How to make Double Green Smoothie

Hey guys,

I haven't done a food update for a long time. For those of you who have been following my blog, I love cooking, arts, and fashion. I have been very conscious lately about my health and weight.  Living alone and moving to Florida was such a drastic change for me in friends, weather, school, and being away from family. I have been hanging in there so far  and make the best of it! =)

So just to share with you about this post, people in South Florida love being health and eating health. So added on to my crazy schedule I don't have time to cook for myself sometimes. I love Japanese fashion and looking at the skinny girls on there doesn't help either. They are just skinny, petite, cute, and...I am pressured to be like them. I have struggled with my weight and have gained 10lbs since the start of graduate school.  So I've decided to follow this 28-Day Challenge Meal Plans under Whole Foods Market website. The weekly meal plans focus on plant-based, nutrient-dense whole foods and healthy fats. I've also decided to work out more and eat less meat. Thought of becoming a vegetarian, but I can't give up sushi!

With that said, the purpose of this challenge is to focus on plant based produce that are full of protein, nutrients, antioxidants. I've always wanted to eat health, but with student budget and not working it's quite expensive. There's a lot of batch cooking at the start of week that usually takes 2-3hrs of my time and when I'm ready to assemble a meal, preparation would be easy for weeknights with my busy schedule.

Set aside time to cook or prep:

•Big batches of beans

•Big batches of whole grains

•Big batches of soup, sauce and favorite dishes

•Crisp fresh veggies and leafy greens for twice-daily salads

•Delicious and easy oil-free homemade salad dressings

•Breakfast: blend a fresh smoothie daily for breakfast; add leafy greens or fruit with your favorite unsweetened nondairy beverage, a few ice cubes and a date or two for extra sweetness if you like. Frozen chopped greens like spinach or kale save time and help keep your smoothie colder.

I am in love with this recipe: Double Green Smoothie.

I was skeptical how blending spinach and kale would taste. I didn't want to have a nasty green grass drink. But I gave it a try and it was delicious! The rice milk really helps a lot because it had a little bit of sweet taste to it.

 

Here are all the ingredients measured out. I opted out for apricots since I forgot to get them on my grocery run.

All ready to be blended. I was really scared and didn't know when to stop blending. It started off with a purple color from the berries. Then it turned to red, brown, and a nasty brown oxidized color. I wasn't sure if I was willing to drink it if it was brown looking. As I let it settled out, it turned green, which was just like the color the recipe pictured showed. That was feasible to drink. LOL.

Final look of the drink. I would definitely recommend this drink. I'm going to follow their plan and continue to drink this for breakfast. I also bough muesli grain mix, so I can make mighty healthy oatmeal bowls.

The rice milk is really good by itself to drink as well.

Per Serving:160 calories (30 from fat), 3.5g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 115mg sodium, 30g carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 10g sugar), 8g protein

Thanks for reading again! I'll put more post to my 28-Day healthy eating challenge.

xoxo

yumi

How to make Caprese Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes

Hi Everyone,

I want to share with you a quick and easy recipie that I made over the weekend for a dinner get-together with my friends.  I got the recipe off from Chow: Caprese Salad Recipe

Directions: Slice ripe tomatoes and fresh buffalo mozzarella into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Shingle fresh basil leaves and the mozzarella and tomatoes on a platter. Drizzle with high-quality extra-virgin olive oil, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper if desired, and serve.

I didn't have pine nuts to make my basil pesto sauce. I used a variety of tomatoes. This is my second time making it. The first time I had green, yellow, and red tomaotoes. They go really good for a side dish if you're wanting to have a vegetarian night out. I highly suggest using heirloom tomatoes that you can purchae at Whole Foods. They are really sweet. Best part of it, is that you can put a balsamic vinegretre glaze over it instead of the pesto olive oil sauce.

I made this for brunch with a light bit of olive oil drizzled over on the top. I also served it with a fresh banana and orange salad and sunny side up egg. My friend said my picture looked like one of those from the food magazine.

I prefer using the presliced fresh mozzerella packaged cheese so that it's easier for preparation. It takes less than 10minues and you have a delicious meal. Your guests will think that you're a fancy cheif too!

xoxo

Yumi

Grown Up Hot Chocolate

Hi everyone,

I been gone for a long time away from blogging and not updating it. But now I am back in the cold TN for the winter holiday break! I decided to make some hot chocolate for the cold weather after finding a really amazing recipe on a How Sweet It Is with a little bit of twist to it for grown ups.

Here's the recipe that I followed:

Grown Up Hot Chocolate

[lightly adapted from food network]

serves about 6

3 cups whole milk

1 1/2 cups cream or half and half

1/4 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark)

4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

4-6 ounces of marshmallow (or vanilla, cake, whipped cream) vodka

 My ingredients. There is vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt, milk chocolate, and vokda that I didn't get to shoot a picture of.

 In a large bowl, mix together cocoa powder, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add milk and cream.

Bring to a simmer, stirring every few minutes. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the milk to the cocoa and sugar, mixing thoroughly .Whisk continuously until smooth (do not let it boil), the whisk in chopped chocolate and vanilla extract.

Remove from heat and whisk in vodka, or add to each glass right before serving. 

Top with marshmallows and whipped cream and I sprinkled it with cinnamon to give it a little flavor.

Done! Grab your favorite person and sit near the Christmas tree or fireplace and enjoy!

Hope you like the recipe.

Happy Hoidays!

xoxo

yumiko

Christmas Eve Dinner

Hi everyone,

Here's an update as to what I did for Christmas Eve. I was invited over for a Chinese hotpot dinner at my coworkers house with her baby kid! She's so adorable and she's all grown up since the last time I have seen her. Dinner was delicious and it has been a super long time since I have had hotpot, Chinese style. I love it during the cold weather.

We had a whole feast and finished all of this. She had golden mushrooms, shrimp, sea scallops, oyster mushrooms, and fresh garden vegetables (cilantro, and baby bok choy) form her backyard. The broth was very well seasoned with egg, tofu, and pork ribs that she had boiled for about 3hrs.

 Her daughter is so cute! She even has her own little cup for her mango juice during dinner.

 After dinner gift giving for her! I got her a little tea party set so she can play. She was so excited. It was so fun watching her opening the gift. Sometimes I want to be excited for things like her.

 Fresh organic pears after dinner.

My coworker went pecan picking at a local area in Shelby Farms. She gathered so many and we helped her cracked them all!

 It was my first time using this nut cracker. It's quite a handy tool!

 

They reminded me of rat brains.. LOL I'm such a science dork. >,<

 

Mommy's little helper put all our efforts in a big bag!!
Definitely going to make some desserts with pecans. Maybe honey roasted cinnamon pecans and pecan pies!

Need a New Hair Style

Hi Hi-

I hope everyone had a wonderful 3 day weekend for Memorial Day holiday.

I just got back in town Monday to celebrate with my sis with a cook out at the park. The weather is getting super hot, and I don't like it since we're no where near the beach. I just came back from FL and the beach scenes is just something I can see myself at. I got a bronze tan..LOL ^_^

I'm in desperate need for a haircut and hair style. Any suggestions?

Yummm....beef franks, chicken, and corn. I know I am so Americanized when it comes to junk food! I am just consumed by it since the majority of our food are processed.

More grilled chicken strips! I grilled some onions and served them on a Kaiser bun. Yum..it was delicious...but I didn't take a picture..lol. 残念

It's amazing how the frame of my face looks based on how I part my bangs. Can  you suggest as to which side you like it parted?

I'm tired of this orange looking hair color. My friends suggest me going back to dark since it makes me look younger...so you might see me with dark hair next time.

=) Take cares loves and thanks again!

xoxo

yumi

Review: Edo Japanese Restaurant

Hi lovelies! Here's another review on a restaurant of my choice. If you are looking for authentic Japanese tastes and are around the area, I would suggest going to Edo Japanese Restaurant. It's not in the most fabulous part of town. It's in a hidden corner strip shopping center and decor is not the best looking compared to most modernized restaurant.

You are basically here for the excellent taste and casual mingle atmosphere if you don't mind the long wait. This restaurant offers real authentic Japanese cuisine, something unique than the other chain restaurants that I go to. I also get a good sense of Japanese comfort and service. They laid off one of the Vietnamese servers so service was a bit slow since there are only two servers left. 

There fish selection is very fresh!

Edo is owned by Chef Takeo Higashi for over 20 years. They are not opened on Monday, so you have to catch them during their hours.

Hours: Tues-Fri Lunch 11:30-2:00 Dinner 5:00-9:30. Fri-Sat Dinner 5:30-10:00. Sun Dinner 5:00-9:00.

Edo Japanese Restaurant

4792 Summer Ave
Memphis, TN 38122

The decor makes me feel like I'm in a relaxed area. So what did I have for lunch with my sisters?

Miso Soup. The fried onion was sweet and delicious addition to the soup!

Japanese potato croquettes. These were light battered and deep fried with panko flakes. It was warm and gooey inside and I love corn! My sisters thought it was a bit bland. But I like simple food from time to time.

Agadeshi tofu! Another one of my favorite. I can't find any Japanese restaurant that fries the tofu like they do here. They fry it in a way where your tofu is not soggy or filled with grease. Just lighted coated with the fried texture and good enough to soak up the ponzu sauce and grated radish topping.

 Fried Chicken Yakitori. This was served with the lunch special that was ordered. Hrm...yummy!

Here is just a cold tofu with bonito flakes and scallion.

The tofu was served with this grilled fish and grated raddish along with sushi rice. My sister ordered it by mistake, so I had to eat it up since she didn't like it.

Overall, if you don't mind waiting super long and have authentic tasting food. You should try it out. I want to try the Shabu Shabu hot pots and the udon soup noodles next time!

Ciao

yumi

Target Haul: Pond's Clarant B3, Nail Polish, Kit Kat

Hi everyone! I'm actually proud of myself that I'm getting to blog more. I have lots to catch up on. I want to do a review on a couple of products that caught my eye while I was shopping at Target. These items were what caught my eye and thought it was interesting to give it a try!

I always like to try sample sized creams or items before I buy the original size and ended up wasting a chunk of money down the drain. Sephora is my favorite shop, but when it comes to drug store products, I guess I just have to be the lab rat! ^_^

I am doing a review on both the Pond's creams that I recently purchased. Pond's Clarant B3 (Dry-Normal Skin) creme is known as an anti-dark spot moisturizer for people who have normal to dry skin. I have a combination skin, which is normal and oily around the T-zone, but lately I've been having dark under-eye bags from lack of sleep.

So this product is known to even the skin tone in 2 weeks and reduce the appearance of dark spots in 4weeks. It has both Vitamin B3 and C complexes that help aid the skin to reduce discoloration and improve elasticity.

"It has also been shown to diminish the appearance of age spots and blotchiness as well as improve skin's texture."

Vitamin B3 - (NIACINIMIDE)
Topical application of Vitamin B3 has been shown to prevent skin from losing water content as well as show improvement in the appearance of wrinkles, skin discolorations, redness, sallowness, and improved elasticity.

Vitamin C Known for its antioxidant properties.

 

I started using the cream for a week and half. The cream is very thick and moisturizing and a little goes a long way! It may be a bit too creamy around my T-zone area so I try to apply a very thin layer on my face and focus on the underbags and corners of the face where the nose and lips crease.

So far it is a good investment and Pond's cremes are good for dry skin people, but for oily combination skin that may be a different case.

My skin does feel a bit smoother than before, but I have to reduce the use of it so my pores do not clog up in the night when I sleep.

Pond's Rejuveness Review:

I've used anti-aging creams before and found them really helpful in restoring elasticity to my face an making it smoother and richer. Many people would say I don't need any anti-aging creams, since I don't have wrinkles yet. But I disagree since our beauty sleep diminishes as age increases and that causes our eyes *the first things* to begin to look tired and have eye bags. O___O something that I definitely want to avoid and take top priority to increase my skin's vitality. 

Pond's rejuveness creme for anti-wrinkle contains AHA, Collagen, and Vitamin E. Though I was a bit disappointed when most anti-wrinkle creams contain Retinol, a Vitamin A that isknown to rejuvenate the skin and boost resilence, and Pond's version does not have it.

Alpha Hydroxy Acids Work primarily as an exfoliant but may also
help to stimulate the production of collagen.

Collagen Responsible for skin strength and elasticity,
and its degradation is what leads to wrinkles.

 

Vitamin E An anti-oxidant that fights free radicals to help with overall skin health; also has skin-soothing properties.

• WHAT IT DOES

• Applied day and night to the face and neck after cleansing, this anti-wrinkle
  moisturizing cream visibly reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles in
  two weeks for more beautiful, younger-looking skin.
• 

• HOW IT WORKS

• It fights the appearance of aging with its combination of a lacto-nutrient complex
  including AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids) to help with skin's surface cell renewal;
  occlusives to increase skin water content; humectants to attract and hold
  moisture in the skin; and vitamins known to be anti-oxidants that are skin
  conditioning. It also contains collagen, which helps keep skin firm.

 I also got some nail polishes since my lack of calcium, iron, or my bad diet has been causing my nail to chip more than usual. I purchased Sally Hansen Advanced: Hard As Nails that contain Nylon+Retinol as added ingredients.

If you have soft nails that break or peel easily and want hard nails that does not break/peel this is a good investment. The extra strength nylon fortifies nails and help prevent them from chipping, splitting, and peeling. As I know nylon is a synthetic polymer or coating for your nails as I remember from Organic Chemistry. Retinol & copper peptides deliver intense "hydration to dry, thirsty nails. Omega 3 & Soy reduce the apperance of ridges and imperfections."

So we know Retinol is a form of vitamin that helps skin and nails, but when compounded with Omega 3 it does both the benefits to help your nail restore its strength.

So you apply 2-3 coats and when you are done with your french manicure you can apply another layer for stronger and glossy looking nails that resists cracking and breaking. So far so good, my nails haven't chipped nor the nail polish begin to crack after 2 weeks.

Besides beauty products, I just can't resists to get some candy as well. I hit up the Easter Candy aisle and snagged some Kit-Kats. These are my favorite candies. I love the crispy waffers coated with the chocolate. I want to try the matcha (green tea), strawberry, etc. all the japanese flavors. But they are so hard to get them in TN. =(

 I got some Asian pastries and enjoyed my day just relaxing and drinking this new tea I got.
This is so fattening, but yummy. I love the whipped cream in the coconut pastry bun.

 This was amazingly huge...It looked like a big yield sign because it was a massive triangle pinnapple bun.

The Pomegranate Raspberry Tea contains Matcha so I thought to give it a taste since I love the Passion fruit tea from Starbucks, but I can't find it anywhere.

Well see you next time. Thanks for reading =)
yumi