Waking up at 5 am…

Filed Under General, Recipes | 5 Comments

I woke up at 5:30 am to pee only to glance at my laptop to see devastating news. The tsunami and earthquake that hit Japan was all over my twitter and cnn newsfeed. It is insane I went to bed all calm, how quickly I went into panic mode. Taiwan is so close to Japan that I immediately called my dad who was calm. He’s more worried about the people in Japan and saying how horrible it is. Taipei is buried in between a valley of mountains and a few hours away from the coastline so we never get bad weather, just a lot of rain during typhoons. Even when we had a bad earthquake (9.21) a few years ago, most of the devastation was in the south of Taipei. I called my mother afterwards and did a skype video chat with her for about 2 hours. She was mostly concerned about my relationship with my boyfriend..typical mom.

My prayers and thoughts go to everyone. I hope everyone stays safe especially the places with warnings. I can’t believe another devastating natural disaster is upon us. I hope the nuclear power plants in Japan stay safe with no after effects.

CW: 136.5 (The bloat went away because TOM arrived yesterday afternoon)

I was very uncomfortable for a few hours after getting my period (you know the feeling when you think everything in the lower region is trying to fall out). I drank some hot tea and stayed put. Thankfully, I felt better later so I did 40 minutes of Yoga hoping to soothe my body. I didn’t get any cardio in yesterday but I plan to kick butt (no swearing :P) this weekend! The weather is slightly chilly today (tonight is supposed to be 45 degrees). The weekend is beautiful though with 70 degrees Saturday and 76 degrees Sunday. I really don’t have any set plans for the weekend.

Chocolate Chip Whole-Wheat Pancakes

Ingredients
1 egg
1 cup skim milk
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4-1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1) In a blender or food processor, blend together flour, salt, baking soda, oats (dry ingredients)
2) In a medium sized bowl, beat egg and incorporate milk and sugar
3) Fold in dry ingredients into wet mixture (sometimes you need to add more flour to get the right consistency)
4) Fold in chocolate chips or blueberries (or any other topping you like)
5) Heat a pan at medium-high
6) Scoop out pancakes (approximately 1/3 cup per serving). This recipe will make 5-6 pancakes.

This is my go-to recipe for pancakes in the morning when I am sick of my thinwich eggbeater/cheese sandwich. I probably have it 1x a week.

P.S. I got my shoes on ruelala. It was a Calvin Klein sale! It was such a bargain. The black shoes were only $60 (from $100+) and the silver shoes were only $29.90 (from ~$60?). I love ruelala.com, ideeli.com, and gilt.com.. you become a “member” simply by making an account and you access all these sales for designers.

After the rain..

Filed Under Entrees, General, Recipes | 6 Comments

 
.. there is a rainbow.

CW: 138.0 lbs SW: 189.5 lbs GW: 130.0 lbs

(-1.5 lbs) since yesterday. The scale was kind to me yesterday. I ended the day at around 1300 calories which made me slightly nervous but my headache after the gym made me feel I needed to eat something for dinner.

I did something stupid yesterday. I ate most of my calories before the gym (4 pm). This is NOT smart because I had to run feeling uncomfortable. In response to my need to binge, I overate before the gym. I had about 1100k calories before the gym. I could only do 60 min on the treadmill before my stomach started to cramp which has never happened. This taught me a valuable (duh!) lesson… why you shouldn’t go to the gym on a full stomach. TMI alert: I’ve had problems with going to the bathroom for the last 2 days so it could explain my frustration/bloat. I foresee a lot of fiber this weekend.

I feel a little better today. It’s Friday and it’s the beginning of a three day weekend. Attitude change is needed. I need to be a little more positive going into this weekend because I can make myself miserable or happy. I still don’t understand why I’m unhappy right now but it’s probably stress with the upcoming mom’s visit, need to coordinate moving, packing things, working out, spending SO much time with the BF, being bored… etc. Sometimes you just need space you know? I also realize the tendency for me to create drama that’s not there. Pick at things that are insignificant. I need to be better about that and not blow things out of proportion. The target of my wrath is normally my dear BF.

Lunch yesterday was very colorful. I marinated some flank steak accompanied by vegetables and roasted butternut squash. It was a feast for the eyes and the tummy. I’ve added the recipe at the end of this post again.

This weekend I plan to watch Sex and the City 2 by myself while my BF visits his uncle and family. I also plan to shop during that time and buy myself some pretty clothes. I want to buy some cute tops, shorts, dresses, shoes, make-up, and beauty products. I will take a picture of my spoils after this trip (if it happens). I think retail therapy will brighten up my mood tremendously. My bf and I are going to watch Prince of Persia today so I’m looking forward to that.

I’m craving ice cream so I’m going to find some way to get some this weekend without going overboard. May is ending in a few days so I need to remind myself to stay strong! I want a great weigh-in on Monday!

Have a great three day (or 4 day lol) weekend! Hope you guys have lots of fun with family, friends. Of course, stay on plan :D

Marinated Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
Sides of Roasted Butternut Squash and Vegetables

Ingredients
1-1.5 lb Flank Steak
1 cup Fresh Parsley (chopped)
5 cloves Garlic (minced)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 T Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1. Mix parsley, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, cumin, red pepper flakes, pepper and salt together.
2. Reserve 1/4 cup to use as dipping sauce
3. Marinate steak in the rest of the marinade for up to 8 hours (minimum 3)
4. Heat a grill pan on high heat
5. Grill each side 3-4 minutes
6. Cover with foil and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing
7. Serve with reserved chimichurri sauce

*Roasted Butternut Squash is a very easy side to make. It also has lots of nutrients and fiber. The hardest part is peeling the squash which can be done with a vegetable peeler. Once you cut the squash into 1″ cubes, it can be refrigerated and roasted in batches when you need it (up to a week).
- Toss squash cubes in a little olive oil, salt and pepper
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
- Roast on a baking pan for 30-45 minutes