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?

KITCHEN ADVENTURE : toaster smores

Saw this on my cousin Ken's FB page a few days ago.

SMORES!!! & I decided to make some too, because I am naturally inggitera that's why! And also because I have always considered cooking a stress-buster. Maybe because with cooking I can feel a sense of fulfillment when I hear that what I made can be classified as "above palatable". Don't get fooled by the corporate-career-oriented facade, it may be a surprise to know that I am also domesticated. Just last week I cooked laing, and a few weeks back, fried Oreos.

After a long day, I was lucky enough to be able to hitch a ride with my colleague. So I got home home earlier than usual. Deciding I have done enough excel files for a day, I rushed to a nearby minimart and purchased the stuff I need to make my own version of smores for the first time. 

Smores is supposed to be chocolate bars with toasted marshmallows sandwiched between graham crackers. Chocolate bars is not a staple in our house, so I used chocolate syrup instead. Below are the ingredients I used:

• graham crackers
• marshmallows
• chocolate syrup
• cookie butter

I started with just 4 pieces of graham crackers. The first thing I did was to carefully cut the graham crackers into squares. Laid 6 graham cracker squares on a plate, the remaining squares were set aside. Next, I placed choco syrup on 3 graham squares and cookie butter on the remaining graham squares.

Time for something soft and fluffy.

Now let's see if these darlings are ready to take the heat...

Ours is a regular oven toaster which does not have adjustable temperature settings. Depends on the toaster's settings, I think toasting can be done between 3 to 6 minutes. Take the mallows out too soon and it may not melt, leave it too long inside and it might totally burn. Since this is the first time I am doing this, I made sure I watched the mallows closely. 

now we just place graham squares on top of these beauties.

Ok these may not be as pretty looking  as the ones in Ken's photo but the YUM factor is stupendous!

Made 12 smores in less than 20 minutes and now my sugar level has skyrocketed.  I am not sure  when I can finally shut my eyes and get some much needed sleep. 

Sweet night everyone! :)

FOODIE FRIDAY : When I fall in RUB!

I am seriously thinking of converting this blog into a foodie blog. The last posts are all about my gastronomic adventures,  and this one is no different. 

Me and my cousin Ken  has this urge to completely try every restaurant we see in Kapitolyo, and the fact that we live in Cavite seem to be not a hindrance. What stops us from being there as much as we want is budget constraints. So we save up and delight ourselves one little restaurant at a time. 

One of our latest food-venture is a quick dinner at RUB BBQ and Ribs. 

We went to Kapitolyo after seeing Transformers, an  APMC free movie treat for their employees and I got lucky enough to get free movie passes c/o my cousin Carlo. I love love love Ayala... and Carlo too... but maybe not as much as Ayala! We arrived at RUB and was lucky enough to get the last parking space available. The area in front of their establishment can only accommodate 4 vehicles. 

After we alighted from the vehicle, I was not surprised that we had to wait to be seated and served, after all it was a Saturday. While we were waiting outside, Foursqure alerted us to try RUB's buffalo wings and fried Oreos. Since it was my first time at this establishment, I immediately requested for a menu so I can check on what they offer and see if it is within my budget. 

A single rib meal with rice and a side dish costs PHP 220.00. Not bad. Before we were even able to decide on what to order, we were already ushered to our seat. The place was relatively small. It could probably seat a maximum of 50 comfortably. I love the chalkboard menu and the framed posters. My favorite poster was the one with a Rocky quote that says " Going in one more round when you don't think you can that's what makes all the difference in your life. "

We each ordered a rib meal and decided to try different side dishes. 

I am the bacon addict so I went with bacon and potato salad side

Carlo wanted the  Grilled butter corn  side

and Ken decided to have roasted garlic mashed potato 

Aside from the sides that we ordered, they also have potato fries, garlic spinach and mushroom, texan toast, coleslaw, buttered vegetables and spiced fried rice ( or sprice). All can be ordered at PHP 85.00 each. We decided to try the sprice.

a cup of sprice for PHP 85.00, a bit pricy for extra rice

 As recommended by foursquare, we ordered their buffalo chicken wings. And to complete our meal, we also ordered a pitcher of their house blend iced tea which I really loved. We decided not to order the highly recommended fried oreos, there simply was no more room in our tummies.

A juicy yummy steal at PHP 260.00

Service was surprisingly fast, considering the place was really packed. We got our Ribs in less that 15 minutes after we have ordered it. Downside was it was not as hot as I would have wanted it. Seems they have anticipated a huge crowd and prepared the ribs way ahead of time. 

I was a bit disappointed with my bacon potato salad, it could have been more bacon-y. But hey, we went here for the meat, not for the sides. so yeah, I did  love how the meat fall off the bone with the slightest effort and I loved how the are very very very generous with their sauce. 

Once again, a meat-filled meal made me a happy little carnivore! 

FOODIE FRIDAY : Tim Ho Wan

TIM HO WAN literally means "add good luck" but if you are anything like me and my cousin Ken: equally curious to experience how it is like to eat at presumably the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant, you probably need to "add patience" too, because we had to wait for exactly 2 hours and 19 minutes to be seated and served. 

Tim Ho Wan opened its first branch in the Philippines at the newest wing ( I think it is named Fashion Hall) of SM Megamall. Operations starts at 12:00 noon. Last Sunday, me, Ken and Jem decided to try it before watching a volleyball game.  When we arrived at 10:27 am, there was already a group of people lining up. I was secretly hoping that the long queue would somewhat be a cause for concern for the mall management and that would eventually pressure Tim Ho Wan to accept customers earlier than their posted schedule. I was wrong. 

We were ushered to our table at around 12:46 pm. Too bad we were seated outside, I wanted to check on their interiors. From the outside, I saw that their lighting fixtures were decorated with wooden steamers. Since we already have a copy of their liners that also serves as their menu, ordering came easy. Besides, they only have a few items on their menu to choose from. 

Ordering is pretty straightforward, just write down the quantity next to the item that you would like to have. After submitting your order sheet, a summary of the items ordered will be placed on your table which will later serve as a reference for them to check if they have already served the items you have ordered. As the food items arrive, they will cross it out from the list. 

Service was really fast, considering that there were plenty of people to serve. There was a staff standing by our table named Jen was very pleasing and readily acknowledged our requests. Empty plates and steamers were immediately cleared.  

Top on our list is their Big four heavenly Kings:

1. Baked Buns with BBQ Pork - PHP 145.00 for 3 pieces 

I am not surprised that this is the very first thing listed on their menu. I LOVED IT! This was definitely worth the 2-hour wait. Seriously. I have never tasted anything quite like it before. Buns were soft, I don't know but to me it felt like it melted in my mouth. was it crunchy? No, it felt more like it was crusty with just the right sweetness. The pork inside didn't taste anything like savory BBQ, I think it was more asado-ish. 

2. Pan Fried Carrot Cake - PHP 145.00 for 3 pieces

For me cake = dessert. Much like the raddish cake that I am familiar with, this carrot cake was not in any way a "cake". It tasted like vermicelli with bits of meat which to me seemed like chorizo ( which at first I thought was carrots).  It tasted good though, after I dipped it in soy sauce. I wonder now if this is the proper way of eating it. 

3. Steamed egg cake - PHP 85.00

I honestly thought it is just puto (our local rice cake), but it was different. It was softer and fluffier. It tasted like a reduced-sweetness Kopiroti bun. I liked it too, but not half as much as I liked the baked buns.

4. Vermicelli roll with Pig's liver - PHP 150.00 for 3 pieces

When Ken told me that we were going to order everything categorized as Heavenly King, I wanted to object. Because I did not want to spend on something I know I will not be eating with much gusto, after all I am not really very fond of pig's liver. But I gave in and ended up swallowing huge chunks of this pig's liver roll, followed by a huge gulp of jasmine tea. And Ken did not eat it either. 

We stood for more than 2 hours so we needed more sustenance. Good marketing strategy Tim Ho Wan, you successfully made us order more than what we intentionally wanted to try. We also ordered prawn dumpling, spinach dumpling with shrimp , Glutinous rice with lotus leaf ( i think this is what we call ma tsang), vermicelli roll with beef and rice with beef and fried egg.  Nothing spectacular really. After all it is dim sum. A dash of soy sauce, a dollop of chili oil and everything should be fine.  It took us less than an hour to finish everything.  Add 2 glasses of iced tea and a pot of jasmine tea,we paid a total of PHP 1,786.00.

 

Maybe my tastebuds have not yet fully upgraded, maybe I am not yet ready for Michelin-star standard restaurant food. Because honestly, the only silver lining from the "2-hour-OMG-this-is-the-most-poorly-managed-queue-I-have-ever-endured" was the yummy pork bun. That and nothing else. 

FOODIE FRIDAY : Falling Madly In Love with Mad Mark's

I am carnivorous. I love meat so it goes without saying that a place that serves reasonably priced steak is somewhere I feel most at home. 

My cousin Ken has raved about Mad Mark's so when he got his first salary, the whole family grabbed dinner at their branch in Glorietta 5. The second time I ate at Glorietta was after a so-so gym session at Gold's Gym, and the third time was special... because we ate for free!!!

Ken won GC's from pepper.ph

We were there a little before 11 am, place was pretty isolated save for a couple dining at one corner. We had time to take photos of the place without feeling embarrassed. Place was decorated with framed photos with trivia information on items on their menu and its ingredients. The place was small, could probably seat not more than 40 people comfortably but it was cozy and well-lit.

ohh that huge Nutella jar!

A clipboard holds their menu, the first couple of times we were here, their menu was nothing fancy, black and white on a bond paper. But they have since upgraded. The menu now is colored and laminated. 

 

STEP 1. Choose a dish & serving size

We each ordered a regular steak. 

STEP 2. State your preferred doneness

We both wanted our steak to be medium well

STEP 3. Choose a sauce

We are in love with the Bootstrap steak sauce

STEP 4. Finish it with side dishes

Mine had smashed potato and house salad  while Ken chose rice and bacon potato salad.

Since we still have money to spare, we also ordered a happy camper sandwich, cajun fries and a pitcher of Iced tea.

First to be served was the iced tea. I like their iced tea. I know that it is not just Nestea jazzed up with calamansi. It was a bit too sweet though... but I'm okay with sweet. 

Did we really order food enough for 3 people?
I think they were right to assume. 

Service was relatively fast, but maybe because there was no one else to attend to. Next came our Happy Camper sandwich (it was HUGE!!!) and cajun fries.

this is just my portion of the sandwich.
Ken got the other half.

Figured I can not just stuff this in my mouth.
Enter fork and knife.

salty carbs! complimented our sandwich well. 

I am not sure what their dressing is for the Happy Camper Sandwich, but I did taste a hint of curry. The crunchy roll was generously stuffed with diced chicken pieces and smothered with caramelized onion and slices of bell pepper. The half sandwich that I ate was enough to make me full. I did not eat much of the fries because I know I have to save some tummy room for my steak. 

For the main event... Drum roll please. 

My steak! That thing wrapped in foil is my smashed potato. I have expected my steak a little less done than this, but it was still ok. I did not have to use an awful lot of force to cut it. I requested for additional sauce since they used to give like a quarter of a jigger for free upon request. But now they charge ( i think it was 15 pesos) for half a jigger. I am not one to risk experiencing any sauce-related unhappiness for a minimal amount so I paid for my sauce. 

and this is Ken's steak:

I remember them being more generous with bacon for the potato salad. 

I was not able to finish my smashed potato because I was already feeling nauseous. But Mad Mark's boasts of its home made ice cream and that is something that I will not let pass. 

Double scoop ice cream cost 160 pesos, but you can choose different flavors.  I took Madagascar Vanilla Bean and Strawberries and cream. I think Ken chose the half baked madagascar and another flavor that was not on the menu. I think their Ice cream flavors vary from day to day. So it is best to check the menu board. 

I have forgotten how the ice cream tastes though, I guess it is time to pay them a visit again. But maybe this time, I will drop by their Kapitolyo branch. Because I heard the prices are cheaper there... now that we really need to pay for everything. Except probably when Ken gets to win more vouchers.