A Health Update and More Food Adventures!
I can't believe it's already October. Just eight more weeks and I'll have only one more semester left of seminary. I have a lot to accomplish before those eight weeks wrap up, including a final paper on Petrine Christology and how it affects the ways churches develop communities of belonging. Just because I'm busy though, it doesn't mean I can't go on food adventures! Here have been some of the more recent ones within the last couple of weeks:
THE CARUTHERS FAIR!
I love the Caruthers Fair. The small-town feel. The free admissions. The delicious food. My go-to's are the teriyaki fried chicken wings and some type of dessert. What I love about the teriyaki fried chicken wings is that they get the batter super crispy while retaining all of the chicken's juices. The teriyaki glaze perfects as it has sweet and savory notes. This year my family also tried the spiral potato chips and the cheesecake. The spiral potato chips were aight; could have been crispier for my liking but good flavor. The cheesecake was heavenly! I prefer a thicker graham cracker crust on the bottom so that it is more of like a cookie, which they nailed. The cheesecake itself was fluffy with just the right amount of sweetness. Overall, it was well worth the money spent!
Lastly, this past weekend I was able to go to one of my favorite spots--Farm Fresh Bowls--for breakfast to catch up with a friend. Got their Peach Açai Bowl since peaches are still in season and wanted to have it again before they took it off special. If you enjoy peaches and you like açai with fresh fruit and granola, this is a good choice for breakfast.
On Sundays after church, I usually grab lunch with my family as well...because who is going to turn down a free meal? We went to El Toro Cafe since my mom had a Dealsavers coupon (which she is low-key addicted to that website). I usually get the carne asada nachos, which is an obnoxiously large but delicious plate of just chips, cheese, beans, and carne asada. There are litterally layers to it! I wanted to try something new and a bit lighter though, so I went with the shrimp fajitas salad. Overall, really good. I enjoyed the taste of the veggies; I even ate the bellpeppers, and I detest bellpeppers! The shrimp was cooked tasty (maybe a tad overdone though) and had the classic fajita flavor. My only critique is that they relied on the fajitas to dress the lettuce, leaving much of my salad without any flavor.
So the question people ask me: how can you eat all of this stuff while still lose weight? I'm a big believer that just because I have changed my lifestyle and have decided to eat healthier, it doesn't mean I have to sacrifice my guilty pleasures (like cupcakes). It does mean though that I can't eat them that often though. Consistent exercise is also key. Right now I work out 2-3 times a day at 30-minute intervals. If I end up having a larger meal, then I exercise a little longer during one of the intervals. Portion control is also my friend. I also usually will have either 3 small meals a day with some snacks in between, or a large meal coupled with one small meal and one snack. With that, I am happy to announce that I weigh under 200 pounds (which hasn't happened since high school) and have dropped 2-3 pant sizes depending on the fit!! Thank you friends for all of the encouragement and well wishes as I've embarked on this health journey! It's not over yet, but I'm closer to the goal. Until next time, I wish you all happy food adventures!
THE CARUTHERS FAIR!
I love the Caruthers Fair. The small-town feel. The free admissions. The delicious food. My go-to's are the teriyaki fried chicken wings and some type of dessert. What I love about the teriyaki fried chicken wings is that they get the batter super crispy while retaining all of the chicken's juices. The teriyaki glaze perfects as it has sweet and savory notes. This year my family also tried the spiral potato chips and the cheesecake. The spiral potato chips were aight; could have been crispier for my liking but good flavor. The cheesecake was heavenly! I prefer a thicker graham cracker crust on the bottom so that it is more of like a cookie, which they nailed. The cheesecake itself was fluffy with just the right amount of sweetness. Overall, it was well worth the money spent!
I've also been watching past episodes of Cake Boss and DC Cupcakes lately...so I've been having quite a sweet tooth. Because of that, I've stopped by Frosted Cakery and Smallcakes to try some new flavors. At Frosted Cakery, I tried their Pumpkin Caramel Latte cupcake. Bomb dot com. The cake was super fluffy and moist (thanks pumpkin and espresso!). They used a swiss meringue frosting (my favorite) infused with pumpkin and espresso as well, which was the perfect amount of sweetness. To top all off, they drizzled it with caramel and sprinkled it with salt. If you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend it (grab a Mocha Joy while you're at it).
When I'm on the north side of town, I usually go to Smallcakes for my cupcake fix. Their cupcakes are more like mini cakes and they usually use cream cheese frosting. This time, I tried their pumpkin and churro cupcake. It was a solid pumpkin cupcake: super moist and great flavor. The churro cupcake was not my favorite, but still had a good flavor profile of a churro. One of my favorite treats to grab from them though are their whoopie pies (not pictured). Check them out the next time you're in north Fresno near Palm and Nees!
Pumpkin
Churro
On Sundays after church, I usually grab lunch with my family as well...because who is going to turn down a free meal? We went to El Toro Cafe since my mom had a Dealsavers coupon (which she is low-key addicted to that website). I usually get the carne asada nachos, which is an obnoxiously large but delicious plate of just chips, cheese, beans, and carne asada. There are litterally layers to it! I wanted to try something new and a bit lighter though, so I went with the shrimp fajitas salad. Overall, really good. I enjoyed the taste of the veggies; I even ate the bellpeppers, and I detest bellpeppers! The shrimp was cooked tasty (maybe a tad overdone though) and had the classic fajita flavor. My only critique is that they relied on the fajitas to dress the lettuce, leaving much of my salad without any flavor.
So the question people ask me: how can you eat all of this stuff while still lose weight? I'm a big believer that just because I have changed my lifestyle and have decided to eat healthier, it doesn't mean I have to sacrifice my guilty pleasures (like cupcakes). It does mean though that I can't eat them that often though. Consistent exercise is also key. Right now I work out 2-3 times a day at 30-minute intervals. If I end up having a larger meal, then I exercise a little longer during one of the intervals. Portion control is also my friend. I also usually will have either 3 small meals a day with some snacks in between, or a large meal coupled with one small meal and one snack. With that, I am happy to announce that I weigh under 200 pounds (which hasn't happened since high school) and have dropped 2-3 pant sizes depending on the fit!! Thank you friends for all of the encouragement and well wishes as I've embarked on this health journey! It's not over yet, but I'm closer to the goal. Until next time, I wish you all happy food adventures!
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