DVF ♥ babyGap

I love all the idea of high-end designers partnering with mass market retailers. Missoni for Target, Jason Wu for Target, Marni at H & M. Diane von Furstenberg and BabyGap. I really wished DVF did something for the women's line, because I love the prints on the wrap dresses. Check out these dresses from BabyGap, super cute! 

 

Paleo diet flowchart

This is very helpful!

Source unknown

My jeans fit better!

I don't know if I'm imagining things, but I think my jeans fit better! It could be my new Paleo eating habits (I think I'm good only 50% of the time) or it could be the 3 sessions of Crossfit On Ramp? Either way, I'm happy and feel encouraged to keep going :)

I met the girls for our usual Thursday dinner yesterday. And it was very bad for me. We checked out a new Thai/Asian Fusion restaurant that opened in Valley Fair. I didn't hold back, I ate the pineapple shrimp fried rice, potatoes in the yellow curry, white rice and had a cocktail. We had so much catching up to do, we weren't going to make it to the movie we had planned to catch and we ended up having dessert at Cheesecake Factory. The three of us split a raspberry lemon cheesecake, yummy! Gloria was disciplined and refused to partake in the mortal sin, otherwise we would have ordered two cheesecakes ;)

Feeling bad about last night, I decided to be good today. I made breakfast this morning, it took me 5-10 minutes and it was a good breakfast. I was very busy today, so I made myself a huge salad at the cafeteria and ate at my desk. 

Don't you think Paleo meals look delicious? I do! 

Scrambled eggs with tomatoes and parsley

A big salad for a cave girl! Yea!

Recipe: Paleo Spaghetti

I've never cooked spaghetti squash before. But I now know that this is a great substitute for spaghetti. I cooked the spaghetti squash with cherry tomatoes and basil pesto. I did all the cooking on Tuesday night and saved the pasta in a glass container. The sea scallops were already marinated (I ate them with strawberry argula salad on Tuesday). So yesterday night, after we were done with Crossfit class, we just heat up the pasta in the microwave oven and pan-seared the scallops, and we had a delicious dinner. I was worried Matt wouldn't like it but he thought it was very yummy. And the best part is, it's good for us.

My Paleo dinner :)

I didn't take any photos of the process of making it, but found some good pictures on Steamy Kitchen that I'm going to share here. It's so easy! The recipe calls for it to be baked for an hour, I was too lazy to do that so I stuck it in the microwave oven for 6 minutes. 

Cut the squash into half. Remove the seeds and scrape away the stringy stuff in the squash. 

Put each half in the microwave oven for 6 minutes. When it's ready, use a fork to scrape the stringy bits.

See? Looks just like spaghetti but it's actually good for you!

Next time, I'll try to bake it instead of microwaving it to see if it tastes better. And I'll just cook it with garlic, olive oil and top it with cut chilli or serrano pepper. 

My chilli red garlic press

My days of laboring over garlic is over! Meet my new friend, Trudeau garlic press!

Source: Amazon

I went to TJ Maxx yesterday. I love, love, love shopping for kitchenware at TJ Maxx and Marshalls. It was only $12.99, even cheaper than Amazon. But the garlic press that I'd really wanted is the Kuhn Rikon, the product reviews are amazing! But oh well, mine's cheaper, it's in a hot chilli red color and it works great! I'm happy :) 

Scallops with strawberry arugula salad

Eating Paleo is not cheap! Wild caught fish, organic herbs, vegetables and fruits, grass fed beef, cage free poultry. But as I get older, I'm starting to agree that we should take care of our body and (try to) only put the best stuff to care for our body. I went grocery shopping at Whole Foods today and stock up on some essentials. I now understand why Whole Foods is popularly known as Whole Paycheck. 

Having said that, even when you do shop at Whole Foods, do pay attention to the labeling. I've bought salmon filets that aren't cheap, only to find out, upon close examination of the fine prints on the price tag, that they are farm raised and not wild caught. Don't assume everything at Whole Foods is organic. It's only organic if they say so. And usually it's slightly more expensive. I remember almost paying $1 a lemon, an organic one. Thankfully, Mitch now supplies me with meyer lemons, for free! 

Ok, back to what I had intended to blog about. My second attempt at eating Paleo was great, I made myself a delicious dinner. 

Homemade pan-seared scallops served with
strawberry argula salad

Pan-seared scallops 

(Serves 2-4 depending on whether you serve this as an appetizer or entree)

Adapted from The Food Lovers Make it Paleo and Paleo Adventure

Ingredients:

• 12 scallops
• 1 tbsp olive oil (I still haven't transitioned to using coconut oil) 
• 2 shallots, minced 
• 2 garlic, minced
• 4 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped 
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• Juice of 1 lemon (I use meyer lemon)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 

Preparation:

• Rinse scallops with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel, set aside.
• In a bowl or ziploc bag, place the minced shallots, minced garlic, finely chopped parsley, paprika, juice of 1 lemon and a dash of sea salt and pepper. Mix well. 
• Add the scallops to the marinade. Make sure scallops are well marinated. 
• Heat olive oil in a frying pan. 
• Add scallops to frying pan.
• Sear scallops for approximately 2 minutes per side. 
• Tip: Consider using a splatter cover. 

Strawberry argula salad 

(Serves 2)

Adapted from Laaloush's Pear, Quinoa and Spinach Salad (also very delicious, but I don't know if quinoa is Paleo)

Ingredients:

• 4 cups argula
• 6-8 strawberries, thinly sliced 
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped 
• 1 tbsp walnut oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp pomegranate vinegar (you can also use strawberry/raspberry balsamic vinegar)
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• Sea salt to taste (I cheated and used 1 tbsp fat free vegetable broth, probably not Paleo but I had it in the fridge)
• Optional: 1/4 tsp fresh chives, chopped  

Preparation:

• Whisk oil, vinegar, broth/sea salt, chives and black pepper in a large salad bowl. Make sure all ingredients are evenly combined. 
• Add strawberries and argula. Toss lightly to coat. 

Paleo Hacks...clever!

Just in the last couple of days, I've discovered a few Paleo or CrossFit blogs that I love! I've created a bookmark folder in Google Chrome. This is cliche and obvious, but I'm constantly amazed at the amount and relevance of information you can find on the Internet, on any given topic!

Here is the list:

• Girl walks into a bar(bell)
• The clothes that make the girl
• Mark's Daily Apple
• Paleo Adventure
• The Food Lovers' Primal Palate
• Robb Wolf

And of course, there's FitBomb and Nom Nom Paleo that I mentioned in my earlier post. 

I know I can't be 100% clean in my Paleo diet. I love cheese, bread, pasta and wine too much to give up completely. Instead, I'll strive for 80%. I've been wondering how I can follow the Paleo diet without my friends and colleagues asking if I'm on a diet and thinking I'm no fun to dine with. OMG, just thinking about passing on the bread basket makes me wince. 

Girl walks into a bar(bell) shares her Paleo hacks, which I think are very clever! 

Chipotle Paleo Hack: 

Source

I love Chipotle, who doesn't? What's a Paleo girl gotta do? I'm going to try this next time. Chicken/steak bowl, no rice (yes, not even brown), double lettuce, no beans, two scoops mild salsa (I love the fresh tomatoes), one scoop hot salsa. Like GWIABB, I'm going to pass on guacamole, but not because I don't love it but because it costs extra. 

In n Out Paleo Hack (Thank God!):

Source

I've started ordering my cheeseburger protein style, animal style. I'll try this next time, "Double Meat mustard fried with grilled onions, chopped chillies, and extra tomatoes portein style. Please hold the spread." Wow, this is a mouthful, I may need a pocket card to help me remember this. LOL. But this is awesome, I can still have my In n Out burgers! Yea!

Recipe: Paleo Korean bi bim bap

My 3 Paleo cookbooks arrived on Friday and I was ecstatic. There are so many good recipes that I want to try. Sadly, I don't have most of the basic ingredients that the Paleo recipes call for. I'll make a trip to Whole Foods this evening to buy coconut oil, almond flour (I can still bake, yea!), almond milk, good quality olive oil and grass fed/clarified butter. And most of the recipes are protein-rich, requiring 1-2lbs of beef, chicken, etc. So I'm going to finally make use of my Costco membership and make a trip there this weekend to buy some beef, chicken, salmon, eggs, etc. I'm hoping Costco has organic produce!

So yesterday, I made Korean Cauliflower Rice Bowl (similar to Korean bi bim bap which Matt loves!), based on a recipe featured in Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals cookbook. He's a liar, it took me more than 30 minutes to prep for dinner. All that grating and chopping (I need to invest in a garlic press!) took so much time. I was planning to have dinner cooked so we can eat after our workout. But that just wasn't possible. I did all the prep work and put the ingredients in ziploc bags and dashed out. I was 5 minutes late for our 2nd CrossFit On Ramp training.

We did the cooking after our workout, and that took less than 30 minutes. I guess Mark Sisson's reference to 30minutes is the actual cooking time. But it was a delicious, primal, carb-free dinner. How interesting, grated cauliflower to replace rice. Yummy and healthy. But we chased that down with a Manhattan (alcohol is very bad for Paleo diet...oops!)

This isn't a good picture. But this rice bowl is filled with microwaved grated cauliflower at the bottom and covered with sauteed shredded carrots, organic spinach and shitake mushroom and beef slices marinated in Tamari sauce, rice wine vinegar, toasted sesame oil and chopped garlic.

My first Paleo attempt...success! :)

Have you heard of the Paleo diet?

Matt and I met with a Crossfit trainer last week. We were hoping to do private training but his schedule is too packed, he's unable to train us. Instead, we will join the 4-week On Ramp introductory class, starting this Saturday. I'm excited but also scared! I've been looking at pictures of Crossfit women. In those pictures, they're lifting huge barbells, pulling a car (omg, really!?), crazy gymnastic moves and other moves that I can hardly see myself doing. Yes, that's what we are signing up for!

Jorge also introduce us to the Paleo diet. I've never heard of it and in the last week, I've been doing some research. I found many blogs touting about the benefits of Paleo and the changes they feel and see in their bodies. Paleo is a modern nutritional plan that mimics that of our hunter-gatherer ancestors - lean meats, seafood, vegetables, fruits and nuts. 

I found this description of Paleo on Whole Nine via Fitbomb, 

I eat "real" food - fresh, natural food like meat, vegetables and fruit. I choose foods that are nutrient dense, with lots of naturally-occurring vitamins and minerals, over foods that have more calories but less nutrition. And food quality is important - I'm careful about where my meat comes from, and buy produce locally and organically as often as possible. 

It's not a low calorie "diet" - I eat as much as I need to maintain strength, energy and a healthy weight. In fact, my diet is probably much higher in fat than you'd imagine. Fat isn't the energy - it's a great energy source when it comes from high quality foods like avocado, coconut and nuts. And I'm not trying to do a "low carb" thing, but since I'm eating vegetables and fruits instead of bread, cereal and pasta, it just happens to work out that way.  

Eating like this is good for maintaining a healthy metabolism, and reducing inflammation within the body.  It’s been doing great things for my energy levels, body composition and performance in the gym.  It also helps to minimize my risk for a whole host of lifestyle diseases and conditions, like diabetes, heart attack and stroke.

Fitbomb's wife, Nom Nom Paleo shares some amazing Paleo recipes on her blog. The pictures of the food looks amazing, and I'm thinking following a Paleo diet wouldn't be too hard for me. I've always thought of myself as one of those who live to eat rather than eat to live. But I'm starting to pay the price of my gluttony, my clothes are getting tighter and my family who haven't seen me in months weren't afraid to tell me that I need to lose weight.

Check out this Paleo food blog, I likey!

I've also ordered 3 Paleo cookbooks and I can't wait for them to arrive!

So begins our Crossfit/Paleo adventure! I'm going to work out at least four times a week (3 Crossfit classes) and cook more.

Happy Valentine's Day

Remember to let the ones you love know that you love them!

Can you believe Jennifer Aniston is 43?

Check out the cover of Instyle's March 2012 issue. Jennifer Aniston looks gorgeous!

Source: Huffington Post

Stella, Stella

My faithful companion at SFO. I'm just sitting around, waiting for my flight which is taking off in 1hr 30min.

What better way to ready myself for a flight than a beer! I'm so ready to sleep...*yawn*

Cheesy bridal shower game

It's Cynthia's bridal shower today and the maid of honor has asked that we each bring an underwear for her. We'll be playing a guessing game where Cynthia has to guess the underwear each guest brought.

I really didn't know what to bring till Steph showed us a picture of a VS underwear with the words "All Nighter" on it coz they went clubbing a lot when Cynthia was still single. That gave me an idea to bring something that hopefully reminds her of dressing up for the Halloween parties we used to go to. One year, I'd borrowed Cynthia's police officer costume. It actually took me a year to return it, oops!

So here, I found a cartoon online. I printed it, cut it out and stick it onto the cute pink underwear I bought. Hope she gets it right!

It's such a cheesy game but I think it'll be fun!

Objects of desire

At the end of last year, I spent time sorting all my clothes and I ended up donating 5 big bags (filled to the brim!) of clothes and shoes to Goodwill. And I still have one box of clothes at home, filled with clothes that are either brand new or worn only once, that I couldn't bear to donate and I'm hoping I'll get round to selling them someday. So this year, I'm going to only buy clothes that I love! If I don't love it, I'm not going to buy it. And I've learn the hard way that I shouldn't buy clothes that can't be returned.

Here's the list of items I would love to have. But ever since I started using Mint regularly to keep track of my expenditure, it has been hard for me to justify such big purchases. 

1. Booties (These are now in my shoe closet! I bought them for 50% less at a Stuart Weitzman sale!)

I really want a pair of ankle-length suede booties. I've seen lots of booties but they aren't cut the way I like it. I want a pair that is right at the ankles with a rounded (in this case, V) front. This way, they elongate the legs. These would be versatile, they'll look great with a dress and tights or jeggings. 

Stuart Weitzman "Greatneck" booties from Bloomingdales

2. Classic tall gray Uggs

For the longest time, I thought these are the ugliest things! Then a lot of my friends started wearing them (both short and tall) and I was convinced to try a pair. I love it, it's nice and warm! Call me a groupie, but I want a pair too! 

Source: Bloomingdales

3. Ballet flats

I really NEED a pair of ballet flats for the weekends coz I have nothing to wear on weekends. I can't wear the high heels that I wear for work and I don't want to wear sneakers. And it's so cold now, it's not sandals season. But it has to be comfy, I've tried too many pairs of flats that look great but hurt! Can't decide if I want the Tory Burch Reva in black or gold. Is gold too loud?

4. Macbook Pro or Air

I've been thinking it's time for a new computer. My 4-year old iMac still works and looks as beautiful as on Day 1 but it'll be nice to have the portability of a laptop. These babies aren't cheap though, hmm.

5. Dining table and chairs that I love!

I bought the dining table that I have now off Craigslist. It was the day I was moving in to my apartment, and I was in Half Moon Bay to pick up a Room and Board couch that I bought off someone on Craigslist. I was desperate for a dining set coz I was moving in and had sold the one I had (I wanted a new look!). While we were driving back to South Bay, I looked up CL posting on my phone and found a Crate & Barrel dining set that was going for $60. $60! Cheap, cheap, cheap! And it was in Mountain View, which wasn't far from my apartment. I called rightaway, got there, took a look and into the U-Haul it went! The girl that I bought the dining set from said it was the fastest CL sale ever! I'd called 5 minutes after she posted it. 

But what I really want is a mid-century teak dining table with 2 expandable leaves to accommodate 6 when I have dinner parties. And I really want Eames chairs! I doubt I'm going to make the plunge though, no more furniture hunting till I have my own house (hopefully by 2013?). 

Source: The Brick House

My list of best and worst dressed stars at GG 2012

Did you watch the Golden Globe 2012 awards on Sunday? I was working my ass off on the treadmill at the gym (with the illusion that I may someday look perfect like one of those beautiful stars on the big screen...fat hope, pun intended) and this was on. I don't really care about who wins what award, I am more interested in what the stars wear! Check out this list of best and worst dressed stars on NYDailyNews.com. Unless otherwise stated, all the pictures in this posting were taken from the site.

Best dressed
Charlize Theron dazzles in this dress! The camera panned across the room and I caught a glimpse of her in the soft pink dress and thought she looked fabulous. For a minute, I was toying with the idea of looking for a dress in this color to wear to my sister's church ceremony in 2 weeks. Also love the sparkly headband, I have a similar one that I bought from Asos. I'll ask the stylist if she could make me look like Charlize Theron. LOL!

Charlize Theron in Dior 

Nude dresses trump!
I've certainly noticed nude/nud-ish dresses are all over the red carpet on Sunday. And I think they are lovely! Well, most of them anyways. Jessica Biel's covered up lacy dress was dreadful!

Diane Lane in Reem Acra. Can you believe she's 46?

Shaileen Woodley in Marchesa

Jessica Alba making a spectacular
post-baby appearance in Gucci

Nicole Kidman in Versace

Nude fashion faceoff!
(Source: E! Online)
One of a woman's worst fear, showing up for a party to find another girl dressed in the same dress! This is the same dress, but a different party. Julie Bowen looks gorgeous in the nude dress, I love the beaded cap sleeve. Who wore it better? I have to say Olivia Wilde looked better in the off-white version.

Julie Bowen (Golden Globe '12) and Olivia Wilde (Emmy's 2008)

Classic black

Black will always be in style. I think these stars wore it best! 

Selma Hayek in Gucci

Mila Kunis in Christian Dior

Claire Danes in J. Mendel

I included Sofia Vergara in this category too. Well, dark blue is kinda black-ish. I have never thought of her as attractive or hot, I've seen photos of her where I thought she looked mannish. But she sizzles in this dress and looks gorgeous here!

Sofia Vergara in Vera Wang. HOT!

Helen Mirren in Badgley Mischka. 

Worst dressed

I don't know why fashion critics are saying Michelle Williams is one of the best dressed. I think she looks dreadful in this purplish velvety gown. I like Jason Wu (I'm going gaga over his soon-to-be-launched Target collection) but this is just blah. 

Michelle Williams in Jason Wu

Lea Michele in Marchesa

Amanda Peet in Marc Jacobs.
The tiered lace makes her look frumpy. 

Madonna in Reem Acra

Kelly Osbourne in Zac Posen.

Naya Rivera in Vera Wang.
The fabric is cheap looking!

Best of show
This cute Jack Russell, Uggie, stole the show!

Looking smart in a black bow tie ;)

One last thing...
By  the way, did anyone think Matt LeBlanc has a lot of gray hair?

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Printable 2012 calendar

I've been looking for a 2012 wall calendar for my office work space. I was almost going to buy either the Ansel Adams calendar for $20 or the Paper Source one (see picture below) for $29.95. But I could really save that $20/$30.

2012 Paper Source Wall Art Calendar 

I've tried searching for free printable ones on Google, but just couldn't find anything I like. Not till just now! Through Pizzazzerie, I found these pretty calendars by RedStamp. Aren't they pretty? The best part is, they're FREE!

Blue Ikat - Download here

Modern Typography - Download here

Confetti - Download here

Multi Big Number - Download here (I am using this)

Ornamental vine - Download here

I also downloaded the RedStamp app for my iPhone. It allows you to customize invitations and you can send the invites to family and friends via text, email, paper mail, etc. I like the designs and typography, very simple and stylish, and I love the choice of colors! This is an app I'm going to be using a lot :)