Happy New Years and Green Tea Frozen Treat!!

Hello everyone!! Happy New Years! 

I can't believe it's already been a week into 2015. So much is happening for me this year. I'm finishing my undergraduate degree, going to grad school, moving to Texas, and biggest change of all, separating from my twin sister who I've lived with for the entirety of my 22 years (including undergrad). Thus, there's going to be a lot of changes, but I guess that keeps life exciting, right?

On another note, for this new year, my resolutions are to be healthier and for me, that means to...

1. Sleep more,
2. Eat better, and...
3. Exercise more

Remember my Bikram yoga post? Well... I haven't gone for maybe two weeks? Eeks! But I do have a reason for that (family vacation, and then I had no car afterwards). HOWEVER... I did go yesterday and today, hehe.

So... in my efforts to start the year off healthy (and to use my mom's new Vitamix before I go back to school), I decided to make a nice frozen treat for myself, using my organic matcha from Kiss Me Organics.

The ingredients list was super short and simple. All I used for 2 servings worth was...

1 cup ice
1.5 cup fresh pineapple
1 TBSP honey
2 tsp matcha

Bam! That was it; simple as that. Delicious and healthy, although a little cold for the winter--lol, I had to warm myself up with some hot chocolate afterwards, haha.

So the main item I want to focus on in this post is the incredible Kiss Me Organics: Culinary Grade Organic Matcha. I love it! It tastes so good and gives me a boost of energy and metabolism!!

Now what's so great about matcha? Well, below are just a few of the many benefits of matcha! Read on~

• 1 tsp of matcha powder has the equivalent in nutritional and antioxidant benefits to 10 cups of green tea
• Increases metabolism and assists in weight loss
• Contains 20x more antioxidants than pomegranates or blueberries
• Contains the amino acid L-theanine, which promotes relaxation as well as alertness and energy without jitteriness that coffee can cause in some people
• Contains the catechin EGCg, which has potent cancer-fighting properties

I don't know about you, but all of these benefits definitely make me want to make green tea somethings every day for the rest of life, haha. Anyhow, if I find any other matcha recipes I really like, I'll let you all know! Love you all and wish you all the best 2015!

By the way, you can find order this matcha powder form the following sites:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Matcha-Green-Tea-Powder-Antioxidant/dp/B00DDT116M
http://www.amazon.com/Matcha-Green-Tea-Powder-Antioxidant/dp/B00DDT116M
http://www.amazon.ca/Matcha-Green-Tea-Powder-Antioxidant/dp/B00DDT116M

What are your favorite matcha treats? I would love to try them!

sponsored post. personal review.

30-day Bikram Yoga pass!

I'm usually not that interested in yoga and prefer running or doing using the elliptical when I exercise (which isn't often o__o). However, I found out that a Bikram Yoga studio near my house has a new-student promotion that offers unlimited classes for 30 days for $35, and me being the typical Asian I am, calculated that if I went five to six times a week then that would be less than two dollars per class! I couldn't let this opportunity go by, so I signed up last Wednesday and went to class the next morning.

Bikram Yoga, for those of you who don't know is a sequence of 26 yoga postures performed in a heated room of about 105°F. I don't know about you, but I would feel pretty nervous about doing anything in 105°F temperature! Of course, I went in there not knowing either of these, haha.

Here's a little infographic I found online regarding the different poses:

Infographic by Cherie_bon 

My Opinion:
To tell the truth, the Bikram Yoga session actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. There was a lot of balancing and flexibility required, but having done ballet from elementary school to the end of high school, these two came pretty naturally to me.

As for the heat, I actually didn't even realize it was 105°F! It was definitely warm, but not suffocating. I sweated A TON, but the heat actually felt pretty nice in my opinion~ I just need to invest in nicer yoga activewear <3

Bikram Yoga Benefits:
There are a lot of benefits to Bikram Yoga. In addition to the overall benefits of Bikram Yoga and yoga, the 12 standing poses and the 14 floor poses have their individual benefits.

Overall benefits of Bikram Yoga:

• Improves posture
• Increases flexibility and balance
• Builds muscle strength
• Improves circulation and immune function
• Removes toxins from the body
• Reduces stress
• Aids in weight loss

Benefits of standing poses:

• Opens pelvic area
• Relieves sciatica and arthritis
• Improves circulation

Benefits of floor poses:

• Improves function of the central nervous system, digestive system, and reproductive system
• Relieves lower back pain
• Eases constipation
• Lessens symptoms of scoliosis

Anyhow, that's all I have for now!

Have you guys tried Bikram Yoga before? What do you think about it?

Bitter Melon Juice?!

Hey everyone! Hope you all have been doing well! I can't believe it's already almost August! Time really does fly doesn't it?

Remember my post on how I got sick after camp and my mom made me drink the radish juice? I'm not sure why, but up until recently I still had a minor cough... I think it could have been because I haven't been getting enough sleep lately.

But my mom decided I needed to try another one of her concoctions! This time it's bitter melon

When I first heard her say this, I was like

WHAT?

Bitter melon?!

This is going to be even worse than the radish juice one you told me to drink!

I usually like radish (cooked at least), but bitter melon is bitter even when cooked! Wouldn't it be worse if I ate it raw??

But like the good girl I am, I listened to my mom and juiced the melon. However, to make it taste better, I juiced two pears along with the melon.

Btw, eating pears is another home remedy my mom swears by, but this one I don't mind~

I've never actually prepared bitter melon by myself before, so I was surprised to find out that it has red seeds O__O

Haha, the other half of the bitter melon is missing because my sister was de-seeding it while I was taking the picture <3

Then I just put everything through the blender, and voila! Done :)

Doesn't the juice look beautiful?? It's even frothy!!

So now I'm sure you're all wondering how this "delightful" concoction tastes right?

Well....

It actually tasted really good to my surprise!! The first sip tasted somewhat pear-y with a pretty bitter aftertaste. However, for every sip after, I surprisingly couldn't taste the bitterness. :/ Strange hmm? Maybe my taste buds got used to the bitterness?

I'm not sure if this juice really helped my sickness or not, but I felt a lot better the next day. (I think it was due to getting more sleep though.)

However, I would actually encourage you guys to try this recipe! It was a surprising success :)

What do you think about bitter melon? Do you like it? How do you eat it?

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A couple cool facts I just found out about bitter melon from WebMD (***although some studies have suggested the following uses for bitter melon, concrete evidence is still insufficient):

• Bitter melon contains a chemical that acts like insulin to help reduce blood sugar levels
• Bitter melon is good for some stomach and intestinal disorders including but not limited to ulcers, constipation, intestinal worms
• Bitter melon is beneficial for those who have diabetes, HIV/AIDS, kidney stones, and OH WAIT! fever!!

Blueberries, Blueberries, Blueberries!

Wohoo! It's the time of year again for u-pick blueberries! My family never fails to go at least a few times each summer, and every trip we pick A TON! In fact, we picked four tubs of blueberries this time, which weighed a little over 23lbs, AND we picked with the intention to come back within a week or so?

With so many blueberries, we basically eat a cup or so every morning and sometimes another cup as a snack! We also ended up freezing maybe a third of what we picked? Our family then uses these blueberries in oatmeal or smoothies as the year goes by and blueberry season ends. And the great news about freezing them is that freezing has no significant affect on the levels of antioxidants found in blueberries.

So in addition to their amazing flavor, what's so great about blueberries? Well let's find out~

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Nutritional Benefits of Blueberries:

• Great source of vitamin K, vitamin C, manganese, and fiber
• Low glycemic index, which means blueberries do not have a large impact on blood sugar levels post consumption. In fact studies have shown that consuming at least 3 servings of low-GI fruits per day (including blueberries) led to an improvement in the study participants' blood sugar over three months
• Has one of the highest levels of antioxidants among all fruits, vegetables, and spice. Antioxidants are important in fighting free radicals from the atmosphere, which can destroy cellular structures such as our DNA!
• Help improve cognitive function (memory, ability to learn new information, etc.)

Tips to prepare and store blueberries:

• Wash only when planning to eat (or freeze). Blueberries have a protective bloom (the grayish waxy deposit) on the surface of its skin that protects the berry from spoiling at room temperature
• When freezing the berries, wash and drain the blueberries. Then set on a clean surface to dry. Remove damaged berries and place in a freezer-safe bag or container to freeze. Can be stored for up to a year! However, texture and flavor does change slightly upon freezing
• Best way to enjoy blueberries is when they are fresh and eaten raw. Cooking/baking the berries causes many of the vitamins and antioxidants to become damaged and thus losing a lot of its nutrients

And yup! That's all for now. Hope you all enjoyed my little spiel on blueberries! (Btw, I had to google how to spell spiel! Oops, haha)

How do you enjoy your blueberries? Do you go to U-Pick farms as well? For what fruits/vegetables? Please share! I'd love to hear your thoughts :)

Black Sesame Banana Drink Recipe and why Black Sesame Seeds are so AWESOME!

This black sesame banana drink is, let me just say, AWESOME! Not only is the drink refreshing and not too thick, which is perfect for the upcoming hot weather, it is also super healthy! This recipe is very low in saturated fat, high in fiber, manganese and vitamin B6. You can’t go wrong with this, so give it a try!

Black sesame seeds has long been a favorite among the Chinese. Let’s take a look at why it’s so great!

• Source of many minerals and vitamins - with calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, molybdenum, selenium, and dietary fiber being only some of the few
• Source of sesamin and sesamolin - both belong to a group of beneficial fibers called lignans - help lower serum cholesterol and high blood pressure
• Highest phytosterol content out of all nuts and seeds! - a plant compound that has a similar chemical structure to cholesterol - helps lower blood cholesterol levels, enhance immune response, and decrease the risk of certain types of cancers!

Alright! Now for what you've all been waiting for! The recipe :) Check it out yo!

Black Sesame Banana Drink Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP ground black sesame seeds
• 1 banana
• 1 cup water (or what ever liquid you want—soy milk, whole milk, etc.)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Honey to taste

Directions:
Add all ingredients to blender and blend away!Enjoy~

* Black sesame seeds can be found in most (if not all) Asian grocery stores. If you can’t find the ground type, you can just grind them in your coffee grinder or even blender~

Soup Health Benefits! and Tomato Egg Flower Soup Recipe

Hey guys, the dumplings and soup were dinner from a couple days ago, but... my focus for this post on the tomato egg flower soup! I love Asian soups because they are so healthy--full of vegetables and nutrients, low in calories, and super satisfying!

Soup is a great way to start the meal!

What's so great about soups?
For those of you looking to improve your health, vegetable soups are great natural detoxifiers! They help increase the alkalinity of the body, which is essential for the kidneys and liver to eliminate toxins effectively. With all of the stress and unhealthy foods we're putting into our bodies these days, it is essential that we keep our livers and kidneys functioning well. Furthermore, all of the vegetables in the soup are an important source of fiber that can help fight constipation and improve cholesterol levels.

Moreover, for those of you looking to lose weight, vegetable soups are a great source to turn to. Starting off a meal with soup not only provides a lot of nutrients, but also fills you up before you turn to the heavier portions of your meal, thus saving you a lot of calories.

Alright, now that you know the awesome benefits of vegetable soups... onto the recipe!

Tomato and Egg Flower Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 large tomato, sliced into bit-sized pieces
• 2 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 4 cups water
• 4 stems of cilantro, or to taste
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Break eggs into bowl and beat eggs using chopsticks. Set aside.
2. Bring a pot of water to boiling on high. Once boiling, turn heat to medium-low.
3. Meanwhile, heat 1TBSP cooking oil in wok, add garlic, salt, and tomatoes. Stir-fry until tomatoes soften.
4. Add tomato mixture into the pot of water. Then bring to another boil.
5. Add beaten eggs in circular motion, wait a few seconds, then mix using chopsticks. Turn off heat.
6. Add cilantro, sesame oil, and serve!

Hope you all enjoy this healthy, light, and delicious soup. Let me know what you think of it in the comments below