Nutrition, Food, Travel and More

Things That Make You Go Drool

2012-01-28T12:56:00.000+09:00

What does a month of food pictures look like? Keep reading to find out!

I know many of you are just as busy as I am, and I know many of you have had those times where the pictures just pile up. This morning as I was uploading new pictures to my computer I realized I have a ton of unposted random food pictures. These span from Christmas break (Ryan and I were both off work for 1 week) through last week. There are plenty of goodies for me to share with you. Some are home cooked creations, while others are awesome Japanese treats.

So without further ado, here are things that make you go *drool*...

First up are some meals using one of my favorite veggies-broccoli. First is a broccoli and cheddar (I am on a massive Tillamook cheese obsession right now) omelet with some potatoes on the side. In the Azores the breakfast potatoes were almost always from our neighbors garden, but here in Japan these are harder to come by. Just the other day the commissary manager was explaining that Japan has restrictions on some foods that come in, so potatoes are left to be only Japanese, which is fine with me, but they don't have regular white potatoes (again fine with me, I love the sweet potatoes, but sometimes you just want some variety, especially plan potatoes for breakfast) for hash browns, so we got excited when we saw they were carrying the Ore-Ida frozen breakfast potatoes. It made for a very tasty meal. I will also confess this was my very first time ever making an omelet in the true omelet fashion. I have never had one stay intact when folding it over before. Turns out, it was not as hard as I was making it out to be. Patience and handling with care resulted in some beautiful omelets.

Next up was out New Years Eve meal. We stayed in. We usually stay in. This is the one night of the year where everyone gets crazy, so it's just a little safer to stay out of everyone else's way. It is an easy lesson learned from living in Las Vegas. I did the strip once because you really just have to try it once, but after that it was either stay in or head to the movies with friends, and face towards the strip at midnight to catch the fireworks. So, for this year, we stayed in, and watched movies, and I cooked dinner.

I love spaghetti squash, so I was happy to find some in the commissary, and really happy to see they were not super huge.

I cut mine in half and baked in the oven. I know there are a few ways to do this, but I usually do it this way, so that's what I stuck with.

Next up was cuttin' up some broccoli. I really bought it for the omelets, but I knew there would be left overs, and I couldn't let it go to waste.

Also for my "spaghetti sauce" I used some canned tomatoes. I always try to buy a no added salt product.

Then the squash was ready to be scooped out.

I love this squash! Seriously, it does not get any more fun than this.

Looks just like spaghetti!

My sauce was made with garlic, broccoli and tomatoes.

Then I just served it on top of the squash. It was awesome! Even more awesome was that Ryan really enjoyed it! Plus, I loved it too.

Next up is homemade pizza. I must say, one thing I don't miss about the Azores is the humidity and temperature of our place. I was so excited to actually see dough rise again. I was starting to take it personally, so I was glad to know it wasn't me, it was just the house.

Lesson learned, no need to make the largest dough from the recipe. We decided it was too much just a tad to late and wound up with a super crusty pizza. But, it was tasty, so of course we still ate it.

Sauce time. We often make our own sauce, but this was a bit of a last minute decision so we just used some jarred sauce.

Fresh mozzarella on top. We were hoping they carried buffalo mozzarella like we could get in the Azores (it was imported from Italy), but no such luck. At least they had some other mozzarella we could use.

Then we added some garlic on top, and it was ready to go.

Out it came, and we enjoyed a nice cheesy, and crusty, pizza.

Next up are some Japanese baked goods that we picked up at a bakery at the mall (in the grocery store, which is also at the mall, which I really love). Here for New Years Day and the week after they have major sales. By major sales I mean everyone, and I do mean everyone, goes to the malls and stores to go shopping. They sell grab bag deals, where you can get a full outfit in a bag for a good price, and just about everything not in a bag deal is on sale 30-70% off. Trust me, it was crazy, and there is no way to explain this. You really have to see it for yourselves.

As we were leaving the mall, we noticed the bakery line was about 5 times longer than usual. How could we resist! I don't think there was anything truly special about the bakery that day, it was just that the mall was at least 5 times busy, so more people probably just wanted more baked goods. But we weren't going to sit this mad house out, so we grabbed some goodies and waited patiently in line with everyone else.

Here is what we found:

This is a melon roll. The green on the outside is actually separate from the inside, which is really just a white bread roll.

In addition to the plain roll inside, was the not so plain banana cream. Yep, banana cream inside a melon flavored roll. You know what? It was really good!

Next up is a blueberry loaf. You may think on first glance this is like a crumb cake, or at least cakey, but it wasn't. It was actually a loaf of white bread, with blueberry filling. Almost like someone put the jelly on for you, but better.

This was the strangest one we picked up.

No idea what was inside, but it was cheesy, buttery and/or eggy. All I know is that it was good!

I could get into some serious trouble in the Japanese bakeries. They make some really good stuff.

Next is my Hanukkah present from my dad and step-mom. They sent us many goodies. Thanks!

We headed again, on a not as snowy day, to Aomori. This time we checked out the mall. I was excited to find St. Marc Cafe, which we had across the street from us when we went to Tokyo. We decided to sit down, enjoy some coffee and snacks. I ordered a latte, and I am trying so hard to remember what flavor this is. All I know is that it was really good.

We both got chocolate croissants because you just don't say no to a chocolate croissant as it is being pulled out of the oven, especially when it's their signature treat. I will casually mention that portion sizes in Japan are smaller in the US, so in the US this regular Japanese sized pastry would probably be referred to as a mini-croissant. For me, I think this is just the right size.

I ordered a shrimp sandwich. I have no idea how this happened, but I checked at one end under everything to make sure there was no meat, but by the time I got halfway down the sandwich I tasted something funny. I looked and discovered the half I did not check had some kind of strange mustard, which appeared to have some ground meat in it. Well that was the end of that sandwich for me. I was even careful, as I have been for years and years of not eating meat, and I checked, but someone did a sloppy job of adding the spread and it was only placed apparently on one side. Oh well! Now I will make sure to always check both ends!

Ryan ordered this? Not sure what that is? Either were we, but we discovered it was close to a stuffed French toast. It was filled with apples and cinnamon. Very yummy! Plus, they used real apples, which around here means extra yummy because Aomori is the apple capital in Japan.

Wanna see something funny? Check out this burger promo they have going on at McDonald's in Japan.

Let me make a confession. I had never had a chili dog before. Why? Probably because I never liked hotdogs, and I stopped eating them and most other meat by the time I was 11, so I never had a chili dog. One weekend while we were walking through the commissary, Ryan got a craving for a chili dog. Since you can't just go somewhere and get a chili dog in Japan, you need to make them at home. So he quickly grabbed the essentials: some hot dogs, chili and buns. I had already picked up some veggie hot dogs (which I think spurred his craving), so I was excited when the light bulb went off. I remembered spotting vegetarian chili by Hormel with the other chilis. I will say that I never look in that section, but one day out of curiosity, I did stop. I wound up looking at some food labels, and noticed they had a vegetarian option, and it was low fat (I think maybe 99% fat free), and I thought, other than the sodium, that it sounded pretty good. So flash forward to Ryan's craving. I immediately ran to the chili aisle where we was debating his options, and I pronounced "I can have a chili dog too!", to which he stared at me for a second, and then I proceeded to grab the veggie chili and show him my veggie hot dogs. I was very proud of myself for my awesome idea. This way we could both eat the same thing for dinner (actually it was lunch and dinner by the time we got around to the meal).

I started off with some veggie hotdogs, which I won't lie, are definitely an acquired taste. Like I said, I never really liked hot dogs, so I have been eating these since I was a teenager. The taste has grown on me.

We even turned them into chili cheese dogs using some Tillamook cheddar. So what did I think of my first chili dog? It was awesome! I will definitely be doing this again, and next time I will be using whole wheat buns, which I discovered the commissary carries after we made these.

Next up is another Japanese baked good. It was a bun filled with vanilla cream, almost like a pudding.

This was a roll filled with chocolate, similar to the one above. It was really just like eating a chocolate pudding filled roll, but tasted much better than that sounds.

Last up is another melon flavored bun. Melon is a big flavor in Japan, and other Asian countries too. This had a melon cream filling.

We picked up some Japanese goodies to send in gift packages to friends and family back home, but while we were getting things for them, we picked up a few things for us to try. One of those things was this Meltykiss candy bar in run raisin flavor. I am not kidding, this thing was strong! I may have gotten a little tipsy off this. Also, to mention one more thing about the Japanese and portions on food, I loved that this candy bar was individually wrapped inside. In the US when you open a candy bar, the whole thing is unwrapped at once, but with this, when we opened it there were 4 (or maybe it was 6?) individually wrapped sticks.

Last week Ryan had a bad day. It was pretty bad. The dentist fixed the wrong cracked filling, and by this I mean he didn't fix the one that was cracked/lose. Yes, the dentist drilled on the wrong tooth and refilled the wrong tooth. I'll just leave it at that and say that really sucks. So when he came home he asked if we could bake some cookies. Of course! Homemade cookies always work to cheer you up. For something a little different we used the chocolate chunks instead of chips.

Yum! They certainly did the trick.

Plus, while the cookies were backing, I had a nice veggie and bean soup on the stove.

Yum! Yum!

The soup was great, and the cookies were awesome for dessert.

So, there are all (ok, mostly all) my drool worthy pictures for the month of January. As you can see we had a lot of good eats, mixed between home cooked and bakery bought goodies. It's hard to pass up some of the Japanese treats because we are still relatively new here and I just want to give everything a try. I just try not to go overboard, but thankfully Japanese portions are smaller and they are not fans of added sugar. I just try to keep it to a reasonable amount, and split things as often as possible because I am really just looking for a little taste so I can try things.

QUESTIONS: What was your most drool worthy food during January? Have you ever had a chili dog? What is one food that is usually non-vegetarian that you have created in a vegetarian form? Do you ever get the urge to bake cookies when you have a bad day?

Thursday Thoughts: What are Yours?

2012-01-27T08:10:00.000+09:00

It's Thursday, so you know what that means...

Thursday Thoughts

Today I am going to do something a little different. I have a great topic for Thursday Thoughts, but I want to make sure I have enough time to invest in writing my post that I do the topic justice, and this week I am just too busy. Not only did I start my first class for a doctoral program, I started teaching a class too. It is a busy time for starting up with classes at many schools, and with Kaplan I am teaching 2 classes, which started a few weeks ago, so as you can see I have a lot going on. But I do have an awesome topic of something that I really want to share my thoughts on. While I am working on getting that ready for a future Thursday Thoughts post, I wanted to check in with each of you this week and see what was on your mind. So feel free to share with me your thoughts on this Thursday. Doesn't have to be anything major, just share your thoughts on any topic you want, about anything that has been on your mind. I look forward to reading them.

Thanks!

No Blizzard Can Stop Us: Aquarium Trip

2012-01-22T16:19:00.000+09:00

Yes, you heard me correctly. No blizzard can stop us.

Over Christmas vacation, Ryan and I decided to go to the Asamushi Aquarium, which is about a 90 minute drive on a good day. When we left the base we thought all was good because it wasn't snowing too bad. We didn't know what the weather would be like over in Aomori City, but it is right on the water in the Bay, and it tends to snow more there, but still, snow is snow, right?

So we get on the road and all is well. At least at first. Then the snow picks up and the roads are not well plowed. But the good news is that you drive slow and use the markers on the side of the road as a guide. Well, all is going well until you reach the mountains. What happens at the mountains you ask? Oh, that's easy. You drive through them. Yep, right through them. Tunnels. One of these tunnels is by far the longest tunnel I have ever been in in my life. The tunnels are actually a great relief from the heavy snow this time of year, but once you come out, you are smack in the middle of the mountains and it really looks like you are in a movie. People drive through there all the time, and the road gets plowed, but for us, not being used to the snow, we were picturing a Hollywood movie where you get lost in a white out and stuck in the snow. Yeah, I won't lie. We watch too many movies.

We knew that driving cautiously would pay off, and did just that. So it may not have been as crazy as a Hollywood movie, but it was definitely not something we were used to and probably seemed worse at the time that it really was. Although I will say, it was pretty rough at times. I believe in the US, that is what we call a Blizzard!

We arrived at the Aquarium just over 2 hours after leaving our house.

The snow stopped just long enough for me to actually take a picture. If it had let up just a few minutes longer I would have tried to take a picture in the other direction where we had another one of those Hollywood moments. We were driving in and Ryan mentioned that the foggy area to the left must be the ocean. Then in a quick sweep of the wind, the fog lifted and we realized we were in fact riding along the water and then we saw it. We saw it, and it was like nothing I have ever seen before. Out in the Bay was a giant tree covered rock, coated in white fluffy snow. A tiny island. Just far enough from the land that it would make it difficult to swim to shore if for some reason you found yourself trapped out there. Yeah, it seems a little dramatic, and I am sure in the summer this is a beautiful and not scary at all sight, but on this day, in those weather conditions, it was eerie. It was eerie, but in that beautifully haunting kind of way. It was breath taking. And then it was gone. Hidden. The fog rolled back in and we set our sights on locating the aquarium.

Given the weather conditions, it was definitely not busy.

Walking in you are first greeting by some very large turtles. Pretty neat!

Then we had a big decision to make. Lunch before or after the otter feeding. We had just under 30 minutes before the feeding, so if we wanted lunch it was now and fast, or wait. I am not kidding, after just over 2 hours in the car (yeah, we made a stop along the way at a convenience store and may have gotten a snack), we were famished and lunch now was the final answer. They only had the cafe for lunch, so quickly made a decision and waited for our lunch.

Ryan had the curry.

It came with a salad...

and a soup.

I had the fried shrimp. Shrimp is not the right word for these. Prawns (yes, there is a difference between prawns and shrimp), but oddly, these were more like lobsters. They didn't look like lobsters, but these were large and I hate to use the word, but they were meaty. It was impressive for a dish ordered in an aquarium cafe.

Since we are in Japan, you can bet this dish came with rice.

Once we were stuffed, we made a mad dash for the otter feeding. The 3 "shows" they have daily are the otter feedings, dolphin feedings, and dolphin show. They have them a few times each day. We wanted to make sure we saw all 3. Since the animals are mostly so cute, I left the pictures a little larger than I usually have them here.

First was the otter feeding. This little guy was so cute. He floated on his back and ate the little squids tossed at him. I know it's tough to see in the picture, but trust me, he is cute.

Right after, the trainer moved over to the penguins and fed them a little.

While that was going on I headed back to get a closer peak at the cute otter.

Can you spot him? He's down at the bottom.

Then I got a little closer to the penguins.

Next up were the sea lions. My camera is not good enough to capture them when they move so quickly, but I did try.

Then we moved around to some of the other exhibits and displays. I couldn't resist this little salamander guy. I hate slithery, crawly things, like snakes and little lizards, but I found this guy to be exceptionally cute, hiding in the little hole.

Then we looked at the big fish tank.

Lots of funny looking fish around. Remember, we are in Japan so some animals we have here would not be found in US aquariums, and some of the fish we are used to seeing were no where to be found at Asamushi.

So, from the looks of things, this is the largest squid, at least we think. It showed where they found it. Needless to say, this is not still living. I think it was from years and years ago.

Then we entered the Sea Promenade.

You get to walk in the glass tunnel and the fish swim all around.

Including the big ray. This thing was HUGE!

Plus lots of pretty colored fish.

I love this picture. Great shape and coloring.

These were neat too.

Eels! Yuck! I have seen these in the wild before (different kind of eel, but still an eel). This reminded me of The Little Mermaid (the Disney version).

Crazy little squid thing.

Lobster!

Very crazy blue colored jellyfish.

Here I am chillin' with the happy aquarium mascot.

Couldn't even begin to tell you what this is. Really crazy looking though!

Not sure what this is, but it looks a little prehistoric!

Then we headed off to the dolphin, which came just before the dolphin show. I thought this sign was awesome (and yes, a tad on the really funny side). They tried, so I give them credit for that.

This is where the dolphins are for the feeding, and then it connects through to the tank where they have the show.

So cute!

Alright, this was the moment we were waiting for. Obviously everyone wants to see the Dolphin show.

I hope it does not offend anyone, and if you feel questionable about the status of dolphin shows in Japan (after seeing The Cove), please do not keep looking at the pictures. I personally feel confident about the treatment of the dolphins in this region and I can't speak about what goes on in the area where they filmed The Cove because I have no idea. Like I said before, I may agree with the topic or focus of a documentary, but I don't always agree with everything stated in the context used in documentaries. So, until I actually see proof that this aquarium mistreats animals and has questionable ways of obtaining their dolphins for shows, I will continue to go to my local aquarium, and perhaps others in Japan as well. I understand this is my personal decision and some of you may choose the opposite if you were here. This is not really what I want to focus on, but I don't want anyone thinking I didn't consider the welfare of the dolphins in light of the movie The Cove.

So, back to the dolphin show! I am not going to deny that the Japanese love ocean creatures. Japan is made up of islands. Many cities are along the water. Sea creatures are cute. It is a way of life here. So, dolphin shows (just like in the US) are a popular component to the aquarium.

Here they come!

So cute!

Here is the trainer, getting them ready for a trick.

Nice jumps!

More jumping

Scootin' along the water.

Jumping over a rope.

Through the hoop.

Touch the ball.

A final set of jumps.

Check out that height! Awesome!

It was a fantastic show, and a fantastic aquarium, especially for a smaller city. I was glad we went, blizzard or not. Too bad it took another 2 hours just to get home! I know we definitely plan to go back. Probably when we have visitors. It's a fun place to go and not too far away.

QUESTIONS: Do you have an aquarium near you? What's your favorite part of the aquarium? Have you ever tried going out during a blizzard? Do you like the snow?

Thursday Thoughts: Forks Over Knives

2012-01-19T16:46:00.003+09:00

It's Thursday, so you know what that means...

Thursday Thoughts

If you are new to my blog, or haven't been reading on Thursdays, this is a segment where I post my thoughts about various nutrition and health related topics, or maybe even something else if it is really an intriguing topic. Most of my current views and opinions come from experience working as a dietitian and as college instructor in nutrition courses. Most of that learning is science based or observational from the clinical setting. In general, I hate over-generalizations, so for many of the things I post, I expect there is one or two exceptions because broad sweeping generalizations are always bound to miss out on something.

I don't usually pick a movie, but last night Ryan and I watched Forks Over Knives (I know, I am slow), and I wanted to share some of my thoughts. A lot of this stems from a general dislike of documentaries because I feel they are too biased. Even if I 100% agree with the information, I don't feel like the entire picture is ever shown, things are skewed to make it look like more evidence than there really may be for something, and I feel like this is a form of miseducation for the general public. So, I tend to shy away from documentaries because I can get pretty heated just from watching them. No need to bring my blood pressure up, right? Well, I also know it is good to watch them because I will have clients and patients that have watched them and I really need to know what they are talking about.

So with that information to start, I want to also state that I do not eat meat (I eat fish, seafood, eggs and dairy though) and agree 100% with the underlying message of the documentary.

1) My first concern was the use of the husband/wife doctor team as a focus for helping the people in the file develop healthier diets. I am sure they are qualified doctors and have an understanding of nutrition, and from what was shown, it does appear that way, but this may give people the false assumption that all doctors know what they are talking about when it comes to diet. Too many people already take what doctors say as gospel and will not believe people that are trained in other areas because they assume the doctor knows better. Most doctors receive little training in nutrition, and if they have an interest in nutrition, then they can go out and take more courses. But, not all doctors do this, thereby not all doctors are experts in nutrition, and a dietitian (or other qualified nutrition professional) should be used in conjunction with the doctors advice. It just seemed to me like this pushed doctors as experts in nutrition and diet changes.

2) I have a great respect for nutrition researchers. A PhD in nutrition science is an awesome degree. My biggest concern is that for those with just the PhD in nutrition, the person is only an expert in the lab side, or the research side. Dietitians are great at bridging the gap between the science part and how it works in real life. In the lab, studying nutritional biochemistry and other aspects of the nutrients leaves out the variables that come into play once you introduce humans into the mix. That changes everything. We know what is good for us, we know what we recommend, but I think sometimes, those with just the research background leave out how this can actually apply to people. There needs to be some give and take. Dietitians work on a daily basis with people and know what will and will not work. There is always some give and take. A little of this in one direction and a little of this the other direction. This is how we find a balance, or what we call a happy medium. I think researchers often overlook this. Now, many RDs also have PhD's in nutrition, and I think this is a great asset to them because they can take the science and apply it to human behavior. There are so many things I read and hear and wonder how anyone ever thought that could work in real life. It seems like some of these researchers, while experts in nutrition science, could use the assistance of a dietitian to help them in applying it to real world (not lab controlled) situations.

3) Some of the stats and numbers really had me amused. Why? Because numbers can be twisted and things can be left out to make a point. The one that I recall questioning the most was the data on Sweden and the decrease in deaths from heart disease during Nazi invasion in WWII. Then these went up again after the war. While it may be diet related, there would also be the increase in deaths from war related activities (combat and other), which would result in less people actually dying from heart disease. I would also think that number of actual autopsies done by qualified MDs decreased during this time making the numbers at risk for some inaccuracies or just being skewed from other variables. The other set of numbers I found interesting was the 1950's data on heart disease in Japan. Although we may have had excellent methods for collecting death data in the US at the time, who is to say Japan had the same standards. I would definitely say (and this is an observation from living here and studying their health) that their rates were lower than in the US, I do not think they were at all as low as the 16 (or was it 18) noted in the film. I say this because I am thinking that in rural areas of Japan, during the late 50's, they were not checking all deaths for the cause of death. I just don't think the numbers are as significant (or maybe I should say drastic) as they were made to be in the film.

4) I was concerned too with the all or nothing mentality. Obviously that was the point. No meat, lots of plant foods. But real life can't always be that black or white. Some people are able to go all or nothing, but many can't. For me, I think the bigger message should be that even some reduction in meat and an increase in plant foods will have a benefit. It is not that only plant foods and no meat will have a positive effect. It may not be as big of an effect if cutting out some meat, but not all, as it would be if you went vegan, but there is still a health benefit. I think (supported of course from my research over the years) that any reduction in saturated fat, coupled with an increase in fiber, vitamins, minerals and other antioxidants will improve your health. Will it be as drastic as in the movie? No! But will it be worth it to just give up some if you are not willing to commit to giving it all up? Yes!

5) I want to end on a positive rather than a negative. I liked the message. Beyond just the basic message of give up meat, eat more veggie, and you will be healthy, there was a greater message. I think that in a positive way, this movie helps show that we need to take control of our health. We should not sit around and wait for something magic to take place. We have the power to make a difference. Not only does this movie show how important diet and lifestyle are for health, but it shows people that they are in control. They can make decisions that can positively impact their health. It is not the doctors responsibility to improve your health. It is yours, and yours alone. Doctor's do play a very important role in our health (and for all things medical, you should seek medical advice), but in the end it is up to each of us to make healthy life style changes to impact our own health when it comes to weight related chronic diseases. This movie truly shows we have the power!

Overall, despite some flaws, which I will find regardless of what the documentary is about (I just can't handle the one-sidedness and I think everyone deserves to be given a look at all of the evidence in the most unbiased way in order to form their own opinions), the film really sends a strong message that there is a problem in our society and that lifestyle changes will reduce those problems. Less meat and more plant based foods is a good way to go, even if you don't go all the way to the extreme of cutting out all meat. I understand that some people can't do that or are unwilling to do that, so I am happy if I can meet people half way. Who knows, in time they may be able to cut back even more on the meat and then increase the veggies even more, right?

QUESTIONS: Have you seen Forks Over Knives? If so, what were your thoughts? Do you like documentaries?

Christmas Break Desserts and Dinner

2012-01-17T21:11:00.000+09:00

It is no surprise that being on vacation from work, during the holidays will lead to different eating patterns. We slept in some days, others we got up a little earlier. We did some work, but we also played. It was nice having Ryan home for the week (this was between Christmas and New Years). But of course, the schedule was not the usual routine. It was more of a leisurely pace, with a laid back attitude, and countless hours on the internet either doing things of real value, or just plain abusing Google. For me, I had more time to play on my iPad, and with that I decided to try out StumbleUpon.

Within minutes I hooked and finding all kinds of things, but interesting, and not so much. One thing I can say is that I found a lot of fun blogs with very fun recipes on them. One night I was playing around and found a blog post (from 2009, I think) that had what claimed to be the best, and yet very simple, brownie recipe. I realized I had all the ingredients, and could very easily make them. Well, I waited. I didn't need brownies that badly, and we had plenty of other good munchies around because it was the holiday break. Well, 24 hours later, I was still eyeing those brownies, and then Ryan put in the request, and well, I think we all know what happened next.

BROWNIES!

Getting all the ingredients mixed together.

Nice and chocolatey.

But wait! It needs more chocolate!

Phew! Now we are good and ready to get in the oven.

Within minutes, we could smell them and they were ready to cool down.

The verdict? Excellent! OK, not the best ever (could just be my baking skills, not the recipe's fault), but definitely up there. I will definitely be making these again. The tasted good, and they were so easy.

Well, you can see the brownie making set the tone for the rest of the week off from work. When we went for sushi, we each tried one of these. Normally we do not eat any of the desserts at the sushi place, but this looked like fun. Yes, it actually looked like fun. It is a pancake (don't let the word waffle fool you, this is a pancake! Yeah, I know, in this picture you can't see the word waffle either, but trust me, it's there) filled with creme. It was pretty good, but perhaps had been frozen at one point. Not that it tasted like that, but the very middle actually seemed more like ice cream.

Beer for dessert? Sure! While out and about we found some of the local brewery beers for sale, so I picked up a few to try. Definitely good, and I will definitely get these again. Actually, I hope to make it to the brewery soon.

More dessert? Of course! This time we stopped at a French bakery, and this was only because we tried to get Chinese for lunch on Christmas, but the place just closed for lunch and would reopen in 2.5 hours for dinner, and we were hungry. Yes, it made the most sense to stop at the bakery across the street and then go on a mini-road trip until we could come back for dinner.

So what did we buy for Christmas mid-afternoon dessert? Apple tart! It was listed as a tart, but it is close to a pie. Who cares about the technicalities of the dessert definition?!?!?! It was an apple something-or-other and it had a little Santa on it. How cute!

It was good! It was really good! I know I have said this before, but I love that the Japanese do not do super sweet. The pie was so much better without the excess sugar. Plus, the slice was not super huge. That's another thing I like about the Japanese.

What do we have here? Macarons! Really, there is no way Ryan and I could walk into a French bakery without getting some of these little goodies. We actually wound up eating these on the road (not all of them of course!) and saved the pie for later.

Since we only had 1 macaron each and no lunch, we also stopped off at a convenience store while we were out exploring. While convenience stores here offer the typical convenience foods, I have found them to be much better than many US places. This is because the portions are still smaller in general in Japan, and less sugar in the typical convenience products. Plus, you can get some healthier pre-made items, including sushi. We only really stopped so I could use the bathroom and we could get a drink to wash down the macaron, but we were hungry, so we thought we would give these a try.

Did you figure out this is cheese? Similar to Laughing cow, and actually pretty tasty. These helped hold us over until we made it back to the Chinese place for dinner.

Now you can see that even in Japan we were able to do Chinese for Christmas. Yes, this is the typical Jewish thing to do, and Ryan was down with it, so we stuck with the tradition. Of course, being in Japan, lots of things were open, so we really could have had our pick. But Chinese, is, and always will be, a good Christmas meal (especially when it is just the two of us and I don't eat meat).

I had the shrimp:

Ryan had the beef:

Plus he got soup and a salad.

Not bad at all!

Oh, and if you are wondering if all the desert and other eating resulted in packing on the pounds over the holidays (remember by post on this topic?), the answer is no. Not even a pound. Now, the nutritional quality, well that is a different story! Calories in range, but perhaps could have used some more veggies and whole grains in there. Of course, a few weeks into the new year with my diet back to normal, I think I probably suffered no real damage or long term consequences of malnutrition.

We also did some fun activities over the break, and I will have more on that coming up.

QUESTIONS: What is your favorite kind of pie? Do you have any unusual Christmas (or other holiday) traditions? What's your favorite brownie recipe?

Would you go to a restaurant where you cooked your own food?

2012-01-14T13:14:00.000+09:00

This is a great question, and one that I bet a lot of people in the US would say NO to because the concept of dining out means someone waits on you, and they serve you food that someone else cooked. I am sure there are a few places, probably some form of "ethnic" food, perhaps Asian, that have this concept, but all in all, I think the majority of Americans would shudder at the thought of going to a restaurant to cook your own food.

Before I get to that, let me just show you the BEST white elephant gift ever. Yep, that's a gameboy with a game. Ryan joked that he always wanted one as a kid but never got one. Better late than never, right?!?!?

Now that you have had a moment to think about how you would feel about going to a restaurant to cook you own food, let me show you how neat the experience is and introduce you to two different kinds of cook-your-own food Japanese restaurants. I'm guessing that if you are reading this blog, you like food as much as we do, and would definitely enjoy places like these.

First is a place called Aburi-An. It is a Japanese BBQ restaurant. I actually posted on this place once before, but we have been back since and tried some different thing. At this restaurant you sit at a table with a gas grill in the center, complete with a hood (which definitely helps), and you can order a variety of items to be grilled. The menu also includes other food, in case you don't want the BBQ or just want someone else to do the cooking.

We started with cheese rolls. It's just one of those things that you get a craving for and it won't let go. Not kidding, these are addicting, and not the healthiest choice out there. So you order a small portions, get your fix, and hopefully that holds you for a while.

Meet the cheese roll:

I have also shown these on previous posts since we get them at the Cheese Roll House (shocker, right?), but this was the first time we tried them here. This is the Japanese version of a mozzarella stick. It's a cheese stick in a wonton wrapper and deer fried. Tons better that a US mozzarella stick.

I started off with the tomato salad. It's a whole tomato in a soy based sauce, with LOTS of onions. Very yummy!

Now on to the grilling. We started with a nice veggie plate. There were peppers, kabocha, onions, eggplant, carrots, and a leek type of veggie.

We also got an order of mushrooms to grill.

Ryan had the marbled beef.

This time I went with the shrimp. Last time I did scallops, so this was a little different.

They turned out perfectly! I am definitely getting the shrimp again!

The best part we have found about BBQ places is that the food always comes out the exact way you want it. Ok, almost always, but if it doesn't the only person to blame is yourself! True, it may be cheaper to buy the ingredients yourself and cook at home, which of course we do too, but it is a fun experience to do out. Plus, you do not have to clean up. Bonus! Around here, these types of places are common, and are popular, despite being able to do it at home. It becomes more of a social experience when done at a restaurant, and makes a great place for dinners out in larger groups, especially for special occasion parties.

Next up is Dohtonbori. If there is one place that I would call my favorite, it would probably be this one. Not kidding, this is place is so much fun that you almost forget you are actually doing work to get your food. Plus, their sign is so unbelievable cute that you just have to give it a try. I went here the first time with 2 of my friends when we went to Towada to check out the second hand kimono shop. I had no idea that the kimono was so complex, and I don't have a full one yet, but I did get most parts for 2 different kimonos. More on the later. For now...welcome to Dohtonbori!

Each table has a griddle. You can see the little flipper spatulas, which you notice are what the cuddly cartoon character in the sign above is holding.

The main thing to order here is called okonomiyaki. This is a Japanese pancake that really translates to any way you like it. Basically, you can make a pancake with just about anything. Now, the use of the word pancake here is a little different from the American breakfast pancake. In fact, my okonomiyaki didn't even have any flour in it. You can also order items other than the okonomiyaki, but for the most part, everything uses the griddle. Since it was big enough I was able to have a whole half for myself and it was very easy to keep my food separate from any meat at the other end.

One of my friends ordered some beef. She comes here often, so she has had the pancake many times, and this time settled on the beef.

She also ordered gyoza, which although they are a traditionally Chinese food, are also popular in Japan. My other friend who was with us is Chinese and we were once talking with someone about gyoza and how the Japanese word for them is very similar to the English word. Out of curiosity I asked how the word was pronounced in Chinese and she said a completely different word. Lesson learned, these are not called gyoza in Chinese. I thought it was hilarious. I just always assumed!

These gyoza are cooked right on the griddle. Go figure!

You place them on the grill, then put down an ice cube, and cover with a lid. Then they steam. How neat! So, if you have a griddle at home, you can give this cooking method a try.

This is the mystery pouch. My one friend ordered a lunch special and it came with this. They didn't tell us what it was, just put it on the grill and told us 8 minutes. Oh yeah, they give you timers so you can keep track of how long you are cooking for. It's very useful. After 8 minutes she opened it up...and guess what...I can't remember what was inside. Sorry, this was a few weeks ago. I am almost certain it was a piece of meat.

Time for my okonomiyaki. I ordered a shrimp okonomiyaki. It comes in a single bowl with all ingredients inside. You can see the egg on top. This acts as the binder. You get a spoon (see the wooden spoon) and mix it all up.

The main ingredient was a kind of cabbage, and everything got mixed up with that. It looks a little like a salad.

Here is my friends smaller version. I watched her get hers started first before giving mine a go.

Here you have it:

This was my first attempt at okonomiyaki. See, it comes out like a veggie pancake. It cooks for 5 minutes on one side, then flips for another 5 minutes and then back to the first side for another 5.

Once it was all done I could dress it up. The traditional toppings are the okonomiyaki sauce (like a BBQ sauce), mayo and bonito flakes, and in this case mine also came with panko (Japanese breadcrumbs). I only did the sauce and some panko for my first time.

I seriously have fallen in love with this place. I don't care if I have to do all the work, it is so good and so much fun. Yes, I can probably do this at home, and I probably will, but at least at this place I know I am getting the ingredients in the right amounts. Maybe once I am an expert I will give it a go at home. I will say that I do think the electric griddle we have will get more use now that I know we can cook so many things on it. I guess I knew that before, but I found a lot more that I didn't think of before coming to eat at this place.

Maybe you are wondering just how much I loved this place. So much! So much that I brought Ryan back later in the week. We actually spent most of the day in Towada looking around.

I saw this bar and I couldn't resist. It made me immediately think of the Swanky Dietitian, more for the swanky and less for the drunky, of course.

Let's see how Ryan faired at Dohtonbori. There are so many items on the menu that it is really hard to make a final decision. In the end he went with a vegetarian choice. No, that is not butter on top. It is actually mochi, which is a glutinous Japanese rice cake. Since it was Ryan's first time, our server helped him out by showing him how it's done. He mixed it all up and then set it up in the right sized pancake on the grill.

I ordered something I was eyeing the last time, but sadly they were out that day. Not this time though! Any guesses? Yeah, you probably won't guess, but I promise I will show you in a minute...after it finishes cooking.

To make Ryan's, the mochi goes down first. Honestly, it didn't seem much like mochi to me, but the server insists this is mochi.

The pancake mix goes on top, and then it cooks for 5 minutes, before flipping.

Then I got mine started. I loved the one I ordered the other day, so I went with that one again. Next time I will be braver and ordered something else. It is tough because I worry there may accidentally be some meat and I know this one is good. But there are so many I want to try, and I know next time I need to be different.

Anyone guess that I had salmon with some butter cooking in that dish? If you did then you are correct! This cooked perfectly! I would love to buy a dish like this can cook this way on my griddle at home. I will definitely order this again.

Ryan went all out on his toppings and tried a little of everything.

So much fun!

QUESTIONS: Would you ever go out to eat at a restaurant where you cooked your own food? I know I asked this once before, but now you have seen some more examples and I wanted to ask again. Have you ever heard of okonomiyaki? Do you have a griddle at home? What would you like to cook on the griddle?

Thursday Thoughts: Caloric Beverages

2012-01-12T19:21:00.000+09:00

It's Thursday, so you know what that means...

Thursday Thoughts

This week I picked a topic that came to mind while I was thinking about some things I have read in the past few weeks. One was on diet soda and weight status, and the other was about milk being part of a healthy diet. So I decided that I would address caloric beverages this week (yes, I do know diet soda is not caloric, or rather not too caloric), looking at 5 different options of caloric beverages and how these fit, or don't fit, in a healthy diet.

1) Soda- Obviously most, if not all, of us will agree that regular sodas are just a poor choice for almost everyone out there. Each can provides calories that really would be better "spent" elsewhere. There are no other major desirable nutrients coming from it (unless you found a soda that is fortified...there are some out there, although the ones I have seen are diet). I know everyone is familiar with this term-empty calories. That about sums it up for regular soda. Now, on the off chance that you have some "extra" calories to "spend" for the day and you have gotten all your vitamins and minerals in, a regular soda is one use for your discretionary, or extra calories. But for the most part, there are better ways to use those extra calories, and for most people looking to lose weight, those extra daily calories just aren't there. I also wanted to mention diet soda. True, it has no calories, and yes, I know there is talk that it can cause weight gain. The one major thought I have on this is that diet soda plays into the concept of a "health halo". This means there is something about it that seems healthy so people assume it is without giving much thought to it. In the case of diet soda, I think people use this concept in a way. I have worked in food service in the past I know that a lot of people order the diet soda to go along with high calorie items. Like it gets tossed in as a freebie. So I wonder at times if data showing obese people drink diet soda it is because they do this to "feel better" about other food choices or use it as a "freebie" thinking it somehow balances out higher calorie meals. Almost like there is a sacrifice being made. Additionally, I wonder if they drink soda as a response to the weight gain after the fact. For example, someone is obese and knows that it is a good idea to switch to diet soda, because this is a part of "dieting". Perhaps you feel like you are "dieting" by drinking diet soda, although some other diet choices do not reflect this. As a result, I think caution should be used with diet soda because I do think it gives off the impression there is something good or healthy about it, but you would be better off with water. I will admit, I do drink diet soda...in moderation! (confession-my favorite is a diet soda here in Japan, it is a ginger soda, and happens to be fortified with B12, B6 and C. I like it because of the taste. It's really gingery!)

2) Juice- We all know that fruit is healthy, so the juice must be too. Right? Well, the answer here is tricky. Sometimes yes and sometimes no. In my personal opinion, you can't beat eating the fruit. The nutrition you get from the whole fruit versus the juice really makes me want the fruit. The fiber is a major benefit too. Plus, the same calories you get from eating it versus drinking it last a lot longer, meaning it takes longer to get in the calories from eating an apple than it does to drink the juice. I would rather prolong that experience and enjoy the flavors and often crunchiness of the whole fruit. Plus, many juices have added sugars, meaning more than what was naturally in the fruit, if eaten in it's whole form. Another problem I have seen often with juice is that the consumption is just so fast that it is easy to over do it. The portion is really small (4-6 ounces depending) and the more portions consumed at once the faster those calories add up. Juicing at home is a little different, but like I said before, there is just a greater enjoyment for me in actually eating the fruit, and then drinking some water for my hydration.

3) Milk- Yes, there is a big issue with whole milk, and even the lower fat milks (but nothing like with whole milk). It is true that we can get the same nutrients in milk from other foods. In fact, some of those good nutrients we drink milk to obtain, are not naturally occurring, but rather are fortified. With whole milk there is the big concern with saturated fat. We just don't need it. The calories from all the extra fat add up quickly too, and it is just too easy to over do it on beverages that it is not worth the nutritional content to get it with all those calories. However, I will say that fat free milk (and even 1% to an extent, depending on how much you use) is not that bad of a way to get in those nutrients. The calorie difference between whole milk and fat free is enough that you can have fat free milk as part of a healthy diet because you are getting nutrients that way for under 100 calories in a serving. On a side note- yogurt, especially Greek, can be part of a healthy diet too, despite whatever Harvard may say about milk not being healthy. I think that within the dairy group, just like in all food groups, some choices are better than others.

4) Smoothies- This is a hot one in our house right now, or shall I say a cold one! Smoothies are another drinkable treat that can be healthy, but can also be unhealthy. Very large size smoothies with added sugars are definitely not going to help keep your weight in check no matter how badly you want to believe they are healthy. Yes, smoothies provide nutrients, and lots of good ones, but adding extra sugar is not necessary and quickly changes the health benefits of these drinks. It also depends what is added. A full fat yogurt is very different from a fat free greek yogurt (which is what we use). The portion also makes a difference. The calories add up fast as the size of the cup goes up. But, you are getting in fruit servings, so within reason, there is a benefit there. Just don't be fooled by seemingly healthy smoothies. Not all smoothies are created equal! In fact, there is a smoothie "mix" I see in the commissary. This is a bag of frozen fruit, and then a syrup packet, so you get to add some extra sugar. I like the mix of fruit they offer, but I would much rather buy just the frozen fruit and blend that myself because it is so sweet and tangy that I have no need for anything sweeter.

5) Alcohol- This is a big one to mention in conjunction with moderation. There are certainly health benefits to some alcoholic beverages, but at the same time, in excess, many negative health consequences. Like all beverages, it is easy to get a lot into the body in a short amount of time and have those calories add up. the good news with alcohol is that many times, when consumed in a social setting, are sipped slowly, so they last longer, helping you to not over do it on either the calories or the alcohol itself. Some beverages, like wine, do have some benefits, so as long as you are eating a balance diet and accounting for "liquid" calories, alcohol can fit into a healthy diet.

So, there you have it- my thoughts on some caloric beverages and how they may or may not fit into your healthy diet. I like to look at things from the big picture standpoint, so I have a hard time calling one food good or bad. It depends how it fits in your diet and if you are meeting your needs. Everyone is different.

QUESTIONS: What are your thoughts on caloric beverages? Are there some you consume? Which do you avoid?

Sushi Cooking Class

2012-01-09T16:41:00.000+09:00

In my last post you saw one of the nice sushi meals that I have eaten here in Japan. I know you already know sushi is a popular Japanese food. In reality, most sushi is expensive and the Japanese don't go out to eat it all the time. Rather it is used for special occasions. But this doesn't mean it is not fun to make at home, that is if you are skilled enough. On the base I had the opportunity to take a sushi cooking class with some of the local Japanese ladies that help out over at the Airmen and Family Readiness Center on the base. I am also signed up for 2 more classes this month, and I can't wait to share what I learn from those.

Before I get in to the sushi lesson, I wanted to share this with you. Any ideas what is inside? I will give you a hint. I bought this to eat at the movies. Any guesses? (Yeah, you probably won't guess, sorry!).

If you guessed cheesy potatoes then you are correct! I loved that this was a reasonable portion of skin-on potatoes, with just the right amount of cheese on top. How funny is that! I ate these at the movies! Haha, I am still laughing about it!

Moving on to the sushi lesson. Here are some of the ingredients we used that day. You will see salmon (that portion there cost about $4), nori paper, soba noodles (you will see why later), surimi (AKA imitation crab), and canned tuna fish.

When we got there the ladies had already started so that we had some prepared ingredients ready to go. Here you can see they are making omelets. Wondering why? I did too. Turns out there were two reasons for this. The first was because it would be used as garnish and the second was because, well hold on, that would give away a cool sushi making technique, so more on that later.

To start off you need sushi rice. This is not just any old rice. Sushi rice is more than just rice. Here is a link to a recipe that can be used if you want to try making sushi at home. A key ingredient for this is vinegar. The rice needs to be nice and sticky too.

The first sushi they taught us to make was gunkan-maki. This is where a small ball of rice is formed and then the nori (dried seaweed paper, although nori really means any kind of seaweed) is wrapped around the outside and the top becomes like a little bowl where you can put in ingredients. We filled ours with a tuna salad. The tuna salad was made with some mayo and miso. The cucumber and egg were used as garnish. In many sushi restaurants you will find this kind of sushi filled with fish eggs most commonly.

This was my attempt. Not nearly as pretty as the one above made by our "chef", but not a bad first try.

Next up we rolled some sushi. To do this we used a mat that is specific for sushi making. This is covered with plastic wrap to make it easier to "retrieve" your sushi after it is rolled. This kind of sushi is known as maki sushi. You have probably tried these before if you have ever been to a sushi restaurant in the US.

Roll, roll, roll!

First I watched the ladies make their rolls. Ok, I watched them a few times.

Another important tip is to clean the knife off with a damp cloth in between each cut you make in the roll.

Perfect looking sushi!

So here I go, trying to make my own rolled sushi. Ryan and I once made sushi at home, and it turned out nicely, but he did most of the rolling, so technically this is my first real attempt. One key tip is wetting your hands before grabbing the rice because if you don't you will never get the rice back off your hands and onto the nori paper. You cover much of the piece, but not all of this. Then you can add fillings. We had some cucumber, pickled veggies, and imitation crab.

Then I rolled mine up. Ok, not the prettiest thing I have ever made.

But inside I think it turned out pretty nicely. Needless to say, I think I do need some more practice.

While I was busy doing that, the ladies were busy making more sushi for our little sushi party. This time they made some nigiri. This kind of sushi is a small mound of rice with raw fish on top. usually it is raw fish, but I have had it with eggplant and also with egg (cooked, a Japanese omelet, which is a sweet egg dish), and Ryan has even had this with little tiny hamburger patties. In this case, the ladies made it with salmon on top, which is one of my favorites!

Here you can see something a little different. Remember earlier in the post when I showed you the omelet? Instead of using nori, they used egg as the "paper". I love this idea! I had this once before from the grocery store sushi I like to buy, but I didn't really realize this was it's own kind of sushi, I just thought the grocery store made their own thing up. Haha, now I know better!

Look how this is done. She is so gentle with the thin egg and the sticky rice. I think I may give this one a try one day at home.

Another one that I think will amaze you. Any ideas what this is...besides a heart, panda and star? Unless you are Japanese or have been to Japan I am not sure you could even guess, not even if your wildest dreams.

Did you guess hard boiled eggs? I am not kidding. Check this out. So, after you hard boil the egg, you peel it and then stick in a mold. Once it is in there and you close the lid, it gets refrigerated and then slides out in these cute shapes. I need to get some because I think making deviled eggs for parties in fun shapes would make me super cool.

Last up was the craziest of them all. One of the ladies has her own specialty sushi that she personally created, and she shared it with us. Here we have soba noodles. Soba and rice are both starches, so why not swap out the rice for noodles, right?!?!

In addition to soba they also used some white noodles (the soba would be the brown colored noodles). The yellow is from a pickled veggie, I think. Of course their samples came out perfectly.

My attempt? Not so much! But I still ate it and it was good.

Now that I have more experience and practice with making sushi, I think we will try this more often at home. The hard part is getting the rice just right. There is a lot of good sushi quality raw fish around that can be purchased at the grocery store, so that makes it easy to get the right kind of fish to eat raw.

Overall, this class rocked! I had so much fun and learned a lot. I can't wait for more cooking classes in the future.

QUESTIONS: Have you ever made sushi? If you could make any kind of sushi, with any filling or topping, what would be it and what would you name your creation?

Super Sushi Dinner and Cultural Activities

2012-01-05T18:45:00.000+09:00

Glad to see 2012 is off to a great start for so many of you.

I know sushi is popular in the US and many of you have had the chance to experience good sushi, and even some of you have been to Japan to give some a try here. Usually, Ryan and I go to the conveyor belt sushi place, which is pretty darn good, but technically considered fast food. I hate to say this, but their "fast food" sushi is better than a lot of the sushi I have had in the States. Not to mention, the typical plate with 2 pieces of nigiri or a roll with 6 pieces is about $1.40 a plate. I am not sure a deal like that with quality and safe sushi could even be found in the US. But, every once in a while a nice big, fancy sushi meal is in order.

Just before Thanksgiving, Ryan and I went to a sushi place near the base called Kiku Zushi. I should probably mention that sushi is usually spelled zushi in Japan.

The place was packed, so Ryan and I took the seats up in the front at the sushi bar. When the chef stepped away I took a picture of the lovely creation he had just made and placed out for the waitress to pick up.

Look at all the nice, raw fish, ready to go. There are even scallops in here. Can you spot them? I'll give you a hint, look for the scallop shells.

This restaurant not only had sushi, but also traditional Japanese food and set menus. Ryan does not eat shrimp, and the traditional meals almost always come with tempura shrimp, so he went with some sushi. It was definitely pretty looking on the plate.

He also ordered some yellowtail, which is his favorite.

I decided to order a set meal. Set meals (also known as menus) are very common here. You order a set menu/meal and get everything pictured, many times all coming on one tray. My meal started with some miso soup.

Yummy miso!

This was my set menu. It came with sushi, some tempura, and of course the miso, which I pictured just above. You can also see the dipping sauce for the tempura.

This was crab, salmon and shrimp nigiri, with a tuna roll and a cucumber roll.

Tempura is a batter fried method of cooking, and in this case is a shrimp, leaf of some sort and a slice of kabocha (Japanese version of a pumpkin).

This was a yummy sushi dinner and I hope to go back sometime. Of course there are hundreds of places to get sushi around here.

Next up I wanted to share some cultural activities that I took part in. The Airmen and Family Readiness Center (AFRC) on base holds "classes" each month on a variety of cultural activities. If you remember in the past I did sakiori weaving and glass blowing, both of which were through the AFRC, so these are all similar types of activities. They have cooking classes too, and I will post on those soon.

This class was on the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Much of this originated in the times of samurai warriors, and the traditions have carried on into present day. I by no means remember much of the exact details of everything that goes into this, but it is a big thing here and is very fancy with lots of little pieces that you need to know and understand. We did this very informally and in a fun setting to see what it is like. We learned a little about the history and the items used in the ceremony itself.

In the pictures below I am pretending to be the hostess and I am serving Mayu, our fantastic cultural instructor.

Notice I am in my gym clothes. Yeah, I went to the gym directly from this class.

I should also mention I am not a huge tea fan, but I did give this a try. The tea used for the tea ceremony is called matcha. It is a green powdered, very concentrated, and can be very expensive for the good stuff. This is what is used to make green tea flavored goodies and have them be so brightly colored in green. The powder is added to make the tea, so it does not involved any tea bags or leaves.

Oh, and they drink from big bowls, not little cups.

Here goes nothing!

Like I said, not my favorite, but I am getting used to it.

While I am sharing some pictures about cultural activities, I will take a moment to point out that I live in Northern Japan (not quite as northern as Hokkaido, but still up there) and we do get a bit of snow. After living in Las Vegas for 5 years and the Azores for 2 years, this is quite a shock to the system. I have stocked up on winter wear and gear and the dog is loving it. But, it can snow a lot and go from a clear view out the living room window to something resembling this picture.

With that in mind, I will now share with you pictures from a cultural trip we took to the 9th day market. What am I getting at? It was figgin' cold outside and this market is held outdoors. What on earth were we thinking signing up for this trip?!?!?

Now, maybe you are wondering what the 9th day market is and why it is called this. This is a farmer's market, not too far from the base, that is held on every 9th day. So this means 3 times a month and the day of the week always varies. It is held on the 9th, 19th and 29th. Hence, 9th day market.

So we quickly wandered though the market making fast decisions about what to buy. In this picture you see they have bowls with apples. Aomori prefecture is home to most of the apple growing in Japan. Each bowl here is being sold for 500 yen, which is about $6.60. This is actually really cheap because you can pay 500 yen for one giant apple around here. I should mention these are by far the best apples I have ever eaten.

Yep, it was darn cold out there.

Here are some veggies. They come from a local farm.

They also sell some prepared foods, which is very common for markets. This is hard to see, but in the far back row is tofu on a stick. In fact, all of these are vegetarian treats on sticks. I was most shocked by the block of tofu, with a sauce on it and placed on a stick. I didn't get one that day, but I do plan on trying this in the future.

Last up, a variety of produce for sale. All the produce is organized in these bowls. You pick the one you want and then they put it in a bag for you. The only thing I wound up buying that day was tangerines, but you can bet that I will be going back there again.

QUESTIONS: Do you have a year round farmer's market near you? Have you ever been to a tea ceremony (from any culture)? Do you prefer nigiri sushi or maki rolls?

Next week Thursday Thoughts will be back. Still getting back into the routine after the holiday break.

Checking on Goals from 2011 and New Goals for 2012

2012-01-03T20:45:00.002+09:00

Happy New Year everyone!

I must say it was really weird to have spent 14 hours in 2012 before most of my friends and family joined me. We spent a pretty low key night in. I cooked us some dinner and we watched a movie. We are not major partiers and sometimes it is just safer to stay in and off the roads. Plus, it was cold as heck out there!

I wanted to check in with my 2011 goals that I posted last year here on Nutrition, Food, Travel and More, as well as set out my goals for 2012. Let's see how I did.

2011 Goals

1) Physical activity at least 4 days a week: Really, this is always my goal. I set it somewhere that is doable but also easy to meet and exceed. I would rather be proud of myself for going over my goal than beating myself up because I couldn't make it one week. For the most part I was successful with this goal, however I will say that it was tough during the move. It is not an easy task to move your whole life from Portugal to Japan, including 2 pets (which require a lot of work to get into Japan which is rabies free). Therefore, and I could have told you this before the move, I was not able to get to the gym during this time, and while I could have walked more outside, I really was on a time crunch and just way off from any normal schedule. Not an excuse, more of a reality and something I expected, anticipated and just dealt this. In the past few months I have gotten back into this and have been doing 5 days a week consisting of 30 min cardio and weight training m,w,f and then 45 min cardio on tues/thurs. For now, this is a good goal for me and will continue on into 2012.

2) Cook dinner at least 2 nights a week: Another goal that I met for the most part, minus the time we were moving. Not having an actual kitchen for a long period of time really makes this hard to keep up with. Even once we got our apartment in Japan I was not able to cook because we had no pots and pans. Once our things came I was glad to be able to cook more, but I did not get back into the 2 nights a week. I am hoping Ryan is back to a more normal work schedule and I can start this up again. This means that my cooking goal will continue into 2012.

3) Make more From Scratch Weekends creations: I think we failed miserably at this, and the reason would be the same as #2 above. Without pots and pans, nor a kitchen, from scratch meals were just not that possible. But, I was anticipating that anyway and comfortable with not making as many as we would have liked. We only did 8 from scratch meals, but that did include mayo, which is a tough one! Our last From Scratch Meal was back in April. The good news is that we both want to keep up with this one, so I will say that this goal will continue on into 2012, but I will not set a number of meals, just to aim for more than the 8 we did last year.

4) Clean out my closet: I will say that I did get my closet and other things cleaned out, but only because there were somethings I just refused to move from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean over to the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I even cleaned out some sweaters from my closet over winter break, so I am pleased to report, this was successful! I am cleaned and organized for now, thankfully settled in to our place in Japan, so I will not make this a goal for 2012.

5) Tweet more nutrition tips: While I did change my Twitter name to @RDontheMove and wanted to get away from the personal posts into more professional posts, I found that long periods of time without easy access to Twitter (during the move of course...sorry if it sounds like a broken record, I am not trying to make this an excuse, but I can't deny that this interfered with my ability to do somethings) made it hard to post as often as I wanted and instead I stuck with retweeting all of the great RD posts that are out there. But, at the same time I did get a lot of my own posts out there too and it was definitely an improvement over the previous year. I now have a FB page for my nutrition practice in Japan and I have been posting a lot of good nutrition tips there, so I am glad I was able to get some info out there like I had planned. This is definitely a goal I will continue within in 2012.

6) Graduate: Check, check, and check again! I graduated in June with a Master of Human Relations degree from The University of Oklahoma. So what's the new goal for 2012? Start a doctoral degree!

7) Research PhD programs: I was successful here. However, I found that with us moving to Japan, a traditional PhD program was probably not the right path for me given my short and long term goals and the fact that I would be living in Japan. Instead, I applied to the Doctorate in Clinical Nutrition Program from The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. The DCN program is a one of a kind program that is offered almost entirely online, has a clinical practice component, and is a clinically based (versus research based) doctoral program. My long term goal is to teach nutrition and dietetics students and I feel that although this is not a PhD, I will still be able to reach my goal of educating future dietitians. I would also like to run an internship, and I think a clinical based degree is very appropriate for that. Not to mention, the course work really interests me (probably more so than a lot of the research based courses, although I find them interesting too, I just find the clinical learning more interesting).

8) Get started on a book: Good news! While I did not write my book (yet), I did take a proposal writing course, and it has paid off. I am almost finished writing my first major project, which is an app (check out Eat Well Global for more info), but still a writing project and was a lot like writing a book. Also, I worked on a cookbook (The Muffin Tin Cookbook) as a contributor doing recipe analysis, which will be available for purchase soon. So, I am technically PUBLISHED! I definitely plan to keep with the writing in 2012 and get started on a book.

9) Read more books for fun: I didn't read as many books as I would have liked, but I did read a few. The highlights were The Help and The Hunger Games trilogy. This is one thing I would like to continue with in 2012, but with starting school I know this may be tough.

10) Continue with my travels around the world: Success! I would say I did pretty well with my travel in 2011. We went to Lisbon and Italy...and of course, we moved to Japan, which is pretty darn cool if I do say so myself. Also, once I moved to Japan I turned right around and went to the US to San Diego and San Francisco, so that counts as travel also. Oh, and for Thanksgiving we travelled to Tokyo, which was really cool. This is definitely another that I will continue with in 2012. I already have plans for a nutrition conference in Israel, my friends wedding in Spain, and another nutrition conference in Australia. I love to travel so don't expect me to slow down on that just yet. Expect to see a lot of posts in 2012 about my travels and the food experiences I have while on the road.

Ok, so let's see how things are shaping up for 2012. So far on my list of goals:

1. Physical activity at least 4 days a week

2. Cook dinner at least 2 nights a week

3. Make more From Scratch Weekends creations

4. Tweet more nutrition tips

5. Get started on a writing a book

6. Read more books for fun

7. Continue with my travels around the world

Great, those are 7 awesome goals for 2012. Now to finish these off and reach a total of 10.

8. Grow my private practice: This is a household business at the base where we live. I offer 3 services right now and the goal is of course to help the families here be more healthy, starting with their dietary habits. Don't forget to "like" me on Facebook. I named my company In a Nutshell. I thought it was pretty clever.

9. Learn Japanese: Since we will be here for a few years I really think this is important. Even if I don't learn enough to be fluent, I do want to be able to communicate enough to get by and have an idea what is going on. I have taken the survival Japanese that they offer on the base and that was a great start. I am looking forward to more classes.

10. Update my blog: Look for more to come with my blog. I think it is in need of some updating. I love my background, but it makes me miss the island. Not sure what direction this will take, but I do know that I want to make some updates and get some organization in place with this blog. I know in 2012 I will have a lot of travel writing and I want this to focus not only on the sights, but also the food, and I don't want nutrition to fall off either, so organization is key. My focus has always been food, nutrition and travel, and I hope to keep this. I also plan to get my Thursday Thoughts segment back on track.

Well, there you have it (and now you can keep me to it!), my recap of 2011 and my goals for 2012.

QUESTIONS: What are your goals for 2012? Did you meet your goals for 2011? How did you spend NYE?

Chocolate PB Tofu pie and other Holiday Cooking

2011-12-31T16:22:00.005+09:00

Happy New Year everyone!

Since it is time to start thinking about 2012, I realized I better clean up from 2011. This means sharing with you some great recipes I made this past fall, including for the Holiday season.

First up is my go to Thanksgiving side dish. I have made this the past 2 years in a row. It's a sweet quinoa dish with dried fruit and nuts.

Ingredients:

1 cup dry quinoa

1 cup water

1 cup apple juice

1/3 cup golden raisins

1/3 cup dried cherries

1/3-1/2 cup cashews

Directions:

1. Place water, apple juice, raisins, cherries and quinoa in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.

2. Reduce heat and cook for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed.

3. Stir gently to bring fruit up from bottom and mix evenly throughout the quinoa.

4. Add cashews and gently mix in. Allow to sit for at least 5 minutes to soften the cashews some. Toss a few extra cashews on top for garnish.

When I make this dish I am usually taking it to a party, so I actually double up. Once I add the cashews I transfer to a serving dish and cover with foil. By the time I get to the party it is still warm and the cashews are a nice consistency.

Next up is a recipe I came up with one night after I spotted these gorgeous local Unno sweet potatoes (remember local for me is northern Japan, on the island of Honshu, not as far north as Hokkaido).

After I scrubbed these I found the nice purple color I heard everyone talking about when they mention the sweet potatoes here.

They have a nice orangish color inside. I decided I was going to turn these into a nice soup.

So I cut them up into smaller pieces.

I started off with onions and garlic, and added a little black pepper.

Then I added the sweet potatoes and cooked it all together.

Once it was soft I added some some veggie broth.

That's when things got really fun! Hello immersion blender!

But then I realized it was way too thick, so I added a little more veggie broth and some water. The last step was adding in some slices of zucchini for added texture.

Wow, it turned out rather nicely if I do say so myself! Plus, my hubby loved it!

Sweet Potato Soup with Zucchini

Ingredients:

2 pounds sweet potato
1 large onion
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon black pepper
29 ounces vegetable broth
1 large zucchini (sliced into round pieces and then quartered)
¼ teaspoon sage
2 tablespoons olive oil

DiDirections:

1.Sauté onion in olive oil with 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in stock pot or dutch oven,
until translucent.

2.Add diced sweet potato (with skin on), 1/2 teaspoon thyme and 1/4 teaspoon sage. Place
on medium to medium high heat, cover and cook 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent
onions from browning on the bottom of pot.

3.Add 1 can vegetable broth and bring to a boil, cooking for 15 minutes or until sweet
potatoes are softened.

4.Using immersion blender, puree the mixture until mostly smooth and almost all
chunks are gone.

5.Add 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon thyme, and stir.

6.Add 1 can vegetable broth (and/or water as needed), cook on medium-high heat for 5 minutes.

7.Add the zucchini and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until the zucchini is soft.

Nutrition Info per serving/Recipe makes 6 servings

Calories: 190

Fat: 4.5 grams

Protein: 3 grams

Carbohydrate: 35 grams

Fiber: 5.4 grams

Sodium: 634 mg

Next on my list was the recipe I promised to share later since I was busy showcasing my own special recipe for Raspberry Lemonade Tofu Pie. I got my inspiration for this from my sister. She makes an insanely good vegan PB tofu pie. Recently I entered this recipe (on behalf of my sister since she was unable to enter this herself) into a contest, so cross your fingers and let's hope this wins for my sis!

This is the same idea as my raspberry lemonade pie, so the tofu gets pureed first.

Then the chocolate chips (we use Ghirardelli semi-sweet chips) get melted in either the microwave or using a double boiler. The the PB gets added and melts in because the mixture is already heated.

The chocolate PB mixture gets added to the tofu and then you pour into a pie shell. I used store bought again, but you can make at home. My sister has even tried a pretzel crust. The top gets some more chocolate chips and then drizzle with some melted PB. You can find the full recipe posted HERE.

I made this pie to send with Ryan to work since they were working long hours during the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. Some of the spouses made sure the guys were well fed on all shifts by sending all kinds of goodies in. I also made a tortellini stew one night for everyone. My husband said everyone loved this pie and wanted to eat this before even getting to eat their dinner. Once they were all done he let them on the secret that this was made from tofu. He said no one believed him. Yes, it is that good!

Last up is by far the most unhealthy of all my recipes, but still a homemade (mostly since did not have enough time to make my own PB cups, although that is a possibility for the future) treat for the holidays. I spotted the recipe on the back of the PB cup package and really just got a craving and felt compelled to make these. Another reason was that I had 1/2 a jar of PB left over from the PB pie and I wanted to use it up. Check the full recipe out HERE.

So I made my dough...

peeled all those PB cup wrappers off...

baked up those cookies (in mini muffin tins)...

then stuck the mini PB cup into the centers!

YUM!

All of these recipes turned out well. I will be making ALL of these recipes again.

Have a SAFE and HAPPY NEW YEAR! See you all in 2012!

QUESTIONS: What was your favorite recipe of 2011 (please share links if you have them)? Have you ever created a recipe entirely from scratch? Where do you get most of your recipes? Have you ever won a recipe contest?

Thursday Thoughts: Adios 2011

2011-12-29T22:04:00.008+09:00

It's Thursday, so you know what that means...

Thursday Thoughts

This is a segment where I post my thoughts about various nutrition and health related topics, or maybe even something else if it is really an intriguing topic. Most of my current views and opinions come from experience working as a dietitian and as college instructor in nutrition courses. Most of that learning is science based or observational from the clinical setting. In general, I hate over-generalizations, so for many of the things I post, I expect there is one or two exceptions because broad sweeping generalizations are always bound to miss out on something.

Well, being that this is the last Thursday of the year I wanted to make one last Thursday Thoughts post, but I also want to keep it simple. So here are my thoughts for saying goodbye to 2011 and welcoming in 2012.

1) Be safe! Don't drink and drive. Be aware of your surroundings. Tell a friend or family member where you are going and who are going out with. Don't post to the world that your house will be empty all night or other things that may put you at risk.

2) Enjoy the evening! New Years Eve is always a big party night or at least a time to enjoy with those you care about (or just like to have fun with). Don't get hung up on broken resolutions from the past year and goals you are looking to start early. Relax instead and enjoy the time you have celebrating.

3) Reflect! Take this time to reflect over the past year. Don't harp over the negatives, just think about how to make those into positives for the coming year. Make your reflections fun. Get your friends and family in on it. This will help you gain support for future goals.

4) Call your family! Maybe you aren't with them for the evening, but take the time to call them and wish them a Happy New Year. Tell them what you liked best about your memories with them in 2011 and what you are looking forward to in 2012.

5) Get some sleep! Staying up to midnight is fun and usually well worth it, but staying up until the next morning (or longer) just isn't worth it. You may feel groggy and moody from lack of sleep and it may be hard to get back into the swing of things when it comes time to head back to work. Unless you have a really good reason for staying up until well into the morning, make sure to get some rest.

Most importantly, enjoy yourself!

Happy New Year!

QUESTIONS: What are your tips for having an enjoyable and memorable NYE celebration?

Raspberry Lemonade Tofu Pie

2011-12-26T21:26:00.003+09:00

My sister makes the most amazing chocolate peanut butter pie (don't worry, that's coming soon in another post), which in turn inspired me to create a pie that was just as good, but contrasted her go to party pie. So, the raspberry lemonade tofu pie was born. Good thing I was able to perfect the recipe before the deadline of the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group New Years Recipe contest. While I didn't win the contest, you can still find my recipe on their website. Plus, you might want to check out the other recipes as well.

I used frozen raspberries because not only are they cheaper, but they were in better shape than the fresh and you can't tell once you have pureed it anyway.

Tofu is used as the binder and it provides a nice creamy texture. If you have ever tried a tofu pie before then you know what I am talking about. Since the raspberries and lemon were adding more liquid, I made sure to press this tofu even though it is not entirely necessary.

I pureed my tofu, then added the raspberries to it. Pureed some more and added my lemon juice. I used pectin as my thickening agent. My first attempt was, un well, messy! So pectin on later attempts made a huge difference.

I used a store bought pie crust, and yes you can find vegan options, or make at home.

Once my filling was blended I poured into my pie crust.

For garnish I used some fresh raspberries.

After about 2-3 hours in the fridge it was ready for serving. YUM!

Yield: 8 servings – 1/8 of the pie

Preparation Time: 15-20 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 – 12.3 oz pkg Mori-Nu® Silken tofu, firm, pressed to remove excess water

¼ cup Granulated sugar

1 cup Frozen raspberries, thawed and drained to remove excess water

1 each Lemon, juiced

1 Tbsp Lemon zest

1 – 1.75 oz pkg Sure Jell® (pectin) or similar brand of pectin

1 – 9 inch Graham cracker pie crust, prepared (or similar/homemade for vegan crust)

Fresh or frozen raspberries for garnish

Additional Items Needed

Food processor preferably, blender (optional)
1 flexible spatula

Directions

In a food processor or a blender puree tofu, sugar, raspberries, lemon juice, lemon zest and pectin until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary.
Pour into graham cracker crust and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or until firm.
Garnish with raspberries.
Chill until ready to serve.

Calories: 211; Total Fat: 8.7 g; Saturated Fat: 1.7 g; Trans Fat: 0 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 187 mg; Carbohydrates: 29.9 g; Dietary Fiber: 1.6 g; Sugar: 19.3 g; Protein: 4.5 g; Vitamin A: 250 IU; Vitamin C: 16.2 mg; Calcium 30 mg; Iron: 1.26 mg

Tour of a Japanese Grocery Store

2011-12-25T11:05:00.000+09:00

The Airmen and Family Readiness Center on base offers a variety of awesome cultural classes to help Americans living in Japan learn more about the culture and life in the local community. I absolutely love taking these classes and going on these excursions. Many are free, often you carpool to a location, and if you do pay, you get something in return (like when I did the weaving and glass blowing classes). I even took their Survival Japanese class already and I plan to take the Beyond Survival Japanese class next month.

The one activity I wanted to do the most was the grocery store tour. I wanted to go right away, but the time always conflicted with the live seminar I teach for Kaplan. Now, you may or may not know this, but I am working on writing an iPhone app for Eat Well Global. I am so excited about this project and I enjoyed writing about what I have learned about Japanese food from living here in Japan, along with being able to communicate with locals about what food and nutrition means to them.

Here is a description of Eat Well Global from the website:

Eat Well Global, Inc., founded by Julie Meyer, RD, is a nutritionist-led global communications company bringing together a stellar network of nutrition experts to offer YOU the inside scoop on eating well at home and around the globe. Eat Well Global travel apps provide tourists, residents and arm-chair travelers with local information on: health/nutrition trends, tips and insights; food safety; organic labeling; restaurant, market and food tourism destinations; recipes from local chefs and special considerations for those traveling with special food needs and allergies. These nutritionist-in-your-pocket guides are available for iPhone and Android.

Well, the app is almost done, but I said better late than never on this grocery store tour. Not only did I get the chance to confirm everything I had learned, but I was able to teach Mayu a little too about regulatory code and labeling in Japan (she had no idea about organic food labels!).

We went to a smaller supermarket, making sure to go on a Tuesday because this is known as 100 yen day at Yokomachi's. Some, but not all, of the produce is sold for 100 yen. How much is 100 yen? Right now that is about $1.30.

You can bet I asked question after question, and because most of my work is done on the app (yes, it will be available shortly...you know you ~~want~~ need it!), I took to asking questions that would help me personally to determine what I can and can't eat with my vegetarian food prefs. The Japanese do like their pork lard, so you really never know.

Right at the entrance there was a nice display of local produce. I will say this is great and I love the local goods, but if you are looking for organic, Japan is not the place to go. Organic is a fairly new concept here and is confined to major cities, like Tokyo and Kyoto. According to Mayu, this region (we live in Aomori prefecture) is based in agriculture, and this industry supports everyone, so no one questions their food source farming methods, they just buy what they have to support local farming and the local economy, which in turn supports their families. Also, and I believe it is similar in the US, the conversion process to turn a farm from conventional to organic is a 2 year process where the land is unusable. These communities, in my opinion at least as I have not confirmed this with any farmers, can't afford not to farm during that time, especially not after the earthquake and tsunami. So, I happily buy local goods, and make sure to wash my produce well, which in all honesty is what I do with American produced goods too, or at least for most items. I will almost always choose local over organic any day (less pollution from transport and I can still wash my food). Aomori, where we live, produces the most apples in Japan (and are insanely delicious), so the best advice if you are visiting here and concerned about the pesticides and apples would be to wash well, and use a produce wash if you have it available.

Back to the local produce...

If only I could read Japanese! The produce comes labelled with the farmer's information so you know exactly what you are getting.

Here you can see the label for 100 yen. So each broccoli bunch here is 100 yen. Not a bad deal seeing as Japan is notoriously expensive.

More 100 yen produce! This time it is mushrooms.

More mushrooms. Boy, good thing I LOVE mushrooms.

These are chrysanthemum petals. They are edible and used often in this region. Now you see why the Chrysanthemum Festival is so big around here.

Ever heard of shirataki noodles? Perhaps you have, especially if you have tried losing weight or sought out very low calorie foods. These are made from a yam known as devil's tongue. Not only do they come in noodle form, but you can buy blocks as well. It is gelatinous in consistency, but very low calorie. Many US stores now carry the noodles. I know before I moved to Japan I saw these, and they are listed as tofu, so it is possible in the US they are made from soy instead, but in Japan (where they originate) they are made from devil's tongue, also known in Japanese as konnyaku.

In the refrigerated case you can find noodles that are ready to go for traditional noodle based dishes, like yakisoba.

Miso is a very important ingredient in Japan, and you can find a variety of miso in the store. It really helps to know some Japanese, but if not, I suppose trial and error can work too!

Lots of options too for vinegars, including some sake based options. They also have lots of soy sauce around. The Japanese word for soy sauce is shoyu.

Like I said before, organic is rare in the smaller communities, and Mayu had never seen the label before. Boy was she surprised when I described it to her, and then she spotted this in the soy milk section. Yep, we found organic soy milk. Not surprised that of all things it was the soy milk. That JAS symbol in green is the organic symbol in Japan.

In the future I will post some more pictures from markets (check this out if you missed my post on the local fish market) with produce and things you can find here in Japan. The grocery store was very busy because it is a major shopping day with the 100 yen special, and I did not want to be climbing over people to get pictures. On the way out I did snap one more picture as we passed by the bakery. This is mochi. It is a traditional, glutinous rice cake, often sweet. Many of you may know this from the US, perhaps in the ice cream version.

I also wanted to share what might just be the healthiest fast food meal ever. One day we stopped by Sukiya, which we pass often. It is a local chain and our impression was that there would be nothing vegetarian on the menu.

Well, we were close. Ok, not entirely close, but the main dishes are all meat. However, the side dish menu offered some surprising options. I wasn't too hungry, but if I was I would have also ordered the side salad. Instead, I just went with grilled salmon and white rice (come on, it's Japan, of course there was white rice with this). Like I said, adding some veggies to this would have really made a nice addition, but overall I was really impressed. I am glad we stopped in.

Ryan ordered from the regular menu, which was basically curry type dishes. I am sure we will go back again, especially if we are in need of a quick meal at an off time (many places close between lunch and dinner, and Europe is the same way so this is not new for us).

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

QUESTIONS: Have you ever tried mochi? Do you have an Asian market in your town? Have you ever heard of shirataki noodles?

Thursday Thoughts: Goal Setting

2011-12-22T20:32:00.000+09:00

It's Thursday, so you know what that means...

Thursday Thoughts

Some of you may have read my post last year for Thursday thoughts before New Years, but if you didn't, I wrote about New Years Resolutions. I am not a huge fan of resolutions, as I mentioned in that post, because it makes it seem like you were doing things all wrong before and you need to resolve this poor actions, transforming them into something good. To me, the whole things seems to negative. Instead, I like the term goal.

Goals are something we can set any time and work towards in the short term or long term. They are binding like resolutions, but I think the accountability factor with a goal is different. When it comes to resolutions I think most people think we might stick to it for a month or so, but generally a few months in have given up. Now, this is obviously not true for some people, but for those that are not actively setting goals year round, I find this to be more true. So here are my thoughts on goal setting.

1) Pick something that gives you a result that you are looking for. This may seem like common sense, but a lot of times people aim for something that has an outcome that someone else wants. It is a lot easier to work towards something that you will enjoy or be proud of in the end. Goals should be designed with you in mind, not what you think will please others.

2) Goals do not have to be limited to diet and exercise. Goals for physical health are great, but you can set other goals too that will in turn have an effect on your physical health. Many of those other kinds of goals (like scrapbook more often or learning to play an instrument) work on your mental health, helping to reduce stress, and in turn benefit your physical health. The goal should be something you want to achieve and will make you happy.

3) Goals should require some effort and work but at the same time need to be attainable. Setting goals too far out of reach will only set you up for failure. Make sure that when you set a goal you have a reasonable time line in place and know that this can be achieved with some effort as long as you stay focused an on track. Do some research in advance and make sure that you are not setting goals that are unlikely to be possible. For example, trying to lose 5 pounds in 1 week is not attainable within reasonable health and safety limits, but 5 pounds in one month is definitely attainable. If you have never played the piano before, learning 3 songs in 1 week is not attainable, but learning one song in 1 month might be more practical for you.

4) Set short term and long term goals. Working towards a big goal is a good idea, but not having smaller goals (or milestone markers) along the way can possibly be a set back. The joy of successfully reaching a goal is a good motivator to stay on track. By creating small goals that can be met along the way to your big (long term) goal, you give yourself some positive reinforcement that you can do it and this will help as you work towards the next short term goal, and ultimately that long term goal. For example, you might want to lose 40# in 6 months. This might be a good goal, but by 2 months you may need some positive reinforcement to keep you on track. Without smaller, short term goals along the way there you might start to feel like you will never reach that goal. But, if you also set smaller goals, like losing 6-7 pounds a month, you can feel like you have accomplished something and you are still working towards that bigger goal. With the piano example, your long term goal might be to play in a recital 6 months down the road, but perhaps along the way you might want to learn how to play 2 new songs a month. You can get a little boost in confidence and motivation when you reach those smaller short term goals.

5) Don't keep your goals a secret. At least write them down so you have a reminder of where you want to be down the road. Share them with your friends and family, and especially those you know will be supportive. This will help keep you accountable. If you have fallen off track, avoid getting defensive when you are asked about your goals by friends and family. Remember, they are just trying to help. Instead, let them help you get back on track if by some chance you have strayed from meeting your goals. Sometimes that fresh perspective or outside opinion is enough to jump start your motivation, giving you that little nudge that you needed.

So those are my thoughts on goal setting, which is a big deal, whether we like it or not, for the new year. Another thing to keep in mind is that we are forever changing. Circumstances change, life changes, and our environments change, so it is OK to reevaluate your goals and see if they need some changing too. Just as long as you still have something you are working towards, whether it be health related, education related, or relationship related.

QUESTIONS: What you are thoughts or tips on goal setting? Any goals you plan to put in place with the new year?

Also, wanted to say HAPPY HANUKKAH!!!

Living in Japan Bucket List

2011-12-20T19:31:00.000+09:00

I'm not the first one to do this, but I thought it would be a fun idea instead of working so hard on New Year's resolutions. I know some other military spouse bloggers that have posted their must-do lists, or bucket lists, for their base. Military families move often, sometimes with only a short time at each base, and a list of things you want to do while stationed there is a great way to make sure you don't miss out on anything. Plus, it gives you some goals to work towards and ideas for activities when you are just not sure what to do.

This is my list of 100 things I want to do while living here in Japan. From time to time I will come back to the list and update it, marking off things I accomplished and see what I have left to do before these next few years fly right by. Some of these we have actually done, but I am keeping them on here since they were on my list before publishing it here. I'll make sure to come back and update the list after the New Year since a few of these may happen over the holidays.

1. Take Survival Japanese

2. Visit Tokyo

3. Visit Kyoto

4. Visit Osaka

5. Sapporo Snow Festival

6. Ride the Shinkansen

7. Go horse back riding

8. Learn to ski

9. Learn to snow board

10. Visit Hirosaki Castle for the Chrysanthemum Festival

11. Visit Hirosaki Castle for the Cherry Blossom Festival

12. Aomori Nebuta Festival

13. Make okonomiyaki

14. Try takoyaki

15. Make my own sushi

16. Take Beyond Survival Japanese

17. Buy a kimono

18. Visit Oirase Gorge

19. Visit Big Buddha in Aomori

20. Visit Aomori Art Museum

21. Visit Towada Art Museum

22. Take a cruise on Lake Towada

23. See a snow monkey

24. Go snow shoeing

25. Take a trip to Thailand

26. Take a trip to Australia

27. Climb Mt. Fuji

28. Go to an onsen

29. Go to Tokyo Disney

30. See Tsukiji Market

31. Travel to South Korea

32. Go to Universal Studios (in Osaka)

33. Buy something with Hello Kitty on it

34. Write a blog post during an earthquake (any idea what just happened! LOL)

35. Visit Okinawa

36. Go to a Sumo tournament

37. Drive to Tokyo

38. Go to the beef and garlic festival

39. See the Ryusendo Caves

40. Volunteer for Tsunami/Earthquake relief (from 2011 Earthquake)

41. Go to a Japanese baseball game

42. Go ice skating

43. See Kabuki theater performance

44. Travel to Hawaii

45. Take the ferry to Hokkaido

46. Try green tea ice cream

47. Visit Sendai

48. Attend Shabbat services in Tokyo

49. Go apple picking

50. Go cherry picking

51. Visit a Buddhist Temple

52. Visit a Shinto Shrine

53. See the wild horses

54. Go to the Rokkasho Salmon Festival

55. Drink sake

56. Visit Tokyo National Museum

57. Visit Hiroshima

58. Visit Kenji World

59. Visit Morioka

60. Eat shabu shabu

61. Visit Tokyo Tower

62. Have a traditional vegetarian Buddhist meal

63. Buy fresh fish from a market
64. Buy an antique
65. Attend a tea ceremony
66. Dine Japanese style (sitting on the floor)
67. Go to a concert in Tokyo
68. Learn to use chopsticks
69. Use a Japanese toilet
70. Buy a heated toilet seat
71. Go hiking
72. Go camping
73. Visit Nagoya Castle
74. Visit Nagano
75. Visit the Imperial Palace in Tokyo
76. Dine along Dotombori
77. Visit Ueno Zoo
78. Buy a Hard Rock shirt from all locations in Japan
79. Visit a Japanese beer brewery
80. Play a round of golf (all 18 holes!)
81. Drink apple wine
82. See a fire works display
83. Swim in the ocean
84. Visit Shipwreck Beach
85. Build a snow man
86. Eat tofu on a stick
87. Visit the Tokyo Sky Tree observation desk
88. Visit Disney Sea
89. See a professional Taiko drum performance
90. See the deer in Nara
91. Visit Sensoji Temple
92. See a Noh theater performance
93. Go dolphin and whale watching
94. Check out Harajuku
95. Sing karaoke
96. Eat a sea urchin
97. Make a kanji painting
98. Learn how to spell my name in Japanese
99. Ride the subway in Tokyo
100. Be a good ambassador

QUESTIONS: If you were traveling to Japan, what is the top thing you would want to see or do? What is on your bucket list where you live?

Hirosaki Castle, Chrysanthemum Festival

2011-12-17T19:42:00.000+09:00

Back in November I had the chance to visit Hirosaki for the Chrysanthemum Festival. Hirosaki is a town in the northern part of Honshu, the main island of Japan.

(Photo from: http://www.hirosaki.co.jp/htcb/foreign/english/contact.html)

The main point of interest here this time of year is Hirosaki Castle and the surrounding gardens. Another major highlight would be the apples. Aomori prefecture is the top producer of apples in Japan, but when it comes to cities within the prefecture, Hirosaki tops them all.

For the most part this post will just be pictures. I wish I could say the pictures tell the whole story of the beauty and tranquility here, but sadly, the pictures can't even compare. The whole area was covered in the most amazing autumn colors, and the gardens were packed with beautiful floral displays.

This is the road as we were approaching the entrance.

Since this is a castle area, of course you would expect to find some water surrounding the area.

This is at the entrance of the garden area.

Here I am, just enjoying the crisp fall day in Hirosaki.

This is for all of you that really like pandas.

This is for the elephant lovers (yes Mer, this is for you, but I already sent you this picture)

This is for any giraffe lovers out there.

You can see they are really big into the chrysanthemums, and they even eat them in Aomori. One of the Japanese girls I know said that Americans will buy the petals in the grocery store and sprinkle them around the table thinking they are decoration, but the Japanese think it is funny because that would be the equivalent of the Japanese sprinkling spinach around their table. It's supposed to be eaten, not used as a decoration! Glad I learned that early on!

Another major component to this festival is the displays of dolls dressed using flowers.

They even have scenes of warriors made from flowers too.

I believe these were on display for judging.

You can see more of those dolls off in the distance.

They even had them staged in boats.

Inside this little house were more dolls.

This is on the inside.

Look at the deep red color of the leaves.

I found it so relaxing and I had some time before the bus headed back home, so I took a nice stroll through the wooded area in the gardens.

Nice and relaxing!

Then I proceeded through this gate to head up to the castle area.

Check that out! So beautiful! I hear it is even more beautiful in the Spring for the Cherry Blossom Festival.

Inside there are displays of swords and other samurai gear.

These stairs were seriously steep. I was impressed some older visitors were able to navigate up and down them.

Here it is from the other side, as I was leaving and heading towards the other end of the park.

I stopped to enjoy the mountain view.

Then I stopped by the water to enjoy the scenery.

Before I headed out I stopped to try a pancake filled with red bean paste.

Then on the way back to the bus I found these guys hand making crackers.

Those were all made by hand. I thought it was so neat, and I thank them for letting me take pictures.

He starts by putting some nuts in the mold, then adds the dough, and then they are pressed and cooked.

I am a huge pistachio fan, so I bought some to take home.

Had I known they were going to be amazing I would have bought more.

See, they are apple crazy here. They have apple everything on sale. I even bought apple wine.

Of course I also could not leave without buying an apple.

One last tasty purchase for the day. On the bus ride back, when we stopped for a bathroom break, I tried my first ice cream out of a vending machine. It was awesome!

Yum! Just as I expected, it was not too sweet.

So that was it for a fun filled day at Hirosaki Castle for the Chrysanthemum Festival. It was well worth the trip and I look forward to heading back in the Spring for the Cherry Blossom Festival.

QUESTIONS: What's your favorite kind of apple? Have you ever made crackers? Do you get to experience a true fall where you live?

Thursday Thoughts: Holiday Weight Gain

2011-12-15T19:16:00.001+09:00

It's Thursday, so you know what that means...

Actually, maybe you don't, or perhaps maybe it is just a memory hidden in the far reaches of you mind.

Either way, it is Thursday, and this means that it is time for Thursday Thoughts.

I stopped doing Thursday thoughts because with the move and so much going on, I was not always able to get in a post for Thursdays, and I was not able to focus clearly. But I am back, and ready, to share my thoughts, starting today...Thursday!

This week I wanted to write about a topic I know so many people are conscious of this time of year. With Thanksgiving down and Christmas/Hanukkah/New's Years coming up, many people are concerned with their weight and the worry of gaining too much. So here are my thoughts on the topic of holiday weight gain.

1) My first impression of holiday weight gain, especially when anyone approaches me and starts to make a fuss about this, is that they are probably over-reacting about the effect the holidays had on their weight. I was reading a magazine today and one reported stat, coming from the NIH (a pretty good source) was that most people only gain 1# during this time. This of course confirms what I has seen and thought over the years. I don't think most (I say most because there will still be some people that do gain a bit of weight) people gain as much as they think. My first question usually is to ask about their weight before the holidays and how often they checked in on their weight. A slow and steady gain over the year is a lot more likely than a full 5-10# just in one month. My best guess is that in many cases the person was not paying attention all year and did not notice the slow gain since the last Holiday season. Then comes the holidays and a preoccupation with weight, and BAM, now you notice this was not what you weighed before last Thanksgiving, leading you to (possibly) automatically attribute it to your current holiday eating.

2) Think water weight. A lot of the quick weight gain is probably associated with fluid retention. It is no surprise that many holiday treats are prepared using a lot of sodium, which aids in that fluid retention. While it does put on extra weight, this is not in the form of fat, and will be much easier to get rid of than actual body fat gain. If you find weight gain from fluids to be a problem for you, consider cutting back on those salty foods, and perhaps do some of the food prep yourself to make sure less sodium winds up in the food.

3) The holidays are a busy time and while we all struggle to stick to our exercise routines and keep up the physical activity, it is not always possible to continue with 100% commitment. Don't worry, you are not the only one. The trouble then comes when you are eating as much as before the holidays (for some people I am not sure the calories increase much-fast food/some restaurant meals come out the same as your holiday meals), or perhaps a little more, and then you stop working out as much. Energy in may stay the same (or be a little more) but energy out suffers in this equation. But, I am still not convinced this can make enough difference to create a weight gain of about 10# (a commonly reported gain this time of year) in 4-6 weeks. Well, there are two ways to go about fixing this. That will be my next two thoughts.

3) The first is to find a new routine that works for you in the month of the holidays that allows you to fit in what you can, when you can. Once you pop something in the oven (preparing for your holiday meals) take the time it spends in the oven to do a small workout in a room nearby where you can also keep an eye on the oven. Or just make sure to walk the dog more often, perhaps right after the holiday meal, just to help keep the blood flowing. Everyone rushes to the gym right after the new year, so you will also find that the gym this time of year (before the mad rush) can be calming and therapeutic, and even though it might not be your normal routine, you can find a way to fit something in that fits with your busy holiday schedule. My last thought on this would be to find a buddy. Yes, a buddy. The buddy system can work. Not only will it keep you on track and committed, but you will have someone to keep you company and vent to about all of your holiday frustrations. It's likely that alone will save you some unwanted calories later on.

4) Watch what you eat. Yeah, yeah, I know what you are thinking. Of course the dietitian is going to tell you to watch what you eat, don't over do it, moderation, and so on. I know, that's what everyone is waiting to hear. But what I have to say is a little more than just that. Obviously moderation and portion size matters. You can eat the foods you want (and feel like you must have as part of the holiday spirit), but there is a huge difference between 2 cups of mac and cheese and 1/3 cup. My biggest suggestion is have a game plan before heading into your major holiday meals. Thanksgiving is down, so take this week or so before the parties and meals to kick in to really game plan about how you are going to handle all that delicious looking food. Make compromises. If you have 4 functions to attend, think about what you know will be served at each, what you must have, and what is simply not worth the calories. This will prevent you from overeating, feeling sick to your stomach, and regretting something later. Remember, it is ok to say NO. Just because someone offers you something does not mean you should feel obligated to eat it or try it. Again, it is unlikely your extra holiday eating will really pack on the pounds, but in reality, if you feel like it is, you may start to feel miserable (and beating yourself up) during what should be a very happy time of year. Just passing on a few items may give you that positive reinforcement you need to keep your eating habits on track and feeling like you were keeping with your goals throughout the holiday season.

5) Do not go crazy weighing yourself. Really, this will make you crazy, and you do not need the extra stress. It is simply not worth it. We all have so many other things to stress about. Stay positive, happy, socialize, fit a work out in when you can, take a time out (with a deep breath) and be proactive. That holiday weight gain is really not as bad as you may think, and it may take a week or so after the new year for things to start to settle out weight wise. Do not drive yourself nuts fighting with the scale during the holidays. You may got up and down all day long, and it just won't be an accurate account of actual fat gain during this time. Wait until after the new year, when you have gotten back into your holiday routine, and you feel more like yourself (the less stressed version of you). You may just find that you did not gain as much as you thought.

So, those are some of my thoughts, mixed with some tips, about helping yourself stay sane during the holidays and not wrapped up in holiday weight gain. The best thing you can do during this time is take some time out for you. Doing something relaxing. Plan in advance for parties and dinners. Cook some of the foods yourself to make sure that you are going to have dishes that you want to eat. Make veggies, cut out some sodium, and prepare lean protein dishes. Stay in control, but most importantly, don't beat yourself up of not following your "diet" during the holidays. Remember, diet really (historically before the media took over) means the food or drink you consume for nourishment, and I think this would mean the foods you eat at the holidays are already part of your diet. Just aim for balance and moderation, plan ahead, don't skip meals, and look for veggies, fruits and fiber containing foods to help you get in nutrients and keep you feeling fuller longer.

QUESTIONS: What are your thoughts on holiday weight gain? What are your tips for managing weight during the holidays?

Eating it Up in Japan

2011-12-12T20:37:00.000+09:00

It should be no surprise that Japan is filled with wonderful food. It should also be no surprise that I enjoy eating AND photographing this food. Being a dietitian I often find that getting the chance to live overseas and shop in what equates to an '"international market" regularly is like going to Disney World. That's right, I get excited and YES, I will go to food markets, food stores and mall food courts, just to observe, which in turn helps me to learn. I have learned so much so far about Japanese food and nutrition, and I can't wait to share this with you in the near future.

So this post is filled with some of the yummy eats we have had over the week, that will show you some of the different kinds of foods you can get to eat in Japan, particularly in the rural area where we live.

This first meal is from Delhi, which is an Indian restaurant near by, and also located in Towada. They always serve a pepper soup to start, but they make it different each day, so I always have to ask about the broth. Sometimes it is vegetarian and sometimes it is not. Vegetarian in Japan usually means to the Japanese that you don't see any meat in it, so it is a little more difficult to get a clear answer about sauces and soups. At least with the Indian restaurant they have a good understanding of vegetarian, as this is common in Indian, so I find that I can get "safe" answers.

I also took it upon myself to enjoy an Indian beer. Yum!

Ryan and I always share two vegetarian dishes. Boy am I lucky my husband likes vegetables and is willing to do vegetarian meals. Here we had a curry dish (looks like channa, or chick peas) and a dish with paneer, which is cheese.

Japan has some really good Indian food, which Ameena can attest to.

Also really good is the Chinese food. I'm not talking about Americanized Chinese food (yes, this is not a myth, it true in a sense). I am talking about authentic Chinese food, using ingredients that that are traditional to China and can be found in Japan. Sometimes it is tough in the US because you can't get all the traditional ingredients.

Ryan is not a huge Chinese fan, but he was willing to try out Karinba with me.

He ordered a set meal, so this started off with pickled veggies and a pasta salad.

His entree was pork and sweet potato, which is also a popular combo in Okinawan cuisine. Okinawa is an island region to the south of the main islands of Japan, and they are close to China, and have their own traditional dishes that combine Japanese and Chinese cooking styles. Ryan really enjoyed this dish, so it is safe to say we will be going back.

Rice! No meal is complete without rice. The Japanese word for cooked rice is gohan, and in ancient times rice was used like money. Warriors could be paid in rice. It is that important in Japanese culture.

Ryan enjoyed some egg drop soup.

We split these vegetable based egg rolls.

I ordered the tofu and crab. It was so good! Traditional Chinese food contains thickened broth like sauces, I believe thickened using cornstarch or similar. I never researched this, but it has always been my impression, and I am almost certain when I was in China, this is how it was described to me. Either way, it's tasty and I will order this again.

Since Ryan ordered a set meal, he was served some ice cream after the meal.

One night I stopped off by a bakery not too far from where we live. Yes, there is a French bakery in rural Japan. This is probably because there are French bakeries ALL over Japan. As I mentioned in my last post, the baked goods are not overly sweet, and you develop an appreciation for the ingredients themselves and the work that went in to baked the items.

I really just wanted to get some macarons, which I fell in love with when we were in Paris. I will definitely be going back to this bakery again...and again...and again!

We go out for sushi often, but this particular time I found a few new kinds that I had not tried before. This is cuttlefish tempura sushi. Cuttlefish is similar to squid as it is in the same family. This was not my first time trying cuttlefish, which is one reason why I did not have any reservations about giving it a try. Plus, come on, it's prepared as tempura, which is a lightly breaded and then deep fried Japanese method of cooking. Shrimp and veggies are often served this way.

This is salmon, but it is cooked and not raw.

I also tried sea bream (I think, I can't 100% recall right now), which is a white fish. In this case it was served raw as nigiri. If you are not fluent in sushi, nigiri is the sushi that is made by placing sashimi (raw fish slices) on top of a small mound of rice.

Next up is some Thai food. Ryan enjoyed it the last time, so we made sure to go back again. Strangely, they changed the menu in those few weeks since we had last been, but most everything was the same. The spring rolls did change, but they were able to make them vegetarian for us.

Ryan ordered the chicken pad Thai (not pictured) and I ordered a veggie mixed seafood dish, which had scallops, shrimp and crab. I was just pleased to see all of the pretty colors in this dish.

Next up is *gasp* McDonald's. In Japan it is a little different, and I think most shocking for Americans would be the portion sizes you are served. We stopped in one day and Ryan wanted to try the shaka shaka chicken. Have you ever seen this before?

Here are the instructions. Similar to shake and bake, but the baking happens before the shaking. And it is more like frying, not baking. It comes in a few flavors, so Ryan tried the black pepper. You dump the seasoning in (yes, this is high in sodium) and give it a shake.

Here is the chicken in the bag.

Then you tear the bag off and can eat the chicken without having to hold it in your hands, which can be messy.

Next up is the crepe I ordered one night from the mall food court. Yes, that's right, our mall has a crepe place in the food court, and there are tons of crepes to choose from.

I picked kiwi with fresh whipped cream. I actually do not like whip cream, but I thought I would give it a try because I could tell it was different from the kind I have tried in the US.

Mmmm, look at that!

Not too bad in size. It was really good, whipped cream and all. I'll be getting this again.

Ryan on the other hand ordered this fruit drink with the tapioca balls, and he was not a fan. So, he will probably be getting a crepe next time too.

Next up is a pizzeria. Not just any pizzeria, but one with a wood burning oven for cooking pizzas.

Ryan ordered a regular margarita pizza with some basil.

I went with an eggplant pizza. Delicious!

Last up is another bakery. This place was too cute to pass by.

Once inside the employee brought us some tea cake samples and some hot tea. After looking around, we picked up a few treats, which was good because we were headed to the movies, so it provided us with some fun treats while there.

I picked this, and mostly it was because of the color. Apples are really a big deal up here because Aomori prefecture is the number 1 producer of apples in all of Japan, and Japan produces some of the best apples.

I wish I could give a good explanation of this, but that would be tough. I have never had anything quite like this. It was soft and squishy, like a glutinous rice cake (known as mochi), but it was not. It was squishy and tough, and in the end I wonder if it actually had gelatin in it since it may have been a little like a marshmallow. I think I will need to ask about this one in the future to see about the ingredients. Ryan also had some yummy apple baked goods to try out.

There you have a little insight into what we, and locals, might eat in rural Japan. There are many options and lots of good, healthy choices, mixed in with some fried items, but of course, here portion sizes are smaller, and you will find that it is easier to balance a healthy diet.

QUESTIONS: Have you ever tried authentic Chinese food? Have you tried any traditional Japanese foods other than sushi (and if so, which ones)? If you could pick any one of the dishes I posted above to try, which one would it be?

Towada City

2011-12-08T20:30:00.000+09:00

A few weekends back, Ryan and I got in the car and started driving towards Towada City. It's not too far from where we are, and we had not had the chance to visit yet. We went for the day and found some pretty neat stuff, including their evening of Trick or Treating for Halloween, which was coming up at that time (yeah, I know I am behind!).

Have I mentioned that we live in rural Japan, in the northern part of the island of Honshu, which is considered mainland Japan? Well, we do, and while it is rural, and many people stationed here consider this to be remote (in winter it snows a lot making it hard t get out, so I'll give 'em that), there are lots of things nearby that are pretty neat and unexpected when you first try and picture the area. I personally do not consider this remote and I know it has to do with perception, and since we came from Lajes, which on a tiny island and very remote, I am overjoyed to have so many things nearby, and with a McDonald's off base 5 minutes away, I honestly can't call this remote. To me, remote means 1 way in and 1 way out, and this has none of those. It is expensive to get out of here, but the same can be said for a lot of other places that are not considered remote, and all of Japan is expensive, so it does not seem like much of an argument for me. Nothing is going to stop me from exploring, and there is not much anyone can say to convince me this is a remote base. But enough of that, let's move on to Towada City.

Speaking of things you might be surprised to find in a small town in northern Japan, check out this bakery:

Oh yum! I credit my husband with spotting this. I was driving and he somehow spotted this out the window inside a small building.

Everything looked so good and it was hard to make a decision, but finally we picked these. Ryan had the blueberries and I had the chocolate strawberry.

What I love most about Japanese baked goods, and you may find this surprising, is that they are not too sweet. The Japanese just don't do sugar packed foods, and if it is too sweet there is a good chance they won't like it. This means not only that the same size piece of cake that you might get in the US probably winds up with less calories (I have confirmed this more or less with ice creams, not so much the cake, but I have a pretty good hunch on this one), you can also taste the ingredients, and I mean really taste the ingredients. There were actually flavors here and not just sweet. I discovered that I actually do not need super sugary desserts. Oh, and I save the strawberry for last. Get this, it actually tasted extra sweet because it was paired with a cake that wasn't packed with sugar. I will definitely be going back to this bakery.

I took this picture of Sunkus as we were walking down the street. This is a popular convenience store in Japan. It's owned by Circle K, which by the way we also have in Japan.

We found a Shinto shrine there. Wanna know how we knew it was a Shinto shrine? This is a Torii gate. These are the typical gates you find at the entrance of a Shinto shrine. So we took a look around.

It's always so peaceful at these shrines, especially when you are the only ones there.

Then we headed towards the main street and started looking around. The first thing we discovered was that trick or treating and Halloween activities were that afternoon. We decided to try and stay around to check it out. In the meantime, Ryan did a good job discovering what looked to be an art museum.

Sure enough it was! We had found the Towada Art Center. These outside sculptures tipped us off to the possibility of an art museum near by. The street was lined with these great pieces of art.

This is a close up of the picture right above.

This is the museum, which was back across the street.

I love this sculpture, which is by Jeonghwa Choi, from Korea.

Once inside, we looked at the works in the permanent display. There were some amazing pieces inside, and in some outdoor areas, including a piece by Yoko Ono. This was more like modern installation, mixed media types of work, rather than paintings. I had 2 favorites, although I enjoyed all of them.

The first that we both really loved was by Hans Op de Beeck from Belgium. The work is titled Location 5, and is designed to make you feel like you walked in to a diner at closing, dimmed lights, and then out the window from the booths you are overlooking a highway that winds off into the distance, as if the restaurant is part of the overpass. It is truly amazing, as all that is really behind that wall is the backside of the museum, yet it seems so real that it is a road that keeps going and going. If you are really curious about what this piece looks like (I was not able to take pictures as it was prohibited), click on this link, go to Art Works, then 2004, and then location 5. You will see what the room looks like from the inside.

My next favorite was called Sumpf Land by Takashi Kuribayashi from Japan. You walk into a white room with a dining room table, all white, in the middle. Hanging from the ceiling you see the bottom part of a seal, and assume this is like a seal popping it's head up through the ice. It is all white too. Then there are dining room chairs too and a sign that says to remove your shoes when you step on the table. In this case someone already put a chair on the table, so this helped draw our attention to the whole in the ceiling. When you climb up you poke your head through, just like the seal and you are transported to a different world. the scene becomes a small pond with fog rolling in, and mossy rocks all around. You take a look around, and then can spot the seal looking out too. It was very cool. Here is a link to the picture of the room.

After we left we found the Halloween activities going on. It appeared as though kids could trick or treat to each of the stores and get a piece of candy. The store owner would check off a card once the child had gotten the candy, so they could not come back, or at least that is how it appeared. Then we saw something that seemed odd. It was a long table, like a block long, with what looked like a jelly roll cake. First thought was a cake eating contest, and then we thought maybe going for the world's longest cake. Who knows! But we did discover people were lined up to get a large chunk of this cake.

I wasn't kidding, it was really like a block long.

Oh, and we did score some! I just walked over and a nice young lady handed me a cake piece in a bag to take home (see pic a little further down).

Walking back to the car, I discovered this picture, which seems to confirm something that I always knew...carbs are fuel!

Then I just couldn't resist this pic. I was born in 1980!

We also passed by the food area at this town festival. Fresh donuts!

Meat on a stick, which is known as yakitori (usually chicken on a stick).

Ryan and I split a chocolate covered banana, which is also a popular street food at festivals.

When we got home we inspected the cake. Check it out! So cool. They just gave this to me for free.

Yummy! It was filled with a light cream and blueberries.

Just a few more reasons why I love Japan and the Japanese people.

QUESTIONS: What is your favorite kind of artwork (paining, sculptures, specific artist or type of painting)? I plan on getting back to some more nutrition posts, so what topics would you like to see me cover? Any ideas for my Thursday Thoughts series?

Leaving Tokyo and Japanese BBQ Meal

2011-12-05T20:05:00.001+09:00

I hope everyone enjoyed reading about our holiday mini-vacation in Tokyo. Hopefully this will make some of you want to come visit Japan. Not just to visit me of course, but to see all that Japan has to offer. They are still working to rebuild tourism after the earthquake and resulting tragedies. I'm just loving it here so maybe I can inspire others to make Japan a vacation destination for them.

To finish up with Tokyo we did one last quick walk nearby the hotel. There was not much time left, but having an afternoon train meant we did not need to rush to leave the city. We found another coffee place across from the hotel. I have no idea how we missed this before, but I am glad we spotted it. This is St. Marc Cafe.

In Japan bakery items are almost always self service. You grab a little tray and some tongs and pick out whatever you want. Then you bring this to the register where they package it all up for you or put it on a plate if you are eating there. Ryan picked out an egg and ham type of breakfast muffin and this odd, buttery, french toast like bread sandwich. Yep, not sure how to even explain that one. It was sweet, tasted like french toast, was served like a sandwich, and used buttery bread.

I know it tasted like this because I tried it too. I also had a little croissant. It was GOOD! Definitely worth it. I will also mention that many times I find their foods of similar size to foods in the US to have fewer calories and this is because they do not really add sugar. Foods are not as sweet and you can see the difference in the calories. Yes, this assumes their calorie labeling is correct, but I know some RDs practicing in Japan (and Japanese equivalents) and they never mentioned to me that there would be anything unusual about these.

You can see they had a nice little selection of baked goods for breakfast. You can also see the tongs that they put out so you can serve yourself.

We did one last day time stroll through Akasaka. This bar was jumpin' the night before so I could not get a picture, but during the day it was much easier. I loved the look of this place. It is supposed to be a British pub (or perhaps Irish? I'm going with British!). The whole place was filled with tourists, likely a mix of Americans and Europeans. It was just so cute. Can you believe this is in Tokyo?

This is Bar Mar, where we had the tapas 2 nights before. At night I couldn't get a picture either because it was bad lighting and too many people. Can you see why I had to stop in and try some tapas?

Then it was time to head to the train station and catch the Shinkansen home. We got to the station with plenty of time and just relaxed. The stress was when we got to Hachinohe station, which is where we had to switch from high speed to a local train, we knew we only had 5 minutes to get off the train, buy our tickets and get to the next platform. Having never done that before we had no idea if we could make it. The good news was that the Shinkansen got in a few minute early. I ran for the ticket machine, which I remember from when we were given a tour of the station upon our arrival at this base. There was an employee there helping to make the process move faster. We got the tickets and ran down the other side of the building and boarded, thankfully, with a few minutes to spare. We were riding in the very front, just behind the conductor and it was neat to see it from that perspective.

Later that night we had to try out that crazy cake we bought in Tokyo. Wonderful! We started with the chocolate. It is a little hard to see but it is made up of many layers, which are actually well defined, but harder to see in the chocolate version.

I will end this post by sharing another great meal. This one was at Aburi-An, which is a restaurant near where we live. I had heard about it before and was hoping it would work out despite Ryan eating meat and me eating seafood. It's one of those BBQ places where you grill your own foods. I figured clean grill, veggies first, my seafood, and then let Ryan do his meat, and then everyone wins. So let's see how it worked out.

Check out the fun tables:

The fire is just getting started.

The server brought us some BBQ sauce (I think it was mostly soy, but she called it BBQ sauce).

I started with a tomato salad. Yes, I was actually served a whole tomato (it was cut, I promise), in a soy sauce based dressing, with onions. It liked it!

Ryan started with some egg soup. He said it was really good and did not taste like it had an meat in it. I am hoping to try this in the future.

We ordered some potato and cheese croquettes.

Then came the mixed veggies.

Here is Ryan's beef, pre-cooking.

We also got some mushrooms.

I ordered the scallops. Forgot for a second that they do the whole scallop, not just that cleaned up inner peace us Americans are used to. Oh well! It really wasn't a problem. I cooked them whole and then could easily remove what I did not want to eat.

Alright, now it is grilling time!

After I removed my food, Ryan put on his steak and cooked it. I loved his comment when he was done. It was along the lines of- Wow, that was cooked just how I like. My compliments to the chef!

So, if your Japanese BBQ is not good, I would say you only have yourself to blame! Just kidding (well mostly), since you could have ordered something really funky. Trust me, it can happen. Overall, this was awesome and I can't wait to go back.

Now, I still have past pictures of Japan life and foods, so look for those posts coming soon. I have a post coming on Towada, which is a nearby city, and my trip to Hirosaki Castle for the Chrysanthemum Festival.

QUESTIONS: When traveling, do you prefer train, plane or car? Have you ever gone to a BBQ place where you grill your own foods?

The Big City, Thanksgiving in Tokyo, Part 3

2011-12-03T12:41:00.000+09:00

Day 3 started with some American style breakfast at Starbucks. I thought Europe was bad (only second to the US of course) with how many Starbuck's locations, but boy, I think Tokyo might have those other cities beat. I think here the competition too seems greater. Like every block had a Starbucks and a Tully's or similar. What's even stranger is that the Japanese are not really ones to eat and drink while on the move, so they will sit down and read or something while enjoying the coffee, and then go. In Tokyo I did find that some people did take the coffee to go, and they had to-go cups. But, one thing I do like is that if you are going to stay and drink it there you get an actual mug.

So back to breakfast at Starbucks. I had a grilled tuna sandwich, which was pretty good.

Ryan had a nice blueberry scone. I will admit, the menu labeling did influence my choice. I wanted that scone, but it had 100 more calories than the sandwich, and I knew the sandwich would fill me up. Although I also knew I needed to fuel up for a full day of walking, so in the end the tuna won because of the carbs AND protein.

The game plan for the morning was to find an antiques mall in the Omotesando section of Tokyo, which was just a few stops away on the subway line. So we get to the stop, leave through the exit the book said to go, and we could not figure out where this building was located. So we entered in Google maps (yeah, we both have iPhones and sometimes they really come in handy) and it showed it on the other side of the neighborhood, so we headed there.

These are some pictures of the building along the way as we walked all over the Shibuya area. You can definitely tell it is a big city.

They even had American restaurant chains.

Let me point out the below crosswalk pattern.

Wondering how this works? All lights stop and people can cross the street in all directions. Yes, you can cross diagonally so you do not need to cross one side and then turn and head down another. So smart!

Really crazy! I think we did it once just to see.

While that Indian restaurant looked good, we did not stop.

Wait, did you forget that we were searching for an antiques mall? Well it wasn't where the iPhone told us to go, so that was disappointing. So we kept walking in hopes of going back to where we started and trying again.

With a few stops to look in stores and shop. Oh yes, I did get to go shopping in a real store. Totally bought some things in H&M.

Then we stumbled upon the Farmer's Market located at the United Nations University campus. I was so excited because I had read about this. I had almost forgot it was a weekend and it was open. I was so happy when we came across this, and even happier that Ryan shares my love for fresh produce and all that farmer's markets have to offer.

The concept of organic is just picking up in Japan, and pretty much outside Tokyo is unheard of. So, Tokyo is really the spot if you are looking for organic produce. This market is mostly organic, although I think it becoming more and more. The main focus is local, and getting the farmer's to connect with consumers. Needless to say, I was in heaven.

Maybe this is why I was in heaven. Not kidding, I almost peed my pants when I spotted bagels. Real bagels made by a Japanese bakery.

I will also mention there was a Japanese lady selling Portuguese sweets and that really sent me over the moon. While home will always be the US, I feel a connection to Portugal as well, and seeing things like that make me a little homesick and nostalgic. She was beyond amazed that we knew about Pasteis de Nata (a small tart with flaky crust filled with cream, that is nata in Portuguese, and served like creme brulee kind of). In fact she was very excited that we could read and pronounce the Portuguese words. My excitement must have been very noticeable because an English speaking tourist came over to ask me what that was because he could tell I knew about it. It was a fun moment. But I had to let her know that I do not speak that much Portuguese before she tried talking too much to me. The Japanese and Portuguese are very closely linked, and in fact without the Portuguese, they would not have bread in Japan (ok, they would, but it would have had to come from some other country). There is also a Brazilian population here so there are some Portuguese speakers around.

Here is some of the items for sale.

Ryan got a carrot ginger soup, which he said was awesome. It was made with chicken stock, so I didn't try it.

We split a pumpkin (kabocha) bagel.

I thought about getting some fresh juice.

I also considered eating just tomatoes because they looked so good. I have never seen the colored cherry tomatoes sold like this. I have seen them mixed, but not sold in separate color packages.

Ah, and I settled on this. Obviously this sign caught my attention.

I ordered this homemade apple ginger soda. Woohoo! This was filled with fresh ginger. I loved it! Unbelievably delicious.

Then for my meal I tried the ma po tofu. Amazing! It was the first time I was served brown rice in Japan. I can't wait until my sister visits because I need to take her here. She will love it.

Some more veggies for sale.

So, after that brief stop from our search, we made it back to where we started and decided to try again. This time we asked a police officer (well he looked like one at least) or guard guy by this construction sight to point us in the right direction. He looked at the picture, scratched his head, ran over to a map, and really tried to help us. So we headed off again, but after no luck a few minutes later I looked online again at the address and realized there was a thumbs down/negative comment left by someone on the page. So I read it. Yeah, that place closed in 2009, and was torn down and they are rebuilding it. So much for checking a Japan travel book out from the library! So to make a long story short, we turn around to head back to the subway, and I notice that directly across the street is a gapping whole where they are doing construction (yes, this is exactly where that guard was working that could not figure out the building we were looking for), and on one side is Gucci and the other is Tod's, just like the two building that were on the sides of the department store we were looking for.

Now, see this picture, yes, that is where the building should have been. Turns out we were in the right place all along, just that the building was not. But the positive from this experience (other than being able to laugh at ourselves for a long time) is that we got to see so many things by walking around this area, including the farmer's market.

Then we were back on the subway and headed over to the Roppongi neighborhood to hit up the Hard Rock. You know me, I collect the t-shirts. If you missed why I do this it is because I was watching Jeopardy, the college edition, and Alex asked this girl about her collection of Hard Rock shirts, and he asked which one she would likely never get to. She said Reykjavik, and right then I knew I needed to collect shirts too because my collection would have to be better than hers since the next week I would actually be in Reykjavik and could get a shirt. Not sure where Reykjavik is...no worries, many people don't. It's the capital city in Iceland. Yes, I did get my shirt, and yes I still have it, although that Hard Rock has since closed. So goes the tradition of collecting shirts.

I just couldn't resist this one. It was to perfect for a Tokyo Hard Rock shirt.

We did not eat lunch there, but we did eat at a Wolfgang Puck burger place.

Ryan had a burger.

I had a mango fish sandwich.

It was alright, but not the best. We are thinking Wolfgang needs to go check this place out and whip it back into shape. The music was dull (like elevator music) and the floor was dirty. Overall, the food was decent, but I wouldn't eat there again because there are so many other great places in Tokyo to try.

Nighttime was a trip over to the high end shopping area of Ginza. Shibuya did feel like we were in NYC but this really felt like it too. Maybe more like Champs-Elysees in Paris meets NYC. Our first stop was the Sony building, but we came up from the subway into the building so I did not get a picture.

Yummy looking cakes. These are very popular in Japan.

You can see they are in the Christmas spirit.

It was very pretty with the tree lined streets lit up.

Lots of big buildings had lights on the outside. Mostly it was to look like gift wrapped presents.

Oh, and there was even a Harry Winston here. Notice the guard at the door.

This building was neat. It was all TV screens making a big TV to show ads for the product.

Here we are inside a department store (in Japan a department store may really be more like a big mall with many "departments" inside), and you can see a 4 story long wreath. That thing was huge!

More pretty buildings. This was across from that department store.

What really caught out eyes here was this cake. We even stopped to watch the video on how it is made, although they only gave the secrets for the flat edged cake. This one has ridges. We were fascinated, and the line was out the door, so we decided to get in line and wait to see what all the fuss was about.

The cake shop is called Nenrinya.

The cake Ryan purchased (it was Ryan, he gets all the credit for waiting in line, since I slipped away to find the bathroom) came in a perfectly wrapped box. This is very common in Japan. They take their presentation very seriously and everything is always packaged so nicely.

This is what the box looked like under the wrapping.

Here is what we got inside. Don't even ask how much it cost for these 2 slices (ok, if you are curious it was about $16-17)! I can say that we have since eaten them, and OMG, I see what all the fuss was about. This was really, really good cake.

We headed back to Akasaka for dinner. I searched online and found this place called Yasaiya Teppanyaki, which was advertised as vegetarian friendly, English staff and menu, organic, and most importantly was just a few blocks away. So I made a reservation, and we headed out to find it. Yeah, we got lost. Why did we get lost? No, not just because that was fitting for our day. It was because the front looks like this.

No sign in English. Oh, and the Google map was a block off and we were on the back side of it. I can honestly say that this restaurant has the best service ever. I called to find out why we could not find it and the server (the only one there who spoke English) asked us where we were and told us to stay put. Moments later we saw him running up the street to greet us and take us back to the restaurant. Right then I knew this was a genuinely awesome restaurant committed to customer service and the whole dining experience.

The server sat us down right at the teppanyaki grill. Since they serve people at tables too I am glad he saved us some seats by the action. He wanted to show us a good time and let us experience the true Japanese teppanyaki meal. He also let us know that we were better off ordering off the menu and not getting a set because we had different food preferences and he said it might be too much food. He gave us an idea what amount of food would be right for us. Then we explained in Japanese to out chef that I was a vegetarian (ok lacto-ovo-pesco-veggie) and my food preferences. They checked that egg and butter were ok, and then the shef stated he understood and would cook all meat on the other side of the grill. He was even careful and washed his hands if he touched something with meat and used separate utensils for out veggies and my seafood.

Without further ado, let me present to you an exquisite Japanese dining experience.

We each were served this piece of diakon (Japanese radish that doubles as a weapon), served hot in a broth.

Veggie time. We ordered 4 different veggies off the veggie menu.

The server brought us 3 sauces and explained them each to us. One was spicy, one was sweet and the last was sour.

Look at the chef go!

We did peppers, mushrooms, sweet potatoes and eggplant.

Check out the colors on this plate. Wow! Plus, they were all cooked to perfection.

Next up was my tiger prawn. Now, this is a sad tale for me. See, this tiger prawn was actually not already dead, but instead in a cold induced deep sleep. When it went on the grill the antennae twitched and I freaked and Ryan was like, it is just that it is cooking. Nope, this sucker was alive and woke up to discover itself on fire, and took off running. Well, shrimp can't run, but that thing moved. Too bad it hit a road block of veggies. This was a tad traumatizing for me, and I am proud of myself that I got over it quickly because I really didn't want to offend the chef (as he promptly chopped the head of the little guy, oy vey!).

But the good part was that I got more veggies, including some green cauliflower.

Here the chef is taking the shell off, but they do eat all parts, so this was saved and placed on my plate.

Here we go:

It tasted as good as it looked.

Next, the chef moved over and started on Ryan's beef.

Look at that! This was the first time Ryan has had steak since we got to Japan, and boy was he happy.

Steak is hard because many restaurants that serve steak specialize in steak only so there is rarely anything I could get to eat, and with the language barrier it is hard to figure out what they have that might work.

Last up with this meal was the garlic rice. This is all garlic cooking here.

Then the rice was added.

Sweet, we have some amazing smelling garlic rice, which tasted as good as it smelled. I am just happy that Ryan also ate this rice. You never want to be the only one on garlic overload.

QUESTIONS: Have you ever found yourself lost because you were searching for something that did not exist? Have you were been to a teppanyaki restaurant? What was the best service you ever received at a restaurant?

Tsukiji Fish Market, Thanksgiving in Tokyo, Part 2

2011-12-01T18:00:00.002+09:00

Friday morning started off with grabbing some breakfast as the Tully's Coffee right next to our hotel. Since the Japanese do not eat the same things we are used to for breakfast it can be difficult to find something that we might consider both breakfast and satisfying. The best places for this would be the hotel breakfast (and ours was around $30 so we passed) and coffee shops/bakeries. Oh, and McDonald's, but we had that the day before when we got on the train. So we stuck with coffee shops.

At Tully's Ryan had a half sandwich of egg and meat (ham perhaps?).

I had some french toast, which was pretty good.

Then we headed over to the Tsukiji Fish Market. This is pretty much the world's largest fish market and the descriptions in the books do not even begin to cover what it is like to actually be there. It is a wholesale market on the inside with a general market on the outside. The wholesale market opens early, and the tuna auction starts around 5:30 am. Some of the largest tuna you will ever see are auctioned off to restaurants and such to use for their fresh fish of the day. Other than tuna they offer just about everything under the sun from the ocean. Everything is fresh and it is regulated for food safety (although I will mention I did see some fish mongers smoking while handling fish, which was surprising, but then again not so much because we are in Japan).

After 9 am the general public is allowed inside to take a look. I am thankful for the information guard that told me to ask each person at each stall before taking pictures. I found that that a few polite words in Japanese accompanied by showing my camera resulted in not getting turned down for any picture. I do always try and be polite and ask permission, but at this market I made sure that I asked everyone and if I could not get their attention I did not sneak a photo. I felt this was the most polite thing to do since I was a guest in their place of business. The Japanese are very respectful people and I make sure to show them the same.

Below you will see some pictures that I took while walking through the narrow walk ways, all the while business was booming, and men on motorized carts were speeding this way and that. It was an insane sight to see, that is for sure, and one that I highly recommend if you are ever in Japan.

This was probably one of my favorite moments. After this man saw I wanted a picture, he picked up one of the fish and made the spikes stick up on end and opened the mouth to pose it for a picture.

This is looking back on the stalls as we exited the fish area and headed to the whole sale produce market.

I can't even begin to explain the the expression I had when I saw how big these were.

Even edible flowers are for sale.

Another cool part to Tsukiji is the outer market, which is more for locals and tourists to buy their own things. Here you can find a number of little restaurants offering some of the freshest sushi you will ever find (because the fish comes from the market right there). There are also a variety of little stores with dried products and fresh foods.

Check out the line here for a place called Daiwa Sushi. We figured they must all know something, so we joined the line.

Researching it after the fact I see this is one of the most popular and famous sushi places here. We only waited 25 minutes, but I read online the wait times go up to 1 hour. I can see why. This was the best tuna sushi I have ever had.

This was red snapper I believe, and sadly it was expensive and I could not chew it. Oops! Not gonna order than next time.

All of the nigiri sushi was brushed with soy sauce on top and the chef told us not to dip it in soy sauce. Here you can see it is shiny, and that is why.

We also made sure to order a tuna roll because after we tasted the tuna we knew it was too good to pass up.

These are more pictures I took walking through the stalls.

Looking back down one of the alley ways.

Do not look at the next picture if you are not a fan of dead fish.

I warned you! Here is the biggest fish head I have ever seen. The men were using a saw to cut through the fish that this came from. Inside the wholesale market they were using carpentry tools to cut fish. It was crazy!

These are Japanese omelets, which are very popular.

More giant things from the ground.

So, that was our first experience with the Tsukiji Fish Market. One word only: INSANE!

Next we headed over to Ueno Park where they have a bunch of museums. One the way to the station from Tsukiji we found this church building and I thought it was very interesting looking.

Also along the way we stopped to eat these yummy strawberries that we bought in the wholesale produce market. They were SO good!

Not sure if these were houses or museums, but they looked cool.

This is a statue that was in the park. It is of a scientist.

We decided to visit the Tokyo National Museum.

Before heading off into the massive museum we gave in and got some ice cream from an ice cream vending machine.

It's a waffle filled with ice cream.

Pretty cool, and tasty.

Ok, now that we were fueled up, we ventured into the museum to check out the displays of various art works and historical pieces.

This one is my favorite. It looks like it could be sold in present day.

This was a tomb.

Samurai wear

Some items you could photograph, but others were off limits as they are the property of others. The items are all donated to be placed on display.

For dinner we stopped by the Ueno Station to grab a bite at a traditional Japanese restaurant.

Ryan ordered a juice drink, but when it came it was this little thing, and the server was confused because the other drink was the beer. So much for making assumptions. Too bad the juice was so small because Ryan was obviously still thirsty after that.

Dinner is served!

I ordered a fish and seafood based set meal of small plates. It was served like this, which is typical for set meals.

Ryan ordered a 7 course meal, and this was his starters.

He started with some sashimi, but is not a squid fan, so that was passed on, but he did eat the fish. It is tough sometimes to order if you have food prefs because the set meal is a set meal and there are no substitutions, and they are pricey, so you hate to waste things, but sometimes you just have to order it.

So here is my plate uncovered.

My rice was served with a tiny dried crab on top. Certainly interesting.

These are oysters and they were surprisingly good. I am not usually an oyster fan, but I decided to give them a try.

Sorry it is blurry, but this is a tofu dish. Yes, the server told me this was the tofu dish. It looked like yellow jello to me.

These were a side item we ordered. They are potato and cheese balls. Very tasty!

I wish I could tell you what everything pictured here is, but sadly some things we did not even know because of the language barrier. I do believe this one was Ryan's duck dish.

I enjoyed some tempura shrimp and veggies.

Ryan had a seasoned rice.

This was Ryan's and I can't tell you what it is...sorry!

Ah, but I do know what dessert was. This is sweet potato pudding, and it was very tasty.

Walking around in the area by our hotel later that night (seeking out second dinner or more appropriately a small snack), we found this cute place. It is not uncommon for pictures to show you what the restaurant specializes in. This looks like pufferfish, which is called fugu in Japanese. If you are not familiar with pufferfish, this is a Japanese delicacy, but sadly a dangerous one. The chefs are trained and certified to prepare and serve this fish, but it is still risky. The puffer fish produces a lethal toxin, and if it leaks into the fish and someone eats it, the result is death.

Check out these guys just swimming around in a tank out front.

No, fugu was not second dinner for us.

Instead I decided to try out some Spanish tapas. I just really wanted to go here because I saw they had olives on the menu, which are not popular at all in Japan and I really miss from Europe. Bar Mar is a Spanish restaurant nearby our hotel, so we gave it a try.

We had some nice bread, which we could dip in the mushrooms we ordered.

These are mushrooms in garlic and oil, and were absolutely delicious.

The last thing we ordered was like bruschetta. Yum!

Since it was a Friday night and we were staying in a major restaurant and bar district, the area was super busy and there was so much to see and take in. It was definitely an interesting experience to brave the crowds and try eating out in Akasaka on a Friday night. It was a great end to a great day.

QUESTIONS: Have you ever visited a wholesale market? Ever heard of Tsukiji Market? Would you ever try fugu (pufferfish)? What was the last museum you visited?

Thanksgiving in Tokyo, Part 1

2011-11-29T15:30:00.000+09:00

I was so excited that Ryan and I were able to get away for a few days over Thanksgiving weekend. We went down to Tokyo. It was absolutely amazing. It is such a busy city and full of life. There is so much to see and do there. We decided to have very little set plan and instead just wander around and get our bearings since we know this will not be our only trip down to Tokyo. By high speed train it is about 3.5 hours away from us.

So Thursday morning, bright and early, we headed for Tokyo.

We made it on the bullet train (Shinkansen in Japanese) by about 1 minute. We were cutting it close because the local train we took to pick up the high speed train was a few minutes behind. But, we made it! The train is very comfortable and plenty of leg room (ok, I am short so there is always plenty of leg room). There was even a lady walking up and down the aisles selling foods and beverages. Once we got in to Tokyo station, then the confusion set in. From there you can take local rail, other high speed trains or the metro. We needed the metro, but without knowing how the whole system worked, it was quite a confusing ordeal. We may have hoped a turnstile or two in an effort to get out (you do not show someone your ticket on the train, but you need to scan it to get out at the end destination station) and find the metro. Then we discovered that we bought rail tickets and not subway tickets, and this confused us even more.

Have no fear, we took a short break, regrouped and found the metro. We got in to the station by our hotel and came up to ground level to see our hotel right across the street.

It was too early to check in so we decided to scope out the area (Akasaka neighborhood) and grab some lunch. What do ya know, right across from us was a Krispy Kreme. Now, no one needs a Krispy Kreme, but when you have been living overseas for 2+ years and have not been in one in ages, it just seems to call out to you, and you do feel like you need to go in. Plus, we had time to kill.

Oh, and the donuts were too cute to resist.

After a little walking around we found the Biz Building in Akasaka with a few restaurants, including Portuguese (they were charging $50 for a wine we used to buy for like $5 on the island), but we settled on Jim Thompson's Table, which is Thai food.

The lunch set meal started with a trip to the salad bar.

Mmmm, salad!

Ryan had the basil chicken. I love that it comes with an egg.

I ordered the shrimp pad Thai. Yeah, shocker there!

Then we walked around the area before heading back to the hotel.

I loved that they tried to make this area like Rockefeller Center in NYC. Check it out, they made an ice rink here and then they had a tree in front.

This was right in front of the TBS building. That is the Tokyo Broadcast System. It's a pretty cool building.

On the way back we spotted the entrance to a shrine. It was just there in between 2 big building.

While waiting I thought this was kinda funny, so I had to take a picture. I know they are working but they were dangling there and so it seemed funny.

There are some crazy buildings in Tokyo so I did take some random pictures of some of these. You will see them strewn throughout my posts about Tokyo.

Oh, and not just cool buildings that I took pictures of. I also got some fun signs and things. I have no idea what this one means.

Here we are coming up to the shrine.

It was very pretty. I liked that it was probably here for many years and the city sprung up around it.

Here I am at the one end of the shrine as we headed back to the hotel. I have no idea what this sign says. Oh well!

By then we were able to check in at the Akasaka Excel Hotel Tokyu. I got a pretty good deal on Expedia, and it ended up being a great location for us. Seriously, there were 500+ restaurants/bars/clubs directly across the street in a maze of what seemed like back alleys, although cars did drive down some of the roads. Here is the room. The only problem was that we asked for a non-smoking room and the place smelled like smoke. We could not move rooms so they brought us some air spray and an air purifier. It helped, but not a whole lot.

At least we got a fun espresso maker.

Here is the bathroom. It was small, but not bad.

Plus, we even got a heated toilet seat. This contraption is known as a washlet. It will even clean your, well, your you know what, for you.

Ah, this is funny. Ryan bought a Crunky. Yes, a Crunky.

Even funnier was that we had also bought some Godiva. So now we had some high end and low end chocolate choices.

We headed back out after a short rest and took the metro down to Asakusa on the other side of town. the main attraction here is the Sensoji Temple, but we will come back to that in a minute. We really wanted to see the Asahi Brewery building.

In the distance we could see this giant thing.

This is the Tokyo Sky Tree, which when finished will be the tallest tower in the world. It is pretty darn tall.

Just in front of this is the golden flame, or sometimes called the golden poo, yeah don't ask about that one, just think about it for a minute. It certainly is an architectural piece of work. It is really the Asahi Brewery Headquarters building. We walked there and took pictures but did not see much going on.

At least we had nice scenery to look at.

So we headed back to the temple. Boy, this place is insane. The walk in is filled with vendors of foods and souvenirs lining the walkway.

I wasn't kidding. The shopping is insane and there are tons of vendors stretching all the way down.

Lots of good looking traditional sweets.

These are special candies that are typical of Kyoto and I had just learned about these a few days before. I was excited to get to buy some to bring back home.

Check out these flavors for ice cream.

I am not even sure what this is, but I thought it was cool, and a little funny.

So we made it to the end of the shopping street, and this is looking back at the street.

Then we moved forward to check out the actual shrine.

This is typical for the shrines. You will find lit incense.

This is the inside.

It was starting to get dark so the pictures are hard to see, but this is a little waterfall in a small park like area.

Here are some pictures I took as I was walking around before we found something to eat for dinner. Yeah, no turkey for us for Thanksgiving.

Can you guess what they serve at this restaurant? I will give you a hint. They don't serve dog.

We picked out Sushi Zanmai. This is a 24 hour sushi restaurant chain with many locations all over Tokyo.

So, here is to a Happy Thanksgiving for us, in the most non-traditional way possible!

Yummy!

Then we stopped for some sweet potato flavored soft serve ice cream on the way back to the metro.

The last great picture of the night is this crab. I wish you could see how cool this was. The arms move around. Too cute!

So that was our Thanksgiving Day. How was yours?

More to come on Tokyo.

QUESTIONS: How did you celebrate Thanksgiving? What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? What is the most non-traditional thing you have ever done for Thanksgiving? Have you ever been to Tokyo?

Happy Thanksgiving! (and giveaway winners)

2011-11-24T20:46:00.010+09:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday with friends and family.

Oh, and the moment you have all been waiting for:

Using random.org, the winners are 1 and 5, so this is

bejellyfish (please forgive me, I do not know your real name): She is an awesome military spouse blogger just like me! She is currently in Hawaii. I know, us military spouses get to live in some cool places.

and

Andrea from Andrea's Wellness Notes: She is an awesome blogger, who writes about her family life and working hard to be healthy, which includes menu planning for the week and sharing her awesome meal creations.

Please email me @ melinda_seff (at) yahoo (dot) com with your address so I can get these cool chopsticks out in the mail.

If you are looking for something fun to read about my adventures, check out my most recent post if you missed it: CLICK HERE

Nutrition, Food, Travel and More

Things That Make You Go *Drool*

Thursday Thoughts: What are Yours?

No Blizzard Can Stop Us: Aquarium Trip

Thursday Thoughts: Forks Over Knives

Christmas Break Desserts and Dinner

Would you go to a restaurant where you cooked your own food?

Thursday Thoughts: Caloric Beverages

Sushi Cooking Class

Super Sushi Dinner and Cultural Activities

Checking on Goals from 2011 and New Goals for 2012

Chocolate PB Tofu pie and other Holiday Cooking

Thursday Thoughts: Adios 2011

Raspberry Lemonade Tofu Pie

Tour of a Japanese Grocery Store

Thursday Thoughts: Goal Setting

Living in Japan Bucket List

Hirosaki Castle, Chrysanthemum Festival

Thursday Thoughts: Holiday Weight Gain

Eating it Up in Japan

Towada City

Leaving Tokyo and Japanese BBQ Meal

The Big City, Thanksgiving in Tokyo, Part 3

Tsukiji Fish Market, Thanksgiving in Tokyo, Part 2

Thanksgiving in Tokyo, Part 1

Happy Thanksgiving! (and giveaway winners)

Things That Make You Go Drool