Cactus Juice

Decided to be adventurous today and added cactus to my smoothie adventure:) The result was more of juice. The cactus is a bit sticky and has a very greenie taste but since I added orange, the citrus twist made it acceptable:)

For those who are new to this plant, below is the benefits of cactus: 

(from http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/the-nutrition-of-cactus-juice.html#b) 

Cactus juice has shown to help to prevent inflammation in the muscles, arteries, gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular region.

Cactus juice has a laxative effect and has shown to effectively treat constipation. In addition to easing constipation, cactus juice can reduce inflammation in the urethra and bladder. This has shown to help reduce pain experienced by individuals with bladder infections and gallstones.

Cactus juice is a good source of photochemicals, which can help strengthen the body's immune system. Lab animals have shown to have a reduce tumor growth after ingesting cactus juice because of an increased immune system response.

Additionally, the nopal cactus has high levels of betalins, which are antioxidants. This antioxidant has shown to prevent premature aging, promote optimal cellular health, reduce inflammation and detoxify the human body.

The American Heart Association has conducted research examining the benefits of cactus juice in reducing cholesterol levels. Nopal cactus nectar is high in soluble fiber, which the American Heart Association has shown to help control or reduce cholesterol levels.

Cactus juice has shown to be an effective remedy for non-insulin diabetes. Research shows that cactus juice can help decrease and stabilize blood glucose and insulin levels. 

Cheers to more smoothie and juice recipes:) Looking foward to more exotic and fun tasty smoothies^^

The Decline

Went for my last lesson for this week and it was such a disaster. I thought that my week had been bad enough, with students not giving a shit about learning on Tuesday and students complaining my game was boring (as compared to the previous week's game) on Wednesday. I was wrong. Horribly wrong. I went to the lesson half an hour early with the marked worksheet and decided on what to teach each student. 15minutes into the lesson and I was still waiting. Alone. In the classroom. Only at the 15th minute mark did 1 student step into my class. 1 student out of a freaking class of 6.

I felt a surge of despair and guilt as I spent the entire 2 hours fixated on 1 student. I felt so bad for screwing up the lives of the students as they must have skipped my lesson to go for makeup lessons, meaning to say I'm a useless teacher who can't even teach properly. Even for that one student, I couldnt teach properly as he was a slower learner, hence making me slightly exasperated. Exasperation compounded by my sense of guilt just threw me into a deep hole of shit. Think I should just give up on this path and source for alternatives, instead of screwing the lives of students who are unluckily placed in my class. 

Since there is still 1 month of relief tutoring left, I shall just persevere and strive hard to lessen my guilt. In the meantime, I need some Running Man and Mango-Orange-yogurt smoothie to ease my depression. 

"Life is a marathon, there are times you're ahead and times you're behind. But ultimately it's merely a race with yourself" 

(thanks to a special friend for this inspiring motivation:)

Green Citrus Smoothie

Woke up in the morning and while I was preparing the ingredients, my bro requested me to make an extra serving. Glad that he liked it:)

Green Citrus Smoothie
Makes 2

Ingredients:
1 avocado, fully ripe
2 oranges
2 cups of frozen spinach, chopped (I froze the spinach to prevent it from turning soggy in the fridge, to extend their fridge life)
2 carrots, chopped
2 handfuls of ice

Blend avocado and oranges with a bit of water until smooth. Then add in frozen spinach, ice and carrots to blend.

World Cup to start a Monday

Woke at 6am specially to watch Ronaldo in action. Disappointed that he didn't make it to the scoresheet once again, but Team Portugal: job well done:) 

And now, a celery-carrot-avocado-orange smoothie to start my Monday:)

Hoping for a great week ahead^^