Best Thai in Boulder: Aloy Thai

Instead of getting Chinese take-outs growing up, we always got Thai. And I am oh-so-happy for that! It’s rare that I’m not in a mood for Thai food. I just love all the deep flavors right along with that spark of zest at the end. And because we grew up having it as take-outs, it reminds me of home in a weird way. We’ve tried a lot of the Thai places in Boulder and finally we took a friend’s advice to go to Aloy Thai, and I’m so glad we did! The combination of a great price and awesome taste knocks it out of the park.

Let’s start with the dishes. The first time we came here was after a gym session (surprise, surprise), and I wasn’t feeling so hot. Everyone at work was sick around me, and I wanted to burn anything out! When we would get sniffly or sick as a kid, instead of chicken noodle soup, my dad would go get us Tom Yum Soup, a spicy Thai soup. It is so delicious and has that kick that will make your nose run. So you know I went there and ordered a huge bowl of Tom Yum Noodle Soup with Tofu. Serving was so big I had a full lunch of it tomorrow. Chris got the pineapple fried rice with chicken and he devoured it with a big smile on his face. And he got it a second time when we came back! I got the Pad Thai the second time. It wasn’t spectacular, but it was still good. We also have gotten the vegetable fresh spring rolls numerous times and love them–so fresh and we nearly drink the peanut sauce that goes with it.

Veggie fresh spring rolls!

Tom Yum Soup

The atmosphere is also excellent, with Thai designs and a yellow-orange lighting. They have plenty of staff and the service is always great. The music is nice and it is never too loud. The price definitely seals the deal. The huge tom yum noodle soup was only $9–NINE DOLLARS. Chris’ pineapple fried rice came to only $11. It was such an amazing dinner for such a good price, we are constantly going back.

If you’re in Boulder and craving some Thai, stop at Aloy Thai. It has delicious dishes that won’t break the bank. Avoid the Pad Thai, but dig into anything you can get your hands on! Hungry and Fit gives Aloy Thai a big thumbs up. And as always…stay hungry and fit!

BONUS KITTY PIC

Two cuties under the pingpong table

Jan162014

Burgerfuel vs Burger Wisconsin (Kiwi Series)

No contest. Burgerfuel wins. In all honesty, I never got to have a Burger Wisconsin burger but they should not open at 5:00 p.m. at so many locations (they didn’t open until late!). Burgerfuel served me the largest item on their secret menu at 9:00 a.m. That won my heart. With that being said, I will say nothing more about Burger Wisconsin, to be fair. (Editor’s Note: after we left New Zealand, my brother was able to get Burger Wisconsin as it finally opened, and he said it was pretty tasty. Looking forward to trying it next time around)

The first Burgerfuel burger I had was in Taupo, New Zealand. It is a chain based out of NZ that has locations in Australia, Iran, UAE, Dubai, and Sudan. (I could be totally wrong about the last three… I think two are correct.) So was the second, no more than 14 hours later. That was the impression it made on me. And these are not inexpensive burgers… they cost a ton. And I still went back.

Part of the huge family at Lake Taupo, New Zealand

First course, The Bastard. This is the largest item on their public menu. Off their website, it contains, “1/3 pound 100% pure NZ grass fed beef, melted cheddar, bacon, beetroot, juicy mango, avocado, salad, relish and fresh natural BF aioli.” It cost about $13. I didn’t get fries or a drink but someone else in our group did. Their spud fries and kumara fries were both delicious. It is supposedly 1200 calories and went down easy. The meat was cooked well and the condiments made it one of the MOST DELICIOUS BURGERS I HAVE EVER HAD. The beetroot, mango and avocado were fresh and top-notch pieces. The trademark aioli and relish caused salivation.

The Bastard

Second course, The Ultimate Greedy Bastard. Add a second 1/3 pound patty, a piece of their chicken, and an egg. There might have been one more item. This one is not on the menu, it is above The Greedy Bastard on the secret menu revealed by an employee after I complained The Bastard was too small. It was about $24 and was so good for a breakfast sandwich. I had a hard time finishing the last tenth of it. I have no ideas how many calories or grams of protein/carbs/fats it had. The employees had awesome customer service skills. The facility was clean and had an inviting but cool vibe.

EPIC! Ultimate Greedy Bastard

Trying to get my mouth around it (Aunt Raewyn in the background)

Finally, Burgerfuel invented the DOOFER. A picture is below but it is essentially a burger holder so you don’t make a mess! What an amazing idea, plus they are made of 100% recycled material. Everyone else who got a chicken sandwich and fries enjoyed their meal. I would have liked the opportunity to sample more of their menu but so far I am very impressed.

So if you are in any of the countries listed above try to stop by a Burgerfuel and let me know what you think of it! Five Guys, Smashburger, Bobby’s Burger Palace, and even In-n-Out doesn’t compare.(Alana will kill me for that last one!) This is just based off the quality of a single sandwich at each, not the meal as a whole. In-n-Out wins in that category. More New Zealand/Kiwi posts coming up! And as always…stay hungry and fit!

P.S. – Burger Wisconsin, if you want to compete, open earlier! Burgers should be available for lunch, says I!

If you want to see more of our New Zealand pictures, follow us on instagram! @nanatiger and @hungryandfit!

Question of the Day: Where is your favorite burger, whether its made of beef, chicken, tofu, or any vegan option!

BONUS KITTY PIC

Sajah literally fell asleep between my feet last night in about 5 seconds

Jan012014

Fit’s 2014 Goals

Kia Ora from Auckland, New Zealand. As we are desperately trying to stay up past 8pm in our sleep-deprived, jet-lagged state, I decided to post my goals for the upcoming year as they’ve been milling in my mind. We’ll see how long it goes…

1. Be less insensitive. I’ve gotten a few requests for this, especially those I am close with. I need to slow down and understand others’ feelings more and accept them. Always put yourself in their shoes.

2. Stay clean. Eating, that is. For me, I really have the exercising down. I love to do it. I love to get strong and feel that power. It makes me happy. But I also love to eat–which is fine! But it needs to be moderated. I want to stay true with my clean eating with the exception of a few meals to splurge on. I know my body loves it.

3. Don’t try to change others. This is a big one. I’ve wrestled with it for a while, going back and forth on it. I think it’s really important to not try to change others. Sure, you can have your influences, but don’t try to draw a picture that they just don’t fit into. You got to accept them and take them as they are. Make peace with it and you will be happier.

My lovely mum

4. Write more. I know I blog often, but I mean more than the blog. Just practicing the skill and having fun with it. It just takes a little bit every day.

5. Push harder. There’s always one more rep or just a few more minutes. I can always push harder. Sometimes I see exercise as a chore (well, depending on my mood and energy level), but I want to see it more as my hobby as I often do and plug in more and more hours into it. There’s always more you can do!

6. Patience. Patience patience patience. Isn’t this something we all struggle with? I sure do. With everything. Especially with a new puppy coming soon into the family, I’m gonna need patience all the time. Meditation will be a big part of this, taking big breaths, and putting everything into perspective. It always helps.

7. Meditate more. This is the key! I find that when I meditate regularly, things come into more clarity. I feel better, lighter, and more at peace. This will help me with all my goals, and I need to actually understand and adhere to this. All it takes is 2-3 minutes a day. Not that much when you think about it.

I’ll stop with seven, since that’s my favorite number. I think that’s a fair amount of goals to chase after, and having this post will allow me to look back on it whenever I need motivation. I will also pin it up next to my desk so I can see it every day. Never give up, never surrender! Write out your goals to stay hungry and fit!

Question of the Day: What are your goals for 2014?

Dec302013

Safe and Sound in New Zealand! #travel

We made it! We finally arrived after 12 hours of flying and another of customs. We’re a little groggy (Chris is actually sleeping on the couch right now), but we’ve made it! Just in case you wondered where we’ve run off to…we are here in New Zealand for two weeks for a cousin’s wedding and to explore both islands! Some of you know I’m half-Kiwi, meaning that my mum is from New Zealand. We are very excited for this trip. My mum, dad, brother, and his girlfriend will be arriving tomorrow. My aunt picked us up and we are just getting acclimated. This post is going to be picture-heavy. Just of things we did in California and things we’ve just done in New Zealand! Here goes…

In NZ at a park across the way!

Let’s start with Christmas in Santa Monica, California (my hometown). We arrived Christmas Eve and boy did it go fast. We saw lots of family and friends, ate tons of good food, and got in fun workouts. Christmas loot was incredible this year, some of the standouts were the Jawbone UP, a mixer, Star Wars CCG cards, Amazon gift cards, oh and…A GOPRO!!!!!! Yeah Chris went a little overboard this year in terms of presents, so so excited to use the GoPro in New Zealand. We actually got footage of us “surfing” (there were no waves that day), and you’ll see it once I learn how to edit it.

Just arrived in Cali

Star Wars cards…super rare!

Jawbone UP…records movement, sleeping, and eating. A wrist band.

GoPro!!

Joys of opening packs

This was at a delicious Christmas Eve party with my family…Chris eating children of course

Gotta love Santa Monica..

In N Out…

Bay Cities!!

Mum’s homemade breakfast

Japanese food with Sophie and Kai

Epic Tekka Don

Time to move onto workouts…we did some improvising home workouts

Some at the beach with friends…

Rope climbing!

He got all the way up

And don’t forget the surf!

Beautiful picture from the GoPro camera

The five days in California went by incredibly fast, but I’m not surprised. Then on Sunday night, we loaded our stuff into a car, Dad dropped us off at the airport and we were on our way to New Zealand! We arrived to New Zealand Tuesday @ 5:30am. Yes, Tuesday…we skipped Monday! 18 hour time difference plus 12 hour flight will do that to you I guess. Here’s a few pictures from the journey so far…

Mum and I with travel pillows

Had to get this journal for the trip

Food at LAX

Airplane food, not bad!

Little itty bitty beginning of sunrise

They don’t refrigerate eggs here!

Chris’ epic kiwi breakfast

Going for a walk

New Zealand is just pretty

We hope to update you as often as we can, depending on internet of course. Probably the hardest part of all of this is being away from the cats for so long, but it helps to know that they are in good hands in Boulder. We are in Auckland now but will soon be travelling south. So excited to be here with Chris and my huge kiwi family for this trip. We are going to have lots of great food and find fun creative ways to workout on the road. Happy New Years!! As always…stay hungry and fit!

Dec272013

How to Make Beignets in Under 10 Minutes

Back in college, I did two service trips to New Orleans. That is where I discovered this magical things called beignets (French for “donuts”). There’s nothing like them really, and I always get overexcited when I get to eat them. Although there’s nothing like getting them fresh and hot from Cafe du Monde (original place in New Orleans), it’s still a treat to be able to have them from home. This isn’t going to be a complicated recipe. No, instead, I used the actual box mix that Cafe du Monde sells. Chris got me 3 boxes of them for Valentine’s Day last year. This product gets a full thumbs up.

Feast yer eyes

Prep Time: 7 minutes
Cooking Time: >1 minute

Ingredients

2 cups Cafe du Monde beignet box mix
7/8 cup water
flour for unsticking purposes
oil
powdered sugar

Directions

Stir together the 2 cups of the mix and the water until it is all bound together
Heat up a deep pot or skillet with an inch of oil in it. Turn up the heat!
Flour a cutting board and your rolling pin and roll out the mixture until it’s around 1/4 inch
Then go ahead and cut it into a little bigger than 2 square inch pieces. It was all a rough estimate for me.
As soon as your oil is hot (I don’t have a thermometer so I dropped water in to see if it would sizzle), drop those bad boys in. They shouldn’t need longer than 2 minutes
Take them out and dry them
Pour copious amounts of powdered sugar on them and then STUFF YOUR FACE!!

At least, that’s what I did. I couldn’t even finish them and Chris wouldn’t help me because he wasn’t hungry that early. I had tried making these before and failed horribly. It’s taken me awhile to try again and I’m glad I did because they came out pretty darn good. Not as good as Cafe du Monde, but that was never a goal. Go ahead and treat yourself with a box of this magic. We found it at World Market near us, but look it up! And as always…stay hungry and fit!

BONUS KITTY PIC

Nymeria taking a selfie

Dec202013

Healthy Broccoli and Onion Quiche Recipe

As you know, we’re travelling to California and New Zealand in less than a week. This means we need to get rid of perishables ASAP! What is a good way to use lots of eggs in a yummy way? Oh yeah, quiche. Now, I’ve never made a quiche of my own, but I’ve always always been a fan. My parents both make wonderful quiches in such different ways and I was excited to try it. And I am amazed how easy it is to make it! Quiches are going to happen a lot more often in this household! I was planning to have it for breakfast or lunch tomorrow, but unfortunately…none of it survived (thanks, Chris). This recipe was adapted from Whole Foods.

…

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes

Macronutrients

Serves: 8 (well, I cut it into 8 pieces…obviously just served us 2, serve yourself more if this isn’t enough and you don’t have to feel guilty about it!)
Calories: 98
Fat: 4.4g
Carbs: 7.4g
Protein: 6.8g

Ingredients

4 eggs
1 small broccoli (roughly 1.5 cups)
1 white onion
1 cup milk
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
black pepper to taste
paprika to taste
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour

Directions

First, grease up a square or circle baking dish and pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Dice up the onion (don’t forget your goggles so you don’t cry!) and chop up the broccoli into small little pieces

Heat up a pan with oil and cook the onions until tender. Then throw the broccoli in for 5 minutes or so.

Put the cooked veggies into your baking dish

Alrighty, let’s move onto our egg mixture. Grab a large bowl and put the eggs, milk, Parmesan, salt, oregano, and pepper. Whisk whisk whisk! Then slowly mix in the flour.

Now pour the egg mixture into the baking dish evenly.

And that’s it. Now we just put it in the oven for 35 minutes. After it’s ready, let it cool before you dig in!

This recipe was so easy and so delicious. Like I said, we ended up finishing the whole tin in one meal. We are hungry and fit after all. This dish is great with some ketchup, too. I am so excited to play with this recipe and throw different veggies, spices, and meats (for Chris) into it and see what happens. To top it all off, this recipe is ridiculously healthy which helps me stay true to my goals. Just look at those macros above! Use this recipe to stay hungry and fit!

Way too small of a piece

Love the broccoli bites

Question of the Day: What’s your favorite quiche ingredients?

BONUS KITTY PIC

Kitties in da bathroom

Dec182013

My New Love: Pho

Yes, Pho. Pronounced “fuh.” My boss took me to Saigon Xpress a few weeks ago and I consequently fell in love. You know we love noodle dishes like ramen, and this takes it to a whole ‘nother level. I had heard of Pho before, of course, and knew it had something to do with noodles, but wasn’t sure what all the fuhs was about (sorry, I had to). And then I tasted some and now I’m obsessed.

from Saigon Xpress

So what is Pho? Pho is a big bowl of broth, rice or egg noodles, vegetables, and whatever protein you have ordered (I get tofu). But wait, the magic isn’t done yet. Along with an absurdly large bowl of this madness, you get a huge plate of fresh bean sprouts, jalapenos, and thai basil. Restaurants usually serve hoisin sauce and sriracha as well for you to pour on as you please. So once you get your steaming bowl of deliciousness, you put the bean sprouts and basil in (as well as any sauces) and then stir it around. Then you may feast.

Why is it so good? The mix of fresh and hot ingredients is absolutely wonderful. And slurping up the noodles is a big favorite of mine too. For me, the real star is the thai basil. It has this minty flavor that totally zests up the entire dish. So far, I have not been able to finish my serving, even though I get a small. It’s a lot of food. I liked it so much when I had lunch with my boss that I ordered one to go for Chris later that night. I cannot wait to go again, Saigon Xpress is definitely a favorite. We tried it at Chez Thuy as well, but it didn’t compare to Saigon.

Another huge plus for me is the healthy factor. I do not feel any heaviness, regret, or guilt after I’ve finished my portion. I always feel happy, full, and content. I get my fill of liquids, carbs, vegetables, and protein all wrapped up in one healthy dish. I cannot even express the tastiness that this dish holds. Look up your local Pho eatery and go there ASAP. And if you’re near Longmont, CO, go to Saigon Xpress–you won’t regret it! Eating Pho is one great way to stay hungry and fit!

Some up and close goodness

Dec132013

How to Survive a Holiday Party

Tis the season of holiday parties full of cookies, brownies, fried foods, and tons of booze. Yikes. Double yikes if you’re trying to get through the holidays without packing on a tire belly. So I’ve created a rough holiday party survival guide. I need it too as I’m working hard to get ready for New Zealand!

1. Eat before you go. This is one of the best ways to avoid pitfalling from a grumbling tummy into a plate of sugar cookies. Eat something with plenty of protein. This will keep a fuller belly for a longer time. Then you can think clearly about the choices you are about to make at the festive party. Even if you have little time between blow-drying your hair and deciding which shoes to wear, slam back a healthy bowl of cereal at least!

2. Stick to one glass. An easy easy way to overeat or just overindulge in general is to throw down too much alcohol. When you drink too much, your awareness of hunger and fullness fades and whatever looks good, you are going to eat. I’ve seen this countless times. Also, sticking to one glass helps you make smart decisions even beyond food. You get a taste, but you stay classy!

Found this atop a gym locker…not classy

3. Go for greens. Have you ever snacked on a ton of raw green beans? It actually gives you a sense of fullness. Anyways, at parties, there is usually some type of greenery, even if it does look lonely in the corner. This is the thing you wanna overdo, the thing you wanna go crazy on. Stuff your face with those sliced cucumbers and dunk it in hummus too!

4. Moderation. There are going to be treats that, even if you ate before you left and only had one glass of wine, you are going to want to try. That friend who has a wicked baking thumb? Yeah you want to try her decadent cookies. One of the most important things with eating–and life–is moderation. Have a bite of that cookie, taste a little bit of that cheesy dish. Just play it smart, don’t overdo.

So when you want to eat the whole cookie pan…just have a little

5. Use smaller plates. This happened to me recently at a holiday party. There were only small plates. At first it was frustrating, but then I realized it kept my ravenous stomach at bay. Like I suggest at any big family gathering, stick to the small plates. Fill it up with greens and some of the other stuff and sit down and eat it. If you really want to wait in line and get more food, sure. But this way, there’s not a huge plate of food eyeing you, waiting for you to finish it even though you’re full.

6. Be a butterfly! Social butterfly, I mean. Who has time to gobble up fudge when you’re engrossed in wonderful conversation? Go around, talk to different people, catch up! Honestly, when you’re busy talking, you’re not going to think of food. Try it.

^.^

Those are just a few ways to survive those deadly holiday parties. Meditate on moderation before you go! Serve yourself a delicious dinner so those jugs of eggnog don’t tempt you. Stay strong, remember your goals, and remember that this is just one night. And even if you botch it, it’s not the end of the world. Use this steps to stay hungry and fit!

BONUS KITTY PIC

Nymeria’s favorite hangout spot

Dec092013

Sugar Cookie Chex Party Mix Recipe

This weekend, Chris and I attended our first blogging event. Chex had researched the blogs in the Colorado area and we popped up on their list! We drove down to the Park Meadows Mall in Lone Tree (which is BEAUTIFUL) and attended the event for about an hour. The bloggers were all female and a slightly older demographic. Everybody was super friendly and it was great to meet other bloggers, especially some of who I follow daily like Dinners, Dishes and Desserts. We spent half the time trying out the easy peasy Chex holiday recipes and then the other half bundling up the goodies in little gift boxes and bags. All the recipes we learned were easy and delicious–perfect for procrastinators like me for gift-giving. And then Chex sent all of us home with goodie bags that we very much appreciated. Thank you, Chex! It was hard picking one recipe out of the many we tried, but I’m going with the Sugar Cookie Chex mix. Now onto the yummy stuff…

Their setup

Ingredients

6 cups Rice Chex cereal
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk chocolate chips
SPRINKLES!!

Ingredients all ready for us! Very nice

Directions

Put the cereal in a large bowl that can be microwaved
Line a baking sheet with some wax paper or foil for when you are finished
Get your butter melted, whether through the oven, microwave or other means
Mix the regular sugar and corn syrup into the butter, then microwave to loosen everything up
Stir in the vanilla.
Pour the mixture over the warmed up cereal and stir it so it is mixed properly. Also add in the white chocolate chips at this time
Microwave for 2 minutes
Sprinkle with the powdered sugar and really spread the sugar around
Now let’s lay the delicious cereal mixture onto that lined baking sheet. Sprinkle those sprinkles on top and have fun with it!

Amazingly delicious and simple

And that’s it. You can absolutely make this in under 15 minutes, no problem. If you prefer the oven, go for that! Next time when I do it on my own, I will probably substitute the corn syrup for some sugar and water. This dish is really delicious and it’s perfect for the holidays and school parties. Take advantage of it! And as always…stay hungry and fit!

Question of the Day: What is your favorite holiday treat?

BONUS KITTY PIC

Nymeria and I watching kitty videos

Dec062013

Staying Fit Over the Holidays

As some of you know, we are traveling to New Zealand at the end of December. Which also means it is going to be summer. Which means we can’t cover up our bodies with massive amounts of clothing like we are currently doing in Colorado (was -5 degrees F when I woke up this morning). Which then means that we want to look even better by the end of the month! Health and fitness are always top priorities for us, but throughout the rest of this month, I may not have pizza or creme brulee more than twice a week ;). Here’s my plan.

Actual picture I took of New Zealand last time round

No thanks!

Usually, I go with whatever “workout split” I want. A workout split is basically how you are splitting your training of each muscle group. Usually I don’t structure mine and kind of do what I feel like or match it up with Chris. However, I decided for the month of December to create my own and follow it to the best of my ability. Here’s what it looks like:

As you can see, Core and Legs come up twice throughout my split. It’s a tough call but probably my favorite muscle group to develop (maybe tied with shoulders…and even back) is the legs group. Seeing my squatting weight go up and up is an inspiration for myself. Feeling the strength in my legs and the shape of my body change is exciting. Which is why legs are repeated. And core…sometimes I ignore it, so it’s best to focus doubly on it if I’m going to spend a good amount of time in a bikini. I plan to do strength workouts at least five times per week.

Armz

Human flaggin’

Now let’s move to the topic of cardio. My general goal is to do two forms of cardio per day of my workouts. This is most likely going to be running (always trying to improve something I’m weak at) and elliptical (a form of cardio I can always do due to non-impact and ease). For running, I want at least 20 minutes and elliptical for 30 minutes. I know sometimes I’m not going to get both, but I’m going to do my best. Along with strength training, I aim to do these at least five times a week.

The awesome Stocking Run with Chris, Kai, and Sophie (will blog about later)

Some pump up tunes

And now let’s talk about rest days. I’m allowing myself two rest days per week. That doesn’t mean I will always take them, but if they come up, I’ll use them if I need it. Rest days could include yoga, walking, hiking, or….nothing! Many people push a little too far and forget their rest days which leads to overtraining and in the long run hurts your goals! Rest when your body tells you to! Listen to it!

More workout pics

Armz

Now we turn to (dun dun dunnn) EATING. I love to eat! Love it love it love it. And there ain’t nothing wrong with that. However, if I want my muscles to really shine through, it’s time to throw a little discipline into the eating routine. I’m going to do a good amount of clean eating (but nowhere near the extreme version during my contest prep), with two full cheat meals a week. This means splurging on a 3-course meal including desserts or pizza, etc. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to have a square of dark chocolate when I feel like it, but I’m going to focus my efforts away from sugars and towards proteins (to make this body happy!).

A recent lunch

And that’s my December health plan. If I follow this, the clean eating, strength training, and cardio should whip my butt into shape just in time for a New Zealand summer! Create a health plan to stay hungry and fit!