Monthly Archives

October 2016

5 Reasons You Need To Book A Disney Cruise

by Nellie October 27, 2016

5 Reasons You Need To Book A Disney Cruise

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Last weekend I got to do something pretty incredible, I got to preview the Disney Magic in a very special preview event! You all know how I feel about Disney. From my engagement in front of the castle, to races, to conferences–Orlando is pretty much my most frequently travelled place, ever.

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It was a super cold and rainy day but that didn’t matter much because my heart was warm with excitement for the day. I’ve been on a few cruises in the past but never a Disney cruise! Here are some of the awesome highlights of the day.

Have you ever thought about booking a Disney Cruise? Here are five magical reasons why you should give it a try! From the amazing spas, to the pools, your family will have the vacation of a lifetime! #travel #disneytips #disney

The Spa: I’ve never seen a spa like this in real life much less on a BOAT! The spa was gorgeous, you can get pretty much anything done from facials to teeth whitening (!). The spa area is gorgeous and super zen. You can get a mani/pedi or simply even relax in the sauna. They even have top of the line products to choose from. Couples massage? Why not?! The rooms are plenty and clean. Every mom deserves at least one treatment while on the boat, self care is awesome even on vacation!
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: the Mickey Mouse clubhouse is a special play area for kids 4-12. They have plenty of fun things to keep them busy (while you get that spa treatment) like tablets, and this super fun iron man virtual game. I got to try it out and it’s the coolest!! It’s a really fun adult free place for kids to hang.
Animator’s Palate: We were able to have lunch in the Animator’s Palate restaurant. Little did I know that it was a completely interactive experience! There are fun drawings everywhere (which reminded me of my second favorite resort at Walt Disney World, Art of Animation). When you arrive you are asked to draw a character then your waiter collects them. Halfway through your meal your artwork comes to life for everyone to see! It was the coolest! Oh and the food was divine as well. 🙂
Tangled the Musical: We got to preview the awesome musical version of one of my favorite Disney movies Tangled. The show was a little over an hour and it was held in the beautiful Walt Disney Theater. The acting, singing and dancing was incredible. The set was really gorgeous as well, it could easily be on Broadway with Aladdin and The Lion King. So good!
Mixology classes: Another fun adult offering was the mixology classes held at “Keys” which resembles a stunning old school Chicago bar. You will get taught what you need to make the perfect cocktail, how to combine flavors and how to make the perfect mojito. Did I mention you get a drink ALL the drinks?! I made myself a no-jito made of agave, blueberry, mint, club soda and lime and it was pretty delish! We even got to mash the ingredients like a real bartender :).
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Honorable mentions:

Pools: The pools are gorgeous. There is even an adult only pool if you want!

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Family Announcements: the Disney cruise staff makes an individual announcement for every family that arrives making them feel welcome right away.

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Health safety is a priority: before we sat down for lunch each person in line was handed a wipe to clean their hands. Also in the Mickey Mouse club there was a really cool hand washing machine. I saw several anti bacterial types of machines all around the deck.

Here are 5 reasons why YOU should book a @DisneyCruise #DCLNewYork #DisneySMMC #Disney

Marvel At Sea is coming in November 2017! If your kids (including your husband) is as obsessed with the entire marvel franchise as mine are they will FLIP over this new addition! For one day during the cruise the ship will have live superheroes, marvel movie marathons and even marvel game trivia! Sign me up!!

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Special thanks to Disney Cruise Line for giving this Disney Junkie a very special day. I can’t wait to start planning our cruise for next year! For more visuals of the fun day out, check out the video below!

Have you ever been on a Disney cruise? What is your favorite cruise line?

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running tips

Workouts For Runners: Yoga Stretches

by Nellie October 26, 2016

Workouts For Runners: Yoga Stretches

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This month’s installment of the super popular series Workouts For Runner’s is YOGA STRETCHES! If you run, then you know what it’s like to have the runner’s high. You relish in the feeling of running your fastest and farthest distance. You monitor your heart rate and your calories burned. Yoga is really the opposite of running, it forces you to slow down, to be still, to connect with your body on new levels.

Let’s face it, Yoga is amazing for runners.

One of my goals every year is to be better at yoga. I have never been the most flexible human, but I know what yoga does for me and how it challenges me so I am always looking to take it to the next level! I now use insanely good Yoga apps like —> The Asana Rebel Yoga App Is Everything Yoga Dreams Are Made Of.

This month I am sharing Yoga Stretches from 5 of my favorite runner bloggers. Seeing all of these workouts is not only inspiring but confirmation that I need to be better and more consistent with my yoga practice. Here are some of my favorite yoga stretches to open up those tight hips!

My Top Five Stretches are:

–Downward Dog

–Pigeon Pose

–Bound Angle Pose

–Shin To Shin

–Runner’s Lunge

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Check out the links below from some amazing runner bloggers and see some more awesome yoga stretches you can do to keep your body limber while running!

Carly @ Fine Fit Day

Allie @ VITA Train 4 Life

Laura @ This Runner’s Recipes

Sarah @ Run Far Girl

Angela @ Happy Fit Mama

If you run, do you do yoga stretches? Are you more of a cardio person, or a low key workout kind of person?

If you like these Stretches, you will love these

Hill Workouts For Runners

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friends fun getting social Recipes

5 Delish Pomegranate Recipes That Will Impress Your Holiday Guests

by Nellie October 24, 2016

This post is sponsored by POM Wonderful.

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With the holiday season approaching quickly it’s time to get your holiday recipes in order! I was invited to learn all about cooking with Pomegranates with Momtrends and POM Wonderful last week and added some pretty awesome recipes to my arsenal.

29835016983_7e7d49691e_k The event was held in Little Italy, it was a warm night so there were plenty of restaurants with outdoor seating and many maitre d’s beckoning me into their restaurants. Fortunately for me I had a pretty awesome cooking party awaiting me with my favorite blogger girls.

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This was my first time cooking with Pomegranates! I’ve always been so intimidated by the size of the fruit–but not anymore. I was able to help create some of the most delish guacamole ever and my friends create more POM centered recipes that are so so good! Check them out below!

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Appetizers and Cocktails

Moroccan Shrimp with Pom Poms Recipe

When we arrived there were delicious appetizers waiting for us including Moroccan Shrimp with Pom Poms:

Moroccan Shrimp With Pom Poms (10 appetizer servings)
1.5 cup Pom Poms Fresh Arils
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined, with tails
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1.5 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups baby arugula

For the Sauce
4 cups POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
1.5 cups sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions:

For the sauce, in a pot over a high heat, stir together POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate JUICE, sugar, and lemon juice until the sugar dissolves. Boil until liquid thickens and is reduced to one cup (approx 45 minutes).

Toss shrimp in a bowl with cumin, coriander, cinnamon, salt, and olive oil and stir to coat.
Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Add shrimp and cook two minutes per side until pink and opaque. Brush shrimp with sauce. Serve arugula on the side tossed with lemon juice and olive oil. Top shrimp and arugula with Pom Poms Fresh Arils for serving.

There were more fun and delish appetizers like this amazing bruschetta that I could not get enough off!

I love my pomegranate juice so I was excited to try the POM Wonderful mocktail! But according to my friends the cocktail was also a hit!

Entrees & Cooking

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Cooking events are the best, especially when you do them with friends!!

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We got stationed on the guacamole station. Since guac is my favorite this was a no brainer. We diced red onions, sliced avocados and peppers, zested lime and it was SO SO good! I am a bit of a guac snob but this one was delish!

Pomegranate Guacamole

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Serves 4

2 ripe avocados, skin and pit removed

zest and juice of 1 lime

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 large jalapeño pepper deseeded and finely chopped

1 garlic clove

minced kosher salt to taste 1/2 cup POM POMS

Fresh Arils

tortilla chips or pita chips

1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mash the avocado and mix in the lime zest and juice, red onion, jalapeño, garlic. Season to taste with salt. Stir in the pomegranate seeds and serve with tortilla or pita chips

Nicole’s POM POMs Chicken Salad

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Serves 2

Salad Ingredients

1/2 cup POM POMS Fresh Pomegranate Arils

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 cup sliced chicken

4 cups mixed greens (I like a little arugula mixed in)

Directions: Combine all ingredients, add dressing, toss, mix in dressing serve over greens.

Dressing Ingredients:

2 tablespoons EVOO

1/4 tablespoon honey

1/4 tablespoon mustard

pinch of salt

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a small jar and shake vigorously.

Roasted Salmon with POM POMS Salsa

Servings: 6

Time to Table: 30 minutes

1 cup POM POMS Fresh Arils

1¾ lbs (28-oz) salmon filet

½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

¼ red onion, sliced

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1. Heat broiler to high with rack 6 inches below broiler. Season salmon with sea salt and pepper. Place salmon on a foil-lined pan and broil until cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.

2. Stir together the POM POMS Fresh Arils, parsley, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil and ¼ teaspoon sea salt. Spoon salsa over salmon to serve.

Additional serving suggestion: Spoon POM POMS Salsa on top of toasted baguette slices to make a bruschetta appetizer.

Stuffed Quinoa Squash Recipe

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Servings: 4

Time to Table: 1 hour and 15 minutes

1 cup POM POMS Fresh Arils, plus more for garnish

2 acorn squash

11⁄2 cups quartered Brussels sprouts

11⁄2 cups wedged onions

11⁄2 cups diced eggplant

1 cup diced mushrooms

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/3 cup dry quinoa

1. Heat oven to 400F. Microwave acorn squash until soft enough to cut, about 15 minutes. Cut in half stem to tip, and scrape out seeds. Place on a roasting pan and place on the upper third rack of the oven. Roast until tender, about 40 min.

2. Meanwhile, toss together the Brussels sprouts, onions, eggplant, mushrooms, olive oil, salt and pepper and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet. Place on the lower third rack of the oven under the acorn squash. Roast until tender, about 35 min.

3. Toss roasted vegetables with quinoa, feta, POM POMS Fresh Arils and half of the red wine vinaigrette. Spoon into acorn squash. Sprinkle with extra POM POMS Fresh Arils and serve extra vinaigrette.

RED WINE VINAIGRETTE

2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon thyme, chopped

4 tablespoons olive oil

Pinch of salt and pepper

1. Whisk together 1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar, a pinch of salt and pepper, 1⁄2 teaspoon chopped thyme and 4 tablespoons olive oil.

5 #Recipes using #Pomegranates that will impress your dinner guests! @POMWonderful #cookwithpom

Have you ever cooked with Pomegranates before?

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healthy living marathon training

3 Effective Low Impact Cross Training Exercises For Marathon Training

by Nellie October 14, 2016

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With just a short 4 weeks to go for marathon training, I have been extra careful with my training by working hard to prevent injuries (read: laying on my couch when not training) and also by doing some of my favorite cross training activities. One of my biggest mistakes last year was my lack of strength training during marathon training.

This week’s theme as a TCS NYC Marathon Social Media Ambassador is Cross Training. This year I have made it a huge priority to cross train, even sacrificing a week day of running here and there. To see more themes from the past weeks, check out my Facebook page!

Here are my top three favorite ways to cross train:

Indoor Cycling: This is definitely one of my favorite ways to exercise. From the pumping music to the awesome people all pushing towards the same goal, indoor cycling is my preferred way to workout when I am not running. Plus you can get a pretty great cardio workout for your heart without pounding the pavement!

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Yoga: I love a good yoga class! Whether I am practicing yoga right in the privacy of my own home or if I got to $5 bikram hot yoga class in Midtown, Yoga brings sweet relief to my body after running so many miles. It’s also a great way to stop and really pay attention to the tightness and less flexible parts of your body.

Strength Training: Resistance training is my all time favorite way to exercise. It is easy to get into and with hard work you can advance at it pretty quickly. It is a low impact way to strengthen all the muscles you use to run (which is pretty much ALL your muscles) and it will only help you get faster in the end. I’ve spent a lot of time strength training this marathon cycle and it’s made a really huge difference in my long runs and hopefully will on race day too! Runner’s World has a great section on Strength Training that details how to use weights in detail when it comes to running.

Some great #crosstraining options for the @nycmarathon! #tcsnycmarathon @nyrr #runforlife

How do you cross train when marathon training? If you don’t train for marathons what is your second favorite form of exercise?

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NYC Fitness Classes spinning

“The Sufferfest” Is Taking Indoor Cycling To A Different Level

by Nellie October 8, 2016

imaxshift-sufferfest-3614 I have taken a ton of spin classes, some with super famous celebrities, fitness super stars and pretty much every boutique in NYC. Last weekend I got to try a brand new type of spin class starring an amazing fitness app called The Sufferfest. The class was held in a spin studio with an IMAX screen. I know. It’s actually just as insane as it sounds.

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The Sufferfest

First let me tell you more about this fitness app.

“IMAXShift is one of the most exciting new cycling studios in the United States. We’re thrilled to bring the adrenaline rush of professional bike races like the Giro d’Italia and the UCI World Track Championships to the big screen and run some incredible indoor cycling classes,” said David McQuillen, The Sufferfest CEO. “There will certainly be some big Suffering during the sessions, but IMAXShift will leave them with huge smiles afterwards.”
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The Sufferfest is unique in the world of cycling studio videos, using officially licensed footage of professional races like the Tour de France, World Championships and more. During the day-long event, The Sufferfest will run three different sessions to highlight the launch of its two newest productions. The one-hour Thin Air video features a 40-minute climb, giving riders a powerful workout with footage from the Tour of Italy – one of the most popular cycling races in the world.

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Riding In IMAX

So as you can imagine this was my first time ever riding with insanely clear crisp visuals in front of me. It also helps that there are incredibly fit amazing athletes on the screen as well. When you are spinning with these visuals somehow you begin to feel as if you are all the way in the race too! Before for you knew it was was pushing like a crazy person trying to keep up with the pack on the screen.

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When I really loved about the Sufferfest was that the footage was so well put together. There was 6 different sections of the film and some focused on hills and resistance. In the upper right corner you could see how hard you should be pushing and what your effort level should be. In addition to the awesome instructor giving us directions, there were words on the screen telling you to “go”, “push” and “hold on”.

About The Sufferfest

The Sufferfest create the world’s best cycling videos for individual and group training. Every video features officially licensed footage from professional races like the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and UCI World Championships, creating an extraordinary experience guaranteed to engage, challenge and entertain athletes of all levels. The Sufferfest has a passionate following of more than 100,000 ‘Sufferlandrians’ in 70 countries, and now brings its renowned offering to group fitness through a new licensing program for gyms and studios with more than 100 Sufferlandrian Embassies in 14 countries. For further information, please visit http://www.thesufferfest.com/gyms -studios/

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I can see why The Sufferfest has such a huge following! If you find yourself on an indoor bike I highly recommend The Sufferfest for your suffering pleasure!

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