The Rice Thief Chronicles

Tales from the Kitchen of a Filipino Chef in a far away country called Finland.

[ricethief-blog]

Flax and Sugar Rice balls

I was craving for a healthy and filling snack the other day. I so missed eating ginataan with bilo-bilo or Sweet coconut milk stew with glutinous rice balls and sweet potatoes! :) It is a very popular dessert and snack in the Philippines. Since we are rich with coconut trees and lots of root crops, this is one of the ways that you can make a cheap, filling and delicious snack for your family and friends. :) 

The sweet coconut stew, I will make next time. For now, I wanted something quick and free of any fuss. I have a pack of glutinous rice flour at home and decided to use it to make glutinous rice balls. It is really a no-brainer. I think even 5 year old kids can make it by themselves. :) 

Flax and Sugar Rice Balls

Ingredients: 

1 cup glutinous rice flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

3-4 Tbsp. hot water

1/2 cup of ground flax seeds (You can use any type of ground nuts)

1/2 cup sugar (to be mixed together with the ground nuts)

Procedure: 

1. Mix rice flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Slowly add the hot water. Knead your dough. Add a little more water if the dough doesn't bind and add more rice flour if the mixture is too watery. You must be able to form your dough into tiny balls. 

2. Form the rice flour dough into balls. The size will depend on how you prefer them to be. 

3. In a smaller bowl, mix your ground flax seeds (or any ground nuts) with sugar. 

4. Prepare a pot and boil water. 

5. Once the water is boiling, drop your rice balls into the water and let them cook for 5 minutes. Take the rice balls out of the water. 

6. Dump the rice balls into your sugar and flax seed mixture. Make sure each rice ball is well coated with the mixture. 

7. Now, it's done! You are ready to eat! :) 

It's so easy, isn't it? :) 

[ricethief-blog]

Chilly day 팥죽 or Red Bean Porridge

The weather has become chilly and snow has begun falling onto Finnish soil. Winter is here and my body longs for more warm and comforting food. The best food for cold weather is soup and probably a hot bowl of porridge. :) Just thinking of it makes my body warm and snuggly inside. Haha. 

I love red beans. You can call them azuki, 팥, or simply just red beans. I like them boiled, mashed, pureed, and more! :) 

Since I have my stock of rice flour, red beans and some red rice millet in my pantry, I decided to make a Korean winter favorite: the 단팥죽 or the sweet red bean porridge. You can see this being sold in the old Korean Markets and sometimes on the streets, during winter time. What better way to warm yourself up but with a steaming hot bowl of sweet bean porridge. :) 

팥죽/ Sweet Red Bean Porridge 

Ingredients: 

1/4 cup red beans or azuki beans, soaked in water for 2 hours 

1/4 cup of short grained rice or any rice that you have 

2- 3 cups of water 

2 cups of sugar 

1 cup rice flour 

2-3 Tbsp. hot water 

Procedure: 

1. Make your rice balls first. :) In a bowl, add the rice flour and slowly pour in the hot water. Mix together and knead until you end up with a smooth rice flour dough. Make tiny balls out of the dough and set aside. 

2. In a pot, add your red beans and water. Add a pinch of salt. Make sure the water is thrice the amount of your beans. Boil your beans until they are tender and soft. If the water runs out, keep on adding water to the pot. 

3. When the beans have become soft, use your hand blender to blend the beans in the pot. Do not worry about the water since you will need a little bit more of it while the bean porridge thickens. It is up to you if you want your porridge to be chunky or smooth. Personally, I like mine with some of the beans still intact since it adds to texture. :) 

4. Once you've blended your beans, add a cup or two of water into the pot. Then add the rice. Stir constantly as the blended beans and the rice grains may end up getting stuck at the bottom of the pot. You do not want to end up with a burnt pot bottom and burnt tasting porridge. 

5. When the mixture becomes too thick, add more water, slowly. My porridge took 15 minutes for the rice to become cooked. Once the rice grains are cooked, add your rice flour balls into the pot and let it simmer for 10 minutes more. Add the sugar while simmering the rice balls. Adjust the sugar to your taste. I like my porridge extra sweet so... :) 

6. When the rice balls are chewy and soft, it is ready to be served. You can serve this by itself or you can add some milk to it if you want. :) This makes a very filling meal or even as a snack for kids and adults alike. 

I love yummy winter food. :) 

[ricethief-blog]

Banana and Sweet Potato Oat Bread

Okay, my 1 day off in 3 weeks just became 1 day off in an entire month. :) But, hey, I am not complaining. Bring it on! :) More work means more chances for me to save for my future family's future. :) It's just that I have been so, so, so tired that I have not been able to update my blog as regularly as I should have been. Sorry about that! 

Yesterday was my day off and I made sure that it was as productive as ever. Well, I can't really say that I have cleaned my apartment. *oops*  I am reserving that task for my 3-day off beginning tomorrow! Intensive cleaning mode on! :) Aside from not cleaning yesterday, I guess I could say that I made more mess in the kitchen. I was busy in the kitchen almost the entire day. 

The irony that lies in a chef's day-off is that it is spent in the kitchen, as well. What? What break from work? Hahaha :) I don't know why but for us, there is definitely a difference between cooking at work and cooking at home. Nonetheless, cooking is always love no matter where it is done. :) 

Anyway, I have realized that I have lots of fruits and vegetables inside my refrigerator that I have not touched yet. Before things start spoiling, I had to use some of them for cooking or for baking. I had some bananas, sweet potatoes and leftover oats, whole wheat flour and non-fat milk. I'm no baker or pastry chef but I sure would like to try baking this and that for fun. :) The end result: Banana and Sweet Potato Oat Bread. 

Banana and Sweet Potato Oat Bread 

Ingredients: 

2 Bananas, ripe

1/2 Sweet Potato, steamed

1/2 vanilla bean, scrape out the seeds only

2 cups flour

1 cup milk 

1/4 cup yogurt

2 Tbsp melted butter

1 cup sugar

2 tsp. Baking powder 

1/4 cup of oats or leftover muesli

2 Tbsp. ground flax seeds (or you can use any kind of nut, whole or ground)

1/2 tsp. nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves (optional) 

Procedure: 

1. Add bananas, sweet potato (including skin), yogurt, milk and vanilla bean into a bowl. Blend them altogether using a hand blender. 

2. Add the sugar, melted butter, baking powder and ground flax seeds. Mix well. 

3. Add the flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves last. Mix together. If your mixture seems too thick, you can add a little more milk. 

4. Set your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. 

5. Pour your mixture into any desired baking pan. You can also use muffin tins if you want. Remember to line your pans with a little bit of butter or use baking paper to line your pans to avoid the bread sticking to the pans. 

7. Place your pan in the oven and bake for approximately 1 hour or until the center becomes cooked. Stick in a chopstick or a toothpick into the center. If the toothpick comes out clean, your cake is done. :) 

Note: This cake is a quite a dense cake. I didn't really follow any recipes online. Haha. I just made it up along the way. I like how dense it is, though. It is like a cross between a rice cake and a moist banana bread. :) 

Oh, I just noticed that it's Thanksgiving! So, the sweet potato did actually fit in the season. :) Happy Thanksgiving everybody! 

There are a gazillion things to be thankful for. <3 

[ricethief-blog]

I am the happiest girl in the world. <3  Looking forward to that most special day! <3 

[ricethief-blog]

Left over make-over: Potato croquettes

It has been a while since I have posted anything. I have been so busy and exhausted from work that I haven't had found the strength in me to blog about recipes from my kitchen. The past 3 weeks have been like a roller coaster ride. With pikkujoulu season kicking in ( Little Christmas), the hotel is booked for Christmas parties almost until Christmas time. More work, less rest days but at least, more pay. :) So, I am not complaining about having more work hours. It is a blessing after all. 

Going back to more important things, like food and cooking, I will be posting a recipe made out of leftovers. Christmas season is the season for parties and lots and lots of leftovers. Being the thrifty person that I am, I really hate having to throw away perfectly good food. If only I could bring home all the leftovers from work and eat them all (without getting fat), I definitely would. Haha. 

Today, I will be posting a recipe that reminds me a lot of my childhood. Potato croquettes. My mom would always make potato croquettes for us when we were young because our family is a fan of Japanese food. We have this Japanese cookbook that is probably as old as I am and I remember marking the pages of the food that I would like to have on my birthday. Haha. I marked the pages with a check and the date of my birthday. But, well, it never really happened. Hahaha. I think that every time that I miss my mom and her cooking I try to re-create the food that she makes so that I feel a little bit closer to home. 

Potato Croquettes

Ingredients: 

Mashed Potatoes (left-overs) --> If you don't have left-over mashed potatoes, boil  4-5 skinned potatoes and then mashed them finely with butter, salt, and hot milk)

Any left-over meat dish or fish dish (Shred the meat into tiny pieces) 

Any kind of vegetables you have at home, chopped (onions, carrots, garlic, peas, corn, etc.) 

Cheese, chopped or grated 

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 eggs, beaten

Flour

Bread crumbs

Procedure: 

1. Combine mashed potatoes, shredded meat and chopped vegetables, and cheese. 

2. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Mix well. Set aside. 

3. Prepare three bowls with the following in it: (this is for your bread crumb coating) 

           - flour

           - beaten eggs 

           - bread crumbs 

4. Form your mashed potato mixture into desired shape. It can be round, balls, oval, square or even, heart shaped! :) 

5. Coat the croquettes in the following order: flour, egg, then bread crumbs last. Make sure that you coat them well. Set aside on a plate. 

6. Heat a non-stick pan with oil. Fill it 3/4 full. The potato croquettes are supposed to be deep-fried. But, if you want a healthier option, you can also bake them in the oven until the coating becomes golden brown. When the oil is hot, drop your potato croquettes slowly into the oil. Be careful since we don't want hot oil splattering on your face and arms. Do not over crowd your pan because it will decrease the temperature of your oil, which leaves you with soggy and oily croquettes. 

7. Fry the croquettes until it becomes golden brown. 

8. Drain them off excess oil on paper towels. And, they're ready to be served and eaten! 

9. You can accompany this with any dressing, dip or sauce of your choice. Something sweet and tangy is best, like a barbecue sauce. :)

[ricethief-blog]

Tofu Scramble

Today is the beginning of a lifetime challenge. 

The challenge is to be able to have a healthier lifestyle in terms of the food that I eat  and make. Of course, there will always be days that I give in to sinful cravings but it won't be as often as it used to be. I think I should find healthier alternatives to the food that I crave for. Develop new habits and create new favorites. :) 

I was so excited for today's breakfast! Who would have imagined tofu would be so exciting? :) 

Tofu Scramble

Ingredients: 

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, sliced 

1/2 tomato, sliced into cubes

1/4 cup sliced leeks 

1/2 block of firm tofu, crumbled 

1 tsp. Olive oil or regular cooking oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp. Paprika 

Procedure: 

1. Heat your pan with oil. Add onions, garlic, tomato, leeks and saute until the onions become translucent. 

2. Add your crumbled tofu. Mix well. 

3. Season with paprika, salt and pepper. Saute until the tofu becomes a little bit brown. 

4. Transfer to a plate or bowl. It is ready! :) 

Looks a lot like regular scrambled eggs, right? ^^ 

Note: This tofu scramble can be served on a salad, eaten with rice or with wheat toast. It is low in calories, packed with nutrients and definitely filling for the tummy! :) 

I actually ate this with a slice of flax seed toast. I originally made two pieces but was so full that I only ate one (and half of the scramble). :) 

Flax seed toast: Grab a slice of whole wheat bread, sprinkle a teensy teensy bit of sugar, lots of ground flax seeds and some maca powder and it's done! It's the better substitute for your regular sugar and butter toast. :) My toast looks orange because I placed the bread on top of the tofu scramble to heat it up a bit. :)

Let today be the beginning of a good week! :) 

Happy Monday everyone! 

[ricethief-blog]

Day 7 of D.O.G.S

I can't really say that Day 7 was unsuccessful. 

To be honest, I had not made a green smoothie for yesterday. I had to be at work early in the morning and my supposed day off was cancelled. But, I didn't mind. I like working on Sundays (since it's double pay) and well, it's not like there's so much to do at home, either. 

I might have failed to take in my last smoothie for the week but I made up for it by consuming only a salad for breakfast and fruits for dinner. Technically, I have not really cheated. Everything I ate were smoothie ingredients. Except that I just did not blend them all together. ;p 

My body had reactions to solid food though. After eating my salad, I felt a bit nauseous and seriously wanted to throw up. I suppose this happens when your body has not taken in anything solid for a week. I had to walk around the kitchen and work more so that the nausea would go away. It eventually did. 

After doing 6 days of liquid and 1 day of only raw fruits and vegetables, what benefits have I received and what lessons have I learned? 

1. You don't need large amounts of food to become full. 

2. Getting a good night's rest is important.

3. Hydrate yourself. Drink more than 8 glasses a day. 

4. Stretch. 

5. It's okay to have lots and lots of raw fruits and vegetables. 

6. You learn how to crave healthy food instead of junk.

7. Greens can go a loooooong way. 

8. A change in lifestyle is so much better than  a crash diet. 

9. Enjoy your food. Savor every bite and mouthful. 

10. Love yourself! <3 

Even if the challenge is over, I'd still recommend having green smoothies regularly. I will also try to eat more healthy and nutrient rich food starting today.  I may not turn into a complete vegetarian but I am definitely cutting a lot of processed food and meat from my diet. It's never too late to change. :) 

Cheers to the new me! 

[ricethief-blog]

Day 6 of D.O.G.S

One more day and I would have successfully completed the 7-day only Green Smoothie challenge! 

Yesterday was the hardest day of the week. I think I have learned my lesson. Do not blend seaweed into your smoothie, ever! Although I combined the seaweed with lots of fruits, it still tasted like the sea. And because I didn't have seaweed powder (and use re-hydrated leaves), I ended up with seaweed chunks in my smoothie. Alternating sips of smoothie with water helped me finish the entire smoothie. It took me 2 hours to do so! >.< 

The amount of maca that I have put in my smoothie seems to be just right. I wasn't feeling dehydrated and most of the heart palpitations were gone. I was a bit lightheaded though at times and it felt like the world suddenly spun for 2 seconds. 

I'm so excited for this week to end because I have been thinking of healthy food to make beginning next week. I cannot suddenly indulge myself in all solid food. From what I have read, the post- smoothie diet should be slowly eased into. So, I won't be eating any grains for the first 2-3 days. I will be sticking to a salad diet and after that, I will continue having salads for dinner and a healthy brunch during the day. 

So far, so good. I've lost a couple of pounds and I have been sleeping better than before. I don't feel so tired and sluggish and my headaches have gradually lessened. Even if the smoothie challenge will be over, I will continue drinking green smoothies to further nourish my body. 

Today, I went back to spinach based smoothies. I can eat seaweeds later on as a soup, salad or main but I don't think I'll ever be using it in my smoothie again. Hahaha. 

Spinach, Kiwi, Banana Smoothie

Ingredients: 

1 banana

3 kiwis

1 tsp maca powder

3 Tbsp ground flax seeds

2 cups of ice cold water 

100 grams of frozen spinach 

Procedure: 

1. Blend, blend, blend! 

Let's do this, Day 6! 

[ricethief-blog]

Day 5 of D.O.G.S

I am so glad that it is already Day 5! 2 more days and I am back to eating solid food. I still find it quite surprising that I was able to go through this week without having a breakdown. There were times that I was so tempted to have even just a teensy bite of food at work but I had to think about getting through this week successfully. I can always have a bite of it next week, anyway! 

Yesterday, I had my first try of maca incorporated in a smoothie. I can't really say that the experience was great because I was dehydrated the entire day and my heart was pounding like crazy until I fell asleep. I got quite alarmed because even if I had only placed a teaspoon of maca in my smoothie, my body had reacted too much from it. My lips were so dry and I was chugging liters of water just to get that thirsty feeling satisfied. And for some reason, I had felt extremely tired after work. I had no trouble getting to sleep because my body was so exhausted. It must be from the dosage of maca.  So, I asked my vegan friend if it was normal to have these effects after taking maca. She said that at first those symptoms will exist because the body is reacting to the effect of maca. Dehydration and heart palpitations are just a few. She told me that I need to ease my way into incorporating maca into my smoothies slowly. I was advised to reduce my portion from 1 teaspoon to half a teaspoon for a week and then try to increase it back to 1 teaspoon. 1/2 teaspoon it is then! 

I was pretty worried about what smoothie to make today. I had consumed all my spinach and romaine lettuce that I had bought a couple of days ago. I did some research on the internet and they said that seaweed could also be blended into the smoothie. Luckily, I always have my stash of dried seaweed because I am addicted to it. haha. I supposed that re-hydrating it and blending it with fruits would be a good idea. 

So, I ended up with a chunky smoothie! 

Seaweed smoothie

Ingredients: 

1 cup re-hydrated seaweed

2 apples (peel and seeds intact)

1 pear 

1/2 tsp maca

1 Tbsp ground flax seeds

2 cups of ice cold water

Procedure: 

1. Blend, blend, blend! 

Note: Because of the seaweed, you will end up with chunks of seaweed. If you are not a fan of seaweed, I suggest that you buy seaweed flakes or get a high speed blender like Vitamix. If you don't want to use seaweed at all, you can always substitute it with other greens like spinach, kale, malunggay, romaine, mache, arugula, etc. It really is just a matter of mix and match! :) 

Not the most appetizing smoothie that I have ever made. Taste wise, it tastes a bit like the sea. This will be the hardest for me to finish but it also looks like the most filling I have ever concocted. :) 

Here's to the sea! Here's to you and me! 

[ricethief-blog]

Paterno Family October Feast! 

Too bad I wasn't there to celebrate with everyone else. :( 

Kare-kare, Lechon, Pansit Malabon and lots of rice. Winner. 

[ricethief-blog]

Shrimp Labong (Shrimp and bamboo shoots in coconut milk)

I may be on my 7-day green smoothie challenge now but it doesn't mean I can't post my recipes here. I have a year's worth of food backlog!

I really miss my mom's cooking so I thought of posting my version of Mama's Labong. :) In Filipino, Labong means bamboo shoots. Bamboo shoots are normally stewed in coconut milk. Coconuts are much abundant in the Philippines so it is not surprising that we use a lot of coconut in our cuisine. This recipe is very simple. You can easily find the bamboo shoots sold in the local public market and groceries. Or, if you live overseas, it is easily found canned in Asian groceries. 

Shrimp Labong (Shrimp and bamboo shoots in coconut milk)

Ingredients: 

200 grams, small shrimps (skin and head intact)

200 grams, bamboo shoots (canned or fresh)

3 cloves garlic, minced 

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1 tsp of minced ginger

1 1/2 Tbsp Fish sauce 

200 ml Coconut milk 

3 pcs. bird's eye chilis, chopped (optional)

1 cup, chili leaves or spinach, sweet potato leaves or seaweed (kelp)

1 Tbsp sugar 

Procedure: 

1. In a hot pan, saute minced garlic, ginger and sliced onions. Add the bamboo shoots. Saute until the onions turn translucent. 

2. Add your shrimp. When it starts changing color, add your chili peppers. 

3. Add your coconut milk and simmer for about 5 minutes. Season with fish sauce and add sugar. 

4. Lastly, add in the chili leaves, sweet potato leaves or seaweed. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Season according to your taste. If it needs more saltiness, add fish sauce. (If you want your labong not so watery, reduce your coconut milk by half.) 

5. Transfer to a serving bowl. This is best served hot, eaten with steamed rice and some fried fish. :) 

Yum, yum, yum, yum! 

Mama, I miss you! <3 

[ricethief-blog]

Day 4 of D.O.G.S

Wow. I can't believe that I actually made it halfway through the week on green smoothies alone! It's quite surprising that I have not been craving as much as I was when I was on my regular diet. Better sleep and I don't notice any drop in energy level as compared to my previous eating habit! I am in awe on how a couple of days of consuming green smoothies show its effects already. :) 

Day 3 was a little bit harder for me though. It's the black berries that made me harder to chug down my smoothie at work. Really not a fan of sour fruits. Although, I know that it is packed with loads of vitamins so I drank it all up. Maybe I won't be using so much berries next time, haha. I also think I have issues with romaine lettuce. Romaine lettuce is not the sweet variety lettuce. It tastes a bit strong and bitter so the flavor is harder to hide when you are making smoothies. I would suggest adding more fruits than the amount of romaine lettuce will make it easier for you to drink up your smoothie. :)

Since yesterday, I was contemplating on what kind of smoothie I should be making. I decided on making a kiwi, banana and spinach smoothie. How do I level-up the nutrition without having to add 1 million other fruits into the smoothie? The answer was quite simple. Use a super food such as maca, chia seeds, flax seeds and cocoa nibs. Luckily, ground flax seeds were readily available in the grocery and it doesn't cost so much. I was worried because I knew that chia, maca and cocoa nibs would be really pricey. I found an organic grocery in Trio and found chia, maca and cocoa nibs. However, the prices shocked me. Maca costs 4 euros per 100 grams, Cocoa nibs cost 80 euros per kilogram, and Chia costs 15 euros per 500 grams.  Because of money constraints, I was only able to buy Maca. I just wish that they had chia seeds sold by the 100 grams so it doesn't feel so heavy on the budget. Cocoa nibs were out of the question, too. Maybe when I am richer then I can go and get myself some cocoa nibs. I need the help of the Oompa Loompas to get cocoa nibs! With maca and flax seeds in the bag, I went home happily to prepare my smoothie. 

Super Smoothie

Ingredients: 

2 bananas, frozen

3 kiwis, frozen and peeled

150 grams spinach

2 cups ice cold water

1 tsp Maca powder

1 Tbsp ground flax seeds

Procedure: 

1. Blend, blend, blend! 

Tastes better than a regular smoothie because it has a nutty after taste :) 

3 more days to go! Let's do this! 

[ricethief-blog]

Day 3 of D.O.G.S

Day 2 went by smoother than I expected. I think it was because I was so,so,so happy with the smoothie that I made and I happily drank every last bit of it! Bananas do really make a good ingredient in a green smoothie because aside from its sweetness, it adds a creaminess to your smoothies, and is quite filling since it is calorie dense. Throughout the day, I didn't really feel so hungry. I found it quite weird because I was only consuming liquids. I was tempted at work by left-overs from a lunch buffet that had salmon and shrimp stew, beef tenderloin and rice! While everyone else was happily downing their meal, I was drinking my green smoothie in the kitchen while making a chanterelle pie. I got more inquiries on the 2nd day that on the first because my smoothie was bright green in color. Hahaha. See? Green smoothies also make a good conversation starter! The day went by quite fast as we were busy in the kitchen. A lot of prep and a lot of customers. I'm not complaining, though. I like it when it is busy because time goes by faster and you don't really have time to crave for anything. :) 

As my usual routine goes, I got home, took a shower, watched some TV shows, prayed and went to bed. Like the first night, I had a good sleep. I didn't wake up in the middle of the night (except for incoming messages on my phone) and I slept for a good 9 hours, which is pretty rare. I would sleep 4 to 6 hours on a normal basis and it felt good to have slept way longer than usual. My tummy doesn't grumble by midnight from hunger and when I woke up, I didn't feel as sluggish and as tired as I would.

It must be the green smoothies! 

It's 10 am and day 3 officially begins. I'm going to make another variation of green smoothie from what fruits and greens I have in the refrigerator. It only takes less than 5 minutes to make and I don't need to worry about washing dishes, pots and pans! :) 

Romaine, Blackberry, Banana and Cabbage Smoothie

Ingredients: 

Half a head of romaine

2 bananas, frozen 

1 cup of blackberries, frozen or fresh 

1/2 cup of cabbage 

2 cups of ice cold water

Procedure: 

1. Blend, blend, blend! 

Don't expect to get a green smoothie this time since you are mixing in a whole cup of blackberries! :) As for taste, it is still delicious although a little sour from the blackberries. I'm not really a fan of anything sour but I'll drink everything, anyway! 

Almost halfway through the challenge! Happy hump-day everyone! And have a happy Halloween! 

[to-be-healthy-and-fit]

[spiritual-shanti-deactivated201]

Yogi tea

[ricethief-blog]

Food for thought <3

[kushandwizdom]

[ricethief-blog]

AMEN! 

[ricethief-blog]

Day 2 of D.O.G.S

Yes, I survived my first day of D.O.G.S! 

An hour or two after I drank my first smoothie yesterday, I actually felt nauseous and wanted to throw up everything I had just drank. But, I fought the urge and tried to keep everything in. I walked around the house, did breathing exercises and stretched a bit, and eventually, the nausea disappeared. My body is probably not used to ingesting all these raw vegetables and fruit in liquid form that's why my body reacted like that. 

It isn't easy, at all. Being home makes it easier to control yourself from munching on this and that. But, it is a totally different story at work. Normally, I would take a huge serving of salad and a piece of chicken breast for my dinner and have a tiny square of chocolate as my desert. Oh, how I missed it so much. :(

I brought my green smoothie filled thermos with me to work. Even though my co-workers never said a word when they saw what I was pouring into my huge glass, I know that they found it really strange. The color of my smoothie yesterday wasn't exactly, umm, appealing to the eyes. haha. 

I downed my smoothie like a man! 

I didn't really feel so hungry. I think I was full for the rest of the day. I think it was just that I wanted to chew something and actually feel like I am eating something instead of drinking my meals for the entire day. When I got home at 10 pm, I thought of making myself a green smoothie before I went to bed but was just too tired to do so. Surprisingly, for the first time in a couple of weeks, I was able to sleep without waking up a couple of times in the middle of the night! I don't know if it was the immediate effect of taking only green smoothies the entire day but whatever it is, I want it to last! 

Day 2 begins. 

Before I slept yesterday, I put two bananas in the freezer so that I could use it for my smoothie in the morning. I decided to go with spinach, pear and bananas today.  

Banana, Pear and Spinach Smoothie

Ingredients: 

1 whole pear, including skin

2 frozen bananas

1.5 cups of water

200 grams of spinach

Procedure: 

1. Blend away! 

You'll end up with a bright green smoothie. Don't be alarmed and discouraged with the color because the bananas and the pear hide the spinach taste quite well. If you close your eyes, you wouldn't be able to identify that there was spinach in it! :) It tastes so good that I am so excited to drink more of this today! 

Here's to day 2, cheers! 

[ricethief-blog]

Wake me up when this week is all over. Green Smoothie challenge is proving to be torture.