Dark Chocolate Almond Milk...It does a body good!

I've got to say, I truly love eating healthily!  Healthy does NOT equal blah, that's for sure. And at one point in my life, for quite some time really, I was of the thinking that healthy eating was not fun nor delicious. But oh contraire mon frere...Eating healthy can and does in fact equal eating well.  For me this healthy, nutritious, wholesome, and delicious "new" way of eating has come gradually and lovingly. I try new foods and drinks  that are deemed healthy for you more so now than ever before. I really enjoy the all natural, organic, wholesome, high in fiber, full of antioxidants descriptions that the healthy foods present and truly are.  For me, it's helped me change my lifestyle for the better, change my appearance (though still not a size 2, but more than totally okay with it) for the fitter, change my cooking style for the healthier, and keep me on track with positive outcomes for the long run. I mean, I still indulge here and there, and find comfort in comfort foods, but all in moderation, and all with my knowledge. Ultimately, I'd rather reach for the whole-grain variety vs. the white floured carb-loaded stick to my belly kinda foods.  And for that kinda "small" change I've made to my eating, I am quite proud, and I love it even more that Alex also likes to and tries to eat healthily, and that the Girlies are gaining more appreciation for the healthy foods in life, though their sophisticated palates are still developing.

So, anyway, I figured I would share with you one of my new favorite healthy "foods" that really is a drink, but truly is a treat.  I have found yummy love with Silk Pure Dark Chocolate Almond Milk! I am totally in love!!!

Perhaps I exaggerate a bit when I say this, but this stuff is like pure ecstasy!  Yikes! I mean, it is such a delicious cup of milk, I start licking my lips just thinking about it, and savoring every sip and gulp when I have the chance to drink a cup.  And the health benefits...OH...MY...GOSH!!!  According to some info from ehow.com, almond milk is absolutely beneficial!  It's full of vitamins, low in calories, great for baking, lactose-free, full of calcium, and healthily awesome, just to name a few things.  That's (plain) almond milk in general, which itself is like drinking up a handful of fresh, raw, wholesome almonds, seriously! But I mean DARK CHOCOLATE ALMOND MILK...full of antioxidants, and tastes like a sweet tooth's dream!  From a dessert standpoint, it's like popping those delectable chocolate covered almonds into your mouth in liquid form...SCORE!  Golly, I love this stuff, and apparently so does everyone else...I hear it sells out quickly at your local grocer, so snatch it up the next time you're out buying the necessary items for your kitchen. I love that my girls enjoy it as a natural and nourishing alternative to "moo milk".  I love that I love this stuff as much as I love Alex...I think I want to marry it...Don't tell Alex. But actually, Alex loves it so much too, that I think he wants to marry it too, and I'm not jealous...So win win for all! Enjoy it as much as we do! It'll do your body good! Cheers!

STRESSED is just DESSERTS spelled backwards...

Goodness gracious, what a stressful couple of days it has been...Snow is still on the ground, the Bears tackle the Packers next Sunday en route to Chicago's Super Bowl appearance (tee hee), changes at the family's business are constantly happening for the betterment of the company, my Elena turns 5 tomorrow (where has the time gone?!)...And to top things off, my Mom's been coughing so badly lately and just can't seem to shake the "cold" she has that she finally agreed to seek medical attention at the hospital.  If you know anything about me, I don't handle my parents getting sick nor their having to go to the hospital well at all...Like I become a crying baby...a helpless nearly 34-year-old immature adult who can't bear to see Dad or Mom feeling yucky...It makes me feel yucky as well...And even more so, I become so stressed out about the whole situation and all situations (good and bad) that occur simultaneously, that I can't and don't function well.  And to deal with my stress this time around, I have turned to desserts, just like any other sane individual would, right?! Right. So to temporarily ward off my worries and concern about my endearingly crazy though loving mother while she rests and recovers under the watchful eye of doctors and nurses, I have turned to the Boston Cream Pie to put a bit of a smile on my face.

According to Wikipedia, the Boston Cream Pie is quite the confection! Cake, custard, & chocolate ganache all in one sitting.  Can't beat that. Pie? Perhaps not so much, but when you do a web search and explore the history of this sweet treat, the pie part may have been for lack of springform pans back in the day...Whichever way you slice it, this treat, which I purchased from a local, traditional, and reliable bakery in my area, definitely put a smile on my glum face after all the stress of this particular day.  It even brought a smile to my nearly 5-year-old's face, since she was more than willing to partake in a pre-birthday treat.  I think I might just have to bring some to dear old Mom to make her recovery & stay in the hospital even speedier, erase her stressed feelings as of late, and surround her with just desserts, including sweet old me! Find yourself a boston cream pie or some other sweet desserts so that your stressed day may be swiftly erased and replaced with some sweetness in your life.  Enjoy!

This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius...Or is it? Whatever...Let's see what we should eat!

Well, for all my nearly 30+  years, I thought I was born under the astrological sign of Aquarius, with my birthday falling on February 6th and such.  And for the most part, I've identified with what the astrologers have said about me being a female Aquarian, especially the part about being "the most beautiful [women] in the zodiac..." HA!  But now, a bunch of smarty pants astronomers from Minnesota have thrown the general public for a loop and proposed that what each of us has known to be our unique astrological sign may in reality not be it after all, and moreover, there is actually an additional sign that has been "missing" forever! I know, right?!  So, if I go by what the new signs' assignments are, I apparently am now a Capricorn, but clearly they have it all wrong...or at least this particular site's assessment of the sign has an interesting take on MY new M.O...I'm mean, I'm supposed to have a "small well-shaped body..." Clearly they are not describing the real me. Hello?! I love food, so much so that I have decided to write about my adventures with food for goodness sakes.  Ok, fine.  I will admit, I've lost a fairly considerable amount of weight for me with healthier eating and a renewed lifestyle commitment to eating better with more accountability for the food choices I make, so maybe the "small well-shaped body" is in the cards for me...we shall see...But then again, I think I will always be an Aquarius at heart.

But anyway, with this new found take on astrological signs, it actually got me to thinking, "I wonder if there are food horoscopes out there..."  And guess what, there are!  I'm really excited about this new discovery of mine.  Check out the Delish site or one of many horoscope sites that you may search including this one to see what foods appear to align with your sign.  Now to decide if I should increase my intake of yogurt & honey per Capricorn or nom it up with some pork chops in a balsamic reduction according to the age of Aquarius...And I should also look into seeing if my Girlies' signs shed any light into Elena's picky palate & Katrina's overindulgent palate...Whatever the case, I hope your sign (new or old) steers you in the right direction towards something wonderfully delicious! Enjoy!

A Weekend of Nothing but Doing Good, Being Well, & Eating Right!

So this happened to be a rare weekend filled with absolutely nothing fancy planned for the family to do, participate in, attend, dress to the 9's for, etc., and gosh was I excited about that!  Don't get me wrong...the previous weekends have been wonderful, but the Holidays can be quite exhausting with all the hustle and bustle that surrounds the beautifully crazy Season. I mean, Thanksgiving was grand & gratifying, Christmas was blessed & lovely, and New Year's was bright & festive, and all were delicious as usual, but it's just non-stop partying and eating for a good month and a half.  So I was appreciative for a weekend of nothing.

Well, honestly, there is ALWAYS something to do at my house on the weekend, namely reminding the Girlies to share & play nicely, asking the dear Hubby to tackle the "honey do" list, and constant tidying of the house by Me, as well as contemplating the bane of my existence~laundry~and constantly heading in and out of the laundry room.  So, I guess this weekend was one of lots to do, but at least it wasn't a hectic Holiday event, and we all even got to sleep in, watch some rented movies, plan our Spring Break vacation, and I more importantly returned to cooking some quick, easy, and yummy meals. So all in all, it was a lovely, relaxing, normal weekend at home with my favorite lovies and activities...yes, even doing the laundry.

Overall, I really loved how normal, relaxed, clean, and healthy this weekend was.  Maybe the look of this weekend had something to do with my renewed sense of calm following the hectic schedule of holiday party after holiday party after holiday party and my little family's concerted effort to be team players all weekend.  Maybe I am just psyched about starting 2011 with a clean slate.  But I feel confident that this will be my year to do good, be well, and eat right.  I think the dinner I prepared for Sunday's food offerings lends itself to my new mantra.  I wanted to prepare something quick & easy, yummy & pleasing, so I decided on Apricot Ginger Glazed Broiled Salmon, Edamame, & Brown Rice:

I must admit, this was quite a lovely and healthy meal, nothing fancy, nor quite Michelin star worthy, but certainly tasty & satisfying.  And when picky Elena and the rest of the family of eaters deem even a taste of the plate "very very very good,"  that's better than any gourmet award out there.  So in order for you to make a healthy and delicious meal like that seen above, find yourself a nice filet of salmon at your local fishmonger, massage is touch of extra virgin olive oil and season with a combo of salt/pepper/dried thyme or a ready-to-use seasoning such as:

Broil the salmon at 450*F for 15 minutes.  Once done pour the prepared Apricot Ginger Glaze using ingredients such as:

Apricot Ginger Glaze = 1 cup of apricot preserves
a couple of dashes of soy sauce
a couple of dashes of worcestershire sauce
a couple shakes of salt/pepper/dried thyme or your fave salmon seasoning
approximately 1 tsp or so of grated fresh ginger
(courtesy of hubby Alex & his web searches for a glaze similar to the one described above)

Remember to return the freshly glazed salmon back to the broiler just for a 1 minute or 2 melt the flavor into the fish. (Even lovelier, is that the seasonings and glaze work wonderfully on pork tenderloin, chicken breasts, scallops, and other fish...so versatile the ingredients, all yummy in the tummy the result.)  And to make things even easier for food prep/accompaniment purposes, I partnered the salmon with the following Trader Joe's delicious must-haves: Frozen/Fully Cooked Edamame (I just steam for less than 5 minutes to bring them back to edible life) and Organic Brown Rice (which can come to fruition following a quick whirl in the microwave for a mere 3 minutes).  And there you have it.  See...nothing fancy, but rather healthy and delicious.

I did well in choosing ingredients that were easy to make and nutritious to eat...I feel well, even wonderful, after a meal that me and my little family enjoyed...I certainly ate right and helped myself and my family choose healthy options for this dinner.  I'm very happy this normal weekend of nothing gave me sooooo much inspiration for the year ahead.  I hope I inspired you to also do good, be well, and eat right. Enjoy!

A Family of Pigs!

That's what we are!  And I say this in the most loving way.  If the New Year's Day spread of food found at my home on the 1st day in 2011 lends any support to this statement, you will see that my large and loving family does indeed love food...cooking it, baking it, eating it, sharing it, talking about it, etc. etc. and so forth. And on this particular Holiday that celebrates the start of a new year, the start of moving forward and progressing, the start of having a prosperous year ahead, a fruitful year ahead, and a bountiful year ahead, there most definitely must be roasted pig represented in its gourmet form, known fondly in Filipino circles and other cultures as Lechon,  in addition to other lucky foods.  This year certainly did not disappoint in terms of the lucky pig and lucky foods represented in our family's buffet.  See for yourself...(though the following picture may not be for the faint of heart, especially if you are not fond of roasted pig in all its glory, though you're missing out on quite a delicacy...) :

Tasty Lechon courtesy of Rey's Lechon, Streamwood, IL

The Lechon that was brought to the table and into our mouths was quite delicious, flavorful, savory, tender meated, and crispy skinned, the latter being one of the most telling signs that the lechon was prepared correctly and roasted very well without losing its overall quality.  If you're still not quite sold on lechon, but are a fan of bacon, then think of it as a heavenly generous piece of crispy bacon with just the right amount of crunch and meatiness all in one bite that's dipped into a lovely sweet and savory sauce known as Mang Tomas All Purpose Sauce or a sauce of garlic infused vinegar, salt, pepper, and maybe a touch of soy sauce for color.  Yummy for serious!

If porky lechon wasn't enough, dear cousin Irene also prepared her own gourmet version of a roasted pork loin, aka Porchetta, prepared with herbs, fennel, lemongrass, ginger, and garlic, which was also quite mouth watering to the family's palate:

Porchetta a la Irene

And if the table wasn't lucky enough with the pigs galore, we also had black-eyed peas represented in Texas Caviar with the addition of a couple of cans of corn niblets & a small can of chopped green chiles made by yours truly courtesy of a recipe shared by my cousin, as well as in a black-eyed peas salad beautifully placed in a butternut squash edible "bowl" that Tita Lelet made; fish o' plenty grilled to perfection in the bitter cold by my cousin, Joe; pancit noodles from Tita Marlene to ensure long life ahead for us; round fruits from pomelo, oranges, apples, tangerines, grapes, and even rings of pineapple, and round cookies-some fancy and glitterized; Tita Baby's coconut milked dessert soup known as ginataan, and cakes such as a pecan streusel coffee bundt cake from the Delish site that I baked for everyone's sweet tooth cravings to ensure luck in 2011.  And for good measure, we even had an overabundance of petite filet mignon grilled not only by my dear Alex who braved the winter winds and cold air, but also from my cousin, Jojie, who grilled his version of the gourmet steaks outside on his patio and then rushed them over for us to savor.

Food...

 food...



and more food!

We ate like pigs, and our bellies were full, and we are all very blessed, lucky, and thankful for what we received that day and to have one another in 2011!  It's bound to be a beautifully lucky and delicious year ahead for us all!  Happy New Year, indeed!