My favourite Youtube fitness channels

hello from Taiwan!! (: *waves*

this is such an inappropriate time to be doing this post with all the pigging out in Taiwan haha. ^if you see the title, i've been wanting to do a post on this since the longest time. ever since i got back from exchange (can't believe that was nearly a year ago :'( time flies), i was trying to lose the weight i gained on exchange. proved to be horrendously difficult. i lost a little, then hovered around the same spot for about half a year?! before i finally, FINALLY started losing weight this year! (though i'm sure to gain back everything with all these eating....oh dearie me). so i thought it'd be appropriate to share what i've been doing now that i finally started losing weight! - this is going to be a pretty wordy post btw...but you can just scroll past the words to the videos further down if that's all you're interested in (: -

i suppose you all know that i love to eat. ;) i live to eat. and i exercise to eat haha.

i used to HATE exercising when i was younger. i was just a bag of lazybones. and now, i definitely can't say that i love exercising - that would be too much of a stretch - but over the past few years, i've come to accept it (that it's necessary, considering how i love to indulge in food. but also knowing that it's simply to stay healthy!) and i've found a way to incorporate it into my life in a way that i enjoy (: i think that's the most important thing about exercising (and eating for that matter) - to find a type of exercise that you enjoy, and find a routine that you can sustain. no point pushing yourself for a month and just burning out/injuring yourself and never want to/be able to exercise ever again. 

i've found that i prefer exercising in the morning best! that works for me. i like to get it over and done with haha. and after that i feel happy that i can go on indulging in food for the rest of the day knowing that i've got my workout settled, without having to worry that it's gonna rain, or that i have too many things to do and not be able to squeeze in a workout. plus the sun is usually less harsh early in the morning, and i definitely prefer running when the air is still cool. morning air always smells so nice and fresh ^^ i usually wake up between 7.30am-8am to exercise. if you're not a morning person, this obviously ain't gonna work for you - so find what's optimal! some people love the tranquility of exercising at night, whereas i'm too afraid to run outside in the dark. it really depends on your preference, and what kind of schedule you can stick to.

talking about the schedule, i used to wake up at 7.30am every single morning to run (except for one day of rest). used to. haha I'm lazier nowadays. so i alternate my days of exercise instead, but i still get in 3-4 days of exercise a week. and i vary my exercises as well. it really depends on your schedule, to see how you can fit exercise in as a regular routine. but don't ever use the excuse of 'being too busy', because if you put your mind to it, you can MAKE TIME for it. that is what i always strongly believe in. (says me for now, while work hasn't started. i really don't know how i'm going to fit in my exercise when i'm working...sigh)

okie enough words for now. as mentioned above, i usually exercise every other day nowadays and i alternate running with other exercises. i tried out Pilates for the first time ever when i came back from exchange and absolutely fell in love with it! 

i also tried out antigravity yoga and barre classes at Upside Motion which i thoroughly enjoyed as well! (: 

i love going for all these classes, and it's really another thing altogether when you're working out with other people and you've got an instructor there pushing you to carry on. i also really enjoyed how all these class sizes are pretty small, which allows for more individual attention and coaching. 

unfortunately attending these classes are pretty pricey, and i haven't managed to afford them at this point obviously, so i found a cheeper, and also more convenient way of exercising! i went on a craze searching for youtube fitness videos and these are some of my favourites! (:  i always go for those which require no equipment except for a mat (i've been wanting to get light weights, but i haven't managed to find cheap ones :/ any recommendations?) so it's really good for getting my exercise fix at home.

Blogilates

i LOVE her videos. Cassie is absolutely crazy and she makes a lot of noise in her videos, but her exercises are awesome. don't try this video if you're just starting out bcos it'll KILL YOU. i died after 4mins into the video (because it was the first one i ever tried). but her workouts are really really effective!! they're my favourite and i really feel so much more toned after working out to her exercises for the past 8 months. also love how they are pilates-centered. these workouts will leave you dripping with sweat at the end (okay sorry gross :p) and you know you've worked out hard ;) she comes up with new videos on a regular basis, so it's great for those who love variety (like me!) and are always up for something new. no need to worry about plateau-ing with new exercises all the time ;) the videos are 5-20mins long in general, so i usually combine a few for an hour of exercise.

GymRa

if you think it's too troublesome to manually combine exercises for your workout, check out GymRa! (: they have lots of 30min-1hr long exercises so just take your pick and get into your workout! the good thing is that it also includes warm up and cooling down, so it's really a full comprehensive exercise. and side note for guys... : the figure of some of the models are -> :O 'nuff said. and it's the best motivation for girls (though it's pretty unattainable imo hahaha).

BeFiT

i love this channel for the variety of exercises it has. there are many different instructors with different styles ranging from pilates, to cardio stuff, yoga etc etc. some are harder, while there are some which are for beginners, so play around and take your pick.

special shoutout to this workout by Ballet Beautiful (on BeFiT) because i absolutely fell in love with it when i found it!!! it's crazy tough, but totally reminded me of the Xtend Barre classes i did at Upside Motion. for ballerinas or just those who want a figure as gorgeous as a ballerina, this one's for you (: 

Fitness Blender

i don't really use this channel that often, but their website is pretty interesting as it allows you to select the exact type of workout you are looking for, and it'll fish through its entire library to find the perfect video for you.

hope this helps!! (: and remember that abs are made in the gym and shown in the kitchen ;) so eat healthy too!! :) i obviously don't have abs haha. but anyway i'll be doing a post on my salads really soon! 

Upside Motion

hello! :) i've been meaning to blog about my fitness/healthy eating regime, but procrastinated terribly! this post shall mark the beginning of a series of few more posts (*i will try my best* since finals are coming...) on this topic which you can follow here, and i can't be more excited to kickstart this with my experience at Upside Motion! :) 

i came across Upside Motion in some magazine previously and i was really fascinated by the kind of classes they have at their studio! because i learnt dance previously, i tend to be intrigued by exercises that train strength and flexibility through similar means - yoga and Pilates for example. i always find yoga a little too relaxing though (with the exception of hot yoga which is really awesome!), but i LOVE Pilates (read about my Pilates experience) ^^ at Upside Motion, you'll never get bored ;) their classes are nothing like your standard yoga or Pilates classes. what i was attracted to was their Xtend Barre and Antigravity Aerial classes.

*hello from upside down!* 

SERIOUSLY?! yep, i could hardly believe my ears when my instructor asked me to flip upside down in my first class of Antigravity Aerial! :O i was absolutely freaked out!!! i have this fear of hanging upside down (firstly because i get motion sick, secondly because I'm terrified that i'll crash head first to the floor). i didn't dare to let go of the hammock at all!! held on to it as if my life depended on it (which seems perfectly legit right?!) my instructor had to come along and pry my hands off :P i felt a teeny bit more secure with her supporting me, while i lifted half a finger off my grip, then a whole finger, and one hand, then the other. and oh my mama, i was hanging with nothing but the hammock supporting me!

after a minute of quivering though, i started to feel the immense liberation of hanging upside down. all the blood rushed to my head. but i just closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling of my mind being blank. it was incredible. i started to enjoy it. especially as more lessons went by and i trusted that the hammock would hold me securely, it was an amazing feeling.

i learned to fly! (this photo was taken pre-flying)

and i did crazy stunts! i looked forward to every single lesson of Antigravity Aerial because we tried new things each time, with increasing level of toughness, but it was empowering to find that i could do these stunts! of course i wasn't good at all of them, but the strength-training was really good.

Antigravity Aerial is a great exercise for a low-impact, full-body workout that stretches, strengthens and works the core muscles without placing unnecessary pressure on the spine and joints. all these upside down actions are especially good for people with stiff backs because it really helps to lengthen the spine and releases the tension in the neck and spine. have i mentioned how it's really therapeutic as well? ;) - my favourite part of each class was at the end, when we would cocoon ourselves in the comfy satin hammock. it's such a lovely, warm, enveloping feeling and i could totally fall asleep in it! haha. and it's absolutely safe. every successful move gave me more confidence in the strength of the hammock, and it really pushed my boundaries in overcoming my unfounded fears :) 

Xtend Barre was a whole different feat. it was TOUGH. no doubt about that. but i loved every single bit of it.

ever wondered how ballet dancers have such toned, taut bodies? i found out the tough way in Xtend Barre :P but it's an incredible exercise! I just saw the funniest quote the other day:

You aren't going to get the butt you want by sitting on the one you have

haha! it's so true!!! if you want the toned, chiseled physique of a dancer, you've gotta work for it! and literally, in that one week of classes (i attended them quite regularly), i already felt a difference in my body. plus all the other exercises that i've been doing (which i'll blog about soon!), it's really been helping me a lot in strengthening and toning my body :)

using various equipment such as small weights, a bouncy ball, yoga strap, resistance band, and the barre of course, Xtend Barre sculpts the body through a combination of isometric exercises and orthopaedic stretches to tone hard-to-reach muscles (some of which you never knew existed). my thighs, glutes and calves screamed for mercy (gosh how could such simple-looking exercises be so tough??!!!!) but i tried my best to press on. that's really the whole spirit of exercising! never ever give up! even if its tough, just work to your maximum and take a break. you'll get better each time ^^ taking this bunch of photos was a crazy test for my muscles which were already shagged out from the class before that (so i put in a lot of effort to smile ok...haha), but the extra exercise gave me an additional boost of fulfilment ;)

for girls who've always wanted more toned legs, arms, butt and abs, Xtend Barre is the perfect exercise to achieve the lithe silhouette of a dance without building unnecessary bulk.

i really enjoyed all my classes at Upside Motion and i strongly encourage you to try them out too! :)) plus, it's SO NEAR school (for those in SMU) - a less than 5 minute walk away, which makes it super convenient ;) do try it out and check out their website and Facebook for more information! ^^

oh yes! and fyi, Upside Motion recently launched an app which makes it absolutely fuss-free to check class schedules, book your classes and keep track of them! no more forgetting what classes you've signed up for ;) i hope you enjoy the classes as much as i did!

City Hall
36 Armenian Street #02-03
Tel.: +65 6636 6859

Bukit Timah
100 Turf Club Road Horsecity #01-02L/X
Tel.: +65 6465 1559

Maple Pecan Granola

hi! (: finally here with my GRANOLA recipe ^^ this is actually my second try at making granola. the first time tasted alright (sorta), but wasn't great, so i wanted to improve on my recipe before i shared it with all of you! (: and i'm proud to say that my second try was much yummier! possibly because i used less ingredients to make a smaller quantity, which allowed it to be cooked better. plus i eat my granola at a tremendously slow pace, so the small quantity doesn't bother me. feel free to double (or triple) the quantity if you find that you finish this portion really quickly! it's a super simple recipe, and i can't wait to come up with more variations of this! ^^

Ingredients:

1 cup oats

¾ coarsely chopped pecan nuts

¼ cup chopped almonds

dried cranberries (whatever amount suits you - depends on how sweet you like your granola to be)

2 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp coconut oil

1. Preheat oven to 150 deg C.

2. In a large bowl, toss together oats, pecan nuts and almonds. 

3. In another bowl, combine the maple syrup and coconut oil. 

4. Mix the dry and wet ingredients, making sure that the dry ingredients are evenly coated.

5. Spread the mixture on a baking tray such that it can be baked evenly. 

6. Bake granola for about 30min, checking at the 20min mark to make sure that it doesn't get burnt. 

7. Let it cool slightly and mix in the cranberries. And it's ready to be eaten with milk/yogurt or whichever way you wish! 

My Pilates Experience

hi there!! (: 

this post has taken quite some time since my previous introduction on Pilates In the Park a couple of months back, but i didn't want to rush it because there was so much to experience and i really didn't want to write this post without going through it thoroughly (: i have so much to tell you about this amazing form of exercise, and there are going to be quite a lot of pictures as well, so stay with me! ^^ 

so, i first picked up Pilates at PowerMoves Pilates in the Park sometime in August this year, and like i mentioned in my previous post (link above), i had misconceptions about how it was pretty similar to yoga in terms of focusing more on relaxation, etc. but i've come to find it such a great form of exercise, that is not too strenuous on your joints (unlike high impact exercises like running), yet, it is challenging enough to cause me to break a sweat! i was so surprised to find out how difficult it was during my first session, and that was just a beginner class. i'm proud to say that after three months, i survived through several late-beginner classes, which is the next level after beginners! :) okay let me allow the pictures to do some talking.

^^^ this was in the last late-beginner lesson that i attended :D ^^^

Pilates focuses a lot on strengthening the core, and i am literally amazed at how my core feels tighter and trimmer every time i step out of a class! it is a lot to do with the method of lateral breathing where you focus on expanding the diaphragm sideways (rather than upwards) and continuing to breathe in deeply through your nose, and exhaling through your mouth while holding your abdominals in. simply doing this alone is a mini-exercise in itself. it is not easy at all, and it requires a very conscious effort to continue with this while executing the various movements. 

unlike yoga where poses are held for around 8 counts or so, Pilates is very dynamic and i like how there is never a dull moment! there are hundreds of Pilates exercises that can be done, and two lessons are never the same. different exercises can be executed to tone the same part of the body, and the variation prevents your body from becoming accustomed to a particular movement, which means that you don't hit a plateau in your regime! being someone who gets bored with too much repetition, i really enjoy pilates because i learn something new in every lesson. and it's great attending classes by different instructors, because each instructor has a different style of teaching, and a different set of exercises they like to practice. 

^^^ these are just some of the equipment that are used in Pilates! ^^^

there are two main types of classes at PowerMoves - matwork and reformer. matwork involves a lot of core exercises, and can be done with no additional equipment other than a mat. but taking classes at a professional studio like PowerMoves has exposed me to so many different types of tools which can be used to enhance the exercises and create even more variation, which adds a whole lot of fun! 

the Magic Ring is a popular Pilates tool - it is a resistance ring used to simulate breathing movements while doing the various exercises. This brings consciousness to the Pilates method of breathing, which is an important part of strengthening the core. it looks easy to work with, but it really isn't. and this is probably the beauty of Pilates - how you can look graceful (it's very much like ballet in some ways!) while getting a really tough workout at the same time. 

Reformer classes involve the use of the Reformer machine, which involves the use of various forms of resistance, creating more strength exercises in your Pilates workout. if i felt the matwork classes were challenging, the Reformer classes really pushed me to my limits! and I RELISHED IT. as i mentioned, i really enjoy how Pilates is such a comprehensive exercise, covering all aspects of a workout from stretching, to cardio, resistance & strength-training. if these poses look easy to you, i can tell you that they weren't at all! i was literally vibrating the whole time especially with the addition of the resistance bands. staying in these positions were really tough! the good news is that there are different levels of resistance (and the qualified instructors are adept at adjusting the level of exercise for all students, regardless of which level you at at) and for Pilates, the focus is usually on dynamic movements, so you typically wouldn't be holding such poses for a prolonged period (i was holding the poses for the sake of photos).

Pilates has really become one of my favourite exercises since i picked it up a few months ago. i absolutely love how it is such a well-rounded exercise, while being low-impact (friendly on the joints!) and constantly fun because of the numerous movements. 

Why PowerMoves?

in this post, and my previous one, i guess you would have already understood the benefits of Pilates as an exercise. but i specifically chose PowerMoves, and i would like to share the reason for my choice.

With studios nestled in three beautiful parks in Singapore, PowerMoves Pilates has the picked the best locations for you to pick up this mindful exercise under the instruction of talented teachers. This concept of 'Pilates in the Park' is exclusive to PowerMoves in the world! I feel that it's a brilliant idea to have their studios in the park - surrounded by lush tropical beauty, this is the perfect setting for an exercise like Pilates. each of the three branches has its own character and subtle beauty, and it really depends on your preference of ambience and location! 

at Garden Spa Aramsa, you are transported into a realm of tranquility in this peaceful, quiet neighbourhood park. it's my personal favourite, even though the studio is smaller, because i love the exclusivity that comes with it. the branch at Dempsey is housed in a lovely colonial-style building in the enclave of Dempsey Hill. For an out-of-Singapore tropical resort experience, this is the place to be. It is one of the largest Pilates studios in Singapore, and coupled with a wide range of equipment (16 Reformers, 8 Towers, 2 Cadillacs, 4 Wunda Chairs and full accessories), it is fully equipped for a comprehensive Pilates experience. the studio at Rochester Park is set amidst a lush rainforest, and private classes are held at this branch for a personalised workout paired with a clinical focus. 

regardless of location, each studio is fully equipped with exceptional facilities, and PowerMoves has won numerous accolades such as Singapore Tatler Best of Singapore award 2012 & 2013, Shape Award for Best Service Standards 2012 and Most Beginner Friendly 2013 among others! you can find out more from their website and facebook page!

feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions about Pilates/PowerMoves studio and i would be glad to answer them (: I will also be posting more on my other workout/healthy eating efforts, so look out for those if you’re interested!!

Garden Spa Aramsa

Bishan Park II

Tel.: +65 6455 2221

Dempsey Six and 7even

6 Dempsey Road 

Tel.: +65 6472 2221 

Rochester Park

(private classes only)

Eat Clean (:

so, since i came back from europe, i've been missing my salads terribly!! :( i made salad for lunch pretty often while i was there - because it's cheap, healthy and so it makes me feel good while im trying my darnest best not to gain too much weigh while im there. (realised halfway through exchange that all efforts to completely NOT gain weight are just a figment of my imagination... :/ haha).

anyway, i've been wanting to re-create my salads since i got back to singapore! (: and of course, with my nice kitchen now that i'm back, it's so much easier to go so ^^ aghhh i wanted to cook dinner that day, but work prevented me from doing so :( *sobs*

i got a packet of mesclun salad from ntuc (which is so much more expensive than in europe >:( really! haha i know i'm digressing, but i really have to say that actually buying groceries in europe was pretty affordable ^^ which makes me really happy hehe ^^ especially stuff like salad! so much more affordable there - at 99c or at most €1.99, when here it's like $4.50?!) and my salad-making started! ^^ i love making salads that are chock-full of ingredients, cos it's more balanced and fills me up better! (not to mention that somehow after eating salad, i always feel like junking later in the day though >.< especially when i'm out...went to ion that day and i simply couldn't resist the food hall. sighhhh)

Ingredients:

1 packet of salad leaves

1 packet of minced pork 

(i just used half of the above two items)

handful of cherry tomatoes

handful of nuts

dressing of your choice (i used a pomegranate vinaigrette that we got from chelsea market in new york)

1. Wash the salad leaves. Leave them to soak in water.

2. Add a bit of oil to a saucepan.

3. Fry the minced pork lightly till its cooked. 

4. Drain the salad leaves, add the cooked minced pork and other ingredients. 

5. Drizzle the sauce over and toss! (: 

simple and yummy meal ^^ i love! 

Pilates in the Park

hello hello! (: today's post marks the start of more "healthy lifestyle" posts to come, and i'm pretty excited to share more with you all what i've been doing. as you probably know from many of my previous blog posts, i've been saying that i wanted to lose weight since i came back from exchange. i ate so much gelato & pasta in italy and good food everywhere else that i gained weight past my normal weight range :( very depressing. 

since i came back, i've been trying to exercise more and re-adopt my healthy, active lifestyle (and weight :p) from my pre-exchange days. well, the good news is that i managed to drop the excess weight (ie. back in my normal range, phew!), but still working on losing the rest. but i've been also eating so much good food since i got back to singapore that it seems really impossible. oops :p working on it!!!! i'll probably do a proper blog post when i've actually lost the weight (need to set a good example right? haha). but anyway, i was doing a lot of cardio mostly, and also some resistance training. but i was worried that i would start becoming bulkier (eeks!!!), rather than losing the weight. and since i've stopped dancing since i went on exchange, i really missed all the stretching and lengthening exercises that i feel are a good balance to other workouts. 

the solution to that? i tried out Pilates! (: and where else to do that other than PowerMoves - Pilates in the Park because it's so conveniently located relatively near where i stay (: i've jogged past the sign pointing towards the studio in Bishan Park, but i never really noticed the studio itself. and that, i feel, is the magic of PowerMoves (: subtly concealed just around a corner, the entrance of PowerMoves is slightly hidden. stepping behind the closed doors of the studio, it is as if i've entered a sanctuary of serenity. 

Why Pilates? 

Well, i've tried yoga previously, and though i enjoyed it, i wanted to try out something different this time. if you ask me whether Pilates helps a person lose weight, i wouldn't say that it does, at least not directly. rather, i chose Pilates because it complements the exercise regime i'm currently doing. as i mentioned, i've been doing a lot of cardio (e.g. running), and while this is good for keeping the heart healthy, it is just one form of exercise. to be healthy overall, you do need a variety of exercises, including strengthening and toning, and Pilates helps me achieve this (: 

what i really like about Pilates is that it isn't all just about stretching! i admit that i had quite a misguided impression of what Pilates was like initially. while i imagined it to be quite similar to yoga, i found that the two are actually quite different. while yoga focuses a lot on the breathing to release tension, i realised that Pilates is actually a very well-rounded exercise, in that it involves a lot of strengthening and lengthening, while being somewhat of a low-impact cardio workout as well! it does have a focus on breathing as well, but in a different way, and for a different purpose.

one of the core positions in Pilates is called 'Imprinting'. it looks relaxing, but it's actually a very conscious action of pulling your abdominal muscles inwards towards your spine as you breathe in. i tend to have the problem of arching my back a tad too much, and i'm glad that practising Pilates is helping me to be more aware of that, and correct it.

by engaging the core, as well as performing movements that work the arms and legs, Pilates helps to sculpt the body, building strength without excess bulk. doing Pilates over a period of time does increase lean muscle mass, which increases your basal metabolism rate and contributes to more calories being burned! (:

some of the benefits of Pilates are:

- enhanced flexibility and coordination

- increased strength and endurance

- improved posture and balance

- better circulation and breathing

- toned and sculpted body

there are MANY exercises in Pilates which you can do both at home, or in a studio with equipment. at PowerMoves, there are talented instructors to coach you through the exercises, to ensure that your one-hour session is highly effective. some exercises might be challenging to perform, and it's best to have professional supervision, especially if you are just starting out with pilates.

what's better than having your weekly Pilates session in such gorgeous lush green surroundings? :) it's the perfect day to rejuvenate yourself for the day ahead, or wind down after a long day at work.

i'll be elaborating more on some of the types of classes held at PowerMoves in my next post, so do look out for it! (: for a start, you can check out their website here (:

The Salad Corner, Simply Salads & Thunder Tea Rice

i've been raving about the food in raffles place for the longest time since my internship but it kinda only occurred to me now that i should actually write about it! haha. maybe cos it's mostly really random little hawker stalls, which i don't usually blog about, but i think the healthy food there is really damn awesome and deserving of a post! xD it sustained me throughout my whole internship! i felt so healthy eating all these food, which sort of (hopefully) countered the fact that i was sitting for 8 hours a day. gosh.

The Salad Corner

soooo, presenting my #1 :D the salad from salad corner! it's a stall that can be found on L3 of Golden Shoe or L1 of Amoy Food Centre. you can customize your own salad for $4.90 for a base salad + 5 toppings (choose from a whole variety, but my favourites are the pasta, mushroom, sweet potato, corn, carrots, cheery tomatoes, tofu, almonds/walnuts - i discovered the nuts only in my last week!) and you can add $1 for meat (love the broiled chicken! i think it's the healthiest :D), plus one sauce (i've tried the balsamic vinaigrette, honey mustard, thai sweet chili & japanese sesame). with the carbo and meat, this salad is really substantial for lunch! it always leaves me full at the end and i can easily last all the way till dinner.

the queue is sometimes mega long, but it's totally worth it :))

Simply Salads @ Orchid Hotel (near tanjong pagar MRT station)

i only visited simply salads after my internship was over! when i went back with aline to collect our pay. it's super awesome!!! :D but we went after the lunch crowd, so the selection was pretty sad :/ i realised that they refill the salads around 2plus though!!! so now i know to go there later ;) anyway, for $6.50, you can fill the box with as much salad as you want, which is really fun! there are so many to choose from - chicken caesar salad, pumpkin salad, thai beef salad, pesto pasta, potato salad, tropical fruit salad, fisherman's catch, etc, and a whole range of toppings (croutons, sunflower seeds, cheery tomatoes, carrots, raisins, corn, olives, kidney beans, chickpeas, cucumber...) and sauces would be caesar, creamy italian, balsamic vinegar, thousand island. if you like spamming your salads with a wide variety, you should definitely come here! and it's really substantial as well! :D

i love how these salads are WAYYYYY more affordable than saladstop and what-not. and i'm sure they're equally tasty ;)

Thunder Tea Rice 

when i first started out eating this, i would have never expected to do a post on this :P haha i mean, it tasted alrightttt but i wasnt such a huge fan. until my internship. WOOOOO i'm a convert! :D

this can be found at Lau Pa Sat (Suntec & Vivocity Food Republic have it too!). it's a complete veggie meal (i prefer the brown rice version), with lots of different kinds of veg which i have no idea what it is, tofu, ikan bilis and peanuts which is just enough to make it tasty. i used to hate the thunder tea (which is the one that is supposed to have the most benefits!) but i'm learning how to appreciate it! okay, i dont like it that much still, but i think if you pour a little into your bowl of rice, it masks the taste so it's quite enjoyable :)

HEALTHY FOOOOOOOOOOOODS <3

Sal-happy Salads

healthy eh? :)

i honestly never knew red rice could taste so good! :D

the first sal-happy salad i tried was their sal happy signature (the red rice salads are all $4.90) which is a red-rice based salad with sal happy signature chicken and egg. the chicken is really super delicious! i have no idea how jocelyn does it (i think it is braised or something?), but it just tastes super delicious! it adds a whole lot of flavour to the rice which is exactly what i love about it.

also, the other one i tried was the honey roasted pumpkin (shown in the picture), which has got to be my favourite i think! haha it's really not an easy choice, they're all so delicious! but yup, the sweetness of the roasted pumpkin drizzled with honey just creates a whole new dimension of taste which makes this salad just PERFECT (:

try it!!! :D

check out their facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sal-Happy-Salads/

Fro-yo!

when i have an ice-cream craving, i turn to frozen yogurt. haha. yeah i know they're not the same!!!! of course not. but if i were to indulge in my ice cream cravings all the time, i would be a whale. and i can't risk that! so fro-yo is my solution xD well, at least it's cold. and sweet. what better choice do i have? and it's definitely much healthier. right? if i remember right, most of them are like 99% fat free. yay :D anyway, the purpose of this post is just for me to share my thoughts on the different frozen yogurts i've tried (: since i recently (finally finally!!) tried red mango. omg!!! (: i'm getting excited hehe. yummmm! okay i shall start from my favourite to the one i like least. hehe xD

1. Red Mango

i just tried red mango on the last day of my exams! and i have to say - it is the BEST frozen yogurt i've ever eaten! (: (: i'm so happy i finally tried it! i have no idea how to describe the difference in tastes of all the yogurt, i guess it's just my preference but this is really yummy! it's less frozen than the other yogurt chains, so the texture is creamier and the taste is simply lovely! and i tried the yogurt muesli ($5) which is three layers of yogurt, with your choice of 3 toppings - 2 cereals and 1 fruit. it was super duper yummy! :D

2. Yami Yogurt

this was my favourite until i tried red mango. haha oops! but i still love yami though xD and i'll definitely eat it more often cos it's much more affordable. in fact, it's the most affordable fro-yo, plus the loyalty card (although i've only managed to claim my free yogurt once -.-). yami is the complete opposite of red mango, in that it is the most frozen i think. haha! but it's sooo affordable - $2.30 for the regular cup, and toppings are $0.65, $0.95 and $1.15 depending on the type. i usually like the original/peach flavour (plus the other nice flavours like lychee!!!!) with granola/nutty liscious :D mmmm! (:

3. Frolick

i think frolick is just so cute! i love their marketing ;) haha. actually besides the image of frolick, i'm not that crazy over it.  i feel that the yogurt is not as tasty? but i always get free topping coupons haha that's why i buy it. and cos frolick's toppings are all the same price, i can get fruits! :D i think the whole image of frolick is just really happy so i feel happy when i eat it! :D

4. Yoguru

i like yoguru the least. somehow i don't really like its taste? i dunno why. and it's really ex!!! like a small cup with one topping is $5?!?!?!! that's the same price as red mango! obviously i would not chose to spend the money on yoguru T.T

haha yupps! so this is my verdict on the fro-yo scene in singapore! i haven't tried the rest (i wanna eat sogurt sometime soon!). comment and tell me what you think! (: btw the photos are all not taken by me! they're from the facebook pages of the various yogurt chains haha