I was thinking about what we have been eating for the past few days and realized we have been eating more meat and fewer vegetables. It was time to cook for dinner so I checked on the vegetables on hand and found I have on whole squash on hand. Aha! I checked and I have Chinese okra, basil, ginger , small shrimps and coconut milk. I made a delicious and hearty squash soup or “dinuldog” in Cebuano with a hint of Thai basil and nutmeg. That was what we had for supper and it went well with the leftover grilled milkfish.

When cooking a very flavourful dish like squash soup, the possibilities are endless. You can sneak in green vegetables into the dish and it would still taste great. Okra, green beans, string beans, spinach or any other green leafy vegetables work well with the dish.

The media is partly to be blamed for our obsession to try to look like the models in magazines and television. Although we are well aware that technology makes it possible to edit pictures, we still take pictures in the magazines as it is. We also forget that make-up, lighting and other factors help make pictures look perfect. We would like to believe that models are really perfect in the truest sense even if they too, have flaws just like everyone else.

While technology advancement makes us want to try to look like the models in the commercials and advertisements, it is also the exact same thing that provides us with the tools and products to help us look and live better. An excellent example of this is body wraps. This product has become so popular around the world because of its proven efficacy. When your cellulite is smoothed out, you actually lose some inches off which makes it even better. Most BODY WRAPS are done in spas before but now, there is a wide selection of products which you can use in the privacy of your own home with the same results.

Summer is just around the corner and this means a possible trip to the beach. This is the time when we need our bodies to be fit and our skin smooth. A nice website to check out for products that I’m quite sure everybody especially women, would love is shimmerfx.com. There you can find products that can dramatically improve your well-being without your having to go through the knife. Everybody needs to be pampered once in awhile. When you work hard, you have to treat yourself with good things that make you look great. We are not born perfect but I’m glad that there are products that help us look great. When we look good in the mirror, we feel good. When we feel good, we feel like we can do everything and we project that good feeling with everything around us.

As I was searching the internet for cleaning tips, specifically how to remove stains, I came across a website for Commercial Cleaning for homes and businesses. I was amazed at how informative their website is. Even if their business is commercial cleaning, they still give valuable tips on cleaning. It’s like the chef giving off his secret recipes. Well, not really. They also have an online form you can fill up for a free quote, schedule an appointment, avail of their cleaning services and unbelievably, expert advice on all your needs.

I think the greater part of COMMERCIAL CLEANING is not the how-to-clean part but the energy-to-do-it part. I’m sure everybody will agree that carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning and air duct cleaning are the most difficult to do. You don’t do this very often but they have to be done and you can’t just settle for clean, it has to be very clean. Cleanliness is not just for beautification purposes, it is also crucial to good health. Having said that, I am going to avail of a Commercial Cleaning service soon. This is because the carpet upholstery and air duct needs thorough cleaning once in awhile. I don’t think my own cleaning would suffice. Also, I’m allergic to dust and I can’t stand prolonged exposure to dust and dirt when cleaning. Sounds like an excellent excuse to call commercial cleaners.

The dermatologists and doctors always say it is idiopathic, meaning the cause is unknown. Having this disease on and off for many years, searching the internet for answers and reading books about the skin, I have come to realize that every flare up becomes better. I may feel at times that I am at my worse flare up but it always get better with time. Every flare up has a trigger and I just need to figure out what cause this.

I feel I have auto-immune issues because when you have a problem like mine, you will know that the problem is inside your body. I become hyper-sensitive to everyday things when I’m in a flare otherwise, I could just tolerate most things I seem to be sensitive to.

These days, I’m still itchy but feeling much better. I still take two antihistamines everyday because I learned that you only have to stop taking it after at least two months of having no symptoms. I still keep trying new things here, like moisturizers and shampoos but I’m slowly discovering what works for me and what doesn’t work. I just have to be my own detective. These are one of those times when instead of getting immediate relief, you have to dig deep into the matter and find the root cause and start from there.

     The seaweed that we eat  in the Philippines are different from what the Japanese restaurants are serving although just the same, they all taste and smell of seawater.  All the seaweeds that I know of, need blanching before you season them and turn them into a salad.

     Today I made my first Japanese style seaweed salad. I never miss to order this every time we go to a Japanese restaurant. I always love this as a side dish. I made mine from dried wakame seaweed and I just followed the recipe for the seasoning that I got from the internet. It turned out really nice. My husband loved it too. From now on,  dried seaweed is going to be a staple in my pantry.

The first bread that I baked was French bread. The recipe is very simple, it just called for flour, water, butter and yeast. I just followed the recipe religiously and I made it. The bread did not look perfect in shape but it was not bad at all for a first timer.

The next bread I baked was white bread. I figured I need to have one good recipe for this because we love to eat white bread once in awhile. The recipe called for either bread flour or all-purpose flour. I used the all purpose flour but then my bread was good but I did not like its texture. I should have used the bread flour instead.

My third was the whole wheat bread. I could not believe it. That was the best bread I have ever made. It was also as good if not better than store-bought breads. Now, I have found my whole wheat bread recipe for keeps and what’s even better, it calls for whole wheat bread flour only.

The best part of baking our own bread is really knowing what is in the bread. I can be sure it has no unwanted additives and preservatives because I bake it myself. There’s also a definite plus, your bread comes cheaper than store-bought breads and there’s always the assurance of freshness. Baking helps relieve stress too and is very rewarding.