3/25 I'm back! - ish.

I'm really not good at committing to things... but I'm back!
(How long can I go before I stop again?)

Seriously though, I've been a bit busy. I've been hanging out with family and friends a lot recently (some schools were off for spring break) and I recently got an awesome part-time job.

Anyways, here are some of the meals I've had in the past few weeks!

I've sort of falling off my eat healthy and exercise mentality, but let's see if I can jumpstart it again? :)

Some music I've been listening to:

• Childish Gambino: IV. sweatpants (link) <-- I could not find a suitable Youtube link :|
• Pharrell Williams: Can I have it like that Ft. Gwen Stefani (link) 
• Clean Bandit: Rather Be feat. Jess Glynne (link) 

3/7

Today was a bad day nutritionally...but that's okay! It was for a good reason.

Meal: I was looking through the fridge and found an old McDouble. As you know, I don't like to waste food so I nuked it in the fridge and ate it with a bowl of rice, sauteed greens, and the tomato/tofu dish that my mom made. I actually couldn't finish my bowl of rice because the dishes were old and tasted a bit funny. I try to eat "old" food before it becomes rancid, but I can only eat so much @.@. Regarding the McDouble, after nuking it, a bunch of oil leaked out, the cheese was crispy, and the patties were hard but... still, it was good. Haha, I actually kind of have a thing for McDoubles. Little did I know... that there were more to come!

Meal: I couldn't sleep the day before. I went to bed at ~3 am and couldn't sleep till my sister left the bed for school around 6:30 am ... I had to get up at 10 to pick something up so when I got back, I ended up sleeping until 2 pm. I feel like I should have written this in the first paragraph... but I wanted to write this to show that most of the afternoon I ended up baking some cheesecake in the form of cupcakes lol. Besides the original, I made four flavors: blueberry/grape, apple butter / persimmon, mango, and strawberry. It took a while to make because I had my little cousin help me. I also forgot to buy cupcake liners (did not have enough!) so I had to shape some out of foil. I wish I took a close up picture of the bite sized cheesecake... but alas, next time! Maybe I'll make some today for my friend's party... Anyways! After ze baking, I ate some congee with pork blood. I forgot to take a picture, but for those who are confused as to what that dish would look like, here's some images from a random blog I found after googling "pork blood congee"! 

Meal: So... the cheesecake bites were for my brother's surprise birthday party :). Here's a picture of the food there. Unfortunately this is the only picture I took of the occasion, but I know there will be more events to come n.n. Anyways, throughout the night I had two cheesecake bites, a McDouble, a slice of supreme pizza, a handful of Dill Pickle chips, a shot of liquor, and two beers. Bad, but not too bad? 

Music of the day: 

• Virtual Riot: Superhuman Titchimoto Remix feat. Amba Shepherd (link)
• Rihanna: Man Down (link)
• Meaghan Smith: Here Comes Your Man (link) -- this is a cover of the Pixies song. I prefer this version though; it's more relaxing and soothing. 

3/6

Alarm. Wake up. Nothing to do. Fall back asleep. Wake up at 11.

That's my morning... after two weeks of trying to wake up earlier, I think I've concluded that I'm never going to wake up earlier than 11. Well, unless I have something to do :P. 

Anyways... meatless day today! I told myself I would cut down on buying meat dishes when I go out to eat (exception is when I'm sharing a dish, the place is known for a meat dish and doesn't really have any good meatless alternatives, and Mcdonalds... I can't let you go yet!) so when my friend asked me out to lunch, I decided to start the day off with vegetables :). 

Meal 1: Delicious ass sandwich at Bon Fresco! It's called the Fresco sandwich and it was delicious!!! It had grilled zucchini, roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, and hot pepper cheese on ciabatta bread. The sandwich also had a pesto/sauce that was amazing. I honestly want to learn to make this sandwich... I also had a piece of my friend's brownie! 

Snack: I got this crescent from this Middle Eastern/European market across from Bon Fresco (I'm not entirely sure of the origin or theme of the store because it had snacks and products from many countries). I will be honest... I was disappointed in this product. The picture showed a crescent flowing with chocolate and white creme. The picture sat on a bed of lies :(. The other five in the package will go to my siblings... lol. 

Meal 2: miso soup; cheese potato hash with onions; asparagus and cabbage; mango/banana smoothie with beet/carrot/fruit juice. Smh... fruit juice. FRUIT JUICE! I was a fool and used juice that had been sitting out on the table. Although I noticed the drink had been out for days, I didn't really think anything of it. I usually don't drink juice so I figured it was left out for a reason. Well, the reason is that my family likes to leave food and drinks out :P. Even still when I opened the bottle and it felt weird like there was pressure contained within the bottle, I sniffed it and continued to use it. Remember to refrigerate juices okay?! The smoothie was delicious but I ended up being very bloated and a bit light headed...

Snack: Plain yogurt with a dollop of orange marmalade and green tea ice cream. I went with my friends to taco bell (yes, we go out specifically for taco bell!) and I also had a cinnabon bite thing and some seaweed. 

Music of the day: 

• Guy Sebastian: Undo (link)
• Xilent: Boss Wave (link)
• Justice: D.A.N.C.E. (link -- the mv is awesome btw) (MSTRKRFT remix link)

3/5

I'm actually posting this on 3/6, but I remember most of what I did yesterday! I ate pretty well (okay, if you don't count the green tea ice cream and cheese cake!) until late into the night :(. I was about to go to sleep around 2am when I realized I had forgotten to pack my siblings' lunches. As I prepared their lunches, I ended up snacking on some ritz crackers, a mini pretzel dog, and a bread roll... The bread roll was going to expire soon so I have an excuse for that, but I have no excuse for the others! On the upside, I exercised pretty well! On an unrelated downside, I'm using a new moisturizer and I think it's causing me to break out a bit o.o.

Meal 1: grandpa's scrambled eggs with fish sauce and sriracha; momma's tofu, pork, and tomatoes dish; momma's green bean and other greens dish; purple yams! I couldn't finish the yams so I snacked on them throughout the day n.n

Meal 2: My mom's greens soup and pork. I reused the bowl from above. I know that may sound kind of gross (I get chastised by my grandparents and mom all the time), but it cuts down on washing one dish! And to be honest, there shouldn't be too much bacteria in the bowl since I usually clean the plate. And ehhh, any bacteria actualyl leftover is killed by my microwave nuking. 

Snack: It's Michelle's 5th birthday! I used to think my cousin was so devious as a toddler. Although she had her cute moments, her tantrums and behavior generally annoyed me; she would draw on the walls, have tantrums, leave her toys everywhere, yell and talk back, etc...! Despite the fact that she's only five, her personality has really changed and grown this year. She's so much sweeter and more polite ^^. She's still very crazy and loud, but I hope she'll keep that energy and spunk (don't become a mindless zombie without any personality!). Anyways... we had strawberry swirl cheesecake for her birthday and I ate a slice with some green tea ice cream. Hehe, my mom bought the ice cream specifically for me! It's the little things that she does that show me she cares n.n

 

Meal 3: Post work-out meal? Lol. I had a sashimi salad with mango and strawberries. It tasted so good and after working out, the meal felt well-deserved :). 

Interesting article: Arsenic in Chicken Feed (link 1, 2) -- I learned about this today and it kind of shocked me. I think if more people knew that their chicken contained traces of arsenic, a known carcinogen, drugs like Roxarsone would have been pulled sooner. I don't have the money to always buy organic, but when I get the means to, I definitely will buy organic, grass-fed, cage-free, sustainable agriculture, fair trade, all that stuff! 

Music of the day: 

• Tori Kelly: Dear No One (link)
• Katastro: Alone (link)
• Silverstein: Massachusetts (link)

3/4

I wasn't in high spirits today so I ended up snacking a lot. I need to learn to not reach for food when I'm not feeling too hot lol.

Meal 1: roasted chicken my grandmother made, some sauteed greens with slivers of beef my mom made, and some diced potatoes I made topped wiff cheese.

Meal 2: greens soup with pork and some shrimp chips! 

Meal ???: I snacked for the rest of the day with shrimp chips, tapioca pudding, cheese ritz crackers, two bread rolls, and 6 pieces of dove milk chocolate... yikes! I also went to my friend's house for a girl's night and there I had a peanut butter/chocolate/banana smoothie and some craisins. I'll work on consuming more fruit and vegetables tomorrow :P

Music of the day:

• Corinne Bailey Rae: Trouble Sleeping (link)
• Bastille: Icarus (link)
• Pearl Jam: Sirens (link)

Interesting read: Food: The Growing Problem (link) -- PDF version is easier to read FYI!

3/3

Despite the snow, I was still a bit productive today. I only applied to one position but I edited a cover letter for another position, and found a few new postings I'd apply for. I will admit I got distracted a lot today, but tomorrow will be better, I can feel it! <-- optimism and passion wut wut.

I also supported "Meatless Mondays" and didn't eat any meat today! If you care about sustainability, your health, the environment, etc..., you should participate! It's not as hard as you'd think and participating will force you to be creative and explore new ideas (or so I hope!). 

Anyways, here is what I ate today! 

(On an unrelated note, I was watching cooking videos and came across this youtube channel, my basil leaf. I like this lady. She reminds me of my mom and grandmother, and it makes me feel all warm inside. On another note, I took a survey for a friend's class and one of the questions was how long is the average conversation with your parents. It's sad to say but I answered less than fifteen minutes. I thought about it and we only really greet each other and say other pleasantries... I live with my parent's for goodness sakes! I'm still struggling to speak in Vietnamese, but I'm going to change that asap.)

Meal/snack 1: My grandmother's sweet taro congee; a banana; and some hard boiled egg pieces (leftover from when my grandmother made banh bao this morning!). If you're curious as to what banh bao is, it's a Vietnamese bun that is usually filled with meat. I didn't eat any, but my family devoured the buns within a few hours o.o

Meal/snack 2: Yesterday night when I came home, I found that my mom had bought Bobby's burgers. Someone had left the sweet potato fries out so I hid them away in a container because I knew they'd be perfect for Meatless Monday, mwahahahaha! And although I couldn't eat the burger, I didn't miss it. I dipped the sweet potato fries in the accompanying sauce, a pickle, and a plantain my grandfather had cooked. 

Meal/snack 3: Honey bunches of oats with milk and a mango! My mom bought a bunch of mango and I figured I'd eat one before it expires ...hehe (I also froze a few cubes for later use!). I ate some persimmon while preparing my siblings' lunches too n.n 

Meal/snack 4: an open-faced sandwich topped with salad greens, grape tomatoes, a boiled egg, cilantro pesto, and two slices of kraft cheese... eaten with two more grape tomatoes and baby carrots. I assembled this sandwich while packing my siblings lunch so I didn't end up eating it right away. I tucked it away in the fridge and used it as inspiration for my work-out. When I finally got to eat it, it was oh so good *drools thinking about it. It was so gooey that I had to eat it with a knife and fork haha! 

Music of the day:

• Elle Varner: So Fly (link)
• Hozier: Cherry Wine (link) --- if you haven't yet, check out his song "Take me to church" (link)
• Analog Rebellion: Father Abraham (link)
• Jhene Aiko: Stay ready ft. Kendrick Lamar (link)

3/1 and 3/2

I'm lumping Saturday and Sunday together because I forgot to take pictures of meals for both days... oops. It hasn't even been a week yet and I'm slacking. Must try harder!

Saturday: For breakfast I ate macaroons my friend had given me the day before. I ate two green tea and two chocolate... not a good choice for breakfast but I had to rush and didn't get a chance to eat anything! Luckily, the macaroons were still in my car. Eddy and I ate a late lunch because we couldn't eat till after he finished his experiment. I packed a spinach salad, an egg/bacon/pesto/cheese/spinach sandwich, orange marmalade yogurt, persimmon, blueberries, and papaya for lunch. The ranch and pesto were used as dips for the carrots, and Eddy also brought peanut-butter filled pretzels and apple chips. It was a big and well-deserved feast! For dinner, I ate over his house and ate a lot of his mom's cooking; there was braised pork, carrot/tofu/mushroom stir fry, and some sauteed greens (maybe bok choy?).

Sunday: For breakfast, I had a beefy 5-layer burrito from Taco Bell. I went with my siblings, but I wish I had known that the burrito was 500 calories beforehand... I probably wouldn't have got it! For lunch, I ate some pork and chive dumplings Eddy and his family made. For dinner, Eddy and I ate the braised pork and carrot/tofu/mushroom stir fry from the day before, and a date/bean congee that felt really hearty and healthy! 

Music of the day:

• Birdy: Skinny Love (link)
• Watsky: Strong as an Oak (link)
• Monica: Angel of Mine (link)

2/28

I ate a lot today (darn you dinner party!)... and that's really all I have to say for today's introductory paragraph...

Meal 1: A bread roll and rice with this Korean seafood soup my mom bought this past week. The day started off pretty well (lots of vegetables) than... my nutrition took a nose dive. 

Meal 2: Shin ramen (only half the noodles though) cooked with sliced green onions, my grandmother's greens soup, and a small piece of spam. I don't know what herb or vegetable my grandmother used exactly but I used it for the base of the shin ramen. I also ate some persimmon slices; I didn't eat all the persimmon included in the picture though! 

Meal 3: I ate too much for dinner. Eddy and I had a quadruple dinner date with three other couples and I ended up pigging out a lot. Eddy and I made this creamy tomato based pasta. It had onions, parsley, and spicy italian sausage, and is pictured on the right. It was downright delicious! Other dishes included roasted/baked potatoes, dumplings, lasagna, salad, asparagus, and salmon. Besides the salad, I ate about two servings of each dish @.@. It was kind of sad because I was the last one eating =.=. For dessert, we had crepes filled with bananas, nutella, and strawberries. Food, why are you so delicious? 

Music of the day: 

• Beirut: Goshen (link)
• Freelance Whales: Aeolus (link)
• DMNDZ: BLVZE UP (link) 

2/27

Today was a meatless day! I did not eat much... but what I did eat was pretty calorie heavy. Except I didn't take pictures of the calorie heavy snacks. I really need to start taking pictures of everything I eat... darn you chocolate!

Also. Another thing. Editing cover letters with your significant other can be quite frustrating. There's too many ways to say the same thing!

Meal 1: red lobster cheddar biscuit with cream cheese and grape tomatoes; plain yogurt with peach (or mango?) preserves mixed in

Meal 2: avocado, blueberry, and banana smoothie! cilantro pesto on wheat bread and my grandmother's delicious coconut taro rice congee dish. 

Snack: I hadn't finished the congee for dinner so I ate it later as a snack along with some Jarlsberg cheese I had gotten from Roots. I know you're probably thinking... two meals? She only ate two meals? Well, I snacked on a lot of chocolate and drank the broth my brother's ramen (he was just going to throw it away... better in my tummy than down the sink!). 

I didn't read much today. 

But I do have some music of the day:

• Jasmize Sullivan: 10 Seconds (link)
• Knox Hamilton: Work it out (link)
• Bad Suns: Cardiac Arrest (link)

2/26

I only ate two meals today... but my second meal was really big and I snacked on a few things. I also woke up at 11am again... but that's okay. It's better to get sleep and wake up late than wake up early for no reason? Right?! 

Meal 1: raw fish salad; miso soup, and dried seaweed. 
I ate this after I woke up around ~11:30. My mom bought my dad and I a container each of the raw fish salad because she knows we love it. 

Meal 2: the rest of the raw fish salad accompanied with carrots and pepper jack cheese. 

I went to the gym with my friends and although I really wanted to go home and make my own protein smoothie and feast, one of my friends had a hankering for some outside food. I decided not to buy anything because I didn't want to spend any money. We were out for a while though... I may have lost my gainz. I'm just kidding but when I got home to eat around 8pm, I was starving! 

Midnight snack: Blueberries. I also snacked on a bread roll and butter cream pastry throughout the day. My mom bought a lot of bakery items and it's hard to resist them haha. 

What I'm listening to

• Chris Brown: Strip feat. Kevin McCall (link)
• Lorde: Buzzcut Season (link)
• Keane: Looking Back feat. K'naan (link)

Interesting reads:

• I'm the Duke University Freshman Porn Star and for the First Time I'm Telling the Story in My Own Words (link)
• Seth Rogen opening statement on Alzheimer's Disease Comments (comment 1, comment 2)

2/25

Blog Rationale:

I started participating in Meatless Mondays (info here) this month and as a result, I've been taking pictures of my food on my meatless days. Participating has forced me to think outside the box about what I eat. Along the way I realized that when I take pictures of my food, I feel more accountable about what I eat. I take more care in choosing what to eat, incorporate more vegetables, and pay more attention to portion sizes. I recently graduated from my university and am unfortunately still unemployed... so my activity level has decreased a lot. I'm hoping to start this food blog so I can continue to eat healthier and work on other things... Spaghetti monster knows I have a lot to work on. Although this is mainly to document my food, I'll occasionally dabble on music, my work progress, my sleeping schedule, my physical activity, and so on.

Today's Om Nom Noms:

I ate a lot of leftover food today. My siblings don't eat enough of the food that my grandmother and mom make (*cough cough brother Kevin). My sleeping schedule is also a bit messed up since I don't have to wake up at a certain time so I'll skip the breakfast, lunch, dinner terms. 

Oi, I woke up and fully got up at 11:30am today. Tomorrow I'll work on getting up earlier... 

1st meal (12pm): my grandma's bun rieu (egg, tomato, cha lua, pork); my mom's peppery fish cakes; banh tet (mung bean, rice, pork belly). I only ate about a fourth of the soup. 

2nd meal (6pm): bread roll from this Korean bakery my mom frequents; my mum's braised and peppered pork belly with cooked greens (I'm not sure what the main component is, but there was green beans and cilantro); kimchi. At 7pm, I decided to eat a small piece of my sister's leftover birthday ice green cake. 

3rd meal (12am): finishing up the bowl of bun rieu I ate earlier; I also finished up the rest of the fish balls and ate a small piece of bread with Cilantro pesto. My brother made the bread in his culinary class and it's pretty good!

What I'm listening to:

• Alt-J: Breezeblocks (link)
• Marina and the Diamonds: Primadonna (link)
• Joy Wellboy: Lay down your blades (link)
• A$AP Rocky feat. Skrillex and Birdy Nam Nam: Wild for the Night (link)

Interesting Articles I read today: 

• There is no such thing as prostitution (link)
• New Snowden Doc Reveals How GCHQ/NSA Use The Internet To 'Manipulate, Deceive And Destroy Reputations' (link)