Goal: Eat Healthly and watching my $60-$80 weekly budget

Hello everyone!

I'm reflecting back at my diet and I know I have not been eating too well lately. I also know that I have not been exercising as much as I'd like.

It's about time I make a positive change for myself and try to live life healthier.

Today, I was grocery shopping and I saw that there were Pomegranates! I grabbed two right away! The price of the Pomegranates were expensive! OMG!

Check out the prices:

Commericial Bread $5.19

SOS Pads $3.25

A Lemon $1.59

A Grapefruit $1.89

A Pomegranate $2.19

A Package of Baby Spinach $5. 29 (I swear to God, I purchase about 2-4 spinach a week)

Green Onions $1.29 (I swear to God these are $0.75 in Toronto's Galleria Market)

A Eggplant $5.56 (WTH?!?)

Danone Activia Yoghurt $7.45

This is actually my first time looking at the receipt. I had been advised by many local people and staff member NOT to look at the receipt when shopping for food because we all need to eat healthily. The cheap stuff are the boxed pasta, box cake, bacon, frozen hamburgers and pretty much other instant foods.

I often cannot help myself but look at what others are purchasing when standing in line waiting to get checked out. I see most of the local people are big on purchasing cheese, frozen burgers, bacon, coffee, frozen fries, ice cream, Canned Soup or Soup in a package, gravy, chips & dip, pop and I'm thinking, "The food situation up here needs to be improved!" I feel sometimes the local people look back on what I purchase and I still feel horrible they are unable to access healthy foods.

I recall the very first time I went grocery shopping here. There was a couple and they were debating on what to do because they did not have enough money for the cab to return home. I looked at what they were purchasing... chips.... pop... and other foods that aren't too healthy. The cab costs a flat rate of $5 here. Who knows, maybe the chips & pop was for a party or some other social function or maybe this was their staple diet, I didn't ask them.

I swear to God, someone needs to create a documentary on food accessibility here to increase awareness of the problems that the First Nations people face. Recently, there has been some coverage in Attawapiskat in regards to their medical and housing crisis. A child went to the closest nursing station but was sent home many times with Tylenol. Unfortunately, the kid ended up dying. CBC also revealed the housing situation it showed how one family's home was flooded was raw sewage. It was horrifying!

I just spent $140 in the grocery Store

Hello everyone,

I just spend about $140 in the grocery store. My grocery bills are killing me! But I am kinda forced to cook. I am living dependantly. There is only 2-4 restaurants where I live. People who own business here open there restaurant however they like so some are only open during certain seasons.

So now my thoughts are headed towards my pricey rent. I pay about $512/month and its just me. I ask myself, is it really a necessary to reside in a 2 bedroom place for the X amount of years that I stay here for my nursing practice?

If I were to reduce the price of rent in half, $250-$300 per month, then 2 out of 3 weeks of grocery bills would be covered easily.

Such decisions....

I plan to experiment in my kitchen more often. I would require money to do that too....

Such grown up stuff... budgeting and all...

Will cook and blog more often

Hello everyone,

I just did 8 shifts in a row and I am burnt out!

I do plan to cook and blog more often.

It was pretty depressing what I was consuming during the past 3 months.

Of course, it was very challenging moving and not having kitchen utensils....

I used a spare part of a shelf rack of a refrigerator as my dish rack. One of the seasonal workers helped me do groceries and she came into the trailer to drop off the food with me. She stared at my empty, pathetic kitchen and was like, "You need to buy more stuff for your trailer." It took about a month and a half for my kitchen to be more equipped.

This is what my diet looked like during the first month here:

Breakfast: Lemon juice squeezed myself with Agave Syrup (I heard Lemon tricks the brain that gives you the sense that you are full. This only works for about 15 mins then you will be hungry again if only ingested juice on an empty stomach.)

Toast with Margarine or Oatmeal or boiled eggs

Lunch: Campbell's vegetable Soup with toast

Dinner : Pizza (A slice of bread baked with pasta sauce and cheese)

or

Toast with Pasta Sauce

or

Boiled Vegetables (Asparagus, potatoes carrots and onions) with Lemon Juice and Black pepper, salt and Agave.

This is what my diet looked like during the Second month here:

Breakfast: Cereal with soy milk with fruit if available

or

Fruit smoothie (Avocado , blueberry, strawberry, banana smoothie) or boiled eggs

Lunch: Smoothie, Uncle Ben's Tomato Rice with tomato, or Campbell Soup or Tuna Sandwich, Veggie Meat

Dinner: Frozen perogies with Canned Soup or Oatmeal or Fruit with Cereal, Chips

During my Third month, my diet had graduated to:

Breakfast: Orange Juice, Cereal, Oatmeal, Leftovers from Dinner, Pancakes, Boiled eggs

Lunch: Korean Glass noodles, ramen, Soup, Frozen perogies ,pasta, veggie meat or a hamburger (I need my protein ppl and sometimes veggie meal is unavailable)

Dinner: Soup, Frozen Fries, Sliced Tomatoes, Pizza Pockets, Oatmeal, Nachos, pasta

I know its not the most healthiest diet but I'm working on it despite of the fact that a green pepper here is $5 -6 + tax. I try to add real veggies into my soup like onions, carrots and tomatos so I am getting some nutrients. Those canned soups pretty much have nothing in them but sodium and fat.

Sometimes, when I am working a day shift, I purchase lunch from the cafe. Personally, I am not too pleased with the food there. I only like their Egg Sandwich because they are generous with the egg salad. :D

I just had their Mac and Cheese and it looked so gross and it tasted pretty bland. I mean, clearly there was a large amount of cheese in the dish but it didn't even taste cheesy. But I ate it because I completed a 30 hour shift. I swear the God, the cashier was like O.O and she watched me inhale this large dish of Mac and Cheese, 2 bowls of Chicken soup and a slice of cherry pie in 20 mins. Before, I exited the deserted Cafe, I went up to her and said, "I know I eat like a man.". The Cashier laughed and said, "I can see that."

Food Sick

September 8, 2011.

9:12PM

I am food sick.

Not food poisoned just plain old food sick when you are suddenly reside in a place where you cannot consume the type of foods you usually had for 25 years. Up here the food sucks. Seriously, what are the locals thinking? The quality of the food is low and crappy. 80% of the foods in the supermarket are perishable foods and 20% of the supermarket are fresh produce.

What the hell?

Where is the food pride of this community?

There are no Cooking competitions... just bake sales. I had a cupcake from a bake sale last week and purchased a cupcake for $1. The baker went el cheapo on the buttercream frosting and the bottom of the cupcake weas burnt. My tongue guessed this cake really was cake box.

Seriously, I should start a food riot or make ppl sign food petitions for improve the quality of the foods that is sold here.

I miss the foods from Toronto. I loved it how you can step out and choose eat or taste different type of foods, different ethnic foods, attend food festivals and events.

Here there isn't much. I see people do some pot lucks but I guess what I'm really craving is for Vietanmese Pho, Thai Tom Kha Gai, Korean Bibimap, Jamacian Jerk Chicken, Greek Chicken souvlaki with rice, salad and potatoes,Chinese Congee and Dim Sum, Philippino Sinigang with Casavacake, Indian Curry, Japanese Sushi, Kosher Hummus, and I think I need to stop right there or else I will continue to salivate.

On the bright side, I have some time to practice my so called culinary skills. It will be fun. :D

There is so many things I want to make.....

1. Pineapple sorbet inside a pineapple

2. Rice Cakes out of scratch

3. Pho

4. Cheesecake

5. Cupcakes (hopefully excel to create red velvet cupcakes)

6. Rapunzel's Squash & Hazelnut Soup (Yes, that Disney movie made Michie Hungry!)

7. Fried Bread (Hopefully excel to make fried bread pizza)

8. Experiment and create different lemonades

9. Learn how to make Pizza dough out of scratch from a friend.

How important is Food and Health to you?

Hello everyone!

Sorry I have not blogged for the longest time.

After recovering from consuming take-out foods I got sick from, I decided to blog about food.

Being raised from a Korean family, my mother had instilled some traditional Korean values to me. I'm not too into traditional ideas but I learned to value that food and your health should be your #1 priority. Without health, you cannot do anything.

My mother never consumes fast foods/take-outs because she considered it "Unclean food". You don't know how the food is handled before serving it to you. You don't know how well hand-washing was performed or if they have done it at all. You will know after you get sick from the food. After working a few minimum wage jobs in food services when I was in high school, I was disgusted and horrified how some people deal with food served to the public.

My mother also believed that it was unhealthy to consume foods outside of home. I was sort of sad during my childhood that she would not purchase chips, pop, and pizza like other parents do. I appreciate it much later on that my mother cooked healthy meals. She was always concerned about my health and well-being.

My mother has been cooking for the family on a daily basis. Every morning, she wakes up 6AM in the morning to cook. I have recently learned to greatly appreciate this as years go by. She has Carpal Tunnel Syndrome from working hard in a factory and I am very impressed to see that she cooks everyday. I have learned some mothers who occupy the domestic space, have no job/career, have two hands that function well enough to cook and yet they do not cook for their spouse and children.

I have developed the greatest respect for my mother and learned to value food and health as she did. I know its also related to the Korean Culture. My boyfriend was over at my place yesterday and we watched a Korean food show and he was teasing how the Koreans audience let out this Amusement sound every 10-30 seconds of the show every time a dish was presented or showing off the ingredients or when the Celebrities took their first bite of the dish. Koreans can go crazy over food. Although, I haven't been to Korea, I am aware Koreans do all sorts of activities to elongate their lives like go to a Sauna, exercise outdoors/gym, go to an outdoor gym open to public and they go wild on natural health products.

How important is Food and Health to you?

Anime Related to Food

I'm currently watching Cooking Master Boy (52 episodes in total) and Yakitate Japan (69 Episodes in total).

Cooking Master Boy is this ancient old anime which portrays a story of a young teenager Chinese boy who travels around China learning about culinary arts and food. All sorts of things happen to this during this journey to be a top chef. Watching some of Cooking Master Boy had given me some new ideas about cooking and it makes me so hungry watching it sometimes. The people's reaction when they taste the boy's food is so exaggerated.

But Yakitate Japan is even worse. People's reaction to the main character's food/bread is like 25 times more exaggerated. I mean like people seems like their getting .. lack of words to describe these scenes... but appears to be high.. floating in outer space.. and being plain objective K.O, fainting, and there was one scene where the judge of the bread contest was stripping his clothes off. Lol, such randomness. Yakitate Japan also makes me very hungry when I watch it. My boyfriend teases not to get to caught up because he think I'm going to create another flop dish where I am inspired by some random fictional dish.

Food Porn- What's yours?

I was watching a Special Episode of No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain last night. I love watching this show! :D Anyways, He did one on Food porn where he reveiled his food porn is Pho. I learned that "Pho" is pronounced as "Fa". I was astonished! Anthony thinks the sexiest, addictive and tasiest food is.... Pho? LOL!

Watch Anthony's Food Porn at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsSiA-JHm0U

After I watched that part twice, I think the food porn had gotten to me. I started craving for Pho.

I think my food porn is Cold Korean Noodles (Naengmyeon) and Bung-O-Pang (Taiyaki or Fish cake with Red Bean Paste).

What is your food porn?

Movie - Food Inc

This is a documentary about food, specifically, the fast foods and the meat industry. The movie unveils interesting stuff about food and how it is controlled on a political players and the corporates. I was amazed that corn today can be used for almost anything! It is used for batteries, diapers and other things. What saddened me the most was how powerless the farmers' roles are today. I'm talking about the farmers who partnered up with the corporates. The corporates delegates what do to and if the farmers do not obey or resist, the farmers can be sued their hearts out.

I recommended anyone who loves food, has an interest of nutrition and open-minded folks to watch this movie.

YouTube Food Inc. Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eKYyD14d_0

I'm hungry...

I'm a small girl but I can eat a ton.

I love to eat!

I can't imagine my life if I was hit by a truck the next day and I ended up in the hospital with feeding tubes in me. I would rather die.

I'm a vegetarian who cheats meaning yes, I do eat meat occasionally. For sure I am not able to eat it everyday.

What initially made be start this blog was when I was looking for a specific Dim Sum Restaurant in Downtown Toronto. I was not able to find their online menu. So I decided, "Hey, why not start a blog about food, restaurants, recipes and other things related to food?"

I love taking photos of food and sharing my experience and recommendation of restaurants. So why not start now?