What would you pick?

Yesterday lunch was a eye opener for me! Imagine what our dessert option were.. either a scoop of tropical fruit sorbet at 30 calories or a tiny lemon and poppy seed sponge square for 60 calories..

It really got me thinking.. a bite of something half my finger is the equivalent to a whole scoop of sorbet! Hmmm

What would you choose?

Discover the Quinoa!

I'm sure you have tried it before but didn't pay attention to what it was!

If you haven't heard about Quinoa, the super grain on the far right of the plate, then run to your closest store and buy a pack of these seeds! These Little guys are known to be a super food because they are packed with remarkable nutritional value (lysine, amino acid, protein, calcium and iron) and to top it all of.. they are super tasty!

The great thing about Quinoa is that you have to soak them for a while like oats, so they end up taking the flavor of whatever you mix with them like pasta..

So next time you are out to venturing with something new.. let it be the Quinoa!

Fried food heaven!

This is the Thia version of falafel and shwarma.. something that everyone can afford and is a Thia dish.. To be honest, I could not try it (And I'm not sure if I want to) but this is their equivalent to fast food!

Ice cream is no longer a scoop!

As I was wondering around in the market I ran in to this cute little booth that sold ice cream in squares...You just choose what flavor you want and they stick a "stick" in it!

Poached pears and prune in Jasmine tea 248.7 calories

Did you know that one Prune contains 46 calories?

In this recipe the prunes and the honey add the calories to this very flavorful dessert. Not suited for all taste buds, but at least if your craving something really sweet, you can get a whole poached pear as opposed to small chocolate bar!

Oven baked vegetarian spring rolls 158.9 calories

The concept of the baked vegetarian spring roll is not new, but I was surprised when we were asked to stuff it with Stir fried (with vegetable stock) glass noodles.

What was once an appetizer is now a main course.

Served with a wonderful chili tomato coulis!

Lobster salad 185 calories!

The end result! A beautifully prepared Lobster (actually king prawn) salad..But keep in mind it took a long time to create something so simple! But worth every minute of it!

Showing off my chopping skills ( dicing the ginger very finely for the salad dressing) To make this great dressing that I think will go well with all sea food you will need the following:

50g onion finely chopped

30g Young ginger chopped

100g soya sauce

20g sesame oil

80g honey

50g light soya sauce

60g apple vinegar

A great way to get the smell out our your sea food while cooking. This mix of aromatic herbs and vegetables is so refreshing! It could also be used to fragrance your kitchen while cooking. Just add some water and let the beautiful aromas boil away! (Kaffir lime leaves, lime, lemon grass, young ginger)

In go the lobsters with them!

When the become this shade of pink, you know that it's ready to take out!

After we allowed them to cool down, the chef came and helped me snip away and break apart the shell! (be careful when attempting this, very sharp shell)

So hard to avoid bread!

The tree decorated with simple lighting!

The pool!

Imagine chilling by the pool, but only this time your chilling in the pool!

Salt crusted sea bass! (I forget how much I love sea bass)

Bread basket that we tried o hard to not eat from.. But I cheated just a bit... shhh don't tell the spa manager!

Yesterday we sneaked out to the hotel next door! It's a new place called Villas. It's a hotel with 13 villas. Each villa has it's own indoor pool and either 2 or 3 bedrooms! Very modern, and sleek! Unbelievably beautiful! And the food and presentation was just as amazing.. I'll leave you with a few pics to enjoy!

Stir fried chicken with cashew nuts

This dish so absolutely amazing! Sweet, juicy, flavorful and so healthy! It's more than enough to eat for one person, and with only 210.7 calories, don't feel guilty to indulge!

One trick to make sure that you don't add extra calories to the dish, try to saute the garlic in just a bit of vegetable stock as apposed to frying!

Your basic ingredient's to make the cashew chicken!

Pomelo and Prawn salad

To turn in to a main course, just add a piece of steamed salmon!

Yesterday was my first cooking class, and it's amazing what flavors you can create from such simple ingredients..

With just a lime, some soya sauce, and a bit of honey you can have a great salad dressing that works very well with fruits in a salad..

For this recipe they use Pomelo, the cousin of the grapefruit.. break it apart, add some red onion, tomato, finely chopped lemongrass, spring onions, cooked prawn, and shallots.. top it off with roast grated coconut.. and you have a killer meal with only 98.7 Kcal!

Bil 3afya!

This is what 230 calories look like!

Can you believe this? You can get 230 calories from this beautiful plate of food, or have a Kit Kat bar! Ouch.. scary comparison!

Help your self to one of these Thia delights! Only 30 calories each! Beetle leave stuffed with nuts, lime piece, coconut and a honey dressing! Soooooo good!

The power of the Lime!

"Hot water with a squeeze of lime in the morning helps the body energise and aids in cleaning" and helps reduce the body's acidity level!

"Conditions are always good, never bad; we need to know how to make good use of them. The man who waits for conditions to improve may have to wait till eternity."

Chiken Satay

This looks as good as it tastes.. and it's actually already on the BBQ menu..the chicken satay with almond sauce and cucumber relish!

130 calories

Baked Samoosa's

They may look big on this plate, but you got to realize, this is a small plate! (and that's a main course)

Baked samboosek filled with mixed vegetables! Made with filo paper, makes it much lighter.. accompanied by a small portion of riata (Indian mixed yogurt).

170 Calories!

The power of Garlic!

It turns out, the best thing you can do for your cholesterol and blood pressure is garlic.. I know it may be harsh to have it raw.. But no worries, at the spa they have found a way to steam it, and make it turn in to butter! No oil, no seasoning, and it's not lacking anything.. I never thought I could be the kind of person to just spread garlic on a piece of (carrot bread), as of today I am a converter as long as it is steamed!

My main course was a mixed seafood curry... I asked them for no chillies... but the picture is worth a thousand words.. My mouthwas a FLAME! Please pour me some more lemon grass water to cool down this fire!


No more comments on my main dish, I'm still feeling it bubble in my tummy!