Wednesday 21 December 2011

Easy Dukan Hot Chocolate

This is so simple it isn't even a recipe, but someone asked me to put my method up here, so... here goes XD;

1 mug of milk (leave space for stirring)
2 tbsp of low-fat cocoa powder (I use Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder)
2 sachets sweetener

Microwave the milk till hot.
Stir in the cocoa powder till all is dissolved.
Microwave the hot chocolate for another 30 seconds. Keep watch as the milk will froth and/or foam.
Add sweetener to taste.
Enjoy!

I can't wait to have this in Cambridge ^^;

Beef in Soy Sauce-Onion Sauce

This is a really simple recipe, but it's really great, and is Dukan-friendly!

Ingredients:
2 large white onions
about 500g beef, sliced thinly (you can use the cheaper cuts for stews as well)
soy sauce

Peel the onions, then cut them in half and slice them thinly.
In a pot with a lid (we find Le Creuset our favourite for this), heat up just a droplet of oil. Toss in the onions and about 1/4 a cup of water, and fry till softened. If the mixture gets too dry, add some water, about 1/4 cupful at a time.
Once onion is soft, toss in the beef, some soy sauce to taste (for this amount, I think about 3 tbsp is good) and top up with water so that about 1/3 the pot is full of water. Stir till the liquid is boiling and the beef is no longer red.
Cover and cook for 40 minutes to an hour.
The dish is done when the onions have turned into mush, the sauce is thick and the meat is tender.

If you decide to use beef cubes instead of slices, add a bit more water and soy sauce, and increase the cooking time to one and a half hours.

Day 72 (Monday, 19th December 2011)

Phase: Cruise - PP
Weight: 63kg

Waist: 73.5cm
Hips: 102.5cm
Thighs: 66cm

Notes: I guess the main sin for the day was the chicken chop, which was deep-fried instead of the restaurant's usual pan-fry. I was really really tempted by the fruit cake in the office, but I managed to resist. Yay for me!

I could barely walk on Monday - I think I pulled a muscle on Saturday, so I was walking around with a strained left leg on Sunday, which only got worse as time went on ^^;;;

Foods eaten:
1 chicken chop
tom yum inspired seafood and tofu soup
hot milk with oat bran

Day 71 (Sunday, 18th December 2011)

Phase: Cruise - PV
Weight: 63kg

Waist: 73.5cm
Hips: 102.5cm
Thighs: 66cm

Notes: Phew, Sunday was a really full day for me! After going to bed at about 2am on Saturday night, I was up again by 5.30am to go for the 6.45am Mass to help my mum a little with setting up the stall selling Christmas hampers for RCIA.

After Mass, I went home to change into a lolita outfit and went for Comic Fiesta 2011. Man, it was really packed! And to think it was worse on Saturday ^^;;;

I managed to meet up with quite a few friends, and was also there to watch the lolita runway! After that, I was at their meet-up and photo-taking session for a while before I had to go to Bangsar Village to get my hair done for a friend's wedding dinner that night.

I ummm sinned at the wedding dinner XD;;; I had nasi minyak and ice cream and all the oily fattening lauk! I didn't have that much, but it still felt sinful....

Foods eaten:
2 chicken drumsticks
a spoonful of nasi minyak
Malay lauk
tapai ice cream (thinking back on it, it was actually pretty yum!)

Day 70 (Saturday, 17th December 2011)

Phase: Cruise - PP
Weight: 63kg

Waist: 73.5cm
Hips: 102.5cm
Thighs: 66cm

Notes: We had our annual Christmas Party today! I didn't eat much during the day in anticipation of the sinful meal that was coming, but in the end, I didn't eat any of the sweets, carbs or even the pork and lamb. But that's a good thing :D

I did lapse a little - I had a few sips of whisky and a glass of port. YUM!

Foods eaten:
really large bowl of miso soup with a whole pack of tofu
6 sticks satay
2 fried prawns
2 pc tofu
2 half boiled eggs
no fat strawberry yoghurt with 2 tbsp oat bran
a few sips of whisky
a glass of port

Days 64 - 69

Hmmmm, I forgot to update this blog and I can't really remember what I ate for the whole week ^^;;

The only thing I can safely say is that I did lapse quite a bit this week ^^;;; I need to become really strict with myself from now on!!

What I remember:
- We ate at Monte's twice during the week. I had steak both times.
- We ate at the Korean BBQ place in Gardens once, and went shopping at Robinsons after that. Found my dream tea set.
- Bought a really nice fancy weighing scales that also calculates body-fat %, body water %, etc. I've switched to using it now, and it's really fun!
- Main lapse is that I bought and ate fruit yoghurt. It was a no-fat no-sugar strawberry yoghurt by Yoplait. Yum!

Saturday 10 December 2011

Day 63 (Saturday, 10th December 2011)

Phase: Cruise - PV
Weight: 63kg

Waist: 73.5cm
Hips: 102.5cm
Thighs: 66cm

Notes: Today, I went to Sunway Lagoon with my dad! It was his office Family Day, and since my sister and Rommel are in KK for a wedding and my mum had stuff to do, I went with my dad :) It's been such a long time since I was last there - about 11 years I think! We walked alot - for about 4 hours or so.

I didn't want to play in any of the water games, so we went to the Wildlife Park and looked at all the cute and not-so-cute animals :D We spent some time in the pet village where I fed the bunnies and was amused by a chicken getting confused over a leaf XD;;;

I wish I'd asked for more leaves - I didn't feed the tortoise at all, and the turkey seemed to be getting no love from anybody :/

We ate at an Indian restaurant for lunch (where I had some pretty expensive Tandoori chicken) before we walked around the Wild Wild West Park - did you know that people with long hair aren't allowed on the rides??? I guess there must've been too many cases of people getting their hair caught in the rides or something.

We went home early, and I kind of conked out on the couch for a few hours XD;; I think I tanned - but only a very little bit ^^; We went for my dad's company dinner after that, but it apparently started early, so it also ended really early - I wish my company dinners could be like that! XD;

I didn't eat any veggies today, except for a little bit of onion. It's intentional, since this week I've had three days straight of very serious lapsing, and even some lapsing today with the fried stuff! I need to get a grip of my self-control and discipline again.....

Foods eaten:
2 tbsp oat bran with a bit of milk
2pc tandoori chicken
7 chicken frankfurters
4 chicken nuggets
1 pc fried chicken
3 fish fingers
3 sticks chicken satay
1 cup coffee with sweetener

Day 62 (Friday, 9th December 2011)

Phase: Cruise - PP
Weight: 63kg

Waist: 73.5cm
Hips: 102.5cm
Thighs: 66cm

Notes: Slow day at work. Went to Old Town for lunch, and waited an hour for our food!! Never going back there again.... Also went shopping for a little bit after work and bought two tops for a great deal! Originally the tops were priced at RM109 each, but after the discounts I got, I paid only RM99 in total :D *happy*

I'm also really happy that the tops are nice and lacey and look like they'd make for really nice lolita cutsews. Yay! The black ones can also be worn for work with a cardigan for more casual days. Best part is that the cutting is a little big, so I have to wear a size M XD;;; Cheating, I know, but at least I'm wearing a size M something now! :P

For dinner, I had some really fatty siew yuk, which I really regret :/ Not only is it a major lapse, it also wasn't worth it and I felt sick to my stomach afterward. I don't think I'll be eating siew yuk for a long while...

Foods eaten:
two half boiled eggs
5 pc nuggets
2 cans Pepsi light
siew yuk
a bit of NSA ice cream with 2 tbsp oat bran

Thursday 8 December 2011

Day 61 (Thursday, 8th December 2011)

Phase: Cruise - PV
Weight: 63kg

Waist: 73.5cm
Hips: 102.5cm
Thighs: 66cm

Notes: Sinned a few times again today. Had some curry and fried stuff and three cookies. Yum. Also started up exercise again today because I've been feeling guilty for all those lapses. Note to self: do not do the glutes exercise before the cross-trainer if I actually want to walk for more than ten minutes.

Foods eaten:
a bit of fish puttu
a bit of fried squid & bittergourd
1 slice fried fish
a few drops of curry
some cucumber in yoghurt
chawanmushi
beef shogayaki
kimchi nabe soup

Day 60 (Wednesday, 7th December 2011)

Phase: Cruise - PP
Weight: 63kg

Waist: 73.5cm
Hips: 102.5cm
Thighs: 66cm

Notes: Had our market strategy lunch today, and sinned - alot! Had two mini-cupcakes and a whole chocolate cake ^^;;; But it was YUM worth it. Also had good Chinese dinner with Uncle Michael & family, and Auntie Annie & Uncle Watson.

Looking back at my list of foods eaten, I feel a little sick... Seems like I've adjusted to my diet-tastes and can no longer take such sinful foods anymore. Good for me, I guess?

Foods eaten:
two mini cupcakes from Wondermilk
seafood soup
steak
chocolate cake with chocolate fudge
deep-fried lobster
pumpkin lobster soup
pork knuckle
fried tau miu
fish head soup
a bit of Hokkien mee

Day 59 (Tuesday, 6th December 2011)

Phase: Cruise - PV
Weight: 63kg

Waist: 73.5cm
Hips: 102.5cm
Thighs: 66cm

Notes: Not much to say today.

Foods eaten:
Japanese preserved sardine x2
Japanese preserved fish
roasted butternut squash
air-fried chicken balls
steak @ Monte's
scallops
a bit of oxtail soup

Day 58 (Monday, 5th December 2011)

Phase: Cruise - PP
Weight: 63kg

Waist: 73.5cm
Hips: 102.5cm
Thighs: 66cm

Notes: Ended up taking an MC because my stomach was still feeling awful. Finally remembered to weigh myself - lost another kilo! :D *happy*

Also, Pa came home from Germany today! Yaaaay! :) Pretty good day.

Foods eaten:
a few bites of beef
half a spicy pork sausage
2 chicken wings
(I nibbled on something but can't remember what)
a bit of beef & tofu stew

Day 57 (Sunday, 4th December 2011)

Phase: Cruise - PV
Weight: 64kg

Waist: 73.5cm
Hips: 102.5cm
Thighs: 66cm

Notes: Woke up feeling really nauseous and having stomach pains. Ended up barely eating anything and sleeping the whole day through.

We had a barbecue party that night! It was niiiiice :D Then again I wasn't stuck doing all the cooking ^^;;;; But I also didn't eat much and couldn't even stand up because the stomach pains had evolved into back pains by then. Oh well *shrugs* I'll try my recipes next time.

Foods eaten:
Chicken & tomato & salted vegetable broth
1/5 chicken burger patty
1 pork sausage
4 bites of beef

Day 56 (Saturday, 3rd December 2011)

Phase: Cruise - PP
Weight: 64kg

Waist: 73.5cm
Hips: 102.5cm
Thighs: 66cm

Notes: My cousin got married!! We went to her house for the photo session and tea ceremony, before my family went to BV to get our hair and nails done. Mmmm nail spa....

Sinned a little - had a bitesized beef pie because there wasn't anything else to eat, and a cupcake because my cousin baked them. And a bit of pork, I think.

Got upset with one uncle - he knew I was on a diet, have been trying to lose weight, and that I've lost alot of weight, but when he saw me, the first thing he said to me was "You're so fat!" and not in a joking way either. So demoralizing :/

Foods eaten:
1 bite-sized beef pie
1 chocolate cupcake
1 bowl of beef rendang
Chinese wedding dinner course - I avoided all the carbs

Day 55 (Friday, 2nd December 2011)

Phase: Cruise - PV
Weight: 64kg

Waist: 73.5cm
Hips: 102.5cm
Thighs: 66cm

Notes: Always forgetting to weigh myself! Anyway, I had a half day off on Friday to stay home and accept delivery of our new barbecue set - yay!!! :D I had a good lazy afternoon before going to my boss's birthday party in the evening (which, by the way, was pretty fun!)

Foods eaten:
corn salad (whoops!)
aubergine & asparagus salad
another salad I can't remember
a chicken leg, with sauce
two slices of cheese
two beef and pepper skewers

Day 54 (Thursday, 1st December 2011)

Phase: Cruise - PP
Weight: 64kg

Waist: 73.5cm
Hips: 102.5cm
Thighs: 66cm

Notes: Forgot to weigh myself again this morning! Hope I haven't put on weight... XD;;;

Wow, it's already December! Time sure flies when you're busy.... I forgot to cook lunch for today, so had lunch with a couple of colleagues in the cafeteria. Stuff there is always so oily....

Sister went for a knitting class today, so she dropped by our office at day end so we can go for dinner together. We ended up eating Japanese food - yum!

OH! A couple of people saw me after a long time, and actually stopped to stare for a while - then told me it's very obvious I've lost some weight :D Hooray! Nothing more motivating than that!

Foods eaten:
3 slices cheese
2 pc braised tofu
3 fishballs
1 fried tofu
2pc fried chicken (skin removed)
chicken teppanyaki
chawanmushi
shishamo
salmon sashimi

Thursday 1 December 2011

Day 53 (Wednesday, 30th November 2011)

Phase: Cruise - PV
Weight: 64kg

Waist: 73.5cm
Hips: 102.5cm
Thighs: 66cm

Notes: Meh, nothing much to say. Had very very strong cravings for rice while cooking dinner because we were cooking rice for my mum and I was starving and it smelled so gooooood :/

Foods eaten:
Minced beef balls (oat bran added) stirfried with onion, mushroom and habanero
a tablespoonful of Japanese vegetable pickle
1 marinated dried sardine
brussel sprouts stirfried with red pepper and garlic
stir fried choi sum
cabbage soup with broccoli
a bit of roast chicken

Day 52 (Tuesday, 29th November 2011)

Phase: Cruise - PP
Weight: 64kg

Waist: 73.5cm
Hips: 102.5cm
Thighs: 66cm

Notes: Hmmmm tried cooking beef stew for lunch - and forgot to add salt XD;;;; Otherwise it was pretty okay, I think..... Also packed leftovers from Monday for snack. Yum!

Foods eaten:
saltless beef stew
egg foo yong (veggies removed)
2pc otak otak
turkey ham (4 slices)
Happy Cow Light
baked salmon
baked sardine
sliced pork stewed with ginger and onion
3 half-boiled eggs
ice cream with oat bran