TBSC Day 2: The Apple-Banana Conundrum

For the second day of The Breakfast Smoothie Challenge (TBSC) I found some bananas and apples in the fridge. Although I like both fruits on their own, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about having them together in a smoothie. In the spirit of experimentation, I decided to go ahead with it andd... let's just say I wasn't disappointed!

Apple-Banana Smoothie with Pomegranate Nectar

This adventurous smoothie produces a thick, energy filled result that will keep you happy and satisfied all the way till lunch.

Ingredients

• Bananas
• Apples
• Pomegranate Nectar (for the liquid base)
• Pinch of salt (to bring out all the flavours)

Directions

Quarter the apples, cut the bananas and into the blender they go. Add a little bit of pomegranate nectar. You can vary the amount depending on how thick you want your smoothie. Add a pinch of salt and blend everything together.

                               

The Smoothie

Health Benefits

Apples can not only curb various types of cancer and help avoid Alzheimer's but also assist in controlling your weight and detoxifying the liver. Full of fiber and flavanol (reduces cancer risk).

Pomegranate juice has huge heart benefits, maintains blood pressure, sugar levels and soothes the stomach thereby improving digestion. It is an outstanding source of Vitamins A, C and E and minerals including calcium, phosphorus and iron.

Bananas are a great source of potassium, magnesium and Vitamin B. Help you feel energetic, promote bone health and improve digestion.

Restaurant Review: Bella Vita Gelataria

Bella Vita at Nueplex

 

Images taken from Bella Vita's Facebook page.

Heading to a movie at Nueplex, my friends and I noticed we had some time to spare. Since we were all quite hungry, we decided to stop at Bella Vita to grab a quick snack.

What We Ordered:
The Soup of the Day (Cream of Mushroom Soup with Chicken)
Nachos Supreme
Chicken and Mushroom Casserole

We were the only customers at the time so the service was quite good. The waiter was polite and professional and at the time of placing the order, he explained that the casserole might take a bit longer to arrive. For the soup, he said there was an option to add chicken which would cost Rs.100 more. I opted for the soup with chicken.

The soup arrived first: piping hot and served with warm garlic bread. For a cream of mushroom soup, I felt it lacked the creamy texture and  flavor. The best chicken and mushroom soup I've had in Karachi, to date, is at Butler's and this one didn't even come close to competing with that. The flavors were decent but once I ran out of garlic bread, I noticed that the soup was lacking salt.

The nachos serving size is great for sharing with one or two friends. Crunchy tortilla chips are topped with olives, jalapenos, minced meat, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. They're served with sour cream and salsa. The onslaught of flavors is mind blowing, making these nachos one of the best ones available in Karachi.

The casserole was the last dish to arrive, as we had been warned. It wasn't exactly what we were expecting but proved to be quite a good choice. A creamy filling of chicken, mushroom and corn baked in a crumbling pastry, it was served with fries and a hot, tangy sauce.

A pretty good experience, overall. Although we didn't order any desserts during this quick stop, I've tried the Bella Vita chocolate cake on a previous occasion and I'd just like to add that it's absolutely heavenly! Rich, scrumptious and absolutely to-die-for. Make sure you try that out next time you find yourself there.

Product Review: Garnier BB Cream

Image rights: Garnier

What exactly is a BB cream?

A BB cream stands for Blemish Balm or Beauty Balm in the Western markets. Initially launched in Asian markets, their huge success led to BB creams being introduced in various other regions over the world. Most of these creams function as tinted moisturizers performing the purpose of coverage and moisturizing skin. Others even incorporate characteristics such as sun protection.

With the recent launch of the Garnier BB cream in Pakistan, I decided to invest in one to see what all the fuss was about. Here's what I  thought:

What Garnier claims:

According to the Garnier website, their BB cream is a “Miracle Skin Perfector that produces 5 instant results: evens tones, hydrates, renews, protects and brightens”.

My Personal Experience:

For a beauty product with so many functions, the price of the Garnier BB cream is a bargain. A 50ml tube is available in the market for around Rs.395 so it’s not too much of a burden on the wallet. Since my skin is naturally dry, especially in winters, I find it better to use the BB cream once I’ve already moisturized with my everyday moisturizing lotion.

The one thing that slightly puts me off is that the cream is only available in two shades both of which are meant for light/fair complexions. This is a problem for markets like Pakistan where complexions tend to be medium to dark. I got the one for light complexions since the salesgirl recommended it for dry skin. I only use a very small amount and spread it out on my face to ensure it doesn’t give me a fake, caked look.

The best way to use it is to squeeze out a very small amount and blend it in gently with your fingers or a brush so it doesn’t look too artificial. It definitely does add a nice glow to the skin although I’ve noticed that after a few hours of wearing it, especially in humid conditions, it can make your skin look quite oily. It also doesn’t stay on very long and if you happen to touch your face at any point while wearing it you’ll notice it coming off on your fingers. It might be a good idea to use it as a sort of primer before you put on another product such as your foundation.

Should You Buy it?

For anyone with a lighter skin tone, looking for some basic coverage and hydration for a few hours, I’d definitely recommend it! However, if you haven’t been blessed with the good skin gene, then you might find it more useful to use it as a primer before putting on your base/foundation rather than just on its own. For the price its available at, it can’t hurt to at least try it out!

TBSC Day 1:Cracking Coconuts and Chopping Chickoos

The Breakfast Smoothie Challenge (TBSC)

Coconut, Banana and Chickoo Smoothie
The best part about smoothies is that you can basically utilize whatever fruits and vegetables you can find in the fridge. For my very first breakfast smoothie, I went for a tropical, fruity flavor.

Ingredients

• Coconut
• Sapodilla (Chickoo)
• Bananas
• Milk

Directions

Cut up the bananas and sapodilla. Use the coconut water as the liquid base for the smoothie and use about half of the coconut flesh. Put everything in the blender and voila!

Tip: If you think the smoothie is too thick, add a little bit of milk and blend it in.

The Smoothie

Health Benefits

The coconut water is nature's energy drink; low in calories and full of potassium it has super hydrating qualities. It's amazing for your skin and hair!

The rich, white coconut meat is full of Vitmains A and E and can help prevent neurological diseases, heart problems and even stroke.

Bananas help regulate blood sugar and are high in iron, potassium and trytophan (which converts into serotonin and can make you happy!)

Chickoo (Sapodilla) is rich in antioxidant vitamins like Vitamin C and A (essential for eyesight). It also contains minerals including potassium, copper and iron.

The 30 Day Breakfast Smoothie Challenge

Recently, I've been turning into a bit of a health nut. I suppose working from home comes with its own set of side-effects. I start the day off with honey and lemon in warm water followed by a 30 minute workout and then a healthy breakfast. I've also been trying to add more leafy, green vegetables to my diet and stay hydrated (8 glasses of water? Pshh. More like 12!). Cliches are beginning to sound beautiful - breakfast IS the most important meal of the day hands-down. Therefore, I've concluded that I need to focus my energies on making the first meal of the day as nutritious and healthy as I can, being as lazy as I am. The plan is to create delicious, energy boosting smoothies every morning that I can quickly whizz up in the blender. The 30 Day Challenge will mean a new breakfast smoothie everyday for the next month! I'll share my recipes with you guys in case any of you want to follow suit. Let the games begin! Wish me luck :)

Restaurant Review: Verdé Exclusive Bistro Cafe

  

Photos taken from Verdé's Facebook page.

I don't always find restaurants to get excited about but when I do I make sure I visit them as often as possible. When I first discovered Verdé, it had just re-opened and I kept hinting to my husband that I really wanted to go. I had read some good reviews and it looked like a unique, romantic place in pictures I’d seen. As it happens, in the last three months, I’ve visited the place four times. Here’s a detailed look at my four visits:

First Visit (6^th February):

From the moment my husband and I entered, I was captivated by the gurgling sounds of the water contraption at the entrance, the abundance of plants and trees everywhere and the slight hint of magic in the air (although that might just have been my imagination). We had a reservation although, as it turned out, we didn’t really need one since we were the only two people there. We chose seating outside, enjoying the cool breeze and the feeling of being surrounded by nature. The waiters were friendly and attentive and brought us paper flower garlands as a welcome gesture. That definitely added a unique element to the visit! Although the menu was quite limited, we both found entrées to our liking and placed the order.

What We Ordered:

Starters:

Boneless Buffalo Wings

Entrées:

Fish and Chips

Stuffed Beef Burger

Drinks:

Strawberry Smoothie

All Berries Smoothie

Despite the fact that the food was nothing to write home about, I was very impressed with the smoothies and the overall service. Just as we were finishing our dinner, we got a wonderful view of fireworks happening somewhere close by (probably for the Sindh Festival) which was the cherry on top of an absolutely lovely evening out.

Second Visit (19^th February):

I chose Verdé as the venue for dinner with my best friend on her birthday. This time around, the place was almost half full but the service was still up to the mark. We sat outside again and she loved the place!

What We Ordered:

Starters:

Crab Gratin

Entreé:

The House Special Pizza

Drinks:

All Berries Smoothie

The crab gratin was delicious. Served in small crab shells, with toasted white bread strips it was the perfect mix of flavors although you couldn’t really taste the crab individually. We shared the pizza; the regular sized one was enough for both of us. The thin crust pizza was topped with olives, jalapenos, spicy chicken pieces, capsicum, onions, tomatoes and lots of cheese and we both really enjoyed it.

Third Visit (10^th March):

For the first time, I visited Verdé during the day and sat inside rather than outside. They had a match screening going on and the place was full. Although, once again, the overall experience was great we noticed that the food took really long to arrive.

What We Ordered

Starters:

Crab Gratin

Entreé:

Red Snapper with Avocado

Chicken Burger

Dessert:

Chocolate Malt Cake

The crab gratin was extremely oily which really took away from the taste. The red snapper was delicious but the chicken burger was nothing special. It was the chocolate malt cake that really stole the show; the rich, moist texture and melt-in-your-mouth frosting was the perfect way to end the meal.

Fourth Visit (5^th April):

The worst experience out of all the times I’d visited, it really made me question if I’d ever go back. I got a reservation on the phone and was told that it would not be a problem. When I reached Verdé with a group of eight people, they completely denied knowledge of any reservation and insisted that they don’t take reservations on weekends so it wasn’t possible that I could have one. We ended up being seated on a table inside where the air conditioning was barely working. The food took almost an hour to come and the waiters were so busy that they had to be called three or four times before they would make their way to our table.

What We Ordered:

Starters:

Crab Gratin

Tex Mex Fries

Stuffed Mushrooms with Cheese and Spinach

Entrées:

Red Snapper with Avocado (2)

Alfredo Pasta (3)

Smoked Turkey Sandwich (2)

Chicken Panini (1)

No one had any complaints about the food except that it took ages to come and the bread for the sandwiches was quite dry. 

Verdict: The ambiance is amazing if you're looking for an intimate, romantic dinner and works for a meal out with family and friends too. They really need to work on maintaining the standard of their food and quality of service if they want repeat business from their customers. Negative experiences like the one I had on my last visit will definitely put people off.