Recipe: Blueberry Muffin Bread

During the summer, I made Blueberry Muffin Bread.  I got the recipe off of Pinterest.  I love blueberries in baked goods (not a huge fan of the berry by itself).  I thought this would be a great recipe.  I think I'm a fan of actual muffins than turning it into a loaf of bread.  I guess I'm a traditionalist.

For those of you who aren't a traditionalist...this is a great recipe.  It was easy to make.  I always have baking ingredients in my pantry at all times.  I love to bake when I'm stressed.  I only needed to buy blueberries.

Even though I prefer normal muffins, these were very tasty.  The link is below.  Enjoy!

Blueberry Muffin Bread

"Keep Moving Forward"

Adventure: BILLY JOEL CONCERT!

For Valentine's Day, my dad gave me a ticket to the Billy Joel concert at Wrigley Field in July.  I'm pretty sure that I screamed and jumped up and down when I opened the envelope!  Waiting for the day of the concert took forever!

The day of the concert arrived and I could not wait to go!  I ended up getting to the concert an hour early!  I could not wait any longer!  So I was able to find my seat (which was right on the field!!!!) and take pictures.  I loved looking up at the seats from the field.  It was such a cool feeling.

Gavin Degraw was the opening act.  I'm not a fan of his but I was able to call my cousin who is and let her listen.  I mostly was impatiently waiting for Billy Joel to perform.

My seat.

The stage

I loved all the video strips of Billy Joel playing the piano.

My dad got me a shirt for the show!

I loved the show!  It was my second Billy Joel concert.  It was incredible!  I actually met a couple people there who I hung out with during majority of the show.  They were mother and son.  It was lots of fun.  And a woman even came over and danced with me!  She said that I was obviously a big fan and that I looked lonely standing by myself.  It was so sweet.  People can be pretty great.

What adventures have you gone on recently?

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What I'm Grateful For

Last year, I accepted a challenge to post what I'm grateful for every day during the month of November.  After completing the challenge, I realized that it helped me be more positive and look at my life in a different way.  I enjoyed my life more and felt myself become happier.  So I decided to keep the challenge going.  November 1, 2014 marked one year of grateful posts.  I felt very accomplished.  I am happy, positive and truly am grateful for my life.  I cannot imagine ceasing the posts.

I am currently posting what I'm grateful for on Facebook.  However, I am continuing it only for the month of November in preparation of Thanksgiving.  I will then switch to writing what I'm grateful for daily in a notebook.  I will then pick three of my favorites and post them on here.

I think it's important to find something to be grateful for even on the most challenging of days.

My favorites from this past week:

November 2 - I am grateful for my guy.  He made my birthday wonderful.  Plans kinda went awry because of the weather (it snowed!) but he improvised and made it a great celebration.

My boyfriend, Sebastian, and Me

November 4 - I am grateful for the laugh I just had from the following picture my mom sent me on Pinterest.  I was laughing for like ten minutes!  I was crying from laughing so hard!  Haha!

November 8 - I am grateful for a great time last night with a friend and for also gaining a great contact.  I'm looking forward to the opportunities that are coming my way!   =)

What are you grateful for today?

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Recipe: Thai Peanut Pasta

During the summer, I made a wonderful recipe I found through Pinterest.  A Thai Peanut Pasta!

It has a nice balance of spice and peanuts.  Adding the fresh cilantro on top was a nice touch that tied the dish together.  It was easy to make and will be a repeat meal for me!

Thai Peanut Pasta Recipe

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Motivational Video: SUGAR

There is a campaign to get the FDA to adjust the nutrition label to show not only the total amount of sugar in the product, but how much added sugar is put into that product.  John Oliver has his own campaign in support of this called "Show Me Your Peanuts."

It's a great campaign and I think it would be extremely helpful to all people if they knew how much added sugar is in a product.  Check out his video!

SHOW ME YOUR PEANUTS

Be aware of how much sugar you actually consume.  It's in almost everything!

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Exercise

I am determined to lose weight and get back in shape for dance.  I want to be a dance teacher and would like to go back to school next year to study.  I need to be in shape for it!

Last week, my elevator was out of order.  It's a seven floor building and I live on the sixth floor.  So all in all not terrible.  It was a workout!  I am out of shape!

In order to get back into shape, I have decided to only use the elevator when I have heavy bags, suitcases, or my granny cart I use to get groceries.  I will also scale the stairs as a workout in itself by doing it as many times as I can muster.

Along with stairs, I will be slowly adding more exercise.  Today, I am starting with the following:

When I start getting comfortable doing the above, I will add in a Ballet workout and yoga.  I'll eventually have a solid routine down and when I do, I will share it on here.

Starting next week, I will post a picture of myself post workout to show my progress.  When I reach my goal, I will share a before and after picture.

Find a form of exercise that interests you.  It could be dance, basketball, yoga, swimming.  As long as you are moving, sweating and being active you are being successful!  Do what you can and then do more!  Always strive to be your best self!

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Focus

I've neglected my blog since JULY!  I am shocked by this because I thought I posted more.  I had issues with my computer.  I was getting it fixed shortly after my post in July.  I didn't have a computer for about three weeks.  Then I got my computer back and I couldn't post on my blog through internet explorer (I have a PC).  I tried to post, but it wouldn't work.  Then I meant to post through Chrome, but was lazy and forgot.

Now I have found a new focus.  I will be posting old pictures of events and possibly recipes from the summer and until the present.

I have a new format that I am planning to implement.  I will have five categories that I will be posting under.  They are as follows:

-  Food/Recipes

-  Exercise

-  Motivational video

-  What I'm grateful for

-  Adventure/Activities/Fun

My goal at the moment is to get back in shape for dance.  I'm hoping to start taking classes again in the spring.  My motivational picture to keep me focused is below.

I just have to remember...

Find what motivates you and find your focus.  Do what you can to get where you want to be.

"Keep Moving Forward"