Aphrodisiacs by Elizabeth Brown, MS, RD

One seductive salad

The Kiss. It is my favorite painting. It is my favorite experience. The most important one is that first kiss. It can make or break a relationship. You either feel it or you don’t. Kissing is one way to “feel it” while still behaving like a lady or a gentleman.

I’ve always been a hopeless romantic, preferring to wait for the perfect person rather than jump into a relationship simply to avoid being alone. I am so taken in by Hollywood’s portrayal of love and romance. In my favorite movie, Never Been Kissed, Drew Barrymore’s character recites a monologue about experiencing that first kiss with the right person. If you’re a romantic, please rent this one. I won’t give away the story except to say that she’s a writer and a hopeless romantic, just like me.

A Real Love Affair with a Mango by Elizabeth Brown, MS, RD

An ode to the mango

Le Sumba el Mango. While researching mangoes, I found that expression on Babalu Blog. I asked a Cuban gentleman, who is near and dear to my heart, what it means. He said “Sumbar means to buzz, such as in your ears, but the expression is that the mango overwhelms you.” “Oh,” I thought, “It does, in so many ways.”

If you’ve ever tried to cut a mango gracefully, you know how difficult it can be. That big seed kind of gets in the way, making a seemingly simple task sometimes awkward. Oftentimes I just peel away the skin and have at it, kind of like having sex. Sometimes things come off and it gets a little messy but hopefully in the end you are very satisfied. Sorry, but it had to be said.

Chocolate Mint Recovery Shake by Elizabeth Brown, MS, RD

Guilty Pleasures

It happens every march without fail. It has nothing to do with age, experience or will-power. You order them out of habit and there they are — Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs and Do-Si-Dos. You empty box after box and consume, thousands upon thousands of calories.

March is known in this country as Girl Scout Cookie month. It is also National Nutrition Month. Coincidence? I think not. In 1933, the Girl Scouts held their first “home-made” cookie sale and 40 years later the dietitians created National Nutrition Month. As a dietitian, it is my duty to educate. OK, here goes, “Those cookies are not very healthy, please limit your intake.”