Mirin and Ponzu

I eat fish for dinner everyday.  Sometimes I eat fish for lunch too.  Actually I wouldn't rule out breakfast either - I did have salmon and oatmeal for breakfast today and yesterday.  Hahaha.  I know it sounds weird.  But my nutritionist introduced me to oatmeal and canned tuna mixed together for breakfast and I thought it sounded gross at first, but decided that I like tuna, and I like oatmeal, so why not try them together.  Hey, don't knock it till you try it right??  It's actually pretty good.  She puts lemon juice and splenda in it too but I don't need that.  It's the perfect nutritional combination to have for breakfast because it's got all the healthy carb and fiber from the oatmeal, and protein and omega 3 from tuna.  It's great for a post work out meal.  Anyway, I feel like the anti-inflammation properties of omega 3 in fish really help me stay lean.  If I skip fish for even one day I immediately feel bloated.  But I do need more fish recipes since for the last year I've been grilling it on the George Foreman with some lemon pepper sprinkled on both sides.  Well must admit, it gets boring.  I'm actually surprised I haven't gone crazy yet.

I read some pretty good fish recipes on Fitness magazine's website.  They had like 40 different fish recipes.  But I had to veto 95% of them because they required either too much oil or salt, or both.  I figured the other ones could work with modification.  It turns out, most of the recipes I picked out contained this ingredient called Mirin.  It's Japanese cooking saki.  I had never heard of it before, but I like saki.  Apparently Mirin is a sweet saki, and it is great as a substitute for vinegar or white wine, and great for glazing as well.  So I got it at the store today.

I also got some ponzu sauce.  I had never used it before either, but I've had it at my favorite sushi restaurant and remember it being good.  It's soy sauce with citrus flavor.  The one I got is lemon flavor.  But it also comes in lime.  The citrus makes the color of the soy sauce a lot lighter than regular soy sauce.

Supposedly ponzu is great for fish as well because the flavor covers the "fishy" taste, while bringing out the natural sweetness of the fish.  It still has a high sodium content though, at 400mg a tablespoon.  So I have to use it sparingly, otherwise I will blow up like a fish!

Well tonight I mixed mirin and ponzu together with some crushed garlic, and brushed the mixture on the fish, and broiled it.  Very very simple and it turned out to be really good!  The taste is light with a faint sweetness - I didn't use too much of either sauce.  But they both complimented the fish instead of overpowering it.  I think I overcooked the fish a little though because the mirin and ponzu mixture started to glaze a little bit on top and sides of the fish.  It was still good though.  If I had bought some fresh herbs or something, I think it would have been even better!  I will have to do more research later and figure out different ways to incorporate these ingredients to my dinners! 

Indo-Row, Lululemon Featherweight Socks & Run:Empower Crop

I was planning on going to the Lululemon run club tonight, but they had different Indo-Row classes going on in the store all night instead.  So I decided to give it a try.  I guess it's a new exercise thing that's come onto the market somewhat recently.  The guy who created it Josh Crosby was teaching it.  He comes from 3 generations of rowers and is a world champion rowing competitor himself.

I know nothing about rowing myself, having only tried out the rowing machine at the gym once or twice.  I never thought it was a very heart pumping kind of work out and didn't see the point of it, so I was willing to learn more about it.

Indo-Row machines use actual water inside the machine itself to simulate the motion and sense of being in a real boat and rowing in the water - you even hear the sound of the water which is relaxing.  The machine doesn't need to be connected to any power source.  The water and your own efforts provide energy and resistance.  It's very interesting and the machines are light weight and very portable - the guy did get all these machines in a uhaul and took them to the Lululemon store after all!

I was glad to learn the right form of rowing from the expert.  You basically use your legs, core and arms to pull, then going back the reverse way.  It definitely got me sweaty after some intervals of going at really fast speeds and competing with others (our team won by the way!).  I can see how it would be good for strengthening the back, legs, core, and arms.  It's a low impact cardio work out that's easy on the joints.  So there are definite benefits and is probably perfect for some people.  And you can make it as hard or easy as you want to go.  But I don't think this is for me.  I got rather bored with the same one motion after a while - the class was 45 minutes.  It's kind of like spinning in a way - you are working your butt off but not going anywhere.  Except in a spin class, you can go up and down on the bike and there's positions 1, 2, and 3!  I always get super sweaty in spin classes and feel like it's a much better work out.  But if he's willing to bring the machines back to Lulu some time again in the future then I'm game to go back.

Anyway, so I arrived at the store a bit earlier so I had time to shop and try some stuff on.  Lots of stuff on the sales rack, but all the same things I've seen before.  But I did pick up some Featherweight Socks that came in a 3 pack.

They come in the above 3 colors of the thumbnail pictures - coal, white and black.  I have a few pairs of their Ultimate Running Socks which I like for running, but had never tried the Featherweight socks.  They are much thinner and would probably be cooler and really good for working out at the gym, such as taking a spin class, weight lifting, etc.  These are basic colors to have in socks, though nothing exciting.  I kind of wish at least one pair would have been a bit funky!  The Ultimate Running Socks always have different color blocking and designs that are fun to look at.  But realistically it doesn't matter at all since they will always be covered by my shoes.  The 3 pack was $24, and a single pair is $9, so you get them for $1 cheaper per pair if you buy the 3 pack.  I don't know why that sold me to get these instead of just getting one pair to try out first.  Probably not a smart move.  But I have a feeling I won't be too disappointed by these socks.  Could socks really be disappointing?  

I also finally broke down and got the Run:Empower Crop in Coal/Heathered Coal Wee Strip/Passion.  I've tried the Empower Crop on before and have seen so many different colors and designs in them, but I always thought that they were too long on me.  They can't be altered because they have special designs around the hem.  They are actually about 2-3 inches shorter on me than they are on the model pics below (I'm 5'5, the model must've pulled them down a lot), but I usually like my crops right below the knee. 

I've always liked the feel of these crops when I tried them on.  They are really comfortable, feels like second skin.  The rise is good - not too high like grandma panties, and not too low that they'd slip off.  As other run crops I have, these also have a draw string on the waist so I can adjust it.  The waistband is comfy, no digging.  I got my regular size 4, fits pretty well.  Though I think this color combo fits tighter in the legs than the coal/angel blue ones I tried on before in the same size.  Not sure why.  These don't feel as stretchy.

These are also lighter than my other all power luxtreme running crops from Lululemon because the whole entire area on the back of the knees and calves are made of circle mesh material rather than luxtreme.  That makes them more breathable.  I like the different lines and color blocking designs on them.  That gives the crops a unique look and not like anything from any other brand.  I'm slowly getting used to the idea of having a slightly longer crop.

Got them for a good price - $65ish after everything, compared to regular retail price of $86 before taxes.  That was a big deciding factor in getting me to give these a try.  I think these crops have good technical fabrics and features that are worth the money.  Who knows, maybe I will become hooked.  I also really like the color combo of these crops.  I've been loving my coal colored luxtreme bottoms (I only have one pair and wear them all the time) to work out in and neglecting my black ones.  I don't know why, I think I just got tired of all black bottoms all the time.  And I feel like coal looks nicer with a lot of different colored tops I have than black.  I mean I know they both pretty much go with everything, but I'm just liking coal better nowadays when paired with more vibrant colored tops.  Plus I can wear black tops with coal bottoms, whereas black on black is too depressing for me.  Because of all these reasons, I'd been keeping my eye out for another pair of coal run crops.  So, now that I have them, I will just have to go out and try them!

Isopure in a Tub

I wrote about my favorite whey protein - Isopure (by Nature's Path) back in Feb.  I've been getting them from Vitaminshoppe.com forever.  I always got the 3 lb bottle which would last me about a month of 1 scoop a day. 

Since I order them so often, last week I decided to get the gigantic tub sized one!  It just arrived today.  It's almost 8 lbs!  It was $89 (vs. 3 lbs for $36) so I save like a dollar when I average it out to get the price per pound and compare the two prices.  I do save on shipping cost though since it's a flat rate no matter how many pounds you order.  I really just did it for the convenience rather than savings though.  But it's weird, I'm looking on their site now and they are priced at $105!  That makes it not worth it anymore.  Why would you price the bigger size product at more $$ per pound than the smaller size???  That just doesn't make good business sense.  Buying bulk should always equal lower price per unit.  I guess they rather you spend $36 than $89! 

Anyway, this should last me almost 3 months.  The tub just arrived today and I think it's really funny how big it is.  It makes me feel like I should be a muscle head or something to buy protein that comes in this portion!  Hahaha

IKEA

I went to Ikea on the morning of 4th of July to get a couple pieces of cheap furniture.  I mainly needed a cheap dresser for my closet because at my old place I had built in drawers and shelves in the walk in, and it came in very handy and I got used to having it.  But my walk in now only has rods for hanging clothes.  I would like to build some drawers and shelves eventually.  But the cheap fix now is to just get a dresser and stick it in there.  Well, Ikea is perfect for that.  I was able to get the Kullen 3 drawer dresser for only $39.

This was perfect for what I was looking for.  The size is on the smaller side for a dresser but it fits perfectly in my closet under my clothes that are hung up.  Super easy to assembled - I put it together in about 30 minutes!  But I am kind of pretty good at assembling furniture haha.  I could use at least 2 more of these in my closet!  I love having drawers in my closet so that I can put my bras and underwear as well as camis and tanks in them.  It's a lot easier to make outfit decisions when I don't have to walk back and forth to the bedroom dresser to get stuff - I'm lazy!  They are also good for tons of knick knacks too.  It's amazing how much "stuff" can get in my closet! 

I also wanted to get some of these panel curtains from Ikea for my patio sliding door.  I hate what came with the place - these cheap plastic thingies that don't work well.  I like the chic and layered look of panel curtains since they give the room some dimension and incorporate different colors and designs. 

I stole this pic from Flickr so this is not mine.  But I also got the triple layer curtain rail and the panel that's in the very front of this picture.  The others I got are more muted in pattern and color.  It's not up yet but I plan to put the more "flowery" one on the back or middle layer so the room does not look too girly.  

My sliding doors are about 105 inches wide and each curtain rail is only 55 inches so I had to get two - at $20 a piece, they kind of add up.  They can be connected together easily though.  But now they are a little too long and won't fit so I have to wait until my boyfriend can saw a piece off one of them tomorrow.  I got 4 panels total and I'm thinking I should have got 1 or 2 more but I guess I can always go back later after I see how they look.  They are about $10-20 a panel which is not bad.  But the thing that pissed me off though is that you gotta buy everything separately! You get the rail, then have to get the hooks to connect them to the wall (and they don't even come with screws by the way so you better have some at home).  Then you get the panel curtains, but you have to get the top and bottom rail for connecting the curtains to the rail and for weighing the bottom of the panel down.  Each part is priced at $10, or $5 or whatever little amount, but when you have to buy 5 of each, it really adds up!  The whole thing ended up costing over $120!  For curtains!  Wtf.  I didn't realize this until after I paid and got home.  I guess that's how they get you!  I'm really quite annoyed though.  Maybe shoulda just stuck with good old fashioned curtains.

I also wanted to look at some patio stuff at Ikea since mine is quite bare at the moment, but they were completely sold out of all outdoor furniture.  You would think that they would be better stocked for the upcoming months of hot weather!  Ever since I saw this picture from Ikea's website, I wanted my patio to look exactly like it... I love the floor decking, the table set and the colorful cushions and accessories!  Oh well, that will have to wait I suppose!  Boooo...

I did get a shelf thingy that I'm using as plant holder for the patio though.  It's only $14 and totally worth the money.  It works perfectly and was super easy to assemble.  You don't even need tools.  Seems durable (at least for holding some plants) and looks pretty good!

Seriously this was a great buy.  Just can't beat the price!

I also got some other small items but that was the gist of it.  The quality of Ikea items is obviously not the greatest, and for the price you can't expect too much (other than those damn curtains, they better last me years!).  But I've actually bought stuff from there that lasted quite a while and still in good shape.  Ikea is pretty great for smaller items that don't get as much use and abuse because their furniture is stylish and affordable.  But for bigger ticket items I would go elsewhere. 

Shopping Trip - J.Crew & Banana Republic

I was meeting a friend at the mall today and checked out some stores.  There were lots of really good 4th of July sales everywhere.  But the mall wasn't that crowded - maybe people are still saving money these days.

J.Crew was having additional 20% off from all sale items, and Banana Republic was having additional 25% off all sale items.  Some deals were just too good to pass up.

I got these super cute flip flops with floral fabric on the straps.  On sale from like $30 to $10!

They also come in black and light pink, and I did think about getting another pair.  But I ended up getting the light gray ones only.  I feel like the color goes best with everything.  Black would too but it was just too... black.  These are soooo comfortable.  I normally hate rubber flip flops.  But these are definitely an exception.  They are so soft and cushiony.  Love!

I also bought a cute tee with floral print on it on sale, but I can't find a picture of it on their site.  It looks similar to this one below, but has a light tan color base and pinkish flowers.  The flower fabrics are hand cut and has a unique look.  This was only $14.  Great for just a casual tee with a little bit of embellishment.

J.Crew had some seriously cute stuff on sale for really cheap.  Too bad a lot of the items only had size medium or larger so I wasn't able to get a lot of them.  Otherwise I would've bought so much more!

I used to really like Banana Republic clothing, then I stopped for a few years when they had super conservative looking clothes that were way too "mature" looking for me, but right now they have a lot of stuff I like.  I couldn't believe how cheap the store was selling stuff!  I mean the same stuff at the store are currently selling at double their price on the website.  I didn't know Banana Republic had different prices between actual store and online store, but apparently so.  I guess I will not be shopping on their site from now on since there's such a big discrepancy!

I got this super cute tuxedo shirt in cotton and silk blend material for $17!  Its original price is $70.  That's almost like giving stuff away!  And it's still selling at $70 on their website still - what a big difference!  The one I got is a light baby blue and white vertical stripes, which is probably sold out on their site, but it's the same exact style as this one:

It's from their petite line.  I got a size XS and it fits really well.  It's not as loose fitting on me as it is on the model above.  This shirt doesn't have any stretch at all, so a size up would have worked too and would probably fit the same way as it does the model.  But they didn't have any size S left for me to try on.  I still love how it looks on.  It can be dressed up enough for work in the summer and with a suit jacket over it when we go back to professional dress code in September, and also can be dressed down for weekend lounging.  It's pretty sheer so I definitely need to wear a cami underneath.  I actually went to Best Buy (to look at potential Washer / Dryers but got confused even more by the different brands and models available) just now wearing this shirt with light tan colored shorts.  It was a cute outfit!  =)

I also got a sleeveless wrap with ruffles that's also 40% silk and 60% cotton for $22, which is selling at $50 online with only size L left.  It looks like this:

I actually really like the color shown on the pic, but they didn't have my size so I got it in pink.  I like it too and it stands out more.  I have a lot of neutral or light colored tops so it doesn't hurt to have something more colorful:

I tried on XS in this shirt too but the arm opening was tight and cut into my skin - it was rubbing against my armpits uncomfortably.  Even though the body fit well, I had to size up because I don't want to be uncomfortable wearing it.

It's also another shirt that can work for work and casual outing.  I like tops that can be versatile like that.

I also got a really stretchy and comfortable cami with an inch wide satin stripe across the top in ivory.  It makes the cami look more dressy so I can wear it alone under a suit jacket for work and would be super cute.  It was only $12 or so.  I'm thinking maybe I should have gotten it in white and black too.  It feels so amazing on and looks great!

Oh yeah, I also stopped in Sephora to get a refill of my favorite lotion - the Clinique Dramatically Different lotion.  

After trying out so many products, this one is seriously the best.  It moisturizes without being greasy.  I'm actually a big fan of the whole Clinique 3 step line, I also use the mild liquid facial soap which cleans without drying my face out - that is rare for a face cleanser to do.  My skin gets dried out so easily!

I didn't really go into any other stores except Bloomingdale's which didn't have that great of a sale.  But I'm tempted to go back to the mall some time this weekend again to see what other great deals there are!  I love sales!!  Sometimes I feel like there's no point in buying full price clothes with the rate they are getting marked down nowadays.

Trader Joe's Venetian Moon

I love Trader Joe's for many reasons, and one of them is their great affordable wine collection.  I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there is a Trader Joe's within a few blocks from my new place!  So I headed over there tonight to pick up some stuff for my stay in movie night. 

I've tried many different kinds of wine from Trader Joe's.  When I was in college I used to get the 2 buck Chuck.  Trader Joe's is super popular in Santa Barbara (where I went to college) - they literally have a location on every block there.  They are considered the "normal" grocery stores there.  When I moved to LA, it was one of the top things I sorely missed.

Anyway, after trying out many different kinds of wine from Trader's, I've found my favorite!  It is the Venetian Moon, and it's only $4.99.

I used to like red wine better, but lately I've been drinking lots of white (except for Chardonnay).  I'm not a wine connoisseur or anything.  I've just been on a few wine tasting tours and took a wine tasting class my senior year in college - Santa Barbara is wine country after all, and my "professor" owned a winery (Giessinger, my favorite there is the chocolate flavored dessert wine).  I didn't really learn anything though because all we did was drink "way larger than normal wine tasting portions" of different wine from his winery, and all he said was, it doesn't matter what the wine with the most awards or medals is, it only matters if it tastes good to you.  True enough I guess.  Seriously after a few glasses, they all start tasting the same!

Well, the Venetian Moon from Trader's is a really smooth Pinot Grigio.  It's fruity but not too sweet.  Kind of like a pear and apple flavor and some other floral flavor - I'm not very good at picking out different tastes in wine.  Light and easy to drink, and not tarty at all.  I've had way more expensive wine that didn't taste half as good!  So for $4.99 a bottle, it's really really good value.  I always keep stocks of it in my wine fridge.

I don't know who makes it - it doesn't say on the bottle.  I wonder if it's a Trader Joe's brand.  There is a whole "Moon" series of them.  Like Honey Moon, Velvet Moon, and some other one I can't remember right now.  They have red and white and I've tried most of them.  They are all pretty good but Venetian Moon is my favorite still.

Sometimes there is really nothing better than to relax at home with a nice glass of wine and a good movie!  And some good snuggling.  =)

Lululemon Halter Hoodie & Do It All Shorts

I went over to Santa Monica after work today because I wanted to take this sculpting class at the SM Equinox location.  I arrived early and had some time to spare so I walked over to Lululemon down the street to check things out and possibly get another Flashback Jacket in purple.  Well I did find one in purple in my size marked down, but I didn't end up getting it because there were so many other items there on sale!  I saw all the colors of the Swiftly Tech shirts marked down to like $34 but I already own them.  Ugh I've never really seen these on sale before because they usually got snatched up really fast in the stores around me.  So maybe in the future I shouldn't be jumping on them anymore.  I also saw lots of other stuff on sale, bras, pants, shorts, everything.  The Groove crop and Gather and Crow crops were 50% off which was a pretty good deal but I didn't get any because I like running crops better.  I would have considered the Astro Pants but they were only marked down $20 so I wasn't that tempted.  I also thought about getting more Wunder Groove crops but decided I didn't like the color enough - it was a weird pixel print on the waistband.  But anyway, looked like the whole store was on sale!  I wonder if this means a lot of new stuff will be coming.  Here's what I did get:

The Halter Hoodie in potion purple / whisper, marked down to $29.

I don't quite know what I will wear this to, but it was a pretty good deal for $29.  It's a cute hoodie to have around for the summer nights when it's too hot to wear a long sleeve but just a bit too chilly to wear a tank top.  I think this could work well as a to/from gym outfit.  The armpits go down pretty low on this one.  A good inch or two of my tank underneath peaked through.  But I don't mind that so much.  The cowlneck requires some messing around to make it look effortlessly fabulous.  I think it looks cuter having a little excess material in the front but I have a feeling the hood will keep pulling it down on the back.  I hope it won't choke me.

It fits a little large but I think it's meant to be a little baggy.  It doesn't come in a size 2 so I couldn't size down.  But I think the 4 is fine the way it is.  I did try on the angel blue color and it was a little smaller for some reason.  I think it did fit slightly better especially in the chest, but I didn't really want another blue thing.  I think wearing this hoodie might make me look like a school girl.  Hehe.

Since I got the Halter Hoodie in potion purple, I couldn't justify getting the Flashback Jacket in potion as well so I had to pass.  On a side note, I thought the stripes on the potion Flashback was white from looking at the pictures online, but it's actually light gray.

I also got the Do It All Short in passion because they were only $19.

I don't know what the hell I'm going to do with shorts in this color but for $19 I'll figure it out.  The way I reasoned with myself in the store is that even if I end up only wearing them around the house, they are still pretty cheap and I'll get my money's worth.  I just couldn't pass it up.  They also come in black, coal and white but those were regular price at $68 which is way too much for these. 

They are actually really cute on. I normally buy knee length shorts/crops or booty shorts so I don't own anything in this medium length. But I like the fit. My regular size fits perfectly. I think they would be great to just chill out in in the summer, going to the beach, hiking, tropical vacation, etc.  I've been buying things thinking they would be great for vacay because I used to travel to tropical countries a lot.  But let's be honest, I haven't been to one since my Costa Rica trip in 2007 so I don't know why I keep buying stuff for my "trip".  I bought the Explore Short back in January thinking the same thing and I haven't even taken the tag off them yet.  It's so depressing!  Maybe it's a sign I need to go somewhere soon!

My boyfriend looked at these shorts and said, "hey they look like your dance pants but shorts".  Well, actually that was the second thing he said.  The first thing he said was "good thing they were only $19" (making a face).  Then he said I looked like I was 60 trying to play shuffle boards. Ugh, whatever.  But they are just like my Dance Studio pants except shorts! They are the same material, and they both have the subtle pin stripes print!  But they fit looser in the butt and thighs than my Dance Studio pants.  These shorts are pretty comfortable I must say.  Very light and airy.  The waistband is very comfy too and doesn't dig in or anything.  Feels like nothing on!  I don't think that I would ever work out in these though.  They could almost be board shorts too.

Anyways, I feel like I should go visit other Lululemon stores this weekend since everything is on sale it seems.  Maybe I can find some goodies at other stores.  The Santa Monica store tends to sell out of smaller sizes really fast so it's not always the best place to shop for me.  But they made me happy tonight!