Protein Supplement

So I've been trying to eat clean and exercise hard. Motivation has been the hardest part. The exercising is good once I get started - it's just the getting started part. Willpower and discipline!

My favourite has been my strength training. Never in a million years did I think I would love strength training. I think I've always been afraid of weights. A combination of not knowing how to use them and not understanding what they can do for my body. But that high you have after doing strength - indescribable!

So with strength training comes protein supplementing!

Nike+ FuelBand

There are a lot of bands out there and they do a lot of things and require you to put effort into it as well.  The Nike+ FuelBand requires very little effort, but then doesn't give you as much information. That said, I do really like this band for a few reasons. Read on after the break to find out.

Pho Pasteur - Toronto

So I finally had some time to check out a Pho place in Toronto. There's a few things I use to judge how good pho tastes to me. The broth, the meat and whether or not I have dry mouth after I leave, that is to say, how much MSG they use.

Sun Sui Wah

This was awhile back, but when my family came to visit me, we went to Sun Sui Wah - a really interesting Chinese restaurant. It didn't look over the top fancy but it definitely wasn't a dingy Chinese restaurant. I checked out the menu online before we went and it looked intriguing! It had a bunch of random dishes that you don't regularly see but always hear about:  bird's nest soup, squab (pigeon!), Alaskan King crab, and the controversial shark fin soup.

We drove by while trying to find parking and we saw a bunch of people protesting the restaurant because of the shark fin soup that is available at the restaurant. I'm not sure if I feel bad supporting a restaurant that provides shark fin - but it is a very popular Chinese restaurant and they have the Alaskan King crab!!

We had the squab as our "appetizer."

Pho in Toronto

I've been to many Pho restaurants in the GTA and have yet to find a place that I've genuinely fell in love with.

This will be my new mission, find a good Pho restaurant. At the same time, I will try to find a good Vietnamese restaurants that has some interesting dishes, like  Bò Tái Chanh or some good Bún.

If anyone has suggestions for places, I'm open to hearing and going to those places.

Ketosis

So I've decided to change my food lifestyle and see how I can adjust to this and still enjoy awesome food. If it's a lifestyle change that I can't keep up with longterm, then the diet is not worth it because I will not stick to it.

I'm sticking to my Ketosis diet. I've done quite a bit of research and it's something I can definitely stick to - along with keeping my calorie intake in check. No more than 1200 per day - give or take depending whether or not I work out. In short for the ketosis diet, it is essentially low carb and no sugar. To be honest, it was not hard to adjust as I thought. People online said they had a pretty rough beginning being lethargic and cranky trying to get used to less carb and sugar intake.

The sugar intake was super easy. I just snack on sweets all day since I'm a pastry chef - but cutting that out makes me feel way better with self control. I used to just pop random things in my mouth at work - macaron, chocolate, cream, etc. Reducing carbohydrates - a little harder!! I love bread, noodles, and pasta. But I'm in week two now and the cravings have subsided. Not as bad, but it's still there!

Overall, the diet has made me less tired and less bloated. I'm feeling a lot better about myself and I just recently bought my first set of bar weights! I can now do strength work at home.

I will keep everyone updated with my ketosis diet - to keep myself accountable - and some ketosis friendly recipes (and non-friendly ketosis recipes, don't worry!).

Flying Pig - Vancouver

So over my weekend, I wanted to go to Wildebeest because of the rave reviews. But of course - we were silly and we didn't make any reservations to the place and they were booked solid until 10pm when we asked for a table for two. So we ventured around Gastown for awhile until we spotted the Flying Pig. It just opened so we popped in. We got a bar seat right by the window to people watch - which we both love. It was pretty crowded - but it was a Saturday night so that's a good sign for the newly opened restaurant!

DT Bistro - Toronto

So I had known about this place for years. My mom's told me a long time ago because the owner is Vietnamese. Vietnamese gaining success seems to be interesting news in the Vietnamese community. Anyway, my dad was in town and we decided to try it out. 

Soy Chicken and Gnocchi

Dinner at our home is always an affair. It's never just "simple" unless we're EXTREMELY lazy and we order in.

Even with us being famished last night, we still made our version of a simple chicken and gnocchi dish. I mean, honestly, how much more simple can we get? While at the grocery store, I was assuming we were getting some microwavable or oven friendly dish that we just pop in and TADA - dinner! I mean we were super hungry. But instead, we ended up rummaging around the protein section and checking out some chicken. And then Kevin suggested making our own pasta - but we couldn't find any semolina. And then I lightbulbed - gnocchi!! Of course we had to make our pasta.

 

Santouka Ramen - Toronto

Small Japanese Ramen shop in the heart of Toronto.

This is their Shoyu Ramen. Delicious. The noodles were just right. I don't like them too soft, I like them a bit on the harder side and this was just right. The meat was really well prepared. It was like slices of pork belly with soy sauce. The broth was quite nicely balanced too. Sometimes ramen broth gets too salty (i.e. instant noodles) but this wasn't like that.

Black Currant Chocolate Tarts

We had this work event over the weekend and we had to make a bunch of petit fours. I love making petit fours over large cakes. Petit fours are small and delicate - so much detail goes into one little tiny dessert. Easier to handle. Something about cakes that make me so nervous. So large that so many things can go wrong!

This black currant chocolate tart is smooth with a hint of tart fruitiness. And just one quick bite.

Ginkgo Biloba

I've been taking Ginkgo Biloba for about a month. My mom gave me this bottle and told me to take it. I didn't really think much about taking supplements until I took these. The bottle says that it improves memory and concentration. I haven't really noticed any memory improvements but I have for concentration.

Introduction Part 2

Hello everyone. As my brother previously stated, this is going to be a blog about us - eating, cooking, exercising around Toronto and Vancouver. And various destination spots if we choose to vacation.

I'm a pastry chef that currently resides in Vancouver proper. I live with my fiance and two large doggies. Besides the obvious constant baking, I love to cook - both healthy and unhealthy varieties. So do expect some awesome recipes.

Any recommendations to places in Vancouver - I will check out and take pictures.

Other than that, follow our ride!

Introduction

Hello world. I'd like to introduce myself here. The name's Justin. I am a Mobile App Specialist, that is to say I develop apps and I know the ins and outs of apps. I like learning more about apps and what they do.

Here on this site, I'll be posting about my food adventures, be it new visits to restaurants or to do with health. I currently live in Toronto, so I will write about my views here. My sister will be writing on this site as well, but she is in Vancouver. I'll let her write her own introduction.

You'll learn more about our tastes as we post more on the site and we look forward to seeing what this develops into.