March Madness for Health

Lately with Trader Joe’s opening and all, I have been pounding down delicious but not-so-healthy stuff. I’ve still been doing my workouts and eating mostly well, but I haven’t been focused. It’s time to get back into the groove. So it’s time to put aside the multiple slices of banana cake, overdose of “Gone Bananas,” and gorging of licorice. It’s time for moderation. I’m not saying I’m doing away with all sweets or junk (after all I’m not in contest prep), we still have to have our Hangry & Fat (obvious alter egos) moments, but it will be limited. Roughly a 90/10 type of deal. I’m going to lay it out nice and clean for myself and for you if you should join me.

The dangerous stuff…

Operation Be Healthy, Feel Great

Overview: To make you feel great, you need to treat your body well. This means focusing on proper nutrition first. Following a rough 90/10 ratio of healthy to indulgence, moderation through limiting treats and “cheat” meals. Follow a workout split and try to follow as closely as possible. Rest days should be few, but workouts will be varied. Clean eating is the main focus

Rule #1: 3 cheat meals per week. Whether that be a piece of cake, a pizza dinner, or going crazy with nachos. Count each one, but it can be WHATEVER you want. 🙂

Rule #2: Follow a workout split and stick to it. Make workouts a priority. Schedule them and plan them for the entire week. 1 rest day per week allowed.

Workout Split (not including cardio):

Legs (to support my 2014 goal of squatting 200lbs)
Back (to support my 2014 goal of 8 pull-ups in a row)
Arms + Shoulders
Core
Circuit (always fun to try new circuits out there and switch it up)
Yoga (because damn, my hamstrings are tight)
Chest (to support my 2014 goal of benching 100lbs)

I am happy with my shoulder progress though

Rule #3: Each strength workout should be matched with a cardio workout at least 5 times per week. Not including multiple walks with the pup

Rule #4: Meal plan at least the night before. I know Chris and I well enough that I’m not going to commit myself to Sunday meal planning (though I should). We are too spontaneous for that. Instead, I will write down a lunch and dinner plan each night so we don’t end up ordering pizza when I’ve spent all my cheat meals. Meals should look like a lot of veggies, clean carbs, and protein (including tuna, tofu, and protein drinks).

Rule #5: You are allowed dark chocolate, but girl, take it easy. For myself, I will allow myself a square of dark chocolate after one meal per day. That should satisfy my sweet-craving and allow some willpower to stop myself from eating 12 Gone Bananas at once.

Chris and I split a pint of Glacier ice cream a few nights ago

Rule #6: Get rid of the crap now. This means that today I am bringing in the stuff I know that will tempt me (again, I am not restricting myself completely, just want to stop any binge or gorging on stuff) to work! That Trader Joe’s strawberry licorice or the banana cake I baked will be out of the apartment and into some grateful mouths. Sounds like a nice switch.

Rule #7: Meditate every day. Because meditating makes me a happier, healthier person. Simply that.

Pharrell’s “Happy” is what goes on in my head

Rule #8: Record everything. I personally use MyFitnessPal (add me: nanathetiger), but I’m open to any kind of recording. Recording what you eat and exercise really helps you see what you’re doing with your body and also gives motivation. Record even the bad stuff!

I think that’s good for now. This will last for the entirety of March and I will see how I feel at that point. It may be eight “rules” but really they are just guidelines on paper to help me remember my goals and how I want to accomplish feeling great every day. It’s not about the way I see myself in the mirror, it’s how I feel sitting in this chair, writing this post. I feel blah, so I want to clean up my habits. Pure and simple. It’s not that we are super unhealthy–we are close to the opposite. But I want to step it up a notch. I’m ready to sweat hard with clean nutrients in my body. Who’s with me? Join me for #marchmadnessforhealth. Yes I just made that hash tag up. Let’s do it up!

Question of the Day: What makes you want to get healthier?

PS- We recently learned that we got accepted as a FitFluential Ambassador. We are THRILLED about the news. More information coming your way.

BONUS KITTY PIC

Sleepy Sajah

Jan302014

Weekly Challenge: Time Journal

Despite our busy schedules and lives, I feel like I definitely have some “time-suckers” in my life whether it be tv or pinterest (sigh) or cuddling with my cats. It’s not necessarily wasted time, but I wanted to just be able to see where my time when I wasn’t working, working out, blogging, etc. was going! I was reading this article and it inspired me to try a time journal. I love experiments, making schedules, so I was thrilled to take the challenge. It’s just a Monday through Sunday thing.

My intolerable written-out schedule for Wednesday as I was writing this

I convinced my friend from the joy scout to join me in this endeavor. Chris too but he hasn’t had time to do it yet…ironic. Basically you can format it however you want, I know my friend used her Notepad app and I preferred to type and print out a table chart that I could scribble in as my day goes on. I still may revert to the Notepad at the end to make it prettier to present. I’ll just show you one day so you can get the picture, and don’t worry I will type it out so you don’t have to endure too much of my chicken scratch.

Monday, January 27th

6:30am- woke up, but stayed in bed to cuddle
7am- showered and made oatmeal
7:30am- ate, posted blog, made lunch, and got ready
8am- wiped off car (got a bunch of snow the night before) and drove to work
8:30am-3pm- worked
3pm- drove home from work
3:30-5:30pm- gym
5:30pm- got dinner for Chris (he had scuba lessons and no time to get dinner)
6pm- made and ate dinner, fed cats
6:30pm- watched food network, showered
7pm- (and this is when my stomach started to hurt) watch food network, plan schedule, clean up
7:30pm- watched food network, cleaned litter, did dishes
8pm- watched food network (see, this is on in the background this whole time), went through emails, formatted post
8:30pm- slight story edits, YouTube, Twitter (ugh)
9pm- YouTube, Twitter, wrote
9:30pm- wrote, talked to Chris
10pm– talked to Chris
10:30-11:30pm– caught up with some Downton Abbey
11:30pm- got ready for bed and went to sleep

So you probably know more about me than you wanted, perhaps, but there it is! Each night is different depending on workouts, dinners, and how I’m feeling. Obviously for Monday, I could have avoided TV and YouTube/Twitter to save more time. And it’s just about being diligent and meticulous filling the time journal out. I love doing things like this. Join me! You could always do a Thursday to Thursday! I will be posting my entire week once I finish. Let me know if you want the time journal file, I can send it over! Fill out a time journal to stay hungry and fit!

Question of the Day: Have you ever tried a time journal?

BONUS KITTY PIC

Nymeria being cute, nothing new

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?

Nov142013

The Misty Strongheart Scholarship Fund

Misty passed away nearly one year ago. She clearly means a lot to us as is demonstrated by the fact that I have her on my heart, always. We wanted to do something in her memory (aside from personal efforts) that would help others. After thinking about what made Misty unique, we came across the idea of doing a scholarship fund.

Old picture just after tattoo

Misty was a lonely girl. When we walked into the Humane Society’s kitten room, there were easily eight kittens under four months old. While Nymeria was running around on the floor with the group, Misty was sitting on a tunnel at the top of the room. She was a good eight feet off the ground… far, far away from everyone else.

While deciding which two kittens we wanted to bring home, it became clear that Misty was a feral cat that was born in the wild. She lived there for about three months before she was brought in and almost immediately adopted by us. She was in the Humane Society for not much longer than a week before we got her. Her beautiful eyes and coat lured me in and I could not help but want to help her feel loved.

Scared little girl hiding under our dishwasher

For about three months, Misty had a special place in our home and our hearts. I spent hours and hours every day trying to make her feel more loved and more a part of the family. No matter how many times she bit, hissed, scratched, and hid we tried harder and harder. Then one day we did not have to try anymore. I will forever regret that I could not save her or make sure that she passed away while feeling like our little girl, not a feral cat.

One year later, I realize that there are many people who come from hard times and tough places. They don’t have a support system from a young age and struggle to find aid. They cry out for help, never receive it, give up asking and eventually try to do everything by themselves. No one can. Everyone needs some help. It could be one person or one thing, but it is someone or something.

In honor of Misty, Hungry & Fit is starting The Misty Strongheart Scholarship Fund. It is not your typical scholarship for students that graduated high school and are trying to find funding for their college degree. Not everyone has the means to make it to and through high school. The world is large and educational systems differ but it is consistently becoming more possible to reach across continents and oceans.

Using the internet or more traditional means, Hungry & Fit is inviting individuals that need support to reach their goals to apply for The Misty Strongheart Scholarship Fund. Persons interested can provide videos, songs, essays and more to relay their desire. They can use the post, email, YouTube and other outlets to do so. As long as you meet the requirements involved, you can apply.

I would like to state that a new page will be appearing on the website shortly. It should take one to two weeks. The page will include the official requirements for application. It will include the application process and details including deadlines. Therefore, I apologize for the lack of details in this post.

Here is a basic outline of the requirements. You must be able to provide your story. What made it so difficult to follow your dreams? Was it someone in particular? Was it your culture’s norms? You must also be able to tell us how you will write the rest of your story. Do you need money for a flight to another country to start a new career? Do you need funding to attend a school for a degree or for a trade? How will you use your higher level of training or education to reach your goal? And how will you help others along the way and when you reach the end of your road?

We want to hear about dreams. We want to hear about struggles and how a little seed, coming from darkness, can find its way to the light and shine that light onto itself and others. We want you to succeed when you thought it would never be possible. We want to take someone’s hand, even though you never thought that someone would reach out for yours.

There will be means and measures to make sure the funding is used properly. We will see to that. Typical American scholarships are awarded in the Spring before students prepare to start college. Ours will be rewarded to the individual or individuals that we feel deserve it most at the end of the next year. The Winter holiday season holds a special place in my heart.

This is starting as a modest fund that will hopefully grow significantly one day. In the last week of December of 2014 Hungry & Fit will award at least a modest $500.00 USD to the recipient of The Misty Strongheart Scholarship Fund. (We will arrange currency exchanges for international recipients.)

We hope those individuals know that there are people who support them, love them and want them to know that there is always someone there for you… no matter how humble your beginnings are. We are excited to make this announcement and are looking forward to a year filled with amazing stories and applications. In Misty’s memory.

Nov102013

No-Shave November: The Unofficial History

This may be entirely true or entirely false but take from it what you will. This is what the month of November means to me. (Besides all the awesomeness of a seasonal Autumn, Thanksgiving, and being the month before the best Holiday season.) In recent years you may have heard of “No Shave November” or “Movember.” This is my take on the two; you, of course, can take what you want from my take!

Probably about six years ago, I heard about an event that was taking place at the University of Maryland and some other large schools. It was a fundraising effort throughout the month of November to raise awareness. As nearly everyone knows October is national breast cancer awareness month, but there is no designated month for male cancers even though it takes the lives of many a men every year. In order to make November the unofficial men’s cancer awareness month, all men were asked to grow all of their hair throughout the month: on their head, on their face, etc.

Beard as of today…Nymeria is beating me by a lot

Throughout the month, the sudden growth of facial hair on people who typically would not grow it (like myself) drew much attention and allowed those participating to explain the cause. Thus, the awareness for men’s cancers and prevention grew. Knowledge is important and if people are not aware of problems then there is a very small chance anything will ever be changed or improved. The other important part of the month comes December 1st.

On the first of December, all the men that have been growing their hair need to get a shave and a cut and a wax, if necessary. Participating barbers and hair dressers in certain locations agreed to work with a cancer-curing related charity. They would give free shaves and haircuts all day at no cost to their business. All of the men who were serviced by them would pay the same amount they would normally be charged, and perhaps a little extra donation, and that money would go directly to the charity. Let’s say a barber took 3 guys an hour for 8 hours. That would be 24 cuts and shaves. That might normally cost about 25 dollars a person, which would then turn into a $600 or more donation.

A while ago, but some scruff!

If you think about how many men and barbers could participate in this, then you could really start to earn a lot of money. And this is something that could be done outside of the United States. It could make millions for cancer research, etc. Obviously not everyone knows about it and a lot of those who do know about it do not participate for various reasons. Here is a briefer explanation of Movember and how it has affected this event.

After a few years, as everything does with men who want to act cool and tough, guys decided to start turning this into a contest. They wanted to increase their ego and feel like the bigger man, so groups of friends and coworkers would say “let’s see who can grow the fullest and biggest beard in a month.” For some time, this was a great way to get more people to participate but eventually, it turned into just a contest. A lot of these groups of guys never knew why no shave November started. They were participating in the contest but not donating or raising money for the charities. What could have been a blessing for the event turned into a curse.

y so sirius

Out of this spirit of competition more recently came Movember. Disclaimer: I do not like or dislike “hipsters.” It is not a style of life that I would ever support and I find it extremely shallow but if people’s goal is to be hip, then let them be hip… as long as they don’t bother me. So why did I say all that about hipsters? Well, it was the hipsters who took no shave November, knowingly or ignorantly, and turned it into a greater contest. They decided to see who could grow the coolest and most outlandish mustache in one month. This continued to take away from the true meaning of the original effort. It grew in popularity, but not in a good way. Movember has spread to be more popular than no-shave November but a positive force was generated from this birth.

Now, men who are participating in Movember (which I never will) have people sponsor their mustaches and they gain donations throughout the month. I can’t say these donations are going to the right place, but if they do then that is a good cause and there has been some restoration to the true goal. So for anyone who is doing or has done Movember or No Shave November because it is the cool thing to do and you want to be hip and trendy, do it for the right reason and gain some money for cancer research or don’t do it at all. And there you have it, the unofficial history of No Shave November.

BONUS KITTY PIC

But ummm look how cute I am

Sep072013

So You Overate…Get Over It!

I know I’m not alone when I find myself in a vicious cycle of overeating and then getting really angry at myself. It kind of burns a hole in the day. This is happens when I’m trying to follow a meal plan, eat cleanly, etc (otherwise I don’t much care). And then I fall off the wagon and divulge a little too much. It leaves you with guilt, anger, and disappointment. I’m sure many of you know these feelings and know what I mean. This cycle of self-loathing is useless and doesn’t get you any closer to your goals, so let’s learn how to just drop it.

Incoming…pics of food that are easy to eat too much of!

You overate. You went too hard into that ice cream. You took too much of Grandma’s toffee. GET OVER IT! We all know that emotions can tie directly into eating more, so why do we let ourselves get so upset? Sure, we’re disappointed. We’re mad at ourselves for not having enough willpower and letting our cravings get the better of us. But why should we hold onto it? Why should we sit in a puddle of disgust?

Take the first step and forgive yourself. You made a mistake. Put it in perspective. There’s not a chance you’re going to remember this in 5 or 10 years, what does it matter? Acknowledge what you’ve done. It’s okay. We make mistakes. You can’t be expected to follow something to a T 100% of the time. Don’t stray from what you did. Own it so that next time you can prevent it by understanding what you are feeling right now. Because what happens when we try to ignore or smother our emotions? We eat more!

So we own what we did, but we don’t get in a hissy fit over it. We did the deed, we ate two more cookies than we meant to, but there’s nothing you can do it about now. So don’t get in a dark mood and hate yourself. Negative energy will always set you on a worse path for achieving goals. Tell yourself, “It’s okay. I did something I didn’t want to do, but I’m going to learn from this and try harder next time.” Use it as an advantage for you. You can always turn a negative into a positive. Remember how when you put the bowl of candy out, it was that much harder for you to resist. Put it in the cupboard where you can’t see it.

Starting to get it? We own what we did, we understand why, and we put it in perspective. Take a big breath and let it out. It’s not the end of the world. Just get back on track now and let the overeating be a thing of the past. Don’t let it haunt you or give you feelings of self-hatred. Remember, that makes things worse. Forgive yourself and move on. It’s one small moment in your big life. Don’t let it ruin more than 5 minutes. Use this advice to stay hungry and fit!

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Aug162013

Recipe FAIL and a Pick-Me-Up

We’ve had this cauliflower in the fridge for some time now, and we’ve just been so busy moving, house-sitting, being sick, and getting our stuff together that we haven’t done as much at-home cooking as I would like. Sure we’ve done easy peasy meals here and there like quesadillas, muffins, and ramen, but not new recipes I’ve wanted to try. Well this was about to change (or so I was hoping)! I was so successful with my other no-yeast whole-wheat pizza recipe, I was like SURE I can do this cauliflower pizza recipe from here. WRONG. It called for a food processor, but I don’t have one really. So I just chopped into lots of bits. Anyhow, as you will see below, IT DIDN’T WORK OUT. I made the crust too thin and didn’t balance the cheese ratio me thinks.

YIKES-and a blurry pic to boot, nice, Alana

I kind of knew it went wrong after 5 minutes in the oven, but went through some self-denial until after, 25 minutes it was a burnt mess. Determination squashed, I told Chris that my dinner attempt was done and that it was his turn. He debated making a gourmet mac and cheese, but as we are both sick (who gets a cold in summer?!), we didn’t need more congestion, ESPECIALLY since Warrior Dash is this weekend. So eventually, he decided (I wouldn’t give him any input like a brat) on his favorite Chinese place in town, China Gourmet (I can’t believe we haven’t done a post about that place).

I got a delicious Pad Thai and he got Chicken and Broccoli

We enjoyed a nice sunset and spent some good time together sitting down and eating food we didn’t have to prepare. The motto of this story isn’t to get Chinese food after a recipe fail, but I wouldn’t be mad if that’s what you got out of it. What I want you to get out of it is to not be hard on yourself for everything and accept that you’re not perfect and you can’t be good at every little thing you do. I screwed up a recipe–who cares, we made a solution and are happy for it. So next time you burn that batch of cookies, either cook up something easy that you love, make your partner cook for you, or go out for a cheap meal! I promise you will forgive yourself. Use this advice to stay hungry and fit!

Beautiful Boulder sunset

We got a ping pong table! And Nymeria is absolutely adorable with us playing. Need to get a video

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BONUS KITTY PIC

^_^

Aug092013

Sport Discovery: Disc Golf

Boulder is known for many physical activities including rock climbing, bouldering, triathlon, and more. There is another sport that we recently discovered in town that may be less physically exhausting then those already listed, but just as fun for some. Disc golf, or frisbee golf, is a game that blends golf with frisbee. Seems simple enough right?

You take your discs (that are crafted specifically for the sport), step up to the tee, and use a driver to launch the disc anywhere from 100 feet to 100 yards. Then you switch to other discs that float and curve less as you approach the “hole.” The hole is actually a basket that stands about 5-6 feet tall and has chains that help you sink the final shot. If you hit the chains properly with a straight shot that is not too hard, you typically will get the rebounding effect to knock the disc into the basket, effectively allowing you to move on. Every hole has a suggested number of throws that determines what your score should be. At the course we play at every hole has a par of 3. The last two times I finished two and one shot over par, which I was happy about. Alana doesn’t count her throws, or strokes. Let’s talk more about the physical aspects of the sport.

Some might argue it isn’t a sport and is more so a hobby, but we could do that for everything. It’s a combination of two sports and requires some physical skills, including serious hand-eye coordination. If you just go onto the course and try to launch the discs, you’ll score horribly. If you try to take short straight throws to be safe, your result will be similar. You need to practice proper throwing and release techniques in order to get distance while maintaining the right position relative to the hole. It’s a delicate balance of power and finesse, which is not easy. A great way to generate power is by snapping your wrist, but this needs to be done with precision. Otherwise you will snap the disc into the area code next to you, when you want to throw the disc in front. Those are some basic tips if you want to improve your game. But I’ll tell you why you should play.

It’s not going to necessarily be a workout and help you lose fat, build muscle, or anything along those lines. However, it’s something active that could lead to playing Ultimate Frisbee, hiking, biking or another outdoor activity. Here in Boulder, the course at Valmont Park has all kinds of trails and just watching other people move on by while playing frisbee golf can be a motivating factor. It can help you develop some specific muscles in your shoulders and arms if you throw the disc enough. Plus, walking from hole to hole is a workout in itself for some more than others.

Trying out disc golf is a way to get outside and motivate yourself to be more active. It’s not very strenuous so it can be a good way to ease yourself into more intense exercise and fitness routines. Or it’s a great way to spend some time with family and friends and enjoy life. I do not recommend playing alone. It’s nowhere near as fun. And family, friends, fun and sun are all a major part of being hungry and fit!

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Jul292013

Peruvian in Downtown LA: Mo Chica (Hungry’s Food Reviews)

This is another one of my “should just be a Yelp review” because it could be short and it’s going to be negative but I want to talk about the subject more than usual because it’s Peruvian food. As a whole food culture, it has to be one of my favorites, if not my absolute favorite. It’s generally a mix of Japanese, Chinese, and Spanish food. The diversity in the dishes is unbelievable and the development of flavors is unparalleled. One of my go to dishes when in Peru was lomo saltado and I’ve had gallons on gallons of Inca Kola so now let’s talk about Mo Chica.

A few months ago, the LA Times published its list of 100 or so best restaurants in Los Angeles for the year. We were conveniently in Santa Monica for the long weekend at the time. To our dismay, many of the locations listed were very expensive and not places we frequented. Therefore, I arrogantly thought the list was garbage, a mere compilation of advertisements and favors. But how could I be a fair judge without trying the other places? I had to try one and conveniently that ended up being Mo Chica for a second late lunch on a Sunday afternoon. We had Sugarfish (sushi) and I was NOT full. Kai told us that Mo Chica was on the newly formed list and when I saw it was Peruvian, I did not hesitate.

Inside

Mo Chica actually reminded me of other New York City Peruvian restaurants that actually were not very good. It didn’t remind me of the good places in the Jersey ghettos and in Peru itself. Nevertheless, I ordered the lomo saltado for takeout. Orders come with two sides but the host informed me that they couldn’t give me sides since it was takeout and the price remained. I was so excited that I had no problem with that (I would regret that). While we were waiting, I saw an employee carrying a six-pack of Inca Kola to the bar. Inca Kola is the drink of Peru, literally, that is what the can says. It tastes like golden bubblegum soda. I told the host to throw that on the take out order so Alana could try some. Then I got the food and bill, so it was time to pay and eat.

15 dollars for the lomo, 4 for the soda. Are you kidding? Four dollars for a can of soda? I can buy a six-pack in New Jersey for $2.50. I can get a two-liter bottle for a dollar! It’s even cheaper in Peru. I know you don’t have to import that stuff so how can it be so expensive? Crazy. And 15 for the lomo? Okay, but without the sides? This better be the best lomo that I’ve ever had. Well as you can see in the pictures, which were taken before I ate anything, I think they forgot half my food. It was the smallest portion of that dish I’ve ever gotten. And what I got wasn’t good! It was okay and they gave me very little rice! It felt like I was robbed.

Where’s the rest of the rice?

How can you ruin a dish like this? It’s basically onions, high quality beef, and french fries cooked in a pan with delicious flavors. Even in the bad areas of Lima, for a dollar, I got bigger portions of higher quality product. Safe to say that I have no interest in returning for the other dishes if they can’t get lomo right. And after seeing the portion sizes and prices of the other dishes, I really can’t see what reason I have to return anyways. For other LA locals that don’t know Peruvian food and get caught up in the trend, I hope you enjoy it and keep them in business. They seem like nice people and the service was good. We’ll just leave it at the fact that it doesn’t seem like Grandma and Mom made this food. It seems more like it was the cool son that cared about being trendy and looking fancy, not being authentic and full of flavor.

Disappointing. Please find a GOOD Peruvian restaurant as in my opinion, it is probably the best ethnic cuisine there is. It has everything you need and want and more. Eating Peruvian food really is a great way to stay hungry and fit!

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Jul262013

How to Choose the Right Dentist for Your Kids

Having the right dentist for your children is important. Choosing a dentist for your child is like choosing a doctor; taking the time to research your options to decide on a specialist is the best way to make sure everybody has a good experience.

If your child is reaching the age where it’s time to start seeing the dentist regularly, or you’ve moved to a new area and find a new dentist for your kids, you likely understand how stressful it can be finding a new dentist. It isn’t a process to be rushed, however, because if you don’t get the right dentist for your child, there could be problems down the road. Check out these tips on how you can find a good dentist for your kids.

Ask for Recommendations

One of the best ways to find a dentist for your kids is to ask friends and family for recommendations. You likely have some family friends with kids that are going to the dentist, so asking them which dentist they go to and whether they like the services is a good way to find a dentist.

If you’re moving to a new city, you can ask your current dentist for recommendations or referrals to a new dentist. Even if you’re moving to some far away city like Olathe, your dentist might have a recommendation for a Kansas City cosmetic dentist that he or she knows through conferences or conventions. If you like your child’s current dentist, this can be a great way to find a new dentist because you’ll be getting a valued opinion on a new dentist.

Find Out Policies

If your child has trouble going to the dentist, you likely know the nightmare that it can be whenever a checkup is required. Before settling on a dentist, check out certain policies that relate to your situation to see if the dentist is a good fit for you and your child. For example, if your child is too scared to sit in the chair by his or her self, see if you’ll be allowed to go back there to hold hands. Some dentists might have a policy against parents doing this, which is why it’s important to check policies before making a decision.

On the flip side, some dentists might require the parents to be in the back room. Whatever the situation is, make sure you double check the relevant policies so you can find a dentist that fits your and your child’s needs.

Check the Accreditation

This should be a no-brainer for parents searching for a dentist for their kids, but sometimes it’s often overlooked. Check to see if the potential dentist you’re considering is accredited with the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. This is the most respected accreditation for child dentists, so make sure that the dentist has this accreditation before agreeing to any sort of agreement. All it takes is a simple question to find out if the dentist is accredited.