You know what else is great? Having a [...]]]> Dried Mango.
 
Not the leathery, dry, no sugar added dried mango. The good stuff. The delicious, chewy Philippine Brand sweetened Dried Mangoes! I buy these in bulk at Superstore and they are my CANDY! I’ve tried other brands of dried mango and nothing compares!

You know what else is great? Having a dishwasher.

Living in NYC I almost forgot what it was like to have one! It makes life SO much easier. I remember in my chemistry class in NY we were all discussing how our New York wish would be to have a dishwasher. And then our professor said “I have a dishwasher!” and we all said “YOU DO!?!” and she said “Yes… My husband”  har har. But seriously, I like her thinking

Speaking of cleaning, I purchased a new set of cleaning products for my family to try out. The Martha Stewart Clean brand of products.

They have:

• 99+% plant- and mineral-based, biodegradable ingredients
• No added fragrances, only a natural, clean scent
• No artificial colors or preservatives
• No sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)
• No ammonia
• No animal testing or animal by-products
• Recyclable packaging

And they actually WORK- unlike a lot of natural cleaning products out there. So far, I’m very impressed.

Recipe Time

Along with my “keeping it real” white pasta yesterday I had a pretty tasty tomato sauce. And it was really easy to make and tasted so much more vibrant then anything you can get in a jar.

I picked up some gorgeous local tomatoes the other day.

Blanched them until the skin started to peel, put them in cold water to cool and then peeled and chopped them.

I cooked a TON of garlic in some EVOO, threw in the chopped, peeled tomatoes (and their juices) added salt, pepper and some green herbs (basil or parsley would work), let it simmer for 20 minutes and then added in a splash of balsamic and a squirt of lemon juice.

And there you have it.
    
A simple, bright, flavourful tomato sauce!

Work It Out

After talking about my lack of exercise the other day, I actually motivated myself to work out! Sometimes I get into a funk where you literally couldn’t pay me to exercise and then something suddenly changes and I have all the energy in the world! Yesterday, since it was too hot out to run, I rocked the videos and did Level 2 of 30 Day Shred and the Tracy Anderson Mat Workout. 30 Day Shred kicked my booty. I haven’t done it in a LONG time and it was hard! 

Today is a cloudy, cool day and I think I am going to go for a run before lunch. I have no mileage or time frame set out in my mind, I’m just going to strap on my Garmin and see how I feel out there!

Hope you enjoy your weekend!

Finish This Sentence:  You Know What’s Great?…

I was looking over some old posts the other day and stumbled upon the list I made on my birthday called “24 Things in my 24th Year”

I made a list of 24 things I wanted to accomplish before I turn 25. I noticed that I have actually crossed quite a few things off already [...]]]>

I was looking over some old posts the other day and stumbled upon the list I made on my birthday called “24 Things in my 24th Year”

I made a list of 24 things I wanted to accomplish before I turn 25. I noticed that I have actually crossed quite a few things off already (only 2.5 months in!) without even realizing it!:

1. Get accepted to Grad School
2. Run a Half-marathon
3. Volunteer – Here – but I will most likely do more in the near future
4. Foster or Adopt a pet! 
6. Re-learn to knit
7. Go canoeing again – Here
8. Go vegan for a week – Here
9. Try Trapeze!
10. Do more random acts of kindness
11. Dance more* – Still working on doing more, but I did some here and here
12. Read at least 3 books (I hardly ever read books anymore!)* – I reread three this summer. But rereading doesn’t count! I am planning to read a new one soon.
13. Make more videos
14. Do a pull-up! – Not even close! Might have to start my push up challenge again!
15. Go on a hike
16. Watch the sun rise
17. Go somewhere in the Southern US
18. Go on a picnic – Here
19. Go to a Yankee game (and get a Yankee hat!) – Didn’t go to a game but got a hat here.
20. Go bike riding – Here
21. Go to the New York public library – Here
22. See more plays * –I only saw one more before I left NYC. So still have lots more to see!
23. Take more pictures that aren’t of food * – Still working on it, but I keep this one in mind more often now.
24. Appreciate more

Anyway, this all really got me thinking about how this relates to the health goals many of us make for ourselves. On milestones like New Years or birthdays, so many of us write down all the “healthy” things we want to accomplish. “Run a marathon”, “Lose 10 pounds”, “Eat more vegetables”… But I think a lot of us forget to check up on our goals a few months down the road and keep track of our progress. And that’s what causes us to fall short of meeting them all the time.

I seriously almost forgot I made this list, and only happened to do a lot of the things on there by coincidence! But I wrote everything on that list for a reason, because they were goals that were (and still are) very important to me. And I’m sure the health goals you create for yourself are extremely important to you, otherwise why would you make them?

So, if you have health goals (or any goals for that matter) that you want to achieve:

• Write Them Down and put them in a place where you won’t forget about them like your fridge or mirror.
• Keep Track of Them by checking up on your progress every week, month or few months

I know it seems SO simple, but I think sometimes we forget about these things and lose sight of all the things we truly want to accomplish. Always remember why you made those goals in the first place!

Onto the Food…

Last night Little Bro and I made dinner for my mom, dad and baba (mom’s mom) and zaida (mom’s dad).

I decided the menu would be Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms, Mixed Green Salad with Strawberries, Heart’s of Palm, Toasted Pecans and Poppy Seed Dressing, Giada’s Whole Wheat Pasta with Swiss Chard, Tomatoes and Pecorino and Roasted Asparagus and Green Beans.  

Mmmm fresh chard! I Heart Greenz!

Very unattractive, yet very delicious stuffed mushrooms.
You seriously need to try making them as an appetizer! They’re SO good! I promise!

Chard, onions and garlic cooking away in the pan
   
Beans and Asparagus! With some roasted chopped garlic on top

Summer fresh salad ! Check out my recipe here.
 
And, the PASTA!
 
Ohh the pasta was good! So many flavours!
 

My full plate!

It was delicious and light! I definitely had seconds …er thirds of the pasta! Giada never disappoints me!

How do you keep track of your goals? What are some healthy goals you have for yourself right now?

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Oats! I had some leftover cookie batter from the other day and decided to put it in my oats! Oh yes, [...]]]> Before I show you my breakfast from today, I must show you what I made yesterday…

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Oats!
I had some leftover cookie batter from the other day and decided to put it in my oats!

Oh yes, I went there.
 
It may have been a little over the top in sweetness. But it was sure fun!

Onto today’s breakfast!

Though I am usually not a pancake kinda girl, I woke up today craving them!

So I decided to use the spelt flour I had purchased for my cookies to make some healthy spelt pancakes!

Though my family is in the pancake business, I managed to undercook some and overcook others!

Luckily a few turned out perfectly, and all of them tasted delicious!

To make them extra special I topped them with toasted pecans and warm maple syrup.
Mmmm….
 

Maple Pecan Spelt Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups whole grain spelt flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 – 2 tbsp organic cane sugar (depending on your tastes)
• 1 egg lightly beaten or same amount egg substitute
• 1 1/3 cups Almond Milk (or milk of choice)
• 1 tbsp oil (optional)
• Warmed maple syrup
• Toasted, chopped pecans

Directions:

Pre-heat your griddle or non-stick skillet. In medium bowl stir together dry ingredients. Combine beaten egg (or egg substitute), almond milk, sugar and oil (optional) together in another bowl. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. If the batter seems a little runny, let it sit for 10 minutes and it should thicken up.

Pour desired amount of batter (I used 1/3 cup per cake) onto griddle/skillet. Flip the pancakes when bubbles appear on surface. Serve immediately topped with warm maple syrup and chopped, toasted pecans

ENJOY!

Are you a pancake kinda person? What are your favorite kind of pancakes? Any healthy pancake recipes to share?

Onto the eats – For lunch yesterday I had some leftover chopped salad with my new favorite favourite (I’m back in Canada now, better start spelling like a Canadian again! ) lemony-mustard vinaigrette.   Afterwards I snacked on [...]]]> Today is going to be a good day… I can feel it!

Onto the eats – For lunch yesterday I had some leftover chopped salad with my new favorite favourite (I’m back in Canada now, better start spelling like a Canadian again! ) lemony-mustard vinaigrette.  

Afterwards I snacked on some more blue corn chips, and some medjool dates with almond butter.

I love how much food is always in our fridge/cupboards at home! Leftovers and choices galore!

This morning I chose cereal for breakfast. Cinnamon puffins + a couple sprinkles of All Bran topped with sliced banana and Maranatha AB.
 
You see that there? The little side of almond milk. For some reason, I never pour enough milk into my cereal bowl and am always left with mushy cereal at the bottom. So, I came up with the ingenious idea of having my almond milk on the side. Then I can add it as necessary! Yes…I am a giant nerd. 

A QUINOA DECISION!
I am very VERY excited about this new book my parents picked up for me!
 

I LOVE quinoa. I love the way it tastes and I love how healthy it is for us! So obviously, I love this book. It’s for meat eaters and vegetarians alike and has a plethora of appetizer, main meal, soup, salad and even dessert recipes to make with my beloved QUINOA!

My family loves quinoa as well and we have two packages of it sitting in our cupboard waiting to be made into delicious meals!

Now the question is…. what should I make first?

Here are a few recipes I am deciding between:

What do you think I should make tonight?

When I found a recipe for it online, I was thrilled! I promptly went out and bought the ingredients to make it!

Into an [...]]]> I love chopped salad. I’ve made a few different kinds a couple times on the blog but my favorite chopped salad I’ve ever had was at Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami Beach.

When I found a recipe for it online, I was thrilled! I promptly went out and bought the ingredients to make it!

Into an old salsa jar went

* 1/2 cup chopped white onion
* 3 tbsp minced fresh parsley
* 4 tbsp chopped pimento
* 1 tsp cane sugar
* 1 tsp salt
* a couple shakes of red pepper flakes
* 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
* 3/4 cup olive oil

Shake shake shake! And into the fridge in goes!

Into a bowl went chopped tomatoes, cukes, red onion, black olives and carrot

Then I chopped up 2 hardboiled eggs

Onto the salad they went along with chopped up romaine lettuce
 
Mixed up! Then time for goat feta!

I served it with the chilled dressing and it was yummy… but not quite satisfying. To be completely honest, because it is traditionally made with iceberg lettuce, I think it would have actually tasted better with it instead of romaine. But iceberg = nutritionally void, so I may just substitute half iceberg lettuce next time. It needs that crunch. Also, I would recommend making the dressing a day in advance to let the flavors all meld together. And I think, instead of all apple cider vinegar, next time I would use either 1/3 or 1/2 lemon juice. 

Definitely something I am going to try again at home!

Onto the bronze… If you follow me on twitter, you would have seen that I tweeted about getting my first airbrush tan today. Basically, getting an airbrush tan is something that I’ve wanted to try for a long time… just to do it once to see what it was all about. Many dermatologists recommend it as a “safer” alternative to tanning in tanning beds or the sun. I did a post on sunless tanner a little bit ago, and I think that it is something that I wouldn’t recommend doing frequently, but once in a while is probably okay. It’s probably something I wouldn’t do more than once a year.

Anyway, I decided that if I was going to do it, I should do it while in NYC, because I thought there would be a well known place here that wouldn’t turn me orange! So this morning I went to Brazil Bronze Glow Bar in Soho to get spray tanned!

I had a great experience! The lady who tanned me was extremely friendly and asked me exactly what kind of color I was looking for. I said the lightest possible! She was great with telling me all the different positions to do and all about after-care etc. I was in and out in about 20 minutes!

Here are my before and after pics! The after picture was literally right after I had it done. The color has REALLY developed in the last couple hours since then and I now look like I’ve been on a hot vacay somewhere!

Before                                                           After
   
Please excuse my messy hair

The lady who tanned me said that after my shower tomorrow (you’re not supposed to shower until the next morning) the deep color that I see now will come off and I will look much more natural. I hope so – BF says I look like he took a remote and turned the contrast way up on me. Ha! I’m sure once I shower I will look much more normal!

Have you ever had an airbrush tan/spray tan? Are you happy with your natural skin tone? Do you like it when you look darker? Lighter?

I used to be very very self conscious about my pale skin. When I was younger I used to do everything possible to try and look more tanned! But in the last year, I’ve actually grown to like and appreciate my porcelain skin tone. So, after a week, when this tan fades I’ll probably stick to my regular old skin color for now on (though, it is pretty fun to be all bronzed!)

Yesterday, we picked up some delicious groceries to use in a special dinner. I had been craving scallops so I decided to make them myself. We bought some sweet bay scallops and I decided to cook them with some onions, white wine, lemon and garlic scapes!  

I [...]]]> Happy 4th of July American friends!

Yesterday, we picked up some delicious groceries to use in a special dinner. I had been craving scallops so I decided to make them myself. We bought some sweet bay scallops and I decided to cook them with some onions, white wine, lemon and garlic scapes!
 

I learned at the farmers market that you can use the little bulbs just like garlic and then chop up the top part of the stem to use as well!

I cooked up the scallops and put on top of quinoa pasta and white beans.

Unfortunately, I was too excited by the finished product and ate it all before I remembered that I hadn’t taken a photo

At the same time I made dinner, I used our new farmers market cucumber and dill to make a marinated cucumber salad!

Marinated Cucumbers and Dill

What You’ll Need:

• 1 peeled and sliced English cucumber (click and scroll down to see cucumber design tip)
• 1/2  red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp agave (or 1.5 tbsp sugar)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• Lots of chopped fresh dill!

Directions:

Blot cucumber slices with paper towel. Combine cucumbers, vinegar, agave (or sugar), salt, pepper and dill. Toss to coat cucumber. Cover and chill for at least a couple hours.

 
Mmm, I love dill SO much! And this is such a refreshing summer salad.

I had my cucumbers along with a poached egg and toast this morning

Today, in the hot hot heat, we walked along The Highline
 

We stopped for some gelato. I got coffee flavored! Mmmm!
 
Fun tidbit about me – I LOVE the flavor and smell of coffee  and I love coffee ice cream. But I don’t drink coffee, ever, because it makes me too jittery!

Afterwards we walked around the area, and passed by this gorgeous building!

And then stopped at the Chelsea Market for a bit before deciding we need to go home and get out of the heat!

I believe I’m watching fireworks somewhere this evening! Hope you’re having a wonderful day and are wearing lots of sunscreen

When it’s really hot out do you feel more like a cool drink or a cool snack – like ice cream?

I think when it’s hot during the day, I’d rather have a cool drink. But if it’s a warm evening, I’m ALL about the ice cream!

Welcome to day 3 of Vegan for a Week!

Yesterday I went to Yoga at the Great Lawn in Central Park. There were a few other people in attendance…;)   10, 000 people were due to show up to what was supposed to be the worlds largest yoga event! I arrived [...]]]>

Welcome to day 3 of Vegan for a Week!

Yesterday I went to Yoga at the Great Lawn in Central Park. There were a few other people in attendance…;)
 
10, 000 people were due to show up to what was supposed to be the worlds largest yoga event! I arrived around 5:45 to a MASSIVE line. 2 hours later, I was still in line, finally nearing the great lawn when it started to rain. The lucky yogis who arrived earlier actually managed to get ON to the lawn and definitely had a much better experience than those of us stuck in a line for 2 hours.
 
But even those lucky enough to get on the field had to leave as it started to pour and the event was cancelled. Thousands of New Yorkers scattered outside Central Park, some using their free yoga mats they received from the event (I was too late to get one) as a shield from the storm!

They’ve having a makeup event, I might go… but I’m not so sure I want to wait in a line for 2 hours again.

~The Vegan Eats~

Last night for dinner I made Oh She Glows’ Chickpea Coconut Curry. I used olive oil instead of coconut oil and coconut yogurt instead of soy.

And I had it with soba noodles instead of rice. It wasn’t my favorite dinner – mostly because I overcooked the noodles, and the flavor was a bit muted. I think more spice or coconut oil would have given it more oomph.

TEMPTATION/CONFESSION! – Last night BF was mean and ordered pizza for himself for dinner. I must confess – It looked so good, and because I was a little unsatisfied with my own dinner, I stole one of his pieces and scraped off the cheese to eat it! Still vegan though! Right? RIGHT??? Oh man, it was only day 2! What can I say, I love my pizza. Dear BF, stop tempting me with your cheese-filled dinners!

Afterwards I sliced up a mango to eat while we watched Youth in Revolt.

B-Fast this morning was standard banana oats with a (big) dollop of almond butter.

Midmorning snack was a few handfuls of some curry cashews. Guess I didn’t get enough curry last night!

And now for my lunch/ a wonderful vegan recipe for you!

Southwestern Rice Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown rice, cooked and cooled
• 1 cup corn
• 1 cup black beans
• 1-2 scallions (green onions) diced
• 1 medium or 2 small bell peppers diced
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives (or more if you’re an olive fiend like me!)
• 1 cup salsa
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 T lime juice
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine veggies and rice in a bowl 

Top with salsa, cumin, garlic, cilantro and lime juice and mix together.
  
Chill for at least an hour. Overnight is best. It lets all the flavors develop and mix together.
Then serve!

I love this salad. Mostly because I LOVE the combo of lime juice and cilantro!

~Interview with a Vegan~

Today’s vegan blogger is Lindsay of Cooking for a Vegan Lover

How long have you been vegan for? I have been vegan for 3.5 years and vegetarian for 14 years.

Why do you eat a vegan diet? I eat a vegan diet for animal rights reasons, health, and environmental reasons.

Do you think a vegan diet is "healthier" than a vegetarian or omnivorous diet? I do think that a vegan diet can be healthier than that of a vegetarian or omnivorous diet as both of those diets are based around animal products which are filled with saturated fats, and unless you are getting high quality organic products you are filling yourself full of hormones and antibiotics that are in the animals/animal products that you eat.  Plant-based diets have been proven to reduce diabetes and heart disease which gives further evidence that a vegan diet is healthier. This all being said a vegan diet is only healthier if the individual who is eating a vegan diet is eating vegetables, fruits, whole grains, plant based proteins and not pop and chips.  There are many junkfood vegans out there you I would not consider any healthier than some vegetarians or omnivores.

Do you take any vitamin supplements? I take a raw prenatal vitamin and I have taken B-12 but do not currently.

Do you miss anything about not being a vegan? There is nothing that I miss about not being vegan however there are some items that I wish would come in a vegan version- however most things do nowadays; I just wish they were more  accessible like vegan creemees (soft serve for those of you not from Vermont).

Do you think you will be vegan your whole life? Yes, definitely.

What are some of your favorite vegan dishes? I have a number of favorite vegan dishes honestly more than I could ever name but here are a few:

http://cookingforaveganlover.com/2010/04/07/creamy-miso-morel-pasta-with-peas-leeks/
http://cookingforaveganlover.com/2010/04/11/recipe-vegan-lobster-roll/
http://veganyumyum.com/2007/04/soy-mirin-tofu-over-rice-with-broccoli-and-peanut-sauce/

Thanks so much Lindsday! That creamy miso morel pasta with peas & leeks looks delicious!

Alright I’m off to find something sweet to eat…or perhaps something minty, I have some serious garlic breathe after that lunch! I can’t help it, I love my garlic.

Have a great hump day!

Question of the Day: Are you an onion/garlic fan. I feel like either you love em or you hate em. Same with cilantro. Do you love it or hate?

Me? I LOVE ONIONS AND GARLIC and I LOVE CILANTRO!

Now, lets see if he sticks with it

It can be difficult to figure out how to make a vegetarian dinner to satisfy a meat lover. But I’ve been in this situation MANY times [...]]]> BF declared to me yesterday that this past weekend he decided he was going to start eating less meat! Woo Hoo!

Now, lets see if he sticks with it

It can be difficult to figure out how to make a vegetarian dinner to satisfy a meat lover. But I’ve been in this situation MANY times before. And that was why I created this post. And it seems many of you have been in this situation as well because it is the 4th most viewed post I’ve ever written!

My #1 idea in the post is Mexican Food because there are so many options that are both satisfying and filing, no meat required! So, I was more than happy to oblige when BF suggested vegetarian fajitas for dinner last night!

Vegetarian Fajitas

What You’ll Need

• 1 small green pepper sliced
• 1 medium yellow summer squash, sliced
• 1 small onion (or 1/2 medium onion), diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 medium carrot, julienned
  [Feel free to add in or substitute zucchini, mushrooms , red peppers or any other veggies you like]
• Sprinkling chili powder (to your liking)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4-6 small whole grain tortillas, warmed up

  Topping Options:

• Shredded cheese
• Sour cream/ Thick yogurt
• Salsa
• Hot Sauce
• Guacamole

Directions:

Sauté the vegetables in the olive oil until tender but still with a bit of bite
Add in the S&P and chili powder and cook 30 more seconds.

Put a small serving of the veggies down the center of each tortilla (I used Ezekiel tortillas).
 
And lay out your toppings.

Put on toppings of choice, fold in the sides of the tortilla and enjoy!
 

I love DIY dinners, where everyone gets to put on their own toppings. Olives would have been good on this as well!

For dessert we each enjoyed a bowl of “ice cream”. Him, Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked Fro Yo and Me Purely Decadent Mint Chip Coconut Milk Ice Cream.

I’ve tried my fair share of coconut ice creams, and I think this flavor is my favorite so far because it tasted the most like regular ice cream.   

Well, I just finished some lunch (salmon sushi) and am now snacking on some organic raisins before going out for a bit.

I haven’t had raisins in so long! I used to enjoy them so much as a child. I I need to get them more often, they’re such an under-appreciated healthy snack!

Also, fun fact: I love plain raisins but HATE them in baked goods with a passion. Yuck!

Are there any foods you hate one way but love another way?

Besides the raisins, I’m not a huge fan of raw carrots, but I love cooked carrots and carrot soup. Also, I love eggs, but hate egg salad!

Summer is HERE! Well, at least summer SCHOOL is here. Today is my first day of summer classes. Organic Chemistry! Woo!

So, since on our Coney Island day we didn’t eat the best food, we decided to make yesterday an extra healthy day.

We started off our day with big bowls [...]]]> Happy June!

Summer is HERE! Well, at least summer SCHOOL is here. Today is my first day of summer classes. Organic Chemistry! Woo!

So, since on our Coney Island day we didn’t eat the best food, we decided to make yesterday an extra healthy day.

We started off our day with big bowls of oatmeal.

Mine was chocolate banana PB oats. Mmm mmm
 
Banana oats, topped with raw cacao powder, a drizzle of agave and PB

Next, we did a bit of apartment cleaning and then we were off to the Union Square Greenmarket

The apples and rhubarb were plentiful

And there were mushrooms the size of my head!
   

And one stand had some of the most beautiful tomatoes I had ever seen

I picked up two… FOR EIGHT DOLLARS! Slightly expensive, no? I hoped they were worth it!

We also picked up some pink potatoes and grass-fed, local beef to make a burger for BF.

After the market we relaxed for a while, I did some shopping (didn’t get anything though ), then we took another walk to get the BF a snack. And then went to the gym.  

I did mostly weights, but warmed up for a about 10 minutes with…SKIPPING! It is seriously an amazing cardio workout. I used to be a rhythmic gymnast, so I am very familiar with the rope. I like to alternate between criss-cross skipping, regular skipping and double skips.
But if skipping is new to you try this (but, believe me it’s NOT EASY!)

After the gym I made dinner…fresh from the market!

$8 tomatoes topped with goat gouda, EVOO, balsamic reduction and S&P
They were worth it

Balsamic reductions are very easy to make. Pour a cup of balsamic vinegar into a saucepan and put it on medium-high heat. Let it reduce until it can coat the back of a spoon. You can also add some sugar to sweeten it if you like. I prefer mine unsweetened.

I made BF a simple burger, with ground beef, S&P, EVOO and a dash of red wine.
Topped with Australian cheddar

And a veggie burger sans cheese for me!
 
We had our burgers on whole wheat sourdough buns.

With a side of streamed pink potatoes
  \

It was all delish!

Dessert was organic strawberries. And nope, they’re not topped with chocolate sauce.
 
They’re topped with the rest of the balsamic reduction from the tomatoes! YUM!

Off to school….

Did you ever do gymnastics as a child? If not, what kind of extra-curricular stuff did you do growing up?

I was very into performing when I was young. I did dance continuously since the age of 3, from ages 9-11 I also did competitive rhythmic gymnastics, and for a couple years (until I was 13 or 14 I think) I was a member of a junior musical theatre company. I even got to perform at Disney Land with them!