Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Maligayang Pasko

Mula sa aming pamilya, Maligayang Pasko!


Saturday, December 21, 2013

Barbie Cafe - Taipei

Barbie Cafe in Taipei is an explosion of pink and ruffles. From the waitresses' uniforms. Down to the seat covers. I love it! 


Surprisingly, the pomegranate and strawberry tea was faaaabulous. 


Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Migraine?

I've been eating good today. I had a small fish and a few bites of veggies. I had lots of green smoothies throughout the day.

A friend offered me some commercially available cheese chips. I got one small piece and now I have a full-on migraine headache! I haven't had them in a long time and with just one chip, I get this massive headache. What the heck is in junk food nowadays? 

Also, Hubby and the kids got sick this week, my niece Ashley brought a virus from school, I suspect. Hubby was almost too sick to make his flight this afternoon.

I think my smoothies saved me. Juicing also helped Hubby heal in record time.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Ano ba?!

There are days that I feel so stupid and better off locking myself in my room. 

It's one of those days. I could just kick myself. 

A reset button, please. 

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Frustration

I am so damn frustrated everyday. I stopped eating beef, pork and chicken when I turned forty. I juice, I make green smoothies daily. The weight just doesn't want to come off! 

Darn it to hell! 

I know what to do, really I do. Drink green juices and smoothies, no white carbs, no meat and my most dreaded activity....daily exercise!

Darn it to hell!

Everyday is a struggle.

And my pants don't feel right. 

I gave them all away.

It's for my own sanity.





Friday, October 18, 2013

Surprise

I got a lovely pre-birthday surprise today. Hubby sent me these lovely pink roses, my favorite! It was sent with a cute pink teddy bear, too! 



Thank you, Hubby! I love you so much.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Butterbeer at Hogwarts

Finally had butterbeer at Hogwarts yesterday. So sweet! 


Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Toronto Food Porn

I'm in Toronto, so far I am having a blast. The food has been really amazing. For a sneak peek, here's the pic from yesterday's food crawl with my aunt. 


Yumminess all over. More details to follow. 

Monday, August 26, 2013

Sprouts

I watch eagerly everyday for new growth. 


Sunday, August 25, 2013

Beets!

Beets just starting to come up! So excited! It's crazy that I watch the seedling "rack" everyday and see what has come up. We placed the rack in our covered verandah, to protect them from the rain. We get morning and afternoon sun in the area and I thought that we would get best results there. We planted seeds in reusable grow bags using organic potting soil, compost and horse manure. All sourced from FTI weekend market in Bicutan. A bit of a drive but worth it. They like me there because I always buy a lot of planting medium and recently bought additional three trees, a lemon and two kaffir limes for my nephew Jayjay who loves Tom Yum.



We've had a disaster with some seedlings because they were left out in the rain and drowned. Some herbs like sage and rosemary that I bought from FTI also perished in the rain. Anyway, lessons learned. 

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Growing Food at Home

Operation "grow our own food" has officially started. Already bought nine various dwarf trees to be planted throughout our small garden. Non-flowering bushes will be replaced with citrus trees, and other fruits to make our garden more productive. 



We already removed much of the non-productive greenery. Some will be used for compost and some will be used for mulch. It's such a shock to see my garden so "naked". But I know soon, it will be lush again with the added bonus of fresh vegetables growing. I kept all the flowering plants because they're pretty when they bloom and the  bees, birds and butterflies love them, too.


Plant boxes will be hung on the garden fence to grow various vegetables. I bought all kinds of seeds and I am so excited to start growing!




We already have some cucumbers growing and some other things that have sprung up from compost thrown at a large flower pot in the verandah.



I also purchased some organic soil and horse manure to build up the soil that we currently have. 

Organic vegetables are so expensive and hopefully by making our garden more productive, we can have freshly picked veggies and fruits right here at home.

I know that the journey will be challenging at times, but I hope with some research, hard work and my housekeeper's green thumb, we can make our garden a productive one.


Wish us luck! 

Friday, August 16, 2013

Aratiles

Mmmmmmmm... My dinner.  Aratiles from the garden center's tree. Yummy! Last I had these was when I was still in school! We used to pick them from trees from various vacant lots in the village. 

Aratiles is a huge part of my childhood. I'm feeling very happy at the moment.


Sunday, August 11, 2013

Fiber! Fiber!

It's all about fiber this morning. I juiced one orange and the cores of the pear, pineapple and apple and added that to my smoothie. Don't wanna waste the cores. There's a lot of juice in the cores. Then ate a slice of papaya. Trying to be healthy this morning. 



Took me a long time to finish that smoothie. It's a bit too thick, but delicious nonetheless. 

Monday, August 5, 2013

The Farm - Alabang Hills


Hubby and I have been trying to incorporate more organic food into our diet, mostly, with our daily fruit and green juices. I bring some green juice at work daily, to increase up my nutrition intake.


Hubby and I wanted to try The Farm, a small restaurant located just at the entrance of Alabang Hills along West Service Road. The Farm serves various beef dishes, made from organic beef raised in their farm in Masbate. Philippine organic beef. I know, right? 

The Farm’s menu varies from organic steaks, organic bone marrow (so tempted to try this!), organic salads and a variety of burgers made from organic ground beef. They also serve vegan mushroom burger, for the non-meat eaters. Various smoothies are also offered.


Hubby ordered the rib-eye, which he really loved. It was cooked medium rare and the beef is very tender. No sauces are served when you order the steaks, I suppose it is to let you enjoy the full clean flavor of the beef.



We shared this Caesar’s salad, which was also nice and crisp. The dressing wasn’t too heavy nor overpowering, just the way we like it.


I had the avocado burger, organic burger patty with avocado (used as mayonnaise), with lettuce and alfalfa sprouts. I must say, I really liked this burger. Not too salty, very clean tasting, not greasy (since it’s grilled) and I could really savor the beef flavor. I’m not sure if I make any sense, but I don’t feel bloated after eating it.


Hubby and I also tried their smoothies. Hubby had the avocado smoothie, which he finished quite quickly. It has real avocados (obviously) with hardly, if any, milk in it, which was surprisingly good. I had the very berry smoothie, which had strawberries and blueberries in it. I liked it. Not too sweet, but a bit too much serving for me. I gave half of it to Hubby which he graciously accepted and finished in record time.  The smoothies were served in glass mason jars, which I thought was a nice homey touch.


The Farm also offers raw beef for you to take home. Which I think I will try next time, since our freezer was currently full when we visited.


The restaurant is small, and a little bit out of the way, but definitely worth a visit. The Farm is little bit pricey, yes, but well worth the money, in my opinion. I can’t wait to go back and try the other dishes on the menu. One day maybe, I’ll try the bone marrow, too J









Saturday, August 3, 2013

Ginza Bairin - Glorietta 2

GinzaBairin is a newly opened tonkatsu restaurant in Glorietta 2. Me and two of my friends came over one time during our lunch break to check it out. We've seen some nice reviews of Ginza Bairin on the web. Often mentioning it is one of the best tonkatsu chain in Japan which expanded its operations in various cities in the US and Asia. 



True enough the tonkatsu was very tender. My friends and I ordered Kurobuta Rosu Katsu set which includes the tender pork Katsu with a little bit of marbling (fat), unlimited rice, shredded cabbage, miso soup and small slices of pineapple. 



In terms of taste, I really can't differentiate from Yabu. I think I have to try the Unagi Katsu Set so that I can try something different. The Unagi Katsu is decadent and a bit pricey but, I've only seen it in Ginza Bairin and no other restaurant that I know of. Ginza Bairin is known for its Unagi Katsu (aside from the Rosu of course).

Ginza Bairin get full really fast, since it is a new resto and people would like to try it. I suggest you come early to get a table. Service is slow, specially for refilling drinks and the cabbage salad. I attribute this to the restaurant barely days old and the crew is still probably getting familiarized with the system.

Anyway, it's worth a try. Budget with drinks average between P450 to P1,000 per head depending on your order.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

La Petite Camille - Greenbelt 5

At work, two of my colleagues, who have become my friends, make it a point to dine out at least once a week, if our schedules permit. So far, we have dined in various restaurants in Glorietta, Greenbelt and a little Chinese restaurant near the office. In one of our lunch forays, we dined at La Petite Camille in Greenbelt 5. Here's a snapshot of what we ordered. Fresh Spring Rolls, Pad Thai, catfish in a claypot and a chicken dish (forgot the name, sorry). Everything  that we ordered at La Petite Camille at that time was very good. The chicken was tender, the catfish was clean tasting (no "muddy" taste), the spring rolls were, well, fresh and crisp. The PadThai was ok, I would have asked for another lime but  service took too long.

Hubby and I dined their previously. I like the food At La Petite Camille.  I particularly enjoyed the shrimps wrapped around a sugar cane and the Pad Thai. I forgot the exact names of what we ordered but I was able to dig through my iPad camera roll and found some pictures that I tiled together. There's the shrimp and sugarcane appetizer, shrimp and pomelo salad, beef pho (?) and Pad Thai. I love Pad Thai, specially the ones from the floating market in Bangkok. Hmm, memories.


Anyway, La Petite Camille's food is nice, homey and not overwhelmingly rich or oily. However though, the service at La Petite Camille is very slow (on both occasions that I dined there). The food takes a while before it reaches your table. Not sure why, since the place wasn't full on both times I was there. Price is reasonable with each dish averaging from P250 to P400.

La Petite Camille is a nice place to have a comfortable and leisurely lunch or dinner. Slow and unhurried being the keywords here. 


Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen at SM Aura

I meant to write a review of Ikkoryu Fukkuoka Ramen, the name is as mouthful as their noodles.  Hubby and I ate at Ikkoryu Fukkuoka Ramen when we checked out the SM Aura mall in BGC (Bonifacio Global City) a few weekends ago.


In a nutshell, Ikkoryu Fukkuoka Ramen is a great place to dine due to the quality of the broth used in the ramen. Ikkoryu Fukkuoka Ramen comes a very close second to Ramen Yushoken (in Westgate, Alabang) in terms of taste. The placemat (pictured above) tells in you in detail, how to enjoy their bowl of ramen.

At Ikkoryu Fukkuoka Ramen, they only have one kind of broth, which I assume, based on taste, is Shoyu, or soy sauce based. You can choose a variety of "toppings" to your ramen. I had the Chasbu Tonkotsu with Chasbu, thin pork loin slices with a little bit of marbling. I really liked this, the pork was very tender and has a clean taste.


Hubby ordered the Ajitama Tonkotsu, which has pork slices as well and a hard boiled egg, split in half and cooked in the Shoyu soup base. Hubby also liked this one. I gave some of my pork slices to him because my order has more than enough for me.


Hubby also had the Tofu Salad with Roasted Sesame Dressing. Fairly typical in any Japanese food joint. However though, the tofu was raw and it was a bit unusual, but not overall unpleasant, to eat tofu that way.


It was an enjoyable experience dining at Ikkoryu Fukkuoka Ramen. The waiters were friendly, the service was quick, and the price is reasonable. The line gets pretty long, so I suggest you come early.




Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Red "Wine"

My "wine" before bedtime. Beets, carrot, apple, orange and ginger. Yum, yum, yum!


Monday, July 29, 2013

Funny Moments with My Niece Ashley

While Ashley and I were having a mid-afternoon snack at home yesterday, she asked me:

Ashley: "Ninang, why is Tito Eric so slow (in the bathroom)?"

Me: "I don't know, he's always been like that."

Ashley: "Is it because he's tall and he has big feet and he says, Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum?"

Ha ha ha. I burst out laughing.

I love you my dear Ashley. Please don't grow up too fast.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

La Nuova Pasteleria - San Antonio, Forbes Park

Me and two friends from work had lunch today at La Nuova Pasteleria in San Antonio, Forbes. Traffic wasn't bad from work so we were able to drive there in good time. The food overall is good, the creamy pastas are rich but not too over powering. A bit pricey, our bill was over P2,000 for four dishes, but I think it's well worth the money. The servings are quite generous and can be shared with a friend. The prosciutto with wasn't very salty which I really liked.


La Nuova Pasteleria has a small dining area and can only accommodate a few people. Best to come early during lunchtime if you want to get a table.





Sunday, July 21, 2013

Ihop BGC

Hubby ordered a mountain of food! Like there's no tomorrow.


My order? Spinach and mushroom omelet with a side of fruit and some toast.


Takaw tingin, so many leftovers. The pancakes were so dry! The hash browns was so oily and it tasted like it was fried in coconut oil. Omelets were good enough though.




Hubby at Bono Artisan Gelato - SM Aura

I can't control this monster. Hubby loves his ice cream. This was at Bono Gelato in SM Aura yesterday. Bono claims that all their ice cream and gelato are made fresh daily and they only use all-natural ingredients.



Hubby ordered the chocolate flavor and root beer float flavor. Both were good. 

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Aeroponic Vegetables at SM Aura Supermarket

I was surprised and excited to see some aerophonic vegetables at SM Aura Supermarket. It's the first one I've seen (ever). I purchased a few bags of red spinach, which I've never (ever) seen before and Chinese Kangkong, which has long narrower leaves than a regular kangkong. I will use the vegetables that I bought  for juicing.

I have been researching on hydroponic and aquaponic home farming and I am playing with the idea of setting up one. I don't know yet if it will ever come to fruition, since I have no space, but I can daydream. 



Anyway, I have a perfect excuse to frequent BGC now (Bonifacio Global City). I try to stay away before, since BGC is filled with restaurants and it's so hard to go to just one and  I have let go of my gluttony ways. Well, on most days anyway. Ha ha ha :-)

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Macopa

I juiced these Macopa fruits earlier. There is an abandoned house in the neighborhood that has a Macopa tree. My housekeeper got all if the ripe ones since its the end of the season and gave them to me, in case I want to include them in my juice. 



I juiced the Macopa fruits together with carrot, beets, ginger and squash. The Macopa has a mild sweet flavor and is a good addition to my juice. Too bad it's the end of the season.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Just Some Thoughts on Micronutrients

It is always a challenge to stay healthy.  I find that I struggle the most when eating out because the healthy entree selections in restaurants are limited and the salad menu is a bit boring most of the time. Very few restaurants offer organic, healthy, low fat and low salt items on their menu. At least in the areas that we frequent.

Anyway, I "cope" with these challenges by loading up on fruits and vegetables that are packed with micronutrients even before I leave the house. That way, I feel less guilty if I indulge. I don't indulge as much as I used to though. That almost makes me cry whenever I eat out because I want to order one selection from each course. Oh, well.

I often start my day with about 2-3 glasses of fresh juice. I usually have a green juice made with whatever combination of fresh produce is available (spinach, broccoli, lettuce, zucchini etc), mixed with ginger, lemon, cucumber, apple or pineapple. I also have beet juice every single day because I used to be anemic and I was even hospitalized because of it. My beet juice usually has, beets of course, squash, a carrot, ginger, an apple or an orange. 

Ginger is a big part of my daily life now. I buy usually a few kilos every week. I panicked one time when Landmark ran out. I couldn't believe they ran out! How was that even possible?! Fortunately, I still have some left at home. Whew! Disaster averted. LOL. 



My day won't be complete without my fresh juice and I can't seem to sleep well if I don't have some fresh juice at night when I get home from work.

I just hope this excess 20 lbs would just come off already! 

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Doing Kumon

Somebody's not too happy doing a Kumon assignment on a Saturday.



Her lips were pouting the entire time. 


Thursday, July 11, 2013

Korean Actor and Singer - Rain

Finally! Rain, one of my favorite Korean stars is out of the military. Let the shirtless MTVs and Koreanovelas commence! ASAP please :-) Or maybe Ninja Assasin 2, with an Asian leading lady this time.

http://ph.omg.yahoo.com/news/rain-gets-discharged-from-the-army-014500672.html


Swoon!!!

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Preserving Juice and Other Thoughts

I was really hesitant to buy canning/mason jars to store my juice because they are quite heavy on my lunch box. However though, a lot of bloggers who juice are using them to store their juices to bring them to work. I decided to use one of my mason jars and try it out.




True, they are quite heavier than my Lock 'n Lock containers but, the mason jars really keep the juice very well. The taste and color pretty much stay the same throughout the day. Mine only last a few hours since I drink two In the morning at work. And one or two jars around mid-afternoon, depending if I have some fruit that may go bad soon in the fridge, then I juice those.

Since I started juicing, I feel so much better. My migraine is under control and bloating has decreased. I saw some of my pictures when I was in Hong Kong, and I wasn't able to juice while on vacation there. I looked back on my pictures and each day, my face and body started getting more bloated. Holy MSG! I was shocked when my favorite nude heels, which was really loose on my feet, couldn't even fit when I got back.

Juicing for me, at least, has given me these health benefits. As for weight loss, I am very frustrated since the weighing scale is refusing to budge. There are days that I just want to throw it out the window. Seriously frustrating. I can't go back to the way I ate before either. That's not very healthy and I wasn't really sleeping well with all my high fat, salty, sweet and all around delicious diet. As much as I miss the taste of those things, I simply cannot go back, full board. I do indulge a little bit once in a while (okay, every weekend). I'm still figuring out how to strike a balance that will make me and my body happy. I'm still in love with bacon and Cheetos and I can't seem to let them go completely. 

Monday, July 8, 2013

Pasta and Veggies

This is one of my favorite things to cook lately since it is very easy prepare and it has all the things that I love (minus the bacon). It has garlic, tomatoes, shrimps, baby asparagus and broccoli. I think I may have put a lot of veggies this time but I love it. I used regular spaghetti noodles instead of whole grain because I know Hubby wouldn't eat that.


I could eat this everyday! Yum! 

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Saturday Love

It's been a very full day today. We are celebrating my nephew Jayjay's transfer to the honors class. The kids chose to eat Sambokojin, which is their favorite restaurant.

After a heavy lunch, mostly of sushi, we headed to the IMAX theater to watch Despicable Me 2. We had some popcorn and water (soda is no longer allowed in my home or when dining out except for parties).



I had to get a haircut and I left my family in Starbucks to chill for an hour. I leave them for an hour and Ashley is full of chocolate splatter on her shirt and pants. 

When we got home, the kids decided to do some "exercise" (play) on the treadmill. 


Thursday, July 4, 2013

Kaya Restaurant Glorietta 2

Semi-healthy dinner at Kaya Restaurant with Hubby. Food is reasonably priced although not very authentic. I still remember the kimbap that I ordered from a stall in Gwangjang Market in Seoul. THAT was really really good, lovingly prepared by an ahjummah. Gah, I wish I could go back soon!

Incidentally, the reason I am fat is this guy, my Hubby. He loves to eat more than I do. He too, has no self control when it comes to food, particularly ice cream.



Me and Hubby, match made in fatty food heaven. We would double up on fresh juice when we get home. 

Us

This is what I look like lately, specially when in a restaurant about to eat a lovely, delicious meal that is so utterly bad for me. The look of guilt. Because I really really love to eat out, try new restaurants and order new items on the menu. I also love to go back to favorite restaurants for some comfort food, although the calories are not very comforting. At my age, it's not so easy to burn the extra calories. I miss my 20's and my youth. 



I compensate by drinking a few extra glasses of green juice daily. Not surprisingly, with all the weekend dates with Hubby and the kids, the weighing scale just refuses to budge lower. On the bright side, it's not going up either. Thank Goodness! 

I know what to do, as most of us do, we need to exercise. It's just so damn hard on most days. 

I look like a sad old lady. I'm not loving this picture so much. 

Hubby on the other hand, always looks so handsome.


Unfair.