So you want to try and get a little healthier in the kitchen? We’ve all been there. When J and I get too busy with work, we end up ordering food and the expenses pile up. Aside from that, it's really not healthy in the long run. But at the same time, the idea of getting healthy can seem really daunting. Either you’ll be hungry, it’ll be hard work, and be tasteless — but that really doesn’t have to be the case. In fact, you’ll find that you can welcome healthy eating with ease when you take the right approach in the kitchen. Here are some tips you need to get healthier with your cooking.

Incorporate More Water

Staying properly hydrated is essential for good health, so where you can, try to add more water to your cooking. Things like cucumber (except I hate cucumber LOL), watermelon, and lettuce are great for this. It’s also important to make sure you’re drinking enough water throughout the day. I have a tumbler even though I work from home, to make sure I always have drinking water on hand. If you’re not a fan, you can also try adding fresh fruit to your water to give it an extra boost of flavor and nutrition.

Low carb cream cheese muffins with fresh strawberries

Opt for Whole Grains

A simple way to get a little healthier is to swap out white bread and pasta for whole grains. Doing so will add more fiber and nutrients to whatever meal you’re making. Sometimes, you’ll worry that this will change the recipe, meal, or taste — but it won’t. Most of the time you’ll find that they taste just as delicious as regular bread and pasta.

Low carb banana peanut butter mug cakes I made using my air fryer

Focus on Fresh Produce

Eating more fruits and vegetables is one of the best ways to improve your diet and get healthier in the kitchen. So why not bulk out your meals with more fruit and veg? You could even focus on veg-heavy dishes and try making this cabbage soup. Also, think about buying local produce from farmer's markets or grocery stores whenever possible to support small businesses in your area.

The broccoli and young corn from this beef with broccoli dish I cooked came from our Baguio trip

Use Healthy Oils

Olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil are all excellent choices when cooking meals that require oil. They all contain heart-healthy fats that can help reduce cholesterol levels and improve overall health. Where you can, try to avoid using vegetable oils like corn or soybean oil since they can be high in unhealthy trans fats.

Experiment With Herbs and Spices

And finally, herbs and spices are a great way to make your food taste better. Instead of extra calories or fat, you’ll get a much-welcomed burst of flavor. Don’t be afraid to explore some new spice combinations. You might even discover some new favorites along the way.

Mealtime Doesn’t Have to be Unhealthy!

So there you have it. Now you can see that making healthier meals doesn't have to be hard. All it takes is to focus on making small changes over time that will help improve your diet while still keeping things tasty. Choosing to hydrate more, opting for whole grain, bulking up dinners with fresh produce, switching to healthy oils, and using more herbs and spices can work wonders. It’s all about working to achieve a healthier lifestyle without sacrificing taste.

Hello, it's been a while. I hope you are doing well. ♡

A lot of things have happened since I last took a peek here, most notable of which are that I moved to a more spacious unit in a better location but also within the same community and I took better care of my health. A little more than a month ago, I started taking pills again to hopefully manage my myoma (yes, I have them again) and I've generally been okay in the sense that I don't get as much mood swings as when I was using another brand years ago, although I have noticed that I now feel more. Every emotion is magnified: happiness, glee, giddiness from being loved, but also sadness, anger, and even anxiety. Last Friday I spent about two hours crying inconsolably because one of my dolls got destroyed. It's exhausting. I always tell J that it's so difficult being a woman, and I mean that each time. 

Last night I was able to finish my first book for 2023: Must Love Books by Shauna Robinson.

It's a big deal to me because from being able to read at least two books per month, I seemed to lose my reading mojo and for the whole of 2022 I was only able to read one book. One. And it was a graphic novel! How embarrassing. To be fair, I also reread the entire The Sandman series in time for the Netflix TV show, but rereads do not count. 

Anyway, I enjoyed this story because it's about books, authors, the publishing industry, and how the main character Nora finds purpose and navigates her mental health issues. For fans of romance, it's an HFN ending with FilAm author Andrew Santos. Content warning: contemplating suicide. 

It was never devastating events that sent Nora's mind spiraling towards a place that scared her. It could be a major change that slowly gnawed at her, or several insignificant moments that piled up and sent her right back to the thoughts that she tried to avoid. She felt sometimes that her mind was always in some state of interacting with these thoughts, whether it was gravitating toward them, trying to move away from them, or pretending they didn't exist. But they were always, always there.

I related with Nora because I recognize feeling stuck. I spent a long time in my previous job waiting for a promotion that didn't come, underpaid even though I was working way past working hours and even on weekends. My situation, career-wise, is so much better now thanks to my huge leap back in 2021, and I couldn't be happier with my current team. 

However, there are still days when I feel how easy it would be to just... cease to exist. It could be my PMDD talking; I recognize it's just my brain telling me these things, and I know I will never harm myself, but sometimes the thought of being unalive sounds so tempting. Imagine all your problems disappearing and just floating away into the void, versus feeling all these emotions and dealing with all my issues, how easy it would be. I think of these things, but then almost immediately images of my family and J come to me, and how I wouldn't want them to be subjected to something like that. Not like that, when I lost my Tatay almost two years ago and I am still reeling from the loss.

This should be a celebratory come back post, promising more blog posts in the future, but I don't have it in me to try to be cheerful today. Maybe I can do it tomorrow when I try to write about my current hyper-fixation: Leigh Bardugo's Crows from the Grishaverse.

I hope you are doing well. Well, better than me at least. :) 

We work from home, and I only see my workmates once a month during our monthly team lunches. Earlier today, one of my new workmates asked where I buy my clothes as she loves the colorful stuff I wear, and I blushed at the compliment! :)

This is what I was wearing earlier today

Truth be told, I love buying clothes but I need to be mindful because I am not rich and I have a lot of other expenses, so I have learned how to purchase clothes more efficiently.

There are many ways to lower the cost of clothing without compromising style or quality, whether you're on a tight budget or just want to save some money. Here are some suggestions on how to purchase clothing while saving money.

 Major life update: I am moving to a bigger apartment with a much better view! 

J and I have started shopping for stuff for the new unit, and yesterday we put salt, sugar, and rice for good fortune. :)

I guess if it's meant to be then it won't be too challenging. My new landlord is so nice as well and allowed us to rip off the old wallpaper and replace it with new ones.

I can't wait to make more memories in this new space, and cook/ bake more goodies with the new huge kitchen counter space!

And of course, I am so excited to be doing it with J. :)