Meet Nana the Banana of the Goodness Gang

GOOD NEWS! K finally gets her free plush toy from Rustan's Supermarket. Naming it "Nana the Banana," this bright yellow fella from the Goodness Gang is part of the supermarket's campaign to promote healthy eating following the "5-a-Day Rule" among its shoppers.

The 5-a-Day Rule comes from the World Health Organization's recommended serving of at least 400 grams of fruits and vegetables a day to lower the risk of developing non-communicable diseases (e.g. heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers), among other health problems. By consuming five 80-gram portions of fruits and vegetables combined, one can get maximum benefits such as vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre, which helps maintain a healthy digestive system.

The Goodness Gang are here to help us follow the 5-a-Day Rule.

Who's your favourite?

Mechanics

Get one (1) sticker for every PhP 300 worth of purchase in Rustan's Supermarkets plus bonus stickers for a minimum PhP 100 worth of sponsor products. Promo runs until November 30, 2013.

Sticker cards are available at Rustan's Supermarket cashiers and customer service counters or click here to download and print a copy.

Sources:

1. Rustan's Supermarket: Goodness Gang
2. NHS (UK): Why 5 a Day?

Calamansi Juice Instaboost!

To obtain maximum benefits, squeeze 8-10 pieces
of calamansi and sweeten with 2 tablespoons
of natural honey.

Known to the Western world as Asia's golden lime, calamansi, calamandarin or calamondin possesses medicinal value, which makes it an effective antidote for a variety of health problems. For this post, let us focus on the benefits of drinking calamansi juice, a refreshing drink that is famous in the Philippines.

Prevention & Cure for Cough, Colds and Other Infections. Daily consumption of calamansi juice gives a boost to the body's immune system since it is rich in Vitamin C. It is best consumed as a hot tea, mixed with natural honey, for treatment and relief from cough and colds.

Natural Laxative. Calamansi juice is also said to help improve digestion, as well as address constipation.

Heart Care. Aside from being a rich source of Vitamin C, calamansi also has high potassium content, which makes helps in the treatment of heart ailments.

In addition to the health benefits listed above, calamansi juice has some aesthetic benefits:

• it aids in weight loss; and
• it helps rejuvenate the skin.

So make drinking calamansi juice a part of your daily health and skin care regimen!

Sources/Additional References:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calamondin
2. http://squeeze-c.com/about-us/benefits-of-calamansi/
3. http://www.all-about-philippine-fruits-and-herbs.com/Calamansi-Health-Benefits.html
4. http://healthbenefitsofcalamansi.blogspot.com

Why Mondo Juice Must Have the Healthiest Smoothies in Town

I'll give you three reasons:

1. Just fruit... and juice!

Mondo Juice smoothies do not have sugars, syrups, artificial sweeteners and other add-ons. It's all just fruit and juice, as they repeatedly say.

2. 5 servings of fruits in just one smoothie

Each Mondo Juice smoothie contains 1/3 lbs. of fresh fruits, equivalent to about 5 servings.

3. Fresher than fresh

Using Instant Quick Freezing (IQF) technology, fruits used in Mondo Juice smoothies have ripened from the tree, instead of the usual fresh fruits in the market, which are picked before they're ripe.

Clean and cozy interiors at the Makati branch

Aside from these three, having your smoothie fix at Mondo Juice is a great idea for they taste naturally superb, not to mention that the clean and cozy interiors of their branches make great hangouts.

They also serve fresh pressed juice, hot and cold drinks, salads, sandwiches, all-day breakfast meals, and pastries.

Choices, also available for delivery

You can order sandwiches and pastries such as these macarons

Merchandise from SIP

Pickled goods, teas and some by nUrish

Visit the following Mondo Juice branches:

Makati City
Rada St., Legaspi Village

SM Megamall, Ortigas
4th Level Bridgeway

Alimall, QC
Skywalk (bridgeway to SM)

For delivery, please call (02) 511-7331, per Makati tearaway menu.
For more information, visit www.mondojuice.com.

My Healthy Birthday Lunch

Upon arriving at work on Friday morning, I saw this card on my desk:

It was an invite for a lunch at my healthy haven, Sugarleaf, to be hosted my friends at work a.k.a. my lunchmates.

As usual, food was deliciously satisfying but not too filling. We ordered a serving of Waldorf salad, consisting of mixed lettuce, apple, potato, raisin and walnut and comes with a yummy dressing, plus a variety of goody wraps and sandwiches (some not in photos). For myself, I ordered one of their healing juices, Immunizer, which is a mix of apple, lime, ginger and garlic. It helps boost the immune system to protect one's self from common viruses that cause this rainy season's oohs and ahhs.

Waldorf Salad

Smoked Fish Wrap with Dijon Mustard and Herb Finish

Veggie Wrap

Many thanks to my friends for the healthy treat! :-)

Three of us in this table celebrated our birthdays in the same week.

Homemade Garlic Soup: An All-Natural Cure for Swollen Tonsils

My version of an all-natural garlic soup

It was quite unfortunate that my daughter met the weekend with a fever and a painful throat. I was hoping we were done with antibiotics for the rest of the year... So I thought of concocting my own garlic soup recipe after reading in naturalnews.com that garlic is an effective herbal cure to tonsillitis, the swelling of tonsils due to bacterial or viral infections. Garlic is said to be a powerful antibiotic, being able to kill a wide range of microbes such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and even parasites.

I am sharing my very simple recipe here after observing that it has quickly (almost immediately) and successfully relieved my daughter's sore throat.

Ingredients:

4 garlic heads

1 1/2 cups of olive oil

1 cup flour

1L water

Salt

Ground pepper

Spring onion

Fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Halve the garlic heads cross-wise using a knife then peel the skin.

2. Heat 1 cup of olive oil on a deep pan using low flame.

3. Once the oil is hot enough, put the garlic and cover the lid until the garlic becomes golden brown.

4. Turn off the flame.

5. Pour one cup of flour then mash and mix with the garlic. To make a rich mix, you may pour the remaining olive oil.

6. Once a smooth combination is made, heat the pan and fry for a while.

7. Slowly add 1L of water while stirring.

8. Season with salt and pepper until desired taste is achieved.

9. Add spring onion that's chopped into small pieces and parsley.

10. Serve hot.

Lunch at MoMo Café

I became quite picky with restaurants since I have decided not to chew any meat that comes from land animals. Coming from a very productive meeting in the morning, my friend and I decided to have lunch out instead of having the usual cafeteria food.

We had Crispy Garlic Butter Butter Blue Marlin "Shish Kabobs" skewered with bell peppers, zucchini and red onions with corn on a cob and served with party rice and fresh lemon. It's PhP 350 only and good for sharing.

We earned our meal that came with onion soup as we walked from our office to the Ayala Triangle Gardens and back.

Doncha love cloudy days like this?

Organic Vegetable Quiche

Oh my quiche!

Sugarleaf's organic vegetable quiche (PhP 150) is deliciously light but filling. :-)

Sugarleaf is located at the 2/F MEDICard Lifestyle Center, Paseo de Roxas corner Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Makati City.

Sent from my Windows Phone

Comfort food for a rainy Friday

Spinach and Cheese Tortilla-which (PhP 185)

Muscovado-sweetened Cafe Americano 12 oz. (Php 85)

It's easy to fall into a state of melancholy in this kind of weather, on a plan-less Friday evening. The rains have caused shuttle queues to criss-cross so I decided to have a quiet dinner at ECHOStore to practice mindful eating.

I chose a vegetarian bestseller, Spinach and Cheese Tortilla-which (PhP 175), and partnered it with a warm cup of Cafe Americano that's sweetened by muscovado.

I miss Krissy and I think about all my loved ones. I guess this is the advantage of having some time to yourself - you realize that your love is always, always alive. :-)

Echo Store's Vegetable Pancit Canton

I bought Echo Store's vegetable instant noodles for my daughter's baon today. It tastes good and so natural plus, it's easy to prepare.

A pack of six costs PhP 175. It includes malunggay, squash, carrot, spinach, saluyot and soybean.

Shinjuku: Ebi Furai and Salad

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Shinjuku Makati Av's ebi furai and vegetable salad (without rice) go well with pure calamansi juice, a refreshing drink after a 2-hour bike ride around the Makati CBD.

Healthy Fastfood: KFC's Garden Salad

I tried to balance my cravings for KFC's hot and crispy chicken with a serving of garden salad - a mix of lettuce and other veggies served with Caesar or vinaigrette-based Asian dressing - for only PhP 45.