Welcome 2015!!!

I have not posted anything in soooooo long (though most of my food pictures are on instagram now).  Well, let’s change this behavior.  I am now into the green smoothie movement (I just started today) and I do not know where this will lead, but I shall hand on for at least 21 days (the challenge).

This morning, my smoothie consisted of half lime juice, soymilk, one banana, one apple, one bag of Quaker oatmeal and few leaves of Kale.  Was not as bad as I thought but this is truly a test of my stamina.  Let’s see how it goes. A picture of my first green smoothie on instagram.

Review: Jane G Upscale Chinese Restaurant

Last Friday, two of my coworkers took me to lunch (to celebrate my engagement) at this very hipe chinese restaurant, and it was so good! Review of Jane G below, let me know if you agree!

The food: I’ll give it a B+ (only because it is my first time and I was not particularly fond of the wonton soup).  We had the Philosophe Chicken (very well prepared…I wonder how philosophical the poor chicken was…), Dan-Dan Noodles (the best I’ve had in Philly!), some spicy shrimp and a peanut chicken (very average).  Overall, very good food. Checkout their menu.

The decor: I loved the simplicity with black walls, occasional red dragons and hanging lamps, and white chairs. The ambiance is great for late night dinner with friends where you want to be able to talk and be close to each other.

The location: in Center City, close to Rittenhouse square. As you can guess, traffic is an issue but there is a parking lot right next to the restaurant.

What went well: The food was great and the whole experience was nice

What was so-so: I’ve had better wonton and peanut chicken at local Chinese restaurants so they can improve

What went wrong: There was a mix up in our orders but quickly corrected, so no complaint.

Sissi’s verdict: Will be back!

In mood for some Ethipian Food!

Review: Friday night at Tabblon

Special B and I were at Tabblon to chill out after a long week.  The restaurant is a very low key BYOB establishment, but the food is pretty good!!

I had the salmon and highly recommend it! Also they had he better chicken with rice and veggie combo I have eaten at a latin restaurant yet…liked the empanadas as well!

Restaurant Week @ La Viola

Restaurant week is over in Philly, and Master Tester and I were able t try out La Viola, a fine Italian restaurant in center city…hmmhmhmmhmm.  I had been to the place during my college years with my friend Chi and it was just as good and just as crowded.

What went well: the food is delicious! Real italian food from Italy! Fresh, seasoned, hmmmmmmmmm The ambiance is very much as a family dinner.  You need to BYOB but the staff is very warm, we had a bowl! And I loved the smoked trout salad (INSALATA DI PESCE AFFUMICATO), soooo good! Also highly recommend the salmon (SALMONE DI CAPPERI). Checkout their menu HERE.

What was so-so: The beef special…too regular.

What went wrong: the wait!!! We had reservation but had to wait 45 minutes before being transferred to West LaViola.  Everybody has such a great time nobody wants to leave! So be prepared to wait, but the food is well worth it.

TnT: Chicken and Dumplings

So, my first official Tried and True entry for the year: The Chicken and Dumplings recipe from BS in the Kitchen.

So I took a look at the picture below and decided to give it a try!  The recipe available HERE.

However, I did not have time to make dumplings…so I skipped the dumpling phase and served with veggie chili and pita bread.  See below:

 

Summary of TnT entry:

Clarity of instructions: very clear instructions

Ingredients: basic ingredients that should be already available in kitchen or easy to get in local store

Level of difficulty: 1 (fairly straightforward)

Sissi’s Grade: 3.5 stars, the taste is really good and the recipe gets me outside the rut of repetitive weekday cooling, but I feel it’s just a good comfort recipe, nothing overboard…which is a good thing.  Just feel it could be better….had I made the dumplings, maybe my rating would be different 😉

Master Tester’s Grade: 3 stars…very good but room for improvement.

Let me know how yours turns out!

But Ariana, “I HATE exercise!”

Loving this article from Ariana @ Living a balanced Life. This is the first time that I read a personal trainer recommend exercising for healthy percentage of muscle and fat tissues, versus looking slim. I guess I gotta exercise even for 20 minutes now!

A Kick In The Butt

These words have been uttered to me on more than one occasion. As we embark on a new year, I meet many prospective new clients, several of whom admit that they are begrudgingly seeking a new exercise routine because they “hate exercise.” (Often admitted in a whisper while shyly looking over their shoulder as if this is a punishable attitude.)

 

Exercise when achieved through something you have passion for or find fun (tennis, swimming, riding bikes with the kids) is wonderful! Exercise when it feels mandatory (or necessary but not voluntary) and in an uninspiring environment like a gym can feel like drudgery. So for those of you who are raising your hands in the secluded safety of your home that you are one of those exercise haters I have one question to ask you: Why do you exercise?

If your answer is “because I have to, to stay healthy”…

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TnT series: Middle Eastern Style Fried Fish

This recipe was a success.  Got it from a yahoo link that I am searching for so will update the post later today. Will also upload more pictures!

 

Fish and Peppers

I like to play around with recipes my mom taught me…here, I am adding pepper to this pan fried fish recipe, and I tone down on the heat factor as the guests whom I cooked the fish for are not all into spicy food 😉

 

Veal and salad

Pan-fried veal with a wine sauce (oignon, orange pepper, red wine, broth and salt). Served with blue cheese salad.