Fit Pantry - a Fit Foodie's thoughts, tips and recipe

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

A Sappy Christmas Story that's Good for the Soul

I'm usually not this mushy.... Oh who am I kidding.  I may look tough in my Combat shorts and huge grappling gloves, which makes me look like Mickey Mouse ... not really a tough personification of a fighter come to think of it..., but get back to the first thought, I may (try) look tough, but give me a sappy songs or touching pictures or stories, and I would bawl.  In particular, when listening to Elvis' Blue Christmas and around Christmas time.  The first reminds me of my Dad, who passed away in 2008, and the second reminds me of how many Christmas I have spent without him and all those years I took it for granted. Now that he's gone, all I could do was reminisced the time I spent Christmas with him and my whole family, which I sadly now think it would be when I was in Junior High, or was it even earlier than that.

I remember a much older Christmas time when we still lived in the old grandma's house. It never snowed in Jakarta and there was no real Christmas tree there. So we made do with cotton balls, a lot of them, and decorated our plastic tree. I remembered staring at the blinking multi colored lights.  I was too little then to help my parents set up the tree.

After I came to US, there was no more Christmas where I would be together with my Dad. I was always in US, him in Jakarta.  We would only talked on the phone and told each other Merry Christmas.

Was I too young to care and too self centered? Perhaps. Nowadays when I hear Elvis' singing Blue Christmas, I heard him in my head singing the song instead, making his voice like Elvis. And it brought tears to my eyes. Not tears of joy, because I miss him and I regret the time I have lost.  I know I can only move on from here and cherish the family I still have. And spending the moments with them with pleasure and gladness. 

In his passing my Dad taught me this last lesson, to not take those who love me and those I love for granted.  I only live one life in which time keeps moving forward, use it to cherish family and loved ones. And most important, be happy.

Merry Christmas, Dad. Merry Christmas, Oma. Merry Christmas, everyone <3 Peace <3






Thursday, December 12, 2013

We're Singing, Dancing and Running in the Rain!


Last Saturday despite crappy weather, some of us laced our shoes, wore tutus, blinking hat and headed out to the beach at 6:00 in the morning. Christmas was not until 18 more days yet we thought it was never too early to celebrate the season with a .... different kind of activity. So there we were, in the morning drizzle that at times turned into light rain, pacing the pavement with hundreds of people mostly dressed in red and whites with bells or candy cane socks, antlers, and santa outfit.  It was the 36th Annual Santa Monica - Venice Christmas Run. 




Sharing Purple Yam and
Nutella Cream Cheese Toast
First time running in the rain, I might have over-prepared. But who cares!! I'm a newbie! Poncho made out of cut out garbage bag, brought that silver foil space blanket, snacks and food in the car, coffee (although it was cold by the time we were done running ... still good tho!), blanket and towel waiting in the car, sandals, change of clothes.  Let me put this down for the record: I love my CRV with limo tinted window, privacy in the car is almost guaranteed. Not that people would be looking in as they scrambled away to their own car in the rain anyway, so Elise and I changed in the car and warmed ourselves up real nice after the race. 

No one's spirit was dampened by the rain. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves regardless of wetness and cold. Being here with friends, amidst the rain, sweat, and cold, I feel blessed.  I wasn't there to simply bust my knees on the pavement, heck most definitely not for the cold morning air! 

This was not about medals, not about personal record. If you ask me why I do this, here is my answer: 
In this run and any other run that I have done or will participate in, I am there to be with friends, to connect people or be connected, make new friends, to bond, and to strengthen friendships. 

If I were just there for the medal or PR, I'd be going home empty. But when a group of friends doing this together, it transformed into something beautiful - even though it may rain or storm, a memorable day and we all would go home with a full heart.  (.....and empty stomach! Hence we always have a celebration brunch together :) )

Here's to close 2013. I look forward to 2014 and more fun ahead.

Find me on Facebook and check out the rest of the photos from this event!

Friday, August 23, 2013

HIIT Me Up!

I'm not a sadist, I just like to work you out hard. After all, it is what you're coming to the gym for, isn't it? To get a good workout, burn calories, get in shape. So I shall deliver.

If you have done Turbo Fire HIIT, then you are familiar with the concept. A short burst of intense workout follows by a short rest, repeated three times. Once a set of three is done, you get a longer rest, then on to the next set of 3 intense workout bouts.

The goal of HIIT is to achieve the Afterburn Effect, or in fitness term knows as EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption)

"HIIT training increases the resting metabolic rate (RMR) for the 24 hours following a workout due to excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, which explains how a short interval workout can have a longer-lasting effect on body composition change than a much longer cardio session." [ Read more about HIIT in TurboFire here ]

Anyway, in Turbo Fire, there are 15, 20, 25 and 30 minutes HIIT.  The shorter session usually involves a lot more plyometric, or targets the major muscles groups to get your heart rate going to the max in a short time. In longer the sessions, there are more less intense workouts inserted in between the plyos - sort of a brief rest within the workout while keeping your heart rate high.

I had been applying that concept with 3x3 turbos this past week in my kickboxing classes. The last 30 minutes of the class needless to say was intense. It's something I like to do once in a while to break up the routine before it gets boring. Given the proper modification and enough motivation, everyone can participate safely and get a great workout.

Workout should be fun. 
         It should be challenging. 
                    It should transform you.

It makes my day to see members dripping sweat and smiling. I feel I have done my work if they get the workout they need and more.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Got Eggs?





Pizzolette
(Fancy name of omelet LOL coz it looks like a pizza)
[ Recipe ]
Andy could hear panic in my voice when I said, "We're out of eggs!!"

Is it that bad? Well, to us it is. Egg is one of the staples in our household. The perfect quick meal maker, power breakfast, protein addition to any veggie dish I cook. We consume eggs by boxes a day and usually buy by a box of hundred eggs straight from the farm.

Ok. Before you all freak out on me about cholesterol, let me clarify: by eggs, I really mean EGG WHITES. Feel better? :)

I still use the yolk but not as much as the whites.  Egg white, not only it is a good source of protein, it is low in calories (17-20 cal per egg), fills you up and so versatile you can make a variety of quick meals with only a little creativity. So from this point on, when I type "egg" you read "egg white". Deal?

If I'm too tired to cook or don't have the time, omelet or scrambled eggs with some veggies (usually I already have a ziploc bag or two of diced veggie ready to use in the fridge) and/or extra protein (typically rotisserie chicken) is the way to go. It is a perfect one pan meal. I don't have much to wash after.

So here are some of the egg-venture meals I make. Obviously these are not all. Just the ones I wasn't so lazy to take photos every single step I cook. Yeah, try do that, you realize how cumbersome that is and time consuming ... especially when there is a hungry husband waiting to eat :)


Rainbow Bell Pepper Ommy
[ Recipe ]

Stove Top Low Fat Quiche with avocado, mushrooms, tomato
[ Recipe ]
California Scramble - Spinach, Tomato, avocado, chicken

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

When Pissed Off, Go Workout

Come within 10 feet and I'd bite your head off!! I was so pissed off, steam was coming out of my ears.  People might see a smile plastered on my face, but that, my friend, beware for those are the smile before a kill.

Ranting, huffing, and glaring all day long never solve or change anything. I knew that. Yet that was what I did for a good couple hours at home. Finally decided that I had enough of, I stopped thinking, put on workout clothes and shoes for the second time today and headed out to the gym.

As always, nothing like a good kick boxing class to release all the aggression, annoyance, anger out of my system. Fueled with pissed-off adrenalin, I jumped high, kicked sharp, punched hard and squatted low.  I haven't done Turbo Kick with so much high energy and plyo jumps in a long while.
     
             I was focus.
      I was in the zone. 
          It was all about me and the workout, 
                          and it felt so damn good. 

When the sweat poured out so did the negative charges in my blood. Dripping down on the wooden floor of the groupX room and got stepped on. More sweat dripped down, more toxins got flushed out.

At the end of the hour, flinging sweat drops all over the place, clothes drenched, hair heavy and salty, I was in a happy place. Tension was released from my muscles and all I longed for now was a good long hot shower, warm dinner and perhaps a bottle of cold Stella with cheese plate. Well, may be not the last part just yet, for tomorrow I have a kick boxing to teach.

Nothing to be pissed off about. All was good in the world. Knowing is one thing, acting on what you know is different. Especially when it involves emotion. Whatever it was that I got me going, it has passed and nothing would change that fact. What I could change is how I proceed from here on.

Working out helps me get out of a negative situations like this. It helps clearing my mind. Some people might do meditation, some go for a walk in the park, but for me, intense workout is my zen. 



Friday, August 9, 2013

Stew ala Tomato Italiano

What I like about this recipe is you can swing it your own way - vegan, seafood, meaty or simply poultry. You can even use this recipe to clean up your fridge! The base is what puts the ingredients together. As always, I am keeping it as simple as possible.

The ingredients shown in the picture might seem to be a lot, but that's because I was cleaning my fridge :) By the way, I came about this dish from trying to use all of the over ripened tomato in the fridge...

Note: I hardly ever measure my cooking. Unless you count "eye-balling" and "feeling" as measurements :)

In this pics I was making a lot for 6 people. I will do my best to approximate the quantity, but if you cook, you will know how much you need for how many portion. This dish is really easy. And if you make too much, put it in the fridge for next meal.

Zoodle with Stew ala Tomato Italiano

Servings: 4
Prep and cooking time: about 45 min

The Noodle:
1 large zucchini - julienne long way
(or 2 regular sized ones)

The Base:
2 roma tomato - better when they are ripe or just starting to get soft
2 cloves garlic
1/4 onion
italian herbs - start with 1 tbs then add to taste
sea salt - to taste
black pepper - to taste
(you want heat?) Cayenne pepper  - to taste
(not on detox?) Dry Sherry - 1/4 cup

Veggie: (choose a couple, or all)
1/4 zucchini
kale
celery
bell pepper
parsley - coarsely chopped for garnish and fresh flavor on the cooked dish


Choose your protein(s): 
mushroom - shitake, white, or portabello
tofu
beans - fava, garbanzos, kidney, etc.
chicken/turkey
ground beef/chicken/turkey/pork




Preps:
  • Make the zucchini noodle.
  • Cut the tomato into large chunks. Diced the onions, minced the garlic.
  • Diced small the zucchini, celery, bell pepper, kale.
  • Prep your protein accordingly - e.g. For chunky texture, diced large the mushrooms/chicken. If you are using dried beans make sure to soak and pre boil them before using. If using canned, rinse the heck out of them to get rid most of the preservatives.



Cooking: 
On med-low heat, sweat the onion in a large pot with a little olive oil (or spray oil). Add a little salt to draw the water out.  When onion starts to turn transparent, add in garlic. Toss for a minute until you can smell the fragrance of the garlic.

If you are using ground chicken/turkey, add them in at this point. Turn up the heat to high. Stir around until the meat is cooked. 

Add in tomato and other protein, and the Italian herb. Mix them in on high heat until you see the tomato starts softening.


Add the rest of the veggie (except Kale) ON TOP - don't mix them in. Then lower heat to med-high. Cover.

When it starts boiling, open the lid, mix the veggie in with the now soft and all watery tomato base. Change heat to high, stir and bring to boil.



Add in kale still on high heat, cover again for a minute, open the lid, stir the kale in.


Lid open, turn heat to low. Add pepper, salt (more herb if needed) and simmer the stew. If you're adding Sherry, add it in before you turn the heat down.


Cook the zucchini noodle while waiting for the stew to simmer. Boil water, add in the zoodles, it only takes a couple of minute, when the water boils again wait for about 10 sec, turn off heat, drain the water.
At this point the stew should be ready to serve. Garnish with parsley on top and enjoy :)



Thursday, August 8, 2013

626 Night Market - A Walk in the Park

With Andy ^_^ Gotta love a handy hubby.
He installed the banner, lights and fixtures.
We did it! My first experience ever as a food vendor. And of all the events, I chose 626 Night market with over 50,000 attendance.... Great. I mean, really, GREAT!!

I chose this venue because it's focusing on Asian food, the location is prime and close to home, and they are organized. I heard about their first infamous venture in Pasadena. Hey, when the first time you made a mess, you learned and do better next time and the next and each time you will improve, right? The organizer of 626 Night Market did just that.

One Foodie-Fated Afternoon

I went to the June 2013 event unplanned. Literally came across it as Andy and I were chilling at the Santa Anita Mall one Saturday afternoon while casually discussing about other things I could do beside design or fitness. "Of course cooking," I said to him. Then we talked about what kind of food and how we could make it into a business. Typical husband and wife conversation, I bet...

In short, we started talking about food fair. With a quick google-ing skill on my iPhone I found out that the 626 Night Market was actually going on that very weekend! Coincidence? Well, I don't believe in coincidence :)

June event. I wasn't prepared
to walk around surveying a
fair. Those sandals were
killing me!
So we went and check it out. Far from being the infamous worst night market ever, this event was clean and well organized. There were a lot of staff and volunteers around the park and all of them friendly and helpful. I love the set up too. Santa Anita Park is beautiful, with lots of trees and open spaces. We talked to the staff at the information booth about joining the next event and guess what, they were ready with all of the information a girl needs to be one, including step by step how-to's with pictures. The organizer of the 626 Night Market has made it very easy to join.

Decision made, I signed up.

Now, the prep works and logistic. Deciding on what to sell was only the beginning. How to produce it in large quantity, how to store them, transport, prepare and serve them were another challenge.

I was psyching myself up to invest on equipment and put in my time. I know it was not going to be a walk in the park. I had to be ready for long hours ahead.

Gym time pays off!! LOL
It was a bit unnerving, I got to admit. I have never done a large scale food fair before. Closest I did was school fair or church. All of the preparations, permits I had to acquire, the amount of food I had to make, investment on equipments, the crew/labor and the total cost involved.... whew! Basically I was taking a risk of the whole thing bombed and losing money.

Then again, it is part of starting your own business, right? Taking the risk, keeping your head high and your cost as low as possible. Many of the equipments used for the fair were borrowed from family and friends. In a short time, I had piles of ice boxes in our garage, burners & propane tanks, large steamers, boxes of supplies, and two new box freezers.

Fitness, Food & Fun

While the idea is to test the food in an open market, we also strive to enjoy the whole experience. I had help from friends I made at the gym. What do you expect, my hang out is the gym :)

So there you have it. What happened when a bunch of fitness people high on endorphin, loaded with positive attitude and over flowing passion for good food got together, added a pumped up music?? Well, we workout!!


More videos can be found on FitPantry YouTube channel.


Fun aside, I learned a lot from that weekend. How much food I could expect to sell, on marketing and branding, what to change on the banner, how to make things more interesting, how to control the lines, etc. Things that I would not have known unless I jumped in with both legs in the water sort to speak.

Not a cheap school, but we did all right. We break even on this first venture and we are going to join the next night market on Labor Day weekend, Aug 31 - Sep 1. 

There will be more items in the menu, more drinks, re-branding and tweaking the presentation. Even a talk of glow sticks and disco ball... wha... ??.....  Anyway, we will be more ready this time :)



 I Love You Guys!!

At the end of the day, I know that I couldn't have made it on my own. I am blessed to have a slew of support from friends and families, who are all the way behind me on this from the making and preparation of the food, to the day of the event, when we had to set up, serving customers, and cleaning up (through midnight and later!).

So, friends, family, husband, thank you sooooo so much for your support, your energy and your love. BIG TIME! And to the organizers of 626 Night Market, excellent work in controlling the masses and the army of vendors; you guys made it easy and painless for a green-vendor like myself get this experience.

All of you have made this event a walk in the park :) 




 More photos on Facebook -->

Sunday, July 28, 2013

7 Days to 626 Night Market. Are Your Ready? Am I ready?

It is one more week before my big day at the food fair. I am taking a huge step and a leap beyond my comfort zone. No longer cooking in the kitchen for just family and friends, I am daring myself to cook for the masses. 626NightMarket attracts more than 50,000 attendance just last month.

As a first timer official food vendor, this is my first and very challenging event. Tens and thousands of foodies will flock the Santa Anita Park this coming weekend and they will either love or hate my cooking. Whatever it is, I know my food is tasty. I know that I can't please everyone and for sure many will love it too. At the end of the day, I will make some mistakes, glitches happen, but experience will teach me to be better next time.

I aim to have fun and enjoy the experience. I love cooking. It is may passion. It is something I can feel in my veins, even as I'm pumping weights at the gym! :)

I have friends supports, family and loving husband behind me. And our goal is the same. We are going to have a blast out there. We are even planning something special! To give you a hint, it will last 3 min or less, involving music and some dance. Or punch and kicks ;) And it's going to happen on Aug 3, Saturday at 5pm. Sharp!

It is a bit daunting. The amount of preps to make, equipments to buy and borrow from friends. Amount of supplies to bring. Last week a couple of friends were helping me pulling a long evening making the fish balls. I appreciate and cherish the help given. It is a priceless gift one can ever receive. For that, my friends, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Until the event is wrapped up, it is not over yet. I still need to make the sauce :) Another busy time in the kitchen this week. I miss working out in the evening, yet at the same time, I am doing something I equally love.

I am ready. I can't wait for it. I am excited!! Yes, it will be tiring, I won't lie. And to those who already agreed to be part of my crew, LOL I hope they know what they are getting themselves into :P All the same, I am looking forward to have a fun time with them and sell a lot of fish balls ;)

Fit Pantry at the 626 Night Market 2013

626 Night Market - Booth D15

August 3-4, 2013 | Sat 4p - 1a, Sun 4p - 11p 

Santa Anita Park (Santa Anita Race Track front lawn, Arcadia)

I am venturing out of my comfort zone! On August 3-4, 2013 I will be participating as one of the food vendors in the 626 Night Market - a large Asian Food Fair hold annually in the Summer in Arcadia. Large, as in 50,000 visitors coming to the last night market in July 7-8, 2013!!

The food I will be serving are steamed fish balls and coconut drinks - the Tasty Fish Balls and Coconut Chiller.

... ... ... What? Are you expecting Thai Curry Quinoa or Tofu Salad? :)

I will be selling one of the Indonesian snack/comfort food - a healthier kind, steamed fish cake called Siomay Bandung. It is actually a mixture of fish paste with some ground chicken and tapioca starch. Back in Indonesia, we LOVE our snacks so we eat smaller meals throughout the day. The Siomay Bandung is one of the most popular snacks in the afternoon.

While it is healthier than most of the snacks that are deep fried, breaded, floured, or slathered with sauce and marination, the Siomay Bandung is still an indulgence, depending on how much peanut sauce and sweet soy sauce you topped it with.

The original shape of the Siomay Bandung is definitely not a ball. Each siomay usually is large enough to be quartered or cut into at least 2 smaller bite size pieces. However, I decided to break away from the traditional and from the boundary of "ethnicity" and introduce this dish to everyone - Asian and non Asian.

And that's how the "balls" came about. By reshaping the actual food and renaming it, I'm resetting people's preconception of the traditional dish. Also not to make it be confused with the Chinese Siumay typically served at dim sum. Even when the ingredients has ground meat (chicken), it is mainly made out of fish paste so I decided to call it "Fish Balls".

So how is it healthy again?
It is steamed not fried. It is not breaded, not floured. 
It is rich in protein. I use no MSG. 

The Coconut Chiller is definitely an indulgence. However you want to cut it slice it dice it see it, it is a sweet dessert, albeit a refreshing one. It contains real coconut shavings and cocopandan syrup - a pandan infused coconut flavored syrup, which is very popular in Indonesia. Cocopandan has a light fragrance that would remind you of a tropical island, beach, and well, coconut :)

So, there you have it. My first participation at a food fair for the masses. Be there and enjoy the food. Like what I always say, workout hard, eat hearty. Live life and enjoy it to the fullest.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

"Zoodle" - Zucchini Noodle

What's a "zoodle"? It's simply Zucchini-nOODLE. No, not that we make noodles with zucchini; the zucchini is the noodles. You get it now? It's simply zucchini, cut/sliced in to  long strands like noodles.

Tomato Italiano Veggie/Mushroom Stew over Zoodles
I'm not the only one and surely not the first one who thought about it. Randomly, I came across an awesome looking spaghetti meatball image. Since I was on the Reset, I couldn't eat the real spaghetti meatballs - one, pasta and two, meat. However, I know the tomato sauce meatballs could easily be replaced by some tomato based veggie stew, but I was a bit stuck on what to do with the pasta.  So I posted a question on my Facebook page (FitFunBeyond) to get some input on what people would substitute pasta noodles with.

The most popular and probably most obvious votes went to Spaghetti Squash. I had tried this stringy gourd before, but now that I thought about it, I wasn't too fond of the texture and fragrance of the melon mixed with savory.

Then someone suggested zucchini noodles. My first thought was, "... now was I supposed to make my own noodle from zucchini flour or what?..."  So I Googled it. And I love that idea!  Plus, now I know what that utensil, which has been stored away in my Mom's kitchen drawer for so long, can be used for.

It was so simple and easy, I smack myself on the head for not thought about it at all. Hey, that's what social media is for, right? Get connected and get support from friends and circle of friends :)

So here is what you do.

The Making of Zoodles


First, get the right tool. This is a julienne slicer. Careful, those pointy edges are sharp!!

 Second, get zucchini. The bigger, longer the better.
Then thinly sliced one side so it wont roll on your cutting board during slicing.

Starting from one end, run the slicer along the zucchini.
Keep slicing until you hit the soft core, then change side and start slicing again.

  If the strands look like they stuck together when you slice the zucchini, not to worry.
You can unravel them easily.

And this is how the zoodles look :)

Some people slice through the core, personally I don't. The zoodles from the core part tends to break easily and not as "crunchy."  This is what's left of the zucchini after I was done. The core will be diced and used in the Tomato Italiano. Nothing goes to waste ;)


Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Ultimate Reset II - Day 6 & 7: Quick Trip to Las Vegas

Day 6 - Leaving Los Angeles

  • Breakfast: a bit of greek yogurt with blueberries + Green Juice
  • Snack/Lunch: Purple Yam, PBJ + Green Juice, larabar homemade
  • Snack: more Purple Yam, Watermelon Juice, Figs
  • Dinner: Chicken Mushroom Tomato Italiano

Day 7 - Leaving Las Vegas

  • Breakfast: Egg White French Toast with maple syrup, Greek Yogurt + Berries
  • Lunch: Purple Yams, more egg white FT, Green Juice
  • Snack: Grapes, Granola & Greek Yogurt + blueberries
  • Dinner: Korean Hot Tofu Soup & Onion pancake

Tomato Italiano Zoodles
This is why if you are planning on traveling, don't start any restrictive diet plan or detox. This one was sudden and unplanned. My Dad just returned from abroad and I promised to drive him back to Las Vegas. So that's my excuse. I managed to eat healthy in Las Vegas (staying at Mom's home being the main reason how I could do that). 

The on the road part though, was sketchy. Always. I stocked up purple yams, grapes, a few larabar homemade and PBJ so that helped.

Sunday when we had to go back to Los Angeles was like a hurricane. We were trying to stay ahead of the going home traffic and so we were rushing in the morning through our breakfast. I packed leftover from the breakfast for the road, made some more green juice, then off we go.

Giant Figs :) nomnomnom
All in all, nothing really exciting when it comes to the meal this weekend, except the figs - freshly picked from the tree in Mom's backyard, and the Tomato Italiano.

I introduced my Dad to "zoodles" and he loves it! He kept saying how healthy it was but tasty and fulfilling. I saved some for him for his lunch on Monday. Mom's not home, so at least he has something healthy to eat to start the first day back to work after vacation.

Back in Los Angeles, cousin called frantically because she had an emergency situation at her house. After we dropped out stuff at home, we left to help her out. Water heater pipe broke and flooded her bedroom. Long story short, situation was back under control, now she needed to unwind and destress. We took her out for dinner and all I could think of was Korean Tofu house. Andy and my cousin could eat their favorite dish, and I could order a tofu soup. Make sense, right? I thought so :)

Watermelon Juice
Whew~ ... not ideal for end of week one, but I take it. Whatever comes, let it be. I deal with the situation the best I could and do my best to stay on track.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Ultimate Reset II - Day 5: Practicality Leads to Simplicity and Saving Money

Day 5

  • Supp: Optimize
  • Breakfast: Greek Yogurt, blueberry, peach, Qi'a + Green Juice
  • Snack: Purple Yam
  • Supp: Optimize
  • Lunch: Quinoa + Rotisserie Chicken + almonds slices (cold)
  • Supp: Alkalinize
  • Snack: Soy Mushroom Soup
  • Supp: Optimize + Soothe
  • Dinner: Turkey patty over salad + grilled pineapple, corn blackbean salsa, egg whites, roasted red pepper

I thought today would be relaxing with no workout. On the contrary, the only relaxing part of the day was the hour I spent during facial. Then the crazyness began again. 

I kept breakfast the same for practical reason. No need to get fancy if I could save money and time and brain, especially in the morning. So keeping it the same until I finish up the Greek Yogurt, Blueberries, Peaches and Qi'a. And green juice.

I packed a purple yam in my bag knowing that I would be hungry after facial. Then I ran some errand, went home, started the fire and started cooking again. I don't have enough space on the stove top to cook, so cold quinoa plus rotisserie chicken it is.
 
By 4pm, I cleared up some stove area and made me some mushroom soup. I have been thinking about it and since I didn't really have a good lunch, I thought, I might as well.

By the time my Dad was up from his jetlag nap, it was almost dinner time. I decided it's better to go out. I was kinda sick of being in the kitchen the whole afternoon. I suggested we go to the Counter for burger, thinking I could order portabello mushroom and salad.

Apparently, it has been that long since I went to eat there. They didn't have portabello mushroom, so I ordered turkey burger patty. Another wrong move. The patty turned out way too salty that my tongue felt burned! Ugh, I ate half of the 1/3 pounder and finished up the greens quick to wash off the saltiness on my tongue.

Didn't really help and I just know that tonight and tomorrow I would be bloated....