August Updates + Playlist

Alright guys, it's time for my monthly fitness update.  I'm proud to tell y'all that progress has been good.  I've been doing insanity workouts, extra cardio sessions, on top of my daily two-mile walk with my pup.  I can see a big difference in my bod so my hard work's definitely paying off.  I dread working out on most days, but after the pain, I seriously feel like I can take anything on.  This is going to sound really cheesy, but exercising makes me feel like I'm on top the world. It helps with self-discipline and grit so it's a useful keystone habit to develop.

Confession:  I haven't been following my Insanity calendar.  I've completed it in the past though so I don't feel bad jumping around.  I've been focusing on three modules as of late:  Plyometric Cardio Circuit, Cardio Power & Resistance, and Pure Cardio.  I've done one a day for the past 3 weeks...yet I'm still dead at the end of every one. I'm planning on moving onto harder workouts (aka the max series) in mid-late September.  I need to make sure I'm prepared for the destruction.  As for extra cardio, I elliptical it for 45 min. 2-3 times a week to help with stamina.  
As for my diet, I've been good overall, but I need to work on incorporating more veggies + fruits into my diet. I've been eating quinoa/brown rice and turkey patties for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the last, like, 2-3 weeks. Things are really busy right now so I like to microwave food and scarf everything down quickly.  I've gone out to eat nomtastic food once a week though to maintain my sanity.  In my opinion, weekly splurge meals are a serious MUST!  Do any of you indulge? If so, do you indulge in a splurge day or a splurge meal?
Oh, and I almost forgot to give you my August playlist!  Here's what I'm currently listening to on my pod-pod. I'm always looking for new tunes to sweat to so make sure you comment with your current fave songs, too.

Dress to Impress: What to Wear to Weddings

Hey guys, I'm beyond excited for today's post because I've partnered up with one of my all-time favorite brands. I'm guessing you're all familiar with ModCloth, but if not, they're all about fun, expressive and unique clothing + accessories.  Founded by high school sweethearts Susan Gregg Koger and Eric Koger, their motto is "fashion is for every body."  I abso-freaking-lutely love that because I'm all about the Body Positive Movement.  Their clothing's available in a full range of sizes, and they carry a huge selection of designs from hundreds of independent designers. 

Now, onto our main topic of the day: what to wear to a friend's wedding.  I'm gonna start with a few ground rules so without further ado, let's get to it!  Firstly, do not ever, ever, EVER wear white...unless you want to seriously piss off the bride.  She should be the ONLY one wearing white in the entire room. Obviously, you can wear an outfit with white accents or accessories, but remember that she's the star of the show, and you do NOT want to steal her thunder.  Go for understated colors and jewelry to keep things stylish yet tasteful.

I centered my wedding guest outfit around ModCloth's "Promise to Astonish" dress.  This navy blue A-line is seriously everything.  The lace overlay is super cute, and the surplice neckline shows just the right amount of skin.  Although it's super hot, I wanted to cover my shoulders a bit so I threw on a nude cardigan on top.   I accessorized with a layered gold necklace and carried a clutch to match!  To finish off my look, I wore my favorite beige round-toe heels to elongate my legs.  

For those of you wondering, I'm wearing a size small here, and it fits me quite nicely!  However, I typically wear XS-S.  If you're a solid XS, this may be a bit big for you, but no worries, I'll make sure to link other cute options for you below - simply get your scroll on to browse.

As promised, here are a few other wedding guest dresses I absolutely love! Which one do you guys like best - left, middle, or right?

This post was written in collaboration with ModCloth.

SS Eats: Uncle Julio's

For my latest food adventure, I hauled my hungry badonkadonk over to Uncle Julio's in Gaithersburg, MD.  I absolutely love tex mex & there were like, ten different pokestops in the area so it was a win-win situation for more reasons than one.  I've been dying to try this restaurant for months now so I was thrilled when they invited me to get my nom on.  I took my good friend, Alan Woo, along with me!

To start, we ordered two margaritas on the rocks.  I got the Mango Passion Rita (1800 Reposado, peach schnapps, and mango + passion fruit purée) and he got the special, a refreshing cocktail made with fresh watermelon juice.  I absolutely loved my drank!  It was just the right amount of sweet, and it went so well with my meal.  I can't wait to go back and try their swirl (a mix of frozen margarita and frozen sangria) though.  Apparently, it's their most popular drink!  

We were starving so we placed an order for tableside guacamole (even though they gave us chips + salsa), and it was such a good call for real! They made it for us fresh with tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, and cilantro, and we literally scarfed it ALL down.  If you come here (and you need to soon), def. get this!  

For entrees, Alan and I both got fajitas, but I went with chicken and he got filet mignon.  Everything came out piping hot, and the ingredients were SO fresh.   Portions were ginormous, too.  Both dishes were served with guac, sour cream, cheese, pico de gallo, mexican rice, frijoles a la charra, sautéed peppers + onions, and homemade flour tortillas. Note: you can get fresh corn tortillas instead of flour ones if you want. 

To finish off our humongous lunch, we got a chocolate piñata for dessert.  Filled with homemade mini churros, fresh fruit and berries, you literally whack it open yourself (!!!!!!) If you want to see me smash mine, head on over to my IG account HERE!  You'll see that it was a ton of fun, and afterwards, Alan and I got to dip our noms in different sauces:  raspberry, chocolate and caramel.  It also came with house-made whipped cream, which was seriously heavenly.  I'd honestly come back for the dessert alone! Just make sure you bring friends because you're going to need help eating everything.

Alright guys, that's it for today's nomtastic adventure.  If you're looking for delish tex-mex, head on over to Uncle Julio's.  They have several locations in the US so make sure y'all check 'em out!  For my fellow DMV-ers, there's a second location here in Bethesda Row if you're interested.  Happy eating, everyone!