Strawberry Salsa

Can you image having strawberry and salsa combined together? YES I can!

Just think that strawberry is being replaced with tomatoes so it's easy to make this just like what you normally make the homemade salsa.

It's a perfect topping for your grilled white fish, chicken or on the salad. When I put some on my grilled white fish with strawberry salsa and saw some leftover so I did add it on my salad- so refreshing YUM!

Ingredients:

A carton of strawberries, removed stems and finely chopped

1 jalapenos, remove the seeds and finely chopped

1/2 of red onion, finely chopped

1 medium avocado, finely chopped

1/2 freshly squeezed lemon juice

handful of chopped cilantros

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix it altogether and put in the refrigerator until ready to use as a topping on your meal or salad!

Enjoy this :)

Limeade Watermelon Smoothie

That would be my 3rd homemade smoothie so far :D. I love learning to do my hand-on experiments by creating different flavors of smoothies. It doesn't need any more than tons of ingredients in order to put it altogether AND less cleaning to do!

I bought a watermelon (seedless) at the food store and came home to cut it up by remove the bottom green ones. I put all of the chopped watermelons in the ziploc bag and put it in the freezer.

It's wise to freeze fresh fruits that has been chopped (peaches, watermelons, plums, apples and etc) , non-chopped (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and etc) and pitted (cherries). It will help to make the smoothie to blend it together as it been treating as like ices.

I know that watermelon consists 90% of water- it's almost like drink some water :D. I used the can of limeade (found in the freeze juice section at the food store). Limeade needs water to mix it up to make a delicious limeade. So both have water included.

Lime and Watermelon do marry each other because it's sweet and tart at the same time! What a perfect combination! All you need was 3 ingredients- yea! 3!

Handful of freeze chopped seedless watermelon

Half of canned freeze limeade

Handful of freeze cherries

Adding those cherries helps to tone it down a little bit if you can't handle the tart of limes.

Put all of those 3 ingredients in the blender and make it smoothly. It serves for 1 to 2. You can double it to serve 4 or more.

Enjoy this! :D

Get Water-wise!

Yes, time to get a water-wise to learn about the proper hydration- NO matter your level of fitness!

Again, I was reading my local supermarket magazine and wanted to share with you' All how important the water is no matter how your life can be busy.

Whether you walk 15 minutes a day or run 50 miles a week, your approach to hydration should be the same: more water, more often. After all, every system in your body depends on this most fundamental of liquids: It regulates body temperature, flushes out toxins, carries nutrients, aid digestion, and more. So it's not surprising that dehydration can lower your exercise performance and muscle strength and even contribute to life-threatening heat stroke by inhibiting your body's ability to regulate its temperature through sweat. In fact, how good you feel during-and-after your workout begins hours before you ever lace your sneakers. Recovery needs to be an all-day, everyday thing- not just what you do postexercise.

Drink early and often:

Begin hydrating long before your workout to give your body a chance to absorb the liquid. More fluids if you plan to exercise more extremely and longer especially when it's hot! Drink a lot of water before the advance of exercises.

Replace what's lost:

The amount of fluids you sweat out during exertion depends on intensity, climate and individual metabolism. One thing is universal: When you sweat, you lose minerals such as salt and potassium along with water. When well stocked, these electrolytes keep your body's fluids in balance and keep maintain normal heart rate, muscle contraction and brain function. You don't need the extra carbonhydrates and electrolytes in sport drinks if there is low-intensity outings. You may need electrolyte-replacement drinks if there is an intense workouts especially in hot climates.

REMEMBER: if you wait to drink until your brain registers thirst , chances are you're already dehydrated!

Eat it up:

Your diet can supply much of your daily water needs-if you eat foods high in moisture. Soups, fruit, and vegetables replace the liquids and electrolytes lost after most workouts. Also, salty foods such as nuts work double duty by replacing sodium and stimulating you to drink more.

~ It was a very interesting article to learn about keeping your body hydrated and eat those foods that replaces what your body had lost during when you worked out or doing extremely active around at the house and etc.

Not just only for the workouts, water is extremely important for your health-wise. When I had a stomach health problems and it wasn't fun but was in pain. I remember my doctor told me that water is number one that would help to flush out the toxins, replace the minerals/nutrients that I had lost and etc. So I had listened to my doctor's tips and it helps a lot! I had learned to eat more healthy foods and of course lots lots of water to drink!

If you are not CRAZY about water then you can spice it up by adding fresh slices of citrus fruits like lemon, lime or orange. Or you can even add the slices of fresh cucumbers or mints! Also there is an alternative by trying drink the coconut water. Coconut water is a natural electrolyte -replacement drink.

For those energy drinks- you may want to read the label to make sure that it doesn't have any artificial colors or high-frutcose corn syrup and be sure to factor the calories of your energy drink into your regiment if you're trying to lose or maintain weight.

I know it's a long article but thought by sharing with you all about this. Enjoy reading this :)

FIBER

Go Fiber! Go Fiber! I'm rooting for F-I-B-E-R!!!

I had read the local supermarket magazine and wanted to share with you' All.

Fiber is so important in our healthy daily that we really need in our body! Fiber bulks up your stomach contents and help keep blood sugar levels even by slowing glucose absorption. Is that great?! Oh yea, baby! It's a very delightful for anyone to eat even vegetarian too!

There's 5 high-fiber choices make it easy to eat enough.

1~ Almonds - Almonds are among the most fibrous nuts, totaling 3 grams per ounce (about 24 nuts). They also are an excellent source of vitamin E, magnesium, manganese, and calcium.

2~ Artichokes - One medium artichoke offers 7 grams of fiber, comparable to a can of baked beans. This low-cal-veggie (about 60 calories each) contain vitamin C, iron, calcium, and potassium.

3~ Barley - One cup of this cooked grain provides around 25 percent of the recommended daily intake (RDI) for fiber, plus selenium, tryptophan, copper, and manganese. Studies also indicated that barley's high soluble-fiber content may substantially lower cholesterol levels.

4~ Lentils - Red, yellow, and black lentils boast nearly 63 percent of the RDI for fiber per cup. That same cup also includes more than 17 grams of proteins, as well as iron, B vitamins, and folate.

5~ Pears - One medium pear packs 5 grams of fiber- the same as a bowl of bran flakes- and is a good source of vitamin C, copper, and vitamin k (all for just 120 calories).

Now you know those 5 high fiber foods that you may want to stock up in your kitchen to enjoy those delicious foods.

Homemade Orangade

I love to make fresh lemonade and limeade.

Why not to make fresh squeeze orangeade?! Something different :D..

Really EASY to make:

All you need was 2 big oranges, sugar and water!

Squeeze those 2 big oranges (save those squeezed oranges to cut it up into wedges for decorations and more flavors)

Pour those squeezed orange liquid into the pitcher then add 1/2 cup of sugar and fill it up with water.

You can reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup as you wish. If you are a sugar-freak then 1 cup would do. You don't want it as "too much" sugar in your drink because oranges do have those natural sugar inside so it would be awesome to add less sugar.

It does look a refreshing drink during the hot weather :D

Peach Honey BBQ sauce

When I walked at William Sonoma store and saw those variety of BBQ sauce that they are selling during the summer.

I was reading the label what it was made. It caught my eyes that it consists ketchup which it was the main ingredient in order to make the BBQ sauce more flavor. I was in the mood to have something with peaches. I was not in the mood to buy it. I thought why not I make it?

So I threw some ingredients altogether and it was unbelievable finger-licking to eat that!

I don't even measure. I just assume what I need to make :D..

You can be creative by assuming what you need to bast on any white meats like pork ribs or chicken.

Few long squeeze of ketchup

Few drops of honey

Few spoons of brown sugar

Few drops of peach liquid

1 fresh squeeze lime

It doesn't have to be peach but can use any other fruits like pineapple or orange.

Mix it altogether and bast it when the meats are nearly done for BEST flavors. You don't want to bast it earlier because it will burns so fast.

Grilled Peaches with Mozzarella cheese and basil along with drizzle of Lemon dressing

Don't you love those grilled fruits? I do..

My friend had grilled the banana (including the skin) that are sprinkled with mini chocolate chips that are wrapped into the aluminum foil. It was delicious and more healthy than eating regular candies.

I thought of why not grill those peaches since peaches are "IN" for the summer along with those berries.

I just like to have that ideal of combing those grilled peaches with fresh mozzarella balls and chopped basil that it has grown from my pot in my backyard.

I use two different peaches to make it more interesting flavor (Yellow and White). I don't even use OIL or any marinade or spices on the peaches at all. Make sure to grill the peaches for a quick so you don't want to lose any nutritions while grilling it.

Ingredients for 1 or 2 people:

1 yellow peach, sliced

1 white peach, sliced

Grill it for a short period like 3 min each or less on each side.. Just look for those beautiful golden stripes on it.

Mozzarella- your choice :D

Handful of fresh chopped basil

Ingredients for lemon dressing:

1/2 fresh squeezed lemon

Few drops of Apple Vinegar (I use the Organic Bragg Apple Vinegar)

Few drops of Olive Oil

*I don't even measure it so I just taste to make sure it taste good.. If need more, then add little more*

Assemble the grilled peaches along with mozzarella cheese then sprinkle those chopped basil on top. Use a spoon to drizzle it all over then add salt and pepper for taste.

It's a GREAT lightly summer meal to dine in :)

Peach Guacamole

Love Guacamole!

I had made original and bacon guacamoles. All end up so GOOD...

I thought why not add fresh chopped peaches along with the guacamole to sweet up a little bit. Have you ever had any fruits into your guacamole at all? If not, then it would be a perfect opportunity to try this.

It's really EASY to make the homemade guacamole.

Ingredients:

1 or 2 fresh avocados. Cut it into half and remove the pit by using a knife to twist a little bit. Scoop it up with a spoon and mashed it into a bowl.

In the same bowl with the mashed guacamole and add rest of the ingredients to mix altogether:

1 small red onion, finely diced

1 or 2 roma tomatoes, finely diced

1 or 2 yellow peaches, finely diced (not including the seed)

handful of finely chopped cilantros

1 lemon or lime, freshly squeezed

Salt and Pepper to taste

Enjoy feasting that sweet guacamole with peaches with chips or along with any meals :D..

Spice Strawberry Tea Smoothie

Since I had made the Eastern Chai Mango Smoothie and thought myself why not I try to make a different fruit by mix with the chai liquid. I had a frozen bag of strawberry so why not?

It turned out that it DOES taste like cold spicy strawberry tea.. Believe me it tastes so GOOD...

Chai already included spices.. Chai is a black tea with spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and etc.. On the other bright side, you don't have to worry about adding any spices :D.

It's almost similar to the previous recipe of Eastern Chai Mango but I added 1 tablespoon of fresh squeeze lemon juice for boost up more flavor. You can taste a little bit of tart flavor.

All you need is:

1 1/4 cup of strong brew chai liquid *I use Oregon Chai liquid (purple color)*. You can even brew it by using the chai tea bags or loose leaves to produce enough chai liquids

1 bag of frozen strawberries

3/4 cups of peach sorbet

1 tablespoon of fresh squeeze lemon juice

Mix it altogether.. Enjoy drinking during the hot weather :D

Eastern Chai Mango Smoothie

I decided to call it as Eastern Chai Mango Smoothie..

I'm a CHAI lover, no question! Have you ever tried drinking Chai at all? I love to drink iced or hot chai. I know that making a smoothie is pretty simple and wanted something different.

Chai is a black tea with spices like cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg and etc. So you don't need to add any spices at all.

I was flipping through the cookbook that are speciality in making smoothie and it caught my eyes about CHAI. I thought why not I create it myself. I thought of why not mixed with mango as well.

It turned out very delicious and DEF will make it more often for sure!

It's not that too hard to make it. No dairy necessary at all. Just add those sorbets- more healthy than regular ice cream.

If you plan to use fresh mangos- please go ahead to do that but you need to freeze it FIRST before making this smoothie.

All you need is:

1 1/4 cups of a strong brew chai liquid (I use Oregon Chai Regular liquid *purple color*). Or you can even brew by using chai tea bag or loose leaves to produce enough chai liquid.

1 small bag of frozen organic mango

3/4 cup of peach sorbet.

Mix it altogether! That's all?! Yup that's all you need to do :D..

Enjoy this eastern smoothie and it remind you that you are vacating in middle eastern area :D.

Buttery Dill Potatoes

Don't you love the taste of melted butter with Dill smoother on the potatoes?

I DO I DO! Am I sounding like I'm married to the potatoes? Maybe I do! heh.

Really simple to do this:

2 to 4 tablespoon of butter, depending on how many potatoes that you are making. You can add more for more flavor.

Couple of dashes of fresh chopped dill or dried dill.

3 or 4 potatoes, any choice of yours. It can be yukon, red, white or purple.

Don't peel the skin off the potatoes. Just wash the potato and cook it into a hot boiling water until tender that fork can able to insert through. Chop it into the bite size.

Cool it off with cold water and use your knife to peel the skin out. Melt the butter and dill into the sauce pan and put the chopped potatoes to cover the coatings.

REALLY SIMPLE! Yea! :D