My favorite plates to use are those in square shapes. No wonder most of the foodie photos I have been sharing here are placed in this particular square plate :).

Also, I was lucky to receive these square goodies from MunchkinMommy hee hee :)

And here is a photo of my son enjoying one of his favorite snacks, celery sticksand mozarella cheese :). Thanks for looking! Happy Lapis y'all!

I discovered this online drugstore a month ago where I could buy my basic beauty and hygiene products. They offer rebates and boy I love rebates, it's the best thing next to discount coupons. Anyways, before I splurge on this drugstore or decide to even buy an item from this site, I would at all times compare the prices with the nearby drugstores as well as famous cosmetics store both in store and online. Surprisingly, I would always get a much cheaper price if not the same. However, there is one flaw as their dietary supplements is not as complete as the ones I saw at Allegro Medical. They do not even have duocal and similar products. When it comes to medical products, Allegro Medical can always be relied on for a complete medical products listing.

#1. What’s your favorite cereal? Any Post Cereals.
#2. What do you use to flip food on the stove? The usual flippers and thongs.
#3. What’s your favorite type of donut? A glazed donut at a nearby grocery which is very cheap :)
#4. Share a rice recipe. (click on the icon)

My Seafood Paella Recipe

1. Which kitchen gadget would you need for preparing meals for the family (except the usual stove, microwave, knives, etc) and why?
>>>Hmmm, a chopping board and a can opener.

2. What is your easiest and fastest meal in terms of preparation? Care to share how you do it?
>>>Baked chicken, fish and pork. All you need to do is add the garnishings and seasoning and put in a pan and bake!

3. Do you cook everyday? In batches? Please tell me your cooking schedule.
>>>Yes, I cook everyday, during lunch most of the time and afternoon merienda when my son's snacks require cooking. Dinners are left-overs from lunch. Then, hubby does the cooking for breakfast. I tried cooking in batches but it did us no good. Hubby loves freshly-cooked meals and so does my son.

4. Please share a recipe you have done.
>>>Check my recipe archives HERE. :)

5. Any advice on which seasonings I should have at all times?
>>>Knorr/Maggi cubes. They do wonders.

This is going to be very quick because I have to go to the university for the submission of my last final exams this quarter. I can't wait for my 2-week school break and I have lined up some recipes to try. However, I just had to post this entry as a friend has been looking for Quick Pay Day Loan solution that would resolve her current financial state. Apparently, her family has been hit by the recession but good thing as another company was willing to hire her in 2 months time. In order to meet the bills for the 2 months short of income, she plans to avail of financial services such as payday loans. Payday loan has become popular these days because it is accessible and gives you the result in 24 hours. Check out paydayloansmania.com for more information.

The 1st thing that came into my mind for this week's theme is Wine. What is fine dining without a wine? Right?

Hubby loves to dine. Moreso, in fine dining/gourmet restos, hence, he tries as much as possible to collaborate fine dining in our everyday meals through well prepared meals and dining table. Unfortunately, I am not very good at this, I am simply after the food hee hee.

So when a dear friend and her husband visited us 2 weekends ago, I was a trying-hard. Hubby was out for some errands and left all the cooking and preparation for me. Here's the best ala-fine dining I could make.

Since my friend's husband is a pure American who is not really fond of Filipino dishes, I made sure he had something to eat. I prepared salad, mashed potatoes, baked chicken and when all else fail, I ordered Papa John's Gourmet pizza hee hee.
As for my friend who hasn't not eaten sinigang for 9 months at that time, I prepared pork sinigang, tortang talong and the roasted ribs ala lechong kawali. I swear she finished the whole pan of sinigang for the rest of her stay with us :). She ate them everyday for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even merienda :).


That's all folks! Thanks for looking, I'm hopping to check this bathroom safety website.
happy Lapis!

TGIF y'all, I'm off to check these outdoor cushions.

1. My son is now at home most of the day and by next week it will be his summer vacation already. Lately, he would request all sorts of snacks from me in the afternoon and it’s driving me crazy! He doesn’t want to repeat a snack twice in a week. What snack would you recommend – hassle free, easy to cook, etc?
>>>What I give my son in random are: Nutella sandwich, Hotdog in bun, Mini-Pizza, Cheese in Tortilla Flour, Pancit, Champorado, Brownies, Muffins, Banana Cake, Fruits, Cereals with Milk, Oreos, Nutter Butter and Mac&Cheese (the real and crackers)

2. I’m on a mission to fatten up my kids this summer. Which foods would you recommend that are fattening? Any special tips? Scratch off soda and sweets from the list because I don’t want them to be hyper – I’m going to be stuck with them ALL day.
>>>Yay! I would choose healthy foods over fatty foods :) That has been my goal ever since.

3.It’s officially summer with the number of degrees outside. What would you be dying to have right now? Not necessarily food.
>>>Hmm, if I was still living in the Philippines, that would be an indoor pool and an Ice Maker :)

Oooh reminds me how hot it is in Manila, I remember a friend whose skin breaks out every summer and she would have microdermabrasion because of it.

4. Anything iced! What food will you always have cold?
>>>Cheesecake!

5. Halo Halo – describe your favorite halo halo treat!
>>>Simple ones with no ice cream.

Nadiskubre ko ang ETSY mula sa aking mga shopaholic na ka-twitter. Simula ng Setyembre ng nakaraang tao, hindi na ako natigil kakatingin sa mga vintage na alahas na binebenta sa Etsy.

Noong nakaraang pasko, binigyan ko ang aking mga kaibigan na mahilig sa alahas ng mga nabili ko sa Etsy. Ang mura kasi ng shipping at maganda pa ang packaging.

Isa ito sa pinakapaborito kong nabili sa Etsy.

Maligayang LP! May isa pa akong lahok DITO.

I discovered ETSY.com through my shopaholic twitter friends. The moment I discovered it in September of last year, I never stopped looking (and shopping) from the site which houses unique vintage finds! Last Christmas, I gave my friends who are into accessories, stuff I bought from Etsy. They ship fast and rate is very affordable plus they came with beautiful packaging. Here is one of my most favorite purchases from etsy. Hubby would often kid me that I am hoarding as much shopping stuff as I could because by the time we decide to buy a house and pay for monthly dues such as mortgage life insurance, definitely there would be a shopping ban on my part hee.

One of the things I fell in love with hubby was his perfume. Yes you read that right, his perfume :). I was so into perfume during my younger years and obviously, hubby then was a huge perfume lover. Well, actually, he still is. That is one of his collections and he can be very meticulous in terms of mens fragrances. Lately, I was thinking of getting him a new perfume from perfuemart.com because I have not given him anything last Valentines. But being the picky perfume collector that he is, I might as well just tell him to choose from the wide array of perfume collection the site has.

I missed Lasang Pinoy for 2 weeks, as usual, I was too busy :(.
I took pictures of tri-colore and bread-y but had no time to post them. I'll make up for it this week and will post them in another entry.

Anyways, for this week's theme, here is a photo of the breakfast nook of my Folk's back in their home in the Philippines. It is part of their renovated kitchen. I'd love to have this when we decide to build our home.

And this is our kitchen in our apartment hee hee :)
I like it because, I have what I need (even the emergency lights are placed in here) plus my iPod docking station sits right there besides our coffee maker.

Happy Lapis y'all!

We had a pretty good (almost perfect) week. We got 2 affirmative news on a Saturday and Wednesday to be exact. Yesterday, hubby was feeling a little unLazy to get up and grab some early iHop breakfast err brunch because we lasted till around 11:30. The servings were so big that I look like I need the best fat burner when I finished my plate. They've got the best bacon I ever tasted. Anyways, take advantage of their KIDS EAT FREE PROMO from Fridays-Sundays, 3-9pm. I just do not know if it goes the same with all the other branches.

How was your week?

1. Are you giving up food for Lent (if you are practicing abstinence)? Which one do you like and hate the most?
>>>No meat on Fridays and No rice for the whole of lent.

2. Which food do you abstain from and which do you replace it with?
>>>Rice with bread and meat with seafoods.

3. Which food (fruit, delicacy or cooking) is your hometown proud of?
>>>Laing!

4. I actually am craving for some meringue right now, what are YOU craving ?
>>>KFC Hot&Crispy Chicken!

5. I’m going on a Sunday lunch date with friends, if you are my friend, where would you take me that you are so sure that we are going to be eating the best meal?
>>>You're not here Aggie, but if you were, I'd bring you to Red Lobster :)

I was always told by a friend that it would be much more effective to hit the gym when one wears the right working out-outfit when doing their routines, exercises, weightlifting etc... I also read that the more fitted the pants and shirts, the more sweat you can produce. I try to abide by this especially now that I just do my work-out at home. When I used to go to the gym, I am too shy to wear tights and fitted tank tops. Anyhow, I remembered I bought some tights similar to the once being sold at capeziodance.com. This site sells dancing clothes and shoes such as Custom Ballet Slippers. They also have a nice collection which you could use for aerobics and other exercise routines.

Businesses these days or even various organizations work on management software like this Lotus Notes Project Management Software I saw at geniusinside.com when organizing or planning events and projects. This software is meant to make things easier, organized and consolidated on businesses, big or small. If you want to learn more about this, visit their site at geniusinside.com for more information. They have an interactive flash demo where you could see their benefits by roles, phases and module. Also, testimonials and success stories from previous clients can also be found in their website. Just click on the link above, navigate their site and see if this project management software is helpful for your organizations or businesses.

I am a huge fan of veggies. I am glad that I was brought up that way. I am hoping that my son would grow up to love veggies as much as hubby and I would make veggies our staple dish. Eggplant tops my list, then okra. This is a very easy recipe. I just boiled the okra, side dish would be bagoong (shrimp paste), lemon, soy sauce and tomatoes. perfect! Check out the health benefits of this veggies from WikiAnswers.com.

1. The superior fiber found in okra helps to stabilize the blood sugar by curbing the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the intestinal tract.

2. Okra's mucilage binds cholesterol and bile acid carrying toxins dumped into it by the filtering liver.

3. Okra helps lubricate the large intestines due to its bulk laxative qualities. The okra fiber absorbs water and ensures bulk in stools. This helps prevent and improve constipation. Unlike harsh wheat bran, which can irritate or injure the intestinal tract, okra's mucilage soothes, and okra facilitates elimination more comfortably by its slippery characteristic. Okra binds excess cholesterol and toxins (in bile acids). These, if not evacuated, will cause numerous health problems. Okra also assures easy passage out of waste from the body. Okra is completely non-toxic, non-habit forming, has no adverse side effects, is full of nutrients, and is economically within reach of most unlike the OTC drugs.

4. Okra fiber is excellent for feeding the good bacteria (probiotics). This contributes to the health of the intestinal tract.

5. Okra is a supreme vegetable for those feeling weak, exhausted, and suffering from depression.

6. Okra is used for healing ulcers and to keep joints limber. It helps to neutralize acids, being very alkaline, and provides a temporary protective coating for the digestive tract.

7. Okra treats lung inflammation, sore throat, and irritable bowel.

8. Okra has been used successfully in experimental blood plasma replacements.

9. Okra is good for summer heat treatment. Okra is a supreme vegetable for those feeling weak, exhausted, and suffering from depression.

10. Okra is good for constipation.

11. Okra is good in normalizing the blood sugar and cholesterol level.

12. Okra is good for asthma. Okra's vitamin C is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, which curtail the development of asthma symptoms.

13. Okra is good for atherosclerosis.

14. Okra is believed to protect some forms of cancer expansion, especially colorectal cancer.

15. Eating okra helps to support the structure of capillaries.

16. Some information shows that eating okra lowers the risk of cataracts.

17. Okra is good for preventing diabetes.

18. Okra protects you from pimples and maintains smooth and beautiful skin. We understand the reason why Cleopatra and Yang Guifei loved to eat okra. There are other medicinal uses of okra, like its protection against trans fats.

This is my current picture, sorry back photo only lol. As you see, my once slim arms are kinda flabby lately, so that needs working out. I have been religiously working out for at least 4-5 times a week, 2hours every session. I try to squeeze this in my busy sched. I think exercise does a lot to my way of thinking, not only to my body. Let me remind you of the famous line of ELLEN from Legally Blonde: Elle:

Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy.

Other than that, I have been consistent with my no-rice diet. I substitute bread with flour tortilla. I enjoy my Adobo now with tortilla and sinigang as it is. So diet pills are NO NO for me. I'd be happier to fit in my old jeans again :).

How are you?

I have a long list of blogging backlog but instead, I am surfing leisurely. Taking my time and finding it so hard to be back on track. I've came across these softball trophies and then more stuff I don't really see in the the net on regular days.

Then, I saw these!

Ooohlalala, truly my dream kitchens!
All from desiretoinspire.com.

Before I check on this luggage for hubby, here's my take for this week :)
#1. Olive oil. What kind do you prefer to use? EXTRA VIRGIN

#2. Meatballs. Do you make them from scratch, buy premade cooked or buy premade frozen? DEPENDS. When I have time, I make from scratch otherwise, I buy premade frozen.

#3. Do you use napkins at home? Paper or cloth? BOTH. I cannot live without a paper towel and cloth.

#4. Share a recipe for a white sauce.

FETTUCINE
1. boil chicken, reserve stock, flake the chicken.
2. Sauté in butter 3 tsp. garlic, ¼ cup chopped onions. Add the flakes chicken, ¾ can tomato sauce. Add 2 cans cream of mushroom soup( Campbell ). Add 11/2 can to 2 chicken stock using the tomato sauce can (small). Simmer 30 minutes.
3. Boil noodle with salt and oil.
4. Arrange 3 pcs. Of noodles in Pyrex and pour the chicken mixture and cheese. Repeat and reserve sauce for topping and cheese. Put the nestle cream.
5. Bake 10 minutes

Matagal akong nawala sa LP, masyado naging busy eh.
Namiss ko kayong lahat :)

Malabo ang larawan ng aking lahok, kelangan ko na talaga mag-ipon para sa isang magandang camera :) Nikon D90 yooohooo.

Nakita ko ito habang ang asawa ko ang nags-shopping. Lahat ng blusang pambabae sa Banana Republic ay gawang Pilipinas at ang mga blusang panlalake ay gawa sa Vietnam at Indonesia. Di ba nakakataba ng puso?

Maligayang LP! May isa pa akong lahok DITO.

I have not been joing LP for almost 3 weeks now. I have been pretty busy but, I miss you all :). My apologies for submitting a blurry photo, I really need to save up for a D-SLR camera, Nikon D90, whatdyathink?

I saw this while hubby was doing some shopping at Banana Republic. All women's blouses were made in the Philippines while men's polo were made in Vietnam and Indonesia. Isn't that something we should be proud of?

Wow!
That was quite long for me not to have any updates. Almost a week. I must admit that aside from the fact that I am becoming more and more busy by the day, I am also finding it hard to blog these days. Probably because I wanted to blog so many things and I end up getting overwhelmed. Anyhow, School got me really busy the past week plus the fact that we had visitors/friends from home who came for a 2-day visit. Oh how I miss my friend now that they left a few hours ago. We talked random stuff, things that I do not get to talk to friends I've met here. We can be really vain when we talk because we know each other for almost 10 years now. When we were watching the local channel, we saw this very beautiful woman and apparently, she had some parts of her done by Cosmetic Surgery Expert, then my friend and I were kinda finding it hard to detect which part of her body and face she had made. That is how good her cosmetic surgeon was. However, we ended our 'vanity conversation' by agreeing that we're too weak to undergo a cosmetic surgery even if our tummy badly needs some trimming hee hee.

1. Are you a fan of veggies? Which one do you like and hate the most?
>>>I super love eggplant and generally, most veggies. Honestly, I could not think of any veggie I hate :).

2. What’s your usual breakfast?
>>>Cereals and fruits.

3. What food can you not live without?
>>>Chocolate.

4. Are you a water drinker? If not, which drink do you often replace with water?
>>>SUPER. It's good for the skin.


5. Summer is here! Name one tropical food you look forward to eating!
>>>I badly want good old Philippine MANGOES but it's quite impossible to get them here!

When we used to live with hubby's Aunt, I would help her trim the roses and pick up bunches of tulips in her backyard. It was such a loving experience on my part. Then she would gladly put them in a vase and make sure to wrap it with a beautiful long bow.

Hubby, on the other hand is the type of man who never fails to give his wife flowers on special occasions. I am just lucky for having a hopeless romantic husband. During our wedding, he was so ever-present in choosing what wedding flowers we would have for my bouquet, the venue and church's decorations. In fact, he was even the person who told a relative who is getting married about fiftyflowers.com. If you need any wedding flowers, check out the site, they have a wide range of flowers from all over the world.

#1. Coffee. Do you use ground, bean or pods?
>>>Ground and beans.

#2. Coffee filters. Do you use paper, gold or other?
>>>paper.

#3. Tea. Do you prefer tea bags, loose tea or something else?
>>>Tea bags.

#4. Share a recipe for something you like to eat with coffee or tea.

CHEESECAKE:

CRUMB CRUST: Heat oven to 350F. Stir together 1 cup Graham crackers/Oreo cookies crumbs and 2 tablespoons sugar in small bowl; blend in 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter or margarine, mixing well. Press mixture onto bottom and 1/2 inch up side of 9 inch springform pan. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool.

CHEESECAKE: Beat 3 packages of cream cheese and 3/4 cup sugar in a bowl (easy on the sugar, I lessened my measurement) until smooth. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the whipping topping and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Pour into prepared crust.
Bake 40-50 minutes or until almost set. Cool, chill and serve.

A friend is coming to visit her parents in Oregon in two months time. Since December, she has been planning about this trip and could not contain her excitement. She would email me and show me how many times she changed her itinerary. One of the things she and her folks are planning to do while she visits them is to avail of this Oregon coast vacation rentals which is very affordable. The Oregon coast lodging will be very convenient for any tourist or family who wants the luxury of a vacation yet keeping them in minimum budget. They also have the Lincoln city Oregon vacation rental and Pet friendly rentals Oregon packages. If you are interested and is planning to visit Oregon too, check out these packages at beachcombersnw.com.

Last night, I had a hunch that there isn't going to be a class today because it started to snow heavily. You see, my professor comes from a city which is 3 hours drive away from our University. She is that dedicated to her passion and would drive that long every Monday night. Today, I was awaken by a phonecall from my professor and true enough, she cancelled her class because some roads are beyond passable. I was happy because I did not prepare for the class. Speaking of her driving, she has been asking everyone in the class where she could get a Custom Auto Glass service provider that could put back her Classic Auto Glass windshield. She used to have a simple and Flat Windshield Glass until her son borrowed her car and decided to change it to a Hot Rod Glass windshield. Good thing, as hubby was able to chance upon sandersreproglass.com a few days ago. I will most likely tell my professor about this site.

1. How many servings of fruit do you have on average most days?
>>>I am not a huge fan of fruits. I only love to eat banana and mangoes, strawberries and grapes, occasionally. However, for the past weeks, I have been trying to make fruits as my main food for breakfast so I guess servings would include 2 banana, an apple and 2 oranges in a day. I do not know how long I could sustain this, though.

2. How often do you use toothpicks?
>>>Not very much.

3. How many servings of vegetables do you have on average most days?
>>>A lot. I love veggies :). When cooking, I make sure to always have veggies in our menu.

4. Raw or pasteurized? What is your choice?
>>>Pasteurized.

5. Are energy drinks (like Red Bull) less, more, or as effective as coffee?
>>>More effective but I am just scared to take them.

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life's realities.” ---Dr. Seuss

I have never met someone who do did not like Dr. Seuss and his quotes/stories. Today, he celebrates his 105th birthday! happy birthday Dr. Seuss!

Want to know what the top 10 favorite Dr. Seuss quotes are? check THIS LINK.