Showing posts with label soup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label soup. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Lettuce Goes on a Diet and the Biggest Loser Challenge

Lettuce Says,

#LettuceonaDiet Weight Journey

Pre-bout Weigh In: 72 kg
Week 1Weigh In: 69 kg
Week 2 Weigh In: 68 kg
Week 3 Weigh In: 68 kg

So how was I doing in my last two weeks of diet challenge. I was not as depressed as the past weeks. See Lettuce on a Diet Goes on a Food Trip


And how all the #lettuceonadiet hashtags began: Lettuce on A Diet: Week 1

As my work at the office became demanding as the days go by, my stress levels went higher, my food intake increased with negligible workouts led to an inevitable consequence, WEIGHT GAIN. In addition to that were birthday celebrations and food treats that were hard to say no to. Yes, people, during my personal weight loss program, I plateaued and gain 1 kilo, a week before the end of the challenge.

My Usual Brekkies:

Gardenia Whole Wheat Pandesal and PB&Co Dark Chocolate Dreams
Gardenia Whole Wheat Pandesal and PB&Co Dark Chocolate Dreams
Nescafe Black and Lotus Biscoff Cookies
Nescafe Black and Lotus Biscoff Cookies
Lipton Clear Green Tea and Banana
Lipton Clear Green Tea and Banana
Nescafe Black and Hard Boiled Egg
Nescafe Black and Hard Boiled Egg
Gardenia Wheat Pandesal and Nissin Seafood Instant Noodles
Gardenia Wheat Pandesal and Nissin Seafood Instant Noodles
My Lunch Baon Buddies and Salads:

Dizon Farms Tropical Salad
Dizon Farms Tropical Salad
Thank goodness for pre-packed salads sold in groceries and supermarkets. 

Mixed Greens with Pineapple, Papaya and Ripe Mangoes with Parmesan and Strawberry Vinaigrette
Mixed Greens with Pineapple, Papaya and Ripe Mangoes with Parmesan and Strawberry Vinaigrette
The greens and the tropical fruits were really fresh and pleasing to the palate.

Yun Lang Hubby Sunrise Sometimes Tortured me Like This
Yun Lang Hubby Sunrise Sometimes Tortured me Like This
Thank goodness also for fast food joints like Wendys who offer healthier alternatives!
Thank goodness also for fast food joints like Wendys who offer healthier alternatives!
Munggo Soup with Lotsa Kamote Tops

Home Tossed Mixed Greens with Pineapple and Parmesan Cheese
Home Tossed Mixed Greens with Pineapple and Parmesan Cheese
Healthy Cholesterol: Avocado with Cheese in Mixed Greens
Healthy Cholesterol: Avocado with Cheese in Mixed Greens
No Baon For Today? Good thing there's Fresh Bar offering Fresh Soup made from Scratch
No Baon For Today? Good thing there's Fresh Bar offering Fresh Soup made from Scratch
Chicken and Leek Soup: Warm and Filling
Sauteed Pechay with Shrimps Cooked by Papsie One Weekend in Malolos
Sauteed Pechay with Shrimps Cooked by Papsie One Weekend in Malolos
Andoks Chicken for Protein
Andoks Chicken for Protein

The Actual Dinner Meals

One night we found ourselves very hungry in front of Makati Shangrila Hotel with all the smells of glorious food from Cucina Andare.

So what can a woman on a diet eat here? I was then mesmerized by this orange favorite of mine.

What's This? Orange Dough, Veggies, Vigan Longganisa
What's This? Orange Dough, Veggies, Vigan Longganisa

Flatten the Orange Dough like a Crepe and Form a Ring of Veggies and Longganisa
Flatten the Orange Dough like a Crepe and Form a Ring of Veggies and Longganisa
Just Add One Egg!
Just Add One Egg!
Fold and Deep Fry
Fold and Deep Fry
Delicious Farinas Ilocos Empanada
Delicious Farinas Ilocos Empanada
The crust was definitely too oily for me, but hey, it tasted sooo great especially with their locally made vinegar. Sarap!!!

Meanwhile, Sunrise bought one of these:

Beef and Chicken Kebab
Beef and Chicken Kebab

Sunrise's Sad Meal
It was soo sad because it looked way too good but tasted really bland. Even the veggies didn't come out right. The mustard garlic sauce that came with it didn't help the poor quality of the meat. They must have forgotten the salt and seasonings.

We were still hungry after this incident so we crossed the road to Family Mart and bought this.

Fruit Cup from Family Mart
I went back to Family Mart that week to eat this.

Tokyo Ramen and C2 Peach from Family Mart Glorietta
Roast Pork on ramen noodles in jellied ramen broth, pechay, boiled egg, leeks, and sliced narutomaki (fish cake). I was starving alone since it's basketball night of Hubby Sunrise. This dish saved me from having ulcers. The warm broth was soothing and the noodles which were way too soft were very filling indeed. It also satisfied my salty cravings.

Dinner from Food Finds at Rustan's Supermarket Makati.

Salmon and Tuna Sashimi, Mixed Greens, Chianti Parmesan, Yakult
Salmon and Tuna Sashimi
First Meal Cooked by Hubby Sunrise using our new Philips Induction Cooker
First Meal Cooked by Hubby Sunrise using our new Philips Induction Cooker
With Adobong Kangkong (hard to eat without rice!)
With Adobong Kangkong (hard to eat without rice!)
Sauteed Ligo Sardines with Camote Tops
This dish was melancholic, bringing back our humble childhood days in Bulacan, my Lola Munti (who's in heaven already) always prepare this sauteed sardines with talbos ng kamote (camote tops) harvested from our backyard which we ate with gusto.

One night within the challenge period, a friend decided to treat (cheat) us on her birthday and made us eat this heavenly prawns and crabs (without much prodding though hehehe :) )



As you may see the parade of food, I ate the highs and lows of food, which may be bad for the health, guys, please do not commit the same mistakes that I did, so lesson learned. The last week of the challenge though was my most motivated week. I resolved that I will eat almost zero carbs and will concentrate on raw veggies and fresh fruits.

Realizations while on #LettuceonaDiet:

1.) Timing. There is no perfect time to start but NOW! You will not get less busy in the future nor staying at home will distract you from it. So the time you say you will go on a diet, just plain start it now.

2.) Sacrifice. Be ready to sacrifice and let go of your frequently eaten food which is most probably CARBS. Yes, we watched Frozen and sang "Let It Go" to my first love, RICE. Once I said goodbye to rice, my usual cravings for beef, fries, cheeseburgers, and junk food subsided. Then when I started loving fruits and fresh juices, I cut down my coffee intake. I started loving green teas! You will encounter the most difficult times on the first 3 days. After that will just be plain discipline. You will experience a lot of dizzy spells for the duration of your diet.

What's Inside Your Ref?
3.) Discipline. This is the most difficult part for me. It takes a lot of discipline and will power to start and regularly exercise. It will become a chore sometimes to put on your workout gear and run for an hour, or to get on with that elliptical trainer, or swim on a cold pool after hell broke loose in the office. You either wake up very early to do this or make that extra time before or after dinner even if you are bone tired and weary. Or enroll in a gym and religiously go there everyday with an exercise buddy.

4.) Eating Healthy. Eating healthy and nutritious food is both cheap and pricey. If you have the time and creativity to whip up your own salad and white meat meals then do it!


It saved me a lot of money. I spent almost zero pesos everyday during the challenge. But if you can afford to splurge and spend, you will find yourself going to a restaurant (which will bill you extra for service charge) to find some truly low calorie dishes. The good thing when dining out is that your tastebuds will thank you for some new found flavors. Choose a biscuit or fruit that you can munch whenever you feel hungry in between meals. For me, it's Biscoff Cookies!


5.) Power Tools. My Fitness Pal truly helped me jumpstart on calorie counting. Because of my sedentary life, I only need 1200 calories per day in order to fuel my body and to lose 0.5 kilo per week. That is the ideal healthy dieting. Working out for an hour will give me additional 300-500 calories extra that you can eat or to burn some extra fat stored in my body. The only equipment I wish we have is a treadmill.

6.) Family and Peer Support. It was a huge lot better, easier, and happier if you execute your diet together with your colleagues at work and your husband, like what I did. Every time one of us got really hungry or craving some unhealthy food, we joke around and imagine the food trips we've been. We also shared the crazy diet food I always bring at work and the leafy baon which hubby prepares everyday. My Hubby Sunrise also went on a diet with me and constantly supported my goal. I love you Bessy!


I love you Starbucks, but I really can't eat raw celery! Urgh :)

7.) Be Inspired and Be An Inspiration. 

I want to credit  Jana, the wonderful daughter of Mommy Jane of Sugar Spice and Everything Nice. I got inspired with her entry here: Happy Holidays from the UST Daughter Diaries Thank you so much Jana! :)

Also to Erwan Heussaff of The Fat Kid Inside This site of his is full of info from his own personal experiences from workout tips to shopping lists. Thanks Erwan! :)

One thing that also kept me going was this big fat steak, Hubby Sunrise cooked last Valentines! :)

From hereon, I would also like to be an inspiration to even just a few people through this teeny weeny web space we have for My Empty Plates. I am no expert, guys. I just want to share all these with you.

#LettuceonaDiet Weight Journey
Pre-bout Weigh In: 72 kg
Week 1Weigh In: 69 kg
Week 2 Weigh In: 68 kg
Week 3 Weigh In: 68 kg
Week 4 Weigh In: 69 kg
Week 5 Weigh In: 65 kg !!!


YES I WON! I am the biggest loser, 4k richer, and 9.72% lighter. That was 7 kilos or 15 pounds lost in 5 weeks! 

Yey! THANK YOU GOD for these simple BLESSINGS!

Half of my winnings I shared with my colleagues and bosses. Sandwich Breakfast Party!
Half of my winnings I shared with my colleagues and bosses. Sandwich Breakfast Party!
I heard another group organized a biggest loser challenge for two months with 50k pot prize! Huwwaat?!

Another 7 kilos will bring me to a normal BMI (proportion of age, weight, and height). I am still struggling right now to get to this but I will not stop, that's for sure! As of this time, I am starting to eat rice with my meals, in moderation, and I also started being insane with INSANITY videos, with Zumba in between nights. One day, I'll get there, a fab and fit Lettuce ready to go on a gastronomic adventure, which means more plates to be emptied!

Share your emptyplates now! Hashtag #myemptyplates peeps.

Remember Rule No. 1: NO LEFTOVERS!

February 2014
Lettuce Goes on A Diet
Normal Working Days, Makati City, Philippines
PhP 0-200 per day (tipid diba? :) )


*All articles and photos posted are owned by LettuceandSunrise and should not be copied and/or used without prior written authorization from us. You can always SHARE our posts with the applicable trackback by putting the corresponding links. We will also do this ethical act for other people's posts, websites, and photos that we want to share on this blog. This is a personal blog. Like a diary or journal, all the views, insights, and opinions written here are solely based on our own point of views and belong to ours alone and not of the companies we are part of. Information may not be accurate and may only be applicable at the exact time and situation we experienced it. We will not liable for any errors in this information or any losses or damages arising from its display or use.


Saturday, November 3, 2012

Contisfaction Experience: Conti's Bakeshop and Restaurant

Oct. 2012
Sunrise Says,


I saw a picture posted on facebook.com by my pretty cousin, Ate Rem Josue who celebrated her birthday yesterday (Happy birthday!!!) with her birthday cake, a Conti’s Mango Bravo cake. Where's my slice?

Look at the stare on the first photo. That is what I call indulgence after counting birthday after birthday. Don't worry ate, I won't say how old you are, but you're definitely older than me, lol.

Hahaha. The fourth picture is the reason why I asked her if I can use her photo. It's like declaring war to someone who touches the cake before her blowing the candle.

Ok, back to work Ate Rem, and you need to do some running after that celebration. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AGAIN AND MORE BLESSINGS FOR YOU. Don't forget my slice of cake. Lavyah!

I remembered having a conversation with Lettuce about having a picture of this cake. I started digging on my food load picture folder on our lappy. Tic toc tic toc… time past and Alaska won against TNT with JV Casio’s heroics  and no picture found. Good thing I got permission from Ate Rem to use her photo, Surprise!

The following are some photos of our many visits to Conti’s, may it be Trinoma Mall or Greenbelt. Next branches to visit, Nuvali and Alabang. Wow, imagine that, we’re currently residing in Laguna but we opted to go for far out Conti’s branches.

The latest set we had from Conti’s Greenbelt.

 Soup: Cream of Corn and Crab (Php80). 

I was looking at every strand of crab on the soup and could imagine fresh crabs and they don’t snap.

Bread: Triple Cheese Tuna (Php185). 

The new salty tuna bread in town. The good thing out of this bread is that I really saw the quality of service from their crew. I’d like to mention one of their waiters, Herald, who always replenishes our glasses with water and did not wait for us to complain about the saltiness of the tuna in the bread. He initiated getting our feedback since it was he who recommended the sandwhich to me. I was glad to hear that he was from Laguna too who used to serve for Conti’s Nuvali, one proud Lagunense he was. Hopefully this lad gets promoted soon since he has been with Conti’s for more than a year now.


Pasta: Angel Hair Puttanesca (Php 190.00)


Fresh tomato sauce, black olives, capers and a hint of anchovies in olive oil. Lettuce asked me to request for parmesan cheese and cracked pepper. She really did not like it, good thing is that I love pasta. 






Again, rule number one, no leftovers (but you can take it home).






Healthy Salads:  Mango Royale Salad (To Share Php 160.00 / Solo Php 90.00) 


Iceberg lettuce with fresh mango cubes tossed with special house dressing. One of the best salads I ever had because of its balanced mango sweetness and green crunch matching with perfect dressing.



Set from previous visit to Conti’s Trinoma

I got a fine evidence of what it means to be really hungry. 

  The first empty plate of a Russian Potato Salad (Php 130.00) 

Sugar beets, potatoes, carrots and chicken chunks. We were laughing out loud when we saw this picture. We found no photo of the actual salad so If you need to see the actual, you can go to the Conti’s website (http://www.contis.ph) or go and order it for yourself.


Pasta: Lasagna (Kiddie: Php 110.00) (Regular: Php 210.00)


Wide lasagna noodles layered with bechamel sauce and oregano inspired meat sauce, topped and baked with mixed cheeses. I never miss ordering a lasagna when I see it on the menu. I call it the Garfield syndrome, because the fat feline loves this pasta. I love lasagna, the bad side of the Garfield syndrome is either you get too active or too lazy after eating, I prefer to take the nap. Oh, I need to say, I ordered this kiddie version since the first time I had the regular one at Conti’s and it was really overwhelming, this was just enough to satisfy my palate.




Seafood EntrĆ©es: Baked Prawns (Php 315.00) 

Black tiger prawns baked with special topping, served with crab salad and Japanese fried rice. I only had a quick taste of this since Lettuce had already eaten most of it.

We also had Conti's Baked Salmon (Php 355.00). 
We’ll be coming back for this again.

  Pork EntrĆ©es: Barbequed Spareribs (Php 210.00)

Tender and juicy slab of marinated pork spareribs coated in sweet barbeque sauce pan grilled to perfection. Served with Atchara and choice of java rice, plain rice, or garlic rice.



Molten Chocolate Cake ala mode (Php 185.00)      

A deliciously soft textured cake, with a smooth choco lava hidden inside. Topped with vanilla ice cream for your indulgence. Well, someone most likely finger licked after that doodle.    



What can I say? I need to put Conti’s on our best seller and I bet we would have another article for Conti’s.

Have you ever dined in Conti’s? Share your experience with everyone.

Source Credit: www.contis.ph 

Greenbelt. Trinoma. Alabang. Nuvali.




*All articles and photos posted are owned by LettuceandSunrise and should not be copied and/or used without prior written authorization from us. You can always SHARE our posts with the applicable trackback by putting the corresponding links. We will also do this ethical act for other people's posts, websites, and photos that we want to share on this blog. This is a personal blog. Like a diary or journal, all the views, insights, and opinions written here are solely based on our own point of views and belong to ours alone and not of the companies we are part of. Information may not be accurate and may only be applicable at the exact time and situation we experienced it. We will not liable for any errors in this information or any losses or damages arising from its display or use.

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