Weekly Gratitude

Source: maryruffle.tumblr.com via Tiffany on Pinterest

I have so many things to be grateful for this week!

• I am thankful that I started my new (3rd) job this week, cashiering is actually fun! :)

• I am thankful that I was selected to be a long-term sub for the next few weeks at my favorite school to work for!

• Thank you motivation, for getting me to work out even when I am exhausted!

• Thank you, PennySaver for always listing about animals to adopt (I love looking through the animal ads for some reason and it makes my day!)

• Thank you library for having at least 2 of the books I wanted to check out!

• Thank you Trader Joe's for bringing back Gypsy wine! (actually called Chariot, but I call it Gypsy wine because it has a picture of a gypsy on the label)

• Thank you, California for finally having winter-like weather!

I have been very blessed this week, and am so very grateful!!

Fitness Friday #2: Recipe

This has become one of my new favorite recipes (with an adjustment!), thanks to Self magazine and Jillian Michaels!

Mediterranean Baked Salmon with Quinoa (Keen-wa)

(makes 2 servings)

2 Atlantic Salmon fillets

1-2 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 and 1/2 Red Bell peppers sliced

1 Fennel bulb sliced

About half a small can of sliced black olives

1 tsp. dried Oregano (or 2 tsp. fresh)

Fresh Black Pepper (to taste)

1 Lemon

Rub salmon with olive oil, place salmon with veggies on top in pan. Bake at 375 for about 20-25 minutes (until fully cooked, baking times may differ). Drizzle with lemon juice. Serve with quinoa.

Quinoa Rice

1 Cup Quinoa

2 Tomatoes, chopped

1/2 Red Bell Pepper

Handful of Cilantro (chopped)

2 Cups Water

Cook 1 cup quinoa with 2 cups water, after a few minutes add cilantro, red bell pepper, and tomatoes. Cook until rice is ready (no more water).

I thought this was very delicious, although I was not too fond of the fennel taste, so next time I will omit that and probably just add some yellow bell peppers and/or zucchini instead.

Rainy Day Outfit

The rain came back! This past weekend we finally got more winter/rainy weather here in southern California. And for some reason I always want to wear a dress when it's rainy. Saturday was my brother's birthday so we went to Lucille's for dinner, but before my husband and I walked around the outdoor mall.

(Jacket-Gap, Dress-Ross, Tights-Kohl's, Shoes-Report, Bag-Guess)

Weekly Inspiration

I have been loving softer, more romantic styling lately. Soft, loose curls, fun updos with pretty flowers, and gorgeous lace and embellished dresses! I hope you have an inspirational week!

Check my flickr for photo credits.

Weekly Gratitude

• My first thank you is to God for being faithful and providing for my little family!

• Thank you to AbsolutePunk.net for featuring my husband's band Midnight Hour!

• Thank you to my kindergartners of the day for the Valentine's gifts!

• Thank you to Sprouts for hiring me! Yay for a third job! :)

• Thank you Brad for being the best husband!

• Thank you Gertie for sharing the cutest cat video ever!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Image by treslola from Attracting Abundance

Fitness Friday: 30 Day Shred Review

Over the past few months I have really been enjoying working out (crazy, I know!). One of my inspirations has been Jillian Michaels, I love her no-excuses attitude and how encouraging she is to just keep going even when you feel like you are going to die! The 30 Day Shred DVD has been in my workout rotation for about 6 months and has stayed challenging. There are 3 levels (about 24 minutes each) beginning with the easier moves to build more endurance/stamina and then progressing to a very challenging Level 3 workout. Each level has a warm-up and cool down with 3 circuits of 3 minutes of strength training, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of abs. I have done each level numerous times and continue to put this workout DVD into my rotation, and I still feel like I am getting a great workout each time. I haven't been trying to loose any weight, just trying to get more toned and I have seen an improvement! I can actually see some ab definition, my legs are more muscular than fat, and I have some pretty nice tricep muscles! Haha! I would definitely recommend adding this to your exercise DVD collection!

*When I started this workout I was using 2 pound weights and have since switched to 3 pound weights, the added pound surprisingly makes the workout more challenging!