penguin english library

I love love love the covers of this new collection, I want at least one! And this little video is just so cute!

Outfit: Autism One- Day 2 of 3

I told you about my first day at Autism One a few days ago. Here is what I wore to the second day I attended:

Top: Alloy (old), Shorts: Old Navy, Shoes: Forever 21, Bag: Coach (similar) (similar) (similar), Earrings: Swap w/ Kaitlyn, Wrist Wraps: C/O Kristin Hassan, Gold Band ring: Kohls, Sunnies: Loft (similar) (similar)

I did much better at the second day of Autism One. I was beyond overwhelmed the first day and truth be told I woke up not wanting to get out of bed.
I obviously did, made myself go back and listed to a lecture titled "Food With Benefits" given by Sueson Vess.  I am so glad I did, this was a great lecture! I took so many helpful notes, met up with the speaker, and got her cookbook after it was over (I also got a few new food products that I'll share with you here when I try them out).
The most important info I took away from this day was:
-Eat food from plants, not made in plants. (eat foods that will rot)
Seems obvious right? Well I can't tell you how many times in the past few days I've went to eat something and been made aware of the fact I'm not as healthy as I think. Try it, go through your day and see how much processed food you actually eat!
-Eat animals that ate leaves/plants.
-Eat fermented foods (good gut bacteria)
There were so many more helpful hints given to me at this lecture, but if I can pass the best info along, it's the above 3 points.
After listening and then shopping, we (myself, Nicolette of Momnivore's Dilemma, and a new mommy friend) then went to whole food and got a few items too. All and all, I finished this day feeling much more positive and more importantly, hopeful. ;)

*Check back tomorrow for my third and final day at Autism One. (I met Jenny McCarthy!!)

Tasty Thursdays: Goya Fiesta

Instead of a recipe this week, I thought it would be the perfect day to share my personal review of Goya's Fiesta Baked Beans that they recently sent me to do so. These delicious new flavors still include original and vegetarian but there are now jalapeño and chipotle flavored beans. They have such rich, robust flavors with a Latin flair.

The original beans are mixed with savory pork, onions, mustard & spices then baked with sweet molasses and brown sugar. The vegetarian ones are baked in a hearty, sweet-and-savory tomato sauce with brown sugar, garlic, and spices.

The jalapeño one is black beans in a mild jalapeño sauce blended with sweet red bell peppers, tender corn, oregano, and other Latin spices (which was my favorite; I really loved the blend of flavors). The chipotle is red kidney beans in a savory tomato sauce with spicy chipotle peppers and sweet brown sugar (though, for me, it was more sweet than spicy but still tasted amazingly).

I haven't had a chance to try to quinua seeds just yet - still searching for a good recipe to use them for. Any one have any suggestions?

P.S. Today's my college graduation day! Whooo! :)

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Honey Bee

Today's song is "Honey Bee" by Zee Avi.
[image source]

Giveaway: Passport To Style

As my Tour Guide duties come to a close, I am all smiles to announce the best giveaway ever! After not one, but two outfit posts full of fabulous accessories from the Passport to Style: World Tour 2012!, now is your chance to win your own souvenirs! Kristin is giving away the Athens Collection Souvenir Case - your own box of over $100 in jewelry from the limited edition Athens Collection!


To enter, visit the store and please post a comment with your favorite item Don’t forget to include your email address! You can also gain additional entries by following Kristin on Twitter and by signing up for your “passport”. 

I will announce the winner of the Athens Collection Souvenir Case on Monday, June 4th. Final souvenirs are still available for purchase - Shop Now!
αντίο! XO, Lisa

*Have you seen my Passport to Style video yet?

Outfit: Autism One- Day 1 of 3

I attended Autism One this year thanks to the persuasion of Nicolette of Momnivore's Dilemma. Here is what I wore to day 1:

Dress: E Street Denim, Vest: Express, Belt: Forever 21, Shoes: Target, Earrings: swap w/ Kaitlyn, Stackable Rings: Shop Jules, Ring: C/O J Good, Watch: C/O Kristin Hassan

She told me in advance how overwhelming it would be, but I thought she meant overwhelming like a lot of info to take in, lots of vendors, etc. It was overwhelming emotionally and mentally as well (which I was NOT prepared for) and I cried after leaving the first day.

I guess I thought I was doing a good job(ish) by my son so far. I know we haven't gone full on bio medical yet, but I guess I didn't realize how far away I was from it either.

Needless to say I had a mild panic attack while sitting in a lecture called "What's Next? Exploring your options by Anju Usman, MD. I literally left the room with my notes full of words I needed to go home and look up! I felt guilty, I felt under prepared, I felt like I needed to make changes...NOW!  I immediately went and bought new vitamins and probiotics. It did make me feel a bit better. ;)

Check back Thursday and Friday for day 2 and 3 of my Autism One Experience.

**Check out how I styled this dress for a night out on the Sisters Marie Blog!

Inspirational Tuesdays #116

 

This past weekend, I've been watching a couple of dance movies - finally saw the remake of Footloose and one of my all-time favorites, Center Stage. This Inspirational Tuesdays has been mostly inspired by those films and the country side.

All collected images were found randomly online. Click on image to view source.

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Washed Away

Today's song is "Washed Away" by Joe Purdy.
[image source]

Outfit: Maxi Skirt and Faux Leather

Jacket: C/O Sheinside, Top: Stylemint, Skirt: C/O Sheinside, Shoes: BCBG, Watch/Wrist Wrap/Chain Bracelet/Earrings: C/O Kristin Hassan

I think I have found my new favorite online shop, Sheinside. These 2 pieces are the only ones I have so far (well, 2 more are on the way), but the quality is amazing and the price for this quality makes it double amazing.

I just love pairing a maxi skirt with faux leather and a tee. I threw on the ever amazing Kristin Hassan Athens collection and a pair of studded flats and I was ready for a day of errands, wellness doctor visits, and well, a "mommy on the go" kind of a day.

What do you guys think? Does is look like I'm wearing lounge wear, because it felt like it! ;)

Splurge Skincare

I was recently gifted with two body scrubs & lip balm by Splurge Skincare, who provides natural and organic body care products. The two body scrubs I received were Peppermint and Lemon. Both were amazing and smelled so refreshing! The scrub wasn't too harsh nor oily and it left my skin pretty smooth.

But my favorite was the "Lip Buttah" lip balm. It was in peppermint and not only did it well on my lips but it left a nice tingly fresh feeling. :)

Splurge also offers a sugarcube, which is basically the perfect portion that provides a full body exfoliation all in one cube. However, they are now a limited holiday item. Now I wish they had a body lotion too!

Hope you're all having a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

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The Beacon

Today's song is "The Beacon" by A Fine Frenzy.
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Salmon Tartare with Enoki Mushrooms - Guest Blog

Today, I have invited another prominent food blogger, Terry Wong who runs The Food Canon, to do my very first guest blog on The Silver Chef.

And the reason I have asked Terry is that like myself, he is an avid food lover and is utterly passionate about cooking, and he has some fantastic recipes up on his own blog. I do encourage you to check out his food blog.

Recently, I had a chance to help him cook for a fund raising event and it was a wonderful experience working with him. Soon after, we talked of doing guest blogs for one another hence, he has come up with a terrific salmon tartare dish which is presented below.

I have also returned the favor by guest blogging on his blog with one of my recipes as well. Just head on over there after you have finished here to read my first guest blog on another site too! Here it is, Terry's excellent salmon tartare dish.

Guest Blogger The Food Canon:

I had to plan a meal for 60 at a recent Alpha Course Intro Dinner at my church. It was a sit-down dinner and guests were to be served at the table.

I have never done a dinner at this scale and of this nature. Some planning was needed with my food team and we finally settled on a 2-course appetiser-main meal, with the desserts served as a buffet spread. For plated meals, I thought that a "Western" approach works better, perhaps with some local twist. Being a two-course meal, the appetizer had to be fairly substantial.

So, how can we serve 60 plated diners efficiently? What appetiser should we make?
I asked a professional chef friend for advice on a easy-to-do appetizer. He advised on Tuna Tartare as that which can be prepared beforehand and plated just before serving. But he thought serving 60 diners plated will be difficult.

Tartare? I can recall eating it many times before but I have not made it myself. I checked up on some cookbooks, searched the net and consulted one of my home cook friends who runs a food blog (The Silver Chef) as he is more familiar with Western cuisine. It seemed doable as I considered all the steps needed from preparation to serving.

As Salmon is easily available here and fairly cheap, I went for it. I opted to buy from my usual fish stall at the wet market as it was fresh and good value. I bought a whole fish and had it filleted and deboned.

I planned to add diced tomato and onions. Cucumber was one option but had second thoughts as the texture is harder and too much of a contrast to Salmon. I experimented with adding chopped up kaffir lime leaves for the 'local twist' but did not like the taste. I saw packets of tiny Brown Enoki Mushrooms in NTUC. They were inexpensive at about $2 per lot. I thought they should taste great if sauced with soy sauce and that may be the local twist needed. And I added my favorite leaf - arugula or rockett leaves. I made it at home, and experimented with various plating arrangements using food shapes I bought from TOTT. I like what I ate and thought the soy sauced fresh enoki mushrooms added a interesting twist in terms of texture and flavour.

Brown Enoki Mushrooms

As costs was an issue, I added more veg to the tartare, reducing the amount of salmon needed. You can adjust the proportion as you so wish and according to the meal occasion.

Here are the steps to make this refreshing appetiser.

Preparing the Salmon Tartare

1. Diced up the tomatoes and onions. 
2. Diced up the boneless and skinless salmon meat. 
3. These need to be in small pieces for a good tartare eating experience.
4. Mix them together and add some squeezed lemon juice and salt. Adjust according to your taste. Thsi will effectively cooked the raw salmon and pickled the tomatoes and onions. Leave it in the fridge for an hour or so to chill.

Preparing the Brown Enoki mushrooms

1. Cut the top of the mushrooms and discard the roots. Washing the mushroom will take away some of the flavours but as I am serving it fresh, I did not want to take risks. 
2. After washing, add some good soy sauce (check out this post for some good options) and mix. Chill.

Plating with food shapes

Plating 

1. Using food shapes (as in pic), plate the salmon tartare. 
2. Spoon the enoki mushrooms into the center.
3. Add the arugula leaves around the tartare. Keep it dry to go with the wet Tartare.

Many of the guest gave feedback that they enjoyed the dish and I suppose Salmon Tartare is a usual crowd pleaser. The Brown Enoki Mushrooms made it a bit more special without increasing the costs significantly.

For the mains, we served oven-roasted Chicken Breast in Miso Butter Sauce with Asparagus, Sugar peas and butter rice. The Sous Vide method of cooking came in handy. I may blog that recipe on another occasion though I have blogged a slightly different version here.

There you go, my first guest blog post. Thanks Ian and your readers for this opportunity.

Sprinkle some black pepper and it is good to go

Thanks, Terry for this great post! Looking forward to exchanging more guest posts with The Food Canon in the near future.

Giveaway: EShakti Item of Choice

I have teamed up with eShakti to offer one lucky reader a product of their choice that can be custom sized/styled! Amazing  right?!

Remember when I wrote a post on eShakti back in December? If not, it's an online site that offers fashionable clothing that can be completely customized to your specific measurements, and/or style options. These style options include changing the sleeve length, neckline style, hem length and much more on their many designs. I got this super great red dress that I wore to one of my many holiday parties.

How to Enter:

1.You must follow eShakti on Facebook and Pinterest*, and then visit the eShakti website  & let me know which item you would choose if you won.

Because there are three mandatory requirements in order to be entered, I will give you 3 entries for this step (please leave separate comments to let me know you've done each one).

2. For a bonus entry follow my blog via google friend connect.

3. For an additional bonus entry follow my other blog via google friend connect.

(leave a comment for each one you do)

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only, and winner will be announced 6-7-12 at 7:00am. Good luck!

*If you are not on pinterest I will still let you enter the giveaway if you complete the other two as well as follow EShakti via Twitter. Please let me know in the comment section that you have done so.

Outfit: My Son's B-day

Top: Banana Republic, Shorts: Old Navy, Sandals: Target, Earrings: Erin Gallagher's Gem Bar, Ring: Lia Sophia, Chain Ring: Tiffany & CO, Sunnies: MNG by Mango, Necklace: Gift 

My son celebrated his 4th birthday over the weekend and we let him have the party of his dreams. He's finally has an opinion about what he wants (and a strong opinion at that) so we created a party around what he wanted. He asked for a bubble guppies themed party, bouncy house, cake (yellow cake with blue frosting to be exact), and french fries. Alright little dude, you got it! ;) He counted down on his calendar and every morning would tell us how many days until his party. He had a wonderful time and said it was so fun. Mission accomplished! Kinda easy to throw a dream party for a 4 year old, I wonder what he'll ask for next year....

And here's me asking my hubby to take a nice photo, this is what I got:
Seriously?

Come on, please.....

Jerk!! ;)

** Make sure you check out the Sisters Marie blog today, fun new item for sale! ;)

Dressing to Music: Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know

I know this song is all over the radio, but since I don't listen to the radio it's new to me. ;) I love everything about it, but my favorite is when they sing together. This is the look I styled as I listened to "somebody that I used to know": 

Top and under tank: Brandy Melville, Shorts: Express (similar), Shoes: C/O Sole Society, Wrist Wraps: C/O Kristin Hassan, Ring: Swap w/ Kaitlyn

*In other news, my #PassportToStyle Athens Collection Video came out yesterday. Check it out! ;)

Tasty Thursdays: Chicken-Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese

 

With my busy schedule, I haven't had much time to do anything but work and sleep -- which is why I love fast, easy recipes that are not only tasty but healthy! This recipe for this amazing Chicken-Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese was found on MyRecipes and serves 6.

 Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
• 3 cups chopped grilled chicken breast strips (such as Tyson)
• 1 1/2 cups trimmed arugula 
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved 
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper 
• 1/4 cup prechopped red onion 
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil 
• 1/8 teaspoon salt 
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 
• 6 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese

Directions: 

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well.
2. Combine pasta, chicken, and the next 6 ingredients (through oregano) in a large bowl; toss well.
3. Combine vinegar, oil, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle vinegar mixture over pasta mixture; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.

What are your go-to quick meals?

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I Met Up With a King

Today's song is "I Met Up With a King" by First Aid Kit.
[image source]

Passport to Style: World Tour 2012- Athens

Hello Again! Last week I was overjoyed with announcing my new role as the official Tour Guide for the Athens Collection from the Passport to Style: World Tour 2012!  I received so many baubles, one Grecian outfit post simply wasn’t enough (jewelry also seen here, and here)! Today’s look is all about a night out in Athens!

Aphrodite Bracelet, Parthenon Double Wrap, Demeter Cuff

Athena Tracery Necklace, Hellen Stud Earrings

Tank: Free People, Jacket: C/O Sheinside, Skirt: Hive & Honey via Piperlime, Hat: Forever 21, Shoes: C/O Just Fabulous, All Jewelry: C/O Kristin Hassan

The Athens Collection is only available in limited quantities for one more week! Don’t be the one without the souvenir - Shop Now!

Be sure to check back next Wednesday for the best giveaway ever! In the meantime, keep traveling with us by reserving your passport.

αντίο! XO, Lisa