That was fast, I was able to find something in my recipe archive and very timely for Halloween after I checked out this acne body wash.

How's everyone's Halloween week? Ours will start tomorrow with a Pumpkin Patch Field Trip then on Friday, a fall celebration then weekend will be all about trick or treating with DS wearing his Optimus Prime Costume.

I am hoping to be able to carve one Pumpkin after our trip tomorrow and keep the seeds and try this recipe I snagged from THIS SITE.

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds Recipe

Ingredients
* One medium sized pumpkin
* Salt
* Olive oil

Method
1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut open
the pumpkin and use a strong metal spoon to scoop out the insides. Separate the
seeds from the stringy core. Rinse the seeds.
2 In a small saucepan, add the
seeds to water, about 2 cups of water to every half cup of seeds. Add a half
tablespoon of salt for every cup of water (more if you like your seeds saltier).
Bring to a boil. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.
3
Spread about a tablespoon of olive oil over the bottom of a roasting pan. Spread
the seeds out over the roasting pan, all in one layer. Bake on the top rack
until the seeds begin to brown, 10-20 minutes. When browned to your
satisfaction, remove from the oven and let the pan cool on a rack. Let the seeds
cool all the way down before eating. Either crack to remove the inner seed (a
lot of work and in my opinion, unnecessary) or eat whole.

We discovered a nearby supplier of authentic French bread, bagels and croissants. The hubby bought this authentic salami and sausage he would thinly slice every morning together with 4 different types of cheese and of course, bread. Our breakfast has been rice-free. But, our son wants his french bread with freshly spread butter and so this entry is for him :). Off to check this melatonin site before we go trick or treating. BOO!

BUTTERED-UP™
wry toast for your table

Bring out the best in your butter by serving it on a tasteful
slice of ceramic bread. Even better...you’ll be spreading
smiles as you pass it around the breakfast table!
Packaged in individual gift boxes.

Design: Laura Strasser and Milia Seyppel
©2008 FRED

Since I have been delinquent in posting recipe of the week for the past couple of weeks, I am blogging an extra recipe this week before I check on these Energy speakers. This is my and my mom's version of the Thai Noodle Salad. This is actually an easy version.

You will need a sotanghon or any thai noodle as your main ingredient.

Saute the ground beef with onions and garlic, seasoned it the way you want until it is soft. Put more water. Remove the beef and boil the noodle in the same water used in cooking the beef for that added taste. Drain when cooked. Separate.

Make the sauce. I do not have exact measurements for this so just mix all these ingredients depending on your taste. Patis, onion leaves, lime (not lemon or kalamansi), chili powder and pepper. Then mix the sauce with the beef and noodles. Garnish with more onion leaves, add tofu preferrably. Then serve.

Before I check out this log furniture online supplier, let me share with you an interesting article I got from CelebrityDietDoctor.com. The Dalai Lama's daily diet: (the most famous monk!)

Breakfast
black tea
cornflakes with milk
porridge
Tibetan bread with jam
fruits like papaya

Lunch
rice
steamed dumplings
cooked vegetables such as eggplant, potatoes or peas

Dinner
The Lama does not eat dinner.

Isn't it surprising that he eats meat afterall :). I wonder how a Tibetan jam tastes like. Hmm.

I started to be conscious with my calorie-intake and learned to count calories earlier this year when I downloaded the LOSE IT iphone app. (Which reminds me to check this iphone insurance provider). I admit that it helped in my weight loss program and I began to be very conscious with how many calories I put in my mouth.

Here’s a list of some calorie-free and close-to-calorie-free foods, beverages and snacks that work entirely in your favor: (snagged from Ediets.com)

1. Hot Tea with Splenda: Drink a cup of calorie-free hot tea to ward off hunger pangs. Research shows tea consumption may also help prevent a wide range of ailments.

2. Berries: Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries have few calories, and they pack a powerful punch on your health.

3. Citrus Fruit: Rich in vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber, citrus fruits not only taste great, but they are also essential for normal growth and development as well as overall nutritional well-being.

4. Sugar-Free Jell-O with Nonfat, No-Calorie Dairy Whipped Topping: It’s a dieter’s dream come true. It’s easy to make, delicious and virtually calorie-free.

5. Egg Whites Prepared with Nonstick Spray: Egg whites are very low in calories, have no fat and cholesterol, and are loaded with protein.

6. Crunchy Veggies: Feel free to indulge in all the crunchy veggies you wish. Dietitians give crunchy veggies a perfect 10 in nutrition. When it comes to weight loss, they are hard to beat. “Your best bets are broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy and kale, which contain disease-fighting glucosinolates and other substances,” March says.

7. Water: Weight loss and water go hand in hand. It suppresses the appetite and helps the body metabolize fat. It also regulates body temperature and flushes toxins. Before you grab a snack, try drinking a glass of calorie-free H2O.

The weather has been getting colder each day, not to mention the series of rain we have been getting in our part of the woods. My prayer was answered, Autumn came in quickly than expected but please no harsh Winter this year. I am so happy that since last week, the sun has been shining and spreading warmth all over our lovely city but not too hot, just enough breeze to keep us cool while spending time outdoors. In fact, my boys and I have been spending time outdoors more and more which makes me procrastinate on things I should be doing like checking out United States Gold Bureau as a friend wants to see her luck this 2010 and buy gold coins. She has finally decided to shift her other investments in other forms such as gold coins and bullions.

I admit that even if I have reached my weight goal, I am far from having a toned body. Yes, there are still flabs everywhere and after reading these Abtronix x2 reviews, I am almost tempted to get one. But then again, if I double time with my exercise, I do not only tone my body but I also give my body a favor especially now that the weather is getting chillier which means, I need to force myself to sweat through exercises. Oh well, no pain, no gain.

My Kindergartener is indeed a growing boy. When he and his dad made the Chocolate Volcano Cupcake last Monday (see entry below), he managed to eat more than 4 cupcake for the rest of the evening and come Wednesday, the 12 cupcakes were gone! Not that he need any weightloss supplements but I am concerned that too much sugar will make him more hyper and energetic. So when he bugged me for another round of cupcakes, I suggested we make cheese cupcake :P with only 1/3 cup of sugar for the entire recipe. I guess his renewed love affair with cupcakes and pastries was triggered by the series of birthday parties in school. They had 3 in 1 week and every party had cupcakes!

Please search recipes in my archive, I am too tired to link it here :( Sorry.

It was a stressful and very tiring week for me so I tried to be offline the whole of weekend to unwind and yes, still, unpack. Juggling work, school activities and this move (not to mention researching this Symbol LS2208 for a friend) almost gave me the sniffles and I had to take double dosage of my regular vitamins.

I came home last Monday very very tired and the boys made this Chocolate Volcano Cupcake which I assumed was not made from scratch :P. I indulged and ate 3 cupcakes in one sitting, it felt so good!

Ah, I still got 4 meetings this week, 2 of which with the PTA and Kindergarten moms and 2 for work. How will I ever finish unpacking. How was your weekend?

Let's make a healthy dish this week and you will not need to know what diet pills work the best after cooking and eating this dish. No picture as I can't find a good one. Hope you try this out, I tell you it's an easy whip!

FANCY FISH FINGERS:
4 pcs (400 grms ) fish or ffillet
1 small can pinaple crushed drained (reserve 2 tbsp syrup)
2 tbsps calamansi juice
1/4 kl ground pork
1 medium carrot grated
1 stalk celery or kinchay chopped
1 med size chopped onions
1tbsp soy sauce 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Procedure:
1. fillet and scrape flesh with spoon. remove bones, then marinate in pineapple syrup and calamansi juice for 15 minutes.
2. combine with the rest of the ingredients except breadcrumbs. season with 1 tsp iodised salt or rock salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. mix thouroughly.
3. form every 2 tbsp into sticks or croquettes. roll in breadcrumbs and fry until golden brown. serve with ketchup or sweet chili sauce.