I Make Myself

• Happy Thursday •

Happy thursday everyone!

Today I am sharing the second installment of Happy Thursday. This day is about making a list of happy things or things that make me happy...in case there is a difference but anyways lets start.

1. New old frames

I had been looking for frames to hang up in my home office. My idea was to frame pieces of cork board to make them look pretty instead of just hanging up a regular piece of cork. I spray painted them and this was the result. DIY projects make me really happy, specially when they turn out the way I expected: not a total mess.

2. Having breakfast with Heinz.

Need I say more? Starting my day sharing a laugh or two with that man is perfection. Specially if I have croissants and coffee to side it with.

3. Salvadorean coffee. 

Ok, this was included in last thursday's list but when coffee is served like this it has to be listed.

4. Mango twist

This is a salvadorean traditional dish. If you can call it a dish. It is green mango cut in strips and served in a bag. Delicious.

5. Watching a good movie.

We bought this stack of DVDs on saturday. They are a curated list of must-haves for Heinz and me. All these movies are like comfort food. They make me feel good inside. We had the most wonderful night watching them. Ok, honestly we just watched Clueless and Chicago. Obviously my choice. This weekend we will continue with the remaining movies. 

There is one more thing that I don't want to leave out. Tomorrow we start a new month.  A new day, a new week or a new month can all be great excuses to start something new. They are oportunities for us to kick off new projects. New beginings should be included in today's list. They make me very happy.

How about you? any cool plans for the month of June? As for me I have my lil' sis birthday coming up. That should be F.U.N

Grilled cheese sandwich

To balance the squash recipe from last week I am sharing today a recipe that is located at the bottom of the difficult level. 

This is a healthy version of a grilled cheese sandwich and again it is Heinz approved.

I used:

• 1 medium eggplant
• 1 fresh mozzarella ball
• Tomato Sauce (bottled)
• Whole wheat bread

I grilled some eggplant slices and added some salt and pepper  as I cooked them. Once they were done I placed one slice of bread on a cooking pan, waited a little for it to toast  and spread some tomato sauce on top. If you spread the sauce before the bread is toasted it can soak up the liquid and get soggy, Not cool.

I shredded the mozzarella ball and let it melt a little. I added a layer of eggplants, more sauce and more cheese. I finished by covering it with another slice of bread and pressing it down with love.

 

If you give it a try -which you must- serve it with some greens on the side.

 

A walk in the park

Well hello and good monday to you all.

This weekend was fun! full of discoveries..ok maybe just one discovery, food and rest.

It all started friday night. Heinz and I had dinner with some of his buddies from work. We went to a -sort of-  steak house. The proper name is rodizio which is a brazilian type of restaurant where you are given a card that you have to flip in order be served unlimited types of meat, mostly grilled. When you are about to burst you flip your card again and that means no more meat for you.

Naturally saturday morning I was feeling guilty as hell and I told Heinz we should go for a walk. And we did! 

There is this new park -yeih-  we decided to explore and when I say explore I mean literally as in Dora the explorer way. To embrace the adventure I put on my work out clothes and I was waiting in our living room when I saw Heinz coming out of the bedroom looking like this:

Not very explorer of him! 

I immediately told him mother nature was going to be embarrassed of his outfit but he refused to change. I bet he changed his mind when he saw this:

The name of the park is Parque Bicentenario. There is a trail path for walking and another one for bicycles. We took the longer one -about 2KM- but we got lost and ended up walking for an hour. 

Honestly, how can you not get lost when you have to face something like this:

Straight ahead, right or left turn? Signs. They exist for a reason. 

Jokes aside, we didn't get completely lost in the wilderness but we did end up walking more than just 2KM (which I have to admit was fine by me) and the coolest part: believe it or not this park is right in the heart of San Salvador. 

The highlights of our hike were:

 
Finding salvadorian coffee and Ruth power walking away from Heinz.

This park was the best part of our weekend. It was a true discovery. We are definitely coming back and hopefully Heinz will wear a more suitable outfit when that happens.

How about you? How was your weekend? I hope it was filled with new adventures and discoveries.

 

 

Happy thursday

I don't know how many of you have heard of Thankful Thursdays. As the name suggests on thursdays you post about things that you are grateful for.  I think it's a cool idea and I've decided to embrace it but only it will be called happy tuesday since it goes better with the concept of my blog...I make myself be happy and all...anyways here is my first happy thursday installment.

1. Date night

Once in a while Heinz and I try to have either a night out or a cute dinner at home. Last night it was beer and some new appetizers I made. Cheers to Heinz for being my food guinea pig. Luckily the experiment was a hit. I combined green apple with brie and tajin. Recipe coming soon. 

2. Stumbling on forgotten things.

I was looking inside a new purse and found I had placed a new wallet inside so I wouldn't forget I bought it. Turns out I did forget but no biggy! I found it! 

This wallet is by Bimba & Lola my FAVORITE spanish brand. I absolutely love everything they sell. Did I mention it is my favorite spanish brand?. I think their prices are reasonable and my go-to articles are their shoes and bags. 

 

3. Good Coffee

Coffee does make me happy. Very. Yesterday I went to the supermarket and found this:

I am not a big fan of 1.instant coffee and 2. artificial flavors but I decided to give this a try because sometimes I feel I want to spice up my coffee and I don't know how.  This morning I went ahead and made myself my daily iced coffee, this is how I do it: I brew an espresso shot (I know I have an espresso machine. How cool am I?) I add tons of ice to a glass, then I pour the espresso and finish by adding dairy free milk. Today I mixed one spoonful of this baby and yes, I was sold. The good thing about this mix is that it has very little sugar so it gave my coffee a hint of vanilla flavor without the over sugary taste. I think this is a new brand that just came in to El Salvador because I had never seen it before. I like discovering new things too.

 

4. Shoes

Buying reasonably priced shoes makes me reaaaaaalllyyyyy happy. 

This is a pair of traditional salvadorean shoes called guaraches. I payed 5$ at a local market.  I saw something like this in a store and they sold for 40$. Overpriced stuff=not cool.

5. Being half-way through a good book.

I want to start by pointing out that I am a slow reader. Now that we've covered that...I started reading A hundred years of solitude last month and I am currently a little more than half way done. I love to see how the bookmark slowly makes its way to the last page! I love it! I might even do a book review when I am finished which will be somewhere next month. Hopefully. But honestly who likes to rush through a good reading. Not me!

 

There you go.  A list of things that make me happy.

Have you tried making a short list of things that make you happy? Thursdays seem to be a good day to do it.

 

Squash leftovers

Today I have a busy-as-a-bee day! And I am happy about that! I love waking up and knowing the day awaits with lots of writing to do. Writing=fun.

Before I go about my things I wanted to share yesterday's lunch. They were leftovers from the spaghetti squash recipe.  

 

In a couple of spoons of olive oil I sauteed some garlic, sunflower seeds and basil. This has to be done slowly so you don't burn the garlic. When it turned brown I added two spoons of low fat cream cheese. Then I added the squash leftovers and mixed it all together. It was yummie! 

Today started with a treat from hubby. He cooked breakfast before heading out. I will normally have iced coffee and a bagel but today I was craving scrambled eggs coincidentally Heinz' specialty. 

 
My iced coffee is truly a must if I want to kick start my morning. I might have a second caffeine round in the afternoon but not too late because Heinz says caffeine makes me really ...I want to say talkative but I guess hyper is the word I am looking for. 

Breakfast was a whole wheat toast with cream cheese and scrambled eggs and iced coffee with soy milk. No sugar. I never add sugar or any artificial sweetener to my coffee. Ever. If you do you are committing a crime you coffee murderer! 

On the running front I have been taking it easy.  My knee was hurting a bit after each run so I took last week off not only from running but from any physical activity. I talked to my doctor and he said it was normal after the marathon. He said I could continue running and just ice the knee afterwards but I went a step ahead and decided to take some time off. 

Rainy season is here so I will maybe hit the treadmill more often. Although I have to confess I love running in the rain. It gives you an incredible sense of freedom.

Have you ever tried it? If not you should! 

funny looking/great tasting

I told you today I would be sharing an amazing recipe. Today's meal is -as Heinz described it- funny looking but great tasting. He told me to quote him on the blog.

I've read e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e about spaghetti squash. I've been wanting to give it a try but the spaghetti squash is a specific type of squash that we don't get here in El Salvador. I wasn't sure about finding a substitute but after careful study and mostly youtube video guidance I chose to experiment with AYOTE. This is the type of squash that can be easily found here. Luckily the experiment turned out great.

I used:

• 1 medium hard squash (know as Ayote here in El Salvador)

For the sauce

• 1 tomato
• 3 chives
• 2 boneless chicken breast
• Basil, salt & pepper

I started by cutting that big thing in half which took me a while because the skin is somewhat hard. I had preheated the oven and placed both halves facing down on a baking sheet. After 45 minutes the squash was done. You should be able to pinch through the skin easily with a knife. If you are able to do it that means it is ready.

What's next

This past week I went through an introspective process and yes, I have a lot of those moments and yes, Heinz I know they can be annoying -It is specially hard on Heinz since I tend to wake him up at  2AM and ask him if he is asleep- It's funny because I know he is. It's just my way to strike up a conversation with sleeping beauty.

I can't help it! I am a very rational and pragmatic person! I have to have my self-analysis moments. I do wish they could happen during the day though but whatever. I've learned to embrace myself just as I am and work with my  personality.

And looking at this picture reminds me I haven't  mentioned I have new bed sheets! and curtains!

 


Back to the what's next subject.

After giving it a lot of thought I've put together a list of things that will guide me in the near future and -as you will see- everything can and will be shared here!

Running:

• I will run a second marathon. Next year. 
• I want to run 10K in under 1 hour. This doesn't look so hard because I have to shed like 5 minutes. Hopefully speed training and hills will work.
• I want to keep it short. No distances farther than 15K.
• Next year's half marathon will be my measuring point to see how strong I am to train for my second marathon and built it from there.

 

Yoga:

• I want to get certified. I have to check dates but it will hopefully happen this year.
• I want to find a way to incorporate yoga on a budget. I love my yoga studio and couldn't be happier with my teachers but right now I am on  controlled spending mode which puts yoga completely out of my reach. I have been thinking about on-line classes and maybe mixing them with a fewer class pass at my studio. We will see.

Blog:

I am committed to posting 3 to 4 days a week and I have managed to stick to it but I think I have to be more organized about the content. I obviously wrote more on the marathon because I WAS focused on the marathon. Ok, maybe more like obsessed. My goal is to balance the content (as well as my life) and hopefully share more recipes and yoga stuff. The recipes are a big hit! and I try to understand why. What I've concluded is that their success is due to their simplicity.

One of the greatest hits was the turkey and guacamole roll. People are all about the roll! and it was Heinz' recipe! He gets all like -my recipes are the best, see I told you people don't want to see complicated recipes- and I do see his point but I dislike the attitude. My recipes DO rock!

I linger between sharing easy or elaborated meals but here is my take on this: I do understand that not everyone can or likes to take time cooking. The truth is I do enjoy trying out new recipes and coming up with new meals but of course I have -a lot- of those days where I just can't be bothered. 

I've found that with a little attitude change there can be great progress. We invest a lot of time in things that won't reward our bodies (watching tv, sitting in front of the computer) and yet when it comes to food we want everything to be as quick as possible. Ok, don't invest a lot of time cooking but DO invest a lot of time planning! Plan your lazy day, your cooking day, your running day and your eating out day. Buy accordingly and cook ahead. The first step towards healthy living is embracing a new mindset and that -opposite to broiling-  can be instantaneous. 

I will continue to share easy recipes -for those lazy days-  but I will also be tackling more elaborated meals assuming that if you read my blog you are in a similar mindset as I am and you are willing to invest a little more in what you eat. 

As a bonus I have upgraded my food props. If you stick around you may get more complicated recipes but you will definitely get cuter photos!

 
We went thrift shopping with the amazing designer (and friend) that helped me with this blog and found these treasures for only 5$. Yes to frugal  living! 

There you go. That is my introspective week wrap up and oh, one more thing before I go.

I am now part of the Running Trip team! I can't express how excited I am to be one of their contributing bloggers! They have already published my London travel guide. You can check it our here.

Now I do have to go. See you tomorrow. Expect an amazing -Heinz approved- recipe.

Breaded eggplant with tomato & mozzarella

I decided to make breaded eggplant and got all the ingredients together. I planned to use bottled tomato sauce (don't give me that look...I know) but Heinz and I used it two nights ago and I had completely forgotten. When I realized the sauce was missing I thought about skipping this recipe and just going for a simple sandwich but then I saw I had a tomato and well...I just had to go for it.

To tell you the truth I honestly didn't think it would turn out to be so delicious. But it was. Heinz -major veggie hater- as witness.

I used:

• 1 big eggplant, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup of breadcrumbs 
• 1 Tomato
• 1 fresh mozzarella ball
• Basil, salt, pepper and olive oil

 

 


I peeled and sliced the eggplant, put it in a mixing bowl where I covered them with some olive oil. Once the oil was evenly distributed I added the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and mixed it all together. I cooked the slices for about 5 to 8 minutes per side. This recipe can also be done in the oven but it takes longer.

At the same time I sliced the tomato and cooked it with some salt, basil and pepper.

Once it was all cooked I topped the eggplant with the tomato and the mozzarella. 

It was heavenly. 

It amazes me how I sometimes think that making things fresh from scratch will take me a long time to prepare. This took me literally 20 minutes, not a second longer, which makes this recipe a great comeback reply for the persistent I-don't-have-time-to-cook excuse.

 

London

by Ruth -the occasional traveler-

 

You may find innumerable guides to big, must-go-to cities like London.  Traditionally these travel guides will be filled with reviews, awarded stars and directions meant to trace a path for the average traveler. But, what if you are not an average traveler? what if you are a runner, healthy life enthusiast world wanderer? Well, hello I am your friend.

When abroad, a perfect way to get to know a new city is through a morning run. Running in a city that is still asleep gives you a sense of ownership. You will not be dodging your way through a crowded street because the sidewalk will be yours. The sunrise, the silence and -if in London- the rain will be your company throughout the distance you decide to complete.

For those of you who agree here is a 6K run/jog/walk route that will have given you a tour of London's most emblematic places by 9:00AM. 

View Larger Map 

London 6K Starts and ends in Hyde Park Corner (Underground station), goes through Picadilly Circus, Leicester and Trafalgar Square, London Eye (You see it from across the river, the perfect place to snap a picture), Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and it's gorgeous gardens.

Images by Heinz Kobernik.

A cool, hip place to stay is Candem.

 
It is the perfect combination: trendy & affordable. You will find most shops, restaurants, bars and cafes within walking distance. The metro station is also nearby.

Candem is the right place to both start  and end your day.

After a morning run, either around town or along Candem's Regent Canal, sit down and enjoy a good cup of coffee and a healthy breakfast at Inspiral Lounge. This is a must-stop. 

    

With a diverse menu of hot and cold options a 10₤ budget will be enough to try what you choose. I left wanting to try their ice creams and their variety of organic beers. A second trip to London will have to be schedule to do it.

After a long -walking around like a tourist- day chill out at any local pub where you will enjoy a pint next to your short term neighbors of Camden. It's a great way to stop feeling like a tourist for a moment.

With a pivotal place like Candem as a start and finish point, the next step is to make it to the city's heart. The Tate and British Museum are mandatory.  Whatever you decide to do please don't take one of those tourist buses. Walk around, get lost and be amazed.

Everything you see, read and experience will most likely have a cool concept behind it. From their beautiful gardens to their ad messages in the Underground: The newspaper you are reading is rubbish campaign was my favorite.

Everything is thoroughly intended. 

If you have enough time make it to Brighton. It is outside of London and a great place to spend the day. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Period. Full stop

While growing up I dreamed of becoming the archaeologist who would discover the Machu Pichu of our decade.Yes, I would not only be a random archaeologist but a famous one.

I outgrew the archaeologist phase and then went through a ballerina stage.  I have to say (cough) that even though I have a dancer's flexibility -according to both my yoga teacher and my running coach- I didn't even make it to ballet lessons. I didn't quite outgrew that chapter but continued with my non-dancer life (although I have to confess I have been making my own investigations about ballet for grownups) -suspicious eyes end that sentence-  Other careers in my what-I-want-to-be-when-I-grow-up list were: private investigator, Princess Leia and Jeannie from I dream of Jeannie.

Although many of those choices would have given great success in my adult life, I luckily found my true passion: writing. Words and letters in all their forms are my true love...next to running and nutella. Ok, maybe Heinz should be in there too but only if he comes third after nutella.

My career has included -but has not been based on-  writing. That left me with wanting to write more  which is one of the reasons I started my blog.

Following down the dream's path there is another dream career I haven't crossed out of my list yet.  So what would the dream within a dream be Inception fans?

Being a travel writer.

There is a tiny technicality getting in my way though. In order to become a travel writer I would have to...well...travel. Since that doesn't happen as often as I would like I can't create content exclusively about my journeys. But what happens when I do travel? Well, I have no publishing outlet.

But my fellow readers don't fill your hearts with disillusions just yet. I have found the way to make my dreams come true. Since I am the Chief Editor  of my blog I've decided to publish my own travel guides and become a travel writer for a post or two. It is so easy to make my dreams come true when I own the publishing medium.

So stay posted as tomorrow I will share with you my not-your-average travel guide for London. Next, Madrid.

Meanwhile here is the closure to my first marathon journey. Hubby put together this video...isn't he the best? Watching this will be a great way to remind me over and over and over (Yes, I will play it several times) how I felt crossing that finish line. I know, as if one could forget right?

Here you go everyone...let's make ourselves run today and travel tomorrow.