The PSL You Needed Like, Yesterday.

Hellooooooooo everybody!

I just came back from hot & humid Orlando, to some beautiful autumn weather here in NY. Even though I was in Disney World, aka The Happiest Place On Earth, aka Heaven, aka my crack, I had a little FOMO seeing everyone pumpkin and apple picking on Instagram over the long weekend! I hope you all had a magical time ;) My weekend was surely magical!

This weather is perfect T-shirt weather. And you know what that also means? Perfect Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) weather. However, this year, I have seen tons of health websites and blogs warning about the ingredients in the Starbucks PSL. See here on FoodBabe.com for yourself. A Grande alone has 50 grams of sugar. (Side note, I chuckled when I wrote A Grande… because Ariana Grande. Get it? A. Grande.?! I digress. I'm not funny). Also, there's NO REAL PUMPKIN in it. Rude. And I can't even pronounce most of the chemicals in it. And that's coming from a speech pathologist. *snaps fingers in S motion*

But when I came home from Disney World, my mother surprised me with this gem she found at Whole Foods. Behold! Califia Farms Pumpkin Spice Latte!

At only 100 calories and 14 grams of sugar per serving, you'll be trying to resist drinking the entire bottle. And I can pronounce the ingredients. Plus… there's actually pumpkin in it. It's also dairy free and soy free. It's made with almond milk! Which is the only milk I've been drinking for the past 2 years.

Does it taste exactly like the most popular drink on the Starbucks menu? No. But I think it tastes better. I get more of a real pumpkin pie taste with this latte!

I often find Califia Farms at Whole Foods or Fairway, but you can go to the Califia Farms website and use the store locator to find their products near you. Sip away!!

Sweet Potato Hash Browns for Autumn!

Breakfast. Hands down, the best meal of the day. Whenever I start my day with a yummy, balanced breakfast, I find myself less hangry throughout the day. 

With this beautiful fall weather, I've been craving sweet flavors of pumpkins, apples, cinnamon and sweet potatoes. Then it hit me: sweet potato hash browns. Yes, please! 

I decided to whip up a stupidly easy recipe for hash browns that will taste great with eggs or pancakes. I made enough to make 2 servings. You can double this for your entire family.

You will need:

1/2 a yellow onion

1 large sweet potato

2 tbsp coconut oil

Salt & pepper to taste

1. Clean your vegetables and boil a medium sized pot of water. Add a little salt to the water.

2. While the water heats up, cube the sweet potato and slice your onions. (I'm terrible at cutting onions because it makes my eyes water every time, no matter what)

3. Gently toss the potato into the boiling water and let cook for about 4 minutes. The potatoes should be soft enough to pierce with a fork, but still have a little toughness.

4. Drain the potatoes and let cool a little before you pat them dry really well.

5. Add 1 tbsp of coconut oil to a medium pan and let heat. Sautée the onions until translucent and slightly golden brown (about 10 minutes).

6. Add the other tbsp of coconut oil and add the potatoes. Cook another 8 minutes or so. Add sea salt & pepper to season. 

7. Serve your potatoes alongside protein pancakes, turkey bacon, or with eggs! I did an olive oil fried egg. I would normally go for my favorite, poached eggs, but I was short on time. 

Enjoy!! 

Hoop, There It Is

This might sound a little egotistical, but I find myself to be a pretty fascinating person. I am a woman of many hobbies. My interests and hobbies change like the seasons. This spring I was completely obsessed with kickboxing, last autumn I took cycle classes every other day. I'll have a month when all I want to do is make arts & crafts. I'll go through a period of binge watching Netflix shows and not give a hoot that I'm laying in bed all day.

I have recently picked up a new hobby for fit & fun reasons: hooping.

I came across hooping on Instagram through all the fitness accounts I follow. I saw girls with hoops as big as their bodies, hoops that were tiny and thin, hoops that were many colors, HOOPS HOOPS HOOPS.

I, being the 1999 block party hula hoop champion, was VERY interested. Hula hooping was one of my favorite ways to play outside as a kid. When I was in elementary school I used to practice hula hooping with two hoops, hooping on my arms, and hooping around my neck (ow, what was wrong with me?). I could hula hoop for 45 minutes straight (we timed it once). I considered ordering my own hoop so I could be like these awesome hoopers I saw on Instagram.

Then about 2 weeks ago I went to the gym around 9 pm. I never go at night because there is a whole 'nother breed of gym rat that creeps the gym at night. After the studio in my gym closed, a girl, with a hoop, walked into the studio, and began practicing her hooping routine.

I stared at this girl intently as I did squats outside that studio. She was probably very afraid of me. I definitely looked like the biggest creep.

I came home and announced to my parents, "I AM ORDERING A HULA HOOP." My parents originally reacted like, "Oh dear Lord" because the rest of my failed hobbies are collecting dust somewhere (i.e., my ukelele named Lola, my scrapbooking kit, my "teach yourself Italian" books).

Then my parents were totally supportive of it because 1) this is a pretty cheap hobby, 2) I was REALLY good at hula hooping back in the day, and 3) at least I'm not doing drugs.

So I did research, lots of research, before I ordered a hoop! You can't just go online and order a hoop or buy a kiddie hoop at Target and expect it to work for you. Also, don't buy a fitness hoop with those "massagers." I had to take my measurements, pick a hoop based on my height, pick a width that had some weight that was good for learning tricks, read the reviews of hoop sellers online, etc.

The best information I have found has come from hooplovers.tv. It is how I learned how to pick a hoop weight and size, and also where I have found hooping tutorials. Right here is where you can learn how to find the right size and weight if you want to hoop.

I then searched customizable hoops on Etsy to create my own hoop. I bought my hoop through Miss Fly Hips and I'm so pleased! The hoop I purchased is here.

Now if you decide to hoop, be prepared to see bruises! I hooped for 45 minutes yesterday and immediately got a bruise on my hip. But the good news is, my abs are on fire today (in the good way) and hooping is addicting! Every chance I get I picked up my hoop and practice.

I'm currently working on moving the hoop up and down my body, maintaining hooping at chest level, bringing my hands in and out of the hoop, and traveling with the hoop. Deanne Love has AMAZING tutorials for hooping that I have been watching and using to teach myself how to hoop. You can view her channel right here!

I knew hooping would be fun for me based on my level of fitness, my ability to waist hoop, and my background in modern dance. If hooping seems realistic for you, try it! If you haven't had much success with basic hooping and you're up for a challenge, then YES, try it!

Happy Hooping!

The good news, the sad news, and a piece of my mind.

Hi everyone!

I know it has been way too long since my last post! This has been a whirlwind of a summer and many things have happened. Let's review:

First of all, the best news. My best friend got married in July and it was the most beautiful wedding! The days and weeks leading up to the wedding were so full of excitement and getting everyone ready, I had no time to blog! Everything was literally perfect and I cried so many times that day, we lost count! I couldn't be happier for my friends Dana and Taylor! I love you both!

But sadly, around the time of Dana's wedding, my grandfather entered the final stages of cancer. For most of July, my family and I spent time being by my grandfather's side. I would leave work and go straight to his apartment to spend time with him, my family, share stories and memories, and look through old family photos. On August 1st, my grandfather, (Papa, as I called him) passed away. Although I had known it was coming, I was still not fully prepared. On the surface, it probably looked like I was handling his passing very well. On the inside, I was screaming. Losing someone you love is never easy and we all grieve differently. I'm still grieving his death. Most days, I forget he's gone, I feel like he's still here. And then it hurts all over again when I realize he's not here. Not physically, at least. When my Nana passed away four years ago, I learned she sends me a butterfly whenever I need her. All of July I looked for the butterflies. I never saw one. The day my grandfather passed away, I was leaving the senior living area in which he had been living in. I walked to my car and as I looked up to unlock it, what do you know? I saw a yellow butterfly. Right above my car. Yellow, Nana's favorite color. FINALLY A BUTTERFLY! All I could do was wail and my sister thought I hurt myself, I wailed so loudly. My sister kept asking, "what's wrong?!" when finally I managed to get out, "it's a butterfly." That's how I knew everything was going to be okay.

Sorry for all the sad news, I just figured I should let you all know where I've been.

More good news though...
I'm OFFICIALLY done with grad school! I'm a little late on the job search because I didn't want to interview or take a new job while my grandfather was so sick, but I've recently started applying and now the waiting game begins.

And even more good news!
Incase you missed it, my story was featured on Tone It Up! You can read it right here!
And if you're on Instagram and want to see my meals, workouts, and want some good ol' inspiration, you can follow me @gabbygettinfit!

I'm getting a larger following now and I'm so grateful! I created my account to help keep myself accountable and to be inspired by others who are doing the same thing. I never expected or wanted any of this. I just wanted to become a better version of me. I know with these things it's easy to think fitness accounts are created for "attention" but I am not about that. Some do that. I don't do that. I don't do "shout outs for shout outs" or "like" your photos that go all the way back to the bowl of oatmeal you ate in December 2012, in hopes that you'll follow me or give me a shout out. If I could have another career on top of the one I already love, it would be in fitness. You cannot judge me, or anyone else, for doing something I love, which is being fit, healthy, and inspiring others and being inspired by the positivity others give back. I am part of a community of women that empower each other, not put each other down. I am part of something special. I would feel lost without the inspiration of the Tone It Up/ fitness community.

Since I've gotten a larger following, and I'm a bit of a perfectionist, I'm currently working on making the switch from Blogger to Wordpress! You will all be reading my blog on a different host soon. I'm working on organizing my blog into different sections for fitness, food, beauty, and lifestyle! I'm so excited to share with all of you!

Let's talk about some more fun things! I'm very sad summer will be ending soon (EVERYONE STOP SAYING IT'S OVER- IT'S NOT OVER!), but I'm also very excited for all things fall! September is wonderful! The weather is warm, but it's perfectly acceptable to put pumpkin spice on everything. I actually picked up some tasty goodies from Whole Foods today that are PUMPKIN FLAVORED! All my suburban girls, lemme hear ya make some NOOOOOOIIISEEEE!!!!! *fog horn goes off*

These pumpkin chips are so savory and delicious! A little bit of salty, a little bit of that pumpkin spice flavor you adore. I am on the hunt for the perfect dip to go with these because this is PERFECT for football season (Go Giants!). And this granola. It really needs no words. I'd prefer a big bowl of this over a venti pumpkin spice latte. Fo. Real. Please get yourself this granola right now.

My goal this fall is to provide you all with more posts, information, and inspiration. Be on the lookout, and let me know if there's anything you want me to talk/write about!

Carbs Are Your Friend

Contrary to popular belief, carbs are not evil. They are, in fact, extremely important for your diet. How important? Ummm... important enough that they may cause you to lose those last few pounds!

Earlier in the year, I was definitely one of those people who believed carbs were the devil. Every time I had a bowl of pasta, even whole grain, I felt what I called "carb guilt." I felt so incredibly guilty every time I ate carbs, that I started avoiding them like the plague.

But then, things changed. Without carbs in my life, I became hangry (OH MY GOD THE NAME OF THE BLOG).  I would get SO crabby and irritable when I didn't have carbs. I even felt more hungry by the end of the day. I realized that carbs make me happy, and that's okay. I am Italian after all and pasta is sorta our THANG.

But like everything in this world, I've learned carbs work best in moderation. While too little carbs make my grumpy, too many carbs make me feel and look puffy!

I became interested in the benefits of carbs and want to share what I've learned with you.

Carbs are our bodies' primary sources of energy. But you need to choose the good carbs over the bad carbs! Which is which? We want to eat carbs that are absorbed into our systems slowly due to high fiber content. This helps us avoid a spike in blood sugar. You can find these carbs in whole grains, vegetables, beans, and fruits. These "good carbs" are FULL of fiber! "Bad carbs" are anything that is processed and takes away the fiber we need, such as white bread, white rice... things like that! Remember FIBER, FIBER, FIBER! Fiber helps promote good digestive health and studies have shown that it can protect us against type 2 diabetes and obesity.

It has also been proven that taking in carbohydrates from whole grains, fruits and vegetables helps you feel fuller longer. Those who eat the good carbs feel fuller on fewer calories and don't over eat! Can you say flat tummy?

The key is balance. Eat your fruits, your vegetables, your whole grains, and your legumes, along with those proteins! You need a little bit of everything to maintain a good diet and feel good. Just avoid those processed foods! Please!

Also, it was not in my head that carbs made me moody! Lack of carbs = lack of energy. Hellooooo Mr. Grumpy Gills. Apparently serotonin is released when you eat carbs, and serotonin makes you HAPPY!

Carbs give you serotonin. Serotonin makes you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands. They just don't.

My 2014 BIKINI SERIES Story

For the completion of the Tone It Up 2014 BIKINI SERIES, I have chosen to submit my story, in 500 words or less (I really needed about 1,000 words- so this was hard), in order to be considered for the grand prize. I'd like to share my story with all of you, so you know why I am the way I am :)

The past two years have been the hardest years of my life. At the end of 2012, I went into what I called my “quarter life crisis.” I just graduated college and had typical “post-grad depression,” my grandmother suddenly passed away, I began graduate school, and I went through an incredibly rough, unexpected breakup. I felt like my life was falling apart and I could no longer feel happy. A typical night consisted of me driving home from school, crying the entire car ride home. I no longer felt like myself; I felt depressed every single day and anxiety attacks were a nightly occurrence.  I knew I had to be the one to take control of the problem and discover what would make me happier.

I thought to myself, “What am I no longer doing that I used to love?” And I realized I was working out significantly less. In college, they called me “Zumba Queen.” I was the fitness queen! I could be seen in the gym everyday and I taught Zumba class twice a week. But in the mess and stress of everything that was going on, I had gained 20 lbs. and saw in pictures that I looked completely different. I decided it was time to lose the weight and feel like me again.

It was during the 2013 Bikini Series that I discovered Tone It Up, dabbled in the workouts, and made an effort to begin running. I had never been a runner, so I started with interval running. By July, I had officially joined the TIU Nutrition Plan and started seeing, and feeling, results immediately.

A year later, I have lost the 20 lbs. I gained my senior year of college, and then some.  I also consider myself a runner now! I have ran four 5Ks and a 5-mile mud run! My goals are now to keep toning up.

I saw the 2014 Bikini Series as a celebration and the release from my quarter life crisis! The series was starting just as grad school was ending. In the past 8 weeks, I have watched my muscles transform and have found muscles in places I didn’t even know had muscles (right now I can’t stop staring at my shoulder muscles- they’re so cute)! I have run, kick boxed, and cycled my way complete 150 miles by summer! Next month, I am signing up for my first half marathon!!! I have gained so much more than a new body. I have gained back my self-confidence, happiness, and a fresh outlook on life. My skin is also clearer and GLOWING! The anxiety attacks and depression have disappeared and I feel like a different person than I was two years ago. It’s crazy to me that people will compliment how my body looks and tell me I’m an inspiration. When anyone asks me how I do it, I proudly say that I’m a TIU Girl! Being fit has made me a healthier, happier person. J

Graze is your new obsession.

We're all familiar with those fun boxes you get in your mail each month, like Birchbox and Barkbox. Now there's a new box that we, the foodies, can enjoy.

Let me introduce you to Graze. Graze gives you the ability to snack on treats that are both tasty and healthy. In one box, you receive four perfectly portioned snacks, and boxes can be delivered weekly or biweekly. It's only $6 a box as well! I'm trying to spend less money on food, and this is actually helping me save money! When I think about it, I probably spend about $40 a week on snacks, either stocking up on granola bars and kale chips, or buying something when I'm on the go (which is always so expensive). These snacks are tiny and are great on the go. In fact, I've had three of these snacks while driving. Perfect on the go snacks! On average, I think, when I buy an "on the go" snack, I spend about $8-$10. I'm getting four snacks for $6! Cool beans. I'm also signed up for biweekly packages to help save a little extra.

Once you get your snacks, you can go online to rate them. Loved it? Tell Graze.com! They'll make sure you get it again in your future. Didn't really like it? Just "trash it" and they'll never send you the snack again.

Here are the snacks that were in my first box:

I haven't had the Smoky Chipotle Dip yet, but it looks amazing! It comes with rosemary breadsticks :)

I just had the Brooklyn Bites today and it was amazing! Poppyseed pretzels, cheesy cashews, and roasted pumpkin seeds. I loved every single morsel.

The Summer Berry Flapjack was my second favorite snack. These were wonderful little granola bars created with rolled oats and berry-infused cranberries.

Strawberry Shortcake was my favorite (I obviously told Graze I love it and want it again). It contains sponge drops (like little cookie pieces!), pistachios, strawberry drops, and strawberry yogurt drops. It tasted like dessert. Twas amazing.

I'm so excited for my next box to come! You can try Graze too and get your first and fifth box free! Use my code when you sign up so you get those free boxes. In return, I'll save $1 on a box. Help me, help you! (Though I wish I got your deal- first and fifth boxes free?!?!) Then you can refer a friend and start saving $1 on a box! My code is:

HQD3N7HJP


Visit Graze.com to register for your boxes. I know you will enjoy your Graze box! Until next time :)