Taco Tuesday: Laura's Kitchen

It looks like this might be my last Taco Tuesday post. I think we are going to stick with one or two of our favorites from now on if we want tacos!

Location: 664 Freedom Blvd 200 W, Provo, UT 84601

Asada: I loved that this meat tasted so real! No gristle-y pieces or chewy fat.

Pastor: Sooo yummy! Amazing flavor, pieces of pineapple mixed in, but just ever so dry. I know, pastor is kinda supposed to be dry, but I just can't help it, I like it juicy!

Meat of the week: Barbacoa! Very juicy and smokey with just a little bit of sweetness. I was very surprised how much I liked this meat. Definitely a favorite! I also tried their dorado de papas taco here and I was not impressed :/ The tortilla and toppings were great, but the potato filling was a little watery and had zero flavor.

Rice and beans: Beans were the perfect consistency and topped with cotija cheese. Rice was also great. The only thing I didn't love was that they were slightly more expensive than other places and gave us smaller servings. Taste was spot on, though.

Salsas: Probably my favorite salsa bar. They did not have the creamy green salsa that I like but their orange (spiciest) was sooo good! And I also loved the red this time, too, which is rare. Dark green sauce was great, as usual. No complaints!

$: We heard they have $.99 tacos on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but they charged us full price :/ ($1.50 I think) By the time we realized it was probably too late to do anything and we didn't know if maybe they weren't doing that anymore. Bummer. So we paid a little more than expected, but I was so pumped about the barbacoa taco being so good I didn't really care....

Atmosphere: Such a sweet little spot! Tiny inside, but the staff was great! You could tell they were all family and they loved waving at Cohen and making him smile. Great people and not busy at all around 5:30. I imagine it picks up later. Loved the music, too!

I hope you've enjoyed this Taco Tuesday series! Thanks for reading!

How I Trick Myself Into Running Farther

Basically, I distract myself. If I had no distractions, I would be giving up after five minutes. Keeping my mind off the little discomforts and monotony of a track let me run a little farther each time and improve my cardio! I also love finding ways to conserve energy and make the run easier on my body.

Imagery: Growing up dancing and studying dance in college gave me tons of practice using imagery to get my body to do what I wanted. There are five major images I use to conserve energy and stay comfortable while running longer distances.

     1. Scapulas- Knit together. Not pinched! And no hunching forward.

     2. Picking Grapes- As your arms swing, let your relaxed hands reach in front of your belly button as if you are picking grapes!

     3. Heel to Toe- Be quiet on your feel and roll from heel to toe each time your feet strike the ground.

     4. Soft Face- Let your muscles around your face melt until you aren't holding any tension there. Even your tongue inside your mouth can release tension. And no grimacing!

     5. Bones vs. Muscles- I like thinking of my bones being pulled forward (especially the pelvis since it carries the most weight in one place) and my muscles doing as little work as possible. Only superficial muscles are engaged. Of course this is just an image, please keep your deep muscles engaged, too! Imagine you were jogging downhill. Let gravity pull you and only use the muscles that are needed to keep you from crashing. This might make no sense to you, but it is a huge help to me!

Music: Here are some girl power dance party songs I love....
   
     1. Hair by Little Mix

     2.  Shout Out to My Ex by Little Mix

     3. Work From Home by Fifth Harmony

     4. Hold My Hand by Jess Glynne

     5. Countdown by Beyonce

     6. I'm Gonna Love You by Tiffany Houghton

     7. Getaway Truck by Aaron Watson (Not in the same category, but still a great one if you love country)


Breathing: I like starting out my jog by taking two steps as I inhale and two steps as I exhale. Then later on in my run I check back in with my breathing and see how it has changed. If I'm huffing and puffing, I see if I can relax my breathing or slow it down. Just being aware of this can be calming and distracting.

Start Slow: Keep track of your pace and try to push yourself a little more after a certain distance. It is much better to start slow and finish fast than to start fast and die out before your goal distance. Also, I love sprinting to the finish. Always have.

Listen to your Body: Don't make aches and pains worse by trying to push through them. You could end up injuring yourself even more! Listen to your body and decide if it's a serious enough pain to take a break or walk the rest of the way.

Running Buddy: Talking during a run is the best! It's a good measure of your aerobic ability and it can be fun to keep track of your pace together and push each other to run faster or farther.

How do you trick yourself into running farther?

Thanks for reading!

Taco Tuesday: Taqueria El Vaquero

Location: 286 100 W

                      Provo, UT 84601

                      (Just southeast of Smith's and next door to Laser Assault)

Asada: Great quality meat. Delicious, but nothin' to scream about.

Pastor: A little dry and not my favorite flavor. Everyone seemed to love it, though, so I'm probably the weird one! I am picky about my pastor....

Meat of the week: The dorado de papas taco was so yummy to me! Not meat, I know, but I loved it! The tortilla is fried and crispy and filled with potato. I was surprised how much I liked it. Squeezed some lime on top and dipped it in their dark green salsa. My favorite this week!

Rice and beans: The perfect baby food beans. Almost runny! I prefer just a tad thicker, but flavor of beans and rice were both great. Nothin' funky or out of the ordinary.

Salsas: Dark red was hot and smokey. I stuck with my green salsas as usual. And their baby limes are so cute!

$: Tacos were $1.35 and rice and beans were $1.25 for both which is crazy cheap! 

Atmosphere: Mellow and quaint. Soccer on the TV, friendly face at the counter, not too busy! They also had mango Jarrito's and Coke in glass bottles which really turned Taco Tuesday into a tastey meal! Super convenient location for BYU students, but not very well-known. A little gem!