PODE!: Meal Planning = Healthy Eating... Like a Bawse

It's a Sunday night and here I am mucking around the laptop while trying to work out my meal plan for the following week. I was mulling over what my first topic for Project: Overcome Domestic Entropy would be, and realized that most of my money and food woes stem from not planning ahead and heading into the grocery with no goal in mind - bahala na si Batman (Imma leave it all to Batman), and I'm guessing a lot of other people are guilty of this, too.

I don't know about you, but one of the biggest challenges I've discovered about living by myself is food spoilage. Did I mention I'm a picky eater? I don't really eat rice - sandwiches, salads, and pasta mostly. I try to eat healthy and try to stock up on vegetables and fruits for the week and stay away from the canned stuff, but by the end of the week, half of my fresh produce can be found wilted and icky at the bottom of my vegetable bin, and I still end up having to order takeout from McDonald's.

If you're anything like me, meal planning is the answer! After a lot of scrounging on the interwebs and a bit of trial on my part, I've found a system that works for me.

Here are 10 tips on how to plan your meals for the week:

Laminine Manila: A Stem Cell Revolution!

There's a revolution happening, and here I am, trying to catch up.

We've all heard about celebrities and people with cancer going to Germany or Japan and spending millions of pesos on stem cell injections. I first heard about stem cell studies from the late Superman, Christopher Reeve, who focused on human embryotic stem cell research.

I was introduced to Laminine Manila recently by a friend who had been taking the stuff for a while now. He reported that since he started taking it, his energy increased tremendously and his focus and concentration improved and highly recommend that I try it for my hypothyroid problem, since I find most of the medications they prescribe for goiter have a lot of unpleasant side effects. Laminine, on the other hand, is an all-natural supplement made out of the stem cell of an avian embryo - so I decided to give it a whirl.

The Art of Tea at da.u.de Tea Lounge

Good tea shops in Manila are hard to come by. When I say good, I mean a nice balance between quality leaves and an affordable price tag. Also, I think the good reputation of tea time has been sullied in Manila by the misconceptions that:

1. Only old Chinese folks drink tea;
2. You only really drink tea if you aren't feeling well or trying to lose weight; and
3. Good teas are expensive.

There may be some truth to the last misconception since I can only find good quality teas at overpriced at hotels or that other tearoom at Greenbelt. But this doesn't have to be the case!

I was so happy to discover a tearoom that didn't smell like something out of Chinatown with a wide variety of teas that are sold at a Starbucks-friendly price. Strategically placed at The Fort at the brand spankin' new Net Lima building, da.u.de Tea Lounge is the place to hunt down if you're hankerin' for tea that's done the right way.

Power Lunch at Chops Chicago Steakhouse

On days like these, I wish I lived closer to Greenbelt.

Chops Chicago Steakhouse - the brainchild of Raymond Magdaluyo - was created to fill the void of hungry steak lovers looking for quality yet affordable steaks. Located on the fourth floor of Greenbelt 5, dining at Chops feels exclusive and a lot more intimate when you're on a date.

Created with the busy businessman and woman in mind, Chops is fully equipped with a fast wi-fi connection, a fax machine, photocopier, scanner, as well as pens and notebooks for conferences or presentations. And to compliment all of that food-wise, Chops is offering a power lunch so you can actually enjoy what you're putting into your gob if you're making it a working lunch.

Schmuzter co-hosted a blogger event for Chops, highlighting the Chops Executive Lunch (P888), a four-course meal that consists of the soup for the day, a Caesar salad, Wisconsin Tenderloin Steak with your choice of side dish, and a Dark Chocolate Cigar for dessert.

Project: Overcome Domestic Entropy!

My blog has been on hiatus for around a month while I took some time to go on a proper vacation, recharge my batteries, catch up on my shows, spend some quality time with my dog, and gear up for the new year. I've also doing a bit of research online learning about how to be a bit more domestic, since I tend to be so busy flitting from one place to another that my old apartment ended up just being a total mess - unwashed plates in the sink, a dirty floor, my laundry all higgledy-piggledy (I couldn't tell what was clean and what wasn't) - and it got to a point where I just didn't want to stay at home anymore, it was so untidy!

It's embarrassing, I admit it, but living in a country where you grew up with a maid cooking and cleaning after you everywhere you went, and with a lot of young working professionals still living at home with mom and dad 'til they marry (heck, some even stay on after marriage and bring the wife and kids to move into the bedroom they never grew out of), my state isn't as uncommon as it may seem.

Enter Project: Overcome Domestic Entropy! a.k.a. Get Your Shiz Together!