Body Combat & Body Pump

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So Ron and I have been going to the UCSF gym two to three times a week. So far our favorite classes are Body Pump and Body Combat. We haven’t really lost any weight but have been working our muscles so it actually looks like we have some muscle rather than just fat.

Body Pump is lifting free weights with different routines and fun music. The instructors at UCSF are very motivating and good teachers. The class I usually attend is on what they call “Release 66“. Here’s an example of what it’s like:

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Body Combat is a mixture of boxing, kick boxing, muay thai, capoeira, etc with different routines and also to cool music. It’s great for stress relief when you want to beat yourself up (in the mirror) or someone else (in your mind)…

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Hopefully we’ll continue to be good and go to the gym, at least we’re getting a lot more exercise than we used to.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes

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http://www.marthastewart….es&rsc=header_3

I made these cupcakes to wish my coworkers a Happy Friday. The recipe for the peanut butter cupcakes can be found on Martha Stewart Living magazine February 2009 issue or online below:

Peanut Butter Cupcakes Recipe

Peanut Butter Frosting Recipe

The frosting is really rich so I didn’t use too much, I still have a ton leftover so next time I’d only make half the recipe. I used blueberry preserves instead of strawberry jam (because it was the only fruity jam I had in the refrigerator and blueberries are my favorite). My coworkers compared the taste to a big peanut butter cookie.

I didn’t use cupcake liners but just sprayed the muffin tins with PAM baking with flour and they came out fine. Saves paper! One of my coworkers suggested these would be great for kids parties, especially if they were mini cupcakes, bite-sized… sounds like a fabulous idea!

Stay tuned for more yummy cupcakes… there is also a mini cheesecake with apricot jam and Boston cream pie cupcakes that I want to make… yum yum good.

Maxwell’s not so secret desire to go outside…

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When we first adopted Maxwell, he lived with Ron at his apartment on the North side of Berkeley. The apartment had a “cat door” in the window so he enjoyed time inside and out. He got into a lot of trouble then too like fights with dogs, raccoons, and deer. He visited the ED a few times for his injuries from these fights. So after Ron moved, he mostly stayed indoors and he didn’t enjoy that much. Every chance he got, he would escape and enjoy some time outside but he’d always come back when he got hungry.

When we were gone last year, the friends who took care of Maxwell also had two cats and they allowed their cats indoors and outdoors. I’m sure Maxwell loved the time he spent there. But I really wonder what he does all day when he is outside?

Living where we do, I would be afraid to let Maxwell go outside because of the traffic plus we live on the 2nd floor so there’s no really easy way to let Maxwell out. When we first moved in, he would attempt to crawl out the window whenever they were open and he’d even try to open the window wider so that he could stick his head out. After some scolding, he stopped trying to crawl out… but sometimes we let him enjoy the breeze and sniff out the window…

I wonder if he longs for his younger years when he could roam wherever he pleased… he’s going to be 10 years old in July!

Sophie’s Crepes & Halu

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I had a craving for crepes after hearing my co-worker Patsy talk about them so after work, Ron took me to Japantown for some Sanrio shopping and crepes. Patsy told me there was a new Sanrio store open in Japantown so of course I had to go see. It’s one of the new boutique shops of Sanrio. For a picture of the storefront, check out Patsy’s blog here. I got myself a new coffee mug, a sweatshirt, and a cute green frog for my friend.

Afterwards, we stopped at Sophie’s Crepes to satisfy my crepe craving. I ordered the strawberry and nutella crepe (for $5.37 total). The crepe seemed a bit overcooked, too crispy but the strawberries were refreshing and the nutella nice and gooey.

We stopped by Sports Basement afterwards just to check it out, we’ve never been there before. I get a 10% discount from work. It would’ve been great if we found something but didn’t find anything we wanted just then. We do need new bindings and maybe new boots for our snowboards but probably won’t get them until the end of winter.

Afterwards we were craving Japanese for dinner and went to check out this local place called Halu. We’ve passed by it a few times before while looking for parking in the area and I read good reviews about it on Yelp! so thought it a good place to try. They serve mostly yakitori, ramen, and rice dishes. The place is very unique, very small… they have tons of Beatles paraphernalia and great Beatles music!

We had some sake. Light and refreshing.

The deluxe yakitori combination platter. There’s no choice but a good selection of 7 skewers. From left to right: chicken wings, shrimp, okra, mushrooms, chicken, chicken meatballs, and beef (the beef was the best).

The agedashi tofu. Was a bit soggy but the sauce very tasty.

Chasu ramen. Soup was a bit bland but with the addition of a bit of spices, much better. The soup is very “creamy” so watch out. The pork was very tender, almost melted in your mouth. The ramen was thinner than I liked but cooked well.

Overall, I probably wouldn’t return for the chasu ramen but they do have a special butter garlic ramen that might be yummy and also have okonomiyaki which we’ll have to go back and try. The beef yakitori was the best and the people sitting next to us had asparagus wrapped in bacon which looked really good too so we’d have to try other yakitori options if we go there again.

Sophie’s Crepes
1581 Webster Street (between Geary Blvd & Post St)
Near Kinokuniya Bookstore

Halu
312 8th Avenue (between Clement St & Geary Blvd)