The Mexican Wedding (in Sacramento)

As you may have read in my last post, I was in Sacramento for my cousin’s wedding. I love weddings. Here is a list of some wedding ideas you may want to consider, for that special day. From the wedding invitations to the gift favours, I loved the detail the special couple organized. Here is a scrapbook of items I loved!

Guest book: guests were encouraged to sign their wishes and congrats to the happy couple on a globe, as everyone came from different parts of the world (Mexico, Australia, Canada, etc).

Party favours: Tequila in beautifully packaged bottles.

Table setting: use of pinks, gold plated coasters and floral centre pieces. Also, gold framed table numbers.

Chairs: decorated reception chairs.

Wedding cake:

…and a Mariachi Band!

 

Have you been to a Mexican wedding?

One-Day Travel Guide in Sacramento: Top “to do’s” and Eats

I recently made a quick trip to Sacramento, California for my cousins wedding. I had only ONE day to explore the city during my time there. So what are the top things you must do? Here are three of the top five things I did from Trip Advisor and in this particular order:

In the morning, I visited the California State Capitol Museum which is open from 8am to 5pm on weekdays. It shouldn’t take you more than an hour to go through the whole museum. You will see the state’s working seat of government and lawmaking process. You will even see portraits of past governors hanging on one of the walls, including Arnold Schwarzenegger . And what’s really amazing about visiting this museum is that admission is free!

You can then walk to Old Sacramento, which is about a seven to ten minute walk from the State Capitol. Here, you can peruse many locally-owned small shops, gift and candy stores.

Within the area, you will also see, the California State Railroad Museum, where admission is $10.

For lunch, I highly recommend Pizza Rock, it’s a great place for afternoon drinks, and you may also be tempted to open up a bottle of wine from their extensive collection of Italian and California wines sitting at each of the tables on the patio. As a neapolitan pizza fan, I ordered the Margherita and New Yorker 17 from the menu, which were both tasty for the hungry tummies, but not the best I’ve ever eaten. However, I enjoyed the casual atmosphere and décor of the restaurant.

And lastly, we made our way to the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, which is where my cousin had his wedding rehearsal. It’s a beautiful church, also located in the heart of downtown.

Based on my little time in Sacramento and experience with Mexican food, for dinner, I recommend going to Zocalo Sacramento, a Mexican restaurant at the corner of 18th Street and Capitol Ave (mid-town Sacramento). It’s about a 20-minute walk from the cathedral. I thought the ambience, layout and décor, which was inspired by the majestic town square of Mexico City called Zocalo, was stunning. The restaurant itself was built in a renovated Arnold Brothers Building, developed  for a Hudson car dealership in the 1920′s. Here was the wedding rehearsal menu from Zocalo:

And the chicken tacos were delicious!

So there you have it! Hope you enjoyed it, and if you’ve already visited Sacramento, what places have you been to?

5-Minute Workouts, to Get You in Shape for Spring

Are you too busy to workout? With competing demands from work, school, housekeeping chores, visits with family, birthdays, spending quality time (if you can) with your significant other, the list goes on…so, where does “gym” fit into the picture? Everyday, I’m finding it harder and harder to make time, as my list of commitments continue to expand. So, I’ve decided to give myself the challenge, to devote FIVE minutes, everyday (Monday to Friday), to do some active conditioning and cardio. Here are five workout videos I have researched, that are high intensity workouts, that will help burn calories, improve your cardio and conditioning, in the shortest amount of time. I challenge YOU to join me in taking care of your physical health.

So your homework (and mine too!), to keep fit, starting NOW, is:

1. Favourite these videos, so they are ready to play on your mobile phone or ipad.
2. Schedule in your calendar (with an alarm) a set time you will do these workouts. Early mornings are best for killing calories; so 6:30am or 7:00am, it is! Put it in your calendar now.
3. When commuting to/from work, always choose to take the stairs. Unless you are on the 14th floor 😉
4. Walk more and use less cabs.
5. Refrain from eating sweets, and drinking juice or pop. If you crave it, try adding fruit to your water, such as pineapple, lemon or strawberries to add flavour to your water (it’s delicious!).
6. Take regular walks during the day. If you sit at a desk all day, get up every 30 minutes; a chiropractor told me this will help mitigate from lower back and neck pains.
7. And as always, drink 8 glasses of water every day.
8. To complete the videos, you will need; a pair of dumbbells, a resistance band and a 4 to 6 pound medicine ball.

Here are some top favourite videos I’ve tagged, and that I’ve allocated to each day of the week:

Monday: “Metabolism-Boosting Workout” by trainer Geralyn Coopersmith featured on Dr. Oz 
For this workout, you will need a pair of 2 to 3 pound dumbbells.

Tuesday: “All-Over Toning Workout” created by senior fitness editor Jen Ator with Women’s Health
For this workout, you will need a pair of dumbbells.

Wednesday: “High Intensity Interval Training Workouts (HIIT)” by Fitnessblender.com
No equipment required for this workout. I personally like this one, as it’s similar to Tabata, which are exercises that help burn calories, even after your workout.

Thursday: “The 5-Minute ‘Bata Burn Workout” by Jessica Smith with Shape
For this workout, you will need a resistance band.

Friday: “Crossfit” by Kelsey Lee, host with XHIT Daily
For this workout, you will need a 4 to 6 pound medicine ball and a yoga mat.

Note, all the videos listed above, are FIVE minutes. If you miss a video, don’t get discouraged, as you can always put your hands up in the air and dance your favourite dance move. Just get moving!

 

If you keep to this checklist, along with a healthy diet; choosing lots of fruits, veggies, proteins and omega-3 fats, you are on the right track to maintaining good health.

Good luck, and let me know how it goes. I challenge YOU with FIVE minutes to feeling fabulous inside and out.

7 Things You Should Do Right Now, to Fight PMS Pains

When your menstruation rolls around, do you ever have to call-in sick from work because you are in too much pain? Are some months more excruciating then others, and are you caught by surprise with immense pain? Don’t worry, you are not alone. Here are 7 ways to include in your monthly routine to help “wave” off the pain and that really works.

1.) Take Advil or Tylenol as soon as you sense you will be getting your menstruation. (Dr. Oz  suggests taking it the day before you think you will be getting your menstruation.)

2.) Use a hot pad, such as a magic bag or hot water bottle wrapped in a towel to place over your stomach.

3.) Drink raspberry leaf tea. I swear by its benefits, and drink at least three cups a day, before and during your menstruation.

4.) Take vitamin B6 daily. According to a Livestrong article, vitamin B6 “allows the uterine muscles to relax, helping cramps to become more manageable.”

5.) If you can, try these yoga poses; my favourite one is the bow and camel pose, which helps with lower back pains associated with your menstruation pains.

Here are also some workout poses that could work too; my favourite is the forward bend pose. 

6.) Keep a diary, such as Pink Pad, a free application that can be downloaded on your mobile or ipad. This application helps you keep track of your PMS symptoms and predicts your next date (especially if you are irregular).

7.) Optional, take evening primrose oil during the week before your menstruation, which, according to Dr.Weil contains sources of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) which helps “nourish the skin, hair, nails and even the joints.” This can also help with premenstrual syndrome symptoms.

What methods are you using, to help mitigate PMS pains?

The Best Chicken Soup You’ll Ever Have (and Make)

Have you ever used a slow cooker before? If you say no, I haven’t either. And it’s been sitting in my storage for a year now, after I’ve received it as a Christmas present.

But let me tell you, it’s really easy.

My sister forwarded me a recipe she found from a magazine called, Good Housekeeping. And I couldn’t think of a better time to test out my untouched slow cooker, on a Sunday, to stir up some soup during this cold, cold, COLD(!), Toronto winter.

So here is the recipe and please note, I’ve substituted the potatoes with quinoa (which originated from this recipe):

Tex-Mex Chicken Soup Recipe from Good Housekeeping

• Servings: 6
• Time: 4 hours and 15 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Ingredients:

• ½ cup quinoa
• 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken-breast halves, cut into quarters
• 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into halves
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 3 large stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeño chile, finely chopped
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 clove garlic, crushed with press
• 2 cups frozen corn, thawed
• ½ cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 ripe avocado, chopped

Instructions:

1. Add chicken, broth, celery, jalapeño, cumin, garlic, 1tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper into the slow cooker bowl. Place lid and cook on low for 4 hours or until chicken is cooked through (165 F) but not soft.
2. After 3 hours, add ½ cup of quinoa to slow cooker bowl and stir. Replace lid and cook for another hour.
3. After 4 hours, add corn, cilantro, and lime juice into soup. Stir and cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Divide among serving bowls and top with avocado. You can also top with more lime juice, if you like (optional).

Recipe adapted from Good Housekeeping

And voila!

Let me just say, this soup is yummy! After battling the cold, this is by far the best meal I’ve made this year. The lime juice, corn, chicken and avocado, make a great combination. The jalapeño chile also gives the soup a nice kick, so your taste buds keep wanting more. And if your looking for a “change up”, to your chicken soup routine, pick this one, you will not be disappointed. I will definitely come back to this recipe and make it one of my future family traditional soups, that’s how much I really like it. What’s your favourite chicken soup recipe?