Frannywanny

"I'm so DONE with all my yaya dramas!" This is one line that I've been telling my family since Yaya D left us . I realized that no matter how nice or kind you are, you are never assured of their loyalty to you. I can't believe that my twins are barely a year old and we've gone through 3 nannies already. My friends actually told me that I have a pretty normal yaya count as some went as far as 10 nannies in the span of a year. Unbelievable. Indeed, good, loyal and honest helpers are hard to find. That said, I made a resolution to train my kids to be self-reliant as they get older. Doing small household chores until they graduate to doing bigger things. Personally, I grew up without a nanny and I think I turned out okay. In fact, I find it even better as our small family of 4 became really close with the absence of a nanny. My parents have been very hands-on since Day 1 and helping out in the house never felt like a chore but rather something that Pan and I i...

I can't remember the first time I heard about poke (poh-key) bowls. Most likely it was a couple of years back when I saw my friend in the US having it for one of his meals. I've always had this impression that it probably originated in Hawaii and it's probably their take on the Japanese chirashidon. Fast forward to two years ago, I had my very first poke bowl at A Poke Theory in Singapore . I've always love having salads, sandwiches or these poke bowls for lunch back when I was still part of the workforce overseas. Somehow, it keeps me alert and energetic to last for the second half of the work day.  I won't lie, there are days when I badly needed a huge plate of Ayam Penyet or a box of Curry Rice but on days when I want to go light but not end up starving, then Poke Bowls it is. However, my poke bowls addiction was short-lived as I had to stop having anything raw from the moment I found out I was pregnant. In order to keep my twins safe, I obediently followed m...

One thing that I miss the most about living in Singapore is the chance to cook on a regular basis. Somehow, I never considered cooking a chore as it's something that I look forward to doing most especially when I get to try a new recipe or experiment with whatever ingredients we have in the fridge. With all my kitchen utensils, pots and ingredients finally back from Singapore, I took the opportunity to do some cooking for the family. Recently also, I was invited to check out Grande Rice Bran Oil  which is new in the market. I still remembered the first time Paul and I had to shop for our cooking oil and we were totally overwhelmed by all the varieties available. From the more popular olive oil to the more mass produced vegetable oil, I seriously had to whipped out my phone right at the middle of the grocery aisle to check which one is the healthier variant before making our choice. After all, there's no early age to be health-conscious after all most especially when we se...

One of the biggest food trends that rocked Singapore last year was the entrance of Poke Bowls specifically to the lunch crowd. In case you're not sure what on earth poke (poh-kay) bowls  are, these are pretty much a raw fish salad served in a...bowl. All over the world, there are several variations closely similar to it. Ceviche from the Latin American region, Kinilaw in the Philippines and somewhat close, Yusheng here in Singapore. What makes Poke extra special is that the fish/seafood are marinated making it so tasty and it's served on top of a bed of rice or greens. During one of my lunch errands, I stumbled upon A Poke Theory  along Boon Tat Street. I seriously love this part of Tanjong Pagar as this was were my first office was located. I just love the quaint shophouses, the endless rows of restaurants and how this area has maintained this old Singaporean charm in a very modern setting. So, I really love it whenever I get to walk around this area for lunch again. A...

Let me tell you a bit about my fan-girling moment. Since December, I stumbled upon a YouTube video of 3 cute toddlers playing pretend cafe with their parents. Their cute antics and very garbled but adorable sounding words just got me hooked since then. Day after day, I would follow their new vlog episode and it's then that I've gotten to know more about the Travis family . I guess one thing that I love about them is they're your normal, down-to-earth Asian-American family. There's  Benji , a half Japanese, half Irish dad who is a big advocate of healthy eating and drinking, then you got Judy , a long-time vlogger who's pure Filipina who grew up in the US. She is the mother of 3 cute toddlers namely Juliana or JB and twins Keira and Miyako . This may sound crazy but my day will not be complete if I don't get to watch their latest vlog. Through the months, I've learned to be more conscious about healthy eating too most particularly in choosing organic ingre...

"Health is wealth." This is what Papa would always remind us whenever we're down with a cough or cold when we were younger. It's his way of telling us that we have to do everything to stay healthy all. the. time. As it is his birthday today, I am reminded again of his famous line most especially now that there's an ongoing Zika virus outbreak here in the Lion City. Not only that, we've recently experienced the haze again last week and this got a lot of my colleagues coughing and sick for days. I really dislike seeing the doctor and drinking medicine so taking Papa's advice, I'm researching on ways to prevent these viruses through the best way I know how -- eating. Have you heard of Superfoods ? These are not the kind that superheroes eat but well, you might feel like one after consuming it. Hehe! Anyway, these are food items that's loaded with nutrients such as anti-oxidants, immune-boosting particles and more. Last year, Kale took the foodie wo...

As we were researching for our trip to Bali last year, Paul and I noticed that the cafe scene in this beautiful Indonesian island is totally booming. This really got us so excited as we're both fans of cafes and we definitely love visiting new ones too. We actually have the option to take our breakfast in the hotel but since we were only there for 3 full days, we didn't want to waste spending more than one meal in one place. On our first morning in Bali, after taking a million and one shots of the ocean view, we headed to Seminyak to try Sisterfields . This is one of the top cafes rated in Tripadvisor and it was highly recommended by local bloggers and Instagrammers too so we definitely took their word for it. Seminyak is just the next district to where our hotel was thus, making it a short and stress-free 10 minute ride via Uber. Here's a tip: when in Bali, just use Uber (or Grab) as hailing a cab wasn't very much recommended by our hotel receptionist as there ...

My friend A and I have known each other since we were in 5th grade. That means, our friendship goes as far back when we were 10 and if you do the math, that means, we've been good friends for 23 years already! That's more than two decades it's really amazing how we continue to stay in touch all throughout these years. We've been there for each other through high school, university life, when we both started working, when I met Paul and she met D, when we both got engaged, when we got married, when she had a baby and even up until the present that Paul and I migrated out of the country. We may not get to talk on a daily basis but it's really the quality of those conversations that we've had where we can easily pick up from where we have left off. During our recent trip home, A and I agreed to go out on a double date with our hubbies. We haven't seen D for so long so it was a nice opportunity for all of us to catch up. A chose the place and she suggested Kar...

For a food blogger, I have to admit that I can get quite picky too. Carrots, peas, corn, mussels, oysters and whipped cream are just some of the big no-nos on my dinner plate. Admittedly, I like leafy veggies more than the slimy ones. I know, I know... it can be quite challenging to get me to really eat all my greens. (sorry Mommy!) So, when I got an invite to check out the new menu of Do.Si.Rak. I initially had my fears. "Will I like the food?" "Will they be serving veggies that I don't like?" "Will it be tasteless and bland?" These are just some of the things that have crossed my mind and I'm pretty sure the minds of countless others who are not big veggie eaters. However, Do.Si.Rak. is a step above the usual salad bar as it offers something more than just x number of toppings on top of your mixed greens. Here, you choose your base (noodles, rice, tofu, cauliflower rice, etc) followed by your veggies and lastly some protein .

We all know that Orchard Road is the place to go when you want to shop here in Singapore. To borrow a famous tagline, Orchard pretty much got it all for you ! From satisfying your retail needs down to treating your taste buds to a wide-array of yummy choices, this is one place every tourist should not miss out on and for locals and residents here, it's the perfect place to meet up with friends or to do some retail therapy when stress sets in. If you ask me, my favorite part of Orchard Road is within the Somerset district. For some reason, I really enjoy shopping in the malls within this particular area because all of the brands that I love can be found here. Recently, I was invited to a lunch food trail at the Basement 2 of Orchard Central a.k.a. OC where we got to visit three of the newest food establishments there. Our first stop was at  Green Rabbit Crepe and Salad Gastrobar .

Mommy would always tell us that "breakfast is the most  important meal of the day." Well, what she forgot to mention is that it can also be the most exciting one too. You see, I normally wake up feeling hungry that the first question that enters my mind is "what should I eat this morning?" So, it is always so exciting for me to plan what should I have for my first meal of the day. For the past year, breakfast for me would either be of two things: a) a bowl of instant oatmeal in chocolate or banana honey flavor b) a bowl of fruity yogurt with my favorite whole grain cereals on top Gone are the days wherein I would have rice for breakfast. Perhaps, the only times I'd have my ever-reliable silog is when I'm in Manila. Living here in the Lion City, I've become more conscious of what I eat and that includes getting into the habit of starting my day right. While I love my two breakfast options dearly, I have to admit that it can get tiring to have this...

I have to hand it to my parents for teaching me and Pan to appreciate eating vegetables at a young age. I remember that back then, there's never a day that would pass that there won't be any kind of vegetable dish in our meal. Of course, as kids, we were still picky then. Choosing the leafy ones such as spinach, lettuce, broccoli over the gooey and slimy ones (eg: eggplant, okra and bittergourd). As we grew up, that's when our taste buds began to appreciate more flavors and today, I can proudly say that I'm just down to not liking peas, carrots and okra which I don't think will ever be well-suited to my taste...ever. So, when I received an invite to visit Joie by Dozo and to try its 7-course meatless dinner, I was pretty much excited for it. After all, I've been trying to eat more greens since I moved to the Lion City and this invite was simply perfect timing. The restaurant is located at the rooftop garden of Orchard Central giving it an all-zen vibe. J...

When in comes to workday lunch, I normally would go for something fast, easy-to-eat yet still delicious. Often times, I'd just prepare my own lunch and bring it to work. This is the only way I make sure that I eat healthy. My usual lunch staples would be an assortment of salad mixes which consists of whatever I find in our fridge that morning or a grilled cheese sandwich. Sometimes, I'd bring pasta to work only when I was able to cook some the night before. However, there are just weeks wherein either I'm too lazy to prepare something or I just want to eat something else. Luckily, my office neighborhood (a.k.a. my workhood) is filled with a LOT of food places so the choices are pretty much endless. Recently, Paul and I discovered a restaurant called Sushi Burrito  in 100AM. It was after our gym visit in the same mall where we decided to check this place out. Funny that I've been seeing this restaurant for months since we moved to this side of town yet I never really...

The healthy trend has finally reached Manila and it's something that locals seem to be embracing quite well. That's really good as it's high time for people to take a closer look at what they're eating and if this will bring more harm than good to their body. A quick check on Google showed me that heart attack, stroke and cancer remain as the top 3 causes of death in the Philippines. While cancer is more often than not due to genetics, there are a lot of ways to avoid the top 2. No, I won't go preaching about health and wellness to bore you all out. However, I just want to share that moving to the Lion City has made me realize the importance of eating well and keeping a more active lifestyle. It has just been more than a year since we've moved and both Paul and I would shake our heads in disbelief whenever we would come across our photos taken 2 years back. Paul has lost all the unwanted weight and has done an amazing job at maintaining it. I still have h...

Peer pressure [n]: social pressure by members of one's peer group to take a certain action, adopt certain values, or otherwise conform in order to be accepted. ( Source ) I know, I know... I'm too old to be "pressured" by my peers but when it comes to food, I have a good circle of friends whom I trust for their recommendations. Included in this circle is my friend I . She's a foodie herself and is a great cook too. She's someone who got an amazing taste in food and so far, I've loved every single recommended restaurant that she has brought the NKids to. So, when I  began talking about McDonald's Grilled Chicken McWrap  (S$5.40 a la carte / S$7 meal) and how it's one of the healthier options on McDonald's menu, I knew I had to give it a try. All the more when she and C would bring home these McWraps to enjoy for breakfast or to bring to work the next day. So, over lunch today, Paul and I decided to head over to McDonald's for me to fi...

Here's another Singapore hawker find!  Lately, I've been challenging myself to eat more green! From pesto pasta to salads, even green bottled water (haha!) and if possible green tea or a whole kiwi after every meal too. On some days, I think I went overboard with my green lunch but that's alright.  Anyway, I stumbled upon this stall while checking out the Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market and Food Centre --my new go-to hawker centre since we moved to our new office recently. It's a stall called Traditional Hakka Rice and it serves one main thing: Thunder Tea Rice . 

Meet the newest kid in our office block! I've mentioned a number of times how I just love working in the CBD mainly because of the endless choices of food options that we get on a daily basis. Just recently, I visited a new cafe that opened a few months ago with fellow blogger A. If you know A, you'll know that he's the person to go to when you want to talk about coffee and to get tips on where to get the best cup in the country. It was just perfect that A also works in the area so we agreed to meet up for lunch one day. Gaest is one of the newest cafes which specializes in Nordic cuisine. I was initially confused what Nordic food is and a couple of research showed me how healthy it is. Using organic ingredients, Gaest serves four types of sandwiches -- Pork, Chicken, Potato and Salmon. What makes it so interesting is that they bake their own bread daily and almost all things that go into your sandwich is fresh. Just recently, they also started offering salads and...

I ♥ Salad! On days when I'm feeling really guilty for eating a lot of unhealthy and sinful food I'd then make up for it by having salad on my next meal. However, I'm quite picky on where to get fresh greens as I don't want to run the risk of ending up with a bad stomach or worst amoebiasis . I'm glad though that our local hawker stalls are taking the precautionary steps to practice proper food handling and hygiene all the time. Oh, one of the many things I love about the Lion City. Working in the CBD has its perks. One is definitely the endless food choices available. Since Amoy Food Centre is just a few steps away from my office, this has been my go-to place on days when I'm just too lazy to bring a packed lunch. Let me share with you one of my favorite stalls. Introducing The Salad Corner .

Being a foodie is a tough job. With the wide-variety of food available and the opportunity to eat to our heart's content, I'd say, we're lucky to live in a world where achieving gastronomic satisfaction is indeed possible and for some, it happens quite often too. I'd say though that as one bids goodbye to his/her wonderful twenties and slowly enters his/her 30s, 40s and even 50s, there's that great need to be more mature and responsible about the things we put in our mouth. Beyond being fit and good-looking, there's also our blood chemistry, the rise and fall of one's cholesterol and sugar levels and a lot more. I'll be honest, two years back I was at my heaviest and definitely not at my healthiest. It was hard to say no to all the food tastings coming my way. A lot of them really made me swoon and jump with glee as they were just so delicious. All day and night, I think of food . Then, I woke up and realized, it was time to push that RESET button....

There's really something magical about enjoying a cup of tea at any given time of the day. On most days, whenever I have a warm mug of tea with me, I tend to zone out from the bustling noise from our busy surroundings and for that short moment, I can feel peace and lots of zen. Thus, I make sure that our pantry at home is completely stocked with tea in all kinds and flavors. Growing up, I love floral-flavored teas like jasmine and chrysanthemum. I remember Papa ordering pots of Chrysanthemum every time we'd have dimsum in Hong Kong. Somehow, this became a staple for me. Eating dimsum is not complete without tea. Later on, we began a weekly ritual of having Afternoon Teas complete with dainty cups and saucers, a ceramic container of sugar cubes and a pretty three-layer tray filled with tea sandwiches and pastries. Since Chrysanthemum Tea is available mostly in Chinese restaurant, this time we learned to appreciate English Teas like Earl Grey, Basic Black Tea and more.  ...