With summer and my wedding coming up, I need to get some body toning done.  I started boot camp at Body by JD in Alhambra and excited for the results!  After starting Weight Watchers 9 months ago and having lost 27 pounds in the first 4 months, I have come to a halt. I have maintained my loss but still want to lose another 15-20 pounds, but it is so much harder now. I need to get my butt into gear and work out more intense, so I can get to my goal before the big day.  No offense to the people who do Zumba, but it’s sissy lala crap, compared to this boot camp!  Excited for the days to come, the pounds to shed and the fat to tone!!!!

I had been trying to watch the KONY 2012 video on You Tube since Monday but just got a chance today at my lunch break. The video brought tears to my eyes. Many are saying it is a marketing ploy to make money. You NEED great marketing skills/ideas in order to get your message across. You get peoples attention by creating something worth watching and keeping their interest high. It doesn’t mean that someone/or the group of people who can market should be discreditable. The film was put together really well and obviously got people attention. Other debates I have read on this topic are that Americans are reaching out and helping other countries, when we have so many issues in US. I’m not saying we should not help our own people first, but everyone has a reason for putting interest into a cause. Whether we are affected directly by having experienced or studied the issue, passion comes from really believing and never giving up!  For the longest time the US would not get involved because it did not directly effect us, but Obama finally agreed to send out 100 troops back in October to assist.

Invisible Children have been fighting for their cause of helping the children of Uganda since 2003 and 9 years later, thanks to the internet, have really put their message and cause out for everyone to learn about. Joseph Kony is responsible for abduction, abusing, raping, corrupting and sabotaging so many children in Uganda since 1986. I’m very inspired by Invisible Children charity and their fight to bring Joseph Kony to justice.

On April 20th, the nonprofit charity Invisible Children Inc is asking supporters to cover their hometowns with posters calling for Kony to be brought to justice. On its website, supporters can sign a petition and contribute to the cause by buying T-shirts, posters and bracelets. Spread the word!

I just discovered this awesome nail polish color by Nicole OPI-Kardashian Kolor-Rainbow in the S-Kylie.  I have been looking at Target and Walmart and have not been successful in finding this color. May have to buy online. Will post an update when I am able to locate!

Do you Pinterest?? I do and LOVE IT!! Follow me here!!!!  There are so many great ideas on this site, everything from home decorating, baking, photo taking, wedding ideas or whatever your interest are, they have it!  I prefer to use while on a computer than on my iPhone. The app gets the job done but it has limited options. Although, I definitely use on my iPhone when out and about and need an idea. This site allows even the non-creative to pretend to be creative!

I was contemplating on the dinner I wanted to make for my Hotness on Valentine’s.  I kept thinking big and wanted to make him a dish I had never made him. When I asked him what he wanted he said, “a salad”…HUH??? That is not a romantic meal…but that is my babe, so simple and easy to please. I then remembered that he LOVES the dressing from El Torito, so I Googled it, and BAM, found the recipe. I think I made Hotness fall in love with me all over again…he LOVED IT!!!! (I used a label I had left over from a Western Party we had just to be silly.)

FOR CILANTRO PEPITA DRESSING:

2 medium Anaheim chilies — roasted, peeled and seeded — (see cook’s notes)

1/3 cup roasted pepitas — (see cook’s notes)

2 garlic cloves — peeled

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

12 ounces vegetable oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

5 tablespoons grated Cotija cheese — see cook’s notes

2 small bunches cilantro — stemmed

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

1/4 cup water

FOR SALAD:

2 corn tortillas (or already packaged tortilla strips)

Vegetable oil

1 large head romaine lettuce — (or 2 small heads) rinsed and spun dry

1/3 cup finely grated Cotija cheese

1 roasted red bell pepper — peeled and cut into

1/2 cup pepitas

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Prepare dressing: Place all ingredients except cilantro, mayonnaise and water in blender or food processor; blend 10 seconds. Add cilantro little by little until blended smooth.

2. Place mayonnaise and water in large stainless steel bowl. Mix with wire whip until smooth.

3. Add cilantro and chili mixture to mayonnaise mixture, and combine thoroughly. Place in airtight container and refrigerate.

4. Prepare salad: Cut corn tortillas into matchstick-size strips. Heat oil in sauté pan, and fry tortilla strips until crisp. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside.

5. Tear romaine lettuce into bite-size pieces. Place on salad plates and ladle about 2 ounces of dressing on each salad.

6. Sprinkle each dish with Cotija cheese and tortilla strips. Arrange 4 red pepper strips on top of each salad and garnish with whole pepitas.

COOK’S NOTES:

There are many ways to roast and peel chilies, click here to see the method I used:  http://mexicanfood.about.com/od/techniques/ht/roastchiles.htm or you can also try this method:  To roast chilies and red bell pepper, line baking sheet with aluminum foil and place chilies in single layer on foil. Adjust oven rack to 6-8 inches below broiler element and turn on broiler. Char chilies, rotating as need, to lightly blacken all sides. Remove from oven and enclose chilies in foil 5 minutes. Open foil; when cool enough to handle, peel and remove seeds.

Pepitas are edible pumpkin seed kernels, originally hulled in Mexico and China, but can now be found in many grocery stores. Both pepitas and roasted red pepper strips are generally available at Trader Joe’s.

Cotija cheese is a Mexican cheese, available at some grocery stores and most Mexican markets.

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I think I am getting great use out of my cupcake pan these days. I found another fun recipe to make, this time it is breakfast. This is Weight Watcher approved and 7 points a cup when using wheat bread.

Ingredients