Chocolate-Dipped Banana Bites

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 small banana, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

Preparation

1. Place chocolate chips in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag or small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until chocolate melts. Dip banana pieces in chocolate.



You would do anything just to get to buy a chocolate!

And now do not panic , because science has favored this habit .

Here you can find the reason why being chocolates-eater , is not something to be worried.

968 people aged 23 to 98 years , are part of a study to discover the health benefits of eating chocolate .

Meanwhile, according to the study , said that people who eat chocolate more frequently had better memory to develop visual skills to learn the most impressive things from memory , abstract thinking and better powers of concentration,
Among others , scientists say that if eating chocolate , you help slow the aging of the brain and prevents the emergence of diseases such as those of madness .
Substances in chocolate are those which have beneficial effects on our mental activity .
These scientific facts proved also to dark chocolate and to what small amount of milk such as the white chocolate .
Irina Shayk Running Workout

Irina Shayk Workout Routine

The ‘Feel Good’ Factor
The super model prefers not to be skinny. She spends time in the gym because it makes her feel good and gives a well toned figure.
Discipline
She believes that while one can inherit good body but it is very much important to take care of it. She is as tough as steel, she says, and is not weary of pushing herself working out five times a week. According to her, laziness should be avoided to keep that taut shape.
Striking the Right Balance
Irina stands for the principle that our workout pattern should match our diet. She believes in eating what she likes and sweating out in the gym. This saves her from sudden food cravings.

No to Muscle Building Exercises
Shayk avoids exercises, which make the body muscular. She avoids heavy workouts like exercising with weights above 5 pounds, kettle ball, lunges and jumps.

Daily Exercises
Irina jogs for 15 minutes in the beginning. This warms her up for exercising.
This is followed by cardio sessions for more than one hour with interval of thirty minutes.


Irina Shayk Diet Plan
  • Irina consumes plenty of water to keep her skin and hair in great condition. She has to spend long hours, shooting on the sea beaches. Adequate water intake prevents her skin from drying up.
  • Irina does not believe in dieting. Occasionally she likes to pamper herself with ice creams and cakes. She also likes to take a day off, lying on the bed, watching T.V. and enjoying Pizza. Eating restaurant food is although, a ‘no’ for her. When at home, she visits the local Russian market to get some stuff for cooking. Her favorite meal is pelmeni (dumplings consisting of a filling wrapped in thin, unleavened dough). She ensures that she never overeats. Eating healthy is the key according to her.
  • On other days she consumes whole fruits and vegetables. Breads high in fiber, skimmed milk, tofu, clear soups form her general diet.
  • She also takes citrus juices, which she says are a great source of vitamin C and help her maintain beautiful skin.
Easy Summer Pasta Salad Recipe on twopeasandtheirpod.com The perfect salad for all of your summer BBQ's and potlucks! #salad


Ingredients:


  • 1 pound dry pasta (we used farfalle)
  • 1 small yellow bell pepper, seeds removed and diced
  • 1 small red bell pepper, seeds removed and diced
  • 1 small orange bell pepper, seeds removed and diced
  • 1 large seedless cucumber, chopped
  • 1 (12 oz) jar artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped
  • 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup store bought balsamic dressing (use your favorite brand)
  • 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped basil
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente; drain, then rinse with cold water to cool.

2. In a large bowl, combine pasta, peppers, cucumber, artichoke hearts, and tomatoes. Pour the balsamic dressing over the pasta salad and gently stir to combine. Add the feta cheese and basil and stir again. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Chill until ready to serve.


Patients with heart disease are no more likely to suffer a stroke or heart attack if they eat a diet of fatty and sugary foods, research suggests.
But if they eat a Mediterranean diet, rich in vegetables and olive oil, they can significantly reduce their chance of life-threatening complications.
Doctors have long urged the public to eat healthily to reduce their chances of long-term heart problems.
Evidence over many years has shown that eating too much heavily processed, sweet and deep-fried food significantly increases the risk of developing heart disease.
But the new study, which involved 15,000 participants from 39 countries, set out to establish the impact that diet has on those who already have heart disease.
The team, led by scientists in New Zealand, found that a Mediterranean diet significantly reduced the risk of suffering a major cardiovascular emergency.

They found that for every 100 patients eating this diet – which typically includes oily fish, fruit, vegetables and other unprocessed foods – there were three fewer heart attacks, strokes or deaths over the four-year study period.
A ‘Western diet’ – including refined carbohydrates, sweets and fried foods – was linked to more heart attacks than a Mediterranean diet.
But it did not increase the risk of heart emergencies when compared to the average diet of all the patients, the study said.
The team gave every participant a ‘Mediterranean diet score’ or ‘Western diet score’, depending on the kind of foods they ate.

Study leader Professor Ralph Stewart, of the University of Auckland, said: ‘After adjusting for other factors that might affect the results, we found that every one unit increase in the Mediterranean diet score was associated with a 7 per cent reduction in the risk of heart attacks, strokes or death from cardiovascular or other causes in patients with existing heart disease.

‘In contrast, greater consumption of foods thought be less healthy and more typical of Western diets was not associated with an increase in these adverse events, which we had not expected.’

His team, whose work is published in the European Heart Journal, said the findings applied no matter which country the participants were from. However, they warned the findings did not mean that the public could eat unhealthy foods with impunity.

‘The main message is that some foods – and particularly fruit and vegetables – seem to lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and this benefit is not explained by traditional risk factors such as good and bad cholesterol or blood pressure,’ Professor Stewart said.

‘If you eat more of these foods in preference to others, you may lower your risk.’

He added: ‘The study found no evidence of harm from modest consumption of foods such as refined carbohydrates, deep fried foods, sugars and desserts.
However, because the assessments were relatively crude, some harm cannot be excluded.
‘Also, the study did not assess the total intake of calories, which is a major determinant of obesity-related health problems.’
British cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra said the study added to evidence that a Mediterranean diet can be even more beneficial to heart disease patients than drugs.

But Dr Nita Forouhi, of the University of Cambridge, said the conclusions were ‘premature’ – particularly as only about 2 per cent of the study’s participants reported daily consumption of deep-fried foods.

By dailymail


INGREDIENTS:


  • 1 pound dry pasta (I used farfalle)
  • 1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
  • 1 ball fresh mozzarella, diced
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed torn fresh basil
  • 3 tablespoons balsamic glaze (I used DeLallo, but see instructions below for a homemade alternative)

DIRECTIONS:

Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water al dente, according to package instructions. Drain and immediately rinse with cold water to stop the pasta from cooking.

Toss the pasta with the strawberries, mozzarella and basil. Pour half of the pasta into a serving bowl, and drizzle with balsamic glaze. Then pour the remaining half of the pasta on top, and drizzle with the balsamic glaze. Sprinkle with extra basil if desired. Also, if the pasta seems to dry, you can toss it with a tablespoon of olive oil.

*To make balsamic glaze homemade, whisk together 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar together in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes or until reduced by half. Give it a taste. If you think it needs sweetening, stir in a few teaspoons of sugar or honey.