Flower Power on V-Day 2016 part 1

Valentine's Day 2016 came with a lot of wind blowing from the west.  I came out from church to have lunch at KFC and was surprised at how strong the wind was.  It usually takes me about 15 minutes to walk to the station on my way to KFC but that day, with the wind just literally pushing me from behind, I reached the station in about 5 minutes.

It was funny and scary at the same time.  I met people who were walking towards me being pushed back and had to hold on something near the sidewalk or else they would fall.

I had to stop at the Nirakuen Flower Shop to catch my breath and also take some photos.

Kobe Harborland Flower Fair

I don't know but as I was having lunch at KFC and wondering how I'd spend my V-Day afternoon, I thought of going to Harborland to see what's new in there.  When I got there, I was very pleasantly surprised to see a Flower Fair and exhibit going on.  

I love the lavender and purple petals.

red and pink blooms

I wonder if these kind of flowers would grow in tropical countries.

flower balloons

lovin' the bower

I think these tulips were grown in local flower farms.

these are the floral arrangements by the huge pillars 

table arrangements

the sign above reads, "YOKOSO" (welcome)

sooo lovin' these colors

isn't this great for wedding reception table arrangement?

Lunch Invitation

A friend from church invited me to her place up in the hilly side of Mikage.  She and her husband have a cozy apartment there with lots of sunshine, lovely view of the Kobe wharf on the south, Nada town on the east, a Women's Univ on the northeast, and the hills of Kobe on the north.  High up there among the hills is a waterfall.  Its clean waters flow down beside their apartment and the sound of it one can hear from the balcony.  Lovely place to live, I say.

Well, we had been changing the dates for our lunch get-together for one reason or another.  At last, we finally got to meet up on Feb 8th, Monday.

I've been on a no-sugar, no-soda, no gluten, no red meat diet for two weeks now.  But I declared that Monday my cheat day, a diet respite.

She picked me up at church around 11 am. and we had a leisurely drive up to the hills.  It was a lovely day - warm springlike weather and clear blue skies.

the balcony

Kobe Shion Women's University on the right and the Nada town from afar

the neighboring apartments

the dining corner

her table centerpiece

spot the koala

corn soup

avocado slice in raw ham, with crackers and sliced cherry tomatoes

grilled chicken with red wine 

the red wine 

pizza topped with grated cheese, some blue cheese and other toppings

my first time to eat pizza with honey - so YUM combo 

I brought the chocolate rolled cake (bought from Kobe Symphony Nagano) for our dessert

These lovely crystal plates were bought from Okinawa. 

I had such a great time that day - good food, excellent place and fun conversation.  Happy, wonderful memory to last a lifetime! 

Week 2 of my Diet

I'm now on my second week of my no sugar-no gluten- no soda - no red meat diet. So far, so good.

I've noticed that I feel less sluggish now.  But the thing is, I have to eat something every couple of hours to make my tummy happy.

What do I eat for snacks?  Yogurt with fruit, or sometimes apple slices or some nuts (almond, walnut and cashew)

The other day I had to go out to buy some rice and salt at Daie before the afternoon classes began.  I had to eat a light lunch somewhere.  I decided to go to KFC to have the Teriyaki Twister with Ice Tea because there really is no place around my neighborhood where I can get something allowed on my diet.

I really am not sure whether the teriyaki sauce is safe enough to eat.  Or the tortillas -what are those made of?  I'll have to look it up pretty soon.

Last night, I tried cooking the sugarless and flourless banana pancakes.  I came across this recipe online while searching for articles about bananas and whether they're good to include in my diet.  Many articles I've found online had approved of the bananas as substitute for sugar.  

This recipe is very easy to make with only 3 ingredients:  one mashed banana, 2 eggs beaten and lots of cinnamon.  Cooked like regular pancakes, it tasted great.  Sweet because of the bananas and the eggs made it a bit fluffy.