Spring 2024 Favorites, because. (It’s about time!)

May 3, 2024That Asian-Looking Chick Leave a comment

Hello, friends. Many of you remember when I used to regularly post Monthly Favorite (little things) lists, and several of you have expressed interest in seeing these posts again. I’ve been wanting to return to this tradition, but I’m thinking maybe a Quarterly Favorites list would make more sense than a Monthly Favorites, yes? First quarter 2024 closed at the end of March and here we are at the beginning of May, so to simplify, we’ll just say that the list below captures my favorite little things of the year thus far.

Let’s start with entertainment, shall we? Enjoy!

1). Warrior (T.V. series) (HBO Max and Netflix)

We’ve watched many a fantastic show and several movies this year, but I only wanted to recommend this one. If you know me, you know I love martial arts action movies and T.V. shows with stellar fight choreography, and this show features some of the best fight sequences I’ve ever seen. If you’re a fighting-arts fan, you may also enjoy Warrior. Set in late-1800’s San Francisco, you’ve got a clash of Chinese immigrants and Irish immigrants amidst politicians’ shameless shenanigans, warring between the tongs (mobs) in Chinatown, and complex family dynamics. Loyalty; family; rivalries and revenge; money, money, money; power. Those fight scenes, though!

The trailer:

On to food! This list is mostly food and drink, so settle in:

2). It’s Delish Sugar-free Dark Chocolate-covered Espresso Beans.

These sugar-free vegan dark chocolate-covered espresso beans provide a delectable little zing of energy after lunch. They’re pricey, so we limit ourselves to just five per day, each, which is actually perfect.

3). Zoa energy drink.

My favorite pre-workout boost is an energy drink, which, I’ll admit, I drink on my one rest day, as well. Zoa zero-sugar energy drinks came to my attention when a search for “healthiest energy drinks” directed me to an Eat This, Not That! article: “10 Best Energy Drinks, According to a Dietician.” I’ll go ahead and quote the Zoa entry:

Perhaps the most “traditional” of these healthier energy drinks is Zoa’s line of zero-sugar energy drinks. The caffeine in Zoa is derived from natural ingredients such as green tea and green coffee beans—which are raw, unroasted coffee beans. Without any artificial flavors or colors, this is a great alternative to more mainstream brands. Additionally, this energy drink offers a plethora of vitamins and minerals such as Vitamins B6, B12, and C.

We get our cases of Zoa from Costco, and my favorite flavor is Cherry Limeade, of course. Cherry-flavored anything!!!

4). Protein bars: Barebells Vegan Hazelnut & Nougat and NuGo Vegan Slim Chocolate Mint.

Barebells and NuGo plant-based protein bars.

I’m always on the lookout for zero-sugar plant-based protein bars that can pass as candy bars, and today I’m here to share with you my recent finds, my treasures, my pretties: The Barebells Hazelnut & Nougat plant-based protein bar is my current favorite meal-replacement bar (usually breakfast, sometimes lunch) on the rare occasion that a regular meal isn’t possible. The NuGo Slim Chocolate Mint bar has been my daily mid-late afternoon snack for months now, and I’m still not tired of it. If you love chocolate mint as much as I do, you’ll probably enjoy this one! Both of these bars are delicious. Highly recommend.

5). Garden of Life Sport Organic Plant-Based Protein powder.

Garden of Life Sport plant-based protein powder.

With 160 calories, 30 grams of protein, and BCAA’s, this plant-based protein powder has become my post-strength-training-workout staple.

6). Trader Joe’s frozen organic blueberries.

I start almost every day with a quarter cup of frozen berries on my Ezekiel cereal. Frosty, creamy, and sweet, they complement the hearty, crunchy cereal delightfully.

7). Yogi ginger tea.

Another daily staple: hot ginger tea after dinner. For years I drank apple cider vinegar in ice water every night as a post-meal tonic. Not anymore! Mom got me into hot ginger tea, and I haven’t looked back. I like it extra strong, as that’s how it’s spiciest, and I don’t add anything to it.

8). Trader Joe’s Piquant Popcorn.

Popcorn is a whole grain, and this popcorn creation of Trader Joe’s has protein along with other nutrients (from the nootch). It’s our favorite! We split a bag for lunch one day a week; it’s become a weekend tradition. Half a bag has 350 calories and 8 grams of protein. We do eat a few other things in the same sitting, but the popcorn’s the star of the spread.

9). Trader Joe’s frozen Japchae (Korean Sweet Potato Glass Noodles & Vegetable Stir-fry).

(Apologies for the blurry photo!) Trader Joe’s Japchae is our current favorite convenience food for those times it makes the most sense to throw something into the microwave and call it dinner. The delicately seasoned sweet potato glass noodles with stir-fry veggies go beautifully with tofu, Sriracha sauce, and Romaine hearts. We each get our own! You’ll find this Japchae in Trader Joe’s frozen foods section. If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s near you… I’m sorry.

10). Sprout’s lavender-rosewood moisturizing body lotion.

Yikes!! This pic is also blurry! Please to ignore that. I’m not sure what happened.

At any rate! Towering over everything else in my skin-care box, this Sprouts brand body lotion gets nightly use, as I put it on after my shower. It’s lavender, which amounts to sleep-assisting aromatherapy. I like it a lot, though I’ve used richer body lotions in the past. While I’m enjoying this lotion, I’ll have to search for another affordable cruelty-free lotion that’s a little thicker and richer (once I’ve used up this one). My all-time favorite is an Alba Botanica body lotion; I may have to return to it. Meanwhile, I really love this sweet-smelling lotion.

The End. Go forth and try some of this stuff!

And a good-night or good-day to you all. Thank you for being here, for reading and for sticking with me. I appreciate you more than you can know.

Heading into summer. (May Favorites!)

June 2, 2017That Asian-Looking Chick Leave a comment

It’s a fine day for that customary list of my favorite Little Things from the month that just ended. It’s a fine day for some fluff: entertainment, edibles, and stuff to put on your face.

The month of May brought our late-to-the-party discovery of a dark crime dramedy series, the return of a favorite Netflix comedy series, and a book filled with short stories revolving around my favorite fictional character. It brought frozen veggies and yet another protein bar discovery. Also, I’ve got a slew of rave-worthy skincare products – more than usual, in fact. I don’t know what happened in May, but here we are with all kinds of goodness from The Body Shop and Yes to. If skincare products don’t figure in your life, feel free to pass this along to someone you know who may be interested!

In one word, the theme of this list is “refreshing.”

Starting with entertainment, as usual…

1). Master of None (T.V. series)

After 2015’s debut of this fresh, intelligent, and hilarious series, we waited (im)patiently while Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang went back to work. Season 2 of Master of None was well worth the wait! It proves again that a comedy television series can be an exquisite work of art. This is storytelling made rich with subtleties… nuance and mood, humor and wit. Throughout the season, vignette after vignette, a larger story unfolds, and yet that larger story itself is nothing more dramatic than a slice of life. That is the brilliance of Master of None. An artist first and foremost, Aziz Ansari brings life to life.

2). Fargo (T.V. series)

We love dark comedy, thriller-mysteries, and crime drama. We’re huge fans of the Coen brothers. So it doesn’t matter that we’re (inexplicably) three years late getting to Fargo, the T.V. adaptation of the titular film. Season 1 takes off on the shoulders of strong character development, plowing through a series of increasingly outrageous events after Billy Bob Thornton ever so gently nudges that first domino.

Evidence of the Coen brothers’ involvement abounds. Billy Bob Thornton is terrifying. The music is awesome and actually supplies a lot of the humor in the dark-humor equation. We couldn’t ask for anything more, really.

3). No Middle Name (collection of Jack Reacher short stories by Lee Child).

After devouring all of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels, I’m finally reading all of his Reacher short stories, and very happily so. The first two installments in this newly released collection had me a little worried, I’ll admit, but my enjoyment’s increased with each story. I’m just past halfway through the collection, so I can’t comment on it as a whole, but I can say that seven stories in, I’m having a blast!

Jack Reacher is my favorite fictional brain candy, and in terms of reading, brain candy is what I need right now. Thank you, Lee Child… and thanks to my friend Bob, who alerted me to the collection’s impending release.

Heading into food…

4). 22 Days Plant Power protein bar in salted caramel.

22 Days Plant Power protein bar in salted caramel

We knew this would happen sooner or later. I’m back with another protein bar.

This one threw me off at first, mostly with its unexpected texture… but it wasn’t bad. The texture, I eventually realized, reminds me of caramel candy, which is appropriate for a “salted caramel” flavored bar. My enjoyment of this bar increased when I stopped thinking of it as a bar and started thinking of it as a chewy caramel treat. It grew on me.

Also, consider the macros in each of these organic and plant-based bars: 15g protein, 9g fiber, and only 4g sugar (20g carbs in all) and 150 calories per bar. At this point I’ve gotten very good at limiting my consumption of processed foods, so I don’t eat protein bars every day anymore… but when I do, I feel pretty good about reaching for this one.

5). Trader Joe’s Soycutash.

Trader Joe’s Soycutash

I’ve never been a fan of succotash because I never learned to enjoy lima beans. I’ve tried. I can’t. (Add lima beans to my list of permanent food aversions.) So when I stumbled upon Trader Joe’s version of it, I had to try it.

TJ’s “soycutash” contains three ingredients: edemame (replacing lima beans), sweet corn, and red peppers. It is delicious. I prepare it in the microwave and then eat it cold as a refreshing and satisfying side or snack. Fun fact: I grew up snacking on fresh, cold boiled soybeans, but I never knew they were called “edemame” until they became popular in western cuisine!

Getting into the skincare products…

6). Yes to Coconut Ultra Hydrating Facial Soufflé Moisturizer.

Yes to Coconut Ultra Hydrating Facial Souffle Moisturizer

How do I begin to describe this product?

I know I included a moisturizer in a recent “monthly favorites” post. The problem with doing a monthly favorites post is that you try a moisturizer, think it’s great enough to add to the list… and then the next month, you try a different moisturizer, only to discover that it’s your Holy Grail of moisturizers.

This one from Yes to Coconut is thick and very rich, but it melts into my skin and leaves it soft and dewy without a trace of greasiness. Its coconut scent is subtle and not at all overpowering. I love this. I love it so much that I already re-purchased it, so I’ll have it at hand when this first one’s used up.

It’s highly unlikely that you’ll see another moisturizer on a monthly favorites post… at least not for a long while!

7). Yes to Cotton Micellar Cleansing Water and Yes to Coconut Cleansing Wipes.

Yes to Cotton Micellar Cleansing Water and Yes to Coconut Cleansing Wipes

My current favorite way to remove the makeup from my face involves these two products: I fold a Yes To Coconut makeup removing wipe into quarters, saturate it with two pumps of the Yes to Cotton micellar water, and smooth it over my skin… a refreshing treatment I’ll do even when I’m not wearing makeup.

Yes to has upped their game quite a bit!

8). The Body Shop Almond Milk & Honey Body Lotion, Hand Cream, and Shower Cream.

The Body Shop Almond Milk and Honey Body Lotion, Hand Cream and Shower Cream

I couldn’t stay away.

It’s safe to say that I’m enamored with The Body Shop’s entire Almond Milk & Honey line, starting a couple of months ago when I picked up the body butter. All of these lotion and cream formulas exist in TBS’s other lines, but the Almond Milk & Honey products are richer and more moisturizing than the others I’ve tried. I still love the scent. I hope TBS comes out with a body mist in the same line!

9). The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter.

The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter

I’ve been using The Body Shop’s camomile eye makeup remover since I discovered it well over a year ago, but when I finished up my last bottle in May, I decided to try something different from the same line.

After several tries, I figured out how to make this cleansing butter work for me: I take a little scoop onto my fingertips, massage it gently onto my eye makeup, and then (just as gently) wipe it away with one of those Yes to Coconut makeup removing wipes. I’m preferring this method to the application of the liquid eye makeup remover, which feels harsh in comparison; I’d used a cotton pad with that remover, and I always had to sort of work those rougher cotton fibers into my lash line to remove eyeliner and mascara.

I don’t use this cleansing butter on my entire face… just on my eyes. I do this first, and then I go over my face with the above-mentioned Yes to Cotton micellar water on the Yes to Coconut makeup removing wipe… this takes care of any eye makeup/remover residue, as well.

10). Freeman Beauty Infusion Brightening Overnight Mask.

Freeman Beauty Infusion Brightening Overnight Mask

I wouldn’t have tried this mask had I not gotten a free sample from a lady at Ulta when I went there with Mom a few weeks ago. I love this sleeping mask! Callaghan tried it at the same time I did, and he was also impressed with the appearance of his skin when he woke up.

I’m now alternating between this mask and The Body Shop’s vitamin E overnight mask (one each per week). I’m still doing TBS Honey & Oat 3-in-1 Scrub Mask one morning per week, too. They’re all wonderful.

That wraps it up for May!

La Fin.

A good thriller, tasty snacks, a fabulous t-shirt, and more! (April Favorites.)

May 3, 2016May 8, 2016That Asian-Looking Chick 2 Comments

So much went on in April, you’d think it’d have seemed to go by fast… but actually, it seemed like a long month. It was long in a good way, though. The month didn’t drag. It lingered. Here are some little things I loved in April:

Hush (movie)

So many cat-and-mouse horror/thriller movies have been made, it’s hard to be impressed by them. It’s a tired convention; most of these movies are formulaic and too predictable to be “thrilling.” But Hush surprised us in some subtle and not-so-subtle ways, not to mention, we found it to be largely unencumbered by the cheesiness that’s become an expectation of this genre. If you’re into such movies and you can get your hands on this one (we found it online), I recommend it!

ETA: Improvements. I wrote this in too much of a hurry.

2. Trader Joe’s frozen organic mango chunks.

Trader Joe’s frozen organic mango chunks

We’ve been eating these frozen organic mango chunks for dessert after dinner… frozen as in straight out of the freezer, straight out of the bag. It’s like eating creamy mango-flavored Popsicles. They are divine. We have to portion them out, or we’d eat an entire bag in one sitting! Refreshing, luscious frozen desserts don’t get better than this, and it’s just fruit.

3. Sun tea.

Sun tea

Making sun tea for iced tea in Arizona is a given – it’s a tradition; it’s how we do it – but of course it can be made anywhere there’s sun, I imagine. One of many things I’ve been enjoying about working at home is easy access to iced tea and fresh lemon juice.

4. Pro Bar bite organic energy bar (peanut butter chocolate chip).

Pro Bar bite organic energy bar in peanut butter chocolate chip

You know I’m always on the look-out for energy bars that are wholesome, organic, and chemical-free, and I’m happy to report that these bars by Pro Bar exist. They are delicious. This is my new go-to bar following Body Combat, when I want to replenish a little before dinner happens a couple of hours later. 6 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber, 8 grams of fat, and 11 grams of sugar… not too bad.

5. Trader Joe’s Reduced Guilt Multigrain pita chips with sesame seeds.

Trader Joe’s Reduced Guilt Multigrain pita chips with sesame seeds

I didn’t even know that these were “reduced guilt” pita chips until after I bought them (I was just concerned with the ingredients and the type of carbs they contained). These light and crunchy chips are fabulous with Trader Joe’s incomparable Mediterranean hummus. They’d be great with any kind of hummus or dip.

6. Vega Protein & Greens drink mix (vanilla flavor).

Vega protein and greens vanilla flavor plant-based protein powder

I usually get the Vega smoothie mixes for my protein drinks, but recently I discovered their protein and greens product. One scoop gives you 20 grams of protein with two servings of greens, and it tastes wonderful… the alfalfa, spinach, broccoli, and kale powders are undetectable! With those greens in there, you could blend this powder into a shake with fruit and plant-based milk and get the nutrition you’d get in a complete meal. So far, I’ve only mixed it with cold water, and it’s awesome. (I don’t use it for meal replacement, though… I drink it as a supplement.)

7. Derma e antioxidant natural sunscreen with clear zinc oxide SPF 30.

derma e Antioxidant Natural Sunscreen with clear zinc oxide (SPC 30)

I love Lavanila’s The Healthy Sunscreen, which I’d been using since I went cruelty-free last year, but 1). it’s expensive, and 2). I could only find it at Sephora, which I loathe and avoid at all costs.

So I was stoked when I discovered that derma e, my new favorite skincare line, makes a facial sunscreen. Derma e is available at two places we frequent – Target and Sprouts – and the quality of their sunscreen rivals that of Lavanila’s. It’s much more affordable, and I don’t have to fight against panic attacks when I go in to get it (maybe one day I’ll write a whole post about my misadventures in Sephora).

8. T-shirt from Tombstone.

T-shirt from Tombstone

I love, love, LOVE this t-shirt I got when we took Callaghan’s father to Tombstone. The design is totally up my alley, and the rendering of the art is gorgeous. I’m not sure that the picture does it justice! Also, the shirt itself is thin and soft; it feels like I’m wearing pajamas. LOVE.

9. Foot socks.

Sometimes I go to Target and I don’t know what happens. Like the time I went to get basic foodstuffs and next thing I knew I was at home trying to explain these socks festooned with dinosaurs, ostriches, and a sunglass-wearing pug on a surfboard.

Foot socks from Target that I totally did not need.

10. Scrivener.

http://www.literatureandlatte.com/index.php

My thoughts on Scrivener can be summed up in one question: How did anyone ever manage large documents before Scrivener?

Typical Food.

June 9, 2015That Asian-Looking Chick Leave a comment

Several friends have been asking me what I typically eat, and I find it difficult to answer on the spot, because, I guess, I don’t put all that much thought into food… so the last time I was asked, I decided to do a food journal over the next two days, which happened to be Sunday and Monday (yesterday). The timing was great for the experiment because my documentation captured a weekend day and a weekday that also happened to be a gym day. It covers a pretty good idea of the average food picture in my life. I’m sharing the results here this morning, for anyone who may be curious.

Since this was a spontaneous decision, I didn’t premeditate it or go shopping for it or anything. That’s my excuse for not exhibiting dishes prepared from scratch. Some weekends, I cook food to feed us for a few days, if not for the week, and some weekends, I don’t… and this last weekend, I didn’t.

Here are a few generalities:

1). Water is key to starting my day right. First thing in the morning, I drink three big glasses of chilled water, and I continue drinking water all day long. I have a little idiosyncrasy about water: I prefer very cold water, except I like to drink room-temperature water when I’m eating.

Water is the only thing I drink besides coffee and the occasional cup of tea or iced tea. (I stopped drinking grapefruit juice last year… I used to have it with breakfast.) I’ll sometimes squeeze fresh lemon juice into my water when I’m at home. I’m hyper-vigilant about keeping myself hydrated – I also drink a big glass of water right before going to sleep. I’m just really into water. Fun fact!

2). You’ll notice a lot of carbs on both days, since that’s my favorite food group. I prefer complex carbs and actually avoid simple carbs (white bread, white pasta, white rice, white potatoes, refined sugar, and alcohol… I think my last glass of wine was back in either October or November). (Oh wait, did I have champagne with my in-laws when they were here visiting from France for New Year’s? Yes, I believe did! December 31 was the last time I drank alcohol, then.)

3). I’m in the habit of waiting until 9:00am to eat breakfast, even though my alarm goes off at 5:00-5:30am in the morning five days a week. I get up and drink the three glasses of water with my thyroid medication, and then I wait 30 minutes before consuming anything else, because that’s how thyroid medication works. (I have Hashimoto’s disease – hypothyroidism. In my case, it’s autoimmune thyroiditis.) When the 30 minutes has passed, I take my other morning meds, and I have my first of two mugs of coffee.

4). I take supplements twice a day (different ones with my morning and evening meals).

5). I tend to cycle through certain foods. For instance, for a few weeks recently, I was having a Trader Joe’s blueberry-bran muffin for breakfast every weekday. Then I moved on to waffles and berries. I change it up every two to three weeks.

6). While there’s almost always some overlap in the things we eat (like salads, guacamole, fruit, etc.), Callaghan and I eat different meals about half of the time, I’d say. He’ll incorporate non-vegan elements into his.

7). Have I mentioned that as of about a month and a half ago, I’m back to 100% vegan, 100% of the time? It feels good. I’m my old self again.

So all that said, let’s jump in! Here’s what I ate over the last two days:

Sunday

Breakfast: Bear Naked Honey Almond Granola (10g protein!) with plain, unsweetened almond milk, blueberries and raspberries; coffee with stevia and the same almond milk; whole wheat toast with Earth Balance buttery spread.

Granola with a generous topping of fresh berries and almond milk, and whole wheat toast – and Sumatra coffee, of course (my favorite)!

Lunch: Sandwich with vegan lunch slices in turkey and ham flavor with fresh spinach, Roma tomato, Dijon mustard (that Callaghan brought back from France!) and grapeseed-oil Veganaise on whole wheat bread; a nectarine.

I usually default to sandwiches for lunch, which is fine, because I love them. I usually have fruit, too.

Snack: Kind Healthy Grains Maple Quinoa Clusters with Chia Seeds (1/3 cup), dry.

A handful of dry granola for a crunchy, sweet afternoon snack – one of my favorites! This is Kind Healthy Grains Maple Quinoa Clusters with Chia Seeds. YUM.

Dinner: Black beans and brown rice with HOT salsa; sliced avocado; a side salad of mixed baby spring greens and tomato with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt, coarsely ground black pepper and oregano.

This was a quick and easy dinner of brown rice, black beans, salsa, and avocado, with a salad on the side.

Dessert: Justin’s organic dark chocolate peanut butter cups.

Justin’s organic dark chocolate peanut butter cups are my favorite vegan treat!

Monday

(The standard two mugs of coffee with stevia and plain, unsweetened almond milk)

Breakfast: Two of Van’s Multigrain 8 Whole Grains waffles with Earth Balance buttery spread; blueberries and raspberries.

I toast and “butter” (it’s Earth Balance) the waffles at home and bring them to work loosely wrapped in foil. Van’s Multigrain 8 Whole Grains waffles, blueberries and raspberries.

Lunch: Sandwich with Trader Joe’s Mediterranean hummus, fresh spinach and Roma tomato on whole wheat bread; a nectarine.

(On gym days, I’ll usually have peanut butter and jelly for lunch, but lately I’ve been alternating with hummus for the savory goodness of it. It’s still a great high protein/healthy fat sandwich spread.)

I ate lunch at my desk yesterday: Sandwich with Trader Joe’s Mediterranean hummus, fresh spinach and Roma tomato on whole wheat bread… and a heavenly nectarine for dessert!

Snack: Small handful of roasted, unsalted almonds; a mini chocolate chip Clif bar.

(Workout fuel! I like a combination of protein, healthy fats, carbs, and a little unrefined sugar an hour or two before going to Body Combat.)

A small handful of roasted, unsalted almonds and a mini chocolate chip Clif bar fueled my workout after work. That mini Clif bar is so tiny! It’s exactly the right size.

Dinner: Homemade guacamole and an Amy’s Sonoma veggie burger (organic vegetables, quinoa and walnuts) on whole wheat toast; side salad of spinach, mixed baby spring greens and tomato with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt, coarsely ground black pepper and oregano.

(Post-workout delicious combination of complex carbs, plant-based protein and healthy fats.)

Callaghan made his guacamole to go with our dinner, and it was fabulous, as usual! Homemade guacamole and an Amy’s Sonoma veggie burger on whole wheat toast, plus a side salad.

Dessert: Fresh strawberries.

Fresh strawberries for dessert.

The strawberries look kind of weird in the picture, somehow, but they were wonderful.

Not pictured: I had a cup of Celestial Seasoning’s Honey Vanilla Chamomile tea last night before bed. It’s my favorite nighttime tea.

Et voilà! Two typical days.

My favorite thing to eat besides carbs is seasonal produce. The nectarines are fantastic right now. You know they’re a June favorite!

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