englandsword

Wow, what a busy week! I am loving my improv class but it's been weird having a schedule! I've been doing my weight workout first thing in the morning and fitting in my cardio later in the day after my improv class. This recap will be very brief -- despite a very busy week, I'm happy with keeping up my healthy habits. I'm still fitting in my workouts and I am really enjoying the mini-meals that I announced last week I'd be trying. I think it helps me control portion size if I know that I get to eat again soon! Thursday: Weights/strength: triceps, deltoids, chest Rest day from cardio Friday: 40 minute jog Weights/strength: upper back, hamstrings, obliques stretching Saturday: 60 minute hike at Runyon Canyon Weights/strength: quads, glutes, abs stretching Sunday: 30 minute bike Rest day from weights stretching I've had something to do in the evening every day. On Thursday I went to a Miss California party with one of my roommates, who is interning for a company th...

So glad we have some other Disney theme park fans in da house! After my two Disney days I had to change course and get back into acting mode for a short film I had a role in on Saturday. I played an 18-year-old alcoholic in AA, talking back to a cop. I love that talking back is my professional specialty. Here's a random on-set picture of our "AA" meeting: I wore a lot of makeup to fit my character. I brought some fresh fruit to eat for my long day on set, as well as a new raw snack I "invented." All it consists of is frozen vegetables that I dehydrated overnight at 105 degrees. I plan on trying many variations of this snack, but the first time I kept it simple. I used a bag of corn and a bag of mixed veggies - corn, carrots, peas, and green beans. Very chewy, but I didn't mind that. I'm going to play around with this idea some more, definitely. It was a nice easy way to get some snacky veggies in and not resort to the chips and pretzels that are de rige...

I got new headshots taken today, and I was going to do a Fashion Friday based off them but I found out I won't get the photos until Monday so I'll just postpone and do a recipe post instead! It's a big day in Egypt -- Hosni Mubarak stepped down! Now we'll see how much change actually happens and how democratic the military will be. If you're interested in a "Cliff's Notes" version of the Egyptian revolution (like Lynn said in her comment), check out my blog post ! I've been eating very high raw the past few days, with tons of green smoothies and some salads. For something new I made a half-raw hummus. I like zucchini hummus but raw chickpeas are gross so I cooked the chickpeas. I will warn you, though -- this hummus does taste "green." It's healthy-tasting, not oily and restaurant-y. Green Hummus 1/2 cup chickpeas 2 small zucchini, sliced 2 tsp garlic 5 sundried tomatoes 1/2 raw tomato 1/2 tsp spirulina 2 tbsp lemon juice 1/2 tsp papr...

I knew I was going to be gone for most of the day today so I made myself a big smoothie to serve as breakfast/lunch. I worked out in the morning and then (after showering, etc.) headed to Power Group from 12:30 to 2:30 -- that's my monthly meeting at The Actors Network where we go over our career accomplishments for the past month and goals for the next month. I drank part one of my smoothie on the way there and part two afterwards. I had an audition at 4:30 for a short film. It went well! I felt good about it. The smoothie has: 5 kale stalks and about 1 cup kale 1 cup frozen mango chunks 1 cup frozen strawberries 1/3 cup frozen blueberries 1/3 cup frozen cranberries 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp spirulina Maybe 3 cups of water? It was still pretty thick even though I felt like I added a ton of water. Tip: If you have a low-powered blender or you just want blending to go a little faster, prep your smoothie first thing, then go get ready. Come back and blend it right before you eat breakfast...

I've been feeling a little blah and it put me in the mood for some raw food. I guess I'm looking for a little more lightness and pep to my mood. I had a bunch of carrots and a few apples that I needed to use up, so I made a "carrot cake" smoothie. I feel like any sweet food that involves carrots is immediately called "carrot cake." I've always loved carrot cake but never ate it very frequently. But I did have some on my birthday this year! I can't resist making every smoothie green, though, so I made two versions. I don't want every smoothie to look exactly the same! Carrot Cake Smoothie (One serving) 2 carrots, scrubbed and sliced 1 small apple (I used Granny Smith), cored and seeded 1/4 cup rhubarb (I used frozen) 1 tsp cinnamon 1/8 tsp cloves 1 packet stevia (banana or dates would work) Blend with as much water as your blender needs. I'm sure this would be easy with a Vitamix but I just have a normal blender and it worked. I did blend a l...

Thank you for the really nice response to my last post celebrating my one-year LAnniversary. I really appreciate it! Today I'd like to spotlight a taste of the islands, mon. I enjoyed the fruit salads we made while I was visiting my parents: so I made one for myself. I'm cheap, though, and berries and grapes are way too expensive. But I did see this huge papaya at Ralphs for one dollar. I made a salad with the peeled and seeded papaya, a can of pineapple, and a couple Granny Smith apples. But after a couple of days and eating all the pineapple out of the salad, I accepted that I'm not a huge fan of papaya. Though it could certainly be the one I picked out, as it seemed firm before I cut it but kind of mushy inside. So I took the rest of the salad and some other ingredients and whipped up a delicious smoothie! Tropical Dream Smoothie 2/3 fresh papaya, peeled and seeded 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and diced (not peeled!) 1 small orange or 1/3 cup frozen orange slices 1...

Another scorcher today, about 95 degrees. Whoa. I kind of made this recipe (from Melody of Melomeals by way of Choosing Raw): Raw Eggless Salad 3 c cauliflower, pulsed in food processor -½ c sunflower seeds soaked for 4 hours, drained then pulsed in food processor -1 c diced celery -1 c shredded carrots -½ c scallions or 2 T diced red onion or shallot -½ c nutritional yeast -2 t dried sage -1 T dried dill -1 T dried parsley -½ t garlic powder -¼ t turmeric -4 T tahini -4 T yellow mustard -2 T Dijon mustard -4 T relish -1 T chia seeds (or ground flax) -1 t black salt (or sea salt) -½ -1 t black pepper -½ c water Pulse the cauliflower in processor and set aside in large mixing bowl. Pulse the sunflower seeds, and add to the cauliflower. Add the celery, carrots and scallions and nutritional yeast and spices (not the salt or pepper). In a small bowl add the tahini, mustard, relish, chia seeds, salt and pepper along with ½ c water. Whisk well and pour over the veggie...

First, happy National Coming Out Day! I am coming out as a straight ally and I hope there will come a day when people don't have to hide who they are. And if you're stuck in high school or a conservative area and you're miserable, it will get better . Being an adult is the cat's pajamas and you can live your life and surround yourself with supportive, loving people. I felt like using my dehydrator today so I adapted this samosa recipe I blogged about here . If you recently got a dehydrator and are a little intimidated, this recipe is perfect because it's really easy and you can't mess it up. Dehydrators are definitely not a necessity, even if you eat 100% Raw, but they are fun and they create some lovely textures you can't get with traditional oven baking. Dehydrated Sweet and Spicy Indian Cauliflower 1 head cauliflower, separated into tiny florets 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced 1/2 cup snap peas, sliced 1 tbsp tamarind paste or fruit jam 1 tsp mustard 1 ts...

It's blustery out there, folks. I've been wearing my hat and scarf inside all day. But I have a bucket full of good news! 1) I booked a job! I'll be shooting a student film on Friday and Saturday. 2) I got a cool audition on Friday and I get to use a Southern accent. Fun. 3) CSI is filming right outside my apartment tomorrow and we got warned that there will be fake gunfire. I plan on trying to spy. 4) Ralphs had brussels sprouts on sale for $1.50/pound. I bought all of these for about five bucks. I hadn't even planned on buying brussels - I just made a quick Ralphs stop for some Granny Smith apples last night (apples are my favorite part of fall, hands down) but I couldn't pass up that price. I put my keys next to the bag so you could tell just how big it really is. I roasted them with some 21 Seasoning Salute, garlic and onion powder, and garam masala at 450 for 20 minutes and then 500 for 10 minutes. So good. Add a little BBQ and nooch if you want a true...