More Food Discoveries at Senario Cafe

Whenever we're at Westpoint Blacktown, we find ourselves having meals at Senario Cafe. It opened early this year and we've been discovering more of their delicious offerings as time goes by. We usually stop by for brunch and coffee. 

Fluffy Pancakes with Bacon and Eggs. A sweet marriage of sweet and salty. 

Eggs Benedict with ham placed on top of a panini. They make the perfect poached eggs and the panini is a good change from the usual muffin. 

Burger Breakkie with Chips. Sausage patty in between a hash brown and egg. 

Big Breakfast. A meal good enough to share which consists of two toasts, bacon, sausage, mushrooms, eggs and hash brown. The Husband and I split this meal between us and left us filled and satisfied.

On Thursday nights, they close the same time as the end of late night shopping (9pm) and one time that I met up with a friend, we had dinner and coffee. My friend shared her Club Sandwich with me and I loved it. I enjoyed the sandwich because of the tasty chicken and added avocado. The wedges that came with it had a tasty coating which gave it a good crunch upon biting.  

My first try at their dessert was the Apple and Blueberry Pie. It came with vanilla ice cream and lots of whipped cream. It was such a beautiful dessert with lots of sweet apples inside the pie. 

The Husband and I are so glad to have a cafe near our place where we can have good-tasting meals and coffee. We're looking forward to trying out their other food offerings.

Senario
Level 3, Westpoint Shopping Centre 
17 Patrick Street, Blacktown NSW
Phone: 02 9676 7737

Sweet "Me" Times at Max Brenner

Max Brenner is another cafe that we frequent near our home. Lately I've been having my "Me" times here. On evenings when we plan to do grocery shipping, I wait for the Husband at Max Brenner and indulge in their desserts. 

Their Belgian Waffle is always a favourite which I always pair up with strawberries and a cup of coffee.

The Optimistic Trio is my latest cake discovery. It's made up of three layers of mousse: dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate. It was sooooo good.

I ate it while enjoying a cup of Flat White. My coffee came with a small stirrer spoon; the cutest stirrer I've ever encountered.

My latest visit at Max Brenner was before we watched "Man of Steel" where I had a cup of one of their Winter offerings, Salted Caramel Storm. I tasted a hint of caramel in my chocolate drink but I hoped for more and felt underwhelmed. I guess I'll go back to ordered their normal chocolate drinks and coffee.

For good chocolate desserts and drinks, Max Brenner gives me my sweet "Me" time. It's a place where I get to feel a certain warmth all the time.

The Dry Skin Brushing Experience

One of the healthy habits I discovered this year was dry brushing of the skin. A beauty blog has led me to information about it and while I was open to trying it out, it took me some time to finally buy my first dry brush and making it a habit. 

What is Dry Brushing? It is a way of exfoliating the skin by using just a brush. No water needed. It aids in the detoxification of the body's lymphatic system.

I purchased a dry brush when I was in Manila last April. I found a reasonably-priced dry brush at Watsons (not more than P500.00) and it was only here in Sydney that I started using it. 

Did I like using it? Yes. My skin immediately adjusted to the bristles of the brush. It was neither hard nor soft, it just had enough roughness to exfoliate the skin. 

Effects on My Skin and Body. After a few days of dry brushing, I noticed my stretchmarks have disappeared and my cellulites have reduced. I noticed too that even if it's Winter now, I don't suffer from too much dryness of skin. 

When and How Often Do I Dry Brush? I dry brush before I take a shower and I try to do it everyday. Although on some days I can't because I woke up late and rushing in the morning to go to work BUT I try to do it as regularly as possible.

Let me share with you a few things I learned about dry brushing:

Benefits of Dry Brushing

• Removes dead layers of skin and other outer impurities.
• Stimulates and increases blood circulation.
• Helps release fatty deposits under your skin’s surface.
• Assists the eliminative capacity of your body’s organs.
• Rejuvenates your cells.
• Strengthens your immune system.
• Increases muscle tone.
• Improves skin texture.
• Helps prevent premature ageing.

How To Dry Brush: 
(source)

1. Begin with your feet and brush vigorously in circular motions.
2. Continue brushing up your legs.
3. Proceed to your hands and arms.
4. Brush your entire back and abdomen area, shoulders and neck.
5. Use circular counter-clockwise strokes on the abdomen.
6. Use light pressure on the breasts and any other sensitive areas.
7. Brush upwards on the back and down from the neck. Better yet, have a friend, spouse or family member brush your back.

A short video I found which shows the proper way of dry skin brushing:

(source)

Some Tips:

• You will need a brush with soft natural bristles for dry brushing. Do not use synthetic bristles. Buy one that has a longer handle so it'll be easier to reach your back and sides.
• Make sure that the dry brushing is done softly in the initial stages so that soreness is avoided. 
• Application of a little more pressure can be done as your skin gets used to dry brushing.
• Your skin and brush should be dry. Shower after skin brushing to remove exfoliated skin.
• Do not do any dry brushing over cuts, wounds or rashes.
• Begin by brushing the outermost parts of your body (hands and feet) towards the center of your body.
• Pass the brush once over your body, except the face.
• The brush strokes should move towards your heart. This improvement in blood circulation is why so many people feel extremely refreshed after an energetic session of dry brushing.
• It is only when you are dry brushing your stomach that you are going to apply clockwise brushing movements.
• Slight flushing of the skin is normal, due to increased circulation. The skin should not be red or irritated, if it is you're using too much pressure.
• The entire process should only take one to two minutes.
• Clean the brush meticulously after every brushing session.
• If your skin is extremely dry, rub some oil into it after you have brushed it and showered. 

Have you tried dry skin brushing? If so, what effects did you experience after dry brushing your skin?

Cute Alert: LEGO School Supplies

Something I found at Officeworks a few months ago. 

It's a school supply set of LEGO pencils, erasers and a pencil sharpener.

The other side of the pencil sharpener shows a grumpy looking LEGO head...but he still looks cute!

The set costs not more than AUD$10.00. 

Useful, cute and reminds me of my childhood.