WELLNESS WEDNESDAY : all about water

"and don't forget to drink more water" ... I told everyone who took time to ask me about my weight loss. I am pretty sure everybody already knows the importance of drinking water. I found 10 benefits of drinking more water in an article on mindbodygreen.com and my favorites are the following: 

-promotes weight loss

-flushes out toxins

-improves skin complexion ( i heard Kris Aquino consumes at least 5 liters a day, no wonder her skin is radiant! ) 

Try as I may, I can not bring myself to drink 5 liters, I think the most I can is 3 liters a day. 

My day starts with a huge glass of water with 2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar. 

I go about my daily morning rituals after. Prepare my stuff for work and take a shower. After my shower, I take another full glass this time with half a teaspoon of Herbalife Herbal Concentrate... or what I personally refer to as my fat burning tea. 

After taking my shake, I drink another small glass of water before I leave for work. In as much as I would like to drink more, I can't because I take public transport to work and stopping by a public toilet to pee is not always possible. There was even a time when I did pee all over myself at Ayala Station and had to go commando walking around Glorietta wearing my denim skirt and pee-soaked - squeaking- bubble gum pink Chuck Taylors. Until of course I had the chance to buy fresh set of undies and a pair of flipflops. 

It goes without saying that I always have with me my water bottle. 

Thankfully lemons are now on sale ( buy one take one at the supermarket!!! yey!) No I don't think that lemons can magically zap fats away, but it renders my water less boring. Aside from lemons, I also put fruits, or cucumber, or mint leaves... or anything else that can give my water a little taste... without the sugar. 

I try my very best to not drink flavored drinks, no iced tea, no lemonade, no soda... but I do drink coffee sometimes, especially when I am in a meeting. I drink more water once I am back home, twice as much when I am working out and one big glass before I sleep. 

so there... aside from replacing a meal with my herbalife shake,i drink water! a lot of it, like i am paid to do so.

By the way I have already started my #21dayshakechallenge version 2.0. Aside from another 21 days of replacing a meal with herbalife shake, i am also going to add more physical activities to my daily routine. And what better way to start my shake challenge than to: 

to have it at 525 meters above sea level after a tiring 2-hour trek. Since I am aiming high , might as well take day 1 of my 21 day shake challenge at the highest point I have ever been to... so far. 

WELLNESS WEDNESDAY : the road to healthy

aaaaand I am back.

I feel guilty for flooding Facebook with stuff about the food I eat and my latest obsession about being fit. So to make sure that those who have absolutely zero interest in seeing my meals or the type of activities I do will or the changes in my body no longer be tortured with my posts, I revived my blog.

So over the weekend, I posted my most liked and talked about facebook post so far.

With more than 250 likes and 14 shares, I am predisposed to assume that a lot of people in my network are happy with my achievement. But then again, some might not really appreciate seeing my tummy or any other body part for that matter in the future again. 

So most update on my wellness journey, the food I eat ... or those I try not to, the activities I do ... or at least try my best to do and other stuff I do to shed unwanted fats will be posted on my blog. 

and what better way to start my Wellness Wednesday post by :

an hour of boxing, 15 minutes circuit, 15 minutes on the mat swearing while doing whatever I was asked to do for the benefit of my abs and lastly the most satisfying stretching and massage. Immediately thereafter, grabbed my post- workout meal. 

FOODIE FRIDAY : Sebo Pacific

Saw this a few days ago on my FB timeline:

FOR REAL?!? I am pretty sure gastro-delight places like BF and Kapitolyo started one great dining place at a time in the neighborhood. Could this be the start of something big in garage-based restaurateur in Bacoor? I instantly got curious and checked their FB page. Found out that the place is just a mere 10-minute leisurely walk from my house and also took a quick look at their menu:

photo grabbed from Sebo Pacific's FB page

So I together with my sister, 2 nephews and of course, my ever loyal foodie companion Ken went there at around 1920H on a Thursday. The place can comfortably seat at most 18 dining guests. When we got there, we saw a couple and 2 other guys seated on opposite tables who were already done with their meal, there was a family of 4 waiting to be served, and a group of 3 people who have yet to place their orders.

We wanted to seat together so we opted to wait for the other diners to finish. While waiting, copies of their menu (similar to the one above) were handed to us. My first instinct was to check the back of the laminated menu sheet that they gave us, hoping to find other options. But that was it, but I figured it is fine, after all they just started a few days ago.

When the couple left the table, we immediately helped ourselves to be seated. My sister knew one of the guys who just finished eating and exchanged pleasantries with him. She also asked what was Sebo Pacific's specialty and she was advised to try the crispy dinuguan. This confirmed my gut feeling that this is the dish that they are most proud of since it was listed first on their menu list.

Since me and Ken still had other plans for the night, we went to place our orders first. Ken chose the crispy dinuguan and I opted to try the sizzling bulalo. We asked the guy taking our orders to describe the dishes. The guy was knowledgeable enough and explained that crispy pork bits similar to lechon kawali will make the dinuguan crispy and that the bulalo will be served in their specialty white sauce.  My sister and 2 nephews each ordered something different. We ended up ordering everything on their menu except for the longanisa. We also ordered a pitcher each of iced tea and dalandan juice.

A few minutes later we were served soup. I am not a huge fan of soup so I politely declined. I don't know but maybe if they can have soup served upon request, it could help lessen cost and spoilage as most of us did not even touch the soup. Sayang naman.  Drinks came next, together with glasses with ice cubes.

After a few minutes the person who took our orders served the pork steak, burger steak and the buffalo wings. It was also around this time when my sister-in-law came and placed an additional order of buffalo wings. At this point Ken and I were starting to get pissed. How come their orders came out ahead of ours when we placed our orders first? At 1950H my sizzling bulalo was served. The first thing i tried was the white sauce. It tasted good... I mean really good. It was creamy and buttery, at first look, i kind of felt that it will taste like salty-starchy but I was wrong. I really liked it. The meat was also very tender. Overall i think it was priced just right for PHP 140.00.

Ken was growing impatient, after all, my sister was done with her first serving of rice and was waiting for her extra rice to be served and my nephews have already finished their meals but Ken's crispy dinuguan was still nowhere in sight. I offered to share my sizzling bulalo and told Ken to just share his crispy dinuguan with me once it arrives. We were almost finished with my sizzling bulalo when Ken lost hope and decided to just have his crispy dinuguan for take out. So I advised the guy who took our orders to not serve the crispy dinuguan anymore but I was informed that they did not have take out containers and would just place it inside a plastic bag. Oh well that was the last straw, we decided to have the order cancelled. And barely 2 minutes after Ken's order was cancelled, my sister-in-law's buffalo wings order was served. Like seriously?

A lady went to our table to apologize, it was a very nice gesture but the excuse given was so flimsy it did not help at all. Ken was told that the reason why his order was taking too long to prepare was because they were making sure that it was crispy. No. Not buying that crap.  I think what can help them is a little tutorial from my 2007 hometown hero Flo.

We left the place in a rush, just left the money to pay for our meals meal with my sister.

I liked the food, the white sauce was impressive,  the place : nice and cozy. Their service? Not quite there yet. Maybe they can hire an assistant too like what Flo did?

FOODIE FRIDAY : Blenderbox

Saw this  along Aguinaldo Highway (right after SM Bacoor) on my way home one night:

Was not quite sure what they serve, so one drizzling Saturday afternoon, I together with 3 much younger yuppies, went to the place to check it out. 

Upon entering the place, I was greeted by this fresh sight:

Impressive! and looks expensive too. I must admit I was a bit intimidated and immediately presumed it is going to be a pricey merienda. But I'm glad we did not back out and  decided to see what the place offers. We arrived at the place a little after 4 pm. Luckily it was still empty (they open at 3 pm) so we were able to take some photos and really see every detail without annoying other diners. The place was well ventilated, couches comfy and I really liked the brick accent wall. 

Turns out blenderbox serves Milk tea as their main product, as evident on their menu board. I took a closer look and saw that they also have milkshakes, sandwiches, pasta, salads and rice meals yes rice meals... steak at that! 

Here is what I ordered :

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP : Grilled cheese sandwich , fish and chips and hot nutella

The grilled cheese sandwich (Php 119.00) was what it was, a grilled cheese sandwich. What was special about this piece is the fries. They used parmesan cheese instead of salt to season it so it added a little more flavor. The salad was a nice touch too, but I am not really a huge fan of green leafy things. 

The fish and chips (Php 119.00) was something I loved... specially the way the fish was prepared. Not too salty and crisp just right.  The tartar sauce was nice too. I would have wanted just plain salted potato chips instead of cheese-flavored. Maybe next time I would state my preference. 

Hot Nutella (Php 95.00) Now who does not love Nutella? I was not in the mood for cold drinks so I opted to try this drink. Milk + Nutella = a sweet tooth's delightful drink. You might want to think twice about the sugar packet though, mine got too sweet because I did not taste the drink first before adding the sugar. Oh well I guess I am not one to risk having sugar -related unhappiness. 

I am not a certified food critic,it is either I love it or I don't.  so I will just let you drool at the other items that we ordered:

Carbonara (Php 199.00)

Caesar Salad (Php 129.00)

Blenderclub Sandwich (199.00)

Red Velvet Cake ( I forgot how much we paid for this but this was real, authentic red velvet cake! Cream cheese icing!)

Milk Tea ( Php 90.00 to Php100.00)

and last but definitely not the least. This:

Oreo Milkshake!!! Served in Mason Jars! I love Mason Jars! (php 95.00 to Php 105.00)

If you just want to hang out and enjoy a little lazy afternoon catching up with friends, then this could be a good place. Much like how one would hang out at Starbucks, except this place is not crowded and  over populated with high school students taking selfies with their fraps! 

Oh before I forget, should you want to visit the place, pin a little note on their corkboard, something like this that I saw on their FB page. 

don't you think the penmanship looks awfully familiar?