I don’t like any mystery when it comes to my food (Is that a hair? No? It’s part of the salad? That’s interesting…), but secret menus from restaurants is something I do like! Ordering becomes a food-themed treasure hunt at these restaurant — from Starbucks’ secret size, to candy-based smoothies at Jamba Juice (sort of hypocritical but I’m not complaining). These 10 restaurants have more to offer than meets the menu-reading-eye!

initiating the gallery...

Tax Day isn't so bad when your nibbling on one of these. FOR FREE.

So tomorrow is Tax Day!  Yay!  Well, actually, not really, because taxes blow.  Signing that check is like a shot to the heart to all the money that I have made…the little of it that there is.  Basically taxes suck.  BUT.  Tax Day has an upside.  “How can that be?”  You might ask.  Well reader, I shall tell you.

FREE STUFF! FREE STUFF! FREE STUFF!! (And some pretty great discounts to boot.)

To help ease the pain of forking over all your hard-earned money to Uncle Sam, a few mighty fine companies are offering up some really great free sh*t. So put the wallet away and get ready to rake in the freebies!

Subway: FREE COOKIE!!  (No purchase necessary!)

Starbucks: FREE coffee if you bring in a reusable mug or cup!! (Al Gore/Leo/Mother Earth would be proud.)

Jamba Juice: FREE smoothie with this coupon!!

Maggie Moos: One FREE slice of ice cream pizza from 3-7 pm! (Never had it, but putting two of my favorite things together has to be delish.)

Cinnabon: Two FREE cupcake bites between 6 and 8 pm!!

Boston Market: Buy one plate get one FREE with this coupon!!

McCormick & Schmick’s: $10.40 dinner and drink specials, plus a free $10.40 certificate for a future visit!!

P.F. Changs: 15% off your bill for dine-in or carry out!

Dunkin Donuts: FREE doughnut!!

Staples and Office Depot: FREE copying for up to 30 (Staples) or 25 (Office Depot) single-sided pages of tax documents!! (OK, so that one’s not so exciting, but it could be good for all you procrastinators out there…)

Wow, that was a lot of exclamation points, but can you blame me? We’re talking free food here, peeps; if that’s not worth some enthusiasm, I don’t know what is. I’ve never been so proud to be an American.

Even though summer is dwindling to an end (seriously—where did it go?!), there are still a few scorcher days left, and there’s no better time to take advantage of the refreshing coolness of smoothies than now. Whether you’re a seasoned cook or just picking up a spatula for the first time, smoothies are basically the perfect meal or snack because they can be made and customized with so little effort.

All you need is a blender (and sometimes you don’t even need that—I have only a food processor, and I can make smoothies just fine) and a little creativity and you’re on your way to an at-home Jamba Juice. Seriously, why spend $6 on something that you can make at home for $1?

To illustrate just how simple it is, here’s a little mix ‘n match guide for you.

Start with:
- 1 cup of milk (any kind works, even soy milk or rice milk) OR
-  1 cup of yogurt (again, any kind works, but plain or vanilla make especially good bases) OR
- 1 cup of juice (use this if you want your smoothie to be more fruity than creamy)

Then add ¾ cup of fruit. Some good combinations:
- 1 large frozen banana and a couple of strawberries
- ¼ cup blueberries, ¼ cup raspberries, and ¼ cup blackberries
- equal parts pineapple and mango

Finally, throw in two ice cubes (crush them if possible or they might do a number on your blender/processor) and puree or pulse until your smoothie is the consistency you like. For thicker smoothies, use yogurt or a higher ratio of fruit to liquid. For something a little thinner, use more liquid. Simple as that.

If you want a little extra something to make your smoothie above-and-beyond delicious, try one of these:
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream (mmm milkshakey)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (great for a much-needed choco fix)
- 1 tablespoon chocolate syrup
- 2 teaspoons agave nectar
- 1½ teaspoons fresh mint (so refreshing!)

Experiment, blend and enjoy! And please use the comments to add your own smoothie suggestions. Yum!

Check out the latest headlines about that unique body of yours:

- My morning cup (or 7) of Joe has been my favorite workout buddy for a long time. Not only does it give me energy, but new research proves that it lessens the pain that comes after an intense workout! Caffeine blocks the brain and spinal cord from processing the biochemical adenosine, preventing pain during and after your spin on the stationary bike. You don’t need to drink as much caffeine as I do (shoot…I shouldn’t be drinking as much caffeine as I do!) to feel the benefits. A modest 2 cup serving of java will do the trick. Just don’t go overboard; if you’re heart rate is too high, working out may be more difficult than necessary.

- Still haven’t rid yourself of the Winter blues? Chase away that depression by packing a healthy lunch! Research shows that eating foods with the amino acid tryptophan raises you body’s serotonin levels, battling depression. To pack a brown bag full of this “happy hormone,” toss in a banana, turkey sandwich and some cottage cheese. These three foods are known to have the highest levels of tryptophan. If you’re on the go and feeling low, pick up a delicious Strawberry Nirvana from Jamba Juice. This smoothie is crammed with bananas and other fruit and a sixteen-ounce serving is only 170 calories…now that’s sweet! And if you’re swinging by a coffee shop for your caffeine fix, grab yourself a serving of low-fat cottage cheese to flip that frown upside down.

- Researchers are starting to think that you may follow in your mama’s virginity footsteps. Did she submit her V-Card early on? Your DNA may reveal that you will too! Although societal and cultural aspects play a larger part in determining when you’ll have your first time, your genes can be up to a third of the reason why you will hit the sheets at a certain age. This is most likely attributed to the presence of intense levels of the risk-taking, impulsive DRD4 gene. Ask your mom about her early escapades to see if the apple really doesn’t fall too far from the tree. (That is, if you really want to hear the answer…)

- Do you look up to the healthy lifestyles of those celery-chomping Vegetarians? Well, maybe you shouldn’t envy them so much. Studies show that adolescents and young adults who currently (or have in the past) follow a vegetarian diet are more likely to suffer from eating disorders. Veg-Heads have less control when it comes to binge eating and are more apt to engage in dangerous weight control behaviors such as purging, diet pill popping and abusing laxatives and diuretics. Although a vegetarian diet lessens the risk of obesity, is it really worth the possibly deadly impulses?

Scientists and researchers keep discovering better ways to help our health, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take advantage of the information we have today! While we wait for next week’s brilliant discoveries, be sure to have a coffee with your workout, a banana with your lunch, a birds and the bees talk with your mama and a healthy view on Vegetarianism.

I know I’m not alone here, so lets just kick the bad habits of self-sabotage!! Stop staring at yourself in the mirror with self loathing and use these helpful tips to make the transition from winter hibernation to summer rejuvenation (I don’t know that’s all that rhymed?) easy! AND WEAR SUNSCREEN!

*Stop grocery shopping on without a LIST! If you make a list of healthy options it will be MUCH easier to stick away from buying Haagen Daaz on a hot summer’s day. Watermelon will have to suffice.

*Make your own smoothies. Believe me, I love Jamba Juice just as much as the next girl, but hidden calories make “healthy” smoothies not so healthy.

*HAVE A POPSICLE!! Low fat fudgicles only have 50 calories!

*Find a workout partner and do things outside; ride a bike, play volleyball, tennis, swim. Make your workout plan feel like you aren’t working at all by making it a social activity.

*Eat more protein. Ok fine, this secret is nothing new but it IS important. I’ve been eating hard-boiled eggs like they’re going out of style. You’ll stay full longer, burn more calories, and it strengthens your immune system.

*Carry snacks with you so you don’t feel like binging on Cheetos in the middle of the day. Kashi granola bars, almonds, fruit, dried mangos (so good), or measured whole wheat crackers and string cheese.

*Do “work-out” blasts between commercials. Want to veg out and watch movies all day? Cool…but to keep burning calories, get up and do some jumping jacks, sit-ups, jog in place…whatever. You may look like a total spaz, but you’ll feel better and as a result, you’ll look better!

[Any other summer body tips? We need to know!]

Deflowering a virgin is something that guys think about…and they usually think about it in one of two ways: they either are dying to do it because they love the idea of being a girl’s “first” OR they’re terrified of it because they can’t emotionally throw down and they don’t think it’d be fair to rob a girl of her innocence without being able to give her foot massages and take her out on dates.

However, when I deflowered my first and only (or so I hope to be my first and only) virgin; I wasn’t thinking about either one of these things. Because I didn’t know he was a virgin. I had just met him.

Here’s what I DID know:

-He was bangin’ hot.

-He was a few years younger than me. However, he was 19 and legal.

-He was shy around me and I thought it was cute.

-He was willing to drive two hours to meet up with me the day after he met me.

-He still lived with his parents.

-He worked at Jamba Juice.

Here’s what I found out during the act:

-He was afraid of giving oral. I taught him how. (In my defense; I believed that there was a possibility he could have been inexperienced with oral, but still experienced with intercourse.)

-He had no idea how to take charge in sex. (Yawn. I hate that.)

Here’s what happened after the act:

-He invited himself to stay at my hotel with my friends.

-He cuddled with me as if we were stranded in the arctic.

-He asked me when he’d see me again when I had to leave (take note of the fact that he and I live about a 24 hour drive apart from each other.)

-He texted/called me incessantly during the days after…toying with ideas of coming to visit me…and even MOVING to L.A.

I eventually cracked.

“Had you ever had sex before me?”

I finally asked him this via a text message after yet another voicemail at 3am about how much I meant to him.

“No….so?”

UGH.

I have no idea why he didn’t mention to me that he was a virgin. However, now I know why so many guys out there are terrified of deflowering one. The pressure is frightening! I hope I’m never any boy’s first ever again.

I’ll make sure of this by keeping away from 19 year old boys who live with their parents and work at Jamba Juice.

I get up late, leave myself no time for breakfast, and grab a Vitamin C Blaster! on my way to class. Lunch time rolls around, I’ve got meetings and rehearsals before another batch of classes, so I run back over and buy a Protein Berry Boost. The people at the smoothie place know me by name. It’s like we’re in some secret club; I come in, they see me, nod, and get to work.

But I recently read an article that stopped me in my tracks.

Here I was thinking I was being Miss Healthy, drinking my nutrients, when in actuality, I might have been loading my body with unwanted fat and carbs.

Cool.

For one thing, a small, store-bought smoothie usually rounds out at about 16 ounces, which is roughly two cups. Anything larger than that is more than an average woman needs in one serving, especially if there’s yogurt, flavoring, and sugar added.

Also, just because something has a piece of fruit in it, doesn’t mean it’s healthy. A small “Chocolate Elvis” from the chain Planet Smoothie may have bananas in it, but it also has loads of calories, 9 grams of fat, and 108 grams of carbs.

If, like me, you’ll never be able to give up drinking your fruit in the morning, there are some tips to keeping your waistline intact and staying healthy.

First, try to substitute low-fat yogurt or soy milk whenever possible. Both have protein, which slows your digestion and keeps you full longer. Plus, they’re a lot healthier than ice cream or other sugary additives.

Second, stay away from those “boosts”. They may end up giving you way more vitamins than you need in a serving, and don’t always provide the health benefits they claim.

Thirdly, do your best to ignore anything with chocolate, peanut butter, or sherbet. If you’re mixing in one of those, you might as well be having a desert.

Finally, making a smoothie at home is the best way to control what goes in it, while also protecting your wallet. Here’s a fantastic recipe that’s simple and packed with antioxidants:

Blueberry Smoothie

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 cup low-fat blueberry yogurt

1/2 a banana

1/2 cup of ice

Blend the banana, ice, and yogurt together. Once everything is well mixed, add the blueberries and blend on low speed for 30 seconds. Adding the blueberries last keeps the blueberry flavor at the top.