Mango Lassi

Is it really the 2nd week of December already?

It flew just like that, huh.

Also, I didn't notice that a month has passed since I started a little lifestyle change.

Let's just say I increased my fruit and vegetable intake to 60%, cut my caloric intake in half, and lost some weight.

Pretty amazing and awfully hard but it can be done.

And if there's someone who's gotta do it, that someone should be me.

One post ago, I mentioned that there will be a few changes in here.

First, I will be featuring a lot of vegetable and fruit dishes now.

There will still be the occasional meat and seafood posts, of course!

Second, I will include nutrition information in every featured recipe.

That way, we'll all know what's going on. Ha.

Third, I will be posting some health and fitness links that I know are worth reading about.

Believe me, the articles that will go in here are only "realistic" ways to be healthy. 

Nothing drastic. Nothing that may strain our relationship. 

So why is this meat-loving, deep-fried dreamer doing this now?

I'm doing this because I've had too much and it has taken its toll on my holistic health.

And I guess if I don't act soon, I'm afraid I'll be too sick to take care of my parents when they're aging.

Or maybe I won't be around anymore.

Damn.

Anyway!

Here's to my journey! And if you want to, come tag along. 

Let's drink to this!

Sweet Mango Lassi

You will need:

1 medium ripe mango, peeled, cored and scraped

1 small container (125g) plain yogurt 

1/4 cup evaporated milk, preferably frozen

1/4 cup cold water

How-to:

1. Mix all ingredients in a blender. If you can, freeze your evaporated milk beforehand so it will serve as the "ice" in the blended lassi.

2. Serve in glass and drink cold! :)

Yield: 1 serving

Calories: 293

Fat: 4g

Sugars: 41g (85% is from the fruit)

Calcium: 500mg (half of what you need in a day!)

Also, Click this to read why you need yogurt in your diet. :)

Till the next eats! 

Banana Cinnamon Pancakes and Drunk Bananas

They say drinking before noon makes you an alcoholic.

I don't do that. 

Really.

I say if you can't drink it, might as well cook with it.

You might go 'whoa girl, doesn't pouring alcohol over your food make you a worse alcoholic because it's sneakier?'

I might go 'chill the fudge out, my friend.'

Alcohol, in small doses, evaporates when cooked. Wine, beer, distilled spirits, just like water.

Although there was a study that some parts of alcohol are retained and not a hundred percent extinguished when added to sauces, do not expect to get a buzz after firing up those babies.

You can even serve these kind of food to babies.

The only ones getting drunk in 1 of  these 2 recipes are the bananas because the only goal here is we get stuffed.

Banana Cinnamon Pancakes and Drunk Bananas

For the Banana Cinnamon Pancakes, you will need:

1 cup Flour

1 tablespoon Sugar

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Cinnamon Powder (or add more if Cinnamon's your thing)

1 Egg

1 cup Fresh or Evaporated Milk

2 tablespoons Vegetable or Palm Oil for the batter and some more for cooking

1 ripe banana, mashed

a frying pan (preferably non-stick), a turner, a couple of bowls, a wooden spoon or ladle for mixing batter

- - -

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, mix egg, milk, vegetable or palm oil with a whisk or an electric mixer.

2. When the liquid mixture is smooth, slowly pour it over the dry ingredients. Mix it with a ladle or wooden spoon until there aren't any more lumps.

3. Add the mashed bananas to the batter.

4. Cook your pancakes on a frying pan over low heat. 

5. Set these aside while we work on the Drunk Bananas.

For the Drunk Bananas, you will need:

• 2 tablespoons Rum
• 2 tablespoons Sugar
• 2 tablespoons Butter
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed Orange Juice
• 2 tablespoons Water
• 2 large Bananas sliced thinly on an angle
• a small pot or skillet, a ladle

- - -

1. In the pot or skillet, heat rum, sugar, butter, water, and orange juice over medium heat.

2. Add the bananas. 

3. When it boils, turn the heat down low. 

4. Let it simmer slowly for about five minutes or until the bananas are soft and the sauce is sticky.

Pour the Drunk Bananas on top of the Banana Cinnamon Pancakes.

Perfect for breakfast. Guilt-free before noon. 

Really. Guilt-free all day.

Till the next eats!

Leftover Makeover -- Well, almost!

Sorry! I know this is such a late post that I am pretty certain all your holiday leftovers are either long gone to the sewers or the waste disposal units. But hopefully, this recipe will be useful someday. January will be over in a couple of days. Oh how time flies! And now that the midterms are done with, I've been busy prepping for 2 major events coming up for my Banquet and Catering Class. The first one is on February 10 which is a pre-Valentine dinner. Here's the poster I made for Group 3 which my best friend, Mimie, is a member of.

Pretty sweet. For next month, the group I'm in, is in charge of the final event. I can't disclose the details just yet until the plans are finalized but we'll get there. I am super pee-in-pants excited.

So here goes my too-late recipe. I hate to be late. It's my pet peeve and now I'm doing it. Blah!