12.23 - Christmas Present to Myself

I don't usually buy myself anything at Christmastime-- but this time around, I wanted to give myself something I had been wanting for a very very long time. Kansas City BBQ!

I went to a work conference in Kansas City, MO about three years back and I fell so much in love with their bbq that I had dinner at the same restaurant two nights in a row (the two days I stayed there-- ha). If I had stayed there longer, we all know what would have happened.

Anyway, after thinking about it for the past few years, I finally decided to order myself some good ol' KC barbecue. I didn't go overboard and get one of the $200 packs that serves 6-8 people. Instead, I restrained myself and chose the featured holiday item that serves 2-3 and was on sale for $50. It came last week, and I was screaming and dancing around like I had just won the lottery.

It came in a beautiful styrofoam cooler with their logo stamped into it, and the bags of food were surrounded by dry ice (which I burnt myself on, of course). Sadly, the cooler was misleading because the food was quite lacking compared to the picture below. *sigh* Oh well. It still fulfilled my craving, and it was absolutely delicious. Not as delicious as if I was sitting in a Jack Stack restaurant, but good enough. :}

So, in summary, I got myself Kansas City bbq for Christmas because:

• it's got the best smoked flavor
• the sauce is wonderfully tangy and not too sweet (just how I like it)
• it's known for its "burnt ends," which are the ends of the brisket and are the most unbelievably moist and delicious pieces of bbq ever!! (haha)

I hope you all have a joyful and blessed Christmas full of yummies galore! ;)

12.18 - Kindred Spirits

My giving, earth-loving coworker just walked over to me right now, holding a lone Popeye's drumstick wrapped up in a thin napkin, and shoved it in my face. Please keep in mind that I am at my desk, surrounded by a computer, office supplies, and important papers. I am not at a kitchen table, cafeteria counter, or picnic bench.

I gave her a crazy look and said, "No thank you, I'm not hungry." She then proceeded to give me an even crazier look back, told me she got it from the mailroom downstairs, and said, "Take it!" *sigh*

So I took the drumstick, imagined her taking a piece of chicken from one of our mailroom coworkers, walking all around the office with it and even on the elevator just to bring it over to me . . . and I proceeded to eat it quickly at my desk before anyone else could see me. :\ This is what I get for becoming kindred food-loving spirits with someone at work.

12.09 - Popcorn Points

First, I love specialty popcorn places-- particularly Garrett or Nuts on Clark in Chicago. I especially love them at Christmastime.

Second, the older women at work like to take advantage of the fact that I'm "young and energetic" by asking me to go on popcorn runs for them when it's freezing outside. *sigh* They know I'll do it in a heartbeat.

Third, someone openly called the (ahem) office popcorn fairy "anal" for putting out designated scoops. What up? It's all about flavor protection and sanitation, thank you very much.

Fourth, cheese popcorn is so absolutely delicious it's almost frightening. Caramel ain't a bad runner-up either.

12.02 - Big Problem

I can't watch the Food Network without wanting whatever is on.

Last night they were featuring plain, old-fashioned potato chips. I don't even like potato chips. But just moments ago, I ate a bag. Now I want to buy a 5 lb. bag of spuds and fry up my own potato chips at home. :\

The image below doesn't help. When I click on it and the image is all up in my face, I secretly wish I was in a giant vat of potato chips. *sigh*

11.30 - Gobble, Gobble

This Thanksgiving went quite well. I decided to make only a few simple sides and the father decided to deep fry the turkey. Though it wasn’t as flavorful as I would have liked, the turkey was quite tender. In case you think the picture below looks weird, it's because there's a chicken thrown in there. My dad is all about abundance. Ha.

Anyway, the turkey was great because it also made for some really delicious (and absolutely unhealthy) after-Thanskgiving turkey sandwiches the next day. ;) The grilled sammies below include: mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cheddar cheese, turkey, and chihuahua cheese. Ha.















Speaking of unhealthy, this past four-day eating fest has only added to my very sad physical status. I have gained nearly ten pounds from the time I gave up on the South Beach Diet (around the end of August) till now. *heavy sigh* I have exceeded my max weight ever (!!!), and now it’s time to sound the alarms. I’m not sure where the weight gain is coming from—possibly due to the colder weather, age, stress/comfort eating, the late-night munchies, or a combination of all of the above—but it really has to stop. No more excessive gobble gobbling for me. :\

11.10 - The Walking Sandwich

There is a sandwich walking the streets of downtown, passing out flyers in hopes that people will visit its fine employer, Subway.

I can't look at the walking sandwich without wanting to laugh. I can't believe Subway is seriously making a sandwich walk around. Will that really make people want to eat there? I have my doubts.

I can't even look the thing in the eye. Weirdly, the sandwich has huge eyes and a big smiley face mouth, a thick accent, and a red cape . . .

11.09 - Chipotle: In Two Parts

Part One
Last night, I got hit with a sick craving for some Chipotle. I don’t know why, but the lime rice + cheese + grilled chicken combination always gets me. Anyway, it was late on a Sunday night so, obviously, there weren’t any Chipotles open anywhere. Unfortunately, it was one of those cravings that takes hold of you and will not let go. So, I did the only thing I could do: I imagined myself up a Chipotle chicken burrito with extra cheese and mild salsa, and I proceeded to dig in. I (not me, but the other I) was a witness to this all and he was really amused by me at first, especially when I ripped off some of the "tortilla" and fed it to him (like I would do in real life). After watching me take a few too many bites, though, I’s eyes started getting wider and growing more concerned. He finally said, “It’s OK if you’re joking, but . . . if you’re being serious . . . then I'd be scared, and I might have to take you to a psychiatrist.” He said he wouldn’t know what he'd do if I started getting really skinny but insisted that I ate a lot of Chipotle. Haha. I was quite amused. And a bit insulted by the psychiatrist thing. :\


exactly what I had in my head . . .

Part Two
I had to have Chipotle for lunch today. It was imperative. The only problem, though, is that I work right in the Loop, and lunch time is absolute chaos—especially when it comes to yummy places that business men in button-up shirts frequent (e.g. Chipotle, Subway, Cosi, Panera, etc.). So I started racking my brain. How could I eat my desired burrito at my desired lunch time without having to wait in a line that goes out the door? After much contemplation, I went onto the Chipotle website and found out that you can order in advance! So I did. I clicked here, I clicked there. Then at lunchtime, I walked over to Chipotle, walked triumphantly past the 30+ people in line, and went right up to the cash register. Within minutes, I had my burritos in hand and was out the door. Brilliant. I love Chipotle carryout. It makes me happy, and they even personalize your food for you (which was a pleasant surprise). Super brilliant. ;) I really hope this online ordering thing doesn't get out . . .


our burritos have name tags (aww)

11.05 - Angel Wings

Who would even think about stuffing a chicken wing?! Genius Thai people, that's who.

I thought the delightful little chicken wing, fried in a large vat of oil, was good enough on its own . . . but imagine it stuffed with noodles, mushrooms, and ground pork/shrimp/chicken! Yeah, it doesn't even sound possible, but it is.

No wonder they're called "angel wings." I have no other words.

Eatery Info: My Thai, 555 W Madison St, Chicago, IL 60661

10.22 - My Idol

So I'm sitting there in a Dominick's cafe, sipping on some bottled iced tea, minding my own business when . . . lo and behold, I see something that makes me want to laugh and cry and laugh a little more.



At the table next to me, a small, quiet Asian lady sits eating her lunch. But not just any lunch. She's eating a whole rotisserie chicken! And she's determinedly going at it with her fork, paying no attention to anyone around her. My gosh, I was so full of joy and amusement at the sight. Such gusto, such courage. I would've hugged her were I not a fairly sane individual.

Note to Self: Go to grocery store for lunch one day, buy whole rotisserie chicken and large side of macaroni and cheese, proceed to eat it in public, pat big belly, enjoy life.

10.15 - Throwdown: LA vs.Chicago

CATEGORY: Soondubu

Chicago: Eh
LA: In all my soondubu-eating years, I've never finished the whole thing (even in NY, which has some of the best). But I devoured this entire pot at Cho Dang Tofu House.

WINNER: LA!!
_____________________________________

CATEGORY: Fattie Burger & Fries

Chicago: Our choices are kind of limited-- there's Mickey D's, Burger King, Wendy's, White Castle, eh.

LA: Dude, In-N-Out uses the yummiest cheese, and they throw all this gunk on everything. Ha.

WINNER: LA!!
________________________

CATEGORY: Fruit Bubble Tea

Chicago: Joy Yee's has some of the freshest, most yummy fruit bubble tea ever. Everything tastes good!

LA: Really? Is Boba Loca JY's only competition? Man...talk about artificial and overly sweet. Bleh.

WINNER: CHICAGO!!
__________________________

CATEGORY: Pizza

Chicago: Please refer to last post. And the beautiful specimens above are from Lou Malnati's. Ah, such goodness.
LA: Yeah, of course there's thin crust and then there's deep dish, and that's kinda like comparing apples to oranges . . . but there's really no contest against Chicago-style pizza. Haha.

WINNER: CHICAGO!!
__________________________

In summary, I guess every city has some foods they're better at than others. The fun comes in trying to find the winners. And I certainly do like trying to find the winners. ;)

10.07 - E-mail to the Brother

Me: Random thought, but . . . I seriously love Chicago-style pizza. Haha. If we didn't live here, I think we'd both have a void that only this pizza would fill. Sad to think we might never have known it had we lived in Boise or Charleston or something.
The Brother: weirdest most random e-mail ever.

Haha. I was so sure he would share in my Chicago-style pizza love, but he must be having an off day. Oh well. The sentiment remains. :}

10.06 - Post-Meal Ritual

After I eat, I follow a ritual that I’ve been doing for years. I take out my mirror, I smile and look at my teeth, I take out whatever bits might be stuck in my teeth, I check to see if there are any crumbs on my face, and then I put on some lip gloss/balm. On the most part, this ritual is usually just check-up and rarely procedure.

So yesterday, after eating a scrumptious turkey sandwich with cheddar and romaine on toasted wheat bread, I proceeded to carry out my ritual in front of I. He was looking the other way as I opened my mirror. So I smiled and looked at my reflection and, with horror, noticed the bits of brown toast pieces and dark green lettuce pieces in practically every crevice imaginable. I shut my mouth quickly just as I lifted my eyes up and realized he had seen everything.

*sigh* Needless to say, there was a lot of laughter on his part and a lot of clean-up and horrification on mine. Bleh.

10.01 - Misconception

So everyone around me is sick-- either with a bad cold or some sort of flu. I have a fairly good immune system, though, and I take vitamins and wash my hands all the time, so I haven't been too worried. I felt a little worried this morning, though, because my throat feels very very mildly sore, and I can't tell if it's a sign of sickness to come or if it's from the tea that burned my throat this morning. Anyway, just to be on the safe side, I took my bottle of water, poured a packet of superdy duper vitamin C mix into it, and shook it up. I did all this on my way to the bathroom, for the sake of convenience.

Minutes later, I walked out of the stall, bottle in hand, and headed to the sink. I ran into one of my older lady coworkers and after she smiled at me, her gaze shifted down to my bottle of yellow liquid. I have no idea why, but I felt like a deer caught in headlights. I'm pretty sure I looked it too. She quickly averted her eyes, finished up her hand-drying, and walked out. *sigh*

09.23 - Battle Microwave

I never really experience the lunchtime “rush” in my workplace because I generally like to eat really late (around 2 or 3). Lately, though, I’ve been eating a lot earlier (around noon) and I’ve started bringing leftovers from home. So, of course, use of the microwave has become quite necessary.

All I have to say is that, around 11:55, it becomes an all-out war for the microwave. I was in there the other day heating up some pasta. After two minutes were up and the microwave beeped, I realized that the noodles were still a tad bit cool. So I popped my pasta back in the microwave just as a man ran in with his Tupperware. He looked peeved that I was still using the microwave, so he loudly left his Tupperware on the counter and walked out. Um . . . okay. Yesterday, I had just finished heating up some leftover pizza (and the dreaded microwave had just loudly announced to the world that it was no longer in use), when a lady ran in with her frozen dinner. I wasn’t sure if the pizza was quite hot enough yet, but she was already breathing down my neck before I could even take my plate out. Yuppp . . .

So anyway, today, I started heating up my food at 11:50. That’s right. I went in early! And . . . I popped the microwave door open right before it could start beeping! It was great. No one was waiting on me. No one ran in the second the microwave beeped. It was really wonderful. I felt so free . . .

09.17 - The Blues

There's obviously something wrong if I've been eating carbs all day and all I want as soon as I get off work is a Chipotle chicken burrito and a Quarter Pounder w/cheese with a vanilla cone on the side. *sigh* I think I'm feeling the summer transition to fall blues. Wake me up when September ends . . .

09.16 - Tumultuous Tastebuds

They've had a dandy ol' time this past week. The ordinary just won't cut it.



Hello, delicious block of lemony flaming cheese.

Best darn grilled octopus ever...

Happy little rice and feta stuffed tomato and pepper

Yummy, spicy, healthy vegan Korean food

09.11 - Healthy Pizza

I and I decided to implement all we've learned from the South Beach Diet in the form of a "healthy" pizza. So we bought whole wheat pizza crust, some pizza sauce, mushrooms, turkey meatballs, shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese and some cilantro (his idea). While the crust was a bit sad as far as crusts go, the pizza was pretty good. Maybe it's because we poured on nearly 4 cups of cheese. Ha. I doubt there was anything healthy about what we ate. Oh well. We tried. ;)


Here's the pizza prior to additional cheese and 20 minutes of baking.



Here's the pizza fresh from the oven (mmm), prior to devouring.


Future pizza topping ideas include:
- egg broken on top
- mangoes
- chicken
- mac and cheese
- artichoke
- potato chips
- sun-dried tomatoes
- shrimp
- brie
- chihuahua cheese
- refried beans
- pesto
- turkey bacon

09.01 - South Beach Diet: On Hiatus

I remember going to New York around Lent one year when I had given up meat . . . and it was excruciating for me. I was forced to eat dumplings without the filling, tacos without the taco meat, and boring breaded fish at a meat-laden Colombian place. *heavy sigh* It was pure torture, I tell you.

Anyway, I went back to NY this past weekend and I told myself that I would not allow myself to suffer in the same way. It was just plain nonsensical. So . . . despite all my hard work during Phase 1, I decided to take a bit of a hiatus from our beloved South Beach Diet.


I don't know why, but NY soon dubu always tastes absolutely amazing to me...



super mmm...

yummy plain/blueberry froyo

M& M wedding grub (I had the chicken wellington)

whoa whoa whoa...red velvet cheesecake... (*Homer drool*)

I love fruit tarts


So . . . as you can see, I completely disobeyed all that the South Beach Diet stands by. I was plain rebellious and disobedient and, honestly . . . *pout* . . . I loved it. *sigh*

I'm not sure what the future holds in terms of Phase 2 . . . :\

08.28 - Meal of a Lifetime

A certain someone (who we shall henceforth refer to as I) took me out for dinner Thursday night-- and let's just say it was a meal of a lifetime . . . in many ways. Not only did I feel like a judge on Iron Chef (haha-- awesome!), but . . . I was completely taken by surprise in the most beautifully messy kind of way. :*}

Some highlights:










<3

08.19 - Mystery Solved

For years, I prided myself on being able to eat anything and everything. I had friends who were allergic to seafood, some to peanuts, and other friends who were lactose intolerant. But not me. I could eat it all.

But one random evening years ago while on break at my first job, a coworker offered me some guacamole from Chipotle. After having only one guac-covered chip, my entire throat and stomach started burning. I drank water until the feeling subsided but I was so surprised by it. I wasn't allergic to anything in guacamole-- not avocados, onions, cilantro, chiles, nothing. I considered it a freak accident, but that tainted my desire for avocado for years to come.

And over the years, I've found that other random things will cause allergic reactions. After eating peaches in the summer, my lips start to blow up. After having soy lattes from Starbucks a handful of times, I realized that soy milk makes my throat incredibly itchy. After drinking wheatgrass juice, I want to gag and die at the same time. I have similar reactions with cherries, almonds, and (as I found out just yesterday) hazelnuts.

So after a bit of research yesterday and a little help from my friend Wikipedia, the mystery has finally been solved. I have OAS (a.k.a. oral allergy syndrome)!! It's actually quite fascinating, really. I'm allergic to pollen (i.e. my eyes get super itchy and I sneeze like a crazy person), therefore I'm allergic to contact with "pollen foods" (mainly when they're raw). So what are these pollen foods, you might ask? Well, there are different kinds of pollen! Alder, birch, grass, mugwort, and ragweed.

Here's an overview of the different pollens and the foods they're associated with:

Alder pollen: almonds, apples, celery, cherries, hazel nuts, peaches, pears, parsley
Birch pollen: almonds, apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, carrots, celery, cherries, chicory, coriander, fennel, fig, hazelnuts, kiwifruit, nectarines, parsley, parsnips, peaches, pears, peppers, plums, potatoes, prunes, soy, strawberries, wheat; and potentially walnuts
Grass pollen: fig, melons, tomatoes, oranges
Mugwort pollen: carrots, celery, coriander, fennel, parsley, peppers, sunflower
Ragweed pollen: banana, cantaloupe, cucumber, honeydew, watermelon, zucchini, echinacea, artichoke, dandelions, hibiscus or chamomile tea

So I've established that I'm only allergic to alder, a little birch, and a little mugwort. Coooool, huh? Haha. Sorry. I'm just excited to finally know what's going on. And to realize that the guacamole incident was no accident after all. Crazy . . .

08.17 - Phase One: FINISHED!!

I FINALLY get to have brown rice and whole grain wheat bread! *long, content sigh* All is right with the world again.

So now begins Phase Two-- which pretty much means incorporating one serving of a "good" carb and one serving of a "good" fruit ONCE a day. As I move closer to my target weight and increase my physical activity, I can increase the carb and fruit servings per day. Oh man . . . it would be a dream to have as much fruit and starch as I want. Haha. Let's doooo this!

Phase One Recap:

• I officially dislike cashews now. Having to snack on them nearly twice a day for the past two weeks was borderline excruciating.
• Turkey chili is not bad. Not bad at all.
• Regular sweet drinks have A LOT of sugar in them. Ya'll should stay away.
• Vegetables are quite yummy. Particularly tomatoes, green beans, peppers, and mushrooms.
• I cheated a little and had dark meat chicken and full-fat cheese a few times. Oops.
• I missed mangoes with a passion. I probably thought about them every day.
• I lost five pounds. Woohoo!

Phase Two Forecast:

• Fruit rocks my world. Particularly mangoes! And I love finally being able to have low-fat fruit-flavored yogurt again.
• Something as simple as toasted whole grain bread with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray is unbelievably delicious. I will have lots of this.
• Time to work out. If I don't, I'm guaranteed to blow up and negate all I've suffered for.
• I get to have whole wheat pasta, whole wheat stone ground pita, and bran sugar-free muffins!! Augghhh!! Is it sad that I'm excited?
• After two torturous weeks, I'm finally feeling positive and motivated. I think I can tone up and knock off a few more pounds in no time.
• I've done South Beach Phase 1 four times now, and I think this is the first and only time I'm actually attempting to do Phase 2. Normally I'll be so starved for carbs and sugar, I go crazy and nix everything. Props to my SB partner who motivates me by suffering with me and igniting my competitive nature. ;)

08.13 - The Klutz

I don't know how I came to be this way, but I am a walking klutz-- especially when you put me in close proximity with food or drink. It's sad, but it's also something I've gotten so used to that nothing tends to surprise me anymore. And it's pretty much my reputation among friends and family. When I do something, there is no longer any shock. Only the rolling of eyes and exasperated sighs.

This morning, I walked into a crowded elevator and ran into my coworker. He was carrying a bunch of stuff including a tall, hot cup of coffee. He asked me if I could hold it for a second and I gladly obliged. But as my strong, manly hands gripped the cup, the top suddenly flew off and coffee went everywhere (mostly on my hands and the floor). All you could hear after that were the "ohhhh"s of everyone in the elevator. *sigh* The smell of coffee is both haunting and pleasing as I go about my day. :\

I spill food on the table or floor all the time. I drop silverware during 80% of all meals. I'm constantly dipping my sleeves into food. I've been known to break plasticware and chopsticks (both wooden and plastic!) and have them fly through the air. I've knocked over many a drink. I've dropped plates. I've splattered food on people. My side of the tablecloth is always the messiest. And I go through at least one Tide pen per month.

*sigh* Sad, sad.

08.10 - "What Are You Going to Eat?!!"

I had lunch with my friend F on Saturday because we had been meaning to try out this Indian restaurant that had been featured on Check, Please! awhile back. Sadly, we made the plans before I realized that I wouldn't be able to have any of the rice or yummy bread. *sigh* Needless to say, it was quite a struggle. Here's the convo I had with the owner.

Me: Hi, would you be able to give us some recommendations?
Owner: (points to lunch menu) You should have special number one and special number three. That way, you both can share and taste a variety of things.
Me: (reads lunch menu and notices the excessive carb presence) Okay. You know, she (points to F) will probably have one of the specials, but I might just get something on the menu.
Owner: You don't want to try the specials?
Me: No, it's not that. It's just that I can't have rice or bread.
Owner: Oh, then you can have (points to picture on paper placemat) this donut here. It is very delicious.
Me: (laughs a little) No, I can't have donuts either. No rice, no bread, no donuts.
Owner: (eyes suddenly become wide) So what are you going to eat!?!?
Me: Umm (laughs nervously), something on the menu.
Owner: Like what!? (looks at me with wide, expectant eyes)
Me: I'll, uh, probably have one of the dishes-- like . . . umm . . . the homemade cheese and peas. I can eat that.
Owner: (looks at me incredulously) What?! That comes with rice!
Me: (nervous laugh) I know, but don't worry. She'll (points to F) eat it.
Owner: So you'll just eat the dish by itself!?
Me: Yeah! It'll be good.
Owner: (looks at me one last time, shakes his head, and walks away)


Ha. We eventually place our orders. F gets one of the specials and I opt for the mattar paneer (as previously mentioned). When the food comes out, everything looks really good, but the breads on F's plate seem a little sad. There is no nan, there is no cool thin, pizza-sized rolled-up thing that we saw on someone else's table, and there is no yummy looking fried bread that I saw on Check, Please! I really want F to taste all the yumminess I can't, so I quickly call the owner over.

Me: Hi. Sorry to bother you, but we wanted to order another type of bread.
Owner: (incredulous look) Bread?! But you cannot eat bread!!
Me: Yes, I know. (apologetic smile) It's not for me. It's for her.
Owner: (looks at F, shakes head a little, goes to find the menu, and comes back)
Me: There was this really big, thin rolled-up piece on someone else's table. What was that?
Owner: (thinks) Oh, that is a crepe. It is filled.
Me: (looks at F) Want that? (F shakes her head)
Owner: (walks over to F, points at menu) We also have this special fried bread. It is very delicious.
F: Okay. I'll have that.

The fried bread eventually comes out and it looks oily and delicious. F says it's really good, so I can't help but pop a piece of the fried bread into my mouth, chew it up a little . . . and then spit it back out. *heavy sigh* Ha. Yeaaaaahh . . .


Note to Self: Do not go to an Indian restaurant known for its delicious carb items while you are on South Beach Phase 1. You will not only struggle, but you will upset the owner as well.

Eatery Info: Udupi Palace, 2543 W Devon Ave, Chicago, IL 60618

08.06 - Low Point

I went to a dinner last night where I was surrounded by people eating warm, fresh bread and raving about it as if it was the most delicious thing in the world. I'm not going to lie-- it was torturous to sit there and hear them break the toasty bread apart, to smell the steam that was wafting up into the air, and to see the butter melt oh so nicely into the nooks and crannies of the bread. *sigh*

Today is a very hard day. I'm craving ice cream and bread and pizza and donuts and froyo and a sandwich and lasagna and cupcakes and flan (flan of all things!) and a hot dog and a burrito and fried rice and cinnamon rolls and . . . *sigh* . . . I'm going to eat my sugar-free Jell-O now. It's the only thing that can make me happy these days.

08.05 - Hate My Life

Our office building is having a building-wide ice cream social as we speak. There are like three different ice cream varieties and two different sorbet varieties. They also have fancy cones, nuts, whipped cream, and other yummy toppings. *heavy sigh*

It felt good to walk in from lunch and right past the mingling, happy, ice cream-eating fatties without a second glance. But then I whimpered in the elevator a little.

08.03 - It Has Begun (Again)

My brother looked at me the other day, paused for a bit, then said, "Dude, you're fat. And your arms are big." *sigh*


Yes, he and I generally like to insult each other and, yes, there have been many times when I've more than happily pointed out his weight gain, so this comment really shouldn't have bothered me. But, for some reason, I've recently started noticing extra chubbiness in my cheeks and extra sway in my arm flab . . . sooo yeaaaah. I am now on a mission! I must eat better and start going to the gym again!

So as I've done in the past when such a problem has arised, I am beginning the tried-and-true South Beach diet again. I hate this diet for the two-week Phase 1 (total elimination of carbs and sugars, including fruit!) but I love this diet because it's less about a quick fix and more about training yourself to eat "good" carbs and "good" fats with low glycemic index values. But yeah. Phase 1 stinks. It's unnatural to eliminate all carbs and sugar from your diet, but the purpose of this phase is to rid yourself of starch and sugar cravings, to stabilize your blood sugar, and pretty much to see immediate weight loss results. So once you make it through those two weeks, Phase 2 lets you reincorporate good carbs, low-sugar fruits, and other yummy things so I guess it's not too bad.

So yeah. I tried to make the most of my weekend before beginning these next two weeks of sheer torture and crankiness. :\

A's avocado-mango salad (yum!) courtesy of a Cook's Illustrated (woohoo) given by R

My "final" meal last night (I didn't take this picture, but it looked exactly like it...mmm)

07.29 - Love Tastes Good

There's something about food that's prepared by people you know or are close to that makes the food taste so much better. A wise man once said that a home-cooked meal is better than going out to a restaurant because it's touched with love. So, ultimately, either he was trying to say that love makes food taste good or that it doesn't matter what the food tastes like because the love that went into it is what matters. Haha. Either way, I like that theory since a lot of the food I prepare at home tends to struggle a bit. *smirk* Anyway, I had a lot of good, loving food last week. :}

Here's just a little of it:

the dragon roll


the italian

07.21 - Chicken-off-the-Bone Kinda Girl

I just had a sick craving for some rotisserie chicken. The kind that's flavorful and juicy and sorta falls off the bone. There's luckily a decent place nearby that I go to when such cravings arise. So anyway, now I'm here at my desk, cutting into my delicious chicken with a plastic knife and fork, chomping away as quietly and discreetly as possible . . . and the question suddenly comes to mind: to eat the cartilage or not?

Growing up, my brother and I pretty much learned our eating habits from our parents, which meant not wasting food and eating our chicken as thoroughly as possible (yes, that meant skin and cartilage were included). Eating every bit of the chicken till you get a completely clean bone is so rewarding. It's like you've done the chicken justice! :} But I've known many who find chicken-off-the-bone eating a bit disturbing. So how proper is it for me to be chompin' on chicken cartilage at work? I mean, it's bad enough that the delicious aroma is permeating the cubicle walls as my coworkers are trying to do their business. How much worse that my coworkers will be able to hear me crunching on something that can really only be the chicken's joint cartilage? Doesn't that go against in-office eating etiquette?

Anyway, contemplating and writing took too much time. Ha. I ended up just going for only some of the cartilage-- the softer pieces so I could crunch away quietly and not seem like a complete barbarian. *triumphant smile* Mmm, chicken off the bone is quite yummy.

07.17 - All in the Toppings

My buddy JCK came to have lunch with me today and he wasn't feeling up for anything ethnic, so we settled on the tried and true burger. Ah, the burger. Such a boring food by itself. But with a little bit of square-shaped dairy product and other wondrous toppings, you have yourself one heck of a hearty and delicious sandwich.

We went to this pub by my work that's known for its burgers, and I love their menu because they have about 20 burgers will all sorts of toppings. I had trouble deciding on whether to get the mediterranean (feta and olives), the black and blue (blue cheese with cajun spices), or the total burger (sauteed mushrooms, choice of cheese, and bacon). I ended up with the total burger-- as did my buddy. Mmm, good stuff.



I am a sucker for burgers with unique or delicious toppings, but my favorite "normal" combination is cheddar cheese, bacon, and a fried egg on top. Oh man. When it comes to that, I have no self-control. Haha.

Eatery Info: Monk's Pub, 205 W. Lake Street, Chicago, IL 60606

07.15 - I Want Some-moah Food

A bunch of Chicago & LA relatives and I headed to San Francisco/Oakland this past weekend for my cousin’s wedding, and we had a great time in the family bonding and eating departments. I was a little disappointed at not being able to eat more “Frisco” foods, though I was fairly content with all the airport, Denny’s, and wedding grub. Ha. Speaking of wedding grub, my cousin married a Samoan so they pretty much had this massive all-you-can-eat buffet at the reception. I wish I could say I was able to distinguish what was Filipino, Samoan, and whatever other cuisine they had there-- but all I remember was everything being really fattening and delicious. Ha.

My Stomach's Weekend Adventures:


my cousin S and I had a 3-hour flight delay at ORD (argh!)...so we made the most of it


breakfast the next morning-- after our long night, Denny's was enticing enough and close enough to our hotel


fried food extravaganza at the wedding buffet


no wedding is complete without Mr. Piggy


my second plate-- I was too busy eating to take a picture of my first


red velvet wedding cake-- so, apparently, it's Samoan custom to offer cake tiers as gifts to special guests (they had like a multi-level10-15 tier cake, but unfortunately, I was not one of those special guests)


post wedding cobbler and coffee-- our waiter looked like Matt Damon and he thought all my choices were like the best thing ever, haha-- my cousins were mad that I didn't care to get his number but, frankly, he was wayyy too excited about their special blend Columbian coffee


Denny's breakfast - Day 2 (there were about 15 of us, so it was the best option yet again)


This was my cousin S's order-- wheat pancakes, egg whites, turkey bacon, oatmeal. *heavy sigh* I have no idea how we get along so well.


And, lastly, here's the clam chowder bread bowl I had at SFO that I tried really hard to pretend I was having at Fisherman's Wharf instead.

07.08 - Take Me Out to the Ballgame (and Buy Me Food, Please)

The boys (A, J, E) and I headed to Wrigley Field yesterday for the Cubs vs. Braves game. Our Cubbies ended up losing so it was quite disappointing (*sigh*) . . . but, on the plus side, the food was quite enjoyable. Instead of getting regular-sized hotdogs, we decided to be indulgent and opted for the footlong dogs instead. Ha. Best. Idea. Ever.

Our Ballpark Menu:
- footlong brat with everything but chili
- footlong hot dog with everything but onions
- footlong hot dog with only a few toppings that I can't remember
- two orders of nachos with cheese and an excessive amount of jalapenos
- fries and an extra container of warm cheese
- chicken tenders with more fries
- a few brewskies
- a bottle of water


yummy yummy in our tummies


close-up of my hot dog (and, yes, that is my hand...)

07.07 - Paddy Fatties

My dear friend D and I had a craving for Irish food yesterday. Actually, this craving had been building up for about . . . 6 months or so. Ha. So we finally headed over to a pub and fulfilled our desires for all things yummy and Irish. ;) We had a full Irish breakfast (complete with rashers, pudding, baked beans, and soda bread) and of course corned beef & cabbage, and we topped it all off with some Irish cider and Irish red ale. I think our waitress thought we were having way too much fun with the Irish theme. Haha. Anyway, it was such a gorgeous summer day, so we were feeling quite full and content. Sadly, I did not bring my beloved new camera so, although I took some phone camera shots of our food, I refuse to put them up. But I did take this decent one while D and I were sitting at the pub window. Good stuff. :}



In other news, we decided to do a bit of shopping at the brand spankin' new Whole Foods on North Ave, and we ran into this gigantic hand sculpture on the way out. The second I looked at it, I felt comforted by its familiarity. And I realized . . . it was my hand, only blown-up, slighly more manly, and extra wrinkly. I'm not exaggerating either. I've had old lady hands since the young age of 2. Ha.



Eatery Info: Paddy Long's, 1028 W Diversey Pkwy, Chicago, IL 60686
Eatery Info II: Whole Foods Market Lincoln Park, 1550 N Kingsbury, Chicago, IL 60642