Hello world! It has been a crazy 3 years.. and I still can't believe I've not been on here for that long! A  lot has happened and changed within 3 years for me. The good and the bad.

To start off, we'll go with the bad first. I lost my beloved fur baby and best friend last October 30th, 2018. Tabor was my everything. He was there by my side through the ups and downs since he was 5 months old. He helped me through my break up to when I was having a horrible day at work or just trying to get through one day at a time. When I lost him to heart failure my whole life came crumbling down. How am I going to go on with my life? (yes, I am very dramatic). For me, my dog wasn't just another pet you can jut replace and move on. He was part of my family. I've never had a dog like Tabor. Goofy, annoying, crazy and most importantly loyal. I will always have a special part in my heart for him. And yes I am that crazy dog lady and I have his ashes, paw prints to photos in our office room 😂 I won't get mushy or else I'll start crying everywhere on my lap top. 😕

Alright, on to the good! Since my Spartan race in 2016, I've decided to give dating another shot. Being in my late 20's at that time, let me tell you, its hard to date! You can't just meet people randomly! Especially when you're socially awkward (yes, me). I told myself and my girlfriends I wouldn't try and meet anyone at bars or anything like that. I wanted to meet someone naturally and if we click that's great. My girlfriends convinced me to download a dating app which I was very hesitate about in the beginning which is why I had it for at least over 6 months and did nothing with it but made excuses on why I didn't want to use it. "What if the guy tries to kill me!? What if he thinks I'm weird!? What if Tabor doesn't like him!?" So many stupid questions going through my head and to my friends. But there was one guy that caught my guy and still to this day I poke fun at him that he waited for the last 7 minutes to message me back. Great things happen to those who wait😏

And look at us now, almost 3 years later. I couldn't be happier .💗💕😘 My peanut butter to my jelly, my ying to my yang. My cheese to my macaroni. He gets me, I get him. We fight and make up like any other couple. What I love about him is that he doesn't judge me from my past. We get each other. I can't wait to see waist the future has in store for us!

With the new year approaching, my goal is to start posting more. Food to just my daily rants. Just writing out how I'm feeling or what I enjoy the most.. FOOD is my stress reliever.  Until next time folks!

💜L

Spartan race 2016

Hola everyone!! I hope everyone is doing well and had an awesome Labor Day weekend!! It's been officially ONE MONTH since I attended my first Spartan Race or any race in general!!! It was soooo much fun and motivating!! I'm so glad my friend Dennis had asked me to join his team!! 💜💜💜

We had 10 people on ours!! (Go team shocker!!! 💪🏽💪🏽) it was amazing to see how well we all worked together and STUCK together till the very end. We completed our 5k Sprint in about 2 hours and 30 minutes, making sure we finished as a team!! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

For all those haters out there that had so much to say and had no faith in me, hear ya go. I FREAKIN DID IT! In your damn FACE! 🖕🏽And this isn't my last!! My goal for next year is to do a few other races and the Spartan again. So let's hope my teammates are up for it next year! 😛There's something about it while you're running and doing the obstacle courses, you feel so free. And who doesn't want to get down and dirty and bruised up?! Haha.

Me in a nutshell. Forever a built in wedgie 😂😂

💜L

New year, new me.

hello everyone! i'm sorry i haven't been updating recently of all my food adventures! its been about over a year and some months. Alot has happened and i'm slowly going through this weird transition in my life. So a heads up, this blog will no longer be JUST food post of different places i've tried. I gave it some thought and it will always be little recipes and meals i also make at home and simply my little journal on whats going through my mind every moment when i feel like i need to get my thoughts out. You may comment on anything about my grammer or whatever but this will be raw and whatever comes to my mind i'm just typing, I'm only human. Anyways, since my last post i hope everyone had an awesome christmas, new year and whatever i've missed within a year lol. I titled my post as a "new year, new me" because a lot has changed in my life and I am ready to finally talk about it. I also have been getting asked recently how i've been doing, my secret, and whats my motivation to stay fit and "cope" with my "divorce" 😂😂. Lets start off from the beginning. I was with my ex boyfriend for over 9 years, basically my high school sweetheart months after we graduated. He was my best friend, my soulmate, and was my life partner. I saw myself settling down with him, getting married, having children, and having a few dobermans to complete our life. We decided to make the biggest decision of our lives over a year ago, we bought our FIRST home together. I still can't forget that moment we signed the papers, it was the happiest moment in my life. Everything was so surreal. I had the perfect life... i still worked my ass off to be able to enjoy my life with nice things and vacations. Don't get me wrong, so did he half of our relationship. It was too good to be true.. The looking at different styles of rings.. The "extra long" work hours etc. So many emotions started to come through slowly last May. Losing a close friend, my neighbor. To my parents fighting constantly. He was there physicially, but not mentally and emotionally. I felt horrible when he approached me and said i was being distant during this time.. but it all made since after we finally separated on New years Day 2016. Yes, thats right. my life isn't perfect which everyone thought it was. I worked so hard to keep and fix this relationship but it takes two to tango. I've always been so private about my life but i'm so fed up with it with all his bullshit and lies he tells people. SO again, theres two sides to a story. I got cheated on.. still has no respect to man up and tell me the truth. No wonder you said you felt distant towards me the past year, it's because you were working "long nights" at the bar with your side chick. It has been lies on top of lies. He still claims it was not cheating. The one thing you should know about me is i'm very good at investigating and being in customer service I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE so i did my research. And again, Portland is VERY small so word spreads quick. Finding out on my own was worse than hearing it from him that he just didnt just cheat, he cheated on me with his co-worker. I've never felt so heart broken, betrayed, everything you can think of. How would you feel the house you bought with your loved one kicked you out and you had to live out of your backpack from place to place for a few months??  I'm like any other human, I went to shock mode the next 2 months. Coming back to our house occasionally to pick up some more of my stuff I found her dirty period pads on top of my trash. Real classy, at least be considerate and wrap it up. 

No one heard from me, I was depressed.. I didn't want to be here anymore. I wanted to sleep all day and wake up somewhere else other than Portland. I felt embarrassed and stupid. I did what I knew best, put on a smile. Thats what everyone knew Lisa as. A happy, goofy chick with a carefree life. Its just still crazy to me how we had looked at engagement rings last year online to figure out what style best fits me and taking out first professional pictures the morning of when I found out about these two. And for the icing on the cake.. My parents are your typical old school Asian American family. So if you aren't Vietnamese or Chinese they don't like you. Our families all finally met last thanksgiving which warmed my heart so much. To me being single now. I'm not the type of person to put your business out there but if you fcuk with me the wrong way, I dont have a problem hinting a few things out about them. You really have to play me dirty to even get me to that point. So thats all I will say for now.

 Life has completely changed within 7 months of the breakup and i can honestly say I haven't been this happy in a long time. I don't see myself jumping into anything anytime soon. I'm loving life.. Finding myself again and who Lisa was before Nate. I've reconnected with old friends which I've missed! And I can honestly thank my ex for this! All the love that I've been getting from everyone is truly amazing! And I love you all for all the kind words everyone has been giving me! If it wasn't for my family and friends, I don't know where I would be at this moment. 

Everyone has asked me what is your motiviation to move on from this break up but basically a "divorce"? One word, GYM. it sounds silly but if i didn't contact my friend at Boomer Fitness after the New Years, I honestly don't know where I would be at today. The gym has been the best therapy for me. Taking boot camp classes 4-5 days a week with men and women all different shapes and sizes is the best thing! Everyone has their own story and why they're there also. But in the end we all want the same results, to feel good and be healthy. I've gained so many friendships there and honestly they're like family to me! Thank you to the trainers for pushing me everyday to be stronger! I'm happy I've finally gained the weight and more back. I feel content with myself. Reducing all the fast food and unhealthy shit does really help. Dont get me wrong, i still eat like shit but not as bad. Cutting back the soda completely and not having a burger from burger king daily really does help. I try and meal prep once a week. I also signed up for my first 5k obstacle course race happening in August! I just can't believe how much stuff i've missed out being with this dude that stopped me from moving forward and trying new things! Life is awesome, precious and short. I definitely have a different look on life now. I think 2016 will be a good year for me, to really focus on JUST me. Me and my dog, thats all i need. Its time to enjoy life, explore and travel alone and see what this world has to offer for me. And maybe one day I will find that special someone again to call my soul mate, but for now i'm okay. Thats not my top priority anymore. So wrapping up, ladies, or guys. Don't let a breakup pull you down, yes it will be hard in the beginning but you will pull yourself right back up. And you will be stronger.You'll think twice who you will let come into your life and will be scared, and thats ok. Its the growing and learning process. Love yourself first and focus on YOU. Because in the end, you need to put yourself first and be happy before you please anyone else in your life. Good night loves!! 💜💜💜

Love,

L

Sausage, potato, and kale soup.

Hey guys! I tested out a new soup recipe last night and thought I would share it with you!! It's basically a version of Olive Garden's "Zuppa Toscana!" All thanks to my favorite food network chef, mom, and cow girl! Ree Drummond!! I can't get enough of her!! She's just a normal person which I love and appreciate so much. No fancy ingredients needed, it's whatever is in your pantry or at your local super market. Here's the direct link below  for the recipe!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/10/sausage-potato-and-kale-soup/

The only difference I did was I used dried sweet basil instead of oregano since I didn't have any on hand. And it still turned out pretty good! Also I didn't add a splash of heavy cream I added at least 5 big splashes of it haha. You can't get enough of cream! It added even more richness to it! Thanks again to the one and only pioneer woman, Ree Drummond!! Happy eatings!! ❤️❤️❤️

LOVE,

L

Pork chop apple cider glaze with rosemary!

Last night I made pork chops! Found this recipe about a year ago and it's super easy! I cook this at least once every week or so. I found this recipe on www.allrecipes.com by chef John! I switched an ingredient around since I didn't have it but will give you the recipe step by step!

I took 4 thick pork chops (seasoned it with black pepper and garlic salt) and cooked it for 5-7 min on each side (medium high heat) in a large skillet with a little bit of veggie oil and butter. Make sure your butter starts to turn brown first! After that take them off the skillet and transfer the chops to a plate.

Put the pan back on the stove on medium high and toss 2-3 minced garlic cloves in there for 30 seconds. After that add about 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar. Then add 1 and 1/3 cup of apple juice. You can now turn the stove on high, cook the sauce for 3-5 min. I then added about 1 teaspoon of yellow mustard, the recipe said Dijon but I didn't have any available at the house and it still tastes DELISH with the yellow mustard! Add a few teaspoons of chopped up Rosemary and a pinch of red chili flakes. Let this boil and then you can turn down the heat a bit until the sauce thickens. After that, add the chops back in and cook for another additional 2-3 min on each side. And that's it! Super simple and easy!! I also had time to make a simple salad. This time just a bag of mixed spring greens, i grated fresh parmigiano reggiano on top and added a few croutons. Then I used the trader joes brand salad dressing which is the Tuscan Italian dressing with balsamic vinegar. And of course I ended my night with a glass of vodka and cherry 7up :) cheers!!

LOVE,

L

Happy new year!

Happy new year everyone! 2014 has been a roller coaster ride but the end result was THE BEST!! Working our asses off finally paid off! We finally moved into our new home we bought together!! Love love love!! I couldn't be happier and ask to share this experience with anyone else!!! I have to say 2015 has been treating us very well :) well, my blogs might start changing a bit. Since buying a new house my feasting at restaurants hasn't really been top priority. I been finding myself hiding in my kitchen cooking and baking which oddly I don't mind. As long as there is a glass of vodka with a splash of soda accompanying me I'm happy :) hehe.

Tonight I decided to do a lazy man dinner. Consist of party wings and green beans! Sorry for the lack of pictures today!

 

These are literally the ingridenents I used!! The only ones missing is my teriyaki sauce which was just a generic brand, garlic, green beans, rice and wings!

First I just marinated the wings in a large bowl with the teriyaki sauce, black pepper, minced garlic and a little hot sauce. Put it in the oven at 450 degrees for 15 min. Turned it down to 400 and gave the wings another coat of sauce. Then put it back in for another 8-10 min! And it's done!

Green beans I snipped the ends washed and dried them. Sautéed them in a large skillet with veggie oil and minced garlic. Once you can tell the green beans are more tender and not as raw add the oyster sauce. Then garlic salt and black pepper to taste. I always do a pinch of sugar since sometimes the oyster sauce can be a bit salty (depends on the brand you get). And lastly, I cook my jasmine rice in the rice cooker :) literally dinner only took less than 30 min!! It's awesome and stress free when you're on a time crunch after work!

My favorite part of the night is my drink for dinner.. I have been a sucker for vodka lately. And discovering this brand has been making me drool all over it! It's called "pearl vodka" pretty reasonable price! I do a few shots in my glass finish it off with cherry 7 up! Delish! Enjoy!! 

LOVE,

L

Gobble gobble !

Happy early thanks giving everyone!! Hope all is well and spent with their loved ones. This post isn't really a food one this time but basically to get everything off my chest and stress free for the holidays ! Right now I've never felt so overwhelmed in my life and stressed! To the point where my body doesn't like what I'm doing to it. Moving.. That's where I'll start ! It's stressful! Never do it if you don't have to! And I'm hoping this will be the last move! Frantically trying to cram everything into boxes is not what I call fun right now. But I know the outcome will be awesome! Just one more week.. Just one more week my mini Lisa inside is trying to tell me. Ahhhh can someone just do it for me?! It's hard to focus especially when you feel like you have ADD. Ok, I think I'm done with my ranting for the day! Happy thanksgiving and I will you see all on my next food blog next week !! 😘😘❤️

-L