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Saturday, April 30, 2011

Booking It

Today started off like any other day...



Studied in the library, had a snack...



Hungry again but hit the wrong button on the vending machine :(



There was also a LA County Festival of Books on campus. By the time I came out of the library, the it was almost over but there were still a lot of people.









I have to say, I'm excited to actually walk around and check it out tomorrow. (They were giving away free Ben and Jerry's!)

For dinner, I met up with CR and TL at La Barca. It's literally the best Mexican food around USC that doesn't drain your wallets. Delicious chips and salsa, wonderful margaritas, and huge portions.



I decided to try something new and go with the flauntas. I guess wikipedia puts it under taquitos but to me, it was like a Mexican spring roll. So good!


La Barca Mexican Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Friday, April 29, 2011

Bittersweet Ending

Today marks the last day of classes for my sophomore year. Such a bittersweet ending-- bitter because my wonderful college years are zooming by SO FAST, and sweet because I have high hopes for the future!

For lunch I met up with ER at Soy Grill and Roll. We were actually on our way to try Fat Burger but the appealing sushi and udon posters drew us in to this semi-newly opened restaurant. Their menu was pretty diverse so it definitely took a bit of time to decide on what to order. Finally I went with the Volcano Roll.




OMMMGGG.... It was hands down the BEST sushi I've ever had in my life! This picture definitely doesn't do it justice. Everything was so fresh. The sushi was crunchy and hot in all the right places. Even the salad and ginger was phenomenal. I really can't wait to go back again.

Afterwards, we satisfied our dessert craving with some Yogurtland.



For dinner, I decided to give my digestion a rest so I gathered some fresh fruits for a light meal.



Still hungry, I made a bowl of oatmeal with skim milk (although I think I'll stick to water from now on) with cinnamon, strawberries, walnuts, and Craisins.



Soy Grill & Roll on Urbanspoon

Hello Again

This week was HECTIC. I hardly had time to blog with a OChem lab test, Chinese final, Cinema paper, and Aoki all crammed into this last week of school.

But I am back!

To rebound from this blogging hiatus, I cut up some fresh fruit and poached an egg with toast.



This week is going to be filled with studying, studying, and more studying! After two weeks, my summer will finally begin...along with the much anticipated Jersey Shore Party hosted by none-other than CC and myself that's gonna blow OU out of the water.

Speaking of parties... Tuscany decided to have a pool party of their own last night to "show off" all the new renovations that's suppose to reflect the change in management. Check it out:



The party was actually BUMPING! I live right above the pool area so I got to check out all the action right from my balcony. It was crazy-- both hot tubs were running, a legit DJ was playing, and the rest of the works.

Now I love parties as much as the next person but even the thought of going downstairs was draining me after an all nighter the day before. Thus,  I ended up having a lovely night with my roommates and caught up all Glee!

Monday, April 25, 2011

It All Works Out

I have reached a point where I have so little food that I am forced to eat out. I tried to stay healthy so I stopped at Chipotle and order a chicken salad with black beans, corn salsa, mild salsa, and fresh tomatoes (my delicious usual)



I ate a little over half of my salad (saving the rest for tomorrow!) and ended with a dessert plate: dried dates, walnuts, dad's fenlisui, and some peanut butter on multigrain cracker.



After sitting for hours and studying, my muscles were aching for some exercise. Thus, I hit the gym and burned over 500 calories!! Whew... this was the most I've done in a very long time and I feel great.

When I can back, I made a post-workout snack consisting of an oatmeal, veggie juice and yogurt smoothie with a ham roll with Romain lettuce.



Mile Long

Wow... that sushi did not sit very well. It was so deceiving because it looked so fresh! So yesterday I took a break from any interesting, or even normal, meals and just drank smoothies and light soups.

Today I'm back to eating regularly although the thought of the salmon roll from two days ago still lingers in my mind...

I was running late this morning so I only had 5 minutes to down my breakfast: poached egg with a piece of English Muffin, and a yogurt parfait with walnuts, granola, and cranberries.



Since I had breakfast so late, I was only craving something light for lunch. Thus, I picked up a Clif's Bar on my way to class.



The nutrition label appears alright (although the amount of sugar could be less). The part that scared me was the mile-long list of ingredients.


I usually like my meal/snack bars to be natural and simple (Kind Bar, Larabar, etc). However, this Clif Bar does contain about 5 g of protein and minerals for sustained energy. Hopefully this will keep me satisfied until my next meal and energized for my later workout.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Something New

Alright, so I've had USC sushi before...



But today's selection was extra fresh. The ginger was fully hydrated and the salmon tasted actually tasted like real salmon.

I complimented my lunch with King Henry's Gourmet dried fruit pack which contained mangos, papaya, pineapples, and figs...


I've never had dried (or fresh) figs before and it was definitely interesting...


For dinner I heated what's left of my fijita leftovers...



And satisfied my sweet tooth with a yogurt parfait with granola, raisin, and walnuts.


Common Sense

Brunch again this morning! I "breakfast-fied" some of my leftovers by scrambling an egg and tossing in some spinach.


Then concluded with dessert plate: Dad's Fen Li Su, cranberries, and pitted dates.


As I was watched MSNBC Health this morning, I just couldn't understand why they would spend time and money producing their "Four Worst Breakfast Foods" segment. Take a look:


I understand how Kashi, a supposed health brand, would shock a lot of people...(well.... I think the public has known for a long time that granola was packed with sugar...) but the rest of the "bad choices" seem to be common sense.

MSNBC... you mean to tell me that the Jimmy Dean breakfast bowl with pancakes and sausages weren't healthy?


And that the Entenmann's an iced honey bun was full of sugar?


And even a bagel slathered with butter and cream cheese wasn't low-carb nor low-fat?


Well... my world has been turned upside down...

Friday, April 22, 2011

Concert Devo


Before I headed to the library, I went downstairs to pick up a care package filled with fabulous jewelry and native Taiwanese treats from my parents.



The treat on the left is a traditional Taiwanese cookie-cake, called Fen Li Su, filled with pineapple jam. The treat on the right is a Taiwanese candy which was basically peanut clustered together in delicious nougat.



After spending a few hours in the library, all of the hard work and research left me aching for something to eat. Thus, I went to Tutor Hall Cafe and bought something light in anticipation for the Concert Committee Devo Dinner tonight at Casita Del Campo tonight. Since it was close to closing time (5 pm on Fridays), the best choice they had was chicken noodle soup.



Topped with some saltine crackers...



I only ate half since 1) it was wayyyyy to salty and 2) it was all broth! I really don't think I'll be buying soup from Tutor Hall again...

Luckily, my taste buds were saved a couple hours later with delicious Mexican food from Casita Del Campo in Silverlake.

After knocking back a margarita at AR's house (which was about an mile away form the restaurant), we loaded up three cars and headed over to the restaurants for our long awaited dinner.

Both the exterior and the interior were extremely adorable. I'm not able to go into too much detail about the exterior since it was night time, but the interior was FABULOUS. Colorful-- even in the dimly lit restaurant-- with paper flowers and paintings everywhere. Their tortilla chips were like pita chips-- thick, crunchy and fresh.

From Google Images



I didn't get a chance to take a picture of my meal at the restaurant but the portions were so huge (not to mention stuffing myself with chips and side salad prior to the entree) I was able to carry home at least two days worth of leftover fijita with spanish rice, refried beans, vegetables, shrimp, chicken, and beef.




For dessert, we order four plates of flan for the table. I've never had flan before but when I tasted this custardy-eggy-pudding dessert...



I realized I definitely had this before! I have to say I wasn't too much of a fan... but something about it made me kept eating more and more... :)

Casita Del Campo on Urbanspoon

Vitamins

The best part about waking up early is getting the chance to have brunch. Today, I concocted a meal with a poached egg, broiled white fillet on whole wheat English Muffin and mustard, and a spring mix salad with walnuts and Asian Sesame dressing.



This folic acid and omega-3 rich meal reminded me of a recent article that I read...

This year, studies have shown that almost 50% of US adults take at least one dietary supplement a day and the numbers continue to increase year by year. The most popular supplement is calcium... which isn't surprising considering the increase in osteoporosis and other bone-density related awareness in the past years.


Interesting enough, those who take dietary supplements are usually those who are educated, have good income, and already obtain enough nutrition from their normal, daily diets. In other words, it seems that those who are taking dietary supplements are those who don't necessarily need them.

As for me, it's hard to know whether I'm getting the recommended amount of vitamins and minerals due to my busy and unpredictable college schedule. Thus, I make sure to take a Centrum multiviatmin/multimineral daily.



With Centrum, I am able to maintain healthy skin, good cholesterol, good blood pressure, a happy composure, and many other benefits by meeting my dietary needs.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Unnaturally Natural

Since my OChem tutoring session was cancelled this week, I got a chance to enjoy a very refreshing lunch outside by the Viterbi Fountain.



As I was eating, I read an interesting article about Wendy's "natural fries" that claim to be so "real" that it's as close to a regular potato as fries can get.



In their television ad, it's implied that this popular chain simply cuts the potatos and sprinkle it with some salt.



However, these "natural fries" may not be so natural after all. Sadly, in addition to salt, Wendy's also adds chemicals such as sodium acid pyrophosphate to prevent discoloration and D-glucose to give it the correct color (paradoxial in my opinion). Subsequently, these fries are fried in oil containing dimethylpolysiloxan-- a chemical that prevents foaming so that the resturant can re-use the same batch day after day.

Let's take a closer look:

Sodium acid pyrophosphate


From Google Images



The average American naturally obtains enough sodium acid pyrophosphates from meat and dairy products. If excessive consumption occurs, it may lead to diseases such as osteoporosis.

D-Glucose aka Dextrose


from Google Images



While dextrose is important to living organisms, this sugar represents loads of empty calories, contributes to tooth decay, and contributes to fat storage. Additionally, dextrose also promotes both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia by spiking the blood sugar (hyperglycemia), then initiating the body to produce uncontrollably excessive insulin (hypoglycemia).

Dimethylpolysiloxane



Although studies have shown that this chemical isn't harmful for the body, I still have a hard time believing dimethylpolysiloxane-- a chemical used to make contact lenses, medical devices, shampoos, lubricant oils, cosmetics, polishes, and adhesives-- is okay to be consumed.

After this article, my appetite for eating out was completely shattered. All I wanted to do was make a dinner with ingredients I can actually pronounce.



Kale with tofu and 100% beef patty with red lettuce for the bun. Served up with some dessert...



Pitted dates, dried apricots, and walnuts... 100% natural. 100% delicious.

Revolution

Thursdays are always my longest days. To kick start all the business, I threw together a carrot, some peanut butter, some oatmeal, milk, yogurt, and a orange for a morning smoothie. I definitely can't say this was the best combination... but it wasn't too bad.





Last night I was finally able to catch up on my neglected television shows. I was so happy when one of my favorites-- Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution-- started a new season right here in LA. Basically, Jamie tries to revolutionize the horrid school lunch provided by the county government into healthy, wholesome meals. 





Okay, so you might not take him seriously in this pic but it was funny. 


Anyways, the information that he provides (both LA's and Huntington, AL?'s school system) is absolutely shocking. You would think that with the increase in childhood obesity which leads to heart complications, diabetes, etc, schools would be more conscious in what they feed their children. I think he worked miracles in Season 1 so I have high hopes for the LA edition.


In addition to revolutionizing the school system, Jamie takes on a local favorite-- Patra's Burgers-- to convert this ordinary fast food into a place that serves more nutritious items. However, the restaurant owner Deno was pretty reluctant to change his menu from the 800-1500 calorie mystery meat burger (although, his patrons seem to all enjoy their meals) to Jamie's healthified 450 calorie real meat angus burger...


Patra's Original Burger (from Yelp)


















Jamie's Southern California Burger
Deno-- really? You don't want this on your menu?

Jamie also conjured up two other succulent burgers (all served with a side salad) for only $4.98-- which is comparable to Patra's most expensive combo... Maybe it's because I eat on campus where $7 for a sandwich is consider a great price. Maybe because it's selling in Los Angeles where restaurant prepared meals are really expensive... but I think $4.98 is dirt cheap for a 100% wholesome angus burger, with sprouts, homemade salsa, homemade chipotle sauce, and a side salad. 

I mean just look at it! Which one would you choose?