0 Priorities refresher

What do you live for? What makes you tick? What rocks your boat?

Life is short; we all have some passion that gives our lives purpose, so as to make the best out of our temporary existence on earth. Sometimes we are guilty of chasing after material goods, wealth, experiences, certificates, medals, epicurean delights and other worldly pleasures. Personally I need to remind myself to eat to live and not vice versa. As the Bible reminds us,

Serving two masters
No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Matthew 6:24

Putting God first
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:33; Luke 12:31

The antidote to greed and coveteousness, as the Pastor delivered in his message today, is to live a simple lifestyle. Eat simply, dress modestly (as in having a timeless wardrobe and not chasing after the latest fashion trends), and donate the extra time and money for good causes.

A somewhat simple breakfast for a simple lifestyle this morning: D24 cashew coconut steelies, which was in every way a tropical paradise. In case you're interested, it's steel cut oatmeal simmered for 25 min in water/soymilk (3.5:1 ratio), then D24 durian puree and Sunwarrior protein powder stirred in two minutes before serving. Finally, cashew coconut butter was drizzled on top, the heat causing it to melt instantly into milky nutty puddles.

I shall take this chance to review Sunwarrior protein powder which I had purchased online from iHerb. It has a mild, slightly malty taste which I really like. In fact it's the best tasting protein powder I ever had! Many plus points for taste. However, it doesn't dissolve as easily as soy/whey/egg protein powder. It will eventually after much vigorous stirring, and yield a rich creamy texture. No griity bits like soy protein! If you're seeking fluffiness in your protein powders, stick to egg white; Sunwarrior brown rice protein merely thickens but does not give much volume. I've been enjoying Sunwarrior daily in my oatmeals. Overall this is really one of the best protein powders and it's name lives up to the many raving reviews.

5 Gifts and thanks

Thank you for the wonderful time at Venus Transit, the opportunity to meet new people, make new friends and learn new information about the wondrous world. Above all, praise to the glorious magical universe of His divine design, His creation.

We helped to set up those ground sheets. No joke considering the humid weather of late. On a side note, isn't UTown so pretty?

Thank you for the watching over the safe delivery of the iHerb order.

I was beginning to wonder if my order of SunWarrior protein powder and Nuttzo seven nut butter, made without tracking (save $), was ever going to make it to my address. Given that this is my first online purchase, I was all the more worried. But it finally did arrive, two-three weeks later, and with freebies inside to boot! So freakin' excited to try out the stuff in tomorrow's breakfast. Even Batman's excited too! Stay tuned for the review.

Thank you for blessing the world with wondrous fruits and foods.

If Eve was tempted by the apple, durian would be my forbidden fruit. Baked Mao Shan durian steel cutters with Cashew Coconut Dream was a tropical paradise and provided good fuel for lab work later. It's NOT a weird combination; tastes just like a warm version of durian chendol :D

For my first lab session, I learnt how to distinguish between male and female flies, and virgin from old flies. Post-lunch I did CNS dissection of third instar larvae. I must have gruesomely killed about 50 would-be flies today alone, in the name of Science. Every time I close my eyes now I see abdomen stripes, guts and bug eyes staring back at me, demanding for their souls back.

2 iHeart iHerb

I'm so excited! I just made my first online purchase through iHerb for Sunwarrior classic protein powder (natural) and Nuttzo seven nut and seed butter (original). Thanks to a discount code provided by wildchildurbancity, I got $10 off my first purchase. Best yet, the international shipping fee is so darn cheap! Only $4 for purchases more than $40.00 and less than 4 lbs. Being the ever budget conscious me, I made sure I maximized my transaction by ordering the most I could under 4 lbs. So that's why I chose Nuttzo nut butter even though there were so many unbelievably cheap Artisana nut butters I would have bought. Once the total weight exceeds 4 lbs, you have to ship by DHL/UPS which fees escalate tremendously.

I'm no stranger to protein powders. One of the most frequent complaints regarding protein powders is the texture: gritty, sandy, chalky to downright nasty, I've experienced them all. I find soy protein (Bob's Red Mill) the worst, whey protein (Beneprotein, Propass) slightly better but they do not settle well. The best yet is egg white protein (Peter D'Adamo Protein Blend Powder O) which turns out fluffy when microwaved (imagine scrambled egg whites) and gives great body and volume to oatmeals. Then there's meal replacements: Amazing Grass meal (nasty), Spirutein (better in taste but full of sugars) and Ensure/Ensure Plus (the best yet).

Since my current Protein O is about to finish, it was a good time to look out for new brands to try. Sunwarrior has received pretty rave online reviews so I'm putting my bet on it through iHerb. Their classic protein powder is a raw, vegan rice protein made from sprouted whole grain brown rice, including the germ, endosperm, and bran. One scoop provides 17g protein in a complete amino acid profile. Interestingly, their other product, the Sunwarrior Blend that is made from various proteins, include cranberry protein. Sure I've heard of rice protein, pea protein and hemp protein, but cranberry? Isn't that a fruit? From their website, it appears that the cranberry seed contains 25% protein in addition to lots of fiber. Exotic stuff.

As for Nuttzo, I was introduced to it by KathEats. I have not seen it in Singapore so it makes sense to purchase that online. I'm always game for nut butters.

Now, to do some advertising. Check out iHerb for some really good offers (including up to 40% discounts!). International delivery is unbelievably cheap and quick. If you're a first time buyer at iHerb, don't forget to quote YAF589 before you check out to enjoy $5 off your bill!