It's been awhile since we went for a vacation.  Honestly, I missed it.  I miss the long drive especially those times when I used to take the passenger seat and just enjoy the ride while sitting next to my husband.  Life is a LOT different now, I always had to take the back seat with Rafa, who hates being buckled up and would constantly throw tantrums whenever he wants to. Oh my, motherhood had really brought a drastic change into my life.  It felt like I just lost control of everything the moment Rafael came.  But I must admit, life is so much happier when we had him.

It was an hour and a half drive from Abu Dhabi to Dubai.  We decided to drop by Dubai Mall to have lunch at the newly opened Jollibee.  (Yup, you read it right!  The food court in Dubai Mall is open even during the holy month of Ramadan!  That's happiness to every non-Muslim who doesn't fast during the day.)

This food chain is really such a hit among OFWs! Imagine, we had to wait in line for more than one hour before we were able to take our lunch.  It's crazy!  Good thing we had breakfast before leaving home, so basically, we were not yet starving and still had enough patience to wait for the queue.  (Confession:  I am a very impatient person, especially when I'm hungry -- I have the tendency to turn into a monster.  That's why my husband always makes sure that I'm well fed, so as to keep my cool.)

Eventually, our patience did pay off, we did get our order!  I was very excited to finally have a taste of my favorite Jollibee!  Unexpectedly, our excitement turned into a BIG disappointment upon seeing our meals -- it came in a very small serving size. Definitely not worth its price!  I'm sorry to say this but really, Jollibee Dubai Mall is a BIG FAIL -- not worth your time, effort, energy and most especially, not worth your money!  Save yourself from disappointment and just dine somewhere else.

Moving forward, after having lunch, we headed to our hotel which was about 15 minutes away from Dubai Mall.  Pearl Marina Hotel is located along the marina bay giving their guests a magnificent view of the waterfront.  If you've been following this blog, perhaps you already knew how much my husband loves the bay.  So it's no longer surprising that he picked a hotel with a great bay view.

We were actually planning to take a walk and have Iftar at THE WALK in the evening.  However, since Rafa was not able to take his second nap because of too much excitement and preoccupation with his new environment, he ended up totally knocked out as early as 7pm.  In short, the Iftar and the walk thing didn't materialize.

That's the thing with having a baby, you cannot guarantee that the itinerary of the trip will be implemented as planned because kids tend to be grumpy whenever they get tired and sleepy. So just for the sake of keeping my sanity intact, I just decided to stay in the hotel and rest with Rafa.  (Believe me, it's crazy to try to comfort an overtired child especially in public when people keep on staring at you because your child is screaming on top of his lungs.)

Another thing I loved most about this hotel is their buffet breakfast.  I was just not able to take a photo because I was too hungry and salivating already over delicious food to even take a single shot.  Anyway, the buffet is not that extraordinary, in fact it's just the typical toast, omelette, sausage, Alfredo, and pancake type of breakfast.  I guess I loved it because there's not so much Middle-Eastern food on the buffet table (maybe because it's Ramadan and Muslims do fast while the sun is up).  Meaning, I can eat anything!  Actually, I did eat almost everything they served, I was able to finish three plates of food just for breakfast!  Don't mention it, I know!  I'm so 'matakaw'!

Although we were not able to explore Dubai that much, I must say that I really had a great time with our short vacation.  Just relaxing and sharing time with my loved ones without having to worry about a thing -- what's more precious than that?  Nothing!  None that I can think of.

I love fried chicken!  Who doesn't?  It's crispy, crunchy, and oh so flavorful!  Special thanks to the magic wonders of cooking oil and deep pan frying, which also happens to be the main culprit for having that extra pounds and higher cholesterol level.  It's a no brainer, anything deep fried is very delicious.  Anyone who would not agree with that statement is a big liar.  The only sad truth is, it is NEVER healthy.

Honestly, I never really thought that I will be able to cook fried chicken ever again the moment I decided to eat healthy.  So just imagine my excitement and overflowing happiness when I stumbled upon Gina's oven fried chicken recipe.  

I've made it a try last week and guess what?  It did not disappoint!  

So, if in case you want to cook your loved ones a savory fried chicken, maybe you can also give this recipe a try.  It's bursting with flavor, you won't even mind eating it without gravy or ketchup!  And the best thing above all?  It's healthier!

4 skinless and boneless chicken breast, halves (8 chicken pieces)

1 1/2 cups rolled oats, ground (original recipe used bran flakes)

3 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp fresh black pepper

1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes or chili powder (can be adjusted depending on your choice)

5 tbsp light mayonnaise

1 tsp mustard

Oil spray (I used homemade spray made up of 1 part olive oil & 2 parts distilled water)

Preheat oven to 200°C.  Line a baking tray with foil and set a rack above. Spray rack with oil. 

Crush rolled oats in a food processor or chopper. In a bowl mix crushed oats with salt, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper and chili pepper flakes.  Place in a shallow dish or ziplock bag. 

Combine light mayonnaise and mustard. Coat chicken with the mayo-mustard mixture then place over crushed oats mixture until well covered.  Place chicken on wire rack and spray with oil. Bake 35-40 minutes.

This pancake recipe is perfect for those people who are on a diet and are trying to cut on extra calories.  The only issue that I have with this recipe is that the pancakes didn't taste sweet at all.  Maybe because I used the regular ripe bananas.  (We ended up adding pure maple syrup to our pancakes to bring happiness into this dish!)  So if in case you are planning to cook this recipe, please make sure to use an over ripe banana or just top the pancakes with a syrup instead, just like what we did!

How about you?  Any healthy recipe that you can suggest for our next weekend's meatless breakfast?

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder 

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 large bananas, over ripe, mashed

1 cup skim milk

3 egg whites

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp vanilla powder (2 tsp if using vanilla extract)

4 tsp olive oil for cooking

2 tbsp chopped walnuts (add more if you wish)

1 medium apple, sliced

1 pc cherry

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine skim milk, egg whites, olive oil, and mashed bananas in a bowl until smooth. Combine wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and mix until well blended.

Put a skillet over low heat. Make sure that it is very hot before adding a bit of olive oil (for greasing) so as to avoid the mixture from sticking.  Pour 1/3 cup of pancake batter into the skillet. When the pancake starts to bubble and the edges begin to set, flip the pancakes. Repeat with the remainder of the batter.

Add toppings and serve!