Watami Restaurant

Hubby and I had dinner tonight at Watami restaurant in Glorietta 2. Can't say I'm too impressed with the service or the food. They forgot Hubby's order even after numerous follow ups. We ended up canceling his order and just walked away.

Didn't have such a pleasant experience at Watami. Food is just so so for the price that we paid. Watami is only at par with Teriyaki Boy in terms of taste and, that's not saying much.

Open Letter

Dear Hubby,

See! Don't be jealous. I'm drinking your school color, too. Every single day, multiple times a day. 

You should start drinking too.

I love you and I want you to live healthier so that I can treat me like a queen longer. 

Wifey

My First Love Juice

This juice is so gorgeous, with a very deep red color. The picture just doesn't do it justice. I'm calling it My First Love Juice

Recipe:

1 Red beet

1 Red dragon fruit

2 small Gala apples

1 orange

Juice everything together. 

I love this juice. It's sweet and a little earthy. Refreshing, yet filling. 

Lovely juice. I felt nostalgic after drinking it. This juice reminds me of freshly cut grass, breezy evenings watching the stars and walks in the park. A long time ago, in senior college. This juice somehow triggered that memory of my first love, B2B. Red also being his school color.

To young love. Cheers! 

Turning Orange

My hands are a bit orange today. Too much carrots, maybe? 

I juice around  6-7 large ones daily. Maybe I should lay off a little bit. He he he. 

Bitter Melon

Just had this for lunch. Sauteed ampalaya (bitter melon). I'm trying to eat healthier. I hope for my own health, I can stick to this healthy eating and juicing. 

Honestly though, I feel uneasy when I don't get fresh juice everyday. My trip to Hong Kong was fun but, I felt bloated after each meal. My saving grace was when I had fresh ginger ale at our hotel room. Thank goodness I brought fresh ginger with me!

My big 4-0 is just a few months away and I DON'T want to look my age. 

Squash, Apple and Cinnamon Juice

This is what's for breakfast today. You can't get any simpler than this. 

Only three ingredients, squash, an apple and a dash of cinnamon. Absolutely DELISH. Definitely will be on repeat many times over. 

My Fridge

This is what my fridge typically looks like since I started juicing. It is a HUGE change from what it looked like before. My crisper used to be filled with all kinds of chocolates, all the time. We had a large selection of sodas, energy drinks, and other bottled sugary beverages. Hubby and the kids were partial to them. Now, my fridge is filled with fresh fruits and vegetables. In my house, if Hubby or the kids want something sweet to drink, they have to pick from the fresh produce and juice them. 

Yup, hell has frozen over :-)

My Babies

I miss my babies so much. I only have them on weekends :-(

Happiest Place in Hong Kong

Felt like a kid again when the BFF and I visited Hong Kong Disneyland. I may be almost 40 but, the Disney characters bring out the kid in me.

Hong Kong with the BFF

Just got back from Hong Kong. My BFF and I spent five days there celebrating her big 4-0. Just the two of us. I felt like we were back in elementary and high school! I Had so much fun despite the dreary weather. No rain could stop us!

I didn't get sick despite being rained on, despite fatigue, swollen feet and aching muscles due to endless walking and climbing stairs at various MTR stations. I had a secret weapon with me... ginger! I grated fresh ginger every night and every morning and made ginger ale using our hotel room's electric kettle. I brought a small grater and fresh ginger in my luggage. Even the BFF did not get sick. Aching muscles fully restored come morning.

Wow, I am so amazed by the power of the ginger.

On a totally unrelated subject, I'm wearing my favorite red shirt, as seen on my profile photo. I must have had that shirt for five years already. I will keep wearing it until it falls apart, ha ha ha. Or at least until I turn 40 in a few months.

Anti Inflammatory

Feeling out of sorts today. I ate some really bad food yesterday, like plenty of carbs and sugar. I knew better but, I had no self control.

Now, my tonsils are swollen. Darn!

I hope this anti-inflammatory concoction would set my body straight. Turned out REALLY REALLY good though. 

1/2 of whole pineapple (or maybe 1 1/2 cups)

1/2 lemon, peeled

1 inch ginger (I may have put more)

Juice everything together.

Will rest today, drink more juice with ginger, gargle several times. I hope I will feel better soon. 

My Happy Juice

This so far my favorite home-made fresh juice so far. Taste is sweet, refreshing and has an overall good vibe feel. I call it my Happy Juice :-)

Happy Juice

1 red dragon fruit, peeled
1 orange
1 carrot
2 small apples or 1 regular fuji apple

Prep your fruits to fit your juicer. Juice everything together.

It's pink! What else could be happier? :-)

Pump Juice - Molito, Alabang

Hubby and I are currently on a date here at Pump Juice in Molito Alabang. Finally, a healthier place to have a drink! 

I am loving the Brainstormer Juice, beet root, carrots and apples and a "brainstorm pump" that's supposed to help with my mental performance.

Hubby's "Green" Juice

This is the "green" juice that I made for Hubby. He wasn't too pleased when he saw it colored green. It's actually sweet once I tasted it. Hubby wasn't a fan because it was a bit tart. 

1/3 of whole pineapple

2 small gala apples

1/2 cucumbers

Saw this combination in a juice bar in Makati. It's supposed to be good for the skin. 

Well, I liked it. Hubby is so picky sometimes. Hmph!

My Compost Pot

Nothing ever thrives in this pot, everything that we plant here, dies after a few months. My housekeeper  tends to it regularly but no plant seems to thrive there. Maybe it doesn't get enough sunlight or something.

Rather than having a wilted plant there, I decided to use it as a compost pot, with the added nutrients from the vegetable and juice pulp, as well as discarded peels, the soil should be rich enough in a few months when everything breaks down and turns into compost. Hopefully, I can plant herbs there and they will thrive.

Wish me (and my housekeeper) luck!

What's In My Green Juice Today

I found some sayote (chayote) tops in the supermarket yesterday, as well as tomyao, which kinda looks like a sprout of some sort. I bought some before, a few years ago, and I wanted to try and juice it as well. Turned out though, the tomyao didn't give a lot, if any, juice at all. Maybe it's best used in salads. I also added malunggay (moringga) leaves, since it's free from my neighbor's tree. The flavor of all three when juiced with other ingredients, is quite grassy, but not wholly unpleasant. I would have added more oranges or pineapple next time but, Hubby really likes those and I only have a few left in the fridge. Hubby comes first, because he can't tolerate the green juice.... yet.

I juiced a huge amount of produce today. Really astounding when you look at it collectively. I wouldn't normally consume that much, when I eat. With juicing though, it yielded just under three liters of juice.

Anyway, I'm not surviving on juice alone. I still eat, quite more sensibly than I used to. I still have cravings and it's really so hard not to give in to that. I was going half crazy last night looking for junk food in our junk drawer but, there wasn't any left! The kids have cleaned us out!

Just wanted to share. Have a great day ahead! :-)

Using Malunggay

I used Malunggay leaves (moringga) on my green juice today. It gives a really intense green color and I was extremely surprised that it gave a lot of juice.

Malunggay Green Juice

2-3 cups Malunggay leaves

6 apples

2-3 stalks celery

1 pear

2 cucumbers

2 carrots

1 bell pepper

4 tomatoes

1 lemon, peeled

Ginger

The flavor was really intense but, I let it sit a bit in the fridge and the flavors have mellowed considerably. I am currently drinking it now and it's delicious.

Tart Yellow Juice

1/2 of whole pineapple

2 oranges, peeled

2 grapefruit, peeled

Delish!

It's been a challenging last two days, I'm having a bit of PMS and my headache seems to be coming back. I had a green juice last night with loads of ginger and turmeric. That helped immediately and I was sleep in less than 30 minutes. I will definitely be loading up on that again tonight.

My cycle is a major buzz killer. 

Grapefruit Cooler

I forgot to post this recipe. Shared this with my mom last Sunday because it was really hot and humid. This was so refreshing.

Grapefruit Cooler

1 grapefruit, peeled

1 orange, peeled

Thumb-sized ginger and turmeric, peeled

2 carrots

Yielded just over two glasses. Super perfect on a scorching afternoon.

What I Juiced Today

I juiced quite a lot this morning. It took me 45 minutes to prep and decide which ones go where and make a few adjustments by adding more pineapple or apple.

If you are juicing, apples and pineapples are great neutralizers and sweeteners depending on what combination of produce you are using. 

My juices for today:

Green Juice:

2 kiwis

1 zucchini

2 cucumbers

1 1/2 heads romaine lettuce

4 tomatoes

1 lemon, peeled

4 carrots 

4 stalks celery, with leaves

3 apples

1/2 cup fresh pineapple

Yellow Juice:

1 pear

1/2 (of whole) golden pineapple

Lime (I would omit this next time)

2 apples

Orange Juice

1 grapefruit

2 oranges

2 apples

Everything yielded around 3 liters of juice. All packed to be consumed throughout the day at work. 

People always ask me if it's expensive to juice. My answer is always: 

"It's cheaper to juice than to be on maintenance meds all your life."

Have a great day ahead! :-)

Goodnight!

One thing about juicing, it makes your house smell amazing! 

Since I started juicing, I'm always craving for a green juice before bedtime. 

Nighty night! 

What I Juiced This Morning

There is no way I could eat all of these fruits and vegetables if I wasn't juicing them. Literally, it was more than a few kilos. 

I feel great. I should have done this juicing thing a long time ago. 

Juice 1: 

4 carrots 

2 oranges

Ginger

Turmeric

Juice 2: Green Juice

1 head Romaine lettuce

1 cucumber

3 apples

1 zucchini

1 lime

3 stalks celery, with leaves

1 bell pepper

Ginger

Turmeric

Juice 3

1 pear

1/2 golden pineapple

2 apples

Yay, for nutrition! Packed these babies to work today. 

Hubby's Own Experimentation

Hubby juiced the following combination tonight:

1 carrot

1 naval orange

1/2 to 1/3 cup pineapple

1 small Fuji apple

Handful of grapes

Turned out great. 

Late Night Juicing

After what seems like a very busy Saturday, I felt like I needed an extra kick of nutrition before bedtime to just recover and balance out my meals for the day.

I juiced one cucumber, a stalk (with leaves) of celery, left over pineapple and a small piece of peeled turmeric. I was really surprised that it was actually good. Turmeric (luyang dilaw) has anti-cancer properties and has a mild flavor compared to the normal ginger. Me likey!

Good night! 

Santouka Hokkaido Ramen in Glorietta

We had some errands to do earlier in Makati. After we were done, Hubby and had lunch at the Santouka Hokkaido Ramen restaurant in Glorietta. Santouka has branches all over Asia, US and Canada and is quite popular here in Manila, judging by the queue outside. The restaurant is a bit small and can only seat maybe 30-ish people. I suggest you come early to get a table.

Hubby and I both had the Shoyu Ramen, but Hubby ordered a large one with some pork cheeks on the side. Yes, pork cheeks! Holy cholesterol Batman!  He let me have a piece and it's soo soft and delicious!

I ordered a small Shoyu ramen. My ramen looked so tiny compared to his. The soup was really good. Not too salty, but still so flavorful.

The Gyoza wasn't too bad either. The flavor of the ginger wasn't very overpowering. I reckon kids will probably like this, too.

The place is surprisingly reasonably priced. We spent just around P1,100 all in all including service charge.