Complex Carbohydrates

Ok, I know that it doesn't seem like it, but I am trying to eat healthier in order to avoid a crazy last-minute diet before the wedding (why on Earth did I think that I could fit into a dress with a 24.5 inch waist?!?! Must be that I haven't been measured since high school). What I need, though, are the facts.

Yes, everyone knows that brown (meaning whole wheat) rice, bread, and pasta are much much better for you. But sometimes I don't wanna choke on all of that whole grain, getting those little indigestible bits stuck in the back of my throat. Yes, I will try to incorporate these into my cooking but since I'm not totally committed, let's evaluate their bleached and unhealthy counterparts, the white grains. Afterall, knowing is half the battle.

White Rice (1 Serving Size = 1 cup (165 g.) cooked)

Nutritional data and images courtesy of www.NutritionData.com

Pasta (1 Serving = 56 grams or 2 oz. dry - about 1 cup cooked)
It's always hard for me to judge how much uncooked pasta really is. But this handy website actually shows you what 200 calories looks like - that's 56 grams below. Their pic of 28g of butter is also a nice slap in the face.


Bread
I can clearly see how many calories are in each slice of bread by reading the nutrition label. But just because I only buy wheat bread doesn't mean that I've conquered bread nutrition. It's those baskets of free bread at restaurants that get me. Of course I'm starving and bored so I'm gonna eat that crummy (or sometimes very tasty) bread. But according to this, there are 140 calories in a white, crusty bread roll. No thanks! Take it away!

The best time to exercise off (and readily digest) carbohydrates is less than an hour after eating. Which means I'll probably be going back to the evening spinning class.

In my quest to develop a healthy lifestyle, I read that you should drink a glass of water when you wake up. Interesting...and perhaps an easy improvement. Let me know if you have any tips!

Birthday Badness

I ate way too much this weekend. So much, in fact, that I couldn't stomach any movie snacks by the time we went to see Harry Potter on Sunday evening. But, I'm happy to report that it was all delicious. My darling fiance baked me a chocolate cake, from scratch!

Filled with chocolate Bon o Bon. Mmmmm...thanks love!


Room 302
3 de Febrero 893

Saturday night, we went out on a date to Room 302, the only Thai restaurant in town. It was atmospheric and trendy and the service was great. (No pics due to the dating nature of the occasion). It also turned out to be a good spot for cocktails - I had a Viet Kon - Ruby Red Absolut, a lemon grass infusion, pink grapefruit, soda and cilantro. Refreshing and interesting. For an appetizer, we had fried gnocchi in a white wine Thai-inspired sauce, which was so delicious that we soaked up the extra sauce with bread. I had the tofu curry - I'm no curry expert and I know that there are a million different kinds but this one was more peppery than spicy and lacked the sweetness of most curry dishes that I've tried. Still, it had an assortment of fresh veggies and some beans thrown in. It was yummy and I'll go back again. Definitely a unique spot in this city.

Sr. Ming
La Fluvial

I've only been to the airport in Japan but I still think that I can claim that this is the best sushi restaurant in town. And it's a Ninja Bar, which sounds very cool. It's got great views of the river and a Japanese garden out back. They don't have any veggie sushi options on the menu but they'll make it up with anything you want (I neeeed avocado in my sushi).


The tempura looks funky and is delish.

There are several entree options in addition to the large sushi menu. We ordered rice and Judi got this yummy chicken noodley dish (which is probably easy to make without chicken too).


And that Sr. Ming is really quite cheeky.

This week I will only be eating salads and oatmeal (and the rest of the ice cream).

Unsettled

Anthropologie

Where there should have been a post on Fig & Walnut Biscotti (which ended up on the floor), I'll write about the wedding instead. This blog is called 'a domestic disturbance' for a reason.

We're not planning on having a wedding registry for a few reasons. For one, we're not having a "real" wedding. Of course it's real, we are pledging our lives to each other, but we're not entertaining our crowd with vows or dancing. We're going to the courthouse with our crew in tow and then taking everyone out for dinner.

This may seem weird to you (our crowd of 30-40 going to the courthouse) but it's quite normal here. In fact, a civil ceremony is mandatory. You get a room all to yourself for signing the marriage certificate and you can invite your nearest and dearest to watch. The typical Argentine wedding is held the next day, with a religious ceremony and blow-out reception. But we felt weird about having a big event, especially since my parents aren't coming, and it would really just be a celebration for Guille's side.

Our US receptions don't really warrant a registry either, being that they're just small get-togethers. But the real reason that we're not registering is because we're not ready to settle down. I've always equated getting married with being settled. But that's not the case at all. I'm not ready to buy a house and fill it with all of the things want yet. In the past 9 years (gulp!) since I graduated high school, I have lived in 8 different cities in 4 different states and 3 countries. Seriously, I can't commit to a place. And I'm happy that I've found someone to spend my chaotic life with.

I can't tell you how relieved I felt when I sold most of the things I owned at a stoop sale before I left Brooklyn. I loved the things that I had, but I was also ready to let go of my juicer, IKEA furniture, survey of art books, etc. It feels good to pack a suitcase and take off. Some day I will be ready, but there's no use in schlepping around a Kitchen Aid mixer until then (especially since they're sold for the equivalent of an average month's salary here).

If I were to have a registry though, it would be filled with this:

Of course I want one.

here

A proper pie plate.

here

Fancy pants.

Crate & Barrel

Oh Anthro...how you are my downfall.

here

Honeymoon airfare.

here

Note cards with my new name :)

Silhouette Blue

Tea set.

Anthropologie again

It's All Happening!

VieModerne on Etsy

My mother asked me what I wanted for my upcoming birthday, and so I realized that I needed to make some wedding decisions. Specifically, I needed to decide on some bridal accessories so that I could remove them from my wedding budget(s). And so, with the help of Accordions and Lace, I found this lovely flower at VieModerne. The chiffon matches my dress and the pearl will match my jewelry.

I also chose a short blusher veil. I loved the look of fuller ones but realized that a lot of extra pins would be needed for the perfect arrangement and my hair won't hide much. I also pictured myself trying to explain how I wanted it to look to a hairdresser in Spanish (que quilombo!) so I decided to keep it simple:

Brendas Bridal Veils on Etsy

Yay for birthday! That's enough pesos saved to cover the cake!

Heroes in a Half Shell

What should you do with a handful of walnuts? Well, you could make a nice pesto for a healthy dinner but, what the hell, let's cover them with dulce de leche and chocolate! These aren't exactly turtles because a) they're made with walnuts instead of pecans, b) they're made with only one nut each, and, c) they're made with dulce de leche instead of caramel. But no matter, they're delicious for bite-sized fun at the movies.


Lay out 15-20 walnut halves on baking sheet lined with wax paper. Warm up 1/4 c. dulce de leche in the microwave for no more than 30 seconds to thin it. Spoon a small, but substantial!, amount onto each nut and let it set for 30 minutes. Sprinkle the tiniest bit of salt over each. The dld will still be sticky but will harden up a bit. Warm up 100 grams of roughly chopped semi-sweet chocolate either in a double boiler (must be small) or in the microwave (stir every 15 seconds) until smooth. You can either drizzle the chocolate on top or you can go for the dip - which I did since I thought it would make them less sticky. Allow to cool in the refrigerator and remove once hardened. I let them sit out and become room temperature before tossing them into a bag to sneak into the movie theater.


And don't worry, I made these with light chocolate to lighten the guilt, so we're cool.

Veil Ponderings

Ok, don't get mad at me but I can't show you the dress yet. I don't want to jinx it. You see, it's at my parents' house in the States. I ordered it off of eBay thinking that I could wear it for a State-side reception but since dress shopping here isn't going so well I'm going to use it for the official wedding. I'm happier this way too because it's perfect for the courthouse and the spring weather.

So why am I worried about jinxing it? Well, it's 1950's vintage and I haven't seen it in person to judge the condition myself - plus what if it doesn't match me? I really do like touching and trying clothes before committing but I couldn't beat the price and the vintage mystique.

I have to pick a veil before having it all sent down so this is where I need your help. I loooove birdcage veils but I know that they can be tricky and I'm not sure that one would fit with my chiffon party dress (tea length). To give you an idea, this dress is quite similar to mine - same material - but mine has a different top and probably won't poof as much.

Calendar Girl Clothing

Here's another of similar style/material:

Posh Girl Vintage

Posh Girl was a little above my price range (which is in pesos) but they're having a summer sale (15% off everything) if you're interested. Really beautiful dresses - many between $500-600.

I've decided on a blusher veil for the length. (YES! 1 decision down, 3 million to go.) I would really love to have a flower in my hair but don't want to overdo it.

Blissful Moments on Etsy

Twigs & Honey

For birdcage, I like Something Bold's The Marilyn (thanks Liz!)...

Something Bold

And I like how Sweet Home Alabama ends in the back (my hair will be similar)...

Brendas Bridal Veils on Etsy

But there's just something so lovely about tulle...

Also Brenda's Bridal Veils

Maybe it's because of images like these that I'm drooling over classic tulle...

I imagine that a flower would be too much with tulle...thoughts?

I don't support global warming, but I like being warm

Clearly, I'm not the only one confused by backwards seasons. The weather was amazing for a day that, to me, was the equivalent of December 5. And yesterday was lovely also...we decided to celebrate the 4th of July with veggie dogs and corn on the cob a la parilla. Yay freedom!

Cut the top (silks) off of the corn and peel off the first layer of leaves. Lightly coat with veg oil and grill for about 25 minutes - rotating every 5 minutes.

Can you believe that it's winter?!

This little guy didn't mind.

As it was such a nice day today, we tried a restaurant with a lot of outdoor space...

called Espacio Once (Parque Urquiza)...

and it actually had iced coffee on the menu (something I NEVER see here)...

the coffee came hot but with a little bucket of ice...so...okay, I'll take that. And the huge salad was great...sorry, I ate it too fast to photograph. We also had a wok sandwich (seriously, veggies a la wok) on arabic bread. The city/river views made for an excellent lunch.


They also had a good looking drink menu, which I will be sure to try some time. ;)