Wee Nam Kee, Chicken Bon Chon and Chef Laudico's Breakfast All Day - Ayala Triangle

Tita Portia invited me for dinner.  We went to Ayala Triangle early, around 5:00 pm because the restaurants get full and you have to wait to be seated.

We had an early dinner at Wee Nam Kee. 

It's a franchise from Singapore.  Their specialty is Hainanese Chicken.

 It was good and the personal size was just enough for one person or can be shared if ordering other dishes.  I had my own, of course and Tita Portia ordered her own personal set with rice and soup. 

You can get as much condiments as you like, dark soy sauce, ginger and chili sauce. 

The Sambal Kangkong was really good!  I have to research how to cook it.

The cereal prawns were just all right.  Mayette can dish up a better version.

We wanted to order more food but we already planned on eating at Chicken Bon Chon and have our dessert at Chef Laudico's Breakfast All Day.

I love Chicken Bon Chon!  I have eaten there 3 times already in a week!  I prefer the Soy Garlic chicken over the Hot and spicy. 



Soy Garlic



Hot and Spicy

For our dessert at Chef Laudico's, we had the Pavlova and White Chocolate Cheesecake.  I just had a few bites because I'm not allowed too much sweets.

 There are still other restaurants we will try next time.

Welcome Home Jing and Sherman!!!

My dearest friend Jing and her husband Sherman are back from Britain!  I missed them so much!!! I promised to cook Chili Crabs for their Bienvenida.  I also invited our other friends and we had an instant party!  hahaha Well ... an eating session.

They still looked the same since the last time I saw them!  I don't know why my friends don't seem to age.  We all enjoyed the lunch I prepared!

Chili Crabs

Our favorite "Floating" Sinigang na Baboy.  We call it floating because you can see the floating bits of fat! YUM!!!!!!

Grilled Bangus

Green mangoes with bagoong

Fried Lumpiang Ubod

I have to admit it was really delicious! We couldn't stop eating ... even the children ate the lumpia! Of course, they didn't know it was made from Ubod.  The children had their own table, I just made spaghetti for them.

We were so stuffed to the gills after lunch and everybody felt like sleeping!  I'm very glad to have my friends back again!

It's going to be a Merry Christmas!

A new road map to a healthier lifestyle.

I have a new road map to a healthier lifestyle.  I got lost last month ... horrible detour!!!!  Remember in My NEW diet post I mentioned that I am following a diet I found in the net?  I made a costly mistake!  I thought the food allotment was per meal but when I started gaining weight ... after 10 days... I realized the meal plan was for the whole day!!!

So... I went to the Dietitician of Makati Medical Center and asked her to make a 1300 Meal plan prescribed by my doctor.  It's 3 meals a day plus 1 snack.  But I don't follow it religiously... I told Ivy, the Dietitician, that I get dizzy and hungry after 2 hours of eating... so I told her... will eat mini meals instead.

1300 Calorie Daily Food Plan  NO sugars NO sweets HIGH Fiber Low saturated fats

Breakfast

Fresh Fruit - 1 exchange                 (40 calories)
Meat or Substitute - 1 exchange     (68 calories)
Rice or Substitute - 1 exchange       (100 calories)
Fat or substitute - 1 exchange -       (45 calories)
Milk - skim or non fat - 1 exchange (80 calories)
Total                                                 333 calories

AM snack - none

Lunch

Vegetable A - as desired
Vegetable B - 1 exchange -        (16 calories)
Meat or Substitute - 3 exchange (204 calories)
Rice or Substitute - 2 exchange  (200 calories)
Fat or  Substitute - 1 exchange   (45 calories)
Fresh Fruit - 1 exchange            (40 calories)
Total                                            505 calories

PM Snack

Rice or substitute - 1 exchange (100 calories)
Fat or substitute - 1 exchange    (45 calories)
Total                                          145 calories

Supper

Vegetable A - as desired
Vegetable B - 1 exchange           (16 calories)
Meat or Substitute - 2 exchange  (136 calories)
Rice or substitute - 1 exchange    (100 calories)
Fat or substitute - 1 exchange       (45 calories)
Fresh Fruit - 1 exchange               (40 calories)
Total                                             337 calories

Total for the whole day 1,320

Will add in my next post the list of exchanges and measurements.  I have a small digital scale so I am able to measure my food per gram or ounce.  When I'm dining out or attending a party ... the easiest way to gauge the servings is by looking at my plate ... 1/2 of the plate should consist of vegetables, 1/4 with rice or substitute and 1/4 with meat or substitute.

To show you what the servings look like .....




Shrimps - 2 meat or substitute exchanges = 136, Mango Lime dressing - 1 fat exchange =45, lettuce, peppers and onions belong to Vegetable A = as desired
Total Calories = 281




Oatmeal - 1 rice or substitute exchange = 100, Banana - 1 fruit exchange = 40
Total calories - 140 calories




Fish - 2 meat exchanges = 136 , Red rice - 1 rice exchange = 100, Vegetable B = 16, Fat exchange = 45
Total calories = 297



Pomelo - 1 Fruit exchange = 40 , Lettuce - Vegetable A
Total calories = 40



Alugabati with onions and tomatoes - Vegetable A, Sitaw - 1 exchange Vegetable B = 16 , Grilled chicken - 2 meat exchanges = 136, Fat exchange = 45
Total calories = 197



Pineapple - 1 fruit exchange = 40 calories

Strawberries - 1 fruit exchange = 40 calories

Bread - 1 rice exchange = 100, sardines - 1 meat exchange = 68, cheddar cheese - 1 meat exchange = 68
Total calories = 236

Papaya - 1 fruit exchange = 40 calories

Fish - 1 meat exchange = 136, Red rice - 1 rice exchange = 100, Vegetable A, Fat exchange - 45
Total calories = 281

Shrimps - 2 meat exchanges = 136, Mushroom meatballs - 1 rice exchange = 100, Vegetables A
Total calories = 236

Tempura craving

I was a little off track today with the diet but still with the program - No rice, bread, potatoes and red meat.

I don't know why I suddenly had this craving for tempura today.  I was willing to go all the way to Dampa in Macapagal or Ortigas Home depot just to eat.   I was surfing the net where to eat the best tempura in town, some suggested Dampa, Tempura Japanese Grill, Inaguki - Makati Shangrila Hotel and a few more restos.

I was so desperate I went to Rockwell, prepared to eat at Zaifu even if I find their Ebi Tempura just so - so.  When I got there, the place was full.  I just decided to go to Rustan's and buy medium sized prawns. 

I have to admit, I make one of the best tempuras in town but I rarely serve it to my guests unless I LOVE them very, very, very, very much! hahahaha  Because it is so hard to prepare and I get so hot and sweaty while frying.  The only person I would wholeheartedly  cook it for is my nephew, Nicky. 

Ebi Tempura

Prawns, underside slashed in zigzag to prevent curling
Kasugai Tempura Batter mix (available in SM, Rustan's or Landmark)
ice cold water
cooking oil for deep frying

Prepare batter when the oil is hot.  Sprinkle tempura batter mix on the prawns and roll until completely covered.  I do not follow the recipe at the back of the box because the batter is too thick.  I just combine ice water and the batter mix until I get I a thin to medium consistency (pourable and not thick like pancake batter).  Dip the batter mix covered prawns in the batter and drop slowly into the frying pan.  Drizzle  little of the batter over the prawns to get the lacy effect.

Tempura sauce

1 tsp. dashi powder (Rustan's or Japanese grocery)
1/2 C. water
1-2 t. mirin
1 T. Kikkoman

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan.  Cook over medium heat until it ALMOST boils.

1 T. radish, grated and squeezed
1 t. ginger, grated and squeezed

Turn off heat and add the grated radish and ginger.

Since I can not eat the tempura with rice (Oh so yum with white sticky rice!!!), I cooked mixed vegetables using my iron stove top grill-flat side as opposed to the ridged side of the griller.

1 t. cooking oil
1 t. butter or margarine
garlic, chopped
onion, sliced
togue
carrot, julienned
red and green pepper strips
cabbage
1 t. Kikkoman

I already know how to make omelette!  Hahaha  I mean omelette that does not fall apart.  I had Asparagus Cheese Omelette for breakfast.

Inasal Skinless Breast, Lumpia Hubad and Oatmeal with Banana and Almonds

Day 5 of my Low-Fat, High Fiber and High Protein Diet  (with a little cheating)

I marinated my skinless chicken breast Inasal last night.  I researched the internet and just mix matched the recipes.

Inasal

400 grams skinless chicken breast
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. vinegar
1 T. brown sugar
1 t. rock salt
black pepper
4 stalks lemongrass, julienned
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pc. kalamansi

Marinate overnight and grill over hot coals or indoor stove top grill (which I used, my house smelled so bad afterwards).  You can adjust the taste of the marinade by tasting it BEFORE adding the chicken.

Basting oil

2 T. cooking oil
1 T. atsuete seeds
1 T. Star Margarine

Heat cooking oil in wok, add seeds.  When the oil is orange, remove atsuete and add the margarine. 

Chicken Inasal dipping sauce

Vinegar
kalamansi
soy sauce
sili

Lumpiang Hubad in Lettuce cups with Hoisin Sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, sliced
1 small sweet potato, julienned
green beans, sliced thinly diagonally
1 carrot, julienned
1/2 C. togue
1/2 C. cabbage, shredded
2 T. water
1 t. magic sarap
1 t. Thai Patis
Iceberg lettuce leaves
Lee Kum Kee Hoisin sauce

Saute garlic and onions.  Then add the sweet potatoes, when half done, add the carrots, green beans and water. Stir and toss for a few seconds then add the cabbage and togue.  Season with Magic Sarap and patis.

Scoop the vegetables into the lettuce cups and add a little Hoisin sauce and eat like a "lumpia" or tacos!!!

I cheated a little during lunch at HK Choi in Megamall, I had siomai.

 The Seafood Beancurd hot pot was ok but that was all protein. 

When I got home I had a bowl of oatmeal with banana and almonds before heading to the gym to complete  my fiber requirements for lunch.

I'm really trying my very best.  I hope I get good blood test results on Wednesday.

New Diet - day 4

Did I survive day 4?  I think I did.  I made some good choices and the cheat factor is way below. 

I've had too much protein for lunch so for dinner it was just Salad made with Sweet Butter lettuce with sliced bananas and pomelo segments.

 I had my first bite and it tasted .... BLAHHH... so boring... no dressing.  I thought of adding a slice of Vintage cheese and the taste improved a lot! 

One lettuce leaf, a slice of banana, shredded pomelo and a pinch of cheese, then I rolled it up and ate in one swoop.  So Much Better!!!

My lunch was pan fried daing na bangus and Shrimps with Tokwa, Kinchay and Tausi.

 I did not cook my lunch, Hermie did, because I just came from the park, watched the Pacquiao match with Mayette, Jon and Mon.

My breakfast was not so great, probably because the chicken ham was so bland.  It was supposed to be an "omelette" but cooking eggs is not one of my greatest skills...  so it became "scrambled". 

I bought the Omega - 3 enriched eggs from Landmark with lots of "added" vitamins and minerals.

Mona slept over tonight, around midnight we got a "little" hungry.  She had chips for snacks and I had a slice of chicken ham and 1 triangle of Laughing Cow cream cheese.  Not really that good but it was good enough to appease my hunger pangs or craving for a midnight snack.