Lunch with the Family

Sundays are reserved for Family Time.

And, rightfully so, I decided to have lunch at a restaurant my mom has never been to, Red Lobster. Everyone was there including Evan's awesome parents - with the exception of Delano, Ching, my bro, and other two adorable nephews.

I LOVE THE BISCUIT!! I decided to get Peach Bourbon Shrimp and Scallops and it was delicious! With the exception of the scallops which was covered in bacon - I gave that to Evan LOL!

I've been trying to cut down on pork and Evan's mom, Ms. Melba, gave me the best reason to give to people. It's because of the swine flu (ha-ha). I have other reasons, however, but I will keep that to myself.

I took off for my birthday and day before so I could relax a little & get some personal things done.

My presents include a couple beautiful dresses, hot shoes & sandals, blouse, 3 purses, etc.. All thanks to my family and Mr. Awesome!!

Thanks everyone for making my birthday so memorable.

Weekend Fam-tivities....

It's been study session after study session the past month or so.

I had lunch with some of the family members - Ching, Devin, Kai, my bro, Evan, & parental units - while others were at home and San Diego.

We had some Chop Suey and rice or as Evan calls it "Cooked Salad" LOL! Basically, it's mixed vegetables with chicken or beef.

We also had some Challa bread, pineapple muffins, and watermelon. I played with the self timer on my camera for the first time ever and the finished product isn't so bad. Well, I'm not too positive about the last one with my hair covering Kai's cute head ha-ha....

Cookout @ Chanel's

I love the Summertime for the weather (when it isn't so hot & sticky), Rita's almost every weekend, My BIRTHDAY, and COOKOUTS!!!

I know it seems like I have a different reason to love Summer or Spring, but I love both seasons for different reasons. What I dislike is when my allergies flare up. I was going to try Allergy Buster, but I honestly hate taking medicines. Unless I'm in dire need of it, I refuse to take it.

I love the scent of grilled food: chicken, kabobs, corn, salmon, etc. This past weekend, we went to Chanel's for a cookout which was originally a 'Ladies Only' event, but to satisfy the 'Single Ladies' the guys came too. It was a lot of fun catching up with everyone like Anthony, Nat, Karley, Tim, Fred (who's currently in college at Buffalo and who's lovingly dubbed as "little big brother" ha-ha), Antione, Faith, Kim (who is always late for everything!), Grace, Craig, etc.

Sharon, Angie, Evan, Karley, and I played Uno and Scrabble...too much fun! I love that pic above where Jaiden's looking at the camera with his startled expression and Evan in the background HA-HA.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Memorial Day weekend!

Until the next cookout ....

Speaking of a Great Poet.....

Hectic can't even completely describe how my week or past month has been. Each and every day makes me wish for Happy Hour. Well, I got that and more....

Nikki Giovanni is my ultimate fave when it comes to the world of Poetry. She's a Gemini like myself, but she also never fails when it comes to the poems that she pens down. She is an English Professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, also known as Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Love Poems by Nikki Giovanni is on my top ten list of GOOD READS. One of the best ever!! It was published in 1997 and includes great poems such as 'I Wrote a Good Omelet', 'All Eyez on U' (written especially for Tupac Shakur with whom I share a birthday), and my very own faves: The Way I Feel and That Day.

I was so nervous to meet her at first at the new location of Busboys and Poets on 5th and K St. Thanks to a friend of mine who called to inform me she was going to make an appearance, otherwise I would have never met her last week on Thursday, April 30th. I did not actually have a chance to meet her one-on-one because the place was packed. Nonetheless, she was a joy to listen to as she read a few poems from her new book entitled Bicycles. She also went on to talk about some of the shows she has been watching as of late like Jeopardy and Deal or No Deal, as well as murder and other unnecessary things in life.

I have celebrated the past two birthday dinners at the one on 14th and V St. I absolutely LOVE their Catfish, Nachos w/ Chicken, and most of all Carrot Cake! Also, it's all I could ever want for my birthday: Books, House of Poetry, and an intimate dinner with friends and loved ones.

It was too bad that I didn't get a chance to tell her I'm a big fan of her work, but until next time Ms. Giovanni.....

Mmmmm Good!

Last weekend was rather delicious. Where should I begin?

Fridays are usually a dinner and movies kinda night, but after dining at Red Rock Canyon Grill @ The Rio, Evan & I decided it'd be wise to save that $22 movie money and just go home. Steak salad, tilapia, crabcake, calamari, cornbread, mashed potatoes, glazed carrots with white wine & Blue Moon. Yep, we got the itis (ha-ha).

Saturday, I made an attempt to fulfill my resolutions and was almost successful until we got late lunch/dinner at Urban BBQ. I jogged/walked for about 6 miles and then had the biggest appetite. We had some steak salads, crabcake, cornbread, and hickory beans. The rest of the night became unpleasant, if you catch my drift.

Sunday, we did some home shopping and spent some time with my nephew. Lunch consisted of rice & salmon and ice cream cake for desert. It doesn't end there. Then, we went to Lakeforest Mall and found Rita's! I LOVE THAT PLACE!!! Had some Gelatis and felt like the jog the day before was just useless. Headed back to my bro's place and had shrimp linguini for dinner.

For the record, I am not complaining at all. However, it's relatively difficult to stay in shape with such an accessible plethora of delicious and scrumptious food. I have tried the portions thing, but why starve yourself? Perhaps I need to stick to rabbit food for awhile....NAH, NOT EVEN WORTH IT!

HEALTHY EATS

The common adage, 'Live life to the fullest', means so much more if your quality of life is up to par. I've always been very health conscious but moreso in the past few weeks. Here's an interesting article from Men's Health:

Although some guys aren't opposed to smoking some weed, most wouldn't think of eating one. It's a shame, really, since a succulent weed named purslane is not only delicious but also among the world's healthiest foods.

The 10 best foods you AREN'T eating are:

Beets: A powerfood which is a good source of folate and betaine

Cabbage: Contains the nutrient, sulforaphane, which increases your body's production of enzymes that disarm cell-damaging free radicals and reduce your risk of cancer

Guava: It has a higher concentration of lycopene -- an antioxidant that fights prostate cancer -- than any other plant food, including tomatoes and watermelon.

Swiss Chard: A good source of lutein and zeaxanthin. These plant chemicals, known as carotenoids, protect your retinas from the damage of aging, according to Harvard researchers.

Cinnamon: Cinnamon helps control your blood sugar, which influences your risk of heart disease.

Purslane: It has the highest amount of heart-healthy omega-3 fats of any edible plant, according to researchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Pomegranate Juice: Israeli scientists discovered that men who downed just 2 ounces of pomegranate juice daily for a year decreased their systolic (top number) blood pressure by 21 percent and significantly improved bloodflow to their hearts. What's more, 4 ounces provides 50 percent of your daily vitamin C needs.

Goji berries: They have one of the highest ORAC ratings -- a method of gauging antioxidant power -- of any fruit, according to Tufts University researchers.

Dried Plums: Prunes contain high amounts of neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acids, antioxidants that are particularly effective at combating the "superoxide anion radical."

Pumpkin Seeds: Downing pumpkin seeds is the easiest way to consume more magnesium.

I know some of these fancy words for the noted antioxidants/nutrients might puzzle you a little but they are ALL ULTIMATELY great for you!(http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ColdandFluNews/story?id=5334734&page=1)

I love this sushi place downtown called Kaz Sushi. They've got the best Shrimp Tempura I've ever had. I can't recall a time when I hated sushi but after a couple of visits with a few friends, I figured it's not so bad. WHAT SUSHI LOVERS HAVE TO BE WARY OF IS THIS:

10/23/08: Last Thursday, a Japanese sushi chef died after accidentally eating the highly-poisonous liver of the fugu, or puffer fish. While many parts of the fish are tasty and safe, certain organs can be deadly.

The 34-year-old chef was licensed by the Tokyo government to prepare the fugu dish, yet mistakenly thought the liver was safe to eat, according to reporting by The Mainichi Daily News.


For more on the articles above, go to www.abcnews.go.com