NFL Fan Rally 2011

We had some Pho last night while my cold still lingered, and it felt really good to be eating clean for a change (no spices or curries of any kind). Although the soup was slightly cold, it was actually pretty tasty for being delivery (Hung Viet)

I had one of these delicious spring rolls. I love vietnamese style rolls because they aren't fried and they're usually filled with shrimp, noodles, herbs, and veggies. YUM!

mongolian duck

I was pretty satisfied with my PHO so I didn't have any of the other stuff T ordered but he said it all tasted pretty mediocre.

fried rice

beef curry

We stayed in and I called it an early night after dinner because I knew we had a long day ahead of us the next day. The initial plan was to do a house viewing at 10a.m. near Essex road so T and I went to The Diner, an American style diner close to the property. I was PUMPED when I saw the menu. I've had a weird hankering for American foods lately and when I saw the following on the menu, I literally squealed!  

• cobb salad
• hot dogs
• chili cheese fries (weird I know!!)
• burgers
• philly cheese steaks
• bacon (I was hoping it was real American bacon!!!)
• ketchup EVERYWHERE! Lol.

http://www.goodlifediner.com/

The food looked promising but unfortunately, failed to deliver on taste for the most part. T's pancakes weren't very fluffy or moist at all, the way pancakes should be. What can you really expect though; it's a greasy diner, not a gourmet restaurant!

Their spicy home fries was fantastic; a bit oily but the caramelised onions were delicious mixed in with the potatoes.

unbuttered, clean, yummy spinach

I was really hankering for waffles and bacon and this hit the spot in at least the bacon was good, chewy and undercooked, just how I like it. The waffle tasted like a sweet Belgian waffle you would get with chocolate on top so it was a bit too dessert like, even though I still ate most of it. :-)

After breakfast, the realtor cancelled on the property showing last minute (grrr!!), but on the plus side, we were able to head to the NFL Fan rally on time.

This is hands down one of my favorite things to do. Anything involving eating, the Chicago Bears, tailgating, or pep rally's I LURVE!! What can I say, I felt like a kid glowing on Christmas morning! haha. No. Joke.

1. I've been missing Chicago
2. Missing football
3. I wanted to see some Bears folk
4. I haven't been out of the house in a week and 1/2 people!!

sorta playing paparazzi...

We took some quick pictures before heading into the small crowd so we could get a good viewing spot before the bigger crowds.

I already had my sweatshirt on but I somehow managed to convince T to buy himself one! "You can't go to the game tomorrow without any gear on!!!" Oh, and he bought me a zip up one too :)

The Bears will be playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tomorrow at Wembley Stadium, which we are planning on going to!

these guys were so cute!

the announcers were having a bit too much fun!

Staley, the mascot.. lookin a little tubby!!! :-P

he was definitely my kind of mascot; this guy was running, dancing, and bum scooting around like the energizer bunny.

Couch Lovie!! What a guy!

 

Idonije, Gould, Knox, and Adams

I was super stoked to be so close to the players and apart of this once in a lifetime event here in London. Blessed!

He seems to be getting younger every time I see him!

mid afternoon entertainment to spice things up

this guy was an awesome beat boxer!

ehh.. I didn't enjoy these guys so much.. and that's all I'm going to politely say.

NFL commissioner speech

Chicago Bears Drumline

they were awesome and very energetic!

Staley taking over the drums

hey! he was quite good!

love. love. love. hip hop esq dancers

I forgot the duo's name but the singer had an amazing Adele like raspy voice. I'll have to find out who he is..

Did I take more pictures of Staley or the Bears players??? lol..

Tampa Bay cheerleaders

they were pretty good but I thought seeing them 4 times in the span of 3 1/2 hours was a bit much!!

Jerome "The Bus" Bettis

1985 Chicago Bears- awww you could definitely tell how much pride they had for Chicago and the Bears. I wanted to run up and bear hug these guys.

Otis Wilson, Richard Dent, Shaun Gayle

After attending the rally, I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO pumped about tomorrow's game. Bear down.

The best intentions..

Don't laugh at me, I made it to class today, and even made it on the bus to the gym... But I decided to get off and get Chilango's for lunch and go take a nap. I honestly couldn’t do it. My intentions were there. I SWEAR!!

Sadly, I didn't even make it to my friend's Stella and Dot party last night. I hate, HATE cancelling at the last minute, but then again, I don't really plan on getting last minute fevers either. 

T brought me home dinner last night from Tohbang. Some Korean umshik to make the pain all go away somewhat bearable.

Our spread

seafood pajun

kimchi

chicken bbq

beef bibimbap

soondubuchigae

cheese omelet for breakfast

side of smoked salmon

steak salad

decided to switch it up a bit and get steak instead of chicken

• grilled steak
• lettuce
• pinto beans
• black beans
• mild salsa
• hot salsa
• light cheese
• light sour cream

YUM!! I could eat Chilangos once a week and probably not be sick of it. Delish! 

Our Friday night consists of relaxing and getting a good nights sleep before the big day tomorrow. I'm hoping I feel better than I do now! Fingers crossed...

http://www.london.gov.uk/event-meeting/2011/oct/nfl-fan-rally

Are you ready for some football?

This cold has sort of gotten the best of me so I haven't really been in the blogging mood as of late. My routine this week has consisted of doing 3 things
1.) Sleeping/Napping (Since I don't seem to be sleeping through the night very well, I'm needing daily naps and/or to lie down to "rest my eyes"
2.) Eating
3.) Going to class
4.) Studying (barely)

I can't believe I made it to all my classes this week! *pats myself on the back*. T and I got some really fantastic news on Wednesday so I think I've been drifting on that high.. Lord knows I need some sort of high since I haven't been to the gym once this week! I'm taking my own advice and not hitting the gym when I'm sick. Hopefully by next week, I'll be recovered from this cold and ready to hit the some weights. I NEED to be  recovered from this cold. It's NFL weekend this week! Weee!! *squeal*
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/8833902/NFL-Fever-hits-London-this-weekend.html

Some of my recent eats:

London Turkish Kabob shop on the corner saves us on busy/lazy nights!

I always get the grilled chicken/lamb cubes with veggies and spicy red with garlic sauce

finding extra ways to sneak in some Vit-C

I've consumed lots of soup and noodles this week (this wasn't my only bowl!!)

I have this suspicion that the reason I got so powerfully sick is I wasn't eating well AT ALL and I wasn't exercising on a regular basis. Maybe its all in my head, but... maybe not..

mas soup

cinnamon and all-spiced eggs.. I can taste food AGAIN!! ever so slightly :)

don't ask me why I have a hankering for doritos!! Chicken soup, millet bread, chips, and a glass of OJ (I had an unpictured tuna sandwich on the bus back home from school)

afternoon snack attack: I made myself some chicken wings to go w. broccoli and ranch dip. ha!!

the wings were washed in water, coated with a prepackaged chicken fry mix, seared in a skillet and finished cooking in the oven. I think next time I'll remove the skin from the chicken first!!

Well, I'm heading out soon for a trunk show party so I best get ready! I'm not much of an accessory person but I've always considered that my weak spot I want to improve. What perfect timing that my ex-pat friend invited me to a showing of Stella and Dot at her flat. I told her my sick bootay will come but now I'm thinking I won't stay the entire 2 hours... Please go away cold!!

Golden curried tofu

Gar! I can't seem to turn this IPhone photo right side up! I made Golden Curry last night after deciding I've had enough delivery and takeout to last me until tomorrow a lifetime. I couldn't understand all the foreign language on the packaging but I managed to interpret the 3 photos on the back. Saute veggies, add 1400 ml water (almost 6 cups), add curry blocks, stir and simmer until thickened.

Don't be afraid of the BIG. BAD. BLOCK. of BROWN

I peeled 4 potatoes, cut into small chunks, and boiled until just about softened.

I sauteed my veggies: zucchini, red onions, mushrooms in some minced garlic and EVOO.

added just under 6 cups of water and waited until it boiled to add the curry blocks. I made sure to constantly stir the pot so that the chunks of curry had a chance to melt evenly.

I simmered the curry for about 20 minutes, added in some blocks of firm silken tofu, and lastly mixed in the softened potatoes.

I made myself a small plate over brown rice while waiting for T to get home. It was delicious and really simple to make!! Next time I think I'll add some other protein, like beef  but tonight, tofu was the only thing I had in the house.

blackberry oats for breakfast

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup oats
• dash of cinnamon
• frozen blackberries
• maple syrup

topped with a little bit of speculoos

Agenda: nap, study, teach zumba, study...