Lose it with me!

It has been five days since I started my diet program. It is actually prety easy and now I have shed some pounds off my weight. I lost 3.5 lbs. I know that does not sound so healthy and convincing, but it is what it is, right? And... I love it!

My program is started with 20 to 30 minutes treadmill every morning. Then, followed with oatmeal original breakfast plus banana and a teaspoon of sugar. Then, keep snacking on healthy food every two hours, such as oranges, strawberries, fiber one yogurt that I found really good, and  other snacks that is low in fat but high in protein and fiber. For lunch, I will bring left over from home. You will need about 300 - 400 calories to keep you going and focus at work. Just remember, you need to count on your calories. If you want fries, you may want to limit that at max to once a week. Dinner will keep you nourished for another next 8 hours when you sleep. So, make sure that you consume healthy dinner, such as lean chicken breast and vegetables. Oh yeah, don't forget eight glasses of water a day to keep you hydrated.

Being healthy feels so much lighter and happier. Excercise energizes me at work and help loose my headache that I always had previously. It is believed that when you do exercise regularly, it helps replace dead cells in your body. It also makes me tired easily at night. It helps me control my sleep patern, which is eight hour sleep every night. Deactivating my social life on the internet was a good choice. I can focus on something else that is more beneficial at the end. I found myfitnesspal website is very helpful in helping me count the calories that I consume everyday. You should try it too!

So, let's lose it with me! It is easy and is worth so much to your body.

Kale in oyster sauce with tofu

Eating healthy for lunch does not always taste bad. As long as you keep your body active, you can put a little flavor in your meal. Today, I made kale in oyster sauce with tofu. The food is high in protein and is 310 calories (including 1/2 cup of steamed rice). No picture since I did not have a chance to do it. LOL! I couldn't resist flavorful smell of the garlic and oyster sauce.

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of chopped kale
- 1 clove of garlic, chopped
- 1/4 cup of firm tofu
- 2 tbsp of 99% fat free chicken stocks (or you can replace it with water).
- 1 tbsp of oyster sauce
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions:
- Heat oil in a pan.
- Put in tofu and saute for about 2 minutes
- Put in chopped garlic and saute for 1 minute
- Dump in kale and salt. Saute until the kale is soft.
- Put in oyster sauce. Saute for another minute.
- Serve with 1/2 cup of steamed rice.

Healthy Snacks

Today, I am into living healthy and motivated to loose some of my pounds off. After shopping with one of my girlfriend, who is now 6 size smaller in 2 months, I determine to eat healthier and live happier.

You can burn your body fat just by eating vegetables and count your calories intake daily. Some of vegetables that will help you are the ones that are high in fiber but low in calories, including:

• Brocolli
• Cucumber
• Carrots
• Eggplants
• Cabbage

To loose weight, you also needs to do a good planning and preparation. Plan what you will eat ahead of time and stick with it. Hard? Of course! Saying is always easier than doing. Therefore, before going on a diet program, set goal and motivation. For example, a motivation to wear a bathing suit for upcoming summer (in about five months now). You want to look good to feel good.

What else do we need to forget? Carb! Carb is needed by our body to produce energy. But, excessive carb is not good for diet. Eat whole grain products or wheat products. Each slice of whole wheat bread contains 100 calories. With 1 tbsp of nutela (for about 100 calories), you can have a good whole grain breakfast.

Slow metabolism will not help loose weight. Eat food in smaller portions for several times a day will help faster the metabolism. Our stomach always needs something to keep it going. Consume a big meal three times a day will force your belly to work harder and will slow the metabolism. Also, you will tend to eat heavier portion when you feel really hungry. So keep on munching!

What kind of snacks are good for you?

• Banana
• hard boil egg
• orange
• vegetable finger snacks (carrots, bell peppers, snap peas)

I hope this information helps enrich our knowledge about living healthy.

This blog is solely based on the author's opinion. It should not be used for anything other than fun only.

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings

Super Bowl party??? I know everyone loves chicken wings. To add a kick to it, I make sweet and spicy sauce. The chicken is so tender (meat falling of the bone kind of deal) and flavorful. Here is how...

Ingredients:
- 2lbs chicken wings (cut the joins or based on preference)
- 1 cup of sweet chili sauce
- 4 garlics, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp sugar
- salt to taste

Instructions:
- In a saucepan, combine all together.
- Boil the wings in the sauce. After it is boiling, turn the heat down to simmer. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven at 400F.
- Place the wings to a cookie sheet.
-  Brush the left-over sauce on the wings every 10 minutes and turn over. Bake the wings for another 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Serve with ranch dressing, if desire.

Sambal Mangga (Mango in Spicy Dressing)

                                                                                 

Sambal mangga served with shredded salted fish,
deep fried tempeh, and steamed rice

I love sambal mangga. This is the food that I grow up with. In Java, sambal mangga is also called sambal pencit. Perhaps, the way I make is different from how it is prepared in Java. However, I guarantee that you will love this one.

Ingredients:

- 1 manggo, peeled and shredded.

- 1 tsp terasi (roasted shrimp paste)

- 2 Thai chile peppers

- 1 tbsp sugar

- 1 tsp salt

Instructions:

- Use stone mortar and pestle to crush and mix terasi, peppers, sugar, and salt.

- Taste the paste mixture. Add salt and sugar if needed.

- Combine the shredded mango with the paste. Mix well. Do NOT add water to the paste.

- Serve with warm steamed rice.

-

Mom's Ox Tail Soup for Cold Winter (Sop Buntut)

Mom's Sop Buntut (Ox-Tails Soup)

Oh yeah... The recipe for this soup is originated from my mom. Mom cooks the best ox tail soup or sup buntut. You know, home cooking is always what you want whenever you are away from home. If you likes the soup as much as I do, you can try the recipe below.

Ingredients:
- 2 lbs of ox-tails
- 2 carrots
- 1 stalk of green onions, chopped.
- 3 shallots (finely sliced)
- 2 garlics (finely sliced length wise)
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp white pepper
- Salt and sugar for taste

Instructions:
- Pre-cook the ox-tails in pressure cooker for about 1 hour or until the cooker tells you that it is done (you will know when it is done, it will have a noisy sound and steam comes out of it)
- Drain the juice from the pressure cooker and wash the ox-tails in running water for about a minute o until the fat are washed.
- Put the ox-tails in a clean pot and cover with water.
- Boil the ox-tails and dump the cinnamon stick, salt, and white pepper, and nutmeg in the pot.
- Meanwhile, fry shallots and garlics until they are golden and crispy.
- When the ox-tails soup is boiling, put chopped carrots in. Taste and add more salt or sugar if needed.
- Dump the fried shallots and garlic in. Stir.
- Serve the ox-tails in a bowl and garnish with chopped green onions.

February 26, 2011 ~ My First Blogging Experience

Today for some reasons, I would like to start blogging. I have so much passions for foods, trying new recipes, and taking pictures of them. So, I would like to welcome myself into this experience of blogging. I am very excited and looking forward to sharing what I love to do. Yeah... food and cooking.