Mi Casita San Juan Mofongo magic

Mofongo and fried plantains. Puerto Rican favourites. Chicken mofongo. My fellow diners ate the chicken and left me with the mofongo. 

Beef Mofongo. To the uninitiated the mofongo is the little mound of fried then mashed plantains in the center of the dish. Sort of a cross between fried potatoes that are mashed and then baked into a little mountain. Really satisfying if you are hungry. Can be a chore if you are not that hungry. The chunks of beef were filling.

Fried Plantains below were like banana chips but with a denser consistency.

First determine calories then model some fitness activity. See below.

Mofongo calorie count from Mofongo calorie count from fatsecret:

Nutrition summary:

Calories 223

Fat 14.62g

Carbs 17.5g

Protein 7.05g

There are 223 calories in 1 ball of Puerto Rican Style Green Plantain with Cracklings (Mofongo).

Calorie breakdown: 57% fat, 30% carbs, 13% protein.

Common Serving Sizes:

Serving Size	Calories
1 oz	99
1 ball (3" dia)	223
100 g	348
1 cup	696

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 ball (3" dia)
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 132 Calories 223
% Daily Values*
Total Fat 14.62g		22%
	Saturated Fat 3.348g	17%
	Polyunsaturated Fat 4.424g
	Monounsaturated Fat 5.642g
Cholesterol 19mg		6%
Sodium 398mg		17%
Potassium 340mg
Total Carbohydrate 17.5g		6%
	Dietary Fiber 1.2g	5%
	Sugars 8.12g
Protein 7.05g
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 12%
Calcium 0% Iron 3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. Nutrition Values are based on USDA Nutrient Database SR18

11%

of RDI* (223 calories)

Calorie Breakdown:   Carbohydrate (30%)   Fat (57%)   Protein (13%)

I had two serving of Mofongo so about 400 calories. What do I do to burn the mofongo X2? 

We stayed at Embassy Suites http://embassysuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/puerto-rico/embassy-suites-san-juan-hotel-and-casino-SJUESES/index.html. The pool was great for a swim in the warm weather. Can be a bit cool if there is cloud cover. It is not a lap pool but it is an obstacle course that is quite windy with a waterfall. You can do loopy laps and try to burn of 400 calories if you are less than 70kg and swim for an hour. See http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/weight-loss/in-depth/exercise/art-20050999 for the calorie counter for weight loss from Mayo clinic.

It was hard to swim for an hour as the water was cool and there was too much traffic. Try alternating front crawl the treading water. To get the 1 hour water time. 

See our Yelp on Fit Fun food Fly Yelp Mi Casita

Kula Little Tokyo

Chain of sushi conveyor belt restaurants in LA.

Salmon was USD 2 per plate for conveyor belt sushi.  Photo from Kula Website. See at  http://www.kulausa.com/

Tuna was also $2. Great value made fresh.

Some sushi had California influence with jalapeño flavors on some plates. For example the spicy tuna crunchy note the green peppers sitting above.

Five of us had 50 plates of sushi. And come up to just over USD100 about USD120++. Before coming to Kula we had been in Las Vegas and had not been able to find any economical Japanese food in the gambling capital.

Anyhow an hour of resistance training in the gym of the Double Tree hotel Little Tokyo where we stayed should burn of about 300 calories. See http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/weight-loss/in-depth/exercise/art-20050999Hope that counts for the 10 plates of sushi we consumed.

The Double Tree had a great little gym with weight and pulley machines. Instead of having cards giving instructions on how to use the machines they had a video screen on each gym machine. Amazing. Worth a visit if you wish to stay around Little Tokyo. See Hilton double tree Little Tokyo at http://www.doubletreeladowntown.com/local-area/little-tokyo

This was fortuitous as JC was dead keen on Japanese food.

Brunetti Melbourne

European style deserts in cafe atmosphere.

Looking for something healthy like looking for needle in haystack in this desert factory. 

How to find an atom of low GI?

Settled for apple strudel at $5.20 per piece. 

Well good try. The pastry was not light. It was buttery and rich. The apples were partially cooked and required chewing. There were nuts mixed into the apples. The consistency was unlike the really sweet and soft apple strudels I had in Munich. There was little sweetness in the apples and seemed liked they were cooked without alot of sugar. A different style but not to my taste.

Any how after the heavy lamb roast from the Uni Cafe down Lygon street it was time to go to bed. Up early for the run through Melbourne again. Hoping to run for about an hour so about 500 calories to be burnt in the morning. See http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/weight-loss/in-depth/exercise/art-20050999 Must be enough to charcoal the apple strudel. 

University Cafe Melbourne

Local Italian. Lygon st. Italian beer to start. Ambience was casual.

Warm food for cold autumn evening. The restaurant owner was sitting in front of shop with scarf on. 

Fettuccine con gambari spicy and hot. $19.5 for entre size. 4 big prawns. Chili. 

Roast lamb ribs. Entre $18.50 enough for a days work. I did not have to order a main. Spinach poached with drizzle of lemon to go as a side at $9. The lamb has a bed of tomatoes, onions and cucumber. Topping of warm sour cream. Good prompt service. Not fine dining but good wholesome food. 

No time for deserts head to the local pastry shop on Lygon st. - Brunetti. See next blog.

This morning I ran aound Melbourne from North Melbourne to Franklin St then to the Grand Hyatt on Colin St. The weather was cool but I had on Nike compression gear short sleeve top. This was great and I felt cool but not cold. The distance in total was about 6km with a back pack. So maybe a cross between running and backpacking. Maybe 600 calories. See http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/weight-loss/in-depth/exercise/art-20050999 as it took about an hour.

Cheese Cake Factory LA The Grove

An old favorite comfort food chain eatery.  Food that is easy to eat - comfort foods for the tired shopper. A selection of breads to start. These were warm and slightly sweet to the palate. 

Cheese burgers for the younger palate.  We also this at the sister restaurant in San Francisco previously. 

Turkey sandwich for those who are watching their weight. 

Mushroom burger for the teenager who wanted to be different. 

Spaghetti for the Uni student who wanted to be cultured. 

We tried the skinny licious menu: turkey & avocado sandwich with less then 590 calories.  There was ahe or tuna tartare with less then 500 calories. Other non skinnylicious menus looked good. Fit foodies will love their new skinny licious menu.       

After the refreshments back to the Grove LA mall to do more shopping. The cheese cakes looked so good we dare not allow the salubrious triglycerides into our digestive system after lunch. 

Plan to come back for afternoon tea after several laps around the shopping mall. 

Bubba Gump Las Vegas

Seen Forest Gump the movie. Want to try the shrimp?  Look no further then the themed restaurant.

Shrimper's Heaven for $24. Good value. Coconut coated prawns! 

Check out their website for menus and locations around USA http://www.bubbagump.com/

Forest's Seafood feast $21. 

Read the newspapers that serve as plates? Great way to cure your boredom. Check out the merchandise if you want memorabilia. 

It was a quiet day in this restaurant on the Las Vegags strip. After lunch we walked to several casinos. Spent some time checking out the gaming tables. The weather is dry in the desert casino city and it was easy to walk without the burden of sweating profusely in the Nevada winter.  

Harry's Cafe de Wheels Sydney Haymarket

Pies n peas....
Friday late night in Sydney. Hungry after the show. Try a pie and mushy peas. Yuck?  Surprisingly good after a boozy Friday evening.

Then off to bed?

$5.30 for the beef pie and mushy peas. Surprisingly tasty with chunks of beef. Does not  have the synthetic beef stock taste often seen in commercial pies.

Check out the menu at http://www.harryscafedewheels.com.au/

Kailis Brothers Fremantle seafood cafe

Smell the sea. Craving for an oyster. Jump onto the jetty side restaurant in Fremantle.

Check their site http://www.kailis.com/fremantle/

NYK orders 24 oysters for $56. Just a snack. RW & NYK slurp them down. Hoping to load up on aphrodisiac before the big night out at the casino.

Eat by the jetty and hear the seagulls. Oysters are a good source of protein, Zinc, Omega 3 and vitamins. Be careful of the salt load and the risk of contamination from germs called vibrio. Some concerns about cholesterol but applies to all shellfish. Eat in moderation cholesterol is of concern. Or drive to the swan valley wine yards to wash down the cholesterol with red wine like we did. Order grilled sea food from the cafe to reduce the fat load although they serve great fish and chips - plus fish & chip ice cream. 

Wakasaya Los Angeles

BIG bowl in Little Tokyo Los Angeles. 

Free if you can finish ginormous bowl in 15 minutes. Otherwise the tax is $55.

We ordered a big bowl & it filled 5 of us up for lunch.

The bikkuri Don is worth a try if you are very hungry after a marathon. 

Try the happy set if you are a hash house harrier.

The big bowl we ordered.

We met one of the eat bikkuri for free guys outside Little Tokyo who told us about the challenge. Matt was with a group of friends and we heard them discussing the big bowl so we went and tried it. 

. 

A humungus and amazing feat by these big eaters. 

Houghton Winery Cafe Swan Valley

Wine tasting all day. Looking to satisfy your hunger before the next winery. Try a little bit of DYI at the restaurant on the Houghton winery. Order at the counter. See http://www.houghton-wines.com.au/our-cafe

RW & NYK settled on pizza, fish & chips and chilli mussels to share between the wine tasters. Washed down with a bottle of Houghton Sauvignon Blanc 2013 white. Service was quick and the 3 patrons settled down with the easy drinking white wine. 

A thick crust pizza. Chewy round the edges. 

The fish batter was crunchy and the chips seasoned. Prawns were cold with lots of garlic. 

Chilli mussels were hot and it started to rain outside the restaurant. Sauce was good with the crusty bread. 

The Sauvignon Blanc was chilled and was refreshing with the hot food. It was self service with cutlery and plates. Lucky it was a cool rainy autumn day. 

In a hot summer environment definitely go for the shared platters with cheeses and cold meats. Definitely worth a visit if you are speeding around the swan valley wine yards and not looking at a fine dining experience. 

Wine, nuts, olive oil can help reduce your health risk from cardiovascular disease see blogs.nejm.cardiovascular-disease-and-a-mediterranean-diet

We are hoping to sample RW's cooking laced with all the wine from Swan valley at the end of the journey... Yumm.

Yelp review at Fitfun at Yelp or

Fogo de Chao Beverly Hills Angeles

Flew into LA from another continent to meet friends in LA. Checked into hotel, drove hire car to Fogo De Chao Beverly Hills - for vegeterian heretics.

Brazilian Barbecue in LA FOR $60 per person - all you can eat. See their website at http://www.fogodechao.com/

We booked early as we were not able to get a seat the last time we were in LA.

We were not disappointed by the quantity of meat. This place is heresy for vegetarians but there are salads and the wonderful fried bananas if you must do vegetarian. Or are attempting to be a vegetarian like me.

Our friends arrived after a battle with the LA traffic. The feast began with regular visits from waiters bearing skewers of roast meats and BBQ and seasoned varieties of poultry.

Fried Bananas for vegetarians but definitely come to this restaurant if you are a meat lover.

A sample of the portions of meat brought by each waiter. Half finished after the onslaught of BBQ meat. 

The cheese biscuits or muffins before dinner. Warm cushions of cheese and pastry. Eat them while they are steaming. If they cool down they can be a bit rubbery. 

The amount of food consumed was limited by our jet lag as we had travelled 18 hours to get here. Here are 3 tips on how to get more restful sleep from Harvard health. We found these 3 tips helped with sleeping during a intercontinental trip even though we were in a plentiful restaurant with wine and caffeine. See http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/3-ways-to-get-more-restful-sleep They recomended no alcohol. no caffeine and no nicotine. Maybe add in some intense sunlight for a couple of hours. moderate exercise and set your watch to the current time zone. 

So we did not order wine. 

The fried polenta. Crispy outside and warm and soft inside. The carbs helped us digest the meats. Some of fellow diners enjoyed the processed meats like sausages and bacon wrapped around the chicken. I found these went well with the potatoes and polenta. 

We then drove our hire car back to the hotel after taking the advice on restful sleep from the article. And we did not order coffee or desert