Healthy Lifestyle Starts with Splenda!

If you have been frequenting coffee shops these days, you probably know that there are low sugar options available right? Don't tell me you haven't asked!? Well, here's the thing... they've got Splenda available now and you can actually have it blended with your frappes and hot coffees. At least in one coffee shop I went to did that. I'm not a regular there mind you but just tell them what want to happen with your coffee and poof they make it a whole lot better for you.

It's small things like these that matter. In some way, it's like living a healthy life. It starts from healthy choices and seeing your food intake or the sweets you use for your coffee. It might be a small thing to some but just think about the days you'll live longer when you manage your sugar levels. It's the same concept when you stop smoking. Doctors have researched you get to keep 5 minutes of your life for each stick. So make sure you take time and have the smartness to choose things you take wisely. Imagine how long you could keep your life and spend most of it having fun with friends and family.  

Make it a habit to use Splenda. It's got zero calories and takes just a small amount to sweeten your cup. It's something we've had since then, I don't know what would stop us now. Good thing it's available at most big groceries and stores nationwide. Life can really be sweeter... with Splenda!

For more ideas how to prepare food with Splenda

Visit their site at

http://splenda.tastebook.com

Healthy Splenda Pinoy Spaghetti!

We all have that day where everything doesn't happen to what we wish it would be. Mine just happened recently. There is always one person though who knows something is wrong with me, my Mom. She always prepares the best whenever I'm home because everybody knows my favorite... Spaghetti!

She's been doing legwork for it since I have ever known; so this time I want her to take a rest and let me do the cooking. Problem is my Mom and Dad are diabetic and when they want Filipino spaghetti I usually take out some of the ingredients but it won't feel the same if it didn't have that sweetness. Good thing there's Splenda!

I got the ingredients here!

Pinoy Spaghetti

1 Kg Pasta
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons capers
1/2 cup black olives
1 Kg Lean Ground Beef
1 bottle of banana ketchup
10 pieces of hotdogs
4 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 tbsp Splenda
2 cups water
2 tbsp all purpose flour
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 big block cheese (You can't have enough of it!)

Boil a few liters of water enough to cover the pasta. Drop in the spaghetti and wait for 8-10 minutes or according to package instructions. Leave just a little bit on the pasta because I'm sure you'll have some let to be mixed with your sauce later.

Separate a half a kilogram of beef and put salt and pepper, onions, garlic on it to make small meatballs. Roll on flour and fry until golden brown. Saute in a pan a heap of onions, garlic and evoo then wait for it to become translucent. Throw in the other half kilogram of beef and brown it. Pour in tomato sauce, the bottle of ketchup and water. Wait for it to boil then simmer for a few minutes. Slice the hotdog diagonally and throw it in, simmer another 5 minutes. Throw in the capers and olives then turn off the stove. Put in salt and pepper to taste. Put back the meatballs and let them simmer for around 2 minutes. Then serve.

Serving, just put a hefty amount of pasta on a bowl. Pour in the meat sauce on top and put in as much cheese that they can take, melt it under a salamander or your oven. You really can't have enough of that! You can even put ribonettes of basil if you want to make it a little classy for your taste.

My Mom loved it and it doesn't have sugar. My Dad almost ate half of it LOL. It's the time to share with friends and family. Health wise you don't have to worry because there's Splenda taking care of that. Oh, which reminds me a box of these even had Quaker Oats on it which we'll have tomorrow for breakfast! Merry Christmas guys! :) Get one on stores now!

Splenda and My Secret Mango Cheesecake Recipe

It looks like it's Christmas time already and I think I'm going to have a grand time whipping up something for my family since in this part of the world December 25 is indeed a special occasion. I'm thinking of cheesecakes all of a sudden and I want to plan ahead so I'm modifying some ingredients from an American cook book because I want a healthier alternative to the old New York Cheesecake. Yes, I do bake and just do this when I feel like it. Since my Mom is diabetic, I'll be choosing Splenda instead of processed sugar. Let me share my secret recipe:

1 and a half cup Grounded Graham Crackers

2 tablespoons full of Splenda (for the crust)

3 tablespoons of butter

3 whole packs of Cream Cheese

3/4 cup Splenda (mixed with Cream Cheese while whipping)

2 whole eggs
2 extra egg whites
2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in water
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon of vanilla or a few sprigs of vanilla bean in water

3 whole golden ripe mangoes sliced for toppings
1 extra mango for sauce

Mix the crust, the few tablespoons of sugar and butter then bake until firm. Usually, it takes around 8 minutes at 325 degrees. Place in the cooling rack until its cold. Whip the cream cheese, sugar, eggs and cornstarch. Add in the vanilla and cream too. Make sure there are no lumps whatsoever to the mixture. Pour it over the crust. Bake around 45 to 50 minutes at around 325 degrees again and wait until the center cooks all the way through. Use a toothpick to test it. Remember to set the temperature not to high so it won't crack the cheesecake too much when it cools. After it gets cold, put it in the fridge then slice some mangoes and place it on top like a fan. After slicing, add more Mango sauce and powdered sugar. Mango sauce is just simple syrup and grounded mangoes, you can do that.

I tried this recipe before but tweaked it a little so I can use Splenda. Now my Mum will surely love this new Mango New York Cheesecake that I'm making for our Noche Buena. After all, she deserves to enjoy dessert too!

Grab one now on your leading Supermarkets nationwide! ☺

For more information and recipes about Splenda

Please visit their website

http://recipes.splenda.com/

MMFF: Si Agimat, Si Enteng Kabisote at Si Ako!

I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to see Juday and Senator Bong Revilla but who wouldn't be happy seeing Bossing himself Vic Sotto a few nights ago during the blogcon for the movie Si Agimat, Si Enteng Kabisote at Si Ako at the classy Annabel's restaurant in Tomas Morato.

Without much questions about other pressing matters, I was so nervous asking some of the first ones thrown to him because yeah I do get seldom starstruck. The movie he said was going to be bigger and greater than ever because the float alone would cost them a million pesos so just imagine how much more they spent for the making of this movie.

Bossing Vic didn't have any problems with billing nor coordinating with Bong Revilla or Judy Ann Santos Agoncillo because from the very first day of negotiations it was more of like a gentleman's agreement. They didn't have any problems with the crew either because from the director alone they were confident that they'll do a great job. He's also happy that Raiza is joining them in this movie because she was so happy being with them using her very own artist's chair. They were happy to see her enjoy her time while filming and proud for her since she did a great job doing it.

Bossing Vic says this film was intended to be shown for the whole family and they were glad it was rated G by MTRCB. This is another reason to go out on theaters this Christmas. Make sure you watch it on December 25 and have tons of fun, adventure, comedy and a little drama that's got a touch of realness to it. There's also an environmental message that you'll learn about after you see this on screen. It's directed by Tony Y. Reyes and OctoArts Films, MZet Television, APT Entertainment, Imus Productions and GMA Films. Make sure you watch it!

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(Official Movie Fan Page)

Fujifilm Philippines Relaunches Store and New X-Series!

It was fun to see people in a celebratory and festive mood when I arrived at the basement store of Fuji Film a few days ago in Megamall. They have been there for years now but they have completely renovated the place and got more things in store for you. Shall we look around?! Let's do this! =)

Executives from Fuji Film in the Philippines and Japan were all there to witness the relaunch of this store in Megamall. It was nice to see them celebrating, they were all very proud about how this store became a landmark for film and camera enthusiasts in the metro. We were also treated to see the new line of cameras that Fuji has for the X Series.

The X Series was launched this January 2012. The X-E1 just like the rest of the models in this line had that vintage feel. Even though this isn't film, the hybrid electronic view makes it the perfect companion without lugging around that heavy DSLR camera and quality wise this is at par with what professionals use. It's got a built in pop up flash that I was so worried about because it flips out too strong for its build and got 16 Megapixels shooting prowess that would be the envy of most mirrorless cams in its price range. Although a little pricey, it pays off as one of the most affordable toned down versions of the Fuji XPro-1. It's got HD video too and autofocuses unike DSLR's that don't have that feature yet making it a mile and a half better than other brands.

Submitting itself to the demands of those professional photographers that want a compact camera, FujiFilm came out with this X10 giving the digicam market another choice instead of the Panasonic Lumix and Powershot Cybershot cams of Sony and Canon. It's got one of the best sensors, 12MP quality and something that most professionals would carry because it can beat most DSLR's in the market even if it's not a full pledge professional camera. At 2.0 to 2.8 it's got one of the best aperture range perfect for low light conditions and all around performance without being too big for comfort.

It's got that same EX-R sensor such as in the X10 and X-S1 so you will probably have the same output even on a sleeker and quite new classy frame. This particular model is said to be the perfect second body for the conventional DSLR's. I wanted to have the brown one; the other ones were black and red; (it's clad in leather and metal finish). Testing out the camera in the Fujifilm store it's the perfect all around camera because it has fast F1.8 maximum aperture for wide angle shots and F4.9 its max telephoto capability.

This one started it all. A brand new mount, a brand new lens convention and its own set of lenses. Fujifilm totally redesigned this from ground up so they can control the excellent output they always wanted now that they are in the compact camera industry. It's got 16MP and can output raw files. This also has the APS-C X-Trans CMOS sensor that is being used now for other cams in this series; a milestone in Fujifilm's development of the new cameras. It also has the EXR Processor Pro image processor implemented in other X Series cameras, dual-magnification hybrid optical / electronic viewfinder that you can switch automatically in between, analogue dials for shutter speed and exposure compensation on the top of the camera. I like the 35mm at 1.4 and suggest you try that inside the store. It's one of the best in its class.

I would have wanted to spend a little more time at the Fujifilm center but didn't get to do so because of time constraints. But what impresses me the most is that aside from them having the new space is the experience of touching the cameras and able to test them out. This is something that I didn't get to do with my DSLR and getting a grip of it before purchasing is part of the experience. I would suggest you try and approach them at the Megamall basement branch because the people there are very accommodating. That's the upside. You can experience more in this new place. For photography enthusiasts like me, try and experience it.

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Most Favorite TV Station for 2012!

Choosing a particular channel would be dangerous in this day and age but I'll go ahead and choose for fairness sake. Not that I've been biased with any channel for that matter but yes there are more news on my site from ABS CBN. Maybe in the course, they have been sternly inviting me to their conferences more. Not to mention the celebrities who have been so kind to me too. Erich, Enchong, Jason and ♥ Melai. ☺

It was not just celebrities but the programs that they have lined up that made them first on my list. I spend a few hours watching teleseryes and news on this channel more than the others. Once you do, you just get hooked because the programs are properly researched and well executed. My vote goes to ABS CBN.

TV5 comes in a close second. They have proven their worth with the quality of programs coming out from their channel in the last few months. I specifically love Artista Academy and Amazing Race. The whole time I covered for Artista Academy the contestants, judges and crew were so kind to me as well. I love how it came out on TV and said it was worth to watch these local shows now even on TV5 which I normally skip on the remote at home before Manny Pangilinan revamped it.

GMA7 ranked third for me. Although I specifically LOVE the shows of gorgeous artists like Rocco Nacino, Kris Bernal, Enzo Pineda and the likes of Lovi Poe, Solenn Heussaff etc. there were some misses in other shows like Party Pilipinas. I covered the show and introduced myself properly. They did not like photos taken for a show that they were supposedly also promoting, so I don't get that part. The hassle this show has made has gotten me hate the channel a bit; but with changes that they have made in the last few weeks I've seen some bloggers now getting properly coordinated. I still don't like Party Pilipinas though. Sorry but that's how I feel til now. It's not the show, it's the one handling it that I'm so not happy about.

Thanks to www.Starmometer.com, www.Showbiznest.com and www.LionhearTV.net for putting this project up. For more details about the voting process and how a blogger can do this go to this article here and vote for your Favorite TV Station too.