Blueberry muffins with almond streusel

Dinner last night was leftover chinese, sauteed mushrooms and shallots (siracha, soy sauce), and fried rice. I couldn't be bothered to do any actual cooking other than the vegetables. Our fridge was totally empty too!

I ate store bought apple pie and hazelnut sponge cake while watching One Tree Hill. Talk about a blast from the past... I haven't watched that show in years, but somehow managed to keep up with the storyline like a bad soap opera :)

 This morning, I was in a baking mood so I decided to make some blueberry muffins from this cookbook:

I've had this cookbook for a few years now and I always go to it when I'm craving something delicious, but also on the healthy side.

I made blueberry muffins with almond streusel on top. As always, I didn't follow the directions completely and they turned out pretty good but I think they could have been better if I had just followed the streusel recipe correctly. Instead of chopping the slivered almonds into smaller pieces, I left em in their original form, which made for the topping a bit too chunky texturally instead of crunchy, as it probably should have been.

Below is the recipe I found online. The only thing I changed was I used skim milk instead of 2% milk.
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/blueberry-power-muffins-with-almond-streusel-10000000671030/

my poor excuse of an almond streusel topping

nice and golden blueberry muffins

No surprise here as I ate one straight outtadaoven ;)

I just couldn't help myself. Seriously.

After my lil baking fiesta, I went to the gym and did a quick warm up on the treadmill for 6 minutes starting with some light jogging, and afterwards did a chest and tricep session.

10 reps, 3 sets

• Barbell bench press (15kg)
• Tricep kickback (5kg dumbbells)
• Cable chest fly 
• overhead tricep rope extension on pulley machine
• incline chest press (5kg dumbbells)
• tricep dips on bench
• Stretches

After the gym, I made myself a quick muscle recovery protein smoothie and then followed it later with some lunch.

• almond milk
• frozen banana
• scoop protein powder
• frozen berries
• agave nectar
• toppings: sprinkle of cranberry and maple muesli

Just a simple turkey sandwich dressed up with lettuce, avocado, mayo, siracha, and a side of mature cheddar and onion kettle chips-- yum!

I have a strong desire to be productive today but my eyes want to shut for some reason.. I think a nap may be in order for this afternoon.

slow and steady wins the race

On Saturday, we ordered some Lebanese food from Mezza Express in Camden. As always, everything was very delicious. The whole chickpeas on top adds a really nice different but still creamy texture to the hummous- yum!

side veggies

I was super happy to be eating falafel again after my gluten free stint. Chickpeas, the main ingredient in falafel don't contain any gluten, but most recipes for falafel calls for some flour. These were very tasty!

the grilled meats platter

my plate had a little bit of everything-- yum!

This morning, I decided to make some scrambled eggs as usual, but this time, I declared in my kitchen (yes, I often speak outloud to myself- don't judge ;) ) that I was going to use some butter, and I was going to use some butter specifically because of Jennie.

Jennie is a blogger I accidentally stumbled upon when surfing the blogosphere a while back. Her story is a tragic one as she recently lost her husband due to an instant deadly heart attack. He was only in his 30's and left behind Jennie and their two young children.

Strangely, even though I don’t know her, I find myself drawn to her website almost daily. Since her husband passed, she doesn’t post as often as I check, but she does keep writing. I love that. Her posts usually make me cry, but this one made me determined to make the fluffiest scrambled eggs to date!

A tiny backstory- the way I usually cook my eggs is on high heat and with multiple sprays of PAM or some other non stick spray. I think this is because I'm diluted and think this saves tons of calories. It probably isn't the case because I didn't use tons of butter this morning and the eggs turned out fantastic.

As I was stirring my eggs on low heat this morning, I kept repeating to myself “slow and steady wins the race.” I also sent some healing vibes to Jennie and her family, even though I’ve never let her know who I am.

http://www.injennieskitchen.com/2011/09/into-the-light.html

the eggs were fluffy as the post predicted and super buttery and delicious

In the gym:

• Treadmill run for 30 minutes
• ab work
• stretch

For lunch, I picked up another Pret A Manger's sweet chili chicken and coriander sandwich, and paired it with a side of balsamic and vinegar chips.

Agenda: learn some more zumba choreography, read, relax

This weekend in pictures

 

Bowl of oats

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 very ripe banana mushed
• sprinkle of cinnamon
• dash of salt
• maple syrup drizzle

Gym time: 3 sets, 10-12 reps

• Deadlift with 20 kg barbell
• Barbell press with 12kg barbell
• Calf raise while holding 8 kg dumbbell
• Quadraped with 5kg dumbbell 
• upright row with 6kg dumbbells
• reverse lunge with 5kg dumbbells
• seated bent over lateral raise
• stretch

Que Viet restaurant

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/place?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=que+viet+london+restaurant&fb=1&gl=uk&hq=que+viet+london+restaurant&hnear=0x48761b5dedeb3be5:0x54f085cb18ec65c9,Islington&cid=11380032141008328503

T took me a Vietnamese neighbourhood near Old Street tube, and I was quite shocked at the large number of restaurants door to door. We chose one for lunch by default since the one we had originally planned on decided to alter their opening time to whenever the hell they felt like it. I’m sorry but I don’t respect dining establishments that don’t adhere to their times listed on the door.

The service was great and the food equally so!

I'm really loving on these Instagram photos.

Pho! I squeezed in  a whole lot of siracha after taking this picture to make it extra spicy--- yuuummmmy!!

Our baby boo boo turned 2 yesterday! This was taken right after her spa treatment where she had her first bath in months had a lovely wash, trim, nail clippings, teeth cleaned, and anal glands expressed (eewww!!) at Mutz Nutz. The place only charged us £25 since Nomi was so small and beautiful. Okay, so I'm making up the beautiful part but doesn't she look so sharp in her burfday suit?

Call me doggy obsessed!

Wahaca

Last night's dinner with the girls at Wahaca was probably one of the best dining experiences I've had in a long time. Wahaca is a Mexican restaurant and its concept is authentic Mexican street food. Thankfully, we arrived and were seated pretty much right away. The place was jam packed and it only grew busier as the night went on. I luuuurved all the different flavours of our food, yum; everything was so spicy and delicious!

The meal last night was also considered our last supper since one of the chickadees is flying back to her coop! I mean moving back to her home in Canada/Bejing. :)

The way the menu is set up, you can order a variety of tapas like dishes to share with friends or order bigger dishes to either share or eat by yourself. We ordered a bunch of small plates to share, one big salad and a tiny side of rice.

Chips and Dip- Can you tell me someone who can eat just ONE chip? I would like to meet 'em, shake their hand, and say, "congratulations my friend, you just did the impossible."

Some Iphone Istagram action

spicy chicken quesadilla (pronounced- case A dilla! :-D)

spicy sauce on top of the quesadilla PRONTO!! Spice averse eaters beware-- the sauces are pretty hot!

the dipping sauces were very spicy but super delicious!

I had a sip of my friend's horchata- it was cinnamon-y and dairylicious. I would kill to be in that kitchen where this cinnamon milk is being made. Mmmmm heavenly!!

Poo pooh! Excuse my blurry iphone picture. This pic does not do this salad any justice. It was a delicious salad with lettuce, corn, avocado, black beans, and a delicious Mexican tasting relish.

pork tacos- the wonderful flavor of the juicy pork combined with red onions, and cilantro were spot on!!

We ordered a new item on Wahaca's menu: queso fundido with cactus and fried cheese on top. If you haven't tried cactus, I would definitely recommend doing so if you are lucky enough to see it on a menu. I've only had it a few times but every time, I've very much enjoyed the mild flavour of it.

scallop and shrimp ceviche with a squeeze of fresh lime.. Nom nom nom....need I say more?

I thought the ceviche was worthy of an Instagram transformation. We also ordered a second one because it was just that fresh and delicious!

We ended the meal with dessert even though we agreed we were pretty full.

churros (fried dough) and chocolate dip

What a lovely way to end the meal and our time together just the three of us. It's been so great dining out with these ladies; they are true foodies!

I took this picture yesterday at the park with lil Nomi's. Fall is upon us fo sho!

On to a more sad topic that's been weighing on my heart. Recently, a dear friend of mine sprung the news that her mother’s illness had taken a turn for the worst. Upon hearing this, my heart began aching for her and her family. I naturally began to think about my own mother, and had an urgency to call her and hear her voice. Events like these always remind me never to take anything for granted.

After wallowing in some sadness this morning, I've come up with a short list of life’s little reminders. Here are some of them:

Live life unapologetic; be yourself always

Embrace your weird quirks, celebrate them, and ignore all the haters!! :)

Find things in life you truly enjoy and do it more often

Think positively

Smile and laugh often

Stop and smell the roses, or whatever else you love! Mine would be chocolate chip cookies.

Always know that when your life seems bad, someone is probably fighting a bigger battle
Judge less; love more
Love your parents; call them often

Each day is a new day, mistakes happen, learn from them because you can always start over!

Celebrate your body; nourish it; exercise it  *btw- my arms kill from yesterday's lifting session- SWEET!!!!*