Recipe: Lemon Chicken with Mushrooms

Where I currently live, there are not a lot of grocery or meal options in the "low-fat" or "reduced-calorie" category. So when I come across a recipe where I can use the ingredients that I already have in my cupboard AND not blow through the amount of calories I can eat a day, I have to try it.

I, my boyfriend (who is has selective tastes), and my friend (a foodie) both approved this recipe. It was really moist and flavorful, and one chicken breast is UNDER 100 CALORIES according to this recipe (I took out the butter and it still tasted great)

Ingredients:
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 lemon
3 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chicken broth (I didn't have this so I used a chicken bouillon cube and water)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Lemon pepper seasoning, black pepper, and salt to taste

Method:
1. Season chicken breasts to taste with seasonings and lemon. Heat up olive oil in a large skillet and brown the chicken breasts on both sides.
2. Add chicken broth, mushrooms, onion, and flour and let the chicken breasts simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.

How to deal with oily skin

Is anyone else sick of their face looking like a ball of light in photos?

Endless face-washing, heavy makeup and dabbing your t-zone constantly are all indicators that you are subject to oily skin too. Fortunately, there are lots of things that you can do at home to win in the battle against greasiness.

Keep skin clean by washing your face twice a day. If you use a detergent soap and find that it is too harsh, switch to a more gentle glycerin soap. My favorite facial soap right now is Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula Cream Soap, which leaves my skin at a perfect level of moisture and softness.

Use aloe vera to absorb oil and clear your pores. Apply it after washing your face, and you can keep it in the fridge for a refreshing burst of coolness every time you use it.

Keep your hair away from your face because oily hair and oily skin go together, so if you have bangs, pin them back for a less oily forehead.

Use a scrub to remove excess surface oil. However, if you have acne, this can aggravate your face, so skip it.

Use moisturizers that are water-based and oil-free, such as Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture.

Don't touch your face because you transfer oil and dirt from your hands onto your face.

If you try these tips, you should be photo-ready 24/7!

Live Beautiful everyone!

Dance yourself skinny

Recently, my sister came to visit me here in Beijing. Her vacation became my vacation, and on vacations, I always eat whatever I want. I always promise myself that after the week or two of shameless french-fry consumption, I’ll jump right back on the healthy horse. Only thing is that my sister was here for almost 3 weeks, and after forgetting about the rules for so long, I’ve found it really hard to get back into my old routine.

Even though we didn’t obey many diet rules, we did manage to get some exercise in. I swear, I’ve never walked as much in my life as I did in those weeks. But we also climbed the Great Wall (my legs were numb afterwards) and we went to a dance class to learn the Charleston. I didn’t think it would be so physically demanding, but I really worked up a sweat doing those kicks and dips. And the best part was that it wasn’t as hard as doing regular exercise because it was so much fun.

Here are a few ideas for exercise when you don’t feel like exercising:

1. Go dancing – From ballet to hip-hop, dancing works every muscle in your body while you have fun.

2. Play a sport – We “play” sports because they are so much fun. Dust off your tennis racket and hit the court!

3. Go shopping – Visit a fitness store for some new tennis, and try them out afterwards. And there’s no harm in picking up a pair of heels while you’re at it.

4. Play Wii sports games – I don’t own a Wii, but I’ve tried it. Before you even know it, you’ll spend an hour boxing, playing tennis, or doing one of the other myriad sports you can play with Wii.

5. Hula-hoop – You can tone your abs and raise your heart rate by hula-hooping.

6. Think outside of the box – There are so many other things that you can do that will work you out in a fun way. Walking your dog, riding a bike, going canoeing, playing laser tag – all of these are considered exercise. So before you write off a day as being exercise-free, take a look at what you can do to make your routine interesting.

Live beautiful everyone!

Choose the right Subway sub

Everyone remembers Jared, right? Or was his name Justin? Anyway, everyone remembers the once huge guy who claimed to have lost a ton of weight from substituting unhealthy his meals with Subway sandwiches. All of a sudden, the sandwich chain became known as “healthy fast food”.

I suppose formerly fat Subway guy’s success can be attained by all, but you can’t do it by rolling up into Subway and ordering a 12” Big Philly Cheesesteak. So here is your guide to choosing the right foods from Subway (I’m just giving numbers for 6” subs, so you obviously have to double these if you get a footlong).

Definitely Stay Away From:

	Calories	Sat. Fat (g)	Total Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Fiber (g)	Protein (g)
Subway Feast	550	9	23	2610	6	39
Big Philly Cheesesteak	520	9	18	1370	6	39
Spicy Italian	520	11	28	1720	5	22
Meatball Marinara	580	9	23	1420	9	24
Tuna	530	6	30	830	5	21
Cold Cut Combo	410	6	16	1340	5	21
Italian BMT	450	8	20	1500	5	22
Subway Melt	370	5	11	1210	5	23
Chicken & Bacon Ranch	570	10	28	1080	5	35

So now that you know what sandwiches to stay away from, here’s how to choose a Jared-approved one.

• Choose a sandwich or salad from the under “6 Grams of Fat or Less” menu.
• Order your sandwich on 9-grain wheat bread or hearty Italian bread – these have fewer calories and lower fat.
• Choose vegetables as sandwich or salad toppings instead of high-fat meats and condiments. Also, American and Provolone are the best cheese choices.
• Instead of regular potato chips, choose Baked Lays, apple slices, low-fat yogurt or raisins.

Some good sandwich choices include:

• Veggie DeLite (290 cal)
• Oven-Roasted Chicken (380 cal)
• Turkey Breast (340 cal)
• Roast Beef (380 cal)

For more nutritional information about Subway sandwiches, visit www.subway.com.

Eat beautiful everyone!

On a short break...

I probably should have written this about a week ago...no, I have not abandoned my blog. I am in the middle of some end of term Chinese exams, and they are rather time-consuming. But, I will return to my regular blogging schedule in just a few days.



Thanks for visiting!

Recipe: Linguine with Shrimp and Tomatoes

Before I get into this recipe, I'd just like to tell you all that there are two versions of this recipe - a good girl/boy one and a bad girl/boy. Today I was not good.

I have to go to the grocery store this weekend, and the only thing I had in the freezer was shrimp. I usually use my shrimp to make fried rice or something, but you get tired of that after a while, especially living in Beijing. So I looked up some shrimp recipes and found two -- both of which could mostly be made with stuff I already had or I could buy from the convenience store downstairs.

Anyway, here is the recipe that I went with, a slightly adapted version of this one:

• Sauce Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups diced tomatoes
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon butter
salt and black pepper to taste

• Other Ingredients

1 (16 oz) package linguine pasta (I thought this was too much pasta for the sauce it made so consider using just 3/4 of the package)
1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the garlic; cook 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, and wine. Bring to a simmer and cook 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Once the tomatoes have simmered into a sauce, stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper.
2. Fill a large pot with lightly-salted water; bring to a rolling boil; stir in the linguine and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink.
3. Season the shrimp with the Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the shrimp and cook until pink on the outside and no longer translucent in the center, about 5 minutes. Stir the shrimp into the pasta sauce, then stir the sauce into the linguine to serve.

I was so proud of myself for making this, and I will definitely make it again, maybe with chicken next time. The sauce and the shrimp were both really flavorful, and I thoroughly enjoyed every single bite.

Even though this recipe was a total cheat, with the original recipe's one serving coming in at 520 calories per serving, I cut out one tablespoon of butter (which I am sure reduced the number of calories) and I ate a smaller serving size accompanied by a bigger salad.

I also added chives on top for more color.

Note: As you can tell from the photo, I did not use linguine, but spaghetti, because it was all that was available at the convenience store. I think it would go much better with linguine though.

Eat beautiful everyone!

Review: Quick Start Pilates for Weight Loss

I was sort of looking for a cop-out weight loss DVD when I purchased this one. Quick Start Pilates for Weight Loss is just 30 minutes long and promises to help you lose weight, look long and lean, and kick-start your metabolism. I also wanted to try Pilates because I wanted to do a workout that wouldn’t make me sweat so much (pathetic I know). So, with this DVD I saved time, kept my relaxer looking fresh because I didn’t sweat, but I also didn’t lose weight – seriously, not one pound. I exercised to this DVD about 4 times a week over 2 or 3 months, and really expected to shed pounds.

However, I did not exercise in vain. I did see a huge increase in my flexibility and I have to admit, being able to match the instructor’s litheness on the One Leg Teaser felt pretty good. This is nice exercise DVD to keep moving and maintain a healthful life. It’s not too strenuous, and I really felt like I was in the zone while I was stretching my muscles and listening to the relaxing soundtrack.

I would recommend this video to beginners. I was a Pilates dummy when I started this (and still am!) and I found this easy to follow – after 4 or 5 times I felt like an old pro. If you buy this DVD, it comes with a motivational CD and an online weight loss guide, both of which went unused in mine, so if you buy it, use these tools to give yourself a greater chance of success.

Keep working it out!