Fish Cordon Bleu Dinner

If you're a solo parent like me, fast, easy and healthy meals are your choice dinners. I always thought those five-ingredient recipes are a joke. I honestly think there's always more than five ingredients to get things going. Or maybe I just like my food salty. LOL

I've been seeing a lot of health-related resolutions in the past few weeks. I don't know about you but I still haven't worked my ass to do any sort of exercise. If you call strolling in the mall for an hour or two or lugging around my work laptop in an airport for more than four hours exercise, then I'm in. Other than that, chasing Javier around has been my sole workout since 2014 started. So not to feel completely bad about that, I decided to start with eating healthy instead. You know, cutting back on the bad stuff, smaller portions on my plate, but yeah, I went to Cebu last week and I completely went berserk. (Read: awesome breakfast buffet with mean, crispy bacon.) Not to worry, I'm trying to get back on track.

A few days before the Cebu trip, I wrote down a few things I want to cook this year. Like I said, 2013 was the year I learned I can do it, this year, I'll be cooking more. Decent, healthy, magazine-worthy meals. Even if I have to learn everything by myself, from picking out fresh ingredients down to plating a piece of fish. So here's the first dish I experimented with. A real easy-peasy, with just five ingredients or less, anyone can do this and not worry about the calories piling up on your thighs. All you need is fish, a few slices of ham and some cream cheese. It can be prepared in less than 10 minutes and will cook well in a steamer. I used cream dory last night but I think this will work best if you use a sole or any other flat fish.


Fish Fillet Cordon Bleu 


1 kilo cream dory fillet (cut into 6 parts)
3 slices of sweet ham (divided into 2)
Half of a cream cheese bar, cut into 6 pieces
Spring onion, blanched
1 pack of Magi Magic Sarap (or you can just use salt and pepper to season the fish with)

Season the fish with 1 pack of Magic Sarap. Put in 1 slice of ham on each piece of fish. Place the cream cheese on top. Roll and tie with a piece of spring onion. Repeat with the other fillets. Steam for about 12 to 15 minutes.

I really have to work on my plating skills. And yes, that includes buying plates just because I feel like there are certain dishes that go with certain plates only. LOL. I apologize for the pictures. My camera broke and I'm stuck with my phone camera.

So who says healthy food is boring? Plus, it's so easy, you only need five ingredients to get it done. Steaming it makes it convenient for women or anyone else who has children or has some other thing to do. (Just make sure there's enough water in the steamer.) I'll buy one of those bamboo steamers next time - I just felt like the fillet looks better served in that than on a plate.


Here's to a healthy 2014. Enjoy!

How To Be Single.

If you're looking for tips on how to be good at this, no, you're on the wrong blog. It's just not what I do. How-to's and tips are not really my cup of tea. Because maybe I just can't figure some things out.


How To Be Single is the latest book I've been reading. Or should I say the first book I've been reading since I-can't-remember-the-last-time-I-have-read-a-book-for-pleasure. Yes. Emphasize on the last two words. i forgot how much fun reading was.


I've reached about a third of the book. I actually thought I wouldn't find it in the bookstores anymore since it's been unavailable in the last 3 weeks. So I immediately bought it when I found a copy last Tuesday. Pretty interesting though. I couldn't put it down. It's somehow Eat, Pray, Love meets Sex and the City. 


Julie (the protagonist) is now on her third foreign city and so far, I've learned about pride, open marriage, slapping men, and even sleeping with prostitutes. (I've noticed it gets funnier and funnier with each lesson.) I'm currently browsing the website. Apparently there's a reel film about this. I should watch that when I have time. Enough time like now when I am just sitting in front of my laptop, blogging, and actually cleaning up my emails. (Sheesh. All these being connected with your friends drama is flooding my emails with lots and lots of notifications.) I hear the videos are interesting. Because they're real. And because the fictional book came from these non-fiction stories.


Do the lessons I've learned so far matter? I guess so. I'm still a mess, I have to admit. And honestly, I just realized I wanted to travel more now. Like for example, I just asked my friends to take me to the beach soon. And I am actually looking at all these websites recommending good places to go to. And speaking of my friends, last night I went to a friend's birthday party. She knows what I'm going through. And last night, yes last night was a blast because I remembered how good laughing feels. I got resurrected. I think I will be better now.


So if you're going to ask me for tips on how to be single? I have one: no man can ever define your happiness - you've got other people in your life to help you with it. =)