Redesign

I decided to redesign my blog during 15 min break I took from studying for finals. I'm not completely finished but it's good enough until my summer begins!

Today's breakfast consisted of toast, fresh fruit and a spinach egg scramble...



For lunch I reheated some of last night's leftovers paired with some Oreos and strawberry cream cheese.

I FINALLY finished my Oeos! Now I don't have anything sugary (my biggest vice) in my pantry to spoil my diet.



A couple hours later I made a salad with some strawberries...



After studying and a hard workout, I showered and made a very bountiful dinner. Oatmeal (with a side bowl of oatmeal for "dessert") and a bowl of gochujang chicken, spinach, and egg soup. 




It was SO good! Guess what I'll be having for the rest of the week...?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sparkling Waters

I must have pressed my snooze button for an hour this morning. But I knew I had to start my day early since it was T-1 day until the last OChem lec exam. 


For my power breakfast, I feasted on a bowl of oatmeal with honey, walnuts, raisin, and cinnamon, with a side of poached egg and sweet potatoes. 





After class(es), I managed to salvage a little time and sunshine on an otherwise cloudy day to sit down next to the beautiful Viterbi fountain for lunch.





On today's menu: spring mix salad with sliced oranges and Asian Sesame dressing and a whole wheat English muffin with ham and mustard.





To top the meal off, I had my lunch dessert (which was originally my afternoon snack...): wheat thins, pitted dates, and American Cheese.



And let me tell you... Kraft American Cheese is incomparable to other knock off brands hands down!


The day's getting bright by the minute and there's a wonderful spread of farmer's market booths all along alumni park. Normally, I would stop and have a peek at their amazing selection (and maybe purchase so if I can't contain myself ;) ) but today is nitty gritty day! After tomorrow, I'll be free!... until next week and finals that is.

The Morning After

After a night of partying last night, I knew I had to eat carbs, fat, and more carbs to recuperate. So for breakfast, I made scrambled eggs with shredded cheese and mustard on whole wheat toast. I also added a side of wheat thins with strawberry cream cheese and walnuts.





The toast and eggs was better than I expected. So for lunch, I had another one...





The danger to dieting after a night out is that you crave the worse and fattest food the day after. So about 20 min later, I whipped up a grilled cheese with American cheese and low fat cream cheese.

Picture taken from GoogleImages

I wanted a grilled cheese so bad that I didn't even get a chance to take a picture before scarfing it down.

Yes... James Franco

I got up  later than expected this morning so I made myself a filling brunch instead of the usual smoothie. This consisted of a fresh spring mix salad with pitted dates, walnuts, and Asian sesame dressing with a side of whole wheat English muffin and poached egg.





It was so filling that it lasted me almost 5 hours! After I got home, I made another salad with broiled tofu and kale on a bed of Romain lettuce. Wanting some carbs, I paired this with half of an English muffin and a spread of fresh avocado.





To satisfy my sweet tooth, I made a plate of dried mango, pitted dates, and a Clementine orange.





After lunch I just wanted to sprawl out on my bed and watch a movie. Today's pick? 127 Hours starring none other than the fabulous James Franco.

 


Seriously... can someone tell me why he's so gorgeous?!

Okay, I have to say I'm a little biased since I'm basically in love with James Franco but this movie was indeed very good! The amputation was really hard to watch (actually I turned away for most of it) but every other time I couldn't keep my eyes off the screen. I would definitely recommend this movie for those not faint of heart...

Despite some of the semi-gruelsome scenes, I encountered a nibbling attack during the movie so I fixed another plate with dried apricots, natural peanut butter, walnuts, wheat thins and a slice of cheese.





Now if I can get myself to concentrate on OChem after staring at His Hotness for two hours...

Brain food

I woke up extremely early this morning to study for my Chinese test, and as luck would have it, there was so much sunshine bursting through my windows to energize me. To accompany this bright day, I whipped up a oatmeal smoothie with spinach, carrots, banana, and peanut butter.



Chinese went pretty well today (thanks to my brain food) and before Cell Bio, I stocked up on an apple. However, by the time class got out,I was starving! After stealing a a plastic fork from Tutor Hall, I found a nice sunny place outside where I can enjoy my lunch: spring mix with raisins and walnuts and Asian sesame dressing and a whole wheat English muffin with ham and American cheese.



Because my OChem tutoring session was cancelled for today, I finally get a chance to enjoy lunch on a Thursday!

As for the rest of the day: Cinema until 6 (watching the Last King of Scotland!), meet up with AS to discuss fall schedules, and CR wanted to do something later at night :)

Revelation

I was really glad today when TL wanted Lemonade for lunch. Although there are many healthy options on campus, Lemonade by far was the most nutritious and best tasting.


As always, they had a huge selection of market fresh salads, braises, and sandwiches...





I decided to have:
orrechietta, tomato, perlini mozzarella, red pepper vinaigrette

cauliflower, golden raisins, almonds, curry

israeli couscous, wild mushrooms, parmesan, lemon truffle
avocado, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, lime


Everything was SO fresh and good! I was feeling really happy and energized until...


the thought of ice cream sandwich overtook my brain...







Of course I just HAD to get one...(it also doesn't help that TL was an instigator). I ordered espresso chip ice cream to be sandwiched between a peanut butter cookie and a white chocolate macadamian nut cookie.


All during OChem, I was basically in a sugary catatonic state. Ironically, today's lesson was on carbohydrates and lipids. Why is it ironic?


"Class, it's often a misconception that fats make you fat. Of course it depends on the type of fat...but generally, fats don't make you fat...sugar does."-- Hogan-Tisch


Even my 70-something professor knows that!
From now on, I'll definitely try to stop eating sugar...................[so much]
Cause let me tell you, the crash later is NOT worth it............[all the time...maybe sometimes, but not all the time]

Early Morning

I found  that the only way for me to wake up early is to leave some unfinished homework until the next day. So this morning, I got up at 7:30 am to finish my Chinese homework. During this time, I also filled up on a fairly decadent smoothie: oatmeal, banana, milk, and peanut butter.





I love getting up early. I feel so energized and I love the fact that I'll get to "live" much longer. 


After my first class, I had two hardboiled eggs as a snack...





And ate my lunch during OChem lab lecture (which only 20 out of 200 people attend). Today I packed a very nutritious and wholesome meal: Whole Wheat English muffin with ham and cheese, and a spring mix salad with walnuts, raisins, and ginger Asian dressing. 

Stocking Up

Finally going grocery shopping for the first time CC and KO left, I came home with lots of fresh vegetables and fruits in preparation to get back into a healthy lifestyle.


When I opened the fridge to unload my groceries, I noticed I still had half of my El Tarasco's leftover. I certainly wasn't going to let this burrito go to waste, so I heated it up for lunch with a side of some Whole Wheat Wheat Thins and natural peanut butter.





To healthify this meal, I finished it with an apple.





However, it wasn't too long that my sugar craving kicked in and I shamefully gave in to some Oreos with peanut butter and wheat thins with strawberry cream cheese.





However, by 5, I started to suffer from a sugar crash and drifted off into a 30 min nap. When I woke up, I had a sudden urge for a banana and made a oatmeal, orange, strawberry and yogurt smoothie topped off with some granola.





Fully energized form my nap, I am ready to WORK!