Philippine Restaurant Week 2012 and Wine Depot Sale

All you foodies who have a special fondness for wine pairings or simply good food, over 100 of the best restaurants and hotels across the country are participating in Wine Depot’s Philippine Wine and Food Week, dubbed Restaurant Week 2012.

Philippine Food and Wine Restaurant Week - October 8-14, 2012

This is the fifth consecutive year of this special foodie event where the finest restaurants offer special menus and vino from Wine Depot for less than Php 1,000. You have until October 14, 2012, that’s Sunday, to wine and dine at our very own Restaurant Week.

Here are just some of the restaurants that are participating:

Some restaurants participating in Philippine Restaurant Week 2012

There’s Mario’s restaurant, The Cake Club (we’ll be posting about them next), and even restaurants in Cebu, Bohol, Cagayan de Oro, Boracay and Baguio. If you’d like check out the restaurants’ menus before you head over, click here.

 

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Quench Your Thirst with J.CO Beverages + New Donuts to Love!

We gushed and told you how much we love J.CO donuts. It’s not just about how yummy their donuts are, but it’s more on the creativity behind each flavor they offer. So, it was not surprising that they’re maintaining this level of uniqueness with their beverage concoctions. J.CO Donuts and Coffee is here to prove that, truly, they’re not your usual donut place. 🙂

The delicious delights of J.CO Wonderland

Excited to try their beverages and the other donut flavors I haven’t tasted yet, my nanay and I trooped to their nearest branch – Trinoma. There was a long line of people inside, which, quite frankly, discouraged me. There were about 15 people in front of me and it took about 45 minutes to an hour before I finally got my turn. Everyone was ordering like 2-3 dozens each! 😀

Sadly, many of the donut flavors and the beverages I wanted initially were no longer available when I got to the counter. So, I opted to order their Iced Thai Tea. Good thing I was able to convince my nanay to try the Cafe Avocado. I wanted the Cappuccino Avocado, but for some reason, it wasn’t available.

Iced Thai Tea and Cafe Avocado from J.CO Donuts and Coffee

Anyway, if you think that the combination of avocado, coffee and chocolate is plain weird, you’d be surprised. It was delightful! Made me wish they were still serving Cappuccino Avocado when we were there ’cause I’m sure it’ll have a more intense kick of avocado. We’ll come back next time for that, probably on a weekday when there’s a shorter queue.

Cafe Avocado with Avocado DiCaprio donut

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Boosting Your Brain Power with Food

I remember back in my senior year in high school, a few months before I was scheduled to take the UPCAT (entrance exam), I noticed my mother buying bananas and vegetables more often, feeding me peanuts and forcing me to eat tuna (I wasn’t into fish when I was younger). She told me all about their benefits to my brain and they should help me while I review and study for the UPCAT (not that I needed help, really 😀 ).

I’m no expert nor did we consult any nutrionist or scientist to back up her claims, but throughout the years, I learned she was right. There are many foods out there that have been proven to boost brain power, but their effects are not immediate. So, if you’re looking to improve your mental health, you might want to change your diet now to include some of the best brain food items out there.

There’s broccoli. They’re supposed to be something kids hate, but we actually loved it even when we were younger. Every time we’re in Baguio, expect us to come back to Manila with kilos of broccoli to enjoy at home.

Broccoli is brain food

Berries (blueberries, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, etc) are known to have high levels of flavonoids which can help with dealing with stress too.

Nuts are good sources of Vitamin E that help slow down cognitive decline. I know peanuts help promote good memory. Same with egg yolks. 🙂

Peanuts

Even with all these healthy and nutritious food, you have to remember that though they can help you, if you don’t get enough sleep or rest, don’t expect that much improvement. Your brain needs rest from working, with all the processing, analyzing, deducting and even daydreaming it does. Take it from me. I used to be very good at memorizing things, especially numbers. But, after years of suffering from insomnia and not sleeping enough, I’ve noticed how forgetful I’ve been. With my recent lifestyle change, I’m gradually seeing positive changes, especially now that I’m eating healthier at home, including these brain foods I listed above.

What’s your favorite brain food? Let me know at the comments section. 🙂

Oh, I passed the UPCAT with flying colors, by the way. 😉

A Sweet Start to My Day, Thanks to Splenda

I work full time at night and one of the many things I enjoy is a cup (or two) of coffee to perk me up so I can fulfill all my tasks more efficiently. Since I work online and I’m in front of the computer for 7-8 hours straight, even with my current routine of exercising 30-45 minutes per day before my shift, I know I have to control my calorie and carbohydrate intake because I don’t get to move as often as other people who work in an actual office and commute on a daily basis.

Perk me up with coffee and Splenda No Calorie Sweetener

I used to like my coffee black and bitter, but lately, I see myself adding at least a tablespoon of sugar to a regular cup of coffee, and about 2-3 teaspoons when I opt for the 3-in-1 blends. If you add that up in a week, that’s a lot of sugar, which is not good for my low calorie, less carbohydrate diet (I’m trying to eat healthier at home).

Conversion chart at the back of box of Splenda No Calorie Sweetener

Thankfully, there’s Splenda No Calorie Sweetener. The content of each packet of Splenda is equivalent to 2 teaspoons of sugar, but it has none of the calories. On the box, there’s a conversion chart that should guide you. Yes, you read that right. The good thing about using Splenda is it sweetens my coffee without the calories and carbohydrates I usually get from sugar, making me enjoy my cup of coffee, even twice a day, with less guilt. 😉

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