Saturday, 7 June 2014

Yummy Diet 5 Day Package

After going through with one week of all veggie lunch and dinner, I am now venturing into a whole day diet meal service. And since I can't accommodate early morning deliveries, I took my chances on ordering 1 week of Yummy Diet meals. They deliver your meals the night before you start your diet which I was reluctant at first because of possible food spoilage. Lucky enough, no food went to waste as long as you immediately place your meals in the refrigerator once you get it. Read on to find out how my experience went...

Day 1

Breakfast: Sunny Ham & Cheese and Black Coffee
AM Snacks: Orange
Lunch: Baked Mayonnaise Fish with Steamed Red Rice
PM Snacks: Ginataang Mais Oatmeal
Dinner: Grilled Chicken with Pesto Sauce and Hot Tea

Day 1 Review:
My first day with YummyDiet was really hard. I was so stunned at how small each meal portion was compared to what I previously had with LunchBoxDiet. It took me a lot of convincing to not be tempted to eat anything else except for the ones they provided.

Anyways, my breakfast was quite indulging you won't even think that you're on a diet except for the fact that your sandwich is missing the top slice of bread. hehehe But come past 9AM my tummy already started to grumble. Even though I am not fond of oranges, I had to eat it because I was hungry but after devouring the slightly ripe orange my stomach was only half-contented.

Here come lunch time, my greatest peril of all was to see how so small my meal was. So I ate my food really slowly so as to savor every bite of it. The fish was really good by the way. And since I left my dinner at home, I opted to eat my afternoon snacks at late 5PM so that I won't get that hungry on my way home. The Ginataang Mais oatmeal was delicious, I wonder how they made it taste like that.

As I reached home past 7PM, I quickly heated my meal and prepared my hot tea. My head was already spinning and aching from hunger. My chicken was disappointingly dry - maybe I heated it too long but I did love the pesto sauce it had. And so ends my 1st day with YummyDiet, I hope I adapt to this fast because I don't like having a light and aching head while at work.


Day 2
Breakfast: Mushroom Stronganoff with Garlic Red Rice and Black Coffee
AM Snacks: Apple
Lunch: Fish and Cream Cheese Roll Ups
PM Snacks: Choco Dipped Grapes
Dinner: Chicken Marsala with Steam Red Rice and Hot Tea

Day 2 Review:
I woke up this morning happy to see that my breakfast had rice but unfortunately my viand was only mushrooms. It was tasty and juicy but was not that filling. The black coffee was actually the one that made my stomach full.

While in office, I opted to eat the grapes for my morning snack because I think the chocolate started to smell weird. It was a really bad idea to coat the grapes with chocolate - I didn't feel that it was a good combination. As for lunch, I also swapped it with my dinner meal which was the chicken marsala. Once again, their chicken was dry. Another unsatisfying lunch for me. The only treat I had out of my YummyDiet meal was the small apple which was crunchy and juicy.

Come dinner time, my head was once again spinning from hunger that I had to eat something filling so once again I broke my diet by eating out with my husband. We only had sushi, gyoza and hot tea so I did not feel that guilty for doing so.

I did ate my supposedly lunch time meal the next day in addition to my breakfast. I sure am glad I did not take the roll ups as my lunch time because it won't surely give me the energy I need for my day. It had too little tuna on it too.

Day 3

Breakfast: Bacon & Spinach Scramble with Garlic Red Rice and Black Coffee
AM Snacks: Banana
Lunch: Sauteed Pork with Lemon & Parsley and Steamed Red Rice
PM Snacks: None
Dinner: Royal Cucumber Sandwich and Hot Tea

Day 3 Review:
Yes, you read that right! There's no afternoon snack provided. =(
Fortunately my day turned out to be a busy one so my stomach didn't ask for a morning snack.

Today's breakfast was admittedly yummy but in really small portion. I just wish they gave me more of those egg scramble. As for my lunch, I was surprised to see pork on my plate but immediately got disappointed after taking my first bite into it. It was bland with just a little hint of lemon.

And once again, my battle with dinner time hunger strikes again. I didn't eat my dinner time meal again because I am already getting famished from the work and travel time from office going home that I had to grab a bite to any nearby food I see. I did ate the cucumber sandwich the next day for my breakfast and it was terrible! Just imagine, thinly sliced cucumber and cheese on a sandwich?! Oh how my husband pitied seeing me go through all these meals.


Day 4
Breakfast: Pork Tapa Breakfast Salad and Black Coffee
AM Snack: Baby Mango
Lunch: Pinoy-style Chicken Curry with Steamed Red Rice
PM Snack: Turon
Dinner: Corned Beef Pandesal and Hot Tea

Day 4 Review:
I can't believe my eyes as I open my 4th day package. Never in my entire life did I ever see a mango this small! And it's ripe too! I wonder if they own a bonsai mango tree to be able to get such a small-sized mango. Amazing! But I am not happy to only have to eat this small of a mango for my snack.

For today, I loved my breakfast. The tapa slices were tasty and the greens were fresh. The only con was the dressing, I think it was too sour. Lunch time was also a delight - even though the serving was small, I appreciate that it was flavorful and for the first time, their chicken was not that dry.

My merienda was a slightly seared turon which had a not so ripe banana on it. It was not bad but not as good either. Dinner time was also a sad meal, they provided a really small pandesal - smaller than the mango they gave for that day. And the feeling was just ordinary corn beef. The one really big off from this meal were the potato chips because all soggy and oily. =(

Day 5

Breakfast: Skillet Souffle with Greens and Black Coffee
AM Snack: Apple
Lunch: Tofu Noodle Salad with Orange-Sesame Dressing
PM Snack: Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches
Dinner: Sausage, Chicken, & Vegetable Skewers and Hot Tea

Day 5 Review:
Yehey! Today is my last yummy diet meal. My breakfast for the day was good. It had greens and salsa, a small pandesal and two slices eggs. I was not able to eat my apple though because it was weirdly sticky. I washed it several times already yet the skin was still sticky so I didn't dared eat it unless it's peeled.

Lunch this time was Asian pasta and it was yummy. But once again, I hoped that it had more. Not soon enough I was already uber hungry that I had to eat the peanut butter jelly sandwiches that was only half of a sandwich portion.

I failed to eat my dinner time meal again and ate them for breakfast the next day instead. The sausages were burnt and the chicken was dry. The mashed potato was just so so.

Overall:
I would not want to go through this again. Their meal portions were absurdly small and did not give me enough energy to go through my day. My stomach was constantly grumbling and my head ached in the afternoon. Their diet meal package really made me feel that I was on a diet which urged me to eat other food aside from what they provided. Although their delivery was always on time, the quality of the food and nutrition I get from them is still what's important to me. But this is just my opinion, feel free to try it out yourself. Yummy Diet just won't work out for me.


Sunday, 1 June 2014

Sunrise at Kiltepan Viewpoint, Sagada

The best place to watch the sun rise in Sagada is at Kiltepan Viewpoint. Make sure to get there early to be able to find a good spot to see the sun rise.

It was really hard waking up so early but after seeing the picturesque scene of the sun ascending over the clouds - it was all worth it. Feeling this close to nature was such a fulfilling experience.


Resto Review: Masferre Restaurant

On our last night in Sagada, we decided to dine out and bond together with our travel mates with Travel Factor. It was already quite late at night and it was also a Friday - so most of the restaurants were packed. So we chose to dine in Masferre Restaurant. It was also full so they then opened their rooms in their basement to accommodate incoming customers.

They offer American cuisine but we were really disappointed because most of the items that we wanted to order were no longer available. We then decided to just order their Bolognese Spaghetti (Php 170).

It took more than hour for them to start serving us our orders and as they placed our order in front of us - we were stunned. It didn't look anything Bolognese at all! As I started mixing the sauce into the pasta, I didn't find any traces of meat at all. Eating it just added to our disappointment because it was just plain spaghetti sauce from a pouch. It was absolutely not worth its price at all. This one's a definite FLOP.

Lake Danum at Sagada

Lake Danum is the best place to be for sun set viewing in Sagada. Unfortunately, it was raining when we were there so we didn't have the chance to see the sun.

You can go kayaking or boating while you're there or simply enjoy the cool breeze and serene scenery.

Resto Review: Tim Ho Wan, SM Megamall

We originally wanted to try out Tim HoWan at Hong Kong but we didn't get the chance while we were there. And since I heard the news that they will be opening a branch here in the Philippines, we then awaited for its opening. Tim HoWan  is really popular so it's no wonder that there will definitely be a long queue to be able to get seated here. You need to be really patient but the wait is not that long because their service is fast but you have to have your whole party present when your name is called to be able to be seated.

As we were seated, we have already decided to order their Big 4 Heavenly Kings: Baked Bun with BBQ Pork (Php 145), Pan Fried Carrot Cake (Php 145), Vermicelli Roll with Pig's Liver (Php 150), and Steamed Egg Cake (Php 85). My husband also ordered several other items on the list he found interesting.

In just 10 minutes or less, our Baked Bun with BBQ Pork (Php 145) was served. It comes in three pieces and my husband immediately went ahead and took a bite not thinking that the stuffing inside was super hot. hehehe The bun was mildly sweet, crunchy on top but soft all over. It reminds me of Coffee Buns. And the filling was just divine, it was sweet and savory and I can definitely understand why this is one of their best seller and why people kept coming back for more of this.

Next came one of my husband's additional orders, their Glutinous Rice with Lotus Leaf (Php 190). The rice was really sticky and tasted like biko and the meat that goes with it was really tender and flavorful. Although not as popular as their pork buns, I would definitely recommend this if you're looking for a rice meal.

The food just kept on coming during the next minutes, I am really impressed with their fast service. I next tasted one of the heavenly kings, their Vermicelli Roll with Pig's Liver (Php 150). It was really hard to take a grip on one of these rolls with chopsticks, I had to fold them to be able to get one. The roll was soft and the pig's liver was bitter as expected but is complemented with vegetables to balance the flavor. This one is just so so for me.

I next tried another of the heavenly kings, their Pan Fried Carrot Cake (Php 145). These carrot cakes are actually made of radish not carrots - carrots are known as white radish in other places thus the name. It also had bits of chorizo. But I don't think I would be ordering this on my next visit, it was quite greasy for me.

We next tried a couple of their steamed dimsum, the Dumpling Teochew Style (Php 120) and the Beef Ball with Beancurd Skin (Php 120). The Dumpling Teochew Style tasted almost the same as their Vermicelli Roll except that it had no Pig's Liver. And their Beef Ball with Beancurd Skin was really meaty and tasty especially when you dip them in their Soy Sauce and mix it with a bit of chili sauce.

And last but not the least, as our dessert we had their Steam Egg Cake (Php 85). It was light and fluffy and tasted buttery. It was a delicious cake indeed.

Our overall experience with Tim HoWan was a delight. All our food were served hot, fast and delicious. We will definitely come back for their Pork Buns. (",)