HALLOWEEN ZUMBA PLAYLIST!

We had so much fun in Zumba class last night! I always love to do special "holiday" playlists and this Halloween was no exception. Here's the tracks we got down to, maybe you can use some of them for your own spooky workout?

WARM-UP

"Planet Claire" by the B-52s.

Cardio

"Monster Mash" of course!

Standing Abs routine

"Devil Woman" by Sir Cliff Richard

Cardio

"The Creeps" by Adore Delano

"THRILLER" by Michael Jackson, naturally.

Squats routine

"Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr. (aka "I Want a New Drug")

Cardio

"Dead Man's Party" by Oingo Boingo

"Call me on the Ouija Board" by Sharon Needles

Arm toning routine

"Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones

COOLDOWN

"Ghost Town" by The Specials

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! For extra spooky fun, check out the latest episode of BOOK VS MOVIE:  CARRIE!

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Wishing you love with extra cheese-

Nacho Mama

So many Fitbloggin posts to write! But first...A GHOST PHOTO?

Hello everyone!

As I write this I am tanned, tired, sore (both from all the workouts AND the long drive and flight) and I have SO. MANY. POSTS. to share with you!

Fitbloggin was, of course, sensational. And Savannah is absolutely beautiful. I had lots of time to explore the city on foot and I took LOADS of photos and video that I'll share both here and on the new design blog (coming soon!). 

Those of you who listen to the podcast know that one of the things I was most looking forward to was the GHOST TOUR we took on Thursday night (I'll write more about that later). I didn't see any ghosts that night (?). When I was exploring Savannah on Saturday afternoon, though, I found myself right in front of 432 Abercorn St., largely regarded as the most haunted house in Savannah. 

NOW LET ME SAY, even though I totally believe in ghosties, when I walked all around this abandoned home I felt...nothing. Absolutely nothing. In fact, I felt pretty peaceful and happy, there was a lovely breeze and the house had some really beautiful architectural details. As I walked around the site, I noticed that I could see the sunlight streaming through the pretty stained glass above the front door through a window on the side of the foyer. I snapped a lot of photos, trying to get a clear picture of the design. I even posted one on instagram saying, "View of stained glass over entry door to 432 Abercorn. No ghosties, though. Least as far as I can tell."

This is how the photo went up on Instagram, with most of the lower right window pane cropped out.

BUT...

When I came home and reviewed my photos? I THINK I CAUGHT A GHOSTY! Did I? Judge for yourself. The following photos were NOT edited, cropped, filtered or enhanced in ANY WAY. I've simply put the raw images side by side.

So what do you think? Here's the "Ghosty" pic with JUST an HD filter added.

Hmmm???

For the record, I showed this to my family and NO ONE could see what I think is a girl looking down through the lower right pane in the window. "You know, the brain automatically looks for human faces in stuff," says my husband, "I'm sure it's just the combination of the angle and your over-active imagination." 

I'm willing to accept his theory. But COME ON, THOUGH! Here's the raw image one more time, zoomed in on the "ghosty".

This is from the same image that was posted on Instagram, btw

What do YOU think? Did I catch a ghosty girl? If I did, I choose to believe it's a friendly ghost, since I never felt "spooked" in any way while I was there.

Stay tuned for more stuff (that I actually have proof of) from my trip to Savannah for FITBLOGGIN!

Wishing you love with extra cheese-

Nacho Mama

Nacho Mama's HALLOWEEN SURVIVAL GUIDE!

Goooood Evening....

Ready for tomorrow's CANDY APOCALYPSE? No?

Sometimes being a Weight Watcher on Halloween makes me feel like Charlie Brown. You know, EVERYBODY else seems to be able to enjoy all the sweets they can cram in their faces while you...get a rock.

I’m always being asked about my Halloween Survival Strategies, so I thought I’d share some (plus a few my members shared during the last week)so we can all be happy at the scale next week (and not just from a sugar high):

-DON’T BUY CANDY UNTIL HALLOWEEN. Trust me, this is America. You WILL be able to find affordable candy any day of the year, any hour of the day or night. I’m not sure, but it might be in the Constitution.

-ONLY BUY A LITTLE CANDY. Buy less than you think you’ll need. Then when the kiddies have cleaned you out, you’re out!

-BUY CANDY YOU DON’T LIKE. Are you a chocoholic? Buy sour candy. LOVE skittles? Buy candy corn (nobody likes that, or do they?)Can’t resist  ANYTHING sweet? Buy fun packs of PRETZELS.

- “BUT I LOOOOOVE TO SEE THE KIDS IN THEIR COSTUMES!” Guess what? There are TONS of adorable costumed kiddies ALL OVER YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. Fix yourself a travel mug of low-pointsplus cocoa and get some Activity Points by taking a WALK AT NIGHT on Halloween. You’ll see loads of happy children, and maybe even earn enough APs to enjoy a mini-candybar with a side of smug.

SPEAKING OF CANDY...Wondering just how many points are in those tricky treats? My friend (and Boston area WW leader) Dani posted an EXTENSIVE list of Halloween candies and their pp+ values. READ IT HERE: http://www.weightoffmyshoulders.com/2013/10/halloween-candy-cheat-sheet/

 

Wishing you HAPPY HALLOWEEN with extra cheese-

Nacho Mama

#CRAFT Tutorial: Day of the Dead Apron!

Hola!!

I've been in a super good mood lately because FALL is finally here! For me, that means cooking and CRAFTING for Halloween, Day of the Dead and beyond!


Crafty Chica products on sale at Michael's stores nationwide

All summer I've been dreaming about buying a "Day of the Dead" apron to do all my cooking in. They are pretty easy to find here in San Diego (not to mention online) but hijole, are they pricey! They start at $40 (at least the cute ones do) and that is waaaay out of my budget.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRIDA KAHLO! #VIDEO

Today is the birthday of the great Mexican Painter Frida Kahlo. I've known her art ever since I was a young kid, at the San Diego Museum of Art, and later in the GREAT exhibition "Mexico: Splendors of Thiry Centuries" which my parents took me to see in 1990 in Los Angeles. I don't know anyone of Mexican descent who has not been touched by the haunting imagery of this iconic artist. In addition to many, many books featuring her work, I own a magnificent color reproduction of her journals, which are rich with color and drama, and a beautiful calavera portait of Frida (painted by my very talented friend, Cynthia Martinez) hangs above the family table in my kitchen.

Happy Birthday, Frida!

Something that's on my "bucket list" is a visit to Frida's "Blue House" in Mexico. I would love to be able to visit this unique museum with my children someday!

CRAFT: What Becomes a Legend Most? GLITTER!

Hello everyone! Hope you're all enjoying your weekend. I wanted to share the craft I made last weekend with all of you, since you were all so very complimentary of the photos I posted on feisbuc and tuiter.

First of all-the AMAZING "Frida Calavera" painting in question was not painted by me (I wish!) but by my friend, the ludicrously talented and hilarious Cynthia Martinez of Fat Girl Escapades. I was touched beyond words when she gave it to me-you're the best, Cynthia!

Cynthia The GORGEOUS and Frida

Nacho Mama's Original Recipe: QUESADILLA-DE-LOS-MUERTOS! #DayoftheDead

Here's a secret-my husband has the BEST ideas! He was the one who came up for the name of this blog and he also came up with the idea for this recipe. Read on and you'll see why I love this gringo so much!


We eat a LOT of quesadillas in our house. It's probably the only food that ALL 4 of us enjoy, even my picky kids. My 2-year-old refers to them as "Dia-Dias" - which prompted my husband to say, "You should make a Quesadilla De Los Muertos!" 


Now, you KNOW I can't ignore a challenge like that! It took me a minute to figure out the best way to do it and, since I was making myself a quesadilla for dinner tonight anyway, I decided to give it a try. It was so easy!


First of all, I'd like you to know that I like to make quesadillas that are complete meals. Tonight's quesadilla was filled with cheddar-jack cheese, ground turkey, spinach and arugula. YUM! 


After cooking the quesadilla on the comal (you could use a skillet), I took out my pizza cutter and sliced 2 curved slivers out of each side, making a perfect calavera!


Then, in a sealed sandwich baggie, I mixed 2 tablespoons of light sour cream with LOADS of chili powder, to give it color and flavor. You could also mix the sour cream with adobo or mole sauce, but I was out of both! After snipping a tiny corner off the bag, I piped the face and decorations onto the quesadilla. Yes, I could have written my name but I was in a hurry because I was so HUNGRY after a long day of coupon shopping!


The result? NACHO MAMA'S QUESADILLA-DE-LOS-MUERTOS!

It was SO TASTY!


I hope you'll consider cooking up a Quesadilla-de-los-Muertos yourself over these next few days. Do YOU  have anything special that you make for the Day of the Dead? Please share! I'd love more traditions to share with my family.


Wishing you love with extra cheese on YOUR quesadilla!
Nacho Mama