it's officially summer! ^_^

And to welcome the hottest season of the globe, here's a "Jamba Juice Banana Berry Smoothie" recipe for you! Perfect to cool you and your homies after some fun under the sun ^_^ The smoothie is very easy to make (it only has one step, LOL) and will definitely quench anybody's thirst! And it's very healthy too so go and make some!

Ingredients:

1 scoop fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt

1 scoop of raspberry sherbet

3/4 cup strawberry nectar

1 cup frozen blueberries

1/2 cup apple juice

1 cup of ice

1 banana

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a blend and blend until smooth. Makes 1 24-ounce smoothie. EASY!

Source: The Secret Recipe Forum

make pancakes with a twist! =)

Bob Evans Stuffed Caramel Banana Pecan Cream Pancakes

Pancakes with pecans and sliced fresh bananas, covered in a warm, caramel sauce.

Ingredients:
prepared pancake batter for 2 pancakes

2 cups prepared vanilla pudding
2 cups cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons honey roasted pecans
1 banana sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices
1 tablespoon powdered sugar whipped topping

Caramel sauce

Make Vanilla Cream Cheese mixture:

Mix vanilla pudding with cream cheese until well blended and creamy (no lumps). Cover and refrigerate immediately. This mixture will store (covered) in the refrigerator up to 5 days.

Procedure: (serves 1)

Prepare pancake batter and preheat griddle. Ladle batter onto hot griddle and sprinkle evenly with pecans and banana slices. When they bubble and edges are dry, flip to cook second side.

When done, place pancake on plate, top with 4 tablespoons Vanilla Cream Cheese mixture and top with second pancake. Ladle with caramel sauce and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Garnish with whipped topping.

Tips:

- Be sure to let the pecans and bananas show for a nice presentation.

- For a more intense flavor, use a banana-flavored pudding in lace of vanilla.

- For a completely different variation, add chocolate chips and serve with chocolate or fudge topping.

Source: "America's Secret Recipes" by Ron Douglas

Aphrodisiacs for Valentines Day ;-)

Valentines Day is fast approaching and if you haven't had any plans yet, why not have an aphrodisiac picnic somewhere dark? Hehe! Here's some yummy foods that will put love and romance in the air.. ;-)

Avocado: The Aztecs called the avocado tree Ahuacuatl, which translated means "testicle tree." The ancients thought the fruit hanging in pairs on the tree resembled the male's testicles. This is a delicious fruit with a sensuous texture.

Chocolate: "Love," someone said, "is like swallowing hot chocolate before it has cooled off. It takes you by surprise at first, but keeps you warm for a long time." The Aztecs referred to chocolate "nourishment of the gods." Chocolate contains chemicals thought to effect neurotransmitters in the brain and a related substance to caffeine called theobromine. It was actually banned from some monasteries centuries ago.

Honey: Many medicines in Egyptian times were based on honey including cures for sterility and impotence. Medieval seducers plied their partners with Mead, a fermented drink made from honey. Lovers on their "honeymoon" drank mead and it was thought to "sweeten" the marriage.

 

Durian: It smells like hell but tastes like heaven. In Indonesia, the Javanese impose a strict set of rules on what may or may not be consumed with it or shortly thereafter. A saying "Durian jatuh sarung naik" ("The durians fall and the sarungs come up) refers to this belief. The warnings against the supposed lecherous quality of this fruit soon spread to the West, the Swedenborgian philosopher Herman Vetterling commented on so-called "erotic properties" of the durian in the early 20th century.

Garlic: The "heat" in garlic is said to stir sexual desires. Make sure you and your partner share it together. Garlic has been used for centuries to cure everything from the common cold to heart ailments. This is a good time for moderation.

Oyster: Oysters were documented as an aphrodisiac food by the Romans in the second century A.D as mentioned in a satire by Juvenal. He described the wanton ways of women after ingesting wine and eating "giant oysters." An additional theory is that the oyster resembles the "female" genitals. In reality, oysters are a very nutritious and high in protein. Raw oysters are very high in zinc which raises sperm and testosterone production.

More of the aphrodisiacs HERE --> it's my source article actually. Hehe! What I listed above are just my fave aphrodisiacs =) For Valentines gift ideas and gift tips, click HERE. Good luck! =)

Photo Friday: FOOD!

It’s been a long time since I updated this food blog of mine. You see, I got busy with my Physician Licensure Exam (August; 3 months prior, I was reviewing for it) and our wedding (October). But no worries, every restaurant and special food that I cooked for the past 6 months, I got pictures to show off! Hehe! ^_^ And to mark my return to my food blog, here’s the fruit (or is it a veggie?) that best describes Thanksgiving Day – pumpkin!! It’s food right?? LOL! You can join in the fun of sharing your photos HERE =)

And for those curious on how my exam, wedding and honeymoon went, you can check my other blogs below. Enjoy reading! A bit of warning: my blog posts are full of photos! Get ready for photo and text overload, hehe ;-)

http://www.solito-elbanbuena.info (For Better or Worse..) http://melissasolito.blogspot.com (yes, it’s ME!)

Introducing – GAC fruit!

Yeah I know, the fruit’s name is kinda weird. Sort of an acronym but it really doesn’t mean anything, it’s just GAC. Hehe! Gac is a Southeast Asian fruit, a relative of the bitter gourd or ampalaya. Its scientific name is Momordia Cochinchinemis Spreng. Gac is also known as Baby Jackfruit, Spiny Bitter Gourd, Sweet Gourd, or Cochinchin Gourd. So why I am interested with Gac? Coz I just recently knew that it is high in lycopene content – contains up to 70 times the lycopene found in tomatoes! Can you beat that?? It has also been found to contain up to 10 times the beta-carotene in carrots or sweet potatoes. I’m loving this exotic fruit more and more.. But that’s not all! The carotenoids present in Gac are bound to long-chain fatty acids so the carotenoids are said to be in a more bioavailable form. Meaning, our body can easily use it. Other potential benefit of Gac is that it contains a protein that may inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells. That would be cool if proven by research!

Thus, it came to no one’s surprise that GAC would be used as a nutritional supplement. There are Gac nutrient juices and capsules out in the market already, but the product I love most from Gac is the R.G. Skin Revitalizer. Given that Gac is high in carotenoids and other antioxidants, it would make a great skin protector and assist in the skin’s cellular rejuvenation process. The result? A younger-looking, healthy skin! Who wouldn't want that?? Certainly not I! =)