Thursday, July 16, 2009

Shop-a-holic day (plus Harry Potter)

Yesterday we went to the cinema just to see the new Harry potter film. I'm a very big fan of J.K. Rowling's books; I know that maybe they're not the best of the world (now I'm reading "A song of fire and ice" and is best than this) but I like them. Anyway, I didn't like the film but we had a lovely time watching it.

I was wearing my Putumato's skirt (my favourite one) with the t shirt I made with the ETC print; socks from Alice and the Pirates and shoes by Tao Bao. The belt was offbrand and the bag from Blanco; and I made the accesories by myself, except the big ring. Forget my silly face of the picture!!

After cinema we had a beer at one pub at the town center; and the home, because today I was going to a big mall at Marbella called "La Cañada".


We had a great day there, it was really hot but inside it was cool; and my mother an I bought plenty of things. I bought a lovely black and red skirt from Desigual, very cool and cheap, only 17 € (it was 35 €!); I must say that the guys from Desigual were great and funny; and I took a picture of one of them called Cristian; if you go to Marbella and visit this big mall, ask for him!


I bought another lovely miniskirt from Sfera, in purple, blue and white color; very cool for summer. Then we had lunch at Mani's, a german restaurant that I love because they make the best "german kebab" ever! After that we went to Blanco ant then to Oysho, where I bought some cute socks, underwear and a cute strawberrie pin.


Finally, at H&M, I bought a pair of dresses, very cheap, in purple and blue; and more underwear; this time was Hello Kitty! Then, we had some coffee and back home... I love going to the sales with my mom!

And now I leave you, because tomorrow morning I'm travelling to Lisbon just for seeing The Killers, Mando Diao (again!) and The Walkmen on saturday. I'll make lost of pictures.

Enjoy the weeken!

****

Ayer fui con unos amigos al estreno de Harry Potter. Soy una gran fan de la obra de J.K. Rowling; sé que hay libros mejores (de hecho ahora mismo me estoy leyendo "Canción de Hielo y Fuego" y está genial, mucho mejor); pero bueno, me enanché a sus libros y poco más. La película no me gustó nada, peor nos reímos mucho viéndola. Para la ocasión me puse mi falda de Putumayo, mi favorita; la camiseta que me hice con ele stampado de ETC, unos calcetines de Alice and the Pirates, zapatos rojos de tao Bao, bolso y pulsera de blanco, cinturón offbrand y complementos variados hechos por mí, menos el anillo grande.

Tras el cine nos fuimos a tomar unas cervezas a un pub del centro, y luego a casa pronto, porque hoy iba con mi madre de compras al centro comercial "La Cañada" en Marbella.

La verdad es que pasamos un día estupendo; hacía calor pero dentro se estaba muy bien, y nos hemos comprado muchas cosas. En Desigual, compré una bonita falda negra y roja sólo por 17 € (valía 35 €); y luego en Sfera, una minifalda con mucho vuelo de color violeta, azul y blanca. He de decir que los chicos de Desigual fueron muy simpáticos, en especial Cristina, al cual le saqué una foto; si vais a este sitio de Marbella, preguntad por él.

Luego fuimos a comer a Mani's, un restaurante alemán donde preparan el mejor "kebab alemán" del mundo. Tras esto, fuimos a Blanco y a Oysho, donde compré varias moneces: ropita interior, un par de calcetines y un pin de una fresa.


Finalmente visitamos H&M, donde compré dos vestidos y más ropita interior, de Hello Kitty. Un cafelito y a casita... ¡me encanta ir de compras con mi madre!

Y ahora me voy a dormir, que mañana me levanto temprano para viajar a Lisboa... voy a ver a The killers con Mando Diao (otra vez!) y The walkmen el sábado; trataré de hacer muchas fotos.

Disfrutad del fin de semana!

A Truly Unique Way To Enjoy Your BBQ

Alabama Style Barbecue


Barbecue in Alabama is mainly a pork and chicken affair. Meat is usually slow roasted over the Bama wood of choice, which is usually hickory. The sauce is usually either the traditional tomato based or vinegar based varieties but in northern Alabama you will find a mayonnaise based sauce known affectionately as "Alabama White Sauce". Alabama White Sauce is a mayo and vinegar based sauce with a tangy flavor and should only be applied near the end of cooking due to its tendecency to break down when exposed to heat. This sauce is predominately used on chicken and pork and is not recommended for beef. Barbecue in Alabama is served with fresh vegetables or the usual fare of french fries, baked beans and coleslaw.

Ingredients:
•1 cup mayonnaise
•1 cup cider vinegar
•1 tablespoon lemon juice
•1 1/2 tablespoons black pepper
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Preparation:
Mix ingredients together and refrigerate for at least 8 hours before using. Brush lightly over chicken, turkey or pork during the last few minutes of grilling. This barbecue sauce is also great as a dipping sauce so set some aside before you start grilling to serve on the table.
recipe from Derrick Riches

Rodents get hooked up…again

Those rodents…they’re always reaping the benefits of new weight-loss drugs. Luckily for them, the drugs many times work effectively and they are left sans a few ounces and moving up the hierarchy of rodent hood, strutting their improved sleek, trim bodies.
Research at Indiana University, lead by Richard DiMarchi, looked into drug therapies to increase metabolism while suppressing the appetite. Outcome: it’s working in rodents. The critters lost 25% of their body weight and 42% of their fat mass….after just one week [1]. WHAT is this miracle drug…and when and where can I get some, right?
Most interestingly, the drug is comprised of two FDA-approved drugs: Byetta and Glucagon. Byetta is a drug therapy used in the treatment of diabetes [1]. A recent (separate) study on Byetta showed that when combined with diet and exercise, the drug produces weight loss. One-hundred and fifty-two obese men (BMI > 30 and an average weight of 241 lbs) were split into 2 groups. Roughly 25% of the study participants has pre-existing glucose tolerance, a risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes. One of the groups received 10 micrograms of exenatide (Byetta) twice a day while the other group received a placebo. For a 24-week period, both groups were put on a diet and exercise program. After six months, those taking the exenatide (Byetta) lost 3x more weight (11 lbs) than those taking the placebo (3.5 lbs) [2].
Experts comment saying:
“This has potential…It’s long been known that combination therapies can work well – that is, multiple drugs at the same time to treat chronic illness, viruses, et cetera…With this paper, we see that a single drug is developed that acts in two different ways, which is a littler different. It’s like getting one drug to work in two distinct ways.” –Keith-Thomas Ayoob, associate professor in the department of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York.
“Remember, even though these are mice, the treatment is affecting two receptor systems that exist in humans.” – Dr. Lou Aronne, weight-loss author and obesity expert.
I had a patient just last week asking about Hydroxycut made with Ephedra. He said, "Man, I used to eat whatever I wanted with that stuff and I looked gooooood!". My reply, "There's likely a reason it's no longer legal in the US my friend,."

While the evidence is in support of this new miracle drug (on mice, anyways), does the bottom line not yet remain: eat less, move more? As I tell all my patients, being thin and being healthy are NOT synonymous!! Make it a health(ier) one today and everyday.
[1]. Canning, A. and Childs, D. A New Weight Loss Quick Fix? ABC News Health. July 14, 2009.
[2]. Thomas, Jennifer. Diabetes Drug Byetta May Aid Weight Loss in Obese Patients. ABC News Health. June 12, 2009.

Back Soon...

Off to Italy. I'll be spending the next seven days here:



Normal service will be resumed forthwith. Until then, 'arrivederci!'

Hearty Chicken Broth

I am of course aware that soup is normally considered but one course of a dinner, rather than as being a dinner in itself. This thick and hearty chicken broth, however, served with some crusty bread, can more than suffice as a meal in itself.

Ingredients

4 pints of fresh (or defrosted) chicken stock
1 leek stem (sliced across ways in to 1/4" thick discs)
2 carrots (1 roughly chopped, 1 grated)
Handful of chicken pieces (if available)
4oz basmati rice
2 tbsp frozen peas
Handful of fresh parsley (roughly chopped)
Salt and pepper to season

Method

Heat the stock in a large soup pot until it comes to a simmer. Add all the ingredients except the parsley and peas and simmer for half an hour. Add the parsley and peas and continue to simmer for another five minutes only, before serving up bowlfuls of this hearty and delicious chicken broth.