A Photo Chick's Journal in Paradise

Hale Macrobiotic

A couple of weeks ago my girlfriends and I decided to try this new organic healthy eatery called Hale Macrobiotic.  I'd never heard of Macrobiotic cooking before and decided to check it out.  

What is macrobiotic diet you ask?  It is defined by Wikipedia as, "A macrobiotic diet (or macrobiotics), from the Greek "macro" (large, long) and "bios" (life), is a dietary regimen that involves eating grains as a staple food supplemented with other foodstuffs such as vegetables and beans, and avoiding the use of highly processed or refined foods. Followers of the macrobiotic approach believe that food and food quality powerfully affect health, well-being, and happiness, and that a macrobiotic diet has more beneficial effects than others. The macrobiotic approach suggests choosing food that is less processed."

Google Macrobiotic. It's pretty interesting! I love the way it's not just about the food that's being eaten but the entire process of thought, how it's prepared, HOW it is eaten, etc.  This comes at a great time since I'm on an Ultimate Four Week Detox program (by Michelle Schoffro Cook) right now. So I'm eating mostly veggies and fruits.  No dairy, sugar, wheat, etc.  

Okay, so where was I...oh yes! Hale Macrobiotic which is right behind Sam's Club off of Keeaumoku near Ala Moana Shopping Center.

I was greeted by so many wonderful things and peeps such as:

This parking cone:

To my delight I also found my dear friend Alice Inoue's smiling face as soon as you walk in through the door! Hi, Alice!!!  So appropriate!!!

Right next to Alice is Chef Moco's Macrobiotic certificate:

And then, the next best thing, these two lovely ladies, Mana and Milani, ready to serve you and answer any questions that you may have!

I love the feel of the restaurant. I regret not bringing my Canon 5D to really capture the ambiance of the place. That's okay as this gives me a good reason to return, right Mana?

I saw this and felt like I was home...

Look at this! Fresh Tiare on every table!

And there at the grill is Chef Moco herself, ready to create something magical for us! She is so sweet and friendly!

After I took in my new Macrobiotic environment I proceeded to read the menu:

I LOVE IT!!!

Okay, so here's what we ordered:

Pita and Hummus (I could not eat this as it's not allowed in my detox diet. My gfriends had this delish dish)

Avocado (this, I happily consumed)!

The girls had this yummy risotto soup

And for dinner...voila!

Tempeh Reuben!

Look at the presentation, people! Isn't that beautiful???

Then there was dessert (which I, sadly, could not touch). The Moffle!

Everything was so delish!  

Mahalo to Mana, Milani, Chef Moco and the rest of the Hale Macro crew for making my first visit so enjoyable and tasty.  MAHALO also to my fellow healthy Spartan, Celise, for turning me on to this place! You go girl!

Thanks also to my girls for being sooooo patient with me every time a dish came out. They're so good about NOT touching the food and even styling it for me before I shoot it! You gals are awesome!!!

If you're in the mood for some great organic vegan cooking which is prepared with a lot of good energy then check out Hale Macrobiotic on Makaloa Street. It is awesome!  I will be back there soon, armed with my Canon 5D to capture more yummy foods that's good for my mind, body and SPIRIT!!!

I love this deodorant!

I just wanted to share with all of you that this is one of my fave deodorants.  It really bummed me out that Coty stopped making it! Fortunately, I just discovered I had an extra one while trying to find my whitening trays for my teeth.  

With that being said, I found a lot of 3 of these sticks on eBAY!!!!  It cost me about $9 each. Hey! A girl's gotta do what a girls gotta do!!!

MAHALO, eBay!!!

Safeway's Waterfront Bistro

Once again, another post to remind you of my cooking skills. Yep, the "I Can Only Cook Rice" Chef makes another discovery!

So tonight was one of those nights where I couldn't figure out what to make for dinner. As I walked through the frozen seafood section at Safeway I noticed this sign:

Vacuum packed PRE-SEASONED frozen seafoods from Waterfront Bistro!  They had a variety of fishes from Cod to Tilapia to Salmon.  And I think I even saw shrimp and scallops.   "Hmmmm...this looks interesting?" I thought to myself.

I was in the mood for salmon (which is one of the most HEALTHIEST fishes to eat) and they did have a salmon entree I could try...

So I decided, "why not?"

Here's what I selected:

There are two vacuum sealed and seasoned fillets in each package:

It's pretty easy to cook!  Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees, place the fishes on the pan covered with foil (skin faced down).  Oh yeah! I thought you'd like to see about how big the pieces are:

And about 20 - 25 minutes later you've got your meal!

I had it with a some low glycemic brown Basmati rice and steamed spinach.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty it was and how quick it was to "prepare."

I'm excited to try the other selections they have!

Earth Day at Red Ginger Cafe in Manoa

Today is Earth Day.  Actually, in my world, I try to make Earth Day EVERY DAY!!!  However, today is the designated day to "inspire awareness and appreciation for Earth's environment."

In honor of today I wore my one of my fave message shirts:

This was purchased from Adoracion Boutique some time last year. I love this shirt!

As much as I wanted to get my hands close to Mother Earth today,  I unfortunately didn't have time to plant anything.  Instead, I had two very special meetings which took place at one of my fave places to hang in Manoa, Red Ginger Cafe in Manoa Marketplace.

Aaaaahhhh...Red Ginger Cafe...I love this place! It's locally owned and it's owners are earth conscious business owners who help our islands by purchasing locally grown produce and other eco friendly gift items. 

Before I go on with the gift items, check out this beautiful salad my friend Melanie Kawai, Red Ginger Cafe owner (AND IMUA graduate), made for me:

Organic greens, grilled chicken, organic eggs, and advocado served with a Papaya dressing on the side.  That's my Earth Day purchase for today!  MAHALO, Melanie! It was sooo yummy!!!

Besides an array of salads and wraps they have parfaits, smoothies and not to mention their Acai bowls!

OMG!!! And I was soooo excited to try one of their hot selling items: Coldfyyre Ice Cream Sandwiches! (NOTE: These were just display samples.  They are NOT served in a martini glass with little glass balls)

Fortunately, Aubrey of Savoir Faire, who I was meeting with, also wanted to try one so here's what a REAL one looks like:

You guys!!!! It was soooo ono!!! This delectable treat is made locally from scratch and has NO PRESERVATIVES! That's right, baby, it's all natural!!!

YAY FOR ALL NATURAL! And SUPER YAY FOR BEING LOCAL!!!

Look at all the different flaves:

May I just say that I am soooo glad I had the emergency Lactaid pill in my wallet, kay?

Melanie told me that they were having a difficult time keeping these frozen treats in stock. Everyone LOVES them!  Even my clients who I was meeting with tried a little piece and ended up purchasing FIVE Coldfyyre Sandwiches!  Cool, huh?  (No pun intended!)

Yummy...

Okay, on to the gift items....

Just so you know, Red Ginger Cafe also sells several Eco-friendly items.  I have to say my favorite is...

These neat ENCORE bags are made from discarded and recycled drink pouches! Isn't that rad???

I LOVE THEM!!!

And here are some other fabulous organic items you can pick up at the Cafe:

I LOVE RED GINGER Cafe...not only because of their great food, fun and earth conscious gift items but more importantly for the ALOHA that comes with every purchase.  

Melanie and crew, you are truly ORGANIC and the heartbeat of this special place.  MAHALO NUI LOA for always welcoming us with your warm smile, caring customer service and for giving us a place to nourish our bodies and relax our minds in your easygoing atmosphere!

Please visit Red Ginger Cafe at Manoa Marketplace, peeps!!! And have a Coldfyyre for me, will ya???

HAPPY EARTH DAY!!!

ChaLEAN Extreme!

Okay, I've decided to put the P90X on the back burner as I am not in ATHLETIC form to pursue it at this time!

Enter...Chalean Extreme!  I've really been ENJOYING this workout!

I love that Chalene Johnson, the trainer and creator of Chalean Extreme, really explains what's going to happen, what we're doing, why we're doing it and that there is a modification person in each workout.  I really like her demeanor and how she's really motivating.

Here are the collections of DVDs and CD:

I love that her setting  is light and airy, music is cool and for me, it's a totally doable work out.  I feel great after!!! It doesn't make me want to cry or throw up.  That's a plus!

I also enjoy the Fat Burning Food Guide that's included in the package.  The recipes are super EASY, peeps!!

I've already made some yummy dishes such as the steak fajitas and chicken quesadillas!  

May I just send a shout out to the Chalean Extreme graphic/marketing people who put this package together??? NICELY DONE!! I love the paper and cardstock you chose for your materials! EXCELLENT!!!

Visit: www.beachbody.com for more information on this new workout routine I've taken on.

MAHALO, Chalene!!!

P90X in Kane'ohe!

Yes, I admit it. I've fallen off of the workout wagon. I love working out!  I love Acai Bowls!  And lately I haven't had much of either!  Fortunately, I am drowning in work. Unfortunately, work and the busyness of life has made it a little difficult for me to enjoy these two loves.

But as of today, that is going to change!!!  Today, via the U.S. Postal System I received my life preserver:

Yes, I ordered the P90X!!  My friend, Lisa, who just started working out with the P90X LOVES it!! I totally admire Lisa, who was one of my brides during this past December.  She lost weight and got fit for her wedding in a mere SIX MONTHS!!!  I was soooo proud of her!  After reaching her wedding fitness goals she decided to continue to keep in shape by doing the P90X workouts.

So for the next 90 days I am going to kick some Photo Chick butt!!!

Bring it!!!

Brush Picks

I'm always interested in new things. Whether it be new gadgets, experiences, people, etc. I love experiencing anything out of my ordinary world.  

For instance, I was visiting with my friend in Kona, and after having a delightful meal, she busted out this out of the ordinary toothpick:

I was like, "what the heck is that?!?!?"  Apparently, it's like her favorite toothpick in the world! 

Look at how beneficial it is for your teeth and gums.

I tried it out and was quite surprised at how well it worked!  Sadly, you can't get this any where in the State of Hawai'i.  So if you're on the mainland and come across this box of delightful teeth and gum cleaner, it might be good for you to add it to your dental hygiene routine!  

CALORIE INCINERATOR!!!!

I am so proud to say that I did 850 Super Hula Hoops on my Wii Fit this morning after my 2.5 mile power walk!  What a great way to start the first week of February!

My 14 year old niece won't be too happy that I knocked her out of first place. I'm sure she'll do her darnedest to unseat me!

Bootcamp!

Ladies and gentleman, brides and grooms!  Are you looking for a new way to get in shape? 

Please check out Hardass Fitness' Bootcamp!

It's a fun and effective exercise program - all done OUTDOORS!!!  

Look fit and FABULOUS for your wedding, class reunion or just spice up your workout routine with Kimo Kockelman's Project Bootcamp!!!

Wainani Hansen

I'd like to introduce to you, Ms. Wainani Hansen.

She is smart and beautiful - inside and out.

She loves life and lives it to the fullest!

I met Wainani through one of my brides, Shanelle Sanborn Nakanishi.   

Shanelle and Wainani are close friends (Wainani was her Maid of Honor) and are both Kamehameha graduates.

Then recently, at Amy Gamble's wedding

I discovered that she is Amy's Pilates instructor!  What a small world!!!

When I first met Wainani at Shanelle's wedding, I thought she was so kind and beautiful.  What an honor it was to photograph her today!

She loves  yoga, pilates...

and dance!!!

I could tell by today's shoot how grounded, artistic and creative she is.  Her spirit is as beautiful as her movements.  

I am proud to share with you that Wainani is running for Miss Hawai'i 2009.  I strongly feel that she would be a wonderful representative for our state!  

She defines grace, kindness, beauty and strength all with a gentle confidence and quiet humility...

Mahalo, Wainani, for a fun and inspiring shoot!

Magnificent Murph!

Back to Crossfit Hawai'i gang!  Today's WOD (workout of the day) was .4 Murph.  Check it out:

Yes, you're reading that correctly!!!  80 pushups:

And 120 squats! Which as you know, the squat is my LEAST favorite move:

I would like to thank Coach Kimo and Melanie, the other Crossfitting wahine  (there were only two of us), for their encouragement and cheers!  

I completed .4 Murph in 23 minutes and 23 seconds!!!  HURRAY!!

Defeated...

I hate to admit it, but today, I was defeated by this WOD (workout of the day) at Crossfit.  

I can't stand NOT completing anything.  Giving up in the middle of this workout is frustrating, irritating and unacceptable to me.  

No more wine the night before a Crossfit training!!!

Welcome, Seattle Sunshine!!!!

OMG!!!!  The SUN is finally here!!!  I was sooooo happy to wake up this morning and see the sunshine and the feel the warmth...so yummy!!!

Today, my best bruddah, Gonz, had the day off so we ventured out to the U district to....

rent a kayak!!!!

Kayaking at Lake Union has been on my Bucket List (which I'm going to rename later) for the longest time. 

After being fitted with our life vests and were taught how to properly get into the kayak, we headed  off into our watery adventure!

Here's Interstate 5 from our paddling point-of-view...

I've always found house boats so fascinating!  

Look at this house boat neighborhood!

Neat, yeah????

The Space Needle and downtown Seattle...

A quick self-portrait...

....while Gonz busted his butt paddling!

I want to thank you, Gonz, for using your man power and outrigger paddling skills to get us to and fro during our watery excursion on Lake Union.  MAHALO for helping me check this item off of my Bucket List!!!  YOU ROCK!!!

After a very tiring and fun activity like kayaking, one gets super duper hungry.  

During this trip, I wanted to make sure I paid a visit to my client's restaurant located in North Seattle, Kona Kitchen! 

I photographed Angie and Yuji Okumoto's wedding seven years ago in Hawai'i.  I was so excited to hear that they opened up this cool Hawaiian-style restaurant.

So Gonz and I decided to satisfy our hunger pangs by having a plate lunch at Kona Kitchen.  We polished off our hamburger steaks in minutes!

It was so awesome to see Angie's mom, Liz again AND to meet one of Angie and Yuji's daughters! 

Mahalo, Liz, Angie, & Yuji for a wonderful time!  I'll be sure to spread the word amongst my 'ohana and friends about Kona Kitchen!!!

Good times...GREAT DAY!!!

Hydrating with my Klean Kanteen!!!

I am soooo excited! I finally received my shipment from Klean Kanteen!!!

As many of you know, the water bottles we drink from are made from plastics that unfortunately LEACH TOXINS into the water that we drink!  With my Klean Kanteen, which is made from high quality food-grade 18/8 stainless steel (inside and out), I can rest assured that as I consume my 27 ounces of H20 it is free of toxins and there is no leaching going on!

Please consider "hydrating yourselves with this eco-friendly, reusable stainless steel water bottle which provides a safe, non-leaching and toxin-free alternative to plastic and other metal lined containers."

"One Planet, One You!!!"

"Go Smoke Yourself!!!"

At Crossfit Hawai'i this morning, that's exactly what I did!!!

Check out today's workout:

One minute of EACH movement!!!  

Here's my LEAST favorite - Wall Ball!!

You start with a squat with another medicine ball

in hand and boom!

Ball goes over the black pipe!!! 

I, of course, did the modified version and used an 8LB ball BELOW the black pipe.  C'mon!!! You try doing that maneuver for a whole minute!!!

After COMPLETING all FOUR rounds I ended up with this acceptable GER score:

Adobo: 409 points!!!

From the heat in my face you can see here that I was really SMOKIN'!!!!

Brutal Baseline- WAAAAHHH!!!

As I drove to Power House gym today, I was welcomed into town by this beautiful rainbow or anuenue.

Pretty isn't it??? Well, pretty does NOT describe todays grueling Crossfit training session!!!

Here's what the board looks like this week:

And today's choice of pain:

Yes, you're reading this correctly! 

At first, you're thinking, 650m run = a run around the block??? No problem!!!  HA!!  I promise you, you won't share that sentiment when you're doing that second run around the block, my friend!!!  During the run, I was having flashbacks of my 2 mile Ala Wai test at Maryknoll.  Shudder....

Here we are ready to start the workout.  Can you see Kimo encouraging us to move toward the door????

I'd like to thank Kimo for snapping this shot of me doing an actual pull-up DURING the workout. (Nice shot, Kimo!!!) Yes, I CHOSE to smile.  I should've actually been my true self at the moment the shutter went off but, I have an ugly crying face! 

And here's my time:

See where it says "Adobo?"  That would be me.  I was the last to come in HOWEVER, thanks to the encouragement of my fellow workout partners, Kimo and Higher Power,  I completed the whole workout. HURRAY, Adobo!!!

Today was very special as I recruited one of my former brides, Carol, to try out Crossfit with me today.  Being the fit being that she is, she thoroughly enjoyed it!!!

Check out her time:

I was NOT surprised that she finished in such great time!!!

Thanks for another great Crossfit workout, Team! See you in the AM!!!

"Chelsea" and Crossfit Training

So remember this thing?

This Board didn't make much sense back in May but thanks to Elyse, Kimo's Crossfit Captain (I don't know if she's really called that.  I'm just making this up as I go!), she made The Board look so much more readable:

It really helps to have a woman's touch on things!!!  Thanks, "Maneater!!!"

Gang, today I completed a whole Crossfit Training Activity with Kimo Kockelman.  Yes!!!  I managed to make it through the dry heaves, dizziness and internal HEAT in my traumatized body!!!! When it was over, I thought to myself (as I lay horizontal on the ground), "So this is what it feels like to do 200 squats, 140 pushups, and 40 pull ups in 20 minutes!!!  Wow! I think I need a Gatorade and someone to haul me out of here on a handtruck!!!"

Today's workout was called "Chelsea."

See the "7" & "10" on the side?  That's my modifications since I'm still a "beginner" Crossfitter (I made that up too.  Maybe there is such a word!).

My nickname is "Adobo" and I've been officially moved from the "visitor" spot to a "resident" spot.  Hurray!

As usual, little sister kicked butt!  No mods with her! I am so proud of her!!!

We definitely earned today's new Crossfit Training shirts!!!  

***Please note the remnant REDNESS in my face AFTER the training session! See???  I wasn't kidding!  Internal heat, baby!!! "It's getting hot in herre!!!!"

Note to self:  One should NOT take photos after putting oneself through such a grueling activity!!!!