Our VERY Puerto Rican X-Mas in Santiago

Did I say what an amazing hubby I have?!! Well he is so great he made sure I had the most Puerto Rican X-Mas we could have considering our circumstance (we are in Spain). And how Puerto Rican can it get? Well I think having home roasted pork in the actual "vara", or as we call it "lechón a la vara", "arroz con gandules", "arroz con longaniza" and tostones makes it Puerto Rican enough! hahaha.So here are a few pictures and a small summary of how we spent our Christmas in Santiago, Spain.

X-Mas Roadtrip: Lisbon and Sevilla

I know I'm a bit far behind posting this now but thought I'd review our 4-day, over 20 hour drive, X-Mas roadtrip. We went to some pretty cool places.

So for once Andrés got some days off after a Sunday game and we thought it would be nice to visit some new places we had never been. We initially wanted to go somewhere warmer and sunny like Ibiza or Las Palmas but tickets were so expensive we thought it wasn't worth it... Soooo we did what most of our friends here thought was the craziest idea, drive to the south of Spain (9 hours away). Our goal was to get to Sevilla but we would figure it out on the way. 

Shout out to the bro!

Do not get confused. I don't look like a girl but I'm the one on the right.

Twenty-some years ago I had the amazing pleasure of meeting the second man in my life (first was dad)!!! Yep, him, the one who sneaked me in bars before I had legal age to drink (:D) and made sure all his friends (yes I had a crush on some of them) forever looked at me as "Carlitos little sister". Who was Carlitos anyways?!! I've never in my life called him that. Every time someone calls him Carlos or Carlitos I feel their talking about some stranger I don't even know. It's TITO people TITOOOOOO!!! hehehe... Well anyways just thought I'd give a shout out to my brother who turns twenty-ten plus four today and tell him "Te amo con todo mi corazón y deseo que cada uno de tus sueños se te cumpla. Me encantaría estar contigo hoy pero, como bien me escribiste un día, "estas a un instante de mi corazón"". 

You could tell he was up to something on that first one on the left. Haha!
I can still remember when he tried to trick me into believing we weren't
siblings because I was too white. Sorry mom for all the times I asked for
"my adoption papers"!! hahaha. He had his unique way of saying I LOVE YOU!

Just thought it was funny how I wanted everything he had haha!

Pero hoy NO es el día!

Have you ever had the feeling that things needed to change SOON? That if there was only one thing you could do to make everything around you better you would. Well that's what motivational speaker, Moraima Oyola, probably thought when she organized "Pero hoy NO es el día". Instead of seating on her cute behind and complain about the government or seat with friends and a bottle of wine to talk about how bad the world is turning into, she talked the talk and walked the walk. On September 2011 she organized a group called "Pero hoy NO es el día" which this past Thursday, 26th of January, marched for a better quality of life for Puerto Rico.

Did I say I love anchors too?!

Here's a bracelet someone uploaded at pinterest and I want it NOW!! The only tiny problem is that she found the picture online and has no idea where to get it... Sooooo if any of you see that one just let me know!! I've seen other anchor bracelets but I want that one!! :)!

I Heart Hearts!!! ;)!

Hearts are my favorite shape!!! I loooooove hearts!! Did I stress it enough?!! hehehe... Well I do love skulls, stars, keys and anchors too..huh... Well aaaaaaanyways just saw the new collection of Erika Peña, a Puerto Rican jewelry designer, and I kind of want it ALL. Well not all just that heart necklace on the right... My b-day's coming up (hint...hint)!! hehe...

It's very simple and minimalist but I liked it A LOT! She has some amazing purses too!! Her designs are very classy funk...Think Rachel Zoe meets Rihanna kind of style. It might sound weird but it makes total sense in my head!! Anyways here it is!

You can do it too!!

Daily Ritual- Body Skin Care

I know it's hard to have flawless skin like that but I surely try!! I'll give you my daily routine which I feel has worked for me.

Daily Beauty Ritual- Facial Skin Care

After lots of money spent on luxury skin care brands (cle de peau, shiseido, estee lauder, chanel, you name it) I have found that the best creams for my skin type are non luxury brands that I've discovered in my search to find the perfect skin care products. Im currently living in cold weather so my moisturizer is for dry skin, although I have mixed skin.  Here is what I use daily in the same order I use them:

Stay on the Positive!!

The Beauty Department: Your Daily Dose of Pretty. - tutorials

The Beauty Department: Your Daily Dose of Pretty. - tutorials

Love Rachel Bilson's Style

2012 Spring Fashion

Understanding Nutrition Labels

Workout Inspiration

Fashion Attitude

Everyday Fashion

I absolutely LOVE everything fashion. I define my style as "funky sexy chic". I love color but mainly bright ones. On a rare occasion will you ever see me in pastels. I also love v-necks and styles with  some kind of cleavage. Then again, I'm not big chested so I can pull it off and not look tacky. Here are some of the styles I created at polyvore and asos with two of the big colors this season: red and yellow. Anyways hope you enjoy some of my creations.

Zucchini Turkey Lasagna

This plate was so yummy my hubby didn't even realize there was no pasta in it. I used two of my previous recipes to make this. I'll link them so you have the full recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Zucchini
• salt
• 1 cup low fat ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 cup low fat shredded cheese 
• 1 1/2 cups Chunky Tomato Sauce
• 2 cups Turkey Picadillo
• Bread Baking Pan (8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2)

Chunky Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

• 16 ounce tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 1/2 onion
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 diced medium tomato
• 2 fresh basil leaves
• cooking spray

Spray a skillet and sauté garlic without burning. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste and after 5 minutes add the rest of the ingredients. Let simmer for 20 minutes in low temperature. Add basil and let it rest. Mix well before serving. This is a great sauce for pasta plates or for pizza. I recently used it to make my new favorite lasagna, zucchini turkey lasagna. It was so good my hubby didn't even realize there was no pasta in it. He loved it and he is a very picky eater!! 

Healthy Peanut Butter Smoothie

I'm usually not a breakfast person. I mean I love breakfasts but definitely don't feel the urge to make these huge meals when I wake up. I'd rather get invited somewhere or go to a brunch to satisfy my breakfast cravings when I have any. So anyways whenever I find a yummy easy recipe I can make every morning to make sure I do eat breakfast I go for it. This is a modified version of a smoothie a friend sent me thru "pinterest"(my new obsession).

Turkey Picadillo

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of ground turkey
• 3 tbsp "sofrito"*
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 cups finely chopped fresh vegetables**
• cooking spray or 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tbsp finely chopped pear***
• 1 chicken bouillon
• 1 bay leaf

HIIT Training

I'm one of those who hate running so when I see a workout that can reduce the time I spend on a treadmill I go for it! After long research to find a fat blasting workout I found HIIT. So what exactly is HIIT?

After the Master Cleanse what?

It's been three days now since I finished my master cleanse. There's a three day post Master Cleanse diet to ease in your body into receiving solid foods again. First day was orange juice but I did oranges because for the first time in ten days I felt very hungry. I feel like I've been hungrier in these past three days than I ever was during the cleanse. That makes me think that the lemonade did really have the nutrients I needed for my daily activities. Anyways, this is how the 3 day ease in diet looks like:

Master Cleanse Español

Master Cleanse

Estoy a sólo un mes de cumplir “veintidiez” y creo que estoy teniendo un “quarter + 5 life crisis” jejeje. Estoy obsesionada con cambiar mi estilo de vida a uno más saludable. No voy a prometer nada pero haré todo lo posible. 

Master Cleanse

Master Cleanse

So I'm very close to turning "twentyten" (if you know what I mean) and have become obsessed with changing to an ultra healthy lifestyle. I won't promise anything but I'll try to stick to it. I've been going nonstop to the gym and I feel the need to get a  six-pack before I turn....you know...haha... After long hours of cardio, combat and steps classes I felt I hit a plateau. Looking for ways to change my belly to actual abs I came across the Master Cleanse. I had heard from it a long time ago but have never had the courage to do it. So after a lot of online research not only did I got convinced to follow the detox but I became aware of the benefits of living as natural and organic as possible. That doesn't mean I won't ever have a burger or a pizza but I'll commit to eating as healthy as I can. Believe me, after 10 days of spicy lemonade I can do anything I set my mind to. I did not have any doctors consultation but I strongly recommend it if you want to be sure.