Skydreamer Eats: A Healthier Lifestyle with Salads

Just recently, I've had several health issues like minor back pains and occasional headaches. I've also been diagnosed as pre-hypertensive because of my sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits. I'm really scared about being sick and unhealthy so I took it upon myself to be more active and eat healthier.

The first thing I did was walk more often. Currently, I make it a point to walk at least 20 minutes total in a day. If I need to go up/down a floor in a building, I use the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Instead of riding a cab from the front of our apartment's gate, I walk to the corner of the block where I live (and it's a fairly big block) and wait for a cab there. I try to stretch every now and then, and I also make it a point to play outdoors on weekends with my son and husband.

Aside from being more active, I've also started to incorporate eating more healthy food in my diet. That means less white rice (which is full of carbohydrates with little to no amount of nutrients) and more fruits and vegetables (and desserts too, I admit - lots of sweets!). I always try to do the 80/20 rule which means that I eat healthy food 80% of the time, and all the naughty food 20% of the time. To know more about it, check Rose's blog (click HERE) for inspiration and ideas.She calls it the Anti-Diet, and I usually follow her tips about maintaining an 80/20 balance on food and activities to be healthy. I don't actually follow everything to a T, but I do my best in keeping up.

With that said, I'm going to share a couple of salads that I have created over the weekend (again, this is to make sure I'm eating more greens and less grains).

First:
Mediterranean Salad
I call my first one, the Mediterranean salad mainly because a lot of European Instagrammers inspired me to come up with the mix.
For my greens, I used kale, baby arugula, lettuce and alugbati (a type of vine spinach).
I added a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, and a dash of salt and pepper.
I tossed it with homegrown tomatoes.
I added a few slices of prosciutto di parma and gruyere.



Skydreamer's Mediterranean Salad


Greens - Pre-packed, purchased from Rustan's Fresh, Ayala Center Cebu
Prosciutto Di Parma (Parma Ham) - Purchased from the Deli Section of Rustan's Fresh (I only bought 100g and this is just 1/3 of the ham I purchased)
Gruyere - Purchased from Rustan's Fresh, 100g for about P100 - I only used 1/6 of the cheese I purchased


What I Think: I loved this salad! It's savory, and the parma ham complemented the earthy taste of the greens and the nutty taste of the cheese. This one's a keeper, and I'll probably make more in the coming weeks.



Second:
Tropical Salad
This second salad's dressing was inspired by Patty Laurel's Instagram picture. I can't link it here, but you can look for her in IG @pattylaurel.
For my greens, I used the remaining ones from the pack I bought in Rustan's.
I topped it with homegrown tomatoes and seedless grapes.
For my dressing, I used a teaspoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, half a teaspoon of brown sugar, and a drizzle of honey (Patty used balsamic vinegar and I substituted mine with apple cider and brown sugar as it was readily available from our pantry).



Skydreamer's Tropical Salad


What I Think: I didn't really like the sour/vinegary flavor. I mean, what did I expect, right? I added vinegar after all. It's ok, I guess. I was fine with the honey, but not so much on the vinegar.

I think I'll stick with the Mediterranean salad.
But you take your pick.
Try both of my creations or create your own salad with your preferred toppings/meat/fruits and your favorite dressing! Either way, let me know how it goes! xx

Skydreamer Dines in Cebu: Cafe Sarree

Yesterday, li'l sister-in-law wanted to take us out to dinner, along with Ate Yvette (also known as Yvette Yzon, a Filipina actress) and family friend. Since I was just gushing all about Pizzeria Michelangelo last week, I naturally suggested that we have dinner there; however, sis-in-law had other plans. She wanted us to try Cafe Sarree, located right next to my favorite pizza place in Escario Central (*hint hint* - beside Pizzeria Michelangelo). She has been forever raving about this place even before she moved to the States but I never found the time to drop by.

The place is homey, but seemed too small so we decided to stay outside.

Outside where the air is fresh

He won't let go of Ate Yvette's hand

While waiting for our order to arrive, we bought some fluffy looking ensaimada from Brioche, a bakery just across Cafe Sarree. We opened it excitedly, used our forks to take small pieces, and -------- silence.
Too dry, no hint of cheese. And this small pack cost us P240. Too much, it's just too much. Tsk tsk.

Ensaimada from Brioche - DRY

With the ensaimada forgotten after that disappointing first bite, we got a little too excited when they served our cheese pate. It was to die for! I am seriously addicted to it. It had a little bit of everything, and my baby boy kept coming back for seconds. When we ran out of melba toast, we used Brioche's ensaimade to mop up the remaining cheese. This is seriously one of my favorites and I'll definitely be back for this!

Cheese Pate - Serious YUM!
Spicy cheese with pesto and sundried tomato, served with melba toast

They thoughtfully served our Apple Lemonade after serving the cheese pate to wash down the creaminess of our chosen appetizer.

Apple Lemonade modeled by the As

It started to rain so we had to move inside, but not before ordering capricciosa from Pizzeria Michelangelo. I was really really determined to let them try my new favorite Italian place. :D

Adobo Flakes - Shredded, crispy adobo with rice
Pork Schnitzel - Deep fried, breaded pork cutlets with mushroom sauce

Baked Mac and Cheese Burger -
Pasta smothered in cheese sauce, topped with burger patties,
and baked with more cheese on top (SOOOO GOOD!)

Capricciosa from Pizzeria Michelangelo

Jambalaya a la Mama - Spicy sausage in a rich
tomato stew, with Jambalaya rice

We were so full from all the food we ordered, and our stomachs had no room for dessert. *burp*

After dinner, the rain stopped thankfully and we were able to chill and relax outside while the others finished their food and the As paid for dinner. :D (thank you!)

Daddy and Seth goofing around

Chillin' with Seth after dinner

Family picture - waiting for the others who were still eating
(you can see them in the background)

Check them out if you like fusion dishes - they are seriously one of the best. xx

Skydreamer Eats: The Best Mug Cake EVAAH!

I grew up with a mom who bakes the most amazing homemade cakes. Almost every afternoon, at around 3 or so, we could smell wafts of something really good baking in the oven. I lived for those days. All throughout my childhood and even when I started working, she would make her famous baked goodies. Yellow cake, chocolate cake, pineapple upside down cake, birthday cake, chewy brownies, papaya brownies, cream cheese brownies. And how can I forget her tiramisu? If blogging was available in the 80's, my mom would have rocked as a food blogger.

With that said, I wanted to try something easy in the cake department. I do not know how to make cakes, cupcakes or anything of the sort. I started and stopped at mango float (you know, those yummy homemade refrigerator no-bake cakes). Now that I'm a mom, I wanted to whip up something sweet in my (microwave) oven in under 15 minutes - and make my son smile.

That's ambitious.

So I researched, researched, researched (in Pinterest) until I came upon THE MUG CAKE.

Good for one.
Very easy.
Uber cheap.
Ridiculously good.

There were a lot of different recipes out there, and I had a lot of trial and error sessions. My first ever mug cake was an epic fail. But now, I'm finally ready to share this with you!


Ready for this? The best ever mug cake?

Gooey chocolate mug cake

Then this is what you need to do.

In a regular mug, mix well together 2 tbsp all purpose flour, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa, 1/4 tsp baking powder, a pinch of salt.
Now add 2 tbsp fresh milk or water and 1 tbsp vegetable oil to your dry ingredients and mix well together.
Take 1/3 of a regular sized banana, and mash it well. Add it to your mixture and blend well together.
Add a few chocolate chips, mix again.
Now, here's the fun part - take a look at your pantry. Check if you have nutella, peanut butter, cookie butter, or any buttery/chocolatey spread. You're good? Take 1/2 tbsp of that and add to your mixture, pushing it to the bottom. *Please make sure that your spread is at room temperature*
Next, put the mug inside your microwave and bake on high for 1 minute (50 seconds for me).

Take it out, smell that wonderful cocoa.

Mmmm-hmmmmmm.....

Fresh from the oven

Get a plate and transfer the cake to it, upside down. It would look like this:

That cookie butter looks really good on top of my cake

Restrain yourself from eating everything all at once because you're not done yet.

Now, take a look at your freezer. Got some ice cream? Good. Add that on top of your cake and you have yourself a winning dessert. Good for one. Or you can share with your son (if you're feeling selfless).

Mug Cake with ice cream and shaved chocolate

It's moist, gooey, chocolatey, buttery, and all those good things. It's like a cake but not really. It's not a brownie too. It's almost like a cupcake, but really it's just the best ever mug cake.

In less than five minutes I made my son smile and laugh and now he's bouncing all over from all that chocolate and sugar. *sigh*

Go on, make some. I'm excited to know what you think! :D