Wednesday 18 June 2014

The Sexy Chef Dine Lite Meals

I just went on two straight weeks eating diet meals and for this week I only have 3 days in Manila because I'm going home to Zamboanga City for Independence Day. My dilemma now was - is there a diet meal delivery out there willing to be flexible and offer me with just 3 days meals in a week? The answer is YES! The Sexy Chef was flexible enough to accommodate to my needs. I just have to divide their weekly package to 5 to know how much it will cost per day then multiply it to 3 days.

I chose to avail their Dine Lite Package which cost Php 1,290 for 3 days (Php 2,150 for 5 days). The package is only for your daily lunch and dinner meals and is delivered to you before lunch time (usually between 10AM to 12NN). What's great about their Dine Lite meals is that each only has 350 worth of calories! Only downside of this is it is expensive.

Day 1
Lunch: Oriental Fruit Salad with Chicken
I super love this salad. I love their dressing it was so yummy! It didn't feel like I was on diet. All the veggies were fresh and crunchy and the chicken was tender and the dressing was so yummy! Oh, did I say that already? LOL The only difficulty I had with this meal is how hard it was to toss in its small container.

Dinner: Pasta Amatriciana
I love the idea that they didn't mix in the sauce when they deliver it to you. This way your pasta won't be soggy when you re-heat it. And they also provided me with a generous amount of Parmesan cheese. You can really taste the fresh tomatoes used in the sauce. It wasn't heavy on the tummy since it didn't have any meat on it.


Day 2
Lunch: Chili con Carne with Mexican Rice
No this meal was bursting with flavors! The rice was savory with just the right of spicy-ness and the meat was seasoned perfectly to accompany the already flavorful rice. This one is definitely one of my favorites!

Dinner: Chicken Burger with Pesto
Sad to see that my dinner is only a sandwich but hey it has chicken so it really did fill up my tummy. I'm not sure where the pesto went because I didn't seem to taste any. I'm not really a fan of this one, well just because I'm not a fan of chicken to begin with.


Day 3
Lunch: Huli Huli Hawaiian Chicken with Pineapple Fried Rice
Oh how I love eating this meal, I never thought that I could gobble down my lunch this fast. The pineapple fried rice was savory sweet and the chicken was really delicious. I wish I knew how they did this because I definitely want to cook this for myself someday.

Dinner: Creamy Beef Steak Pasta
Beef steak? Pasta? Doesn't sound right, but it was what I had for dinner and it was a good combination. The beef was so tender and the sauce was creamy. But after several bites, it became too salty for my palate. But it was a good meal - if it had less saltiness to it.


The Verdict:
The Sexy Chef has consistently won my heart. In terms of food taste, quality and quantity, the Sexy Chef is definitely the winner among the list of diet delivery companies I tried but unfortunately their package are quite expensive. They do offer promos from time to time so have a close watch over their Facebook page.

To learn about other diet meal options, click here.

If you're interested in this program, log on to http://www.thesexychef.ph/. If you do decide to sign up, please do mention that you were referred by me (Jill Ann Lorenzo) as they can give me a rebate if I refer people. :)

Sunday 8 June 2014

Sagada Walking Tour

On our last day in Sagada, we went for a walk around town. Just a few minutes walk away from the main road, we were able to reach the famous Echo Valley. People took turns shouting and waited for their echo to sound back. From here, you can already see some of the hanging coffins on the sides of the valley.

If you want a closer look, you can trek going down the valley to view the hanging coffins up close.

Just nearby, you can find the St. Mary's Escopal Church. There was an ongoing wedding celebration when we passed by so we were not able to take pictures of the church from the inside.

Behind the church, you can find a busy market set-up only during Saturdays. You can find goods from nearby provinces like Baguio being sold here.

While you're in Sagada, don't fail to try out their halo-halo (Php 25) which had a little of everything. Their halo-halo had macaroni, ube, corn kernels, coconut strips, melon strips, watermelon, avocado and an assortment of jellies. They even added a stick-o with no extra charge. Yummy!

If you still have energy, you can walk much further to reach the Sagada Weaving Center. When I got in their shop, I was quite disappointed to see that they don't sell much merchandise at all.

Behind the souvenir shop, there's a small house where locals do their weaving. You have to be quiet while you're in this area and be respectful to ask their permission first to take pictures. They don't like to have their pictures taken, they will only let you take pictures of their work but not with their face.

Just in front of the Sagada Weaving Center, you can find a souvenir shop, Sagada Collections where you can taste their Peanut Bars. I don't think these bars are sold anywhere else in Sagada and they are quite expensive - one pack costs Php 200. They are made of peanuts and white chocolate, they were really delicious. Everything in this store were expensive. If you are looking for affordably priced bags and wallets, you can buy them at the Indigenous Handicrafts & Inn.

The main road in Sagada has lots of souvenir shops so you have to do some canvassing if you want to find cheaper items. Their key chains and ref magnets range from Php 65 to 100. Coin purses in Indigenous Handicrafts & Inn range from Php 50 to 130 depending on size and design.


Resto Review: People's Lodge and Restaurant, Banaue

Before going back to Manila, we had a couple hours stop over in Banaue which gave us enough time to look around their Public Market to try out some of their local snacks and buy some souvenirs.

We decided to eat dinner at the People's Lodge and Restaurant which had a great panoramic view of some terraces and the city.

I ordered their set meal People's Rice (Php 160) which includes a cup of mountain rice, vegetable chopsuey, fried chicken, asparagus soup and a piece of banana. It was a tasty meal but nothing out of the ordinary.

My husband ordered their Pork Adobo (Php125) and a cup of their Rice (Php 25). Their adobo was pale in color and not saucy. The meat was chewy and sauce was just so so.

Dining here was not pleasant because their staff were snobs and not that attentive but I can commend that their food portions were generous for its price.

Saturday 7 June 2014

Resto Review: Yoghurt House, Sagada

The Yoghurt House is one of the restaurants found on the main road of Sagada that you won't miss. They are popular for their yoghurt but we didn't ordered any because we heard from our fellow travelers that theirs were much sour.

My husband ordered Pork in Bechamel Sauce (Php 220) and Roasted Pork with Vegetable Salad (Php 200).

I commend them as their serving portions were big and their presentation was appealing and appetizing. Their vegetables were fresh and crunchy and their meat were cooked just right to be tender but their sauces were nothing extraordinary.

If you are looking forward to eating a heavy meal, we suggest the Yoghurt House given that money is not an issue. Oh! Before I forget, bring your own water as they don't serve house water.

Resto Review: Bana's Cafe

For our last day in Sagada, we decided to dine at Bana's Cafe which was popular for their coffee. It is located in the basement of a souvenir shop so it may be quite hard to find.

We ordered Banana Pancake Plate (Php 150), Longganisa Meal (Php 100) and a cup of their Cafe Mocha (Php 80).

The Banana Pancake Plate had two fluffy banana-filled pancakes, two sunny side-up eggs, slices of bacon and fresh melon slices. This plate is actually good for sharing. Their pancakes and bacon were delicious.

Their Longganisa on the other hand was huge and so tender and juicy. I love how they add slices of fresh fruit on their plate as it makes the meal complete.

Finally, I tasted their Cafe Mocha but was not that impressed. For me it was just any ordinary coffee mocha but I'm not such a fan of coffee so maybe I'm just biased.

Our experience with Bana's Cafe  was a pleasant one and we recommend dining here as they had fast service, good tasty food, big portions and a nice view too.