Chef Boyar T

I was starving after Zumba this afternoon. There was lots of hip circling, pop locking, salsa cha-cha cha-ing involved in our class today. I was dripping in sweat. I think I need cute zumba clothes like this chick:

Wouldn't I look so much cuter if I wore these to my zumba workouts? Fugetaboutit!!

Anyways..back to being starving. Dinner was prepared by T tonight- pasta with crab meat and shrimp.. muy delicioso!

I was in charge of taking the pasta out of the pot when I thought it was done. I like my pasta a little past the point of al dente; shame on me, I am not a true italiano!

My heaping portion of pasta with a splash (okay more like a generous pour) of sauvignon blanc.

GASP! What is this I see?! Big no no on the white pasta. I packed away my whole wheat pasta for our upcoming move so we had to make do with what we had. Whole wheat pasta is so much better for you and tastes almost identical to regular pasta. There is NO reason why people shouldn't be eating WW pasta (well except if you're gluten free).

Little miss piggy is still hungry:

Fat free yogurt w. granola, coconut flakes, cocao nibs, and a half of a vegan ginger cookie crumbled on top. YUM!

Evening reading tonight:

I'm such a sappy sucker!

The spice of life

Last night, we met some friends for Indian food on Brick lane. Brick lane is a street in East London that offers many different Indian options. People stand in front of their establishments and try to entice you inside with their special dinner offer. We were promised 30% off and no service charge. SOLD!

 

Sauces for our pappadoms: My favorite is always the mango chutney. It's like jam! The one I liked the least was the pickeled lime on the bottom right. Whoever decided it was a good idea to eat it is just as silly as the next person who likes to eat orange rinds. Yuck!

I think these are the Indian version of chips and salsa. They are great with the dipping sauces.

*Mental note- remember to turn on the flash next time.* BYOB. I love places that allow you to bring your own booze. My fellow peeps drank COBRA (an Indian beer). I imbibed in:

Mixed grill appetizer- the meats were all very tender and flavorful. I had a bite of each with the salad accompaniment

Lamb biriyani- Seasoned rice with nice big tender chunks of lamb.

Chicken tikka masala- this is most red I've ever seen Chix Tikka but that means less cream=less fat

My dinner plate. I had a good sized portion of everything and half of a garlic naan. Garlic naan is a flatbread that reminds me of pita bread, only thinner and slightly bigger. It is usually dripping in butter and garlic. :) mmm.

EEEK!! I didn't learn from my last picture to sit up straight. Blergh. At least the company was lovely!

Breakfast this morning:

My body was screaming for something refreshing and healthy. My fruit sundae was comprised of 0% fat free greek yogurt, strawberries, blueberries, flax seed, wheat germ, and agave syrup layers.

Lunch today was at the Ebury:

I wish I didn't love bread and butter so much! At least the bread was whole grained!

Mine: Curried scallops w. french green beans, hazelnuts, and oranges. Apparently, I didn't get enough of the curry last night.

His: Smoked salmon w. scrambled eggs and olive oil drizzled bread.

Sticky toffee sundae: My goal is to try all the sticky toffee this city has to offer! I don't care if it's barely past 1 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon :). This one in particular was sub par. The pudding wasn't as moist as I'm used to and the toffee sauce could have been warmer. You can't go wrong with ice cream and clotted cream though.

Food induced coma later.. I'm off to Zumba!!

Movie review: I enjoyed Salt and you will too if you don't go in with high expectations for a complex thriller. It gave me all the elements I needed; action, a kick ass woman, and plot twists. I would recommend it for an alternative Friday night out.

Day trip to the beach

Welcome to Brighton!

Rocks?! Really?? I don't think my bum would appreciate laying on rocks.

Hello my friend.. how I've missed you! I think my zodiac element should have been water. Something about being near it; water soothes me and instantly brightons my mood (ha ha!) :)

This also helps:

I needed a hearty and warm lunch. Sweet corn soup and a pork tonkatsu bowl.

A little bit of gyoza and tako yaki on the side (I call them octopus balls!!)

My princess here would have liked some as well. Look at her giving me that supermodel pose! Next time sweet girl!

Sticky toffee pudding with ginger ice cream for dessert. Good thing I ran this morning :)

Momma's got a brand new pair of shoes! I hate to see summer end but I love to see it go...especially if it involves a sale!!

Song of the day: Jesse James "Wanted"

But you got me some Shawarma!!

Dinner tonight was takeout, otherwise known as takeaway here in the UK. A nice change from all the running around all week.

Chicken wings with garlic sauce. I know chicken wings are very bad for you but they are so tasty. At least these little nuggets weren't drowned in calorie bombtastic sauce.

Hummus with olive oil goodness running all around the sides.

Shredded pieces of lamb shawarma. It was good but my stomach is sort of doing a funky chicken dance. Maybe too much oil? After all, the picture does seem to be glistening.. not a good sign!

I had a sample of 3 different kinds of sandwiches- chicken, spicy sausage, and ground lamb. I took the wrapping off most of it so I wouldn't injest all those carbs!

Bottle of red to complement the meal. I had a nice big pour. The wine reminded me of how much I enjoyed Paris, sigh..

A little bite of carrot bundt cake because no dinner is complete without some form of dessert :)

Up next:
SALT!!!!

Tomorrow's activity: Brighton aka the first time at the beach all summer!! Looks like I won't be getting any sun though as it is projected to rain. Don't rain on my parade please.

Walk it out

I forgot how much I like lifting weights at an actual gym. I've been doing my strength training in my flat for a few months now with not much space to move around. It is so much nicer having mirrors and different equipment so I can vary my exercises. I'm also become more motivated when I see other women working out and lifting weights.

After my workout, I was craving a protein smoothie! I had to improvise so I bought a Starbucks mango passionfruit smoothie and mixed in my whey protein.

The afternoon consisted of walking around the city with a friend sightseeing and walking along the river. Our last destination was Bea's of Bloomsbury (apparently known for their baked goodies). Check out their spread. The smell coming from that place was heavenly!

Aren't you sweet as a cupcake!

I had a vanilla cupcake with lemon frosting. The frosting was whipped and light. The cupcake itself was pretty moist and not too sweet, which I preferred. A nice treat after a day of walking. Did I tell you how much I heart coffee? An Americano please for the American!

I tried a different flavor from the Berry Company and this time it was an actual juice drink instead of the tea that I had previously. It was sweet and refreshing. It doesn't hurt that Acai berries are also very good for you.
The apple is for my princess. My girl loves her apples- she must have gotten it from her momma!

Song of the day: Shakira "Spy"

Never too much Salt!

Last nights dinner consisted of a whole lotta tapas at the Salt Yard. This is probably my second favorite tapas restaurant in London; Cambio De Tercio tops my list!

When we arrived, I was starving marvin and I couldn't wait for our guest. MORE BREAD PLEASE!

Nice chunky grilled bread with garlic aioli. YUM!

The house white wine. Light and crisp. Just how I like it.

Lots of creamy and flavorful goat cheeses. I skipped the bread and just ate forkfuls of the cheese.

Fried zuchinni with honey drizzle for shizzle. The top of the zuchinni my friends would be a loaded bulb of warm goat cheese ready to explode in your mouth..Wowza!!

Wild salmon (Omega-3 alert!!) with a quail egg on top with green gazpacho sorbet. I wasn't a big fan of the green gazpacho because it was cold. I like my sorbets sweet not savory.

Fried seafood balls made of mussels, crab, and squid with a chili aoili.

Patatas fritas with not one but TWO dipping sauces :)

Chicken with Truffled Macaroni, Asparagus, Chestnut Mushrooms and Parmesan. If you haven't had truffled macaroni, you must try it. I can't begin to describe the flavor of truffle. It's the best stuff on earth!

Cod with fried lil shrimp and crispy breaded asparagus. Meh...Not my favorite. I thought the fish was too bland.

Squid with a mixture of tomatos, peas, onions, and bacon. You wouldn't think those ingredients go together but oh let me tell ya.. They did. DELISH!

Beef with carmelized onions and rocket leaves. The beef was too chewy but the flavor was nice.

Cinnamon sugar donuts with lemon zest and a side of choco chip ice cream. Oh yes, it's the unbotton the top of your jeans kind of dessert!

Buttermilk pannacotta with figs on top. It was alright. I wouldn't get it again. The pannacotta was sweet from the figs but as soon as all the figs were eaten, it was plain ole pannacotta!

So I might have gained 5lbs last night from all the delicious food but I have no regrets this morning. Life for me is about enjoying all the little pleasures *food and drink* but also knowing that I have to make some sacrifices for doing so. All the more reason for me to push harder during my workout today!!

Pre-run snack:

Off to go run and do some weights yo :)