More Birthday Gifts!

Happy Birthday to Loomis! 3 years old!

For his birthday he got:

a trip to stern grove

a fancy gourmet meal + a stuffed cow

Gourmet Cheddar treats

for today I had:

Breakfast:

The usual: Coffee, Cinnamon raisin bagel with almond butter, banana slices, agave nectar.

Lunch:

Chai Tea & milk with a Bagel sandwich: greens, avocado, tofurky deli slices, mayo on an asiago bagel. I just realized that I bagels twice today!

Treat:

Decaf, Soy, SF vanilla latte with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.

Dinner:

I really didn’t feel like cooking tonight, so I just heated myself a bean and cheese burrito. I also had a nice tasty pear.

Good night!

Bizarre Food

My last class yesterday (World Foods & Culture) was extremely interesting and fun. I love the professor. She’s very honest, straight to the point and definitely knows how to engage an audience.

One of our projects for the semester is to keep a food blog on “Bizarre” Foods that we have encountered. I almost laughed when this came up because of course I’m a food blogger!

So in order for us to understand the assignment, she gave us an example of a “Bizarre” food.

Here’s what I learned in class about it:

Tremella

What it is:

A fungus from the sea. it is normally sold in Pan-Asian or Chinese markets. You can find it at Ranch 99.

Description:

It grows on trees and is normally found dry and lightened in color. The original color is yellowish-orange. My instructor cautions that the lighter in color the fungus is, the more bleaching agent that was added.

Note: Other students said that it smelled salty. Makes sense since it is from the sea.

What it’s known for:

Supposed to beneficial to women by making their skin look better. In essence “beautifying” a woman.

How it’s eaten:

The student who spoke about it gave an example to eat it in soup. She cautioned that it would actually have to be soaked for 2 hours and then cooked for another 2 hours! Holy cow that’s A LONG time!

Nutritional Value:

Similar nutritional value to other types of mushrooms. There is nothing to show that it is beneficial for women in particular because it does not have very much of the following: Minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates, or protein.  

More information can be found here at this site.

Although class was extremely interesting and fun, through the entire lecture, I had a stomach ache.

I wasn’t sure what it was, but I think it has a lot to do with stress. You see, I don’t function very well when I am rushed or stressed out, so I try to avoid the two. However, on this morning I was rushing from the moment I left the apartment.

I need to work on that!

I’m off to get ready for class. I’ll have to give an update on my breakfast later this after noon. For now, enjoy your morning!

Time Goes by Fast!

Happy Hump Day!

Man oh man, this morning went by FAST. I started reading and the next thing I knew it was already 8:30!

My Kinesiology class begins at 9:10 am.

I quickly changed clothes, tidied myself up a bit and rushed to class.

I looked like the typical college student who just rolled out of bed and came to class (minus the pjs).

Breakfast:

1/2 a cinnamon raisin bagel with almond butter, blackberries & coffee

When class was over at 12 (3 hours of lecture!), I quickly rushed home to relieve the doggies.

They got in a short walk because I had to eat.

Lunch:

Fage NF Greek Yogurt with Honey. I also mixed in more blackberries, granola and a few dried cranberries.

I also had Amy’s Bean and Cheese burrito with iced coffee.

Now, I gotta walk back to campus and go to my World Foods class.

Hope you have a good Wednesday!

Productive Tuesday!

Mailman rung the doorbell today and surprised me with a package. I had thought I received all of my books, but this is actually my last book from Amazon. miscounted. whoops!

Modern Food Service Purchasing

Loomis & Lulla were curious and excited about the package.

Snack:

Cereal with soy milk.

Lunch:

I was in the process of making myself a yogurt and blackberry snack, but my sister surprised me with a sandwich, pickle, and potato salad from Noah’s bagel. I had planned on eating just half. 10 minutes later there was no food left in front of me. I was hungrier than I thought!

Lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, cucumber, onions… YUM! Thanks Samy!

I washed it all down with an iced coffee!

Vet Visit:

Avenues Pet Hospital on Taraval St.

My sweet little Lulla.

Does she know how much I love her?

Costco:

My sister accompanied me with my trip to Costco. It was nice to have the company. Plus, we just talked on and on and on and on……

• Microban cutting board

Other items bought:

• Toilet paper
• Dove shampoo
• Handsoap
• Avocado 5 pack (gave 2 to my sister)
• red bell peppers
• floss
• quinoa
• Amy’s Bean and cheese burrito
• Salad bin
• soy milk
• Bagels (cinnamon & asiago)
• Smoked Paprika
• Purple household gloves
• corn tortillas
• bosc pears

Dinner:

Amy’s Bean and Cheese burrito & Salad (mixed greens, avocado, carrots, walnuts, dried cranberries, dried apricots with vinaigrette).

Looking at my to-do list, I accomplished everything, but studying. Speaking of studying…I’m going to head off and review my flashcards really quick before bed.

Night!

Bananas & Waffles Make Me Smile

Good Morning!

Man, it was difficult to stay awake for class last night!

Yesterday morning I had woken up around 5:15 am to get ready in time to start work sharp at 8, so trying to stay awake at 8 pm at night was a toughie.

Luckily for me, he let us out an hour early. I hope he continues to end class early because I can see this semester being super tiresome.

At least I have my breakfast to put a smile on my face (plate) right?

Breakfast:

coffee, waffles with agave nectar, banana slices, blackberries

Agenda for today:

• CFS 353 — Food Service Systems Mgmt
• Costco & Target
• Walk dogs
• DFM 458 — Mgmt of Quality Food Purchasing and Production
• Dogs get a potty break/walk
• Reading for ACSM
• Take Lulla to Vet
• Make dinner

Other:

• class dentist
• call adjuster for work

Hope to finish the day off at 6 pm.

Happy Tuesday!

Back to Atypical Me.

It’s good to be back at home. I find that I have much more control over what I’m eating when I’m at home verses when I’m visiting family. For instance, last weekend, I had SOOO many sweets that I wasn’t feeling well afterwards physically. I was bloated, nauseated, stuffed, you name it!

Today I made sure I ate healthy starting with my oatmeal, then also making sure that I had plenty of water, fruits and veggies.

Pretty good start to the week.

Snack:

1 cup of black berries and Fage plain NF greek yogurt with honey. SO GOOD! Even the store cat, Jasper, wanted some.

Lunch:

I had a salad with walnuts, tomatoes, greens, ranch dressing. I didn’t snap a picture of it because I was at work talking to my manager. I didn’t want him to think that I was weird. A few weeks ago, I was joking at work that I took photos of my food and someone made a comment that it was not normal…. LOL I know it’s not normal, but he didn’t know I was a blogger. Even then I still think he’d think I was a weirdo. oh wells!

When I got home from work, I just ate leftovers from the weekend new year food.

I also rehydrated with a glass of coconut water.

My feet were throbbing, but I had to take the doggies for a walk. Later tonight I have a class from 7 to 9:45 pm. I hope we get out early because I’m pooped!

After the walk, I was about ready to take a nap, then I contemplated on driving to west portal to get myself a vanilla latte at Peets, but it was too far.

I opted to revive myself at home with a bagel and tea instead. I think I made the right choice.

Snack:

Cinnamon Raisin Bagel with almond butter and maple syrup.

with a mug of earl grey tea and soy milk.

I snuck in a piece of almond and sea salt dark chocolate in as well.

The last of my books finally arrived!

Foodservice Management

Food, Cuisine, and Cultural Competency.

I also ordered a few other books as well:

One that I’ve been enjoying is The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone. I’ve just been skimming through the pages and looking at the recipes here and there.

I have to admit that this is one of THE BEST vegan guide book that I’ve seen so far! She makes it so simple, easy, and she’s honest. If you’re a vegan/vegetarian or trying to give up meat, I HIGHLY recommend buying her book.

Off to get ready for my night class!

Get Your Fiber On

Happy MONDAY!

Since I’m continuing with the theme of Getting Back on Track, I wanted to include a little tidbit about fiber. Have a great day and I’ll see y’all later!

According to the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine, it is recommended that women get at least 25 g of fiber each day. Looks like I got a good leg up on my fiber intake today. A good 32%!

For the health benefits of fiber check out: Dietary Fiber: Essential for a Healthy Diet

Breakfast:

Oatmeal w/ Banana with Fiber Mix

  

1 serving yields: 350 calories, 57 g of CHO, 8 g of fat, 13 grams of protein, 8 g of fiber, 67 mg of sodium, 21 g of sugar

Back On Track!

Well this weekend has been pretty much just relaxing with family and eating lots of food. Ugh, I think I ate WAY too much yesterday.

I seriously need to get back on track with eating healthy.

Maybe reading for my classes will help me get started. I’ve been meaning to read for my ACSM personal trainer book, but kept getting tied up with other things. Hopefully by the summer time I’ll get certified.

At least I’m still learning (probably more advanced stuff) about exercise science through my classes.

Another book for my Kinesiology Sport and Exercise Psychology class came in last Friday. I have a few more books that’ll be coming in still. I also need to pick up a couple more at the bookstore.

School starts tomorrow!

Breakfast:

Coffee from Starbucks, a banana,

Cinnamon rolls from Trader Joe’s. I also had a bit of last night’s soup. Yeah, big breakfast/lunch (err brunch).

Plans for the rest of my day:

• Pilates
• study
• make food to take to Uncle’s house
• Have one last family dinner at Uncle’s house
• Drive back to San Francisco

Forget BirthDAY Let’s Do BirthMONTH!

Here’s yet again, another long post.

Hope you enjoy reading and seeing photos as I have lots to share!

Friday:

Breakfast:

Coffee, cinnamon bagel with almond butter, banana slices, coconut flakes, agave nectar.

Snacks:

fresh strawberries added to Fage w/ honey = SOOOOO GOOD!

Chocolate chip cookie. I wasn’t planning on eating a cookie today, but one of the managers brought it to work to share. I couldn’t resist!

Lunch:

Soup, salad & crackers

Long didn’t have work today (because of his doctors visit), so I took his lunch. I had packed him lunch for the week and I sometimes leave notes on there for him, so that explains the salad description on the tupperware. Just so y’all don’t think I’m that OCD for my blog. LOL! (okay well maybe I am, but not in this situation).

Salad: spring mix/baby spinach, tomatoes, quinoa, walnuts, apricots w/ vinaigrette.

I also packed the tomato and roasted red pepper soup with crackers.

Silly me I didn’t realize that there was metal on the jar (duh!), so I poured the soup into my glass bowl that I used for the strawberries and yogurt earlier. Then I heated it in the microwave for a few minutes. Then threw it back into the jar because it was looked prettier. This is where my OCD tendencies for my blog comes in. Hey, it makes for a great photo doesn’t it?!

This soup is AMAZING on a rainy day like today.

When I got home that night, I was exhausted! It was already 9 pm, so I went to bed and crashed my face into my pillow.

TODAY

I slept in until 9 & it felt GREAT! I got to relax for a bit, but then soon had to get ready to leave for San Jose to visit my in-laws for Vietnamese/Chinese/Tet (whatever you wanna call it) New Year.

Breakfast:

Banana, cinnamon raisin bagel with wild blueberry jam, almond butter and a cup of coffee

on the road again…

Within a few hours of getting to the house, I had some more soup I had it with half a Vietnamese baguette.

Yes, I love this stuff!

I paired it with a chai chola from taylor tonics. It doesn’t get any better than this…

Later we went to the store to get some last minute groceries. At the register, I found an Angry Birds new year red envelope. I LOVE angry birds!

However, the package of 6 did not have just angry birds cartoons, there were teddy bear ones too! It was very fitting to give to our little cousins (ages 3-7).

Then we ate dinner. My mother-in-law, prepared us soup with mock meats and noodles and veggies. It was pretty good. I never had this type of soup before and I don’t know how she made it, so I can’t really say…. I think my favorite part was the “meat” balls. I think they’re all soy based meat replacers.

After we ate, we opened birthday presents!

Yes I got MORE birthday presents! Let’s just make January my birthday month. LOL

Long’s birthday is on the 27th, so he got birthday gifts too:

• wool sweater,
• pajamas,
• 49er sweater,
• a birthday check,
• 49er hat with money inside.

all awesome gifts!

Here’s what I got:

Perfect Meatloaf Pan Set. I CAN’T WAIT TO USE IT!

Not for meatloaf though…I’m thinking other types of loaves, such as bread, vegetable/lentil loaf etc..

pajama set and a purse.

Here’s me posing for y’all with my “Pinky” Sweater (other b-day present from my sister) and my new purse.

me => DORK!

Yay for the birthday couple!

We also ate 2 mini bundt cakes. They were delish!

We had the lemon-raspberry (not pictured) and the red velvet. Perfect Portions.

I also got a chance to play with Chi Chi, one of my mother-in-law’s dogs. Chi Chi is so adorable. When she gets excited, she twirls around and bows.

While we played a round of golf and settlers, I had a bowl of ice cream, bananas, and potato chips.

I interrupted Long during a game of Magic The Gathering to take a picture with his birthday 49er sweater, so he’s trying to fake a smile. LOL

Good night and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Time Crunch [take 2!]

Ecto crashed on me last night after I had finished writing up this super long post, so here is my 2nd attempt…crossing my fingers that this goes online okay.

I’m trying to upload my photos from my iPhone to my Mac, but technology seems to be hating me right now..

At the moment, I am at the hospital waiting on Long.

It’s nothing major, but I am a little worried about how he’ll do afterwards.

I may have to call in sick to work….

In the meantime, enjoy my eats. I hope to have better content in the new few days.

Thursday January 19th:

Oatmeal & banana with coffee. Check out my new Oatmeal jar. I got the inspiration from Kerfs blog.

I didn’t have time to have a full lunch because I had to go home to walk the dogs. While I was at work today (8-330), I had snacks throughout the day.

Snacks:

Yogurt with strawberries

soy pudding

I didn’t get to eat my lunch until 4 pm at home.

Salad fixings:

• walnuts
• dried cranberries
• tomatoes
• spring mixed greens
• ranch dressing

I also finished up the rest of Whole Foods Hot bar food (see post below)

Dinner:

I dropped by Trader Joe’s and got myself organic tomato & roasted red pepper soup. I then instantly thought of grilled cheese.

Also got some crackers.

Grilled cheese with tomato & roasted red pepper soup with a side of multi grain crackers.

BEST dinner for a cold cold night.

Again, another night of crashing in my bed.

Wednesday January 18th:

Breakfast:

Coffee, Bagel, cream cheese

Loomis had his shadow visit today at 2 pm.

Long wanted me to drop Lulla off with him, so that she didn’t cry.

I drove to Oakland.

Once I got to Oakland and met up with him, I received a call from Christina saying that there was an issue with infection going on in the hospital, so they had to cancel today’s visit.

I was disappointed, but I understood. I wouldn’t want to get sick or be the cause of someone in the hospital get sick.

I had plenty of time to waste then…

I decided to explore my old dwellings

First up:

Leona Canyon. I used to come here all the time.

A nice place to train for a race (since it’s straight up hill). A great place to have the dogs play while I relax. It’s also a great place to get away from the city.

After LC, I took off for another trip to Whole Foods!

I enjoyed the Hot Bar food.

Afterwards, I took a trip to Peet’s Coffee & Tea for a Small Decaf NF Vanilla Latte. Instant satisfaction.

After eating, I took the doggies for a walk around our old neighborhood. I went to visit Maggie–the sweetest Lab in the entire world (aside from Loomis, of course). The dogs remember her and wagged their tails in excitement when I said her name.

When we were done walking, I contemplated on going to a cafe to study, but decided that I’d just wait in the car until Long got off work.

I did a bit of flash card studying. A good way to get back into the habit of studying again.

_____

Dinner:

We visited our favorite Thai restaurant. Chai Thai Noodles. If you’re ever in Oakland and looking for some good authentic Thai food, you should visit this place.

Left: Red curry. Right: Tofu Prik King. Both FULL OF FLAVOR.

My portion:

Thai iced tea, curry, stir fry, brown rice.

I then went home to crash that night.