had purchased bikes and were riding around town immediately. If you're my facebook friend you may have noticed that I mentioned something about a pain in the butt....which is exactly what that bike seat was on our first ride.

Despite the face he is a happy bike rider.

Why Bikes?

One of my friends immediately remarked how funny it was that I wanted to get a bike considering how much I used to be against them. I was not a fan of bikes BUT after attempting Couch to 5K before and really hurting my knees I wanted something new. One of my cousins suggested bikes. She is a long time runner and recently switched to biking for the very same reason. Now that we live in a pretty bike friendly area it seemed like a great time to invest and get ourselves some wheels! 

Why Cruisers?

This was actually the hardest part. I didn't realize there were so many choices when it came to picking out a bike. We searched online for advice and got some great tips, but ultimately it was the advice of our friends who bike regularly that we used. Cruisers, as opposed to mountain bikes, fit what we wanted. It's still a decent workout but unlike mountain bikes, cruisers are a little more gentle on your spine and neck area. If you're looking for a more intense bike for trail riding, this might not be the best pick for you.

How we picked them...

I hate talking to sales people in stores, but this was one purchase we really needed the advice and expertise of people who know about this stuff. It's not a cheap purchase so you want to make it right. We went to a large bike store by our house and asked some questions. We found out that your height and gender narrow down a lot. I was immediately drawn to a teal bike with an old school look and Husband eventually found a green one that also had a vintage look. The store actually let us take the bikes into the parking lot and around the building for a test ride. I immediately knew that this was the right bike but Husband tried out three before he went back to his first choice. 

Paying for a big purchase...

Bikes are not cheap. Especially when you're as frugal as I am, this purchase almost seems excessive. We had just moved to California and were still trying to get all our finances in order. We decided to put the bikes on lay away. This is actually the first time I've ever put anything on lay away- partially because I just didn't understand it. This turned out to be a great alternative. Instead of charging $600 in bikes and equipment on a credit card we paid a little every paycheck over 3 months. The wait was worth it and I'm glad we had already made the commitment to purchase as opposed to saving up the money and buying it flat out later. I felt like the layaway guaranteed that I wouldn't change my mind and spend the money on clothes instead- a likely alternative.

For now we are just riding them casually, going a little bit longer each ride. I am pretty pleased with our decision to buy bikes. When you ride off into this view it's kind of hard to regret that choice...

Sloppy Jacques

Everybody has seen the pins on Pinterest about the buffalo chicken in a crock pot with just chicken, wing sauce, and a ranch packet. It's good, no doubt. But I have a tiny smidge of a tip that will take it from good to great. What will make it great is that you will pay less money for it. Say what? Yeah, LESS. MONEY. FOR. IT.


These little sammies are so messy they will remind you of a Sloppy Joe, but because they are a tasty Cajun treat I am calling them...

SLOPPY JACQUES!

Basically you're going to follow the same directions as the popular pinterest recipe suggests, but you are not going to use the wing sauce that they suggest. Why? Because it costs more than a dollar which is more than the alternative I'm going to give you. In some stores Frank's wing sauce is almost $3 which is way more than I want to spend.

The recipe says throw some frozen chicken, a 12oz. jar of Frank's wing sauce, and a packet of ranch mix into your crockpot and serve on bread. Easy peasy.

One day I was nosing around Dollar Tree (a magical place where everything really IS a dollar) and I found this:

Louisiana Supreme Chicken Wing Sauce

You even get more (this bottle is 17 oz. and Frank's is 12 oz.).

At first I thought, "Eh, can I trust the Dollar Tree with this?" But for a dollar, A DOLLAR, I thought I might as well give it a try.

Then I saw the last push I needed. It's made in St. Martinville, Louisiana.

I have to say, I liked it even better than Frank's wing sauce. We serve ours on a hamburger bun with celery and ranch dressing as a dipping sauce. 

This recipe is super low cal and you can keep it that way by watching your ranch dressing and bread!

We used Trader Joe's Parmesan Ranch Dressing but I normally make my own ranch to save on calories. 

So enjoy a Sloppy Jacques and let me know if you have any luck finding Louisiana Supreme chicken wing sauce in your Dollar Tree. It really is a magical find!

A DOLLAR!

Sorry I just had to! :) 

Weekend Weigh In 6

Halloween was a big success for our little family. In true "Cajun in California" form we all dressed like food. 

Husband went as a "deviled egg." I looked on pinterest for last minute ideas and found this one. I used a 99 cent bandana from Michael's and cut it into a circle and safety pinned it to his shirt so it wouldn't ruin it. We bought a $5 kids devil costume set at walmart and some $3 facial hair at a party store and voila! 

Once he agreed to it, I decided to be his opposite. I looked to my sisters for angel ideas (blue angel, angel in the outfield, etc.) but angel food cake was the winner. I used a small box and put cotton balls on top for the whipped topping and made a paper strawberry. You can search online for paper strawberry template. There are tons of printables.

That just left Julia. I really wanted her to wear the jockey costume we found at Target, but since we had a food theme going we didn't want her to be left out on her VERY FIRST Halloween with our family. So she became the only food costume they had left for dogs on Halloween morning: a hot dog. I have to say I was a proud mama. Julia's #2 fear is little kids (#1 is a bathtub) and she didn't bark ONCE! Such a little angel. Maybe she should have worn my costume! 

So let's get on to evaluating this week's progress of goals


LIVE AN ACTIVE LIFE 
I started something new this week when it comes to tracking my workouts. Once I see if it's a long term feasible goal I'll share it here. This week was week 2 of Ease into 5K and it went swimmingly! Husband has even been joining me. He runs with Julia so he can't go as fast, but the jogging and focusing on moving forward as opposed to speed has really been helpful! Add to that a couple bike rides and a two hour Halloween walk and I'd say we did pretty good!

EAT DELICIOUSLY
I have to say I'm pretty proud of us. We didn't eat ANY Halloween candy. Not even one little piece. I kept joking with our nieces that there would be a "candy tax" for us walking everywhere with them but we didn't even cash in. It's kind of a Halloween miracle! But with all the work I've been doing to be and stay healthy a piece of candy just doesn't seem worth it. <--- I can't believe I wrote that sentence.

READ FOOD LABELS  
We ate at home every night this week and usually had leftovers for lunch. We did splurge yesterday at the mall and had my favorite PINKBERRY CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT but as I mentioned before the calories in the mini are not going to break anyone's bank...

NOT BLOW OUR RENT AT THE GROCERY STORE
It's week 2 and I buy all our groceries two weeks at a time, so we are good and golden!
Week 6 of Cajun in California...DEFINITELY a great week! Much needed...

Just a sweet tip...

This is going to be real short and sweet.

Real sweet.

If you ever get a chance to hop into a Pinkberry this fall I think it's important for you to know that their flavor Chocolate Hazelnut tastes just like a fancy grown up, Wendy's frosty.

His & Hers Pinkberry

And if you order the mini it's only 144 calories.

Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. So maybe another day is a better time to discuss being a sugar addict. 

You're welcome!

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!!!