I weighed in tonight at 226.6 lbs. Wow.

A week and I’ve already dropped some weight. I don’t think I’ve done much other than try to make some better decisions when eating. L and I are trying to cook only vegetarian dishes at home and we’ve been pretty successful. When we do need protein we are sticking to eggs and fish. We’re not cutting out meat, chicken or pork completely though. We save those for when we eat out at restaurants which we try to keep down to a minimum anyway.

One big change I have made this past month is what I eat after my weekday Arnis classes. Instead of a regular meal I’ve been eating cottage cheese melted on toast with tomatoes. Very tasty with a little salt and pepper for seasoning. I know what you’re thinking but it tastes pretty good and is surprisingly satisfying. I used to think that I needed a big meal after practice but I find just this, some fruit and a good couple glasses of water are all I need.

While it’s great that these little diet changes have dropped my weight I’ll still need to start increasing my activity levels. That’s the next step in the plan, fitting in at least another session or two of exercise sometime during my week. Maybe some Hip Hop Abs or perhaps a session of Turbo Jam … we’ll see.

The best meal I had during 2008 was during my trip to the Philippines this summer. It was my second morning in Las Pinas, just outside of Manila. For our first day of training in the Philippines my martial arts class went for a 5:00 AM run in the local park. I wasn’t prepared for the heat and humidity in the air, even before the sun had risen. By the time our run was over I was tired, starving and had sweat enough fluid to fill an empty water bottle.

When we got back to our hostel we were treated to a traditional Filipino Breakfast of tocino (cured ham), sinangag (garlic fried rice) and itlog (fried egg). Until that morning I had not had a good Tosilog in quite some time. Digging into a big serving of it after our first grueling run in the Filipino heat was a heavenly experience.

I had that same breakfast many times while I was on that trip and even a couple of times here in Canada. None of them have tasted as good or have satisfied me as much as the Tosilog I had then.

I have never had foie gras but I have watched enough Iron Chef to know that it is quite the delicacy. To be honest I have never really had a desire to try it because of what it is: Liver. I really do not like beef liver. It has gotten so bad that I have had an involuntary gagging reaction just to the smell of it. I know that fowl liver and bovine liver should have different tastes but I can’t seem to make that distinction because of my distaste for beef liver.

Dan Barber’s story just might change my mind. I admire how Eduardo Sousa has managed to work with nature instead of trying to control it. His story is inspiring and interesting and I would love to visit the farm and see his magical methods at play. Both Dan and Eduardo’s enthusiasm for foie gras is infectious and makes me feel excited for this delicacy as well.

I probably won’t be ordering any foie gras for myself just yet … but I’d be more inclined to steal a bite of L’s plate if she does.

I caved tonight and picked up a hot dog on my way home from work. Toppings of choice include:

• yellow mustard
• sweet relish
• chopped onions
• hot peppers
• pickles

I call it the “Tripledoubleyoudotcomdog” and it is my condiment combination of choice for street meat.

What’s yours?

If you are going to choose a mascot for your restaurant, choose one that can kick the fries out of any other mascot out there.

Yeah, just try sneaking up on him and we will see what happens. I am talking to you Mr. Burger King!

BlogTO shares with us their list of Toronto’s Best Fish & Chips places. I am surprised that I have managed to eat at five of the ten restaurants on their list as I have never taken myself to be a fried and battered fish connoisseur.

While I do not agree with their choice of Chippy’s as the best joint in town, I do have a soft spot for Sun Crisp Fish and Chips. When I was just a little boy my mom would often stop by the place since it was near her office and buy us dinner for the evening. I doubt the pieces are as huge as I remember them to be but back then that meal was a salty fried bonanza of goodness.

My compliments to Maria and Garlicster. I tried out their Real Pasta Primavera recipe over the weekend and it was a wonderfully tasty success! Light, fresh, and full of garlicy goodness, It was a big hit with L who was expecting me to make my usual Pasta Primavera (canned sauce and steamed veggies).

For better or worse I made a few modifications to the recipe:

• I used 4 teaspoons of dried Basil instead of 1/2 cup of the fresh stuff. This was only because I bought the dried stuff at the supermarket by accident. Also, I made the conversion from fresh to dried and it came out to a whopping 8 teaspoons. Cutting that measurement in half turned out to be a great idea.
• The Spaghettini was replaced by Linguine, only because it was the thinnest pasta I had on hand. Looking back, I do believe the Spaghettini or an Angel Hair pasta would have been better since this light sauce would have been carried better by a thinner noodle.
• Grape Tomatoes instead of Vine Tomatoes. This change probably wasn’t a big deal, although I only sliced them into discs instead of chunks. I thought it gave the dish a bit more of an aesthetically
  pleasing look.

As an added bonus we discovered the sauce made a fantastic Bruschetta topping when spooned on top of a toasted French Baguette. I am definitely adding this recipe to my catalog and plan on cooking it again soon, but next time with some fresh Basil and a good heaping of Angel Hair pasta!

Perhaps I exaggerate a bit too much, but Peach Snapple Iced Tea tastes several times better then Peach Diet Snapple Iced Tea. Instead of peachy goodness I am drowned in an avalanche of aspartame aftertaste.

Blech!