The Week Before My Big Day

Has it been that long??
August was my 5th anniversary of coming to America,land of the free and the home of the brave. Lots & lots of things had happened of course and our kids are almost as big as me which is not really a far reach since I am vertically challenged. I think I've learned so much in life this past 5 years more than my first 20+ of existance. Anyhoo...on Monday, Oct 19 at 11am , I will be interviewed by a Homeland Security & Immigration officer, test my knowledge on basic American civic & history and if I pass I will be officially a U.S. citizen!!

Last Minute Scare.
So last Wednesday evening I was checking my folder of paperwork to make sure I got everything ready to go when I glanced upon one line in the immigration checklist of docs to bring to my interview. My heart starts to pulpitate because I just realized I didn't have the kind of IRS forms  that the USCIS specifically requires . I really thought that it's just our tax record that they needed which I was confident that we have but it when I look closely, it was another form that was called IRS 1722 Letter. It's like a transcript of our past tax records. Ofcourse I googled immidiately and the more I read the more my panic attack worsen because every website says it will take 10-15 days after you submit a request to the IRS.

Oh my freakin lord!!! I don't have no god dammed 10-15 days. I got till Monday!!! Crying like a four year old feeling doomed and silently cursing myself for  making this huge mistake , I fell asleep in tears. But the next morning I called the IRS first thing .
Ring ring ring...( generic automated answering machine...)...thank you for calling the IRS...says the recorded voice on the other line...pres 1 if you need to ..blah blah blah....pres 2 if you yadidah didah.....then when I reached the option that I wanted the voice says..."there are other callers ahead of you so please don't hang up".....and I was like " No shit!"...your estimated wait time is....fifteen minutes. Seems like the longest fifteen minutes ever but I didn't mind at all in fact I used my wait time to pray to all the saints that I could remember to help me get through a "live Person" and not get transfered again. At about 16 mins later I heard a voice...a live person...a man..named Tony or Benny..I can't remember now but he sounded nice. I tried really hard to calmly explain to him my predicament ( or how stupid I was) and I guess he sensed from my obvious begging tone he asked my routine questions to established if this was a legit call and then he said the word that I was Praying to hear ...do you want me to mail it or FAX it to you??? I was secretly dancing and screaming inside my head ( yes yes yes!!!). He was so nice that he faxed 24 pages of freakin' tax infos which was exactly what I need for my interview.
Whew!! I was so happy and relieved I was smiling from ear to ear!!!

I just need to have passport pics taken and I'll do that tomorrow and I'm definitely 100% ready. I was told that if I was interviewed & tested ( and passed ) in the morning I might get sworn in the same day. Wooh!! I am so excited I can't stand it!!

Sample Picture Of Certification Of Naturalization

                                      I'm gonna be getting this very cool piece of paper !! Yeah!!


Fitness Update:
Still working out regularly but today I decided it is time to amp it up. I know I look better than I was 3 months ago but I wanted to lose more body fat before xmas so I increased resistance on my cardio, lifted more weight and work out more muscles and added more abs work out. My diet hasn't been squeeky clean but not too bad..still I need to get tougher & stricter if I want to lose more inches on my waist line.
We'll see if I can follow through!!

Sore Tighs & Salty Roast

I only do leg work out 1-2x a week but everytime I do I surely would feel it the next day. I did  four sets with a 20lb weight ( which prolly goes down to 60lbs total because the metal rod/bar already is heavy ) yesterday and now  I walk funny  because
my inner thighs are  hurting.  It's what fitness geeks calls the "sweet pain".  Squat  affects so many muscle groups that even though it gives me pain  and the awkward butt-sticking-out posture when you go down , it is one of my favorite work out routines. The 1st time I tried doing it my knees hurts so bad i swore I'd never do it again, but a friend of mine showed me how to do it properly ( butt should stick out so less pressure on your back, don't lock your kness and push hips forward as you go back up)  and  knee pain went away and I was able to do more sets.
Here are some benefits if Squats:

• Squats work all major muscle groups
• Burn a lot of calories
• Tone up your butt and thighs
• Increase flexibility in the lower body
• Lower back and mid-section become stronger
• Heart and lung power increased
• Muscle is gained

Friday Work Out Log:
Breakfast : Oatmeal With Protein Powder
                  Banana
                  Tea

Elliptical : Level 8-9  ~  20 mins
Stairmaster :  70steps/min  ~ 20 mins
Elliptical  : Level 6 ~ 20 mins

Weight Training:
Incline Dumbbell Fly : 15lbs each side  -  12 reps -  4 Sets
Standing Two Arm Dumbbell Presses  : 15lbs each side - 12 reps- 3 sets
Wide Grip Seated Pull Down : 60lbs - 10reps-3Sets
 Note : It felt like I didn't do enough  strength training today. I was  hungry even though I ate breakfast ..hhmmm??

Abs Work Out :
Ab Legs Raises : 40x
Reverse Crunch : 40x
Flutter Kick Oblique Crunches : 40x
Zombie Crunch : 10x ( not sure what to call it. it's when you lay flat arm staight over your head and you pull yourself up slowly to reach your  toes without bending your knees. )

Note : See Demos Here

I came home starving. Thank goodness there's left over salad from last night. I paired it with my slightly salty pork roast that I made last night. I probably accident'ly put too much salt coz I am always careful about sodium on our food . Still it was yummy and  guilt free..

Penny Pincher

It's been two weeks since we started our simple way of saving a few dollars.
You'll be surprise how much money you spent everyweek if you kept eating out or buying lunch plus the gas consumed driving to restaurants or fastfood stores. I've been getting really early , like 6am , which is VERY early for a night owl like me. This way I have plenty of time to make my own breakfast,sit & read the news while eating, get the kids & husband's lunch ready and then give the kids shower,change clothes, fix hair....all the works before we could even set our foot out the door.
The night before I would cook simple dishes that DH could take to work for lunch the next day. This is kinda challenging at the beginning trying to get stuff organized & ready to go but I am slowly getting the hang of it.
Small steps but surely helps keep $$ in our pockets.

 

 

Thursday Work Out Log.
I was on time today!! Yey...no rushing , no stress..just relaxingly walked in the gym and stretched for a couple of sec and went on with my business. This is my ideal day!!

Breakfast : Power Pancake ( oatmeal,eggwhites,protein powder)
                 Cup of tea
Cardio:

• Stairmaster ~ 65steps/min - 20 mins
• Treadmill ~ level 4.5 - 20 mins
• Elliptical ~ level 6 - 20 mins

 

Weight Training : Lower Body

• Squat w/ 20lbs barbell
• Standing Calf ~ 120lbs - 20 reps - 4 sets
• Squat Rows ~ 10lbs/side - 12 reps - 4 sets

Note: Everyone at the gyms seems to be doing leg exercises :( Most machines
were occupied or  I could have done more work out.

 

Floor Exercise : Same as yesterday

• Push Ups: 10x
• Reverse Crunch:40x
• Pulse Up : 40x
• Crunch Twist : 40x
• Superman: 40x

After workout Snack:
     Apple  & 2 tbp Peanut Butter.

 

 

 

Wednesday: Gym & Dentist Visit

Have you ever have that feeling like some forces of nature is doing everything it can to make you late for school or appointments?
I got up early today so I wont have to rush...even prepared stuff last night so I have less to think about....and yet we were still 5 mins late!!
What made us late??? Well, not 2 but 3 cars had to make a turn on a single lane street and so we had to wait for them to make their turns....then I got stuck behind a huge trailer truck which was going 20 on a 45 mph road.But that was ok coz we still have 2 mins...but then on the very last turn we had to make , light turned red so fast only 1 car was able to go!!! WTF!!!! ...grrrr...so instead of just pulling over at the curve at the school parking lot so teacher's could get the students....I had to find a parking spot , get Shinjo from the back seat , walk to the office , sign in coz now we were late , walk to the hall way , and avoid eye contact with the teacher coz we were , yes , LATE.
O.K. Goddess of Let's-Ruin-People's-Day , you win.

Now I'm 15 mins behind schedule so while driving to the gym I was trying to make mental math on how I'm gonna fit in my work out routine and still have enough time to pick up Shinjo ( 2 & 1/2 hours Kindergarten class).
So here is my work out log for today, Wednesday Sept. 30th.
Elliptical : Level 7-9 Incline-12 / 20 mins
Treadmill : Level 5 / 15 mins
Level 4.5-3.5 5 mins
Elliptical : Level 6 Incline -12 / 15 ins ( total of 55 mins cardio )

Weight Training:
Bicep Curls : 20lbs 12 reps/4Sets
Triceps Kickback : 15lbs 12 Reps/4 Sets On each arms
Cable Seated Low Row : 60lbs 15 reps/4 Sets

Floor Exercise: Check Workout images HERE

Push Ups: 10x
Reverse Crunch:40x
Pulse Up : 40x
Crunch Twist : 40x
Superman: 40x

All in all it was a great work out.I was excited to find out that I could still run 20 mins at level 5 :).
Breakfast was the same as yesterday.
After work out snack : Banana & Protein shake ( 1 scoop)
Lots of ice water.

--------------------------------------

Me & Princess went to the dentist for routine cleaning.
I was still thinking of the cosmic force that's trying to make me late so I left early....too early...in fact I was an hour early ( ugh!)
I dunno anybody who's that excited to see their dentist.
Anyway...I think I like the calmness of being an hour early than being 5 mins late. Dentist says everythings good. I could hear Princess chatting with her hygenist on the other cube. Thank goodness they put a cover over those scary instruments.They look like murder weapons :).

I hope tomorrow, the Goddess of Lateness will find somebody else to annoy.

Work Out Log

I decided that it is more fun to log in my work out here instead of just scribbling it down to some boring notebook.Yesterday was not a good day to work out for several reasons.

•  I was stressed out about the flooding in my hometown and the condition of my parents. I am so glad that they are ok and I have never been so happy to hear their voices over the phone. They are unhurt, just thoroughly drenched and now they have to deal with clean up and putting their house & lives back together.
•  Kids weren't feeling well. Princess was complaining about her throat and she has two mollars popping out so she had to stay home.
• Husband was also exhausted from running around the other night trying to find phone cards for me so I could call my family.

So, today I went to the gym and felt really good about my work out. I even had extra time to shower in the gym ( first time) and it felt great driving away fresh & clean .

Breakfast : Cup of tea
1/2 cup oatmeal (cooked)
1 scoop protein powder ( mixed in with oatmeal)

Cardio:
Elliptical ~ level 6-8/ 20 mins
Stairmaster~ 68 steps/minute / 20 mins
Elliptical ~ Level 6 / 20 mins

Weight training :
Chest Fly : 15lbs each / 15 reps / 3 sets
Lat Pulldown : 60lbs / 10 reps/3 sets
Over Head Press : 15lbs each / 15 reps/3 sets

Floor Exercise: See images of routines Here
Push Ups: 10x
Reverse Crunch:40x
Pulse Up : 40x
Crunch Twist : 40x
Superman: 40x

Don't forget to stretch and breath!!!

After workout snack : Banana

Good start for the day !!!

 

 

 

Why The Long Absence?

Almost 8 months that I didn't touch my blog when I spent countless hours
tweeking html codes till I was happy with the layout and not to mention editing pics and researching topics to post..coz you know I don't like just yapping away without any interesting topic to write about. A lot of stuff happened and many are really worth posting..( ahh..it will be some great reading for me too )

I decided to take a break to find my balance. I needed to regroup and re-focus my mind . Re-set my priorities and set new goals. I felt like I was going into a very dull monotonous routines and it's not making me happy.

The top of my list are my children of course. They are my backbone. They've allways been my top priorities and I know they know that mommy will always have time for them no matter what.
Second is my husband...well..he's right there almost side-by-side with my kids on my prority list.

So what else....hhmmm...myself....yes myself..
I have been neglecting myself. My health , my weight , my hobbies ...just not interested in doing all that. I needed motivation..I needed extra push.

First , I joined a band. It's called The Modulators . It's more like a hobby band and we get to practice or jam once a week. We played a few gigs too. It was very exciting for me to find that I could still sing.
I'll post more details about "The Mods" later.

Second, I started going to the gym & eating healthy.
The wake-up moment for me was when I saw a picture of me in a very unflattering angle that made me realize..." do I really wanna look like that or should I do something about it"? My husband found a fitness trainer to give me advice and support and it made a lot of difference. Kristi is a proffesional body builder & fitness/health trainer and I was so amazed by her physique I wanted to be like her ( or close..just a tiny bit).
Now I am even more determined to loss weight and get in shape.

Everything that Kristi taught me and stuff that I read about weight loss totally changed my life. But don't get me wrong...It is freakin' hard!!
I changed my eating habbit , I gave up coffee ,diet coke or any sugary drinks, and I go to bed much early. The result of all of this changes is very positive for me and my family. I am more organized and relaxed, I feel so much better about myself. I got more time to get things done at home and and everyday I look forward to going to the gym and see if I could do cardio much lomger, do more sets or more sit ups. These are what I look forward to now everyday.
Did I lose weight? Of course I did :D I can now fit into my old jeans.
But I am not there yet. I have a few more pounds to lose before I could say " Yes , I Did  It!!"..

 
                 Before                                                            After

Note: Pics might not show significant change but do felt like my face has become smaller  two months since I started with the weightloss program. When I am truly skinny ( that would be a great xmas gift for myself) I will bravely post a whole body shot ...with clothes on of course.



So why go back to blogging? Because I always enjoy writing and reading other blogs. There's so much to learn & share. But now I have my balance so I know I'm not gonna sit in front of the computer for hours & hours and not accoplishing anything . I have my priorities and goals I have to meet but time is managed right there's  always  time to spare to blog away.

On School,Politics,Fitness and AmericanIdol

Parent-Teacher Conference Meeting.

One day you'll get a pink or yellow paper from school
with the date and which you can choose the time according to your own schedule. You'll spend 20-30 mins talking to your child's teacher talking about the primarily about your child's progress at school ,social skills ( if she/he have problem interacting ) weaknesses and strength and what goals to proceed to for your kids to be ahead if not at par with other students.

This , I think , is very important for parents have a chance to know to here first hand from the teacher on how your child is doing at school. As much as we want to monitor our kids at all time , we can't be there at school with them to actually see how they function or interact with other children or if they have some struggle with their lessons of if they need extra help. Fortunately , Princess is doing well at school according to her teacher. She is way above average in reading,writing although her teacher says Princess seems to get intimidated when it come to problem solving in math and doesn't like it if she have to explain how she came up with the answer.

I don't know how things are done at our school in the Philippines now a days but I do remember that during my days , teachers doesn't set up a meeting to talk to parents. I hope they are doing this now coz I believe this is important in getting more involved with the education of our children.


Shinjo did well with his recent evaluation at school too. He'd met and exceeded his goals and new ones were set up for him by his teacher. I can't express my admiration for this teachers who just are so loving ,caring and very focus and dedicated with their job. Just imagine having to deal with a bunch of 3-4 years old??
But never did I see in their faces any discontent or negative words even when the kids were not in their best behavior. I think it takes a person to have a genuine good heart to be a pre-school teacher.

Fell Asleep With His A-B-C

Sign of Aging???

Remember the long writer's strike???
For a while there was no new episodes of my favorite shows on TV and I just got tired of watching reruns after reruns of shows I've already seen. Even late night shows weren't as funny as they used to.
So with my thirts for something to watch while I fold the pile of laundry or while ironing heavy jeans and delicate shirts I started watching MSNBC and CNN and all of a sudden I just morphed into a political junkie!!!
This shows like Hardball With Cris Mathews,Countdown With Keith Olberman,Larry King Live and such....I never paid attention to this shows before but now I even record them if I couldn't watch them live.

Politics just caught my attention and now I just can't watch anything else anymore.
Is this a sign of aging??
Now that the writers are back to work , there are new episodes now but I can't keep my eyes in any shows any more. I am so eager to hear what happen to the recent primaries , who's ahead in the election... (BTW , I am for Obama).

It feels like I'm seeting in a classroom and I'm this wide eyed girl learinng new things.



My Weight Loss Update!! :(

Here I go again ,same old , same old..
I didn't gain any weight but I didn't lose any either.
It's like I'm stuck!!!
I need a kick in the head to get me going again.


Just for laugh.

Take a look at this contestant from Bulgaria's own version of American Idol.

All I can say is..."Is this poor woman has nobody to tell her she can google the correct lyrics for this song"?


Tata For Now!!!

Weighing In ~ 4th Week

Pound Lost This Week: 0 lbs :(
Total Pound Lost: 5 lbs

Target Weight : 110-115 lbs


The scale didn't change this week even when I've increased my work out from 3x a week to 5x a week and calorie intake is still very much under control.
The positive side of me says " Atleast you didn't gain weight!". But I make no excuse anymore and I'm not settling for less.
I'd keep doing what I'm doing and probably increase my cardio work out and I definitely need a new scale. I didn't break my old one ( that would be embarrassing) its just that it’s the analog kind and it’s not consistent. I’ll get a digital scale later today so I can see the slightest change on my weight.

The good news is since I’ve been doing more intense work outs , I feel that my muscles are firmer, my butt is tighter and higher and my arms are less flabby. If I’d only rely on the scale I would be really discouraged but when I put on my jeans , it fits better and looks better so that’s my reward for the hard work that I’ve been doing for the past 4 weeks now.

On Sunday during the Superbowl, I was working out while the game was being recorded. I was so pumped up so I decided to do more .While I was on the floor doing planks I felt as sharp pain on the right side of my buns . I was hurting so bad I rolled a few times but the pain just got worse. I called my husband ( he was at a superbowl party w/ friends) coz I thought I’m gonna have to go to the ER. He advised that I lay still and try to relax my legs. It hurt so much I was in tears but after a couple more minutes the pain slowly went away ( whew!). As much as I wanted to keep going with the work out , I had to just lay low because I didn’t want to aggravate if I pulled a muscle . The next day I could still feel a little tingle on the right side of my butt but it didn’t hurt any more so I was able to finish my routine.

The Plank.One Of the best work outs for the Abs

My goal this week is to increase my cardio to 10-15 more minutes. Valentines Day is coming and it would be nice to be able to wear nice outfit if my DH decides to take me out for a special dinner.



Eating Healthy:



Ginger-Carrot Vinaigrette

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Note: This is my home made salad dressing. I got this idea from our favorite Japanese restaurant and added some more twist to it. The ginger might to be too strong for some but you can balance the falvor with vinegar or salt & sugar. The carrot is the surpirse ingredients for this recipe and I love the freshness of its flavor and work perfectly well with the salad greens and other fresh veggies.

Ingredients:

• Carrots cut into chunks


• Ginger ,about an inch


• Clove of garlic


• 1 Tbp Chopped Onion (optional)


• 1 Cup Olive Oil


• 1/2 Cup Cider Vinigar


• Salt And Pepper to taste


• 2 tbp Sugar

Put all ingredients together on a blender and mix for about a min.
Store left over in the fridge and it will last up to 2 weeks

What's In Your Kitchen

This is a thread that lovely Rhebs started to give us a glimpse of the food choices that we have in connection with our goal to healthy lifesyle and staying fit.
I was adamant to show photos of our fridge but what the heck. I wish I have a SubZero refrigerator but its not the point of this thread so I guess its ok .
We are renting an apartment and the appliances are already set up plus there are limited space so I try to only buy food that will fit in our storage. The good thing about our location is we are very close to the mall and grocery store so I can always get fresh produce whenever I need it.

This fridge does not contain 100% healthy food ( see the ice cream?).My kids are allowed to have some treats every now and then.

Morning:
My morning typically start with a hot cup of coffee with lots of cream but I have healthier substitute for sugar & fatty cream.I love toast with some butter (the butter substitute is godsend) and also whole grain cereals.

Lunch:
Usually I would just have some salad and some fresh fruits. For dressing, I like to make my own vinaigrette or if I don't have time I'd have my favorite pomegranate raspberry vinaigrette.Gotta have cheese with my salad and feta is always the high light of my salad.

Photo on the left shows my homemade dressing.I'll post its ingredients later on.The next photo is the only other dressing that I like

I love cheese!!

Late Afternoon:
This is the time when I usually do my work out and 30 mins before that I like having a glass of protien shake.This two are my favorite. It helps build lean muscles and curbs appetite.

I like the rich chocolate flavor of Slimfast.I use 1% milk coz I like to have some flavor in it.I alternate with whey protein w/c is also great if your are working out

Dinner:
This is the meal that I spend lots of time and is kinda tricky for me because my kids and husband have different food preference and nutritional needs .It try to make the dishes that I make as healthy as possible.

Skinless boneless chicken breast a favorite in our household

Tofu is a great source of protein with very little fat.I also like roasting chicken and some meat for stir fry veggies

Other Healthier alternatives Of My Favorite Food

There's Always Fresh Veggies In My Fridge

And Some Frozen Too

I buy fruits that are in season coz they are fresher , tastier and cheaper

Seasonings For Tasty Meals

Snacks:
I prefer fresh fruit for snack or maybe some cut veggies.I love nuts too but what I do is I buy them in bulk coz its cheaper then I roast them.this way I can control the salt and oil. Sometimes I like having some chilled jello too.

Guilt Free Desert

Raw Peanuts

And don't forget multivatimins and supplements which are also vital in keeping our mind and body in tip top shape.

As We Get Older Our Body Gets Extra Help From Multivitanmins,Minerals and Supplements

So there you have it.
I hope I have offered healthy ideas to those who are also trying to lose weight and stay healthy.

Weighing In ~ Week 3

Pound Lost This Week: 2 lbs
Total Pound Lost: 5 lbs

Target Weight : 110-115 lbs

More to go…….

My energy level has dramatically increased. I can finish my work out routine and not feel winded. The push ups and squats are becoming less painful and I could see visible definition on my muscles and abs.
The physical results of healthy eating ( don’t want to call it dieting any more) and regular work out are very important to me . Other than the decline on my weight , I need to see that my body is also going through desirable transformation. Specially as we age , our muscles loses firmness and our skin has less and less elasticity thus you see sagging arm or flat butt. If I could not see any results from my work out then it would be very hard for me to get motivated to keep eating healthy and do any physical activities.

Its too soon to post pictures but when I get to where I wanna be I would definitely show it off but not just to brag but perhaps to inspire others that if I can do it so can you.

Eating Healthy:

My quick and easy version of Chicken Teriyaki.
This recipe doesn’t need too long of prep time like my other version where the chicken or meat had to be marinate for period of time before you can grill or bbq it. This one is when you don’t have much time but still get similar flavor and still is very healthy

Quick And Easy Chicken Teriyaki

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless chicken breast. Cut into thin strips/pieces,


• 1" thick ginger . Cut into big chucks so you can just fish it out if u don’t like biting into the spicy ginger.


• 3 cloves of garlic , smashed and chopped finely


• half of a medium size onion , chopped finely


• ½ cup Kikkoman teriyaki sauce


• ¾ cup apple juice


• olive oil for sautéing


• salt and pepper to taste


• 2 tbs brown sugar ( optional )


• 1 tbs Corn starch dissolved in some water

Heat skillet . Medium to high heat
Add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.
Sauté garlic, onion and ginger till transparent
Add chicken, salt and pepper
let cook for about 2 mins or till the chicken is slightly cooked.
Add teriyaki sauce, apple juice and sugar.
Use spatula to move/mix the chicken around the pan then
let cook for another 4-6 minutes or till it boils.
Slowly add corn starch solution while mixing.
Cook for another 2 mins.

Serve with steamed rice

Weighing In

Week 2 : 1.5 lost
Total Weight Lost : 3 lbs.


I find it truly encouraging to put your progress in writing or better yet , in your blog.
I was afraid that I didn’t lose any weight because Shinjo got sick on the weekends and I just couldn't do my work out while worrying at the same time but I tried really hard to keep my portion control . I cheated a little bit after my kids requested chocolate cake for dessert :).

Monday Shinjo still has high fever and I just monitored his temperature in case it spikes up and we have to rush to the ER. Fortunately, his fever subsided in the evening .

I didn’t do my work out for 3 day L so today I was adamant to step on the scale but I was glad I did because it went down another one and a half pound. It was enough to give me the adrenaline to do my cardio routine and even went over a few extra minutes.


I am really inspired by Rhebs, Tony and Geri because they are consistent with their weight loss goal and they have the body to prove it. I’ve been seeing a lot of programs out there to help shed excess pounds but I’m too cheap to spend any dollars. I have a few work out DVD’s at home and a couple of work out machine so I think the thought of wasted money if I don’t use them would drive me to take advantage of stuff that I already have and later on if there’s negative result then I would definitely sign up on something even buy a gym membership coz I really don’t want the size of my clothes to go higher….lower….it should be lower…size 2-4 would be ideal.

Eating Healthy

Chicken Cutlet With Parmesan and Mozzarella Cheese and Stir-fried Veggies

Note: This is my own version of famous chicken parma but w/ a little healthier twist

Ingredients:

• Chicken Breast or tenders : cut into small strips and pounded till thin.


• parmesan and mozzarella cheese


• Mustrad


• Olive oil


• Salt and pepper

Heat your non-stick skillet and add oil. Avoid over heating because olive oil burns faster than regular cooking oil.
Mean time , season your chicken with salt and pepper.
With a turkey or basting brush , smother chicken cutlet with mustard
then roll them in the cheese mixture till covered.
Fry them in batches to brown evenly.
Don’t over crowed the skillet coz heat wont circulate and chicken will get soggy.

Set aside cooked cutlets over paper towels .

Stir-Fry Veggies

• Yellow and Red bell pepper cut into thin strips


• Broccoli florets


• Onion sliced thin


• Some garlic


• Some broth ( chicken or beef)


• Olive oil

Heat skillet then add olive oil
Saute garlic and onion till transparent , don’t let it get brown.
Add broccoli and let cook for 2 mins.
When broccoli is tender, add the yellow and red bell pepper.
Add broth ( just enough to steam the veggies )
Season with salt and pepper.
Cook for another 2 mins.

Serve with steamed rice or fresh baked rolls.

A Pound A Week

Its what the health expert says when it comes to losing weight. I started out lat week doing 30-40 mins with the elliptical every other day and strictly monitoring my diet ( although I still sneak little bites of treats ) . In the past I would go crazy with my work out routine then crash and burn after a 2 weeks or so and could never recover. I plan to do it gradually this time and be more honest with myself.

I incorporated some aerobic work out as well so I don’t get bored with the machine. I had this work our video of Carmen Electra for while now and its one of my favorite work out coz it addresses all of muscle groups and the routine are quite challenging ( which I like) plus you get inspired by Carmen’s gorgeous physique that makes you tell yourself “ I wanna have that kind of body “.Today I weigh myself and I lost 1.5 pound.
Good start.. good start...

I decided that I’m gonna post my progress in here in my blog ( like Geri & Rhebs) coz I think it helps your motivation. I really, really hope that I can reach my goal this year. Its hard…very hard…. every push ups , every crunches , every minutes on the machine…its hard and it hurts…but I know that the result will be so much rewarding..

Special Thanks to Rhebs for sharing with me some useful tools for my weight loss goals. I really appreciate it. I’ll try to keep up with the meal tracker.


Eating Healthy
Do you love dumplings??
Here is an easy way of making it with all the flavors but without the guilt.

Steamed Dumplings

Note: Measurements depends on how many people are going to eat. A pound of ground turkey should be enough for 4-5 people. I just eye-ball the measurements so its all up to you but make sure ingredients are chopped very finely so it is easier to keep the warpper sealed. Reserve some of garlic and green onions for your dipping sauce

• Dumpling wrappers


• Ground Turkey (white meat)


• Crushed Garlic


• Chopped Green Onions


• Chopped White or Shitaki mushroom


• Chopped Water Chestnuts( for some crunch)


• Egg whites(to seal the meat inside the wrappers)


• Salt and pepper to taste


• A teaspoon or so of paprika


• Half teaspoon of brown sugar (optional)

Dipping Sauce

• Vinegar


• Soya sauce


• reserve garlic and green onions


• pepper and some sugar to taste

Mix ingredient together and set aside for 5-10 mins to let all the flavor blend in .
Wrappers has to be in room temperature so it wont break.
Start boiling a little bit of water on a big pot with lid.
If you don’t have a steamer, just put a small bowl upside down and put a larger plate on top where you can arrange your dumpling to steam.
Spray a little bit of Pam on your steaming plate or wipe with oil so wrappers wont stick.

While waiting for the water to boil. start wrapping your meat. Make sure that you seal it tight so juices wont come out.
Steam till wrapper looks transparent. Avoid over cooking.

Serve with Dipping sauce.
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Dark Spots On Your T.V.???

My son found some magnets and thought that it will be fun to stick them on our TV screen while the color changes as he glides those little magnets and as a result was some discoloration on the screen. I freaked out because I thought we’ll gonna have to spend money on a new TV set. DH found a solution which was kinda cool so I thought I’d share them to you just in case you have the same problem. Its all here in this website http://www.woil.ws/fixmonitor/.

New Year New Look

I’ve always wanted a make over for my blog but I’m not an html savvy so it took quite some time ( about a month ) to gather up all the steps and techniques to get what I wanted ( or come close) and so here it is…my new 2008 layout. Can’t get me a brand new car but I’m just as excited to have a new look for my blog.


2007 breezed my life away just like a cold December weather in the Philippines.When you have kids , they take over your life , your world , your mind and I can’t seems to recall any significant event that happened to ME.. except for my weight gain .Hahahhaaa

There it goes again. Like an old broken record .The love-hate affair with dieting. All through this years of trying to fit in my skinny jeans , to no avail , I have learned that with the age factor , there is nothing that will work to keep in shape but to eat sensibly ,healthy and be physically active. In my case, I am having a hard time sticking with the later. But I know there is absolutely no excuse even wiht the unforgiving rainy season here in Oregon. I should be able to find time and don't make any more lazy excuses.



Like the 5 Stages Of Grief :
• Denial (this isn't happening to me!)
• Anger (why is this happening to me?)
• Bargaining (I promise I'll be a better person if...)
• Depression (I don't care anymore)
• Acceptance (I'm ready for whatever comes)

Now , I'm at the last stage. I went through all of that and it took a while to get to the final point…Acceptance…I know now that if I don’t kick my big fat butt to do some work out CONSISTENTLY…I’m never gonna get to my weight goal. Another thing is I should stop feel bad for left over food. I hate throwing food away so instead of going to the trash , they ends up on my thighs..

I salute all those people who lost their excess weight and stick to their work out routine and healthy lifestyle because it's not easy.


This year , my new blog theme is a salute to a new lifestyle…..staying fit and eating right!!