Carrot Juice

My new favorite drink is carrot juice by Bolthouse Farms! I love eating  my vegetables but I have never been a fan of drinking them...until now! This bold, refreshing juice is made from carrots fresh off the farm and flash-pasteurized for that fresh taste.

An 8oz serving of this delicious, orange beverage will give you 700% of vitamin A and 25% of vitamin C! It is delicious on its own or with a meal ...even breakfast. 

Cili's Banana Bread Pudding

My new favorite food ( dessert) is the banana bread pudding at Cili restaurant in Las Vegas. The delicious, moist banana bread pudding is served with vanilla gelato, a few walnuts and butter rum sauce.So next time you are Vegas, stop by and try this heavenly dessert!

Watermelon - the thirst quencher !

Watermelon is not just a sweet fruit for those hot summer days but a delicious piece of heaven that contains vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C and lycopene.  My favorite way of consuming a watermelon is to throw a few cold slices in the blender and blend till I get a beautiful sea of watermelon juice.  It's the most refreshing drink ( apart from water) that you will ever have! So if you need to quench your thirst on a hot day, need a little energy boost after the gym or "just because"...blend some watermelon slices, grab a straw and refresh!

Chickpeas

My new favorite food item is the chickpea ( garbanzo bean). I recently had dinner at Nicole's ( a friend of mine) and got introduced to a delicious chickpea dish.   

Dinner at Nicole's

These beans are not only low in fat and high in fiber (1 cup has 12.5g of fiber! ) but also a great source of iron, protein, folate and manganese ( a key antioxidant found inside most cells).  Eating 2 cups of chickpeas will provide you with your daily recommended fiber intake.

Chickpeas are prepared like any legume: wash them first then soak them for some time ( 6 - 8 hours) or preferably overnight.  After rinsing, cook them on medium heat for about one hour to an hour-and-a-half.  The wonderful thing about chickpeas is that you can enjoy them in a variety of ways - hummus spread, salads, as a snack, added to stews or soups!

Inspired by Nicole's dinner, I bought some chickpeas and made some roasted red pepper hummus spread and some sauteed sweet curry chickpeas over brown rice ( see below).  Both were quite delish! 
Roasted red pepper hummus: I add about 2 cups of chickpeas in a food processor and pureed until it had a smooth texture. Then I added 2 pieces of roasted red peppers, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, a little salt and juice from 1/2 a lemon to the smooth chickpea mix and pureed and voila...hummus!

 

 

Roasted red pepper hummus spread over pita bread with some roasted chicken breast

Sweet curry chickpeas: I heated up some olive oil in a deep frying pan on medium-low heat for a few minutes, then added 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of minced ginger, 1 large onion ( diced) and 2 green bell peppers ( diced), 1 pint of cherry tomatoes ( halved).  I let the ingredients simmer for a few minutes then added 2 tablespoon of curry powder and 4 packets (5g) of "raw sugar" ( you cam use any type of sugar).  After about 5 minutes, I tossed in the cooked chickpeas then let it simmer on low heat for about 15 - 20 minutes.  

Sauteed, sweet curry chickpeas with sweet brown rice

Pistachio - The nut that keeps on giving!

One of my new favorite snacks is the pistachio nut.  This nut is not only delicious but low in calories and contains great nutrients for you too! Pistachios are a good source of fiber, vitamins and minerals as well as antioxidants! These nuts are available all year round and can be found at any local store near you. 

You can buy pistachios in different forms: shelled or unshelled.  I like them shelled because the pistachio tastes even better after the "hard work" of cracking the shells to get to the nut! Next time you are in the mood for a snack, reach for a handful of pistachios!

Milk Chocolate Digestive Biscuits

One of my new favorite "food" items is the McVities  milk chocolate digestive biscuits! This delicious, melt-in-your-mouth biscuit is made from wheat meal and is covered with the perfect coating of milk chocolate on one side.  I also love it because it contains no artificial flavors or colors, and no hydrogenated fat.  Trust me when I say that you cannot just have one so be careful when you open a packet! Milk chocolate digestives are great by themselves but can also be complemented with a cup of tea ( green, oolong or English breakfast tea).

Greek Yogurt

My new favorite food item is non-fat, plain Greek yogurt ...I have tried Chobani ( less expensive)  and Fage ((pronounced "fa-yeh")  .  Greek yogurt is delicious and creamy unlike other yogurts and is high in protein, which makes it a great choice for an after-workout snack! It is also makes it a great replacement for protein shakes which are sometimes LOADED with sugar and FAKE SUGAR ( sucralose).

You not only taste the difference in texture with Greek yogurt but you can especially see the difference when using it to make smoothies.  So next time you want a healthy yogurt, a healthy snack or something to help rebuild your mucles after a great workout, reach for a non-fat , plain Greek yogurt.