Marriage License by Norman Rockwell
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Franklin, TN, USA
Manila, Philippines
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Tuesday, June 12, 2007
That hit the spot :-)
Current Mood: CC is listening to: Meditation--Charlie Byrd (Byrd by the Sea) Ever just have a craving for sour candy? As in, the more sour, the better?
I found a candy that hit the spot :-)...
I guess because they felt and seemed like gummy bears I didn't think they'd be very sour. The taste took me by surprise :-). It's even more sour when you bite into it immediately vs. just letting it melt in your mouth :-).
Current Mood: CC is listening to: nothing right now Last night, for Steve's birthday (it's not until the 7th, but this was the weekend prior to it), we went to a restaurant we'd never tried before: Texas de Brazil Churrascaria.
We LOVED it :-)! If you've never eaten there before, let me tell you how it works: you come in, get seated, and you're given these cardboard discs about the size of a lens cap. It's red on one side and green on the other. I'll explain how this works in a little bit, but for right now, your server will have it red side up.
Meanwhile, you get up and go over to their 50-item seasonal salad area that also has roasted vegetables and other side dishes.
As you're eating your salad, you'll probably notice these guys (called "gauchos") walking around holding up various kinds of meats on what looks like a portable spit. They stop at certain tables and slice off chunks of meat for the customers.
Once you're done with your salad, you're ready for the good stuff :-). You'll be given a new plate, and now you turn your disc over so that it's green. Essentially that's the signal for the gauchos to come on over to your table and to offer the meat.
Oh MAAAAANN that was some good stuff. If you're having dinner here, it would be a good idea to prep yourself by not eating lunch :-). I tried the Brazilian sausage, the garlic beef steak, and a little pork tenderloin. Steve tried the lamb chops, the garlic beef steak, and the filet mignon (it's SOOO soft it practically melts in your mouth). There were SO many different kinds of meat you could try, I doubt there's any way you could try it all in one trip.
You're also given these awesome side dishes (apart from what you can get at the salad bar): fried bananas with a hint of cinnamon and sugar, garlic mashed potatoes, and cheese bread.
When you need to stop and catch your breath, flip the disc over so that it's red again:
You might be wondering: how do they bill you for something like that? It's all fixed price. When you go there for lunch, it's $20.00 a person, when you go there for brunch it's $35.00 a person, and for dinner it's $43.00 a person.
{tries to see if I can find a menu} OOhhh, you're in luck! Click on the picture to zoom in.
Steve and I will definitely come back for special occasions. $43 a person is expensive, but man, it's worth it :-).
Current Mood: CC is listening to: Think of Laura--Christopher Cross (The Very Best of Christopher Cross) I'm not really a big peanut butter fan--I'm not fond of Reese's Pieces and I've only ever had peanut butter sandwiches.
Today I discovered what it was like to put peanut butter on *toast.*
Man, talk about simple pleasures :-).
I mean, I've had toast, I've had peanut butter, but I never really thought of putting them together. It was certainly a demonstration of the whole being better than the sum of its parts: the toast was nice and crispy and warm, and it was making the peanut butter all gooey and melt-in-your-mouthy.
Current Mood: CC is listening to: The Red Pony: Suite For Orchestra: IV. Walk To The Bunkhouse--Philadelphia Orchestra (Copland: Orchestral Works: Fanfare For The Common Man/Rodeo: Three Dance Episodes/The Red Pony Suite/Lincoln Portrait) Ever heard of Gilad? He's the guy whose show I exercise to about 4 times a week on the cable channel FitTV. Sometimes I work out to his older show called "Bodies in Motion," and sometimes it's his newer series called "Total Body Sculpt."
What I like about FitTV is that they've got a whole slew of trainers that you can choose from. Some people like the perky cheerleader types, other people like the hard-core no-mercy type instructors.
I like Gilad because he's more logical about it--he explains why we're doing that particular move, and how to do it so that you maximize the benefits.
Here's a 4-minute sample of what he does. The episodes are only 30 minutes long (10 minutes warmup, 10 minutes conditioning, 10 minutes abs & cooldown), but sometimes they're the longest 30 minutes of your life :-). Just when you think it's all over, he demands you do the move in *singles.* I remember when I did the workout in this video(this is from his Total Body Sculpt series). I had 5 pound dumbbells on each hand and towards the end I was sputtering at the TV, "Gilad, you #@;*$%..!"
But he's the only trainer I come back to every time :-).
Whenever I feel like I have to reduce my caloric intake and don't want to worry about eating a teeny tiny meal and ending up feeling hungry later, I get a can of these:
Depending on the brand you get, you only consume like 40-50 calories when you eat the whole 15-oz. can. That may not seem impressive until you remember that a can of regular Coke is about 140 calories. That sure seems illogical on an eating level, doesn't it--that a softdrink can have 3 times the calories as a can of food.
And you feel FULL after eating it too, or at least I did. I guess it's because I eat them one at a time--my brain thinks since I've put food in my mouth as many times as I would a regular meal, I must have eaten a regular meal.
Other good points about straw mushrooms:
No cholesterol
Low in saturated fat
No sugar
Very high in dietary fiber
Very high in iron
High in pantothenic acid
High in phosphorus
Very high in protein
High in riboflavin
Very high in selenium
High in zinc
Bad points about straw mushrooms:
Very high in sodium
With the low calorie content, I can afford to stir fry them in a little margarine and make them taste even better :-).
Yesterday I had this unexplainable craving for a Big Mac. I've been avoiding big-calorie foods and have been opting for salads and chicken instead so I haven't had a Big Mac since May.
But man, once in a while, you just want MEAT. And not just meat, you want a nice, guilt-ridden, greasy burger :-). So after my workday was done I called Steve to tell him I was coming to visit him at work, and I was getting a Big Mac on the way. He liked the idea of a greasy burger so he asked me to get *him* a Quarter Pounder with cheese.
You should've seen me scarf down my Big Mac. It was like I hadn't eaten a meal in DAYS :-). Steve was picking out the onions from *his* sandwich, and I was constantly grabbing whatever he didn't want and putting it on my burger. My hand was like those freaky lizard's tongues you see on Animal Planet when they're catching their food--blink and you'd miss it :-).
I could never be a vegetarian. I enjoyed eating that Big Mac too much :-).
Ah, McDonald's Asian Salad with Crispy Chicken... how I've missed you :-)...
I doubt this'll ever be sold in Manila. Not enough Filipinos buy salad at a fast food joint. But with less calories than a hamburger and small fries, it's a godsend to dieters :-).
What's in it? A crispy chicken breast filet, iceberg and romaine lettuce, baby red leaf, baby green leaf, baby red Swiss chard, baby red oak, baby green oak, lolla rosa, tango, tatsoi, arugula, mizuna, baby spinach, radicchio, frisee, carrots, edamame, snow peas, red pepper strips, mandarin orange segments, almonds and orange glaze. Have it with low-fat sesame ginger dressing and you're all set :-). It comes in a HUGE bowl and it's only 460 calories (even less if the chicken was grilled instead of fried). A burger and fries is 510 calories.
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