"Photoshop Me Skinny!"

So I've done quite a few portrait sessions already and I've noticed a trend from people. They want me to make them look skinny in the pictures. Ummmm....it's possible to an extent BUT my photography philosophy is to capture the real you. If I made you "skinny" or lose your love handles or your double chin or your flabby arms...it's not really you. You should love who you are and if you're unhappy with it...I say do something about it. I'm not sure what the back story are for some people who are a little overweight but I always believe that you at least have to MAKE the EFFORT to get to where you want to be and for some reason or the other you don't get there (which I doubt) after you've given it your all and dedicated yourself 110% to it then you just have to live with it and accept it. Faking it in photos doesn't really reflect who you are.

That's all it was just a thought I had before going to bed that bothered me. I get a lot of inquiries about photo sessions and the first thing they ask me is if I can photoshop them skinny!

Chicken Chile Relleno

Ingredients:
5 large pablano peppers
4 ears of corn on the cob
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 medium onion, diced
2 teaspoons of cumin
1 teaspoon of oregano
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 limes, zested and juiced
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of freshly grated monterey jack cheese
3 tablespoon of evoo

1. Place pablano peppers on a hot grill and char evenly all over about 10 -15 minutes then placed in a ziploc bag and let it sit for 5 minutes. Set aside.

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper and brush with a little bit of evoo and grill until it's cooked through. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes then shred chicken.

3. Grill corn until a little charred. Cool a bit and scrape corn off the cobs.

4. Put remaining oil on a skillet along with garlic and onion. 3 minutes.

5. Add corn, shredded chicken, jalapeno, tomatoes, cumin & oregano and lime zest and juice. Mix well and sautee for about 10 minutes. Salt & pepper to taste.

6. Split the charred peppers open but not in half with small sharp knife then scoop out the seeds with a small spoon.

7. Place peppers in a shallow baking dish and stuff each split pepper with lots of the corn chicken mix, top each pepper with 1/4 cup cheese and place in the oven for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with mexican rice.

Oatmeal Obsession!

Last week and this week I've been experimenting with different ways to prepare my oatmeal. I love oatmeal for breakfast especially when it's a little chilly outside!

I used to eat instant oatmeal all the time but then I figured that stuff is processed as well with the extra flavoring and preservatives and stuff...plus it's cheaper to buy the big tub of rolled oats and make your own flavor!

So far here's what I came up with (sorry I didn't think to take any pictures - I was too eager to eat it)!

Foundation is the same - for 1 serving:

1/2 cup of All Natural Rolled Oats (I found these easier to work with vs Steel Cut oats that takes much longer to cook)
1 cup of 1% milk (I can't do skim milk but if you can feel free!)
A pinch of kosher salt

Cinnamon Apples:
1/2 Granny Smith Apple (or whatever apples you have - I like the tanginess of Granny Smith) - cored and diced
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of honey

Vanilla & Almonds
12 roasted chopped (We always keep whole raw and toasted almonds at home all the time but if you have slivered almonds use those)
2 teaspoon of vanilla

Strawberry Banana
1/2 of a banana sliced
5 sliced strawberries
2 teaspoon of honey

Blueberry & Almonds
1/4 cup of blueberries
12 chopped almonds

Maple Sugar & Raisins
1/4 cup of Raisins
1 tablespoon of All Natural Maple Syrup
1 tablespoon of Brown Sugar

The possibilities are endless - this is a good way to start your day and it literally takes about 5 minutes to make. It's cheaper and healthier than going out to McDonalds or whatever fast food breakfast out there.

Birds of the same feather flock together

“To have a good friend is one of the highest delights in life; to be a good friend is one of the noblest and most difficult undertakings.”  –Ralph Waldo Emerson

My mom and I had our 4th birthday party a little over a week ago and as I was looking at the pictures, I couldn't help but notice the smile on my face that reflects the smile in my heart. Not because we were all having a good time and drunk but because I felt incredibly lucky to be surrounded by these young professionals whom I love and support and support and love me back. I've always been a big believer of you are who you surround yourself with.


I've learned to be selective with my friends.  It's not being snobby as some people think. I wasn’t, nor will I ever be, about quantity.  I’d rather have five best friends than 25 acquaintances.  I choose friends who had qualities that I wanted to emulate.  I've been very fortunate and proud to say that I don't have a best friend, I have a handful of the very best friends anyone could ask for. They are young professionals who I have a lot in common with... from work ethics, leadership qualities, creative, business minded, expectations from ourselves and ambitions. Of course we can't rule out our great sense of humor! :)

I love that we always bounce ideas to each other (no matter how ludicrous they may be) and have an open mind about it. I can't recall a time where I said I wanted to do something and they said "No way that's going to work out" - instead we sit there and think of ways we can make it happen. I love that we can challenge each other and always there to help each other out. 

So I say find people who have qualities that you want to have and I guarantee you, those qualities will start to rub off on you. These people are young professionals, educated, business owners, travelers, open minded, successful, active...and the list goes on and on and on...their characters, leadership and sense of humor and compassion have definitely rubbed off on me and whenever I need advice or guidance, they are the first one on my list to ask.


Take a close look at the five people you spend the most time with: are they a representation of what you want others to see and recognize in you?

Ak, Brenda, Mully, Mike, Sara & Diana - I am very lucky to call you my friends and can only hope that you guys learned as much from me as I have from you. Love you!

Workout Routines

I've had a lot of people ask me to post my workout routine here. I've canceled my 24 hour fitness gym membership since we have an awesome gym at our complex. That mean that I wasn't able to attend group classes anymore...so I had to do a bunch of research and talked to a bunch of fitness people (it pays to befriend a lot of personal trainers :) and eventually came up with routines that are going to help me achieve my goal (it's ever changing so whatever that is...but i know I want to look good and less jiggly)

So here it is - remember, these routines are for me and my abilities - so if you plan on following them please adjust them accordingly based on your capabilities. Thanks.

I have three different routines - I change it up every three weeks.

Routine #1

Week 1                                  

M - Legs & Calves         
(Squats, Dead Lifts, Front Squats, Walking Lunges, Hack Squats)
(Standing Calves, Seated Calves)
 T - Chest/Back/Abs         
(Chest dips, Flat press, Incline DB Press, Incline DB Flyes)
(Seated Rows, T-Bar Rows, Lat Pulldowns)
(Decline Crunches, Cable Crunch)
W - Rest                      
(Rock climbing every other wednesday)

R - Delts/Traps/Calves             
(For now I have Flag Football on Thursdays so I usually do these some other days)
(BB Shoulder press, lateral raises, reverse pec deck, DB front raises)
(BB Shrug, Reverse Shrugs)
(Seated Calves, Standing Calves)
F - Triceps/Biceps/Abs           
(Triceps Dips, Lying Triceps Extensions, Overhead DB Extensions, DB Kickbacks)
(Straight Bar Curls, Reverse Curls, Alternating DB Curls, Concentration Curls)
(Decline Push Crunch, Cable Crunch, Twist Crunch)
S - Rest
S - Legs/Calves
(Squats, Dead Lifts, Front Squats, Walking Lunges, Hack Squats)
(Standing Calves, Seated Calves)

 I do 4 sets of each exercise 12 repetitions - last repetition the failure repetition and I rest about one minute between sets.

Week 2
M - Chest/Back/Abs
T - Rest
W -  Delts/Traps/Calves
R -  Triceps/Biceps/Abs 
F - Rest
S - Legs/Calves
S - Chest/Back/Abs


Week 3
M - Rest
T - Delts/Traps/Calves
W -  Triceps/Biceps/Abs 
R - Rest
F - Legs/Calves
S - Chest/Back/Abs
S - Rest

I also do at least 30 minutes of cardio after lifting.

Routine #2

Week 1/Week2/Week 3
M -Chest/Biceps/Abs
(Incline DB Press, Chest Dips, Peck Deck, Push Ups)
(Narrow grip curls, wide grip curls, hammer curls, incline drag curls)
(Decline push crunch, Cable crunch, twist crunch)
T - Hams/Calves
(Walking lunges, deadlifts, single leg split squat, leg curls, step ups)
(Standing calves, seated calves)

W - Rest
R - Back/Triceps/Abs
(Chins, wide grip rows, close pulldown, DB bent over rows)
(DB overhead ext., triceps dips, decline triceps ext, push downs)
(stomach vacuum, jack knife sit up, swiss ball crunch)
F - Delts/Calves
(DB Shoulder press, arnold press, lateral raises, rear delt pulls)
(Seated calves, leg press calves)

S - Glutes/Quads/Abs
(Side Lunges, glute ext, walking lunges)
(squats, hack squats, extensions)
(Pelvic lift, butterfly crunch, decline sit up)

S - Rest


Routine #3


Week 1
M -Chest/Delts/Abs
(Incline BB Press, Decline DB Press, Incline DB Flyes, Push Ups)
(Shoulder Press, Lateral Raises, bent over lat raises)
(Cable crunches, stomach vacuum)
T - Hams/Glutes/calves
(Romanian deads, standing leg curls, lying leg curls)
(walking lunges, side lunges)
(donkey calves, seated calves)

W - Triceps/Biceps/Abs
(Alt. DB curls, Hammer Curls, EZ bar curls)
(Decline EZ bar ext., overhead ext, pushdowns)
(jack knife sit ups, cable crunches)
R - Rest
F - Back/calves
(hyperextensions, pulldowns, close grip pulldowns, seated rows)
(seated calves, standing calves)

S - Quads/Glutes/Abs
(sissy squats, squats, extensions)
(walking lunges, glute ext.)
(Pelvic lift, butterfly crunch, decline sit up)

S - Chest/Delts/Calves
(Incline BB Press, Decline DB Press, Incline DB Flyes, Push Ups)
(Shoulder Press, Lateral Raises, bent over lat raises)
(leg press calves, seated calves)

Week 2
M - Rest
T - Hams/glutes/calves
W -  Triceps/Biceps/Abs 
R -  Back/calves
F - Rest
S - Quads/glutes/abs
S - Chest/Delts/Calves


Week 3
M - Hams/glutes/calves
T - Rest
W -  Triceps/Biceps/Abs 
R - Back/calves
F - Quads/glutes/abs
S -Rest
S - Chest/Delts/Calves

Proper Form is very critical when lifting. You should definitely do your research and learn how to properly execute each exercises before performing them at the gym. Proper form not only will give you great results but it will also prevent you from injuries. 

I recommend sites like http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html & http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/ to learn how to do each moves properly.

Again, these programs are for me and my goal. I try to stick with them as much as I can but sometimes life happens and I don't get to. With volleyball, football, rock climbing and whatever activities I have going on, it's very rare that I get to stick to the entire 3 week routine as laid planned.

15 Minute Dinner

I usually plan our meals for the week but sometimes for one reason or another I don't get to. This week is one of those week. I guess I'll blame it on our birthday. My mom and I had our joint birthday party Sunday. Monday was spent recovering from the previous night's festivities. Tuesday the family went out to The Melting Pot for dinner. Yesterday was a very long day at work and really didn't feel like doing some chopping and cooking and all that hoopla...So for days like those simple goes along way and grilling is definitely a savior.

I had Vince defrost the salmon fillets I knew we had in the freezer. When I got home it's all thawed out and all i had to do was brush on a little bit of olive oil, seasoned it with salt, pepper, basil and rosemary.

Threw the fish on the grill 4 minutes on each side.

I also took 2 romaine lettuce hearts - cut them in half  - lengthwise - drizzled a little bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and threw that on the grill a few minutes on side - enough to give it some char - 4 minutes total.

When the fish is done - the lettuce should be too. Chopped the lettuce - added a bit more olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

Delicious dinner in 15 minutes!

Grilled Pizza!

The weather has been so beautiful outside and we're taking advantage of using the grill while we still can. The other day, we made an Italian Grilled Pizza. It was delish! Some of you have asked me for the recipe so here it is!

We've tried many different pizza dough recipe but this one is definitely a keeper (we have about two more to try out)

This is Wolfgang Puck's Recipe I found in one magazine - can't remember which one though...

Pizza Dough

• 1 package active dry or fresh yeast
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 cup warm water, 105 to 115 degrees F
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for brushing

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4 cup warm water.

2. In a stand mixer (fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low speed until the mixture comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and starts to climb up the dough hook), combine the flour and the salt. Add the oil, the yeast mixture, and the remaining 3/4 cup of water and mix until the mixture forms a ball. .


3. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead by hand 2 or 3 minutes longer. The dough should be smooth and firm. Cover the dough with a clean, damp towel and let it rise in a cool spot for about 2 hours. (When ready, the dough will stretch as it is lightly pulled).


4. Divide the dough into 4 balls, about 6 ounces each. Work each ball by pulling down the sides and tucking under the bottom of the ball. Repeat 4 or 5 times. Then on a smooth, unfloured surface, roll the ball under the palm of your hand until the top of the dough is smooth and firm, about 1 minute. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let rest 1 hour. At this point, the balls can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

 Toppings

4 Spicy Italian Sausage
1 cup of freshly grated Fontina Cheese
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Yellow Bell Pepper
1 Large Red Onion
1 cup of Sheep's Milk Ricotta Cheese
a few sprigs of fresh oregano
a tablespoon of olive oil

1. Grill the sausages for about 5 minutes on each side. Let it cool for a few minutes then cut into 1/4" slices.

2. Cut the peppers into quarters and lightly brush with olive oil - put on the grill for about 3 minutes on each side. Cut into thin strips.

3. Cut the onion into 1/4" thick rings and lightly brush with olive oil - grill for about 3 minutes on each side. Chop roughly.

Set all the ingredients aside.

4. Roll out each pizza dough about 1/4" -1/2" thick - brush lightly with oil and salt and pepper one side.

5. Turn the grill on high and grill the pizza dough 3-4 minutes on one side - flip - grill for 1-2 minutes.

6. Add freshly grated Fontina cheese evenly on the each dough - add sausage, peppers and onions. Close the grill cover for about 1-2 minutes (until the cheese is melted)

7. Meanwhile, add ricotta, olive oil and freshly chopped oregano leaves together.

8. Pull pizza off the grill and top with ricotta cheese mixture.

9. Enjoy!!