This February, the only heart you should be concerned about is your own! The month of February is being offered as a tribute and renamed American Heart Month. During these 28 (not 29) days of the month, we are taking the time to recognize the havoc that heart disease wreaks on our society and finding a way to fight back.
The best way we know how to fight back is to make healthy choices when it comes to food. Tossed, a garden salad, wrap, and sandwich franchise (located on Park Avenue in NYC) is helping Americans with their struggle against heart disease by offering a healthy alternative to a greasy burger at lunch. With over 50 fresh choices of veggies, fruits, and gourmet dressing, it's easy to do your heart a favor without disappointing your taste buds. Tossed is a great place to use your creative side and get heart healthy!
Tip: Start Spring early with this healthy salad recommendation from Tossed: baby spinach, sliced fresh strawberries, chopped bacon, broccoli, sugar snap peas, and red onion tossed in a strawberry vinaigrette.
In the days before Viagra and supplemental enhancers, people had to seek other alternatives for aphrodisiacs. The alternatives they found to be most effective were in food. The word aphrodisiac comes from the beautiful Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love and sex. From before the time of Cleopatra, people have eaten aphrodisiac rich foods to enhance their sexual stamina. Today we know that certain foods such as dark chocolate, avocados, oysters, red wine, and strawberries actually release chemicals in the body that can affect our hormones and energy, directly impacting our libido. This Valentine's Day, instead of eating a heavy meal that makes you just curl up and go to sleep, choose foods that will make your night more exciting and last longer.
Avocados, named by the Spanish conquistadors who could not pronounce the Aztec word "ahuacaleâ" not only loved the taste of this fruit, but also noticed peaks of sexual desire when it came to the Native Aztecs. In fact Montezuma, the Aztec king, had a form of guacamole prepared for him every night.
It's no coincidence that people give chocolate for Valentine's Day, but just make sure it's dark chocolate. Dark chocolate contains serotonin that lowers stress and releases phenlethylamine, responsible for changing blood pressure and blood-sugar levels that result in making people very excited.
Strawberries make the aphrodisiac list not only because they look like little red hearts, but because people used to think that all the seeds represented fertility. In truth, the vitamins and minerals aid in increasing your immune system keeping your inner fire burning.
Oysters are a romantic dinner option for a reason. They are loaded with zinc, which does wonders for the male libido, not to mention fertility (be careful with this one).
Red Wine can pair perfectly with your Valentine's Day meal and is more than just good for your heart; it can also relax your inhibitions. Keep in mind that all alcohol can do this, so make sure you don't end up getting sloppy by drinking too much.
We're so over the whole Champagne and strawberries combo for Valentine's Day. Instead, we're stepping up our game with the Lova Lova, a drink that's invigorating enough to get us going for a night of romance.
Lova Lova
1 1/2 oz. Conjure Cognac
1 oz. mango puree
4 oz. ginger beer
Rose Champagne
Combine ingredients and pour into champagne flutes (be careful not to shake the ginger beer too much!) Top with a Champagne floater and let your tastebuds sing as you sip the night away with your sweetie.
Tip: Make this the center of your V-day temptations dinner. Serve small plates, like goat cheese with honey, figs (very sexy!), warm homemade breads and prosciutto. Olives are good for popping in mouths!
Extra virgin olive oil has undeniable health benefits because it is less processed than regular olive oils. In general, olive oils are generally considered to have the most health benefits, but it's often hard to differentiate between products. If you're looking for an extra virgin olive oil with extra flare, try Rinaldo's Organic Garlic Gold Oil.
Each tablespoon is filled with full garlic flavor. Unlike other garlic olive oils, the flavor is not overpowering or hot. Best of all, you can count on getting the richest flavor from Rinaldo's Garlic Gold. It's produced on Seven Oaks Ranch in Ojai Valley, specializing in cultivating garlic.
Tip: Try sauteeing vegetables in this olive oil for extra flavor or add it to salad dressings for an extra kick!
Cupcakes are out. Cake-Cups are awesome. Created by Billy Mayer, head baker of Bee's Knees Baking Company in Brooklyn, Cake-Cups are one of the most innovative desserts I've tried in a while. Spawned from a very simple idea, Cake-Cups are exactly what they sound like: cake in a cup. Inside each Cake-Cup you will find moist or crumbly delicious cake layered with icing, fruit, mousse, or compote. All ingredients are locally grown and change seasonally. Each individually portioned Cake-Cup has a variety of texture and flavor and has a much more sophisticated taste and gourmet style than a regular cupcake.
I got to try the Yellow Cake with Peanut Butter Mousse and Strawberry Cayenne Jam and the Chocolate Cake Infused with Salted Caramel topped with English Pecan Toffee Crumble. I think the very specific names of the Cake-Cups speak for themselves. Each small cake combines intricate flavors that compliment each other and make this sensational dessert so much more than a boring cupcake. This dessert is perfect for a person with a grown-up sweet tooth.
Tip: Plan on getting married soon? Bee's Knees makes beautiful Cake-Cups for weddings in Bourbon glasses or Champagne flutes that can be personally inscribed and taken home as favors.
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