Tag Archives: Yum Factor

Dear Diary

On which I welcome pain

I have  confession to make.

I haven’t been working out as much as I used to.

Eep!

I wished I looked as fit as this woman...but no.

I can’t remember when it started exactly, but I think it started after I got sick last July. I didn’t go to the gym much because I was battling with my lungs thanks to asthma. It was followed by a particularly good bout of fitness thanks to the Rexona Race, where my body fat % went down to 25%, the lowest it’s ever been in so far. Then I started feeling this weird pain on my ankle after I ran again on the treadmill after the race. So I took it easy for a while to make sure my ankle is okay (which reminds me, I still need to go and have them checked).

The problem with this is my schedule. I have no problems with my gym schedule for day shift because I take classes after work, and I get more work outs then. My newer mid shift schedule makes it a bit of a problem, because it’s late, and there are no classes past 1:00pm at the gym, so I end up running. And since I can’t really run because of my ankle pain…what else can I do?

I used to work out 4-5 times a week, but now I’m happy if I hit 3. Remember my laziness last Monday because it’s a holiday? Yeah, that kind of extended almost all week.

Ugh.

After binging on Ben and Jerry’s Peanut Butter Cup ice cream last Sunday (OH MY LORD THE ICE CREAM GOODNESS!), I gave in to my conscience and hit the gym hard yesterday. It’s a good thing it’s a holiday in the US yesterday so I had an excuse to go to work early, so I managed to get a run and attend Body Jam in the afternoon, followed by six sets of ab workouts (yes, I’m crazy).

When I woke up this morning, I felt something I haven’t felt in the longest time: post-exercise pain.

Let me just say: oh how I missed thee!

It sounds crazy, I know, but it’s been a long while since I felt that. You the muscle pains you get after you work out, especially if you haven’t been doing so for a while? That kind of pain. That means my muscles are getting stronger, and after regularly exercising for the past few months, I rarely feel that now. Feeling that in my abs is a welcome thing, because I missed it, even if I can’t laugh so much because of it.

Earlier today, I was working out again and my abs screamed in agony as I was doing planks. Masochistic, I know, but after all the eating I’ve been doing for the past few weeks? Well, someone’s got to pay. I haven’t even done my whole program yet and everything is painful — what more if I did? Eep. Honestly, I would’ve done more if I had time today — if there were pull up bars there, I would’ve even attempted that. Or…okay fine, maybe not. :P Ah pain. You’re welcome, even if I complain about you.

I weighed myself earlier after two weeks or so of hiding from the scale. I’m glad to say that even if I did gain weight, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was. I can still do this. A good 10k race should do the trick, and proper diet, of course.

But first, get my ankle checked.

Fitness isn’t an easy road, and frankly, I’m getting tired of being a gym rat, but I can’t back down now after all that I’ve lost. There is no way I am going back there. Nope, no way.

Of course, the presence of this isn’t helping:

Omnomnomnom Pastel! ♥ Thanks Anj! :)

Ah well. :)

Yum Factor

Blueberry Cheesecake

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Blueberry CheesecakeLast August, a dear friend of mine celebrated her birthday and I promised that I would bake her favorite on her birthday, Blueberry Cheesecake. Incidentally, it was in one of my baking goals for this year, so it’s just convenient that I’d be able to bake it and I can give it as a present for a friend on her birthday (and possibly on Christmas too).

Looking around online, I tried to find the easiest cheesecake recipe I can find and I got this Blueberry Cheesecake recipe from one of Noemi‘s blogs. It seemed easy enough, so I decided to stock up the ingredients and cook it. My mom is really supportive of my baking endeavors, so she readily bought the ingredients for me.

Who knew ingredients for Blueberry Cheesecake can be so expensive?

Anyway, I’ve plurked about this while I was cooking it (too lazy to find the actual Plurk to link — will do tomorrow) but the photo on the left is the actual thing I cooked. Yum yum, it still makes me hungry. :D

Some notes on this:

  • As Noemi mentioned, it’s not too sweet. I like it that way, as the blueberry really gives its sweetness.
  • The ones I cooked are thinner than the usual cheesecakes since I used a thinner pan. I ended up having two thin cheesecakes instead of one. No one’s complaining. :P
  • Blueberry is yummy. :D So is the cheese part of the cake after it has been baked. I can’t stop nibbling on it — I personally think I can eat a cheesecake plain. :P
  • I personally think the walnut is optional, as it gives kind of a weird taste with the crust. I tried grinding it on the second try, but it’s taste is really distinct that it turns off some people. Next time I’ll try cooking it without the walnut in the crust.

Yummy dessert, especially after it has been chilled. :D I’d definitely cook this again, and next time try it with different toppings. I think this wouldn’t be good with those on diet or on weight loss pills, but I can use a lighter kind of cream cheese (those with less fat) so it will be a bit less guilty. :P

Next on the list! This cheesecake. Or an apple pie. Or a double layered chocolate cake! Yum!

Yum Factor

Dairy Queen's Yule Flip Peppermint Chip

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One of the things I like about working in Eastwood (besides that I live nearby) is the fact that there is a Dairy Queen restaurant (should it even be called a restaurant?) near the office. I discovered it when I was frequenting this area during my application/interview times and my brother and I bought some Blizzards. When I was younger, there used to be a Dairy Queen stall in the mall near where we live, and we used to buy Blizzards there all the time — my favorite being M&M’s and Butterfinger. I remember these Blizzards being much larger than it is now…but that’s not my point.

It’s suffice to say that I love ice cream, ergo, I love Dairy Queen. During my second week at work, Grace and I managed to go to Dairy Queen about four times during that week. Brownie Temptation Blizzard = yum. Dairy Queen = happy food. :9

So earlier this week, I was really stressed with some of the work I had to do, so I deemed myself worthy of a Blizzard. When I got to Dairy Queen, I saw the big new sign of their Blizzard of the Month. I told myself I’d get one once the entire thing is over, and now it’s over, I finally got the chance to try…

Yule Flip Peppermint Chip

According to the website:

Peppermint candy pieces and chocolate chunks, blended with creamy vanilla soft serve. Try one “Yule” love it!

The Peppermint Chip Blizzard is their Christmas Blizzard, and from the looks of it…it does look Christmas-sy, being red and all. Just as what the description says, it contains their creamy vanilla soft serve ice cream, mixed with chocolate chunks and peppermint candy pieces. The candy gives the ice cream a good crunch that nuts and crispies could. The chocolate gives it extra texture from the rough candy. I think they also put some peppermint flavor on the ice cream, hence the red coloring.
It’s not too sweet, thankfully. But it does have a weird taste in the mouth. At first I thought it tasted like medicine, but I realized it was only the peppermint. Eh? It’s not unpleasant…in fact, you’d get used to the taste after a few spoonfuls. It’s just very…cold. Okay, that’s a silly description given that it’s ice cream. But seriously, the peppermint gives the dessert even more coolness — I half expected to get brain freeze after eating the 12oz cup.

All in all, the Yule Flip Peppermint Chip Blizzard is an okay treat. It’s not a favorite, but it’s nice to eat it once in a while. If you’re not fond of mint, then I don’t think you’d enjoy this. ^^;

This Blizzard is available at all Dairy Queens for the Christmas season I think, starting at P99 for a 12oz cup (it’s not available for 9oz, so no small treats. You could share, though :D).

Ahh. This is enough Dairy Queen for now. I’m going to need Miracle burn after all the dairy I consumed this week. Ergh. :-s

Dear Diary, Say Cheese!

Holiday Weekend

The holiday weekend is almost ending, and let me just say: this is probably the weekend I really went out a lot. Interesting. I’m really more of a homebody even if I’m trying hard to be a social butterfly. But I figured that it’s payday weekend and after this, I’d be saving up for the new laptop which I plan to buy at the end of the year (or sooner, God-willing), I’d better make the most out of this weekend.

The first order of the weekend started Thursday night, where my teammates and I trooped over to Marikina to eat dinner at this Dampa-like place at Riverbanks. None of us took pictures of the amount of food we all took in, but trust me, we were stuffed. The dinner consisted of sisig, liempo, stuffed grilled tilapia, stuffed squid, sinigang na maya maya, ensaladang mangga, talong and bagoong, baked clams with cheese, sizzling tuna and lots of rice. Yes siree, I broke whatever diet I’m trying to follow that night. :P But that doesn’t really matter, because the food was so good. And as a treat to our team leader who has been treating us countless times whenever we all eat out at Eastwood (we’re spoiled that way), we all chipped in so he won’t have to pay for his food. After all that stuffing, we headed to Figaro to hang out for a while over cold drinks and hot chocolate and spent the next hour laughing and talking about our first three months together. :) As Grace told me the next day, we spent more than three hours eating and laughing. Good times. Thank You Lord for these people. :)

Continue reading Holiday Weekend →

Yum Factor

Food Trips

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It’s way past the time it should be dinner time, but until now we don’t have anything to eat just yet. Ever since my mom went to Saipan, our menu at home has been limited to my cooking skills. I’m not always the healthiest cook mostly because of the limited time and knowledge for cooking (ask me to bake, then that’s a different story :P). What my brother and I usually have at home is something fast, easy to cook and prepare (and that sounds exactly like fastfood).

But let me just say, I am so sick of eating the same kind of food every day. Argh. Fastfood ain’t fun to eat everyday, not to mention unhealthy. I miss being able to eat different kinds of lutong bahay ((Read: home-cooked food)) that my mom cooks. I miss having to smell different kinds of smell everytime I go home, and being surprised by the food that she cooks. Hay, I really need to learn how to cook proper meals soon, and actually cook them.

So now that we’re talking about food, here are some of the food I’m craving for right now. Eat your heart out!

  1. Crispy fried tilapia – as in very, very crispy, like when I bite I can hear its crispiness. Yum yum. That, with lots of tomatoes, rice and some patis (fish sauce).
  2. Crispy fried galunggong – Yum yum yum.
  3. Daing na bangus. Same as above. :)
  4. Isaw. So unhealthy, but so good especially with lots and lots of spicy vinegar. Enough said.
  5. Fried liempo – just the way my mom used to cook it.
  6. Chicken with mushroom sauce – my brother and I tried to cook this once, but the chicken wasn’t all good anymore, so it tasted a bit too yucky already. Boo.
  7. Scrambled eggs and tuna – in short, torta. I’m gonna cook this one tomorrow, actually. :P The spicier the tuna, the better. :)
  8. My mom’s macaroni and squash soup – my favorite sick day meal. It’s got no meat, just tofu, squash, macaroni and lots of oregano. :)
  9. Pancit Malabon – I want it full of flavor. :) With lots of hard boiled eggs. Haha. There’s a Pancit Malabon booth at Eastwood, must check that out.
  10. Tapsilog – I want the classic one, not the ones I can buy at Eastwood. Something ala Vivian’s Tapsilog in Marikina. =9 Big chunks of tapa, garlicky rice and sunny-side up eggs.
  11. Sinigang na bangus – milkfish stewed with different kinds of vegetables with a sour tamarind flavor.
  12. Sinigang na hipon – same as above, only shrimp. :) Better be careful with the allergies, though. :D
  13. A nice, fresh and healthy salad. We usually have our own salad bars at home and my mom usually puts different kinds of stuff in it: grapes, ripe mangoes, nuts, pomelo. Mix that together with the other usual salad stuff (lettuce, tomato, carrots, hard boiled eggs, etc) drizzled with natural Ceasar Salad dressing. Yummeh.
  14. Kwek-kwek. Translation: quail eggs covered with orange colored flour. It’s not exactly the healthiest kind of food, but it’s good to eat every once in a while. :) Mike! Kwek-kwek break?
  15. This has to be the weirdest, but I’m so craving for Chocnut.
    .

Argh, now I am even hungrier. Time to raid the kitchen and get cooking. Hmm. I guess I’ll just go cook the hotdogs right now for dinner. Tomorrow I shall cook again for lunch, and again it’s something fried. But I swear to myself that I’m going to find some veggies from whatever garden of life there is in Eastwood just so I can eat a bit healthier. *determined nod*

Yum Factor

Easy Apple Crisp

As mentioned in my Friday’s Feast, I embarked in another “culinary” endeavor this weekend. Ever since baking the Chocolate Revel Bars a month ago, I started feeling the need to bake again like I did back in high school. So now I’m easing myself into the baking slowly, partly because I don’t have time and partly because baked goodies means more flabs coming in. So I’m doing it one weekend at a time.

Apple CrispLast weekend I cooked some Coconut Macaroons which didn’t really turn out as yummy as I thought it would be (the almond extract made it taste too much like it had liquor in it), and Monday found me looking for recipes for an apple pie because it’s one of my dreams to bake a perfect apple pie (along with the perfect double layer chocolate cake). The recipe search brought me to this: Easy Apple Crisp. The recipe looked easy and a lot of people were raving about it in the website, so I copied it and was all set to make it for the weekend. :)

I modified the recipe a bit from the original one, based on the suggestions of the commenters. Here we go:

EASY APPLE CRISP

7 small apples – peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup water
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
  2. Arrange apples in an even layer in the baking dish. Sprinkle 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp nutmeg over apples.
  3. Put 1 tsp vanilla in 1 cup water and pour over apples.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and butter. Stir until well blended, mixture will be crumbly. Sprinkle mixture over apples, covering hem.
  5. Bake in oven for 50-55 minutes.

Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or ice cream. Makes 12 servings.

Apple Crisp with Ice Cream

Some notes on this creation:

  • The pre-baking mixture looks the same with the post-baked. The usual “stick a toothpick in the middle of the batter to see if it’s clean” or “wait until it is golden brown” is not applicable since the toothpick will not come out clean and the mixture on top does not turn into golden brown after. The difference between the baked and not baked product is that the apple has carmelized (is that the right term?) and you can see some goo on the sides from the heat when it’s baked. :) Slicing it through, you’ll see semi-translucent apples with lots of apple gooey-ness inside. Yum.
  • This really tastes yummier with ice cream (see picture — sorry it’s blurry; Captain Tal took it. That’s cookies and cream flavored ice cream). Of course, it’s a lot sweeter, so if you plan to make this and serve with ice cream, lessen the sugar to 3/4 cup. Yes, putting ice cream or whipped cream on it, it’s just become a lot fattening. :P
  • The one I made is quite thin, because I used a big pan to cook it. A smaller pan would make it thicker, or add more apples. :P
  • Speaking of apples, I think different kinds of apples would give a different taste to this. Try using green apples or the big ones (is that Fuji apples?) to see how it would taste like.
  • Other variations in the recipe include: putting lemon juice on apples, mixing oats with the flour mixture and sprinkling nuts on top.

Yes, it’s yummy! I’ll be serving it in our SFC household later. :) I’ll do some experimenting with it in the next few weeks when I have the chance to get some apples.  Next up on the baking list: chocolate chip cookies! Yum. :9

Randomnities

Friday's Feast # 4

Hello, Friday! Hello, June!

I never mentioned it, but I started a Script Frenzy blog. Script Frenzy is a 30-day writing activity just like National Novel Writing Month, where you need to write a 20,000 word screenplay/stageplay in a span of 30 days. startingI was all set to join but I decided not to this year seeing as I have a lot to deal with this June. And that I don’t have any ideas to write. Well I do, but it’s not fully formed, and I can see it more as a novel than a script. So…I guess I’ll be killing that blog for now until further notice. Of course, I could still join it in the middle of the month, and whip out 20k words then, but let’s see how this month goes first. :)

There you go, I haven’t been blogging as much this week because I didn’t want to go over the bandwidth, especially after Noemi already added some to last me until the end of May (Thanks again!). It’s already June here, and a few hours to go with my host, so yay! I hope to have a new theme up by this weekend so I can start focusing on those money-making stuff I will get into this month to start earning for the things I’m saving up for that (unfortunately) my salary cannot cover.

I talk too much. Time for Friday’s Feast!

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
Name something you think is “the best.”

– Aside from being loved by God and my family and friends and being blessed (all those are the best, of course), since we’re talking about Friday’s Feast, I’ll talk about food. Right now I’ll be biased: my chocolate revel bars. It’s the best baked thing I ever made — I could cook one batch of it and it would be gone in a day. :P It’s even better than our family brownies or my chocolate cake (which always bakes like bread, hmph). I want to bake them again this weekend but I’m out of oats. :( But yeah, I scheduled some Apple Crisp cooking this weekend — wish me luck!

Soup
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 highest), how stressed are you today?

– Somewhere around 6, I guess. Work is stressing me, even if there’s really not much to stress over with, unlike late last year where everyday I was stressed over this project. I have a project right now with personal deadlines, and it’s kind of stressing me out.

Salad
What kind of cleanser do you use to wash your face?

– I use Celeteque facial wash. I used to use Pond’s but it made my skin dry, and Cetaphil doesn’t have enough bubbles to make me happy. Celeteque works for me, although it is kind of expensive. I also use the Celeteque facial toner and moisturizer. ;)

Main Course
Tonight is a blue moon! What is something that you believe only happens “once in a blue moon.”

– It is? How come I didn’t see it? Haha. What happens once in a blue moon…Me winning $1M, I guess? :)

Dessert
When was the last time it rained where you live?

– It rained here last Tuesday night. I live in the Philippines, where summer’s giving way to the rainy season. Hay, and I never even went to the beach this summer! :( How sad! But I am sort of liking rain now, but like Riz, it kinda makes me emo too. ^^;

It’s FRIDAY. And I got to work early today, which means early time out! Wohoo! I have 2 1/2 hours till I can goooo! Come on, weekend, let’s go!