5 Unique Benefits Of Enjoying Home-Cooked Meals

We all know there’s nothing quite like a home-cooked meal, although, the benefits of cooking your meals rather than opting for convenience alternatives span far further than incredible taste. It could be assumed that home-cooked meals would be far healthier than the restaurant and fast food alternatives. We have listed the following five morsels of evidence that will likely have you navigating your kitchen and learning a few new cooking techniques in no time.

Save Money

Cooking flavourful meals at home is notably cheaper in comparison to fast food alternatives, and you can further cut your food budget by purchasing produce and poultry directly from manufacturers. Therefore, buying in bulk from a reliable chicken meat supplier will dramatically reduce your spend. The same applies to all the other essential ingredients you will need to craft decadent meals. Home-cooked meals don’t just taste better, but they are also notably cheaper as in most regions, eating out at restaurant means paying tax a total of three times on your meal.

Discover A Rewarding Skill

Not everyone finds it effortless to decipher cryptic recipe books and navigate their way around the kitchen. However, in today’s day and age, tutorials and cooking shows make preparing meals a simple effort. Even if you have never enjoyed cooking before, you may find that the missing ingredient is nothing other than enthusiasm. Once you create your first mouth-watering meal, you may even find that you have uncovered a gratifying skill.

Gain Control Of Your Diet

If you are dieting to lose a bit of weight, eating out is not the best idea. Because restaurant meals hardly ever include any calorie count, staying on track with any eating plan can be tricky. By preparing your meals, you will automatically be in control of your diet. Therefore, you will be able to ensure you are getting enough nutrition by preparing balanced meals according to your dieting plan.

Avoid Allergy-Causing Ingredients

If you suffer from food allergies, you probably already know that eating out can often feel like a risky gamble. You won’t be fully aware of how your meal is prepared. In addition to this, your meal may contain ingredients that are not listed on the menu. This is extremely concerning for those who are allergic to foods such as nuts, strawberries, and countless others. What’s more, even though certain meals are labelled as vegetarian-friendly, vegan-friendly, or gluten-free, there is genuinely no way of knowing when someone else is preparing your meal behind closed doors.

Uncover Your Inner Creative

While it is usually best to follow recipes strictly for the best outcome, there is absolutely no reason why you can’t get creative and substitute ingredients as you see fit. Cooking often required exceptional creativity, and the more you learn, the more creative you will become. Uncovering creativity is a unique benefit as finding an enjoyable hobby offers its very own exclusive benefits of a boosted mood, enhanced sense of wellbeing, and many others. For this reason, many individuals consider cooking a rewarding hobby.

See Australia In All Its Glory

If you have never been to Australia before, and you are planning on going soon, then you will want to consider how you are going to make the most of it. There are a number of sights that you will absolutely want to visit and which you might consider essential if you do go, and some which are less well-known but still amazing, which you will also want to think about. All in all, you want to make sure that you are going to have seen Australia in all its glory, and that is something that you can make sure of easily enough. In this article, we will look at some of the things you might want to add to your list when you visit Australia, to ensure that you engage in a wide variety of activities while you are there.

Image Credit – CCO Licence

See Uluru

The huge mass of rock in Northern Territory otherwise known as Ayers Rock is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Australia, and it’s easy to see why. Not only is it a beautiful spot, from the top of which you can see much of central Australia, it’s also a place with incredible history and culture attached for the aboriginal people of htat land. Any visit to Australia is definitely worth a visit to Ayers Rock, and it is worth climbing it if you have the chance to do so. But do make sure that you take care to be respectful of the land while you are there – it is an important, even sacred, place for those who have lived there for so many years, and it needs to be treated with great care and respect.

Go Diving

If you find yourself in the growing city of Brisbane, Queensland, you might want to take a spare afternoon to go diving. This is not in the city itself, but in another well-known town in the same part of Queensland, known as Mooloolaba. There you can find the HMAS Brisbane, an historical shipwreck which is worth a visit in its own right. But as well as the fascinating history of that, you can also do an HMAS Brisbane Dive – and see some stunning underwater life and coral in doing so. This is a great choice for anyone who wants to see a slightly different side to Australia – or if you want to see the famous coral but you are not going to have a chance to get to see the Great Barrier Reef.

Image Credit – CCO Licence

Eat Out In Sydney

Sydney is the most popular tourist destination in Australia, and often considered to be its cultural capital in many respects. If you are hoping to soak in as much of the Aussie culture as you can, then visiting Sydney is absolutely going to be a vital thing to do. There is so much to do there, and you could easily spend weeks just in Sydney without going anywhere else, but in particular one of the things that it is great for is eating out. Sydney has some of the world’s top restaurants, and if you love to eat well then you are going to feel that you are in the right place indeed. In particular, you can expect to find some amazing seafood restaurants, so if you want to try out some surf and turf, you are absolutely in the right place.

Visit The World’s Largest Zoo

In terms of the sheer spatial size of the thing, Australia Zoo in Queensland is the largest in the world – quite impressive, but so is the fact that it also houses the widest variety of animals of any zoo in the world. It is also an ethical zoo, as it was set up for conservation purposes by the late, great Steve Irwin – something of a local legend, and someone whose spirit still infuses the experience of the place today, not least because the zoo is still run by his family. If you want to see some of the world-famous croc shows, then you are going to be in the right place for it – and if you’re lucky, one of the Irwin family will actually be there on the day to perform it!

As you can see, there is such a wide variety of things that you can do when you are visiting Australia, and no two visits are ever going to be quite the same. If you visit Australia soon, consider doing these things in order to get a good glimpse of the country.

It’s Time To Make Some Positive Changes

There’s no doubt that taking care of one’s health is incredibly important. This is especially true right now. The reality is that there has likely never been a time in many of our lives where we have spent quite so much time thinking incredibly carefully about our health. However, the truth is that your health has all kinds of different impacts on your health as a whole even without the conditions of the current crisis. Not only can it impact the way that you feel physically but it can even have an impact on your mental health and wellbeing. Your mind and your body are obviously connected and if you’re not taking care of both as much as possible, you’re likely to end up feeling exhausted, sick, and miserable. With that in mind, here are some things that you can do in order to make some positive changes in your life for the sake of your health.

Your habits

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We all have various habits in our lives. Things that we do on a daily or even constant basis that can either make our lives easier or harder depending on what they are. Something like biting your nails is hardly the most desirable habit in the world and not only can it cause a lot of pain and discomfort but it can also increase the chances of you getting sick. Obviously, habits that increase your chances of getting sick are things that are on many of our minds right now. However, this time is a great opportunity to develop some habits that are far more positive for your health overall. Things like making sure that you’re able to wash hands as thoroughly as possible aren’t just useful during this current pandemic but are an excellent habit to get into well into the future. Likewise, many of the habits of mindfulness that many of us are developing during this time can be incredibly positive moving forward.

Your lifestyle

Times are tough right now and that’s something that we’re all having to deal with. However, the mistake that a lot of people make is that they end up developing elements of their lifestyle in order to deal with tough times that aren’t exactly that helpful when it all comes down to it. Finding the energy to cook and eat healthy meals can often be a challenge and that leads some people to rely heavily on takeout and junk food. And sure, there’s nothing wrong with that. However, if you indulge in those kinds of things too much, it can end up making you feel worse. The same applies, to an even more significant degree, to things like alcohol. Sure, having a drink now and then really isn’t that big of a deal but if you get to the point where you’re relying on alcohol to feel better about the current state of things, that’s a pretty serious issue and a situation that you really don’t want to get yourself into.

Your job

A person’s job can often be the most significant source of stress and anxiety for them, something that has most certainly been pronounced by the current state of affairs. One of the best things that you can do to try and minimise the negative impact that your job has on your health and wellbeing is to focus your energy in other places like a personal hobby or talking to friends and family. Obviously, your options for activities outside of work right now is a whole lot more limited than it was before but there are still ways to take your mind off your career so that you’re dragging any stress from it into the rest of your life.

Your friend circle

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No matter how tough things can get a lot of the time, there are few things better than having a genuinely positive support network around you to help you get through it. Now is a time for many of us to come together and take care of each other. However, if you find that certain people in your life are making life even more difficult than it already is, then that’s something you need to deal with. Obviously talking to them is the first step but if you find that someone is genuinely committed to particularly toxic behaviour, sometimes the best thing that you can do is to just walk away from that relationship. You’d be amazed at just what a positive difference it can make in your life letting that weight off your shoulders.

Your home

Obviously, the chances of being able to sell your home and move right now are pretty slim. However, that doesn’t mean that you have to put up with a home that makes you feel worse. Whether it’s stress from clutter and mess or a bigger issue with something like damp, there are always things that you can do to make your home a more positive space. It’s often a simple and small change but one that can have a big impact.

The reality of trying to be healthy is that it’s never going to be easy. There are plenty of things in life where the easy option is often the one that sacrifices your health. Whether that’s eating a plate of junk food, indulging in some unhealthy behaviors, or neglecting certain things that you should be doing. The truth is that, for the most part, there really isn’t anything wrong with the occasional slip up when it comes to your health. Slipping on your diet or avoiding a couple of workout days every now and then really isn’t going to have that much of a negative impact on your life. Of course, that doesn’t apply to the current situation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The reality is that it’s all of our responsibilities to make sure that we’re following all of the correct procedures. There are plenty of aspects of your health that you can ignore from time to time, but for the good of both yourself and everyone else around you, the rules of social distancing and washing your hands simply aren’t one of them.

Simple Tips Of Working From Home To Be More Productive

What you can't claim as working from home tax deductions

Working from home can bring with it many benefits, from productivity growth to flexibility improvements if you know how to do it.

Here are some simple tips to help you to be more productive while working remotely.

Act like you are going to the office.

When working from home, do all the things you’d do to prepare for an office role: Get up early, make (or go get) coffee, and wear nice clothes. This will get you in the your usual working mindset.

Just because you’re not working at an office doesn’t mean you can’t, well, have an office. Rather than cooping yourself up in your room or on the couch – spaces that are associated with leisure time – dedicate a specific room or surface in your hIf you’re struggling to come up with a reasonable work schedule for yourself, start with the solitary tasks in the morning. Save phone calls, meetings, and other collaborative work for when you’ve officially “woken up.”ome to work.

When working from home, you’re your own personal manager. Without things like an in-person meeting schedule to break up your day, you can be quick to lose focus or burn out. To stay on schedule, segment what you’ll do and when over the course of the day.

Of course, you might be working from home but still have “company”. Make sure any roommates, siblings, parents, spouses, and dogs (well, maybe not dogs) respect your space during work hours. Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you’re home.

Social media is designed to make it easy for you to open and browse quickly. To counteract your social networks’ ease of use during work hours, remove them from your browser shortcuts and log out of every account.

Social media is designed to make it easy for you to open and browse quickly. To counteract your social networks’ ease of use during work hours, remove them from your browser shortcuts and log out of every account.

It can be so easy to get distracted that you avoid breaks altogether. Don’t let the guilt of working in the building you sleep in prevent you from taking five to relax. Rather than just opening YouTube, however, use your breaks to get away from your desk.

You might be under the impression that working from home establishes more work-life balance, but be careful with that assumption. Working from home can also feel like being at a casino – you can get so caught up in your activity, in a relaxing environment, that you lose complete track of time.

Avoid over working

The boundaries between our work and personal life are blurring. Prevent yourself from working longer hours.

SHORTCUT TO CALCULATE WORK FROM HOME EXPENSES.

From 1 March – 30 June (and pending reassessment beyond) the ATO is allowing an across-the-board 80 cents per hour claim for your running expenses. When working from home, do all the things you’d do to prepare for an office role: Set your alarm, make (or go get) coffee, and wear nice clothes. This will get you in the your usual working mindset. 

 

How To Maintain Your Beauty Regime in Lockdown: 5 Tips You Can Use

Throughout the lockdown you might be missing your regular trips to the hair salon, getting your mani-pedi done or pamper days at the spa. However, there are certain things that you can do at home that will ensure that you’re maintaining your beauty regime while staying safe from the virus.

A beneficial way of practicing your self-care, it will make you feel relaxed and pampered – something that everyone could do with during this time. Just like maintaining your fitness routine, it will bring a sense of normality to quarantine life.

But where do you start? Here are 5 tips that you can use to help you to keep up your beauty regime throughout the next few months.

  1. Keep Moisturized 

Being inside all of the time can cause havoc to your skin – whether you’re constantly turning the heating or air conditioning up. So the key to happy skin is to keep it moisturized. This should be done both at night and in the morning. Ensuring that your skin is healthy and doesn’t become dry, you’ll feel more refreshed and ready to start the day.

Moisturizer, face creams, serums and more can also be easily ordered online, so you don’t have to worry about venturing into your local store (for example on Pharmacy Online).

  1. Make DIY Face/Hair Masks

If you’re used to purchasing hair and face masks from your local store, well you’ll be pleased to know that you can create your own at home with a small number of ingredients. The perfect opportunity to get crafty in the kitchen, they will give your hair/face the nourishment and moisture they need. 

For a face mask, you could use a variety of ingredients, including avocado, honey and natural yogurt. For a hair mask, you could use honey, aloe vera gel and lemon (amongst other wonderful, natural ingredients.

  1. Run a Bath With Essential Oils

The ultimate way to unwind is with a long, hot soak in the tub. Rejuvenating the skin, you’ll feel calm and at ease afterwards. If you really want to treat yourself, as well as adding essential oils to the tub, you could use a body scrub while in it or a body lotion afterwards. 

  1. Treat Your Nails To A Manicure 

As aforementioned, you’re probably missing getting your nails done at the salon. But there are kits that you can use to create the manicure-look at home. 

If you normally love to get your nails done, this will help you to achieve a similar look, while the lockdown continues. There are so many tutorials and step-by-step guides online that will help you to do this too.

  1. Give Up The Makeup

Although applying makeup throughout the lockdown might make you feel as though life’s normal, it will only damage your skin in the long term. So, as part of your beauty regime, why not give the makeup a miss for a while? This will give your skin time to breathe and will make it feel so much more refreshed.

If You Want White Teeth, You Should Avoid These Foods

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We would all like to have white teeth. Not only is it a priority of the culture, but it also signals health and vitality. Plus, a great smile helps create good first impressions when we meet new people.

Unfortunately, not everyone has white teeth, and you may even be considering seeing an orthodontist because of your smile, but it is not always the result of poor hygiene. Mostly, it’s just the foods that we eat. 

Fruits and vegetables contain chemicals called tannins. These are chemicals that give the foods that we eat their characteristic color. 

Plants use these pigments to signal to bees and protect themselves from the environment. But they’re also dyes – and that’s the point at which your teeth can get into trouble. When you eat these foods month after month, year after year, they eventually incorporate themselves into the enamel, causing it to look duller and browner. 

The good news, though, is that a lot of this discoloration is superficial. Clinics like DentEssential, for instance, point out that you can usually get rid of this with a single visit to the hygienist. 

But what about the six months between visits? What can you do to avoid stains then and keep your teeth white year-round? 

The answer is simple: avoid the highest-tannin foods! Or if you can’t, blend them up and drink them through a straw, bypassing your teeth. 

Coffee

Sorry all you coffee lovers out there, but the world’s favorite drink is one of the leading causes of tooth discoloration. Tannins from the coffee bean have a nasty habit of incorporating themselves into the tooth enamel and turning your gnashers brown over time. 

The heat of coffee makes this problem worse. The high temperature softens the enamel and makes it more prone to infiltration. 

So what’s the solution here? Should you avoid coffee altogether? 

Avoiding coffee won’t do you any harm – and it might do you some good if you drink cup after cup of the stuff. But you can avoid going without by drinking your coffee through a straw. No – it’s not the done thing, and it looks a little strange, but it does help keep your pearly whites white. 

Citrus Fruits

Citrus fruits are delicious, but here again, you need to be careful. Oranges, lychees, and the rest all contain abundant tannins that can make their way onto your teeth. 

Fortunately, you can quickly whip these fruits up into a smoothie and use the straw method to guzzle them. 

Berries

Berries are high in anthocyanins – cyan-colored pigments that make your mouth look purple after you eat them. 

As you might expect, these phytochemicals can stain, so it is critical to rinse your mouth out after you eat berries.

Green Tea

All teas have a nasty habit of coloring your teeth, but green tea is one of the most insidious. It looks relatively benign, but don’t let its soothing green color fool you. This drink is chock full of chemicals that color your teeth and make them go brown. 

So, there, you have it: some of the foods that you should avoid if you want white teeth. Keep your diet simple and be wary of particularly colorful menu items. 

 

How to Feel More Comfortable When You’re Traveling

There are, of course, countless things to love about packing your bags and setting forth on an adventure. However, it would be wrong to think that every aspect of it is amazing. There can be trying times when you’re out of your comfort zone, and sometimes you’ll run into things that slightly derail your fun. At other times, you’ll simply feel a little physically uncomfortable. There are things we can do about this, though. In this blog, we’re going to take a look at some useful tips that’ll ensure you’re more comfortable when you’re on the road. 

Well-Rested 

You’ll find it hard to stay comfortable when you’re traveling if you’re uncomfortable when you depart. The thing about adventuring is that it slowly takes away your energy; if you’re going on a real adventure, then you’ll likely return home in need of your bed. But it’s important that you only feel this way at the end of your trip, not halfway through. As such, look at setting off feeling in great physical shape. In the week running up to your trip, take things easy, and get plenty of sleep. You’ll be raring to go and have energy to spare.

Comfortable Clothes

There may be times when you want to dress up and look your best, but it’s not as if you need to be wearing your best clothes all the time. If you’re going to be moving around a lot, then choose comfort over style. It’s much easier to enjoy your adventures when the weight of your clothes isn’t dragging you down, for instance. And take it from us: if you have a long flight, coach, or train journey, you’ll be grateful that you packed comfortable pants, rather than say, stylish but uncomfortable jeans.

Handling Issues

You never know what’s going to happen when you’re traveling. That’s part of the fun! But sometimes, it means that unpleasant things might happen too. If you have physical discomfort, such as nausea or heartburn, then you’ll find it much more difficult to enjoy all that your trip can bring. One way to get around this is to pack a small pack of medicines, just in case. Things like aspirin, zanzole tablets, and common-cold tablets will all be worth their weight in gold, should they be needed. You can’t always prevent falling ill when you’re traveling, but you can control how well you can combat the symptoms. 

Schedule In Downtime

We always want to make the most of our time traveling. However, it’s important that you’re scheduling in some downtime too. You’ll only wear yourself out if you’re constantly moving. Plus, if you’re always on the go, you’ll miss some of the magic of your destination. 

Hotel Options 

Finally, if you know that you’re going to be extra tired by the time you arrive at your destination, be sure to book a comfortable hotel. It’s sometimes worth paying slightly more than normal if it means you can have a great night’s sleep when you really need it. 

Do You Feel Like A Real Adult?

We put a lot of expectations on ourselves but there’s one thing that we’re all constantly told to do from an early age: grow up. Many of us just kind of assume that feeling like a real grown-up is something that inevitably happens with time but the truth is that this isn’t actually the case. A lot of people end up in adulthood while still feeling like they don’t really know what they’re doing. If you want to start feeling like a grown-up, you have to start taking responsibility for your life. Here are just a few ways that you can do that and start feeling like a real adult.

Get involved in local politics

Snore! I’m sure that’s what you might be saying at the thought of local politics. Politics can be pretty dry at the best of times. And local politics doesn’t even have the newsworthy glamor of a national election. But, believe it or not, local governments have a surprisingly serious effect on your life. The best thing that you can do is make sure you’re aware of who your local representatives are and how you can contact them. Making changes in government might seem too big for any person to make a difference but getting involved at a local level is a great place to start.

Take care of your health 

One of the hardest lessons that many people have to learn is that their health is something they have to take an active part in looking after. If you don’t you could end up in some seriously unpleasant situations. It’s time to start taking care of every aspect of your health. Whether that involves getting in touch with a place like the McCrae Dental Surgery in order to take care of your teeth, to contacted your doctor to discuss any issues that you’re having with your mental health, it’s something you should never ignore. Ignoring your health is a fast way to make sure that your life never feels entirely in your hands.

Stay active

In the same way that your health is something you have control over, the way you feel on a day to day is just as much in your hands. Living a more active life is an essential ingredient when it comes to getting everything you can out of life. You’ll have more energy, you’ll feel better about yourself, and your body will be happier and healthier than ever before. An active lifestyle is often a lot easier to achieve than many people assume and it can make you feel like you have more control over your life.

A lot of the things that come with feeling like a real adult aren’t exactly the most exciting things in the world but that’s the reality of living in the modern world. If you want to start feeling like you have more control over your life then the first step is to acknowledge just how much control you have over the direction that it takes. Once you can to that, you’ll start feeling like you’re far more in charge of your own life.

Boost Your Anti Aging Foods

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There’s nothing you can do to stop ageing. Sadly everybody gets older and die eventually. If feeling and looking younger than your years is important to you, you’ll probably know that some foods give you energy and make you feel full of life, and others drag you down and put your straight into a food coma.

People live in Japan who eat a diet rich in fish, vegetables and soy, low in fat and sugar, have the longest lifespan the lowest levels of heart disease. Every meal you eat is an opportunity to fend off ageing, so eat the right food. A disease fighting, anti-ageing diet means cooking from the scratch, using fresh ingredients instead of relying on the lettuce in your burger for one of your five a day portions of fruit and veg (that’s the story of my life).

Antioxidants could add years to our lives buy fighting free radical damage, if we are getting enough. For very basic good health, you need five a day – five portions of fresh fruit and vegetables a day ( a portion is around a handful). But to fend off aging , you need to step up a level and pack in as many antioxidants as possible.

Let’s start with some most easy to find and affordable anti ageing foods:

Spinach

It all in the color – spinach and other dark green vegetables such as kale, rocket and spring greens are packed with hundreds of disease fighting micro nutrients. Spinach is good at protecting eyesight as well as keeping the arteries clear of cholesterol, reducing blood pressure and lowering the risk of cancer. Baby spinach leaves contain more than 90%more antioxidants than iceberg lettuce.

Onions

Onions are high in the flavonoid quercitin, which can cut heart disease risk by 755%. Flavonoids also boost the immune system. One study showed a strong link between regular consumption of onions and a reduced risk of stomach cancer.

Broccoli

Broccoli come s from a family of cruciferous vegetables (including cabbage, kale and Brussels sprouts) that contain high levels of sulphur compounds which increase the enzymes that stop cancer cells growing. They also contain high levels of the antioxidant vitamin C and cholesterol lowering fibre. If there are any leaves left on the stalk, don’t discard them before cooking – they contain more carotenoids than the florets!

Sweet potatoes

While white potatoes provide low amounts of antioxidants, the darker skinned sweet potato is packed with antioxidants. They are simply delicious and so easy to cook. They can be baked in their skins, or boiled. Try cutting them into strips and roasting them in the oven in a little olive oil to make sweet potato chips.

Nuts

Nuts got a bad reputation during the 1980s fat free diet craze. We think nuts make us fat. They are high in calories, but in moderation ( a handful, a few times a week) they can reduce your risk of having a heart attack by up to 50%. They are packed full of monounsaturates, which lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol.

Wholegrains

Foods come from the wholegrain, those that still contain the antioxidant- packed wheatgerm, will help to lower your risk of heart disease, hypertension and certain cancers.

Yogut

Yogurt is a good anti ageing food as it’s full of probiotics or ”good bacteria” essential for essential for healthy digestion and boosting the immune system. Getting your digestive system working effectively means you’ll also get the most out of the other anti-ageing foods you are eating.

Consume a Balanced Diet

What you choose to eat every day has a direct effect on your appearance, so it is important to consume a balanced diet. Everyday Health states that nutritious foods reduce your chances of developing chronic diseases as you age, and it elevates your energy, which can make you naturally more vivacious. Although nutritional needs do vary among seniors, eating more vegetables, fruits, small portions of lean meats, fish, beans and whole grains are especially helpful. When you eat healthier, it is easier to keep the pounds off and avoid developing life-threatening health conditions that negatively impact your appearance.

The older that you get, the more important that it becomes to develop life-saving and beauty-magnifying habits with a sound diet, regular exercise, and a worry-free mind. Maintaining your beauty regimen and using products that nourish your skin is important for reducing anti-aging and appearing years younger. Every day that you make the choice to do something positive to make yourself look and feel good, your natural beauty and inner glow will shine through.

5 Delicious Meals To Cook While in Lockdown

Photo by Brett Jordan from Pexels

At the moment due to the lockdown, you might feel very unenthused when it comes to cooking dinner at the end of the day. Wanting to route around the freezer or order fast food, there might be no motivation to cook up a storm at home. But this is the perfect time to get experimental in the kitchen! Faced with more time to kill throughout the day, you can create a delicious meal that your family will love. 

If you’re still stuck for inspiration or don’t know where to start, here are some delectable meals that you can cook – without having to be a professional chef!

Chickpea Curry

Kicking off this list is one of the most simple meals that you can cook at home – chickpea curry. A simple yet flavorsome curry, it can be served with anything that you want, whether it’s potatoes, rice or bread. 

Add as many spices and seasonings that you want with this dish (this isn’t a dish that you’ll require coloxyl tablets for!) and leave it to simmer for a couple of hours. 

Thankfully, there are plenty of recipes available for this mouth-watering option available online. From the skills that you will pick up from this recipe, you can then start to experiment with other curries, whether that be a tikka masala or a madras!

Homemade Pizza

If you’ve never made homemade pizza before, then now is the time to hone your skills! A very simple thing to make, it just requires motivation and patience. After selecting toppings for your base, you can get started on creating the dough. 

Whether you make this from scratch with yeast and flour or you buy ready-made pizza dough, it will make the experience fun for every family member involved!

Spinach & Ricotta Chicken 

If you’re planning a more relaxed meal – say for a date night at home, then this is bound to go down a hit. A tantalizing recipe, spinach and ricotta chicken is perfect served with baby potatoes and greens. Easy to prepare and cook, anyone can make this dish – no matter if you’re a cooking novice or more experienced in the kitchen.

Steak or Chicken Tacos 

Why not have a Mexican-themed night at home? Cook up some delicious steak and chicken tacos and see the joy on your partner’s/kids faces the moment they are served. Accompanied with guacamole, sour cream and any other fillings you want, they are simply wonderful. If you really want to impress, you could even make nachos to start. 

Pad Thai 

Alternatively, why not try this incredible traditional Thai dish? A very popular choice for many foodies around the world, it’s one of the more healthy options on this list. A meal that has a little bit of everything from sweet notes to heat, only a handful of ingredients are required to make this a truly spectacular dish and it can be a fun activity that you can enjoy solo or as a family.

Why Having a Healthy Smile is More Important Than You Think

A healthy smile reflects more than just your oral health. In fact, our teeth and gums are a great indicator of our overall physical health. As well as examining your teeth, tongue, and gums to diagnose certain conditions, medical professionals often look to your oral health to determine whether you’re at risk of developing other health problems. 

To learn just how important a healthy smile is, take a look at the ways your oral health can affect your wellbeing…

Improve Heart Health

A good oral hygiene routine removes plaque from your teeth and prevents it from turning into tartar. When plaque is left on the surface of your teeth, it begins to damage the enamel and causes decay. Of course, plaque doesn’t just affect your teeth; it damages your gums too. 

An early stage of gum disease, known as gingivitis, often occurs because of plaque buildup. Characterized by spongy, swollen or bleeding gums, it can quickly develop into a more severe form of gum disease if it’s left untreated. 

However, the damage plaque causes doesn’t stop there. If it isn’t removed via brushing and flossing, plaque can impact your heart function too. With studies still ongoing, researchers are exploring the ways in which dental problems contribute to heart disease. 

It’s possible that plaque can actually affect your heart health in two ways, which highlights the importance of practicing a good oral hygiene routine. Firstly, plaque from your mouth could migrate throughout the rest of your body and eventually cause blockages in your arteries. When your arteries are partially blocked, it prevents blood from flowing through them effectively, which means your heart and other organs won’t get the oxygen or nutrients they need to function optimally. 

Secondly, the presence of plaque increases your risk of developing bacterial infections. As plaque itself contains millions of bacteria, it doesn’t take much it to get into your bloodstream. When this happens, bacteria will cause inflammation at the site of any existing damage and potentially cause infection within your body. This has been linked to increased instances of endocarditis, which is an infection of the inner lining of the heart muscle. 

Due to scientific links between gum disease and heart health, taking care of your teeth and gums will do more than just prevent oral hygiene issues. By flossing and brushing regularly, you could keep your heart in tip-top condition too. 

Decrease the Risk of Dementia

Many people assume that dementia is a natural part of the aging process, but this isn’t the case. Dementia is actually a degenerative condition, which means it gets progressively worse over time, but it doesn’t affect everybody, and it isn’t an inevitable part of getting older.

As researchers learn more about Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia, they have identified biological markers that indicate how and when dementia developers. When dementia occurs, it’s often because abnormal structures affect how the brain works. These structures, known as neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques, prevent the nerve cells from communicating normally and cause inflammation to occur. 

Although the exact way in which gum disease contributes to dementia is still being studied, numerous researchers have made the link. In addition to this, a bacterium commonly found in gum disease, Porphyromonas gingivalis, has been found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, which may highlight why people with gum disease seem to have an increased risk of developing dementia.

Other theories purport that an excess of dental plaque causes damage to the bodies’ blood vessels, which eventually increases the number of toxic proteins in the brain, thus leading to dementia. Additionally, it is thought that the ongoing inflammation which is present when someone has gum disease causes the entire body to be more at risk of inflammation. As people with dementia typically have inflammation within the brain, anything which increases the risk of inflammation could potentially increase the risk of dementia too. 

While the science behind the mechanism is still being understood, there are a variety of studies that show that people with gum disease are more likely to develop dementia. Due to this, regular brushing and route visits to the best dentist in your area are a must. By reducing plaque buildup in your mouth, there’s a good chance you could reduce your risk of developing dementia in later life too. 

Defeat Diabetes with Oral Health

Diabetes can cause a wide range of symptoms but few people realize that it can affect your teeth and gums. When your blood sugar levels aren’t well-controlled, it can cause damage to numerous parts of the body, including your gums, heart, kidneys, and liver. When blood sugar levels are too high, the blood vessels in your body are damaged. This means they are unable to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the rest of your body.

When your gums don’t get the nutrients they need, the risk of an infection occurring increases. Similarly, it’s possible that bone loss could be exacerbated if the supply of nutrients isn’t sufficient. In addition to this, uncontrolled blood sugar means there can be a higher level of glucose in your saliva. Increased glucose means bacteria can multiply, which also increases the chances of an infection taking hold. 

Due to this, people with diabetes have a higher risk of developing gum disease. In fact, your dentist may advise you to get checked for diabetes when they first diagnose you with gum disease. Although a good oral hygiene routine won’t be enough to manage your diabetes alone, it can certainly reduce the risk of subsequent problems occurring. When you implement a good oral hygiene routine, for example, you’re removing excess plaque, which limits the ability of bacteria to thrive in a high glucose environment. 

Protect Your Body with a Healthy Smile

Oral health should never be viewed in isolation. As well as increasing the risk of some health problems, the health of our teeth and gums can also provide crucial information regarding conditions affecting other parts of our bodies. By visiting your dentist regularly and maintaining a healthy smile, you can successfully maintain your overall physical wellbeing and reduce the risk of developing health problems in the future. 

Distressing By Decluttering And Cleaning

minimalism lifestyle

Are your drawers tidy and ordered? Do you only have clothes you like and wear regularly in your wardrobe? Are all the appliances in your home essential and in working order? Is your desk piled up with unsorted paperwork? Is your car clean and well maintained? Is the area under your bed well ordered and dust free? Is there any mysterious boxes and bags of unknown “stuff” lying around your house? Do you recycle and decluttering periodically?

It’s finally Easter Weekend and I’m having a good few days to sit down and ask myself the above questions. Mostly importantly, there’s finally some time to have a good clean up. Clean up the house, clean up my mind and make life simple.

Deep cleaning is good for your soul.

The good news is I’m aware of it and have started to clean up once in while.

Storage cabinets

I’ve gone through cupboards and drawers and threw out lots of useless items accumulated. On the upside, I also found almost a full bottle of hand sanitiser. This is something money can’t buy in this current environment, you know. Hand sanitisers are sold out everywhere right now.

Wardrobe

This is a major and ever evolving area. I’ve been ruthless this time and put a few big bags of clothes in the local donation bin. Most of them are never worn or in mint condition. From now onwards I’ll only buy clothes in neutral colours and in simple styles.

Kitchen cupboards

Gone are the slow cooker and blender. These appliances are good ideas but never used. Talking about being ruthless. There are hundreds of pretty dishes that I still can’t bring myself to get rid of. Should have only bought a couple of bowls and plates and be simple! “Unused stuff” can take up so much space and be a huge money waster. No wonder I’m poor. If you want to be financially successful, think before you buy!

Getting rid of your clutter and you’re free to redefine yourself. Your space becomes clearer. Life becomes less stressful. It makes you feel you are in control of your life by chucking out things you don’t need.

I only started decluttering a few years ago. Before that, I had all the ornaments, travel trinkets, plants, designer clothes, silver jewellery that are too fancy to wear everyday and things for projects never been undertaken.

The Chinese believe that all these unlovely, unwanted thins lying about haphazardly block the flow of energy – the chi in our homes. Obviously I’m not Chinese enough. Cutting my belongs will be an ongoing process and I need to cultivate ruthlessness.

It’s hard to feel unstressed when your home is dirty and messy. Even if it’s clean, keeping it that way is often a major cause of stress. Very often, I feel too tired or too busy to clean. But a clean home gives me so much joy and energy so there must be easier way to keep our homes clean.

The answer is clean as you go.

Get dressed as soon as you get up

I’m very sloppy when I work from home or having days off. But try this, the minute you get up, make your bed and get dressed. Wash up (make up is optional) and comb your hair. You’ll be amazed how much more productive you can be.

Aways have a clean kitchen sink

If you prepare and cook food, wipe down the counter top quickly as soon as you are done. Wash dishes when you are done with them. It’s easily said than done I know. But don’t make it a habit leaving dirty dishes pile up in the sink. With a shinning sink, you feel you are in control.

Put away clothes when you take them off

I used to have clothes piled up everywhere in the bedroom, in the bathroom. It doesn’t take much effort to put clothes away whenever you take them off. If they are clean, put them back in the wardrobe. If they are dirty, put them in the cleaning basket. It’s that easy and make you feel so much better!

Take out garbage whenever you are leaving home

Before you leave home, check if there’s any garbage to take out.

Make it a habit to declutter regularly and clean as you go. You’ll fee much less stressed and more in control of your life for sure.

3 Simple Steps To Stay In Shape

Do you have an ache in your lower back, a tight, pulling feeling in your neck and your shoulders up in your ears? If so, then you are not alone. Nowadays I probably spend more than 10 hours seated and could feel my waistline expanding by minute.

This kind of sedentary lifestyle means your back and stomach muscles become severely underused. It means you body is heading for a disaster and you need to stand up, get active ( 30 minutes a day for a adult) and learn to maintain good posture.

How to stay in shape and feel more energised? A good place to start is to do something about the neglected areas of your health regime. When you are out of shape, it’s very possible that you are over eating. You don’t exercise. You don’t sleep well. Or all of the above.

1. Sleep well

Most people skip sleep all week and then play catch up at the weekends. That’ll not only knock out your body clock but also make you fell lethargic and even sleepier when you do wake up. For effective sleep, aim for seven solid hours a night. To aid your sleep have a warm bath to make you feel drowsy. Lower the room temperature. A cool environment improves sleep. Avoid caffeine (coffee, tea, diet drinks and some pain killers) five hours before bed and don’t go to bed hungry. Also don’t eat a heavy meal two hours before bed, as this will cause a restless night.

2. Eat well

Be aware of how much you eat and what you eat. These two things alone determine your weight gain. Not all foods are made the same. Generally it’s the food that tastes good usually packs the most on the calorie front. keep a food diary and note where your weak spots lie. This will not only help you to be honest about what you eat but will also help you to create a healthier food plan to nourish your body.

Eat like a healthy person and don’t go with mad diets. Healthy people don’t police what goes into their mouths, feel guilty when they eat something “bad” and skip meals because they want to lose weight. Eat when you are hungry and stop when you are not. Don’t over eat. When you tend to over-eat, stop. Find something else to do that takes your mind off eating. If you’re truly having a bad day, and food is the only remedy to make your better, give in to it in a small way. Then move on!

3. Exercise often

Sadly, for many people, myself included, the idea of exericse is more abhorrent than a diet. That’s why people start diets everyday and people only tend to start exercising either at New year or when the beach season comes. This is down to one simple reason: in order to exercise you need to take action, which means you actually need to move. Whereas diet, you can literally just do nothing. Both equal weight loss but studies show that people who exercise win in the long run.

That’s because exercisers:

  • Have more self-esteem and confidence because their bodies feel stronger.
  • Have leaner bodies than people who diet because muscle takes up a third of the space of fat
  • Keep weight off for longer than dieters
  • Feel great in genera, as exercise releases feel good endorphins

How to keep exercising and stay in shape then?

First of all, you need to stay motivated. Find a sport or activity that suits you and inspires you, as well as getting you results. Create a realistic vision of how you’d like to stay in shape in the long run.

Make exercise a habit. Keep doing it every day or at lease 3 – 4 times a week. All you need is 30 minutes a day. When tempted to break your habit, remind yourself your are only sabotaging yourself. Every time you break it means you have to start all over again!

Of course life doesn’t run smoothly for anyone and it doesn’t take much to give us an excuse to break down. When there are times you have a setback, remember to jump back on the wagon and keep going.

You have to see exercise and activity as part of your life to. Get use to moving and your can stay in shape effortlessly.

Rome – Part Two: Pantheon – Trevi Fountain – Spanish Steps

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Pantheon is most unique building I’ve seen because of it’s open dome (meaning a hold on the roof). It is about 20 minutes walk from Colosseum. Being one of the best-preserved and most influencial of all Ancient Roman buildings, it has been in continuous use throughout its history.

It was built as a Roman temple dedicated to all the gods of pagan Rome. As the brick stamps on the side of the building reveal it was built and dedicated between A.D 118 and 125.

The coffered dome has a central oculus as the main source of natural light. When it rains, it also rains inside the Pantheon.  But the floor is slightly sloping floor with 22 well-hidden holes help the water flow away, thanks to an effective drainage system.

One of the masterpieces of architecture present in Rome, it is a must see. The original Pantheon was destroyed in a fire around 80 A.D. It was rebuilt by Emperor Domitian, only to be burned down again in 110 A.D. Hadrian became emperor in 117, a time when the Roman Empire included much of present-day Europe, as well as parts of the Middle East and northern Africa. The final Pantheon was entirely rebuilt in 126 AD by Emperor Hadrian, using more up-to-date architectural and engineering techniques. In honor of its original builder Agrippa, Emperor Hadrian did not take credit for it by inscribing its own name on the building.

Since the Renaissance the Pantheon has been the site of several important burials. Today, this impressive museum is free to visit.

From Pantheon, walk towards northern east direction, you’ll reach Trevi Fountain in 10 minutes also.

The Trevi Fountain is one of the oldest water sources in Rome. The fountain dates back to ancient Roman times, since the construction of the Aqua Virgo Aqueduct in 19 B.C. that provided water to the Roman baths and the fountains of central Rome.

The fountain is located in Rome’s Trevi district, abutting the Palazzo Poli. An earlier fountain on the site was demolished in the 17th century, and a design competition for a new fountain was won by Nicola Salvi in 1732. His creation was a scenic wonder.

trevi fountain

Trevi Fountain, Italian Fontana di Trevi, fountain in Rome that is considered a late Baroque masterpiece and is the best known of the city’s numerous fountains. It was designed by Nicola Salvi and completed by Giuseppe Pannini in 1762. The fountain also features statues of Abundance and Health.

According to legend, tossing one coin into the Trevi Fountain means you’ll return to The Eternal City (Rome), tossing two coins means you’ll return and fall in love, and tossing three coins means you’ll return, find love, and marry. An estimated 3,000 euros are thrown into the fountain each day. In 2016, an estimated €1.4 million (US$1.5 million) was thrown into the fountain. The money has been used to subsidise a supermarket for Rome’s needy. Not surprisingly, there are regular attempts to steal coins from the fountain, even though it is illegal to do so.

Remember the scene in the movie Roman Holiday? The right way to throw a coin is to toss a coin with your right hand over your left shoulder, with your back to the Fountain. 🙂

Head north for another 10 -15 minutes, you’ll reach another famous spot – the Spanish Steps.

Photo source: https://colosseumrometickets.com/

But in reality, you might be stopping here and there in between because this is the ancient centre of Rome. Nearly the whole walk is lined with buildings of interest, bars and small restaurants. Do get a good guide book and pick up a detailed street map to guide you throughout the journey.

Standing at the top of the Spanish Steps is Peter’s Basilica. the 16th-century Trinità dei Monti church, which was built using French funds, having been commissioned by King Louis XII.

The Piazza di Spagna at the foot of the steps is named after the Spanish Embassy there, so the name simply extended to the steps, which were built in the 18th century to connect both the Embassy and the Trinita dei Monti church (which was under French patronage) with the Holy See – the seat of the Catholic Church.

That scene of Princess Ann eating ice creams while sitting on the steps in the movie Roman Holiday made those steps famous worldwide. I was lucky enough to have visited it in earlier years, so siting and chilling on the steps were not a problem then. Unfortunately sitting on the staircase at Rome’s Spanish Steps has been banned now. The move is reportedly part of the raft of strict new regulations which recently became available to the city’s local police force.

The steps are a wide irregular gathering place consisted of 138 steps placed in a mix of curves, straight flights, vistas and terraces. They connect the lower Piazza di Spagna with the upper piazza Trinita dei Monti, with its beautiful twin tower church dominating the skyline.

10 Ways To Stay Motivated

I talk about motivation quite a lot on this blog because it’s not easy to stay motivated all the time.
Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar once said: “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily.”

If you are feeling less energetic lately, here are 10 ways to stay motivated.

1. Develop a passion

It’s hard to feel motivated if you don’t feel passionate about something. Passion is what drives us to do things. Can you find at least two consuming passions in your life? It can be cooking, reading, sports, your career or achieving financial security. The more you train your mind to get passionate about things, the more likely you are to feel motivated in your life and geared up to do things.

2. Dream big, but don’t be a big dreamer

Believe it or not,these are two very different things. People who dream big have goals, stay motivated and go for what they want. Whereas people who are big dreamers tend to live in fantasy land rather than going after what they want, because the fantasy is just so nice and enjoyable. It’s much pleasurable to muse it over and play it out in your head than make it real. Have to admit , sadly I belong to the latter category most of the time.

3. Don’t procrastinate all the time

Are yo a big talker? Or some one who always has brilliant ideas but can’t put your plans into action? Like a big dreamer, procrastinating continuously get get you anywhere either. We need less thinking/talking, more doing.

4. Motivate other people

There’s nothing more likely to get you feeling motivated than to motivate others. So be someone’s cheerleader and you’ll discover the power of motivation and how it could work for you. Being a mentor, or positive friend. Help people highlight their strength, build goals and go after their dreams. Try it – you’ll surprised how effective it is.

5. Entice a reward

The trouble having zero motivation is that it makes you feel guilty, bad and fed up with your lack of zest. Change tactics and dangle a carrot in front of your face instead. Enticement of a reward works better as a motivator than guilt, whatever your goad is.

6. Do something everyday

It’s hard to be motivated when you’re overwhelmed by the big picture. Start small and do something every single day. Everyday write down three things you have to that will take you closer to your end goal. The key is consistency. If you are loosing momentum, ask a friend or expert along to help wither to boost your confidence or tackle a task with you. It can help make your task fun, keep your goals upbeat and enable you to see the bigger picture, just when you feel your motivation slipping away.

7. Finish what you start

This is a major motivation tip, because if you have trouble with motivation it’s also likely you have trouble finishing what you start. If his is the case, train yourself to finish things – even if you’ve lost interest. Getting to the end of a task teaches you that you are someone who is capable of completing tasks.

8. Energy yourself

It’s hard to stay focused if you feel tired and exhausted all the time. This means that if you are trying to motivate yourself you need to lose a few of your lazy habits (sorry). Eat well, sleep well, exercise and take vitamins if necessary. You’ll find you have the energy to get up and do things.

9. Surround yourself with go-getting people

Mix with people who have a real verve for life. Notice how your energy flags when you spend time with someone who moans all the time. Or is negative about everything. Motivated people give you energy and make you feel you can achieve anything you set your mind to. Find this type of people and stick to them.

10. Keep going

Stay motivated is hard, especially when the days get hotter and everyone is taking it easy and having a good time. These are days to watch out. While you take a break, don’t take your eyes off the ball or too long. Or else you’ll feel back at square one.

Stay motived.