Sunday, August 31, 2014

Say Bye Bye to Wheat

Today is my last day to eat "wheatful" food.

Before I embark on a very hard journey to good health, I made sure I will not crave for food I have not eaten when I could have.

I rarely eat SPAM but when I do, I eat it straight from the can or from the fridge with cold butter!

Yum! The butter was like icing!

Wanton noodle soup is something that I am going to miss so I tried the one from Shilin.

I also ordered the Xiao Long Bao.

Another one I've been wanting to eat for months but could not find where to get one....

Lotsa Pizza Ham and Cheese!

Had it delivered today.

Ohhh it reminds me so much of 3 M pizza! I love this kind of pizza better than the one baked in brick ovens!

Yabu is about to open a branch in Rockwell but if I am not mistaken, they will probably open this September. Before I go crazy and crave for it, I just cooked my own Tonkatsu today.

Really moist and tender. I made my own sauce with roasted sesame seeds.

I still have 2 pieces of the super delicious Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Walnuts and Pecans I baked the other day with the Junkies.

I just reheated the cookies in the oven toaster for 2 minutes and ate it for dessert with decaf coffee.

I so love the oozing melted dark chocolate!!!!!

I know I am going to miss all these delicious treats but following the Wheat-free lifestyle is something I must do.

My goal is to follow it for a month and then I will see if there will be remarkable improvements!

Wish me luck!

Friends???? Please help me and do not tempt me with food I cannot eat!

 

Saturday, August 30, 2014

FAT Glorious Fat!!!!

Mariger celebrated my birthday with me today since she was absent in my Vietnamese party.

Jing and Sherman were also my guests for lunch.

I asked Mariger what she wanted me to cook for her. She said, TAPA with FAT!

I had a hard time waking up this morning!

Not because I am lazy but because I had to take 2 kinds of anti-allergy medications last night.

Oh my Goodness! I had a terrible nightmare!

Usually, I would just have a bad dream with one kind of medication but this last episode seemed so real!

I could not recall if I was the serial killer or I witnessed several graphic murders!

I used to love medicines which make me go to sleep but last night, I was too deep under. I am so afraid now to take my meds.

At 9:45 am, I had to force my eyes open so I could go to Farmer's Market to buy the tapa! I have not even had breakfast yet!

That's how much I love you, "gels"!

I would do anything for my best friends in the world!

We missed you, Celina!

We were chatting with her while having lunch.

I miss my AC crew! We have not been together in years!

As soon as I got home.... I started the process of "softly killing" my friends.

"Killing me softly with this song....." I was singing while rendering oil from the Tapa Fat!

Ohhhh can you see the bubbling, glistening, heavenly, liquid gold?

And then.... TADA! Crunchy Beef Tapa Fat!

They could not stop munching on the crunchy beef tapa fat.

Cooked the tapa in "liquid gold". The meat was very tender.

I then proceeded to cook the fried garlic rice in the remaining saturated fat!

"Kumukutikutitap!" Hahahahahaha That was my next song because the rice was so "shiny"!

Yaya Hermie was such a wet blanket. I told her to fry the eggs in the tapa oil.

She said it will not look nice.

Hermie's Fried Eggs. Borrrrrriiiinnnggg! Not exciting. They look so "sterile".

It was time to eat!

But photo ops first.... A pre-requisite when dining in my house.

Tapsilog

Jing and Mariger shared a bowl of peanut brittle.

My dessert was Death By Toblerone!

I used the Toblerone Vinnie gave me for my birthday.

Vinnie! I did not forget you! Hermie will bring your share tomorrow morning to your house.

Thank you for the birthday gift, Mariger!

Another birthday celebration with the best people in the world!

I love you!!!

My birthmonth is not yet over! I have one more day left to celebrate!

 

 

Thursday, August 28, 2014

It's My Real Birthday Today!

It is not happy birthday everyday anymore! Today is THE real day!

A few weeks ago, I was just planning to spend the day in solitude and attend a retreat at the Cenacle House in Quezon City.

I was also excited to eat SPAM with Garlic Rice and Fried Egg for my birthday!

I do not really like it but for some reason it was what I wanted to eat today.

I did not want to have a celebration anymore because I am very tired already from cooking almost the entire month!

But my friends and family have a different idea!

They said I have to celebrate even if it is just simple in nature.

So, on MY birthday...

At an ungodly hour of 6:45.... When... I rarely get up before 9:00 am.... I had to wake up!

Junkies did not want me to eat SPAM for breakfast!

Instead we went to Pancake House, Rockwell.

I ordered spaghetti for "long life" and country sausage.

Cat had the Beef Tapa plate.

Mona and Shey each ordered the Cheese Waffle with a side order of bacon.

Too bad Tricia could not join us. She was not feeling well plus she still had to go to work.

The Junkies and I were discussing our lives as students in grade school and high school...

It seemed our lessons were easy compared to what the little kids have to go through now and most especially their parents who have to help them with their assignments.

Cat showed us an example of Jose's homework. He is a Grade 4 student.

Huh?!?! I think it was written in a foreign language! Nosebleed alert!!!!!

HELLO????? Reason why I took up Early Childhood Ed in AC was because there was no Math!

Our final exams were exhibits of our cross stitch projects or the story books we illustrated and colored!!!!

The story I chose was Billy the Goat who ate and ate all the rocks and fell into a pond because the goat thought there were more rocks to eat when he saw his reflection on the water. He sank to the bottom of the pond because his tummy was full. Full of rocks!

Or...

One of our final exams was to make a lesson plan and teach the pre-school kids how to add or subtract!

I used the chocolate covered cookies as props.

I showed them 5 pieces of cookies....

then I ate 2!

That is the equivalent of 5 take away 2!

Ahahahahaha hahahaha! I am not making this up!

We were having so much fun and then.....

not so much fun anymore when Cat started to teach me how to answer Jose's homework.

Our long breakfast was cut short because my Ate texted me and asked if I wanted to have lunch with her!

Maybe she did not want me to eat SPAM for lunch. Hahahahahaha Or... Maybe I was escaping the Math lessons.

We went to Lucky Rainbow Seafood Restaurant along Chino Roces Ave. across Ziebart just before you reach Don Bosco from EDSA.

We chose from the dim sum selection and Hot and Sour Soup.

My favorites:

Sio Mai

Hakao

Chicken Feet

We also tried the Ham Suy Kok

Pan Fried Radish Cake

Asado Sio Pao

And Asado Rice Roll.

After lunch, I renewed my driver's license at the MRT Ayala Station.

I lost 2 kgs. in 2 years!!!! Hahahaha is it something to be proud of?!

Since I was not able to attend a retreat, I just heard mass at the chapel in Rockwell.

Maybe my Kuya did not want me to eat SPAM for dinner.

He invited me to have snacks after the mass at PRESS. I told him I could only eat something light.

We shared an order of Club Sandwich

And their house Burger.

I bought ice cream to share with Yaya Hermie and the yayas of my Kuya!

Mais con Yelo flavor!

When Hermie opened the tub, she said, "Ay! Vanilla!"

I spent some time with PD this afternoon at her house.

I received gifts from friends!

Toblerone from Vinnie!!!! I was hugging it like a bolster!

Pottery from Miko! If my guess is correct, Ugu Bigyan's?

Assorted handcrafted bookmarks and picture frame from Tita Tess!

Tita Butchie gave me a traveling bag and a cute headphone with a heart for the cord as an accessory to her packaging.

Tita Josie gave me a set traveling organizer.

Ate Gina of Celina gave me Chocolate Croissants! It was still warm when I got home.

I shared it with Sophia over a bag of chips and a bottle of Coke Light.

I am so blessed to be surrounded by my family and friends who love me!

Life has been good to me. Thank you, Lord!

I could not ask for more!

I have everything that is important in my life....

My Family....

My Friends....

Of course, I cannot live without Yaya Hermie or a Yaya for that matter...

And my precious kids...

Wriggly

Lizzie

And Sabrina!

Happy Birthday, Lia!