Costco Favorite Snacks

I snack, so I exercise.

I exercise, so I can snack.

It's a vicious cycle and Costco does not help at all with it's interesting selection of snacks!  Here are the snacks we regularly buy every week or so:

Kirkland European Cookies
(seasonal)
With the exception of one kind,
I like all types of cookies inside!

Galil Roasted Chestnuts
(seasonal)
This comes pretty darn close to the
roasted chestnuts sold in Asian supermarkets -
with the added bonus of being peeled already!
Just heat it in the microwave and it's perfect.

Pirate's Booty Aged White Cheddar
I like to think of this as a 'healthier' Cheetohs :D

Welch's Fruit Snacks
Individually packed & 80 calories per pack!
Great for dessert or mid-day snacking.

Kirkland Pecan-Cashew Nut Crisp
with Cinnamon Apples & Peaches
Two of my fave nuts with the right amount of sweetness!

Donsuemor Madeleines
So moist!

Brookside Dark Chocolate Acai Blueberry
So good I think I can finish a pack in one sitting!

WildRoots Greek Yogurt Fruit & Nut Blend
This is one blend that I like EVERYTHING in the mix.  The Greek yogurt was sweet enough I thought it was white chocolate hehe.

European Market Deli's Nut Cookies

Haven't had these absolutely delicious nut cookies from European Market Deli for awhile in an effort to lessen our dessert intake but it's hubby's birthday week so we're indulging :)  A hidden gem in the Castro Valley area, they sell an array of European food.  We've only tasted their nut cookies which has a yummy caramel filling on the inside.  The price is very reasonable too - around $5 for a dozen.  Cannot wait to try their other desserts and dishes!  Recommendations welcome!

Overrated Nopalito

quesadilla roja con chicharrón $9.50
Hubby liked this best but it could have been better with a lot more chicharron.

enchiladas de mole con pollo $11
I don't like moles but hubby was ok with this dish.

carnitas $16
What they're popular for and I cannot for the life of me figure why?!  Definitely not worth it at $16.

complimentary dessert of polvoron
Free and again just ok.  We're huge dessert fans but based on quality of meal, we decided to cut our losses and not order any.  Very good call based on the complimentary dessert.

I wanted so much to like you, Nopalito (Inner Sunset, San Francisco).  All signs pointed to you being a solid pick:  highly rated in Yelp, an SF Chronicle 2013 top 100 restaurant and numerous other rave reviews, including one from an ex-officemate.  Alas, your food was ok at best.  And I even chose you for hubby's birthday!  Now I have to treat him again to make up for a disappointing lunch.  Sigh...

Benkyo-do Mochi

I like to think of mochi as the Japanese macaron because of their round shape and variety of colors.

Benkyo-do (Japantown, San Francisco) mochi are simply delicious.  We ordered a variety and we liked all 5 kinds.  They're handmade daily and flavors also differ per day and season.  Can't wait to buy another batch!

Sonoma Winery: Jacuzzi

 

wine in a chocolate cup tasting $5

pretty courtyard for events

 

FREE olive oil and balsamic tasting

Jacuzzi is my second favorite winery in Sonoma after sister winery, Cline.  Here are the many reasons why:

• Gorgeous grounds - the back has a beautiful patio that you can hang out in.  I hope they'll have heaters during the winter season.  Further outside is a courtyard for events like a wedding with a view of their vineyards.
• FREE tasting of 5 wines!  Check out the 2-page selection in my pics above.  Their wines are Italian-inspired and pretty good at that.  The pours are just small (factual, not a complaint) and doesn't include the reserve wines.  Their reserve wines are good btw and just $1 per taste so do try it.  To get a reserve wine tasting for free, download the Winery Finder app.
• We also did their wine in a chocolate cup for $5 tasting.  Their late harvest Aleatico is a Port-like wine and paired well with the dark chocolate cup.
• FREE olive oil and balsamic tasting!  I particularly loved their Fig Balsamic.  We're definitely buying after we finish what we have at home.

Quick notes on other Sonoma wineries:

• Cline - my favorite winery in Sonoma!
• Gundlach Bundshu - love their cabernet franc and hubby likes their gewurtzraminer
• Ravenswood - I know they're known for their zins but we like them for their muscat and gewurtzraminer
• Viansa - beautiful grounds and view, crappy wine
• Chateau St Jean (Kenwood) - pretty grounds, decent wine

Sonoma Winery: Cline

Cline is my favorite winery in Sonoma and here's why:

• good AND affordable wines - we love their mourvedre and carignane!
• FREE tasting of 5 wines with a broad selection to choose from (see pic above)
• their wine club is very reasonable - only 2 bottles per quarter which is ridiculously easy and you can pick it up vs paying for shipping.  Be warned, picking it up WILL make you buy more than the 2 bottles you're supposed to get.  We walked away with 6 bottles and that was already controlled since it was our last stop and bought from other wineries already.

Quick notes on other Sonoma wineries:

• Jacuzzi - my second favorite winery in Sonoma and what do you know, sister company of Cline!
• Gundlach Bundshu - love their cabernet franc and hubby likes their gewurtzraminer
• Ravenswood - I know they're known for their zins but we like them for their muscat and gewurtzraminer
• Viansa - beautiful grounds and view, crappy wine
• Chateau St Jean (Kenwood) - pretty grounds, decent wine

Sonoma Shopping: Baksheesh

I love Baksheesh!  Every time we're in Sonoma, I make it a point to drop by here and I always end up buying something.  

Here's the tri-colored cuff I just bought for $17:

Bonus:  get a free mini chocolate instead of getting a bag for your purchase.  Yum!

Sonoma Eats: Sunflower Caffe

definitely grab a seat at the back

The Sunflower Wedge $11
(iceberg lettuce salad with blue cheese, bacon bits, egg and Speck)

Spanish Cheeseboard $15
(assortment of chorizo, blood sausage, Serrano ham, olives, goat cheese filled piquillo peppers and Manchego cheese)

Shrimp Salad Sandwich $13
My favorite - so refreshing to eat on a warm day!

Smoked Duck Breast Sandwich $14
Overall good but missing that strong distinct duck taste.

Sunflower Caffe was a good place to eat but it did not just wow me.  It's one of those places that you don't regret eating at but you won't go back again.  

What I do recommend in the area are:

• the girl & the fig - French cuisine
• LaSalette - Portugese food!

Biking and Yoga

We biked at San Mateo Shoreline Parks and here are the sights we passed along the way:  dog park, marina, golf course, San Mateo bridge and a small hill that you can go up to see fantastic views of the bay!  Definitely check it out.

Took advantage of the beautiful background to do a headstand!

Reasons to buy a foldable bike

We simply love our Dahon bikes!

Here are the many reasons why:

1. easy storage - when we lived in an apartment, we just stowed it at our balcony
2. no bike rack needed - it easily fits in the trunk of your car
3. lightweight - so easy to carry
4. less than a minute to fold or unfold
5. durable - we did the 25-mile route in Napa Valley's Tour De Cure using these bikes
6. good quality - we've had these bikes for 2 years and we're sure it'll last us a couple more years.  Aside from yearly check ups, they're very low maintenance.
7. conversation starter - I've lost count of the number of stares and the number of times strangers have approached us to ask about our bikes

Another good though more expensive brand is Brompton.


Our other favorite biking gear are:

• Pearl Izumi apparel - from jerseys to bottoms to jackets to gloves!  Tip:  they have an outlet at Gilroy and the selection is pretty good.
• helmets from Bell and Giro
• SPI Belt - this belt securely holds my phone, car keys, cash and some cards while biking.  Highly recommend!

Best Neutral Nail Polish

For light skin, OPI Samoan Sand perfectly complements my skin tone.  It's that perfect blend of pink and brown (though the pic above makes it look more brown than pink).

I like my nail polish neutral and classic.  This is my holy grail nail polish and I bring my own bottle to the nail salon, in case they don't have it which of course has happened.  It lasts for weeks and it's part of InStyle's Best Beauty Buys.

San Tung in my top 3 Chinese restaurants

I'm Asian, with a Chinese maiden surname and maybe 1/16th Chinese blood.

I grew up eating my Mom's Chinese-influenced dishes.

Our weekend lunch outs and family celebrations meant mostly going to a Chinese restaurant.

Currently, our default takeout food is either  Chinese, Filipino or Thai.

So yes, I do know my Chinese food.

However, there's Chinese food and THERE'S Chinese food.

San Tung (Inner Sunset, San Francisco) falls in the latter category.

We went here for the first time this week after our Legion of Honor visit and to see what the fuss was all about.  It always gets mentioned as a must-go Chinese restaurant and it's highly-rated in Yelp.  Happy to say it did not disappoint:

Free kimchi appetizer which for me was spicier than usual with a sweet note to it.  I personally like the more traditional preparation for it.

Dry fried chicken!  $10 for 12 pcs and definitely worth every finger-licking bite.  This one lived up to the hype.

Shrimp and leek dumplings for $8 which was good but nothing great.

Black bean sauce noodles for $9.50 which was borderline bland.  Not a repeat order.

Dried sauteed string beans for $8.50
When we entered, this guy was prepping this huge pile of string beans and now we know why.  This dish truly deserves to be a bestseller.

My top 3 Chinese restaurants, in no particular order, are now:

• San Tung
• Koi Palace, Daly City - xiao long bao!  And so much more than that...
• Mission Chinese Food, San Francisco - the scary walk through the 16th St BART station was worth it
• special mention:  Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot in either San Mateo or Union City -  the only time I don't mind walking out of a restaurant smelling like hot pot :D

Tip:  I've read the lines can get pretty crazy so we deliberately went mid-afternoon and even found parking right in front of it.