TGIF...even on a Thursday!

TGI Fridays has always been one of my favorite restaurants. From the tender and yummy Cajun Chicken Fingers, to my all time fave, the Shanghai Chicken Salad, there's always something great to have in Fridays. Though somewhat pricey, the dishes are always good to share. Today I tried something new. Because I'm trying to make healthier choices, I tried the Tortilla Crusted Fish. It was delish! A little spicy, but good nonetheless. It came with rice through, so my no rice dinners was a fail hehe.

To top off my Fridays dinner, I was able to claim a prize I won recently! A Mocha Mudpie :-) Okay, not a very good dieters choice...but I shared it with my friends anyway so I didn't eat it all! That should count for something!!!!

Wanna win your own Mocha Mudpie?!? Click here!!!

A Perfect Start and End to Any Day!

I'm sure we've all been told at one point or another that the most important meal of the day is breakfast. However, as times have changed, so has our so-called important meal of the day. Enter brunch!

While many may do brunch in the spirit of rushing, the phenomenon is slowly becoming trendy as many of Hollywood's elite start their days mid-morning with a brunch. Remember that infamous Bass Brunch in Gossip Girl? Yes, brunch is indeed the new "it" meal.

Recently, bloggers were invited to Brunch and Desserts with World Asia Café Star, Bobby Chinn.

photo courtesy of Azrael Coladilla

We, too, can now enjoy brunch in the cozy interiors of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. With selections such as their Brek O'Day, Salmon Scramble (which I heard is really yummy!), assorted muffins and Eggs Ben, weekend mornings can definitely be an event to look forward too. Let's not forget the wide array of Tea Lattes and Ice Drinks CBTL has to offer.

Brunch, and any meal for that matter, would not be complete without dessert. I am a sucker for dessert, seriously. I've said time and again I can go without a full meal so long as I have a great dessert. And great desserts I got! We were treated to a whole bunch of delectable treats.

Choco Fudge (uber yummy and chocolatey to death!!)
Lemon Squares (yum. yum. and yum)
and Triple Berry Coffee Cake (served warm wih coffee, good, not a personal fave though)

My personal favorites: A Chai Tea Latte, Camembert Oreo Cheese Tart
and Chicago Cheesecake

Truly, CBTL offers you a perfect way to start or end any day!

Sushi with a Twist: Terriyaki Boy's Crazy Rolls

I am a big fan of sushi. In fact, I'm willing to give almost any kind of sushi/maki a try, at least once. I used to love going to those buffets in Saisaki because of all the sushi! The other day, my friend J asked to have dinner in Terriyaki Boy. It's been a while since I've indulged in Japanese food so I agreed.

I had my mind set in ordering a dish of Agadashi Tofu or Tofu Steak, after all, I'm trying to watch my weight, right? However, I got tempted by their Crazy Rolls. Even though it is rice based, I decided to go ahead and try some. It took me a long time to decide which one to try because there a dozen varieties to choose from. Finally, I decided to try the Firecracker Roll. I chose this for two reasons: first, it was made with salmon (others were made of chicken) and second, it was had the best photo appeal! I know the second one was kind of an airhead reason for choosing a dish, but I went with it.

The Firecracker Roll is described as "a display of color and various flavours. Minced fresh Norweigan salmon smothered with chili oil with our very own chili dressing rolled in green fish roe and black sesame seeds, topped with shoestring wanton" and was served with their crazy dip. I didn't particularly like the dip much, but the sushi was delish! I liked it better with soy sauce and wasabi. The Firecracerk Roll sells at Php 240.00.

Taking it Seriously.

Okay...so this time I will try to take my diet a wee bit seriously. Its about time. Haaaaayyyy....I know it's not gonna be an easy journey but like my friend told me, it needs some internalizing. So I am tapping into my inner motivation reservoir and saying I will make this work.

I have decided to take it slow, however, mainly because I can't afford to buy Xenical or Reductil or any of those diet pills in the market. (hint hint to med reps and researchers...need a sample for a study, I'll volunteer!!!). For now, I am committing to doing the following in an attempt to lose at least 10 pounds by the time the first term of classes end:


1. I will not park closest to the entrance anymore. Not a big step, but one towards the right direction, I think. By parking farther from the entrance, I guess I'll be forced to walk.

2. Increase the pace of my typical walk. I think I walk too slow nowadays. I guess it's an offshoot to having a heavier butt harhar!!! Seriously though, when I was very huge years ago, I never realized how heavy it was to lug around my weight. But when I lost a huge chunk of it then gained some back, I realized that it is indeed a heavy load to carry. So now I will try to walk at a quicker pace, after all, they say that exercise can be done in bursts, right? So walking to and from class at a quicker pace should be a good start.

3. No more softdrinks, even diet sodas. This is one thing I really became lax about after losing weight. After a carbonated drink fast for two years, I started having it on occasion then now it's back to almost everyday...and every meal. Enough of that!!! Now iced tea...well....limit will do!

4. One cup of rice a day for now. When I first lost a lot of weight, I completely swore off rice. As in 100%. Pasta too. I'm probably not ready for this at this point, so 1 cup at lunch time and thats it.

5. Stock up on chicken, fish and veggies. I will limit pork and beef intake for now. During my rice-less days, I also went almost 100% vegetarian. Maybe by October I will explore this again, but for now, chicken and fish stay!

6. Walk with Bubba at least once around the village park as much as possible. Given that it's the rainy season, it would be difficult to commit completely to this. In lieu of walking, half an hour of hula-hooping should suffice.

7. Sweets and treats in strict moderation. I've tried to give this up, but everytime I deprive myself I end up indulging. So I will honor the urge when it comes, but only enough to give it a taste. No more pints-of-ice-cream-in-one-sitting or giant slices of cake.

8. Monitor the numbers. Much as I am inspired by iMom and her fitness project, I am not yet comfortable writing those numbers in my blog. It's going on my calendar though :-)

That's it for now, I suppose. Wish me luck!