Pumpkin Soup on a bad weather

Imagine a week long non-stop cloud burst with no sunlight peeping from the sky and all you want to do is hibernate under the sheets for as long as you want. Would you be very kind to your bed and relish the comforts the bed weather brings or kill your own fantasy by getting up and work. Of course, the latter is more realistic isn't it?

Well, the advantage of working from home is that you just have to literally get up, take a shower and face your computer to work. No hassles of commuting and jammed traffic on your way to and from work and in this case where the typhoon is unstoppable, scuffling against the downpour is impossible.

While I was shut inside my abode, my food supply was not sufficient enough to last for 7 days and as much as I would love to go for a quick run at a near grocery store, the gust of wind and flooded streets made me give up on the attempt to go out. So, I checked the kitchen for something to eat and all I have are bread, vegetables  such as spinach, eggplant, carrots and pumpkin. Now, due to my in dire need to eat, I came up with an idea cook something using the resources that I have. Went to check on the internet for some recipes and off to my kitchen to perform some magic! FYI, I am neither a chef nor a cook. I am just.... HUNGRY! So, i consider it a miracle if i can pull it off.

Here is the recipe I found on the internet: (I replaced some that I cannot find in my kitchen)

PUMPKIN SOUP

3 cups Pumpkin/ squash (chopped)
2  small carrots (chopped)
3 cups milk
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp salt 
1 tsp pepper
3 tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic
1 small chopped onions

• Boil the chopped pumpkin and carrots for 3 minutes. Just enough to soften the vegetables.
• Process all the ingredients using a blender. I used my high performance Omniblender V at 90 sec. cycle. or until smooth and creamy.
• Add more hot water as needed, until the desired consistency is reached.

So, there it is in less than 30 minutes I managed to make something out of nothing. Pumpkin soup together with slices of wheat bread is enough to satisfy my hunger.

Pumpkin Soup

Healthily Yours,

Smoothie Junkie

Omni Blender V Review

Who would have thought that Blenders nowadays is one of the most essential kitchen appliances in a regular household.  When Blender companies started to innovate their blenders limited capacity to not just make purees and smoothies but evolved into a more sophisticated little machine that can chop, grind, make soups, sauces and spreads, blenders became a multifunctional kitchen must-have.

I have been receiving emails regarding the blender that I am using and questions on why I chose Omniblender over Blendtec and other competitors. Well, for the obvious reason Omniblender V have the same functionality but cheaper at half the price simple as that! I am just being practical.

Like you, I did my own research on what to consider in buying not just a typical Blender but I opt for multi functionality with reasonable price for a blender. I don’t want to be disappointed and waste my money in buying cheap with limited functions ( Blenders that cannot even crush ice) or  a multifunctional high performance blender but is very expensive. So I decided to narrow down my search  to two criterias:

• Inexpensive
• Multi functional

And my search landed me to Omniblender V. It is not perfect, it has flaws (Of course!) but it is sufficient enough to meet my needs. Anyways, let’s cut the chase and move on to un-boxing Omniblebder V’s parts and features.

1.       3 Horse Power Motor-  This explains why high performance blenders such as OmniBlender, BlendTec and others are pricey (in the $400's and $500's) compared to other blenders. A 3 HP Blender can almost do anything because it is durable, blends stronger and lasts longer.

2.       Quick touch pulse buttons - This actually caught my eye. I love the soft touch buttons, very easy to manipulate and I just love the fact that it looks very trendy, don’t you think?

3.       Multi speed- I found out that the speed of Omniblender is not as fast as some competitors. Let’s say Omniblender blends smoothies in a 60-second cycle well, others and more expensive blenders can do it in 45 seconds.

And for this reason, the Omniblender is not as noisy as these other competitors and it runs cooler, lasts probably longer, etc. But “hey”, we are talking “just” seconds here.  What is a 15 second delay compared to a $200 price advantage?

4.       Multi Purpose blade- the Omni blade is made up from a stainless steel alloy and has 6 very sharp knives which explain the wide array of its functionality from smoothies to grinding nuts and seeds into powder form.

Here’s a video blending flaxseeds into flaxseed flour.  http://www.youtube.com/user/3blenders#p/u/14/mDw7kvfSqfw

5.   The Jar- The good thing with the container is it is lightweight considering it is plastic (food grade polycarbonate which I believe is safe for food preparations) with rubber lid.  I also like the fact that the metric conversion is not only evident but it is etched in litres, Millilitres, Ounce and cups which is very useful.  However, because it is not the typical pitcher shaped blender, sometimes it needs a hand for stirring- The wooden dowel. Which I believe you need to purchase differently.

6. Overload Reset Button- A manual switch where you can just push the switch and reset it in cases of overload or your fruit is stuck on the blades.

7. Price- It costs $250 plus $25 shipping with a 7 year warranty from Omniblender. I am in the Philippines so International shipping is cost more. For more details check on their website http://3blenders.com/index.html

A Blender is an investment so you have to make sure that it is worth every penny.  There is a wide array of Blenders in the market and the best way to purchase is to research brands and models available. Go for the one that fulfils your needs. As for me, Omniblender V is a very practical choice and I am very happy and always excited to use and test if it can keep up. So far…It has not failed me yet.

Yours Truly,

Smoothie Junkie

The Body's Kryptonite: Trans Fat 101

What is Transaturated Fats?

Transaturated  fat increases the bad cholesterol in the body. We usually get it from the unhealthy food we eat. Unfortunately, 80 percent of what we eat is unhealthy. We love processed, deep fried, packaged and frozen foods and we cannot help but to dig in every time.  

Trans fat are man- made fats created from Hydrogenation process. Hydrogenating vegetable-based oils is generally less expensive than using saturated animal fats, and partial hydrogenation gives processed foods a longer shelf life.

Foods with Transaturated Fats

• Pastries and cakes
• French fries (unless fried in lard / dripping)
• Doughnuts
• Cookies / biscuits
• Chocolate
• Margarine
• Shortening
• Fried chicken
• Crackers
• Potato chips
• Hamburgers
• Toppings and Dips

Risk of too much Trans Fat

·         Heart disease

·         Cancer

·         Obesity

How to avoid/reduce Trans Fat

·         Read the label and the ingredients- Reading nutritional facts on your processed food labels will help you identify what contains Trans Fat. Also, not all 0% trans fat is safe, check the ingredients for shortenings or hydrogenated virgin oil.

·         Avoid restaurants and fast foods- Where else can you find a chock-full of trans fat rich foods. Fast foods are irresistible and extremely addictive but try to make it healthier one meal at a time.

·        Use extra virgin olive oil- Studies shows that people in the Mediterranean are healthier than most of the people around the world. They also have the lowest rate of heart disease for the past 10 years. This is because they eat healthy and extra virgin olive oil (helps lower bad cholesterol) is like salt in their day to day meal.

·         Eat natural/ organic foods- It all boils down to the GREENS! We ignore so much of nature’s gift not knowing that at the end of the day, these miracle foods will always save the day. Try making smoothies out of your vegetables, this way you can learn how to love your vegetables and fruits out from your plate and into your glass.

·         Eat in moderation especially fried foods- Trans fat is no doubt dangerous, kills slowly but surely but then you cannot dare to kill the habit abruptly as well. So take it a day at a time. Learn to choose what you eat and try to follow the abovementioned to start the cleaning process.

    

Healthily Yours,

Smoothie Junkie

The images are not mine unless otherwise stated (Courtesy of Google Images)

Who needs EXERCISE?

I am always the lazy daisy type of person when it comes to physical activity. Working out and hitting the gym is not my thing at all, I find it very exhausting, boring and not very helpful at all because right after burning all the calories it makes me very hungry that I can eat half a pie of pizza or a plateful of pasta not to mention the ice cold soda plus cake for dessert. How about that?!?!

Don’t get me wrong, I really love the idea of being a fit and healthy. Actually I am into my green smoothie diet for quite some time now because I really want to live healthy but I envy those people who give time to exercise and made it their daily routine. My mind is not closed for a lifestyle change, I always wanted to be addicted to sports, exercise and healthy living the only thing that is getting on my way is my endless excuses to not start hitting the gym but hitting the sack instead.

 So, I set a goal for myself (finally!) and a few inspirations to get me going along the way, something that will motivate me and to not give up the (self) challenge I imposed. Well, here are a few that I want to accomplish.

1.       A healthy Heart

2.       A gorgeous body to die for

3.       Youthful glow

4.       Increase in Self esteem

5.       A happier you

6.       Increase in mental focus

7.       Increase in energy, strength and stamina

8.       A longer healthy life

I love number two the most! I cannot wait to see myself lose those pounds and gain those abs. Exercise plus my green smoothie diet is a perfect combination to a healthy lifestyle. All I need to do is to START.  The beginning of everything is always the hardest part but once you get used to it, you will savor all the benefits and the glory of your hard work.

This time, I cannot wait to kick off and set my mind into burning those calories and gaining a lifetime of healthy pleasurable benefits.

Here’s one energizing brew of smoothies before you start kicking off those unwanted calories:

APRICOT BLUEBERRY AMBROSIA (Serves 2)

2 Bananas

1 2 cups apricots
1 Orange peeled and seeded
1 cup blueberries
Juice of ½ lemon
2 cups of water

Process all ingredients in the OMNI Blender using the 60 second cycle, or until the greens are completely broken down.

If necessary, adjust sweetness by adding raw agave nectar or honey and blending again briefly.

From Chef Carmella Soleil’s (The Sunny Raw Kitchen) healthy smoothie recipe from the Deliciously Raw Book

Healthily Yours,


Smoothie Junkie





Images are not mine unless otherwise stated (courtesy of Google Images)