Budget-Friendly Bites: On Campus, Episode 4

This morning, I enjoyed a very cozy breakfast in HUB to start my day, and opted for a panini from La Pasta and tea from Bar Teca. I like the tea from Bar Teca, as well as their frozen yogurt. It's so smooth, and they top it with a dark chocolate squiggly thing that I usually give to someone else, but it's cute. I've heard that they have bubble tea, but I haven't given it a try just yet.

From La Pasta, I got the Italian Breakfast panini. It has a thin slice of soppressatta (a type of Italian sausage), a slice of tomato, some artichoke, and a slice of provolone cheese. I believe that they get most of their ingredients from Spinelli's Italian Centre. From Bar Teca, I got the Mango Black Tea. I ordered a small, but she gave me a large by accident. No complaints here!

La Pasta, on the other hand, is one of my favourite go-tos for something quick, but not necessarily drenched in grease. The staff (like Stan, the guy with a receding hair line and dark curlyish hair!) are so friendly and welcoming, and the food is pretty decent too. Prices vary, but they do have some good deals to offer!

The upper/main level is where you can get your coffee/tea fixes, cookies, biscottis, banana bread, and the like, as well as your paninis. Typically, paninis are priced at $5-6, but there are some at La Pasta that are less than $5. I like the Italian Breakfast panini, and not necessarily just for breakfast. To me, it is the best deal for a panini priced at $3.50. Today, they had these hazelnut toffee cookies, which Stan said were going like hotcakes!

La Pasta!

La Pasta also has a lower level down the stairs. There was a guy delivering bread and buns whose cart was in the way, but there's a small set of stairs that lead down to the area where they serve pasta and such. I forgot to take a picture of the whiteboard, but it's normally on the main level to the left side, and features their specials of the day as well as their combos. 

La Pasta (feat. bread delivery man).

They have something called "The Combo" which consists of essentially salad and pasta. First, you choose between house dressing (which is like a runny ranch) or a homemade vinaigrette. Next, your choice of pasta. It varies daily, but usually some sort of noodle, some sort of dumpling type, some small type, and the baked one. The baked pasta is a mass of layers of cheese, tomato sauce, and random pastas. Lastly, you get to choose what sauce goes on top of the pasta - alfredo, tomato, or meat. Parmesan cheese and chili flakes are also available for your final topping. The Combo is now $6, but for student groups such as the Chinese Students Club, you can get $1 off a $6 purchase. Fresh white or whole wheat buns are also available for $0.50 each, I believe, but usually if you order pasta, it's free of charge.

For whatever reason, I haven't been able to find the rest of my photos from past visits to La Pasta (and it frustrates me to no end). But here is an example of "The Combo". Here, I opted for the vinaigrette dressing on my salad, fettuccine noodles, tomato sauce, and a whole wheat bun. This was from last summer, when La Pasta only charged $5 for The Combo. Still, not a bad deal for wholesome food found among a line of fast food chains. :)

The Combo!

If I ever find my missing photos, I will be sure to put them up here :)

Long story short, go to La Pasta in HUB!

-M

Love for the Locals: Hung Phat Vietnamese Noodle House

On a crazy cold day in Edmonton like today, something warm for the throat and stomach is a pretty good go-to. Something like...oh, I don't know...pho? Upon my 5th or 6th visit to the place, I decided to actually take pictures and do this post on Hung Phat, a Vietnamese noodle place in a strip mall across from the CN Rail stuff on 99th Street.

Since my first visit, I have to say that Hung Phat is probably my favourite place for Vietnamese noodles now. The only disappointment for me would be that they don't have any pho with tripe :( I like tripe a lot.

They open at 11 every day of the week, and it's advisable to arrive around then,  because by noon, the place is packed! I guess word has gotten around. We got there at about 12:30, and there were only two small tables for 2 left.

Contrary to what I just said, I opted for a bowl of vermicelli when my dad took me for lunch. He got a bowl of pho with medium rare beef and meatballs. I've had pho at Hung Phat before and it's pretty good! The texture of the noodles is perfectly cooked, and the mix of spices in the broth is slightly different from your average Vietnamese noodle soup, and in a good way!

This is #46, Grilled Beef on Vermicelli. The Sriracha was my doing, but I only put a little bit for the purpose of the picture. There were 2 more layers of Sriracha in the consumption process :P

I wanted to take a picture of how full it was, so you guys could see, but there were two people right next to us, and this lady kept looking at me all funny, so I had to wait until she left. Unfortunately, more people had finished already as well.

After the 12-1 rush, the buzz is totally different.

I've been to Pagolac, Pho Hoa, and a few other Vietnamese places in Edmonton, but I really appreciate the atmosphere and service as well as the food here a bit more. I don't know what it is, but I think that Hung Phat is worth a try :)



-M

B-b-b-baking: Chinese Cocktail Buns

Sooo...I gave "Chinese baking" a shot last night. I originally wanted to make the Chinese red bean buns, because red bean is amaaazing, but a) I didn't have red beans, and b) you'd have to soak them overnight and whatnot before using them. Then I thought, "wait a minute...I have coconut!!" Up until last year, I legitimately disliked coconut, but somehow, the flavour grew on me. P (who happens to also have a food blog~) said he wanted to try my baking, and I had time, so there you have it!

Things I have learned yesterday about Chinese cocktail buns:

- You only need a maximum of 3 hours to make these things, and only half of that time is actually doing stuff. 1 hour is just rising, and you can do laundry and homework. Then, about 20 minutes is baking, and you can do more laundry and homework.

- The weird sugar paste stuff the bakeries put on top of these buns is only made of flour, sugar, and butter. I'd always wondered what the heck it was.

- You can make buns into whatever shape you want! (I made them kind of dinner roll sized. I wonder what it'd look like if you just made one ginormous bun...)

- If you mess up rolling a bun, just twist it. Then it magically becomes a coconut twisty bun thing... :D

- How do bakeries get their buns all nicely browned and shiny? Egg wash!

- Sesame seeds make buns look even more Asian.

- As always, they taste the best when just freshly out of the oven...

They look kind of weird before being baked. My screwups also look more screwed up before being baked >.>;; Also, notice how I tried to make little spirals with the topping stuff. It did not look like that anymore after done baking...

My lovelies rising and baking in the oven :3 The little white dot things on the door's window are there to make sure that people like me who sit and study in front of the oven don't get cancer.

Should have put a bit more egg wash, but they turned out pretty well, don't you think? :)

Bun #13 got to have the taste test. Since it was nighttime already, I split it between my mom, brother, and I. Sorry for not taking a picture of the inside...I blame the coconut filling.

Chinese Cocktail Buns (adapted from Jun's Blog)

*Makes ~15 dinner roll sized cocktail buns if you don't screw up the rolling and sealing like I did...*

Yeast Mixture

1 package Fleischmann's instant yeast (it says it's something like 2 1/4 tsp)

1/4 cup lukewarm water

1 tsp white granulated sugar

Bun Dough

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup white granulated sugar

1 tsp table salt

1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk

1/2 cup olive oil

2 eggs

1 yeast mixture (see above)

Filling

1 cup shredded coconut (I bought Safeway brand medium unsweetened shredded. Smaller shreds are good for the paste.)

6 tbsp unprocessed honey

6 tbsp olive oil

1 egg yolk (I saved the egg white and used it in something else.)

Topping

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tbsp white granulated sugar

2 tbsp shortening/softened butter

1 tbsp water

1 egg

2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

1. Prepare the yeast mixture by dissolving the instant yeast in a small bowl with the lukewarm water. (I use a bamboo chopstick to stir so that the temperature won't decrease as quickly.) Add the tsp of sugar, stir, and set aside for 10 minutes at room temperature to activate. The air is colder and drier here, so I put it in the microwave TURNED OFF to sit, but DO NOT turn on the microwave, or it will kill the yeast. (The yeast mixture will expand and become foamy.)

2. Add 2 1/2 cups flour, sugar, and salt into a large bowl, and stir to distribute evenly.

3. In a medium bowl, add milk, oil, eggs, and yeast mixture. Stir to combine.

4. Add the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, and use a spatula to incorporate. Knead with your hands for at least 10 minutes. (The mixture will be very sticky, but then becomes elastic and comes off easily from your hands.)

5. Briefly remove the dough from the large bowl, and lightly oil the inside of the bowl. Place the dough back into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size. I put it in the microwave TURNED OFF with a mug of hot water.

6. While the dough is rising, prepare a deep dish baking pan by lightly greasing it with oil or butter. You can also use this time to make your filling, egg wash, and topping.

7. Add all "filling" ingredients into a bowl and mix until evenly distributed. Wrap with plastic wrap and set aside. (Note: You may not need to use as much oil or honey. I may have added more than 1 cup of shredded coconut, and like I said before, it's drier here.)

8. Add "topping" flour, sugar, and shortening into a small bowl, and combine into a pale paste. Place mixture into one corner of a ziploc bag, seal, and set aside.

9. Add 1 tbsp water and 1 egg into a small bowl, and beat lightly with a pastry brush. Wrap with plastic wrap and set aside.

10. Remove the bowl from the microwave, and remove the plastic wrap. Slowly punch down the dough for about a minute to release some of the air.

11. Preheat the oven to 375 F.

12. Using the remaining 1/2 cup, flour the back of a cookie sheet, unless you have a countertop or suitable surface for rolling and stuff.

13. Split the dough into desired bun portions. I just divided it into 15 equal blobs.

14. For each dough blob, flatten into a circle a bit less than 1 mm thick.

15. Add about 1 tbsp of filling on the center of the dough circle. Fold one side of the circle to just overlap the filling, and do the same to the opposite side. Take the other two ends, pinch together, and twist. This is the bottom of the bun, so flip it over, and place it into the pan. Repeat for all 15 buns. If you mess up the rolling/folding thing, just twist it lightly until you can see some of the filling on the outside, and some of the bun.

16. Using a pastry brush or teaspoon, add egg wash on the surface of each bun.  

17. Lightly squeeze the topping mixture closer to the corner of the ziploc bag, and cut a small hole in the corner. Pipe whatever design you want on the top of the buns. I tried doing spirals. Keep in mind that it spreads out a lot, and might not look like what you drew.

18. Finish by sprinkling sesame seeds over the tops.

19. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

20. Remove from oven and pan, and enjoy right away, or set on a sheet of parchment paper on top of a cooling rack, and store for up to a few days.

I brought them to badminton with me this morning for my friends :) Since P was the one who first requested them, I separately wrapped one in my snazzy craftsy wrapping stuff from the Daiso (I really want more Q_Q...I'm so addicted to that place...). Here are some photos that P (who also has a photography blog~) took of his!

I regret not buying more of these little wrapping bags :( They came in packages of 10, and I only bought 2...

Yay! I didn't take a picture of the inside, but P was smart and did! Thank you, P! :D

I know this one is a long post, but it was super fun, and I haven't posted for over a week! Look forward to more baking this term :)

-M

Cardio and Cooking: Put in ALL THE THINGS!!

I am proud to say that as of Wednesday last week, I have been pretty consistent in getting back to my regular exercise routine. Feeling lazy and useless is awful. Feeling productive and healthy is awesome.

I know that fried rice isn't the healthiest food choice to keep you going, but it's quick and easy to put together even when you don't have a lot of things around the house or time, for that matter.

Things I have learned today about fried rice:
- It is best to use rice that was steamed at least a few days ago. I know it's weird, but fried rice is much better when the rice is a bit stiff rather than soft.
- You can put practically anything into it to make a decent meal.
- Flavourful things like pork floss, when added, basically substitute for sauce.
- It doesn't need to be thaaat oily to be good.
- Like most things, it's a lot cheaper to make at home rather than purchase from a restaurant or store.
- Somehow, it tastes so much better when prepared in a wok. Even so, I make my fried rice like an unauthentic Chinese cook - in a standard frying pan.

Look at me being all white-washed with my lack of wok and chopsticks.

 Average Fried Rice

*Serves 1*
1 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 large egg
3 Tbsp pre-cooked and refrigerated jasmine rice
3 Tbsp mixed frozen veggies
Half of a green onion
1 tsp roasted sesame seeds
2 Tbsp pork floss

1. Add oil to nonstick pan on medium heat.
2. Finely chop garlic and green onion, and add only the garlic into the pan to brown.
3. Crack in one egg, and scramble in the pan until slightly cooked.
4. Add rice, veggies, and pork floss, and stir until combined and cooked.
5. Turn off the heat, and add the sesame seeds and green onions (I like it when the green onions are only slightly cooked.)
6. Remove from heat and serve.

Remember, you can add practically anything to fried rice. If I have any, I like to add diced Chinese sausage and broccoli.

---

For the first time in my undergrad experience, I'm taking a night course, and I plan to be properly prepared this time. For whatever reason, last week, I brought chicken wings with veggies and rice. Durrr... We only get a 10 minute break, which is just enough to run to the microwaves, heat up my meal, burn my tongue because it's too hot, eat a few bites, close up the container and run back to the class. = = I was sooo hungry and tired...

Lesson learned! Tonight, I'm packing survival sammiches! (I just finished wasting my life and watching an episode of "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo".)

Things I have learned today about sammiches:
- Although I had them all throughout elementary, junior high, and high school, they are easy to carry around and consume.
- Just like with fried rice, you can basically put anything into a sandwich, and it will still be a sandwich.
- Sandwiches seem to have a pretty standard structure - some form of bread, a base of some sort of vegetable, some form of protein, and some sort of dressing. If it isn't like that, it's usually just a bunch of stuff mixed together and spread onto the bread/bun.
- There are a lot of different kinds of sandwiches...submarines, burgers, rolls, paninis, banh mi, wraps, open-faced, finger, falafels, pitas, dips, buns, dogs, melts, naans, po' boys, toasties, pans...I love them all :)
- Apparently the first recorded sandwich is attributed to "a famous Rabbi, Hillel the Elder" who made a sandwich out of "chopped nuts, apples, and wine between two matzohs". Cool!

I kind of just tore the lettuce leaves into pieces, so it doesn't look very even, but I'm going to be like a hungry savage when the time comes to devour them. I won't be a classy savage, so I won't care about presentation so much.

Survival Sandwich V1.0

*Serves 1 hungry student*

2 scotch baps (or whatever buns/bread you have lying around at home)

Kraft Chick 'N Rib BBQ Sauce (or whatever sauce/dressing you like)

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 leafs of iceberg lettuce (or whatever vegetable you fancy)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

1. Turn on your broiler.

2. Lightly oil a baking dish. 

3. Dry the chicken breast with a paper towel. If there is water, the chicken won't brown when it's cooking.

4. Brush both sides of the chicken breast with a little bit of oil, about a teaspoon of BBQ sauce, and sprinkle salt and pepper to your liking.

5. Place in the baking dish, and under the broiler it goes for about 8 minutes.

6. After 8 minutes, pull out the oven rack, and flip the chicken breasts. Place back under the broiler for another 8 minutes.

7. To check whether or not the chicken is cooked through, use a chopstick/fork/utensil to stab it through. If the juices run clear, you are safe.

8. Remove the chicken from the oven and slice evenly.

9. Slice open a bap, squirt about a half teaspoon of sauce on each side, and place some pieces of lettuce over top to spread out the sauce. Lay about half of the pieces of chicken over the bed of lettuce. Seal shut with a toothpick. Repeat for the second bap.

10. Leave to cool, and pack for the treacherous journey.

-M

Love for the Locals: Creole Envie

I've been falling a bit behind in my posts because for whatever reason, Blogger won't let me upload photos on my computer. The photos in this post were first transferred from my phone camera to my computer, and emailed to myself, so that I could save them on my iPad mini (which E gave me for Christmas), upload to my blog via the app, and edit via Blogger on my computer. I really hope Blogger figures itself out sometime soon, because the task was a little bit daunting.

Aside from that, I have decided to start a new segment entitled, "Love for the Locals". It will feature authentic local eateries from the heart of Edmonton. I feel that a lot of these gems are so underexposed, and people need to know about them, so I'll start with Creole Envie.

Creole Envie is an independent, creole/cajun food business run by chef and darling, Danielle Majeau. Although she now runs a restaurant, take-out and catering are still available options! I had the pleasure of meeting her through a coworker from one of my summer workplaces, coincidentally named Danielle. Chef Majeau is a sweet lady, evidently passionate about what she does. My coworker, Danielle and I decided to enjoy dinner at Creole Envie tonight.

 

Believe it or not, but Creole Envie originally opened on Stony Plain Road in the summer. It was mainly a catering business, but with the higher demand for seated dining on Danielle's amazing food among other things, they closed down and reopened in a small restaurant located on 112th Avenue (easily accessible by one train ride to Stadium, and a bus transfer on the 2). 

Along with the help of some friends, and her sweetie of a husband, Scott, Chef Majeau created a beautiful space where the Highlands Kitchen used to be, next to La Boheme. The interior follows a classy, but cozy theme of deep purples, reds, white and black. As my coworker put it, Creole Envie gives off the vibe that you're just entering someone's humble abode, decorated with these cute, lacy curtains. You're given the opportunity to enjoy fine dining, without the high strung feeling that normally goes with it, and in its place, a warm family welcome. :)

Entrez-vous~

This is where Danielle and I sat :)

I don't know what it is about blackboards, but I love 'em.

 

 

Normally, I don't gush over washrooms, but they were so cute. Are you a "Po' Boy" or a "Po' Girl"? Beyond cute. You could appreciate the New Orleans decor on the coat hooks, as well as a naturally Magnolia-scented hand soap made specifically for Creole Envie. Love love love. :)

 

Of course, the most important part was the food. My coworker, Danielle and I dined on a Groupon which allowed us to spend up to a $31 value for only $15 (plus tips, of course). Tonight's dinner was way more than what we bargained for.

My coworker, Danielle, and Chef Majeau have been long time friends from even before the birth of Creole Envie. As a result, I get the heck spoiled out of me. She served us dessert before we even ordered. Danielle and I set them aside for after dinner, but we lost the battle and had to take them home with us.

This Po' Boy was an open-and-shut case of amazing. Generous slices of green tomatoes, battered and deepfried, on a bed of shredded lettuce, fresh red tomato slices, sweet pickles, and Chef Majeau's magically amazing cajun mayo. Normally, I am not a fan of pickles, but the way that this sandwich was constructed, you could taste each individual ingredient, and it was nothing short of amazing. You can't really see it in the picture, but this sandwich was about the length of my two hands holding the thing. You could not take a bite without having to wipe your mouth each time.

Sweet potato fries. Yeah. You think you've had good sweet potato fries? Well, you haven't unless you've tried Chef Majeau's along with her homemade dipping sauce. No need to wipe oil and grease from your fingers, because it's not there.

The following is actually from my very first visit to Creole Envie before school started, which was also with Danielle. I managed to catch them literally on the day they closed down the old place on Stony Plain Road...

This is what was the Fried Catfish Po' Boy. It was amazing then, and is probably even moreso now.

Creole Envie is a must-try if you're in Edmonton. Dadeo's ain't got nothin' on this bunch, and I vow to return.

If you're still interested in the Groupon, the deal is still on for 2 more days, and you can get a Creole meal for 2 or 4!

As well, the Edmonton Fork Fest could not come at a better time, and guess who's on the list! Creole Envie, that's who. The Fork Fest runs from January 20-24 and January 27-31. Check out their website to see who else is on the list, and view the menus!

-M

Budget-Friendly Bites: On Campus, Episode 3

L'Express in SUB offers breakfast in the morning, but just like with any time you eat outside food, you need to take note of better deals. The menu lists a breakfast sandwich priced at $4.75 which is the one in the bagel. There's another breakfast sandwich in an English muffin which is only $2.50 (pictured below)! It has a plain omelette, sausage of either chicken or pork, and a slice of cheese. It's a bit salty to me, but that's because I'm a bit sensitive to salt. Other than that, it's a decent quick breakfast for a reasonable price. During exam season, they give you even better breakfast deals, so look out for that! Also, remember that L'Express is one of the SU-run businesses in SUB, so costs can be further subsidized by using your OneCard or grabbing a "Reuse-a-dish" dish.

1/10/13: With a big bite taken out of it. This was my first day going back to having breakfast since the Christmas break (among other things).

On another day, I didn't want to spend too much, so I stopped by Subway. Luckily, Subway is now offering the 6-inch Ham or Egg Salad for $3. That means that with tax, either of those two sandwiches are $3.15 as opposed to $3.66. Sure, it doesn't seem like much, but saving is saving!

The thing about Subway is you can actually ask for unlimited vegetables and dressings. It will only cost extra to add more meat or cheese. I forgot about this until my ex-Sandwich Artist friend reminded me.

I love hot sauce on my subs. I used to get mustard until I heard a guy in front of me order hot sauce. My life was forever changed. *_* (They either use some sort of tabasco or Frank's...does anyone know?)


1/11/13: 6-inch Ham on Italian toasted with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, green peppers, and hot sauce! 

I know this post's really short, but I thought I'd add it anyways :)

-M

Looking Back: 2012

Every other food blog I read has done a post that alludes to some sort of New Year's reflection, so here is mine. :)

Growing over the past few years, I have come to exhibit what one of my friends, Oat, dubbed "fobby food disease". It can be defined as the silly habit of taking pictures of your food before eating it. In my defense, and possibly in the defense of others with the same tendency, I take pictures of my food for a number of reasons. To make this even more stereotypically Asian, I have come up with 8 (in no particular order)...

1. To remember what I ordered at a place I visited for the first time,
2. To remember what something I ate looked like,
3. To remember good times and company I've had,
4. To remember food and restaurants that I will rarely get the chance to visit,
5. To document my culinary ups and downs in the kitchen,
6. To share with others,
7. To stare at when I'm bored because I have a fascination with browsing food photography,
8. And lastly, to remember places I like to eat at and those that I do not like to eat at/should not go back to.

I started this blog in September of last year after deciding that perhaps spamming my Facebook friends' newsfeed might not be very considerate. So, I moved my love for food to an outlet where people only read my stuff if they wanted to and not out of imposition.

Through a tornado of smoothies, steaks, and not too many dollars spent, here are some highlights of the year

September 4: The food blogging begins!
September 6: The best chocolate cupcakes M has ever made
September 9: A potluck of epic proportions
October 7-9: Home Alone M: Thanksgiving Special
November 2-4: M dines in Cowtown
November 29: The "Super Fail Cinnamon Bun/Biscuit Thing" Disaster
December 19: Redemption of the "Super Fail Cinnamon Bun/Biscuit Thing" Disaster
December 22: We survived the Mayan apocalypse!

All in all, this year has been pretty interesting. Resolutions? I hope to keep up this hobby so I can say in a few years that I did something other than school and work, out of pure enjoyment.

Thank you so much to those of you who take the time to read what I write. I really do appreciate it :)

Here's to new discoveries and experiences for us all! *insert hypothetical "cheers"*

-M

Budget-Friendly Bites: Fast and Faster Food

E and I were at West Ed Mall, so we decided to grab a quick bite from T&T Supermarket. E wanted something more meaty and hearty, but I kind of just wanted a salad. Conveniently, T&T offered both!

Normally, I'm not one to take a chance on T&T ready-to-eat food because of my easily-offended stomach, but when E pointed out the salad, I gave a "what the hay" shrug and picked it up.

They called it an "Asian Chicken Salad", which, to be honest, was quite accurate. Usually, when you get salad with chicken (with the exception of chicken salad as from Tim Horton's), the chicken comes in dry, shredded pieces. This one was shredded, but it was like that Chinese-style steamed chicken meat...it was so soft and tender and moist. The vegetables were surprisingly fresh, and there was tons of romaine lettuce, cucumber, celery, red bell pepper, carrot, green onions, and grape tomatoes (which I removed on my own terms). The "croutons" consisted of slivers of almond, sesame seeds, and these small fried noodle-like things. The dressing was super light, and not as oily as I expected. It was like...an Asian-inspired vinaigrette of some sort...It probably amounted to what would fit in both sides of a standard takeout box, and was only $5!

It feels kind of weird that I ate the entire thing even though it was practically all vegetables...

While groceries from T&T can be a bit on the expensive side, as with other grocery chains, there can be some decent deals on the weekends. That was the case for their milk tea. I love the taste of Darjeeling milk tea :)

Yay, milk tea! This is my favourite flavour :D

E opted for a selection from the hot foods. He chose a 2 item combo, which came with rice and a bowl of soup. I tend to be a bit more sensitive to foods high in salt and oils, but for the typical person, there were quite a few choices. Unfortunately, I didn't catch a picture of it. :/

There's apparently some sort of winter season special?

Lesson of the day? Don't necessarily rule out T&T as a quick meal choice if you happen to be at WEM!

On the way to badminton, I needed to stick something in my stomach before playing, so we stopped at Wendy's. Wendy's, although fast food, has a menu of 8 items for $1.89 each (paralleling the value picks menu at McDonald's). The JBC (or Junior Bacon Cheeseburger) isn't too bad. It's slightly smaller than your average burger with a square-shaped patty of beef, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and a slice of processed cheese. For $1.89 plus tax. Not a bad option, aside from its lack of nutritional content, but if you're going to Wendy's, you're expecting low quality, fast food.

Wendy's JBC.

Of course, your best option to have a balance of low in cost, but high in nutritional content would be to make your own meals, but sometimes, it's not a bad thing to indulge a little!

-M