June-July: Food hauls and lunch boxes

Here are snippets from what's been happening from June to July for yours truly, in no particular order as usual:)

Best hair tie colour combination from H&M

Made strawberry scroll buns and they were delicious after coming out from the oven. Eventually became tougher as the days go by although homemade strawberry jam tasted 10x better than store bought versions.

Usual readings with a cup of tea

Craving for something sinful and indulged in this double coated strawberry magnum ice cream. So good and bad at the same time.

The sister wanted to trial a few sweet treats. Verdict? Raspberry cheesecake kit kat was ok, strawberry wafers were decent and Arnott's lemon crips were the bomb as usual.

Half priced Dove body wash - a different flavour each day.

Homebrand apple pie was err.... a bit flimsy and lacked body, in my opinion, although a cheap option if you are not looking at getting overly attached to any desserts but still need your weekly/ monthly sugar fix.

How would Uniqlo's ultra warm heat tech fare I wonder. A few more weeks before winter ends to try them out!

Bought this purely for its nice maroon shade and that it was on offer. Bonus points for extra fine merino wool quality too.

Baker's delight coffee and date loaf was surprisingly good. I like a bit of coffee scent to wake me up in the morning and this does the trick for me.

My second pair of Asics (first pair was too worn out and had long been discarded). Was initially a little hesitant as it was not on special but after running in them, I daresay their gel cushions reign supreme compared to other brands.

Homemade caramel slice - one of the best ones I have tasted although was a little runnier than what I liked it to be. Was buzzing on a sugar high after I finished one piece.

The start of my lunch box series for those wanting to eat healthier and reduce overspending on meals. Recipes can be found by clicking on the recipe tab on the right side of this page.

Sweet and sour pork balls and braised fish with tofu and vegetables. Loaded with vegetables.

Korean spicy chicken with crushed nuts and braised daikon with minced pork and shittake mushrooms.

Another grateful customer bought me a box of chocolates as a token of gratitude for helping her to certify her documents.

Kung pao chicken and orange chicken.

Oyakodon using leftover chicken and vegetables.

Another massive junk food haul. Maryland chocolate chip cookies were a little too dry and hard for my liking. Green's version fared a little better but by a small margin and had brownie points for a tantalizing orange aroma. Wagon wheels still take the cake home in my books as it's not overly sweet and was balanced in terms of strawberry jam, marshmallow and chocolate. Cadbury's mini rolls were surprisingly good and difficult to stop at just one bite.

WL's mum's homemade curry puffs were one of the better ones I have had and also the healthiest ones.

Apricot and date loaf from Baker's delight. I love how Baker's delight are always generous with their fruit portions although I did find the apricot bits a little sour.

Called in sick on my last week of work and made a banana cake with oat crumble as compensation.

Lost my favourite gym bottle at the gym and sadly, those plastic bottles crushed easily as I tend to chuck them in my bag. Bought a water bottle from Starbucks as not only was it much cheaper compared to other places but also had a pleasing pattern of Melbourne, a gentle reminder that I have finally settled myself well in this city:)

Wagon wheels are the best.

Post gym, covered in sweat and blood.

Pancake parlour's apple pie pancake was yummy, especially when it's been coated with a delectable butterscotch sauce.

Made the best pistachio and almond loaf cake and did not take any proper pictures with it using my camera. Will have to remake this again as it is truly delicious.

Oct-Nov mobile uploads: Breakfast bars, more salad bowls and selfie moments

Hello hello, I have been quite behind with posting on monthly updates via my iphone camera and so, this blog post is a compilation of what I have been up to in the last couple of months.

First up, I have been trying out various types of breakfast bars, emphasizing heavily on its protein and sugar content.  I love how tasty Carman's gourmet protein bars are and they are not overloaded with sugar. My personal favourite would be the dark chocolate version because it makes me feel excited when I get up in the morning:D

I have tested this out of curiousity and found it quite hard as in rock solid hard. Not overly sweet just like Carman's although would really prefer a softer version.

Again, Carman's did not disappoint and although I would still prefer the protein bars over this one, it does have a nice coffee aroma lingering afterwards which can be good in the morning.

Ho ho ho, here lies one of my favourite gifts, a Breville Teamaker. Has a setting for different types of brews be it mild, moderate or strong depending on the type of tea used. Easy to clean and very straightforward to use.

Meetings and more meetings, cest la vie.

And just like every month, here is a mini collection of what I have been eating on most weekdays for lunch or dinner.

Trying to be healthy with a serve of carrots, steak, kale and brown rice.

Bought some salad whilst at the shopping mall as I did not have a fridge for the time being and was craving some fresh veggies.

Rice with roasted chicken breast. The sister made such a sensational soy sauce flavoured roast chicken that I couldn't believe the chicken breast was not hard and dry. Such a treat it was and one that I happily went back for seconds.

Had leftover chicken and pasta in the fridge and so, voila, into the salad lunch bowl it went. Ps, I bought my pyrex bowl a couple of months ago and me thinks it true is an amazing investment. No more worrying about microwaving plastic and having such a decent sized bowl to carry around soupy items is a bonus!

And now, drum rolls please for the following vain shots of myself. Because I can.

Checked shirt, Topshop high waisted skirt, Karen Millen mini bag and Nine west shoes.

Zara navy jumper, Esprit puffed vest, Zara denim, Adidas shoes. The best sleeveless puffed jacket.

Sequined Zara dress and denim jacket

How to be lazy and still pull it together. Pyjamas t-shirt, Zara denim jacket and Zara shorts. Yea, a good jacket does go a long way.

Europe: Confiserie Sprungli & chocolate souvenirs, Zurich SWITZ

As the sister and I transported ourselves into Switzerland, we were blown away by it's emerald toned greenery, mountain tops that are coated with a generous dusting of snow and crystal clear waters that sparkle under the glorious sun rays.

Needless to say, this view was still visible from our hotel room and throughout our walk around Zurich. In contrast to the almighty Swiss scenery, the sister and I braced ourselves for a darker, sinister Swiss trademark, fondly known as chocolate.

Confiserie Sprungli has been operating since 1836 and at one point, was associated to Lindt & Sprungli, which most of us would be familiar with from our local supermarkets. Priding itself as a luxury chocolate brand, it's products can only be found in Switzerland - take note if you are here;)

Located on busy Bahnhofstrasse, the ground floor of the establishment is utilized as a shop whereby customers can freely browse the various selections of artisan chocolates available as well as get takeaways on their famous luxemburgerli (a smaller and lighter version of the French macaron)

When in Rome, eat as the Romans - so we treated ourselves to a decadent piece of chocolate ganache cake. Velvety smooth was the dark chocolate ganache and may be quite rich for some. Not a problem for us, thankfully.

Hot chocolate drinks, why not? I usually make conscious decisions on my chocolate intake because it can give me breakouts but hey, indulging in it every now and then won't hurt ey;)

Luxemburgerli - alas, we met with the French cousins and it was a delightful one. Definitely a lot more aeration in the shells and the buttercream filling is fluffier.

A slice of citrus cake to freshen up our palates. Still a pretty good piece of cake even if its not drenched in chocolate.

The day's damage did not end in the cafe. With our filled tummies, we slowly adjourned to the shop and picked up a few souvenirs for family and friends back home.

Oh and did I mention that there are quite a few unique Lindt chocolate flavours available in the supermarket? We picked an interesting looking kirsch filled edition as gifts for the alcoholic ones. Am not exactly a fan of liquor in my chocolate myself and found this a little too strong to my liking.

I tend to favour fruity flavoured chocolates instead and liked this mango version. Wished I had bought more. For those who are unable to purchase these whilst in town, there are Lindt kiosks in the airport - hard to walk away from Switzerland without it!

Europe: Snacking in Warsaw POLAND

After WWII, Warsaw was completely flattened to the ground and the city had to be reconstructed from there forth, something that you may not expect when wandering around this city. What one does not have in terms of metropolitan appeal, one shall make up for it with a lasting impression on the palate.

The sister and I first came across pierogi, a beloved Polish dumpling, we had the savoury option. After hearing much raving about a blueberry version, we decided to give it a go as we strolled around on our last night.

The verdict? A sneaky squirt of blueberry juice rocketed itself at me as I pried into pierogi but thankfully, did not make it far across the table. Still can't get my senses to agree with me on a sweet-ish dumpling but hey, it was strangely addictive and the addition of hot cream toned down the berries' acidic nature for an overall subtle outcome.

One of the perks of walking around aimlessly would be discovering unexpected sights along the way such as an E.Wedel confectionery cafe. For the chocoholics out there, do not miss an opportunity to pop in their original shop located on 8 Szpitalna Street - lovely ambiance and service:)

We ordered a few individual chocolates from the front counter and boy oh boy, were each chocolate silky smooth and creamy. Also had a few chocolate shots and each one was yummy:) Last but not least, chocolate crepes filled with whipped cream. Overdosed we were on that very night.

Our local tour guide pointed out this shop to us - rumour has it that celebrities flock here when they are in town because it's truly a league on its own.

For those unfamiliar, paczki is the Polish version of a doughnut that is often topped with candied citrus bites. Each paczki costs about 2euros but after 5pm, it does become half priced. Even the sister who is not usually big on sweets made an executive decision to grab two of them after gleefully stuffing herself with it in the morning!

Wawel is also another Polish chocolate company to watch out for. Easily accessible in supermarkets, the sister and I grabbed a blueberry flavoured chocolate block as a travelling snack. Not as smooth textured compared to E.Wedel but was a bit more affordable and comes in an assortment of fun flavours. Don't miss this:)