For a "hausfrau", it's ironic for me to say that I haven't found time to update my blog. I honestly don't know where all my time goes! However, I am happy to report that I have lost 3 lbs since following the BelleToday program, and I have been finding more ways to eat and serve beans, lentils, fruits, vegetables, tofu, and oatmeal. I have also been taking a walk around the park late in the afternoon everyday for 30 mins. I've been trying out the strengthening exercises from last week's program after each afternoon walk. It's still a bit early for me to see the results of those, but I know, that the time will come when I will see and feel the results. 

Yes, I have a sad face for this entry. I had a delightful brunch with a balikbayan friend who flies out tonight. It was nice seeing her again, but I'm already sad that she has to leave. We went to Starbucks when I spotted the posters for the green tea soy latte. It was a warm day, and I thought it would be nice to try it as an iced drink, as an alternative to my usual mocha. I had stocked up on green tea after (re)reading the first week on water in the Belle Today program, and I decided to give green tea another shot at Starbucks, after having been not so keen on the green tea frap.

Starbucks is peddling a trio of tea lattes on a New Year, Healthy Start (or something along those lines) theme. They also have a chai tea latte and a vanilla tea latte extra tea. I decided to have non-fat milk in my green tea latte instead of the soy milk that was being advertised. 

A first sip wasn't as foul as I had recalled the green tea frap to be, but since I've gone halfway through my tall glass, I realized that this was a sweetened instant mix. I'm pretty disappointed and skeptical over the way Starbucks is marketing this as a healthy drink. It would have been better for me to buy my own matcha and top it off with milk, without any sugar.

I had asked my sister-in-law in the States to send me some energy bars, as I have noticed that Healthy Options affixes a very generous markup on their goods. She sent me a good variety of brands and flavors, but my favorite so far, hands down is the chocolate hazelnut flavor of Larabar Jocalat.

I had been skeptical at first about chocolate in an energy bar...I'm a chocoholic, so I was prepared to be disappointed by whatever chocolate is in a foodstuff that's not meant to be chocolate in the first place. I had tried the other Larabar varieties at first: cherry pie, pecan pie, pistachio, cashew cookie, and even choco mole, and I adored them all.

I was dreading the Jocalat bar until curiosity got the better of me. I took a bite and...I was amazed that it tasted like a chocolate bar! In truth, it better resembles a brownie because of the fudgy texture, but it was packed a strong chocolate punch. So much, in fact, that I would have to drink water in between slowly savoring the bar, so I could get back to tasting the chocolate. Dates are the main ingredient in the Larabars, but the Jocalat bar tastes nothing like dates. It was very filling too. I ate one bar as a snack at 2 pm, and it sufficiently kept me satisfied all up until dinnertime.

I try not to eat more than one Larabar a day. Aside from the fact that I have a limited supply from my sister-in-law, and it will take a while before she sends me another batch, it isn't exactly a low-calorie or low-sugar snack. One bar ranges from 190 to 200 calories (I try to limit my snacks to just 100 calories, as much as possible). The advantage is that all the sugar comes naturally from the fruit, and each bar provides one serving of fruit for the day.

Looks like I'm going to actually start being nice to my sister-in-law. 

When I first started the BelleToday program, I have to say I took the first week a bit for granted because I already believed that I was drinking enough water. I'd already mentioned in the forums that my water drinking habits are rather unusual: instead of drinking a glass of water before or after a meal, I would wait until an hour after my meal and then drink my water, usually lukewarm.

After reading Monday's program again about different types of water, I got a liter of Evian at the supermarket. A bit pricey for water in a bottle, but Evian comes from a natural spring and thus contains minerals. It would serve as an alternative from the purified water that we get delivered in the five-gallon bottles. During the course of the week, I would take a glass of Evian before dinnertime, and I already felt more refreshed. Hubby says he can't stand Evian because it tastes too "clean", and that he's perfectly fine with Maynilad Water.

I also tried a little experiment one day...every time I drank water, I would measure it out in a measuring cup to add up my consumption for a day. My result? 2.5 liters, or 10 1/2 cups of water.

Can't wait for the second week tomorrow!

Panettone is basically an Italian fruitcake, only it’s not a fruitcake. It’s actually a tall brioche baked with dried fruits and traditionally orange rind. It’s also a seasonal food, usually made and consumed during Christmas, but it’s available in Manila post-holidays anyway. My husband would joke that all of Europe’s unsold surplus panettone gets sold in the Philippines. According to him as well, the name is pronounced “pah-net-toh-neh”, with four syllables. I get the impression that panettone is really big in Italy during the Christmas season, because I was channel surfing one day during my lazy holidays, I chanced upon the Italian channel on cable, where they were making a table centerpiece using a whole panettone.