Say goodbye to Taro Puff :(

I had this sneaky suspicion that Taro Puff is not good for me.  I used to make it but too bothersome for just a few pieces.  I do not remember using flour or starch.  I am assured of having no cravings by Dr. Davis if I follow the wheat-free diet.  But then, why did I have this insane craving for Taro Puff for several days in a row?  I should not have had the craving. 

I looked for recipes online and Lo! And Behold!  Some recipes have wheat or starch in them! I knew it was too addictive.  The problem with wheat is when you eat it, the more you would want it over and over again.  That is why, ever since last week, I have been eating Taro Puff almost everyday!!!!

I made a mistake!!!  Costly in my opinion :(  I had my last Taro Puff today at Luk Yuen in Glorietta, when I did not know yet it contained wheat.

So.... I have to say goodbye to one of my favorite dim sums.



It is very delicious but I can never eat it again.

There are many new potato chips in Rustan's Rockwell. I just looked at them and did not buy.  Boy! Would I love to try it but .... will just settle for a picture.

Pringles Cheddar and Sour Cream!!!!



Pringles Jalapeno with Cheese!!!



I just posted the pictures in Mona's FB wall.  I know she will enjoy these new chips.

Breakfast:

1/2 C. rice
1/2 Daing na Bangus (I burned the fish a little because I was playing slotomania and forgot I was frying.)
1 pc. tomato




Lunch:

1/2 C. rice
1 leg quarter Roast Chicken

Snack:

Taro Puff
Sharksfin dumplings and Sio Mai- wrapper removed as best as I could
Chicken feet


Dinner:

Sotanghon Soup (without the noodles)   hahahaha then I should call it Chicken soup.



Salad with orange segments, grapes and almond butter toffee.

Happy Birthmonth, Lia!

I am celebrating my birthmonth this August!  Before, we used to call it, Happy Birthday Everyday, Lia!  Corry was usually the first to treat me.  She asked me the other day if I still wanted to uphold the tradition.  But I said, I do not want to eat like it is my birthday everyday for the whole month of August!

I did that last year and by the time I went to Boracay, I was about to explode!  I brought several pairs of shorts, I did not try them on before packing.  Why should I? I used to wear them most of the time.  When I got to Boracay, I was only able to use 2 pairs, which I wore over and over because the other pairs of shorts were too tight.  NOT tight but there was about a 3 to 4 inch gap! So I vowed, I cannot celebrate everyday for the whole month of August this year.

The tradition started when my Dad was still alive, he said as soon as the calendar changed to August, it was my birthday already, everyday!  So, imagine how it felt like to be "special" everyday for the whole month!

Finally..... Hermie will buy my glucose strips tomorrow in Bambang!  I have not checked my FBS in days!  I did not want her to go when it was raining hard knowing fully that the area is flood prone.  I hope my results do not go up!!!

Lisa asked me if I experienced already some weight loss.  She said that my numbers (test results) are fine but she has not heard me comment on my weight or if I am starting to lose my "wheat belly".

I can safely say I felt that my shorts are somewhat loose already.  Sometimes, I even have to hold the waist band when I am walking because they tend to fall to the floor!

I have this particular pair of black shorts I have not worn in weeks because now, they are just tooooo loose!  The "wheat belly" is shrinking.  I know it is going to take a while because it took me years to put on weight.  It is not like my sugar, that if I behave for a few days, the FBS results would be great the next day.

Food Diary:

1/2 C. rice
1 egg, sunny-side up
half a small can of Century Tuna Hot and Spicy

Lunch:

Turbo Broiler Chicken
Sauteed vegetables
1/2 C. rice

Snack:

250 ml. fresh milk
handful of cashews
steamed chicken feet
pork sio mai with no skin

Dinner:

Fried rice
Fried Chicken with no breading

Taro Puff

Still no FBS report.

I have this Taro Puff obsession these past few days.  It is one of the dim sum that is somewhat allowed because it is wheat-free but not really healthy because it is deep-fried.  I love the one at Luk Yuen, almost tastes like the Taro Puff in Hong Kong.

I went to Luk Yuen, Glorietta last Sunday but as soon as I told the server that I would like one order of Taro Puff, she said, they ran out of stock!!! Goodness! I was thinking .... where to go... where to go that I will not get wet because it was raining quite hard.  I parked my car in the basement of Glorietta.

Then I remembered there is  Le Ching in Trinoma!  All I needed to do was ride the MRT.  When I got there, I was placing my order when the cashier said the man before me just got the last order of Taro Puff!!! What?!?!?!  I was going crazy already.  I saw a security guard and asked if there was a David's Teahouse in the area.

Yes, at the garden wing.  I had to wait for a while and when it arrived, the serving was just 2 pieces!!!!  And I think they used margarine with the mashed taro.  I did not give up, I crossed to SM North, there is a bridgeway, you will not get wet and looked for a dim sum place. But the list of restaurants I have on my phone was not accurate, they all closed down already.  I thought... ok I know in Araneta Center there is a branch of Gloria Maris.

As I was about to exit The Block, I saw Gloria Maris!  I immediately asked if they have Taro puff and the waiter said yes!  It was OK but it was not the taste I was looking for.

So this morning, when I went out of my room, I saw that it was a bit sunny! I immediately called up Jing and asked her if she wanted to accompany me to Golden Bay Seafood Restaurant on Macapagal Ave.

Ahhhhh finally ......

Taro Puff!

 

I told Jing to order her own because I had no plans of sharing it with her.

We also got 2 orders of Chicken feet.



I had the Shrimp Sio Mai.  I forgot to remove the wrapper!!! I am now suffering from a mild headache, one of the consequences of consuming wheat even in small amounts.



Jing ate the Spinach Dumplings.



We shared an order of Congee with Century Egg and Shredded Pork.
 


OK .... I know I should not have cravings in the Wheat-free diet but at least what I am craving for is not made of wheat!

Food Diary:

Breakfast:

1/2 C. Tinapa Fried Rice
1 egg, sunny-side up

Lunch:

Taro Puff
Chicken Feet
Shrimp Sio Mai
half serving of Congee

Snack:

4 oz. full cream milk

Dinner:

1/2 C. Tinapa Fried Rice
Bacon - sliced salted pork
Sauteed vegetables

Tinapa Fried Rice

I still have no FBS report yet.  When the weather is better, Hermie will trek to Bambang to get my medical supplies.

I was researching online the whole day for a recipe of Tinapa Fried Rice.  I found several sites and just combined the recipes.  I did not realize deboning the tinapa was so back breaking!  I used the smoked fish I bought in Bataan a few months ago which I just put in the freezer.  Next time, I better use Boneless Tinapang Bangus.

The result though of my fried rice was wonderful!  Sophia actually had 2 cups of fried rice.  She said it was her first time to eat tinapa.  She did not eat it with the red eggs because she is allergic. Never mind all the hard work I put into it.  I would gladly cook it again.  Maybe next time I will eat it with something cooked in coconut milk.

Tinapa Fried Rice



6 C. cold cooked rice
350 g. tinapa (will yield about 1 - 1 1/2 C. flaked tinapa)
1/4 C. cooking oil
half a head garlic, chopped finely - not crushed
1/2 t. rock salt
1 t. rock salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 reg eggs, cubed
2 tomatoes, cut into squares
1 red onion, chopped
wansuy (for added flavor and color)

Fry the tinapa and flake the fish.  Set aside.

Brown the garlic in oil over low heat.  Add the flaked tinapa and continue cooking over low heat until golden brown in color. Season with 1/2 t. rock salt. Transfer to a plate and remove the visible fish bones.

Return the flaked tinapa to the wok and add the rice.  Do not stop tossing and mixing the rice and add 1 t. rock salt.  Make a well in the center and pour the beaten eggs, when it sets slightly, toss the rice again and continue cooking for 5-10 minutes more.

Transfer onto a serving plate, top with the red eggs, tomatoes, onions and wansuy.

Food Diary:

Breakfast:

4 oz. Full cream milk



Beef Torta - it was supposed to be an omelette but it turned out into scrambled eggs! :((  It actually looked like Wriggly's barf!!!!  I have yet to perfect the art of cooking eggs.



Lunch:

1/2 C. rice
Soyless Stir-fried Vegetables with Beef



Snack:

2 pcs. Saba Banana que
few pieces of cashews
Adobo peanuts

Dinner:

Tinapa Fried Rice
Patola Soup
Chicken Adobo
Hot Chocolate

Uh oh! I think I ate a lot today!  And I have no way of checking my sugar tomorrow!  I reviewed my food diary and there is no wheat in.  Just hoping my food will not cause a spike in my glucose reading.

6 Weeks

I have no FBS report today because I ran out of strips!  I get my medical supplies in Bambang but it has been raining lately.  Maybe if the weather is better tomorrow, Hermie can get me what I need.

I have just concluded 6 weeks of being wheat-free!  I did not even notice it has been a month and a half already.  So... 6 weeks of:

• No bread
• No pasta 
• No pancit (my favorite)
• No pizza
• No ice cream
• No soda
• No potatoes
• No breading mix
• No MSG
• No bouillon cubes
• No pastries
• No CHEETOS JALAPENO or RUFFLES SOUR CREAM AND CHEDDAR (my ultimate sacrifice)
• No pancake or waffles
• No fast food
• NO siopao
• No Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs (another favorite)
• NO ham
• No bacon
• No gravy
• No Knorr Seasoning or sinigang mix

There are a lot of food that I have removed from my diet.  If you look at the list, it is mostly made up of delicious yummy snacks we really do not need but I know it makes us happy.

What I realized is that the most important aspect of adapting a healthier lifestyle is preparing one's own food because you get to control what you put in it.

Food Diary:

Brunch:

1/2 c. rice
Chicken Tinola

Snack:

Cashews
Stilton Cheese
grapes

Late Afternoon snack:

Taro Puff
Pork and Shrimp sio mai - skin removed

I did not eat dinner anymore, I was still full from my last meal.  I could not even drink the milk I bought, I was planning of just having that for supper.

Baked Tilapia

FBS: 119

Oh, no! My FBS went up to 119!!!  I have been eating out for 2 consecutive days.  Even if I did not eat any wheat products, I am not sure what other ingredients they used to give me a spike in blood sugar.  It is really better to prepare your own food, at least you know what you are eating is really healthy and wheat-free.

I have a Tilapia in the freezer and did not know what to do.  I do not like fried fish anymore nor grilled.  I was searching online for a recipe when I found one that seems so easy to make!!!!

Baked Tilapia



1 Tilapia, cleaned and scaled
rock salt
onion, sliced
ginger, julienned
lemongrass, white part only, sliced
coconut cream (I did not put but the recipe online has)
oil (sesame or maybe coconut oil? or maybe even better oil from pork fat?!? :D)

Season the Tilapia with salt.  Stuff the cavity with onion, ginger, lemongrass and coconut cream.  

Drizzle oil all over the fish.  Wrap tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake for 30 minutes at 400F oven.

Serve with calamansi and fish sauce.

There are so many possibilities!!!  Maybe next time I can even use fish head?!?!?!  YUMMMM!!!

Food Diary:

Breakfast:

1 egg, scrambled
Leftover menudo

Lunch:

1/2 C. rice
sauteed string beans
Adobo

Snack:

Cashews
200 ml. Full cream milk

Dinner:

Baked Tilapia
1/2 C. rice
Tinola broth
sauteed string beans

Pork Menudo with Fried Banana

FBS: 100

Whew! After eating at Yaki Mix yesterday my FBS was still normal!  I do not want to push the envelope but I am glad that my diabetes is more controlled now.

I have not cooked Menudo in years!  I cannot remember a time when we ate it when I was growing up.  I  discovered that there was such a thing called Menudo in the early 90's.  I cannot eat potatoes so I replaced it with cubed fried saba banana! It turned out really delicious!  Very sweet, especially with the raisins.

Pork Menudo with Fried Banana



50 g. pork fat, cut into small cubes
1 t. achuete seeds
250 g. pork tenderloin, cut into small cubes
120 g. pork liver, cut into small cubes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 T. fish sauce
1 red pepper, cut into squares
1 T. tomato paste
1 C. water
carrots, cubed
2 T. raisins
3 pcs. saba banana, cubed and fried

Render oil from the pork fat.  Remove the pork bits and soak the achuete seeds in the oil until it turns orange.  Remove seeds.

Saute garlic, onions and tomatoes in the oil over low heat until the tomatoes are soft.

Add the pork tenderloin cubes and fried fat, continue sauteing until the meat is not pink anymore.  Season with fish sauce.

Add the pork liver, then after a few minutes minutes add the red bell pepper, tomato paste and water.  When it boils, lower the heat, cover and cook for 30 minutes.

Add the carrots and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Lastly, add the fried banana and raisins.  Season with more fish sauce, salt and pepper.

Jing had lunch here and we could not stop eating it! Of course, we measured our rice.

Food Diary:

Breakfast:

2 eggs, soft-boiled - I'm still perfecting the art of cooking eggs



Snack:

Fried rice
sauteed seafood

Lunch:

1/2 C. rice
Pork Menudo with Fried Banana
sauteed vegetables



Snack:

banana cue
peanuts

Dinner:

1/2 C. rice
Mayette's Soyless Adobo



Pesang Bacoco with sauteed tomatoes, onions and garlic in olive oil