Read Day 1 of Oahu

Because of the 3 hour delay from San Diego we woke up extra early. 6 am. We walked around to find some breakfast. We wanted to eat at a Eggs n Things but the line was ridiculously long. Walking around made us both very hungry so we found a nice breakfast buffet right on the beach at the Shoebird Beach Broiler. The ham tasted really great and the pineapple was sooo good. Barb loved the pineapple too.

On to find a perfect spot on the beach! There’s not much sand so if it gets crowded it gets really crowded. We got a nice spot where you have a perfect view of Diamond Head. We plan on heading there next week! The water wasn’t cold at all and the waves weren’t big which was good. I mostly floated in the water on my back staring at the sky. Barb laid out in the sun.

After spending about 2 hours under the sun we were ready to have some lunch. We stopped over at the Cheeseburger in Paradise and had sweet potato fries and mai tai’s. It was a little less than awesome but I just wasn’t hungry enough for a burger.

Later that night, we made reservations for a nearby Japanese BBQ restaurant, Gyu-Kaku. Barb and I love these restaurants in San Diego so we thought we’d try this one out since the reviews on Yelp were great. I was able to score a reservation at 5:45 just in time for happy hour. We saved a lot of money with the happy hour and enjoyed the delicious bbq items. Service was great and we left very happy.

The night was still young. We decided to visit the Genius Bar, which is primarily a sake bar. This is where we learned about cold sake and it really opened our eyes from the usual hot sake we’ve been having. The cold sake we ordered had great texture and taste to it. Hot sake is usually the same wherever we get it so this was a treat. We decided to have an evening snack so we settled with what looked interesting on the menu, Japanese style chicken nuggets. Those were so delicious! Then the waiter talked us into having some Udon which had a great broth.

Day 2 of Oahu was amazing!

We left San Diego at 11:15 PDT and arrived happily in Honolulu at 4:45 HST. Weather was warm and partly cloudy. Our hotel was in Waikiki and we didn’t plan the transportation before we traveled. The cheapest way to get to the hotel was through the Roberts Hawaii shuttle. It’s only $9 one-way or $15 round trip per person. A taxi would be roughly around $30-40. The downside to using Roberts Hawaii shuttle from the airport is that it could take a while to get to your hotel depending on how many people are riding with you.

We are staying at the Courtyard Marriott where it is centrally located in Waikiki beach. Not exactly on the beach but everything is just a walk away. Another plus with the Courtyard Marriott is that they have free Sanyo massage chairs. After a long day of walking you can’t help but to lay on the massage chair for about an hour. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. There is a nice pool and jacuzzi in the back too.

After we put our bags in our room we were starving. We just walked down the street to eat at Sam’s Kitchen. I had the Garlic Chicken plate and Barb had the Mahi-Mahi plate. My meal was made with grilled chicken, not fried. It included plenty of garlic. Might be a lot for others but I like garlic in my food. Barbs Mahi-Mahi tasted so fresh with nice flavors. Her’s also had a lot of garlic.

We walked around a bit more to check out more restaurants for the rest of our stay in Honolulu. There’s plenty of ABC Stores which is just convenient stores but seem to carry a lot of things so much more convenient than I thought. We missed out on the Fireworks show but we’ll be sure to watch it next week.

Do you have any recommendations for Barb and I during our vacation here in Oahu?

OK, so here’s the deal…

I’m at the end of my 3rd week of doing P90x and although I haven’t seen a huge change on the scale, I have felt an enormous difference in my strength and endurance. Also, my energy levels throughout the day has skyrocketed! BONUS! I used to get super tired and lazy around 2-3pm but lately I’ve maintained a steady up beat pace throughout the day. I think this is not only due to the exercises which is a given, but also to the smaller meals I’m having and the healthy snacks I eat in between meals. I think I’m getting used to this! I feel great and I know I’m just going to feel even better as the weeks go by!

On another note, today I achieved a personal victory.  I bravely walked into my closet, pulled out a pair of pants that I have not been able to wear for about 2-3 years, slipped them on, buttoned them up and…TADA! They fit!!!! Comfortably!

I will trade that accomplishment and feeling over a number on a scale any day. It is the biggest motivation and only makes me want to work harder, keep focused and stay committed.

Achieving your goals is not an easy feat. Otherwise, we would all be achieving our goals left right and center like no big deal. The hard work and the dedication that you need to put in in order to achieve what you want in life is NOT EASY! It’s a lot of time invested and sacrifices have to be made. But when you get there, it is soooooooo worth every blood, sweat and tears that you had to endure in the process.

I still have my weaknesses, believe me! It is a battle everyday to choose to eat healthy and choose to exercise. But once I’ve made the right choice, I feel so much better about ME! And you know what, when I do make the wrong choice, I forgive myself and move on. But know that I will have to kick my workout up a notch. Sometimes the calories aren’t worth the amount of time I would have to invest in burning them off. It’s all about making the right choices.

I still have a very long way to go. Very long. And I always say, I am a work in progress. I believe that when you take your time and don’t rush things, that is when you get the best results.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! It’s supposed to be a hot one!

Whoever says you have to starve yourself to lose weight has it all wrong. And they’re missing out!!

Check out this sample of a delicious, easy to make, nutritious and most of all low calorie dinners I found on EatingWell.com. Try it out tonight, you might love it!

Diet meal plans

OK, so I came across this video through my good friend Aliyah. It’s a dancing mascot for a Philippine fast food chain called Jollibee.  I swear I think I’ve watched it 100 times since last night. It is the cutest, funniest thing you’ll ever watch and it makes me laugh every time! This little guy needs to get on the Ellen show!

Please share this with others!

Enjoy!!

We’re talking all kinds of soda. From Coke to lemon-lime, grape soda to Sprite and diet cokes – most sodas are all similar. They all contain 5 common ingredients that help contribute to diabetes, weight gain, lower bone density, and other health issues. Next time you eat out, wash your meal down with some water. Below you will find an image analyzing these chemical ingredients.

Click for Large - Image from DailyBurn Blog

I just wanted to share a video from our Pork Chop Recipe post of how we made a delicious dinner. It was an easy recipe to make.  Copy the ingredients and instructions then cook yourself a storm! At the most, it probably took about 10-15 minutes to prepare and about 30 minutes to cook. Then a good 90 seconds to eat the meal.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel where we upload all sorts of crazy.

Image by Randy Son of a Robert

Happy Friday everyone!!

OK, so tonight it’s Core Synergistics in my P90X workout plan. I really don’t feel like doing it. I mean, I really really DONT WANT to do it! Not because I’m tired, my muscles are too sore, I’m too busy or anything like that. The mere fact of knowing that today is Friday makes me not want to get off my ass and work out. This is a mental thing. Mind over matter. I need to overcome this way of thinking. Just because it’s Friday, doesn’t constitute as a good enough excuse to skip my workout and throw off my schedule. Right? I’m trying to psyche myself up and tell myself..”Girl, you have 5 weeks until you’re in Hawaii. Do you want people to run when they see you in your bikini?” .

But it’s not working…..

What do you guys do for motivation?
Where do you find it and how does it help you meet your goals?

I found this article online about the Top 10 Shallow Reasons to Workout. Pretty funny but so honest and true!

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/topshal.htm

Hey yall! I want to introduce a weekly series called Casual Friday where I post various links, videos, articles and photos that I’ve found this week that were either useful or funny.

This week Barb and I have been busy doing p90x and cooking. What else can we pack in a day!? On top of that we started this blog that’s basically about the both of us. Most likely it will be about food

How was your week? Please share in the comments!

Oh what the!?

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I found a great recipe on www.eatingwell.com the other day and so we decided to try it out tonight with long grain wild rice on the side.

It was super fast and easy to make and delicious so I wanted to share it with you.

Enjoy!

Pork Chops with Apples and Thyme

Ingredients:
¾ cup low sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons of cornstarch
2 teaspoons of canola oil
Boneless pork chops, ½ inch thick, trimmed of fat
1 small onion sliced
1 granny smith apple peeled and sliced
¼ cup apple cider or apple juice
2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon dried thyme

Pork for 5 peeps. Click on the image for larger photo

Directions:
Mix 2 tablespoons of broth and cornstarch in a small bowl.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over high heat.
Add chops and cook until browned, 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
Reduce heat to medium-high and add onion to the pan, stir until it starts to soften and brown.
Add apple and cook until tender, 3-5 minutes.
Stir in the remaining broth, cider or juice, mustard, thyme and the cornstarch mixture.
Bring to a boil, stirring until thickened and glossy, about 1 minute.
Return the chops to the pan and heat through.
Serve immediately.
Recipe courtesy of EatingWell.com

Dinner is served! Click for larger photo.

What is your favorite pork recipe?