:: Best Quiche... ever?? ::

I made quiche for the first time today. Thought it would be something good to make in advance for the girls dinner tmrw. And ohmigosh, it tasted AMAZING - one of the best quiches I've ever had in my life time. And no cheese, eggs, cream, butter or any processed stuff - typical macrobiotic principles! You heard me right! I can't take any credit for it unfortunately, mad props to Peter Berley for such creativity and Heidi Swanson for the recipe post.



I was fortunate to have Eric (non-vegetarian) around when I completed the endeavor, and he was able to taste test it. What can I say ... He loved it!!! The downside of this recipe is really... time. There are just so many different parallel steps using many bowls, pots and pans and if not for a lazy Saturday evening, I probably wouldn't have been able to pull it together on a week night. But it is sooo worth it... the sesame oats spelt crust was just fabulous. I cannot wait to make this again.
Read more...

:: Day 132 - Summary ::

Activites: I was the 2nd photographer for an engagement shoot today. I've never been to Hakone in Saratoga so i was quite impressed with the grounds. We got some great shots!

8am: ABC Juice + small bowl of freshly made leek soup


3pm: Main meal with Dylan
Dylan made goulash (healthy version - i had 4 bowls!) and I made pepita salad and Nikki's Healthy Cookies. oh man... those cookies were awesome. Best part? No sugar, flour or butter!!! Genius, I tell ya!

Read more...

:: Reflections on health ::

Ever since I've started on the journey to health, I've naturally begun evangelizing the gospel of taking care of your bodies. Not just to lose weight - but to live a long and healthy life. And I do this because I +care+ about the people around me and I want them to live long and healthy lives too. But when I emphasize the importance of eating 'right' here are some of the typical responses I get...

"I'm glad it's worked for you!"
"I'm not overweight, I'm fine."
"I don't need to eat your diet - I can eat normally"(Mikee said this!)
"It's too expensive... I don't have the time."
"I don't need multi vitamins"
"I dont eat alot so I dont need to eat healthy"
"Eeewwww... you eat green and gross mush!!!"

It's annoying because skinny doesn't automatically mean healthy. Check the cholesterol levels of the typical singaporean - 47.9% above the normal limit and the country with the highest rates of coronary heart disease in the asia pacific. But what's the typical size of a singaporean? Skinny - around 50kg (105lbs) for women. That is crazy!! Its not a big surprise that I've always felt like I couldn't fit in there.

Don't wait until something 'bad' happens to you or someone close to you before you decide to make positive changes for your body - in some cases, it can be too late. In my case, my dad paid the price with a stroke, with root causes in obesity. After witnessing what he went through - I realize that I have inadvertently put myself at risk. (Weight loss is a nice side effect but more than anything, I am so happy and confident that my body is going to last much much longer)

And what's the way to treat your body right? Eat lots of live fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans - eaten raw or cooked simply but avoid sugar(there are natural sweeteners out there) + all processed foods (toxins). Meat is ok, in moderation. And yes, get some fresh air and exercise too!

Please read this too, Tracy has been an incredible role model for me: Tracy Reifkind's post on Relatability.
Read more...

:: Day 131 - Summary ::

Back at 164! WOOHOO! I didnt go to the cafeteria ONCE or eat out this week. Totally lean and green. That's the way I like it. And i'm gonna continue to eat clean for the rest of the weekend! Farmer's Market - here I come!

7am: Small bowl of leek soup, 1 persimmon (Thanks for the loot, D!!!)

12pm: Small bowl of leek soup, 1 small apple, 1 persimmon, cashews as needed

Main meal @ Whole Foods: Got off work at 7pm and was too exhausted to go home and cook. Trundled over to WF and had a mini feast.
Salmon Avocado brown rice roll, assorted items from hot bar

Read more...

:: Weekly meal plan ::

My friend, Laura, has a cooking group on Facebook. She posts her weekly meal plans on it. I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier - it would help me better plan my grocery shopping so there is no waste and I wouldnt be missing random ingredients here and there. I think it also helps that I really only have one main meal a day (while mikee eats leftovers for lunch) so it's not that tiring to be cooking and preparing meals. Here's my meal plan for next week! I am so psyched because I am getting to try 4 new Heidi Swanson Recipes!

Saturday:
Pepita Salad, Leek soup, Nikki's Healthy Cookie Recipe

Sunday: (friends over for dinner)
Spinach Mushroom Quiche (Peter Berley), made with spelt flour!
Leek soup
Black bean brownies

Monday:
Salmon with thyme and sage
Leek soup
Leftover quiche

Tuesday:
Pepita Salad with Grilled Chicken

Wednesday:
Autumn Quinoa Bake

Thursday:
Tasty Fritatta
Leek soup

Friday:
Healthy cookie recipe + eating out likely
Read more...

:: Day 130 - Summary ::

I'm feeling much much better today. Didn't venture into the 100-day cough at all so I'm happy to say that I have been "healed" of my condition that many of you are familiar with. What did I do? Just eat lots of goodness and avoid the badness. I'm sure losing weight had a role to play too. But wow, it feels great to no longer be slave to the condition. I have taken charge of my life.

8am: Oatmeal cooked in soy milk with carrots, apples, walnuts and pumpkin seeds. Topped with ground glaxseed and dallop of wildflower honey. Good to have the occasional change from the ABC juice y' know.


12pm: Small bowl of leek and broccoli soup + handful (actually couple handfuls) of pistachios


Main meal shared with Effie and Mikee
Fresh pipita salad, chopped chicken tenders coated in cumin and cayenne, sunnyside up on quinoa pancake

Read more...

:: of nuts and seeds!! ::

Ever since I started making siqil p'ak, i've been hooked on seeds. Pumpkin seeds to be exact. But I plan to venture into other seeds and nuts ... sunflower, sesame (white and black), flax, pine, poppy, pumpkin, almonds, pistachios... MMMmmmmmmmm time to stock up the pantry!

Recipes I will be attempting:
3-way Toasted pumpkin seeds by Heidi Swanson


Roast Banana Pumpkin Bread - will try with spelt or whole wheat flour instead by Heidi Swanson


Autumn Millet Bake Recipe by Mark Bittman


Tasty Fritatta

Read more...

:: Day 129 - Summary ::

Woke up at 3am pretty smashed. Sore throat was killing me but at least all the other systems are GO. I am pretty confident I'll fight this one without getting my 100-day cough. Doubling up on vitamins and fruits and veges. But at least I got some fresh chicken stock made and boy, it looks good!!! Went back to sleep and got up at 7am. Felt much much better but still sore throat.


8am: Salty oats with egg and green onion, ABC Juice + swiss chard



Main meal @ home - also mikee's farewell meal since he's going to tokyo soon
Heidi Swanson's Pepita Salad (WOW, what a hit!!! We loved it!!!), Ravioli ripieni di ricotta e spinaci (made with spelt flour instead of white). It was great fun whipping out the pasta maker again while the hubby and I went to work on creating the ravioli! One of my most treasured moments. Making ravioli with Mikee!

Read more...

:: Day 128 - Summary ::

Argh - got hit with a sore throat. So much for "never being sick again". I do attribute this to the reckless abuse of my body in the last two weeks in terms of nutrition. I only have myself to blame that my immune system is compromised.

8am: ABC Juice shared with Mikee

10pm-1pm: Pistachios, Cashews, Raw carrots, some sikil pak

Main meal @ home
Leek and swiss chard soup, green beans sauteed in garlic, rosemary garlic potatoes, siqil pak brown rice noodles with fresh tomatoes, Grilled organic pasture-fed chicken

Read more...

:: Day 127 - Summary ::

6am: ABC juice prepared by mikee, delicious!

Random snacking through the day: Raw carrots/tomatoes + homemade sikil pak (roasted pumpkin seeds with tomatoes, garlic, habanero, onion, cilantro)


Main meal @ home
homemade leek soup, brown rice fried swiss chard, mikee's fave chicken tenders
Read more...

:: I yo-yo ::

Believe it or not, my weight was up at a startling 168 today. I mean, CMON!!!! And because I'm in denial, I refuse to change my weight-ticker. Ok, it's not a big surprise. We had all these big eat-outs the past few days and also last week's crazy wedding weekend. And cake at work. And chocolate from co worker. The list goes on and on. This has got to stop - I put my feet down at home today. No more junk in our fridge or pantry. It is going OUT. No more taking leftovers home. NONE. I'm done with this nonsense.

On a totally different note, we got our first Le Creuset - 6 3/4 qt french oval oven. Compliments of the company i work for! :) They gave me a WS certificate more than a year ago and we haven't managed to use it for anything at all because everything is just so overpriced. But while we were browsing in the store yesterday we realized that the key to shopping in more high-end stores with a gift certificate, is to purchase something you "normally wouldn't ever dream of purchasing". Le Creuset is it. I hope to make lots of stews and stuff in it. And its nice that it moves from stove to oven so i'll get different uses out of it. Oh and it looks good!

Read more...

:: Day 126 - Summary ::

I felt... off yesterday. I couldn't figure out why. I just didnt feel like my usual self, energy was low ... everything was kinda low. And my poor husband couldn't figure out how to appease me. When I got into bed, I was very restless and kept tossing and turning. I think I finally managed to fall asleep during a nice deep foot rub. (Thanks bo!!!) This is not PMS, it's something different. I feel a little bit better today and I wonder if the mood thing is diet related since I havent been getting much of my morning juices in due to time. We'll see.

Activities: I decided I havent been exercising much either and the bell needs some attention and _respect_.

I decided to look up tracy's discovering strength blog and do the latest workout she's posted. Gulp, I know ... what have I gotten myself into? I am not gonna be a wuss about this.
49 mins, Tracy's swing progression & roundabout combo, 553 cal, HRa 159, HRm 177, 1600 reps!
12kg {
40 2 hand swing, 1 min,
5 roundabouts (40 reps), 1 min,
40 transfers, 1 min,
5 roundabouts (40 reps), 1 min}
8 kg{
40 reps, 1 swing/trans., 1 min,
5 roundabouts (40 reps), 1 min,
40 reps, 5/5 1 hand swings x 4, 1 min,
5 roundabouts (40 reps), 1 min}
8 min work, 2 min rest x 5 sets = 50 min

9am: ABC Juice + broccoli made by mikee. Ooohhhhh yeah!!!!


12pm: Homemade vege soup

Main meal @ The Higgins for my niece's violin recital

home-made siquik-pak and fig spread

Read more...