What started off as an innocent "I'll just pop in here and see what's what" ended up costing me a good $35. And a whole new project.
I was at the Reject shop. I was shopping for pretty paper to make a pinwheel for a birthday card for a special someone (Nicole, this one has got your name written all over it!) and I was somewhat distracted by all the cheap things in there.
First of all, let's talk American candy. They have them. It took everything from me to remember that:
a) I was on a diet; and
b) I'm going to the States soon, so why would I eat American candy in Australia when I can eat American candy in the States. Seriously.
So, I walked through the rest of the shop. Which was a HUGE mistake.
CHOCOLATE SILICONE MOULDS.
I bought FOUR of them. AND I don't even know how to make homemade candy. I suppose there is no time like the present, but seriously, I need to stop it with these projects!
Ialsomighthaveboughtsomemorecontainersforthehouse,anotebook,aprettyboxandaribbon.
Hmmm... off to do some research on candy making then! Toodles!
x
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Mocha mocha...
I rarely drink hot drinks. Not only because I can't gauge the temperature of the drink (and therefore, end up burning my tongue and it really HURTH) but because I drink my hot drinks sweet. Not mind-numbingly sweet, but at least a couple of teaspoons of sugar (and maybe an additional one or two when I have an iced milo!) So I go without. I'm just weird that way. I would eat cake and ice-cream knowing that they are loaded with sugar, but I feel worse when I am adding teaspoons to my drink. #psycho
However, I'm one of the lucky ones who doesn't HAVE to have a coffee in the morning, so it doesn't really affect me either way. Don't get me wrong, I love my coffee when I do have it and when it is done well.
Mornings like this though, I desperately need a coffee to keep my eyes open. I was up to the wee hours of dawn trying to get some tickets (which I will reveal in the next couple of weeks, I just don't want to jinx it) and then, was awoken another two hours later by the dog howling because she was having the hiccups. Seriously, Rose? Drink some water. No, the silly thing had to bolt into the backyard to eat grass. WTF. I mean seriously Rosebud, how on EARTH did you develop hiccups while you were asleep?? #mydogisjustweirdkindalikeitsowner.
Needless to say, at 4am, I was less than impressed. Fortunately, my wonderful and amazing husband offered to stay up a little longer to wait to let her in. And the whinging stopped. By that time, it took me another ten minutes to get to bed (which was unusual because I usually fall asleep like that *clicking my fingers*).
What was I talking about again? Oh, that's right. Coffee. So I needed it this morning and I was in a bit of a bind because I didn't want to have to break my diet/ path to well-being by having a bit steaming sweet mug of coffee, which then usually is accompanied by a biscuit from the company cookie jar! Then it dawned upon me... I will make a mocha protein shake!
How?
First, make a shot of espresso. Pop it at the bottom of the shaker. Add one cup of light milk (within 10 seconds, did you know that an espresso shot "dies" within 10 seconds?), and the required protein powder (mine was chocolate, and that's why it's a MOCHA shake), shake and consume immediately. It definitely did the job! Without the guilt!
Happy Tuesday!
x
However, I'm one of the lucky ones who doesn't HAVE to have a coffee in the morning, so it doesn't really affect me either way. Don't get me wrong, I love my coffee when I do have it and when it is done well.
Mornings like this though, I desperately need a coffee to keep my eyes open. I was up to the wee hours of dawn trying to get some tickets (which I will reveal in the next couple of weeks, I just don't want to jinx it) and then, was awoken another two hours later by the dog howling because she was having the hiccups. Seriously, Rose? Drink some water. No, the silly thing had to bolt into the backyard to eat grass. WTF. I mean seriously Rosebud, how on EARTH did you develop hiccups while you were asleep?? #mydogisjustweirdkindalikeitsowner.
Needless to say, at 4am, I was less than impressed. Fortunately, my wonderful and amazing husband offered to stay up a little longer to wait to let her in. And the whinging stopped. By that time, it took me another ten minutes to get to bed (which was unusual because I usually fall asleep like that *clicking my fingers*).
What was I talking about again? Oh, that's right. Coffee. So I needed it this morning and I was in a bit of a bind because I didn't want to have to break my diet/ path to well-being by having a bit steaming sweet mug of coffee, which then usually is accompanied by a biscuit from the company cookie jar! Then it dawned upon me... I will make a mocha protein shake!
How?
First, make a shot of espresso. Pop it at the bottom of the shaker. Add one cup of light milk (within 10 seconds, did you know that an espresso shot "dies" within 10 seconds?), and the required protein powder (mine was chocolate, and that's why it's a MOCHA shake), shake and consume immediately. It definitely did the job! Without the guilt!
Happy Tuesday!
x
Day one of my weight loss journey...
For breakfast this morning, I had a cup of Special K dry. "Dry?" you say. Yes, that is exactly what I said, I ate it dry. The reasons are twofold:
- as I am eating my breakfast in the office, I often get interrupted and therefore, the cereal would lose, as Sheldon would put it "all its molecualr integrity" and I would be left with a bowl of mush; and
- I find the Special K quite tasteless when I have it with milk. When I am eating it as a crunchy snack though, it is a bit sweeter and therefore, I don't feel like I'm just crunching on horsefeed.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Healthy crunchies...
When I was first trying to lose weight, I tried this diet called the BodyTrim diet (you might have heard about it... ) It was basically a protein based diet, where you ate three meals of protein and three protein snacks a day. The premise of the diet is keep your body's metabolism up, by constantly feeding it. By feeding it only protein, the body has no option but to burn fat (hey, I'm just quoting a theory, don't mock me) and not sugar that carbs and sweet things give you.
The problem with that sort of diet (aside from being quite difficult to follow, especially for an Asian girl who cooks a lot of Asian and has lots of rice and noodles in her diet) is that all the food consumed seem to have a similar texture. SOFT. There is no crunch. Unless you eat some crunchy vegetable or the toast in the morning, it is really not that interesting.
I love crunchy things - healthy crunchies are always a challenge for me. In Malaysia, we could rely on the trusty kacang putih man to provide some crunchy deliciousness, roasted chickpeas, roasted green peas, roasted broad beans (just to name a few). But not in Hobart. Either these things are not available, or too expensive or of really poor quality. More often than not, it was a combination of the latter two.
NO MORE.
I have discovered something crunchy and satisfying and not all that bad for you. While it will have the same amount of carbs (probably, I'm just guessing) as potato chips (but probably not if you went with a wholemeal option), it lacked the copious amount of oil and salt that often accompanies the potato chips. AND it's cheap too!
What is it, you may be asking?
PITA chips! HOME MADE pita chips.
Absolutely delicious.
So, what you will need are:
a) pita bread;
b) olive oil (whatever sort you like, I used extra virgin olive oil, and not too much, probably a spoonful or so)
c) seasoning (whatever you like, grated parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, any sort of herbs - I just used Tuscan seasoning)
What you will need to do:
a) preheat the oven to 180C
b) tear the pita bread into bite sized bits
c) toss the pita bread with olive oil and seasoning
d) lay the pita bread on a baking tray
e) bake for approx 10-15 mins (or when crunchy)
Then, enjoy!
As with everything, eat in moderation!
xoxo
The problem with that sort of diet (aside from being quite difficult to follow, especially for an Asian girl who cooks a lot of Asian and has lots of rice and noodles in her diet) is that all the food consumed seem to have a similar texture. SOFT. There is no crunch. Unless you eat some crunchy vegetable or the toast in the morning, it is really not that interesting.
I love crunchy things - healthy crunchies are always a challenge for me. In Malaysia, we could rely on the trusty kacang putih man to provide some crunchy deliciousness, roasted chickpeas, roasted green peas, roasted broad beans (just to name a few). But not in Hobart. Either these things are not available, or too expensive or of really poor quality. More often than not, it was a combination of the latter two.
NO MORE.
I have discovered something crunchy and satisfying and not all that bad for you. While it will have the same amount of carbs (probably, I'm just guessing) as potato chips (but probably not if you went with a wholemeal option), it lacked the copious amount of oil and salt that often accompanies the potato chips. AND it's cheap too!
What is it, you may be asking?
PITA chips! HOME MADE pita chips.
Absolutely delicious.
So, what you will need are:
a) pita bread;
b) olive oil (whatever sort you like, I used extra virgin olive oil, and not too much, probably a spoonful or so)
c) seasoning (whatever you like, grated parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, any sort of herbs - I just used Tuscan seasoning)
What you will need to do:
a) preheat the oven to 180C
b) tear the pita bread into bite sized bits
c) toss the pita bread with olive oil and seasoning
d) lay the pita bread on a baking tray
e) bake for approx 10-15 mins (or when crunchy)
Then, enjoy!
 |
| Crunchy deliciousness!!! |
As with everything, eat in moderation!
xoxo
Weekend epiphany...
What a lovely weekend! There was a patch of torrential rain yesterday, which was lovely and this morning we woke up to a bit of snow and a patches of white on the treetops. I am one of those weird people who like the winter better than the summer. It is always easier to keep warm than it is to keep cool. Plus, the cold and the rain gives me an excuse to snuggle up and be lazy in front of the television. Winter is also when the footy season is in full swing, so no guilt in spending lazy afternoons and evenings under the doona (OR, more recently, my knock off Snuggie), watching some exhilarating matches and eat delicious hot, comfort food. Don't judge me, it's my thing. :)
I did get some sad news though - I spoke to some family at home and they told me that my beautiful 80-year old grandmother is giving up on life. She is just tired all the time and she senses that her time on earth is up. It makes me sad that someone who was so full of life and energy is now tired and is ready to face the afterlife. I love her dearly and when I spoke to her, I said to her not to give up, that in alot of ways, 80 is still young. But the grandmother that I had, the one who has always been funny and cheeky could only sigh and said that she was tired. And that someone was coming for her. Due to the meds she has been taking, her blood pressure has dropped significantly, so she gets really dizzy and as a result, she has no appetite. The lack of food has made her weak, and she has been having strange dreams about the afterlife (which could or could not be attributed to the lack of food). She was also lacking haemoglobin and very nearly a blood transfusion.
All I can do is keep her in my prayers and hope that this is just a minor bump in the road. I always thought that my grandmother would live until she was 90, so I really really hope that she can.
Receiving news like that always makes us assess ourselves. Am I really taking care of myself as well as I should? I think the clear answer is NO.
After my wedding, I have been joking that now that I'm married, I can be fat. And I haven't been watching what I eat. Surprisingly, I haven't gained any weight (even though my clothes feel snug and I feel like I have gained weight). Now anyone who has read this blog knows that I love my food and I do NOT like giving up anything delicious.
So what's a girl to do?
I think that I need to do something about my weight and more importantly, I need to device a method that works for me, where I still eat delicious foods (so I don't be deprived), which does not cost Luke and I a fortune, and adhere to a regimen of cardio and Pilates.
I need to lose 25 kilos. Who is with me?
Tomorrow will be day one. But for today, I think some mushroom pizza is in order. :) (not that my mushroom pizza is unhealthy).
x
I did get some sad news though - I spoke to some family at home and they told me that my beautiful 80-year old grandmother is giving up on life. She is just tired all the time and she senses that her time on earth is up. It makes me sad that someone who was so full of life and energy is now tired and is ready to face the afterlife. I love her dearly and when I spoke to her, I said to her not to give up, that in alot of ways, 80 is still young. But the grandmother that I had, the one who has always been funny and cheeky could only sigh and said that she was tired. And that someone was coming for her. Due to the meds she has been taking, her blood pressure has dropped significantly, so she gets really dizzy and as a result, she has no appetite. The lack of food has made her weak, and she has been having strange dreams about the afterlife (which could or could not be attributed to the lack of food). She was also lacking haemoglobin and very nearly a blood transfusion.
All I can do is keep her in my prayers and hope that this is just a minor bump in the road. I always thought that my grandmother would live until she was 90, so I really really hope that she can.
Receiving news like that always makes us assess ourselves. Am I really taking care of myself as well as I should? I think the clear answer is NO.
After my wedding, I have been joking that now that I'm married, I can be fat. And I haven't been watching what I eat. Surprisingly, I haven't gained any weight (even though my clothes feel snug and I feel like I have gained weight). Now anyone who has read this blog knows that I love my food and I do NOT like giving up anything delicious.
So what's a girl to do?
I think that I need to do something about my weight and more importantly, I need to device a method that works for me, where I still eat delicious foods (so I don't be deprived), which does not cost Luke and I a fortune, and adhere to a regimen of cardio and Pilates.
I need to lose 25 kilos. Who is with me?
Tomorrow will be day one. But for today, I think some mushroom pizza is in order. :) (not that my mushroom pizza is unhealthy).
x
Friday, August 24, 2012
And....
Ok - confession time. I did not JUST buy the multi-cooker at habitat. In addition to paying the excess amount to purchase the multi-cooker, I might have also purchased a pizza stone. And a pair of kitchen shears.
For the longest time, I have been dying to try making the perfect New York slice pizza at home. Not that I have been to New York, so it's not like I know what it tastes like. But nevertheless, I wanted to make pizza at home because buying pizza is such a rip-off. Plus, I always feeling like I need to buy meatlovers pizza or BBQ chicken or something to make my money worth while. I would NEVER pay for a magherita in Hobart. It's just sauce and cheese and they are not that much cheaper than the other sorts of pizza, so no thank you!
End rant about the exorbitant prices of bread and sauce, aka pizza.
So, it turns out that all my life I have been making pizza the wrong way... the crust was always soggy in the middle where the toppings were. I have tried quickly baking the pizza crust beforehand and then putting the topping on there and melting the cheese but to no avail. SO, imagine how excited I was when I stumbled upon this recipe for a delicious pizza crust. It did call for the use of a pizza stone, but instead I used my metal pizza tray. I put it in the oven and blasted it on full heat so that the pan was also piping hot when I put my pizza dough on it. And I used my wooden chopping board as a pizza peel. It was delicious. My mother was suitably impressed (she was visiting from Malaysia then, and she LOVES pizza). But I think we can do better with a pizza stone.
And we did. It was delicious. I'm never buying pizza in Hobart again.
It was simple, garlic and mushroom pizza. I will update this post with photos when I take them. (of course I'm making it this weekend again)
I also used my breadmaker to do the hard yards for me. I should mention that this is NOT my own recipe, but I can't remember where I got this recipe from now, so I can't credit the person who created it (sorry!) Recipe below:
For the longest time, I have been dying to try making the perfect New York slice pizza at home. Not that I have been to New York, so it's not like I know what it tastes like. But nevertheless, I wanted to make pizza at home because buying pizza is such a rip-off. Plus, I always feeling like I need to buy meatlovers pizza or BBQ chicken or something to make my money worth while. I would NEVER pay for a magherita in Hobart. It's just sauce and cheese and they are not that much cheaper than the other sorts of pizza, so no thank you!
End rant about the exorbitant prices of bread and sauce, aka pizza.
So, it turns out that all my life I have been making pizza the wrong way... the crust was always soggy in the middle where the toppings were. I have tried quickly baking the pizza crust beforehand and then putting the topping on there and melting the cheese but to no avail. SO, imagine how excited I was when I stumbled upon this recipe for a delicious pizza crust. It did call for the use of a pizza stone, but instead I used my metal pizza tray. I put it in the oven and blasted it on full heat so that the pan was also piping hot when I put my pizza dough on it. And I used my wooden chopping board as a pizza peel. It was delicious. My mother was suitably impressed (she was visiting from Malaysia then, and she LOVES pizza). But I think we can do better with a pizza stone.
And we did. It was delicious. I'm never buying pizza in Hobart again.
It was simple, garlic and mushroom pizza. I will update this post with photos when I take them. (of course I'm making it this weekend again)
I also used my breadmaker to do the hard yards for me. I should mention that this is NOT my own recipe, but I can't remember where I got this recipe from now, so I can't credit the person who created it (sorry!) Recipe below:
· 2/3 cup whey (or just water, if you don't have any whey)
· 1 teaspoon sugar
· 1.5 teaspoons of dry yeast
· 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour or 1 3/4 cups bread flour
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1 tablespoon cornmeal (optional) Chuck all these ingredients in the bread maker, press “menu” until you get to “dough” and press start. Check the dough after 8 mins and touch it, if it is sticky and too soft, add some flour (one TBS at a time). If too dry, add water 1 TBS at a time as well. The dough should not stick to your fingers (but tacky).
I also dusted the pizza peel (in my case, it was still my trusty wooden chopping board) with semolina, which gave it the extra crunch. I just topped it off with garlic, mushrooms, some extra virgin olive oil and some mozarella.
 |
| Turns out I can't roll a round pizza - this was taken on my "peel" with the dustings of semolina. |
Delish!
xoxo
Have you been introduced?
One of the fun things you get to do after a wedding is SPEND THE VOUCHER SOMEONE GAVE YOU! Yes, they could have contributed to your honeymoon registry, or they could have bought you something on the list, and while some might argue it is highly impersonal, I love receiving vouchers. They give you an excuse to buy something that you would not ordinarily consider paying for.
Take for example this voucher I got from work. It was worth $120 for me (and Luke I suppose) to spend on whatever I wanted from habitat. And bless the person who organised the voucher. I love habitat. I love buying new fangled kitchen gadgets that purport to make my life easier (and from experience usually end up being more trouble than they are worth, but I never learn from my mistakes!) This time, I saw in the catalogue that they were selling this 6-in-1 multi cooker. I was sooooooooo excited. Apparently it slow cooks, deep fries (frys?), pressure cooks, sautes, browns, steams, cooks rice and soup. I was completely intrigued. Our old slow cooker has gone kaput and we were on the hunt for a new one. And after eating the most delicious soup I have ever had at the Mitsakis', I was determined to buy a pressure cooker as well. This multi-cooker would have cost the same price if I had bought the two gadgets, so we thought that we would take the plunge.
So. It is my pleasure to introduce to you my new friend and kitchen-mate, Mikanta the Multi-Cooker!
 |
| Don't ask me why I named it Mikanta - it was the first thing that popped in my head. That is how I name my stuff! |
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Being slack and getting back into writing...
Indeed.
The wedding has been over for about three months and I have done SFA - seriously. I think I might have taken laziness to a whole new level.
My excuse is that I have busy at work. That's not an excuse? Well, I will have to think about another one then because that is all I've got. But I should make it part of my mid-year resolution to do something about this blog. For starters, I need to finish writing about my trip to Hong Kong with Mom. I think she will be keen on reading it! Sorry Mom!!!
For all those who have been/are married, do you find that people always ask you "How's married life?" Um, it's the same as not married life? Especially if you were already living with your partner beforehand. The other difference is that I have an extra piece of bling on my finger. Other than that, nothing has changed much. I am not changing my surname either!
Which reminds me, people also keep asking why I don't want to change my surname. As much as I love Luke, there is really no need to change my surname. My reasons are basically two fold:
a) there is too much stuffing around - I have to change my Australian papers, my Malaysian papers and now that I'm a Company Secretary, I have to also change my papers with ASIC. No thank you!
b) This is a more important reason. When I was born, my father said that he only wanted one child because he wanted to be in a position to give me everything I ever needed. The townfolk (I'm not saying this to be melodramatic, but Mom and Dad did come from a very small town) laughed at him, told him he was a fool and that he should have another one. A BOY. To carry down the family name. But he thought that my welfare was more important than carrying down the family name. That was the sort of father Dad was.
So take that, small townfolk - I am keeping my surname. These are modern times, and I have an understanding, wonderful husband who is not pressuring me to take his surname. AND if we were lucky enough to have kids, then they would also have my surname incorporated into theirs, so which proves the point that you don't need a boy to carry down the family name.
Point - J. P.
x
The wedding has been over for about three months and I have done SFA - seriously. I think I might have taken laziness to a whole new level.
My excuse is that I have busy at work. That's not an excuse? Well, I will have to think about another one then because that is all I've got. But I should make it part of my mid-year resolution to do something about this blog. For starters, I need to finish writing about my trip to Hong Kong with Mom. I think she will be keen on reading it! Sorry Mom!!!
For all those who have been/are married, do you find that people always ask you "How's married life?" Um, it's the same as not married life? Especially if you were already living with your partner beforehand. The other difference is that I have an extra piece of bling on my finger. Other than that, nothing has changed much. I am not changing my surname either!
Which reminds me, people also keep asking why I don't want to change my surname. As much as I love Luke, there is really no need to change my surname. My reasons are basically two fold:
a) there is too much stuffing around - I have to change my Australian papers, my Malaysian papers and now that I'm a Company Secretary, I have to also change my papers with ASIC. No thank you!
b) This is a more important reason. When I was born, my father said that he only wanted one child because he wanted to be in a position to give me everything I ever needed. The townfolk (I'm not saying this to be melodramatic, but Mom and Dad did come from a very small town) laughed at him, told him he was a fool and that he should have another one. A BOY. To carry down the family name. But he thought that my welfare was more important than carrying down the family name. That was the sort of father Dad was.
So take that, small townfolk - I am keeping my surname. These are modern times, and I have an understanding, wonderful husband who is not pressuring me to take his surname. AND if we were lucky enough to have kids, then they would also have my surname incorporated into theirs, so which proves the point that you don't need a boy to carry down the family name.
Point - J. P.
x
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)